Click here to watch a time-lapse of push back, taxiing, and takeoff from my sunrise flight from Tyler to Houston, Texas.
Category: Aviation and Spaceflight
Stories from the world of astronomy, aeronautics, aviation, and manned spaceflight.
WATCH: Helicopter tour over Tyler, Texas
Click here to get a view of Tyler, Texas during my ride-along with Air One, ETMC’s air ambulance service, which celebrates 30 years of operation in 2015.
WATCH: Helicopter drops golf balls for charity tournament
Click here to watch a medical helicopter dropping hundreds of golf balls at Willow Brook Country Club in Tyler as part of a charity golf tournament.
WATCH: Balloon glow at the Great Texas Balloon Race
Click here for highlights from the annual balloon glow at the Great Texas Balloon Race in Longview, Texas.
Shuttle Columbia debris collected in E. Texas goes on public display for first time
A new exhibit at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida memorializes the Space Shuttle Columbia, which broke apart over East Texas in 2003. The 2,000 square foot exhibit, housed at the Space Center’s visitor complex, features the personal effects of crew members and recovered shuttle hardware from both the ill-fated Columbia tragedy and the 1986…
WATCH: Time-lapse of flight descent into Charlotte, North Carolina
Click here to watch a short time-lapse of the descent of my flight from Houston, Texas to Charlotte, North Carolina.
WATCH: Orion spacecraft’s first test flight
Click here for my live coverage of the test flight of NASA’s Orion spacecraft, launching atop a Delta IV Heavy rocket.
NASA unveils flashy, futuristic new look for spacesuit prototype
NASA is ready to unveil the design of their next-generation spacesuit prototype. Wednesday, the space agency will reveal the winner of a contest on their website put the decision to a public vote. The futuristic Z-2 suit will make future missions possible to asteroids or the surface of other planets. Some of the improvements under…
Online contest will pick NASA’s futuristic new spacesuit design
NASA is leaving the design of their next-generation spacesuit prototype up to the public. A contest on the space agency’s website puts three designs up for a vote, with a fully-functional model to be built by November. The NASA Z-2 suit is a follow up to the Z-1, which Time Magazine named ‘one of the best inventions…
WATCH: Aerial survey of the East Texas ice storm
Click here to get an aerial tour of the East Texas ice storm’s impact on Smith County.
NASA spacesuit designer reveals changes to new ‘pumpkin suit’
NASA’s aging stock of spacesuits is coming under great scrutiny as the space agency investigates the near-drowning of an astronaut. Wednesday, an investigation board released its report on the July 2013 incident involving a water leak in Italian astronaut’s Luca Parmitano’s helmet. More than a liter of liquid pooled around Parmitano’s eyes, nose and ears,…
Next-gen NASA spacecraft to visit E. Texas on cross-country road trip
A test version of the Orion capsule left NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia early Thursday on the bed of an 18-wheeler, headed for California. The four-week road trip will make stops in Virginia, Tennessee, Arkansas, Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona before an early January arrival in San Diego, California. A map showing the convoy’s…
‘Name the Shuttle’ contest gives Texans chance to name space history icon
Texans now have the opportunity to name a high-fidelity replica of a NASA Space Shuttle, the centerpiece of a new attraction set to open in Houston. In early 2015, Space Center Houston will unveil an exhibit featuring the Shuttle replica seated atop a Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, or SCA, the Boeing 747 jumbo jet that ferried…
WATCH: Astronaut Buzz Aldrin speaks at CR Smith Museum
Click here to watch a portion of moon-walking astronaut Buzz Aldrin’s lecture at the CR Smith Museum in Fort Worth, Texas.
Meeting moon-walking astronaut Buzz Aldrin
As a life-long space enthusiast, meeting astronaut Buzz Aldrin was a great honor for me. He gave a lecture and signed copies of his new book, “Mission to Mars,” at the American Airlines CR Smith Museum in Fort Worth on June 22, 2013.
Texas lands massive piece of Space Shuttle history
Space Center Houston is adding a “jumbo” piece of space history to its already impressive fleet of retired spacecraft and aerospace vehicles. Thursday, NASA announced the transfer of ownership of the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, or SCA, to the official visitor’s center of the Johnson Space Center. The SCA, one of two modified Boeing 747 jumbo…
WATCH: Aerial view of ice storm from Chopper 7
Click here for an aerial view of the East Texas ice storm from KLTV’s Chopper 7.
Communication restored to International Space Station after computer glitch
Communication has been restored to the International Space Station after a computer glitch Tuesday morning left crew members unable to reach ground controllers for more than two hours. Around 8:45 a.m. Central Time, the ISS lost contact with Mission Control at the Johnson Space Center in Houston Texas, according to a NASA news release. By…
WATCH: East Texans mark 10 years since Shuttle Columbia tragedy
Click here for my coverage of the 10th anniversary of the Space Shuttle Columbia tragedy and recovery effort.
10 years after Shuttle Columbia tragedy, E. Texas museum preserves crew’s legacy
10 years have passed since East Texas was thrust into the national spotlight after Space Shuttle Columbia broke apart on re-entry over the Piney Woods. Obviously, it’s an emotional time for the families of the seven brave astronauts, but the small town of Hemphill is reflecting on their very deep and personal connection to the tragedy….
WATCH: Space Shuttle Endeavour’s final ferried flight
Click here for my coverage of the final ferried flight of Shuttle Endeavour from Florida to California.
Houston’s new space shuttle replica arrives by sea
After its hopes of landing a retired Space Shuttle were scrapped, Houston is now home to the next-closest thing — a full-size replica. Friday marked the end to an 8-day voyage across the Gulf of Mexico for the orbiter mock-up that had previously welcomed visitors to Kennedy Space Center in Florida. A full-size shuttle replica…
Day 29: Protecting airports, starting at the curb
Many people live in fear because they believe their lives are in constant danger. I ride mass transit, go out in public, and visit large arenas and landmarks. I do not, however, take unnecessary risks when it comes to my personal safety. When we stop living in the spirit of “pursuing the American Dream,” we may as…
Lane Luckie 