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HIGHLIGHTS OF Astronaut Scholarship Foundation ART SHOW FOR HALL OF FAME WEEKEND featuring ASM PARTNER CHRIS CALLE
SPACE PHOTOJOURALIST Mark Usciak SHOWS HIS WORK TO ASM's BOB SIECK, NASA LEGEND. ![]()
Later in the day, Usciak captured the up and down of a SpaceX Cargo Dragon bound for the International Space Station on a Falcon 9 on the sixth trip to for both vehicles. ![]()
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Bob has been a board member at the Museum for several decades, the former launch director of 51 Shuttles a big champion for our nonprofit.
NO SC EPISODE FRIDAY, HOST MARQ REPRESENTING ASM AT ASTRONAUT SCHOLARSHIP FOUNDATION EVENTS![]()
ASM Director MarQ is enjoying some fellowship with the great ASF organization, which was created in 1984 by the surviving Mercury 7 astronauts to provide college scholarships. ![]()
MarQ & Marty will return Monday!
JOE TANNER AND TOM AKERS JOINING U.S. ASTRONAUT HALL OF FAME SATURDAY.![]()
Public Ceremony at 10:30 am EDT Saturday under Orbiter Atlantis for ticket holders at Kennedy Space Center Visitors Complex.![]()
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Joe Tanner, STS-66 (Atlantis), STS-82 (Discovery), STS-97 (Endeavour), STS-115 (Atlantis)![]()
Born January 21, 1950, in Danville, Illinois, Joe Tanner earned a degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Illinois before joining the U.S. Navy to pursue his passion for flying.![]()
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"Joe T" was a big hit at ShuttleFest IV, and supports ASM.![]()
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During his 16-year astronaut career, Joe flew four Space Shuttle missions. His first flight, ATLAS-3,![]()
STS-66 (Atlantis), studied Earth’s atmosphere . His second mission, STS-82![]()
(Discovery), was the second servicing mission to the Hubble Space Telescope, during which he![]()
performed two spacewalks to upgrade and repair critical components. ![]()
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Tanner's final two missions, STS-97 (Endeavour) and STS-115 (Atlantis), focused on International Space Station assembly, where he led EVA teams that installed two major truss segments containing half of the solar arrays currently powering the station![]()
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Tom Akers, STS-41, STS-49, STS-61, STS-79![]()
Raised in Eminence, Missouri, Tom Akers earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in applied mathematics from the University of Missouri–Rolla. ![]()
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Tom served as an air-to-air missile data analyst at Eglin Air Force Base before being selected for the USAF Test Pilot School flight test engineer program. ![]()
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Tom flew four Space Shuttle missions between 1990 and 1996. On STS-41 (October 1990), he was![]()
responsible for deploying the Ulysses spacecraft. During STS-49 (May 1992), the first flight of Space![]()
Shuttle Endeavour, he participated in the historic and unplanned first-ever three-person spacewalk,![]()
successfully capturing and repairing the stranded Intelsat VI satellite.![]()
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On STS-61 (December 1993), the first Hubble Space Telescope repair mission, he performed two EVAs and served as the IV crewmember for three more that resulted in the successful repair of the Hubble Space Telescope. His final mission, STS-79 (September 1996), was a resupply and crew exchange flight to the Russian space station Mir.
LAST SOLO AMERICAN FLIGHT, MERCURY 9 OR "FAITH 7" & GORDON COOPER, 63 YEARS AGO TODAY![]()
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On May 15, 1963 at 8:04 am EST, Gordon Cooper ws blasted off Cape Canaveral Launch Complex 14 in the Mercury 9, “Faith 7” spaceship–the last time an American would fly solo in space. ![]()
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That mission 63 years ago marked the end of the successful Mercury program after two suborbital and four orbital missions. ![]()
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Cooper spent a record 34 hours in space, orbiting the Earth 22 times and performed 11 experiments, including eating and sleeping (on orbits 10-13). He took the best photos of Earth from space at the time. On orbit 17 while crossing Cape Canaveral, Cooper transmitted the first television images from space on a slow scan, black & white camera. ![]()
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The important medical examination of Cooper found that he was slightly dehydrated and experienced a degree of orthostatic hypotension from being seated in the capsule an entire day, but other than that no significant effects from the flight were noted.NASA now knew man could survive in space.![]()
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Helicopters hoisted "Faith 7" aboard the Navy's carrier Kearsarge. Cooper stepped out of his spaceship and saw the aircraft carrier crew standing and making the words, “Mercury 9.” ![]()
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After the MA-9 mission, there was another debate about whether to fly one more Mercury flight, Mercury-Atlas 10 (MA-10). It was proposed as a three-day, 48-orbit mission to be flown by Alan Shepard in October 1963. In the end, NASA officials decided it was time to move on to Project Gemini and MA-10 never flew.![]()
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Born in Shawnee, Oklahoma, Cooper again flew with Pete Conrad on Gemini V, and 8 day mission in 1965. A backup for Apollo missions, Cooper ran afoul of the astronaut office for racing cars and speed boats, and he was never assigned a prime crew. He retired from NASA 1970. Cooper died at age 77 in 2004.![]()
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On May 22, New York City gave Cooper a ticker-tape parade witnessed by more than four million spectators. The parade concluded with a congratulatory luncheon at the Waldorf-Astoria attended by 1,900 people, where dignitaries such as Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson and former president Herbert Hoover made speeches honoring Cooper.
LAST SOLO AMERICAN FLIGHT, MERCURY 9 OR "FAITH 7" & GORDON COOPER, 63 YEARS AGO TODAY![]()
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On May 15, 1963 at 8:04 am EST, Gordon Cooper ws blasted off Cape Canaveral Launch Complex 14 in the Mercury 9, “Faith 7” spaceship–the last time an American would fly solo in space. ![]()
![]()
That mission 63 years ago marked the end of the successful Mercury program after two suborbital and four orbital missions. ![]()
![]()
Cooper spent a record 34 hours in space, orbiting the Earth 22 times and performed 11 experiments, including eating and sleeping (on orbits 10-13). He took the best photos of Earth from space at the time. On orbit 17 while crossing Cape Canaveral, Cooper transmitted the first television images from space on a slow scan, black & white camera. ![]()
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The important medical examination of Cooper found that he was slightly dehydrated and experienced a degree of orthostatic hypotension from being seated in the capsule an entire day, but other than that no significant effects from the flight were noted.NASA now knew man could survive in space.![]()
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Helicopters hoisted "Faith 7" aboard the Navy's carrier Kearsarge. Cooper stepped out of his spaceship and saw the aircraft carrier crew standing and making the words, “Mercury 9.” ![]()
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After the MA-9 mission, there was another debate about whether to fly one more Mercury flight, Mercury-Atlas 10 (MA-10). It was proposed as a three-day, 48-orbit mission to be flown by Alan Shepard in October 1963. In the end, NASA officials decided it was time to move on to Project Gemini and MA-10 never flew.![]()
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Born in Shawnee, Oklahoma, Cooper again flew with Pete Conrad on Gemini V, and 8 day mission in 1965. A backup for Apollo missions, Cooper ran afoul of the astronaut office for racing cars and speed boats, and he was never assigned a prime crew. He retired from NASA 1970. Cooper died at age 77 in 2004.![]()
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On May 22, New York City gave Cooper a ticker-tape parade witnessed by more than four million spectators. The parade concluded with a congratulatory luncheon at the Waldorf-Astoria attended by 1,900 people, where dignitaries such as Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson and former president Herbert Hoover made speeches honoring Cooper.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY ASTRONAUTS TONY ENGLAND, 83, AND FRANK CULBERTSON JR, 76, TODAY!![]()
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Two NASA astronauts share a birthday today, Apollo era's Tony England, 84, and Frank Culbertson, 77.![]()
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England was hoping for a Moon mission when training as an Apollo backup, but finally had a Shuttle mission in 1985. And Frank Culbertson, who flew the Shuttle three times and was innocently part of the "American 911" Terrorist Attack drama.![]()
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Anthony Wayne England was born in Indianapolis, Indiana on May 15, 1942, and is better known as Tony England. He was selected as an astronaut 1967, And he trained 18 years before flying, only to be caught up in the Challenger Disaster and retirement.![]()
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Frank Lee Culbertson Jr., 77, was born in Charleston, S.C. on May 15, 1949, but considers Holly Hill, SC to be his hometown. A retired Captain in the U.S. Navy, he is a veteran of three space flights, logging more than 146 days in space. Culbertson was inducted in the Astronaut Hall of Fame in 2010. His missions:STS-38 Atlantis (November 15–20, 1990) was a five-day mission during which the crew conducted Department of Defense operations: STS-51 Discovery (September 12–22, 1993) was a ten-day mission science mission. ![]()
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The Expedition 3 crew launched on August 10, 2001 aboard STS-105 Discovery and docked with the International Space Station on August 12, 2001. Culbertson lived and worked aboard the station for a total of 129 days, and was in command of the station for 117 days. He was the only American not to be on Earth during the September 11 attacks.![]()
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As the ISS passed over the New York City area after the attacks, Culbertson took photographs of the smoke emanating from Ground Zero in lower Manhattan. He later learned that the plane that struck the Pentagon had been piloted (at takeoff) by his Naval Academy classmate Charles Burlingame.![]()
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England was among a group of astronauts who served as backups during the Apollo and Skylab programs. England helped develop and use radars to probe the Moon on Apollo 17 and glaciers in Washington and Alaska. He participated in and led field parties during two seasons in Antarctica.
COCKTAIL CHALLENGE PARTY AT ZARRELLA'S THURSDAY NIGHT KICKS OFF HALL OF FAME WEEKEND photos by Mark Usciak
NO SHOW ON THURSDAY...but don't fret. MarQ & Marty are okay, just some logistics and such...back FRIDAY to "bridge the space between us!"
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THREE SHUTTLE ASTRONAUTS: DON, BORNEO AND VEGAS!—We wish a happy birthday to three Shuttle spacefliers, 74th to Don McMonagle; 69th to George “Borneo” Gregory; and James “Vegas” Kelly, who is 62 years old today.![]()
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Donald Ray “Don” McMonagle was born on May 14, 1952, in Flint, Michigan, and was a mission specialist, pilot and then commander on his three Shuttle flights in the 1990s.He was pilot of STS-39 in April 1991; STS-534 in 1993 and commander of STS-66 in 1994. ![]()
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George Gregory was born in Lockport, New York on May 14, 1957 into an Albanian American family and spent 16 days in space on STS-67 an astronomy mission of Astro 2.![]()
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James Kelly was born in Burlington, Iowa, May 14 1964. STS-102, Discovery in 2001, and STS-114, in 2005, the return to flight in Discovery. He has 26 days in space, both a Shuttle pilot. He currently serves as CAPCOM Branch Chief as a “management” astronaut. ![]()
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McMonagle NASA Bio![]()
www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/about/biographies/mcmonagl.html![]()
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Gregory NASA Bio:![]()
www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/gregor-w.pdf![]()
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Kelly NASA Bio![]()
www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/kellyjm.pdf
AMERICA'S FIRST SPACE STATION, SKYLAB, 53 YEARS AGO, LAUNCH PHOTOS BY ASM PARTNER TOM USCIAK![]()
Launched on the last Saturn V rocket on Monday, May 14, 1973 at 1:30 pm EST, America’s first space station, the “Skylab Orbital Workshop,” was in big trouble as part of it was ripped off a minute into launch.![]()
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“The rocket disappeared in the clouds, or we’d have seen the damage happen,” said Tom Usciak, who was one of the launch photographers with his brother, Mark. “The solar panel probably would have been flapping and the Sun reflecting would have made it possible to see.”![]()
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The Usciak Brothers, proud partners of ASM, are credited with the photos of the NASA Press Site for the last launch of a Saturn V. ![]()
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NASA officials were puzzled when Skylab reached orbit that the power telemetry was low and indicted a problem with the sollar panels. They soon realized one panel was missing and the other one was stuck. Had the Saturn V not become hidden in cloud cover, launch photographers like the Usciaks (as well as NASA cameras) would have recorded the panel being torn away and NASA would have known immediately what the problem was. ![]()
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The solar panel came off with a micrometeoroid shield underneath was supposed to shelter Skylab from debris and also act as a thermal blanket, accidentally opened about 63 seconds into the launch. Though it reached orbit, the Space Station was 100 degrees F. inside and getting hotter. ![]()
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The first three-man crew was launched 11 days later on May 25, 1973, Commander and former moonwalker Pete Conrad, and two rookies, Paul Weitz and Joe Kerwin, who made repairs and stayed 28 days. They had to install a protective shield "umbrella" to make it livable. Two more 3-man crews in Apollo Command Modules were launched during the next year, spending a total of 171 days in space.![]()
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www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/skylab
Top Gun, STS-400 & the Danger Zone!![]()
Host MarQ offers a mash-up of movie Top Gun's 40th, real Top Gun, STS-125 commander "Scooter," who had STS-400 ready to rescue if Hubble trouble. Oh, Vandy axed, too!.
Top Gun, STS-400 & the Danger Zone!
www.youtube.com
Host MarQ offers a mash-up of movie Top Gun's 40th, real Top Gun, STS-125 commander "Scooter," who had STS-400 ready to rescue if Hubble trouble. Oh, Vandy ...
TOP GUN'S ASTRONAUT CONNECTION, VANDY SCRAPPED & MORE live at 4 pm EDT or anytime on YouTube www.youtube.com/@AmericanSpaceMuseum/streams![]()
Enjoy a mash up of the movie "Top Gun" 40th anniversary, Vandenberg's Shuttle "Slick 6' scrapped and a cool birthday tribute from Earth orbit.
HAPPY 69TH BIRTHDAY TO FRENCH FEMALE ASTRONAUT CLAUDIA HAIGNERE![]()
An international campaigner for STEAM education with two missions to two different space stations, Claudia Haignere, the first French woman in space, is celebrating her 66th birthday today. ![]()
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Born Claudie Andre-Deshays in Le Creusot, France on May 13, 1957, she has spent 25 days in space. She and future husband Jean-Pierre Haignere were among the first seven France astronauts chosen out of 10,000 candidates. The asteroid 135268 Haigneré is named in their combined honour. She is a medical doctor specializing in rheumatology. ![]()
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On August 17, 1996, Haignere became the first French woman to go to space as she and two Russian cosmonauts launched into space aboard the Soyuz TM-24 on the Russian-French Cassiopée mission. She visited the Mir space station for 16 days while American woman Shannon Lucid was in residence. Haignere conducted comprehensive experiments in the fields of physiology and development biology, fluid physics and technology. She returned in the Soyuz TM-23 spaceship. ![]()
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As the flight engineer on Soyuz TM-33 in 2001, she became the first European woman to visit the International Space Station. Spending 8 days on the ISS, Haignere again returned to space in an older Soyuz TM-32 spaceship, launching and landing in four different Soyuz during her spaceflight career. ![]()
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After herspace missions, Claudie Haigneré continued her involvement in space science by attending scientific workshops and conferences. She also contributed to data analysis and constructions for the scientific programs of future projects. She eventually retired from ESA on 18 June 2002.
Steve Agid Analysis Boeing Starliner near disaster![]()
Steve takes a deep dive into this near tragedy that risked the lives of astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams.
Steve Agid Analysis Boeing Starliner near disaster
www.youtube.com
Steve takes a deep dive into this near tragedy that risked the lives of astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams.PPLLPPLL4YYYYYUUUUUUY3
NASA EDUCATOR STEVE AGID TELLS WHAT WENT WRONG WITH BOEING'S STARLINER LAST YEAR live at 4 pm EDT or anytime on YouTube spacewalkoffame.org/event/shuttlefest-5![]()
Steve takes a deep dive into this near tragedy that risked the lives of astronaut Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams.