Space Awareness

No successful space mission is a single “Hail Mary” shot to a distant point. Developing the knowledge and technologies needed to operate in space is inherently iterative. While the “firsts” in NASA history—first orbit, first lunar landing, first space station and more—stand out as milestones in America’s space exploration, the gritty work of iterating to…

Today, the Colorado Springs Gazette published an op-ed by Space Foundation CEO Tom Zelibor, “Lessons from Apollo — Building the Teams that Make History.” The op-ed credits the success of the Apollo 11 Moon landing 50 years ago to the teamwork of the hundreds of thousands of people who worked on the mission. In the…

Our thanks to Raytheon for sponsoring today’s Apollo 11 50th Anniversary Celebration at the Space Foundation Discovery Center in Colorado Springs. Also thanks to Raytheon, 25 military families were admitted free to today’s event. Fifty years after the first humans stepped foot on the Moon, the Space Foundation celebrated with an event today that not…

History was made 50 years ago today with humankind’s first steps on the Moon. Today, the Space Foundation Discovery Center in Colorado Springs celebrated the Apollo 11 Moon landing with a full day of rockets, rovers, robotics and real-life adventures in space as presented by former NASA astronaut Duane “Digger” Carey. There were exhibits explaining…

An op-ed by Space Foundation CEO Tom Zelibor appeared in the July 16, 2019, special Apollo 11 at 50 issue of SpaceNews. In it, Zelibor reflects on seeing the moon landing on television as a teenager and has credited that experience with his decision to pursue a career in flying. He has said that the…

The Space Foundation’s commemoration of the Apollo 11 mission continues with this article by Space Foundation Senior Analyst John Holst. One very early morning in May 1965, fire emerged from the Earth and disappeared into Florida’s night sky. The fire, a Saturn I rocket launch plume, propelled an unmanned payload for NASA’s Apollo program into…

The Space Foundation’s remembrance of the events leading up to the Apollo 11 mission continues with this article by Space Foundation Senior Analyst John Holst about the Lunar Orbiter Program satellites. Moving quickly across the Moon’s surface, an object, looking somewhat like a toy spinning top lying on its side, transmitted streams of information back…

The Space Foundation’s commemoration of the Apollo 11 Moon landing continues with this article by Space Foundation Senior Analyst John Holst about the conclusion of the Gemini Project. Walking toward their rocket, two astronauts had signs taped to their backs. Instead of victims of a “Kick me” joke, the astronauts were the joke perpetrators with…

The Space Foundation’s commemoration of the Apollo 11 mission continues with this article by Space Foundation Senior Analyst John Holst about a Gemini mission landmark. A little over 50 years ago, on Jan. 19, 1965, a capsule was launched from Launch Complex 19 in Cape Kennedy, Fla. It was the second capsule to be launched…

The Space Foundation’s commemoration of the Apollo missions continues with this article by Space Foundation Senior Analyst John Holst about a Gemini mission landmark. Gemini IV: There’s a Starman Walking in the Sky by John Holst, Space Foundation Senior Analyst Twenty-three minutes outside a capsule in microgravity. That’s how long U.S. astronaut Edward White floated in…