Dragon being mated to rocket for mission CRS-3
by Jeff Cunningham
In the cult favorite sci-fi-western series Firefly, the crew seek freedom and fortune among the stars aboard a craft that, we’re told, is classified as a Class III Firefly medium transport. Now, details have been announced by Space Exploration Technologies that will tell us at long last just what kind of ship her real-life counterpart will be. Continue Reading
by Chris Tobias
Over the years, Browncoats the world over have found a variety of creative ways to express their love of Firefly and Serenity. One of the most unique has been through song, and Firefly-friendly artists like the Bedlam Bards and Marian Call are quite well known in the Browncoat community.
Another musician with whom more and more Browncoats are becoming well acquainted is Sean Faust. Faust, who lives in Bergen County, New Jersey, has become a regular fixture at CSTS events in the New York/New Jersey/Philadelphia area in recent years. His new song “Signal,” which was inspired by the movie Serenity, was released on May 20, and Faust will be donating a portion of the proceeds from its sales to Equality Now through Can’t Stop the Serenity.
Take Back the Sky recently interviewed Sean Faust about the new single, as well as his love of music and the Firefly ‘verse.
Steven “Swanny” Swanson
by Jeff Cunningham
Years ago, a young man found himself about to finish grad school, and began to contemplate his career path in life for the first time. He knew that he wanted to be in a field in science and technology–which was fitting, given that his bachelor’s was in Engineering Physics and that the advanced degree he was about to earn was in Computer Systems.
Finding one’s passion is one of the easier–and more enjoyable–pursuits in life, but finding a way to make a productive career out of it is something that precious few among us are fortunate enough to achieve (and even fewer now with the loss of so many of the jobs that people go to college for). The more the young man thought about it, the more sure he became aware that he was not content to spend the rest of his life “sitting in an office all day long every day.” Long before he would be eventually be introduced to the ‘Verse, this much he knew: he aimed to misbehave. From there, deciding to become an astronaut almost seemed like the logical course. He had no idea if such a thing would really prove possible in the end–but doing the impossible makes us mighty. Continue Reading
by Jeff Cunningham
We’re excited to announce our first foothold in the Southeastern United States at the TrekTrax convention in Atlanta, GA this weekend!
From Friday, the 25th, to Sunday, the 27th, the Star Trek-themed event will also feature a Firefly programming track. There’ll be costuming, games, door prizes, giveaways–not to mention us, too! The local Browncoats running the track will have a petition on hand and form letters for you to make your voice be heard to the Powers that Be at SpaceX that, when the Dragon has its first manned crew, the ship should be named Serenity!
See you there!
by Chris Tobias
This past weekend SpaceX successfully launched its third resupply mission to the International Space Station. On April 18 the Falcon 9 rocket lifted off into the grey, afternoon sky of South Florida, carrying the Dragon capsule out of the world and into the black, where she rendezvoused with the ISS early on Easter morning, April 20. Today the crew of the ISS will be busy unloading the Dragon’s cargo. She will remain berthed at the space station for about a month, and is scheduled to return to Earth on May 18.
This mission is also significant because it was SpaceX’s debut of the new “legs” on the Falcon 9 booster rocket, which allowed the first stage of the rocket to stabilize its descent and return intact through the atmosphere to splash down in one piece. This opens the door to the possible reuse of the Falcon 9, and will eventually lead to the first truly reusable American spacecraft since the Space Shuttle.
We at Take Back the Sky congratulate the men and women of SpaceX and NASA on this spectacular achievement. We look forward to the day, hopefully within the next two years, when a ship just like this one will launch on a similar mission with American astronauts on board– a ship we hope will bear the name Serenity…
by Jeff Cunningham
Perseverance is a big part of any mission, whether you’re launching a private spaceship into the black or trying to convince a privately owned space corporation to name the first manned version of that ship after the shiniest gorram spaceship in science-fiction history.
After a couple of scrubbed attempts, SpaceX is scheduled to launch the Dragon on its third resupply mission to the International Space Station today at 3:25pm EST. Live coverage of the launch begins at 2:45pm at http://www.spacex.com/webcast/. We’ll be watching (and tweeting) along with you as the Dragon breaks atmo and spreads her wings.
Here’s to a good Friday for a successful launch!
She’s beautiful, ain’t she?– Spectators admire the Dragon atop the Falcon9 on the launch pad.
by Chris Tobias
Zoe: Get her running “again?”
Mal: Yeah.
Zoe: Sooo… not running now?
Mal: Not so much… But she will.
— Firefly, “Out of Gas”
Scrubbed launches and launch delays are just a fact of life in the space industry. Spaceships are complex vehicles that rely on a lot of intricate mechanisms to function properly, and if any one of those systems, no matter how small, isn’t in perfect working order, it can spell disaster out in the black. We fans of science-fiction have become accustomed to the portrayal of spaceships like Serenity or the Millennium Falcon as the “lovable bucket of bolts,” but the truth is very far from what Hollywood has sold us, and when dealing with a real space launch, if there is even the slightest chance that everything isn’t absolutely perfect, then safe is better than sorry.
And so SpaceX’s CRS-3 resupply mission to the International Space Station was delayed yet again today. This time the launch of the Falcon 9 rocket that was to carry the Dragon capsule to the ISS was scrubbed due to a first stage Helium leak. SpaceX expects to have the problem rectified in time for the next launch opportunity, which will be Friday, April 18 at 3:25pm EST.
And when the Dragon does finally break atmo for CRS-3, you can bet we’ll be tuned in, watching in wonder…
by Chris Tobias
We all know that in crime, politics and space flight the situation is always fluid, but NASA and SpaceX announced earlier today that the CRS-3 Dragon resupply mission to the International Space Station (the very same mission we told you all about in our recent posts) is in fact a GO for tomorrow, Monday, April 14, 2014.
The launch is scheduled for 4:58PM, EST. Updates and a live webcast of the launch itself can be found here:
http://www.spacex.com/webcast/
If you’re following us on Twitter, we plan to make every effort to live tweet the launch as it happens. If you’d like to share in our virtual launch party, there’s still time to follow us at @TakeBacktheSky.
We hope you’ll join us as we watch the ship that will one day be called Serenity break atmo tomorrow evening!
“Circling the Earth in my orbital spaceship I marveled at the beauty of our planet. People of the world, let us safeguard and enhance this beauty—not destroy it!”—Yuri Gagarin, first man in space
by Jeff Cunningham
By the time this post hits the web, “Yuri’s Night” celebrations will already be in full swing around the planet.
Every year on April 12, people the world over hold parties and other events to celebrate mankind’s achievements in space. Some of these events are full-on, blowout shindigs with all manner of craziness, while others focus more on education and outreach. Continue Reading
by Jeff Cunningham
Ni hao, travelers,
We’re pushing this out there to make sure no one misses that the launch this weekend has been delayed at least into next week, no firm date yet.
There’s nothing wrong with the Falcon rocket or Dragon craft, the onus for this actually lies with the United States Air Force and range issues. For those of you playing the home game, “range issues” refer to things like tracking radar and sensors “downrange” that track the rockets lifting off from Kennedy Space Center from after takeoff as it ascends over the Atlantic. There apparently was a fire at the USAF radar station in question on Monday, and it seems they never really finished fixing the dish that caused said fire when it shorted out.
The announcement comes as an Atlas V rocket carrying a national security payload on a different pad had to be delayed for the same reasons.
SpaceX is still keeping their live feed up in case their big miracle happens, and will no doubt have the new “T-0” launch time up the moment they decide on it. In the meantime, we wouldn’t want to rob you of rocket goodness, so enjoy this footage of the previous CRS-2 launch:
Take Back the Sky 
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