Sierra Hotel Blog
On November 14th, 1969, a cold front was passing through Florida, bringing unstable weather in the form of showers and thunderstorms. At the time of the launch, there was no rain in Kennedy Space Center; the sky was overcast with...
Continue reading
. Thank you so much for the invitation to speak today. As many times as I have done so around this country, I still admit to a slight case of butterflies as I hear my name introduced … which is...
Continue reading
November 8th, 1967: Capt. Gerald O. Young's aircraft "Jolly 29" was one of two HH-3E Jolly Green Giant helicopters sent to extract five survivors of a U.S. Army Special Forces reconnaissance team in Laos. The extraction site was known to...
Continue reading
On October 3, 1967, test pilot Pete Knight flew the X-15A-2 to Mach 6.72 — 4,520 mph — setting a world absolute speed record for manned aircraft that still stands today. Knight also earned his Astronaut Wings and a Distinguished Flying Cross for airmanship under total electrical failure at 107,000 feet. He flew 253 combat missions in Vietnam before retiring as a Colonel with over 6,000 flight hours in more than 100 aircraft types.
Continue reading
On November 3rd, 1957, Laika ( Лайка), a Soviet dog, became the first animal to orbit the Earth. Laika, a stray dog from the streets of Moscow, was selected to be the occupant of the Soviet spacecraft Sputnik 2 to...
Continue reading
