Mostly astronauts. Some other people who are significant in some way.
Movie production company Legion M announced that screenwriter Rob Edwards joined the pre-production team for Defiant, a movie on Civil War hero Captain Robert Smalls. Rob Edward is best known for his work on Disney movies like The Princess and the Frog and Treasure Planet. He has also consulted for Tangled, Wreck-It Ralph, and Frozen. … [Read more…]
It began as a normal lunar mission. They had sent men into lunar orbit four times and landed twice. But, at 55 hours, 55 minutes, and four seconds into the mission, something went wrong. What should have been the third lunar landing became a fight to bring the crew home alive. Gene Kranz is the … [Read more…]
Today (February 17, 2017) is the 97th birthday of Annie Glenn, the widow of Mercury astronaut John Glenn. Yesterday marked her first appearance since his death on December 8th, 2016. She attended a reception in honor of her birthday at Ohio State University’s John Glenn College of Public Affairs, at which she told reporters that … [Read more…]
The “forgotten man” of the Apollo 11 mission that first landed men on the moon, Michael Collins was part of Astronaut Group 3, the fourteen astronauts whose selection was announced in October 1963. He also flew the Gemini 10 mission, which performed rendezvous maneuvers with two different spacecraft and also featured two successful EVAs by … [Read more…]
The most famous American astronaut, Neil Armstrong is best known for being the first to set foot on the moon. But did you know… Neil Armstrong is one of the first civilian astronauts. Neil Armstrong had been a Navy pilot, but had retired before applying to NASA as an astronaut. He was part of the … [Read more…]
The Mercury missions were NASA’s first serious effort to send American astronauts into space. One of its primary objectives was to prove that humans could live and work above Earth’s atmosphere. Along the way, there were several technical challenges, successes, and occasional frightening moments for both the Original Seven Mercury astronauts and those supporting them … [Read more…]
One of the Mercury 7 astronauts, Leroy Gordon Cooper Jr. flew the sixth and last Mercury mission in the Faith 7. He also flew the Gemini 5 mission. He preferred to be called Gordon Cooper, or just “Gordo” to his friends. He was the youngest of the original seven astronauts and once hoped to be … [Read more…]
One of the original seven astronauts selected for NASA’s Mercury program, Donald K. “Deke” Slayton was grounded due to a medical condition before he could fly a mission and became the “chief astronaut” responsible for assigning crews for the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo programs. Though not necessarily the first person most people think of when … [Read more…]
The only astronaut to fly missions for the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo programs, Walter M. “Wally” Schirra was one of the original seven American astronauts. He was also a fighter pilot during the Korean War and enjoyed skiing, hunting, sailing, and fishing. He is most famous for his sense of humor and love of a … [Read more…]
One of the Mercury Seven astronauts and member of the Sealab II crew, Scott Carpenter was the second American to orbit Earth in the Aurora 7 and the first to claim the dual title of Astronaut/Aquanaut. Although he wasn’t always popular with some of the well-known names of the early space program, he remained an … [Read more…]