No Selfies Here, yet

Today is the anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon Landing.  Earlier this year, NASA launched (see what I did there?) a new database of images.  From the press release, "The NASA Image and Video Library website consolidates imagery spread across more than 60 collections into one searchable location."

You can access the images here.  Here is an image I downloaded from the database, showing Neil Armstrong coming down the ladder of the LEM.

And another of the Earth taken from the spacecraft.

In this year, the centennial of the birth of John F. Kennedy, the Brave Astronaut shares with you, the 1962 speech in which the President laid out the plans to go to the moon.

Space: The Final Frontier

Today is the anniversary of the Apollo Moon Landing, July 20, 1969.  As of today (and for the foreseeable future, it would seem), there have only been 12 men who have walked on the moon.  They are part of a group of individuals who have been in space.  Anyone want to hazard a guess as to how many people that is?

536

(as of November 2013, from Wikipedia)

So on this anniversary, here is a list of those "Brave Astronauts" who journeyed to the moon.  Of that number, only seven are still alive. (originally from kottke)

1. Neil Armstrong, 1930-2012
2. Buzz Aldrin, b. 1930
3. Pete Conrad, 1930-1999
4. Alan Bean, b. 1932
5. Alan Shepard, 1923-1998
6. Edgar Mitchell, 1930-2016
7. David Scott, b. 1932
8. James Irwin, 1930-1991
9. John W. Young, b. 1930
10. Charles Duke, b. 1935
11. Eugene Cernan, b. 1934
12. Harrison Schmitt, b. 1935

Here's a video mashup of space movies, for your entertainment (Luc Bergeron's Space Story, via kottke)

Space Story: A Bad Day

I am the Brave Astronaut. I like space stuff. Here's a new video mashup from Luc Bergeron, entitled "Space Story: A Bad Day." There's also a "sequel," Space Story 2: Suicide Mission. via kottke

Here's the list of films used in the mashup:

1. The Martian
2. Gravity
3. Aliens
4. 2001: A Space Odyssey
5. Interstellar
6. Moon
7. Apollo 13
8. Prometheus
9. Event Horizon
10. Sunshine
11. Mission to Mars
12. Oblivion
13. The Fifth Element
14. Armageddon
15. Elysium
16. Starship Troopers
17. Avatar
18. Transformers 3
19. Jupiter Ascending
20. Guardians of the Galaxy
21. Star Trek: Into Darkness
22. Star Wars 7
23. Star Wars 6
24. Star Wars 5
25. Star Wars 4

Space: The Final Frontier

As I am the Brave Astronaut, I try to remember the anniversaries of significant space milestones.  Here in January, we have two that fall one right after the other.

Yesterday was the 47th Anniversary of the launchpad fire that killed astronauts Virgil "Gus" Grissom, Ed White, and Roger Chaffee on the Apollo 1 Mission to the moon.  I have posted about this before - and it is of course, one of the reasons I am known as the Brave Astronaut.  This month, the movie Apollo 13 has been playing with some frequency, and it's one of those movies that I will stop and watch if I come across it.  In that movie, Jim Lovell's (played by Tom Hanks) asks him about the fire that killed Grissom, White, and Chaffee.  Lovell tells his son they fixed the door so that kind of tragedy would never happen again - which it didn't.

As for today's anniversary, 28 years ago, the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded 73 seconds into its mission, killing American teacher Christa McAuliffe and six others: Gregory Jarvis, Judy Resnik, Dick Scobee. Ronald McNair, Michael Smith, and Ellison Onizuka.  The seven are memorialized on a monument at Arlington National Cemetery.  I remember watching the launch of the Challenger (very few people still were, as the shuttle launches had become very routine) and realizing something very bad had happened, by the way the reporters on TV were talking.  As far as shuttle movies go, one of the better ones is Armageddon, which I also spotted in the TV listings the other day.

Space travel has its risks - we should always remember those who gave all so we could expand beyond our terrestrial borders to see what is out there.  Ronald Reagan's speech the evening following the Challenger disaster (when he was supposed to have delivered the State of the Union - something President Obama will do later this evening) was extraordinarily moving.

Remembering a Tragedy

This past Friday marked the 45th Anniversary of the launchpad fire that killed Apollo 1 astronauts, Roger Chaffee, Gus Grissom and Ed White. As previously mentioned before, why half of my online moniker is that my junior high school mascot was the Astronauts and the three academic halls in the building were named for these space pioneers.

Of course, this tragedy has been thoroughly documented and the issues that caused the fire were corrected and future space missions were successful. I have written about the fire before (here and here) but noted the article in the newspaper yesterday and wanted to mention it to all of you again.

Remember that space travel is something we need to keep doing. It's what's next.

The Dangers of Space Travel

Today marks the anniversary of the launchpad fire that killed astronauts Gus Grissom, Ed White, and Roger Chafee. I've blogged about this anniversary before. Another blog that I follow is Letters of Note, which last November published a memo (from the holdings of the National Archives), written by Nixon speechwriter William Safire. The memo was titled, "In Event of Moon Disaster" and detailed how President Nixon should respond in the event that NASA Mission Control would be unable to get Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin back up from the surface of the moon in 1969.

Fortunately for all those involved the memo was never needed. When a memo written for a presidential statement starts out, "Fate has ordained that the men who went to the moon to explore in peace will stay on the moon to rest in peace" that's some serious stuff.

So if you feel like it, think about those trailblazers who had "the right stuff" to explore space for us and remember those who didn't make it. While you're at it, think about Mark Kelly, whose wife also appears to have the endurance of an astronaut as she recovers from her injury.

This Brave Astronaut has all of his Fingernails, Thank You

Of course, you all know that I am drawn to space stories. Here's three for you to look through.

The first is sort of evidence as to why I don't think this Brave Astronaut will be heading into orbit anytime soon. According to Time Magazine, who got it from National Geographic, it evidently can make your fingernails fall off, among other bad things. A tendency to motion sickness also? Well, duh.

If you would like to brush up on your "Fundamentals of Space Travel," head over to ThinkQuest and read up.

Secondly, of course, growing up, the mnemonic that we all learned to remember the order of the planets was:

• My (Mercury)
• Very (Venus)
• Educated (Earth)
• Mother (Mars)
• Just (Jupiter)
  
• Served (Saturn)
• Us (Uranus)
• Nine (Neptune)
• Pies (Pluto)

Of course when Neptune switched places with Pluto, making the furthest planet, it became "Pizza Nicely" but that's neither here nor there. For now, it seems that Pluto has been kicked out of the planetary club. Membership Card revoked. Secret Handshake changed.

American youth is not taking this sitting down. It gives me hope for the future when I see that children have taken pen (and pencil and crayon) in hand to lash out at the powers that be to demand that Pluto be given its planetary status back.

• First link from kottke, who includes a letter from "Will," who offers a picture of what Pluto looks likes so the scientists can make a model and put it back.
  

• PBS listed more "hate mail" in its Pluto files. Emerson asked why the scientists were making the other planets cry.
  

Finally, I had intended to make this list a bigger post, with links to the music, but you folks all know how to do that. Go read the list from (kottke)and then listen to some of your favorite tunes that were used to wake the astronauts on space flights. Evidently, according to NASA, the first recording used were the lyrics to "Hello, Dolly" sent to the crew of Gemini 6 in 1965. Enjoy.

On the Moon - Another take

From McSweeney's - what really happened:

July 20, 1969, 10:20 p.m. EDT Interior of Apollo 11 lunar module
Mission Control: Okay Eagle, you're go for the module EVA. We've established visual of the ladder with the external camera. You'll be going out on a live feed so watch your step and keep it clean, gentleman!

Neil Armstrong: (Chuckling) Roger that, Houston. Just mom and apple pie.

Mission Control: Appreciated. You can go when ready. We've all got our fingers crossed on the dust issue.

Armstrong: Come again Houston. The what?

Mission Control: The dust.

Armstrong: What do you mean, the dust? What are you talking about?

Mission Control: Well, apparently there's a chance the dust is pyrophoric and that when you open the door of the module, oxygen will react with the dust and explode.

Armstrong: Oh . . . okay. Wow . . . Was that in the simulations? I don't remember it.

Mission Control: There's been some discussion with some geologists here today − we probably should have done that earlier − but you know how it is.

Armstrong: Mmm . . . . . . .

(90 seconds of silence.)
Armstrong (to Buzz Aldrin): Gee, I feel kind of guilty now, having you be first. But the suit should protect you.

Aldrin: What do you mean? You're going out first.

Armstrong: No, it's you. I talked about this with Gene when you were asleep on the way out here. We wanted to reward you for all your service.

Aldrin: How dumb do you think I am? You did not talk about this with Gene. You're the mission commander. The commander takes the lead on everything.

Armstrong: You're right. I'm commanding you to go out first.

(30 seconds of silence.)
Aldrin: I didn't sign up for this. Let's decide this fairly. Rock, paper, scissors.

Armstrong: No, I've seen your rock, paper, scissors tricks − you always lag behind by a half-second.

Aldrin: We'll flip a coin.

Armstrong: We don't have a coin. And it would take forever to come down. I'll pick a number between one and ten and then you try to guess it. If you're right, I'll go out.

Aldrin: You're giving me a ten percent chance?

Armstrong: That's under Earth gravity. It's different under moon gravity − you have a 50-50 chance.

Aldrin: Okay. . . well . . . I guess seven.

Armstrong:

Aldrin: I got it didn't I?

Armstrong: . . . . . . . No.

Mission Control: Neil, Gene says to suit up and get out there. The meter's running. You know the audio feed is still on don't you?

Aldrin: The commander is commanded! Not to mention a liar.

July 20, 1969, 11:16 p.m. EDT Moon surface
Aldrin: This feels so weird! The powder is slippery. Look (jumping up and down). My shoes are made of flubber. (Lopes around in high bouncing steps.)

Armstrong: Stop it. Is your mike off?

Aldrin: Yes. You realize "man" and "mankind" mean the same thing don't you?

Armstrong: I said, "a man. One small step for a man."

Aldrin: Whatever. I thought you'd be in a better mood after not blowing up. (Begins jogging circles around Armstrong in slow motion.)

Armstrong: You need to quit prancing around. Start gathering dust and rocks. They want all kinds of samples.

Aldrin: Yes, master. (Takes a few steps and then kneels.) What in the hell . . . ?

Armstrong: (Comes over) What do you see?

Aldrin: Doesn't that look like . . . droppings? From an animal?

Armstrong: It does, but that can't be right. (Removes a sensor from his belt and inserts it into one lump.) Well, it's warmer than the dust it's sitting on, which makes no sense. (Probes it with finger of spacesuit.) Feels a lot like . . . dog . . . (gags).

Aldrin: Oh no. Don't throw up in your mask because then I'll throw up.

Armstrong: (Steadies himself with a few deep breaths) Okay. If this thing is organic in any way, they'll want to analyze it. Put it in your sample bag.

Aldrin: I'm not touching that, even through a spacesuit.

Armstrong: Well, use something to scoop it up with. Where's that Nixon plaque?

Aldrin: It's bolted to the ladder back on the thing. What are those . . .? (Points to tracks leading away from pile.) Holy Christ on toast. Let's get out of here.

Armstrong: (Staring) . . . I'm with you. . . . Hang on − the camera's going to be pointing this way when we plant the flag. (Erases tracks with his foot.) Apollo 12 can deal with this.

Mission Control: Neil, your audio signal's been going in and out. Did you find something?

(Both men freeze and stare at one another.)
Armstrong: No, Buzz and I were clowning with you. Did you buy it? (Hits button on helmet.)

Aldrin: So your mike −

Armstrong: Save it.

July 21, 1969, 8:54 p.m. EDT Interior of lunar module
Aldrin: I can't believe you wouldn't do the Iwo Jima thing with me when we planted the flag. When are we ever going to be back here?

Armstrong: I'm not going to act like a 10-year-old. And I saw you do the "hammer throw" when you thought I wasn't looking. If we end up needing that to pound something, you're going out and looking for it.

Aldrin: We won't need it anymore. It's just dead weight. I bet I got more than 500 yards on that toss.

Armstrong: If NASA comes breathing down my neck, you're going to answer for it. It comes out of your paycheck.

Aldrin: Fine, fine, fine. . . . . So . . . about those things we saw. Not a word?

Armstrong: Nobody needs to know.

Aldrin: What about Mike, when we rendezvous? Shouldn't we let him in on it?

Armstrong: No way. He tells his wife everything. It would be on the front page within 12 hours. Now get locked in. When NASA gives the word, I have to push the button with almost no warning.

Aldrin: (Peering out window at moon surface) Goodbye, magnificent desolation . . . Oh my god. Here it −

Armstrong: What?

Aldrin: Push it Push it Push it

The Eagle Has Landed

I am the Brave Astronaut. I could not let this particular anniversary pass without a post. I had been accumulating a number of sites and things to post links to. One of the better ones I had comes from the Big Picture.

Kottke had a number of good posts:

• Cool photos of the Apollo landing sites from low Moon orbit
• The Giant Apollo 11 post
• NASA releases restored Apollo 11 moon walk video

July 16 also was evidently the anniversary of several significant historic events, other than the date the Apollo 11 astronauts blasted off for the mood. To commemorate the blastoff, Daily Kos had the video of the launch as did Kottke. CNN covered the release of NASA's enhanced films of the moon landing.

And with the passing of "Uncle Walter" here is a video of Walter Cronkite and others talking about that monumental day. Farewell Walter. You were the voice of reason for so many years. You will truly be missed. Thank you for all your years.

Spanning the Web . . . .

I have a bunch of random things that I have been meaning to toss out here. None, on their own, warrant a post alone, so here's the big bucket of Internet goodies.

• If you want me I am likely playing either of these two new Flash games that I tell myself, sure, I'll only play for a few minutes. Then it's midnight. Ameobas and Filler.
  
• From Jason Kottke (are you following him yet? Is his blog in your reader yet? Why NOT!) - his best links from 2008.
• I had grand ideas of coupling this outstanding poster with some great recipe involving Breakfast Cereal, or perhaps reconstructing Ally Sheedy's sandwich recipe from this movie. But have a look at the poster and laugh.
• I was recently on the 6th Floor Blog and they were discussing cheese. Then I saw this. I had recommended they go to Artisanal, if you have a cheese thing, you have to go - I think it's a law. Perhaps they can just get the clock. Maybe they'll buy me one.
• People wonder and marvel at the ease of the Washington Metro system. They recoil in horror at the prospect of riding the New York City subway. How do you think they'd react to a commute from Omega Centauri to Cygnus? That transfer at Galactic Center is a bear!
• One of the best gifts received by my two sons were large Scrabble tiles with the letters of their names. Thanks OSGs! Now I need one of these.
• Although I LOVE the commercial (nearly spit my drink the first time I saw it - thank God for TiVO so I could verify that they indeed had said that) - I do NOT need one of these, I think.
• One of my other favorite places to visit is Google Sightseeing. The other day they profiled the Very Large Array in New Mexico. I've been there. It's very impressive, but as Mrs. Brave Astronaut says, they couldn't come up with a better name? It's like calling Hoover Dam, the "Really Big Dam."
• Wouldn't you expect this place to be a little bit bigger? Or is it a case of "forgive me for the crudity of the model, [He] didn't have time to build it to scale or paint it?"
• Do you have any money? I would so buy this phone number. And my names not even Jenny - then again neither is the guy who currently has it. It can currently be yours for a cool quarter million dollars on eBay.
• Finally, you all know of my dental troubles. At least I'm not this kid.

For Those of You Still Wondering

Today is the 42nd anniversary of the launch pad fire at Kennedy Space Center, which claimed the lives of astronauts Virgil I. "Gus" Grissom, Edward H. White, and Roger B. Chaffee. On January 27, 1967, a flash fire broke out inside the capsule of Apollo 1 and the three astronauts were unable to open the door and the three astronauts were killed. For those who would like the complete history of the tragedy, you can read the Senate report here. An investigation of the accident resulted in several modifications to the space capsule to ensure that the tragedy would never be repeated. The final report submitted to NASA can be read here.

When I first started this blog, I came up with the moniker, "Brave Astronaut." I alluded to how I came up with the name by mentioning it had to do with my secondary school career. The junior high school that I went to was Harry B. Thompson Junior High and our athletic team was known as the Astronauts. The school has three wings off the back of the school, one for each grade attending the school. When I arrived there in the fall of 1978, the halls were known by those grade (7th grade hall, 8th grade hall, and 9th grade hall). However at the head of each hall there was a plaque denoting that each wing had also been named for one of those three "Brave Astronauts."

The name of the school store (where I also worked), where you could get school supplies and occasionally snacks and candy was also known as the Astronaut Shop. Today, the school is now a middle school, and the 6th grade classes are divided up into "Rockets," "Meteorites," and "Stars." But I hope that somebody is remembering the Astronauts, especially Grissom, Chaffee, and White today.

Archives Family Feud

Two stories off the radar scope today regarding archives.

The first involves the children of Martin Luther and Coretta Scott King. Dexter King, who is the executor of his father's estate, is seeking control over his mother's papers, which are currently in the possession of his sister, Bernice. At the root of the issue is a book deal, which Bernice maintains her mother did not want to be a part of, leading to her reluctance to turn over the materials. The judge named to mediate the dispute has postponed his decision until an inventory of the materials can be made (we archivists call that a finding aid!). Dexter is at odds with his sister and his brother, Martin III, and the three communicate only through lawyers. Bernice and Martin III released a statement after the latest court appearance that read:

"We are saddened that we are forced to make public statements about family matters that should be handled privately. However, as our father taught us, we must respond to unjust criticism ... Our stand against the publication of the memoirs of our mother ... is not merely a family feud but rather our ongoing attempt to protect and maintain the integrity of our mother's legacy. Although she is no longer here to speak for herself, it is important that the integrity and validity of her voice be reflected."

In this particular situation, what would normally be a private matter is being played out in the national media. It is an interesting issue regarding the right of private citizens (although in this case, the King children are themselves public figures) to do what they wish with their archival materials. If the archival materials belong to a significant historical figure, what responsibility to the public do the descendants have?

The second story appeared in the Washington Post and concerns the papers of scientist Wernher von Braun. A series of articles he wrote were published in Collier's Magazine between 1952 and 1954, long before the creation of NASA, and concerned space travel. Collier's ceased publication in 1957 and the articles, notes, and illustrations went into private hands. An auction was held today and sold for $132,000.

von Braun, who defected to the United States from Germany during World War II, was involved in the creation of NASA [which celebrated its 50th Anniversary on October 1] and headed the Marshall Space Flight Center from 1960 to 1970. von Braun died in 1977.

In a Galaxy Far Far Away

I remember the day when I saw Star Wars in the theater. I remember the day my friend skipped school to go and see The Empire Strikes Back on opening day. I remember having my fair share of Star Wars trading cards (forget baseball cards, movie cards was where it was at for me). Then of course, I wept when I read Special K's post. You see I came to the archives thing too late to have saved all that good stuff and the realization that there was money in memorabilia.

This was soon followed by a story on CNN (CNN? Really?) about those other must haves of my childhood, Wacky Packages. When my father moved out of the house I grew up in, my bedroom door was bedecked with a number of stickers, including several Wacky Packages stickers. I was momentarily tempted to take the door with me.

Then I watched with amusement, a child the same age as my son, explain Star Wars.



Today is the first day of school in New York state (always the Wednesday after Labor Day). Here in Maryland, where I live now, kids went back to school last week. I long for the days of not having to worry about things other than what my mother packed for my lunch and whether my homework was done. Some days, being a grownup ain't all it's cracked up to be. Wait, is that the bell from the ice cream man? I gotta go.

No, Not Over, On the Moon

Here's some random moon news on the anniversary of the moon landing by Apollo 11. Of course next year we will observe the 40th anniversary of the moon landing (raise your hands if you remember - I was not yet two, but it's one of those events I feel like I remember but probably because I've seen footage of it so much since).

Two items crossed my radar screen recently concerning Earth's only satellite (in my book, man-made ones don't count, besides, they fall down - see Skylab to name one). First, from the source of all knowledge, kottke.org, there is evidently a museum on the moon. But it would seem that no one wants to own up to it as there may be porn involved. Greg.org has the story of a small art catalog of drawings that went up with the Apollo 12 mission.

The second story came to me first from strange maps, but then of course, kottke picked it up. The page shows the ground covered by the men of Apollo 11, superimposed on a soccer field. kottke also has a link to the same map superimposed on a baseball diamond.

It is noteworthy that much of the information for these maps came from the NASA history division and one assumes, their archives. And the first link is to a document from the National Archives regarding the flight plan for the Apollo 11 mission. I'm just saying.

Ride Sally Ride!

A space note from the Brave Astronaut. As noted here before, I have several blog posts running around in my head, but here is something to be noted for this day in history.

Sally Ride becomes the first woman to ride on the space shuttle and thereby the first American woman in space.

No More Red Shirts for LBA

One of the struggles one can have with a three-year old is demanding a particular item of clothing. My son will announce in the morning that he wants to wear something other than what his mother or father have picked out for him. Do you want to guess who wins? At least it was not quite this bad - 11-year old finally takes off Brett Favre Jersey that he has worn for four years. My son does have a red shirt that he likes to wear. But he is not getting into that shirt if he is heading into outer space.

According to statistics compiled by someone with too much free time on their hands, USS Enterprise crew members who wore red uniform shirts died 43% of the time on the TV series, Star Trek. The safest crew members on the Enterprise were those in blue, who died at an 8% rate. The link above even includes a PowerPoint presentation to make their case. As I said, way too much time on their hands.

Tomorrow, the Brave Astronaut will venture off to the Eastern Shore of Maryland to celebrate with fellow residents of Chestertown to observe the Chestertown Tea Party. We went a few years ago and it was a lot of fun. Our friend OSG will be marching again this year and the food was very tasty. We will spend the night at my mother-in-law's apartment before heading off to Wilmington, Delaware to celebrate my sister-in-law's husband getting tenure from his university. So a full weekend and no one will be wearing red shirts (except the British re-enactors, and they are likely to be wet (but not dead) before the day is over on Saturday.

To Blog or Not to Blog

I currently have 48 blog posts in draft form. Granted that most of them (more than half) are future presidential posts. I even have a fair number of recipes stashed away for future weeks. Here and there I have the nugget that I am hoping to get around to (I have a pretty good list on works of art ready to roll on Friday) and then there is the extensive list of items in my Google reader account.

So what to post and when to post it?

I hate that life interferes with my blogging and I don't want to give it up. I will give you that my political blog has been pushed aside (it has been more than a month since it was updated). In just this past week, my wife has gone back to work, my mother-in-law is living with us part-time to help out with child care of our newborn son, we had said son's baptism with a party/luncheon here, and then a guest in from out of town for a few days.

And of course, tonight the hockey playoffs started (with the Rangers sending the Devils down to defeat, 4-1) and then its also Masters weekend (if you have to ask, you don't get it).

I need a vacation from my non-work life. But I'm afraid my leave balance is just as bad in that column as it is at work.

So, I'll muddle through, but I might not be here as much. But I'll keep an eye on all of you. Here's a oldie but a goodie blog post (from one year ago today) to remind you of a "space" related anniversary. In other historical news for today, from which I will not draw any parallels to surrender, obstruction, or marching toward one's own end:

• On this day in 1865, Robert E. Lee surrendered at Appomattox, Virginia. The Confederate general surrendered his 28,000 troops to Union General Ulysses S. Grant, effectively ending the American Civil War.
• On this day in 1939, singer Marian Anderson performed at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC, after she was denied the use of Constitution Hall by the Daughters of the American Revolution.
• On this day in 1942, American and Philippine defenders on Bataan capitulated to Japanese forces during World War II; the surrender was followed by the notorious Bataan Death March, which claimed nearly 10,000 lives.

Mandatory Space Content / Quiz answers

While the Yankees get beat on in Cleveland, I figured I better get this post out.

I am the Brave Astronaut. I went to a school with halls named for the three astronauts who died in the launchpad fire. Today's mandatory space content from the annals of history. On October 4, 1957, the Soviet Union launched Sputnik and the space race was on.

Here's an article from Tuesday's Washington Post. And be sure to check out this list of the 50 best space highs and lows from Time Magazine here.

And here are the answers to last week's quiz.

1. How many birthdays does the average man have? Just one
2. Some months have 31 days; how many have 28? All of them have 28 days!
3. How many outs are there in an inning? Six outs in an inning (three per side)
4. Divide 30 by ½ and add 10. What is the answer? 70 (30 divided by ½ equals 60!)
5. If there are three apples and you take away two, how many do you have? Two, you took them, remember?
6. A doctor gives you three pills telling you to take one every half an hour. How many minutes would the pills last? 60 Minutes, start with the 1st pill, 30 minutes later take the 2nd, then 30 minutes for the 3rd!
7. A farmer has 17 sheep, and all but nine die. How many are left? Nine, if 8 out of 17 die, all but 9 die, right?
8. A clerk in the butcher shop is 5' 10" tall. What does he weigh? Meat, a butcher weighs meat!
9. How many two cent stamps are there in a dozen? 12, there are twelve 2-cent stamps in a dozen!
10. What is the least amount of coins it takes to make 55 cents if one of the coins is a quarter? Three coins. One quarter, another quarter, and a nickel!

Today in Space News

Brave Astronaut notes today's "This Day in History" from the work website:

On this day in 1959, NASA announced the selection of America's first seven astronauts: Scott Carpenter, Gordon Cooper, John Glenn, Gus Grissom, Wally Schirra, Alan Shepard, and Donald Slayton.

Immortalized later in the 1983 film, "The Right Stuff," from the book by Tom Wolfe, these seven men helped to birth the American Space Program.

Of the seven, only three survive. Carpenter is retired and lives mostly in Colorado. John Glenn, of course, had an distinguished career as Senator from Ohio, and returned to space in 1998, becoming the oldest man to go into space. Wally Schirra holds the distinction of being the only one of the original seven to fly in all of the first three space programs, Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo.

Gordon Cooper died in 2004 at the age of 77. Grissom perished in the launchpad fire in 1967, which also killed Ed White and Roger Chafee. Alan Shepard died in 1978. Slayton died in 1993.

A Banner Day - February 20

As previously noted here, my workplace offers on its internal webpage a banner section with events occurring on the particular day in history. Today, February 20, offers three events worth discussing.

On this day in 1839, Congress prohibited dueling in the District of Columbia. Would that some disputes could still be settled this way. "Don't Mess with Texas," indeed. Also, it's a good thing I work in Maryland and that the practice has been prohibited, as there was some discussion of a throw-down with a colleague over the validity and tastiness of our respective wives' Pecan Bar recipes. I was willing to admit that his wife's were good but quite different from my wife's and that I preferred my wife's to his.

On this day in 1933, President Herbert Hoover laid the cornerstone of the National Archives Building. He said, "This temple of our history will appropriately be one of the most beautiful buildings in America, an expression of the American soul." It's a very nice building and the contents are really good, too. After the establishment of the FDR Presidential Library, Hoover, who was enamored with the system established by Roosevelt, joined the presidential library system and serves as the oldest-served president to have a presidential library under the auspices of the National Archives and Records Administration.

On this day in 1962, astronaut John Glenn became the first American to orbit the Earth, flying aboard the Friendship 7 Mercury capsule. I am the Brave Astronaut after all. The man that made millions of little boys in the 60s want to be astronauts when they grew up. I have a colleague who works at the Air and Space Museum who has met him and reports that he is a really genuine guy. And no diapers were evident.