Monday, January 25, 2010

Apollo 13 Crew To Celebrate 40th Anniversary At KSC

This just in from the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation:

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER -- Forty years ago, the world watched the saga of the ill-fated Apollo 13 mission unfold when a spark of innovation blazed a trail home for the crew aboard their crippled spacecraft On April 9, Apollo 13 astronauts Fred Haise, James Lovell and famed NASA Flight Director Gene Kranz will come together to commemorate this legendary voyage's 40th Anniversary during a special celebration hosted by the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation (ASF) at Kennedy Space Center.

Event-goers will re-live the adventure of NASA's most "successful failure" mission with a behind-the-scenes journey at the very Space Center where the crew launched into the history books.

During the event, guests will hear tales from the astronauts during a drive-by of the actual launch pad where the Apollo 13 crew took flight, continuing with a look into a mock Firing Room for a private briefing by Kranz. Afterward, guests will savor a fun-flared dinner under a restored Saturn V rocket -- the same vehicle used on this mission -- alongside the crew, Kranz and key mission contributors while they share the story of what it took to safely return the ill-fated mission to Earth.

"Everyone has read the Apollo 13 book or seen the film, but very few people have had the opportunity to see where it all started," said ASF Executive Director Linn LeBlanc. "This event offers guests a rare glimpse of the mission through the eyes of the men who lived it, and in the place where it all began."

Event tickets are $250 each and may be secured at www.astronautscholarship.org or by calling 321-455-7014. Tickets will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis and the price, over fair-market value, should be considered a tax-deductible donation. Sponsorships are also available.

Event proceeds benefit the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation (ASF), a 501(c)(3), non-profit organization established by the Mercury Astronauts. Its goal is to aid the United States in retaining its world leadership in science and technology by providing scholarships for exceptional college students pursuing degrees in these fields.

ASF funds nineteen $10,000 scholarships annually and has awarded over $2.8 million to students nationwide. For more information, call 321-455-7015 or log on to www.AstronautScholarship.org.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

$250/ticket ! Give a brotha a break.

Anonymous said...

Hey, don't forget, Big Brother is going to cut NASA's budget big-time; starting with the State of the Union Show tomorrow night.

Looking for a new JFK-like Mega-Space mandate? Fah-get about it!

How's that Hope and Change workin' out for you?

Rick Steele
Sarasota, Florida

Graham (England) said...

I only wish i could be there,it would be a real experience to hear them talk personally about their journey. I hope all that go have a great day.In my book these men are hero's,because they had the balls to do what they did.And they knew the massive risks involved And should never be forgotten.

Anonymous said...

This just in from the Orlando Sentinal:

The Obama budget has a number for NASA: A Big Fat 0


"There will be no lunar landers, no moon bases, no Constellation program at all.

In their place, according to White House insiders, agency officials, industry executives and congressional sources familiar with Obama's long-awaited plans for the space agency, NASA will look at developing a new "heavy-lift" rocket that one day will take humans and robots to explore beyond low Earth orbit. But that day will be years — possibly even a decade or more — away."

So don't build the Constelation Rocket now on the drawing board; go back to the drawing board and build something else.

Will the last worker leaving KSC please turn out the lights?

Rick Steele
Sarasota, Florida

Anonymous said...

KSC = America...BO hates America, therefore BO hates KSC