24 June 26

Today's tie was chosen by my nibling Nolan Huizenga for his birthday!. He said the Saturn rocket helps "celebrate the Artemis 2 mission that brought 'moon joy' to so much of our planet, along with amazing photos and science observations. No one had traveled to the moon since I was five years old, and finally we went back! This year I also turn the same age as my dad was when he died, so I’m thinking a lot about family history and the gift of being loved by him and many others as I was growing up and figuring out life." 

The Saturn rocket was the basic design for all of the launch vehicles for the Mercury-Gemini-Apollo missions and Skylab (1961-1973). 

Nolan pastors Highland Presbyterian Church in Louisville, KY.

27 October 24

 On 27 October 1961, NASA launched the first test flight for the Saturn rocket, which was to become the basic design for all of the launch vehicles for the Mercury-Gemini-Apollo missions and Skylab (1961-1973). "The Saturn I made its maiden flight on 27 October 1961 with a dummy upper stage and partially fueled first stage. Tension in the blockhouse was high as no launch vehicle to date had been successful on the first attempt and there was the widespread fear of a pad explosion. As the Saturn was the largest booster yet flown, such an event was sure to be extremely destructive, possibly putting the launch complex out of use for six months. In the end, however, these worries subsided as the booster lifted and performed a flawless test flight."

5 May 23

On this date in 1961, Alan Shepard became the first American in space. His journey lasted 15 minutes. His "Freedom 7" capsule was launched aboard a Redstone rocket. My tie shows the later Saturn rocket, used for the Apollo missions in 1967-1973.

12 April 22

Today's Saturn Rocket tie celebrates the anniversaries of the first manned space flight (Yuri Gagarin, USSR, 1961) and the first launch of a space shuttle (Columbia, USA, 1981). The Saturn rocket was used primarily during the Apollo missions (1967-1973) and also to launch the Skylab space station (1973). In other news, it's National Grilled Cheese Sandwich Day!

5 May 21

Sixty years ago today, astronaut Alan B. Shepard Jr. became America's first space traveler as he made a 15-minute suborbital flight in a capsule launched from Cape Canaveral, Fla. The capsule was named Freedom 7, in honor of the seven astronauts selected for the Mercury space project.

In 1971 he piloted the Apollo 14 mission, and became the fifth human to walk on the surface of the moon. The rocket pictured on my tie is a Saturn model, used for the Apollo moon missions.

5 May 20

59 years ago today, Alan Shepard achieved distinction as the first American in space! The mission was named Mercury - Redstone 3 and the spacecraft was named Freedom 7. My tie shows the later Saturn rocket, used for the Apollo missions and to launch Skylab.

24 June 19

Happy Birthday to my (eldest) nephew and space exploration enthusiast Nolan Huizenga! My tie features the Saturn rocket, which was the launch vehicle for the "Apollo" mission series. Apollo 11 was launched in July 1969 -- fifty years ago -- with the first humans walking on the moon on 20 July.

12 April 18

I'm wearing my Saturn rocket tie to mark the anniversaries on this date in 1961 when Yuri Gagarin became the first human in space, and in 1981 when the first space shuttle (Columbia) was launched. The Saturn rocket was used primarily during the Apollo era, 1967-73. This posting also marks the end of TEN YEARS for my tie blog -- 2008 entries since 13 April 2008! On Sunday I'll launch a new year with a brand new tie . . .

12 April 17

Today's Saturn Rocket celebrates the anniversaries of the first manned space flight (Yuri Gagarin, USSR, 1961) and the first launch of a space shuttle (Columbia, USA, 1981). The Saturn rocket was used primarily during the Apollo missions (1967-1973) and also to launch the Skylab space station (1973).

27 October 15

54 years ago today, NASA launched its first Saturn rocket, which would become the standard launch vehicle for the Apollo moon exploration series and for Skylab.

5 May 14

First American in space (Alan Shepard), 5 May 1961.

27 October 13

52 years ago, October 27, 1961, the first Saturn I rocket was launched. It was the first in the Saturn series, used for all of the Apollo missions (1961-1972).

5 May 13

Fifty-two years ago today, Alan Shepard became the first American to go into "space," in the "Freedom 7" capsule. In 1971 he piloted the Apollo 14 mission, and became the fifth human to walk on the surface of the moon. The rocket pictured on my tie is a Saturn model, used for the Apollo moon missions.

23 June 11

Tomorrow is my oldest nephew C. Nolan Huizenga's 44th birthday. He likes this tie because it matches his obsession with all things space-ish, although he himself ventures only as high as an amateur pilot's license will let him go. But we both agree with Buzz Lightyear that the best lifelong trajectory is "To Infinity, and Beyond!"

12 April 11

Today marks 50 years since the first human space flight into orbit (Yuri Gagarin, 1961, USSR) and 30 years since the first launch of the space shuttle (Columbia, 1981, USA). My tie features a Saturn V rocket which was used during the Apollo missions (1967-1972, USA).

27 October 10

The Saturn rocket, made famous by the Apollo missions that "put man on the Moon" in 1969, was first launched on October 27, 1961.

20 July 10

In 1969, on July 20, Neil Armstrong took the first human steps on the surface of the moon. I was in Canada, probably somewhere near Toronto, on a summer tour with a Youth For Christ singing group called the Eastsiders. We watched the televised events at the home of whoever gave us lodging that night.

03 August 09

Some events connected to August 3:

1492: Christopher Columbus sails from Spain, headed for the "Indies"; on the same day, all Jews are expelled from Spain.
1811: Birthday of Elisha Graves Otis, of elevator fame.
1912: Birthday of Gene Kelly, actor/dancer (Singin' in the Rain).
1949: Formation of the National Basketball Association.

I wore my Saturn rocket tie, to celebrate the "launching" of Columbus' voyage and the NBA, and also the "lift" of Otis Elevators. Gene Kelly also "lifted off" the floor during many of his dance routines.

Note added August 2010: Gene Kelly's true birthday is August 23, not 3.

27 October 08

This marks the anniversary of the first launch of a Saturn rocket, as the space mission Apollo I, in 1961.

25 August 08

Blasting off for a new semester at EKU . . .
(Repeating a tie from May 5)