Sally Ride Loses Battle With Cancer

Dr. Sally Ride, the first American woman in space, died this morning after a seventeen month battle with pancreatic cancer. She was 61.

Dr. Ride was born in Los Angeles in 1951 and received degrees in English, physics, and astrophysics. When NASA allowed women to apply for the astronaut program in 1977, Dr. Ride applied and was accepted in 1978. In 1983, Dr. Ride became the first American women to enter space aboard the Space Shuttle Challenger and went into space again in 1984.

 

Dr. Ride aboard Space Shuttle Challenger

Ultimately, her 1984 trip into space would be her last. The Space Program was halted after the 1986 explosion of the Challenger. After assisting with the investigation of the Challenger disaster, Dr. Ride retired from NASA in 1987. After leaving NASA, Dr. Ride went on to teach at Stanford University and then the University of California, San Diego. In 2001, she founded the Sally Ride Science, a company that develops educational programs in science, technology, engineering, and math for children in grade K-12. Since leaving NASA, she has returned on a number of occasions and has won numerous awards.

Dr. Ride leaves behind her partner of 27 years, Tam O’Shaughnessy, as well as her mother, Joyce; her sister, Bear; her niece, Caitlin, and nephew, Whitney; and her staff of 40 at Sally Ride Science. She has been an inspiration to women and girls around the world and will be remembered for her many accomplishments.

Read her full obituary by The New York Times or read her full biography provided by Sally Ride Science.

Space Shuttle Discovery at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center

The Space Shuttle Discovery was moved to the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center near the Dulles Airport outside of Washington, DC. I had a chance to visit the Air & Space Museum in May and thought I would share my photos of the shuttle.

The End of the Space Shuttle Era

Last week marked the end of the historic Space Shuttle era of exploration.  Over the past 30 years, the Space Shuttle is responsible for the launch of countless space probes and satellites that have broadened our knowledge of the Universes.  Many of these probes and satellites are functional today and are providing NASA with massive databanks of information.  It is hard to believe that the program was ended, but its accomplishments have been extraordinary.

Before we recognize the accomplishments of the program, we must honor those lost as a result of it.  The crew of Space Shuttle Challenger were lost January 28, 1986 when the shuttle exploded 76 seconds after takeoff.  The crew consisted of: Michael J. Smith, Dick Scobee, Ronald McNair, Ellison Onizuka, Christa McAuliffe, Gregory Jarvis, and Judith Resnik.  Following the Challenger disaster, the Space Shuttle program was put on hold to investigate the disaster and ensure the shuttles were safe for future missions.

The crew of Challenger

The second incident occurred February 1, 2003 when Space Shuttle Columbia was destroyed on reentry due to damage to heat resistant tiles during the shuttle’s launch.  The crew consisted of: Rick D. Husband, William C. McCool, Michael P. Anderson, Ilan Ramon, Kalpana Chawla, David M. Brown, and Laurel Clark.  Again, NASA halted the program to ensure the shuttles were safe.  Many believe this led to the end of the Space Shuttle program.  Many felt the shuttles were beginning to show their age and the funds necessary to revamp the shuttles was not available.

The Crew of Columbia

The Space Shuttle program was successful in many other aspects of space exploration.  Here are some facts and figures from the past 31 years:

-System length: 184.2 ft

-Orbiter length: 122.17 ft.

-External Tank length: 153.8 ft.

-Solid Rocket Boosters length: 149.16 ft.

-System height: 76.6 ft.

-Orbiter height: 56.58 ft

-Orbiter wingspan: 78.06 ft.

-Gross take-off weight: 4.5 million lbs.

-SRBs(2): 3,300,000 lbs. Thrust each in vacuum

-Main Engines (3): 393,800 lbs. Thrust each at sea level at 104 percent

-Cargo bay: 60 ft. long, 15 ft. diameter

-Enterprise – NEVER FLOWN

-Columbia – 28 missions, first launched: Apr 12, 1981

-Challenger – 10 missions, first launched: Apr 04, 1983

-Discovery – 39 missions, first launched: Aug 30, 1984

-Atlantis – 32 missions, first launched: Oct 03, 1985

-Endeavour – 25 missions, first launched: May 07, 1992

There are simply too many accomplishments to list!  From the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope to the countless missions to the International Space Station, the Space Shuttles have been at the cutting edge of space eduction.  There are still missions within NASA to get exited about, such as New Horizons mission to Pluto, but there will be a big gap without the occasional launch of a space shuttle.  We will be able to enjoy these marvels of technology, however.  NASA announced that each Space Shuttle would be sent to a new home in its retirement.  The shuttles will be sent to:

-Atlantis: Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida

-Endeavour: the California Science Center in Los Angeles

-Discovery: the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Virginia

-Enterprise: the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in New York (moved from its current location at the Smithsonian)

The Space Shuttles will likely not be moved until 2012, but it will be exiting to see them in person.  The launch of a Space Shuttle is one of the most awesome spectacles that I have ever witnessed (never in person, unfortunately), so I leave you with an image of a rare, but spectacular, night launch.

The Retirement of Space Shuttle Atlantis

Atlantis reentering the atmosphere yesterday morning.

Yesterday the Space Shuttle Atlantis landed, returning from its final mission into space. This marks the final flight for NASA’s Space shuttle program.

Space Shuttle Atlantis launched for its final time July 8, 2011. It returned to Earth yesterday and will retire at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida. The Atlantis had an illustrious career. Here are some interesting facts about Atlantis:

-Construction began on March 30, 1980

-Atlantis was nearly 3.5 tons lighter than Columbia

-made 33 flights into space

-first Space Shuttle to dock with the Russian’s MIR

-Deployed the Magellan probe bound for Venus in 1989

-Deployed the Galileo interplanetary probe bound for Jupiter in 1989

-Deployed the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory in 1991

-flew the final servicing mission the Hubble Space Telescope in 2009

-Michael Massimino became the first person to use Twitter in space in May 2009 aboard Atlantis

Atlantis will be missed by me and many other space aficionados, as will the entire Space Shuttle program. I leave you with a picture from Atlantis’ final launch, the last Space Shuttle launch ever, from July 8.

Final Space Shuttle Launch Tomorrow

Atlantis is scheduled to be the final Space Shuttle launch tomorrow at 11:26 AM ET.  Keep in mind, the time is estimated.  Keep an eye on NASA TV for the latest launch information.

Retirement of Space Shuttle Endeavour

Yesterday the Space Shuttle Endeavour landed, returning from its final mission into space.  This year marks the final year for NASA’s Space shuttle program.

Space Shuttle Endeavour launched for its final time May 16, 2011 after a two week delay.  It returned to Earth yesterday and will retire at California Science Center in Los Angeles.  The Endeavour had an illustrious career.  Here are some interesting facts about Endeavour:

-Is the youngest of all the Space Shuttles, first launching in 1992, and was built to replace Challenger

-the Endeavour was named by students as a nationwide competition in 1988 and is named for the ship used by explorer James Cook

-Endeavour was launched in 1993 to repair a nearly fatal flaw on the Hubble Space Telescope

-The first American companant of the Space Station was launched in 1998 on Endeavour

-the first African American woman in space, Mae Jemison, flew on Endeavour

-the first Japanese astronaut, Mamoru Mohri, flew aboard Endeavour

-the first married couple, Mark Lee and Jan Davis, flew on Endeavour

Endeavour will be missed by me and many other space aficionados, but there will be one final Space Shuttle launch this year.  Atlantis will close out the program when it launches on July 8.  I leave you with a picture of Endeavour’s final launch on May 16.

The Retirement of Space Shuttle Discovery

Discovery Landing for the Final Time – March 9, 2011

Although my interests fall within the realm of history, I have always had a fascination with space.  We have all read the news that 2011 is the final year for the Space Shuttle Program and I am saddened by it because watching a Shuttle launch is one helluva spectacle!

On Thursday February 24, 2011 Space Shuttle Discovery made its final trip into space and returned for the final time yesterday.  Those watching could not help but be emotional because there was the gnawing fact that Discovery is now retired.  Discovery has had an illustrious career as the third Space Shuttle out of five (Columbia, Challenger, Discovery, Atlantis, and Endeavour).  Here are some facts from the career of Discovery (from Mother Nature Network):

-The oldest flying Space Shuttle

-Maiden Voyage was August 30, 1984

-Has flown 143 million miles (that is 1 1/2 trips to the sun or 288 trips to the moon!)

-Has made 5,628 orbits of the Earth

-In space for a total of 363 days

-Has carried 246 crewmembers into space, the most of all the Shuttles

-Has flown 39 missions

-Has docked with the International Space Station 13 times

-Carried the first female astronaut into space in 1984

-Carried the first sitting member of Congress into space

-Carried the oldest Astronaut, John Glenn aged 77, into space in 1998

-First Shuttle to dock with the Russian Space Station, Mir

-Piloted by the first female pilot in 1999

-Carried first African American to perform a space walk in 1999

-Has placed 3 satellites in Earth’s orbit

Discovery will be missed by me and many other space aficionados, but there will be two more Space Shuttle launches this year to complete the program.  Endeavour will launch for the final time on April 19 and Atlantis will close out the program when it launches on June 28.  I am seriously considering trekking to Florida in June for the final Space Shuttle Launch.  We thank the crews and Discovery for their service and I leave you with an image of the great Shuttle prepared for takeoff!