Tag: Mars

May 6th Space Day

May Holidays

Lockheed Martin created the first space day back in 1997, you can kinda understand why considering the source. John Glenn made it an International Day in 2001, again we can easily see his interest in the subject. That said, space has held the imagination of people since time began and as it stated in “Star Trek”, it is the final frontier. We will ever begin to colonize space? It’s sort looking like we might, so who knows, maybe your future home could be on the Moon! Space Day is always celebrated the 1st Friday in May.

How to celebrate – Study space. Study the space program. Book a flight into space.

Advertisement

November 28th Red Planet Day

November holidays

Of course we are talking about Mars, the red planet, red because of it’s atmosphere. But it has always been thought to be a violent planet, a planet of war and just because it’s red. Actually it’s surface may be better for us than Venus which sounds so much more friendly. It is the 4th planet in our Solar System and so, just one planet away from us. It is a dream to reach Mars, and maybe someday we will. The problem is, even if we get there, what do we do with it?

How to celebrate – Read about Mariner 4’s visit to Mars on July 14th, 1965. If Mars is red, why are the aliens always green? Plan your space travel early.

May 7th Space Day

May Holidays

The first Friday in May is always Space Day. Why, well… that’s not really clear but let’s just accept it and go with it. The day was created by the Lockheed Martin Corporation in 1997 in order to try and get more students interested in space and the complex industry that goes along with it. Today, depending on which political party is in control, the space industry is more private than public, which actually makes things great for workers but not so much for the industry itself. Space may hold many answers for mankind as we progress, it’s too bad the progressives can’t see that.

How to celebrate – Find something about space to become interested in. Become an astronomer. Watch Star Wars.

November 28th Red Planet Day

November holidays

Of course the Red Planet is Mars but did you know the planet is probably not really red? It appears Red to us because of the filters used to take pictures of it. Today remembers the first spaceship launch to view Mars closer, the Mariner 4. It was launched November 28th, 1964, traveling to 6,118 miles off the surface of Mars on July 14th, 1965. Today there is renewed interest in reaching Mars and seeing if there is anything of use there for mankind.

How to celebrate – Set up a telescope and see if you can find Mars. Read about NASA. Read about all the planets in our Solar System.

July 20th Moon Day

July Holidays

“The Eagle has landed”, in 1969, and the now famous line was coined – “That’s one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind!” (Armstrong has said in interviews he was misquoted and did say the “a”). It seems we got to the moon and lost our way, like the challenge of space was over, instead of just beginning. After taking an extended break we seem to be back at it again. There are those that feel the rewards are not worth the cost and effort, maybe that’s true… but what if it isn’t? Those doubters once thought that the world was flat and that they would find nothing by sailing the seas, that sailors would just fall off the edge eventually and drift off into a sky filled with nothing. Those doubters were wrong. So what might we discover in space? Who knows but if we can figure out a way to get there, we should at least try.

How to celebrate – Read about what space exploration has already taken place. Watch all the new space launches. Become an astronaut.

November 28th Red Planet Day

November holidays, Unboxing the Bizarre

Today commemorates the Spacecraft Mariner 4 closing to within 6,118 miles of Mars, a planet named after the mythical War of God, Ares. The date was, November 28th, 1964. The mission took 228 days and sent back photos of the Red Planet, red because of the filter on the lens of the camera on the spacecraft.

c4ab7582e7f620c3ceaab04223203e3c--god-tattoos-warrior-tattoos

The temperatures on Mars run from -207 degrees F to +81. Not exactly the temperatures one might like to spend the winters in.  It has two moons, Deimos and Phobos and it requires 687 days to circle the sun.

images (6)

Mars is often visible to the naked eye from earth and as such many have dreamed and had fantasies about Mars. However it is just a planet, too cold to support life and of little use to those on earth.

images (4)

Perhaps there may be life below the surface, we will not know until we set foot on the planet. If this is what you are waiting for, you might have to wait a while since we no longer have a space program pf our own. Since profits now lead the program from the private sector, there seems little worth landing on Mars for.

images (5)

Space, the final frontier. Who knows what we may find out there, what may save our planet from destruction. We know little of what may be out there but logic dictates there is very little there.

How to celebrate  – Look in the nigh sky for Mars. Study the photos sent back by Mariner 4. Learn more about Ares.