Astronomy Fact of the Day: August 25, 2021

August 25, 2021 In 1965, President Johnson announced the Department of Defense’s $1.5 billion Manned Orbiting Laboratory (MOL). Publicly, this was an Air Force program to place military personnel in orbit to conduct scientific experiments. The classified, actual mission of the MOL program, was to place a manned surveillance satellite into orbit. More information about… Continue reading

Astronomy Fact of the Day: August 24, 2021

August 24, 2021 At 9 pm you will find two bright and familiar patterns of stars to the north. In the northwest you will see the Big Dipper and to the northeast, you will find the W-shaped constellation Cassiopeia. These circumpolar patterns can generally be seen year-round because they are near the North Star.

Astronomy Fact of the Day: August 23, 2021

August 23, 2021 In 1961, NASA launched Ranger I, the first of a series of lunar probes intended to crash-land on the Moon. Unfortunately, due to a rocket malfunction, the probe never left Earth orbit and eventually burned up on re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere. Ranger 1 block diagram displaying scientific instruments. Credit: NASA

Astronomy Fact of the Day: August 22, 2021

August 22, 2021 Today is full moon for the month of August. This will be the third of four full moons this summer which means it is a blue moon. Currently there are two ways to define a blue moon. One type occurs if there are two full moons in one month. The second type… Continue reading

Astronomy Fact of the Day: August 21, 2021

August 21, 2021 In 1965, Gemini V was launched from Cape Canaveral in Florida, carrying astronauts Pete Conrad and Gordon ‘Gordo’ Cooper into orbit on an 8-day mission. More information about Gemini 8, its objectives and results, may be found here. Gemini V Astronauts L. Gordon Cooper Jr. (Right) Charles “Pete” Conrad Jr. (Left) and the… Continue reading

Astronomy Fact of the Day: August 1, 2021

August 1, 2021 This day in 1980 marks the death of James S. McDonnell. An American engineer, he was the president of McDonnell Aircraft from 1939 to 1972. His innovative fighter designs, including the F-4 Phantom and F-15 Eagle, became the premier US fighters after 1960. McDonnell Aircraft, later McDonnell-Douglas, was also the prime contractor… Continue reading

Astronomy Fact of the Day: July 31, 2021

July 31, 2021 Looking to the southeast around 5 am you will see three stars in a row together. These stars form the belt of Orion the Hunter! Fans of Orion can rejoice, he is back in the sky. Image Credit: Stellarium

Did we find life on Venus?

Scientists may be getting warmer in the search for life in the cosmos. Research released on September 14, 2020 in the journal of Nature Astronomy suggests the discovery of phosphine gas in the atmosphere of Venus – a possible signature of microbial life on our planetary neighbor. While an exciting discovery, much is still unknown about… Continue reading

From Earth to Mars

From H.G. Wells’ War of the Worlds to Andy Weir’s The Martian, our culture’s fascination with the Red Planet is nothing new. However, the ability to explore this distant world is much more recent in our history. September 3rd marks the 44th anniversary of NASA’s successful landing of the Viking 2 spacecraft on the surface of Mars. Coming… Continue reading

Hubble 30th Anniversary Image

On April 24, 2020, NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope celebrated the 30th anniversary of its launch aboard Space Shuttle Discovery. The Saint Louis Science Center was selected as one of a limited number of locations across the nation to unveil the Hubble 30th anniversary photo to the public and is the only location in the state… Continue reading