Sometimes, the smallest of details makes the photograph work. This is a rather ordinary photo of a cottage on the Maine shoreline, and yes, someone is gathering driftwood there. He gives a great sense of scale.
Florida’s east coast has changed a lot over the centuries, but one thing that’s held its ground—name and all—is Mosquito Lagoon. While other places in the region have shed their buggy names in favor of more marketable branding, Mosquito Lagoon remains the last major waterway in Florida to retain its original moniker.
So where did the name “Mosquito Lagoon” come from, and why did it stick?
SpaceX launched their 101st Falcon 9 mission of 2025 last night from Kennedy Space Center when the company sent the Boeing X-37 space plane to low Earth orbit on a classified mission. Liftoff was at 11:50 PM EDT, shortly after the opening of the launch window.
As Space Coast skies faded into night, United Launch Alliance launched their Vulcan-Centaur rocket from Space Launch Complex-41 at 7:59 PM Eastern Time, carrying the classified USSF-106 mission for the U.S. Space Force. The evening launch, near the end of the one-hour window, was a successful return for the vehicle after its near-catastrophic solid rocket failure in its last launch in October, 2024.
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.”
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.
Tempus fugit, a lot of clocks say: “time is fleeting.” For a facility as established and enduring as Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, it might seem like forever since the first rocket launched from here. Time has flown and so have thousands of rockets and missiles from America’s premier spaceport. Truth is, CCSFS has been open “only” 75 years, but it continues to have a bright future not only today but also for the long-term future.
Sometimes it is good to review old photographs. The one below was almost a throw-away, that is, it was a photo that was relatively unremarkable until I cropped it correctly so the mountains in the background were more prominent.
Day 1 of the Air Dot Com air airshow started an hour early, and we arrived in the middle…no worries, we did see beautiful aircraft and sharp pilots showing off their airplanes and their skills.
At 11,253 feet, the Valles Caldera is literally up there. Looking to do a little astrophotography, the moon won the night and that made the Milky Way only faintly visible. It was beautiful. That’s the real sound, and those aren’t Cocker Spaniels hanging out in the New Mexico wilderness.
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