by Jeff Cunningham
A certain corner of the Internet is all afire over an alleged NASA Internal Memo leaked this past weekend. The document, which can be read in full here at SpaceRef or at other sources, mandates the end of NASA’s educational outreach activities in reaction to Congressional sequestration measures. The gist of it follows: Continue Reading
by Chris Tobias
Geek Pittsburgh Article on Western PA Browncoats Mentions Take Back the Sky
A recent online article by Geek Pittsburgh (www.geekpittsburgh.com) spotlights the Rivers and Bridges Brigade of the Pennsylvania Browncoats and mentions Take Back the Sky. We’re grateful to Geek Pittsburgh and the PA Browncoats’ Rivers and Bridges Brigade for supporting our mission.
by Chris Tobias
Take Back the Sky Promo Video on Youtube
Devin Stewart, a high-school student from Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, submitted this unsolicited video to Youtube promoting Take Back the Sky. Our sincere thanks to Devin. It’s refreshing to see young folk taking an interest in space exploration, and it’s always shiny to get a helping hand from a fellow browncoat.
by Jeff Cunningham
Ni hao, everyone. I’ve kind of got a bone to pick with you. You see, I recently had a conversation with a stranger that left a sour taste in my mouth. Normally, that wouldn’t be any cause for letting it bother me, if it weren’t for the fact that I’ve had this exact same conversation with countless other people saying the exact same thing. It starts with them asking me if I’m a college student studying in the area, probably because I look young for my age. I tell them that I actually graduated in 2011 and start to tense up, as I begin to sense that I’m in for another repeat. My fears are confirmed when they ask what my degree was in. My reply of “aerospace engineering” is typically met with a blank stare, until I explain that it essentially means “rocket science.” “Oh,” they exclaim, “that’s so cool!” Continue Reading
by Chris Tobias
Latest Commercial from Siemens featuring SpaceX
We find it all manner of ironic that this commercial from Siemens aired during the Science Channel’s Firefly marathon this past weekend. The spot talks about how Siemens software allows SpaceX to construct and test rockets like the Falcon 9 virtually before they build them physically, which increases both safety and productivity. And of course the ad features the Dragon capsule, that same one that will carry astronauts into space in just two years’ time. The same one that will someday be called Serenity…
by Jeff Cunningham
Reposted Blog: Would we Create NASA Today?
While opinionated, this is still a perfectly good question to ask ourselves. If so, just why would we do it? For “science?” For “technology” so we can have new smartphones and other material possessions? I, for one, hope it would be for a higher, more selfless cause.
In any case, the author makes the point that any future we do have in the Black will be with private ships like Serenity.
by Jeff Cunningham
This season is obviously an important and sacred occasion for a lot of people. It also happens to be the anniversary of another more recent, yet less spoken of occasion. First, I need to set the stage. The year is 1968, and the Space Race between America and the Soviet Union was about as tense as the Arms Race at that time. Continue Reading
by Jeff Cunningham
We promised you surprises, so today, we’re closing out World Space Week with a grab bag of goodies for all of you to celebrate with, and to thank those of you who took five minutes’ worth of time to write Elon Musk. Continue Reading
by Jeff Cunningham
If you’ve been tuned in with us up to this point throughout World Space Week, you may wish that there were some way for you to be a part of it — after all, the true spirit of the Browncoats is standing up and taking action for causes that no one else will.
Aside from writing Elon Musk and asking him to name the first manned private spaceship Serenity, of course, there are indeed ways to get involved. There’s actually a number of “space advocacy” groups that have been around for a while. These people don’t just hold meetings and bug Congressmen, they actually get out and do stuff, stuff that tends to have a twelve-foot flame shooting out its rear end. We thought we’d introduce you to a few of them today. Continue Reading
by Chris Tobias
It is indeed a rough road that leads to the stars, and the exploration of strange new worlds is intrinsically a risky endeavor. In the history of NASA’s space program, there are many astronauts who have made the ultimate sacrifice to further our understanding of the universe. Fourteen lost their lives during a mission. Three perished in a launch pad accident. Numerous others have died as the result of aircraft accidents during training, and one was even lost in a commercial airline crash while traveling on NASA business.
We’ve talked a lot this week about changes in the way that we go into space happening right now that, we hope, will make the heavens available to all. The day will come that spaceflight becomes so routine that memorializing those lost to it will seem unnecessary and excessive. We’re not at that point, yet, though, and feel that we still owe it to them to remember their names. Continue Reading
Take Back the Sky 
You must be logged in to post a comment.