#spaceman

Come on out! Pete Conrad emerges from the Command Module following splashdown of Gemini 11 in the Atlantic Ocean, Sept 1966. The penultimate mission of Project Gemini saw Conrad & Richard Gordon perform the 1st direct-ascent rendezvous with an AGT (Agena Target Vehicle). The G11 craft docked with the AGT on 1st orbit, just 94 minutes after launch. Backup crew for the mission were Neil Armstrong & William Anders.

What’s that out my window? A lunar rendezvous is in progress between the Command Service Module & Lunar Module during Apollo 10, May 1969. A10 was the 2nd mission to orbit the moon (after Apollo 8) & served as a dress rehearsal for a landing on the moon. The mission was flown by John Young, Tom Stafford & Gene Cernan. They flew the Lunar Module 8.4 nautical miles above the moon’s surface. This is the point where a powered lunar descent would commence. On the way home they set a speed record for a crewed spacecraft at 39,897 km/h (11.08 km/s or 24,791 mph); a record which still stands today.

Leaving for work. Apollo 15 was the 4th mission to land on the moon. Astronauts David Scott & James Irwin became the first to drive on the moon courtesy the Lunar Rover. The pair landed by Hadley Rille which was originally planned to be the landing spot for Apollo 19 before budget cuts nixed the mission. The Aug 1971 mission was Scott’s 3rd and final spaceflight while it was Irwin’s & Command Module Pilot Al Worden’s first and only. What a historic mission.

A First Day Cover from Sept 9, 1969 commemorating the Apollo 11 moon landing. There’s a post stamp from the July 20 moon landing & a beautiful 10 cent stamp featuring Neil Armstrong stepping down upon the lunar surface. So many great space-themed stamps were designed by the USPS during the space age.

Practice makes perfect. Neil Armstrong & Buzz Aldrin go through the steps with the Lunar Lander during preparation for Apollo 11, 1969. Backup crew for the first mission to the moon were Jim Lovell, Fred Haise & William Anders. Armstrong & Aldrin spent 21 & ½ hours at Tranquility Base before joining Command Module Pilot Michael Collins who was in lunar orbit in Columbia.

A vintage trading card wrapper from 1969 following the Apollo 11 moon landing. Just 5 cents for a pack of trading cards.

Parking is ample. The first to drive on the moon, David Scott, walks away from the Lunar Rover during Apollo 15, Aug 1971. Scott & fellow astronaut Jim Irwin spent 18.5 hours on EVAs during their lunar stay while Command Module Pilot Al Worden orbited above.

The road to the Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center. Completed in 1966, the VAB was originally intended for the vertical stacking of the Saturn V rocket during the Apollo Program era. During the Space Shuttle era, shuttle orbiters were mounted to fuel tanks & rocket boosters. The VAB is the tallest building (outside an urban area) in the US. It was the tallest building in Florida until 1974 & is the largest single story building in the world at 526 feet. At 129,428,000 cubic feet, it’s larger than your average 1-bedroom apartment.

Before Apollo 17 & being the last man on the moon, astronaut Gene Cernan undergoes training for Gemini 9A, April 1966. During his space career, Mr. Cernan flew on G9A, Apollo 10 & A17. He spent 23 days & 14 hours in space, 24 hours of that on moon walks & EVAs. He served as a backup member on Gemini 12, Apollo 7 & A14. A wonderful documentary on his life is ‘The Last Man on the Moon’; it’s an excellent watch.

A relaxed astronaut. Stuart Roosa takes a moment during preparations for Apollo 14, Jan 1971. Mr. Roosa flew ‘Kitty Hawk’, the Command Module for the mission & orbited the moon 34 times as crew mates Edgar Mitchell & Alan Shephard walked on the moon. Roosa was 1 of 19 astronauts chosen in Group 5 by NASA in 1966. Following A14, he served as backup Command Module Pilot for Apollo 16 & 17.

Flying in Skylab 3. Alan Bean moves about America’s first space station via a maneuvering unit. The July 1973 mission was the 2nd crewed flight to the space station. Bean, Owen Garriott & Jack Lousma were launched within the Apollo Command & Service Module situated atop a Saturn 1B rocket. It was the rookie spaceflight for Garriott & Lousma & the 2nd & final flight for Bean. The mission lasted a total of 59 days. The dome within which Bean moves is 19 feet in height & 22 feet in diameter.

LIGHTSPEED // HYPERSPACE

Exploring the unknown. Self portrait.

- lost

Ground control to #BabyShower. Balloon topiary coming in for touchdown.

Happy Space Day Astronauts