Remembering Jim Nabors (1930-2017)

I just found out that Jim Nabors, great comedic actor and singer, has passed away at 87.  Nabors was born in Sylacauga, Alabama.  He was at home in Hawai'i, his husband and long-time partner Stan Cadwallader said.  I enjoyed seeing him on the Carol Burnett Show, but he was hysterical in Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, too.

I loved to hear him sing.

ABBA releases "The Visitors" 1981

Swedish super-group ABBA released their 8th and final album, The Visitors, November 30, 1981.  Many consider this to be their most complex and mature effort, getting away from the lighter pop music they had previously recorded.

Of course, it might have to do with both couples getting divorced the previous year and recording sessions became tense.  The Visitors peaked at #29 on the US Billboard 200 but went to #1 in other countries.

Endeavour (STS-97) launched 2000

Seated (L-R): Michael Bloomfield, Marc Garneau, Brent Jett

Standing (L-R): Carlos Noriega, Joseph Tanner

Mission patch

Space Shuttle Endeavour launched November 30, 2000, carried the first set of solar arrays to the International Space Station.  Her crew was Commander Brent Jett, Pilot Michael Bloomfield, Mission Specialist Joseph Tanner, Mission Specialist Marc Garneau (Canadian Space Agency) and Mission Specialist Carlos Noriega (first Peruvian in space, but this wasn't his first flight). 

On Flight Day 3, Endeavour linked to the ISS.  Joseph Tanner and Carlos Noriega moved through Endeavour's docking tunnel and opened the hatch to the ISS docking port to leave supplies and computer hardware on the "doorstep" of the ISS.

The next day, the crew of Expedition 1, Commander Bill Shepherd, Pilot Yuri Gidzenko and Flight Engineer Sergei Krikalev, retrieved the items left for them.

Tanner and Noriega performed 3 EVAs to install the solar arrays on the ISS and installed a camera cable outside the Unity Module.

On Flight Day 8, Endeavour's crew met Expedition 1's crew in the ISS.  Up until now, they had kept one hatch closed between the shuttle and the station to maintain respective atmospheres.

Flight Day 9, the crews finished transferring supplies to the station and stuff to be brought back to Earth.  Endeavour landed December 11.




https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/archives/sts-97.html

June Pointer, Goddess of Music, born 1953

June Antoinette Pointer, born November 30, 1953 in Oakland, California, was a founding member of the Pointer Sisters.  She and Bonnie first started as a duo in 1969, then Anita joined them.  Ruth made the group a quartet in 1972 and the rest is history.

She sang lead on some of their biggest hits, such as Jump (For My Love), He's So Shy, Baby Come and Get it and Should I Do It?

She was diagnosed with cancer in 2006 and passed away April 11 of that year.  But her music and voice will live forever!

Happy birthday, Space Shuttle astronaut Kenneth Cameron!

Kenneth Donald Cameron, born November 29, 1949 in Cleveland, Ohio, is a veteran of three Space Shuttle flights.  He became an astronaut in June 1985 and flew his first mission on Atlantis (STS-37) in April 1991 as pilot.

His second mission was on Discovery (STS-56) as commander in April 1993.  It was the first flight of Ellen Ochoa, first Latina in space.

His third and final mission was back on Atlantis (STS-74) as commander in November 1995.  It was the fourth mission of the Shuttle-Mir program and the second docking of the Space Shuttle with Mir.

Book review - "The Treason of the Ghosts" by P. C. Doherty

When I first read the title of this book, I thought ‘treason’ was the collective noun for ghosts, but was quickly corrected.  The twelfth book in Doherty’s medieval mystery series featuring King’s clerk Hugh Corbett does not have any real ghosts in it but it does have some spooky settings.  Perfect, since the time period of the story is just before All Saints’ Day.

In The Treason of the Ghosts, Corbett is sent to the village of Melford, where five years prior, Sir Roger Chapeley was executed for a series of gruesome murders of young girls.  Now, more girls are being murdered in the same manner and the men who sat on the jury that convicted Sir Chapeley are being murdered one by one.  Since Sir Chapeley was a knight of the king’s, Edward I sends Corbett to Melford to find out the truth. 

Corbett, his manservant Ranulf-atte-Newgate and man-at-arms Chanson arrive in the prosperous village and find the citizens do not trust him.  Nothing new here, but Corbett does manage to get cooperation out of them.  It is clear from almost the beginning there are two murderers in the story, so Doherty doesn’t wait to spring this on the reader in the last page.

This novel moved at a quick pace and keeps the reader’s attention throughout the story.  Again, I have to criticize the editing as in all the previous novels.  Other than the ubiquitous head-hops and use of the phrase “pulled a face”, Doherty over-uses “I know what you’re thinking” and “in his cups”.  The repetition of phrases, especially in close proximity to each other make reading tedious.

That being said, I think The Treason of the Ghosts is one of the best in the series so far.

Happy birthday, Meco!

Meco, born Domenico Monardo November 29, 1939 in Johnsonburg, Pennsylvania, is best known for his 1977 disco version of the Star Wars theme.  The single and the album Star Wars and Other Galactic Funk were certified platinum. 

He started out playing trombone and went on to become a studio musican, doing horn arrangments as well as recording for artists such as Diana Ross.  Meco worked as a record producer and was part of the team that produced Gloria Gaynor's Never Can Say Goodbye.

After seeing Star Wars four times in one day, he got the idea to make a disco version of the score.   With his producer friends, they arranged and recorded Star Wars and Other Galactic Funk.  The album got a Grammy nomination for Best Instrumental Pop Performer in 1977, but John Williams won that year for the original soundtrack album.

Meco went on to "Meco-ize" more soundtracks.  In November 1980, he released Christmas in the Stars: Star Wars Christmas Album, which features the all-time favorite classic, What Can You Get a Wookiee for Christmas (When He Already Owns a Comb)?

Australia launches its first satellite, WRESAT, 1967

Australia entered the space age when it launched its first satellite, WRESAT (Weapons Research Establishment Satellite) November 29, 1967.  Australia became the seventh nation to launch a satellite and the third to launch from its own territory.  Earlier, France became the third nation to send a satellite into space from its own space program, but Asterix was launched from Algeria, so that doesn't count. 

It re-entered the atmosphere January 10, 1968 after 642 orbits.  During its time in space, WRESAT extended range of scientific data relating to the upper atmosphere, but it also demonstrated the Australian capability for developing technology and launching artifical satellites.

Happy birthday, Jon Stewart!

Jon Stewart, born November 28, 1962 as Johnathan Stuart Leibowitz in New York City, is best known for hosting the Daily Show, addressing current issues in our government in a hilarious way.  In 2004, Columbia Journalism Review listed him as #4 on a list of twenty journalists "who consistently above the superficial to do original and often insightful work".  Probably why more people trust him than many other news outlets.

He's won numerous Primetime Emmies for Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series and Outstanding Variety Series.  He's also started careers for John Oliver, Trevor Noah and Samantha Bee.





http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0829537/bio?ref_=nm_ov_bio_sm#trivia

Columbia (STS-9) launches 1983

 

L-R: Owen Garriott, Byron Lichtenberg, Brewster Shaw, John Young, Ulf Merbold, Robert Parker

Mission patch

The sixth mission of Space Shuttle Columbia (STS-9), launched November 28, 1983, carried the first Spacelab module into orbit.  She carried six astronauts for the first time.  Her crew consisted of Commander John Young, Pilot Brewster Shaw, Missional Specialist Owen Garriott (Okie!), Mission Specialist Robert Parker, Payload Specialist Ulf Merbold, and Payload Specialist Byron Lichtenberg.  Merbold was the first non-U.S. citizen, the first West German citizen (remember this was before the Berlin Wall came down), and the first ESA astronaut in space.

Garriott made the first ham radio transmissions from space during the flight.  The crew carried out numerous experiments on the effects of low gravity on the human body.  See the highlight video below.

Columbia landed December 8, ten days after launch.  The crew was looking forward to taking showers since they had not been able to for over a week.  What did Columbia smell like on the inside after they landed?

Bruce Lee born in 1940

Outside!

Martial arts icon Bruce Lee, born November 27, 1940 in San Francisco, has probably been the biggest influence on martial arts in mainstream movies.  He was a year old when his family moved to Hong Kong.  He started appearing in minor films in children’s roles at 5 years old.  He took martial arts lessons for approximately five years.  After getting in trouble with Hong Kong police, his parents shipped him back to San Francisco’s Chinatown. 

Lee continued his martial arts, opening schools in Seattle and, after getting noticed by Hollywood, Oakland.  He landed the part of Kato, the Green Hornet’s sidekick in 1966 in the television series. 

His last film was Enter the Dragon, with John Saxon (a favorite actor of mine, too!) released in 1973.  

On July 20 of that year, he was found unresponsive and later pronounced dead from a cerebral edema. 

He and Chuck Norris trained together at one point, but Lee was never an instructor to Norris.

Soyuz T-3 launched 1980

Soyuz T-3 crew (L-R): Kizim, Makarov, Strekalov

Soyuz T-3, launched November 27, 1980, was the 15th expedition to the Salyut 6 space station and the first spacecraft to carry three cosmonauts since 1971.  Its crew consisted of Commander Leonid Kizim, Flight Engineer Oleg Makarov and Research Cosmonaut Gennady Strekalov.  This was the first flight for Kizim and Strekalov, but fourth for Makarov.

Although they carried out studies on biological material brought with them, much of their time was devoted to station maintenance.  They worked on the thermal control system, installed a new hydraulic unit with four pumps, replaced electronics in the telemetry system, and the next day fixed problems with the electronics in the telemetry system.

Soyuz T-3 and her crew returned to Earth December 11.

First interstellar asteroid, small, dim and unobtrusive, causes huge excitement!

The space science community is all abuzz about our first visitor from another star!  The cigar-shaped asteroid with a reddish hue is about 400m (1/4 mile) wide and ten times as long.  This elongated shape is unlike anything in our solar system.

Named Oumuamua (oh-MOO-uh-Moo-uh, which is Hawai'ian for 'a messenger from afar arriving first'), the asteroid is dim, but it has a huge variation in brightness, about a factor of 10.  The elongated objects in our solar system are at most three times as long as they are wide, and have a brightness variation of about 3.

Oumuamua was discovered October 19 by the University of Hawai'i's Pan-STARRS1 telescope, funded by NASA's Near-Earth Objective Observations (NEOO) program, which tracks comets and asteroids that might pose a threat to Earth.

Initial calculations indicate Oumuamua came from Vega, the bright star in the northern constellation of Lyra.  But Vega was nowhere near its position now back when Oumuamua began its journey 300,000 years ago.  It is traveling about 59,000 miles/hour.  It slingshotted past the Sun on September 9 at 196,000 miles/hour!

After leaving our solar system, Oumuamua will head to the Pegasus constellation.




https://www.nasa.gov/feature/solar-system-s-first-interstellar-visitor-dazzles-scientists

"Gamera, The Giant Monster" premieres 1965

Gamera, the huge fire-breathing turtle and University of Maryland's mascot made his debut in  Gamera, the Giant Monster, released November 27, 1965.  Daiei Films created Gamera to rival Godzilla, but Gamera became his own movie icon and spawned more spin-offs. 

There were changes in the series.  This is the only movie to be filmed in black & white and the only one to feature Gamera as the antagonist.  In the rest of the series, he is a friend to all children.

Atlantis (STS-61-B) launches 1985

Back row L-R: Charles Walker, Jerry Ross, Mary Cleave, Sherwood Spring, Rodolfo Neri Vela

Front row L-R: Bryan O'Connor, Brewster Shaw

Mission patch

Space Shuttle Atlantis blasted off November 26, 1985 from Kennedy Space Center for the 23rd mission of the shuttle program.  The takeoff came just 54 days after the launch of STS-51-J, the quickest turnaround between launches.  Her crew consisted of Commander Brewster Shaw, Pilot Bryan O'Connor, Mission Specialist 1 Jerry Ross, Mission Specialist 2 Mary Cleave, Mission Specialist 3 Sherwood Spring, Payload Specialist Charles Walker and Payload Specialist 2 Rodolfo Neri Vela.

Vela is the first Mexican astronaut in space.  Jerry Ross and Sherwood Spring performed two EVAs to demonstrate the feasibility of assembling large structures in space.

Atlantis returned to Earth December 3 at Edwards Air Force Base.

Boris Yegorov, Voskhod 1 cosmonaut, born 1937

Boris Borisovich Yegorov, born November 26, 1937 in Moscow, flew on Voskhod 1, his only spaceflight. He earned a doctorate in medicine, specializing in disorders of the sense of balance.  When he was chosen to fly aboard Voskhod 1, he became the first physician in space.  His fellow cosmonauts were Vladimir Komarov and Konstantin Feoktistov.

Yegorov passed away from a heart attack in 1994.

France becomes third country to launch its own artificial satellite, Asterix, 1965

France became the third country to launch its own satellite, Asterix, November 26, 1965, after the USSR and the United States.  However, France is the sixth country to have an artificial satellite in orbit.  The United Kingdom, Canada and Italy launched satellites before but on American rockets.

Asterix was intended to take measurements of the ionosphere, but stopped transmitting after two days.  Some reports state that it failed to transmit at all.  Due to its high orbit, it is not expected to  re-enter Earth's atmosphere for several centuries.

Book review - "The Demon Archer" by P. C. Doherty

The 11^th novel in P. C. Doherty’s excellent series featuring Clerk of the Secret Seal Hugh Corbett opens with Hugh recovered from the arrow wound which he suffered at the end of The Devil’s Hunt.  That might be a spoiler but with many more novels afterwards, there wasn’t much fear that Corbett would pass away.  Ranulf-atte-Newgate, his manservant, has been promoted to Chancery of the Green Wax for his bravery in killing Corbett’s would-be assassin.

In The Demon Archer, Edward I calls upon Hugh and Ranulf to investigate some intrigue.  Edward was about to send an entourage to France to continue negotiations with Philip IV that Prince Edward and Princess Isabella are to be betrothed.  Before the party can leave, the special envoy chosen by Edward, Lord Henry Fitzalan, is killed by an arrow as he and his guests were about to being a hunt.  Is this a plot to sabotage the treaty between England and France?

Corbett and Ranulf discover that absolutely no one in village liked Lord Henry, not his younger brother Sir William, or his half-sister Lady Madeline, prioress of the wealthy priory of St. Hawisia.  An outlaw in the nearby woods, calling himself the Owlman, has been sending threatening notes via arrows to Fitzalan with a cryptic reference.  Lord Henry's chief verderer Robert Verlian has vowed to protect his daughter of which Henry has been lusting after and will not take 'no' for an answer. And, to Corbett’s annoyance, his old adversary, Amaury de Craon is nearby and was in the hunting party when Fitzalan was murdered.

This novel is slightly slower paced than the previous few novels but it does rely a bit more on the mystery than action.  An attempt is made on Corbett’s life but it isn’t overdone to the point of almost ridiculousness as in Satans’ Fire, where he couldn’t go a day without someone taking a shot at him.

A new recurring character (I think) is Baldock, who replaces Maltote, the unfortunate messenger killed in The Devil’s Hunt.  He has many of Maltote’s mannerisms and looks, so why kill Maltote if you’re just going to bring him back?

And Ranulf falls in love (again) but this time it might be for real. 

I did enjoy the ending though because Corbett doesn’t seem to pull a solution from thin air, but uses clues that the reader also sees.  There is still some stretch of the imagination but it was a satisfying ending.  

Book review - "The Devil's Hunt" by P. C. Doherty

This is the 10^th novel in Doherty’s series featuring Keeper of the King's Secret Seal to Edward I in the early years of the fourteenth century.  In The Devil’s Hunt, Corbett is called from his retirement by the King, who shows up at Hugh’s estate in Leighton begging him to go Oxford.  An outlaw calling himself the Bellman has been stirring up trouble in the university town, posting notices to church doors deemed treasonous to the King and supportive of his long dead enemy, de Montfort.  Edward wants any thought of rebellion planned by de Montfort’s followers. 

The city of Oxford, with its learning institutions, has no love for Edward I.  The university doesn’t like the rest of the city.  The citizens don’t like the university.  Therefore, Corbett does not find much cooperation for his investigation.  The only people he can rely on are his manservant, Ranulf and messenger Maltote.  Three of the masters have died, one mysteriously, another with an arrow in him, and the third poisoned after he was accused of the second’s murder.  It appears someone wants the university to be closed.

Again, Corbett survives several attempts on his life.  Without giving too much away, Doherty does kill off an important character.  I am disappointed to see this character go and I do not see the reason for that death. 

As with previous novels, Doherty’s habit of head-hopping within scenes gets annoying, especially when there are multiple people talking.  And he overuses the phrase “pulled a face”.  What does that mean?  That also becomes irritating throughout the novel.

One thing I did like about the novel is the university setting.  It reminds me of novels by Susanna Gregory and Pat McIntosh, both of which have centers of knowledge as settings for their stories.  So I’ll probably start binge-reading Gregory later on.

Doherty also likes to throw the reader off by having more than one mystery going on.  The reader thinks certain events must be connected, as does Corbett, only to be surprised in the end with multiple solutions.  Dastardly!

Atlantis (STS-44) launched 1991

 

Left to right - Seated: Hendricks, Gregory, Musgrave; Standing: Voss, Hennen, Runco

Mission patch

Space Shuttle Atlantis launched November 24, 1991 on a mission for the Department of Defense.  Her crew consisted of Commander Frederick Gregory, Pilot Terence Henricks, Mission Specialist 1 James Voss, Mission Specialist 2 Story Musgrave, Mission Specialist 3 Mario Runco, Jr. and Payload Specialist Thomas Hennen.

They landed December 1 at Edwards Air Force Base and took over 3 miles and 107 seconds to come to a complete stop.  This was due to testing of the minimal braking system.

It was the first space shuttle landing on a dry lake bed.

Happy birthday, Skylab, Space Shuttle astronaut (and Okie!) Owen Garriott!

Owen K. Garriott, born November 22, 1930 in Enid, Oklahoma, flew on  Skylab 3 and the Space Shuttle Columbia.  He was selected as an astronaut in 1965 and his first mission was aboard Skylab 3 from July - September 1973, doubling the amount of time astronauts spent in space from the previous record.

During the mission, the controllers in Houston were surprised to hear a woman's voice coming from Skylab 3, even calling Bob Crippen by name.  She explained:

"The boys haven't had a home-cooked meal in so long I thought I'd bring one up." After several minutes in which she described forest fires seen from space and the beautiful sunrise, the woman said: "Oh oh. I have to cut off now. I think the boys are floating up here toward the command module and I'm not supposed to be talking to you." 

Garriott had recorded his wife the night before liftoff and the crew was in on the prank.

Garriott's second flight was aboard Columbia (STS-9) November-December 1983 as a mission specialist.  His son Richard flew aboard Soyuz TMA-13 in October 2008, becoming the first American to follow a parent into space.

Mangalyaan, India's Mars Orbiter, sends back stunning pictures!

The India Space Research Organization (ISRO) launched their Mars Orbiter, called Mangalyaan, November 2013 and it entered Mars the following September.  India became the fourth space agency to reach Mars, the first Asian country to put a probe in orbit around the planet and the first country to do so on its first attempt. 

The cloud formation (arrow in above photograph) is seen around Ascraeus Mons, the northernmost and tallest of three shield volcanoes, known as the Tharsis Montes in the Tharsis region of Mars.

Bakhuysen Crater

Three linked Craters of Mars

Juventae Fons and Baetis Chasma - Terrains on planet Mars

Henry Hartsfield, Space Shuttle astronaut, born 1933

Henry "Hank" Hartsfield, born November 21, 1933 in Birmingham, Alabama, was a veteran of 3 Space Shuttle flights, including one of the first, STS-4 aboard Columbia.  In June 1982, he and Ken Mattingly made the final test run of the Space Shuttle program, which was the last time only two astronauts were aboard a shuttle.

His second flight was on Discovery (STS-41-D) in August-September 1984 as commander.  Its initial launch date was June 26 but at T-6 seconds before blast off, the launch was aborted.  Its mission was delayed over two months.

His third and final flight was aboard Challenger (STS-61-A) in October-November 1985.  It was the last successful flight of the Challenger.  He was commander of the only space shuttle mission to carry 8 astronauts for the entire mission. 

Hartsfield passed away in July 2014 from complications due to back surgery.

"The Day After" airs 1983

I remember watching this on my portable TV in my dorm room at Southwestern Oklahoma State.  There had been such a build-up to it in the media including Newsweek, that I had to watch it.  The Day After, which aired November 20, 1983, was a scary movie because it is one of the first to show the horrors of a nuclear holocaust and the fallout afterwards.  I think it got people thinking seriously about nuclear war with the Soviet Union and how we could avoid it. 

It is still one of the most-watched shows of all time (not counting miniseries) and garned 12 Primetime Emmys, winning two of them. 

Remembering Della Reese (1931-2017)

Singer/actress/commedienne Della Reese has passed away although the details of her death have not been released.  She retired from acting in 2014 and suffered health problems related to her diabetes.

I remember seeing her in many different roles on television.  She won numerous awards for her role in Touched by an Angel. 

I remember her best from her role in Harlem Nights and especially her hilarious fight scene with Eddie Murphy.

Book review - "Satan's Fire" by P. C. Doherty

P. C. Doherty’s ninth novel in his Hugh Corbett mystery series set in the early 1300’s England, involves the Knights of the Templar, and takes place just a few years before they were destroyed by greedy kings.  Doherty hints at the changing political climate in Europe as Philip IV in France and Edward I in England become jealous of the Templars’ wealth, since both kingdoms are strapped for cash.  Satan’s Fire opens with Edward managing to convince the very reluctant Templars to grant him a loan for his wars.

But strange events have occurred when the Knights of the Templar have been in the vicinity, such as an attempt on Philip’s life while hunting and ominous warnings pinned to doors.  The most bizarre of all are the reports of people killed in mysterious fires that seem to ignite spontaneously and have a mind of their own.

Edward summons his chief clerk Hugh Corbett, who longs to return to his manor in Leighton, to his wife and daughter.  Edward has received a warning and is fearful that someone is trying to assassinate him.  With extreme reluctance, Corbett plunges into the mystery of the strange fires (hence the title) and what the Templars are doing in Framlingham, their residence in England. 

The Templars aren’t shown in a favorable light and remain suspicious and aloof from Corbett and his manservant Ranulf and messenger Maltote.    But it becomes understandable when Doherty shows the shifting perceptions and the movements against their order from all sides.  They feel their existence is being threatened and have every right to believe so. There are certain splits among the Knights, which are causing tension which do not help their cause.

Corbett is one of the luckiest men on the planet since he manages to survive several attempts on his life in this book, but all the other victims were offed in one chance.  Hmm…

I like it when good ol’ chemistry is part of a novel, but not so much when it is used to kill.  Corbett finally discovers an ancient recipe founded by the Greeks centuries before after consulting old manuscripts.

On the downside once again, I read a book by Doherty and ask where is his editor? Does he even have one?  He commits several infractions that I was taught to avoid during my writing: use of passive voice, changes in point of view within one scene, etc.  Was all of it unnceccsary?

The Pointer Sisters release "Hot Together" 1986

My girls released their twelfth album Hot Together November 1986, pumping out more great music!  It was their eighth collaboration with producer Richard Perry.  Although it wasn't as successful as Break Out or Contact, it held its own. 

The title track was featured on the soundtracks to Spaceballs and Stakeout, and also part of the NBA's promotional campaign in the late 1980's.

Set Me Free was featured in the opening scene of "Jumpin' Jack Flash" starring Whoopi Goldberg.

Happy birthday, Space Shuttle astronaut Eileen Collins!

Eileen Marie Collins, born November 19, 1956 in Elmira, New York, is a veteran of four Space Shuttle flights.  She is the first female pilot for a space shuttle and first female commander of a space shuttle mission. Her parents immigrated from Ireland.

Her first flight was on Discovery (STS-63) in February 1995 as pilot, the first female to pilot the space shuttle.  She also piloted Atlantis (STS-84) in May 1997.

She served as commander aboard Columbia (STS-93) July 1999 for her third trip.  Her fourth and final trip was on Discovery (STS-114) July - August 2005.  During this last flight, Collins performed a backflip maneuver of Discovery so the crew of the International Space Station could check the hull for missing tiles.

How cool is that!

Columbia (STS-80) launched 1996

Back row (L-R): Tamara Jernigan, Thomas Jones

Front row (L-R): Kent Rominger, Story Musgrove, Kenneth Cockrell

Mission patch

Columbia blasted off November 19, 1996 was the longest Space Shuttle flight, lasting 17 days, 15 hours and 53 minutes.  Her crew was Commander Kenneth Cockrell, Pilot Kent Rominger, Mission Specialist Story Musgrave, Mission Specialist Thomas Jones and Mission Specialist Tamara Jernigan.

Tom Jones and Tamara Jernigan were to have performed two EVAs but both were cancelled.

Happy birthday, Space Shuttle astronaut Mark Brown!

Mark Neil Brown, born November 18, 1951 in Valparaiso, Indiana, has flown on two Space Shuttle missions.

His first was on Columbia (STS-28) in August 1989 as mission specialist. The details of the mission are classified.

His second and last flight was on Discovery (STS-48) in September 1991, also as mission specialist. 

Soyuz MS-03 launched 2016

L-R: Thomas Pesquet, Peggy Whitson, Oleg Novitskiy

 Mission patch

Soyuz MS-03 took off from Baikonur in Kazakhstan, November 17, 2016.  On board were Oleg Novitskiy (Russia), Thomas Pesquet (France) and Peggy Whitson (Iowa).  Peggy was the oldest woman to go into space, but I don't know of anyone who will actually say that to her.  ;)

Soyuz MS-03 traveled to the International Space Station, docking on November 19.  It undocked June 2, 2017 bringing Pesquet and Novitskiy back to Earth.  Whitson stayed on the ISS until September 3.

"The Little Mermaid" released 1989

Walt Disney's classic adaptation of The Little Mermaid was released November 17, 1989, putting the company back on top, after a series of not-so-good movies.  It was also the first fairy tale in 30 years since Sleeping Beauty in 1959.  I think it's hysterical that Ursula was fashioned after Divine, from the John Waters' movies.

The Little Mermaid won two Oscars, one for Best Music, Original Song (Under the Sea) and for Best Music, Original Score (Alan Menken).  Kiss the Girl was also nominated for Best Original Song.

Lunokhod 1 (Луноход), first rover on the moon, lands 1970

On November 17, 1970, Lunokhod 1 (Луноход, which is 'moon walker' in Russian) landed in the Sea of Rains on the moon.  It is the first lunar rover to explore the moon's surface.  It was launched on November 10 and carried into lunar orbit by Luna 17 spacecraft.

Lunokhod 1 would run during the lunar day, using solar panels to power it, and then hibernate at night.  It had a radioactive source to keep its instruments heated during the lunar night.

It operated for almost a year, the last communication received September 14, 1971.  The Soviets finally ended the project October 4, the anniversary of Sputnik 1. Lunokhod 1 travelled about 6 1/2 miles, returned more than 20,000 TV images, 206 high-resolution panoramas, and performed 25 lunar soil analyses.

Lunokhod 1's final resting spot was unknown until April 2010, when a team from University of California at San Diego located it and is being used for determining Earth-Moon aspects.

Atlantis (STS-129) launched 2009

Front row (L-R): Charles Hobaugh, Barry Wilmore

Back row (L-R): Leland Melvin, Michael Foreman, Robert Satcher, Randy Bresnik

Mission patch

Space Shuttle Atlantis blasted off November 16, 2009 (STS-129) on an 11-day mission to the International Space Station.  Her crew consisted of Commander Charles Hobaugh, Pilot Barry Wilmore, Mission Specialist Leland Melvin, Mission Specialist (and current ISS resident) Randy Bresnik, Mission Specialist Michael Foreman and Mission Specialist Robert Satcher.

It was the second space shuttle mission that carried two African-American astronauts: Leland Melvin and Robert Satcher.

It was the 8th space shuttle mission to celebrate Thanksgiving in space.

Randy Bresnik's daughter was born the seventh day of the mission.  He received the news via private phone patch from mission control before the rest of the crew was awakened.  So he was able to give them the good news when they woke.

Happy birthday, Space Shuttle astronaut Carl Meade!

Carl Joseph Meade, born November 16, 1950 in Illinois, obtained the rank of Colonel in the US Air Force and is a veteran of 3 space shuttle flights.

His first mission was aboard Atlantis (STS-38) (the anniversary of its launch was yesterday) in November 1990 as mission specialist.

His second flight was on Columbia (STS-50) in June 1992 also as mission specialist.

His third and final mission was on Discovery (STS-64) in September 1994.  During this flight, Meade tested the self-rescue jetpack, performing the first untethered spacewalk in 10 years.  He spent over 3 1/2 hours maneuvering the jetpack.

Venera 3 launched to Venus 1965

Venera 3, launched November 16, 1965 by the Soviet Union to Venus, is the first spacecraft to (crash)land on another planet.  Venera 3's communications system failed about 17 days before it reached Venus.  It is believed to have entered the Venusian atmosphere March 1, 1966.

Thirty-one years to the day later, the Russians launched Mars 8, November 16, 1996 to Mars, but the spacecraft failed and re-entered Earth's atmosphere.  So instead of landing on Mars, it crashlanded on Chile, Bolivia and in the Pacific Ocean.

Book review - "The Song of a Dark Angel" by P. C. Doherty

Doherty opens his 8^th Hugh Corbett novel, The Song of a Dark Angel, explaining to the reader that the Song of a Dark Angel is the sound the night wind makes as it roars off the sea and into Norfolk, England.    Then he describes two bodies, which have yet to be discovered, swaying in the Song of a Dark Angel. A pretty awesome way to start a book!

The Song of the Dark Angel has stories of King John, lost treasure and more naughty nuns.  Hugh, Ranulf and Maltote are sent to Norfolk to investigate the decapitation of a man on the beach, and the hanging of the baker’s young wife.  Hugh soon hears the legend of King John losing almost all of his fortune when he and his retinue tried crossing the Wash.  The tide came upon them suddenly, catching them unaware.  John and his retainers made it across safely but the pack train carrying his treasure was lost.  Although the event happened almost 100 years before, the people in the area are still looking for the lost treasure.

Thrown into the mix is the Pastoureaux, a cult, teaching enlightenment and freedom across the seas.  How are all these connected?  More murders occur and an attempt is made to kill Corbett.

I found this one to be a bit more exciting than some of the previous novels.  It moves at a pretty good pace.  However, there are a couple of scenes in which Corbett seems to pull a conclusion to a situation out of thin air.  Also, Maltote is just a periphery character as in the past novel.  He is usually sent on an errand for which he is gone for long stretches of the story.  I hope he gets more “air time” in the next few novels.  And Maeve doesn’t even appear.

Other than those couple of items, The Song of a Dark Angel was a fun read.  I liked reading Doherty’s notes at the end of the novel.  Apparently, King John’s treasure has never been recovered so it might still be out there, waiting to be found.

Oklahomans elect a gay woman to the state senate!

I honestly did not think I would see the day that an openly gay person would be elected to any public office in Oklahoma.  But Senate District 37 in the Tulsa area elected Allison Ikley-Freeman, a lesbian who is married, to the state senate.  Way to go, Tulsa County!

However, according to ShareBlue.com, she is the third openly gay person to serve in the Oklahoma State Legislature.  Senator Al McAffrey and Representative Kay Floyd already serve.

It appears that Ikley-Freeman being a lesbian is down-played in the Oklahoma media.  Why is that?  Can we believe that those good ol' boys and gals think that it did not play any signficance in her election?  Could it be that they are finally accepting gays into politics?

Nah.  I'm sure they just don't want anyone to find out that a gay woman was elected.  Or that she is a Democrat.  Or that she wasn't endorsed by anybody yet still won. 

How is Brian O'Hara feeling this morning?


https://shareblue.com/oklahoma-elects-gay-married-woman-in-a-district-trump-won-by-39-points/
http://tulsabeacon.com/senate-candidate-a-democrat-is-married-to-another-woman/
https://ballotpedia.org/Allison_Ikley-Freeman
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/democrats-hopeful-oklahoma-legislative-seats-stake-51139896
http://newsok.com/the-latest-democrats-add-to-win-column-in-deep-red-oklahoma/article/feed/1513336?articleBar=1

Happy birthday, Alexander O'Neal!

Alexander O'Neal, born November 15, 1953 in Natchez, Mississippi, is an R&B singer who had some awesome hits in the 80's such as Fake.  The single was released from his album Hearsay and it went to #1 on the R&B charts.  Its follow-up single Criticize reached No. 4.

I love his Christmas album My Gift to You released in 1988, but Fake is still my favorite overall!