Celebrating Black History Month: LL Cool J, the first black man to survive a horror movie

We've all heard the joke that the black guy always gets it in a horror movie.  Well, uber-sexy actor LL Cool J broke that rule.  In Deep Blue Sea, released in July 1999, he and Thomas Jane survive in an underwater laboratory studying mako sharks, using them to harvest experimental drugs to treat Alzheimer's Disease sufferers.  Of course, nothing goes as planned and the sharks break loose, eating everyone they can.

Spoiler alert!

LL Cool J's character Preacher kills two of the three sharks.  The first he blows up by igniting the gas from an oven, where the shark tried to roast him.

The second he blows up with an explosive dart, almost killing Thomas Jane's Carter in the process.

Happy birthday, astronaut Jack Lousma!

Jack Lousma, born February 29, 1936 in Grand Rapids, Michigan, has been in space twice, participating in two different projects. 

His first trip into space was aboard Skylab 3 as pilot in July-September 1973. He conducted two EVAs for a total time of 11 hours.

His second trip into space was aboard Columbia (STS-3) as commander in March 1982.

In April 1970, he was the CAPCOM recipient of the "Houston, we've had a problem" message from Apollo 13.

Celebrating Black History Month: Gail Fisher, first African-American actress to win an Emmy, Golden Globe

Gail Fisher, born August 18, 1935 in Orange, New Jersey, is the first African-American actress to win an Emmy and a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress.  She won the awards for her role as Peggy Fair on the detective series Mannix, starring Mike Connors.  She won two Golden Globes for her performance on Mannix.  She is the second African-American woman to be featured prominently in a television series after Nichelle Nichols in Star Trek.

She passed away in December 2000 of kidney failure.

The final episode of "M*A*S*H" airs 1983

The final episode of M*A*S*H aired February 28, 1983.  The series based on the Korean War ran for 11 seasons, 14 Primetime Emmys and 8 Golden Globes.  Alan Alda and Loretta Swit were the only two actors to appear in the first and last episodes.

Village People release "Macho Man" 1978

The Village People released their second studio album Macho Man, February 27, 1978.  The single of the same name reached #25 in September, becoming their first charting hit.  Key West, the second single from the album reached #4 on the Billboard Dance Chart.

The album has been certified platinum with 1M sales in the US.

Celebrating Black History Month: Juanita Hall, first African-American to win a Tony Award

Juanita Hall, born November 6, 1901 in Keyport, New Jersey, is the first African-American to win a Tony Award.   Hall appeared in Rogers and Hammerstein's South Pacific on Broadway which opened in 1949.  In 1950, she won the Tony for Best Supporting Actress for her performance as Bloody Mary.

She reprised her role in the movie version of the musical.

She passed away February 29, 1968 from complications from diabetes.

Joan Bennet, Dark Shadows matriarch, born 1910

Joan Bennett, born February 27, 1910 in Palisades, New Jersey, is best known for her portrayal as Elizabeth Collins Stoddard on the cult show Dark Shadows.  Born to a long line of actors, she was nominated for a Primetime Emmy for her role in Dark Shadows.  She also was nominated for a Saturn Award for her performance in the classic Italian horror movie Suspiria. 

She passed away in December 1990 of a heart attack.

Happy birthday, French astronaut Thomas Pesquet!

Thomas Pesquet, born February 27, 1978 in Rouen, France, is an astronaut for the European Space Agency.  He went into space aboard Soyuz MS-03 in November 2016 to the International Space Station as part of Expedition 50.  He also participated in Expedition 51 before returning to Earth in June 2017.

Celebrating Black History Month: George Poage, first African-American to medal in the Olymics

George Poage, born November 6, 1880 in Hannibal, Missouri, is the first African-American to win a medal in the modern Olympics.  He graduated from La Crosse High School in Wisconsin in 1899 as salutatorian and the school's top athlete.  He was the school's first African-American graduate.

He attended the University of Wisconsin and excelled at track and field.  He was the first African-American athlete to run for US, specializing in short sprints and hurdles.  In June 1904, he became the first African-American individual Big Ten track champion in conference history, placing first in the 440-yard dash and the 220-yared hurdles.

Poage represented the US in the 1904 Summer Olympics in St. Louis, Missouri, winning the bronze in the 200-yard and 400-yard hurdles.

Happy birthday, cosmonaut Anatoly Filipchenko!

Anatoly Filipchenko, born February 26, 1928 in the former Soviet Union, has been in space twice. 

His first trip was aboard Soyuz 7 as commander in October 1969.  The mission was to rendezvous with Soyuz 6 and Soyuz 8 but the project was unsuccessful.

His second and final trip was aboard Soyuz 16 as commander in December 1974.  It was a manned test flight in preparation for the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project the following year.

Celebrating Black History Month: Halle Berry, first African-American woman to win Oscar for Best Actress

Halle Berry, born August 14, 1966 in Cleveland, Ohio, is the first and only African-American woman to win the Academy Award for Best Actress, for her role in the 2001 movie Monster's Ball.  She previously won a Primetime Emmy and a Golden Globe for her performance in Introducing Dorothy Dandridge. I like her best for her portrayal of Ororo Munroe (Storm) in the X-Men movies.

"Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries" premieres 2012

Miss Fisher Murder Mysteries, starring the incredible Essie Davis, first aired on February 24, 2012.  It is based on the series written by Kerry Greenwood, set in 1920s Melbourne, Australia.  Phryne Fisher is a wordly woman of considerable means who decides to go into private investigating, much to the annoyance of the local police chief Jack Robinson, played by Nathan Page.

There is no shortage of sexual chemistry between Phryne and Jack, though and Miss Fisher's one-liners make the series much fun to watch.  It only lasted three seasons but there are some Miss Fisher movies in the making.

Celebrating Black History Month: Alice Coachman, first African-American to win an Olympic Gold medal

Alice Coachman, born November 8, 1923 in Albany, Georgia, is the first African-American to win an Olympic gold medal.  She represented the US at the 1948 Olympics in London, in the women's high jump, defeating England's Dorothy Tyler.  King George VI presented her medal. 

She was inducted into the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame in 1979.  At the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, she was honored as one of the 100 Greatest Olympians.  She has also been inducted into the USA Track and Field Hall of Fame (1975) and the US Olympic Hall of Fame (2004).

She passed away from cardiac arrest in Albany, Georgia in July 2014.

Happy birthday, Canadian astronaut Marc Garneau!

Marc Garneau, born February 23, 1949 in Quebec City, Canada, is the first Canadian to go into space.  He is a veteran of 3 space shuttle flights.

His first flight was aboard Challenger (STS-41-G) as payload specialist in October 1984.  He conducted a series of experiments sponsored by the Canadian government.

His second flight was aboard Endeavour (STS-77) in May 1996 to the space station Mir as mission specialist.  One of the experiments, the  Commercial Float Zone Facility was a collaboration of Canada, the US and Germany.

Garneau's third and final flight was aboard Endeavour (STS-97) as mission specialist to the International Space Station in December 2000.  He manipulated the Canadarm during the mission in support of the EVAs.

He became president of the Canadian Space Agency in November 2001.  He resigned his position to enter Canadian politics in 2006.



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Celebrating Black History Month: Michelle Howard, first African-American female four-star admiral

Michelle Howard, born April 30, 1960, is the first African-American female, and first female ever, to achieve the rank of four-star admiral in the US Navy.  She graduated from the US Naval Academy in 1982.

She is the first African-American woman to command a US Navy ship, the USS Rushmore in March 1999.  Howard was promoted to rear admiral in September 2007, rear admiral in August 2010, and vice admiral in August 2012.  She was promoted to admiral in July 2014.

She played a key role in rescuing Captain Richard Phillips, who was kidnapped by Somali pirates.  The story was made into a movie starring Tom Hanks.

Howard retired from the Navy in 2017 after serving 35 years.

Happy birthday, "Keeping Up Appearances" actress Judy Cornwell!

Judy Cornwell, born February 22, 1940 in London, England, is well known for her portrayal of the always-optimistic kid sister Daisy to her overbearing sister Hyacinth Bucket on Keeping Up Appearances.  I first saw her in Santa Claus: The Movie and Agatha Christie's The Mirror Crack'd. 

Celebrating Black History Month: Lateka Alexander, Oklahoma's first African-American female OHP officer

Lateka Alexander is the first, and only, African-American female officer in the Oklahoma Highway Patrol.  She graduated from the OHP academy in 2001 and has been a trooper ever since.  Jerry Cason, the OHP's first African-American police chief, convinced her to join.

“You’ve got to have thick skin. You must have thick skin and it actually helps me in my personal life too,” she said.
https://kfor.com/hidden-history/first-and-only-female-african-american-ohp-trooper-shares-inspiring-story/

Celebrating Black History Month: John Stewart, Green Lantern, DC Comics first African-American superhero

John Stewart as Green Lantern is DC Comics first African-American superhero, first appearing in the December 1971/January 1972 issue of Green Lantern Vol 2, #87.  Neil Adams, an artist for DC, came up with the idea of a substitute Green Lantern and had a discussion with editor Julius Schwarz.  The decision to make John Stewart black stemmed from that conversation in which Adams said "we ouught to have a black Green Lantern, not because we're liberals, but because it just makes sense".

Celebrating Black History Month: Ruth Carter, first African-American to win the Academy Award for Best Costume Design

Ruth Carter, born April 10, 1960 in Springfield, Massachusetts, is the first African-American to win an Academy Award for Best Costume Design.  She had been nominated twice before but her work on Black Panther is what got her the award in February 2019.  She won numerous awards for her work on Black Panther, and more recently for her work on Dolemite Is My Name, starring Eddie Murphy.

Happy birthday, Space Shuttle astronaut Byron Lichtenberg!

Byron Lichtenberg, born February 19, 1948 in Pennsylvania, is a payload specialist on two Space Shuttle flights. 

His first flight was aboard Columbia (STS-9) as payload specialist in November-December 1983.  The mission carried the first Spacelab module into orbit. 

His second and final flight was aboard Atlantis (STS-45) as payload specialist in March-April 1992.  The mission carried the first Atmospheric Laboratory for Applications and Science (ATLAS-1) into orbit.

"Pitch Black" released 2000

There are worse ways of spending two hours than watching Vin Diesel in his breakout role in the movie Pitch Black, released February 18, 2000.  The story follows a group of survivors who have crash landed on a desert planet with three suns.  They soon find out every 22 years, the planet undergoes a total eclipse, plunging it in complete darkeness for two months.  And a host of carnivours creatures come out in the night to feast on anything they can find.

Although it received mixed reviews from the critics, Pitch Black was a box office success and won two awards from the Australian Cinematographers Society.  It was nominated for a Saturn Award for Best Science Fiction movie.

Celebrating Black History Month: Hannah Beachler, first African-American to win Oscar for Best Production Design

Hannah Beachler, a graduate of the University of Cincinnati in fashion design, is the first African-American to be nominated and the first to win an Academy Award for Best Production Design for her work on Black Panther. She is also the first female production manager of a Marvel film, in which she had a $30M art budget and supervised several hundred people.

NEAR-Shoemaker, spacecraft to Eros, launched 1996

The Near Earth Asteroid Rendezous-Shoemaker (NEAR Shoemaker), launched February 17, 1996, is the first spacecraft to touchdown on an asteroid. On its way to the near-Earth object Eros, the spacecraft passed by Mathilde, an asteroid approximately 50 km in diameter, and took pictures of nearly 60% of its surface.

Orbital insertion above Eros occurred in February 2000, after a near-catastrophic event back in December 1998, during which the spacecraft was nearly lost. Starting January 2001, the spacecraft began a series of close passes to the surface and then made a slow, controlled descent to the surface, landing on February 12, 2001 near the saddle-shaped feature Himeros. 

NASA scientists were amazed to discover NEAR Shoemaker had survived the landing and was operational.  The craft continued to send signals until February 28, when it was shut down.  A final attempt to contact the probe on December 10, 2002 was unsuccessful.

Celebrating Black History Month: Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, African-American female mayor of Baltimore

Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, born March 17, 1970, is the second African-American woman to serve as mayor of Baltimore, Maryland.  In 1995, she became the youngest person elected to the Baltimore City Council, representing Districts 5 and 6.

She became President of the Council in January 2007 and became acting mayor when Sheila Dixon resigned from office in February 2010.

Rawlings-Blake sought a full-term mayor in 2011 and won, getting 84% of the vote.  After criticism of her handling of the 2015 Baltimore Riots, she announced that she would not seek re-election in the 2016 race.

Celebrating Black History Month: Pierre Caliste Landry, first African-American mayor elected in the U.S.

Pierre Caliste Landry, born April 19, 1841 in Louisiana, became the first African-American to be elected mayor in the United States.  He was elected as mayor of Donaldsonville, Louisiana in 1868. Landry was born into slavery on a sugar cane plantation in Ascension Parish.

At the end of the Civil War, Landry moved his family to Donaldsonville and was elected mayor during the Reconstruction Era in 1868.  He was elected to the Louisiana House of Representatives in 1872.  He was elected to the Louisiana State Senate in 1874 and served until 1880.

He passed away in December 1921.

Celebrating Black History Month: Jeanette Epps, African-American woman astronaut

Jeanette Epps, born November 3, 1970 in Syracuse, New York, was qualified to become an astronaut by NASA in 2011.  She served as an aquanaut in the Aquarius underwater laboratory in the NEEMO 18 expedition in July 2014.

She was selected to become the first African-American space crew member to visit the International Space Station but was replaced by her backup Serena Aunon-Chancellor. 

She is still active as an astronaut so look for her in the future!

"Dracula" released 1931

The cult classic Dracula, the first movie adaption of Bram Stoker's iconic horror novel, was released in the U.S. February 14, 1931.  What a Valentine's Day gift!

Bela Lugosi, who played Dracula in the stage production in 1927 played the title role. Dwight Frye appeared as Renfield and Edward Van Sloan as Van Helsing. 

The movie was overall met with positive reviews upon its release and it was one of the biggest hits of 1931.

In 2000, the movie was selected for preservation in the US National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".   It is recognized by the American Film Institute as #85 on 100 Thrills, #33 on 100 Heroes and Villains, #83 on 100 Movie Quotes:  "Listen to them.  Children of the night.  What music they make."

Celebrating Black History Month: O.W Gurley, Founding Father Of Black Wall Street

O. W. Gurley, a wealthy black landowner from Arkansas, traveled to Indian Territory to participate in the 1889 Oklahoma Land Run.  He had just resigned from a presidential appointment under President Grover Cleveland.

In 1906, he moved to Tulsa and purchased 40 acres of land which he declared was only to be sold to other black people.  He opened a rooming hosue on Greenwood Avenue, and it became very popular for blacks fleeing oppression in Mississippi.  In Gurley's building they could escape the racial persecution.

Gurley, J. B. Stradford, and several other prominent black people pooled resources and created a self-sustaining exclusive black enclave, which later became known as "Black Wall Street".  Unfortunately, Gurley lost everything in the Tulsa Race Riots in 1921. 

His fate is not know because he vanishes from history after that. 

Susan Oliver, Star Trek actress, born 1932

Susan Oliver, born February 13, 1932 in New York City, New York, gained a minor cult following after her appearance in the original Star Trek pilot, The Cage.  The pilot was not approved and another pilot show was filmed.  The Cage was later edited and inserted into the Star Trek episode, The Menagerie. 

It was her only role in the Star Trek universe but she did appear in the Twilight Zone and Murder, She Wrote.

She passed away from lung cancer in May 1990.

Celebrating Black History Month: Bass Reeves, first African-American deputy US Marshall west of the Mississippi

Bass Reeves, born July 1838 in slavery in Crawford County, Arkansas, was the first black deputy U.S. Marshall west of the Mississippi, mainly in Arkansas and Oklahoma Territory.  He and his family were slaves of Arkansas state legislator William Reeves.

When the Civil War began, he joined the Confederate Army with his owner at the time George Reeves.  At some point he managed to gain his freedom but there are different accounts of how that happened.  It is know he stayed in the Indian Territory, learning their languages until he was freed by the Thirteenth Amendment.

He was appointed deputy US marshal by James Fagan, a US marshal, who had heard about Reeves and his ability to speak several Native American languages.

He worked for 32 years in Indian Territory, bringing in some of the most dangerous outlaws then and never received any wounds.  He even had to arrest his own son for murder. 

When Oklahoma became a state, he became a Muskogee Police Department officer.  That is where he died in January 1910.

Celebrating Black History Month: Alfred Masters, first African-American in the US Marine Corps

Alfred Masters, born February 5, 1916 in Palestine, Texas, was the first African-American in the US Marine Corps when he was sworn in June 1, 1942. His first training camp was at Montford Point in North Carolina.  He rose to the rank of Technical Sergeant.

Masters passed away in New Mexico in June 1975.

Celebrating Black History Month: Daniel James Jr., first African-American four-star general in US Armed Forces

Daniel "Chappie" James, Jr., born February 11, 1920, was the first African-American to reach the rank of four-star general in any of the US armed forces.  He attended the Tuskegee Institute, teaching black pilots during WWII.  He flew combat missions in the Korean War and Vietnam War.  He has received the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, two Air Force Distinguished Service Medals, two Legion of Merits, three Distinguished Flying Crosses, Meritorious Service Medal and fourteen Air Medals.

On September 1, 1975, he was promoted to the rank of four-star general and assigned as commander in chief of NORAD in Colorado.

He passed away of a heart attack February 25, 1978, only three weeks following his retirement from the Air Force.

Happy birthday, Victoria Winters!

Alexandra Molke Isles, born February 11, 1945 in Stockholm, Sweden, is best known for her role as the beleagured Victoria Winters on the cult classic Dark Shadows.  She married Phillip Isles in 1967 and left Dark Shadows when she became pregnant.

In the late 1970s, she was the mistress of Claus von Bulow, who stood trial for the attempted murder of his wife, Sunny.

Discovery (STS-82) launched 1997

STS-82 crew

Front row (L-R): Kenneth Bowersox, Steven Hawley, Scott Horowitz

Back row (L-R): Joseph Tanner, Gregory Harbaugh, Mark Lee, Steven Smith

Mission patch

Space Shuttle Discovery (STS-82), launched February 11, 1997, was the second misson to service the Hubble Space Telescope.  Its crew consisted of Commander Kenneth Bowersox, Pilot Scott Horowitz, Joseph Tanner, Steven Hawley, Gregory Harbaugh, Mark Lee and Steven Smith.

Lee and Smith conducted 3 EVAs and Harbaugh and Tanner conducted two EVAs.  The crew returned to Earth February 21.

Celebrating Black History Month: Lewis Latimer, African-American inventor

Lewis Howard Latimer, born September 4, 1848 in Chelsea Massachusetts, was an African-American inventor.  On February 10, 1874, he was granted a patent with Charles Brown for an improved toilet system for railroad cars called the Water Closet for Railroad Cars.  (U.S. Patent 147,363).

In 1879, Latimer went on to draft drawings necessary for Alexander Graham Bell's telephone. In 1881, he invented a light bulb with a carbon filament to improve Thomas Edison's original work.  Latimer received a patent in 1882 for the process of manufacturing carbons.  He was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame for his work on electric filament manufacturing techniques.

Soyuz TM-25 launched 1997

Soyuz TM-25

Mission patch

Soyuz TM-25, launched February 10, 1997, was the 30th expedition to the space station Mir.  Its crew consisted of Commander Vasili Tsibilyev, Aleksandr Lazutkin, and Reinhold Ewald (ESA).

Ewald stayed aboard about 19 days and returned to Earth aboard Soyuz TM-24.  Tsibilyev and Lazutkin landed in August.

"The North Avenue Irregulars" released 1979

Disney released its comedy caper The North Avenue Irregulars February 9, 1979.  The movie follows a group of church women and their pastor who take on the mob in their home town.  It starred some of my favorites: Cloris Leachman, Ruth Buzzi, Karen Valentine, and Alan Hale, Jr.  It ends with a huge demolition derby in which fourteen cars were destroyed.

Susan Clark, Barbara Harris and Edward Hermann also appeared.

Celebrating Black History Month: Roscoe Robinson, Jr., first African-American four-star general in the US Army

Roscoe Robinson, Jr., born October 11, 1928 in St. Louis, Missouri, is the first African-American to become a four-star general in the U.S. Army.  He graduated from the US Military Academy in West Point, with a degree in military engineering in 1951.

He served in the Korean War and received the Bronze Star.  He served in the Vietnam War and received the Legion of Merit, the Distinguished Flying Cross, and two Silver Stars.

Robinson was promoted to Brigadier General in 1975 and became Commanding General of the US Army Garrison in Okinawa.  He was promoted to Major General in 1976 and became a four-star general in 1982.

When he retired in 1985, he was awarded the Defense Distinguished Service Medal.

He passed away from leukemia in 1993.

Happy birthday, German astronaut Ulrich Walter!

Ulrich Walter, born February 9, 1954 in Iserlohn, Germany, went into space once, aboard Columbia (STS-55) as a payload specialist in April-May 1993.  The mission carried the German Spacelab into orbit.

Celebrating Black History Month: J. Paul Reason, the first African-American four-star Admiral

John Paul Reason, born March 22, 1941 in Washington, D.C., is the first African-American officer in the US Navy to become a four-star admiral.  He was accepted into the Naval Academy Class of 1965 and was commissioned as an ensign in June of that year.

He attended the Naval Nuclear power training from March to September 1966, and was assigned to the nuclear aircraft carrier USS Enterprise.  In November 1996, he was promoted to four-star admiral and assigned as Commander in Chief of the United States Atlantic Fleet until he retired in 1977.

"Dante's Peak" released 1997

Dante's Peak, starring Pierce Brosnan and Linda Hamilton, was released February 7, 1997.  The story is about a fictional, dormant volcano, Dante's Peak, Washington, showing signs of erupting.  The eruptions threaten the picturesque town of the same name. 

Brosnan is a US geologist sent to assess the volcano to determine if it is preparing to erupt.  Hamilton plays the mayor/coffee shop owner in town.

Dante's Peak didn't receive favorable reviews although it was better at the box office than Volcano, released a couple of months later.  Its visual effects were not nominated for an Academy Award because it had some stiff competition with Jurassic Park: The Lost World and Titanic, which won the award.

Celebrating Black History Month: Fritz Pollard & Bobby Marshall, first African-American athletes in the NFL

Bobby Marshall, Fritz Pollard

Frederick Douglass "Fritz" Pollard and Robert Wells "Bobby" Marshall became the first African-American athletes in what would become the National Football League in 1920.

Fritz Pollard went to Brown University and majored in chemistry(!).  He played halfback on Brown's football team (becoming the first black player for Brown), which went to the 1916 Rose Bowl.  He played pro football (running back) for the Akron Pros and became a co-head coach in 1921.  He also played for the Milwaukee Badgers, Hammond Pros, Gilberton Cadamounts, Union Club of Phoenixville and Providence Steam Rollers. 

In the 1930s, he founded his own professional football team, the Brown Bombers, but the Depression ended their run.  Pollard left football and went into other ventures.

Bobby Marshall played football for the University of Minnesota and went on to play professional for the Rock Island Independents, Minneapolis Marines and the Duluth Kelleys.

Atlantis (STS-122) launched 2008

STS-122 crew

Front row (L-R): Stephen Frick, Leopold Eyharts, Alan Poindexter

Back row (L-R): Leland Melvin, Rex Walheim, Stanely Love, Hans Schlegel

Mission patch

Space Shuttle Atlantis (STS-122), launched February 7, 2008, delivered the ESA's Columbus science laboratory to the International Space Station.  Its crew consisted of Commander Stephen Frick, Pilot Alan Poindexter, Leland Melvin, Rex Walheim, Hans Schlegel (ESA), Stanley Love and Leopold Eyharts (ESA).

Walheim and Love conducted 3 EVAs during the mission, totaling 22 hours, 8 minutes.  Eyharts remained on the ISS and Daniel Tani returned with the rest of the crew February 20.

"Push" released 2009

Push, a movie about people with special powers but not superheroes, was released February 6, 2009.  It starred Chris Evans (Johnny Storm, Captain America) as a man with telekinesis and Dakota Fanning as a girl who can see the future.

The movie takes place in Hong Kong as Evans and Fanning are trying to keep from being captured by a government group that wants to turn them into weapons.

Chris Evans is just as sexy with his clothes on.  I think he is also a very talented actor.  Dakota Fanning is more mature in this movie than others even though she was only 15 when the movie was released.

Welcome home, Expedition 61!

Expedition 61 crew (L-R): Andrew Morgan, Aleksandr Skvortsov, Luca Parmitano, Oleg Skripochka, Jessica Meir and Christina Koch

Mission patch

The members of Expedition 61 - Commander Luca Parmitano, Christina Koch and Aleksandr Skvortsov - returned to Earth from the International Space Station this morning aboard I.  Koch went into space way back in March 2019 aboard Soyuz MS-12.  She has set the world record for longest stay in space by a woman at 328 days.  She has the second-longest single spaceflight by a U.S. astronaut and 7th on the list of cumulative time in space for American astronauts.

Skvortsov and Parmitano arrived at the ISS in July 2019 with Andrew Morgan aboard Soyuz MS-13 and have completed a 201-day stay in space.  With this mission, Parmitano has logged 367 days in space, longer than any other ESA astronaut.

Skvortsov has completed his third mission and has logged 546 days in space, putting him 15th on the list of all-time spaceflight endurance tests.

 Koch performed 6 EVAs during her stay and Parmitano conducted 4.

Oleg Skripochka, Jessica Meir and Andrew Morgan remain onboard the ISS and have transferred over to Expedition 62.

Celebrating Black History Month: James R Ford, first African-American mayor of a U.S. capitol city

James R. Ford, born December 1, 1925 in Tallahassee, Florida, is the first black mayor of Tallahassee and the first black mayor of a U.S. capitol city. He was elected in 1972 and then re-elected in 1976 and 1982.

After leaving office, he served fourteen years as Tallahassee city commissioner, during which he helped establish the Minority Business Department.

He passed away in October 2017.