Space exploration and development – more than numbers
This will sound suspiciously improbable, a story that changed hands too many times, becoming colorful Kennedy Space Center folklore. Unlikely, and untrue. Not so, as my story here today comes first-hand. I was there. Once, at Kennedy Space Center, I was fighting a raging fire. This was a real fire, a blazing two-story fire at … Continue reading Fighting fires, Orion, and what are they thinking?
Compelling storytelling wields the power to draw us in from the first line with a curious character in a peculiar time and place. We instantly hear the voice of Harper Lee’s Scout, simple and innocent, telling us about her brother Jem. A Bradbury beginning, “It was a quiet morning,” tells us things will soon not … Continue reading Space technology, what lies beneath
It was all so simple back in 1992, in a world where the Kennedy Space Center and the Space Shuttle were nearly the only show in town. You could have any car in any color, so long as it was black. Sure, there were expendable, uncrewed launch vehicles, too. But these were merely a consolation … Continue reading Flashback Friday – KSC Map 1992
With the first Shuttle launch around the corner, well, about four years away, in 1977, NASA described its soon-to-be capabilities in its “NASA Facts” series. “It takes off like a rocket, maneuvers in Earth orbit like a spacecraft, and lands like an airplane.” The “space telescope” – describing the far away yet-to-be-named Hubble telescope, including … Continue reading Flashback Friday – Dreams of a Space Shuttle 1977
Here is another item won't find anywhere online, on the belief that just as we never know where we may end up, it's best to upload to the cloud while we can. Front cover of the folded NASA pamphlet "Living and Working in Space," from 1983. The NASA pamphlet, "Living and Working in Space," from … Continue reading Flashback Friday – “Living and Working in Space,” 1983 NASA pamphlet
Occasionally, I will post some items you won't find anywhere online, on the belief that just as we never know where we may end up, it's best to upload to the cloud while we can. Welcome to the first entry for "Flashback Friday." Kennedy Space Center Spaceport News, November 20, 1981 "Orbiter Columbia Returns to … Continue reading Flashback Friday – when once NASA reused a spaceship
Soon, NASA will load propellants onto its new Space Launch System – the “SLS.” This test will span a few days, a whole shakedown and practice run, much like the launch countdown starting at T-72 hours for a Space Shuttle. This is an exciting moment, the end-to-end system seeing liquid hydrogen and oxygen for the … Continue reading Make good choices!
It's over. They worked out an agreement. The boss stuck his head into the conference room to make the announcement. Judging from the look on everyone's face, clearly, there was some confusion. Interrupting our meeting and just blurting out late-breaking news does this. How could it be over when we were just getting started? February … Continue reading It ain’t over till it’s over
"I remember it all. I was there. That's what matters." These were the words of an Apollo/Shuttle-era retiree, cleaning up a little but leaving behind much of the memorabilia of a decades-long career. I was fortunate to inherit some of these items from a few retirees, as I was young, enthusiastic, and dust-tolerant. So today, … Continue reading A little Space memorabilia – “The next giant leap”
Most everyone has now heard the mysterious words "supply chain" in more than a few places. I have a guest commentary today on this and our space industry at Ex Terra, The Journal of Space Commerce - "The Supply Chain Crisis: An Historical Perspective."
There is the movie “The Sixth Sense,” and there are NASA cost estimates. I am not sure which is a better example of the unreliable narrator. “Call me Ishmael.” Why should I call you Ishmael? Most people would say, “My name is Ishmael.” What are you hiding? Of course, the first version sounds more intriguing. … Continue reading The unreliable narrator
There are flying machines that stick in the mind, a Concorde, a Shuttle, a Valkyrie XB-70, or a Boeing 747.One machine that hardly flew but did this trick was the 1920s German Dornier X airliner, an early massive flying boat with 12 engines. Its wings had a crawl space so the crew could reach the … Continue reading Contrasts
Iconic orange Space Shuttle External Tanks and shiny SpaceX Starships are uncannily close in scale. I was fortunate to be on the team in the 1990s that checked out and prepared the External Tanks and then on the team that filled and launched them. I could not have guessed that 23 years into my career … Continue reading Of external tanks and Starships
It's about the benefit when the mass is there, versus not. The socket cost $5,000. But we got a good deal for three at $15,000. This might sound like just another story about a $300 toilet seat, but there may be some rhyme or reason behind $300 toilet seats. Or even $10,000 toilet seat covers. … Continue reading The case of the $5,000 socket
It’s a struggle not to write or talk in NASA-speak, a bad habit picked up from years of intensive training. Even with the name I chose for this writing space, plain English must rule. Still, before the next post picks up where I left off, here is an aside on how we laughed at some … Continue reading The flow managers glossary
Zapata Talks NASA 