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Daily Pic 10/10/18 (Outer Space Treaty)

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Space is for everyone

The end of World Space Week today comes with a message of hope. Fifty-one years ago, the pact known as the Outer Space Treaty went into effect. The US, UK, and USSR were the first parties to the treaty and at least 107 other nations have since joined them, with additional countries working on ratification. The treaty establishes ‘space law’—in essence, an agreement that space exploration should only be for the benefit of all of humanity. No weapons of mass destruction can be placed on the moon, or any other orbiting body.

This photo of Saturn was taken by the Hubble Space Telescope, a craft that was launched by NASA, but, in the spirit of space law, has a ground team that works on finding new and innovative ways to share Hubble’s data around the world.

Daily Pic 10/10/17

© Bill Ingalls/NASA

A Soyuz descent module returns to Earth



Daily Pic 10/04/18 (Jupiter)

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NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSS/Gerald Eichstadt/Sean Doran

From Sputnik to extraterrestrial storms

NASA’s solar-powered Juno probe took this photo of a massive storm near Jupiter’s north pole. Juno’s been collecting data and taking incredible photos of Jupiter since 2016, showing us detailed evidence of the turbulent atmosphere surrounding the largest planet in our solar system.

We share this photo to celebrate the start of World Space Week today. You may ask yourself, why does World Space Week begin on a Thursday? That’s because October 4 is the day in 1957 that the Soviet Union successfully launched Sputnik 1 into a low orbit around the Earth, kicking off the Space Race. But the contest for dominance in space exploration has since given way to united, global efforts to explore our universe, a sentiment summed up nicely by this year’s Space Week theme: ‘Space unites us all.’

Daily Pic 10/04/17

© NASA

Buzz Aldrin's boot on lunar soil, Apollo 11 mission



Daily Pic 10/01/18 (Space Shuttle Atlantis)

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TIM SLOAN/AFP/Getty Images

It’s NASA’s 60th birthday

For some Monday inspiration, we’re looking to the sky. In honor of NASA’s 60th anniversary, these are the contrails from a 2007 liftoff of the Space Shuttle Atlantis, which transported astronauts to space and back for 30 years before being retired here, at Kennedy Space Center, where visitors can view it in person.

NASA opened for business 60 years ago today, and for decades has pushed the boundaries of space science–sending humans to the moon, inventing new aeronautic technology, and using space satellites to learn more about life here on Earth and beyond. As for what the future holds? The sky isn’t even the limit.

Daily Pic 10/01/17

© Therry/Getty Images

Village of Gordes, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France



Today in History 10/01 (NASA)

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Partial view of the port wing of the space shuttle Discovery in 2011 (© NASA/Getty Images)(1958) A new space agency takes off
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) becomes active, replacing the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics. President Dwight D. Eisenhower and Congress had approved the new agency earlier in the year in response to the Soviet launch of Sputnik 1.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is an independent agency of the United States Federal Government responsible for the civilian space program, as well as aeronautics and aerospace research.
Website: www.nasa.gov
Customer service: (202) 358-0001
Founded: Jul 29, 1958 · United States
Headquarters: Washington, D.C., United States
Founder: Dwight D. Eisenhower
Space programs: Apollo program · Space Shuttle program · Project Mercury · Project Gemini · Voyager program · Mariner program · New Frontiers program · International Space Station program · Discovery Program · Mars Exploration Program · Lunar Orbiter program · Mars Scout Program · Mars Surveyor ’98 program · Small Explorer program · Deep …
Spacecraft: Curiosity · 2001 Mars Odyssey · Nautilus-X · Mariner 9 · Ulysses · Landsat 8 · Aqua · Terra · Solar Orbiter · International Cometary Explorer · Uhuru · Explorer 33 · Graham · LAGEOS-1 · LAGEOS-2

NASA's Vehicle Assembly Building
Vehicle Assembly and Launch Control at Kennedy Space Center
wiki/NASA
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(1958) A new space agency takes off.
Also on this day,

331 BCE | Alexander the Great defeats the Persians
His warriors severely outnumbered, Alexander shows why he’s called “Great,” routing Darius III’s Persian army at Gaugamela, Mesopotamia near modern day Mosul, Iraq. With the defeat, almost two centuries of Persian rule ends and over two centuries of Hellenistic rule begins.
1908 | Ford makes autos affordable to ‘the great multitude’ as Model T on market
Henry Ford’s new auto is offered to the public at a relatively economical $825, and buyers can choose any color Model T as long as it’s black. Offering a four-cylinder engine, around 20 mpg, and a top speed of 40 mph, the Detroit automaker markets his car to America’s burgeoning middle class.
1946 | Judgments at Nuremberg as Nazis are sentenced
After a war that decimated Europe, and a holocaust that killed upwards of 11 million people, 24 convicted Nazi war criminals hear their sentences read out in a Nuremberg, Germany court following nearly a year of trials. Twelve will be executed, including Gestapo chief Hermann Goering.

Today in History 10/01/17

Leading Nazi figures during courtroom proceedings for war crimes in Nuremberg, Germany (© Raymond D'Addario/Galerie Bilderwelt/Getty Images)(1946) Judgments at Nuremberg as Nazis are sentenced
After a war that decimated Europe, and a holocaust that killed upwards of 11 million people, 24 convicted Nazi war criminals hear their sentences read out in a Nuremberg, Germany court following nearly a year of trials. Twelve will be executed, including Gestapo chief Hermann Goering.
The Nuremberg trials were a series of military tribunals held by the Allied forces under international law and the laws of war after World War II. The trials were most notable for the prosecution of prominent members of the political, military, judicial and economic leadership of Nazi Germany, who planned, carried out, or otherwise participated in the Holocaust and other war crimes. The trials were held in the city of Nuremberg, Germany, and their decisions marked a turning point between classical and contemporary international law.
Start date: Nov 20, 1945
End date: Oct 01, 1946

wiki/Nuremberg_trials
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Today in History 09/17 (United States Constitution)

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The signing of the Constitution of the United States at the Constitutional Convention of 1787 (© GraphicaArtis/Getty Images)(1787) Delegates sign the Constitution in Philadelphia
Following Benjamin Franklin’s speech, delegates to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia sign the Constitution. The day will later be observed as I Am an American Day, which will be renamed to Constitution Day and Citizenship Day.
The United States Constitution is the supreme law of the United States. The Constitution, originally comprising seven articles, delineates the national frame of government. Its first three articles embody the doctrine of the separation of powers, whereby the federal government is divided into three branches: the legislative, consisting of the bicameral Congress; the executive, consisting of the President; and the judicial, consisting of the Supreme Court and other federal courts. Articles Four, Five and Six embody concepts of federalism, describing the rights and responsibilities of state governments and of the states in relationship to the federal government. Article Seven establishes the procedure subsequently used by the thirteen States to ratify it. It is regarded as the oldest written and codified national constitution in force of the world.
Constitution of the United States, page 1
Page one of the original copy of the Constitution
wiki/United_States_Constitution
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(1787) Delegates sign the Constitution in Philadelphia.
Also on this day,

1859 | Emperor Norton I begins his 21-year reign over the US
San Franciscan Joshua A. Norton, frustrated by government bureaucracy, declares himself, ‘Norton I, Emperor of the United States.’ His edicts, including the abolition of the US Congress, endear him to many of his fellow residents, who encourage his delusions of grandeur.
1862 | Sun sets on bloodiest battle in American history as Battle of Antietam ends
George McClellan’s Army of the Potomac stems the tide of Robert E. Lee’s Confederate advance into Union territory, but the Battle of Antietam near Sharpsburg, Maryland, exacts a terrible toll with 22,000 dead, injured, or missing by the end of the bloodiest day in US military history.
1976 | NASA unveils a new spaceship Enterprise in the California desert
NASA’s new reusable orbital space vehicle, the space shuttle, is rolled out for its first public viewing in front of thousands of invited guests in Palmdale, California. It’s christened the ‘Enterprise’ after a write-in campaign by ‘Star Trek fans, and most of the show’s original cast is on hand for the unveiling.

Today in History 09/17/17

President Lincoln and General McClellan seated inside a tent on the Battlefield of Antietam (Alexander Gardner/Library of Congress)(1862) Sun sets on bloodiest battle in American history
George McClellan's Army of the Potomac stems the tide of Robert E. Lee's Confederate advance into Union territory, but the Battle of Antietam near Sharpsburg, Maryland, exacts a terrible toll with 22,000 dead, injured, or missing by the end of the bloodiest day in US military history.
The Battle of Antietam, also known as the Battle of Sharpsburg, particularly in the South, was fought on September 17, 1862, near Sharpsburg, Maryland and Antietam Creek as part of the Maryland Campaign. It was the first field army–level engagement in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War to take place on Union soil and is the bloodiest single-day battle in American history, with a combined tally of 22,717 dead, wounded, or missing.
Date: Sep 17, 1862
Maryland Campaign
Maryland Campaign, actions September 3 to 15, 1862 RED - Confederate, BLUE - Union

wiki/Battle_of_Antietam
Star Trek' cast members (from left) Leonard Nimoy, George Takei and DeForest Kelly in front of the unveiling of the Space Shuttle in Palmdale, California, in 1976 (© AP)(1976) NASA unveils a new spaceship in the California desert
NASA's new reusable orbital space vehicle, the space shuttle, is rolled out for its first public viewing in front of thousands of invited guests in Palmdale, California. It's christened the 'Enterprise' after a write-in campaign by 'Star Trek fans, and most of the show's original cast is on hand for the unveiling.
Space Shuttle Enterprise was the first orbiter of the Space Shuttle system. Rolled out on September 17, 1976, it was built for NASA as part of the Space Shuttle program to perform atmospheric test flights after being launched from a modified Boeing 747. It was constructed without engines or a functional heat shield, and was therefore not capable of spaceflight.
Manufacturer: Rockwell International
Space Shuttle Enterprise in launch configuration
Low angle view of gantry and Space Shuttle Enterprise in launch position on the Vandenberg Air Force Base's Space Launch Complex 6 (commonly known as "SLICK 6"), in California, during the ready-to-launch checks to verify launch procedures.

wiki/Space_Shuttle_Enterprise
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