Monthly Archives: February 2011

The Space Shuttle Era, Winding Down

Posted on February 25, 2011 by asteitel

On February 24, 2011, the space shuttle Discovery launched for its final trip into orbit. The main objective of the STS-133 mission is to deliver and install a permanent multipurpose module (what NASA is calling a ‘floating closet’) to give … Continue reading →

Posted in Apollo, Manned Spaceflight, Space Shuttle | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Designing a Bridge to the Moon

Posted on February 19, 2011 by asteitel

The Gemini program is often passed over in popular accounts of NASA’s race to the Moon. Perhaps understandably so. Gemini doesn’t carry the excitement of the Mercury Program with America’s first steps into space and it lacks the climactic excitement … Continue reading →

Posted in Apollo, Gemini, History of Space Science, Manned Spaceflight, Mercury | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Mars, a Victorian Sensation

Posted on February 13, 2011 by asteitel

Like Venus, Mars has long been an object of fascination to men – the red wanderer among the heavens, historically associated with the God of war, whose retrograde motions baffled astronomers for centuries. More than any other planet, Mars has … Continue reading →

Posted in History of Space Science, Planetary Science | Tagged , , , , | 8 Comments

Unraveling Venus

Posted on February 5, 2011 by asteitel

Whenever anyone gets me talking about space and spaceflight, they invariably ask what got me started on ‘all of this space stuff’ in the first place. The short answer is Venus. I became captivated by the planet researching a second … Continue reading →

Posted in Planetary Science, Soviet, Unmanned Spaceflight | Tagged , , , | 19 Comments

Talking Vintage Space

Posted on February 4, 2011 by asteitel

I’ve recently found that good things come from using Twitter! Mark Ratterman approached me (via email) asked if I would like to join him and fellow hosts Gene Mikulka, Gina Herlihy, and Sawyer Rosenstein on their podcast Talking Space. I … Continue reading →

Posted in Apollo, Gemini, History of Space Science, Manned Spaceflight, Mercury, Planetary Science, Space Shuttle, Unmanned Spaceflight | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Designing the Perfect Cosmonaut

Posted on February 2, 2011 by asteitel

In a previous post, I talked about how NASA designed the perfect astronaut – the qualities that were considered vital in selecting the first generation Mercury astronauts. The Soviet Space Program was no different. The organization held its candidates to … Continue reading →

Posted in History of Space Science, Manned Spaceflight, Mercury, Soviet | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments