Happy birthday, British astronaut Dr Helen Sharman!

Helen Sharman, born May 30, 1963 in Yorkshire, England, is the first British cosmonaut and first woman to visit the Mir space station.  She launched aboard Soyuz TM-12 in May 1991.  She was part of Project Juno, a cooperative project sponsored by private enterprises in Britain and by the Soviet government.  Her experiments were mainly life sciences, since she had a PhD in chemistry.  After about 7 days, she returned to Earth May 26 aboard Soyuz TM-11.

"Up" released 2009

Up, Disney's animated movie featuring the cranky Mr. Fredericksen, voiced by Ed Asner, in a house carried aloft by balloons, was released May 29, 2009.  Russell is Pixar's first lead Asian character.  Up also introduced us to Dug, the loveable Golden Retriever who can communicate with humans.

It won two Academy Awards: Best Original Score and Best Animated Feature Film of the Year.  It was nominated for three more: Best Motion Picture, Best Writing and Best Sound Editing.

Soyuz TMA-13M launched 2014

Soyuz TMA-13M crew (L-R): Alexander Gerst, Reid Wiseman, Maksim Surayev

Mission patch

Soyuz TMA-13M, launched May 28, 2014, carried the members of Expedition 40 to the International Space Station.  Its crew consisted of Maksim Surayev (Roscosmos), Reid Wiseman (NASA), and Alexander Gerst (ESA).

They returned to Earth November 10, 2014.

Happy birthday, Australian astronaut Paul Scully-Power!

Paul Scully-Power, born May 28, 1944 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, went into space aboard Challenger (STS-41-G) as payload specialist in October 1984.  He is the first Australian astronaut and performed oceanography observations for the US Naval Research Lab.  His mission was described in the book Oceans to Orbits: The Story of Australia's First Man in Space.

Happy birthday, cosmonaut Alexander Volkov!

Alexander (Aleksandr) Volkov, born May 27, 1948 in present-day Ukraine, is a veteran of three space flights, and is the father of cosmonaut Sergey Volkov.

His first mission was aboard Soyuz T-14 launched in September 1985 to Salyut 7.  It was the ninth mission to the space station.  He returned to Earth in November 1985.

His second mission was as commander aboard Soyuz TM-7 to Mir in November 1988. He was part of expedition Mir EO-4 and conducted an EVA with French astronaut Jean-Loup Chretien.  He returned to Earth in April 1989.

His third and final mission was as commander aboard Soyuz TM-13 to Mir in October 1991 as part of expedition Mir EO-10.  He and fellow cosmonaut Sergei Krikalev were dubbed as "the last citizens of the USSR" because when they landed in March 1992, the Soviet Union had dissolved.

Discovery (STS-96) launched 1999

STS-96 crew

Front row (L-R): Kent Rominger, Ellen Ochoa, Rick Husband

Back row (L-R): Daniel Barry, Julie Payette, Valeri Tokarev, , Tamara Jernigan

Mission patch

Space Shuttle Discovery (STS-96), launched May 27, 1999, was the second mission to the International Space Station.  Its crew consisted of Commander Kent Rominger, Pilot Rick Husband, Daniel Barry, Ellen Ochoa, Tamara Jernigan, Julie Payette (CSA), Valeri Tokarev (Roscosmos).

Jernigan and Barry conducted a spacewalk for almost 8 hours.  The crew returned to Earth on June 7.

The Bionic Woman episode "Ghost Hunter" airs 1976

The final episode of season 1 of The Bionic Woman, The Ghosthunter, aired May 26, 1976.  Jaime Summers (Lindsay Wagner) goes undercover as a governess to Amanda Curry (Kristy McNichol), who seems to be haunted by her mother's ghost. 

As it turns out, Cory has telekinesis and it manifests itself in her subconscious, which becomes deadly when she is dreaming.  Now, you can understand why it's my favorite Bionic Woman episode.

"The Deadly Mantis" released 1957

The Deadly Mantis, released May 26, 1957, was a black and white science fiction movie that featured, well...a gigantic praying mantis.  It's one of a subgenre of big bug movies such as Them!, The Black Scorpion, The Beginning of the End, The Tarantula, and of course, Mothra!

It starred Craig Stevens, William Hopper and Alix Talton.

It garnered most negative reviews, claiming it was a rip-off of Them!, but sci-fi fanatics still enjoy it for its cheesy effects and good ol' plain fun!

Soyuz 36 launched 1980

Soyuz 36 crew (L-R): Bertalan Farkas, Valeri Kubasov

Mission patch

Soyuz 36, launched May 26, 1980, was the eleventh mission to the Salyut 6 space station, and the ninth successful docking.  Its crew consisted of Valeri Kubasov and Bertalan Farkas, the first Hungarian cosmonaut.

It landed July 31 with Viktor Gorbatko and Pham Tuan, the first Vietnamese cosmonaut.

Happy birthday, Syrian astronaut Muhammed Faris!

Muhammed Faris, born May 26, 1951 in Aleppo, Syria, went into space aboard Soyuz TM-3 to Mir in July 1987.  He remained on board as part of Mir EP-1 for about a week before returning to Earth on Soyuz TM-2.

He returned to Syria after the mission and defected from the regime, joining the opposition.

"Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope" released 1977

The blockbuster from George Lucas that started it all, Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, was released in theaters May 25, 1977.  We were all asking what happened to episodes I-III.  The epic saga starred Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher and Harrison Ford. 

Expected to be a bomb, it won six Academy Awards: Best Set Decoration, Best Costume Design, Best Sound, Best Film Editing, Best Visual Effects and of course Best Music, Original Score.  It also won a Special Achievement Award for Ben Burtt for his sound effects creations for alien and robot voices.

It was nominated for four more Oscars: Best Picture, Best Actor in a Supporting Role for Alec Guinness, Best Director and Best Writing for George Lucas.

Happy birthday, Space Shuttle astronaut John "Danny" Olivas!

John "Danny" Olivas, born May 25, 1965 in North Hollywood, California, is a veteran of two space shuttle missions.

His first mission was aboard Atlantis (STS-117) as mission specialist to the International Space Station in June 2007.  He conducted two EVAs during the mission with fellow astronaut James Reilly.

His second and final flight was aboard Discovery (STS-128) as mission specialist to the ISS in August-September 2009.  He conducted three EVAs with fellow astronauts Nicole Stott and Christer Fuglesang.

"Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" released 1989

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, the third installment of Steven Spielberg's and George Lucas' Indiana Jones franchise, was released May 24, 1989.  Harrison Ford starred in the title role and Sean Connery played his father. 

It became the highest grossing movie world-wide in 1989.  It won an Academy Award for Best Sound Effects Editing.  It was nominated for Best Sound and John Williams was nominated for his original score.

Sean Connery was nominated for a Golden Globe for his performance as Professor Henry Jones.

Ron Parise, Space Shuttle astronaut, born 1951

Ronald Parise, born May 24,1951 in Warren, Ohio, was a veteran of two space shuttle missions.

His first flight was aboard Columbia (STS-35) as mission specialist in December 1990.  Being a ham radio operator, Parise conducted radio transmissions with ground-based amateur operators.

His second and last flight was aboard Endeavour (STS-67) as payload specialist in March 1995.  It was the second spacelab mission to conduct astronomical observations in the ultraviolet spectrum.

Parise passed away in May 2008 from a brain tumor just weeks shy of his 57th birthday.

"The Lost World: Jurassic Park" released 1997

The Lost World: Jurassic Park, the sequel to Steven Spielberg's blockbuster Jurassic Park, hit theaters May 23, 1997.  It saw the return of Jeff Goldblum as Ian Malcolm and Richard Attenborough as John Hammond. 

It was nominated for an Oscar for Best Visual Effects.  It held the record for biggest box office weekend opening until Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone in 2001.  It was the second top-selling movie of 1997 behind Titanic.  It held the record for single-day box office take until Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace in 1999.

"A Charlie Brown Christmas" wins Primetime Emmy 1966

A Charlie Brown Christmas won the Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Children's Program at the 18th Primetime Emmy awards May 22, 1966.  Lee Mendelson and Bill Melendez produced the program based on the comic strip by Charles Schulz.  Vince Guaraldi composed the music and was nominated for a Grammy in 1978.

"Rambo: First Blood Part II" released 1985

Here we go again.  Rambo: First Blood Part II, released May 22, 1985, is the only film in the Rambo series to be nominated for an Academy Award, but it won a number of Raspberry Awards for being one of the worst films of 1985.

I don't care.  I like it.  I still watch it whenever it is on television.

Sylvester Stallone and Richard Crenna reprised their roles from the first movie.  Julia Nickson made her motion picture debut.  Rambo: First Blood Part II was #1 at the box office the weekend it opened.

Soyuz TM-1 launched 1986

Soyuz TM-1, launched May 21, 1986, was an unmanned test flight of the new Soyuz TM spacecraft.  It docked with Mir on May 23 and undocked May 29.  It returned to Earth May 30.

Donna Summer releases "Crayons" 2008

Goddess of Disco Donna Summer released her seventeenth and final studio album Crayons May 20, 2008.  It was her first full-length album in fourteen years.  Unfortunately, it only reached #17 on the Billboard 200 charts.

Stamp Your Feet was the first single, released April 15, 2008. The second single I'm A Fire reached #1 on the Billboard dance/club chart, her 13th #1 on that chart.

Akatsuki, JAXA Venus Climate Orbiter, launched 2010

Akatsuki (Dawn), launched May 20, 2010, is a Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency spacecraft to study the Venusian atmosphere.  The spacecraft was supposed to attain orbit over Venus in December 2010, but the maneuver failed.  Akatsuki was placed in a heliocentric orbit.

A second orbital insertion burn was initiated in December 2015 and the maneuver was successful.  Akatsuki began its operations in May 2016.  Its mission has been extended through the end of 2020 and further missions may be possible.

Happy birthday, Space Shuttle astronaut Thomas Akers!

Thomas Akers, born May 20, 1951 in St. Louis, Missouri, is a veteran of four space shuttle flights.

His first mission was aboard Discovery (STS-41) as mission specialist in October 1990.  The main  objective of the mission was to deploy the Ulysses probe as part of the International Solar Polar Mission.

His second mission was aboard Endeavour (STS-49) as mission specialist in May 1992.  He performed two EVAs with fellow astronauts Pierre Thuot and Kathryn Thornton.

His third mission was back aboard Endeavour (STS-61) as mission specialist in December 1993.  He performed two more EVAs with Kathryn Thornton.

His fourth and final mission was aboard Atlantis (STS-79) as mission specialist in September 1996 to the space station Mir.

Aunt Clara wins Primetime Emmy 1968

Marion Lorne, the actress who played the bumbling but lovelable Aunt Clara on the television show Bewitched, won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Comedy, May 19, 1968.

Agnes Moorehead was also nominated for the award.  The win was awarded posthumously since Ms. Lorne passed away just ten days before the ceremony.

"Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace" released 1999

George Lucas' first prequel to his blockbuster Star Wars trilogy The Phantom Menace was released May 19, 1999.  It starred Liam Neeson as Qui-gon Jinn and Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan.  It follows the two Jedi as they discover Anakin Skywalker who might bring balance to the Force.

Anthony Daniels appears as C3PO, with Kenny Baker as R2D2 and Frank Oz as Yoda.

Despite poor reviews, it was nominated for three Academy Awards: Best Sound, Best Effects, Sound Effects Editing; and, Best Effects, Video Effects.  John Williams was nominated for a Grammy for his original score.

It won four Guiness World Record Awards for its high box-office success.

Dick Scobee, Challenger pilot and commander, born 1939

Richard "Dick" Scobee, born May 19, 1939 in Cle Elum, Washington, was commander of the Challenger (STS-51-L) when it exploded after liftoff January 28, 1986.

He had been in space previously aboard the Challenger (STS-41-C) as pilot in April 1984.  The mission lasted almost 7 days.

Endeavour (STS-77) launched 1996

STS-77 crew

Front row (L-R): Curtis Brown, John Casper

Back row (L-R): Daniel Bursch, Mario Runco, Marc Garneau, Andrew Thomas

Mission patch

Space Shuttle Endeavour (STS-77), launched May 19, 1996, carried a Coca-Cola fountain dispenser into space as part of opening the commercial space frontier.  Its crew consisted of Commander John Casper, Pilot Curtis Brown, Andrew Thomas, Daniel Bursch, Mario Runco, and Marc Garneau (CSA).

The Coca-Cola dispenser was developed for use on the Endeavour to see if carbonated beverages can be produced in microgravity, which causes bubble nucleation resulting in foam formation.

They returned to Earth May 29.

Happy birthday, Space Shuttle astronaut Don Lind!

Don Lind, born May 18, 1930 in Midvale, Utah, went into space aboard the space shuttle Challenger (STS-51-B) as mission specialist in April-May 1985.  One of the mission's objectives was the deployment of the Northern Utah Satellite (NUSAT).

He spent 7 days in space.

ESRO 2B, European Space Research Organization's first satellite, launched 1968

The newly formed European Space Research Organization (forerunner of ESA) entered the space age when it launched its first satellite ESRO 2B, also known as Iris (International Radiation Investigation Satellite) May 17, 1968.  It was designed to study cosmic rays, solar X-rays and the Van Allen belt. 

It re-entered Earth's atmosphere May 1971.

The 1st Academy Awards held 1929

The very first Academy Awards ceremony was held May 16, 1929 at the Roosevelt Hotel in Los Angeles, California.  It honored the movies, cast and crew of the films released in 1927-1928.  Sunrise and 7th Heaven were the big winners with three Oscars each.  Wings took home the award for Best Picture.

The ceremony lasted 15 minutes.

"Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones" released 2002

George Lucas' sequel/prequel Star Wars II: Attack of the Clones was released in the US May 16, 2002.  It follows Anakin Skywalker as he begins a forbidden romance with Queen Amidala, and Obi-Wan discovers a secret clone army on a remote planet.

Anthony Daniels (C3PO) and Kenny Baker (R2D2) reprised their roles from the previous four Star Wars movies.  Samuel L. Jackson appeared again as Mace Windu and Jimmy Smits as Ambassador Bail Organa.  Frank Oz provided the voice of Master Yoda.

The movie received an Academy Award nomination for Best Visual Effects.  Unfortunately, it was also nominated for 7 Razzie Awards and won two of them.

Happy birthday, Space Shuttle astronaut Brewster Shaw!

Brewster Shaw, born May 16, 1945 in Cass City, Michigan, is a veteran of three space shuttle missions.

His first flight was aboard Columbia (STS-9) as pilot in November-December 1983.  It was the first flight of the Spacelab laboratory module.

His second flight was aboard Atlantis (STS-61-B) as commander November-December 1985.  The mission deployed three communications satellites.

His third and final mission was aboard Columbia (STS-28) as commander in August 1989.  The mission carried a payload for the Dept of Defense in to orbit.

Shaw was inducted into the US Astronaut Hall of Fame in May 2006.

Janet Jackson's "That's The Way Love Goes" reaches #1 1993

Janet Jackson's single That's The Way Love Goes reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 May 15, 1993 and stayed for 8 weeks.  It was the longest reign of any Jackson family song, including Michael.  It was released April 20, from her studio album Janet, which wasn't released until May 18.

It won a Grammy in 1994 for Best R&B Song.

Sputnik 4 launched 1960

Sputnik 4, launched May 15, 1960 from the Soviet Union, was the first Vostok spacecraft.  It was unmanned, but served as a test for the first human spaceflight.  A guidance error sent it into a higher orbit than intended.  The descent module ree-entered the atmosphere on September 6, 1962.  A piece weighing 20 pounds was found in Manitowoc, Wisconsin by two police officers.

The remaining module re-entered the atmosphere on October 15, 1965.

Happy birthday, Space Shuttle astronaut Anthony England!

Anthony England, born May 15, 1942 in Indianapolis, Indiana, went into space aboard Challenger (STS-51-F) as mission specialist in July-August 1985.  He was the second amateur radio operator to trasnmit from space during the mission.  Owen Garriott was the first in 1983 from STS-9.

Atlantis (STS-132) launched 2010

STS-132 crew

Seated front: Ken Ham

Seated back (L-R): Garrett Reisman, Stephen Bowen

Standing back row (L-R): Michael Good, Dominic Antonelli, Piers Sellers

Mission patch

Space Shuttle Atlantis (STS-132), launched May 14, 2010, was the penultimate flight of Atlantis.  Its crew consisted of Commander Kenneth Ham, Pilot Dominic Antonelli, Garrett Reisman, Michael Good, Stephen Bowen, and Piers Sellers.

The primary mission was to deliver the Russian Rassvet Mini-Research Module to the International Space Station.

Reisman, Bowen, and Good performed three EVAs for a total of over 20 hours.  The crew returned to Earth May 26.

This was to be the last flight of Atlantis but NASA declared that Atlantis would fly the final mission of the entire space shuttle program, STS-135.

Happy birthday, Space Shuttle astronaut Donald McMonagle!

Donald McMonagle, born May 14, 1952 in Flint, Michigan, is a veteran of three space flights. 

His first flight was aboard Discovery (STS-39) as mission specialist in April-May 1991.  The mission carried a payload of experiments for the Department of Defense.

His second flight was as pilot on Endeavour (STS-54) in January 1993. 

His third and final flight was aboard Atlantis (STS-66) as commander in November 1994. 

He spent more than 25 days total in space.

Happy birthday, cosmonaut Vladimir Dzhanibekov!

Vladimir Dzhanibekov, born May 13, 1942 in the former Soviet Union, is a veteran of five space flights.

His first mission was as commander aboard Soyuz 27 to Salyut 6 in January 1978.  He participated in expedition EP-1 and returned to Earth on Soyuz 26 about 6 days later.

His second mission was aboard Soyuz 39 as commander to Salyut 6 in March 1981, where he spent about 8 days before returning to Earth.

His third flight was aboard Soyuz T-6 as commander to Salyut 7 in June 1982 for another 8 days.

His fourth flight was as commander abord Soyuz T-12 to Salyut 7 in July 1984, where he stayed for about 12 days.

His fifth and final flight was aboard Soyuz T-13 as commander to Salyut 7 in June 1985.  He remained on board for about 3 1/2 months before returning to Earth.

He has a minor planet named after him: 3170 Dzhanibekov discovered in 1979.

"Firestarter" released 1984

Firestarter, the movie based on the Stephen King novel, was released in theaters May 11, 1984.  It starred Drew Barrymore in the lead role, with a stellar supporting cast that included Art Carney, George C. Scott, Louise Fletcher, Martin Sheen and David Keith.

Firestarter is about a little girl with pyrokinetic powers, meaning she can set things on fire with the power of her mind. 

It did not receive favorable reviews but I really enjoyed it.

Garth Brooks " We Shall Be Free" wins Video of the Year 1993

Garth Brooks video from his single We Shall Be Free won Video of the Year, May 11, 1993 at the 28th Academy of Country Music Awards.  It rose to #12 on the Billboard Country charts, making it his first single to miss the top ten, due to being banned from some radio stations.  I guess its message of love, forgiveness and tolerance was too much for the good, ol' white boy establishment.

Way to go, Garth!!

I could not find a clip of the actual video to post, but the song's words are powerful enough.  You can view it on-line, but here is his performance of We Shall Be Free on the Muppet Show.

Happy birthday, Space Shuttle astronaut Robert Stewart!

Robert Stewart, born August 13, 1942, in Washington, DC, is a veteran of two space flights.

His first mission was aboard Challenger (STS-41-B) as mission specialist in February 1984.  He performed the first untethered EVAs with fellow astronaut Bruce McCandless.

His second and final mission was aboard Atlantis (STS-51-J) as mission specialist in October 1985.  The mission carried a payload for the Department of Defense.

Stewart is a retired brigadier general of the US Army. 

Hayabusa, spacecraft to Itokawa, launched 2003

Hayabusa, launched May 9, 2003, was a spacecraft developed by the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency to the near-Earth asteroid Itokawa.  It arrived at Itokawa in September 2005.  It studied the asteroid for two months, landing in November.    It collected a few grains from the asteroid's surface and returned to Earth in June 2010.

Happy birthday, cosmonaut Oleg Atkov!

Oleg Atkov, born May 9, 1949 in the former Soviet Union, went into space aboard Soyuz T-10 as flight engineer to Salyut 7 in February 1984.  He stayed aboard the space station until October and returned to Earth in Soyuz T-11.

"Muscle Bound: A Psionic Corps mystery" is now available on Amazon!

My latest entry in my Psionic Corps mystery series, Muscle Bound, is now available on Amazon.com!

Blurb:

A triple homicide in a suburb of Salt Lake City seems to be an open-and-shut case, but the suspect is a close friend of Utah Psionic Officer Joshua Chambers. Although it appears obvious that personal trainer Pryce Nolton murdered three people in a fit of 'roid rage, Josh realizes not all is as it seems. Using his paranormal abilities, Josh finds discrepancies in the case against Pryce, but are they enough to exonerate his friend and keep him from the death penalty?

"Iron Man 2" released 2010

Iron Man 2, directed by Jon Favreau, was released in the US May 7, 2010.  It was the sequel to Iron Man released in 2008.  It starred Robert Downey, Jr in the title role with Gwyneth Paltrow as Pepper Potts, Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury and Jon Favreau as Happy Hogan.

It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects.   It was the seventh-highest grossing film of 2010.

Happy birthday, Space Shuttle astronaut David Leestma!

David Leestma, born May 6, 1949 in Muskegon, Michigan, is a veteran of three space missions.

His first flight was aboard Challenger (STS-41-G) as mission specialist in October 1984.  He conducted an EVA with fellow astronaut Kathryn Sullivan which lasted 3 hours 29 minutes.  It was filmed as part of the IMAX movie The Dream Is Alive, which aired in 1985.

His second flight was aboard Columbia (STS-28) as mission specialist in August 1989.  It carried a payload for the US Department of Defense into orbit.  They returned to Earth on August 13.

His third and final flight was aboard Atlantis (STS-45) as mission specialist in March-April 1992.  They carried an array of instruments, that were not to be deployed, into space.  They returned to Earth April 2.

Leestma is also a retired Captain in the US Navy.

Happy birthday, astronaut Douglas Wheelock!

Douglas Wheelock, born May 5, 1960 in Binghamton, New York, has been in space twice.

His first trip was aboard Discovery (STS-120) as mission specialist to the International Space Station in October-November 2007.  During the mission, he conducted three EVAs with fellow astronaut Scott Parazynski.  They returned to Earth after about 15 days.

His second flight was aboard Soyuz TMA-19 as flight engineer in June 2010 to the International Space Station.  He participated in Expeditions 24 and 25.  He remained in space about 150 days.

In June 2004, he participated in expedition NEEMO 6 in NASA's Aquarius Underwater Laboratory.