Tag Archives: Moon
A New Moon Race?
It’s amazing when you think about it. One might think that there is a new race to the Moon underway, this time with robotic spacecraft rather than astronauts and cosmonauts. There has been a small armada of space probes sent … Continue reading
Redirect: Chicken Little Was Right
I published on March 4, 2013, a new commentary on the policy issues surrounding what to do about asteroid/meteor/comet impacts. Chicken Little Was Right just appeared on the National Air and Space Museum’s blog. It notes that yes, indeed, the … Continue reading
“Lost and Gone Forever”? Clementine and the Blending of Civilian and Military Space Science
I have been working on a study of the Clementine program, a lunar orbiter that flew in 1994. Here is the abstract for this study. I would welcome any thoughts about it. In the early 1990s, just as the Cold … Continue reading
Wednesday’s Book Review: “The Race: The Complete True Story of How America Beat Russia to the Moon”
The Race: The Complete True Story of How America Beat Russia to the Moon. By James Schefter. Garden City, NY: Doubleday and Co., 1999. Anchor Reprint, 2000. It is becoming increasingly obvious with every passing year that the Apollo program … Continue reading
Evening Event: “Caution and Boldness: Balancing Risk in Spaceflight” on February 1, 2013
The Smithsonian Institution’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia, is holding an event which promises to be interesting—”Caution and Boldness: Balancing Risk in Spaceflight“—on the evening of February 1, 2013. This is an event for the National Air and … Continue reading
Publication of my Edited Work: “Exploring the Solar System: The History and Science of Planetary Exploration”
I am pleased to note that this week Palgrave Macmillan released my edited work, Exploring the Solar System: The History and Science of Planetary Exploration. This book has been years in the making, and includes essays on a broad selection … Continue reading
Andy Chaikin on the Recent Neil Armstrong Kurfuffle over his First Words when Walking on the Moon
Andy Chaikin relayed to me his distress in seeing the recent news stories claiming that Neil Armstrong lied to the world about when he made up his famous “One small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind” quote. As a … Continue reading
A Chronology of Space Anniversaries for 2013
Many people have asked what anniversaries are upcoming in 2013 in space history. Here is a quick list. Are there items that I should add to this accounting? 1923—90 years ago December: Die Rakete zu den Planetenräumen (The Rocket into … Continue reading
44 Years Ago Today: Apollo 8′s Historic Broadcast from the Moon on Christmas Eve in 1968
Hard to believe, it was 44 years ago today that the crew of Apollo 8 made their historic broadcast from the Moon on Christmas Eve in 1968. Launched on December 21, 1968, astronauts Frank Borman, James A. Lovell, Jr., and … Continue reading
The Encyclopedia Show DC: The Moon
On Tuesday night, December 4, 2012, I had the pleasure of participating “The Encyclopedia Show DC” which focused this time on “The Moon.” It was a free form educational variety show that included skits, poetry, music, and me. My task … Continue reading
