A New Beginning!

Well, I am finally going to get to go to an Obama event! Tomorrow night, Saturday November 1st, Sen. Obama will be visiting my home town of Springfield, Missouri!! I'm sure it is to get out the vote in the 3rd largest city in this "Swing State"! I don't remember in my life time when Missouri has been this important in the Presidential Election?? It feels good to be talked about like states such as New York, Florida, California, Michigan, Ohio, and Pennsylvania! The rally is open, and free, to the public. Unlike the Palin rally a few weeks ago where they started out saleing tickets, then after I'm sure people complained, they made it a free event. If you had bought a ticket, you got into a "special" seating area. Rallies should be free to the people, and Sen. Obama's campaign has the right idea in this area.

As the election gets closer, I am getting even more excited about it! I see nothing but attack adds from the McCain campaign, and only policy & issue adds from the Obama campaign. Sen. McCain was the one that said he was hesitant to use attack adds, but you can clearly see who has gone negative in the Springfield area! Hardly a single attack add has come here from the Obama camp, it's a breath of fresh air. He really seems to want to help bring this country together as one entity. I hope that this is exactly what happens.

Now I know that it's a bad idea to count all your chickens before they're hatched, which I'm not doing. I know that there could still be things that happen over the next 4 days. Campaigns under the right conditions can come apart in a single day. But it just feels like this is going to happen. My John Kennedy is finally going to win!! I just hope that he doesn't befall the same tragic end that President Kennedy did. There a re many crazy people out there, and many roots of prejudice are still running deep in our country. If any body wants to try to take our next President away from us, I hope that they get whats coming to them from the U.S. Secret Service!!

So, I will right a complete post about my experience from the rally either tomorrow night, or on Sunday morning/afternoon. If you know me in real life, then you know that it's very likely to be in the afternoon on Sunday, instead of Sunday morning!! LOL!! I never have been a morning person, and I doubt that I ever will be!

NASA Update!!
I know that I have gotten lax in my NASA posts. I'm kinda busy with a lot of stuff at work, and trying to get things straightened out in my life. I'm working on some ideas for some future posts, including a 3-4 part series on amusement parks of the past, and now!! Park that will be included are: Dog Patch U.S.A., Disney World, and Silver Dollar City!! A possible 4th part may involve a trip to Six Flags, which is an amusement park I've always wanted to go to, but never have! I hope to have the first part, about Dog Patch, posted by the middle of November, Disney World around Christmas, and Silver Dollar City in January or February. If I do the Six Flags post, it will Probably around April, or May. I hope you enjoy!!

NASA History: Apollo 1 (Manned Space Flight Tragedies: Part 1)

Top Pic (L to R; Gus Grissom, Ed White, and Roger Chaffee) 2nd pic (Apollo 1 Crew Patch) 3rd pic (Apollo 1 Command Module before the Plugs Out Test) Bottom Pic (Inside the Apollo 1 Command Module after the fire on Launch Pad 34-A)
All pictures from the NASA web site.

At about 6:31 p.m. EST, a flash fire broke out on launch pad 34-A. The space vehicle on the launch pad was AS-204, or what would latter be designated Apollo 1. The Command Module carried crewmen Roger B. Chaffee, Lt. Col. Edward H. White, and Lt. Col. Virgil "Gus" Grissom. All three men were killed in the resulting fire, which took place during the Plugs Out test on the launch pad, just a month short of the first maned Apollo launch.

It was latter found during a massive investigation that a faulty switch sparked behind a panel, and ignited the Oxygen rich air in the Command Module. During the Plugs Out test, the module was fully pressurised, to help simulate launch conditions. The fire engulfed the command module's interior in a matter of seconds. There are some speculation as to if the crew tried to open the door, but I don't think that was ever able to be determined. The grounds crew did try to open the door from outside of the space craft, but were unable to do so. An explosive door was taken out of the design for the Apollo command module, after it was found to have been the cause the loss of a Mercury capsule. In a strange twist of fate, the pilot of the Mercury capsule was none other than Gus Grissom. It was found that during splash down, the explosive bolts misfired, ejecting the door, and allowing the module to start filling with water. Grissom almost didn't make it out of the capsule before it sank below the water's surface.

The first manned Apollo mission was Apollo 7, which was crewed by the Apollo 1 back up crew. Apollo 7's crew: Capt. Walter Schirra Jr., Maj. Donn F. Eisele, Walter Cunningham. Their launch was a success, and proved that the technology worked, that would put men on the moon. There never were missions that were designated as Apollo 2, or 3. The launch of the first Saturn V rocket was called Apollo 4. A Saturn 1B rocket caring a Lunar Module into space was called Apollo 5, and the second launch of a Saturn V rocket was known as Apollo 6.

After the launch of Apollo 7, launch pad 34 was shut down, and a Plaque remains on the site to this day in dedication to the crew of Apollo 1. It reads in part, "In memory of those who made the ultimate sacrifice, so others could reach for the stars"

Post Script: I have decided to make this post the first, of at least, 3 parts about tragic events in the history of manned space flight. The next part will be about The Challenger, and the third will be about The Columbia. I'm also working on the possibility of a fourth part dealing with Astronauts that lost their lives in accidents outside of their NASA duties, but while still members of the NASA flight rotation.

Sorry For Not Doing A NASA Post Today!

I had a pretty full day today, and didn't get home till about 9:00 p.m. tonight. I had a bit of a headache. If you know me in real life over the last few years it was one of "those" headaches. For those of you that don't know me, or haven't seen me for several years, I get Migraine like headaches. I've never had them diagnosed as migraines, but they do fit the general description of them.

I get an intense hurting either at the base of my neck, or behind one of my eyes, that works it's way around to the other side of my head. I get very sensitive to bright lights, strong smells, and sometimes motion. Surprisingly, sounds don't seem to bother me that much during these headaches. In fact, sometimes listening to soft music helps with them. I have gotten sick to my stomach, and actually gotten sick with them before, but not every time. When I get these headaches, all I want to do is lay down, and go to sleep. I've had them at work before, and it's like hell getting through the evening with them. Sometimes the drive home is interesting, especially when I'm sensitive to motion. I've had to drive a little bit, then stop when I've almost gotten sick in the car. That's only happened a couple of times, thankfully!

Any way, I went to a friends birthday party to night, and had a good time. My neck started hurting before I left the house to go, and I should have known what was coming. About 20 minutes before I left my friends house it started getting worse, and got even worse on the drive home. I kinda laid in bed listening to the comedy channel on my satellite radio, but the headache got bad enough that I had to use an ice pack. That's what I did before I found Excedrin Migraine pills! They have been life savers sometimes!! Usually 2 will get ride, or make the headaches tolerable with in 30-45 minutes. It's a combination of Aspirin, Acetaminophen, and Caffeine. My headache wasn't bad enough to use them tonight, but it wasn't too far from it.

I could still look up the info I was wanting to use for the post, but I'm going to go back to bed in a few minutes. I just got up to check my email, Facebook, and Myspace profiles. I wanted to write to my readers to let them know I;ll be writing the NASA post tomorrow night. I'm planing to write it as a historic post about the tragic beginning of the Apollo Programme, the fire aboard Apollo 1. I also hope to finally get my other Blog, Inside The West Wing, off the ground sometime this week. If you haven't looked at it, it's a blog for people who are fans of the NBC T.V. show "The West Wing"!! I'm looking forward to this blog very much!! :) :)

Photo Job Update!

I did forget, I'm not having much luck with the search for a photography job.  I submitted a CD of Pictures to The Springfield Business Journal almost a month ago.  The gentleman I talked to told me that there wasn't really a position open, but he'd like to see my work, and would keep me in mind for future openings.  So I put together a Cd, with different pics than I sent to the News-Leader, and dropped it off a couple of days latter.

I sent an email to the Editor that I had spoken with to thank him for taking the time to look at my pictures, and to ask if he had time to write me back with any opinions he had on my work.  I asked for constructive criticism, and feed back on how I might improve.  I never did here back from him.  I waited about a week, sent another email, but still heard nothing back.  I doubt that he thought the pics were flawless, or that there was no need to improve upon my photographic ability.  I guess he didn't have time, or didn't think it was worth his time, I don't really know.

I will not let this stop me!  I Will continue on with my pursuit of my dream!  I hope to maybe have some money before long to pay off the Digital SLR camera that I have on lay away at the local camera store.  I hope that the flexibility that a digital SLR will allow, can help me to improve upon my previous work.

As a side note, my picture that is to be published, should be sometime net month.  The group was wanting to use it for an annual newsletter that is published in November.  I am very excited to see a picture of mine finally in print!!  I'll have a reason to learn how to use the scan function on the multi use printer I bought for the computer a few months back, and I'll include it in a future blog post!!

Just Bored On A Thursday Night!

I guess I'm just writing this because it's 4:29 a.m.  It's between Thursday night, and Friday morning.  I know I should be going to sleep, but I just had to write something before I went to bed.  Sometimes I think life is too complected.  Why is it that things can't just go good, not perfect, but just good most of the time for every body?

I think that at times over the course of the last 7 years, maybe a little longer, I have had off & on depression.  It runs in my mom's family for sure, and I'd bet in my dad's too.  The fact of my parents getting divorced in 2002, my grandpa passing away in 2003, my parents fussing for a time, and dragging each other into court over a restraining order that never should have happened, me not being happy with my job, and some other personal issues hasn't helped. 

I want to get rid of this monkey on my back, but I can't seem to completely shake it.  I feel so good at certain times, then something happens, and I'm down in the dumps in a matter of minutes.  I hope that's not what I have to look forward to for the rest of my life??  I would seek counseling, but I'm afraid that I can't afford it.  I only make about $270.00/week.  I think that weekly visits would be between 1/4, and 1/2 my weekly salary.  I'm barely getting by right now, living from pay check to pay check.

There is an opportunity that may be coming up in the Spring.  It's at over double what I make now, starting out at $44,000.00/year!!  I make less than $20,000.00 now, and I've been at my current job for 9 years, and 4 months.  It would be a very good job,and it would meet most of my money needs!  But if I do take this job if a position is offered to me, it might mean I wont be able to go back to college in the Spring??  I don't know yet what my schedule would be, and I don't know what hours I would have to work for the job?  I've waited since August of 2003 to go back to school, and I really don't want to give that up again!!  I'm going to turn 29 next month, I already feel like time is starting to run out!

Almost 29, and I'm feeling like I don't have much time left.  Maybe it's because I think in my mind, that I'm going to have a heart attack, or a stroke before I get a chance to do anything?  My doctor has basically told me this.  It just makes you wonder why bother sometimes.  That's when I'm feeling depressed.  When I'm not, I have the answer to that question!  Because I want to do things, I want to live a full life, I want to help people, and I want o meet someone I love, get married, and raise a family!!  But when I'm depressed, all that seems like an impossibility.

I do find these blogs of mine very helpful!  Even if no one is reading them, it helps me to be able to write them.  I do it more often than writing in a journal, but the only down side is that there are somethings I can't write here, but can in a journal.  I guess that's why I still have mine, even though I write in it rarely any more.

I just wish that it seemed like I had a normal life, and had normal experiences like everybody else.  Other people's families can get together for holiday, and family occasions with out someone being pissed at someone else, not mine.  Even my mom's family at times can be trying.  My grandparents fight at times, over small stuff.  My grandma, and my uncle get into heavy arguments, it seems, to the obliviousness of anyone else being present.  I listened to my parents fight enough when I was little, and in the last year of their marriage, I don't really care to continue to hear people fight over bull shit reasons!!

I guess emotionally I'm pretty messed up?!  I never thought I would be this way, or sharing this much about myself to so many unknown people.  I guess I can always just delete the post if I want to.  That feels like a safety net to allow me to post it in the first place.  Doesn't mean that people wont have seen it maybe, but you never know really.  I think I will sleep better tonight after posting this, than I would have if I'd never done it at all.

I hope that all of you out there that may read this blog are in a much better state than I am currently!

Atlantis Gets Ready To Fly!!

Space Shuttle Atlantis is getting ready to launch on the "final" service mission to the Hubble Space Telescope.  NASA claims that there will be no more service missions to Hubble after this one.  We've heard that before, so maybe it wont be!

Two of the main goals of the mission is to install the Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3), and the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph (COS).  Many of the inside parts of Hubble were designed to be simple unplugged, and pulled out of their slots.  This allows very easy upgrades, and repairs to the Space Telescope.  Currently Hubble has the Wide Field & Planetary Camera 2 (WFPC2).  The WFC3 has a larger field of view than the WFPC2, which means that it will take in a larger view of the cosmos!  The new camera also has a larger resolution than the current one, and is able to show much greater detail according to the Space Shuttle section of the NASA web site.  WFC3 will be able to see from near-ultraviolet, through visible light, all the way to near-infrared.  This will allow people at NASA to study dark energy, dark matter, the formation of stars, and to see galaxies that are currently far beyond Hubble's sight!  Spectrographs take light, and break it down to learn valuable information about the source of the light.  The COS, will see in the ultralight end of the spectrum, and help to see how the galaxy has formed over the billions of years since it's creation.  This single item will improve ultralight sensitivity anywhere from 10 to 70 percent for faint objects in space.  COS will replace the Corrective Optics Space Telescope Axial Replacement (COSTAR).  This is  the device that corrected Hubble's bad vision after the telescope first lunched.  All the instruments installed on Hubble since it's first service mission has made COSTAR unnecessary now!!

There are also repair to be made.  Two instruments that have not worked, or partaily worked, for a few years will be serviced to bring them back to full working order.  Hubble has 6 125lb. batteries to power the telescope while it's in the Earth's shadow, and all 6 will be replaced with more efficent ones.  Hubble has 6 gyroscopes, which help to tell the computer where, and how to point the telescope.  As designed, 3 gyroscopes should point the telescope, with the other 3 waiting as backups.  Currently 3 have failed completely, 2 are in use, and only one is available if either of the 2 active gyroscopes should fail.  Atlantis' crew will replace all 6 gyroscopes!!

One of the last devices installed will be a new soft capture mechanism to allow future attachment of robotic spacecraft.  Could this be a foreshadow of things to come in Hubble's life??  According to the web site, it's for, "someday, once the telescope is at the end of it's life."  Why would they need to attach a robotic craft to let it die?  Maybe there is at least talk of useing Hubble beyond it's 2014 life exceptancey?!?!

After Atlantis finishes it's work, it will be a while before new pictures start coming in from a rejuvenated Hubble.  There are tests, and calibrations, that could last for several months.  NASA thinks that new photos may be avalible sometime in early 2009.

I know this post was kinda long compared to my other two NASA posts.  That's because I've been lax with the last two weekend's posts.  I will try not to let that happen again.  I put a little more into this post to try to make up for that!  :)

(Top: Concept art of Hubble, Top Middle: The black box in the center is the Comsmic Origins Spectrograph, Bottom Middle: An Astronaut replacing one of Hubble's batteries, Bottom: The two boxes in both upper corners, and the silver rectangle in the upper middle are 3 of the 6 gyroscopes that help point Hubble.