With the space agency in the middle of celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 lunar landing, NASA this evening paused to honor legendary journalist Walter Cronkite — who chronicled that event along with a generation of other major stories including the war in Vietnam and the assasination of President John F. Kennedy.

Cronkite died on Friday following a lengthy illness.

In honor of his coverage of America’s space program, NASA presented Cronkite with an Ambassador of Exploration Award on Feb. 28, 2006 at a ceremony in Austin, Texas. He was the only Ambassador of Exploration recipient who was not an astronaut or NASA employee.

The following is a statement from NASA Administrator Charles Bolden on the death of veteran journalist Walter Cronkite.

“It is with great sadness that the NASA family learned of Walter Cronkite’s passing. He led the transition from print and radio reporting to the juggernaut that became television journalism. His insight and integrity were unparalleled, and his compassion helped America make it through some of the most tragic and trying times of the 20th century.

“For decades, we had the privilege of learning about our world from the original ‘anchorman.’ He was a true gentleman. Our thoughts and prayers are with Walter’s family and his millions of friends and supporters.”

Separately, NASA also issued comments by Apollo 11 Commander Neil Armstrong about Cronkite, who provided this iconic coverage of Apollo 11: “Armstrong is on the moon — Neil Armstrong, 38-year-old American, standing on the surface of the moon, on this July 20, 19 hundred and 69.”

“For a news analyst and reporter of the happenings of the day to be successful, he or she needs three things: accuracy, timeliness, and the trust of the audience. Many are fortunate to have the first two. The trust of the audience must be earned.

“Walter Cronkite seemed to enjoy the highest of ratings. He had a passion for human space exploration, an enthusiasm that was contagious, and the trust of his audience. He will be missed.”

In a 1996 interview, Cronkite quipped that the Apollo 11 landing was the only time he’d ever been left speechless — “What I said was ‘Gosh! Wow! Gee!’ — immortal words obviously.”

” I think that 500 years from now the young people that are living on space stations and space cities and perhaps on the orbs themselves out there … they will be recognizing the most important feat of all time. 500 years from now they will be celebrating the first landing on the moon and the first walk on the moon.”

Hear Cronkite discuss the lunar landing in this CBS video:

NASA’s about to party like it’s 1969.

On Thursday, the space agency will kickoff a unique audio “time capsule” in observance of the 40th anniversary of the first human landing on the moon. Audio from the entire Apollo 11 mission will be replayed and streamed on the Internet at exactly the same time and date it was broadcast in 1969.

The audio retrospective will begin at 6:32 a.m. CDT Thursday, July 16, two hours before the spacecraft launched. The audio will continue through splashdown of the mission at 11:51 a.m. CDT Friday, July 24, and recovery of the crew shortly afterward. The Web stream will feature the communications between the astronauts and ground teams, and commentary from Mission Control at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.

To listen to the replay, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/externalflash/apollo11_radio.

For historical information about Apollo 11, visit: http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/history/apollo/apollo11.

NASA’s Apollo 40th anniversary Web site provides easy access to various agency resources and multimedia about the program and the history of human spaceflight, including a gallery of Apollo multimedia features. The site is online at: http://www.nasa.gov/apollo40th.

In a press conference held 50 years ago today, the newly formed NASA introduced it’s first group of astronauts — the Mercury Seven.

Each became a household name as all but Deke Slayton took turns flying solo missions as part of the Mercury Program. Slayton, who was grounded by medical problems eventually got his turn to fly.

In addition to Slayton, the men are: Scott Carpenter, Gordon Cooper, John Glenn, Gus Grissom, Wally Schirra, and Alan Shepard.

Shepard became the first American in space on May 5, 1961, when his Freedom 7 spacecraft made a suborbital flight.

On February 20, 1962, an Atlas rocket successfully carried Glenn into space on the nation’s first orbital mission.

The men were dubbed “astronauts.” The term was a cross between “aeronauts,” as ballooning pioneers were called, and “Argonauts,” the legendary Greeks in search of the Golden Fleece. These new explorers were being prepared to sail into the new, uncharted vastness of space.

In honor of the anniversary, here are a couple of NASA links:

•   http://www.nasa.gov/externalflash/50th_announcement/

•   http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/mercury/

WASHINGTON — For the first time ever, NASA will beam a song — The Beatles’ “Across the Universe” — directly into deep space at 7 p.m. EST on Feb. 4.

The transmission over NASA’s Deep Space Network will commemorate the 40th anniversary of the day The Beatles recorded the song, as well as the 50th anniversary of NASA’s founding and the group’s beginnings. Two other anniversaries also are being honored: The launch 50 years ago this week of Explorer 1, the first U.S. satellite, and the founding 45 years ago of the Deep Space Network, an international network of antennas that supports missions to explore the universe.

The transmission is being aimed at the North Star, Polaris, which is located 431 light years away from Earth. The song will travel across the universe at a speed of 186,000 miles per second. Former Beatle Sir Paul McCartney expressed excitement that the tune, which was principally written by fellow Beatle John Lennon, was being beamed into the cosmos.

“Amazing! Well done, NASA!” McCartney said in a message to the space agency. “Send my love to the aliens. All the best, Paul.” (more…)

In Harmony:

Astronauts Peggy Whitson (left) and Paolo Nespoli enter the Harmony module for the first time. They are wearing goggles and masks to avoid contact with possible floating debris in the new module. The STS-120 crew delivered Harmony to the International Space Station and it was installed during the mission’s first spacewalk. NASA photo.

The STS-120 and Expedition 16 crews entered the Harmony module for the first time at 8:24 a.m EDT after Mission Specialist Paolo Nespoli and Expedition 16 Commander Peggy Whitson opened the hatches. Harmony will provide the docking ports for new research laboratories from the European Space Agency and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency. The laboratories will be delivered to the station on upcoming shuttle missions.

The crews are also preparing for Sunday’s spacewalk, the second of the mission. The spacewalk will be conducted by Mission Specialist Scott Parazynski and Expedition 16 Flight Engineer Daniel Tani. To prepare, they will do an overnight “campout” in the station’s airlock.

By Marc S. Posner
SOAR Magazine

Discovery Blasts Off:

Space Shuttle Discovery soared off it’s Florida launch pad on Tuesday, October 23, 2007, beginning STS-120, which will deliver the Harmony module to the International Space Station. The mission marks the first time two women have commanded space missions at the same time. NASA photo.

The space shuttle Discovery maximized it’s first launch opportunity to soar off its Florida launch pad and reach orbit this morning, further diminishing the glass ceiling as — for the first time ever — two women are commanding space missions at the same time.

Pam Melroy leads the STS-120 crew. On Friday, Expedition 16 Commander Peggy Whitson assumed leadership of the International Space Station, the first female to hold that post. Melroy, who has flown two missions as a shuttle pilot, is the second woman to command a shuttle mission.

Discovery, on a mission to deliver the Harmony module to ISS, is scheduled to arrive at the orbiting outpost on Thursday.

Tuesday morning’s launch came at 11:38 a.m. EDT, on time despite concerns about ice formation on the external tank and early fears that the good weather might not hold long enough.

“Three… two… one… and liftoff of space shuttle Discovery carrying the seven STS-120 astronauts! The shuttle has cleared the launch tower, beginning its mission to bring Harmony to the International Space Station,” came the call from NASA’s launch commentator.

Joining Commander Melroy on STS-120 are Pilot George Zamka and Mission Specialists Scott Parazynski, Stephanie Wilson, Doug Wheelock, Daniel Tani and Paolo Nespoli of the European Space Agency. Tani will remain aboard the station and return with the STS-122 crew, which is targeted to launch Dec. 6. Current Flight Engineer Clayton Anderson will return to Earth on Discovery after nearly five months on the station.

During the 14-day mission to the International Space Station, Discovery’s crew will add the Node 2 module to the expanding station. Node 2, known as Harmony, will provide attachment points for European and Japanese laboratory modules to be installed later this year and early in 2008, respectively.

The Harmony module will be the first expansion of the living and working space on the station since 2001.

The Discovery crew also will move the station’s Port 6 segment of the station’s backbone, or truss, and its solar arrays to a permanent position at the very end of the left side of the truss. The flight will include five spacewalks.

The 14-day mission’s five spacewalks are comprised of four by shuttle crew members and one by the station’s Expedition 16 crew. Discovery is expected to complete its mission and return home to the Kennedy Space Center at 4:47 a.m. EST on November 6.

WASHINGTON - As the world remembers the 50th anniversaries of the Space Age in 2007 and NASA in 2008, the historic legacy of the agency is captured in a new and lavishly illustrated book published by Harry N. Abrams, Inc., New York, and available October 4.

Titled America in Space, the book is a photographic record of the greatest adventures in the history of exploration and documents NASA’s many achievements during the past five decades in aeronautics, science and technology, and human spaceflight.

“This book has a wonderful collection of imagery that chronicles the first half-century of NASA,” said Shana Dale, NASA deputy administrator, Headquarters, Washington. “As we view the historic achievement of our first generation of space explorers and see how far we have come in 50 years, we also peer over the horizon to a new era of exploration that will provide us with an outpost on the moon and eventually human exploration of Mars.”

Almost 500 stunning color and black-and-white photographs, including many never published before, were culled from NASA’s archives. The images tell the agency’s story, from the drama of lift-off, to tension in mission control, to the humor and humanity portrayed in the faces of astronauts, scientists, engineers, and political leaders associated with the program during the past five decades.

“Abrams is tremendously proud to have collaborated with NASA to create America in Space, which celebrates some of our nation’s greatest achievements and is also a milestone in photographic publishing,” said Eric Himmel, Abrams vice president and editor-in-chief. “It was thrilling to see these amazing images materialize from NASA’s vast visual archives as the project took shape.”

Published in cooperation with NASA, the book features a foreword by Apollo 11 commander Neil Armstrong, with contributions from Steven Dick, NASA chief historian; Bob Jacobs, deputy assistant administrator for Public Affairs; Constance Moore, NASA lead photo researcher; Anthony M. Springer, lead, communications and education, NASA Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate; and Bertram Ulrich, NASA curator and multimedia manager.

By Marc S. Posner
SOAR Magazine

Fifty years ago today, space exploration officially began as the Soviets ratcheted up Cold War fears with the launch of Sputnik.

The orbiting satellite’s radio transmitter was the “beep” heard ’round and ’round the world.

While the payload itself was insignificant, the Soviets proved they had the capability to launch a heavy payload — and signaled the potential to deliver a nuclear bomb via rocket.

The Soviets followed with launches of a dog and a monkey. Eventually, they put cosmonaut Yuri Gargarin in orbit, achieving that milestone ahead of the United States.

Sputnik spurred the U.S., eventually leading to Apollo lunar missions, where the Americans became the first to set foot on another planetary body.

Today, NASA’s Voyager missions are poised to leave the solar system, Spirit and Opportunity rovers are driving across Mars and there is a continuous human presence in orbit aboard the International Space Station.

But, it all began 50 years ago, today.

NASA

WASHINGTON — NASA Administrator Michael Griffin kicked off a lecture series honoring the agency’s 50th anniversary with an address Monday describing the critical role that space exploration plays in the global economy.

The “space economy” was estimated at about $180 billion in 2005, according to a report by the Space Foundation released in 2006. More than 60 percent of space-related economic activity came from commercial goods and services.

“NASA opens new frontiers and creates new opportunities, and because of that [NASA] is a critical driver of innovation,” Griffin said. “We don’t just create new jobs, we create entirely new markets and possibilities for economic growth that didn’t previously exist. This is the emerging space economy, an economy that is transforming our lives here on Earth in ways that are not yet fully understood or appreciated. It is not an economy in space — not yet. But space activities create products and markets that provide benefits right here on Earth, benefits that have arisen from our efforts to explore, understand, and utilize this new medium.”

Since NASA’s birth almost a half-century ago, military and political competition in space largely has faded away. The focus of space exploration today is in the economic arena. Rising living standards and technological advancement around the world mean greater competition from places that were never competitors before.

“If technological innovation drives competitiveness and growth, what drives innovation?” Griffin said. “There are many factors, but the exploration and exploitation of the space frontier is one of them. The money we spend — half a cent of the federal budget dollar — and the impact of what we do with it, doesn’t happen ‘out there.’ It happens here, and the result has been the space economy. So if America is to remain a leader in the face of burgeoning global competition, we must continue to innovate, and we must continue to innovate in space.”

NASA is uniquely positioned to drive the space economy with technological innovation. Griffin cited a number of examples where the space economy yields tangible benefits for people here on Earth.

“We see the transformative effects of the space economy all around us through numerous technologies and life-saving capabilities,” Griffin said. “We see the space economy in the lives saved when advanced breast cancer screening catches tumors in time for treatment, or when a heart defibrillator restores the proper rhythm of a patient’s heart. We see it when GPS, the Global Positioning System developed by the Air Force for military applications, helps guide a traveler to his or her destination. We see it when weather satellites warn us of coming hurricanes, or when satellites provide information critical to understanding our environment and the effects of climate change. We see it when we use an ATM or pay for gas at the pump with an immediate electronic response via satellite. Technologies developed for exploring space are being used to increase crop yields and to search for good fishing regions at sea.”

Griffin’s lecture followed a luncheon Monday at the Renaissance Mayflower Hotel in Washington. It was the first in a series that will honor NASA’s 50th birthday. The space agency began operations on Oct. 1, 1958. U.S. Rep. Alan B. Mollohan of West Virginia introduced Griffin.

Future lectures in the series will feature prominent speakers to discuss the benefits that space exploration, scientific discovery and aeronautics research provide in addressing global issues such as the economy, education, health, science and the environment. Lockheed Martin Corporation of Bethesda, Md., is co-sponsoring the two-year lecture series.

Marc S. Posner
SOAR Magazine

Voyager Photo of Jupiter:

This iconic photo of Jupiter was taken by Voyager in 1979. It shows a section of the planet and two of its moons, Io (left) in front of the great red spot and Europa. Voyager 2 was launched 30 years ago, on August 20, 1977. Voyager 1 lifted off on September 5, 1977.

Today, all seven members of the STS-118 crew are in orbit with their own iPod. But, 30 years ago, when the first of NASA’s two Voyager spacecraft blasted off, it carried a gold record with recorded greetings from Earth.

The fact that recording media have gone through a number of iterations in the intervening time (eight-track, cassette tape, CDs, digital files), is perhaps the starkest reminder of just how long these probes have been operating.

Voyager 2 launched on Aug. 20, 1977, and Voyager 1 launched on Sept. 5, 1977. Both probes are healthy and they continue to return information from distances more than three times farther away than Pluto.

“I think the main legacy of Voyager is to, in fact, have opened up our solar system in a way which was not possible before the Space Age. It revealed all of our neighbors in the solar system, and it showed us how much there was to learn and how diverse the bodies are that share the solar system with our own planet Earth,” said Ed Stone, Voyager project scientist for the California Institute of Technology.

The Voyager Mission studied four planets — Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune and Uranus — and is now observing the outer reaches of our solar system.

In the next decade, the craft could become the first to reach interstellar space after crossing the heliopause, the edge of the bubble created by the sun’s supersonic wind. Currently, Voyager 1 is approximately 9.7 billion miles from the sun. Voyager 2 is at approximately 7.8 billion miles. Voyager 1 is in the heliosheath, and Voyager 2 is approaching it.

“The Voyager mission is a legend in the annals of space exploration. It opened our eyes to the scientific richness of the outer solar system, and it has pioneered the deepest exploration of the sun’s domain ever conducted,” said Alan Stern, associate administrator for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, Washington. “It’s a testament to Voyager’s designers, builders and operators that both spacecraft continue to deliver important findings more than 25 years after their primary mission to Jupiter and Saturn concluded.”

During their first dozen years of flight, the Voyagers made detailed explorations of Jupiter, Saturn, and their moons, and conducted the first explorations of Uranus and Neptune. The Voyagers returned never-before-seen images and scientific data, making fundamental discoveries about the outer planets and their moons. The spacecraft revealed Jupiter’s turbulent atmosphere, which includes dozens of interacting hurricane-like storm systems, and erupting volcanoes on Jupiter’s moon Io. They also showed waves and fine structure in Saturn’s icy rings from the tugs of nearby moons.

“I think that I’m proudest of the impact Voyager really had, and it was surprising,” Stone said. “I did not realize how much impact it would have. When we flew by Neptune, people were standing in line at night at planetariums in order to be able to see the images coming in from Voyager, because they weren’t on the Web in those days, there was no Web, you had to go somewhere in the middle of the night to see it. It became a worldwide event when Voyager was flying by these worlds.”

Each spacecraft carries five fully functioning science instruments that study the solar wind, energetic particles, magnetic fields and radio waves as they cruise through this unexplored region of deep space. The spacecraft are too far from the sun to use solar power. They run on less than 300 watts, the amount of power needed to light up a bright light bulb. Their long-lived radioisotope thermoelectric generators provide the power.

“The continued operation of these spacecraft and the flow of data to the scientists is a testament to the skills and dedication of the small operations team,” said Ed Massey, Voyager project manager at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, CA. Massey oversees a team of nearly a dozen people in the day-to-day Voyager spacecraft operations.

The Voyagers call home via NASA’s Deep Space Network, a system of antennas around the world. The spacecraft are so distant that commands from Earth, traveling at light speed, take 14 hours one-way to reach Voyager 1 and 12 hours to reach Voyager 2. Each Voyager logs approximately 1 million miles per day.