Happy birthday, French astronaut Michel Tognini!

Michel Tognini, born September 30, 1949 in Vincennes, France, has gone into space on Soyuz and space shuttle missions.  He was selected by France's space agency, the National Center for Space Studies (CNES), in July 1986. 

His first flight was aboard Soyuz TM-15 in July 1992 to the space station Mir.  He stayed on board for about two weeks before returning on Soyuz TM-14.

His second and final mission in space was aboard Columbia (STS-93) as mission specialist in July 1999.  The mission lasted just under 5 days.

Alouette 1, Canada's first satellite, launched 1962

Canada officially entered the Space Age when it launched Alouette 1, its first artificial satellite, September 29, 1962.  It was the first satellite to be constructed by a country other than the United States or the Soviet Union.  NASA launched it from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California and lasted for ten years before Canada switched it off, but it remains in orbit.  Alouette 1 is expected to remain in orbit for another 1000 years.

The Pointer Sisters receive star on Hollywood Walk of Fame 1994

My girls, the Pointer Sisters received their star on Hollywood Walk of Fame September 29, 1994.  They're the first female African-American group to receive such an honor. 

They have won three Grammys and three American Music Awards.

Happy birthday, cosmonaut Aleksandr Ivanchenkov!

Aleksandr Ivanchenkov, born September 28, 1940 in the former Soviet Union, is a veteran of two space missions, spending more than 147 days in space.

His first mission was aboard Soyuz 29 to Salyut 6 in June 1978 as part of the EO-2 expedition.  He returned to Earth on Soyuz 31 in November.

His second and final flight was aboard Soyuz T-6 to Salyut 7 in June 1982, when he spent just under 8 days in space. 

Soyuz 12 launched 1973

Soyuz 12, launched September 27, 1973, was intended to help improve safety for cosmonauts, in light of the tragedy of Soyuz 11.  Its crew consisted of Commander Vasili Lazarev and Flight Engineer Oleg Makarov.  They wore spacesuits which limited the crew to only two, instead of three.

The original plans were for Soyuz 12 to dock with Salyut 2, but the space station failed.  Lazarev and Makarov stayed in space for 2 days before returning to Earth.

Happy birthday, ESA astronaut Luca Parmitano!

Luca Parmitano, born September 27, 1976 in Paterno, Sicily, is an astronaut with the European Space Agency.  He went into space on board Soyuz TMA-09M, launched May 2013 to the International Space Station with Fyodor Yurchikhin and Karen Nyberg.  He was part of the crew of Expeditions 36 and 37. 

He returned to Earth in November 2013.

Happy birthday, Czech cosmonaut Vladimir Remek!

Vladimir Remek, born September 26, 1948 in the former Czechoslovakia, went into space aboard Soyuz 28 to Salyut 6 in March 1978.  He is the first and, so far, the only Czech citizen to travel into space.

After his only mission, he became a member of the European Parliament and is currently the Czech ambassador to Russia.

Atlantis (STS-86) launched 1997

Front row (L-R): Michael Bloomfield, James Wetherbee, Wendy Lawrence; 

Back row: Jean-Loup Chrétien, Scott Parazynski, Vladimir Titov, Michael Foale.

(This picture must have been taken after the flight since Wolf is not in it.)

Mission patch

Space Shuttle Atlantis (STS-86), launched September 25, 1997, was the seventh shuttle mission to Mir and the last before Atlantis was taken out of service for maintenance and upgrades.  Its crew consisted of Commander James Wetherbee, Pilot Michael Bloomfield, Vladimir Titov (Roscosmos), Scott Parazynski, Jean-Loup Chretien (National Center for Space Studies), Wendy Lawrence and David Wolf.

Wolf replaced Michael Foale as the resident U.S. astronaut on Mir, the decision made only the night before the launch by NASA Administrator Daniel Goldin.  There had been political pressure on NASA to discontinue American astronauts on Mir after problems during Foale's residence and his predecessor Jerry Linenger. 

Parazynski and Titov conducted one EVA for about 5 hours.

The crew, with Foale instead of Wolf, landed October 6.

Dolly Parton, first appearance on The Porter Wagoner Show, 1967

The almighty Queen of Country Music and God's special angel, Dolly Parton, made her first appearance on the Porter Wagner Show September 25, 1967.  Although she had been seen on television a few times prior, it was Porter Wagner who gave her her big break. 

The rest is history.

She's won dozens of awards, inducted into every country music hall of fame there is, and appeared on-screen in movies and television.

You go, girl!

This isn't a clip from the first show, but it is from one of her earlier episodes.

Shenzhou 7 launched 2008

Shenzhou 7 crew

Mission patch

Shenzhou 7, launched September 25, 2008, was the third manned spaceflight for the China National Space Administration.  Its crew consisted of Commander Zhai Zhigang, Liu Boming and Jing Haipeng.  It was the first flight for all three crew members. 

Zhigang and Boming conducted the first EVA by Chinese astronauts.  During the mission, China launched its first ever data relay satellite, Tianlian I.  On a controversial note, Shenzhou 7 passed within 45 km (27 miles) of the International Space Station.  Despite inquiries from the international community, China never did offer an explanation for why it flew so close to the ISS.

The crew returned to Earth on September 28.

Billy Joel's "Tell Her About It" reaches #1 1983

Billy Joel's homage to Motown, Tell Her About It, from his totally awesome album Innocent Man, reached #1 September 24, 1983, knocking Maniac out of the top spot.  Billy said the song was inspired by then-wife (soon-to-be wife?) Christie Brinkley.  The lyrics are words of encouragement to a young man to tell his girl how he feels before it's too late.

John Young, Gemini, Apollo and Space Shuttle astronaut, born 1930

John W. Young, born September 24, 1930 in San Francisco, California, has been referred to as NASA's most experienced astronaut.  He was the only person to participate in three different space programs. 

In the 1960s, he flew on Gemini 3 and Gemini 10.  He flew on Apollo 10 and Apollo 16, making him one of three people to go to the moon twice.  In the 1980s, he flew twice on Columbia (STS-1), the first space shuttle flight, and again on STS-9.

After 42 years with NASA, he retired in December 2004.  He passed away in January 2018 from complications from pneumonia. 

"The Munsters" premieres 1964

The Munsters, tied with The Addams Family for favorite monster family, made its debut on television, September 24, 1964, less than a week after The Addams Family (September 18).  Its cast consisted of Fred Gwynne (Herman Munster), Yvonne DeCarlo (Lily Munster), Al Lewis (Grandpa), and Butch Patrick (Eddie Munster).

Beverly Owen played Marilyn Munster during the first thirteen episodes but left the show to marry her boyfriend.  Pat Priest replaced her for the rest of the series.

In 1965, The Munsters was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Television Series but lost to that television masterpiece The Rogues.  Has anybody heard of/remember The Rogues?

The Munsters was cancelled after its second season due to sagging ratings, but has found phenomenal success in syndication.  I find it interesting that Al Lewis was one year younger than his "daughter" Yvonne DeCarlo. 

"Charlie's Angels" premieres 1976

The first episode of the first regular season of Charlie's Angels aired September 22, 1976.  The pilot film aired earlier, in March, and received high ratings so it became a regular series.  The original cast featured Farrah Fawcett-Majors, Jaclyn Smith, Kate Jackson and David Boyle. 

The series enjoyed high ratings.  After Farrah Fawcett left the series after the first season, which resulted in lawsuits for breach of contract.  She agreed to come back for guest appearances.  Cheryl Ladd was brought in as Fawcett's character's sister.  Ratings dipped but recovered.

Then Kate Jackson left the series and they brought in Shelly Hack, but she lasted only one season.  Tanya Roberts was cast for the fifth season, but ratings never recovered after Jackson's departure and the series was cancelled.

Happy birthday, Icelandic astronaut Bjarni Tryggvason!

Bjarni Tryggvason, born September 21, 1945 in Reykjavik, Iceland, is an astronaut with the Canadian Space Agency and went into space on the Space Shuttle Discovery (STS-85) as payload specialist in August 1997.  Although born in Iceland, he grew up in Vancouver, British Columbia.

During the mission, his primary role was performing fluid dynamics experiments to examine sensitivity to spacecraft vibrations using the Microgravity Vibration Isolation Mount (MIM).  The experiments were to study the effects of vibrations on the experiments performed on the International Space Station.

JAXA's MINERVA II 1 has released its rovers to Ryugu

Asteroid Ryugu from MINERVA II 1

Just a few hours ago, the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) confirmed that the MINERVA II 1( Micro-Nano Experimental Robot Vehicle for the Asteroid) has released its two rovers, ROVER-1A and ROVER-1B to explore the Near-Earth Object/Asteroid Ryugu. 

Contact has been lost with MINERVA but JAXA figures it is due  to the rotation of the asteroid.  Hopefully, they will re-establish contact soon.

Billy Joel receives Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame 2004

My man Billy Joel got his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, September 20, 2004!  He joked about writing the song Say Goodbye to Hollywood, and now he'll never leave.  He is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and lived in Santa Monica early in his career.

Surveyor 2 launched 1966

Surveyor 2, the second unmanned lunar lander in NASA's Surveyor program, was launched September 20, 1966. It was designed to achieve a soft landing on the moon and send back pictures, but a mid-course correction failure resulted in the probe crashing onto the lunar surface at about 6000 miles per hour on September 23.  That is probably why there aren't any videos of its launch.

Of the seven Surveyor probes, five were successful in landing on the moon.

Star Trek episode "Spock's Brain" airs 1968

Widely regarded by cast, crew and fans as the worst episode of the original Star Trek series, Spock's Brain, aired September 20, 1968.  The Enterprise encounters a strange spacecraft and then a mysterious woman appears on the bridge.  She manages to subdue the entire crew using a device on her arm.  When they come to, Dr. McCoy discovers Spock lying on a bio-bed without his brain.

If you've seen this episode, you know why it's one of the worst. 

Happy birthday, Space Shuttle astronaut Richard Linnehan!

Richard Linnehan, born September 19, 1957 in Lowell, Massachusetts, is a veteran of four space shuttle missions.  After receiving a BS in Animal Sciences and a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, he completed an internship in exotic animal medicine at the Baltimore Zoo! 

Selected as an astronaut by NASA in 1992, his first flight was aboard Columbia (STS-78) as mission specialist June-July 1996.  It was a preparation flight for the International Space Station.

Linnehan's second flight was aboard Columbia (STS-90) as mission specialist April-May 1998.  The Mammalian Development Team, which I'm sure Linnehan was a part of, experienced an unexpectedly high mortality rate of neonatal rats.  Therefore, they had to reprioritize their experiments.

His third flight was aboard Columbia (STS-109) as mission specialist in March 2002.  It was a servicing mission to the Hubble Space Telescope and the last flight of Columbia before it disintegrated the following February upon re-entry.

Linnehan's fourth and final flight was aboard Endeavour (STS-123) as mission specialist in March 2008 to the International Space Station.  He performed three EVAs, totaling 21 hours.

Israel joins Space Age, launches Ofeq-1 1988

Israel became the 8th independent nation to enter the space age when it launched Ofeq 1 on September 19. 1988.  It was the first in a series of  reconnaissance satellites designed and manufactured by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI).  They are launched from an airbase on Israel's Mediterranean coast.  Israel is the sixth nation to launch rockets from its own country.

The most recent launch of an Ofeq satellite was Ofeq 11 on September 13, 2016.

Book reviews - "A Prayer for the Damned", "Dancing with Demons" by Peter Tremayne

Due to a little confusion as to the sequence of books, I started reading Dancing with Demons (No. 16) until I realized I had missed A Prayer for the Damned (No. 15), so I ended up reading them back to back but in the proper order.  As with all Sister Fidelma mysteries, Tremayne presents an investigation which appears to be an open-and-shut case, but everyone’s favorite ancient Irish dalaigh manages to unravel a complicated, impossibly complex mystery.  He does a great job of keeping up the suspense and keeping the reader guessing until Fidelma has completed her report to the council.

A Prayer for the Damned opens with a beautiful, young woman throwing herself off a cliff, heartbroken over the loss of a love.  The main crux of the story is a fanatical abbot, who is wreaking havoc over the five kingdoms to have his views on celibacy and separation of sexes recognized as the top law, is murdered in Cashel, on the eve of Fidelma and Eadulf’s wedding.  One of the kings is seen leaving the abbot’s room just before the body is discovered.  In a shrewd move, the king requests Fidelma represent him to the High Council.  This means postponing her wedding.  Of course, Fidelma cannot stand by and let a client be railroaded into a conviction, not with so many other people wanting to kill the abbot.

Dancing with Demons begins with the High King Sechnussach being murdered in his bed and the murderer is discovered immediately afterwards, and commits suicide before he can be captured.  The Chief Brehon cannot investigate the assassination because it presents a conflict of interest (he and the king are members of the same clan), so Fidelma is called in.  Again, it appears it was an easy case to complete, but not for Fidelma.  She uncovers so much political intrigue and religious conflict, the reader can get overwhelmed.

That being said, there are aspects of Tremayne’s writing that make reading a little tedious.  He’s an expert on ancient Irish cultures.  We get it.  He knows what he’s talking about.  But the data dumps get weary.  It is interesting to know there were six types of roads in Eireann, but some of us like mysteries and do not want a history lesson, especially since only one of them is pertinent to the story.  Unless there is a quiz at the end.  Hint: There isn’t.

Also monotonous, he introduces ancient terms, which is fine, but follows them up with similar phrases like “Eadulf recognized the term for…”  “Eadulf was unfamiliar with the term and asked what it meant…” Sometimes, Tremayne just tells the reader what it is. 

Despite these issues, I continue to read Fidelma’s mysteries.  I find the glimpse into ancient Ireland fascinating and the stories are always satisfying.

I give them both ☘☘☘☘ out of 5

Cosmonaut Nikolai Rukavishnikov born 1932

Cosmonaut Nikolai Rukavishnikov, born September 18, 1932, is a veteran of three Soyuz missions, only one of which was successful. 

His first mission was aboard Soyuz 10 in April 1971 as Test Engineer.  The Soyuz crew tried to dock with Salyut 1, but failed.  They returned two days later.

His second mission was as Flight Engineer on Soyuz 16 in December 1974.  It was a test flight for the Apollo-Soyuz mission the following year.  The mission was successful and the crew returned after almost 6 days in space.

His third and final mission was as Commander aboard Soyuz 33 in April 1979.  They attempted to dock with Salyut 6 but an engine failure forced the mission to be aborted.  They returned to Earth after less than two days.

He passed away of a heart attack in October 2002.

My Top 10 "I Dream of Jeannie" episodes

In honor of one I Dream of Jeannie debuting September 18, 1965 and also with the passing of Bill Daily (Major Healy), I decided to post my top 10 favorite I Dream Of Jeannie episodes.  There are so many good ones, but I narrowed them down to a few.  Here, in no particular order, are my favorite ten episodes:

1. One of Our Hotels is Growing

When their hotel reservations get inexplicably cancelled, Jeannie blinks a 13th floor onto the hotel. I never knew until this episode that high-rise hotels do not have a Floor 13!



2. U-F-Oh Jeannie

Majors Nelson and Healey are testing a new aircraft that looks like a flying saucer when they crash-land in rural Florida and hillbillies think they are Martians!




3. Invisible House for Sale

 Jeannie wants to move to an apartment so Tony won't have to spend all of his weekends doing chores, so she decides to sell the house. I loved seeing the shots of Hearst Castle in this one. Jeannie Uppington-Smythe!




4. See you in C-U-B-A

 Jeannie blinks Tony's plane to Cuba. Farrah Fawcett made one of her first television appearances in this one.



5. My Master, the Rich Tycoon

 Paul Lynde plays an internal revenuer. When he drops by the house to give Tony his IRS refund check, he insults Tony's taste. Jeannie takes umbrage and blinks up many priceless treasures.



6. The Wedding

 Jeannie and Tony get married. This was one of the reasons the show lost viewers and thus got cancelled. The actress who plays Mrs. Bellows is hilarious.


7.  How to Be a Genie in 10 Easy Lessons

Tony, fed up with Jeannie, gives her the book "A Thousand and One Arabian Nights" and tells her to read it to know how genies are supposed to act. He doesn't realize that it is a book on how genies are to torture their masters.

 


8. Meet My Master's Mother

 Tony's mother comes to stay. Permanently, or until she can find him a nice girl to take care of him.




9. Jeannie to the Defense

 Jeannie has to come to Tony's defense when he gets caught up in a hit-and-run scam in a small town.

  


10. Hurricane Jeannie

 While Tony tries to talk two astronauts down during hurricane, Dr. Bellows discovers that Jeannie is a genie. This was the last episode filmed and the series wrapped up afterwards. This was meant to be the final episode in case the show was not renewed. The producers hadn't decided on another season yet, so it was made into a dream sequence in case they needed to continue the story. But it wasn't to be. :(

 

Bewitched premieres 1964

The first episode of Bewitched aired September 17, 1964.  The series which lasted 8 seasons starred Elizabeth Montgomery, Agnes Moorehead and Dick York as the original Darrin.  After health problems forced him to quit, Dick Sargent took over the role. 

The opening episode involved Samantha telling Darrin on their wedding night she was a witch.  It spawned a short-lived series Tabitha, and was remade into a movie, Bewitched in 2005.

Nearly all of the principal characters were veterans of the Twilight Zone.

Happy birthday, Space Shuttle astronaut Samuel Durrance!

Samuel Durrance, born September 17, 1943 in Tallahassee, Florida, is a veteran of two space shuttle flights.  He worked as a principal research scientists at the Johns Hopkins University over here in Baltimore.

His first flight was on Columbia (STS-35) as a payload specialist in December 1990.  The mission was shortened by one day because of impending bad weather at Edwards Air Force Base in California.

His second and final was aboard Endeavour (STS-67) in March 1995 as a payload specialist.  One of the objectives was to measure ultraviolet radiation from space since most UV radiation is absorbed by Earth's atmosphere and cannot be studied at the surface.

Soyuz 22 launched 1976

Soyuz 22 crew: Valery Bykovsky, Vladimir Adsyonov

The mission objectives of Soyuz 22, launched September 15, 1976, were stated to "check and improve scientific methods and means of studying geological features of the Earth's surface in the interests of the national economies of the Soviet Union and the German Democratic Republic". 

However, many believe that its crew, Commander Valery Bykovsky and Flight Engineer Vladimir Aksyonov, was instructed to observe NATO exercises near Norway.  Their high inclination had not been used since the Voskhod program n the 1960s. 

They returned to Earth September 23. 

"Ghidrah, the Three-Headed Monster" released in US 1965

Ghidrah, the Three-Headed Monster, released the previous December in Japan, made its way to big screens in the U.S. September 13, 1965.

In one of the better movies with King Ghidrah or King Ghidorah, this one did NOT have aliens promising to rid Earth of Godzilla and then replacing him with the three-headed monster.  In this movie, an alien has taken over the mind of a princess and prophesies about the coming of Godzilla, Rodan and King Ghidorah.

Japan is helpless against the monsters so they contact the Cosmos and ask them to have Mothra intercede.  Mothra manages to unite Godzilla and Rodan and the three of them defeat King Ghidorah. 

"The Monkees" premieres 1966

Everyone's favorite fab faux group, The Monkees, aired their first episode September 12, 1966 with the farce Royal Flush.  The "Prefab Four" consisted of Peter Tork, Micky Dolenz, Davy Jones and Michael Nesmith.  The show has been described as being about a band that wants to be the Beatles but it never happens. 

The Monkees became a band in their own right, playing instruments and singing their songs.  They were also one of the most successful bands in the 1960s and have sold more than 75 million albums world-wide, making them one of the most successful bands of all time!

Unfortunately, Davy Jones passed away in 2012 but the other three still perform together.

Endeavour (STS-47) launched 1992

STS-47 crew

Front row (L-R): Jay Apt, Curtis Brown; 

Back row (L-R): Jan Davis, Mark Lee, Robert Gibson, Mae Jemison,  Mamoru Mohri

Mission patch

Space Shuttle Endeavour (STS-47), launched September 12, 1992, was the  fiftieth mission of NASA's shuttle program and the second flight for Endeavour.  Its crew consisted of Commander Robert L. Gibson, Pilot Curtis Brown, Mark Lee, Jay Apt, Jan Davis, Mae Jemison and Mamoru Mohri (JAXA).

It was the first flight for an African-American female, Mae C. Jemison.  It was the first time a married couple went into space, Mark Lee and Jan Davis.  NASA has a rule prohibiting married couples from serving on the same mission, but Lee and Davis got married in a secret ceremony a few weeks prior.  By the time NASA found out, it was too late to do anything.

Mamoru Mohri became the first Japanese astronaut to fly on a shuttle mission, representing JAXA, as a payload specialist.

Happy birthday, Space Shuttle astronaut Roger Crouch!

Roger Crouch, born September 12, 1940 in Jamestown, Tennessee, is a veteran of two space shuttle flights.  His bio on wikipedia.com says he was "on loan" to NASA from MIT to be the Senior Scientist for the International Space Station.

His first flight was on Columbia (STS-83) in April 1997 as payload specialist.  The mission was cut short because a problem with Fuel Cell #2 developed and Columbia landed just short of 4 days after it lifted off.

Crouch's second and final trip was on Columbia (STS-94) as payload specialist in July 1997.  This was considered a "reflight" of the STS-83 mission, since the earlier flight was cut short.

Book review - "The Heist" by Daniel Silva

Might contain spoilers.

Silva is never one to give the reader a break.  He starts his novel The Heist with a scene that seems innocent enough (unless you’ve read some of his other works), but within a few paragraphs has you devouring each page while taking you on a wild ride through Europe, the Middle East and all the art museums in between.

The Heist opens with the brutal murder of an art thief, so naturally Israeli spy extraordinaire and master classic art restorer Gabriel Allon is taxed with finding out who killed him.  And where are the paintings he stole?

The title refers to Allon staging a theft of a Van Gogh from the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.  He creates an exact replica of the painting and puts it on the black market to flesh out the murderer.

Of course, Silva doesn’t stick with a mere art thief and a couple of murders.  Soon, Allon and his team uncover huge sums of money generated from the theft, trafficking and selling of priceless pieces of art.  Billions of dollars are hidden in bank accounts all over the globe to keep a tyrannical regime in power, and rolling in the dough while keeping its citizens in poverty and oppressed by the military.

Although a great story, I felt it wasn’t as good as some of his previous works.  The final solution is a little disappointing but I suppose we can’t become complacent.  There is still an element of satisfaction that the little fish didn’t get away, even if the big fish does.

I enjoy Silva’s work even though he violates writers’ rules against adding data dumps, however, interesting and the intrusive narrator.  He keeps his stories fast passed despite these sins(?).

3 ✪✪✪ out of 5

Remembering Bill Daily (1927-2018)

While we were mourning the loss of Burt Reynolds, another one of our beloved characters from our youth passed away.  Bill Daily, who played Major Roger Healey on I Dream of Jeannie and Howard Borden on the Bob Newhart Show, died September 4 in Santa Fe, New Mexico.  His family announced his passing on September 7. 

Born in Des Moines, Iowa, Daily served in the Korean War before going into entertainment, as a musician playing bass.  He appeared in several TV shows, including Bewitched, before being cast as the bumbling, playboy sidekick to Larry Hagman's Major Nelson in I Dream of Jeannie, which also starred Barbara Eden. 

Cosmonaut Gherman Titov born 1935

Gherman Titov, born September 11, 1935 in the former Soviet Union, was the second human to orbit Earth.  He flew on Vostok 2 in August 1961 and made 17 orbits, spending one night in orbit.  He holds the dubious record for being the first person to throw up in space.  At 25 years and 11 months, he is still the youngest person to go into space.

He continued with the Soviet space program but after the death of Yuri Gagarin, the Soviets decided they couldn't lose another cosmonaut and his career in space ended.

He passed away in September 2000 of cardiac arrest.

Happy birthday, Space Shuttle astronaut Mike Mullane!

Richard "Mike" Mullane, born September 10, 1945 in Wichita Falls, Texas, is a veteran of three space shuttle flights and has spent over 2 weeks in space.  As a colonel in the Air Force, he flew combat missions in the Vietnam War in 1969.  He was chosen by NASA to become an astronaut in 1978. 

His first mission was aboard Discovery (STS-41-D) as mission specialist in August-September 1984.  During this flight, three commercial communications satellites were deployed.

His second flight was aboard Atlantis (STS-27) as mission specialist in December 1988.  During lift-off, the heat shield was damaged and impacted the right wing.  They managed to complete the mission successfully and land on December 6 without incident.  However, this same scenario proved fatal for the crew of Columbia 15 years later.

Mullane's third and final flight was aboard Atlantis (STS-36) as mission specialist February-March 1990.  It carried a classified payload for the Department of Defense, like his previous mission.

After retiring from NASA, he wrote a book, Riding Rockets:  The Outrageous Tales of a  Space Shuttle Astronaut, which describes his experiences as a space shuttle astronaut.

"The X Files" premieres 1993

Talk about cutting edge television and pushing the envelope!  The X-Files, creepy, spooky and totally entertaining, premiered on September 10, 1993.  A skeptical FBI agent Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) is assigned to assist FBI's premium pariah, Agent Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) in his investigations in the X-files, cases that involve strange phenomena and nobody else wants to handle.

The series, created by Chris Carter, covers everything from alien abduction, supernatural beings and paranormal events.  Over the span of its initial 11 seasons and now into the second season of its recent incarnation, the show has received 212 nominations including Primetime Emmys and Golden Globes and has won 96 of them.

It is listed as #86 on the highest ranked-television programs on imdb.com.

Benjamin, the last Tasmanian tiger, dies 1933

Thylacines in the DC Zoo, about 1906.

September 7, 1933, "Benjamin", the last Tasmanian tiger, died in the Hobart Zoo (Beaumaris Zoo) in Tasmania, Australia.  A carnivorous marsupial, it was a relatively shy, nocturnal creature that resembled a medium-to-large sized dog. The Tasmanian tiger, or thylacine, was native to Australia, Tasmania and New Guinea, but had come almost extinct on Australia when the British began colonizing the continent.

It was rarely sighted on Tasmania but were blamed for numerous attacks on sheep.  Bounties were introduced on the thylacine as early as the 1830s, with the Tasmanian government paying for dead thylacines, whether adults or pups.  It is thought that many more thylacines were killed than claimed.  The Tasmanian tiger's extinction is attributed to bounty hunters and farmers who blamed them for attacks on their livestock.  Their extinction could also have been accelerated by wild dogs introduced by European settlers, erosion of its habitat and disease.  By the 1920s, it had become very rare.  Too little too late, the Tasmanian Advisory Committee for Native Fauna recommended protecting the thylacine.  The last known thylacine was killed in 1930 by Wilf Batty, a farmer from Mawbanna.

Although it is officially extinct, people still claim to see them in the wild but none of these have been verified.

Endeavour (STS-69) launched 1995

STS-69 crew

Seated (L-R): Kenneth Cockrell, David Walker; 

Standing (L-R): Michael Gernhardt, James Newman, James Voss

Mission patch

Space Shuttle Endeavour (STS-69) launched September 7, 1995 for the 100th successful manned spaceflight for NASA.  Its crew consisted of Commander David Walker, Pilot Kenneth Cockrell, James Voss, James Newman, and Michael Gernhardt.

It was also the second flight of the Wake Shield Facility.  Other experiments investigated bone loss during space flights, monitoring and measuring long-term variations in extreme ultraviolet (EUV) from the sun and tested assembly techniques for the International Space Station.

They returned to Earth September 18.

Remembering Burt Reynolds (1936-2018)

Impossibly handsome and sexy Burt Reynolds has passed away.  His television and movie career has spanned more than five decades.  I first fell in love with him in Smokey and the Bandit.  He was the epitome of the human male and we all wanted to be him. 

He was born in Lansing, Michigan in 1936 and, although he wanted to become a football player, he started acting at Palm Beach Junior College and won the Florida State Drama Award in 1956.  His breakout role was portraying Lewis in the movie Deliverance.

He was nominated for an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in a Supporting Role for Boogie Nights, but he did win a Golden Globe.

Rest in peace, Burt.

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

I think P. C. Doherty has ghost writers for his publications and when they learn a new word, they try to see how many times they can use it in a novel.  In his previous book in this series, Dark Serpent, the word was ‘contumaciously’ (stubbornly perverse or rebellious).  In The Devil’s Wolf, the nineteenth and latest Hugh Corbett mystery, the word is ‘comitatus’ (a companion, an associate).  The repetition becomes tedious and distracts from the enjoyment of the story.  Doherty et al, think about using a thesaurus!  It is a great tool.

In The Devil’s Wolf, King Edward II has sent Hugh Corbett and his comitatus north, closer to Scotland.  England’s war with the Scots is going from ‘terrible’ to ‘it can’t get any worse’.  Corbett is traveling to Lord Percy of Alnwick Castle for a prisoner exchange with the Scots.

On the way, Corbett is warned of an attack by Edmund Darel, a ruthless knight whose sympathies lie with Robert the Bruce.  Corbett and his men foil the attack but one of their Scottish prisoners is later found poisoned.

Even after they reach the safety of Alnwick Castle, more attempts are made to kill Corbett.  Two more Scottish prisoners are poisoned and the fourth disappears.  Corbett knows there is a traitor in their midst but he cannot determine who it is.  He hears stories of Darel’s comitatus cavorting with witches and devil worshippers at bizarre midnight ceremonies.

Doherty takes a walk on the weird side with this story.  He’s touched on these subjects before but hasn’t take a complete dive off the deep end as with this one.

But Doherty ends The Devil’s Wolf with a teaser for the reader that Hugh Corbett Novel #20 will follow.

Three dragons out of five.
🐉🐉🐉

Happy birthday, Space Shuttle astronaut Bryan O'Connor!

Bryan O'Connor, born September 6, 1946 in Orange, California, is a veteran of two space shuttle flights.

His first flight was as pilot on Atlantis (STS-61-B) November-December 1985.  The mission deployed three communication satellites and tested constructing structures in orbit.

His second was as Commander on Columbia (STS-40) in June 1991.  It was the first space lab mission dedicated solely to biology and the first mission to include three women astronauts.

Happy birthday, Chip Davis, founder of Mannheim Steamroller!

Louis "Chip" Davis, Jr., born September 5, 1947 in Hamler, Ohio, is the founder of the new age group Mannheim Steamroller.  He studied music at the University of Michigan and worked with an ad agency in Omaha, Nebraska where he co-invented the fictional character C. W. McCall.  Remember Convoy?

Davis founded Mannheim Steamroller in 1974 to concentrate on fusing modern music and classical music techniques.  He released Fresh Aire in 1975.  In 1984, he released Mannheim Steamroller Christmas and changed the face of holiday music forever.   

I was introduced to Mannheim Steamroller at a Kappa Kappa Psi keg party, where Mere Image from Fresh Aire III was playing.  Fraternity bro Tammy Stewart told me about the group and so I went looking for their albums.  I couldn't find Fresh Aire III so I bought Fresh Aire IV which featured one of my favorite songs of all time, Dancing Flames.

"You Should Be Dancing" by the Bee Gees hits #1 1976

The Bee Gees released Children of the World, their fourteenth studio album in September 1976, but released the single You Should Be Dancing earlier, in June.  September 4, 1976, the single made it to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the U.S.

A year later, it was featured in the movie Saturday Night Fever with John Travolta.  It was their third #1 Billboard Hot 100 in the U.S.

Happy birthday, Patricia Tallman!

Actress/stuntwoman Patricia Tallman, born September 4, 1957 in Pontiac, Illinois, is beloved by many sci-fi fans as the rogue telepath Lyta Alexander on the TV series Babylon 5.  I didn't realize this until reading her bio on imdb.com, that she was Laura Dern's stunt double in Jurassic Park.  According to the web-site, you can see her face after Dern's character falls off the T-Rex skeleton and the camera closes in on her face for a second.  I remember the scene and thought it was Laura Dern all the time!

I was upset when Andrea Thompson (Talia Winters) left Babylon 5 and held a grudge against Lyta Alexander as being responsible for her leaving, but got to appreciate her. 

"Xena: Warrior Princess" premieres 1995

Xena: Warrior Princess, a spin-off of Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, premiered on television September 4, 1995 and became a cult classic almost overnight.  It quickly eclipsed Hercules in the ratings and is still one of the biggest top culture shows ever.

It starred Lucy Lawless as the title character and Renee O'Connor as Gabrielle, the sidekick.  Joxer would show up later.

The premise of the series is Xena, a warlord (warlady?) or "Destroyer of Nations" has decided to change her ways and become good.  She teams up with Gabrielle as they travel the countryside standing up for the greater good.

The series ended in 2001.

Happy birthday, Swiss astronaut Claude Nicollier!

Claude Nicollier, born September 2, 1944, is a veteran of four space shuttle flights and Switzerland's first astronaut.

His historic first flight was aboard Atlantis (STS-46) as mission specialist in July 1992.  The mission's main objectives were to deploy the ESA's European Retrievable Carrier (EURECA) and the joint project between NASA and the Italian Space Agency, the Tethered Satellite System (TSS).

His second mission was aboard Endeavour (STS-61) as mission specialist in December 1993.  Nicollier used Endeavour's robotic arm to capture and re-deploy the Hubble Space Telescope.

His third flight was on Columbia (STS-75) as mission specialist February-March 1996.  The mission's main objective was to deploy another tethered satellite TSS-1R, a 'reflight' from STS-46.

Nicollier's fourth and final flight was aboard Discovery (STS-103) in December 1999, another servicing trip to the Hubble Telescope.  Nicollier performed an EVA as part of the maintenance and repair of the Hubble.