Here is a link to my weekly column in the Santa Fe New Mexican. This week’s topic is about Earth Day, of course.
Voyager 1 image of Earth
I was heartened to see the signatures of Neil Armstrong, Eugene Cernan and Jim Lovell attached to a letter challenging the US leadership to step-up a plan to enable continued activity both in low earth orbit and beyond. If you haven’t read it already, here is a complete copy:
The United States entered into the challenge of space exploration under President Eisenhower’s first term, however, it was the Soviet Union who excelled in those early years. Under the bold vision of Presidents Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon, and with the overwhelming approval of the American people, we rapidly closed the gap in the final third of the 20th century, and became the world leader in space exploration.
On the morning of April 12th, 1961, the chimes atop the Kremlin’s Spassky tower greeted the new day. A day that would see the name Yuri Gagarin rise from virtual anonymity to worldwide acclaim. Monday is the 49th anniversary of Yuri Gagarin’s pioneering single orbit trip around the Earth. With a total flight time of 108 minutes, his journey opened the first chapter in the history of manned spaceflight.
Born in the western Russian village of Klushino on March 9th 1934, Yuri Gagarin lived with his 3 siblings and parents. His mother was an avid reader and his father was a carpenter. Later, as German forces invaded their country, Yuri’s father joined the Russian Army. Soon afterward, his mother relocated the family away from the war zone.
Leaping across the sky as March gives way to April, we find the constellation Lepus, the hare. Like the animal it represents, Lepus lies still and inconspicuous below Orion’s feet poised to escape if detected by the hunter’s dogs Canis Major and Canis Minor. Lepus hosts a couple of interesting deep sky objects – the globular cluster M79 and Hind’s Crimson Star.
