Blue Angels Return Home Ending 2024 Airshow Season at Pensacola NAS 

Blue Angels Return Home Ending 2024 Airshow Season at Pensacola NAS 

The Blue Angels fly over boaters in the crowded Pensacola Bay as well as spectator watching from Fort Pickens as they thrill fans who packed the Naval Air Station for the two-day homecoming shows. Image: Richard P Gallagher/FMN
The Blue Angels fly over boaters in the crowded Pensacola Bay as well as spectator watching from Fort Pickens as they thrill fans who packed the Naval Air Station for the two-day homecoming shows. Image: Richard P Gallagher/FMN

The Naval Air Station (NAS) Pensacola hosted its annual Blue Angels Homecoming Air Show on November 1 and 2, 2024, drawing an estimated 150,000 to 180,000 spectators over the two-day event. This year’s show, themed “Celebrating One Small Step,” honored the 55th anniversary of the Apollo 11 lunar landing, a milestone in both aviation and space exploration history. 

Space History: The “Banana River Ballistic Missile” Event

Space History: The “Banana River Ballistic Missile” Event

Polaris AX-1 launching on September 24, 1958 from Cape Canaveral
Photo: US Navy archives

On September 24, 1958, the first Polaris AX propulsion test vehicle was launched from Cape Canaveral’s Launch Complex 25. What happened next quickly became a part of local lore, with residents referring to the event for many years later as “The Banana River Ballistic Missile.”

Rockledge Man Helped Save The Day For The Launch of Apollo 11

Rockledge Man Helped Save The Day For The Launch of Apollo 11

Liftoff of Apollo 11 from Launch Pad 39A with astronauts Neil Armstrong, Edwin Aldrin Jr. and Miichael Collins onboard.
Liftoff of Apollo 11 from Launch Pad 39A with astronauts Neil Armstrong, Edwin Aldrin Jr., and Michael Collins onboard.
Photo: NASA

Some stories are almost forgotten about Apollo 11’s launch from Pad LC-39A — seemingly small stories that actually had a huge effect on the mission happening as it did. One of those stories concerns a hydrogen leak late in the countdown on the third stage of the Saturn V that was poised to launch on July 16, 1969 – if it had not been remediated, Apollo 11 would not have launched on the day that it did.

Space History: Corned Beef on High

Space History: Corned Beef on High

Gus Grissom

When I was a kid, Wolfie’s in Cocoa Beach was one of my Dad’s favorites to take me out to eat. It was kid-friendly, unlike a place like The Mousetrap or other infamous and legendary Cocoa Beach haunts. They’re all long gone now, as is the nature of restaurants in a resort town. One that is especially missed by many is Wolfie’s, a place that not only had a great lunch but also a side note in space history that is funny today but was not at all amusing in the mid-1960s.

NASA’s New Missions to the Moon – Far From Routine

Photo of crashed lander on the moon
A landing attempt by India in 2019 resulted in a “smoking hole” on the lunar surface. Photo: NASA/ASU

Most Americans are able to recall that the United States successfully landed astronauts on the Moon during 1969 and into the early 1970s.  What’s not as well known is the number of attempts by various nations to explore the Moon, whether by fly-by or actual landing…..and how many were unsuccessful. 

A Day of Remembrance and Reflection Through the Eyes of Photographer Richard Gallagher

Space Mirror Memorial
Remembering the Astronauts who are no longer with us. Above is the Space Mirror Memorial at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Image by Richard P Gallagher

The Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex held its annual Day of Remembrance ceremony yesterday, commemorating the brave astronauts who lost their lives in pursuit of space exploration and discovery. The event, a solemn tribute to their sacrifices, specifically honored the memory of those involved in the Apollo 1, Challenger, and Columbia tragedies, as well as other astronauts lost in training accidents before ever reaching space.

Looking For The Perfect Gift For The Space Aficionado In The Family?

This Rocketsyne S-3D rocket engine is for sale
1960 Rocketdyne S-3D engine for sale
Photo: Live Auctions

Christmas shopping can often seem like a thankless task for someone looking for that perfect gift for a friend or a loved one. If you have a space lover on your list, that can be even harder — what to buy for someone whose head is above the clouds? Fortunately, the folks at Live Auctioneers have put something up for auction that meets all those criteria: a fully restored Rocketdyne S-3D engine. If you have deep pockets, this might be just what you are looking for!