NASA's mightiest rocket lifts off 50 years after Apollo
NASA's new moon rocket blasted off on its debut flight with three test dummies aboard early Wednesday, bringing the U.S. a big step closer to putting astronauts back on the lunar surface for the first time since the end of the Apollo program 50 years ago. If all goes well during the three-week, make-or-break shakedown flight, the rocket will propel an empty crew capsule into a wide orbit around the moon, and then the capsule will return to Earth with a splashdown in the Pacific in December. After years of delays and billions in cost overruns, the Space Launch System rocket thundered skyward, rising from Kennedy Space Center on 8.8 million pounds (4 million kilograms) of thrust and hitting 100 mph (160 kph) within seconds.
news.yahoo.comFirst NASA flight director's mission control mementos at auction
The original headset used by NASA's first flight director has been given the "go" for auction. The Western Electric headset worn by Christopher C. Kraft in Mercury Mission Control is among the items being offered by Heritage Auctions on behalf of his estate.
space.comLunar timeline: humanity's explorations of the moon
Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin stands on the lunar surface during the first moon landing in 1969. 1967: NASA's Lunar Orbiter missions completed photographic mapping of the moon. 2008: India's Chandrayaan 1 moon orbiter launched. 2009: NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter launched along with the LCROSS probe which crashed into the moon, revealing water ice. 2013: NASA's Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE) investigated the lunar atmosphere and dust.
space.comAndrew Chaikin's 'A Man on the Moon' relaunched as Folio Society book set
Related: Reading Apollo 11: the best new books about the US moon landingsThe Folio Society's collector edition of Andrew Chaikin's "A Man on the Moon" is presented in two volumes. In the 27 years since the first edition was released, high resolution scans have been made of each photo taken on the Apollo missions. Each of the two volumes of The Folio Society's presentation of Andrew Chaikin's "A Man on the Moon" includes eight fold-pages with panoramic Apollo mission photographs. Related: NASA's 17 Apollo moon missions in picturesNearly 200 photographs are positioned throughout the two volumes of The Folio Society's "A Man on the Moon" by Andrew Chaikin. (Image credit: The Folio Society)The Folio edition of "A Man on the Moon" includes 56 pages of photo plates and an eight-page fold-out in each volume.
space.comApollo 11 moonwalker Buzz Aldrin gets COVID-19 vaccine
Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin, seen here in a 2019 Veteran's Day parade in New York City, has received his first vaccination shot for COVID-19. Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin, who landed on the moon over 51 years ago, received his first COVID-19 vaccine Monday (Jan. 18), just before his 91st birthday on Jan. 20. "Received my first Covid-19 vaccine today, a couple of days prior to my 91st birthday," Aldrin tweeted Monday afternoon. Related: Coronavirus outbreak: Live UpdatesReceived my first Covid-19 vaccine today, a couple of days prior to my 91st birthday. Special thanks go to two outstanding patriots, Vlad Ghenciu Esq and Brian M Cronin, for their invaluable assistance, and to my organization, Buzz Aldrin Ventures LLC for permanent support.
space.comNew law is first to protect Apollo sites from future moon missions
Tranquility Base, the Apollo 11 moon landing site, as photographed on July 20, 1969. A new U.S. law protects the site and the other Apollo landing sites from purposeful or inadvertent disturbance 50 years later. Related: NASA's 17 Apollo moon missions in picturesThe new law directs NASA to require future moon missions under its purview to abide by a set of "best practice" recommendations drafted in 2011 "to protect and preserve the historic and scientific value of U.S. government lunar artifacts." The law also applies to SpaceX, Blue Origin and Dynetics, which are developing human landing systems for the Artemis program. It also only extended protection to Tranquility Base, the Apollo 11 landing site, rather than all six Apollo landing sites, and provided for a penalty fee for violations, which the law as passed omits.
space.comLaw firm claims stake in tape strips used to lift moon dust off Apollo 11 sample bag
Detail shot of the Apollo 11 lunar sample return bag showing areas that have been darkened with traces of moon dust. A Kansas City, Missouri law firm claimed a 28.5% stake in the financial value of five pieces of carbon tape that NASA used to lift moon dust off the white zippered pouch for testing. The tape had been used to lift samples of suspected lunar dust from the interior seams of the bag. Given the findings, NASA refused to return the bag to Carlson, asserting that it had never relinquished ownership of the artifact. Carlson's tape strips may be the first to be turned over by the space agency, by settlement, court order or otherwise.
space.comNew Hummer EV was GM's 'moonshot,' features nods to Apollo 11
The GMC Hummer EV Edition 1 comes with a white exterior and "Lunar Horizon" interior inspired by the Apollo 11 moonshot. Described as the world's first zero-emissions, zero-limits all-electric "supertruck," the 2022 GMC Hummer EV features a three-motor e4WD propulsion system, a 350+ mile (560+ kilometers) driving range on a full charge and a "CrabWalk" diagonal-drive functionality. But the Apollo accents in the Hummer EV do not stop there. The Hummer EV also lowers two inches to prepare for the "launch," utilizing a lower center of gravity. The GMC Hummer EV Edition 1 will have a starting price of $112,595 when it lifts off for sale next year.
space.comNASA's new moonshot rules: No fighting or littering, please
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – NASA’s new moonshot rules: No fighting and littering. The space agency released a set of guidelines Tuesday for its Artemis moon-landing program, based on the 1967 Outer Space Treaty and other agreements. Founding members include the U.S., Australia, Canada, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom. The coalition can say, “Look, you’re in this program with the rest of us, but you’re not playing by the same rules,” Bridenstine said. ___The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education.
Here's how you can relive the Apollo 11 launch
The Visitor Complex will host the Apollo 11 Launch Flashback Event on July 16 beginning at 7:30 a.m. Special Apollo guests will address the audience as the 9:32 a.m. launch time approaches. To commemorate the experience, patrons will receive a Pepsi hand fan, Apollo 11 trading cards, a 50th anniversary booklet, an exclusive Moon Pie product, an Apollo lanyard and badge and a collectible pin. Apollo Moon Landing Astronaut Neil Armstrong did something no one had ever done before. A $300 package includes admission to the Visitor Complex and other perks.
Flight controller remembers his part in historic Apollo 11 lunar landing
He wound up in the Apollo program as an assistant flight director before he was made the head of the communications section. Nearly 50 years after man first walked on the moon, Ed Fendell remembers how he felt sitting inside mission control, right before Apollo 11 landed on the lunar surface back in 1969. He is most recognized for his work on the final mission of the Apollo program in 1972. He used a camera mounted on the lunar rover to perfectly capture the lunar liftoff of the Apollo 17 Lunar Module Challenger. After the Apollo program, Fendell continued working for NASA.
Lunar landing artifacts on display at Smithsonian National Air & Space Museum
One of the biggest collections is at the Smithsonian National Air & Space Museum in Washington, D.C.From the big to the small, the artifacts there tell the story of the daring first manned mission to the moon's surface. Items included the data acquisition camera that was mounted in the window of the lunar module and captured the moon landing. That was actually part of the first meal on the moon," Muir-Harmony said. You'll see that this is largely a converted Airstream trailer," said Margaret Wietekamp, the curator for the Space History Department for the National Air & Space Museum. "So the museum has a wonderful, best in the nation, collection of Apollo lunar suits," Wietekamp said.
The most important moments that happened during the 8-day Apollo 11 mission
In honor of the 50th anniversary celebration of Apollo 11 below is a timeline as told by NASA with the most important highlights during the eight-day mission. Additionally, the first color TV transmission occurred from Earth to Apollo 11 during the translunar coast of the command and service module/lunar module. July 19, 1969At this point in the mission, Apollo 11 had flown behind the moon and out of contact with Earth. The second burn that followed later for 17 seconds placed the docked vehicles into a lunar orbit of 62 by 70.5 miles. July 20, 1969Armstrong and Aldrin both entered the lunar module again.
United celebrating 50th anniversary of Apollo 11 with entertainment and perks at Houston airport
HOUSTON – United’s Terminals C and E at George Bush International Airport will be celebrating the Apollo 11 anniversary by offering special entertainment within the terminals, flight perks and exclusive dining and MileagePlus offers. Ember and Tanglewood Grille have special Apollo 11 menus featuring food that the astronauts ate on board. There will be of alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages to celebrate Apollo 11, including Tang-infused cocktails. Additionally, on the anniversary of the first TV transmission from Earth into space, United is hosting a Space City celebration flight from Newark into Houston. One of the experiences includes VIP access to Space Center Houston’s Apollo 11 50th anniversary celebration.