Mad Quickies 2.29

It’s Intercalation Day! And by that we mean, the Leap Day Quickies. We have ignition!

• The Bad Astronomer is scheduled to appear on Craig Ferguson’s show tonight! Super cool!
• Alan Bean: the only Artist Astronaut to have walked on the moon.
• Views from space by Italian astronaut Paolo Nespoli.
• Space infographics!
• An important fiftieth anniversary: On April 12, 1961, Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first human in space.
• Another important and timely fiftieth anniversary: On February 20, 1962, John Glenn became the first American to orbit the Earth. Piloting Friendship 7, he became America’s biggest hero.

The Quickies. A total misnomer today.
Because everything is upside down! {I could totally get fired.}

• To this day, John Glenn’s flight remains a giant leap.
• One Giant Leap.
• The Right Stuff by Tom Wolfe.
• A favorite movie: The Right Stuff. Can you imagine anyone else playing John Glenn besides Ed Harris?
• John Glenn returns to space. making him the oldest astronaut in space.
• We Have Capture. Astronaut Tom Stafford’s autobiography. He flew two Gemini missions and commanded Apollo 10 and the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project.
• Second man on the moon, Astronaut Buzz Aldrin has a drink named after him.
• How to make a Death Star cake.
• Astronaut posters and art.
• Space walls, a homemade rocket ship, a solar system necklace — all astronaut-themed crafts for kids.
• Make it a Quantum Leap day and kick it old school.
• And finally, the Leap Day episode on 30 Rock.

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Neil Armstrong One Small Step

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Walking on the Moon
with the inevitable Police tune
which you will like anyway.
You WILL like it!

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Featured image via NASA. From the page: NASA Photo ID: S84-27017 Program: Shuttle Mission: STS-41-B Date Taken: February 11, 1984 Film Type: 70mm Title: “Backpacking” Description: Mission Specialist Bruce McCandless II ventured further away from the confines and safety of his ship than any previous astronaut ever has. This space first was made possible by the Manned Manuevering Unit or MMU, a nitrogen jet propelled backpack. After a series of test maneuvers inside and above Challenger’s payload bay, McCandless went “free-flying” to a distance of 320 feet away from the Orbiter. The MMU is controlled by joy sticks positioned at the end of the arm rests. Moving the joy sticks left or right or by pulling them fires nitrogen jet thrusters propelling McCandless in any direction he chooses. A still camera is mounted on the upper right portion of the MMU. This stunning view shows McCandless with the MMU out there amongst the black and blue of Earth and space.

John Glenn via NASA. From the page: During his time aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery, Glenn shoots photographs of the Earth.