Frank Frederick Borman II (March 14, 1928 – November 7, 2023)

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — Astronaut Frank Borman, who commanded Apollo 8’s historic Christmas 1968 flight that circled the moon 10
times and paved the way for the lunar landing the next year, died
Tuesday in Billings, Montana. He was 95.

NASA announced Thursday, Thomas K. Mattingly, a key
commander during the Apollo 16 mission to the moon,
died on October 31 at age 87.     

NASA administrator Bill Nelson said “Astronaut Mattingly
was key to the success of our Apollo Program, and his
shining personality will ensure he is remembered throughout
history."

Mattingly in Navy uniform.

Apollo 16

PORTLAND, Ore. — It’s called the ‘Ring of Fire’ because it’s
when the moon is in front of the sun, which creates a circle
of light with darkness in the middle.

NASA says it will be visible in all continental states including
Alaska.

The eclipse will start just after 9 a.m. on October 14th and last
a few minutes in each location.

If you’re planning to watch, remember not to look up at the sun,
even during this phenomenon. You will need certified eclipse
glasses.

On September 17, 1976, NASA publicly unveiled its first space
shuttle, the Enterprise, during a ceremony in Palmdale, California. Development of the aircraft-like spacecraft cost almost $10
billion and took nearly a decade. In 1977, the Enterprise became
the first space shuttle to fly freely when it was lifted to a height
of 25,000 feet by a Boeing 747 airplane and then released, gliding
back to Edwards Air Force Base on its own accord.

Regular flights of the space shuttle began on April 12, 1981, with
the launching of Columbia from Cape Canaveral, Florida.

 
CAMILLE BOHANNON

Voyager 2 launched by a Titan-Centaur rocket.