First of all, the Space Shuttle Endeavour (STS-127) launch has been delayed yet again because of bad weather. The Shuttle was originally supposed to lift off a few days ago, but is now scheduled for Monday. Lift off is slated to be at 6:51 pm on Monday (July 13). Don't forget to watch the launch! You will be able to watch it on the NASA channel (check you listings for the channel). If you don't have the NASA channel, you can watch it on NASA's website (http://www.nasa.gov/). To do this, go to the NASA site and click on NASA TV (Live)...it is about half way down the page. During this mission, the STS-127 crew will travel to the ISS to deliver a part that will be used in completing a laboratory to conduct many different experiments in space. Below is a photo of the Space Shuttle Endeavour during the storm. Good thing the launch pad has a protective structure!
The above information about STS-127 was taken from NASA (http://www.nasa.gov/). The photo of Space Shuttle Endeavour was taken from http://www.spaceweather.com/ however the original image was taken by Gene Blevins of the LA Daily News.
Also, on July 20, 2009, we will be celebrating the 40th Anniversary of the Apollo 11 landing on the surface of the moon. Remember, that Apollo 11 landed on the moon on July 20, 1969. If you remember from what we studied in class, President Kennedy challenged America to land a man on the moon. Kennedy really believed in the space program, so much so that they named the Kennedy Space Center after him! If you are ever in the Orlando, FL area, you should go!
"I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before the decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the Earth." President Kennedy, May 25, 1961.
President Kennedy believed that we, as a nation, would be able to do this. He knew it would be difficult, but he knew we could do it. Kennedy continued to speak of this goal...
" But why, some say, the moon? Why choose this as our goal? And they may well ask why climb the highest mountain? Why, 35 years ago, fly the Atlantic? Why does Rice play Texas?
We choose to go to the moon. We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win, and the others, too." President Kennedy, September 12, 1962.
In class, we talked about the space program. We talked about the space race (between the US and the Soviet Union), we talked about the Mercury Program, the Gemini Program, and the Apollo Program. All of these missions, leading up to Apollo 11, played an important role in the US landing on the moon. On July 20, 1969, three men (Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins) changed the world forever. Since that great day in American, and world, history, there have only been 6 Apollo Missions that landed on the moon, each with 2 astronauts walking on the lunar surface (Apollo 11, Apollo 12, Apollo 14, Apollo 15, Apollo 16, and Apollo 17). Those 12 astronauts were the ONLY men to EVER walk on the moon. No one else has ever come close. That says a lot about our country and our space program. I hope that you all will take a minute on July 20 and remember that one small step that changed the world. We will talk about this great day when we come back to school, but in the meantime, when you look up at the moon, just think of the 6 American flags up there, and think of all the men and women who made it possible.
Below are some pictures taken from http://www.nasa.gov/ dealing with the Apollo 11 mission. All of the pictures were taken from http://www.nasa.gov/
No comments:
Post a Comment