Happy 90th Birthday to John Glenn, American Hero!

There's nothing we like around here more than astronauts, and today, July 18th, is the 90th birthday of one of the greatest -- John Glenn, born on this day in 1921.  As the fifth person ever into space, and the first American to orbit the planet, John Glenn would forever be enshrined in the history books, not just for his outstanding achievement but also for his continued service to America as a popular Senator from Ohio and Presidential candidate in 1984.  It seems inconceivable these days that someone with as much courage and gumption as Glenn would be a politician seeking to lead America -- all we get seem to get nowadays are businessmen, billionaires and crackpots!  But once there was a time when such men walked in America, and John Glenn was the real deal with the Right Stuff.

John Glenn was one of the group of astronauts known as the Mercury 7.  Many of you were probably not even born when Glenn took his landmark flight on Friendship 7 on February 20, 1962, but Americans fell in love with John Glenn on that day and he never lost his standing as one of America's genuine heroes.  Forgive those of us who were around for being nostalgic about those days, but it was truly a magic time, with John F. Kennedy as President, guiding America as the country reached for the stars with palable national pride in the achievement. 

This is a great time to revisit the 1963 documentary The John Glenn Story, introduced by President Kennedy.  You can watch it here, now, courtesy of the National Archives.



John Glenn wasn't about to miss out on NASA's Space Shuttle program, and to much fanfare became the oldest astronaut to fly into space when he boarded the Discovery in late October of 1988 for his mission.  The seventy-seven-year-old then-Senator Glenn got some flack for going back into space, but doesn't that criticism seem absurd now?  Imagine if NASA had buckled and not let him go on Discovery...how small-minded would that have been?  Glenn was an Astronaut Hero and needed to be there, and he was.

This is a clip from The John Glenn Story by Michael Lawrence Films.



You might like also to take a look at these compiled TV spots from his Presidential bid in 1984.



Here's John Glenn giving a speech at an event celebrating NASA's 50th Anniversary in 2008.  He has a charming self-deprecating quip at the beginning, and he's completely awesome throughout!

John Glenn is also a participant in the annual John H. Glenn lecture at the National Air and Space Museum, this one from 2009, celebrating the Apollo 11 mission.  The whole event -- 7 parts in all -- is fascinating and also features Astronauts Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins, Buzz Aldrin.  Glenn's individual part begins in Part 3.  This is beautiful quality and thrilling stuff!  Click on the above link to go to the first part.

You'll also want to go to the website of the John & Annie Glenn Historic Site in New Concord, Ohio, and you'll probably want to make a physical pilgrimmage there after seeing the virtual version. 

Life magazine online just released a batch of unpublished John Glenn photos from their archives; take a look at them here at this link.

NASA has a Glenn Research Center named in honor of John Glenn, with a lot of terrific information.  Be sure to try the interactive feature of Glenn's life and career!

Paul Barosse, on his "Paul's Voyage of Discovery & Etc." blog had a wonderful post last week entitled "Growing Up in the Space Age".  You should read it; it is superb and fascinating.  He charmingly ties his own childhood in with the excitement of the space program, and it's terrific.  Kudos to him!  Read it!

We also love that John Glenn, as a character, was one of the most exciting parts of Phillip Kaufman's superb 1983 film adaptation of Tom Wolfe's non-fiction book The Right Stuff, about the Race to Space.  As played by Ed Harris, Kaufman's version of Glenn is the ultimate clean Marine, a charming, self-effacing but proud over-achiever who becomes a media darling but remains a dedicated team player and makes all of America proud.  Here's the trailer for the film, plus an amusing scene where Glenn's competitive spirit really comes out.  If you haven't watched this film lately, you need to.  It's exciting, biting, funny, and thrilling.  Not a moment isn't amazing.  Watch it! 




What else can we say?  John Glenn embodies all that we hope America is, was...could be.  He's also a wonderful example of growing old with brilliance and fortitude.

Happy Birthday, John Glenn!  We love you!

Challenger Space Shuttle Disaster: 25th Anniversary

It was a cold January morning in central Florida, 25 years ago today, that complacency with the NASA space program received a terrible wake-up call. In a mission that was considered so routine that only CNN was covering it (and none of the major broadcast networks), the actual moment of the Challenger space shuttle disaster went unnoticed by most. It has been reported that due to the television coverage immediately following the event, 85% of all Americans knew within an hour that the Challenger launch had experienced what Mission Control called "obviously a major malfunction". If it happened today, that window of communication would have been seconds, now that most people have access to the Internet. I don't know what's more amazing; that it has only been 25 years since this event...or that 25 years ago there was no Internet.

Prior to the disaster, STS-51 was known primarily (if it was recognized at all) as the mission that was going to carry the first U.S. school teacher into space. Her name was Christa McAuliffe, and she was a 37 year old mother of two. She joined a crew that was so diverse, it can only be compared to the TV crew of the original Star Trek's starship Enterprise. Fittingly, the 1986 movie Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home was dedicated to the memory of the lost Challenger astronauts. That crew included 46 year old commander Dick Scobee, who's final words "go with throttle up" can be heard on the video I've posted below. Pilot Michael Smith was only 40 years old. African American astronaut Ronald McNair was a 35 year old Mission Specialist, and Ellison Onizuka was a 39 year old Japanese American from the Big Island of Hawaii. 41 year old payload specialist Greg Jarvis and 36 year old Mission Specialist Judith Resnik formed the rest of the crew. There is a beautiful memorial to these brave lost pioneers of space today on Nasa.gov. It also includes tributes to the lost astronaut heroes from Apollo 1 and the Space Shuttle Colombia, which had an incredibly successful mission before it broke up upon re-entry to the earth's atmosphere on the way home.

I remember well the horror of the Challenger disaster, and the heart wrenching memorial that followed three days later. President Reagan gave the eulogy, and I watched it on TV with my staff at KTTV, the FOX affiliate in Los Angeles. We cried our eyes out. Yes, 25 years ago you could actually take time out of a work day to watch a tribute to fallen American astronauts on TV. Like I said earlier, it was before the Internet.

Many investigations followed the tragedy, and the space program was on hold for years. It was ultimately discovered that faulty O-Rings on the solid rocket booster (created by contractor Morton Thiokol) were responsible for failing on that frosty morning. Many NASA procedures were re-vamped and changed completely as a result of this failure.

The U.S. space shuttle program is about to come to a close, with the last mission (STS-135: Atlantis) tentatively scheduled for June 2011. This mission is only tentatively scheduled in case it is needed to bring home the astronauts from the official final mission (STS-134), which is now set for April.

The fate of NASA and the entire space program seems uncertain, as budget cuts loom. For the first time ever, American Astronauts will have to hitch a ride on Russian rockets to travel to and from the International Space Station. It appears that there will be few manned missions in the future, which will only compound the tragedy that took place 25 years ago. The pioneer spirit is a core component of the American soul, and exploring the unknown will always captivate our imaginations. In the memory of those that gave their lives for space exploration, I hope the program will continue to thrive.

A few years after the Challenger disaster, I heard another American hero speak at a Hollywood television luncheon. Walter Cronkite enthralled the crowd with anecdotes about all the news events he had covered and the amazing people he had interviewed through much of the 20th century. He told a story about meeting with some Soviet cosmonauts, who had participated in the MIR space station program. They revealed that they brought a photo of the Challenger crew up to the MIR, and kept it posted on the deck of their station as a memorial. Brothers and sisters in space, their camaraderie transcended the Cold War.

Rest in peace astronaut pioneers. For you have "slipped the surly bonds of earth to touch the face of God". (John Magee, "High Flight")

"Star Trek Live" Coming to Kennedy Space Center This June!

This is a bit of news to warm the hearts of all NASA-loving, Trek-crazed fans out there -- and include us in! CBS Consumer Products (and doesn't it just kind of get you that with all the corporate machinations over the years, Star Trek is now under the thumb of a company that didn't even originally broadcast the show?) and Mad Science Productions have announced a live interactive show which will debut at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida this June.

SciFi Wire has the complete press release here, so take a look. This is great news -- any Star Trek news is great news around here -- but especially so because it's connected with the real space program and NASA, and will take place at one of the most popular and most important tourist attractions in the nation, the Kennedy Space Center.

If you're interested in reading about the specifics of the presentation, read the Mad Science Productions description of the attraction here. They sound like a neat company, with plenty of experience putting on shows which combine excitement and a learning component. Star Trek Live! would seem to fit right in with their expertise.

There is nothing specific in the announcement, but we'll assume that this will be new movie Star Trek and not old-school Trek, but that's okay with us -- we love them both!

Congrats to NASA for reaching out into pop culture to excite visitors as they learn about the grand history behind space exploration, and then perhaps dare to dream into the future. Because without real-life scientists and astronauts, we're never going to be friends with the Vulcans, are we?

To The Moon!

We've posted this clip from the amazing 2006 British television opera Man on the Moon by composer Jonathan Dove on another occasion, but on this 40th Anniversary of the Moon Landing it couldn't be more appropriate and thrilling. It's the opening minutes of the piece.



Here's another stunning excerpt, entitled "Blast Off".




I can't find the whole opera anywhere yet (I keep hoping Ovation will play it sometime), but if you are fascinated by this amazing piece, there are four segments of conductor Brad Cohen in rehearsal which will give you a taste of more of this incredible production, available here, here, here and here.

Of course, you might like to tune into Turner Classic Movies today for a whole day of space-related movies, including in prime time at 8pm the documentary For All Mankind about the Apollo missions, featuring the words of the astronauts themselves, and following that, the greatest, smartest and most entertaining movie about space and astronauts ever made, 1983's The Right Stuff, directed by Jonathan Kaufman. (Pictured below, from left, Fred Ward, Dennis Quaid, Scott Paulin, Ed Harris, Charles Frank, Scott Glenn and Lance Henricksen, as the Mercury 7 astronauts.)





Take a few minutes today to reflect on the marvelous achievement from 40 years ago. The Flaming Nose salutes the men and women of NASA, past and present!

Apollo 11: 40th Anniversary This Week

This Thursday will mark the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon mission launch. The journey that followed for astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins, became one of the most viewed television events of all time, as people from every nation turned to the small screen to see history being made.

I was a geeky little kid with blue glasses when my Dad stuffed us into the family station wagon and drove from NY to Florida to see the launch in person. We woke up before dawn on July 16th and drove as far down the beach as possible, to get closer to Cape Canaveral. I remember thinking how strange it was to see what was normally a deserted beach just covered with thousands of cars and people. We all had transistor radios so we could hear the launch countdown. Ours was a lime green Panasonic Ball and Chain model. Even though the crowd on that beach was huge, you could have heard a pin drop when Apollo 11 lifted off, on that bright July morning in 1969. Look at the fantastic NASA slow motion video posted above and you'll get a sense of the wonder reflected in the faces of the people lucky enough to witness this moment in person. See that fiery glowing rocket in the corner of the sky? That's humanity going to a different world for the first time. Heavenly.

Central Florida around the time of the Apollo 11 mission had "space fever". Half the buildings in the state looked like they were designed by the animators from The Jetsons. You could buy moon pies at the 7-11 and Blast Off cocktails at the beach side restaurants. We even had a beach ball colored to look like the surface of the moon. Here's a picture of it deflated, and being worn like a hat by our dog King.

I had space fever too after the launch, and would run from the beach back to our hotel room to watch the news coverage on a little black and white TV. On July 20, 1969, I sat with my sisters and parents while we watched the Eagle detach and then descend to the surface of the moon. We were part of the largest TV audience ever at that time. It was estimated that over 500 million people around the world watched the Apollo 11 moon landing. Below you'll see an excellent video depicting that moment. Be sure to watch all the way to the end, because there's a wonderful montage of folks from around the world, eyes wide and mouths agape, as Neil Armstrong makes the most famous step in history. I'm amazed that he came up with the line "One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind" on his way to the moon. Nice to think that not every great quote is from a ghost writer or PR agent.



As we remember the glorious and successful Apollo 11 mission, we actually have a modern day space flight to view tomorrow at 7PM eastern time. If all goes well, the much delayed STS-127 Endeavor mission to install new equipment on the space station will finally launch. Visit the NASA website to learn more or to watch the launch in streaming video.

Both Discovery and History channel websites also have plenty on Apollo 11. And History will be airing an Apollo 11 special on Modern Marvels, July 18th at 1pm.

There is not much to feel cheerful about these days, with millions of people out of work and the economy doing a nose dive. I think we need another shot of hope like that moment when JFK swore that the USA would land a man on the moon before the next decade. We did it then and we can do it again. So...note to President Obama: Please throw a little of that stimulus money over to NASA and we can make the next stop Mars!

Shuttle Launch Scheduled Again--Wednesday

Space Shuttle mission STS-127 has been rescheduled for Wednesday, June 17th, at 5:40am eastern. This is a work day for most folks so the early hour might prevent quite a few from watching the launch. You might want to set your DVR however. As mentioned in the last post, the Fox News channel seems to be the most faithful for always covering a launch. You can also watch streaming on the Nasa TV website. It's always worth a trip to the Nasa website, where you can see and download gorgeous pictures like the one here (celetial gamma ray bursts) and many others. Let's hope the second time goes without a hitch!

This Morning's NASA Launch Postponed

Latest News on the Endeavour Shuttle Launch, so eloquently saluted in Jane's post:

This morning's launch has been scrubbed due to a gas leak, and will be rescheduled.

Read the news report on CNN here.

We'll let you know when it's back on track!

STS-127 Shuttle Mission: The Real Star Trek

Hello to all our US and Global Nose readers....sorry for the last minute post but we must give an update for the next Space Shuttle launch. Set your alarm clocks for 7am US Eastern (4am here on the west coast of the US) and everybody else around the world will have to do the math.
There are few things more magnificent than a space shuttle launch. Breathtaking on TV and, life changing in its explosive beauty if you are ever lucky enough to see one live. As some may already know, the Space Shuttle program is being phased out, while NASA determines the next best steps for mankind's reach for the stars. That being said, these final missions are television events to be treasured, so don't forget to set your clocks for tomorrow's latest mission. This particular adventure will involve more improvements for the International Space Station. You will be able to watch it on Nasa.gov streaming. Or you can turn to Fox cable news, which apparently is the only network covering space shuttle launches on a regular basis. Tune to the Fox affiliate in your local area to see it on TV. If you click on the Nasa TV link above, you can see a live cam of the shuttle at night...waiting for it's moment of glory at dawn tomorrow.

To Commander Mark Polansky, Pilot Doug Hurley, Astronauts Dave Wolf and Cristopher Cassidy and Mission Specialists; Julie Payette (from Canada, Lisoid!), Tom Mashburn and Tim Kapra...we, your brothers and sisters still earthbound, wish you a safe and successful journey!

Posting below, a video of STS-109, an amazing shuttle launch that I witnessed in person at Cape Canaveral a few years ago with my son Tommy and sister Karine. It was a memorial launch for our brother, who had worked for NASA and passed away. We were there at the viewing mount before dawn, and got to see the Hubble cross over our heads. Seconds later, the Columbia took off, chasing the Hubble in a perfect parallel arc of triumph. The vapor trails stayed in the sky for a long time, as the sun came up over Florida.

That...was the best way to start a day, ever. Tune in tomorrow to watch a launch and see for yourself. TV ( or the Internet...if you watch it online streaming) does not get much better.

The Best Space Documentary Yet

Well folks, we've had multiple posts about such programs as Dexter and American Idol and John Adams, so I don't feel that it's too out of place to give another heads up and nod to the best documentary series on the NASA space race ever. I've seen the first two hours of "When We Left Earth" on The Discovery Channel, and it is absolutely phenomenal. As someone who has followed the space program very closely for decades, I am here to tell you that there are reels and reels of footage in this documentary miniseries that I have never seen before. It is stunning. In addition to the old footage from the 1960's, don't miss the up to date interviews with surviving Mercury, Gemini and Apollo astronauts, including the most famous one of all, Neil Armstrong. Mr. Armstrong has been extremely spare when it comes to interviews over the years (almost reclusive), so the few that we see here in this special are rare and riveting.

Please also visit the Discovery website which has many interactive features about the space program, including blogs, an astronaut quiz and a chance to call in to an 800 number and leave your own memories. I left one myself about seeing Apollo 11 lift off in Florida when I was just a kid. They've got it listed there under "A 12 Year Old Gets an Apollo Treat". There are dozens of others, and it is wonderful to hear this auditory treasure vault of love for the space program from so many regular people. Go enjoy the website, and add your own thoughts to the mix.

I can't wait to watch the rest of this, it is truly one of the best Discovery specials ever. My only complaint, is that it was promoted as being in HD, and even though I have the HD Discovery channel on my Time Warner cable, they did not list it last night when it was supposed to air. Don't know what happened, but that was only a minor disappointment, as the space footage was still fantastic on the regular channel.

There was once a time in America when the most hopeful words you could ever wish to hear were "God Speed John Glenn". When We Left Earth brings that feeling back with perfect clarity. Check the Discovery website for times; more episodes are coming up on June 14, 15 and 16. Sunday night covered the Mercury and Gemini missions, next up: Apollo and the Space Shuttle.

NASA'S Shining Moments

I knew "When We Left Earth" (Discovery Channel, Sundays at 9pm) was going to be right up my alley the moment I heard about it. Last night's two hour premiere did not disappoint. It's a story that's been told many times-a story I remember experiencing personally-and yet it never gets old. I get choked up every time I see the US space program's early milestone moments.

One of the great things about this series is the restored NASA footage. The Discovery Channel could not have picked a better subject to show off their digital HD capabilities. I still don't have an HD television set but my high resolution Sony Wega does just fine. I'm seeing these pictures as I've never seen them before and they are simply stunning.

The other fascinating elements of the premiere episode are the insights offered by the men who were there. The producers included interviews made over the past dozen years by many of the astronauts and engineers who have recently died. The interviews are broken up into concise discussions about the topic at hand. No single interview ever runs too long.

I enjoyed learning more about NASA engineer and manager Chris Kraft, widely considered the man most responsible for shaping the agency's direction and culture during it's first highly successful decade. Under Kraft, each individual mission layed specific ground work for the next mission; each program (Mercury, Gemini, Apollo) laid the ground work for the next program. Getting to the moon was the ultimate goal. It seems in the years since Kraft left NASA (along with all that cold war funding), our space program has suffered from a lack of focus and goals.

If you're a space buff, or a fan of 1960s American History, I highly recommend this series.