Sunday, December 31, 2017

"Ground Control to Major Tom"...

A few days ago I was privvy to something of a "sneak preview" at the Virginia Living Museum (VLM); an up-close-and-personal look at an actual NASA Mercury Astronaut Space Suit which the team there has been "conserving" for quite a while. This is probably one of the original seven astronauts' training suits and so never flew, but still I must confess to a certain visceral thrill at being able to examine--and briefly even touch--such a relic of our first days in space!

The Mercury suit is meeting the public for the first time today during the VLM's "Noon Years Eve" celebration (1100-1300), and is expected to go on general display next year (2018). I'll certainly be visiting this important piece of our space legacy in the future, but nothng can beat the experience of shaking "hands" with history.

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