A Brief History Of Music In Space: A Sixty-Three Year Old Tradition

July 15, 2024Posted inAviation and Space News, International, ISS, NASA
Col. Chris Hadfield aboard ISS with his guitar.
Col. Chris Hadfield aboard ISS with his guitar.
Photo: NASA

Crewed spaceflight is, of course, serious business. Even today, the cost of sending people is so high that mission planners try to maximize every hour that a given crew is in space. Still, astronauts and cosmonauts are human beings, and human beings require rest and breaks from constantly working despite the fact that they are in orbit or even on their way to and from the moon. With that in mind one of the most enduring traditions in space flight is that of the crews listening to music both in space and even in the final minutes of a countdown. It started in 1961, and continues to this day, and is something sure to continue long into the future.

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

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

July 14, 2024Posted inAviation and Space News, History, NASA, Space News
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.

Starliner Not “Stuck In Space”, But No Return Date Set Yet

Starliner Not “Stuck In Space”, But No Return Date Set Yet

July 10, 2024Posted inBoeing, NASA, Space News
Starliner CST-100 in launch preparation, May 31, 2024 Photo: Charles Boyer / Florida Media Now
Starliner CST-100 in launch preparation, May 31, 2024 Photo: Charles Boyer / Florida Media Now

The popular meme in a lot of space coverage these days implies that Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams are stuck aboard the International Space Station. Some say that Starliner is incapacitated and unable to return them to Earth. NASA and Boeing have steadfastly stated that is not the case, but at the same time, a test flight originally scheduled for eight days has been repeatedly extended to conduct tests on faulty thrusters on the CST-100 Starliner’s service module.

NASA and Boeing officials held a press conference today and stated that no return date has yet been set for Starliner. According to the officials, engineers are continuing to investigate system failures on the spacecraft and gather data on the Starliner thruster pods.

Public Comments on SpaceX Starship Launch Facility at LC-39A Highlight Environmental and Safety Concerns

Public Comments on SpaceX Starship Launch Facility at LC-39A Highlight Environmental and Safety Concerns

June 29, 2024Posted inKSC, Space News, SpaceX
A Falcon Heavy prepares for launch at LC-39a in the shadow of SpaceX's new Starship Tower (right). Construction on the new tower is dormant, pending regulatory approval. Photo: Mark Stone/FMN
A Falcon Heavy prepares for launch at LC-39A in the shadow of SpaceX’s new Starship Tower (right). Construction on the new tower is dormant, pending regulatory approval. Photo: Mark Stone/FMN

Kennedy Space Center, Florida — SpaceX’s ambitious plans to repurpose Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at the Kennedy Space Center for its Starship/Super Heavy launch vehicle program have sparked a wide array of concerns from various public and private stakeholders.

Axiom Continues Making Steady Progress With Spacesuit Program, Collins Aerospace Drops Out

Axiom Continues Making Steady Progress With Spacesuit Program, Collins Aerospace Drops Out

June 28, 2024Posted inArtemis, Axiom Space, ISS, NASA, Space News
Artemis III partners – NASA, SpaceX, and Axiom Space – together conducted a successful pressurized simulation and the first test of its kind since the Apollo era. Courtesy of SpaceX via Axiom Space
Vital Program for Artemis and ISS Loses One of Two Vendors

Though they are often taken for granted, spacesuits are a vital part of US space efforts, both now with the International Space Station, and also later, when astronauts from Project Artemis undertake their EVA duties on the lunar surface. Without spacesuits, many of the necessary maintenance and upgrade duties on ISS cannot be performed, and obviously, without spacesuits, no one will be walking on the moon.

NOAA Successfully Deploys GOES-U Satellite, Signals Nominal Functioning

NOAA Successfully Deploys GOES-U Satellite, Signals Nominal Functioning

June 26, 2024Posted inNASA, Space News, SpaceX
The GOES-U Weather satellite heads to orbit atop a SpaceX Falcon Heavy Booster Tuesday. Photo: Mark Stone/FMN
The GOES-U Weather satellite heads to orbit atop a SpaceX Falcon Heavy Booster Tuesday. Photo: Mark Stone/FMN

Only 10 minutes into Tuesday’s 2-hour launch window, a SpaceX Falcon heavy lifted off carrying the last of a series of new weather satellites to orbit. The GOES-U weather satellite launch was the last of a series designated GOES-R.

GOES-U Satellite Launch: Advancing the Future of Weather and Environmental Monitoring 

GOES-U Satellite Launch: Advancing the Future of Weather and Environmental Monitoring 

June 24, 2024Posted inNASA, Space News, SpaceX, Uncategorized
The countdown clock at KSC displaying the GOES-U satellite. Image by Richard P Gallagher
The countdown clock at KSC displaying the GOES-U satellite. Image by Richard P Gallagher

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is set to launch its latest geostationary weather satellite, GOES-U, on June 25, 2024, from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. This mission, the final installment in the GOES-R series, will dramatically advance weather observation and environmental monitoring technology. 

Drug Resistant “Superbug” Has Evolved On ISS

Drug Resistant “Superbug” Has Evolved On ISS

June 13, 2024Posted inAviation and Space News, ISS, NASA, Space News
E. bugandensis

A National Institute of Health paper released in March has identified previously unseen and unknown variants of a bacterium known for being multi-drug resistant, have been isolated from the ISS.

Thirteen strains of Enterobacter bugandensis, have mutated and became genetically distinct compared to their Earth counterparts. The study also found that E. bugandensis coexisted with multiple other microorganisms, and in some cases could have helped those organisms survive. So far, NASA, Roscosmos, or any other international partners aboard the ISS have not reported infected astronauts or, worse, transmission of the species from the ISS to Earth.

NASA Astronauts Continue Critical Starliner Tests

NASA Astronauts Continue Critical Starliner Tests

June 11, 2024Posted inBoeing, NASA, Space News, Starliner
Starliner docking to ISS Image: Boeing
Starliner docking to ISS Image: Boeing

June 11, 2024 – Orbiting Earth as part of the nine-person crew of the International Space Station (ISS), NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams are actively engaged in testing Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft. This mission marks Starliner’s first flight with astronauts and is a critical step in the data collection process for NASA certification, aiming to establish regular crewed missions to the orbital complex.

The Third Time Is The Charm For Starliner

The Third Time Is The Charm For Starliner

June 5, 2024Posted inAtlas V, Boeing, NASA, Space News, Starliner, United Launch Alliance
Boeing Starliner finally heads to space. Photo: Chris Leymarie/FMN
Boeing Starliner finally heads to space. Photo: Chris Leymarie/FMN

For the first time since 1968, astronauts have been launched from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, marking the first-ever manned mission from a Space Force installation. On June 5, at precisely 10:52 a.m. EDT, NASA astronauts Barry Wilmore and Sunita Williams lifted off from Space Launch Complex-41 aboard the Atlas V rocket, commencing the eagerly anticipated Boeing Starliner Crew Flight Test (CFT) mission.