#space travel
npr:
The Apollo 11 command module, which took the first moonwalkers to lunar orbit and back in 1969, is undergoing a painstaking restoration, in preparation for an unusual national tour later this year.
Until recently, the capsule sat in the main lobby of the National Air and Space Museum, where it had been since the museum opened in 1976. Conservator Lisa Young says that occasionally workers would open up its Plexiglas case to look it over or put in new lighting.
“But it never really went under a full examination or investigative analysis as to all of the certain materials on there, how stable they are,” says Young, who is working on the spacecraft now in a restoration hangar at the Smithsonian’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Va., outside of Washington, D.C.
“Our big job as conservators right now is to figure out, if we are going to put it back on display permanently, what could be happening to it in 50 years,” says Young, who wants to prevent future deterioration.
Moonwalkers’ Apollo 11 Capsule Gets Needed Primping For Its Star Turn On Earth
Photos: Shelby Knowles/NPR and NASA/Getty Images
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The International Space Station backdropped against colourful Earth, taken by Shuttle Discovery during STS-121. ✨
Valentine’s Day 30 years ago, one of the most iconic photos of the Voyager mission was taken, known as the “Pale Blue Dot”.
For its 30th anniversary NASA JPL has used modern processing techniques to remaster the image. ✨
Yesterday Expedition 61 landed safely back on Earth.
Falcon 9 sunset, carrying 60 Starlink Satellites.
SpaceX Crew Dragon successfullly completing an In-Flight Abort test, 19th Jan 2020.
Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus space freighter berthed to the International Space Station, backdropped by Earth and the station’s solar arrays. ✨
“In memory of those who made the ultimate sacrifice so others could reach for the stars.”
53 years ago today. ✨
SpaceX Crew Dragon In-Flight Abort.
The Chang’e 4 lander on the surface of the Moon.
The International Space Station backdropped by Earth’s horizon, taken from inside Shuttle Endeavour STS-130 during rendezvous, Feb 2010. ✨
Merry Christmas Star Sailors
I’m so fucking emotional about the 7 planets of Trappist 1.
Imagine living so close to another habitable planet that it’s like a moon in the night sky. Imagine that for six other planets. Imagine hypothetical aliens in their equivalent of the renneisance, mapping orbits and studying the sky, starting to notice each other through their telescopes. God that’s so cool. Imagine knowing something is there so soon and slowly working towards getting to know them.
Heck, even just being able to see your neighbour planets that close, even without life, makes the solar system so obviously devastatingly lonely by comparison.
Right this is so cool??? (for people who don’t know what this is about)
also the star type is apparently called an “ultra cool dwarf“ which I can appreciate
I’ve been so hype about this too. I couldn’t have imagined how significant that press conference I’d heard about a day or two ago was going to be. Considering this AND just how many liquid oceans and organic compounds on other bodies in OUR system we’ve been finding, maybe we’re just a bit closer to finding some neighbors!
It’ll be nice to not be so lonely someday, even if we just found some germs to start.reblogging back around for great contributions from my besties<3
