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NOV. 5 SPACE HISTORY: TWO LAUNCHES TO MARS...ONE FAILURE, ONE A "FIRST TIMER" SUCCESS. Nov. 5, 2013 is the launch of India's Mangalyaan (Mars Orbiter Mission), from Satish Dhawan Space Center, Sriharikota, India. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) launched its first interplanetary mission, Mangalyaan. It successfully entered Martian orbit in September 2014, making India the first nation to reach Mars orbit on its primary attempt and the first Asian nation to reach Mars. Of the more than 50 spacecraft sent to Mars by America, Russia, Japan and Europe, about half have failed.In contrast 59 years earlier on Nov. 5, 1964, a faring covering failed to jettison on the NASA Mariner 3 mission to Mars, ruining the mission. The spacecraft was trapped inside the protective covering, solar panels useless and batteries depleted in 8 yours. But three-weeks later, Mariner IV was successfully launched on an Atlas II rocket and flew by Mars, taking the first close up photos in July 1965. India's Mars Orbiter lasted for 6.5 years--well beyond its 6 month warranty! #SpaceHistory #OnThisDay #NASA #ISRO #Mars #Mangalyaan #Mariner3 #SpaceExploration
HAPPY 7"BELATED" NOV. 3 BIRTHDAY TO 3-TIME ASTRONAUT, GEN. KEVIN “CHIlLI” CHILTONKevin “Chili” Chilton’s 72d birthday, born Nov. 3, 1954 in Los Angeles, California. The three-time Shuttle veteran achieved the highest rank of any military astronaut, a four-star Air Force General. Chilton has logged more than 29 days in space. A retired United States Air Force four-star General and test pilot. His last assignment was as Commander, U.S. Strategic Command from October 3, 2007 to January 28, 2011.Prior to his appointment to general officer ranks, Chilton spent 11 years of his military career as a NASA astronaut. Chilton was a pilot on STS-49, which lasted from May 7–16, 1992, was the maiden voyage of Space Shuttle Endeavour. He again was a pilot on STS-59, the Space Radar Laboratory (SRL) mission, April 9–20, 1994, was launched aboard Space Shuttle Endeavour. Chilton commanded STS-76, the third docking mission to the Russian space station Mir, which launched on March 22, 1996 with a crew of six aboard Atlantis. Chilton left NASA in 1998 to become Deputy Director, Political Military Affairs for Asia, Pacific, and the Middle East on the Joint Staff. His first military command was the 9th Reconnaissance Wing (9 RW) at Beale AFB, California, from May 1999 to September 2000. In August 2004, Chilton assumed the dual duties of Commander, Eighth Air Force (8 AF) and Commander, Joint Functional Component Command for Space and Global Strike (JFCC SGS) at Barksdale AFB, Louisiana. In April 2006, Chilton was nominated to become the Commander of the Air Force Space Command (AFSPC) at Peterson AFB, Colorado. On June 26, 2006, he received his fourth star and assumed command of Air Force Space Command. Chilton then took command of the United States Strategic Command in October 2007, his last assignment before retiring. General Chilton is the only former astronaut to achieve four-star grade. Lieutenant General Tom Stafford, Vice Admiral Dick Truly and Lieutenant General Susan Helms have attained the rank of three stars.
MOST FAMOUS SPACE DOG, LAIKA, ORBITED BY RUSSIA, 69 YEARS AGO THIS DATE NOV. 3, 1957Just a month after shocking the world with a beach ball-sized satellite weighing a couple hundred pounds and called Sputnik 1, the Soviet Union orbited a living creature--a dog named Laika--in a 1,200-pound spacecraft. It was Nov. 3, 1957 and the world was barely catching it's breath from the thought of a Communist Russia's satellite orbiting the Earth when they launched Laika, a mixed breed stray. And "Muttnik 1" again captivated global attention and put the Soviet Union at the front of the burgeoning Space Race with America. Launched in a spacecraft not designed to return to Earth, Laika's sacrifice helped pave the way for biomedical research in space, and proved a human could survive weightlessness. Her name is one of the favorites for pets in the space community. A statute to Laika was erected in Moscow near a military facility in 2008. for more: Andrew LePage's 'Drew Ex Machina" www.drewexmachina.com/2017/11/03/sputnik-2-the-first-animal-in-orbit/ "While Sputnik 2 successfully made it into Earth orbit, the flight was not without problems. While there have been various, often conflicting accounts given over the decades, it appears that the nose cone was jettisoned after reaching orbit as planned but Object PS-2 failed to cut itself loose from the spent Blok A core of its 8K71PS launch vehicle and some of the payload’s thermal insulation may have been torn off. It has also been suggested that the payload was never meant to separate from the spent rocket and that instead the nose cone failed to jettison as planned." #spacedog #spacehistory #sputnik2
ENJOY PAST EPISODES ON YouTube AS MARQ & MARTY RECHARGE UNTIL MONDAY NOV. 9 www.youtube.com/@AmericanSpaceMuseum/streams
BELATED NOV. 1 HAPPY 73rd BIRTHDAY TO "LOCAL" ASTRONAUT JAN DAVISAstronaut Dr. Jan Davis was born Jan Smotherman at Patrick Air Force Base, Cocoa Beach, Florida, on Nov. 1, 1953. She has supported ASM in recent years with book signings and appearaces.She grew up in Huntsville, Alabama, where she resides, with time split between a home in Cocoa Beach. She is a three-time Space Shuttle Mission Specialist with 28 days in space. Dr. Davis is also an accomplished engineer, industry executive, and author of her two memoirs tied to her B-17 pilot father: "Air Born: Two Generations in Flight” and “Air Born: Artistic Musings of a WWII Pilot and POW.”She is a graduate of the Georgia Institute of Technology,Auburn University and University of Alabama in Huntsville, specializing in mechanical engineering. Davis was chosen as an astronaut in the June 1987 NASA Group 12 of 15 candidates.A veteran of 28 days in space on three Shuttle missions, her first was in September 1992 on STS-47, Orbiter Endeavour, the 50th flight of the program. The first Space Shuttle mission with Japan, she operated systems in the Spacelab where more than 40 experiments took place on the 8-day flight. Davis' then-husband Mark C. Lee was payload commander on STS-47.Davis also flew on STS-60 in 1994 in Orbiter Discovery. On STS-85, also on Orbiter Discovery, she was the Payload Commander. On these missions, again she conducted experiments in life sciences, materials science and astronomy. She also operated the Canadian robotic arm to handle payloads, and flight tested the Japanese Small Fine Arm.Davis worked for NASA until 2005, including he Director of Flight Projects for the International Space Station at Marshall Space Flight Center, head of Safety and Mission Assurance at Marshall, and a leader in the return to flight after the Columbia disaster. After retiring from NASA, she was an executive with Jacobs and with Bastion Technologies, at MSFC. She was one of the founders of AstraFemina, which is an organization that provides STEM outreach for girls.
MUSEUM CLOSED TODAY!Weather Road Alert issued by Brevard County Authorities..."avoid unnecessary driving."
SHUTTLE ORBITER ENDEAVOUR, OV-105, AND "THE STACK" OPEN TO PUBLIC NOV. 13 IN LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA from collectSPACE
JPL artifacts join towering shuttle at new Oschin Air and Space Center
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The United States' almost 70-year endeavor to explore our solar system and observe Earth from space using robotic probes and satellites will soon be on display through an ongoing partnership between t...
NASA ALUMNI LEAGUE 40 YEARS & ASM 25 YEARS CELEBRATION MEMBERSHIP PARTYSome of the scenes Friday night at ASM, including event organizers, NAL President Pam Steele and Treasurer Sheila Plourd & ASM Executive Director Gabriel Rothblatt and Museum Director Mark Marquette. Thanks to notables showing up: astronaut Bob Cabana, launch director Mike Leinbach, Rockwell legend John Tribe, and so many other space workers we call "national treasures."Special thanks to The Pink Team Robotics for the demonstration. And some saw planet Saturn in a 10" reflector telescope!Thanks to NAL & ASM members who enjoyed the evening fellowship and good food and drink! Join our organizations and take part in the next party's fun. #nasa #americanspacemuseum #spacecoast #pinkteamrobotics
Jeffrey Morris: Space Documentary DirectorJeffrey Morris shares his passion for space fact and fiction as a writer and documentary film maker.
Jeffrey Morris: Space Documentary Director
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Jeffrey Morris shares his passion for space fact and fiction as a w...
JEFFREY MORRIS SPACE DOCUMENTARY DIRECTOR live at 4 pm or anytime on YouTube www.youtube.com/@AmericanSpaceMuseum/streamsJeffrey Morris shares his passion for space fact and fiction as a writer and documentary film maker. (A little Halloween before Jeffrey arrives is quite possible!
AD ASTRA DR. AL KOLLER JR., ASM LEADER. FUNERAL FRIDAY 1 PM ST. GABRIEL'S EPISCIPAL CHURCH, TITUSVILLEAlbert M. Koller, Jr. of Titusville, Florida, died on Oct. 17, 2026. He was 85. A celebration of Al’s life will be held at St. Gabriel’s Episcopal Church, 414 Pine Street in Titusville on Friday, October 30, 2026 at 1:00 pm, followed by a reception in the Parish Hall. "Dr. Al" was an important leader on the Board of Directors of the American Space Museum for three decades. Dr. Al was born in Baltimore, Maryland on Oct. 7, 1941. He is survived by his wife, Carol Ann (Knight) Koller, his daughters Terri Eads , Sandi Thorson (David), Kristi Wagers (Zach); his son Michael (Lisa); 10 grandchildren and 13 great grandchildren; and his brothers, Steven and Robert, He was preceded in death by his brother Kenneth .Born in Baltimore, MD on October 7, 1941.Al’s father was a space pioneer, and he was Salutatorian at Titusville High School in Florida. Al began working summers as a technician for the Army Ballistic Missile Agency (ABMA) Missile Firing Lab on Cape Canaveral. He was transferred to NASA in 1960 as part of the Von Braun rocket team. He married Carol in 1962 and finished a BA Degree in Math & Physics from Florida State University, joining NASA full time in 1964.Al worked 32 years at NASA as a Systems Engineer and Technical Assistant to the Director, Launch Vehicle Operations (LVO); served on the launch team for the Apollo 11 manned lunar landing; was the first KSC Environmental Program Manager; the Environmental Health Officer; Biomedical Program Manager; and TQM (Quality) Consultant. Retiring in 1992, he become Vice President of International Education at Brevard Community College, working in more than 10 countries. In 1997 he was named the BCC Campus President for Titusville. Al formed a national consortium of colleges, acquiring National Science Foundation (NSF) grants to create and run SpaceTEC – NSF’s National Center of Excellence for Aerospace Technical Education.He was awarded the Explorer Award from the Governor of Florida in 2001; a Lifetime Achievement Award by the National Space Club Florida Committee in 2008; and the Excellence in Education for Economic Development Award from the Economic Development Commission of Florida’s Space Coast in 2011. He was the SpaceTEC PI and Managing Director until retiring in 2013.For 40 years Al was also the owner and president of the e3 Company, specializing in Strategic Management consulting. He was active in community life as President of the NASA Alumni League; founding chair of the Brevard Nature Alliance; Director and Board Chair of the Titusville Chamber of Commerce; Member of the Parrish Medical Foundation Board; Member of the Titusville Sunrise Rotary Club, and an active member of St. Gabriel’s Episcopal Church.North Brevard Funeral Home in Titusville is in charge of arrangements.
John Glenn's historic STS-95 missionTwenty-eight years ago, Orbiter Discovery on the STS-95 mission launched "six American heroes and one American legend."
John Glenn's historic STS-95 mission
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Twenty-eight years ago, Orbiter Discovery on the STS-95 mission lau...
STS-95 and JOHN GLENN'S SECOND TRIP TO SPACE live at 4 pm or anytime on YouTube www.youtube.com/@AmericanSpaceMuseum/streamsWe look back at 1998 and the 77-year-old, Mercury astronauts flight on Space Shuttle Discovery.
STS-95, ORBITER DISCOVERY, LAUNCHED 28 YEARS AGO WITH PRESIDENT BILL CLINTON AND FIRST LADY HILLARY WATCHINGKennedy Space Center Public Affairs Officer Lisa Malone on NASA TV: "Lift off of 6 American heroes and one American legend." Launched Oct 29, 1998 at 2:19 pm EST; landed Nov. 7th, 12:04 pm at KSCCurt Brown, commander: Steve Lindsey, pilot: Scott Parazynski, Stephen Robinson, Pedro Duque, Chaika Mukai and John Glenn, all payload specialists Bill Clinton became the second of three incumbent U.S. Presidents to witness a crewed rocket launch, joined by his wife Hillary on the roof of the Vehicle Assembly Building, and the only President to attend any of the 135 Shuttle launches. President Richard Nixon witnessed the launch of Apollo 12 in November 1969; President Donald Trump witnessed Space X Crew Demo-1 in May 2020.
VIRGIN GALACTIC GETTING BACK INTO SUBORBITAL BUSINESS WITH NEW SPACESHIP "APEIRON"from CollectSpace.comwww.collectspace.com/news/news-102826a-virgin-galactic-delta-class-spaceship-apeiron.htmlVirgin Galactic, the private suborbital spaceflight company founded by British tycoon Richard Branson, has rolled out its first new Delta-class Spaceship and, in doing so, revealed the name that the public chose to call it.Spaceship Apeiron (pronounced A'-per-on) completed its first captive-carry flight on Wednesday (Oct. 28), mounted underneath the carrier aircraft Eve on a ferry from its assembly facility in Arizona to Spaceport America in New Mexico. It is there that the spaceplane will undergo final preparations, including completing avionics software validation, ahead of flying customers as soon as next spring.An ancient Greek word meaning infinite, as in the view at apogee, Apeiron was chosen by the public through an online vote that offered four choices out of an initial pool of 276 submissions by Virgin Galactic teammates and "Future Astronauts" (the title the company gives to its clients who have reserved seats).The first vehicle in Virgin Galactic's planned Delta-class fleet, Apeiron succeeds SpaceShipTwo Unity, which carried Branson and 31 others on 12 short hops above the U.S.-defined 50-mile (80.5 km) boundary between Earth and space. The first SpaceShipTwo, Enterprise, unveiled in 2009, was lost in 2014, during its fourth powered test flight. Co-pilot Michael Alsbury was killed in the crash. Peter Siebold, the pilot in command, survived but suffered injuries.For Wednesday's captive-carry, Virgin Galactic pilot-in-command Mike "Sooch" Masucci and pilot Dan Alix flew VMS Eve. Tori Crichton was the flight test engineer aboard. The flight covered 358 miles (576 km) in one hour and 28 minutes, taking off at 10:29 a.m. and landing at 11:58 a.m. Mountain Standard Time (1629 to 1758 GMT).
Apeiron: Virgin Galactic's first Delta-class Spaceship takes flight
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Virgin Galactic, the commercial suborbital spaceflight company founded by British tycoon Richard Branson, has rolled out its first new Delta-class Spaceship and, in doing so, revealed the name that th...
TAKING A ONE-DAY BREAK, JOIN US TOMORROW...AND A SPECIAL GUEST FRIDAY!
HAPPY 7TH ASM ANNIVERSARY, MARQ!Ozzie the Space Manatee congratulates ASM director Mark Marquette on his 7th year employed by the museum and it's non-profit, the U.S. Space Walk of Fame Foundation. An Ohio native, MarQ moved to the Space Coast from Johnson City, Tennessee in 2018 and started out as a volunteer docent and astronomy coordinator. He quickly became involved as "boots on the ground" for the organization. After five years as Community Liaison and program content creator, he was named Museum Director in October 2024.
CANADIAN TOUR AGENTS IN THE HOUSE ON TUESDAYA dozen tour agents from Canada checked out our Museum, thanks to Kelli Godwin of Visit Florida and our local Space Coast Office of Tourism.Museum Director MarQ and SCOT representative Tom Bartosek are with the group in the Cape Canaveral Gallery. And they are putting a pin on their home cities on our maps, "Where on Earth are You From?"The lively group will be sending Canadians to our Space Coast, and we are grateful for the connection.#visitflorida #spacecoastflorida #spacecoast #tourism