Curiosity Lands On Mars

Aug 06, 2012

NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory erupted in triumph this afternoon as the rover Curiosity touched down on Mars.

The Washington Post reports the landing took place within a 9-by-3-mile ellipse selected for touchdown. “It landed at exactly 1.31 a.m., as planned months ago. The rover is most likely in a dune field now, but will set out for nearby Mount Sharp in the weeks ahead.”

The rover was launched from Cape Canaveral on November 26, 2011. It has travelled 354 million miles since its launch.

Curiosity began transmitting data immediately after touchdown.

Filed Under: Political History, U.S.A. Tagged With: , ,

Back To The Moon And On To Mars: Bush Announces New Space Program

Jan 14, 2004

President George W. Bush has set out an ambitious program of space exploration over the next 20 years that will see manned missions to the moon by 2015-20 with a view to using to using the Moon as a launching pad for further exploration of Mars.

Bush announced his Vision for Space Exploration during a visit to the NASA, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. He said the Sapce Shuttle would be retired once the International Space Station was completed.

The new exploration program will be known as Constellation. [Read more…]

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Space Shuttle Columbia Breaks Up On Re-Entry: Seven Astronauts Killed

Feb 02, 2003

The space shuttle Columbia broke up as it re-entered the Earth’s atmosphere this morning, Australian time, just minutes before it was to land at the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida.

ColumbiaPresident Bush, addressing the nation on television, said “Columbia is lost. There are no survivors.”

The shuttle, the oldest in the US fleet, was carrying 7 people, including Israel’s first astronaut. They were: William McCool, Rick Husband, Michael Anderson, Kalpana Chawla, David Brown, Laurel Clark and Ilan Ramon, pictured above on January 20. [Read more…]

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Bush: Our Journey Into Space Will Go On

Feb 01, 2003

This is the text of President Bush’s Address to the Nation on the Loss of Space Shuttle Columbia.

  • Listen to Bush’s Address:

Text of President Bush’s Address to the Nation.

2:04 P.M. EST

My fellow Americans, this day has brought terrible news and great sadness to our country. At 9:00 a.m. this morning, Mission Control in Houston lost contact with our Space Shuttle Columbia. A short time later, debris was seen falling from the skies above Texas. The Columbia is lost; there are no survivors.

On board was a crew of seven: Colonel Rick Husband; Lt. Colonel Michael Anderson; Commander Laurel Clark; Captain David Brown; Commander William McCool; Dr. Kalpana Chawla; and Ilan Ramon, a Colonel in the Israeli Air Force. These men and women assumed great risk in the service to all humanity. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Audio, Bush, Presidency Tagged With: ,
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