Absolutely amazing Endeavor photos
Posted by Shannon
I don’t know why, but these photos really blow me away more than any other orbital photography I’ve seen. I get vertigo from looking at them.
Tags: endeavor, nasa, Photography, space shuttleThings can always be worse
Posted by Shannon
MetaFilter comment by shroedinger:
Back in the 1980s NASA had the idea of sending Big Bird into space. It would be a big publicity draw, the whole shuttle mission would be televised, and kids all over the world would get to watch their hero Big Bird explore the wonders of the solar system. However, the plan was scrapped once it became clear Big Bird’s seven-or-eight-foot tall frame would not fit safely into the shuttle.
So instead NASA decided to recruit schoolteachers, finally settled on Christa McAuliffe, and on January 28, 1986 she and the rest of the crew of the Challenger were cleared for lift-off. Yeah–Christa McAuliffe’s spot was originally intended for Big Bird. As horrifying as it was for the children who watched the disaster as it happened, one can only imagine how much more terrible it could have been.
True? I dunno. Weird to think about.
Tags: big bird, challenger disaster, outer space, sesame street, space shuttle