Browncoats

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It’s Yuri’s Night!

Posted by Chris Tobias on April 12, 2014
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Image“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

Our thanks to those who volunteered to join our crew!

Posted by Chris Tobias on March 2, 2014
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by Chris Tobias

We’d like to thank everyone who responded to our call for enthusiastic folk who are willing to help Take Back the Sky increase its presence at cons this year.  If you are one of those who answered the call, rest assured you’ll be hearing back from us very soon so we can schedule a conference call and provide you with the materials and helpful advice you’ll need in order to get the most out of your tabling experience.  We here at Take Back the Sky are grateful for your support, and the support of Browncoats everywhere in the ‘verse, as we aim to make history!

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The Take Back the Sky table at the 2013 Pittsburgh Comicon.

SpaceX Calls for Suggestions from Public for Future Falcon Missions

Posted by Chris Tobias on January 16, 2014
Posted in: Updates. Tagged: , , , , , , . 5 Comments

by Jeff Cunningham

Earlier today, SpaceX posted the following to their Twitter feed and other social media sites:

Posted just before 6 PM, EST, Jan. 16

Posted just before 6 PM, EST, Jan. 16

Okay, so it’s not exactly a formal poll–but that doesn’t mean that a throng of Browncoats loudly proclaiming “a Dragon named Serenity!” won’t be heard or noticed. Now is the time for all of you to strike while the iron is hot and exercise the power of Ridiculously Large Numbers of People on the Internet (the scientific effect observed when Nathan Fillion tweets something) and be heard.

We admit, this alone won’t get our beloved ship into the Black, but it’s just too good an opportunity to pass up. So, reply to SpaceX’s tweet or to their Facebook status to say “A Dragon named Serenity!” or something to that effect, followed by the hashtag #takebackthesky .

Good luck, and we’ll keep you posted.

Take the Turkey Bowl Out to the Black

Posted by Chris Tobias on November 27, 2013
Posted in: Articles, Launches, Updates. Tagged: , , , , , . Leave a comment

by Jeff Cunningham

So, the Falcon 9 v1.1 launch scheduled for earlier this week had some minor hardware glitches and had to be “scrubbed” or re-scheduled–it happens. The new launch of the first payload to geostationary orbit (commonly referred to by rocket scientists as “GEO”, where it’s flying high and fast enough to always hover over the same spot on the Earth’s surface) has been moved to Thursday evening, the soonest that the skies will be clear.

Falcon 9 sits on the pad at Kennedy Space Center, carrying a major communications satellite that will provide service to Asia.

While it’s no doubt generating mixed feelings among the SpaceX workforce (Thanksgiving at home with the family versus launching a rocket…), it works out just shiny for us Browncoats: Football not your thing? Then why not tune in to the SpaceX live stream after dinner? What could be a better geek Thanksgiving than gathering around after the feast to watch a rocket ascend upon a column of brilliant flames? Watch with us, then comment on your reactions on our sites!

Don’t Forget to Come See Us at the Pittsburgh Comicon September 27-29!

Posted by Chris Tobias on September 20, 2013
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Don't Forget to Come See Us at the Pittsburgh Comicon September 27-29!

by Chris Tobias

The Pittsburgh Comicon is just one week away, and Take Back the Sky will be there all weekend. We’ll be presenting the latest rendition of our panel “One Small Step for Fans: Browncoats in Space” on Friday, September 27 at 5PM in Room 3, and we’ll have a table on the main floor all three days, where you can sign our online petition and write letters to Elon Musk asking him to name SpaceX’s manned Dragon “Serenity,” and also get more information about our “Leaf on the Wind” campaign. If you’re going to be there, be sure to stop by and say hello. We’d love to talk to you about Firefly, the space industry or whatever else is on your mind, because making new friends is shiny! See you in the ‘Burgh.

For Our One-Year Anniversary, Send Elon Musk a Leaf on the Wind… Literally!

Posted by Chris Tobias on September 2, 2013
Posted in: Updates. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . 11 Comments

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by Chris Tobias

September 6 marks the one-year anniversary of Take Back the Sky, and I have to say I think we’ve come a long way in these first twelve months. Our online petition has over 1,400 signatures and continues to climb, we’ve sent hundreds of letters to Elon Musk at SpaceX asking him to name his first manned Dragon spacecraft Serenity (and those are just the ones we’ve collected and sent at cons; it’s likely there have been hundreds more), we’ve been featured on podcasts and blogs, and we’ve presented panels and worked tables at two conventions, with a third scheduled for later this month (Pittsburgh Comicon, September 27-29). Until we hear the announcement that the next manned US spacecraft will be called Serenity, though, there’s still plenty of work to be done, so we figured we’d kick off the second year of Take Back the Sky with a very special project that should be all manner of fun for everyone.

Since the autumn season is just around the corner, we thought this would be the perfect time for us to show Elon Musk how much we want him to christen his first manned Dragon Serenity by sending him a leaf on the wind… literally.

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Take Back the Sky Panel at WV Pop Culture Con Now on Sunday, August 25

Posted by Chris Tobias on August 23, 2013
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by Chris Tobias

Take Back the Sky Panel at WV Pop Culture Con Now on Sunday, August 25

We have just been notified that the Take Back the Sky panel “One Small Step for Fans:  Browncoats in Space” at the WV Pop Culture Con is now scheduled to take place on Sunday, August 25 at 12PM in Panel Room B.  If you’re coming to the con, be sure to drop in and check it out.  We hope to see you there!

Take Back the Sky to Attend WV Pop Culture Con

Posted by Chris Tobias on August 22, 2013
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Take Back the Sky to Attend WV Pop Culture Con

by Chris Tobias

Take Back the Sky will be at the WV Pop Culture Con in Morgantown, WV this Saturday and Sunday, August 24-25. We’ll be doing an encore of our Wizard World panel “One Small Step for Fans: Browncoats in Space” on Saturday, and we’ll have a table on the convention floor where you can sign our online petition and write your own letter to SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk asking him to name the next manned US spacecraft “Serenity.” If you’re at the con this weekend, be sure to stop by and say hello. We always love meetin’ new folk, especially Browncoats and those who love talkin’ about space science. Click the con’s logo for a link to their site. Hope to see you there!

A Long Overdue Conclusion from Wizard World Philadelphia (Part 5: the Cast of Firefly and Wizard World– Big Damn Heroes All!)

Posted by Chris Tobias on August 10, 2013
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by Chris Tobias

My relatively lengthy palaver with Summer Glau on Sunday morning was definitely one of the highlights of my experience at Wizard World Philadelphia, but by no means did it mark the end of the memorable moments I had on the convention’s final day.  After all, there were still three other cast members from Firefly and Serenity present at the con, and I was determined to get all of them to autograph the Dark Horse graphic novels I intended to auction off for Equality Now at Can’t Stop the Serenity Pittsburgh. Continue Reading

Some Long Overdue Impressions from Wizard World Philadelphia (Part 4: A Very Memorable Meeting with Summer Glau)

Posted by Chris Tobias on August 8, 2013
Posted in: Articles, Con Presence. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . 2 Comments

by Chris Tobias

Sunday, June 2 was the final day of Wizard World Philadelphia and the shortest day of the con.  We had already been working at the Take Back the Sky table for three days, and our crew had seen pretty much everything the event had to offer.  The Firefly panel and my photo op with Summer Glau had already taken place the previous day.  Truthfully, my expectations for Sunday were somewhat low.  We’d collect a few more signatures for our online petition and letters to Elon Musk asking him and SpaceX to name the next US spacecraft Serenity, say goodbye to our new friends from the PA and NY Browncoats, pack up the vehicle, and head home.  That is, of course, exactly what happened, but along the way Sunday would become the most memorable day of the con for me.

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