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Pima Air and Space Museum
Candy-Coated Peanuts (M&Ms)
M&Ms are a popular snack enjoyed by astronauts, being flown on over 130 space missions since 1981. This package is typical of those used on missions in the mid-1980s. Because NASA does not allow the use of brand names on space missions, the Mars Corporation packages M&Ms labeled simply as "candy-coated chocolates" and "candy-coated peanuts." M&Ms are perfect for eating in space as they are bite-size and do not break up into crumbs that can scatter in weightlessness. If an astronaut drops an M&M, its bright color makes it relatively easy to find.
N's drawing of the space shuttle, on the launch pad (see the cross?), next to its launch tower, with its big external tank and two smaller rockets. Ready to take off! Just needs a countdown. See the pilot in the window, ready to steer?
When the main engines ignite at T-6 seconds, listen to the cacophony of camera shutters all around me. Beyond the cheering and clapping, the sheer density of cameras actuating around me was positively noisy.
Another oddity here is the fact that the audio from NASA TV was being piped over a PA behind me, which included launch sounds. Hence, there is "launch sound" that roughly coincides with the events seen in the video. The actual sound from the launch took over 30 seconds to get to us and was considerably more intense and complex than what got broadcast over the speakers.
This video was taken with my P&S camera just sitting on top of my backpack while I shot over it with my long lens. Hence the lack of level, framing, tracking, etc.
21 years ago, on January 28th, 1986, a classmate of mine came into our chemistry class and told us the space shuttle had exploded just after lift off. Everyone was in a daze the entire day and I remember going home, turning on the TV hoping for news that they had found the crew and that they had escaped the tragedy.
The bad news continued when we all learned that explosion was almost obviously imminent and that people had warned against the proceeding with the launch under poor weather conditions.
Gene Krantz, one of the flight directors at NASA during Apollo gave his flight controllers a speech after the loss of Gus Grissom, Ed White and Roger Chaffee in Apollo I. He said that no matter how bad things got with Apollo I, no one stood up and said "STOP!" Never again did he want that to happen.
Tragically, with Challenger and Columbia, the people who stood up and said "STOP!" were dismissed and forteen people needlessly and avoidably lost their lives in the noble exploration of creation.
This image was taken from the NASA web site. Please go there to see more about the ship and people lost this day 21 years ago. www.nasa.gov.
Soviets designed a dedicated An-225 heavy lifter for the purpose of carrying their 'Buran' space shuttle craft.
Americans had modified a Boeing 'Jumbo-Jet' for the same purpose. Note two additional vertical fins to keep a satisfactory level of directional control when the plane carries a shuttle load on its back. An-225 was from scratch designed with them.
Trip to Washington taking in Alexandria, Washington Mall, Arlington Cemetery, Washington Nationals Baseball, Mount Vernon and Dulles Air and Space Museum
Space Shuttle External Tank ET-94 entering Marina del Rey en route to Fisherman's Village Marina del Rey, CA
May 18, 2016
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Space Shuttle Discovery in the Mate-Demate Device. Its landing gear is being retracted to prepare for mating with the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft.
Aryabhatta which was launched on April 19th 1974 by Intercosmos Rocket of erstwhile USSR into a 594 km orbit. The 360 kg satellite was aimed at proving various spacecraft technologies. It also carried instruments for X-rays and Gamma-rays astronomy and aeronomy experiments.
Space Shuttle Challenger comes in for landing at Edwards Air Force base, CA on April 9, 1983. Scanned from a slide, hence the poor quality.
The Space Shuttle Enterprise does a flyby around NYC landmarks before landing at JFK Airport. It will be put on display at the Intrepid Museum
Space Shuttle External Tank ET-94 in Marina del Rey en route to Fisherman's Village Marina del Rey, CA
May 18, 2016
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