28 November 2000 - After the Hubble Space Telescope, what's next? NASA is planning the follow-on observatories, SIRTF and SIM. Without the obscuring effects of the Earth's atmosphere, they'll be able to see the most distant stars out there!

More Mars pics are now available. This time, it's a wintery scene on the surface of the Martian south pole. NASA reports:

Frosty craters spied on Mars
Recent images from NASA's Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft show autumn's frosty arrival in the southern hemisphere of Mars. While frost spreads to areas like Lowell Crater (right), it is receding in the north as spring warms that hemisphere.

Today In Space History - Launch of STS-9 (28 Nov 1983), featuring the first six-member crew in space. Launch of Columbia had been delayed for 28 days while SRB problems were investigated, causing the first rollback (return to VAB) of the Shuttle program. [Date: NASA]

More Space History - Today is the 36th anniversary (28 Nov 1964) of the launch of Mariner 4, the first spacecraft to return close-up pictures of another planet (Mars). Mariner 4 approached the Red Planet in July 1965 and took 22 pictures (recorded on tape and transmitted over 4 days!) during its flyby. [Date: NASA Mars site]

27 November 2000 - How much computing horsepower does it take to help the Air Force (working with the University of New Mexico) track mystery objects in orbit? IBM has built a massive supercomputer to do the job!

Cleveland Rocks! That's what the folks at NASA's Glenn Research Center in Ohio want you to know. Come see their contributions to the construction of the ISS at the Visitor Center this weekend.

NASA is reorganizing their internal security departments, including those responsible for protecting their computer networks. 

Wrap up last week's space news at Florida Today.

Today In Space History - The Soviet Mars 2 probe landed on the surface of Mars 29 years ago today (27 Nov 1971). It was the first man-made object to reach the surface of Mars. Maybe that's why they call it the Red Planet! [Date: United Space Alliance]

26 November 2000 - NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center and the U.S. Army's Aviation and Missile Command (both in Huntsville) have agreed to share resources on projects, saving taxpayer money (!!!).

Russia's parliament is critical of plans to de-orbit the aging Mir space station in February...

...and where will millionaire Dennis Tito blast off to - he's paying big bucks for a trip to a space station - but which one?

Global climate changes may not be caused solely by greenhouse gases in the Earth's atmosphere - solar activity may also play a part.

Today In Space History - Fifteenth anniversary of the launch of Shuttle Atlantis on STS-61-B  (26 Nov 1985). [Date: NASA]

25 November 2000 - Living bacteria have been recovered by a research balloon flying 10 miles up. Some scientists claim that it could have been deposited there by a passing comet. Space bugs??? We can't even deal with West Nile Virus!! 

More on the Stardust probe's near-death experience [See also 22 Nov].

Earlier this month, NASA demonstrated a method of controlling spacecraft operations using the Internet. So how do you reboot a space station?

Today In Space History - The Soviet Union launched Prognoz 5, a research satellite designed to study the effects of solar radiation. Liftoff occurred on 24 Nov 1976 from Baikonur. [Date: United Space Alliance]

24 November 2000 - What are China's future plans for space exploration? They appear poised to become the third nation with human spaceflight capability, and they stress peaceful intentions. Chinese academics even envision a moon base! Let the race begin!!

Lunar land rush? A loophole in the 1967 UN Space Treaty may permit private ownership of real estate on the moon! How long till someone puts up a Starbuck's?

An American satellite, Quickbird 1, was lost upon launch aboard a Russian Kosmos rocket, fired from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome. Quickbird would have been able to image objects less than 1 meter wide, from orbit! The second stage probably shut down prematurely, and the Earth observation satellite probably burned up in the atmosphere. Next time, fly Delta!

Russia's plan to decommission Mir may put a slight crimp in the plans of TV producers who want to put on a "Survivor" type show, with contestants going through grueling Cosmonaut training. Hey, there's always Regis! 

Today In Space History - The crew of Apollo 12 splashed down in the Pacific ocean on 24 Nov 1969,  successfully ending the second manned lunar mission. [Date: AP]

More Space History - Launch of Shuttle Atlantis on STS-44 (24 Nov 1991). [Date: NASA]

23 November 2000 - Happy Thanksgiving! - NASA has suspended a planned mission to Pluto - the most distant planet in our Solar System, and the only one that hasn't been explored. All together now: DU-U-U-U-U-U-HHHHHHHH!!!

JPL has released a short "movie" of cloud formations on Jupiter. NASA reports:

Cassini Images Cloud Dance Over Jupiter
NASA's Cassini spacecraft took images of dynamic cloud action on Jupiter that have been assembled into two short movies. In this one, winds swirling counterclockwise around the giant planet are shown near the Great Red Spot. Dark and light bands that form horizontal stripes around the planet can be seen rushing in opposite directions to each other. The Cassini spacecraft will pass closest to Jupiter, at about 6 million miles away, on Dec. 30. It will use a boost from Jupiter's gravity to reach its ultimate destination, Saturn. While near Jupiter, it is studying that planet's atmosphere, magnetic field and rings in collaboration with NASA's Galileo spacecraft, which has been orbiting Jupiter since Dec. 7, 1995. Follow this link for more information on the joint Cassini-Galileo observations.

Britain is joining the European Southern Observatory, an organization for astronomical research operating in the high desert of Chile.

Today In Space History - It's the fortieth anniversary of the launch of TIROS II, the second-ever weather satellite (23 Nov 1960). [Date: United Space Alliance]

22 November 2000 - Here's some more about new photographic evidence that water once flowed on Mars [See also 19 Nov].

The folks at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory have saved one of their space probes from getting fried by a giant solar eruption! NASA reports:

Stardust Meets Solar Flare
Quick-thinking NASA engineers and scientists helped the Stardust spacecraft survive a close encounter with a storm of high-energy particles from the Sun after a recent solar flare. Stardust, a NASA mission to return samples of a comet, was only 130 million miles from the Sun on November 9. when flight team engineers began to worry, having heard that the fourth-largest solar flare since 1976 was heading toward Earth. This monster cloud of energized particles, 100,000 times more intense than usual, hit the spacecraft and its cameras took a series of proton hits. The spacecraft went into standby mode. But all is well. An image taken days after the solar flare subsided shows that the camera had completely recovered.

Today In Space History - Launch of Shuttle Discovery on STS-33, the fifth military mission of the Shuttle program (22 Nov 1989). [Date: NASA]

21 November 2000 - NASA has successfully launched three satellites from a single rocket today at 1:24PM EST. EO-1 is getting most of the press; the other two are hitching a ride from Argentina (SAC-C) and Sweden (Munin nanosatellite). NASA reports:

Earth Observing Spacecraft Launched
Into a clear morning sky today, NASA's New Millennium Program's first Earth Observing flight (EO-1) lifted off from Vandenberg Air Force Base, CA, to begin a new era in Earth science. EO-1's mission is to test new technology land imaging instruments. Three revolutionary land imaging instruments on EO-1 will collect multispectral and hyperspectral scenes over the course of its mission in coordination with the Enhanced Thematic Mapper on Landsat 7. Its companion spacecraft, SAC-C, also launched aboard the Delta rocket today, will study the structure and dynamics of the Earth's atmosphere, ionosphere and geomagnetic field. SAC-C is a cooperative mission between NASA and the Argentine Commission on Space Activities (CONAE). (Mas información en español)

Private investors are hoping to save the Russian Mir space station. Give it up already! Mir was a technological achievement (after all, the U.S. can't even touch the space endurance records set by Russia), but it's time to move on! Get with the Alpha program! [See also 16 Nov].

Today In Space History - USSR attempts another Zond unmanned mission to the moon (21 Nov 1967). [Date: United Space Alliance]

20 November 2000 - Tomorrow's rocket launch will be webcast live from Vandenberg AFB. A Delta booster will carry 2 satellites into orbit. Launch is scheduled for Tuesday, 21 Nov at 1:24PM EST (note new time). [See also 18 Nov]. NASA reports:

Launch of Earth Observing Spacecraft Delayed to Nov. 21
After a two-day delay, the Boeing Delta 2 rocket is now back on track for blastoff Tuesday from Vandenberg Air Force Base, CA, carrying a payload of Earth science research satellites. The Earth Observing 1 (EO-1) satellite and SAC-C spacecraft will usher in a new era of looking at Earth. EO-1's primary mission is to test a set of advanced technology land imaging instruments. The SAC-C spacecraft, carrying the cooperative mission between NASA and the Argentine Commission on Space Activities (CONAE), will study the structure and dynamics of the Earth's atmosphere, ionosphere and geomagnetic field (Información en español).The launch, scheduled for 1:24 a.m. EST, will follow a pre-launch press conference held today at 2 p.m. EST. NASA Television will cover these events live and webcasts can be accessed from http://www.ksc.nasa.gov and http://www.kennedyspacecenter.com.

Wrap up last week's space news at Florida Today.

Today In Space History - Shuttle Atlantis came to a landing at KSC 10 years ago today, concluding STS-38, a classified military mission. [Date: United Space Alliance]

19 November 2000 - The Mars Global Surveyor, in orbit around the Red Planet, has snapped more new pics of the surface. Some of them show gullies that may have been created by water. Don't book that kayaking trip just yet - that water is long gone! NASA reports:

Global Surveyor captures views of gullies
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft, currently orbiting Mars, simultaneously snapped both a wide-angle and high-resolution view of Hale crater that show gullies -- possibly carved by water -- in the peaks of sand dunes inside the crater.

The picture at the top of this page is captioned "Autumn Afternoon in Hale Crater".

NASA chief Dan Goldin received an award from National Space Club of Huntsville (Alabama, home of the Marshall Space Flight Center) last Thursday.

Today In Space History - Two Shuttle launch anniversaries: STS-80 (19 Nov 1996) and STS-87 (exactly one year later, on 19 Nov 1997). [Dates: NASA]

More Space History - The Apollo 12 Lunar Module landed at the Ocean of Storms on the Moon on 19 Nov 1969. [See also 14 Nov] [Date: United Space Alliance]

18 November 2000 - Tonight will probably be your last chance to see some shooting stars, as the annual Leonids event passes the Earth. Check here for peak viewing times. Satellites face a small risk from meteoroid damage.

Mir is scheduled for de-orbit next February - but where will it fall? (Hint: now may be a good time to invest in a hard-hat). [See also 16 Nov]

NASA will launch an environmental satellite, called EO-1, on Tuesday (rescheduled from Monday) atop a Delta II rocket from Vandenberg AFB. NASA reports:

EO-1 Launch Delayed
Engineers have rescheduled the launch of NASA's Earth Observing 1 (EO-1) satellite and the Argentine SAC-C spacecraft for no earlier than Monday, Nov. 20, at 1:24 p.m. EST. The delay will allow launch managers to review discrepancies in documentation related to the guidance computer on the Delta II rocket carrying the satellites. The prelaunch press conference has also been rescheduled and will now occur on Sunday, Nov. 19, at 2 p.m. EST. NASA Television and NASA TV on the Web will carry the launch live. (Información en español)

Today In Space History - Eleven years ago today (17 Nov 1989), the Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE)  satellite was launched by NASA. Its mission was to study what the early universe was like, and it provided evidence to support the Big Bang theory. [Date: United Space Alliance]

17 November 2000 - The National Reconnaissance Office, the U.S. agency responsible for spy satellites,  issued a warning this week regarding the shortage of its resources, saying that the U.S. risks becoming "blind and deaf" to threats from terrorists.

Leonids meteor shower tonight? We hope to see some shooting stars, but the moon may be too bright.

NASA is ending the mission of the Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer satellite, which observed the universe in the UV spectrum for 8 years. What, ran out of sunscreen lotion?

India will launch a weather satellite next year.

Today In Space History - The European Union launched the Infrared Space Observatory, an orbiting telescope designed to "see" in the shortest wavelengths of light. ISO was launched from the Arianespace facility at Kourou, (in the South American country of French Guiana), atop an Ariane 44P rocket. The launch date was 17 Nov 1995, and it remained operational until 16 May 1998, although discoveries continue to be made from data still being processed. [Date: Encyclopedia Astronautica]

16 November 2000 - It's official: Russia will finally put the 14-year-old Mir space station to rest. Outlasting its design life by many years, it was the pride of the USSR's (and Russia's) space program. One last crew may be launched in January to prepare the station for its flaming re-entry into the Pacific Ocean in February 2001. It is the end of an era (but we've heard that before!)

Don't forget - Leonids meteor shower Friday & Saturday night!

Can the stars solve the mystery of how the Egyptian Pyramids are so precisely aligned - and how old they are?

Ariane 5 rocket launches 4 satellites into orbit. It is the largest model of the French rocket-builder's line.

Doesn't everybody need a "personal satellite"? Makes a great stocking stuffer!

NASA to launch Earth Observing Satellite on Sunday. They report:

New Millennium Earth Observation Mission to Launch Sunday
When the Delta rocket carrying the Earth Observing 1 (EO-1) satellite and SAC-C spacecraft lifts off from Vandenberg Air Force Base on Sunday, a new era of looking at Earth will have begun. EO-1's primary mission is to test a set of advanced technology land imaging instruments. The SAC-C spacecraft carrying the cooperative mission between NASA and the Argentine Commission on Space Activities (CONAE) will study the structure and dynamics of the Earth's atmosphere, ionosphere and geomagnetic field (Información en español). NASA Television and NASA TV on the Web will carry the 1:24 p.m. EST launch live.

Today In Space History - Today is the 27th anniversary of the launch of Skylab III. (The official NASA designation was Skylab 4, counting the station's unmanned launch, but it was the 3rd manned flight). Mission Fact sheet here; Crew info here; Image collection here. Skylab was America's first space station. Its initial launch in May 1973 was the final flight of the mighty Saturn V rocket (The manned flights were Apollo CSMs boosted by Saturn 1Bs). Skylab's orbit decayed over the years after that final mission (16 November 1973), and the station burned up in the atmosphere (except for some chunks that landed in Australia!) in July 1979. [Date: NASA]

15 November 2000 - An unmanned Progress supply ship will launch tonight at 8:32PM EST, bound for Space Station Alpha (AKA ISS). Play-by-play at Florida Today.

CNN: Ariane rocket launch delayed

Today In Space History - On this day in 1988, the Soviet Union launched their version of the Space Shuttle, known as Buran. It made two orbits of the Earth, and landed in a 40MPH crosswind - all by remote control! The project was cancelled due to lack of funding, and the orbiter never flew again. [Date: United Space Alliance]

More Space History - The STS-38 Shuttle mission (a classified DoD project) launched 10 years ago today (15 Nov 1990). The planned four-day flight was extended to five days, with landing diverted from Edwards AFB to KSC (there's a switch!), making it the first KSC touchdown for Atlantis. Pics here. [Date: NASA]

More Space History - Jim Lovell and Buzz Aldrin splashed down in Gemini XII this day in 1966, bringing their mission and the entire Gemini program to a successful close. [Date: AP]

14 November 2000 - Get up early this Friday and Saturday (or stay up late Thursday and Friday!) Why? It's that time again - the annual Leonids meteor shower is here. Will we get a spectacular sky-show, or just some dull sparks? If we're lucky, we might even see meteors strike the moon! If you don't feel like trudging out to the back yard in your bunny slippers, catch the live webcast at NASA's Leonids site.

New video is available of the closeup flyover that the NEAR-Shoemaker probe made over asteroid Eros. Here's NASA:

NEAR Team Releases Low-Flyover Movie
Showing you don't need lasers and light sabers to make a great space flick, the NEAR mission team has released the first movie from NEAR Shoemaker's low-altitude buzz over the asteroid Eros. Shot in the early hours of Oct. 26, 2000, the video covers segments of a 55-minute span in which NEAR Shoemaker closes from 8 to 5 miles over the asteroid's rocky surface. Without giving away too much of the plot, the 90-second movie includes unprecedented and detailed views of dust-filled craters, jagged boulders and rugged terrain that have intrigued NEAR scientists.

The miniature-rover project that the U.S. and Japan had planned to return soil samples from an asteroid has been cancelled due to rising costs. Too bad, that would have been a cool mission!

NASA's Chandra X-Ray observatory has spotted a "battle between galactic forces" (no, not Imperial Stormtroopers!). It's a cosmic tug-of-war between galaxy Cygnus A, and a mysterious black hole.

Today In Space History - We mark the 31st anniversary of the Apollo 12 launch (14 Nov 1969).  AS12 was the second lunar landing, and the last U.S. space flight of the sixties. Mission Fact sheet here; Crew info here; Image collection here. The crew splashed down in the Pacific 10 days after launch (24 Nov 1969). Mission commander Charles "Pete" Conrad became the third human to walk on the moon on 19 November 1969. He died tragically 30 years later, in a motorcycle accident last year (July 1999), after a long and successful career as an astronaut and in the U.S. Navy.  Conrad is survived by his crewmates, Alan Bean and Richard Gordon. [Date: NASA]

13 November 2000 - China announced their new rocket - a smaller booster dubbed "Kaituozhe-1" (Explorer-1), featuring a solid-fuel motor.

Web in Space: Satellite technology is being marketed to bring high-speed Internet access to people who can't get DSL or cable modem.

More on the neutron star spotted by Hubble recently...

Wrap up last week's space news at Florida Today.

Today In Space History - On this day in 1971, Mariner 9 became the first spacecraft to orbit another planet. The unmanned spaceprobe reached Mars after a 5-month journey. [Date: United Space Alliance]

12 November 2000 - A new GPS satellite was launched last Friday aboard a Delta II rocket. Liftoff occurred at 12:17PM EDT from the USAF's Cape Canaveral facility.

Today In Space History - Two Space Shuttle anniversaries today: STS-2 (12 Nov 1981); and STS-74 (12 Nov 1995). STS-74's crew included Chris Hadfield, the first Canadian to visit Mir. STS-2 was the second Shuttle flight - the first time in history that a spacecraft had been re-flown with a new crew, and the first flight of the CanadArm remote manipulator. [Dates: NASA]

11 November 2000 - It's Veteran's Day (Rememberance Day for our friends in Canada/UK/Australia/NZ, Armistice Day in the UK). Fly your flag and give thanks to those who gave so much for our freedom!! 

The European Space Agency wants the European Union to view space activities as an integral part of Europe's economy and politics. Space: It Isn't Just For Breakfast Anymore!

Today In Space History - Today marks the 34th anniversary of the Gemini 12 launch (11 Nov 1966). GT-XII was the 16th U.S. manned spaceflight, and the last of the Gemini series. Mission Fact sheet here; Crew info here; Image collection here. Pilot Buzz Aldrin docked Gemini with the Agena target vehicle "by hand" after the radar system failed. Three years later, Aldrin would become the second human to set foot on the moon (A long way from Jersey!). Mission commander Jim Lovell already had Gemini 7 under his belt. He would later become one of the first three men to leave the Earth's orbit (Apollo 8, in 1968) and would head up Apollo 13 in 1970. [Date: NASA]

More Space History - Today is also the 18th anniversary (11 Nov 1982) of the STS-5 (Shuttle Columbia) launch, the 5th Shuttle mission. Mission Fact sheet here; Crew info here; Payload info here; Image collections here and here; Launch video here. This was the first operational Shuttle mission - the previous four were considered to be test flights (even though they did some productive work!). A scheduled EVA was cancelled due to problems with both spacesuits. Other firsts were: the first deployment of commercial satellites (two!) from a Shuttle Orbiter; the first U.S. crew to fly without pressure suits; and the first four-man crew on a single spacecraft. Columbia would land 5 days later at Edwards AFB. [Date: NASA]

10 November 2000 - Is Jupiter's moon Io blanketed with sulfur-rich "snow"? Let's go skiing!

The Hubble Space Telescope has spotted a neutron star - the remains of a stellar  explosion, only a few miles across - but 10 trillion times denser than steel! NASA explains:

Hubble Images 'Nearby' Neutron Star Streaking Across Galaxy
NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has imaged a 'nearby' neutron star. Forged in a stellar explosion that was visible to our ancestors in 1 million B.C., this interstellar interloper is the closest neutron star to Earth ever seen--200 light years away--according to Hubble researchers. Astronomers expect it to swing by our planet at a safe distance in about 300,000 years. A neutron star made up of the remnants left behind after a supernova explosion, as the material at the core collapses into a dense mass of neutrons. The star has the mass of the sun packed into an area about 12 miles in diameter--the size of Manhattan Island.

Wrap up last week's space news at Florida Today.

Today In Space History - The USSR launched the Zond 6 probe to the moon 32 years ago today (10 Nov 1968). [Date: United Space Alliance]

07 November 2000 - Will China launch their manned mission soon? It appears that they are preparing to send an astronaut into orbit - and someday, beyond that... to the moon! They have launched their Shenzhou spacecraft in an unmanned test already. Will the next flight of the Soyuz-style capsule contain a human passenger?

For the second time in two years, a prediction of an asteroid hit has been retracted after further calculations show no threat to Earth. Whoops, back to the ol' slide-rule!

If Mars soil were brought back to Earth, could an extraterrestrial virus contaminate our planet? Sample return missions from the Moon were no big deal - lunar soil is sterile. But what if living organisms existed in the soil of the Red Planet? (Might have a hard time getting through Customs...) 

Today In Space History - Here's an old one - 81 years ago today (07 Nov 1919), Robert Goddard tested a small solid-fueled rocket. Goddard is considered "the father of American rocketry". [Date: United Space Alliance]

More Space History - Shuttle Discovery, featuring John Glenn's return to space, ended its 9-day STS-95 mission with a landing at KSC on 07 Nov 1998. [Date: Boeing]

06 November 2000 - NASA completed another successful test of the X-38 Crew Return Vehicle last week. The CRV is intended to act as a lifeboat for the Space Station crew, should an emergency arise. It is a "lifting body" design with no engines (other than for de-orbit), and skids for landing gear. It will glide to a landing using a parafoil (steerable parachute), and can hold up to seven astronauts. [Note to Rick: No matter how bad you want one, X-38s are not covered by your car insurance!]

Is Mars still volcanically active? Photographic evidence shows relatively young features formed by internal geologic activity, and not just meteor hits.

Wrap up last week's space news at Florida Today.

Today In Space History - Thirty-four years ago today (6 Nov 1966), NASA launched Lunar Orbiter 2, a probe to photograph possible Apollo landing sites. Five of the unmanned spacecraft were launched to the moon between 1966 and 1967. They were de-orbited and crashed to the surface to avoid interference with the Apollo missions. [Date: United Space Alliance]

05 November 2000 - The Mars Global Surveyor folks have just released some new images of the Red Planet's surface, (including one in 3-D) and new topographic maps. Bust out the red & blue 3-D glasses! 

A new "minor planet" has been discovered between the orbits of Neptune and Pluto!

Today In Space History - Thirty-three years ago today (5 Nov 1967), NASA launched satellite ATS-3, the first to ever photograph the full disk of the Earth. [Date: United Space Alliance]

04 November 2000 - We will be re-arranging things here this week, as we inaugurate the new International Space Station Mission Journal. Please bear with us as we juggle some articles around. Check back for more news later!

Shuttle Discovery returned to Florida today, from its landing site in California. Get the scoop here.

Today In Space History - Nineteen years ago today, the Soviet Union launched the Venera 14 probe, designed to land on the fiery-hot surface of Venus (04 Nov 1981). [Date: United Space Alliance]

03 November 2000 - Three decades from now, will an asteroid hit the Earth like a nuclear blast? The odds are 500-to-1 - not exactly remote!

NASA is planning to launch two high-tech satellites designed to monitor the Earth's environment, including observing the migrations of whales!

The South American nation of Venezuela is hatching a plan to send tourists to the moon. (Bang! Zoom!!) President Hugo Chavez would like to build a space base in his country, funded by oil profits.

Today In Space History - The USSR launched the Sputnik 2 probe, the first spacecraft to carry a live passenger - a dog named Laika  (04 Nov 1957). Laika was provided with air, food and water on board, but unfortunately, the technology did not exist to retrieve the canine cosmonaut back then. She died (probably from heat exhaustion) in orbit after about a week, and the satellite (the world's second) burned up in the Earth's atmosphere the following April. [Date: United Space Alliance]

02 November 2000 - The Hubble Space Telescope spotted a violent collision between two galaxies. Did anybody file an accident report?

01 November 2000 - The Russian government has allocated funds to send two Progress re-supply ships to their Mir space station. If private funds can be secured, the Progress vehicles can be used to boost Mir's orbit. If not, then they will be used to de-orbit the station for a controlled re-entry into the ocean. 

Today In Space History - X-15 flight number 174 (01 Nov 1966), where pilot Bill Dana took his rocket-plane (X-15A number 3) to nearly 307,000 feet, earning him astronaut's wings! X-15s were carried aloft under the wing of a B-52 bomber, then dropped from 45,000 feet. The pilot would then light the rocket engine, take his plane as fast as  Mach 6, and as high as the edge of space, and then glide to a 200MPH landing. Bill Dana joined NASA on 01 Oct 1958 (the day it was founded), making him the very first NASA employee! [Date: Encyclopedia Astronautica]

More Space History: Landing of STS-52 - Shuttle Columbia (01 Nov 1992). [Date: United Space Alliance]