On this day in 1933, aviator Wiley Post returned to Floyd Bennett
Field in New York, having flown solo around the world in 7 days,
18 hours, and 49 minutes. He was the first aviator to accomplish
the feat.

Post, instantly recognizable by the patch he wore over one eye,
began the journey on July 15, flying nonstop to Berlin. After a
brief rest, he flew on to the Soviet Union, where he made several
stops before returning to North America, with stops in Alaska,
Canada, and finally a triumphant landing at his starting point in
New York.

Wiley Hardeman Post (November 22, 1898 – August 15, 1935)

Tests of a VIPER prototype (Image: NASA)

A new lunar rover is under development by Lockheed Martin
and Goodyear as NASA gears up for a return to the moon.

Unlike the rover first used during the Apollo 15 mission in 1971,
built to last only a few days and for short trips, the new lunar
vehicle is being built for extended use. And this time, it’s not
just for NASA.

Aside from Goodyear, based in Akron, Ohio, and Lockheed
Martin, MDA of Canada will provide its commercial robotic
arm technology for the vehicles.

The companies anticipate having their first vehicle on the
moon’s surface at the same time as NASA’s mission, planned
for 2025.

Apollo 17 mission commander Eugene A. Cernan makes a
short checkout of the Lunar Roving Vehicle during the early
part of the first Apollo 17 extravehicular activity.

Taurean Blacque
(born Herbert Middleton Jr.; May 10, 1940 – July 21, 2022) 

Taurean Blacque, who portrayed the streetwise Det. Neal
Washington on all seven seasons of the acclaimed NBC
cop show Hill Street Blues. His family announced he died
Thursday in Atlanta following a brief illness.

From 1989-90, Blacque played Henry Marshall opposite
Vivica A. Fox and others as an original castmember on
the NBC daytime soap opera Generations.

Blacque was a Christian and his faith influenced his desire
to be involved with adoption. In 1989, he was asked by
President George H. W. Bush to serve as a national
spokesman for adoption.

(Live Science) – An An, the oldest-ever male panda in captivity, has
died at the age of 35 in a Hong Kong amusement park. The giant
panda was euthanized after his health deteriorated over the course
of several weeks, according to a statement from the Ocean Park
theme park, where An An lived since 1999.

    
        
Camille Bohannon
     
   

Robin McLaurin Williams (July 21, 1951 – August 11, 2014)

Williams is regarded as one of the greatest comedians of
all time.