Spacefest—the June 9-12 event for space enthusiasts of any stripe (astronomy, manned and robotic space exploration, commercial space development, and space history enthusiast) — in Tucson, Arizona was amazing. Never have I seen so many space fans, especially today when people may believe that we no longer have a United States space program. The International Space Station is in orbit, we do send astronauts up there. But their numbers are few,...

Nuts and Bolts… Most people think that the Space Shuttle vehicle itself sat on the launch pad ready for launch. It didn’t. Only the nozzles of the Solid Rocket Boosters were attached to the launch platform. Like a giant fat bird, balanced on two tiny feet, the boosters were holding up the entire thing. Here’s the tale of how they were held securely in place – and let go for launch. There were over a million moving parts on the Shuttle:...