Some extra special reading for you guys!!

Nicely done, always nice to have outside interest.. I too remember the first flight for the USA.. I also remember the "Super" Chuck do his flight faster than the "sound barrier".. Good Times.. ;-)

On 5/30/2020 9:41 PM, ABLE1 wrote: > Hello, > > For some reading this you may consider it on a boredom level of 9.6 > On the other hand others might agree this is most amazing and the odds > of being successful are off the charts. Either way what you are > about to read is true and I have witnesses. > > As most will know that today 5/30/2020 was the launch of a SpaceX > rocket from Pad 39A with two astronauts on board. Doug Hurley and > Bob Behnken were on board the capsule on top of the Falcon 9 rocket. > The launch was at 3:22pm and it was a perfect launch to send them to > the International Space Station. I watched the launch on the Discovery > Channel and heard that the final docking won't take place until at approx. 10:29am on Sunday. The capsule will basically be chasing the > International Space Station in order to catch up. The ISS is moving at > 17,500mph at a altitude of 240-260 miles. The time from the launch to docking is about 19 hours. > > This got me to thinking. Hmmmmm What are the possibilities that the > ISS is visible tonight in a fly over. I checked my ISS Spotter App. > Sure enough the ISS will be visible tonight at 9:39:50pm until 9:55:36pm > at a angle of 37 degrees above the horizon traveling from NW to SE. > Then looking at the weather satellite it appeared that the clouds will > be diminishing so it would be visible. So that make this other > possibility even more possible. > > What if I could actually see the Endeavour Capsule chasing the ISS?? > > There was only ONE way to find out. > > My wife and I got in the car at 9:15pm and drove up to Breezy View Park > north of Columbia, Pa. Got there about 9:35pm. Did some navigational > adjustments to determine the direction of the where the ISS would come into view. It was about then that a local cop shows up asking what was > going on. So I explained what was about to happen. He got very > interested and got out of the cruiser so to join the fun. > > His name was Gus an was rather impressed with what I was explaining > to him about the ISS and the possibility of Endeavour Capsule following. > The difficulty here is how far behind the ISS is the Capsule. I had no > clue. It would just be a matter of dumb luck to first be able to see > such a small object being lit up by the sun passing some unknown > distance behind the ISS. > > Well just as the time was 9:39:50pm the ISS appeared overhead. Gus was impressed since it was his first time ever seeing it. As it moved across the sky my focus was behind the ISS. But, how far, and would it > even be visible?? As the ISS started to get closer to the earths shadow > I started to give up. It was at that time that Gus pointed and said > what is that?? That there it was, a very small spec of light tracking > behind the ISS. As for a distance behind the ISS after getting home, I > did a little mathematical calculation in my CAD software and my best

Les who?

LOL. Seriously, though I used to be a space fan. My grandfather was a research mechanic at NASA's Lewis Research Center. I had some of the coolest space posters he sent me when I was a kid. 5th Anniversary of the First Lunar Landing. Apollo Soyuz Link Up and a few others. Our first little black and white television was so we could watch some of the last moon walks.

Once a neighbor had a telescope setup out in the road when I was walking home. They were trying to spot Saturn with their strongest eye piece and having a hard time of it. They eventually lost interest, but I kept at it until I spotted something that looked like it had rings. It was pretty blurry and I could not take my hands off the adjusters to refocus because if I did it quickly slid out of view. In order to track whatever it was I was looking at I had to keep both hands going constantly on the azimuth and elevation adjusters. When I knocked on the door to let them know I'd found it they were dumb founded that I was still there. I don't know if they went outside to get their telescope or if it was carried away on the hood of somebody's pickup truck, but when I left it was still out there. There wasn't much traffic on that country road so they might well have been the first ones on it the next morning.

I kinda lost interest in space after losing our shuttle program.

What a great story and experience Les.

I'm reeeealy impressed at the extremes you went to in order to have this once in a lifetime experience.

My wife is not a technology interested person but as we watched this event the other day I tried to impress upon her the significance of this private sector involvement with the space effort.

(Bob L Will appreciate this) One of the consistent themes that is prevalent in Science Fiction novels is the future involvement of business fueling the exploration of space for minerals, sources of energy, construction, and civilian travel.

And this is the beginning of that. We witnessed that. Astounding, Amazing ! !

Certainly nothing even close to that could be attained by a Socialistic society.

Congratulations ----- Elon Musk =

Thanks guys!!!

I have been hooked on the space thing ever since we started on the quest. But, it seems that I have been more involved on a personal level trying to get a glimpse of this or that when ever I get a chance. Some worked out some didn't and others just happened in front of me.

I could type a lot of stories but it all takes time.

On today's events while watching the docking and then opening of the hatch I saw a interesting thing that was not mentioned or talked about that I have noticed to this point.

When the hatch was finally opened and everything was ready for the greeting and broadcast. First through the hatch was Bob Behnken. He shook hands and hugs with the guys on board. Then Doug Hurley came through and just has he came to meet Chris Cassidy he bangs his head on the upper edge of the interior hatch. He kept nursing or applying pressure and wiping his finger of what seemed to be blood. Then one of the guys gets him a Kleenex to help. He kept this up through the broadcast. At JPL in Dallas, Tx they have a very large screen viewing the whole scene. All though the greeting and welcoming Bob continues to rub/nurse his forehead. Then when the NASA executives, and two congressmen do there greetings and asking of questions, nobody ask him if he was OK?? Granted it was a head bump but nobody else seemed to notice. :-(

The guy gets thrown into space on top of a Falcon 9 rocket, travels multiple times around the earth to get on board the ISS and then bangs his head upon getting on board and nobody notices??

Anyhow watch part of it here:

Again thanks for the kind words about my story.

Les

I'm still waiting for a manned light sail, and ships with AG from the quantum black hole at the center of the ship that they fire particles into to generate energy.

I wish I could remember the titles and authors of all the sci fi I read growing up. There were some great robber baron business frontier stories.

I know what you mean. I still have a box down in the basement somewhere wit h the first science fiction book I ever read, probably 12 -13 years old. I got it for Christmas, I think. I don't remember what the story was about bu t I can still conjure up the picture on the jacket of a little boy, looking up at the sky with a rocket (in the shape of a Jules Vern type rocket ship ) blasting off into a blue sky.

I'm thinking/hoping they achieve control of atomic fission first. The avail ability of unlimited power will free up industry to produce whatever other sources and methods that are necessary to conquer outer space. Sad as it ma y be, I wont see it but it's coming soon.

However, what we can say is LOOK HOW FAR WE HAVE COME IN JUST OUR SHORT TIME HERE.

In my lifetime, about the time I was born, probably the best flying machine was the DC3. Shortly before that, Lindberg crossed the Atlantic. Just thin k of all the amazing things that have happened since then. If we can just h old it together here on this planet for a little longer, the move to outer space will consume the imaginations, dreams and lives of everyone.

This is when I wish I had the genes of Heinlein's Lazarus Long If you want to read something interesting Google " The Notebooks of Lazarus Long". and "Quotes of Lazarus Long".

Get back to me with your thoughts.