Thursday, July 30, 2015

NASA adm , Charlie Bolden flew shuttle three times, OBVIOUSLY understands advantages of Shuttle capabilities over COTS capsules & how lack of shuttle capability is placing this country in danger!

TRYING TO DAMAGE USA National Security!!

AS Abbey indicated in his Washington examiner article, Lost in Space , we need & can have the shuttle like capabilities by modifying the X37. However, the NASA adm ( a former shuttle cmdr), the potus, & the Congress either do not understand the importance of shuttle like capabilities OR are TRYING to DAMAGE the national security & the economy of this greatest country on Earth.

Below sums up the lack of logic in shuttle retirement!

Myth vs. Reality

Sunday, April 13, 2014 Myth vs. Reality --Space dollars to Russia!!! 4. Cost of Shuttle Based System is Far Less Than the Constellation System or the Proposed Obama System This claim results from simple arithmetic. At a shuttle cost per mission of 500 million for the round trip transport of 6 astronauts, the per man cost of shuttle transport is 80 million. The system to be developed in the Constellation program or the Obama plan would duplicate the Russian Soyuz system. The Russians are to be paid 50 million per astronaut per trip. When the huge cost to develop a new U S system is added in, the resulting per seat cost would greatly exceed that of the existing shuttle system. Considering the cargo superiority of the shuttle makes the shuttle system even more cost effective, and it is in place now, no interruption, no space dollars spent overseas. Origin and Impetus for the Redirection Six years ago the Bush Administration unilaterally redirected the manned space program to (1) terminate the shuttle system and (2) to recreate the Apollo system, consisting of large boosters and a capsule and parachute crew transport system. If you accept the SAT positions why did NASA opt for the redirection and for and sustain the disassembly of a 200 billion dollar Space Shuttle System? One can only speculate but one reason for the redirection could have been a nostalgic desire within the NASA leadership and the Bush Administration to remake the Apollo experience. A second and perhaps more compelling reason could been a desire within NASA leadership to reclaim the prestige associated with creating a new massive heavy lift vehicle similar to the Apollo Saturn V. . The Obama Administration has basically endorsed the redirection by supporting creation of a new heavy lift vehicle, the return to a capsule and parachute system and allowing the termination of the more advanced shuttle system to continue. Pressure has apparently been put on pro shuttle astronauts to stifle it. Again one can only speculate as to the reason. Certainly any desire within NASA for new heavy lift vehicle would be ongoing.The fact that two presidents have sided with the heavy lift segment of NASA shows the power of this group. On the president's side it one could add - lack of vision, political pressure, and the effects of the anti shuttle propaganda. It makes one wonder if the SAT information reached him. Anti Shuttle Propaganda Part of the shuttle termination initiative has been a deceptive ongoing anti shuttle propaganda campaign by a cadre of " Space Experts"and the then NASA Administrator. The PBS Columbia Documentary is the most extensive example. In it the shuttles are labeled as "worn out, old technology, too risky, too costly, a mistake and not capable of supporting solar system exploration" none of which is true.The initiative has been very effective and after six years the anti shuttle rhetoric has become a media myth. Myth versus Reality Even with the approaching termination of the Public's 200 billion dollar shuttle system the nation still has a choice. Considering the facts above it is clear the reality is the shuttle based system for space exploration is the correct choice both technically and financially. . The press could make the difference. SAT has approached numerous media publications with our message and they have chosen to continue to support the myth. These include PBS, the NY Times ,Flight International, the Orange County Register, NASA News and the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. It is my hope that you will read the pro shuttle information noted and will arrange for me to meet with you and your editor for a one hour question and answer session. It is your choice as to time place and agenda. It is vital to the nation that someone of your stature in the press investigates and acts on this information. I have an impressive list of engineer sources (Bob Thompson and three former Chief Engineers for a start) ready to answer any question you might have, people you would be honored, as I am, to associate with and people who are true space experts. By Interviewing these guys you would become the most space shuttle knowledgeable reporter on the planet. Without media support to get our message out the shuttle legacy will probably be similar to that of the Titanic and the Hindenberg, manned space travel will regress fifty years, the Public's money invested in the Space Shuttle System will have been wasted, and America's leadership in space will be forfeited. Allen Richardson SAT Spokesman Sent from my iPad

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So YOU THINK IT CAN'T HAPPEN -- LOSS of CONTROL of EO

AS Abbey indicated in his Washington examiner article, Lost in Space , we need & can have the shuttle like capabilities by modifying the X37. However, the NASA adm ( a former shuttle cmdr), the potus, & the Congress either do not understand the importance of shuttle like capabilities OR are TRYING to DAMAGE the national security & the economy of this greatest country on Earth.

Below sums up the lack of logic in shuttle retirement!

Myth vs. Reality

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Tuesday, July 28, 2015

Crazy stuff--- helping Iran, bringing in illegals & paying for care, not imp. Boeing x37C proposal, killing babies / selling parts!!!

Why do we keep paying Russians?

Subject: DESTRUCTION of AMERICA 'S SPACE CAPABILITIES ---WHY did NASA say no to X37 ? NEED Select Congressional Committee to Investigate!!!

WHY ??? Did NASA say no to making x37 a crewed vehicle?????
And those in Congress specializing in space are well aware that, had getting independent access to ISS for our nation really been Job #1 for NASA's leadership, then the Administration would have approved Boeing's proposal for the X-37B follow-on, the 5 crew X-37C. We are talking about a dependable spacecraft that can sit in orbit for over a year and NASA said no to making it a crewed vehicle. Why? Jim Hillhouse of American Space
http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2013/03/x-37b-expanded-capabilities-iss-missions/

Gross Misuse of Nation's Resources Shuttle & x37b
Termination of shuttle is a gross misuse of the Nation's resources. We must get the attention of Congress to get either the shuttle or an equivalent vehicle flying as soon as possible. To accomplish this we must educate the average person to the unique capabilities of this system. To this end we must get the benefits of this concept in the minds of the average American so they will demand the restart of this system/equivalent. Amazingly, we have a near equivalent, the x37b but the idiots we have in DC did not even consider the Boeing proposal--the x37b is operational----google x37 & read the details!!!!!! Boeing proposal ( x37c)---link below. The x37b is an amazing vehicle also!
The media has not done a story on what could be accomplished with the x37 system operated by DOD. The fact we are paying the russians 72 m per ride on soyuz is totally NUTS. To get this changed we need bloggers to get out the word so we can get a large number of people to contact the media constantly and demand that we use the vehicles we have & stop wasting money !!To get this done we need programing in every state on radio/tv bring out the benefits of the program. This will require each of you to constantly contact your local stations encouraging /demanding programs supporting this approach. It is up to you, we are Americans and can make this happen.Keeptheshuttleflyingc.blogspot.com
http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2013/03/x-37b-expanded-capabilities-iss-missions/

Jim Hillhouse
March 5, 2014 at 7:19 pm · Reply
Well, after talking to Capitol Hill staffers, they too are suffering the same head issues I am. At least I'm in good company.
Rather than talk about what Congress will or will not pay for, let's review what Congress has done since 2010 on space funding.
Congress has, on its own and despite both opposition from the Administration and aggressive delaying tactics on the SLS and Orion programs from NASA, appropriated those amounts needed to keep both Orion and SLS on track. And just as it's done since 2010, Congress is going to do what it wants on HSF, which is fund Orion and SLS fully.
What Congress sees is not a justification for Commercial Crew. Far from it. Congressional staffers are well aware of the true progress of that program and no, none of those players are getting us to ISS anytime soon. That's largely NASA's fault since Congress has informed it that the CCP program needed to down-selected years ago to better focus limited resources for faster progress. But NASA's leadership didn't do that for political reasons. Loose Boeing and CCP looses luster and respectability. Loose Sierra Nevada and we working on three capsule programs. And if you want to make engineers working in GN&C or ELSS laugh, tell them that one of the CCP companies will be flying crews by 2016. Guffaws galore.
And those in Congress specializing in space are well aware that, had getting independent access to ISS for our nation really been Job #1 for NASA's leadership, then the Administration would have approved Boeing's proposal for the X-37B follow-on, the 5 crew X-37C. We are talking about a dependable spacecraft that can sit in orbit for over a year and NASA said no to making it a crewed vehicle. Why?
http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2013/03/x-37b-expanded-capabilities-iss-missions/
What Congress does see is that if we had not gone through the nonsense of 2010, we would be much closer to our own capability to launch crews to ISS than we are today. Instead, Neil Armstrong was right–the Administration changed our nation's HSF course in secret, without consultation, and mucked things up.
When it comes to the Moon, Congress is funding $3.5B annually on the DDTE for Orion and SLS. Anything else will have to wait for a new Administration as there is zero trust right now in Congress of anything the White House or NASA HQ are selling about human spaceflight.
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The x37-b is a fine spacecraft. However it is MUCH smaller than space Shuttle. It was deliberately designed to not have the extra weight, life support, and astronaut flying capabilites. So to add humans would take 5-7 years and significantly modify the design and add a lot of weight meaning much less cargo. Having said that, It could with enough NASA money be modified to carry about 3, maybe four humans into Low Earth Orbit (LEO). Right now NASA is spending $500 Million per year to entice 3 companies to provide commercial crew service to ISS. So contrast that with the NASA budget of $2.8 Billion in 2014 to build the new rocket (Space Launch System SLS and Orion crew capsule) and capsule to go to an asteroid. That is nearly SIX times more to build a new NASA rocket and capsule that does not go to ISS!! Does that balance make sense. Is LEO commercial transportation to ISS an important objective of NASA compared to what they are spending to a maybe futurestunt to return an asteroid rock by humans?

Frank Thomas Buzzard

What has happened to our capabilities is damaging to this country & needs a select congressional committee investigation!!!

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Sunday, July 26, 2015

Read the links below & think About the impact to USA economy & national security if the USA loses control of EO ! THIS Is SERIOUS, write congress reps & media . Space http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2013/02/an-investment-strategy-for-national-security-space http://io9.com/what-would-happen-if-all-our-satellites-were-suddenly-d-1709006681 Sent from my iPad

Saturday, July 25, 2015

Unbelievable, Crazy, NUTS, what has been done to shuttle like capability, BUT EVERYBODY & friends must write Congress/reps & all your local TV/radio stations. IT IS CRITICAL for Survival of Country!!!

ˌUNBELIEVABLE , incredible, beyond belief, inconceivable, unthinkable

We have a decorated Marine pilot, Shuttle CMDR ( flew shuttle three times) as NASA Administrator who has gone along with the adm's cancellation of Shuttle, go back to capsules at a very slow pace ( partially due to congress) & has an opportunity to return to a shuttle like vehicle ( Dream Chaser) or modified X37, but continues down the capsule path. After hundreds of experts have advised " do not return to capsules", and with his lifting body / runway lander experience, it is beyond belief that he continues down the capsule path.
One can only conclude, he is following the direction of the potus & does not have the best interest of the American Space program at heart.
Why doesn't he resign & speak up re advantages of the lifting body approach?

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Friday, July 24, 2015

PEOPLE, It is WAKE UP TIME. Contact your Senators & Representatives!

China will soon be in control! Liberals insane!

China rapidly becoming leading space faring nation resulting in a serious threat to USA! Call , email, tweet your reps in DC before too late!

THIS is something we must fix, asap, the X37 can be used to meet our needs.

Hillhouse ( American Space) stated----

And those in Congress specializing in space are well aware that, had getting independent access to ISS for our nation really been Job #1 for NASA's leadership, then the Administration would have approved Boeing's proposal for the X-37B follow-on, the 5 crew X-37C. We are talking about a dependable spacecraft that can sit in orbit for over a year and NASA said no to making it a crewed vehicle. Why?

http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2013/03/x-37b-expanded-capabilities-iss-missions/

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China's Space Shuttle
The China National Space Administration (CNSA) can be expected to introduce a reusable space shuttle transportation system by 2020. The program is designed Project 921-3 and is convincing evidence that CNSA understands that at 21st century space program must be based on reusable space vehicles with capability to launch and return crew and cargo from spaced based facilities. With a space shuttle and spaced based infrastructure China will become the dominate space faring nation.

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Shuttle killed by uninformed liberals-- China will soon be in control of EO--- very significant to the security of the USA ! Better write your rep.!

Shuttle engineering marvel--- with inadequate funds & poor management!
I'm seeing a lot of misinformation in this thread. I am a young Aerospace engineer working on Orion, and i wanted to clear some things up. And honestly most of this info is easy to find with a simple Google search. I'll just give a summary.
The shuttle WAS an engineering marvel, even into the 2000s, that is a fact. And it's fine to admire it as such.
There was NOT anywhere near enough political will at the end of Apollo to move forward with more moon missions or a mission to Mars, etc. The US had won the race, it was over, at least in the eyes of the people making the financial decisions.
Funding to NASA was drastically lowered (as a percentage of annual federal budget) PRIOR to the shuttle's final development. The shuttle had to be redesigned multiple times becoming less and less ambitious each time due to dwindling national and political interest/support and thereby funding. Eventually NASA had to cut a deal with the USAF in order to even build the shuttle. The air force put additional constraints on what the shuttle had to do, again limiting NASA.
The USAF ended up backing out of the deal very late in the process, leading to a shuttle with USAF constraints and requirements but no USAF missions.
The end product was a vehicle that, while an impressive feat of engineering, was NOTHING like the original designs(especially in scope), didn't have a super clear purpose, had limited support from the beginning, had a fraction of the Apollo budget, and had HUGE expectations following the success of the Apollo program.
There were some design issues that in hind sight could have been solved better, but design flaws were NOT the primary problem with the shuttle. Ultimately, the shuttle did what it's final design intended for quite well.
Having studied both the engineering aspects of the shuttle, and specifically the Challenger and Colombia disasters, as well the management decisions prior to the disasters, it is my opinion that the Primary cause of BOTH disasters was far and away the poor decisions made by Non-Engineer Managers. Most of the decision making managers had little to no engineering experience, and in both cases actively ignored the concerns of the engineers. Engineers said DONT launch prior to Challenger, but managers more concerned with launching on time ignored them. In Colombia, engineers had repeatedly complained about the foam strike, but management refused to address it. Engineers knew that the foam caused damage particularly on launch of the final Colombia mission, and one Engineer tried to get access to a DoD telescope to inspect the damage, but management stifled the attept.
Ultimately, we did learn tons from the shuttle program, many things that are hard to quantify. True, the shuttle did not live up to many people's expectations, but they were unrealistic expectations made by people who don't understand the complexity of rocket science and or didn't realize that NASA funding (again, as a fraction of federal budget) had been dramatically reduced.
The shuttle did not "hold back" progress in space exploration. People did. The American public did. They voted with a list of priorities that didn't include space exploration. I won't debate the importance of the civil rights movement, the war in Vietnam, the antiwar movents, the social welfare moments, the war on drugs, the war on terror, etc. The fact of the matter is that almost 2 full generations simply didn't care enough about space exploration.
Don't quote me "per launch cost" and such, as those numbers can be manipulated in a myriad of ways. I've seen the costs and done the math. The shuttle did not reduce cost to LEO significantly but was NOT definitively cost inefficient. Saturn V could NOT have done all the things the shuttle did. We would have had to develop 2 or 3 separate systems over the 70s-00s in order to achieve what we did with the shuttle, and total cost of such undertakings would have almost certainly exceeded what was spent on the shuttle program.
Ultimately, this popular idea that the shuttle was a failure, is unfounded. People making this claim clearly are misinformed. The people who make this claim and perpetuate it seem to have little scientific/Engineering/ or even historical knowledge, so be careful who you listen to.
The shuttle was an under-funded and under-supported program without a clear and consistent goal or purpose, and yet it still accomplished many impressive things and flew for 30 years. The public was not interested in providing support for the program, and yet had expectations higher than for Apollo. The shuttle gets a bad rap, when really is the American people (and people worldwide) who are to blame for our species stagnation in space exploration.
I just hope my generation doesn't make the same mistake.

Writer : unknown.!

Writer : unknown

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Thursday, July 23, 2015

» MICHAEL SAVAGE NEWSLETTER: Planned Parenthood is the descendant of Hitler’s Third Reich

http://www.michaelsavage.wnd.com/2015/07/michael-savage-newsletter-planned-parenthood-is-the-descendant-of-hitlers-third-reich/

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Wednesday, July 22, 2015

IMPACT of loss of control of Earth Orbit

SIMPLY NO Excuse for the lack of space capabilities or Condition of US Borders!!!

From Harrison Schmitt blog---

Again, if we abandon leadership in deep space to the any other nation or group of nations, particularly a non-democratic regime, the ability for the United States and its allies to protect themselves and liberty for the world will be at great risk and potentially impossible. To others would accrue the benefits—psychological, political, economic, and scientific—that the United States harvested as a consequence of Apollo's success 40 years ago. This lesson has not been lost on our ideological and economic competitors.

American leadership absent from space? Is this the future we wish for our progeny? I think not. Again, future elections offer the way to get back on the right track.

As summarized by a former Chief Engineer at Kennedy Space Center, "The Orbiter is the most fantastic flying machine built by man. Its retirement in 2010 is premature and shortsighted. What a waste of unique hardware and all the associated infrastructure and people skills that have been developed at Kennedy Space Center. (This applies as well to the other NASA Centers and to the Corporate Suppliers.) The knowledge base and support for complex space launches take a significant time to establish, and now we're planning to dismantle the talented workforce at that site, together with the software and procedures established over 123 flights, to begin a new program --- to return to a capsule-- see pic below!

The waste is totally unbelievable & Unacceptable. Our capabilities were unique, & world renown. Even if we get capsules manned successfully ( which may take longer than expected), we are a long way from the capabilities the US needs

WHY is it so HARD to understand , WE NEED both Shuttle EO capabilities AND exploration capabilities which the Shuttle can provide & a heavy lift unmanned launch capabilities. WE NEED both capabilities!!

The reason the U.S. Is in this situations, is BECAUSE of LIBERALS ( both dem & republican) in congress & executive branch.

THIS MUST BE CORRECTED. We have to get the word out by blogging, or any other form of communication.

The U.S. Is in danger if this situation is not rectified.

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Tuesday, July 21, 2015

100 billion investment--- Glenn in 2010

US spaceflight legend John Glenn has weighed in on the current human spaceflight debate, releasing an 8-page paper outlining his feelings and a potential plan to allow US astronauts to keep launching on US vehicles. While Glenn supports President Barack Obama's plan to extend operations of the International Space Station and to forego returning to the Moon for the time being, he thinks retiring the space shuttles at this point is a mistake.

"The world's only heavy lift spacecraft and the U.S.'s only access to space should stay in operation until suitably replaced by a new and well tested heavy lift vehicle," Glenn wrote. "The Shuttle system is working extremely well, has had systems upgrades through the years, and has had "the bugs" worked out of it through many years of use. The Shuttle is probably the most complex vehicle ever assembled and flies in the harshest of environments. Why terminate a perfectly good system that has been made more safe and reliable through many years of development?"

But Glenn said the US also needs to develop heavy lift capability, and do it sooner rather than later. And while he supports the plan for NASA to contract with commercial companies to ferry astronauts and some cargo to and from the ISS, he also said NASA can't rely solely on commercial space vehicles, which at present are unproven in their reliability.

Keeping the space shuttle program going would cost about $1 Billion a year. "That is a very small price to pay for maximizing the benefits from a $100 Billion national investment, and may even be cheaper than the final bill from the Russians," Glenn said.

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Monday, July 20, 2015

U.S. marks 46 years since Apollo 11 moon landing

http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2015/07/20/46-years-apollo-11-moon-landing/30410501/

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Friday, July 17, 2015

You can kiss your way of life in the USA Goodby without a dominate USA space capability!

These capabilities are in their infancy now, but as technology develops this country will have absolute control of sites on Earth. Look at history, so you think space will be peaceful ? Much more likely, military dominance country will control earth.
The USA must be the dominant country, otherwise you can kiss you way of life in the USA good by!

Heritage.org has a detailed article on space operations & functions that be controlled from Earth Orbit.

However, there is now a general lack of interest in USA space capabilities , you must get this changed if you desire to continue you way of life in the USA!
Abbey's article in Washington Examiner brings up excellent points!

To get this fixed we must get attention of congress. To do this each of you must get all your friends involved. Blogging, tweeting, Igram, email are the best way of communicating .

This country is in trouble with the illegals & radical muslims in addition to economy.
The future does not look good with the kind of leaders we now have.
Please help change our leadership .

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Do you understand what a country that controls Earth Orbit can do to Earth locations?

Wednesday, July 15, 2015

Space policy based on past activities-- TOTALLY INCREDIBLE that the U.S. Does not modify X37 & utilize as AN IMPROVED Shuttle! NEED BLOGGERS!!!!!

Let's face it, we do not have people in nasa, WH, or Congress that give a damn about the USA space capabilities. We desperately need to change this situation.

To do this we must set up blogs, & get people informed & to write congress people advising them that you want a strong program & ask why we are expanding X37 to replace shuttle with.

From Abbey Washington Examiner article---

This year is a banner year for marking anniversaries of achievements in space. The first walk in space was 50 years ago in March, and 40 years ago this month, the Apollo-Soyuz mission brought two Cold War adversaries together.

We can look back with pride on our achievements in space, but we should look ahead with concern for the uncertain future of America's human spaceflight program.

We should have a policy built on past activities and on a vision that doesn't change as administrations come and go. But we don't have one.

The International Space Station will be in orbit until at least 2024. It is a model of international cooperation and should lay the foundation for an international program of manned missions beyond Earth orbit. But the ability to assemble large structures in orbit and for space-walking astronauts to work on them — abilities that helped build the station — no longer exist. Fifty years ago, Alexei Leonov became the first person to leave his ship and walk in space. The ability to do that was vital to building the space station and making a success of Hubble.

America is not building a second-generation space shuttle but is instead building three space capsules: the Orion and two others, from Boeing and SpaceX. All will land by parachute, like spacecraft of the 1960s, and none will allow space walks comparable to the space shuttle. Unlike Hubble, the next big telescope, the James Webb Space Telescope (due for launch October 2018) will have to be right the first time. There will be no way to repair it. It is already more costly than originally planned, and there is no shuttle to take astronauts to save it if something goes wrong.

The U.S. Air Force's Boeing X-37B, which began as a NASA craft but was transferred to the Pentagon in 2004, is an unmanned space plane that looks like a small space shuttle. Like the shuttle, it returns to Earth and lands on a runway. It has been flying successfully for five years. A scaled-up version with an astronaut crew to work outside the vehicle could reestablish America's ability to build and maintain big structures in Earth orbit.

Doubts about human space travel are clear in the Augustine Committee's review and the three reviews of NASA. The Augustine Commission in particular said "NASA's budget should match its mission and goals." Obama is requesting $18.529 billion for NASA in fiscal 2016, an increase of $519 million, or 2.9 percent, over 2015. That's a sizable investment, but NASA faces long-term budget pressures. Its challenge is to spend wisely and build on existing capabilities.

Money spent on human exploration should be used to develop capabilities needed for a meaningful program. Research into long space flights can be done at the International Space Station, which should therefore be vigorously supported. Abundant launch vehicles are already on the commercial market, and yet a new and very expensive launch vehicle, with undefined payload and mission, is being developed. Three spacecraft are being developed to carry astronauts to space. Does the nation need three space capsules with limited capabilities? The capability that is lacking is the one that saved Hubble and built the largest structure ever assembled and flown in space. A redesigned X-37 that can carry astronauts could provide such a capability.

Reducing the cost of space flight would be a big help. Jeff Bezos of Blue Origin and Elon Musk of SpaceX are pursuing the technology for reusable rockets. United Launch Alliance is pursuing reusable first-stage engines for its next-generation Vulcan rocket. It expects the recovery of the engines alone to reduce the propulsion cost of the booster by up to 90 percent. A fly-back booster was considered during early design studies for the space shuttle, and could be achieved today. NASA should lead the way to provide such a capability and establish U.S. leadership in launch technology.

America needs a space policy that has a vision that can build on past achievements and keep moving forward. A big part of that is construction, maintenance and servicing in low-Earth orbit. Another is international cooperation. And we should realign our goals with those of other major space-faring nations and look back to the Moon, so we again become the leaders in space. After all, we've been there before. A lunar exploration program would provide the foundation for manned missions beyond the Moon. Our eyes must look to the skies with purpose toward that limitless frontier.

George Abbey is senior fellow in space policy at Rice University's Baker Institute for Public Policy. He is the former director of NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston.

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Tuesday, July 14, 2015

Lost in space | Washington Examiner--- Abbey---X37C NEEDED

http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/article/2568052

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Saturday, July 11, 2015

SIMPLY NO Excuse for the lack of space capabilities or Condition of US Borders!!!

As summarized by a former Chief Engineer at Kennedy Space Center, "The Orbiter is the most fantastic flying machine built by man. Its retirement in 2010 is premature and shortsighted. What a waste of unique hardware and all the associated infrastructure and people skills that have been developed at Kennedy Space Center. (This applies as well to the other NASA Centers and to the Corporate Suppliers.) The knowledge base and support for complex space launches take a significant time to establish, and now we're planning to dismantle the talented workforce at that site, together with the software and procedures established over 123 flights, to begin a new program --- to return to a capsule-- see pic below!

The reason the U.S. Is in this situations, is BECAUSE of LIBERALS ( both dem & republican) in congress & executive branch.

THIS MUST BE CORRECTED. We have to get the word out by blogging, or any other form of communication.

The U.S. Is in danger if this situation is not rectified.

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Friday, July 10, 2015

We use to have strong space effort, strong borders, strong military, strong police

This adm is making all the USA weaker in all these areas & utter statements that we got to win the minds & hearts of isis. And that isis is justified for their attitude.

The American people must take control & return the USA to some semblance of what is was prior to the present potus coming into office!

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Thursday, July 9, 2015

Our Time – by Gene Kranz

http://www.honeysucklecreek.net/last_days/our_time_gene_kranz.html

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Wednesday, July 8, 2015

This will impact National Security! Decision to move to Capsule unbelievable/Unacceptable!

The unique & overwhelming superior capabilities of the Space Shuttle are summarized in the following articles listed on this site:

The Case to Save the Shuttle by Al Richardson

Nonsensical Retirement of the Shuttle by DeCastro

Early Retirement of Shuttle by Jeffs

Six Unique capabilities lost in Shuttle Retirement by Oberg

Additionally, compounding the totally nonsensical decision, the three time shuttle astronaut & cmdr on one mission, now nasa adm will not implement Boeing X37 C proposal, or select the other COTS lifting body---the Dream Chaser!

What I don't get is the shuttle capabilities used in fixing Hubble , and many other repairs , releases & returns ARE SO OBVIOUSLY UNIQUE and outstanding, HOW could anyone not speak against " leaders" who would essentially throw it away , based on its capability alone not even considering the waste of money & unique irreplaceable workforce? Also, since cots not funded properly, the USA will experience a ten to fifteen year hiatus in manned space operations--- not a good situation for American competence in manned operations.

THE EFFORT to Commercialize Shuttle was sabotaged by NASA by repurposing hardware/facilities for SLS which if evaluated in detail TURNS out to be an EFFORT to make sure Shuttle is DEAD!!!!

Long Shot: NASA Contractor Could Keep Flying Space Shuttles

Denise Chow, SPACE.com staff writer

Date: 14 April 2011 Time: 02:53 PM ET

Kraft, Abbey, Thompson, Shannon, Krantz, Buzzard, Cernan, Aldrin, Armstrong, Jeffs, Decrasto, Crippen, Young, plus many others all TOLD administration ( potus, Bolden, Garver) to keep shuttle flying until a replacement is available.

They did not listen, even if commercial flys manned missions tomorrow ( which likely will be 5 to 6 years) we will not be CLOSE to shuttle capabilities! Essentially ten to 15 years with no manned capabilities--- who knows how long before we get shuttle capabilities BACK!!! Congress IS NOT funding the Shuttle replacement ( COTS) adequately!!
Face it, our capabilities that we spent all significant amount of money & time ARE gone!!!

And it will be SEVERAL more years before the USA has a manned capsule, since Funding of COTS is woefully inadequate. Clearly illustrates we have An INEPT Congress!!

This will impact the security of this country!

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Tuesday, July 7, 2015

ONE TRACT MIND --- A COMMON THREAD -- " GLAD SHUTTLE GONE" - TOTALLY NONSENSICAL!!

I read many articles regarding manned Space capabilities. Many comments are made which essentially state the Shuttle was a burden & now that it has been retired we can move on.

IMO, the USA needs capabilities in EO AND exploration of other destinations.

Why can't people see that the shuttle like vehicle can assist in the exploration by facilitating the placing of exploration modules in EO. THE CASE TO SAVE the Shuttle by AL RICHARDSON clearly explains the amazing capabilities of the Space Shuttle concept.
THIS country must remain preeminent in Manned Space capabilities which requires both an operational shuttle like vehicle & various vehicles for exploring universe.

However, with the attitude of present personnel in congress, this will not occur.
We need as many bloggers as we can get, to get the word out so people will make a change in congress

Failing that, we are destined to remain in our present state--- UNABLE to even place a man in orbit.!!!!
Present cots , commercial effort insufficient for the needs of the USA !

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Monday, July 6, 2015

Consider funds expended & nasa lack of cooperation with USA on commercial operation of shuttle

A CRIME AGAINST the TAXPAYERS of the USA !!

NASA Engaged in an EFFORT to ENSURE SHUTTLE DIED during ATTEMPTED Commercialization by USA!

THE EFFORT to Commercialize Shuttle was sabotaged by NASA by repurposing hardware/facilities for SLS which if evaluated in detail TURNS out to be an EFFORT to make sure Shuttle is DEAD!!!!

Long Shot: NASA Contractor Could Keep Flying Space Shuttles

Denise Chow, SPACE.com staff writer

Date: 14 April 2011 Time: 02:53 PM ET

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Fwd: Independence Weekend: Launches, Landings, and Working in Space on the Fourth of July

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Begin forwarded message:

From: "Gary Johnson" <gjohnson144@comcast.net>
Date: July 6, 2015 at 7:02:01 AM CDT
To: "Gary Johnson" <gjohnson144@comcast.net>
Subject: FW: Independence Weekend: Launches, Landings, and Working in Space on the Fourth of July

AmericaSpace
For a nation that explores
July 4th, 2015
Independence Weekend: Launches, Landings, and Working in Space on the Fourth of July (Part 1)
By Ben Evans

Thirty-three years ago, today, on 4 July 1982, the crew of STS-4 became the first U.S. astronauts to spend Independence Day in space. It also marked the date of their spectacular return to Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. Photo Credit: NASA
On the morning of 4 July 1982, a rapidly moving black and white speck appeared on the horizon at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., bringing a pair of space explorers back to Earth after a week in orbit. Minutes later, at 12:09 p.m. EDT (9:09 a.m. PDT), Shuttle Columbia and astronauts Ken Mattingly and Hank Hartsfield alighted on the 15,000-foot-long (4,600-meter) Runway 22, becoming the first U.S. space mission to be in progress on Independence Day. It was true that several key voyages of U.S. space exploration had taken place in July—not least humanity's first piloted landing on the Moon and the joint Apollo-Soyuz Test Project (ASTP)—but until STS-4 and the flight of Mattingly and Hartsfield, no American had ever been in space on this quintessentially U.S. holiday.
Many other Americans would follow in Mattingly and Hartsfield's footsteps, aboard five successive shuttle missions between 1992 and 2006, and Americans have also observed the holiday aboard Russia's Mir space station in 1995-1997 and aboard the International Space Station (ISS) since 2001. Only one U.S. piloted mission has ever launched from Earth on Independence Day and only one has ever landed on Independence Day, but for more than a decade the holiday has been marked by a succession of Americans—and Russians and Germans, Japanese and Belgians, Canadians and Italians, too—from a location far loftier than any the members of the Second Continental Congress could possibly have foreseen when they drafted the language of separation of the Thirteen Colonies from Great Britain, way back in 1776.
Today, in fact, one U.S. astronaut and a pair of Russian cosmonauts are marking the occasion from their perch aboard the ISS. Expedition 44's Gennadi Padalka, Mikhail Kornienko, and Scott Kelly have been aboard the station since late March and are presently awaiting the arrival of three new crewmates, later this month. "I'd like to wish everybody a Happy Independence Day," Kelly said in recent video message. "It's a great holiday, a great tradition." He expressed hopes to be able to look down from the space station to witness the "tiny specks of light" of celebratory fireworks across the United States, but cautioned that "we'll have to see how the orbital mechanics works out."
The first Independence Day spent in orbit by U.S. astronauts began in a rather comical fashion. On 4 July 1982, Mattingly and Hartsfield were in the process of packing away much of their research hardware, after seven days in orbit aboard Columbia. It had been a highly successful mission and the last of four Orbital Flight Tests (OFTs), before the shuttle was declared fully operational and tasked with its first commercial payloads on STS-5. Among the research performed by Mattingly and Hartsfield were the first classified payload, flown on behalf of the Department of Defense. "On one experiment, they had a classified checklist [and] because we didn't have a secure comm link, we had the checklist divided up in sections that just had letter-names, like Bravo-Charlie, Tab-Charlie, Tab-Bravo, that they would call out," recalled Hartsfield, years later. Whenever the astronauts spoke to U.S. Air Force controllers at the Satellite Control Facility in Sunnyvale, Calif., they would be told, for example, to "Do Tab-Charlie."
Commander Ken Mattingly and Pilot Hank Hartsfield salute President Ronald Reagan and First Lady Nancy Reagan on Edwards' concrete Runway 22 on Independence Day in 1982. Columbia is clearly visible in the background. Photo Credit: NASA
"We had a locker that we kept all the classified material," continued Hartsfield, "and it was padlocked, so once we got on orbit, we unlocked it and did what we had to do." As the end of the mission neared, Hartsfield packed away the remainder of the classified materials and secured the locker. He told Mattingly. "I got all the classified stuff put away. It's all locked up."
"Great!" replied Mattingly.
Half an hour later, the Mission Control Center (MCC) in Houston, Texas, called and told them that the military staff at Sunnyvale wanted to talk to them. The Air Force controller asked them, cryptically, to "do Tab-November." The two astronauts looked at each other, bewildered. What the hell was Tab-November? Neither of them could remember. The secretive nature of the military instruction and the lack of a secure communications link also meant they could not ask over the radio. The only option was to reopen the classified locker, dig through all the materials, and find the checklist. Eventually, after much searching, Hartsfield finally found the glossary entry for Tab-November.
It read: Put everything away and secure it!
Shortly afterwards, the STS-4 crew commenced their hypersonic descent back through the "sensible" atmosphere, bound for a touchdown at Edwards. Their arrival in the California desert was being watched closely by President Ronald Reagan and First Lady Nancy Reagan, and Mattingly and Hartsfield had already been briefed by NASA Administrator Jim Beggs and asked to think of some memorable words to mark the occasion. "We knew they had hyped-up the STS-4 mission, so that they wanted to make sure we landed on the Fourth of July," Mattingly recalled in his NASA oral history. "It was in no uncertain terms that we were going to land on the Fourth of July, no matter what day we took off. Even if it was the Fifth, we were going to land on the Fourth! That meant, if you didn't do any of your test mission, that's okay, as long as you land on the Fourth … because the President is going to be there. We thought that was kinda interesting!"
STS-4 Flight Director Charles Lewis is congratulated by an unidentified colleague in the Mission Control Center (MCC) at the Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Houston, Texas, on 4 July 1982. Photo Credit: NASA
Fortunately, Columbia's landing—the first on Edwards' concrete Runway 22—occurred precisely on time on Independence Day, wrapping up a textbook flight. The shuttle's landing gear was deployed at an altitude of about 400 feet (120 meters), a full 20 seconds before touchdown, allowing all six wheels to be firmly locked into position, with plenty of time to spare. The vehicle alighted on the runway and Mattingly applied the brakes for 20 seconds to come to a smooth halt. Now came his biggest challenge: How to welcome the Reagans inside the shuttle. He and Hartsfield considered putting up a notice, worded to the effect of Welcome to Columbia: Thirty minutes ago, this was in space. As circumstances transpired, Mattingly actually greeted his commander-in-chief with a very painful head. …
Immediately after wheelstop, he turned to Hartsfield and spoke. "I am not going to have somebody come up here and pull me outta this chair! I'm going to give every ounce of strength I've got and get up on my own!" Previous crews had come back to Earth, some feeling fine, others feeling nauseous, and still others required a gurney to carry them off the spacecraft for medical attention. That would not happen with the president in attendance. Mentally and physically set up to meet the chief, Mattingly pushed himself upward out of his seat … and smashed his head sharply on the overhead instrument panel! "Oh, did I have a headache," he recalled later.
"That's very graceful," Hartsfield quipped.
Nevertheless, the two returning space heroes composed themselves and Mattingly wiped away the few spots of blood. In the few minutes before Columbia's hatch was opened, they walked around the middeck, to get themselves acclimated, before descending the steps to meet Reagan. Hartsfield—well known for his merciless sense of humor—was on top form that day. "Well, let's see. If you do it like you did gettin' out of your chair, you'll go down the stairs and you're going to fall down, so you need to have something to say," he told Mattingly. "Why don't you just look up at the president and say 'Mr. President, those are beautiful shoes? Think you can get that right?"
STS-50 was midway through a record-setting 14-day mission for the shuttle program on 4 July 1992, when its crew became the second group of U.S. spacefarers to welcome Independence Day from low-Earth orbit. Photo Credit: NASA, via Joachim Becker/SpaceFacts.de
Meanwhile, atop a modified Boeing 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA), Challenger—the second spaceworthy orbiter—was ready to take off from Edwards on a cross-country journey to the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida, in anticipation of her maiden launch in the spring of 1983. Reagan paid tribute to both vehicles in his speech; Columbia as having cleared the shuttle for operational service and Challenger for being a vision of the future. "Way out there at the end of the runway," he told his Edwards audience, "the Space Shuttle Challenger … is about to start the first leg of a journey that will eventually put it into space. It's headed for Florida, now, and they're about to take off." And with co-ordinated precision, and careful timing, Reagan gave the ceremonial go-ahead: "Challenger, you are free to take off, now!" Without further ado, the SCA and its cumbersome rooftop passenger roared down the runway and into the clear California skies. Reagan loved it, and even Mattingly's voice cracked with emotion as he spoke of his pride in the mission and in Hartsfield, whom he labeled "the finest pilot." With a second shuttle now complete, the future for NASA and the space program seemed bright.
Indeed, that Fourth of July in 1982 represented a time when perhaps anything was possible. The calamity that would befall Challenger was more than three years away and by the time a shuttle crew next spent Independence Day in orbit it would be with a totally new awareness of the reusable spacecraft's frailties. In 1992, the crew of STS-50 was midway through a record-setting 14-day mission with the first U.S. Microgravity Laboratory (USML-1), when they celebrated the holiday in orbit. STS-50 also trialed the Extended Duration Orbiter (EDO) hardware, which enabled longer shuttle missions and supported 14 flights between June 1992 and the loss of Columbia in February 2003.
Twenty years ago, today, on Independence Day in 1995, shuttle Atlantis and Russia's Mir space station parted company in low-Earth orbit. Photo Credit: NASA
A further three years passed before another shuttle crew—that of STS-71, which undertook the first of nine docking missions with Russia's Mir space station—spent U.S. Independence Day in orbit on 4 July 1995. That particular morning took on particular resonance, for it was also the day that Atlantis undocked from Mir after five days of joint operations. The crew was awakened, unsurprisingly, to America the Beautiful, and at 7:10 a.m. EDT STS-71 Commander Robert "Hoot" Gibson undocked smoothly from Mir, preceded by Russian cosmonauts Anatoli Solovyov and Nikolai Budarin aboard the Soyuz TM-21 spacecraft, who acquired stunning imagery of the shuttle's separation. From the windows of Atlantis, Gibson described the Fourth of July extravaganza as a "cosmic ballet."
Twelve months later, as the movie Independence Day hit theaters around the globe, the crew of STS-78 was approaching the conclusion of their record-setting 17-day Life and Microgravity Spacelab (LMS) mission aboard Columbia. Bruce Springsteen's Born in the USA and Lee Greenwood's I'm Proud to be an American greeted the crew as their wake-up music, to which STS-78 Commander Tom Henricks responded that the five U.S.-born crew members were proud to be Americans on the 220th anniversary of independence. Later that same day, Henricks showed his terrestrial audience a view of the United States from space, complete with patriotic background music, and paid particular tribute to 19 U.S. service personnel recently killed a few days earlier in the Khoban Towers bombing in Saudi Arabia. A further dozen months passed before another Columbia crew—that of STS-94, reflying the Microgravity Science Laboratory (MSL)-1—celebrated the historic date in orbit. The astronauts were awakened on 4 July 1997 to the tune of Kate Smith's God Bless America, as well as the news that NASA's Sojourner rover had successfully touched down on the surface of Mars, becoming the first wheeled vehicle ever to land on the Red Planet.
It would be a further nine years after STS-94 before another shuttle crew celebrated Independence Day in orbit, by which time the program would have changed markedly in the aftermath of the tragic loss of Columbia. Yet STS-121, to be discussed in tomorrow's AmericaSpace history article, would carve its own niche in history as the only U.S. piloted space mission to actually rocket into orbit on 4 July. By that time, of course, Americans would have long since celebrated many Independence Days aloft, aboard Russia's Mir space station and today's International Space Station (ISS) and several key U.S. planetary and science missions would also have marked the date with profound new discoveries about the Solar System and the Universe around us.
Copyright © 2015 AmericaSpace - All Rights Reserved

AmericaSpace
For a nation that explores
July 5th, 2015
Independence Weekend: Launches, Landings, and Working in Space on the Fourth of July (Part 2)
By Ben Evans

The Stars and Stripes floats inside the multi-windowed cupola of the International Space Station (ISS). Photo Credit: NASA
"Ten, nine, eight, seven, six … Go for Main Engine Start … "
It was a familiar preamble from the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) launch commentator which closely mirrored the final seconds before each of the previous 114 space shuttle missions. Ever since the maiden voyage of the first of this reusable fleet of orbiters in April 1981, the shuttle's trio of main engines roared to life, producing a noticeable "twang" effect, as the vehicle structurally flexed upward, before the ignition of the twin Solid Rocket Boosters (SRBs) at T-0. "And liftoff of the Space Shuttle Discovery," came the call, as six American astronauts and one German spacefarer speared into a crystal clear Florida sky, "returning to the space station, paving the way for future missions beyond." It was 2:37:55 p.m. EDT. It was also 4 July 2006, and particular poignancy accompanied the launch of STS-121, which became the first—and so far only—occasion on which U.S. astronauts have rocketed into space on Independence Day.
To history, STS-121 would carry its own significance, as the "second" Return to Flight (RTF) mission in the wake of the Columbia tragedy, serving not only to deliver critical equipment and supplies to the International Space Station (ISS), but also to demonstrate procedures and tools for inspecting the integrity of the shuttle's heat shield. The seven-strong STS-121 crew—Commander Steve Lindsey, Pilot Mark Kelly, Mission Specialists Mike Fossum, Lisa Nowak, Stephanie Wilson, and Piers Sellers, together with Germany's Thomas Reiter—had departed the Operations & Checkout (O&C) Building at the Cape, earlier that morning, waving their respective national flags. ("I don't know if it was the German Fourth of July or not!" Lindsey later quipped at the post-flight press conference.) Yet an Independence Day launch was not originally on the cards, for Discovery and her crew had already weathered a pair of scrubbed attempts on 1 and 2 July, the most recent of which prompted a 48-hour delay.
STS-121, the first and so far only U.S. piloted space mission ever to launch on Independence Day, roars aloft on 4 July 2006. Photo Credit: NASA
Fittingly, 2006 marked 230 years since the members of the Second Continental Congress drafted the language of separation of the Thirteen Colonies from Great Britain. "On the nation's 230th birthday, Discovery rocketed into the Florida sky this afternoon," NASA reported after the successful launch, noting that this was "the first human spacecraft to launch on an Independence Day holiday." As described in yesterday's AmericaSpace history article, five previous shuttle missions had already observed the Fourth of July holiday whilst in space, with Columbia's STS-4 crew of Commander Ken Mattingly and Pilot Hank Hartsfield having actually landed on Independence Day, to be greeted by then-President Ronald Reagan, back in 1982. Among the STS-121 crew were Mark Kelly—the identical twin brother of current ISS crewman Scott Kelly—who tweeted yesterday of his memories of launching on Independence Day. "9 yrs ago today, I celebrated July 4th w/some serious fireworks," he tweeted, "leaving the planet as the pilot of Discovery." In response, Kelly's former shuttle crewmate Mike Fossum added: "Great to share the ride with you on STS-121! Can't believe it's been 9 years!!"
Of course, by 2006, numerous Americans had also celebrated Independence Day in orbit, aboard both Russia's Mir space station and aboard the ISS. On the Fourth of July in 1995, six U.S. astronauts—including long-duration crewman Norm Thagard—and four Russian cosmonauts were aboard the shuttle-Mir complex during STS-71, the first docking mission between the two former superpowers. (Coincidentally, STS-71 also happened to be the 100th U.S. piloted space mission, since the pioneering flight of Al Shepard, back in May 1961.) For the next two years, U.S. astronauts would be in residence aboard Mir as part of long-duration missions, with Shannon Lucid witnessing Independence Day in 1996 and British-born Mike Foale gazing down upon the Home Planet exactly 12 months later. Interestingly, at the time of Foale's experience, seven other Americans were also observing the holiday from aboard Shuttle Columbia on the STS-94 mission, thereby marking the first occasion that U.S. astronauts had been in space on the Fourth of July, aboard two separate spacecraft, which were not docked together at the time.
With the conclusion of the shuttle-Mir program in mid-1998, and with the first long-duration ISS expeditions not due to commence until the fall of 2000, it was several years before Americans again celebrated the occasion in orbit. At length, on 4 July 2001, U.S. astronauts Jim Voss and Susan Helms were in residence aboard the fledgling ISS as members of Expedition 2. "The Nation's largest Independence Day celebration will be joined by visitors from outer space—not aliens, but NASA's International Space Station crew," it was reported, as the United States marked 225 years of political existence. "The two NASA members of the space station crew will send their 'out of this world' birthday message, reflecting on the birth of America, during the Fourth of July gala concert beginning at 8 p.m. EDT from the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C."
The following Independence Days were times of triumph and sadness, as Expedition 5's Peggy Whitson welcomed the holiday in 2002, followed—in the aftermath of the Columbia disaster—by Expedition 7's Ed Lu in 2003. For Whitson and her crewmates, the day "was essentially a holiday in space … although they did some work off a generic task list," whilst that of Lu and his companion, Russian cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko, their schedule comprised "light activities interspersed with time off." A year later, Expedition 9's Mike Fincke and his Russian commander, Gennadi Padalka, enjoyed a three-day weekend to enjoy the holiday period, whilst the following Fourth of July fell just shy of the Return to Flight (RTF) of the shuttle fleet after Columbia. Aboard the ISS for the 2005 celebration was the Expedition 11 crew, including U.S. astronaut John Phillips, whilst the following year NASA's Jeff Williams of Expedition 13 was watching via a monitor in the station's Destiny laboratory as Shuttle Discovery rocketed into orbit.
Throughout the 30-year Space Shuttle era, six missions were in orbit on Independence Day. Of those six, just one (STS-121) launched on the holiday and another (STS-4) landed on the holiday. Photo Credit: NASA
Subsequent years have seen increased crew sizes, from three to six, with U.S. astronauts Clay Anderson, Greg Chamitoff, Mike Barratt, Tracy Caldwell-Dyson, Doug Wheelock, Shannon Walker, Ron Garan, Mike Fossum, Joe Acaba, Chris Cassidy, Karen Nyberg, Steve Swanson, and Reid Wiseman having celebrated Independence Day in orbit between 2007 and 2014. On one of these occasions, in 2008, Chamitoff and his Expedition 17 crewmates were required to work through the Fourth of July, due to plans for an impending EVA by cosmonauts Sergei Volkov and Oleg Kononenko.
By the time the 2009 holidays came around, the ISS had grown so large—having seen all four of its U.S.-built solar array modules installed, deployed, and activated—that it was clearly visible across the continental United States throughout the Fourth of July weekend. "Many locations will have unusually long sighting opportunities of as much as five minutes, weather permitting, as the station flies almost directly overhead," NASA reported, describing the station as "brighter than most stars at dawn and dusk, appearing as a solid, glowing light, slowly traversing the pre-dawn or evening sky."
Poignantly, on 4 July 2010, Expedition 24's Doug Wheelock—joined by fellow NASA astronauts Tracy Caldwell-Dyson and Shannon Walker, marking the first occasion that as many as three Americans were physically present aboard the ISS on Independence Day—delivered a personal message of reflection. Wheelock also displayed the Congressional Medal of Honor, awarded to the late U.S. Army Sgt. Lester Stone, who was killed in March 1969, during the Vietnam War. Together with their Russian comrades, Aleksandr Skvortsov, Mikhail Kornienko, and Fyodor Yurchikhin, they also supervised the arrival of a Russian Progress cargo ship. Three years later, Expedition 36's Chris Cassidy observed the holiday by running the "Four on the Fourth Road Race" on the space station's treadmill and issued an inspirational message to 1,200 runners from his hometown of York, Me. "I'm envious of the scenic view that you guys are about to enjoy," a red-white-and-blue-shirted Cassidy told them, "as you run through our town." His efforts produced a welcome surprise, for his parents and brother were visible at mile markers along the York route, holding up signs of encouragement.
As Americans celebrated their nation's 239th birthday yesterday, only one of their living countrymen was missing from the Home Planet. "I'd like to wish everybody a Happy Independence Day," Expedition 44's Scott Kelly began in a video message, shared late last week on YouTube. "It's a great holiday, a great tradition." Kelly, who is joined aboard the ISS by Russian cosmonauts Gennadi Padalka and Mikhail Kornienko, will pass 100 days into his One-Year Mission later today (Sunday, 5 July). He expressed hopes to be able to look down from his lofty perch aboard the International Space Station (ISS) to witness the "tiny specks of light" of celebratory fireworks across the length and breadth of the United States on the evening of Independence Day, but cautioned that "we'll have to see how the orbital mechanics works out." As circumstances transpired, Kelly tweeted some stunning imagery of "fireworks" of his own, then added: "Hoping for a happy and safe #FourthofJuly for everyone in #USA and around the world. Goodnight from @Space_Station."

Copyright © 2015 AmericaSpace - All Rights Reserved