From German Tunnels to Space, Part 3–Mittelwerk and Dora

This series started with my experience growing up and appreciating the beauty of Germany, its land and people. But with that experience came an understanding of Germany’s darker history, a history that country would rather forget. This is why Mittelwerk is important, especially for space. There aren’t many people in the world who know about […]

28 Years of Satellite Highlights

Please don’t blame me for the poster’s length. Sure, the above poster is an advertisement for Broadbandwherever, and it’s only for the first 28 years of satellite history, but it’s interesting and pretty nonetheless. It also shows the progression of capability endowed to each generation of satellites through the years. From the beeping Soviet Sputnik […]

What’s Old Is New Again

From childhood, I’ve had this weird fascination with dirigibles. Not blimps, but dirigibles. The kind of airships people associate with the words, “Oh, the humanity!!” In spite of the horrific Hindenburg episode, I always thought the zeppelins produced in Friedrichshafen, Germany, were always majestic in movement. It also looked like a relaxing and luxurious way […]

“Frau Im Mond:” A SciFi Movie By Fritz Lang

This is a short movie review, but one concerning space. I happened upon this silent film as I was researching the Mittelwerk series. The English name of the film is “The Woman in the Moon.” It’s available in the US on Netflix streaming, so the wife and I watched it. The director’s last name, Lang, […]

Soviet Space History

12 April 1961 is another of those important dates humans shouldn’t forget. It was the day a human first entered space, if only for 108 minutes. That human was a Soviet Cosmonaut named Yuri Gagarin. The Daily Kos posted this article yesterday, giving some information on the Space Race between the US and USSR, and […]