Science
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Space Needle Turns 50
By Harriet Baskas, msnbc.com contributor A popular way for visitors to get an overview of a city is from the observation deck of an iconic structure such as New York’s Empire State Building, Chicago’s Willis Tower (formerly the Sears Tower) or Seattle’s Space Needle, which joins the Seattle World’s Fair in celebrating its 50th anniversary on April 21. Created as the centerpiece of the 1962 space-themed exposition, the 605-foot-tall Space Needle has been described as looking like “a UFO on stilts” and was for many years the tallest building west of the Mississippi River. Today, the still futuristic-looking Needle is an iconic landmark in the Emerald City, its most visited…
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Apollo 13 Astronauts Return Safely on April 17, 1970
1970: Critical explosion cripples Apollo 13 An explosion on board Apollo 13 has caused one of the most critical situations in American space history and put the lives of the three astronauts on board in severe jeopardy. The explosion happened in the fuel cells of the spacecraft’s service module approximately 56 hours after lift-off. This resulted in the loss of Apollo 13’s main power supply which means oxygen and water reserves are now critically low. The safety of the three astronauts, Captain James Lovell, Jack Swigert and Fred Haise, is uncertain although Nasa is hoping emergency contingency plans will ensure their safe return. Certain death The cause of the explosion…
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John Glenn on the 50th Anniversary of His Historic Flight
Earthlings count down to 50th anniversary of the first American flight to orbit the Earth © 2012 NOLA.com. All rights reserved. Published: Saturday, February 18, 2012, 10:00 AM By The Associated Press The Associated Press John Glenn fever has taken hold in the U.S. once again. Three days before the 50th anniversary of his historic flight, the first American to orbit the Earth addressed employees at Kennedy Space Center. The NASA auditorium was packed Friday with hundreds of workers hoping to see the space legend. NASA, via The Associated Press Astronaut John Glenn was photographed Feb. 20, 1962, during his space flight in the Friendship 7 Mercury spacecraft, weightless and…
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Preserving the Moon
January 9, 2012 To Preserve History on the Moon, Visitors Are Asked to Tread Lightly By KENNETH CHANG California’s catalog of historic artifacts includes two pairs of boots, an American flag, empty food bags, a pair of tongs and more than a hundred other items left behind at a place called Tranquillity Base. The history registry for New Mexico lists the same items. That might be surprising, since Tranquillity Base is not in New Mexico or California but a quarter of a million miles away, in the spot where Neil A. Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin stepped onto the moon in 1969. But for archaeologists and historians worried that the next generation of people…
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Final Space Shuttle Launch; End of 30-year Space Program
Space Shuttle Atlantis Launch: NASA Coverage Watch live news stream from ABC News. NASA’s Last Space Shuttle Blasts Into History ABC News photo By MARCIA DUNN AP Aerospace Writer CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. July 8, 2011 (AP) Atlantis and four astronauts rocketed into orbit Friday on NASA’s last space shuttle voyage, dodging bad weather and delighting hundreds of thousands of spectators on hand to witness the end of an era. It will be at least three years — possibly five or more — before astronauts launch again from U.S. soil, and so this final journey of the shuttle era packed in crowds and roused emotions on a scale not seen since…