LC-39A

Jim Lovell in the Apollo era.
Photo: NASA

Captain James A. “Jim” Lovell Jr., the NASA astronaut who commanded the the Apollo 13 mission and became a symbol of courage and ingenuity, died Thursday at the age of 97 in Lake Forest, Illinois. Lovell’s death was confirmed by family members.

Born March 25, 1928, in Cleveland, Ohio, Lovell logged more than 700 hours in space over four missions. His calm under pressure during Apollo 13—immortalized by the phrase “Houston, we’ve had a problem”—cemented his place in history. Lovell was, as one former NASA engineer told us, “a cool customer.”

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SpaceX, NASA and the Crew 11 astronauts beat the clouds and rain showers and launched before summer showers washed over Kennedy Space Center today, but just barely. With dark skies and rain rapidly advancing from the south, liftoff of SpaceX’s 18th crewed flight was at 11:43 AM ET from venerable Launch Complex 39A. Crew 11’s four astronauts are now on their way to the International Space Station after today’s launch, with an expected arrival time at the orbital outpost around 3 AM ET tomorrow, August 2.

Gravity Turn: After Max-Q and now in its supersonic flight phase, Falcon 9 enters another gear, leaving the contrail it just made behind quickly. The cloud is from the rocket, not the storms it was escaping on August 1, 2025.
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Watching a rocket tear skyward from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center is a visceral thrill—one that most people will remember for the rest of their lives. If you are a photographer, the memories are amplified when you freeze the moment in sharp, vibrant photographs. Even though a still photograph won’t come with the incredible sounds of the engines of a Falcon 9 or Falcon Heavy as it breaks free of the bonds of gravity, a good photo will last a lifetime and keep the memories of your time here in Florida.

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Axiom 4 lifts off from LC-39A at Kennedy Space Center
Axiom 4 lifts off from LC-39A at Kennedy Space Center

After several delays, Axiom 4 is on its way to the International Space Station. The corporate mission, commanded by NASA veteran Peggy Whitson, lifted off at 2:31 AM Eastern Time from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 and Crew Dragon.

In addition to Whitson, Shubhanshu Shukla, an officer in the Indian Air Force and astronaut with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), will serve as the pilot. Mission specialists include Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski, a project astronaut with the European Space Agency (ESA) representing Poland, and Tibor Kapu from Hungary. Notably, this mission marks the first time astronauts from India, Poland, and Hungary will visit the ISS, representing each nation’s first government-sponsored human spaceflight in over 40 years.

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In the 1960’s digital computers were undergoing a radical change: a switch to integrated circuits and the central processing units (CPUs) that we all know and use today. The Saturn V was no different.

The Saturn V Instrument Unit (IU) served as the rocket’s central guidance and control system, housing the Launch Vehicle Digital Computer (LVDC) developed by IBM. The LVDC utilized magnetic core memory, a non-volatile storage technology composed of tiny magnetized rings that retained data without power. Each core memory module stored 4,096 words, with each word comprising 26 data bits and 2 parity bits, totaling 28 bits per word. These modules were integral to the LVDC’s operation, enabling reliable data storage and retrieval during the mission.

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It was a good day to have a good day here in Florida, and that’s exactly what NASA, SpaceX and Crew 10 had today at Kennedy Space Center.

Falcon 9 lifted off, carrying three astronauts and one cosmonaut toward orbit and the International Space Station just as the sun was starting to set in the west. Some seven and a half minutes later, SpaceX booster B1090 completed its duty for the day by landing at LZ-1 in Cape Canaveral, 8.8 miles south of LC-39A.

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