On July 8, 2011, the space shuttle Atlantis lifted off from Kennedy Space Center. And we were there. No U.S. manned spaceflight has occurred since. If you’d like to see our photos from launch day, click HERE. Yes, we included photos of John Oliver and Anderson Cooper, too. Atlantis was moved to the Visitor Complex at Kennedy Space Center on November 2, 2012. And we … Continue reading On the Anniversary of the Last Shuttle Launch
We have a Lofty Ambitions YouTube channel where you can find an an array of videos we’ve posted over more than two years. Those videos include space shuttle launches and chats with astronauts. Here are five among our favorites: The Last Launch of a Space Shuttle (July 2011) Dee O’Hara: First Nurse to the Astronauts Michael Barratt: STS-133 Astronaut & Physician Studying Radiation Space Shuttle … Continue reading Lofty Ambitions at YouTube
We are off to Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex before we head home. To see a set of photos from yesterday’s long, fascinating day, go to “Atlantis Retirement, 2012” at our Flicker Photostream. We include just one sample photo here as a teaser. Of course, we’ll have more to say about this end to the end of the space shuttle program in the days to … Continue reading The End of the End (Part 3: PHOTOS)
Okay, this is probably Part 100, having awakened at 4:00 a.m. and stayed with Atlantis until 7:30 p.m. But fireworks over the orbiter was a highlight we wanted to share as soon as we could. Just wait until you see the rest–soon! Continue reading The End of the End (Part 2)
Yesterday, we flew from California to Florida. Two years ago, we began our adventure in earnest, and we’ve followed the end of the space shuttle since then. Two years ago on November 1, Discovery faced a launch delay. Today, we woke and went to Denny’s for pancakes and eggs, trying our best to get our heads adjusted to the three-hour time difference and face the … Continue reading The End of the End (Part 1)
Now you know this is the end—of shuttle. Today marks the first anniversary of the last-ever landing of a space shuttle, concluding that space program forever. Atlantis landed before dawn in Florida on July 21, 2011, and Anna stayed up very late in California to watch it on NASA-TV. Click HERE for our slideshow at The Huffington Post. If you remember that black-and-white image of Neil Armstrong … Continue reading You’re Wondering Now, What To Do
This week, we played with our iMovie software and came up with this blog trailer for Lofty Ambitions. For this piece, we decided to focus on following the end of the space shuttle program and, in particular, the last flight ever, that of Atlantis last July. If you want to know more about our adventures represented in this video, check out our series “Last Chance to … Continue reading Lofty Ambitions Blog Trailer
On Wednesday, we concluded our series “Last Chance to See.” Here is a Table of Contents of sorts, with links and brief descriptions, for this series. Most posts include several of our own photographs; we have noted posts that include video and/or more than the usual number of photos. We’ve also listed our July guest bloggers at the bottom because they, too, fit the topic … Continue reading Last Chance to See (Appendix/TOC)
There is one reason for caring, and I believe no other is necessary. […] And it is simply this: the world would be a poorer, darker, lonelier place without them. ~ Douglas Adams and Mark Carwardine, Last Chance to See Okay, you’re wondering now, what to do, now you know this is the end. And you know this because Lofty Ambitions can’t pass up the … Continue reading Last Chance to See (Part 19)
I’m a scientist and I know what constitutes proof. But the reason I call myself by my childhood name is to remind myself that a scientist must also absolutely be like a child. If he sees a thing, he must say that he sees it, whether it was what he thought he was going to see or not. See first, think later, then test. But … Continue reading Last Chance to See (Part 18)
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