50 Years Ago - American Atlas problems delay launch

Friendship 7 on Atlas rocket.

Fifty years ago, it was the USA experiencing all sorts of rocket problems. NASA was behind the Russians on launching men into orbit of the Earth, and was eager to send up astronaut John Glenn in the Mercury Capsule, nicknamed "Friendship 7," on top the Atlas rocket. The Atlas had more thrust and fuel than the Redstone, used to launch Alan Shepard and Gus Grissom into sub-orbital flights over the Atlantic.

The launch would have taken place on January 27, but weather played a part in cancelling that flight. Astronaut Glenn had patiently waited for more than five hours strapped in the capsule until word came down that the bad weather would prevent flight controllers from monitoring his liftoff during the first critical few minutes.

Then on January 30, worse news was given to the press and the waiting American public: a fuel leak in the Atlas booster would need repairs. As John Glenn put it: "Sure, I'm disappointed, but this is a complicated business. I don't think we should fly until all elements of the mission are ready. When we have completed all our tests satisfactorily then we'll go." On February 1st, NASA announced that repairs would be completed by February 13, and the flight could be launched then.

John Glenn practices entering Friendship 7, with the help of Gunther Wendt, the famous German rocket scientist-turned-American-rocket-engineer-now-pad leader who led the team of engineers working on the launch pad.

Also on February 1st, the American public began showing their frustration with the delays. Politics were involved in space back in 1962, just like today. Congressman James G. Fulton, who was the top Republican on the House Committee on Science and Astronautic, said "There's no doubt our overall space program is slipping despite the high words and fine praise coming from the White House... if it continues to slip we'll be lucky to get a man on the Moon before 1980."

Remaining positive, on February 3rd Glenn announced to the press that the scheduled rocket flight on February 13th "can only bode success." He was still unaware, of course, of further delays to come.

Meanwhile, on February 4th, the world was quite relieved to see a prediction fail to come to pass. It just so happened that Hindu astrologers had predicted that because of an unusual alignment of five planets and the Sun occurred. According to their prediction, a previously unknown and invisible planetoid named Khentu would also move into alignment and cause Earthly disasters. Of course, nothing happened, and the Indian Prime Minister chided the astrologers and their public believers for such nonsense.

Posted by Mark Daymont
Spacerubble.blogspot.com

KAOS Joins Forces with Anonymous. Its 1:15 P.M. at the Imaginarium

Hello Troops,
I woke up this morning, checked my email, looked through Facebook for anything remotely interesting - found nothing expect for my brother in law's birthday. Wasted too much time reading through everyone's status and can't for the life of me figure out why. I'm wondering if our subconscious is preprogrammed with a nosey inquisitiveness source code at birth.
Then I did something I usually don't do, I checked out the Space Center's Web Site. This is what I found


"Odd," I thought to myself.
I quit out of Firefox and pulled up Safari.


The web site looked normal on Safari. I pondered over the problem, wondering why the website would look OK with one browser and complete gibberish on another.

"KAOS!" I shouted. Our nemesis must have joined forces with Anonymous, the world wide organization of professional hackers bent on replacing our ordered societies with mayhem, anarchy and chaos.

"That's it!" I shouted again. Chaos and KAOS - it all made sense. We've been hacked. The Space Center has finally made it into the big leagues alongside the FBI, the Pentagon, the Kremlin and the entire United States Government.

"What to do, what to do," I fretted over my Cheerios. Who did we have at the Space Center capable of reversing the damage done by Anonymous? Who could engage them in a stare down and have a reasonable chance of blinking last? The answer was as obvious as the lack of butter on my toast. I just had to think for a minute. I shot an email to Brent Anderson. Brent is our Batman to their Joker. He is our prime rib to their liver. And what supreme super hero ventures into murky water without a side kick? Who was Brent's Robin? I'll send another email to Matt Ricks.

Hopefully our Dynamic Duo will have the problem solved quickly. While we wait, how about a few things from the Imaginarium?

It's 1:15 P.M. at the Imginarium Station. Let's disembark the Wonderland Express and
see what mischief we can get ourselves into.

Who would have imagined that Mr. Bean also attended the venerable
Hogwarts School of Magic and Wizardry? It's all becoming clear to me.

Take an everyday household item, add imagination, and suddenly
You've made Magic

In the 1950's and 60's we thought the future was bright and full of promise.
We thought peace and goodwill towards men was achievable.
It was the early days of space travel. We had our sights set on the stars.

What happened?

I still believe the impossible is possible.
I still believe mankind is capable of great things.
I believe the future is bright and full of possibilities.
I believe we spend too much time listening to politicians and doomsdayists. They seem to share the same agenda - control and manipulation through fear. If they keep us frightened
we will take our sights off the good and look only to the their predicted coming night.

Will our own fear be the genesis of our undoing?

Take a moment and tell her you love her.
She won't be with you forever.

Wise words.



And finally, words as art -
A symphony of imagination

I'll see you in the trenches.
Let's make this a good and fearless week.

Mr. W.

Tonight at the Space Education Center.

Hello Troops,
The Space Center is firing on all cylinders tonight. Highland Elementary has 43 of their best and brightest 6th and 5th graders here at camp. Our mission's tonight are:

Voyager: Greenpeace (as told by Jon)
Magellan: Summit (as told by Zac)
Odyssey: The Sum of All Fears (as told by Devin)
Galileo: Crisis (as told by Stacy)
Phoenix: Intolerance (as told by Megan)

Pleasant Grove just experienced a drop in atmospheric pressure. A moment ago a gust of wind rushed over the school. The atmosphere suddenly rushed from an region of high pressure to a region of low pressure. I believe the unexpected appearance of a low pressure system was caused by the sudden intake of air into the lungs of hundreds, if not thousands of Space Center veterans all over the country reacting in shock after reading that Greenpeace is still on the Space Center's flight menu.

"I did Greenpeace when I was a camper a hundred years ago," someone just muttered. How do I know? I felt the hair on the back of my neck stand. Remember, you became a part of the Space Center Collective when you attended your first Space Center camp. We are all tied together in one Galactic Universal Consciousness.

Freaky, isn't it?

This Collectiveness manifests itself from time to time as sudden bursts of memories created from the hours of time you spent at the Space Center. These memory bursts can strike anywhere, like in the middle of a movie, or at church, or while you're doing your taxes or collecting free food samples at your local Costco.

Are you ready for another shocker? Hold on, before I write anything else I need to go outside and take down the American Flag from the flagpole in front of the school. I don't want the flag damaged by the next gust of wind caused by the rapid intake of air from our veterans. Stand by.....

OK, flag down. Here's the news.
I'm bringing "The Hunt for Horace" back for this summer season!
WOW. That sounded like a freight train moving over the roof of the school.

A Report from the Chronicle detailing an original telling of The Hunt for Horace in the
Space Center's Middle Ages.

"The Hunt for Horace" was told a long time ago. It was a favorite of thousands of campers in the late Middle Ages of Space Center history. In fact, many experts in Space Center Lore believe that "The Hunt For Horace" was the pivotal piece of literature that transformed the Space Center from the simple tales told during our Middle Ages to the renaissance of thought and creativity we all recognize at the Space Center today.

Clint Sanderson was the first person to play Horace when he was in the 5th grade at Central. Today, Clint is a married father of three living in Pleasant Grove. His eldest attends school here at Central. Amazing isn't it?

The transition from the Space Center's Middle Ages of story telling to our Renaissance.

Today's Hunt for Horace

"The Hunt for Horace" tells the story of Horace, the Paklid Crown Prince, and his epic adventure on board the USS Voyager as he travelles with his trusted body guard Dweeb from Earth to Paklidia, the Paklid home world. Accompanying the Voyager is the Paklid Royal Tug captained by the brave and somewhat forgetful Admiral Maximilian Alexander Rump.

Be sure to register for a summer camp before all available slots are taken.

It's after midnight and time for bed. The boys are down, the staff semiconscious and I'm drifting between worlds - typing and listening to my bedtime playlist on iTunes.

BonVoyage,

Mr. Williamson