Suzanne Pleshette born 1937

Beautiful, versatile and funny actress Suzanne Pleshette, born January 31, 1937 in New York City, is best known and loved for her role as Emily Hartley on the Bob Newhart Show which ran from 1972-1978.

She showed that she could be a dramatic actress as well, receiving a nomination for a Golden Globe and a Primetime Emmy for her role as Leona Helmsley in a TV movie made about the "Queen of Mean".

Suzanne was nominated for her comedy, being nominated twice for a Primetime Emmy for Lead Actress in a Comedy, for the Bob Newhart Show.

She and her The Birds co-star Veronica Cartwright both appeared as mothers (not in the same episodes though) in Will & Grace, Pleshette playing Karen Walker's mother, Cartwright playing Jack McFarlane's mother.

She received a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame in January 2008 just days after she passed away from respitory failure.

I love this scene from The Birds.

Luna 9 launched 1966

Close-up image of the moon's surface after landing.

Luna 9, launched January 31, 1966 from Baikonur, Kazakhstan, was an unmanned Soviet lunar probe, which became the first spacecraft to accomplish a soft landing on another planetary body, besides Earth.  Earlier probes had contacted the lunar surface, but without much success.

Sergei Korolev (remember him?) oversaw the design and development of Luna 9, but died about 2 weeks prior to its launch.  It landed on February 3 in the Ocean of Storms, west of craters Reiner and Marius, and began transmitting data about 5 minutes after touchdown.

Soviet authorities did not release pictures from Luna 9, but scientists in England, also monitoring the craft, realized the signal format being used was identical ot the Radiofax system, used internationally by newspapers for transmitting pictures.  The images were decoded and published world-wide.

Contact was lost February 6.

Super Blue Blood Moon and Lunar Eclipse, January 31!

In the wee hours of the morning, tomorrow January 31, 2018, a rare celestial event will occur.  People living on the west coast, Alaska, and the Hawai'ian islands will get to witness a "Super Blue Blood Moon".  For those of us on the east coast, well...we probably won't.

This full moon is special for three reasons:

1. It is a "supermoon" which means the Moon is closer to Earth in its orbit and about 14% brighter than usual.
2. It is the second full moon of the month, which is called a "blue moon".
3. The Moon will pass through Earth's shadow and take on a reddish tint, which is called a "blood moon". 

Here in the Baltimore/DC area, our best chance of seeing it is watching NASA's live feed. 

Ranger 6 launched 1964

Ranger 6, launched January 30, 1964, was one of a series of lunar probes designed to take close-up images of the moon.  Everything operated as planned and Ranger 6 landed within a mile of its intended target, but due to a failure of the camera system, no images were returned.  Since the cameras were the only equipment on the probe, no other experiments were planned.

The failure of Ranger 6 came on the heels of the assassination of John F. Kennedy just two months before.  In April 1963, Congress had cut funding to the Ranger program by almost 50%, citing "no success had been achieve with any of the missions to date".  Ranger 5 was lost in October 1962.

NASA officials had hoped Ranger 6 would succeed since a week later, they planned to announce their projected budget for $5.3 billion for 1965.  Ranger 7 had already been budgeted and six months later, it became the first successful lunar probe, sending back high definition pictures of the moon.

"Mega Python vs. Gatoroid" premiered 2011

A masterpiece in cinematic accomplishments just like Friday the 13th Part VII: New Blood, Mega Python vs. Gatoroid exploded onto the television screen on the Syfy Channel, January 29, 2011.

It pitted 80's divas Tiffany and Debbie Gibson against each other.  Unlike most campy, stupid movies, this one did NOT take itself seriously.  One of the best gags came at the expense of the audience, who could not hear the difference between "monkey" and "Monkee".  Until Micky Dolenz appeared. 

There were enough pop music references to make anyone cheer!

Happy birthday, Cuban cosmonaut Arnaldo Tamayo Mendez!

Arnaldo Tamayo Mendez, born January 29, 1942 in Guantanamo, Cuba, is the first Cuban citizen in space and the first person from a Western Hemisphere country besides the U.S. to travel into space.

He joined the Cuban Revolutionary Armed Forces wanting to become a pilot.  He received training in aerial comb at in the Soviet Union.  He was selected as a cosmonaut March 1, 1978 with fellow Cuban Jose Lopez Falcon.

Tamayo launched into space aboard Soyuz 38 with Yuri Romanenko, September 18, 1980.  His journey into space lasted almost 8 days.

Soyuz TM-27 launched 1998

Soyuz TM-27 crew

 

Mission patch

Soyuz TM-27, the 33rd expedition to Mir, launched on January 29, 1998, carried two cosmonauts and one French astronaut into space.  Its crew consisted of Commander Talgat Musabayev, Flight Engineer Nikolai Budarin and Research Cosmonaut Leopold Eyharts.

The crew carried out a number of routine experiements, repaired the Spektr solar panel and installed a new VDU station orientation system.

Musabayev and Budarin returned with Soyuz TM-27 in August 1998 but Eyharts hitched a ride home in February 1998.

"The Twilight Zone" episode "The Invaders" airs 1961

Another classic and probably one of the most beloved episodes of The Twilight Zone, The Invaders, aired January 27, 1961.  Starring the amazing Agnes Moorehead, it was the only episode to have one character and no dialogue. 

Ms. Moorehead played a lonely woman in remote house who is terrorized by miniature aliens, after finding a spaceship on her roof.  They hit her with ray guns that give her radiation burns, the cut her hand and her foot with a knife, but she eventually gets the upper hand.

The episode was written by Richard Matheson, directed by Douglas Heyes (he is the voice of the alien commander at the end) and scored by Jerry Goldsmith.

According to imdb.com, one of the alien astronauts' names was Grissom, as in Virgil "Gus" Grissom, who was killed in the Apollo 1 fire, which occurred exactly six years to the day after this episode aired.

"The Dukes of Hazzard" debuts 1979

Looking back at this, one might think The Dukes of Hazzard was probably politically incorrect in some ways, but it was a fun show, especially for a high school student without much to do on week nights.

Bo (John Schneider [swoon!]) and Luke (Tom Wopat) Duke jumped onto the small screen January 26, 1979, in the now iconic General Lee, a1969 Dodge Charger with the "Stars and Bars" emblem on the roof and the "Dixie" song as the horn.

The Dukes of Hazzard lasted for seven seasons, including the one that didn't include Bo and Luke since the actors had walked off.

John Schneider won a TV Land Award in 2005 for the Most Uninsurable Driver.

Happy birthday, Space Shuttle astronaut Mario Runco!

Mario Runco Jr., born January 26, 1952 in the Bronx, New York, is a U.S. Navy Officer and an astronaut, a veteran of three space shuttle flights.

His first mission into space was aboard Atlantis (STS-44) in November 1991 as mission specialist to deploy a Defense Support Program satellite. 

His second mission was on Endeavour (STS-54) in January 1993 as mission specialist. He and Greg Harbaugh conducted a 4.5 hour EVA to evaluate the limits of human performance during extravehicular activities.  This was in anticipation of building the International Space Station.

His third and final flight was as mission specialist on Endeavour (STS-77) in May 1996.  Runco made several appearances on Sesame Street as part of his Physics of Toys scenes.

Clementine (DSPSE) launched 1994

Clementine (official name: Deep Space Program Science Experiment), launched January 25, 1994, was a joint project between the Ballistic Missile Defense Organization and NASA.  Its mission was to study the moon and a near-Earth asteroid 1620 Geographos.

The lunar mapping portion of the mission lasted about 2 months and was successfully completed.  However, when it  left lunar orbit, a computer glitch caused a thruster to fire until all of its fuel had been spent and left Clementine spinning out of control.  The near-Earth asteroid section of the mission had  to be abandoned.

1620 Geographos was discovered  September 14, 1951, by Albert George Wilson and Rudolph Minkowski.  It was named in honor  of the National Geographic Society.  It made its closest approach to Earth in 1994 (hence the timing of the mission) but won't come as close until 2586.

Walt Disney's "101 Dalmatians" released 1961

Walt Disney's animated classic 101 Dalmatians premiered January 25, 1961, was the highest-grossing movie in the U.S. that year.  It helped the company get back on track after Sleeping Beauty first failed. (After the re-releases, Sleeping Beauty became one of the highest-grossing films of 1959.)

It introduced the world to one of the greatest villainessess of all time, Cruella de Vil.

Rod Taylor, voice of Pongo, was one of the first actors hired.

Discovery (STS-51-C) launched 1985

Back row: L-R: Gary Payton, James Buchli, Ellison Onizuka

Front row L-R: Loren Shriver, Thomas Mattingly

Mission patch

Space Shuttle Discovery (STS-51-C), launched January 24, 1985, was the third flight of Discovery and the first mission dedicated to the U.S. Department of Defense.  Many details about the mission are still classified.

Her crew consisted of Commander Thomas Mattingly II, Pilot Loren Shriver, Mission Specialist Ellison Onizuka, Mission Specialist James Buchli and Payload Specialist Gary Payton. 

During liftoff, there was a clear indication that the O-rings on both Solid Rocket Boosters were not sufficiently sealing hot gases inside the combustion chambers.  Post-flight analyses showed significant penetration of the primary O-ring and "heavy charring" on the secondary O-ring.   Almost a year to the day later, Challenger exploded during liftoff, killing all hands on board, including Ellison Onizuka who was on both missions.

The results of the O-ring studies contributed to the consensus that it was low air temperature (53 °F) at launch that brought Challenger down.

Happy birthday, Space Shuttle astronaut William Readdy!

William Readdy, born January 24, 1952 in Quonset Point, Rhode Island, is a veteran of three space shuttle missions.  He graduated high school down the road here in McLean, Virginia and then got his Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering from the U.S. Naval Academy over here in Annapolis, Maryland.

His first flight was as mission specialist aboard Discovery (STS-42) in January 1992.

He served as pilot for his second mission on Discovery (STS-51) in September 1993, which was a servicing mission to the Hubble Space Telescope.

He was commander of his third and final spaceflight on Atlantis (STS-79) in September 1996, the first shuttle mission to arrive at a fully completed Mir space station.  His crew transferred almost two tons of supplies to Mir, including water generated by Atlantis' fuel cells.  The flight home brought Shannon Lucid back to Earth, after setting a record for an American in space at that time.

First Spacewalk of 2018 completed

Joe Acaba helps Scott Tingle during a fit test in his spacesuit.

Expedition 54 flight engineers Mark Vande Hei and Scott Tingle, NASA astronauts, completed the first spacewalk of 2018 yesterday, January 24, conducting maintenance and making repairs to the International Space Station. It was the third EVA for Vande Hei and the first for Tingle.  They replaced a Latching End Effector (LEE), which is important in grappling visiting vehicles, on the Canadarm2, the robotic arm attached to the station.  The EVA lasted 7 hours and 24 minutes.

This was the 206th EVA conducted for ISS assembly and maintenance.  Astronauts have spent a total of 53 days, 13 hours and 49 minutes (no seconds?) working outside the station.

The next spacewalk is scheduled for this coming Monday, January 29, for Vande Hei and Norishige Kanai of JAXA.




https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacestation/2018/01/23/nasa-astronauts-wrap-up-first-spacewalk-of-2018/

William Pogue, Skylab astronaut, born 1930

William "Bill" Pogue, born January 23, 1930 in Okemah, Oklahoma, went into space as part of the Skylab 4 crew November 1973-February 1974.  It was the third and final crew aboard the U.S.' first space station.  He received his Master of Science degree in Math from Oklahoma State University in 1960.

Pogue was in the U.S. Air Force from 1951 until he was selected by NASA for the Apollo program.  He was the pilot of Skylab 4 with fellow astronauts Gerald Carr and Edward Gibson. 

Pogue retired from the Air Force and NASA in 1975.

He passed away in Cocoa Beach, Florida March 3, 2014 from natural causes.

"Roots" premieres 1977

Alex Haley's groundbreaking and controversial mini-series Roots premiered January 23, 1977.  It became one of the most-watched series on television and its finale is still among the highest number of viewers for an episode.  The story is a dramatization of Haley's ancestral heritage from Kunta Kinte's capture and arrival in America as a slave.

It won 9 Primetime Emmys and a Golden Globe for Best TV Series - Drama.  Louis Gossett, Jr. won a Primetime Emmy for Best Actor in a Drama or Comedy Series, Single Appearance and Ed Asner won for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy or Drama Series, Single Appearance.

It received an additional twenty-eight nominations.  Among the nominations for Best Actor/Actress and Best Supporting Actor/Actress were LeVar Burton (Geordi LaForge), John Amos, Ben Vereen, Madge Sinclair, Leslie Uggams, Cicely Tyson and Sandy Duncan.

Happy birthday, Anita Pointer!

A founding member of the Pointer Sisters (my girls!), Anita Pointer was born January 23, 1948, in Oakland, California.  Although their music was most R&B, Anita wrote Fairytale, which won the group their first Grammy for Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group.  The song was also nominated for Best Country Song of the year for 1975.

She returned to the country charts in 1986 with her duet with Earl Thomas Conley Too Many Times which reached #2 on the U.S. Country charts.

My favorite song led by Anita is I'm So Excited from their Break Out album

Happy birthday, Space Shuttle astronaut Tom Jones!

Thomas Jones, born January 22, 1955 here in Baltimore, Maryland, is a veteran of four (magic number!) space shuttle flights.  He graduated from high school in Essex and got his Bachelor's Degree from the United States Air Force Academy.  While serving 6 years in the Air Force, he got pilot training in Oklahoma!  Wikipedia doesn't say where, though.

His first flight was on Endeavour (STS-59) in April 1994 as mission specialist.  His second flight was also on Endeavour (STS-68) September-October 1994 as mission specialist.

He was scheduled to conduct two EVAs during his third mission on Columbia (STS-80) with fellow astronaut Tammy Jernigan in November-December 1996.  However, problems with the airlock hatch resulted in both being cancelled.

His fourth and final mission was on Atlantis (STS-98) in February 2001 to the International Space Station.  This time he completed three successful EVAs totaling over 19 hours in space.

He retired from NASA in 2001.

Bill Bixby born 1934

Bill Bixby, born January 22, 1934 in San Francisco, was a versatile actor and director, but probably best known for his portrayal of Dr. David Bruce Banner in the television series The Incredible Hulk with Lou Ferrigno, which ran for five seasons from 1977-1982 and spawned several made-for-TV movies.  Much beloved of Marvel fans!

He first appeared the Courtship of Eddie's Father and then went on to star in The Magician.  I remember watching some of those episodes.    After the Incredible Hulk, he went on to direct the TV show Blossom with Mayim Bialik.

He passed away in November 1993 from complications due to prostate cancer.

Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In first episode airs 1968

After a one-off show which aired September 9, 1967, the response to Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In was granted its own series, the first episode of which aired January 22, 1968 - the same day as the Apollo 5 launch!

The show lasted for 6 seasons and starred almost everyone in entertainment, sports and politics.  Richard Nixon made an appearance during his campaign in 1968 (Hubert Humphrey declined), so many credit his deadpan delivery of "Sock it to me?" for helping him get elected President.

Besides Nixon, stars included Carol Burnett, the Bee Gees, John Wayne, Leonard Nimoy, Wilt Chamberlin, Joe Namath, William F. Buckley, the Monkees, Rev. Billy Graham, Agnes Moorehead, Bill Bixby, and Oral Roberts.

Only four of the regulars appeared in every single episode: Dan Rowan, Dick Martin, Gary Owen and Ruth Buzzi, who won a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress in 1973.

Laugh-In won a Golden Globe for Best TV Show in 1969.  Arte Johnson won a Primetime Emmy Award in 1969 for Special Classification Achievements - Indiviuals (Variety Performances), while the show won for Outstanding Variety of Musical Series in 1968 and 1969.  It won awards throughout its 6 year run.

We look back on it now and wonder why we laughed so much back then at the humor which seems so ho-hum and un-funny now.  Maybe back then we had more to laugh about.

Apollo 5 launched 1968

Apollo 5, launched January 22, 1968, was the first unmanned mission of the Apollo Lunar Module 1, which would later carry astronauts to the moon.  Liftoff occured just before sunset and was inserted into orbit perfecly.  The nose cone, without windows (replaced with solid aluminum plates) and no legs or launch escape system, was jettisoned after almost 44 minutes. 

A problem arose when the 39-second descent engine burn was aborted after only 4 seconds.   Ground controllers used an alternate plan to fire the descent manually two more times.  They performed the 'fire in the hole' test and another ascent engine burn. 

The ascent stage re-entered the atmosphere January 24 and burned up.  The descent stage lasted until Feb. 12.

Happy birthday, Space Shuttle astronaut Joe Tanner!

Joseph Tanner, born January 21, 1950 in Danville, Illinois, is a veteran of four space shuttle flights.  His first trip into space was as mission specialist on Atlantis (STS-66) in November 1994.

His second trip was on board Discovery (STS-88) in February 1997 to service the Hubble Space Telescope.  He performed two EVAs totaling about 14 hours.

His third flight was on Endeavour (STS-97) in December 2000 to the International Space Station.  He and fellow astronaut Carlos Noriega conducted 3 EVAs for about 19 hours.

His fourth and final flight was back on Atlantis (STS-115) in September 2006 to the ISS, during which he performed a 5 hour 26 minute EVA.

Kosmos 2175, first Russian (not Soviet) satellite launched 1992

Kosmos 2175, launched January 21, 1992, was the first satellite launched by Russia after the breakup of the Soviet Union.  It was a photo reconnaissance satellite that was deorbited and recovered in March 1992.

I could not find any videos about it online, not even the launch.

Happy birthday, Space Shuttle astronaut Jerry Ross!

Jerry Lynn Ross, born January 20, 1948 in Crown Point, Indiana, is a veteran of 7 space shuttle flights, tying Franklin Chang-Diaz for the most flights.

His first flight was aboard Atlantis (STS-61-B) as mission specialist November-December 1985.  He performed 2 6-hour space walks to demonstrate space station construction techniques.

His second was aboard Atlantis (STS-27) in December 1988 as mission specialist. This trip was cut short due to critical heat-resistant tiles being damaged during liftoff.

During his third flight, back on Atlantis (STS-37) in April 1991, he performed two more EVAs to deploy the Gamma Ray Observatory antenna and test prototype software for the Space Station Freedom.

He served as Payload Commander/Mission Specialist on Columbia (STS-55) in April-May 1993.

He returned to space on Atlantis (STS-74) in November 1995 to space station Mir. 

In December 1998, he was on Endeavour (STS-88), which was the first International Space Station assembly mission.  Ross performed 3 EVAs totaling 21 hours 22 minutes to connect umbilicals and attach tools and hardware.

His final flight was on Atlantis (STS-110) April 2002, when he performed 2 EVAs for just over 14 hours.

Ross retired from NASA on January 28, 2012 being the first person to go into space 7 times.

Happy birthday, Tippi Hedren!

Tippi Hedren, born January 19, 1930 in New Ulm, Minnesota, is probably best known for her role in Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds.  She had only one role prior to Hitchcock casting her in his  masterpiece.

She is still acting but also maintains a sanctuary for retired big cats in California, named Shambala.

Gemini 2 launched 1965

Gemini 2, launched January 19, 1965, was the second flight of NASA's space program.  It was an unmannned flight (as was Gemini 1) and lasted just over 18 minutes.  Its suborbital flight was mainly to test the heat shield.  Although the fuel cells failed before liftoff, the heat shield and retrorockets performed fabulously!

Gemini 2's reentry module was refurbished and flown again in November 1966.  It was the first vehicle to go into space more than once since the X-15 and remained the only until Space Shuttle Columbia until its second flight in 1981.

ZZ Top releases "Antenna" 1994

ZZ Top (super-rock band) released their 11th studio album, Antenna, January 18, 1994.  Its opening track Pincushion was the first single from the album and went to #1 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart in the U.S.

Antenna made it to #14 on the Billboard 200.  Although Pincushion, Breakaway, and Girl in a T-shirt did better on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart than Fuzzbox Voodoo, it is still my favorite.

Happy birthday, Shuttle and Soyuz astronaut Jeff Williams!

Jeffrey Williams, born January 18, 1958 in Wisconsin, is a veteran of a space shuttle flight and three Soyuz flights.

His first trip into space was aboard Atlantis (STS-101) in May 2000 to the International Space Station as Mission Specialist.  Before his second trip, Williams served as the Commander of the NEEMO 3 mission on the Aquarius underwater laboratory in July 2002.

His next trip was as flight engineer on Soyuz TMA-8 for Expedition 13 on the ISS in March-September 2006.  He spent about 6 months aboard the ISS.

Williams' third mission was aboard Soyuz TMA-16 to the ISS in November 2009.  He participated in Expedition 21 and was Commander of the ISS for Expedition 22.

HIs fourth flight (and hopefully not his last) was on Soyuz TMA-20M in March 2016 for Expedition 47 and was Commander for ISS Expedition 48.

Nancy Parsons, Porky's actress, born 1942

Nancy Parsons, born January 17, 1942 in Lake Minnetonka, Minnesota,  is probably best known for her role as Beulah Balbricker in Porky's.  I didn't realize until I  read her bio on imdb.com that she played Janice Van Meter in Steel Magnolias, one of my favorite movies.

I was excited to see her in an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation as Sovereign Marouk in The Vengeance Factor.

Unfortunately, Ms. Parsons passed away too soon in January 2001.

ZZ Top releases their first album 1971

Super-rock group ZZ Top's first album, released January 16, 1971, was appropriately named ZZ Top's First Album. 

The only single released from the album was (Somebody Else Been) Shaking Your Tree and it didn't make it to the Billboard 200.  It's good to hear something from their early years and they have maintained their humor throughout the year, incorporating hard rock, Southern rock, and blues into their unique sound.

And of course, they seem to enjoy slipping in those sexual innuendoes. 

Columbia's (STS-107) final launch 2003

Rear (L-R): David Brown, Laurel Clark, Michael Anderson, Ilan Ramon;

Front (L-R): Rick Husband, Kalpana Chawla, William McCool 

Mission patch

As with the Challenger disaster in 1986, I'm sure we all remember where we were when we heard the news about the Columbia disaster in February 2003.  It was Columbia's 28th mission (STS-107), launched January 16, 2003, when a piece of foam broke off during the launch and damaged part of the thermal protective system on the leading edge of the left wing.

During re-entry, overheated gases were allowed into the wing, which ultimately led to the shuttle breaking apart and the loss of everyone on board.  The people lost were Commander Rick Husband, Pilot William McCool, Mission Specialist David Brown, Mission Specialist Kalpana Chawla, Mission Specialist Michael Anderson, Mission Specialist Laurel Clark and Payload Specialist Ilan Ramon (first Israeli astronaut).  This was the first flight for McCool, Brown, Clark and Ramon.

The Columbia Accident Investigation Board uncovered some interesting facts during their investigation.  Apparently, NASA knew the crew was at risk but decided nothing could be done about it.  They realized that they could have expedited the Atlantis lift-off scheduled March 1, to February 10.  Columbia's crew had enough supplies and resources to last until February 15.  Atlantis would have had a five day overlap to rescue the crew and return them to Earth.  Columbia would be brought down into the ocean.

Happy birthday, Space Shuttle astronaut Jerry Linenger!

Jerry Michael Linenger, born January 16, 1955 in East Detroit, Michigan, is a veteran of 3 Space Shuttle flights and one mission aboard Mir.  After graduating from the US Naval Academy in 1977 down here in Annapolis, Maryland, he went to medical school, eventually getting a Doctor of Philosophy in Epidemiology from the University of North Carolina in 1989.

His first trip into space was aboard Discovery (STS-64) in September 1994 as mission specialist.  Dr. Linenger's second mission was on Atlantis (STS-81) in January 1997 to the space station Mir, where he stayed for 132 days as part of Expedition EO-22.  While on board, he became the first American astronaut to conduct an EVA from a foreign spacecraft, wearing a foreign-made spacesuit.

He returned to Earth aboard Atlantis (STS-84) in May 1997.

House Of Flying Daggers released in USA 2005

One of my favorite foreign movies, House of Flying Daggers, was released in the U.S. January 14, 2005.  It had been released in Hong Kong and China in July 2014. 

During the Tang Dynasty (9th century China), an organization known as "The House of the Flying Daggers" opposes the government.  A police officer Leo (played by a favorite of mine, Andy Lau) sends an officer to investigate Mei, a young dancer, claiming she has ties to the House of Flying Dancers.

It was China's official entry for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Film for 2004.  It wasn't even nominated for that category but did get a nomination for Best Cinematography. 

I think the movie got screwed. 

Soyuz 4 launched 1969

Soyuz 4, launched January 14, 1969, carried cosmonaut Vladimir Shatalov on his first flight.  It docked with Soyuz 5 January 16, a first for two manned spacecraft.  Apollo 9 would do the same in March.  The mission involved transferring switching crews from one spacecraft to another via EVA, since connecting tunnels which would allow a simple internal transfer had not been developed. 

Soyuz 5 cosmonauts Aleksei Yeliseyev and Yevgeny Khrunov successfully transferred to Soyuz 4 and returned to Earth January 17.

Endeavour (STS-54) launched 1993

Left to right: Mario Runco, John Casper, Don McMonagle, Susan Helms, Greg Harbaugh

 Mission patch

Space Shuttle Endeavour launched January 13, 1993 on its third mission (STS-54). Her crew was Commander John Casper, Pilot Donald McMonagle, Mission Specialist 1 Mario Runco, Jr., Mission Specialist 2 Gregory Harbaugh and Mission Specialist Susan Helms.

On the fifth day of the mission, Mario Runco and Greg Harbaugh spent almost 5 hours in the open cargo bay conducting space-walking tests to show how people could work in space.

Endeavour returned January 19.

Happy birthday, Rakesh Sharma, first Indian cosmonaut!

Rakesh Sharma, born January 13, 1949 in India, is the first Indian cosmonaut, who went into space aboard Soyuz TM-11, April 3, 1984.  He is the only Indian citizen to travel in space.  He spent over 7 days in space and returned to Earth aboard Soyuz TM-10 April 11, 1984.

Sergei Korolev, father of the Soviet space program, born 1907

Sergei Pavlovich Korolev, born January 12, 1907 in Russia, was responsible for developing Sputnik 1 and sending Laika and the first human (Yuri Gagarin) in space.  He was arrested in 1938 on a false charge and spent almost 6 years in a Soviet prison.  Against all odds, he actually survived and was recognized for his skills in rocket design.

He directed the Soviet space program and stunned the world when Sputnik 1 was successfully launched in 1957.

Korolev died unexpectedly in 1966 and the Soviet dream of putting a man on the moon died with him.

"Batman" debuts 1966

Everyone's favorite super-hero show, Batman, aired its first episode Hi Diddle Riddle, January 12, 1966.  The show featured a theme song to which we  know the all words...word, rather and took 'camp' to heights never achieved before or since.  It starred Adam West and Burt Ward as the Dynamic Duo.  Throughout its three season run, a galaxy of stars appeared, such as Frank Gorshin as the Riddler, Cesar Romero as the Joker, Burgess Meredith as the Penguin, and Eartha Kitt as Catwoman. 

Other guests were Vincent Price, Caroline Jones, Bruce Lee, Ethel Merman, Liberace, Roddy McDowall, Joan Collins and Lee Meriwether.

Remember 'some days you just can't get rid of a bomb'?  The shark jumping out of the water and clamping on Batman's leg? 

STS-72 launched 1996

Left to right - Seated: Brent Jett, Brian Duffy; 

Standing: Winston Scott, Leroy Chiao, Koichi Wakata, Daniel Barry

 Mission patch

Space Shuttle Endeavour blasted off January 11, 1996 on its tenth mission (STS-72).  Its primary mission was to capture a Japanese microgravity research satellite and return it to Earth.  

Endeavour's crew consisted of Commander Brian Duffy, Pilot Brent Jett, Mission Specialist Leroy Chiao, Mission Specialist Winston Scott, Mission Specialist Koichi Wakata (JAXA) and Mission Specialist Daniel Barry.

Wakata operated the remote manipulator system arm on the shuttle to capture the satellite.

On the seventh day of the flight, Scott climbed into the payload bay and Endeavour was maneuvered into a position where he would be exposed to the extreme cold of space (-104 °F) to test how his spacesuit would protect him.

Soyuz 15 cosmonaut Lev Dyomin born 1926

Lev Dyomin, born January 11, 1926 in Moscow, made one trip into space on Soyuz 15 in August 1974.  With fellow cosmonaut Gennadi Sarafanov, they attempted to dock with the space station Salyut 3 but were unsuccessful.  They returned to Earth two days after launch and neither went into space again.

Dyomin passed away December 18, 1998.

Soyuz 17 launched 1975

Soyuz 17 crew: Grechko, Gubarev

Soyuz 17, mission to Salyut 4, was launched January 10, 1975.  Its crew was Commander Aleksei Gubarev and Flight Engineer Georgi Grechko.  It was the first crew to enter the space station since it was launched less than a month before, December 26, 1974.

Gubarev and Grechko stayed on board for 29 days which was a record at that time.  They returned to Earth February 9 during a snowstorm with winds of 72 km/h.

Happy birthday, Pat Benatar!

Patricia Mae Andrzejewski, born January 10, 1953 in Brooklyn, is better known as Pat Benatar, goddess of rock.  She has two multi-platinum albums, five platinum albums, three gold albums and fifteen Top 40 singles and four Top 10 singles.

She has won four consecutive Grammys for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance in 1980-1983. 

Her album Get Nervous is my favorite album and True Love is my second favorite.

"Convoy" by C.W.McCall hits #1 1976

Convoy, by C. W. McCall (Bill Fries and Chip Davis [of Mannheim Steamroller fame]), about a trucker who goes on a nation-wide rampage, reached #1 on both the country and pop charts January 10, 1976.

Convoy was made popular because of the trucking/CB mania that America was enjoying during the mid-70s.  It's this kind of fun that made the 1970's one of the best decades.  The website history.com introduces its article on the song that claims it celebrates the "exploits of a rebellious trucker with a reckless disregard for human life and highway safety codes". 

Judgmental much?  Name a current tune that has this much excitement without bad language and/or sex.

Although it was a flash-in-the-pan, it inspired Sam Peckinpah's movie Convoy.  Rolling Stone magazine listed the song as 98th among the 100 Greatest Country Songs of All Time.




http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/convoy-by-c-w-mccall-is-the-1-song-on-the-u-s-pop-charts
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Convoy_(song)

Shenzhou 2, Chinese spacecraft, launched 2001

China's second unmanned spacecraft, Shenzhou 2, was launched January 9, 2001.  A monkey, a dog and a rabbit were aboard the life support system, which separated from the orbital module after a week in orbit. 

Here's the strange part.  Although Chinese officials said the landing was successful, no photos have been released of the capsule, leading some to believe the landing failed.  A Swedish Space Center news site reported that one of the connections between capsule and parachute failed.  I can't find any videos of Shenzhou 2's launch or landing.  The references cited at the end of the Wikipedia.com page have been removed from Space.com's website.  So what happened, fellas?  The only article I could find on their site that mentioned Shenzhou 2 was the one listed below

The orbital module continued orbiting until August 24 when it re-entered over the western Pacific Ocean.

https://www.space.com/17457-spaceflight-firsts-russia-nasa-china-study.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shenzhou_2