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Remembrance
Remembrance

Keith’s note: From NASA: “From left to right, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy, and Deputy Chief of Mission for the Embassy of Israel Eliav Benjamin, place wreaths at the Space Shuttle Columbia Memorial during a ceremony that was part of NASA’s Day of Remembrance, Thursday, Jan. 25, 2024, at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va. The wreaths were laid in memory of those men and women who lost their lives in the quest for space exploration.” Larger image

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  • NASA Watch
  • January 28, 2024
More Talking Head Time With NASAWatch
More Talking Head Time With NASAWatch

Keith’s note: I just did an interview on CGTN and was talking about the year ahead in space – space stations, Moon, Mars – and cooperation in the exploration of space. I mentioned the fact that I was watching a space station EVA clip on social media the other day and was initially confused as to what part of the ISS the astronauts were on – and then I realized it was China’s space Station. How cool – I was confused because there are TWO modern space stations in operation. More please. We then discussed the fact that more than half of humanity has never seen humans walking on another world – live – and for them this will be doing the same thing again for the first time – with more people experiencing this for the first time than watched all of the Apollo landings. I also mentioned the fact that U.S. researchers can now submit proposals to study China’s lunar samples. I then noted that one way great nations can cooperate in space is in great endeavors like space exploration – perhaps the greatest endeavor of them all. [Audio]

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  • NASA Watch
  • January 4, 2024
Mary Cleave
Mary Cleave

According to NASA PAO: “Retired NASA astronaut Mary Cleave, a veteran of two NASA spaceflights, died Nov. 27. She was 76. A scientist with training in civil and environmental engineering, as well as biological sciences and microbial ecology, Cleave was the first woman to serve as an associate administrator for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate.” More. Ad Astra Mary

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  • NASA Watch
  • November 29, 2023
My Suborbital Life Blog 10: Looking Up, WAY Up — S. Alan Stern
My Suborbital Life Blog 10: Looking Up, WAY Up — S. Alan Stern

Years ago, whenever I got an email from Burt Rutan, the legendary airplane designer and the mastermind behind the foundational spaceship designs at Virgin Galactic, Burt would always close with, “Looking up, WAY up!” Today, having finally flown to space myself just under two weeks ago in a spaceship that Rutan first conceived, I find myself thinking a lot about “Looking up, WAY up.”

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  • NASA Watch
  • November 14, 2023
Bob Cabana Is Leaving NASA
Bob Cabana Is Leaving NASA

According to NASA PAO: “NASA Associate Administrator and former astronaut Robert Cabana announced Monday his retirement, effective Sunday, Dec. 31 after more than 38 years of service. As associate administrator, Cabana has been the agency’s highest ranking civil servant, third highest ranking NASA official, and the senior advisor to NASA Administrator Bill Nelson and Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy.” More

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  • NASA Watch
  • November 13, 2023
Frank Borman
Frank Borman

According to NASA PAO: “The following is a statement from NASA Administrator Bill Nelson on the passing of former NASA astronaut Col. (ret.) Frank Borman, who passed away Nov. 7, in Billings, Montana, at the age of 95. “Today we remember one of NASA’s best. Astronaut Frank Borman was a true American hero. Among his many accomplishments, he served as the commander of the Apollo 8 mission, humanity’s first mission around the Moon in 1968. “His lifelong love for aviation and exploration was only surpassed by his love for his wife Susan.” More. Ad Astra.

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  • NASA Watch
  • November 9, 2023
Post Flight Re-write?
Post Flight Re-write?

Keith’s note: In 2021 I posted a book review of “Not Necessarily Rocket Science – A Beginners Guide To Life In The Space Age” by Kellie Gerardi – who just became an actual astronaut. So …. I am wondering if she is going to put out a revised version – with her daughter Luna’s input, of course. 😉 Update: @kelliegerardi Bold of me to write a whole damn book before the biggest life dream came true Chagrin!

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  • NASA Watch
  • November 9, 2023
My Suborbital Life Blog 9: Anticipation, Revealed — S. Alan Stern
My Suborbital Life Blog 9: Anticipation, Revealed — S. Alan Stern

This is the 9th and next to last blog I’ll write surrounding my inaugural spaceflight, which took place as a research and training mission that flew last week on Virgin Galactic. Here, I want to close the loop for you on the things I said I was so highly anticipating knowing once I had flown; I published that list in my 6th blog in this series, called “Anticipation.” So, here’s that list again, this time with answers about how each question turned out.

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  • NASA Watch
  • November 7, 2023
My Suborbital Life Blog 8: Welcome to Space! — S. Alan Stern
My Suborbital Life Blog 8: Welcome to Space! — S. Alan Stern

On Thursday I flew to space, and what a ride it was! From the hurtling ascent, to the jam-packed 3 minutes of otherworldly microgravity to get our real work done, to the washboard deceleration of entry, and then the steep glide to a greased landing, it was simultaneously thrilling, fulfilling, and enchanting. And, there’s no contest, it was the single best work day I have ever had!

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  • NASA Watch
  • November 4, 2023
Watching Mom Become An Astronaut
Watching Mom Become An Astronaut

Keith’s note: There is a whole generation alive today who have known no time when humans were not living full time in space. Now the Artemis Generation has members who can watch a parent become an astronaut between breakfast and lunch time. Ad Astra y’all.

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  • NASA Watch
  • November 3, 2023
TK Mattingly
TK Mattingly

According to NASA PAO: “The following is a statement from NASA Administrator Bill Nelson on the passing of former NASA astronaut Rear Adm. (ret.) Thomas K. (TK) Mattingly II. “We lost one of our country’s heroes on Oct. 31. NASA astronaut TK Mattingly was key to the success of our Apollo Program, and his shining personality will ensure he is remembered throughout history.” More

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  • NASA Watch
  • November 2, 2023
Newly Minted Astronauts Return To Earth
Newly Minted Astronauts Return To Earth

Keith’s note: VSS Unity Galactic05 has dropped from space and has landed back on Earth. Congratulations to new astronauts Alan Stern, Kellie Gerardi, and whoever the 3rd mystery person is. Its is always a fun day when one of your friends becomes an #astronaut But when TWO friends become astronauts – at the same time – its 2×2 as much fun. Fortuna Audentes Juvat — Ad Astra y’all

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  • NASA Watch
  • November 2, 2023
My Suborbital Life Blog 7: Of Risk and Reward — S. Alan Stern
My Suborbital Life Blog 7: Of Risk and Reward — S. Alan Stern

My reflections for today, launch day, are on risk and reward. In my view, both are integral parts of what it means to be human. Risk and reward are also sides of a single coin comes up in so many ways across the days of our lives. Like the risks of a one-shot flyby of Pluto that the New Horizons team pulled off so successfully, and the submersible journey I took to the Titanic, tomorrow’s expedition will be risky. But it will also full of promise.

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  • NASA Watch
  • November 2, 2023
My Suborbital Life Blog 6: Anticipation — S. Alan Stern
My Suborbital Life Blog 6: Anticipation — S. Alan Stern

My rookie spaceflight is so close now that it’s hard to believe–its time is really here. We plan to fly on Thursday, launching aboard Virgin Galactic’s Unity spacecraft. As the flight nears, I’m hearing from a lot of friends and colleagues, with both questions and good wishes for the mission, which I really love. One colleague, a talented physicist named Setthivoine (Sett) You at Helicityspace Corporation (where I serve as an advisor) recently asked me in jest to verify for him that the world is indeed round. So I told him I’d do that, and adding that “bonus” science to my research and training mission.

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  • NASA Watch
  • October 31, 2023
My Suborbital Life Blog 5: Hi Five! — S. Alan Stern
My Suborbital Life Blog 5: Hi Five! — S. Alan Stern

Virgin Galactic’s Galactic 05 suborbital mission I am flying on, still set for November 2nd, is the fifth commercial suborbital revenue mission for Virgin Galactic. Among myself and the other revenue customers on the flight, we’ve been referring to the mission as “High 5!”. And if it does, I’m pretty sure you’ll see some high 5’s among us on flight day!

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  • NASA Watch
  • October 30, 2023
My Suborbital Life Blog 4: My Research Spaceflight Training: Count Down to Launch — S. Alan Stern
My Suborbital Life Blog 4: My Research Spaceflight Training: Count Down to Launch — S. Alan Stern

It’s just T-6 days to launch on my first space mission, which is set for liftoff on Thursday, November 2nd from Spaceport America in southern New Mexico. Spaceport America is Virgin Galactic’s operations base for commercial suborbital missions. My blog today is about training for this mission. Unlike space tourists, those of us going to do research in space are there to work, and that means a whole different level of training than is needed just to ride aboard the vehicle as it goes through its flight paces. Most of that additional training is to ensure we’ll be ready to get our work done in the compressed timeline of just minutes during the actual spaceflight altitude portions of the mission.

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  • NASA Watch
  • October 28, 2023
My Suborbital Life Blog 3: The Suborbital Revolution Is Here –S. Alan Stern
My Suborbital Life Blog 3: The Suborbital Revolution Is Here –S. Alan Stern

As I write this blog, I’m about to leave on a business trip to Boston, to lead a science team meeting of the NASA New Horizons mission, which I serve as Principal Investigator (PI) for. The meeting is a typical business trip, one of over a 1000 that I’ve made in my career. My next business trip is as usual replete with admin assistance, travel reimbursement rules, and a post-trip expense report to file. But despite all that, it isn’t a routine trip at all.

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  • NASA Watch
  • October 27, 2023
My Suborbital Life Blog 2: Objectives, Timeline, Training — S. Alan Stern
My Suborbital Life Blog 2: Objectives, Timeline, Training — S. Alan Stern

Late next week I’ll be undertaking my first spaceflight, flying a training and “risk reduction” mission funded by my employer, the Southwest research Institute (SwRI). This flight is in preparation for a NASA-SwRI suborbital research mission that is coming up for me as well, hopefully next year. That research flight will feature two experiments—one to assess the efficacy of the spacecraft for doing suborbital astronomy, and one to take physiological data on an experimenter undergoing suborbital spaceflight.

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  • NASA Watch
  • October 25, 2023