The Stars My Destination: The Challenger Disaster

Operation AXIOM: The Space Age—The 40th Anniversary of S.T.S.-51-L
Forty years ago to the day, 28 January 1986, the Space Shuttle Challenger (OV-099) disintegrated during launch, killing her crew of seven: Commander Francis R. "Dick" Scobee, Pilot Michael Smith, Mission Specialist 1 Ellison Onizuka, Mission Specialist 2/Flight Engineer Judith Resnik, Mission Specialist 3 Ronald McNair, Payload Specialist 1 Gregory Jarvis, & Payload Specialist 2 Christa McAuliffe. Scobee (STS-41-C), Onizuka (STS-51-C), Resnik (STS-41-D), & McNair (STS-41-B) were spaceflight veterans; Smith, Jarvis, & McAuliffe were rookies.

The disaster was caused by the failure of an O-ring on one of the Challenger's two Solid Rocket Boosters. The O-ring contractor had warned N.A.S.A. against launching in the unusually cold temperatures on the morning of 28 January, but N.A.S.A. overruled the contractor, whose senior management then relented, against their own engineers' concerns. The disaster was not only foreseeable, but foreseen. N.A.S.A. violated numerous of its own procedures in going ahead with the doomed launch.

The Challenger's mission, STS-51-L, which was to deploy a communications satellite & conduct observations of Halley's Comet, was more high profile than most Space Shuttle missions as 'twas the first flight of the Teacher in Space Project, with public school teacher Mrs. McAuliffe having been selected as an astronaut specifically for the ambitious educational outreach. She was to teach remotely from space via closed-circuit television. Your humble narrator was among the many schoolchildren around the country watching the launch live on television when the unthinkable happened. The Challenger disaster made a considerable impression on popular culture & was commemorated with an on-screen tribute at the beginning of Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, released later in 1986. Colonel Onizuka, the first Asian-American astronaut, was the namesake of a shuttlecraft used in several episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, which debuted in 1987.

The Space Shuttle Challenger disintegrated seventy-three seconds after liftoff, killing all seven of her crew, 28 January 1986, forty years ago today.

Bonus! Space Age Song o' the Day: The Challenger Disaster
Lenka, "Live Like You're Dying" from Lenka (Space Cadet Mike Papa Whiskey)

The Wayback Machine Tour of the Challenger Disaster
Wayback Machine '25
Wayback Machine '24 | Wayback Machine '23
Wayback Machine '22 | Wayback Machine '21
Wayback Machine '20 | Wayback Machine '19
Wayback Machine '18 | Wayback Machine '17
Wayback Machine '16 | Wayback Machine '11

Operation ÖSTERREICH: Please Stand By

Please Stand By | Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea máxima culpa!

Weekly Wednesday Weigh-in
Last weigh-in: 330.2 lbs. (12 June 2024)

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day

Michael Jackson, "Billie Jean" from Thriller (Mike Papa Whiskey)

Commentary:

"People always told me, 'Be careful of what you do,
'And don't go around breaking young girls' hearts' (Don't break no hearts),
But she came and stood right by me,
Just the smell of sweet perfume,
This happened much too soon,
She called me to her room, hey…"

The Stars My Destination: The Apollo 1 Disaster

Operation AXIOM: Destination Moon—The 59th Anniversary of Apollo 1
Fifty-nine years ago to the day, 27 January 1967, the crew of AS-204, the first manned Apollo flight, retroactively named Apollo 1—Command Pilot Virgil I. "Gus" Grissom, Senior Pilot Edward H. "Ed" White II, & Pilot Roger B. Chaffee—perished in a fire in the cockpit of their Command Module capsule, atop its Saturn IB rocket at Cape Kennedy's Launch Complex 34 for a launch rehearsal test.

The fire, almost certainly electrical though the precise source of ignition was never identified, was exacerbated by the many highly-flammable materials within the Command Module, as well as the high-pressure, pure-oxygen atmosphere. The high atmospheric pressure—which increased further due to the fire—also prevented the astronauts from opening their Block I Command Module's complex, inward-opening hatch, a fatal design flaw that was subsequently corrected on all subsequent Block II Command Modules.

Grissom was one of the "Mercury Seven," Astronaut Group 1, & the second American to fly in space; his two spaceflights were Mercury-Redstone 4 (the suborbital flight of the Liberty Bell 7) & Gemini 3 (the orbital flight of the Molly Brown, the only named Gemini capsule).

White, a Michigan Wolverine, was one of the "New Nine," Astronaut Group 2; his only spaceflight was Gemini IV, during which he became the first American & second human to conduct an Extravehicular Activity (E.V.A.), or "spacewalk."

Chaffee, a native Michigander, was one of the "Fourteen," Astronaut Group 3; Apollo 1 was to be his first spaceflight.

The crew of Apollo 1 died in a catastrophic fire during a ground test that had not been considered hazardous, 27 January 1967, fifty-nine years ago today.

Bonus! Song o' the Day: The Apollo 1 Disaster
Public Service Broadcasting, "Fire in the Cockpit" from The Race for Space (Space Cadet Mike Papa DSKY)

The Wayback Machine Tour of the Apollo 1 Disaster
Wayback Machine '25
Wayback Machine '24 | Wayback Machine '23
Wayback Machine '22 | Wayback Machine '21
Wayback Machine '20 | Wayback Machine '19
Wayback Machine '18 | Wayback Machine '17

"The Explorers' Club," No. XXXV: Project Apollo, Part I
"The Explorers' Club," No. DCCCXXV: Astro. Group 1 (the "Mercury Seven"), Part III: Gus Grissom
"The Explorers' Club," No. CMXXXVIII: Astronaut Group 2 (the "New Nine"), Part IV: Ed White
"The Explorers' Club," No. MLXXV: Astronaut Group 3 (the "Fourteen"), Part XIV: Roger Chaffee

“If we die, we want people to accept it. We’re in a risky business, & we hope if anything happens to us it will not delay the program. The conquest of space is worth the risk life. Our God-given curiosity will force us to go there ourselves, because in the final analysis only man can fully evaluate the Moon in terms understandable to other men.”
—Gus Grissom

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day

The Four Tops, "Reach Out I'll Be There" from the Motown 1's compilation (Mike Papa Whiskey)

Commentary: Unlike the Four Tops, I am not from Detroit. But I am from Michigan, & I want Detroit to prosper (spiritually more than materially) because Detroit's prosperity is vital to Michigan's prosperity.

Plus, if you don't enjoy the Motown Sound, that's a "you" problem.

Operation AXIOM: Yes, M!ch!gan!

Si Quæris Peninsulam Amœnam Circumspice
("If you seek a pleasant peninsula, look about you")

One hundred eighty-nine years ago to the day, 26 January 1837, Michigan was admitted into the Union as the twenty-sixth of these United States of America. Under the protocols of the Missouri Compromise of 1820, Michigan's admission as a free state balanced Arkansas's 1836 admission as a slave state. The Michigan Territory's state constitution was approved by a convention in 1835, but Congressional approval was delayed until after the resolution of a border dispute with the State of Ohio (admitted 1803), which saw the "Toledo Strip" awarded to Ohio & most of what is today called the Upper Peninsula (U.P.) given to Michigan as recompense.

Michigan is unique among the several states in being composed of two peninsulas. In addition to Michigan being surrounded by four of the five Great Lakes, there are almost sixty-five thousand lakes & ponds within these pleasant peninsulas; one is never more than six miles from a natural water source (a lake, river, or spring) nor more than eighty-five miles from a Great Lake. The name Michigan originates in an Ojibwe language word, mishigamaa, usually translated as "large water."

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day

Fountains of Wayne, "Valley Winter Song" from Welcome Interstate Managers (Mike Papa Whiskey)

Commentary: Yesterday afternoon, both my fraternity meeting & children's faith formation were cancelled due to the very light snowfall we received here in sacred Michigan. We shall see how much of the world reopens today.

Addendum: Eucharistic adoration was cancelled after too many adorers called in as unavilable. All evening activities on the church campus were cancelled.

Rewatching Star Trek (The Original Series, 1966-1969)

Episode o' the Day
"The Return of the Archons" (season one, episode twenty-one; production code: 022; 9 February 1967): Wikipedia-link.

Commentary: "The Return of the Archons" is an even more thorough refutation of Star Trek: Picard than "Court Martial" (season one, episode twenty). The Enterprise visits the planet Beta III, which is ruled over by the god-like Landru, who appears as a holographic projection. In the course of events, it is revealed that Landru was a Betan sage of six thousand years earlier, who led his people back to a simpler existence after a period of technological advancement marred by violence & social disorder. The "Landru" that rules Beta III in the present day is a sophisticated computer, programmed by Landru with all his knowledge, to continue shepherding the Betan people. At some point, "Landru" took direct control of the Betans, telepathically controlling those who have been "absorbed" into "the Body." (More on absorption & the Body in a moment.)

"Landru" insists that it is Landru, indistinguishable from the man who programmed it, but Kirk rightly insists that it is not, that as a machine "Landru" is simply not able to possess Landru's discerning wisdom. Kirk argues that due to that lack of wisdom, "Landru" has violated its own prime directive, the "good of the Body": Yes, the Betans of the Body are physically alive, but they have no creativity, no agency; their society is stagnant. "Landru," unable to reconcile having failed in its prime directive, goes haywire, crying out to Landru the sage, "Help me! Help me! Help me!" The Korby android in "What Are Little Girls Made Of?" (season one, episode seven) insisted that it was the man Dr. Roger Korby, but it was not. The Landru mainframe computer insisted that it was the man Landru, but it was not. The Picard android in "Et in Arcadia Ego" (Picard season one, episodes nine & ten, & all of seasons two & three) insisted that it was the man Jean-Luc Picard, but it is not. Case closed.

"Absorption" is the process of becoming telepathically controlled by "Landru." Humans are as vulnerable to being absorbed as are Betans & no one is freed from absorption until "Landru" melts down. Certain members of Betan society are immune to absorption & form an underground resistance movement. There are parallels between being "absorbed" into the Body & being assimilated into the Borg Collective.

The weakest part of "The Return of the Archons" is the clumsy anti-religious sentiment. Those who are being controlled by "Landru" as spoken of as "the Body" & "being one in Landru." The Lawgivers who serve as enforcers are dressed in cowled robes, looking something like monks. Marplon, a member of the underground who has access to the Hall of Audiences, where it is possible to "commune" with Landru, is similarly robed. These clerical robes contrast with the dress of the rest of the Body. These are clumsy & lazy attacks because "Landru" doesn't propose a moral code to follow, "Landru" directly controls the Body. No major religion proposes a god whose adherents are mere puppets.

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the III Sunday in O.T.

The Third Sunday in Ordinary Time
Michael Giacchino, "Adventure Calling" from The Incredibles: Music from the Motion Picture (Saint Mike Papa Whiskey)

The Victors: Failing Upward, Part I of III

Disclosures
I supported Sherrone Moore's hiring in 2023. Like most Wolverines, it made sense to me in context: Moore had served as head coach during several games when Jim Harbaugh was suspended, including the victories over (№ 10) Penn State & (№ 2) Ohio State, & given the lateness of Harbaugh's decision to return to the No Fun League, there were not many top-tier candidates seemingly available. Moore was seen as the Harbaugh continuity hire, the way to maintain the momentum of three consecutive B1G Championships (2021, '22, '23) & a National Championship ('23). No, Moore did not have a coaching resume that on its own would merit him receiving the Michigan job (he'd never been a head coach before, not of a whole program), but he was the best coach that Harbaugh wasn't taking as a package deal to the N.F.L.

I did not publicly call for Moore to be fired in either '24 or '25. Those who had to suffer through my dyspeptic rants during football games (principally my father & my old chum, Red Patton) know that I had concluded Moore was not up to the job, but I still believed he deserved to succeed or fail on his own merits, not just in comparison to '21-'23. In fairness, the deck was stacked against Moore in his first season: He got a late start due both to Michigan playing in the National Championship Game & Harbaugh taking additional time before deciding to leave for the N.F.L. Also, this was his first time ever putting together a staff. Nevertheless, 2024 was a disheartening debacle (8-5, B1G 5-4), especially the valiant Wolverines' almost total lack of an offense, but the year was redeemed by the final two victories over (№ 2) Ohio State & (№ 11) Alabama*. Moore showed signs of learning from his mistakes, firing his offensive coordinator & hiring a new, more proven coordinator.

Alas, the hopes engendered for '25 were dashed. The valiant Wolverines' record improved (9-4, B1G 7-2), but without any improbable victories. Team 146 defeated all the lesser teams they played, but weren't even remotely competitive against of the upper tier opponents: (№ 18) Oklahoma, Southern California (unranked at the time, but finished № 20), (№ 1) Ohio State, & (№ 13) Texas. It was those losses that convinced me Moore was not the man for the job, because of the tentativeness with which he coached & the lack of attention to detail with which the valiant Wolverines played. The games they won they won on talent alone; the games we lost were against equally talented or more talented teams with much better coaches.

Then came the firing. Out of the blue, Sherrone Moore was fired for cause, for conducting an extramarital affair with an Athletic Department employee, reportedly his secretary. This shocking news was followed by even more shocking news, preposterous but true: Moore was arrested! Apparently, he menaced his erstwhile paramour in her home, blaming her for "ruining his life." No, son, you did that yourself. Rarely have a seen so dramatic a fall: one day, a man is the head coach of a major college football program, earning millions of dollars; the very next day, he is in the county jail, having revealed the full extent of his lack of character after being dismissed for cause. Sic transit gloria mundi.

Please pray for Mrs. Moore & the children, who are innocent victims in all this; pray also for the paramour, for her repentence; & for Moore himself, for his repentence.

Bonus! Song o' Sherrone Moore
Less Than Jake, "The State of Florida" from GNV FLA (Mike Papa Wolverine)

Commentary:

"Too much, too soon, too little, too late…"

Rewatching Star Trek (The Original Series, 1966-1969)

Episode o' the Day
"Tomorrow Is Yesterday" (season one, episode nineteen; production code: 021; 26 January 1967): Wikipedia-link.

Commentary: "Tomorrow Is Yesterday" is the first time travel episode in Star Trek, setting the pattern of most time travel stories just not making sense.

The Enterprise is accidentally flung back in time to July 1969 by an encounter with a "black star," establishing the warp speed/gravitational slingshot technique that would recur, including in the feature film Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986). The starship is detected in the Earth's atmosphere as a U.F.O. & intercepted by a U.S. Air Force F-104 Starfighter. Captain Kirk inadvertantly destroys the aeroplane, which cannot withstand the Enterprise's tractor beam, & rescues the pilot by transporting him aboard. The initial plan is not to return the pilot, Captain John Christopher, because his knowledge of the Enterprise could pollute the timeline, but they soon discover that a not-yet-conceived son of Christopher's will lead an historically significant space mission to Saturn; so, they must return Christopher. So far, so good.

Kirk & Sulu beam down to Earth to destroy any physical evidence that could corroborate Christopher's eventual testimony: wing camera footage from the destroyed Starfighter & tape recordings of the radio communications between Christopher & the ground. They beam down in their Starfleet uniforms, but that could be forgiven as a lack of experience; in future time travel incidents, landing parties will dress to blend in with the native population. Kirk & Sulu succeed in pilfering all the physical evidence, but Kirk is captured & interrogated by U.S.A.F. Air Policemen & one Air Policeman is inadvertantly beamed up to the Enterprise. All understandable, no plan survives contact with the enemy.

The resolution is when "Tomorrow Is Yesterday" stops making sense. Scotty repairs the warp engines & the gravitational slingshot manuever around the Sun is used to propel the Enterprise back to the future—though first, they move further back in time to before the starship's arrival in Earth's atmosphere. Two contradictory things happen. First, as they move forward through time again, Captain Christopher & the Air Policeman are beamed into their own bodies just before they encountered the Enterprise crew. Wait, what? Physics still applies: two objects cannot simultaneously occupy the same space. Is this a "Tuvix" situation wherein the past & present versions of Captain Christopher are combined to form a new hybrid version? And the same for the Air Policeman? Second, the Enterprise returning to her own present somehow prevents the ship from ever going back in time. Wait, what? If the Enterprise was never intercepted by Christopher's Starfighter, why return Christopher & the Air Policeman at all? They men aboard the Enterprise are now essentially temporal doubles; their original selves still exist in the earlier timeline & those originals will never encounter the Enterprise & her crew, thus posing no danger of polluting the timeline.

This is not a time travel "paradox," a faux explanation that is often deployed to try to explain away writing that doesn't make sense, this is poor, nonsensical writing. Most writers aren't smart enough to think through the logical implications of a time travel story; so, most writers shouldn't write time travel stories. "Tomorrow Is Yesterday" starts off well & is a pretty light episode throghout, but the ending is an unsalvageable mess.

Fun fact: "Tomorrow Is Yesterday" correctly predicted the future. When the Enterprise arrives in the past, before the Starfighter intercept, the bridge crew hears a radio report that the first Moon landing attempt will launch on the next Wednesday. Apollo 11 did indeed launch on Wednesday, 16 July 1969.

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day

Neville Staple & Sugary Staple featuring Roddy Radiation, "Original Rudegirl Sound" from Rude Rebels (Rude Boy Mike Papa Whiskey)

Skammentary: Neville Staple & Roddy Radiation were members of seminal 2-Tone band The Specials (also known as the Special A.K.A.). Sugary Staple is Neville's wife.

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' Today

Freitag, 23. Januar
Zolof the Rock & Roll Destroyer, "Death or Radio" from Schematics (Mike Papa Whiskey)

Commentary:

"Let's hold hands and listen to shitty bands,
Tossing records out the window,
Now it's either death or radio,
Who are you and where did you come from? (Where did you come from?)…"

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' Yesterday

Donnerstag, 22. Januar
The Articles, "Starsky" from Flip F'real (Rude Boy Mike Papa Whiskey)

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' Ereyesterday

Mittwoch, 21. Januar
The Link Quartet, "Alfa Romeo Duetto" from Beat.It (Mike Papa Whiskey)

Commentary: "Duetto" is a nickname for the Alfa Romeo Spider, the iconic roadster produced in four generations from 1966-1994. Above is a highly customed third generation Spider (1982-1990).

The Explorers' Club, № MCXXXVII

Operation AXIOM: The 50th Anniversary of the Concorde
21 January 1976: The Concorde*, the supersonic airliner jointly developed by the United Kingdom & France, began scheduled flights, with a British Airways flight from London to Bahrain & an Air France flight from Paris to Dakar to Rio de Janeiro; service from London & Paris to Washington, D.C. began in May; service to New York City would not begin until November 1977, due to local opposition.

Commentary: *British usage was to call the aeroplane Concorde, without the definite article. French usage was the call the aeroplane le Concorde, with the definite article. I have never liked the British usage; so, I call the aeroplane the Concorde, in English but with the definite article.

Bonus! Song o' the Day: The Concorde
They Might Be Giants featuring Marty Beller, "Speed and Velocity" from Here Comes Science (Mike Papa Whiskey)

Semper exploro.

Rewatching Star Trek (The Original Series, 1966-1969)

Episode o' the Day
"The Alternative Factor" (season one, episode twenty-seven; production code: 020; 30 March 1967): Wikipedia-link.

Commentary: "The Alternative Factor" is the worst episode of the first season. It's an absolute mess.

Operation ÖSTERREICH: Please Stand By

Please Stand By | Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea máxima culpa!

Weekly Wednesday Weigh-in
Last weigh-in: 330.2 lbs. (12 June 2024)

Rewatching Star Trek (The Original Series, 1966-1969)

Episode o' the Day
"Arena" (season one, episode eighteen; production code: 019; 19 January 1967): Wikipedia-link.

Commentary: "Arena" is one of the truly classic episodes of The Original Series: Captain Kirk versus the unnamed Gorn captain. RECADTED has an impressively diverse collection of Gorn merchandise, a testament to the enduring popularity of The Original Series in general & "Arena" in particular.

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day

The Puppini Sisters, "Winter Wonderland" from Christmas with the Puppini Sisters (Mike Papa Whiskey)

Commentary:

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' Martin Luther King Jr. Day

They Might Be Giants, "Your Racist Friend" from Flood (Mike Papa Whiskey)

Commentary: In the 1960s, Bill Buckley of National Review took a principled stand & excluded the hatemongering conspiracy theorists of the John Birch Society from the conservative movement. Six decades later, we need many to take a principled stand & exclude the hatemongering conspiracy theorists from both the right & left. For the right, this means you cannot flirt with creeps who blithly praise Adolf Hitler & retain any credibility. For the left this means you cannot flirt with creeps who blithy praise Hamas & retain any credibility. (Jew-hatred rots your brain, whether right or left. And Jew-hatred never stops with the Jews; they are just the canary in the coal mine.)

"Out from the kitchen to the bedroom to the hallway,
Your friend apologizes, he could see it my way,
He let the contents of the bottle to the thinking,
Can't shake the devil's hand and say you're only kidding…"

The Wayback Machine Tour of Martin Luther King Junior Day
M.L.K. Day '25
M.L.K. Day '24 | M.L.K. Day '23 | M.L.K. Day '22
M.L.K. Day '21 | M.L.K. Day '20 | M.L.K. Day '18
M.L.K. Day '17 | M.L.K. Day '16 | M.L.K. Day '15

The Explorers' Club, № MCXXXVI

Operation AXIOM: The Space Age—The 40th Anniversary of S.T.S.-61-C, Part II
13-18 January 1986: Gibson, Bolden, "Pinky" Nelson, Hawley, Chang-Díaz, Bill Nelson, & Cenker deployed the telecom satellite Satcom-K1; also aboard were 13 Getaway Specials; photography of Halley's Comet failed due to dead batteries; three attempts at landing at K.S.C.'s Shuttle Landing Facility were waved off due to weather; after 98 orbits, the Columbia landed at California's Edwards.

Commentary: S.T.S.-61-C was originally slated to last seven days, but Mission Control attempted to shorten it to four days both because its multiple launch scrubs had already delayed the launch of the next flight, S.T.S.-51-L, & to give ground crews more time to turn the Columbia around in accordance with the frequent launch cadence intended for 1986. The repeated weather delays at the Shuttle Landing Facility eventually extended the mission back to six days.

Payload Specialist Greg Jarvis was originally assigned to S.T.S.-61-C, but he was bumped in favor of Congressman Nelson. Jarvis was reassigned to S.T.S.-51-L, which launched just ten days after S.T.S.-61-C landed.

Bonus! Space Age Song o' the Day: S.T.S.-61-C
Pushover, "Home (Space Boy)" from Logic and Loss (Space Cadet Mike Papa Whiskey)

Skammentary:

"Say, I've gotta find my own way back to Earth…"

Semper exploro.

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the II Sunday in O.T.

The Second Sunday in Ordinary Time
Audrey Assad, "Lamb of God" from the Death, Be Not Proud E.P. (Saint Mike Papa Whiskey)

Bonus! Song o' Trivia Night

Project Mercator: Trivia Night @ Saint Matthew
"Weird Al" Yankovic, "Young, Dumb & Ugly" from Alapalooza (Mike Papa Whiskey)

Commentary: I mean no offense to our players.

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day

Bombskare, "Failed All the Tests" from the Monsters E.P. (Rude Boy Mike Papa Whiskey)

Commentary:

"We failed all the tests…"

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day

The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, "Favorite Records" from the Medium Rare compilation (Rude Boy Mike Papa Whiskey)

The Explorers' Club, № MCXXXV

Operation AXIOM: Between the Wars
15 January 1925: The Phoebus Cartel—General Electric (United States), Philips (The Netherlands), Tungsram (Hungary), Associated Electrical Industries (United Kingdom), Tokyo Electric (Japan), Osram (Germany), E.L.I.N. (Austria), & La Compagnie des Lampes (France) standardized a 1,000-hour life for incandescent ligh bulbs (planned obsolescence) & protected each other from competition.

Commentary: The cartel was agreed to endure for thirty years, until 1955, but was cut short in 1939 by the advent of the Second World War.

We regret not publishing an episode on the Phoebus Cartel a year ago, in 2025.

Lest we forget.

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day

They Might Be Giants, "Hypnotist of Ladies" from Apollo 18 (Mike Papa Whiskey)

Commentary:

"You won't remember why you liked him…"

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day

Smash Mouth, "All-Star" from Astro Lounge (Mike Papa Whiskey)

Operation ÖSTERREICH: Please Stand By

Please Stand By | Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea máxima culpa!

Weekly Wednesday Weigh-in
Last weigh-in: 330.2 lbs. (12 June 2024)

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day!

The Aquabats!, "Whatever Forever!" from Finally! (Captain Thumbs Up!)

Commentary!:

"You know I'm down for you and you for me,
I want to thank you, friend, for every single memory,
The highs and lows with you, the joy in this journey,
And if you need me, if you ever need me, I'll be here.
Right over here…

"You know I'm down for you and you for me,
I want to thank you, friend, for every single memory,
The highs and lows with you, this joy in this journey,
And if you need me, if you ever need me,
Well, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah yeah, I'm down for whatever!
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah yeah, whatever forever!…"

The Explorers' Club, № MCXXXIV

Operation AXIOM: The Space Age—The 40th Anniversary of S.T.S.-61-C (№ 24), Part I
12 January 1986: The Space Shuttle Columbia OV-102 lifted off from Florida's K.S.C. with CDR "Hoot" Gibson, Pilot Charlie Bolden, M.S.1 "Pinky" Nelson, M.S.2/F.E. Steve Hawley, M.S.3 Franklin Chang-Díaz, P.S.1 Representative Bill Nelson (Democrat, Florida), & P.S.2 Bob Cenker; S.T.S.-61-C's launch was originally scheduled for 18 December 1985 & was scrubbed six times before this liftoff.

Commentary: S.T.S.-61-C was the seventh flight of the Columbia OV-102.

Bolden & Bill Nelson each later served as Administrator of N.A.S.A., Bolden under President Obama (2009-2017, overseeing the retirement of the Space Shuttle fleet) & Nelson under President Biden (2021-2025).

Bonus! Space Age Song o' the Day!: S.T.S.-61-C
The Aquabats!, "Finally!" from Finally! (Space Cadet Mike Papa Whiskey)

Semper exploro.