Paul Brandt once said, “don’t tell me the sky is the limit when there are footprints on the moon,” and I’ve been living by it ever since. Humans have accomplished the extraordinary in space. From human spaceflight to creating powerful space telescopes, our achievements in space are truly awe-inspiring.
October is home to World Space Week (October 4 – October 10), so let me take you on a journey of some of my favorite moments in space history for this Photos of the Month.
We begin our expedition to the beyond with the beloved Apollo 8 astronauts— Frank Borman, Jim Lovell, and Bill Anders, who became the first humans to orbit the moon. This photo was taken prior to the crew’s launch from the Kennedy Space Center on December 21, 1968. After orbiting the moon ten times on Christmas Eve, the men successfully returned to Earth on December 27. The Apollo program lasted from 1961 to 1972 and brought 24 astronauts to the moon, with 12 of them having walked on it. The program was revolutionary for space exploration.
You might be wondering why I’ve started our space voyage here. While it is true that I am immensely fascinated by the phenomenon that is human spaceflight through the Apollo program, we’re actually starting here because my eponymous 6-year-old maltipoo is sleeping right next to me as I write this for you all.
In the early 20th century, astronomer Edwin Hubble proved that galaxies are continuously moving away from us, which further helped us understand that our universe is not only constantly not only shifting, but also expanding. This discovery is now known as Hubble’s Law.
Hubble received his bachelor’s degree in astronomy and mathematics from the University of Chicago in 1910, followed by law school at Oxford University, where he became one of their first Rhodes Scholars. His father wanted him to pursue a career in law, but after receiving his Bachelor of Arts in jurisprudence, Hubble navigated back through the cosmos of adulthood to the University of Chicago, where he earned his Ph.D. in astronomy in 1917.
Launched in 1983 in honor of the astronomer, the Hubble Space Telescope started a new era of discovery and continues to provide the basis of our understanding of the cosmos. Curious to know what the Hubble saw on your birthday? Check out NASA’s Hubble birthday portal!
Speaking of telescopes, the next great space telescope is scheduled to be launched in May 2027 and is dedicated to the “Mother of Hubble,” Nancy Grace Roman. Roman was a pioneer in her field. She paved the road for long lasting space innovation through her leadership of the Hubble Space Telescope’s planning and execution over several decades, both within NASA and with the US Congress. In 1960, she became the first Chief of Astronomy at NASA and was the first woman to hold an executive position at the agency.
Roman’s admiration for the cosmos began when her mother would take her out at night to watch the constellations and auroras in the sky as a young girl. At 11 years old, she created an astronomy club with her friends to study the constellations together. Sold on being an astronomer by seventh grade, her incredible academic career led her to receive her bachelor’s degree from Swarthmore College in 1946 and her doctorate in astronomy from the University of Chicago in 1949. Her creative spirit coupled with her curiosity for the unknown has left an incredible impact on the space industry.
In 1976, Viking I became the first spacecraft to successfully land on Mars. Viking I took high-resolution images of the planet, including our first image taken from the surface of Mars, seen here. The spacecraft, which consisted of an orbiter and a lander, was sent to Mars in hopes of beginning the search for signs of life on the Red Planet. Though Viking I’s primary mission ended in November 1976, its orbiter continued its journey on Mars until August 1980 and its lander made its final transmission back to humanity in November 1982. This image was donated to the Niels Bohr Library & Archives by Nancy Grace Roman.
When I think of trailblazers in human spaceflight, Sally Ride is the first person who comes to mind. She became the first American woman to fly in space and spent a total of 343 hours (about two weeks) in space throughout her career as an astronaut. Ride received four degrees from Stanford University: three degrees in physics, including her Ph.D. in 1978, and a bachelor’s degree in English at the beginning of her academic career.
Prior to joining NASA’s first group of astronauts to include women, Ride had aspirations to become a physics professor. She later fulfilled that goal at the University of California, San Diego, after she retired as an astronaut.
After her death in 2012, it was revealed in her obituary, written by Tam O'Shaughnessy, her surviving partner of 27 years, that Ride was a member of the LGBTQ+ community. Sally Ride was not only the first American woman in space, but also the first known queer astronaut in history.
Believe it or not, the initial development for NASA's Space Shuttle Program began years before Apollo, but the first Space Shuttle launch didn't actually happen until April 12, 1981, nearly a decade after Apollo's final launch. The Space Shuttle Program brought 355 people from 16 countries to space over 30 years of spaceflights.
Space Shuttle Program astronaut Jerome Apt, seen here with a model Space Shuttle, is a former NASA astronaut who flew on four space shuttle missions between 1991 and 1996. Apt received his bachelor's degree in physics from Harvard College in 1971 and his doctorate in physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1976. As an astronaut, he logged over 847 hours in space, including two space walks totaling 11 hours, and completed 160 orbits of the Earth. One of the spacewalks was unplanned; in 1991, aboard the Space Shuttle Atlantis, the robotics systems meant to deploy an antenna for the Gamma Ray Observatory didn't function, but Apt and Jerry Ross successfully fixed the issue and the mission was a success. Throughout his career, Jerome Apt has been affiliated with various organizations including the American Astronomical Society and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
As we end, I hope you enjoyed these images of my six favorite people and moments in space history (so far). Thanks to those with a passionate curiosity for the cosmos, breathtaking discoveries will continue to be made for generations to come. For your seventh image, I encourage you to take a moment to look up at our night sky: your own glimpse into our universe during World Space Week.
Until next time, ad astra!
References and Further Reading:
“Biographical Data: Jerome Apt.” 1997. Nasa.gov. NASA. June 1997. https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/apt_jerome.pdf?emrc=28e832.
“Dr. Nancy Grace Roman (1925-2018) - NASA Science.” n.d. Science.nasa.gov. https://science.nasa.gov/people/nancy-roman/.
Gohd, Chelsea. 2018. “This Pride, Be Inspired by Sally Ride’s Legacy.” Space.com. Space. June 18, 2018. https://www.space.com/40916-sally-ride-pride-inspiration-legacy.html.
NASA. 2019. “NASA: Apollo 50th Anniversary.” NASA. 2019. https://www.nasa.gov/specials/apollo50th/missions.html.
“Edwin Hubble - NASA Science.” Science.nasa.gov. NASA. 2023. https://science.nasa.gov/people/edwin-hubble/.
“Sally Ride (1951-2012) - NASA Science.” Science.nasa.gov. https://science.nasa.gov/people/sally-ride/.
“Viking Project - NASA Science.” Science.nasa.gov. NASA. https://science.nasa.gov/mission/viking/.
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