1957 – The United States Air Force starts the X-20 Dyna-Soar program.
The Boeing X-20 Dyna-Soar (“Dynamic Soarer”) was a United States Air Force (USAF) program to develop a spaceplane that could be used for a variety of military missions, including aerial reconnaissance, bombing, space rescue, satellite maintenance, and as a space interceptor to sabotage enemy satellites.[1] The program ran from October 24, 1957 to December 10, 1963, cost US$660 million ($5.16 billion today[2]), and was cancelled just after spacecraft construction had begun.
Other spacecraft under development at the time, such as Mercury or Vostok, were based on space capsules that returned on ballistic re-entry profiles. Dyna-Soar was more like the much later Space Shuttle. It could not only travel to distant targets at the speed of an intercontinental ballistic missile, it was designed to glide to earth like an aircraft under control of a pilot. It could land at an airfield, rather than simply falling to earth and landing with a parachute. Dyna-Soar could also reach earth orbit, like Mercury or Gemini.[3]
These characteristics made Dyna-Soar a far more advanced concept than other human spaceflight missions of the period. Research into a spaceplane was realized much later, in other reusable spacecraft such as the Space Shuttle,[4][5] which had its first orbital flight in 1981, and, more recently, the Boeing X-40 and X-37B spacecraft.
1763 – Dorothea von Schlegel, German author and translator (d. 1839)
Dorothea von Schlegel (née Brendel Mendelssohn; October 24, 1764 – August 3, 1839) was a German novelist and translator.
Life
Dorothea von Schlegel was born in 1764 in Berlin.[1] Oldest daughter of the philosopher Moses Mendelssohn, a leading figure in the German Enlightenment (Aufklärung). In 1783 she married the merchant and banker Simon Veit, brother of the physician David Veit. Their son, Philipp Veit, would later become part of a circle of German Christian painters called “the Nazarenes,” who influenced the English painters in the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. She met the poet and critic Friedrich von Schlegel in the salon of her friend Henriette Herz in July 1797, after which Dorothea divorced Simon on January 11, 1799.
She obtained custody of her younger son, Philipp, and lived with him at the Ziegelstraße, which became a salon frequented by Tieck, Schelling, the Schlegel brothers, and Novalis.
Schlegel’s novel Lucinde (1799) was seen as an account of their affair, causing a scandal in German literary circles. In 1801 her novel Florentin was published anonymously by Schlegel. Dorothea and Friedrich lived in Paris from 1802 until 1804, and after her divorce they married as Protestants. In 1807 she translated Corinne by Madame de Staël from French.
In 1808, Friedrich and Dorothea converted to Catholicism. (She may have adopted the name “Dorothea” from a 17th-century Dorothea von Schlegel who composed Catholic hymns). They continued to visit the salons of Rahel Levin and Henriette Herz, as well as the constellation which surrounded Madame de Staël. Friedrich died in 1829, after which Dorothea moved to Frankfurt am Main. There, she lived with her son Philipp (also a convert to a medieval style of Catholicism) until her death in 1839.
By Bob Christie Associated Press: Commander of 1st flight of space shuttle Challenger dies
Paul Weitz, a retired NASA astronaut who commanded the first flight of the space shuttle Challenger and also piloted the Skylab in the early 1970s, has died. He was 85.
Paul Joseph Weitz (July 25, 1932 – October 23, 2017) was an American naval officer and aviator, aeronautical engineer, test pilot, and NASA astronaut, who flew into space twice. He was a member of the three-man crew who flew on Skylab 2, the first manned Skylab mission. He was also Commander of the STS-6 mission, the first of the Space Shuttle Challenger flights.
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By Heather Chapman, The Rural Blog: Rural Indiana county ends syringe exchanges, with one official citing moral grounds
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By Robyn Pennacchia: Hey, Boomers, Maybe Don’t Brag About How ‘Your Generation’ Thought Of Sexual Assault? Read more at https://wonkette.com/624682/hey-boomers-maybe-dont-brag-about-how-your-generation-thought-of-sexual-assault#t2oH7q8RP17KUAYL.99
By Alison Fox and Shaye Weaver: Puerto Rico rescue dogs are up for adoption at Manhattan’s Animal Haven
The dogs were flown to New Jersey by the Sato Project with the help of the John and Wendy Neu Family Foundation. Sato Project is an animal rescue group based in Brooklyn that works in Puerto Rico.
By Michael Storey: Alaska gets its own paranormal story: Ghost Wars
Good news!
By Gavin Lesnick: PHOTO: Bruno Mars meets with North Little Rock children, donates $10,000 for shoes, calls officer a ‘super hero’
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By Scott Myers: November: Classic ‘20s Movie Month
Let’s make November “20s Movies Month”!
I’m looking for 20 volunteers to write guest posts to go live Monday through Friday in November, each entry featuring a 1920s movie you think screenwriters should know about and hopefully at some point watch. If more people volunteer, then we can expand the series into 30 posts.
By Stephen Guise: You’re More Powerful Than You Think
“If you want to be tougher mentally, it is simple: Be tougher. Don’t meditate on it.” These words of Jocko’s helped one listener— a drug addict— get sober after many failed attempts. The simple logic struck a chord: “Being tougher” was, more than anything, a decision to be tougher. It’s possible to immediately “be tougher,” starting with your next decision.”
~ Tim Ferriss and Jocko Willink in Tools of Titans
British apple boom brings back hundreds of forgotten varieties
Brain Dump: Random Thoughts with Dani!
TORONTO, Sept. 26, 2017 — Medically retired Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Sarah Rudder broke another personal record and took home gold medals in the women’s 100-meter and 200-meter dashes during track and field competition at the 2017 Invictus Games here Sept. 24.
By Ricardo Bilton: Atlas Obscura is using virtual reality to transport readers to the world’s distant, exotic locations
By Christine Cube: Blog Profiles: Political Blogs
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By Todd Fitch: Auction Alert! The Original Quaker Steak & Lube
Steph Jagger: Our Rallying Cry
Life is about three things: discovering, declaring, delivering.
By Jim Beviglia: Lyric of the Week Bob Seger And The Silver Bullet Band, “The Fire Inside”
wikimedia
- Wikimedia Commons picture of the day for December 26 December 26, 2024Picture of the day Khone Phapheng Falls, Si Phan Don, Laos. Located on the Mekong River near the border with Cambodia, at 10.7 kilometres (6.6 mi) wide, it is the widest waterfall in the world.
- Wikimedia Commons picture of the day for December 25 December 25, 2024Picture of the day Nativity of Christ scene from the Kefermarkt Altarpiece. Today is Christmas.
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