The Air Zoo: The Space Exhibit

In addition to it's fine focus on Aviation, the Air Zoo has an extensive exhibit dedicated to space flight and space exploration.

The exhibit begins with early rockets like a V2,  and full size examples of the RIM-8 Talos missile:

And it moves on to manned spaceflight and they've got a mock-up of a Mercury Capsule:

 

They have an actual Gemini Capsule Trainer vehicle on display:

Notice how small the interior is:

Amazing how astronauts could even fit inside, it barely had room for their big brass ones, let alone the rest of themselves.

And they've got El Kabong! 

Not Quick Draw McGraw but the actual El Kabong that was drop tested as part of the Gemini program to see if they could return the Gemini capsules to land rather than splashing them down into the ocean after re-entry.  It was not a success.

I wonder if it sounded like "Kabong!" or "Kaboing!" or just "Thump!" when it hit the ground during the testing.

There's also exhibits regarding what living quarters look like on the the ISS, and even coke cans that came back from the MIR space station:

Apparently Coke is as refreshing in space as it is on earth.

Lots  and lots of cool space stuff.

Then there's some space fantasy through the ages, including a neat exhibit on how space exploration, aliens, and robots have been depicted in cinema:

And it wouldn't be the future without some might-have-beens, including this actual Milner Motors Air Car, a flying car:

Were were promised flying cars and instead what we got was 144 characters and woke pronouns.  

Then again, given how I've seen most people drive, a flying car for the general populace raises lots and lots of issues.

The Space Exhibit at the Air Zoo is worth the price of admission for the entire museum all by itself.

Now That's A Very Cool Selfie

A selfie that's not about self-absorption but instead amazing achievement.

The world's first private lunar lander just took a selfie with Earth on its way to the moon

Hat Tip: Instapundit.

You Don't See That Kind Of Accident Report Everyday

The Detroit News: NTSB: Pilot of spaceship unlocked braking system early

That the NTSB conducted an investigation of an accident involving a spaceship sounds like something out of the world of tomorrow.

Sadly, it's all too real today that the co-pilot died in the accident and the pilot was badly injured. The article states the report points to the not so fail-safe design of the braking system and human error as the culprit.

Unfortunately, we learn often by the dangerous mistakes of others and improve from there.

No one said space flight was going to be risk-free, nor can it be if we are eventually going to have a real space program - both private and governmental - with people going into space and really doing things in space. Hopefully all the right lessons are learned from this accident.

Well That Would Suck.....

Small chance a big asteroid could hit Earth in 2032

From the Detroit Free Press:

As far as chances go, it's a lot more likely that an asteroid named 2013 TV135 will smash into our planet in 2032 than it is that you'll win Powerball.

But before you panic, know that the chances are still quite slim: one in 63,000; NASA says it is 99.998% positive the asteroid will fly by us.

. . .

But if it did hit, the impact would cause an explosion "50 times greater than the most powerful nuclear bomb ever used," the Telegraph reports.

Yeah, even though the chance of impact is slim, that would ruin your whole day.

An impact event will be even more terrible because the Obamacare exchanges still won't be working by 2032.....

Now That Is Cool.....

David Bowie's Space Oddity - perfectly performed in Space:

Wow.