This Day in History January 20, 1930

I was quite excited to learn that on this date in 1930, Buzz Aldrin was born.  That's right--the second guy to ever walk on the moon celebrates his 83rd birthday.  I don't think there is much else to be said.  We lost Neil Armstrong last year.  Let's hope that Aldrin is still around for a little while longer.

For more  information:
http://www.biography.com/people/buzz-aldrin-9179894
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edwin_%22Buzz%22_Aldrin
http://www.famousbirthdays.com/people/buzz-aldrin.html

This Day in History October 28, 1998

By US Congress [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

When I was in school, I remember learning about John Glenn, the first American to orbit the earth.  It is amazing to me that he is still alive (especially with the untimely death of Neil Armstrong this year).  It is further amazing that on this date in 1998, John Glenn returned to space.  He became the oldest man to go into space as he travelled on the Space Shuttle Discovery.  He was 77.  In so many ways, it is sad to realize that with the ending of the space program, this part of our history is over.  I can only hope that some time in the future NASA is able to begin their space program again, even on a limited basis.  Nothing fuels the imagination more than astronauts and space travel.

For more information, please check out:
http://famousdaily.com/history/space-shuttle-with-john-glenn-oldest-passenger.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Glenn
http://www.nasa.gov/centers/glenn/about/bios/shuttle_mission.html

This Day in History April 12, 1981

Well, this was another great day in NASA history.  On this date in 1981, Space Shuttle Columbia first launched into space.  This was the first reusable manned spacecraft to go into space.   This first mission last 54 hours and orbited the earth 36 times.



I have to admit I don't really remember this.  I remember the space shuttle, but I don't remember this specific date.  What I do remember is when the tragedy happened back in 2003 when this same space shuttle disintegrated upon reentry.  I remember because I was in Texas at the time, and we were coming back from a special overnight stay.  We had not watched any news, and we did not know why it said to watch out for space shuttle debris.  We did not know what happened till we got home.

For more information, please check out:
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/first-launching-of-the-space-shuttle
http://www.acclaimimages.com/_gallery/_pages/0124-1011-2212-0936.html

This Day in History April 11, 1970

It was on this date in 1970 that Apollo 13 took off for what would be a dangerous but successful mission.  This was to be the third moon landing mission (they never made it to the moon).  For the first couple days, this seemed like the smoothest of the Apollo missions.

And then disaster struck.  Oxygen Tank 2 blew up, and that caused tank 1 to fail as well.  At 200,000 miles from earth, the normal supply of electricity, light and water were lost.  Amazingly, a fix was found for the issues, and the astronauts arrived home safely.

If you have never seen the Tom Hanks film Apollo 13, I would highly recommend it.  In fact, I am planning right now to go out and see if I do have it amongst my videos (I think I do).  I know my daughter would love it--she is a bit of a space nut!

For more information on Apollo 13, check out these links:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_13
http://science.ksc.nasa.gov/history/apollo/apollo-13/apollo-13.html
http://www.lpi.usra.edu/lunar/missions/apollo/apollo_13/overview/
http://www.udel.edu/physics/scen103/ZING/apollo13pictures.html

This Day in History January 28, 1986

I don't think I will ever forget this day.  I remember where I was.  I was home sick on this date.  The TV was on, and suddenly, the program was interrupted, and this is what I saw.



Yes, it was on this date in 1986 that the Challenger broke apart just 73 seconds after lift-off.  This was that fateful mission where the first educator astronaut was chosen.  The cause of the accident was a failed O-ring. I remember how the Space Shuttle program stopped for some time--almost three years.

What I didn't realize is that some of the astronauts evidently survived the initial explosion, but of course, none survived the cabin's hitting the Atlantic Ocean.  I cannot imagine how horrible that would have been.  There was no escape plan.  And it is even worse to realize that this fatal flaw was known about since the 1970's.

I will never forget this date.  I remember getting up and calling out to my mom who was hanging out laundry or something like that.  And sadly, it was not the last Space Shuttle disaster.

For more information, please check out these sites:
http://space.about.com/cs/challenger/a/challenger.htm
http://www.space.com/10677-challenger-tragedy-overview.html
http://www.universetoday.com/71612/challenger-disaster/

This Day in History December 14, 1962

It's hard to believe that it has not been such a long time ago that we had pictures like this.  And this picture of Venus comes from the Mariner 2, the backup for Mariner 1 which failed shortly after its launch towards Venus.  In truth, the spacecraft should have been described as a probe due to its small size.  It took just over three and a half months to reach Venus.

On this date in 1962, Mariner 2 finally reach Venus.  It was not equipped with cameras due to the thick clouds surrounding Venus.  Using infared and microwave radiometers, it discovered that the clouds surrounding Venus were cool, but the temperature of the planet's surface was around 900 degrees Fahrenheit.  While it found no magnetic field, later probes confirmed the assumption concerning their existence.

Mariner 2 was tracked until January 3, 1963, when all contact was lost.  It went into orbit around the sun, which is where it remains to this day.  And in case you are interested, the cost of the mission was about $554 million.

For more information, kindly check out:
http://www.academickids.com/encyclopedia/index.php/Mariner_2
http://www.wired.com/thisdayintech/2010/12/1214mariner2-venus/
http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraftDisplay.do?id=1962-041A

This Day in History October 11, 1984

Here is another event I remember!  Okay, so I am getting old.  Before too long, I will be a piece of ancient history!  But oh well, here we go with today's special event in history.

Kathryn Sullivan (pictured above) was born October 3, 1951, in Paterson, New Jersey. She graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Earth Sciences from the University of California, Santa Cruz, in 1973 (the year before I was born).  She then received a Doctorate in Geology from Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1978.

Before she joined NASA, she pursued many academic interests.  In 1971, she was an exchange student in Norway, and she participated in several oceanographic expeditions while in her doctoral studies.  She even earned her private pilot's license in powered and glider aircraft.

January 16, 1978, NASA seelcted her, and she became an astronaut in August 1979.  As NASA's third female astronaut, she took her first space flight on Challenger October 5, 1984.  She had 7 crew mates (the largest astronaut crew yet--including the first female astronaut, Sally Ride).  Sullivan made history on this mission when she and David Leetsma stepped into the cargo bay to practice some safety techniques.  She became the first American woman to walk in space on this date in 1984, and her response was simply: "This is great; I love it."

She took two other space flights, and in August 1992, she left NASA.  She went on to Chief Scientist of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.  Her awards are plentiful, and she was inducted into the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame May 1, 2004.

It is so nice to write about successful women such as Kathryn Sullivan.  I can remember seeing footage of her walking in space, and being the impressionable, young child that I was, I didn't think this was terribly remarkable.  I didn't appreciate the value of women's history until a few years ago when I set out to prove the women historians wrong.  I soon discovered just how important women's history is.  It has been overlooked for so many years--just like minority history has.  Thankfully things are changing for women, and I think we owe a lot to strong women just like Kathryn Sullivan.

For more information, check out these informative sites:
http://www.nmspacemuseum.org/halloffame/detail.php?id=90
http://www.astronautscholarship.org/sullivan.html

This Day in History August 27, 1984

Well, this was a day that changed this woman's life forever--Barbara Morgan.  I was alive, and I remember.  President Ronald Reagan announced that NASA would be putting a teacher in space.  Immediately, Idaho teacher, Barbara Morgan, knew she had to apply.  She said that she was always trying to find ways to bring the real world into her classroom.  Little did she know how real it would be for her students.

Out of 11,000 applicants, she was the runner-up.  She trained right alongside Christa McAuliffe.  You probably know that she and the other members of the Challenger disaster of January 1986 died, and poor Barbara Morgan thought she would never get the chance to fly in space.

She beat the odds, however.  Even in spite of another disaster--the Columbia Disaster of February 2003--Barbara Morgan became a full-fledged astronaut.  August 8, 2007, she and the six other members of the Shuttle Endeavor for a 13-day mission.  

She has retired from NASA, and she works for Boise State University promoting science and math.

I was not aware of this, and my hat is off to her.  She began as a 32-year-old teacher who longed to fly in space, and she was 55 before she realized her dream.  Wow!  This is a woman who could have given up--I am pretty sure I would have.  I can't imagine going on in spite of the first disaster let alone the second.  But she never gave up.  And now the shuttle program is over.  Good thing she got to do it when she did!

For more information, check out this site.