Space-time

5 years gone....

In no order, Apollo 17 in photos. I try to give it a break each year but i love this mission.

Gene Cernan just a few minutes after his first steps. IVe never heard two guys so excited to look out a window and see a giant rock.  “Look at that rock out there!!”  -Gene Cernan 

The first day, untouched regolith and a long shadow, in three days the sun will slowly angle higher and higher.

Day 3, occasionally a moment of silence would come between the busy radio chatter and geology work for a few photos and a nice take-in of the view.  

Tracy’s Rock, Day 3

Out in the distance, the command module America as seen from the Lunar Module Challenger and the landing site below in the Taurus Littrow valley,The three 10,000ft+ peaks quite visible from a good telescope on earth

Gene Cernan on Day 2 getting the rover ready for an 8 hour work day in damp jet cool underwear and rays of sun.

Cernan dusting off rover camera. “Can I change your oil?” -Cernan

Gene using a 500mm telephoto lens.

Setting up experiments. Getting the rover checked out. Home is where you make it. Day 1

Setting up experiments. Home is where you make it. Day 1“Astronaut scissors” are actually just medical tools refurbished for spaceflight. If you’re a real nerd you can find pairs like these on Ebay. Now days they just use EMT sheers but the old heavy polished chrome scissors still appear in the ISS once a while.

A picture of a human occupied moon (Two whole people and one guy in orbit) framed with Icy Illinois trees December 1972.

Looking back at the landing site, this was one of the last up close views the crew had of the landing site before leaving Lunar orbit back to Earth.

BLASTED with sun, taking the very brunt of extreme temperatures and vacuum of space and temperatures,getting weathered by dust and rocks; Gene Cernan was all safe inside this helmet peering out into the Lunar world.

romping on the moon (What looks like Gene singing is actually handing a bag to Jack Schmitt) 

A chilly December back on Earth,Looking out the LM window at a warm “spring day”  and the hum of an air conditioner on the moon. 

One of the last views out the window a few hours before liftoff. Contrary to movies, they didn't just hop in and leave, they would sleep for hours and prepare the next day (whenever they awoke from sleep) for return to the command module. Until then, they would look as much as possible, wishing they could go for just one more walk; knowing they would NEVER see this view again.

So many missions, so little time to remember them.  Apollo 17...

Sutter Campus, Shades of metal and greys...

10 years gone

clouds

Europa Mission Media Reel

The reel includes animation depicting NASA’s Europa Clipper mission. The second animation in the reel depicts the proposed future mission concept Europa Land...

LOOKING FORWARD: The Europa Clipper

Of all the missions to launch in the 2020′s, the clipper is the one I am eager for. The mission will be more than a lander,knowing JPL if they’re going to go all the way out to Jupiter you know they’ll do more to make the trip worth it (Voyager wasn’t supposed to go to Uranus or Neptune). I think the orbital side of the mission will be like Cassini all over again, and hopefully avenge what was lost in the 90′s when the Galileo spacecraft high gain antenna didn’t deploy 

(Solid dishes do it better)

I can’t wait for the new swag either, hopefully JPL’s giftshop will actually SELL them. I hate hunting pins on Ebay that cost more than they should.(Personal problems, sorry)

Jupiter YOU’RE NEXT!!!!

Boeing's Starliner Launch to the International Space Station

#Starliner is “go” for launch! The launch of Boeing’s Orbital Flight Test to the International Space Station, as part of our Commercial Crew Program, is sche...

Collins Station, Ready for tracking! Last mission for a while.

390,000 miles to go. 

https://mars.nasa.gov/insight/