What's Up? The Space Place

Hey Space Placers! Been tough getting on the 'net - sorry. Here is all of the info on Orion/EFT-1 for 12/4/14  http://www.nasa.gov/press/2014/november/nasa-sets-prelaunch-activities-television-coverage-for-orion-flight-test/ Sky Guy Just Left Sardinia

Hey Space Placers! Enjoy this pic of the ruins of Pompeii which was destroyed 1,935 years ago by the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius. Sky Guy in Italy

Hey Space Placers! THANK YOU to each and every one of you that has visited my blog - all TWO MILLION PLUS OF YOU!!! I m in Rome and will be boarding Holland America's Maasadam tomorrow for a 21 day transatlantic voyage giving 9 lectures. Enjoy this pic of the Roman Coliseum at night. Here's to the next million page views! Sky Guy in Rome

Hey Space Placers! I am leaving for another Trans-Atlantic crossing,  Rome to Florida abroad Holland America's Maasdam. This is a multiple weeks run and I am hoping to get Internet so I can stay in touch with you. Be sure to mark your calendars for the 12/4/14 scheduled lift-off of Orion - see my previous blogs. I will be following the mission of Exploration Flight Test-1 as best I can while at sea. Be sure to follow me on Twitter - @SkyGuyinVA - as that sometimes gets through better than my blog. Sky Guy in Soon To Be Record COLD VA - Probably

Hey Space Placers! Gear up to brave the cold and see the Leonid Meteor Shower on Monday and Tuesday starting at midnight until dawn. Get all the details here and I wish you clear skies and a high meteor count. Sky Guy in VA

Hey Space Placers! Here is the latest from ESA on intrepid Philae. I sure hope that the plucky little spacecraft that could gets enough solar energy on her solar cells to power on again - especially as Comet 67/P gets closer to the Sun. Eventually Philae will be no more as the high temp from the Sun will do her in. Philae accomplished all of her data return which will rewrite the books on cometary surfaces. The main spacecraft, Rosetta, is in great shape and will continue data collection as the comet nears the Sun. What a mission….. Sky Guy in VA

Hey Space Placers! Well, I finally got to see the movie 'Interstellar' today. I saw it in IMAX and I had to wear earplugs for most of the movie as the sound was WAY TOO LOUD!!! During the launch and space scenes I actually felt the sound waves in my chest….. There have been reviews on the science - right and wrong - in the movie as well as what movie critics think of it. Quite frankly I think I will be telling you things that I have not read so far about 'Interstellar'. To me there was a match up of things and themes in the movie to present day. To start off I think everyone interested in space should see the movie just for the visuals. They are exquisite and on par with what we saw in 'Gravity' but a tad more active in that the space scenes go to places other than Low Earth Orbit (LEO) - just like present day NASA is trying to do with the Orion / Space Launch System (SLS) . I was amazed to see what is clearly a Saturn V launch vehicle used to launch a...

Hey Space Placers! Here is the live feed from ESA After 10 years and 4 billion miles, preparations by the European Space Agency (ESA) are underway right now for tomorrow's landing attempt by the Rosetta mission's Philae lander on Comet 67/P . ESA is live streaming on the mission now. The world will be holding its collective breath as this washing machine sized lander attempts to do what has never been done before - safely land on a comet. If successful, and this landing is by no means assured of success due to the hazardous conditions that will be encountered, Philae will conduct at least several days of science observations. The lander will photograph, sample and dig into the surface of the comet to analyze pristine cometary material. The world should know if the landing was successful at 11:02 am EDT as that is when the touchdown signal will be received at Earth. That will be seven hours after detaching from the Rosetta orbiter. NASA is flying 3 of the 16 ins...

Hey Space Placers! Today NASA rolls out the Exploration Flight Test-1 Orion spacecraft to the launch pad at Kennedy Space Center. NASA NASA TV will have a live broadcast starting at 4:30 pm EDT to provide a briefing. There will NOT be live coverage as the process will take until the early morning hours of Tuesday to be completed. NASA plans to have file footage available on Tuesday morning. This is a BIG step for the whole program.  EFT-1 is scheduled for launch on 12-4-14. I can hardly wait…..I will be at sea or I would be there to see EFT-1 launch. Sky Guy in VA

Hey Space Placers! Take a look at this stunning video of the International Space Station (ISS) put together by a talented admirer of space. I muted the music……. Enjoy the view in a dark room on as big a screen as possible. The Milky Way, Northern Lights, Moon shots and Earth shots are really quite amazing. Sky Guy in VA

Hey Space Placers! Got back from Barbados via Toronto, Canada late last night. Sorry about the lack of blog entries but it was difficult to upload while at sea. I have been catching up on email and getting ready for the next cruise in a scant few days. I am hopeful that I will be able to stay in touch with you. There is MUCH going on next week with the roll out of NASA's first spaceflight ready Orion, the landing of Rosetta's Philae Lander on Comet 67/P and who knows what else might happen. I'll have blog posts for you, rest assured. In the meantime, enjoy this HD video of the 12/4/14 Exploration Flight Test-1 (EFT-1) mission . Sky Guy Back in VA (Temporarily)

Hey Space Placers! This is the week to spot the elusive planet Mercury. Details here . Here is my pic of Mercury from the Atlantic. Sky Guy