I Knew Him - Roger Chaffee "I Knew Him" will feature first hand accounts and memories of astronauts, cosmonauts and notable pioneers in the space program.
The first in this series is on NASA Astronaut Roger B. Chaffee and is written by his friend and NASA Flight Surgeon Dr. Fred Kelly M.D.
I Knew Him - Gus Grissom The second in the series is on astronaut Gus Grissom who flew on Mercury and Gemini missions and was tragically killed in the Apollo 1 fire. It is written by long time NASA engineer Sam Beddingfield who knew Gus all the way back to their Air Force days together.
Notable Space Launch Anniversaries
Explorer-1 - 50th Anniversary On January 31, 1958, The United States Army launched the first American satellite, Explorer-1. A four-stage Jupiter C rocket propelled the satellite into orbit. Orbiting the earth once every 115 minutes, the high power transmitter on Explorer-1 broadcast for 31 days. Explorer-1 orbited until March 31, 1970.
Sputniks 1 & 2 On October 4, 1957, the “space age” began. That is the day the Soviet Union launched the world's first artificial satellite named Sputnik.
On November 3, 1957, Sputnik-2 was launched with Laika the dog aboard. Laika became the first animal to orbit the Earth.
Project Vanguard On March 17, 1958, the Navy Vanguard rocket successfully orbited the second American satellite. Although it has long been silent, Vanguard 1 continues to orbit the Earth, making it the oldest manmade object in space. Estimates are that it will remain in orbit for 2,000 years!
