Signals from Tranquility Base

26 weeks 6 days ago

When Alan Bean went to the moon, he left some things he'd brought with him, and gained some thing to bring back to Earth.

He and his Apollo 12 commander Pete Conrad, for example, brought back parts from the Surveyor III lander. The unmanned...

29 weeks 4 days ago

For a period of about a decade, when Stephen K. Robinson flew into space, people paid attention.

His two flights during that time made more news than any other successful mission. His take-offs may have been the most-watched launches of those...

30 weeks 1 day ago

Nine years ago this week, Yuri Malenchenko saw his wife in person for the first time.

Of course, Yuri had seen Ekaterina many many times before, but she hadn't been his wife those times.

But now, after two and a half months of marriage,...

31 weeks 1 day ago

In the midst of a serious meeting about the dangers of the mission they were getting ready to fly, the crew of the STS-61-F meeting decided to take a break.

After turning on the TV for a few minutes, they never returned to the discussions....

32 weeks 1 day ago

Here's a trivia question: What does NASA astronaut Bob Crippen have in common with Star Wars' Han Solo and Star Trek's James T. Kirk?

Obviously, there's the fact that they all command spaceships, but that would be true for any number of NASA...

33 weeks 2 days ago

At the end of a mission, when an Apollo capsule returned from space and splashed down into the ocean, there were two ways it could float.

One of those was called Stable One, and it's the one that most people picture -- the capsule floats with...

35 weeks 6 days ago

Any visitor to the U.S. Space & Rocket Center knows about the Saturn V, the giant rocket that made it possible for men to reach the moon. And while you're touring the musueum, you'll see displays dedicated to any number of other vehicles that...

36 weeks 3 days ago

Three years ago this week, my waiter came back from space.

Over the years, I have been blessed to have met several astronauts, ranging from those who made history during the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo programs to rookie astronauts who had not...

38 weeks 2 days ago

Spacesuit gloves are tricky things.

For one things, they -- along with the rest of the suit -- are filled with air, which lets the astronauts breathe, but makes it hard to move.

For another, they have to be just the right size. A little...

39 weeks 1 day ago

Accidents happen.

As a general rule, this is considered to be a bad thing, and people work hard to prevent them.

Sometimes, some people might consider these accidents a good thing. But that doesn't stop other people from taking...


LOCATION: Direct interstate access from
1-65 and I-565 in Huntsville, Alabama. The
Center in located at Exit 15 off I-565.

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