The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day

The Interrupters, "Good Things" from Say It Out Loud (Mike Papa Whiskey)

Commentary:

"I've been through hell today,
I hit rock bottom,
Something's gotta change,
I've been through hell today,
I hit rock bottom,
Good things are bound to come my way…"

The R.B.D. Song o' the Lord's Day: IV Sunday in O.T.

Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Sanctus Real, "On Fire" from The Dream (Saint Mike Papa Whiskey)

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day

Garbage, "The World Is Not Enough" from Best of Bond… James Bond 50th Anniversary Collection (Mike Papa Whiskey)

Commentary: I'm on record as not being fond of Garbage's music, my standard quip being "Garbage, the aptly named band since Tool" (which also works in reverse, "Tool, the most aptly named band since Garbage."), but "The World Is Not Enough" is the best Bond theme song of the modern era, defined as the tenures of Pierce Brosnan (1995-2002) & Daniel Craig (2006-2021). The closest contender is Chris Cornell's "You Know My Name" from Casino Royale, but I still give the nod to "The World Is Not Enough" from The World Is Not Enough.

The Stars My Destination: The Challenger Disaster

Operation AXIOM: The Space Age—The 36th Anniversary of S.T.S.-51-L
Thirty-six years ago to the day, 28 January 1986, the Space Shuttle Challenger (OV-099) exploded during launch, killing her crew of seven: Commander Francis R. "Dick" Scobee, Pilot Michael Smith, Mission Specialist Ellison Onizuka, Mission Specialist Judith Resnik, Mission Specialist Ronald McNair, Payload Specialist Gregory Jarvis, & Payload Specialist Christa McAuliffe. Scobee, Onizuka, Resnik, & McNair were veterans of the Space Shuttle; Smith, Jarvis, & McAuliffe were on their maiden spaceflights.

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 schoolteacher 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 exploded seventy-three seconds after liftoff, killing all seven of her crew, 28 January 1986, thirty-six years ago today.

Bonus! Song o' the Day: The Challenger Disaster
The Phenomenauts, "Heroes" from For All Mankind (Space Cadet Mike Papa Whiskey)

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

The Mighty Mighty Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day

The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, "Decide" from When God Was Great (Rude Boy Mike Papa Whiskey)

Skammentary: Yesterday, Thursday, 27 January 2022, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones posted the following to their website & social media:

After decades of brotherhood, touring the world and making great records together we have decided not to continue on as a band. Above all, we want to express our sincere gratitude to every single one of you who have supported us. We could not have done any of it without you.

Love Always,

The Mighty Mighty BossToneS

Two fellow rude boys reached out to share the news, a real-life friend via the Facebook & an online friend via the Twitters. Sad news that I was touched they reached out to share; even amongst my ska-loving brethren in Blue Tree Whacking, back in those halcyon days at the turn of the millennium, I stood alone in my affinity for The Mighty Mighty Bosstones.

The R.B.D.S.O.T.D. is going to honor The Mighty Mighty Bosstones here at the end of their road, though I have yet to decide the exact form that honoring will take. This R.B.D.S.O.T.D. is a start, but certainly not the end. Stay tuned.

"Start with the ignition,
It is in such poor condition
There is little to no chance to that it will start again.
On the off chance it's ignited,
Do not get too excited,
It's not the only insufficient part and when
There are cylinders not firing,
Frayed or faulty wiring,
The ones that aren't faulty must be crossed.
Hatches are not battened,
The tires have been flattened,
Whatever isn't loose was somehow lost.

"Decide!
Should we cash in or should we let it ridе?
Will this be sanctioned or be nullifiеd?
We have got to decide!

"Values have been stripped,
Lids are blown and flipped,
No one is shocked at this point so I'm sure you're not surprised.
All circuits shot and shorted,
The truth has been aborted,
If that's not the truth, the truth is it's been compromised.
Don't you find it upsetting?
All the aiding and abetting,
Are we past the point of no return?
Are we still on the brink?
Will you ignore it and dismiss it?
Go for it, be implicit?
Without civility, humility or the ability to think?

"Decide!

"We have got to decide!
Should we cash in or should we let it ride?
Will this be sanctioned or be nullified?
We have got to decide!
We have got to decide!
We have got to decide!
We have got to decide!"

The Stars My Destination: The Apollo 1 Disaster

Operation AXIOM: Destination Moon—The 55th Anniversary of Apollo 1
Fifty-five years ago to the day, 27 January 1967, the crew of the first manned Apollo mission, AS-204, 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 within their Command Module capsule, atop its Saturn IB rocket at Cape Kennedy's Launch Complex 34 for a launch rehearsal test. The fire, electrical in nature, was exacerbated by the many highly-flammable materials within the Command Module, as well as the Command Module's high-pressure, pure-oxygen atmosphere. The high atmospheric pressure also prevented the astronauts from evacuating their swiftly immolating craft, a fatal design flaw that was subsequently corrected on all subsequent Apollo Command Modules.

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

White, a University of Michigan alumnus, was among the "New Nine," Astronaut Group 2; his successful spaceflight was Gemini 4, during which he became the first American & second human to conduct an Extravehicular Activity (E.V.A.), or "spacewalk."

Chaffee, a native Michigander, was selected in 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-five years ago today.

Command Pilot Gus Grissom (1926-1967), in a N.A.S.A. press conference, said:

“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.”

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

The Wayback Machine Tour of the Apollo 1 Disaster
Wayback Machine '21 | Wayback Machine '20
Wayback Machine '19 | Wayback Machine '18
Wayback Machine '17 | "The Explorers' Club," No. XXXV (2007)

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day: The Shoah

International Holocaust Remembrance Day
Topol, Miriam Karlin, Cynthia Grenville, Paul Whitsun-Jones, Brian Hewitt-Jones, & George Little, "Anatevka" from Fiddler on the Roof (Mike Papa Whiskey)

Saints + Scripture

Simplex Edition | Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea máxima culpa!

Saints of the Day
'Tis the Optional Memorial of Saint Angela Merici, Virgin, C.S.U. (1474-1540), foundress of the Angelines (C.S.U.), formally the Secular Institute of Saint Angela Merici (historically, the Company of Saint Ursula), from which grew the Ursulines (O.S.U.), formally the Order of Saint Ursula.

Commentary: Wayback Machine '20.

Scripture of the Day
Mass Readings—Thursday of the Third Week in Ordinary Time
The Second Book of Samuel, chapter seven, verses eighteen, nineteen, & twenty-four thru twenty-nine;
Psalm One Hundred Thirty-two, verses one & two; three, four, & five; eleven; twelve; & thirteen & fourteen
(R/. the Gospel according to Luke, chapter one, verse thirty-two[b]);
The Gospel according to Mark, chapter four, verses twenty-one thru twenty-five.

Commentary: Gospel reflection by Bishop Robert Barron (Word on Fire):

Friends, today’s Gospel shows how the light of Christ affects our lives. Well, light is wonderful in the measure that it illumines and brightens and delights. But light can also be disconcerting. Think of how bad most of us look in direct light! I discovered this while filming the CATHOLICISM series. I much prefer the indirect light that you can produce indoors. The full glare of the sun reveals every flaw, imperfection, and peculiarity of your face.

Think of what happens when you suddenly shine a light into a dark corner in your basement or down a lonely alley. The bugs and the vermin reveal themselves. Unsavory things scurry about for cover, afraid of the light.

When you invite Jesus into your life, you are inviting the light into your life. Again, this is wonderful, but it is also frightening. Jesus will shine his light in every corner of your life, in every room of your house. Things that look okay in the dark or in the indirect light will suddenly stand out in all of their unpleasantness.

Video reflection by Deacon Harold Burke-Sivers (U.S. Conf. of Catholic Bishops): Daily Reflection.

Video reflection by Doctor Tim Gray (Augustine Institute/Formed.org): Daily Reflection.

Mass Readings—Optional Memorial of St. Angela Merici
The First Letter of Peter, chapter four, verses seven(b) thru eleven;
Psalm One Hundred Forty-eight (R/. cf. twelve[a] & thirteen[a]; or, "Alleluia."), verses one(b/c) & two; eleven, twelve, & thirteen(a); & thirteen(c) & fourteen;
The Gospel according to Mark, chapter nine, verses thirty-four(b) thru thirty-seven.

Papal Quote o' the Day

"As people, we are meant to have human joys: the joy of living, the joy of love & friendship, the joy of work well done. As Christians, we have cause for further joy: like Jesus, we know that we are loved by God our father"
—Pope St. John Paul II the Great (1920-2005, r. 1978-2005; feast: 22 October)

Saint Quote o' the Day

"Do you want to outwit the devil? Never let him catch you idle. Work, study, pray, & you will surely overcome your spiritual enemy."
—Saint John Bosco, S.D.B. (1815-1888, feast: 31 January)

Mother Teresa Quote o' the Day

"We think sometimes that poverty is only being hungry, naked, & homeless. The poverty of being unwanted, unloved, & uncared for is the greatest poverty. We must start in our own homes to remedy this kind of poverty."
—Saint Teresa of Calcutta, M.C. (1910-1997, feast: 5 September)

Archbishop Sheen Quote o' the Day

"Love cannot remain by itself—it has no meaning. Love has to be put into action, & that action is service."
—Venerable Fulton Sheen (1895-1979)

The Explorers' Club, № DCCCLXIV

Operation AXIOM: Destination Moon—The 60th Anniversary of Ranger 3
26-31 January 1962: Ranger 3, the first Block II Ranger probe, lifted off from Florida's Cape Canaveral Air Force Station atop an Atlas-Agena rocket, tasked to photograph & then impact the Lunar surface; guidance failures with both the Atlas & the Agena meant Ranger 3 missed the Moon & entered a heliocentric orbit; a computer failure prevented retasking of the cameras for deep space.

Semper exploro.

Saints + Scripture

Simplex Edition | Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea máxima culpa!

Saints of the Day
'Tis the Memorial of Saints Timothy & Titus, Bishops (circa 17-97 & died circa 96).

Commentary: Wayback Machine '20. Quoth Minute Meditations from the Popes:

O Lord, Saints Timothy & Titus taught the early Churches about the sanctity of family life. May they intercede for the members of my family to make them holy & filled with your peace.

Scripture of the Day
Mass Readings—Wednesday of the Third Week in Ordinary Time
The Second Letter to Timothy, chapter one, verses one thru eight;
or, the Letter to Titus, chapter one, verses one thru five;
Psalm Ninety-six (R/. three), verses one & two(a), two(b) & three, seven & eight(a), & ten;
The Gospel according to Mark, chapter four, verses one thru twenty.

Commentary: Gospel reflection by Bishop Robert Barron (Word on Fire):

Friends, our Gospel for today is the parable of the sower and the seed. It has to do with the growth and development of the kingdom of God. We hear that Jesus began to teach by the sea and that a very large crowd gathered around him. This is Jesus speaking to the whole world.

He then presents the parable of the sower: A sower goes out to sow, and as he sows, some of the seed falls on the path, where the birds eat it up; some falls on rocky ground, where it is scorched in the sun; some falls among thorns, where its life is choked off; and some falls on rich soil, where it bears fruit—thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold.

Keep in mind that Jesus himself, in person, is the seed sown. Jesus is the Logos that wants to take root in us. This seed is sown far and wide, through all sorts of means, but in you, let the seed be sown deep, where it can’t be stolen, scorched, or choked.

Video reflection by Jem Sullivan, Ph.D. (U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops): Daily Reflection.

Video reflection by Doctor Tim Gray (Augustine Institute/Formed.org): Daily Reflection.

Mass Readings—Memorial of Saints Timothy & Titus
The Second Letter to Timothy, chapter one, verses one thru eight;
or, the Letter to Titus, chapter one, verses one thru five;
Psalm Ninety-six (R/. three), verses one & two(a), two(b) & three, seven & eight(a), & ten;
The Gospel according to Luke, chapter ten, verses one thru nine.

Papal Quote o' the Day

"Marriage is a communion of life. It is the home. It is work. It is concern for the children. It is also joy & leisure in common."
—Pope St. John Paul II the Great (1920-2005, r. 1978-2005; feast: 22 October)

Saint Quote o' the Day

"I know that your spirit is always wrapped in the darkness of trials, but it is enough for you to know that Jesus is with you & in you."
—Saint Pius of Pietrelcina, O.F.M. Cap. (1887-1968, feast: 23 September)

Mother Teresa Quote o' the Day

"I want you to be concerned about your next-door neighbor. Do you know your next-door neighbor?"
—Saint Teresa of Calcutta, M.C. (1910-1997, feast: 5 September)

Archbishop Sheen Quote o' the Day

"Love begins at home, & it is not how much we do… but how much love we put into that action."
—Venerable Fulton Sheen (1895-1979)

Operation ÖSTERREICH: Post-Quarantine Edition

Weekly Wednesday Weigh-in
Last weigh-in: 348.8 lbs (Wednesday, 22 December 2021)
This weigh-in: 364.0 lbs.
Difference: +15.2 lbs.

I did a reasonable job of not over-eating during the Christmastide, but I gave myself entirely over to gluttony during the self-isolation following my positive COVID-19 test on the Memorial of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton. I have to ask myself the searching question, rather I ought to submit myself to a searing inqusition: Am I serious about being a faithful steward of this temple of the Holy Spirit?

Bonus! Lied von ÖSTERREICH
"Weird Al" Yankovic, "Inactive" from Mandatory Fun (Mike Papa Whale)

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' Michigan's Statehood

The University of Michigan Marching Band, "I Want to Go Back to Michigan" from A Saturday Tradition (Michigan Papa Wolverine)

Operation AXIOM: Yes, M!ch!gan!

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

One hundred eighty-five 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 & what is now 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."

Michigan was admitted to the Union, 26 January 1837, one hundred eighty-five years ago today.

Tuebor
("I will defend")

Bonus! Song of Michigan's Statehood
Duvall & Seville, "Michigan" from This Time Everything Is Mine (Michigan Papa Wolverine)

Commentary:

"I know Michigan is cold,
And that gets old,
That gets old!
When winter melts away,
O sunny day!
I know you miss the change of the seasons…"

The Wayback Machine Tour of Michigan's Statehood
2021: 184 Years
2020: 183 Years
2019: 182 Years
2018: 181 Years
2017: 180 Years

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day

John Williams, "The Battle in the Snow" from Star Wars: Episode V—The Empire Strikes Back (Mike Papa Whiskey)

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' Today

Montag, 24 Januar
Jeffries Fan Club, "Healthy Body" from Take Warning: The Songs of Operation Ivy (Rude Boy Mike Papa Whiskey)

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day before Yesterday

Samstag, 22 Januar
Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children
Topol, Paul Whitsun-Jones, Maurice Lane, & Villagers, "To Life" from Fiddler on the Roof (Mike Papa Whiskey)

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' Last Friday!

Freitag, 21 Januar
The Aquabats!, "Cat with 2 Heads!" from The Fury of The Aquabats! (Captain Thumbs-Up!)

Skammentary: It's been way too long since we published a "Hello, Kitty" post. I really ought to comment more about Scrapper & Autumn, our kitty cats, who inspired this R.B.D.S.O.T.D. selection. They aren't a cat with two heads, they are two cats with two heads, one head each.

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' Last Thursday!

Donnerstag, 20 Januar
The Aquabats!, "Anti-Matter!" from The Aquabats! vs. The Floating Eye of Death! and Other Amazing Adventures, Vol. 1 (Captain Thumbs-Up!)

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' Last Wednesday!

Mittwoch, 19 Januar
The Aquabats!, "Dear Spike!" from Myths, Legends, and Other Amazing Adventures, Vol. 2 (Captain Thumbs-Up!)

Commentary: Patience is a virtue.

The R.B.D. Song o' the Lord's Day: III Sunday in O.T.

Third Sunday in Ordinary Time
Audrey Assad featuring Fernando Ortega, "Oh, the Deep, Deep Love of Jesus" from Inheritance (Saint Mike Papa Whiskey)

Operation ÖSTERREICH: Post-Xmas/Post-COVID

Weekly Wednesday Weigh-in
Last weigh-in: 348.8 lbs (Wednesday, 22 December)

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day!

The Aquabats!, "Bye, Bye, the World Pass Us By!" from The Aquabats! Super Show! Television Soundtrack: Volume One (Mike Papa Whiskey)

Commentary: A song so sad it caused a giant potato bug to explode!

"There's no pineapples left in Detroit."

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

The Bruce Lee Band featuring Chris DeMakes, "Standing Up for Justice" from The Bruce Lee Band (Mike Papa Whiskey)

The Wayback Machine Tour of Martin Luther King Jr. Day
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, № DCCCLXIII

The Space Race—Astronaut Group 1 (the "Mercury Seven"), Part VIII
Donald Kent "Deke" Slayton (1 March 1924-13 June 1993), Major, U.S. Air Force—He was assigned to fly Mercury-Atlas 7 (would have been Delta 7, 1962), the second orbital flight, but was grounded with atrial fibrillation; he was the informal first "Chief Astronaut" (1962-1963) & director of Flight Crew Operations (1966-1974); he flew as Docking Module Pilot of the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project (1975).

Commentary: By the liftoff of the Saturn IB rocket for the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project in 1975, Slayton was fifty-one years-old, making him at that time the oldest man to fly in space.

The Wayback Machine Tour of the Mercury Seven
№ DCCCIX: Part I—Astronaut Group 1
№ DCCCXXIV: Part II—Al Shepard
№ DCCCXXV: Part III—Gus Grissom
№ DCCCXXXVII: Part IV—John Glenn
№ DCCCXLV: Part V—Scott Carpenter
№ DCCCLXI: Part VI—Wally Schirra
№ DCCCLXII: Part VII—Gordon Cooper

Bonus! Song o' the Day: The Mercury Seven—Deke Slayton
Melbourne Ska Orchestra, "While You Wait" from Melbourne Ska Orchestra (Space Cadet Mike Papa Whiskey)

Requiescat in pace.

The R.B.D. Song o' the Lord's Day: II Sunday in O.T.

Second Sunday in Ordinary Time
Matt Maher, "Alive Again" from Alive Again (Extended Edition) (Saint Mike Papa Whiskey)

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day!

The Aquabats!, "The Shark Fighter!" from Hi-Five Soup! (Captain Thumbs-Up!)

Commentary:

"I gots me a knife,
A bandana, and a topaz necklace,
Yeah, I'm extremely reckless:
I ride an otter like a motorcycle.
Yeah, I'm not kidding, man.
Yeah, I'm not kidding, man.
I'm not kidding, man…"

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day!

The Aquabats!, "Robot Dreams!" from The Aquabats! Super Show! Television Soundtrack: Volume One (Captain Thumbs-Up!)

Commentary:

"But the dream of a family
Is a dream I also share,
And I'll keep on dreaming
Until I find myself there…"

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day!

The Aquabats!, "Showtime!" from The Aquabats! Super Show! Television Soundtrack: Volume One (Captain Thumbs-Up!)

Commentary:

"The hammer has come down,
The world's an empty space
Where only some survive,
We knew this was the case,
And though it seems insane,
It's time to sing along,
We are gonna fight,
Let's get it on!

"It's showtime! Nothing but go time!
Here we go, let's go, it's showtime!…"

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day!

The Aquabats!, "Awesome Forces!" from Charge!! Special One Year Anniversary Edition (Captain Thumbs-Up!)

Commentary:

"We cannot die,
We will not be broken…"

The Explorers' Club, № DCCCLXII

The Space Race—Astronaut Group 1 (the "Mercury Seven"), Part VII
Leroy Gordon Cooper Junior (6 March 1927-4 October 2004), Colonel, U.S. Air Force—He flew Mercury-Atlas 9 (Faith 7, 1963) & Gemini V (1965), the first man to fly two orbital flights; he tried to race in the 24 Hours of Daytona in 1968, but was stopped by N.A.S.A. management; he was backup CDR for Apollo 10 (1969), then was replaced by Alan Shepard for Apollo 13 (eventually Apollo 14).

Bonus! Song o' the Day: The Mercury Seven—Gordon Cooper
Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen, "Hot Rod Lincoln" from Lost in the Ozone (Space Cadet Mike Papa Whiskey)

Requiescat in pace.

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day

The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, "What the World Needs Now Is Love" from the What the World Needs Now Is Love single (Rude Boy Mike Papa Whiskey)

Skammentary:

"What the world needs now is love, sweet love,
It's the only thing that there's just too little of,
What the world needs now is love, sweet love,
No, not just for some, but for everyone…"

The Stars My Destination: Crew-3 Launch

Better Late than Never | Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea máxima culpa!

On 11 November 2021, Spacecraft Commander Raja Chari (N.A.S.A.), Pilot Thomas Marshburn (N.A.S.A.), Mission Specialist 1 Matthias Maurer (E.S.A.), & Mission Specialist 2 Kayla Barron (N.A.S.A.) lifted off from Florida's Kennedy Space Center's LC-39A aboard the Crew Dragon Endurance (C210) atop a Falcon 9 rocket. Marshburn is the only experienced astronaut among the crew, with previous flights aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour (S.T.S.-127, 15-31 July 2009) & Soyuz TMA-07M (Expeditions 34/35, 19 December 2012-14 May 2013). Chari, Maurer, & Barron became the five hundred ninety-ninth, six hundredth, & six hundred first persons in space, since Yuri Gagarin's pioneering Vostok 1 flight on 12 April 1961.

The Endurance is the third operational Crew Dragon capsule, after the Endeavour (C206, Demo-2: 30 May-2 August 2020 & Crew-2: 23 April-9 November 2021) & the Resilience (C207, Crew-1: 16 November 2020-2 May 2021 & Inspiration4: 16-18 September 2021). Like the Dragon Resilience & the Perseverance Mars rover, the name Endurance refers to the resilience, perseverance, & endurance of N.A.S.A. personnel & the general public during the interminable COVID-19 pandemic. She is also the namesake of the Endurance, Sir Ernest Shackleton's ship during the Imperial Trans-Antarctic expedition of 1914–1917. This pleases me greatly.

C208 & C209 are uncrewed & thus unnamed Cargo Dragon capsules. C208 flew SpaceX Crew Resupply Service-21 (C.R.S.-21, 6 December 2020-14 January 2021) & C.R.S.-23 (29 August-1 October 2021); C209 flew C.R.S.-22 (3 June-10 July 2021) & is currently flying C.R.S.-24 (launched 21 December 2021).

Bonus! Song o' the Day: Crew-3 & the Endurance
Steppenwolf, "Magic Carpet Ride" from Sar Trek: First Contact (Space Cadet Mike Papa Whiskey)

The Wayback Machine Tour of Launch America
Crew-2 Splashdown
Crew-1 Splashdown
Crew-2 Launch
Crew-1 Relocation
Crew-1 Launch
Demo-2 Splashdown
Demo-2 Launch

Semper exploro.