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| This year, the space community lost many notables, including Gene Cernan, Dick Gordon, and Paul Weitz (pictured aboard Skylab). NASA photo, June 1973: “Astronaut Paul J. Weitz, Skylab 2 pilot, mans the control and display console of the Apollo Telescope Mount (ATM) in this onboard view photographed in Earth orbit. The ATM C&D console is located in the Multiple Docking Adapter (MDA) of the Skylab 1/2 space station.” |
2017 was, in many ways, a difficult year for the space community, as it suffered losses of notables including (but not limited to) Gene Cernan (Gemini 9A, Apollo 10, and Apollo 17), Dick Gordon (Gemini 11, and Apollo 12), and Paul Weitz (Skylab 2, and STS-6). However, the year was also punctuated with many triumphs, including Cassini’s last glimpses at the Saturnian system, Spacefest VIII, and many fun times on the Space Coast. Authors such as Gerald Brennan, Rod Pyle, and Lauren Baratz-Logsted wowed readers with stories that were alternately touching, gripping, and sometimes hilarious. Update: Sadly, on Dec. 21, the space world also lost astronaut Bruce McCandless.
Here is a sampling of some of my articles from 2017; hope you enjoyed them, and I hope you keep reading my work in 2018! In the next year, I intend to seriously chisel out my upcoming book for publication, among other activities. You’re all invited to come along for the ride!
- “Making The Farthest journey: An interview with director Emer Reynolds” (The Space Review, external link)
- “Statement on Scientific Literacy from a Spaceflight Historian” (Scientific Literacy Matters, external link)
- “How Skylab’s Beast of a Computer System Inspired the Space Shuttle”
- “Paul Weitz Was A Comedy Genius”
- “Frank Kelly Freas, Sci-Fi Pulp Art, and His Lasting Skylab Legacy”
- BONUS: “Machines and People: Why Do We Have Feelings About the End of Cassini?”
Emily Carney is a writer, space enthusiast, and creator of the This Space Available space blog, published since 2010. In January 2019, Emily’s This Space Available blog was incorporated into the National Space Society’s blog. The content of Emily’s blog can be accessed via the This Space Available blog category.
Note: The views expressed in This Space Available are those of the author and should not be considered as representing the positions or views of the National Space Society.