history
“I believe this nation should commit itself…” Kennedy’s Moon Shot Speech to Congress
50 years ago today, US President John F. Kennedy addressed a joint session of Congress to ask for support for…
Fast Cars and Hot Rod Astronauts
Corvettes were synonymous with the first US astronauts. Why? The story goes that a Florida car dealer named Jim Rathmann…
Rare and Unpublished LIFE Photos of Alan Shepard’s Historic Flight
[/caption] If you follow me on Twitter, you may have seen how I was oohing and aahing about a wonderful…
Jethro Tull in Space
I've had this song in my head ever since Sunday when I first saw this video, so finally decided I…
What Did Gagarin See on His Historic Flight?
50 years ago, April 12th, Yuri Gagarin became the world’s first human to go into space. What did he see?…
50 Years of Human Spaceflight: Yuri’s Night Video Contest
On April 12, 2011, everyone with the least bit of interest in space should be rockin’ the house. It’s the…
More Space Anniversaries: Apollo 14 and Ham
Forty years ago today, the Apollo 14 crew launched on their Saturn V rocket, the 6th human flight to the…
Was the Apollo Program an Anomaly?
[/caption] How often have you heard (or thought) the sentiment that all NASA really needs is a President who will…
Darwin vs. the Sun
[/caption]Today, we take it for granted that the Sun produces energy via nuclear fusion. However, this realization only came about…
Spectroscopy in 1881
[/caption]Presently, I've been reading a lot of very old papers and books in astronomy. The work I'm currently reading a…