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nasa · 2 months

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LaRue Burbank, mathematician and computer, is just one of the many women who were instrumental to NASA missions.

4 Little Known Women Who Made Huge Contributions to NASA

Women have always played a significant role at NASA and its predecessor NACA, although for much of the agency’s history, they received neither the praise nor recognition that their contributions deserved. To celebrate Women’s History Month – and properly highlight some of the little-known women-led accomplishments of NASA’s early history – our archivists gathered the stories of four women whose work was critical to NASA’s success and paved the way for future generations.

LaRue Burbank: One of the Women Who Helped Land a Man on the Moon

LaRue Burbank was a trailblazing mathematician at NASA. Hired in 1954 at Langley Memorial Aeronautical Laboratory (now NASA’s Langley Research Center), she, like many other young women at NACA, the predecessor to NASA, had a bachelor's degree in mathematics. But unlike most, she also had a physics degree. For the next four years, she worked as a "human computer," conducting complex data analyses for engineers using calculators, slide rules, and other instruments. After NASA's founding, she continued this vital work for Project Mercury.

In 1962, she transferred to the newly established Manned Spacecraft Center (now NASA’s Johnson Space Center) in Houston, becoming one of the few female professionals and managers there.  Her expertise in electronics engineering led her to develop critical display systems used by flight controllers in Mission Control to monitor spacecraft during missions. Her work on the Apollo missions was vital to achieving President Kennedy's goal of landing a man on the Moon.

Eilene Galloway: How NASA became… NASA

Eilene Galloway wasn't a NASA employee, but she played a huge role in its very creation. In 1957, after the Soviet Union launched Sputnik, Senator Richard Russell Jr. called on Galloway, an expert on the Atomic Energy Act, to write a report on the U.S. response to the space race. Initially, legislators aimed to essentially re-write the Atomic Energy Act to handle the U.S. space goals. However, Galloway argued that the existing military framework wouldn't suffice – a new agency was needed to oversee both military and civilian aspects of space exploration. This included not just defense, but also meteorology, communications, and international cooperation.

Her work on the National Aeronautics and Space Act ensured NASA had the power to accomplish all these goals, without limitations from the Department of Defense or restrictions on international agreements. Galloway is even to thank for the name "National Aeronautics and Space Administration", as initially NASA was to be called “National Aeronautics and Space Agency” which was deemed to not carry enough weight and status for the wide-ranging role that NASA was to fill.

Barbara Scott: The “Star Trek Nerd” Who Led Our Understanding of the Stars

A self-described "Star Trek nerd," Barbara Scott's passion for space wasn't steered toward engineering by her guidance counselor. But that didn't stop her! Fueled by her love of math and computer science, she landed at Goddard Spaceflight Center in 1977. One of the first women working on flight software, Barbara's coding skills became instrumental on missions like the International Ultraviolet Explorer (IUE) and the Thermal Canister Experiment on the Space Shuttle's STS-3. For the final decade of her impressive career, Scott managed the flight software for the iconic Hubble Space Telescope, a testament to her dedication to space exploration.

Dr. Claire Parkinson: An Early Pioneer in Climate Science Whose Work is Still Saving Lives

Dr. Claire Parkinson's love of math blossomed into a passion for climate science. Inspired by the Moon landing, and the fight for civil rights, she pursued a graduate degree in climatology. In 1978, her talents landed her at Goddard, where she continued her research on sea ice modeling. But Parkinson's impact goes beyond theory. She began analyzing satellite data, leading to a groundbreaking discovery: a decline in Arctic sea ice coverage between 1973 and 1987. This critical finding caught the attention of Senator Al Gore, highlighting the urgency of climate change.

Parkinson's leadership extended beyond research. As Project Scientist for the Aqua satellite, she championed making its data freely available. This real-time information has benefitted countless projects, from wildfire management to weather forecasting, even aiding in monitoring the COVID-19 pandemic. Parkinson's dedication to understanding sea ice patterns and the impact of climate change continues to be a valuable resource for our planet.

Make sure to follow us on Tumblr for your regular dose of space!

#NASA #space #tech #technology #womens history month #women in STEM #math #climate science #computer science

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thevaultoftheatomicspaceage · 3 months

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A “hydraulically-operated articulated robot” at NASA’s Manned Spacecraft Center in Houston, 1965.

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humanoidhistory · 7 months

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IBM computers and other equipment at NASA's Johnson Space Center, 1963 (when it was called the Manned Spacecraft Center).

#ibm #nasa #space #history #houston #tech #snapshot

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tilebytiles · 3 months

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Star Treatment (Alex Turner x Reader) - Part 2

summary: there's a strange man named alex that has a strange obsession with you, and he makes the strangest offer of your life.

word count: 3.2k

warnings: none

part 1

You had fallen asleep a while ago. The stars, although breathtakingly beautiful this far out in space, had eventually gotten tiring to look at, and your brain itched for something else. You were still too tense to talk to anyone else on the spacecraft, and Alex was nowhere to be found, although you doubted you'd talk to him anyway. With no methods of entertainment beyond staring out the window, you fell asleep rather quickly, your imagination conjuring up strange dreams about the hotel you were heading to.

The only thing that woke you up was the sound of rustling clothes in front of you. Drowsily, you forced your eyes open and your body to come up onto your feet. You were a little wobbly from trying to do so much so quick, but you regained your balance rather quickly and began to follow the journalists down the narrow aisle between the rows of seats. If there was anything science fiction films had taught you, you should have been floating through that rocket instead of walking. Your feet, however, remained firmly planted on the carpet, a fact that was rather disappointing. Floating would have been cooler.

The interior of the seating area was done in soft, warm colours, offering an inviting atmosphere. The seats were a navy blue with an off-white stripe down the center, and the walls were a shade of pink, something close to salmon, you thought. The floor was done in the same colour, but down the aisle was a red carpet. There weren't many seats, so the rocket could only house a group about the size of this one at any time. You didn't mind; the less people you had to awkwardly avoid, the better.

You realised the giant window at the end of the aisle that you'd thought was for stargazing was actually a port. As soon as you stepped into the giant see-through tube, you heard the door slide shut behind you, sealing you off from the rocket. You couldn't help but marvel at the empty chasm of space that surrounded you, as well as the moon that rested beneath you. From here, you could make out the complex building you were realising was meant to be the hotel. It looked futuristic and retro at the same time, an effect that wasn't hard to achieve; the architecture looked like the kind that was popular in the 70s, providing a sort of nostalgic feel, but it was sitting on the surface of the moon. This definitely wouldn't have been possible in the 70s (you could hardly believe it was possible now).

One of the journalists spoke up, shattering the awestruck silence. "He's a bit mad for doin' all this."

The journalist beside him shrugged. "It's kinda cool, though, don't you think?"

"Well, sure, but imagine having these kinds of funds ... and you waste it on a lunar hotel?"

You hardly knew Alex, but it made you feel a little uneasy to hear someone speaking ill of him. You wanted to speak up, but a third journalist beat you to it. "If anything, he's proving we can even do this kind of shit on the moon. It's better than some of the stunts billionaires have been pulling."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever, Miles," the first journalist grumbled. "Stop kissing his ass."

The journalist named Miles rolled his eyes, then glanced over at you. You hadn't even realised he was walking beside you. He grinned at you and held out a hand for you to shake. "Miles Kane," he said.

You slowly shook his hand. "Y/N L/N."

"You don't exactly seem like the reporter type. What're you doin' up here with this pretentious lot?"

You liked him already.

"Alex invited me," you told him. "I haven't really figured out why yet."

He nodded, seeming to ponder over the information you'd just given him despite it only being two sentences. "I'm sure we'll get along perfectly," he finally said, smiling at you again. "If any of these pricks cause you trouble, just lemme know."

"Thank you." You smiled back at him.

When you made it to the other end of the tube, the door in front of you slid open, allowing your party of prose into the hotel. Your eyes widened once you stepped through the door. The room you were in, which you guessed to be the main lobby, was absolutely gigantic- or at least, it felt that big. There was a chandelier hanging from the ceiling, illuminating the whole space with sconces mounted on the walls to light up the spots the chandelier couldn't reach. The walls were a warm, perhaps almost burnt, shade of orange, and the floor was made of lush carpet, the pattern almost hypnotising. Squiggles of colour stretched from wall to wall above a black background. The wall to your right, close to the door, held floor-to-ceiling windows, showcasing the moon and the stars in all their glory. To your left was the reception desk, the lift to its left and the stairs to its right. Chairs and tables were scattered amongst the space, providing plenty of spots to sit and rest. Mounted on the wall behind the reception desk was a flat-screen TV. You were impressed it could pick anything up out here.

Your group wandered over to the reception desk, and to your surprise, someone popped out of the door that had an 'EMPLOYEES ONLY' plaque, grinning at you all. "Pleasure to meet you!" he said. "Mr. Turner told me you'd be arriving."

Alex's last name was Turner?

"Hold on," the first journalist from before said, "you mean you've just ... been here?"

The receptionist nodded, still smiling. "We've had more than enough resources to last us, don't worry. And they're replenishable! But we can get into that later."

"There's more than one of you?"

"All the staff were busy prepping for your arrival. We hope you enjoy your stay. Let me be the first to officially welcome you to the Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino. My name's Mark, and I'll be your guide for the tour today."

You admired Mark's genuine enthusiasm. Then again, you didn't think it'd be very hard to be enthusiastic about a job like this.

He came out from behind the desk and motioned for your group to follow as he headed for the open doorway across from the door you'd just come through. It opened out into a long hall, branching off into different rooms. "This is where the café is," he said, pointing to one of the sets of doors you passed by. "That's where you'll be eating all your meals, although your options will differ depending on the time of day. That," he said, pointing to another set of doors, "is the gym. There's all kinds of equipment in there, and it's completely free for all guests, so don't be afraid to stop by."

He continued leading you down the hall, pointing at different doors and explaining them. Connected to the café was a greenhouse that provided different types of produce, and it was available to guests ("take a tour or let the little ones learn how to garden!" he had said). There was a library, a laundry room, and even something like a patio at the very end of the hall, allowing you to get as close to the moon itself as you safely could.

When you came back up the hall and squeezed into the lift, Mark explained how the actual hotel rooms would be the last part of the tour; that way, you could all rest as soon as you got to your rooms. Your first stop was the very top of the hotel, where you could see the large hexagonal neon sign spinning slowly on top of its pole. They had built a pool into the roof, complete with a ladder to make getting in and out easy, a diving board, various chairs set up, umbrellas that you weren't even sure were necessary and bathrooms and changing rooms, the latter of which were fully stocked with robes, bathing suits and pool toys.

Heading down a floor revealed the hotel's partial namesake: the casino. The lights were significantly dimmer here than they were in the rest of the hotel, but they weren't so dim that you couldn't see at all. Machines had been pushed up against every wall and were lined up perfectly around the room. It was almost overstimulating, and you were grateful you left when you did, although the aftereffects of all the lights remained in your vision as colourful blobs for some time.

Your whole group was staying on the same floor. You didn't know if you were glad about it or dreading it. At least Miles would be nearby, you thought. He'd been making the occasional quiet joke to you throughout the whole tour, and you did your best to stifle your laughter to avoid dirty looks from the others.

"I'll talk to you later," he said, snapping you out of your thoughts. You hadn't even realised you'd made it to your rooms. His was across the hall from yours. You nodded and flashed him one last smile before unlocking your door with the key Mark had given you and stepping inside.

The room was lavishly decorated. You almost felt guilty for staying there for free. A four-poster bed stood tall, the frame painted a creamy white and the mattress covered in a white sheet. A thin fabric, something like lace, hung from each corner like curtains. The blanket looked soft, inviting, and after many, many hours of being stuck in a rocket and sleeping in a (albeit comfortable) chair, slipping under the covers and taking a proper nap sounded heavenly. You forced yourself to hold off on that nap, though, and continued your exploration of the room.

The overhead light was built into the ceiling, and upon discovering a small remote on top of the chest of drawers across from the bed, you realised the brightness could be changed. There was a floor-to-ceiling window built into the wall across from the door, offering yet another stunning view. The closet that was built into the wall rested to the left of the bed, and to the right was a small nightstand. In the closet, you found all sorts of clothes. At least there was comfort in the fact that no matter what happened, you'd be well-dressed for the occasion. Not far from the nightstand was a door, and when you opened it, you discovered the bathroom.

Ah, yes. It was about time you took a shower.

The water was perfectly warm, and the shampoo smelled lovely. Although it had only been a few days, you still felt gross for having gone so long without a shower; you guessed it was only because you were used to showering every day. When you finished getting cleaned up, you slipped into the cosiest pair of pyjamas you'd ever gotten your hands on and made sure to turn the light off before slipping into the unnecessarily fancy bed.

You wondered what Alex was up to. You hoped you'd see him tomorrow, mostly so you could thank him for inviting you in the first place. Although the concept of a hotel in space still felt a bit mad to you, you were beginning to realise it really wasn't as bad as you'd expected it to be. Maybe you were even a bit proud of him.

•••••

The next morning- at least, you guessed it was morning- you made your first trip to the café Mark had shown you. You had to admit, you were starving. Although you'd been given snacks on the rocket, they were exactly that- snacks. They hadn't been near enough to keep you full, and now your stomach felt like it was going to gnaw its way through your entire body if you didn't get something to eat soon.

A few of the journalists were already in there, including Miles. You headed towards the counter, where the employee behind the till smiled at you. "What can I get for you today?"

"Uh ..." You stared at the imposing menu on the wall, assessing your options. "Can I have the egg croissant, please?"

"Would you like a drink with that?"

"Water's fine, thanks." The employee nodded, punching your order in, and when the small number popped up on the digital screen sticking up from the till, your eyes widened. It was cheaper than you'd been expecting. You quickly fished your wallet out of your pocket.

Once the transaction was complete, you headed for Miles' table and sat across from him. He was scribbling something in his notepad, but when he heard the creak of your chair, his head snapped up. When he realised it was you, he grinned. "Hey, Y/N."

"Hey," you replied. "What are you doing?"

"Writin' down some notes for that article I gotta write. We've been here for less than a day, and I already have enough info to crank out a goddamn essay."

That made you laugh, earning a sideways glance from one of the journalists. It was the one that had been questioning Alex's motives before. You heard Miles scoff, prompting you to look back at him with a raised brow. “Trouble in paradise?”

He snorted. “Hardly paradise with that prick around.”

“Who is he?”

“James Schwartz, also known as one of the biggest dickheads on the planet. Old money- his dad runs the paper he writes for, and his dad ran it before that, and so on. Heard he’s in line for the throne.” He shook his head. “He’s willin’ to do anything for a story. Can’t keep a girlfriend for more than a few months, either.”

“What do you mean, he’s willing to do anything?”

He eyed you for a few moments, as if he was debating whether or not he should unveil James’ moral crimes to you. Eventually, he sighed, leaning back in his chair; so much so that the two front legs rose from the floor. “The best of it, so to speak, is that he flooded some poor shop owner’s voicemail until they phoned him back.”

“And the worst?”

His lips pressed into a thin line, and his gaze sauntered over to land on James, who’d put a pair of headphones on at some point and remained entirely oblivious to your conversation. Still, to be on the safe side, Miles’ voice lowered, forcing you to lean over to hear him. “He dated a girl, some model from Bristol. A couple of months later, she broke up with him, and then suddenly, her nudes were up on the Internet, free for all perverted fucks to see. He was one of the first to cover the story, and his article painted her in a suspicious light, spoutin’ some shite about how she shouldn’t have let anyone take such compromisin’ pictures of her. She quit modelling not long after. It was never proven to be him, but …” He shrugged and looked back to you.

Your stomach churned at the mere thought of what he’d gotten away with. “Surely someone questioned him?”

“If they did, he probably paid them to keep quiet. Either way-” He dropped his pencil onto his notepad. “-I would stay away from him, if I were you.”

“Don’t need to tell me twice,” you mumbled.

After your food had arrived and you’d satiated your hunger, Miles suggested heading up to the pool for a quick dip. You agreed, although considering you’d just eaten, you didn’t think you would actually do any swimming. This notion seemed a bit funny to him, and he even asked if you were chicken, but he didn’t press the matter any further.

Much to your delight, there were swimsuits in the dressing room, and you slipped into a black bikini on the off chance you hopped into the water. Wrapping yourself up in a plush white robe that had the hotel’s acronym embroidered into the left breast, you stepped out onto the pool deck. Miles was already in the pool, clad in a pair of black swim trunks and swimming from one end to the other, engaged in an intense race against himself. You plopped down onto one of the pool chairs and stretched your legs out, watching as Miles swam to the edge closest to you with a grin. “The water’s lovely.”

“I’d rather not get cramps,” you said, making him laugh. He playfully splashed water in your direction, spraying small droplets onto your calves and the chair beneath you. The water was cold against your skin.

You heard the entrance to the pool open, making you turn and look over your shoulder. Alex stood in the doorway, and when he saw you, he managed a small smile. “I didn’t expect to see you here.”

“I could say the same for you.”

“I was looking for Miles.” He glanced around you and spotted the man in question, who offered an enthusiastic wave that was akin to one from a child. “Mark said you’d be here.”

“You should come join me, Mr. Turner,” Miles replied, assuming an exaggerated air of pompousness. “Have you even tested your own pool?”

Alex seemed to genuinely consider that question for a few moments. His hands slid down into his pockets, and his lips pressed together before finally parting to form the words, “No, I haven’t.”

And with that, he found himself in swim trunks exactly like Miles’ less than a few minutes later. It was the first time you’d seen him in anything beyond his perfectly crisp suits, and it also offered you a chance to admire his physique. His abs were lightly defined, as were the muscles lining his arms; the veins in his forearms protruded, as if all they needed was a small push before bursting from his skin; his legs had about as much hair as you could have expected, and there was a light smattering of hair across his chest. Draped over his chest, sinking into the dips of his collarbones, was a thin gold chain, the same one you’d seen him wear a number of times at the café.

Miles whistled, snapping you out of the spell Alex’s body had put you under. “She’s oglin’ ya.”

“Am not!” you protested, glaring at him.

He only rolled his eyes. “There’s nothin’ wrong with admirin’.”

You didn’t say anything, only crossed your arms over your chest. It wasn’t like you needed to respond, though; the heat that spread across your cheeks like wildfire spoke volumes.

If you were being perfectly honest with yourself- which you did reluctantly- Alex had always caught your eye. You mostly attributed it to the mysterious aura that he was always shrouded in, brought into existence by how little he spoke, how much he kept to himself, and the documents he primarily occupied himself with. Even if you now knew what those documents had been for, there were still heaps of things that remained locked away from you. For fuck’s sake, you’d learned his last name from a complete stranger.

In some ways, his mystery was a siren call, coaxing you in for what you thought might be your untimely demise. If there was anything the piles of romance novels in your flat had taught you, it was that strange men- especially rich ones- shouldn’t ever be trusted with matters of the heart.

As Alex lowered himself into the pool, though, you let yourself ogle for a little while longer.

#alex turner #alex turner x reader #tranquility base hotel and casino #tbhc era #arctic monkeys #fanfic #alex turner x you #alex turner x y/n

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todaysdocument · 15 days

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Project: Apollo 10 Man's Nearest Lunar Approach

Record Group 255: Records of the National Aeronautics and Space AdministrationSeries: News Media FilesFile Unit: Apollo 10 Press Kit

NEWS [circular imprint] NASA ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION WASHINGTON, D.C. 20546 Tels: WO2-4155 WO3-6925 RELEASE NO: 69-68 FOR RELEASE: IMMEDIATE May 7, 1969 [underline] APOLLO 10: MAN'S NEAREST LUNAR APPROACH Two Apollo 10 astronauts will descend to within eight nautical miles of the Moon's surface, the closest man has ever been to another celestial body. A dress rehearsal for the first manned lunar landing, Apollo 10 is scheduled for launch May 18 at 12:49 p.m. EDT from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Kennedy Space Center, Fla. The eight-day lunar orbit mission will mark the first time the complete Apollo spacecraft has operated around the Moon and the second manned flight for the lunar module. Following closely the time line and trajectory to be flown on Apollo 11, Apollo 10 will include an eight-hour sequence of lunar module (LM) undocked activities during which the commander and LM pilot will descent to within eight nautical miles of the lunar surface and later rejoin the command/service module (CSM) in a 60- nautical mile -more- 5/6/69 [full transcription at link]

#archivesgov #May 7 #1969 #1960s #nasa #apollo #apollo 10 #moon #kennedy space center #space #space exploration

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commodorez · 11 days

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Vibe:

This building:

(The NASA Manned Spacecraft Center)

With a labyrinthine layout of multiple decades' worth of old computers filling every square inch of interior space that would not violate the fire code. The place has a slight aroma of coffee, spilled ink, and whatever else comes of machines that almost never, ever power off.

At the top, a spacious office with plush rugs and an era-appropriate arcade machine hiding in the corner. There is rooftop access nearby, where a telescope and lawn chair sit overlooking the expanse of other such buildings in the same complex.

Those are good vibes

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hometoursandotherstuff · 2 years

Photo

And, now from the archives of Life Magazine, a funky flashback to the 1950s Flying Saucer Conventions.

These B&W photos document the convention, from the quirky attendees and their campsites, the UFO memorabilia, the bustling scene that once surrounded this now lonesome boulder and best of all, a look inside the secret home that once lay beneath the giant rock.

So, how did a man come to live under a rock in the California desert?

In the 1930s, an eccentric German immigrant called Frank Critzer, dug out a subterranean home under the giant rock. He lived there alone, isolated from society with nothing but a radio antenna on top of the rock to stay connected to the outside world.

In 1942, the police came to investigate rumors that he was a Nazi spy and Frank died from a self-detonated dynamite explosion in his own bunker. They thought that he was a spy because of his radio antenna. But, he was just a radio enthusiast who wanted to be left alone.

After his death, Frank’s only friend, a former aircraft inspector named George Van Tassel, became the giant rock’s new tenant in 1947.

In addition to being an aviator, he also liked to dabble in the telepathic channeling of alien life.

In a few years, George went from living a simple life with his family in the rooms Frank Critzer had dug out under the Giant Rock, to building his own restaurant on the site, a small airstrip, and an extra-terrestrial research center.

The UFO center would play host to his annual Giant Rock Spacecraft Convention, attracting more than 11,000 people at its peak.

Tassel’s onsite research center, nicknamed “the Integratron“, was believed by many to have some pretty special powers–

Including ‘anti-gravitational and time traveling capabilities provided by extra-terrestrial life on Venus.’

For nearly 20 years it became the dream pilgrimage of every UFO nut enthusiast in America.

Let’s take a look at the UFO style of the day, beginning with the wonderful hats.

And the flying saucer accessories.

What the hell is that?

It was also something the whole family could enjoy.

The dome-shaped ‘Integratron Center’ still stands near the giant rock, and after Tassel’s death in 1978 there were plans to turn it into a disco.

Instead, the new owners turned it into an off-beat tourist attraction offering “sound baths,” claiming it to be “the only all-wood, acoustically perfect sound chamber in the U.S.”

It was built from instructions from Mars. I don’t know, except for the bus, clothes, & lack of hats, the people are pretty much the same.

As for the rock, in the year 2000 it fractured in two when a large piece broke off, revealing its white interior granite. Sadly, it’s covered in graffiti.

https://mojaveproject.org/dispatches-item/giant-rock-space-people-and-the-integratron/ // messynessychic.com // life magazine

#1950s flying saucer convention #integratron center #house under the rock california #long post

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archivist-crow · 2 months

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Odds and Ends:

TRIANGLES OVER BELGIUM

Beginning in late 1989, a definite UFO "flap" converged on Belgium. The majority of the sightings occurred in the vicinity of Wallonia. On the night of March 30, 1990, over 2,700 reports of massive triangular UFOs were made to the Belgian air force; usually the air force received fewer than 300 UFO reports annually. Sightings were made by the members of the military, police officers, civilians, and five separate radar stations. The UFO had a light at each apex of the triangle and a large light in the center. One investigator described how these lights were predominantly red, but would change to blue, green, yellow, and white, as if the craft were sending messages.

During the night, two different NATO stations' radar detected one of the crafts. Two F16 fighter interceptors were released to investigate. The pilots both managed to lock on to the spaceship six or seven times, but, apparently controlled by intelligence, it would always break free of the lock. One time the spacecraft descended from 10,000 to 500 feet in five seconds. It would execute a zigzag pattern and could manage acceleration from 280 kph to 1,800 kph (174 mph to 1,118 mph) in seconds. The force necessary for such a maneuver would be beyond human endurance. Just as amazing was the lack of any sonic boom.

Interestingly, Britain reported a similar wave of sightings the same night. In Staffordshire a family watched the triangular ship fly extremely close to the top of their house as it emitted a deep "bass" vibration. A Royal Air Force officer at the local military compound saw the enormous ship casting a tracking beam across the landscape, as if searching for something. The gigantic triangles were sighted repeatedly for many months afterwards. Many people tried to photograph the ships, but only one man managed to obtain an observable picture.

Text from: Almanac of the Infamous, the Incredible, and the Ignored by Juanita Rose Violins, published by Weiser Books, 2009

#odds and ends #ufo sightings #1989 belgian ufo flap

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brokehorrorfan · 3 months

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A Korean astronaut is stranded 238,900 miles from Earth in The Moon. The South Korea sci-fi thriller will be released on Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital on February 27 via Well Go USA.

Broke Horror Fan is giving away a copy of the film on Blu-ray. To enter, email [email protected] with THE MOON in the subject line. In the body, include your name and mailing address.

One entry permitted per address. This contest is open to US residents only. One winner will be randomly drawn next week.

The Moon is written and directed by Kim Yong-hwa (Along with the Gods, My Way). Sol Kyung-gu, Doh Kyung-soo, and Kim Hee-ae star.

youtube

Seven years after Korea’s first fully manned mission to the moon ends in disaster, a second human spaceflight is launched successfully—until a strong solar wind causes the spacecraft to malfunction. With an astronaut left stranded in space and quickly running out of oxygen, the Naro Space Center turns to its former managing director to avert yet another fatal catastrophe.

#the moon #along with the gods #sol kyunggu #doh kyungsoo #kim hee ae #well go usa #contest #article #korean film #south korean #sci fi #science fiction

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lonestarflight · 2 months

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"Overall view of the Mission Control Center at the Manned Spacecraft Center in Houston, Texas during the Gemini-Titan 3 flight."

Date: March 23, 1965

NASA ID: S65-18200

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greetingfromthedead · 3 months

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C1: In Death

For more information on the series (tags, CW, etc) click the banner!

Series Rating: 18+ / Explicit

Chapter: 1/84

Words: 1.8k

No particular warnings for this chapter.

| Next Chapter →

You open your eyes and see a dark sky above you, with pieces of spacecraft burning up in the atmosphere like comets before they ever hit the ground. Your eyes scan around you; the carrier you had been on was in millions of pieces, the wreckage burning around you. Part of your body is still stuck under a large piece of metal debris, your legs and arm engulfed in flames, but the pain doesn't matter. You laugh loudly, your voice smothered by creaking metal and the roaring of the massive fires. With all this death and destruction around you, the only thing ringing in your head is one thought: you are free.

"Come on now, don't be a wuss! Help me out!" One of the young boys scolds the other.

"No, I think we shouldn't. You know the stories! What if it will bring the whole town bad luck?" The other boy shakes his head furiously.

"Those are just stupid stories! It's gonna be a pile of bones; they can't do anyone any harm!" argues the first boy, his unkempt dark brown hair getting in his eyes.

"Then why do you even want to have a look? If it's just a pile of bones..."

"What if it isn't?" snaps the boy at his blonde-haired comrade. "Now help me open this up; it's too heavy. The adults will be back from their meeting soon."

After a moment of hesitation, the blonde boy goes to help his friend. They push open a large metal coffin that has been in the center of the town square since long before they were born. A metal sculpture depicting an angel watches over them from just a few meters away.

At first, it takes a lot of force to push the lid of the coffin away, but after the initial struggle, it starts to slide away with surprising ease. The boys stumble and find themselves on the ground as the cover moves too quickly. They take a moment to gather themselves and get back on their feet with a deep breath, slowly inching their noses over the edge of the open coffin, afraid of what they might see. A dry pile of bones? A half-rotten corpse? Maybe it is empty? Or maybe, just maybe, it is, as the old tails say... To their complete shock, it is indeed the last part; the stories their grandmothers have passed onto them are true.

"So what do we have here?" A soft voice speaks up from behind the boys, and both of them jump into the air, screaming. They whip around, backing away from the voice, right against the coffin, and their faces depict pure horror as they look into the face of the tall blonde man. The figure takes a few steps back and says, "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."

The man clad in a long crimson coat chuckles a little, the orange glasses of his spectacles mirroring as the boys struggle for a moment to find the courage in their legs and run off. With the children gone, he steps closer to have a look. In the coffin lies a young woman, looking peaceful with her hands folded together just under her chest. If it wasn't for the obvious—a large handle of a knife sticking out of her chest where her heart should be, a dark circle still visible on the light blue fabric of the dress surrounding the dagger—he would guess she lied down to sleep just moments ago.

"You poor thing," the man's soft voice trails off. He places his hand on the corpse's; it doesn't feel cold to the touch, but not warm like a human should be. The surrounding desert air is surely to blame for this. Something seems off. He takes the hand, and it's not stiff; it moves with ease as he slips his fingers onto the wrist. No heartbeat. He isn't surprised; after all, this woman is lying in a coffin with a knife in her chest. He brushes off the uneasiness; he has seen many strange things in his long life. "This isn't right," he mumbles as he puts the corpse's hand back onto the other and wraps his long fingers around the handle of the dagger.

"Mister, no!" shouts the dark-haired boy from before, but it's too late; the knife is now in the hands of the strange man, the wide blade showing signs of rust. He puts the dagger at the feet of the angel statue before moving the lid of the coffin back to where it should be.

The children creep closer to the mystery man, watching his actions closely.

"Who are you, mister?" asks the blonde boy.

"You boys can call me... uhhh... John!" The man in the red coat says awkwardly, "And you?"

"I'm Martin, and this is Archie," replies the dark-haired youngster. "What did you do?"

"Funny, I was about to ask you boys that," the man called John, better known as Vash the Stampede, says gently.

"Well, there are stories our parents and grandparents have passed on..." starts the boy.

"Ssssh! It's supposed to be a secret!" The boy called Archie cuts in, but Martin continues anyway.

"...apparently there's a God protecting our little town since way back, and her body is in that coffin in the heart of town, and it doesn't change, doesn't rot; that's why they are a God. Nobody has opened that coffin, so we just wanted to check it out ourselves," explains Martin, his eyes turning almost shamefully to the ground.

The strange man laughs after listening to the boy with a serious expression: "Good to know you people here in town have a sense of humor, but it's not right to do it at the expense of something like that," his voice turning into slightly more of a scolding tone. "And if you're going to bury someone, it's only right to at least remove the murder weapon!"

Vash sounds proud of his words of wisdom and doesn't even see the expression of horror on the kids' faces. Archie raises a trembling hand in the direction of the coffin, letting out a squeal. The mystery man turns around just as the heavy coffin lid falls to the ground. The body clad in a blue dress sits up and turns to start climbing out of its resting place, the fabric so brittle that it rips in places when too much force tugs at it. Scrambling out of the coffin, the woman stumbles but remains standing, her body slumped over. John quickly pulls the boys along with him to hide behind a bench, the children peeking around his arms.

The woman scans around the square, eyes wild, looking out from under her eyebrows, a clear fire burning in them.

"Who did this?" a question sounding from her mouth; it's quiet, but it still carries, "Who was the bastard?"

Her head whips up, her shoulders roll, and it looks like she is stretching her muscles to get her joints to move again. Her attention is grabbed by the knife, and she takes it into her hand.

"Who did it?!" This time her voice is louder, almost a growl. Her eyes pan over the square again, and she sees the three figures behind the bench. "Did you do this?"

The tall figure crouching down doesn't see that the two boys, eyes wide, point at him before running away. He only sees the body he knew had been dead walking towards him with a knife tightly in her grasp. Unsure what he should do, he lets out a nervous squeal and stands up, hands raised into the air.

"I'm sorry, I don't know what you mean," he says with a nervous grimace.

As the figure in ripped clothes stands right in front of him, he is surprised when the knife is flatly pushed against his chest, his hands moving down to catch it.

"If you have the audacity to unstab someone, at least have the decency to put them down again." The fierce words don't make any sense to the man.

"What are you asking me?" He squeaks, the knife lying in his hands.

"You're a slow one; I'm asking you to stab me," she nips.

"You're mad. I can't do that!" the words slip out of his mouth, too shocked at the request.

The woman seems to slowly nod and pan around the town; the quiet whispers are now reaching Vash's ears too. As he looks around, he sees a group of people emerge from the local saloon; a few more appear in the doorways of different houses. Some have come closer and kneeled down, their heads and arms low in worship towards the woman. Vash sees her jaw tighten as she looks on and then turns away from all of them. She has her sights set on a clothesline running between two residential houses; she assesses the clothes there for a moment and then grabs a pair of beige work pants, covered in light stains from the baked-in grime of sand. She pulls the pants on; they seem to fit her well enough. Next, she basically rips the fragile light blue fabric off her torso. From the side, Vash can see the dark stain of long-dried blood on the bindings around her chest. Normally, he would have at least blushed, but the recent events have left him dumbfounded. He looks at the pretty face and sees an expression of neutrality on it—just a hint of anger there. The movements, however, reflect annoyance as a dark shirt is pulled over her head.

"Great maiden! Oh, Everlasting Celeste! You have risen and blessed us! We praise you!" An older man who had his forehead still to the ground preaches out towards the woman and is ready to continue, but is disrupted by the loud and clear voice of their god.

"I will pay you back for the clothes some time in the future, whoever they belong to." With these words, she steps under the clothesline and disappears into the alley. The town square is filled with a buzz, with people getting up and some more coming out of their houses. They try to see where their goddess has gone. Vash looks on in amazement and steps towards where he last saw the strange figure. He notices the face of a girl peeking out from the window of the house the drying garments seem to belong to. He takes out some crumpled-up doubledollar bills from his coat and hands them to the girl.

"This should make up for the inconvenience, I hope," he says, shooting a soft smile at the stranger as she takes the notes. With that, Vash follows the footsteps, the impressions of bare feet leading away from the town into the merciless desert. He sees the woman walking away with nothing but the clothes on her back that she just grabbed.

For more information and chapters, check out the MASTERLIST.

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#tempest wind #fanfic #fanfiction #writing #trigun #trigun stampede #tristamp #humanoid typhoon #vashxreader #vash x reader #x reader #plant boi #vash the stampede

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moonwatchuniverse · 5 months

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Remembering Apollo 1... 1966 had been a very busy year as training for the manned Apollo lunar program got underway with the Apollo 1 astronauts, Virgil Grissom & Edward White & Roger Chaffee, visiting the spacecraft at Downey and training in the simulator at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Photo shows 36-year old Gemini IV spacewalker astronaut Edward White II in a white David Clark space suit ready for an Apollo 01 altitude chamber test. Note the NASA-issued Omega Speedmaster 105.003 chronograph on a long black velcro strap over his left forearm. On January 27, 1967, the crew perished in a fatal Pad 34 fire. RIP. (Photo: NASA)

#astronaut #Apollo1 #321 #Speedmaster #chronograph #NASA #MoonwatchUniverse #spacesuit #military #montres #uhren #spaceflight #Moonwatch #Ad Astra #Zulu time #Speedytuesday

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boredwritergirl · 7 days

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Day 14 - The Nameless Space Station Part 1

The Nameless Space Station Part 1

The crew of the S.S. Qohor couldn’t believe their eyes when they saw it. A long abandoned space station, floating endlessly without power. Rocks, burn marks and miscellaneous space debris were coated all over the hull. The written symbols being of no language known to man, indicating that this vessel may have been older than humanity itself.

Captain Braum’s lip quivered, her pupils dilated as she erupted with joy. “D-Do you know what that means!? This is the discovery of a lifetime! When we get back in touch with Houston, NASA is going to have a field day with this.”

Her Chief Engineer, Sasha Volkova, didn’t share her enthusiasm. “Captain, we should get back in range of radio communication to discuss our findings. Our ship is far too small, our crew too short to investigate that massive thing.”

What Sahsa stated had been correct, there were only a small number of astronauts aboard the shuttle. The abandoned space station was at least twenty times as large as their spacecraft and would have taken several weeks or months to explore with the team they had brought along.

But Braum was an older woman than Sasha, tall, dark haired and confident in her ways. She obviously only thought highly of Sasha’s suggestions when they best suited her interests. She detested having the small, mousey, 20 something year old in her crew. “Nonsense. We have to be there first. We’ll be the first people to board an alien vessel, to take their artifacts back home for study. This is our Armstrong moment, and I’m not going to let you ruin it for us!”

Braum led her team into the station, having Sasha stay behind, keeping the shuttle docked at what must have been an old hangar bay.

As the astronaut crew walked into the dark, abandoned space station they surveyed the area, or what they could see of it at least. They found themselves in a large, empty open area with various rooms on the side and all sorts of hallways and connections made through by the big empty blotch of space in the center of the floor.

“This might have been some sort of promenade.” Officer Smits said. He was likely the closest thing to a paleontologist on the crew. His old,dusty body not living up to NASA standards anymore, only his seniority in the department getting him back up into space again.

The captain said, “Perhaps it was, but we shouldn’t jump to conclusions too fast now. We need to study more of these rooms, get a broader idea of what their purposes might have been and draw conclusions from there. If we make assumptions now, that’ll cloud our judgment.”

Smits simply nodded, the gray haired fox knowing better than to start an argument with Captain Braum.

Braum then commanded her other two astronauts, “Manfreidi and Johnson, I want you both to search the perimeter while the old man and I search that thing over there. If we’re lucky it might be some sort of terminal or power source.”

The astronauts did just that, Manfreidi and Johnson scouring across this level of the station while Braum and Smits made their way to a strange contraption lined up against the wall. The alien device was metal with green glass tubing. They could tell that the metal was once shiny, that the tubes likely lit up, but that was so, so long ago.

As Braum and Smits began fiddling with the device, the lights started to flicker, power restoring to the space station. Both astronauts were convinced that they didn’t cause that.

“Something’s fishy.” Braum said. “I don’t like this one bit.”

“P-perhaps we did that by-” Smits began to say before getting cut off.

“No, that’s just what you want to believe. That’s the safer, more convenient answer to accept. But that doesn’t make it the truth.”

Braum then began to yell as she continued, trying to catch the attention of her other officers who couldn’t have been too far away by now. “Manfredi! Johnson! Get your asses back over here! We need to stick together, there’s something with us!”

And none of them knew just how right she was quite yet…

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lizabethstucker · 9 days

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The Apollo Murders by Chris Hadfield

4 out of 5.

Apollo Murders 1

Kazimieras "Kaz" Zemeckis' future as a test pilot and astronaut selectee is destroyed when a bird strike led to his canopy exploding, the plastic shrapnel causing him to lose his left eye. Five years later he's sent by the U.S. Navy to the Houston Manned Spacecraft Center to be the military liaison for the Apollo 18 crew.

The mission, completely funded by the Department of Defense, will be the first all-military spaceflight whose classified purpose would be determined by the U.S. Air Force. The actions of the Soviet space program, both orbiting Earth and on the Moon itself causes rapid changes in the Apollo mission and schedule. Espionage, romance, science, and a man caught between his life and his past all combine into an engrossing thriller.

NOTE: This has nothing to do with the horror film APOLLO 18.

The main action is set in 1973, with a few flashbacks and jumps from Houston, Texas, to Russia and elsewhere. Chris Hadfield is a man of many, many talents. He's a former fighter pilot, astronaut who was Commander of the Space Station, caught my attention with a YouTube video of him singing David Bowie's "Space Oddity" in the Space Station, and numerous talks and non-fiction books. Now he shares his ability to weave an enthralling story of what might've been.

As Hadfield stated in the start of the book, "Many of these people are real. Much of the actually happened." He even provided a partial list of who and what is real in the back of the book. If you're curious, I highly recommend Googling, but be prepared to fall down a rabbit hole.

I do believe it is a bit too long at 480 pages, could've benefited by tighter editing. That said, it was a fun read, one I binged almost all night. It also brought back a lot of memories for me, having grown up just south of Cape Canaveral with a father who worked in the program from slightly before 1959 until 1970. Highly recommend to my fellow space enthusiasts.

#book review #The Apollo Murders #Chris Hadfield #Apollo Murders series #thriller

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thepastisalreadywritten · 10 months

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Posted by Sumit Arora, 18 July 2023

What is International Moon Day?

International Moon Day is an annual day dedicated to the Earth’s one and only natural satellite, the Moon!

It is held every year on July 20, which is the anniversary of the day on which astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin famously set foot on the Moon in 1969.

The Moon landing is still considered one of humanity’s greatest achievements.

International Moon Day is all about commemorating the Apollo 11 mission while teaching people about the Moon and astronomy.

Significance of International Moon Day

• The General Assembly declared International Moon Day, a United Nations-designated international day to be observed annually on July 20, in its Resolution 76/76 on “International cooperation in the peaceful uses of outer space” in 2021.

• International Moon Day marks the anniversary of the first landing by humans on the Moon as part of the Apollo 11 lunar mission.

• The celebrations will also consider the achievements of all States in the exploration of the Moon and raise public awareness of sustainable Moon exploration and utilization.

History of International Moon Day

• American astronauts Neil Armstrong, and Edwin ‘Buzz’ Aldrin became the first humans in history to land on the Moon on 20 July 1969.

The grand Apollo 11 mission took place eight years after the national goal announcement by President John F. Kennedy to send a man to the moon by the end of the 1960s.

• The idea for the mission to send astronauts to the moon started when President Kennedy appealed to a special joint session of Congress in 1961, stating:

“I believe this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to Earth.”

• At the time of Kennedy’s proposal, the United States was still head-to-head with the Soviet Union in advancements in space exploration and, since it was during the time of the Cold War, the proposal was welcomed.

The first unmanned Apollo mission was initiated by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), after five years of effort and hard work by their international team of engineers and scientists.

The first mission served as a testing phase for the structural resilience of the launch spacecraft vehicle.

• At 9:32 A.M. on 16 July 1969, the whole world witnessed Apollo 11 take off from Kennedy Space Center with three astronauts on board — Neil Armstrong, Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin, and Michael Collins.

Neil Armstrong was the commander of the mission.

The spacecraft entered the lunar orbit after three days, on July 19.

The lunar module, Eagle, disengaged from the main command module the next day, manned by Armstrong and Aldrin.

When Eagle touched the lunar surface, Armstrong radioed his historical message to Mission Control in Houston, Texas:

“The Eagle has landed.”

• At 10:39 P.M., Armstrong exited the lunar module and made his way down its ladder.

His progress was being recorded by a television camera attached to the module, transmitting signals back to Earth, where the world was watching with bated breath.

• At 10:56 P.M., Armstrong stepped on the moon’s powdery surface, and spoke his iconic words:

“That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”

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