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Planting by the Moon
The First Seven Astronauts
Everything starts somewhere, and the space program began in earnest with the selection of the first seven astronauts that would participate in manned space flight. The NASA selection committee was made up of Charles Donlan, a senior management engineer; Warren North, a test pilot engineer; Stanley White and William Argerson, flight surgeons; Allen Gamble and Robert Voas, psychologists; and George Ruff and Edwin Levy, psychiatrists.
When the selection committee began their task, they received 508 applications. This number was reduced to 110 candidates after records were reviewed. The 110 candidates were brought together at an undisclosed location. A battery of tests were given and interviews were conducted. It took a month but the number of possible candidates was reduced to 32.
The 32 candidates were then subjected to even more stressful physical, psychological, and mental examinations. They were given full-body x-rays, tested in pressure suits, endured a variety of cognitive tests and really intense interviews. Finally, 18 or the 32 were recommended to the Mercury program without any medical reservations.
The final choices were made by Robert Gilruth, who was the head of the Space Task Group, as well as Charles Donlan, Warren North, and Stanley White.
The first seven astronauts selected for the Mercury program (the first manned space flight program) were Scott Carpenter, L. Gordon Cooper Jr., John H. Glenn Jr., Virgil I. "Gus" Grissom, Walter M. Schirra Jr., Alan B. Shepard Jr., and Donald K. "Deke" Slayton. Their names will resound through history forever.
Six of the original seven flew in Project Mercury. Only "Deke" Slayton did not fly because of a heart condition that had not been discovered. Deke later flew as a crewmember of the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project.
See Also:
How to get started in amateur astronomy. Step 1: Get real
The Planet Jupiter
The Planet Neptune
Adams and Leverrier predicted the existence of the planet Neptune back in 1845. Neptune is very difficult to observe from the earth because of (1) the distance, and (2) the earth's atmosphere. The closest and best look that we have had at Neptune was provided by the Voyager 2 flyby in 1989.
Neptune is the most distant planet from the sun. It was once believed that Pluto was a planet Pluto beyond Neptune, but astronomers have declared that Pluto is not a planet but one of many dwarf planets in our solar system.
Neptune has a diameter that is about four times larger than earths. Computer models suggest that Neptune has a rocky core that comprises about 15 earth masses at the center, but there is no confirmation of this theory. Neptune has a rotation period of about 16 hours. Neptune has an internal heat source, and it produces about 2.7 times more heat than it absorbs.
Strong winds, bright, high-altitude clouds, and two large dark spots attributed to long-lived giant storm systems were reveled by the 1989 Voyager flyby. Wind speeds are as high as 739 miles per hour. The larger of the two dark spots that Voyager reveals is called the "Great Dark Spot."
Neptune's rings were first detected from Earth in 1983, but no real study could be conducted at that time. It wasn't until the data supplied by the Voyager 2 flyby was available that any determination about the rings could be disseminated. There are two bright rings and two fainter rings. The rings rotate in the same direction as Neptune, and they are all close to the equator.
Triton and Nereid are the two large moons of Neptune and are visible from Earth. Voyager 2 discovered six more moons, and one of them is actually larger than Nereid; but it is difficult to see because it orbits so close to Neptune. |
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History of Astronomy
Astronomy is the oldest of all sciences. It has its roots back in the beginning of time. There is evidence of astronomy playing a large role in religious, mythological, and astrological practices of pre-history. Mankind has always looked to the heavens with wonder mixed with a healthy dose of curiosity.
In the earliest cultures, heavenly bodies were identified as gods or spirits, and these gods and spirits were thought to control such things as rain, drought, seasons, and the tides. The first astronomers are believed to have been priests or Magi. The earliest calendars were based upon the phases of the moon and the time between phases.
Western astronomy has its roots in ancient Mesopotamia astrology. The modern practice of dividing a circle into 360 degrees, of 60 minutes each, began in ancient Mesopotamia with the Sumerians.
The oldest astronomical writing that we have is Tablet 63 of the Enuma Anu Enlil. It is called the Venus tablet of Ammi-saduqa. The Venus tablet lists the first and last visible risings of Venus over a period of about 21 years, and it is the earliest conclusive evidence that the phenomena of a planet were recognized.
Since the beginning of time, man has looked up. The sky, particularly the night sky, has been full of mystery that humankind wanted to understand.
The old civilizations of China, India, Greece, and Rome all looked to the stars for explanations to earthly situations and problems, inspiration and guidance. They found all of those things, but they also found knowledge, and over the centuries our knowledge of astronomy has grown. But there are those who believe that we have only just begun to learn all the heavens have to teach us.
Related Topics: Galaxies,
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