Tag Archives: NASA

Apollo Pilot (Review)

Posted on January 22, 2017 by swabby429

In the late 1960s, the immediate fate of American manned spaceflight was in question.  The craft billed as Apollo One was in a launch rehearsal when a fire in the capsule killed Virgil “Gus” Grissom, Edward White II, and Roger Chaffee on … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, cultural highlights, History, Science | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Something About The Baikonur Cosmodrome

Posted on May 15, 2016 by swabby429

Perhaps one of the contributing factors that caused me to become a borderline Russophile is their Space Program.  People like me cut their teeth on forbidden, threatening places like the old Soviet Union.  The deeply arcane, yet highly promoted Soviet … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Politics, Science, Youth | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Thinking About Pencils

Posted on March 30, 2016 by swabby429

I think the old maxim, “The Pen is mightier than the sword” is in need of correction.  It should read, “The Pencil is mightier than the sword.” I have a fair amount of pens. There’s even an expensive fountain pen … Continue reading →

Posted in cultural highlights, History, Science | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

What About The Constellation Program?

Posted on October 28, 2015 by swabby429

Five years ago the successor to the Space Shuttle Program was shelved by the US Government.  The Constellation Program was an ambitious NASA project to restart manned missions to the Moon and ultimately begin manned exploration of Mars. The name … Continue reading →

Posted in Controversy, cultural highlights, Politics, Science | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Which Telstar?

Posted on July 23, 2015 by swabby429

The name “Telstar” is one of the most well-known names for manmade satellites, and other things.  In fact, during the time that the original Telstar satellites were in service, polls discovered that Telstar was a more recognizeable name in Britain … Continue reading →

Posted in cultural highlights, Entertainment, Gadgets, History, Science, Youth | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Rings Of Saturn

Posted on July 1, 2015 by swabby429

July 1, 2004 marked an historical first in the exploration of the Solar System. The Saturn Orbital Insertion maneuver took place when the Cassini spacecraft flew through the large gap between Saturn’s F and G rings. The event was the … Continue reading →

Posted in cultural highlights, History, Science, Youth | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The Soviet SST

Posted on May 26, 2015 by swabby429

When most of us think about supersonic airline service, we instantly think of the Anglo-French Concorde.  Likewise, most people think the Concordes were the only supersonic transport (SST) planes ever put into commercial service.  Actually, the USSR got a two-month … Continue reading →

Posted in Controversy, cultural highlights, History, Politics, Science, Transportation | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments