Family Nasa Message Board
(moderated)
A communications center for you and your family to ask questions & make comments

Activities you and your family can participate in!
Fun family projects for
all ages, some free ones!

MIDI Archive:
Space related themes!

Our Shuttle trivia 

Fun Info Sites!

Latest and Greatest
Film Footage!
You can catch many of these on popular cable channels

News you can use!
Direct from NASA , some interesting and newsworthy items

The Folks from NASA
Those that we have met either in person or online!

SAAA
San Antonio Astronomical Association
One of the largest astronomy clubs in the U.S.
We are active members!

Current Shuttle Mission Status!
Information on the next flights.

ISS
International Space Station
The next generation has arrived!

Shuttle

Early Space Programs

Astronauts

Educational Interests

Space Exploration

Reusuables

And away we go!
Manned Mars Exploration!
You will be surprised at just how long they have been working on this project!

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The banner is from a picture taken from the Space Shuttle while flying over the Pacific Ocean. The white cloud formation is a
very well defined hurricane

Latest and Greatest Film Footage!

These are some of the greatest things concerning the space program that we have watched in the last year or so. History Channel, Learning Channel and of course Discovery Channel as well as PBS have good things from time to time.

Some of these may be available on video through the channels. You might check.

 

1. NASA Select showed the original 1958(?) footage of an X-15 that made a very high altitude flight. Apparently they had a camera mounted in the plane, and it filmed most of the flight. Looked like it was in orbit to me! You could see the curve of the earth!
   
2. The Learning Channel aired this month a show on rockets. We had the pleasure of watching that, and as a treat, they showed the Delta Clipper (DCX-A) video which included fights and the fire. See Reusuables for more information on the 'Former' Delta Clipper.
   
3. Hats off to NASA Select Television on the incredible television coverage during the retrieval of the SPARTAN satellite. Although the Shuttle had to reconfigure herself in order for the Astronauts to grab SPARTAN, thus pointing the 'video' television antenna in a direction that prohibited the coverage during the actual retrieval, the audio was there. Later, as the Astronauts were doing their space walk we were able to watch a good part of that. Awesome! (tell your cable company to get NASA select!)
   
4. Hats off again to NASA Select Television on the coverage of the AERCam on STS-87. Looks like the crew were having fun with that! The AERCam is a video camera, size and shape much like a basketball. It is operated much like a remote control car or plane.  It's purpose is to be able to view outside of any space vehicle or space station without an EVA. The video was very clear, and it looked like it could stop on a dime! This is a super idea....should we send one to MIR?
   
5. If you missed this, you need to either watch for the 're-runs' or better yet buy it when it comes out on video! (Surely it will)..Here are the details again as we had posted them on the web site:
   
   Tom Hanks heads to the moon once more with
   HBO's Television event of the year!
   
   On Sunday, April 5th, HBO premiers the first of a 12 part mini series
   "From the Earth to the Moon". A 65 million dollar production, by
   Tom Hanks and HBO, the series details the NASA space missions
   dating from the early 1960's to the early 1970's, featuring the
   Mercury, Gemini and Apollo space programs.The first night is a
   'free-view' night.
   
   Tom Hanks is very much a space exploration enthusiast and has been
   for many years. He was the one actor/director that would be most
   suited for this project. Not only has he shown his enthusiam with the
   blockbuster movie Apollo 13, but he is also a member of the Board of
   Governors for Buzz Aldrins National Space Society .... In addition,
   his production company is named Clavius Base (after the ficitonal
   moon base in 2001: A Space Odyssey). Hanks is the executive
   producer of this mini series, directed the first episode, co-wrote the
   others and costars in the final installment. Not only has HBO and Hanks gone to great lengths to keep this mini-series as historically accurate as possible, but also have created a series that looks at the space program in a different way. We are proud to say that they are including many personal profiles of not only the astronauts themselves, but one entire episode is dedicated to the wives. Entitled "The Original Wives Club," it focuses on the lives of the wifes of the astronauts. They are also trying to include the "I did not know that.." factor, which will include some of the lessor known trivia about the space program.
   
   Just how much excitement has this mini series created? From NASA
   News:
   
   For Release: March 23, 1998
   KSC Release No. 39 - 98
   NOTE TO EDITORS: HOME BOX OFFICE TO
   HOST PREMIERE AT KSC
   
   Home Box Office and Imagine Entertainment will host a premiere of the 12-part miniseries called "From Earth to the Moon" at Kennedy Space Center, Wednesday, March 25.
   
   The series was filmed in part on location at KSC and dramatizes the human aspects of NASA's efforts to launch Americans to the Moon. The miniseries highlights NASA's Apollo program and the events
   leading up to and including the six successful missions to the Moon.
   
   A special 500-seat theater has been constructed next to the Apollo/Saturn V Center and attendees will have a chance to see the historic hardware following the premiere showing. Scheduled speakers at the event include KSC Director Roy Bridges; Jeff Bewkes,
   chairman and CEO for HBO; and John F. Kennedy, Jr., editor-in-chief, George Magazine. In addition, Buzz Aldrin, Apollo 11 astronaut, and Al Worden, Apollo 15 astronaut, are scheduled to attend.
   
   The sneak preview featuring the episode entitled "1968" will be shown to invited guests which will include many of the people who worked at KSC on the Apollo program and those involved in the filming and
   distribution. The original miniseries event, created for HBO by actor Tom Hanks and Imagine Entertainment, will premiere on HBO beginning April 5, 1998.