History and Space

While on my trip to LA and Lompoc, I had the opportunity to visit some of the history of American space fight.

That would be some of the Space Launch Complexes (SLCs pronounced slick) associated with space launches from Vandenberg AFB, CA.



This was the second time that something named for the former Chief of Staff of the Air Force Hoyt S. Vandenberg and I had crossed paths. The first was the ship, named after him, that I had the pleasure of diving while visiting Key West a few years ago. And now, the Air Force Base which carries his name.



Although I drove by a number of the SLCs, I was able to take a couple images of two of them--SLC-6 and SLC-8.



SLC-6 is interesting in that it was constructed to support space shuttle launches, but shortly after everything was completed, it was decided that the space shuttle would launch only form Cape Canaveral.

The big white building is SLC-6 which is now used for other launches.

The smaller facility SLC-8, which is dark in the image, is for smaller experimental rockets.

Despite the belief that with the demise of the space shuttle program the US was no longer engaging is space--I witnessed a lot of activity at many of the SLCs and can attest that between the government and private industry we are still forging a path into the final frontier.

We may have lost the capability to put men into space for a while--but we are still alive.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Return of the Peepers

I heard them in the swamp the other night, the peepers singing.

Another sure sign of the return of spring.

The weather is warmer and the robins have returned. The grass is growing and Tru-green dropped by to get my lawn ready for mowing season.

I am so ready for the weather to get warmer.

I love the sound of the peepers in the swamp on a relatively warm evening at the end of the long, but mild winter.

Let's get on with life.

I did find some crocus hiding under a pile of leaves.

The temperature this morning is a balmy 52 degrees.

It is spring--really!

Let's celebrate.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Sure Signs of Spring

Flowers are the way that I judge the passing of winter and the arrival of springtime.



It really does not matter what the calendar says, but rather it is the buds on the trees and the bright blooms of springtime flowers that really start the season for me.

And so, daffodils blooming in my neighbor's yard yesterday marked the passing of winter in my neighborhood.

I believe that I will be mowing the lawn in about two weeks and that I will be opening my pool in just a bit over a month.

The darkness has passed--we need to enjoy the sunshine and the flowers. And we can begin living outside again.

I was reminded of the old Beatles song Here Comes the Sun and the lyrics which are:

Here comes the sun (doo doo doo doo)
Here comes the sun, and I say
It's all right

Little darling, it's been a long cold lonely winter
Little darling, it feels like years since it's been here
Here comes the sun
Here comes the sun, and I say
It's all right

Little darling, the smiles returning to the faces
Little darling, it seems like years since it's been here
Here comes the sun
Here comes the sun, and I say
It's all right

Sun, sun, sun, here it comes


-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

How Far Is It?

An interesting question.

Think for a moment, how far could you travel by driving for three and three-quarter hours and flying for four and a half hours?

One answer:

From Lompoc, CA to Elkridge, MD using Los Angeles International Airport (affectionately known as LAX) and Dulles International Airport.

As I realized a few minutes ago, I have been "up" for over 24 hours with only a few (four) hours sleep on a large airplane.

It is funny, I do not remember taking off from LAX. I did, however, see the sunrise over Washington as the plane landed at Dulles.

Ask me what kind of flight I had, and I will respond, restful. That is what a "red-eye" is supposed to be like.

The driving portion of my day led me onto the Pacific Coast Highway and roads known affectionately, to those living in LA, as "the 405", "the 101," and "the 105." On the Washington end--yeah I got to experience "the Beltway" during morning rush as well I-95 and US 1.

So now it is time to shower and sleep to force another 3-hour time change into my circadian rhythm.

So how far is it?

Well that's easy--all the way from the left coast to the right coast! Or, yesterday into today.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Monday Musings -- March 5, 2012

1. Traveling provides the opportunity to experience a lot of good and not so good things.

2. During a wine tasting, I was treated to some of the most creatively named wine favors. The wines were reported to have flavors of black cherry cola, tootsie rolls, a pineapple sucker, and marshmallow. One reportedly had aromas of strawberry jolly rancher. These descriptions were hidden in among the more traditional descriptions of wines. I'm not sure I want those aromas or tastes in my wine.

3. Why do dogs seem to always have it together?

4. I have acquired some new wineglasses recently. The one with Daniel Boone's coonskin hat on it is my favorite.

5. Syracuse won the Big East regular season championship in basketball.
Yay, way to go Jim Boeheim.

6. The weather is awful this year already. Thunder storms and tornados have torn too many towns and cities apart.

7. Ever notice how a journey back seems longer than a journey out?

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Finding New Places - Solvang, CA

During my travel yesterday, I had the opportunity to spend some time in Solvang, California.



I found it to be a unique town built on a Danish theme. I admit, I had a lot of fun probably because there are numerous wine tasting rooms representing wineries from the area throughout the town.

I found the windmill to be a really nice touch right in the middle of the town.

Walking around the town provided a great way to spend the afternoon and sample some great Californian wines at the same time. I was also able to enjoy some very nicely prepared food while sitting outside at a cafe in the bright and warm sunshine.

I am sure that I will return home with a case of Spring-fever.


-- Bob Doan, Lompoc, CA

Out the Hotel Window--Los Angeles

It seems that sometimes the best image outside of the hotel window is really inside the hotel.



The hotel I stayed in in Los Angeles had a great atrium with a lot of space,
like a shopping mall, and animals, like turtles and fish. There was even a duck in the koi pond.



It was a huge hotel.


-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

The Sky is Falling--Chicken Little

Titanium Case for Solid Propellant Rocket

I remember the children's story about the little chicken in the barnyard who ran around screaming about how the sky was falling because an acorn fell onto her head. No one listened to the little bird because her warning of impending doom soon became more noise in the barnyard.

Well, sometimes, the sky really does fall.  I had a unique opportunity yesterday as I was leaving a facility to see some pieces of space junk--stuff that had been launched into space which made it back to the planet.

Stainless Steel Tank from Delta Stage 2

Most people think that such items are small fragments--but not true. Here are two fairly good sized pieces of rockets which were recovered and put onto display. The larger one, the rusted one,  was actually accompanied by many other fragments, one of which fell onto but did not injure an person in Oklahoma, I think. If it had been in Kansas we could have started singing about the Wizard of Oz or something.


Maybe Chicken Little knew more than we give her credit for.

-- Bob Doan, Los Angeles, CA

Delegate Counts for the Long Summer Ahead

Some days a much longer than others.

Yesterday, for instance, I was awake at 4AM and did not get back to the hotel until after 9PM. Ugh! It was a long day filled with information that I am struggling to remember.

Then this morning, my computer and the hotel network are not talking and so I lost my first blog post into the ether.

Stress!

Not really, but it takes the joy out of traveling.

I did get an email from the Orioles that my season tickets have been shipped. Another sure sign of Spring!

The weather here was OK--I guess. I didn't really get to experience it too much yesterday.

As the country is ramping up for Super Tuesday, I feel the political timelines beginning to wind down for some of the candidates.  But when I checked the delegate counts from the completed primaries--I can see we are in for a long, hot summer.

As it turns out, 1144 delegates are needed to secure the Republican nomination. As it stands now, no one is even close. Here are the totals from the New York Times:
Romney - 150
Santorum - 85
Gingrich - 29
Paul -18

I don't think anyone has a lock on this yet.

I had no idea that we had been following so much ado about nothing.  No wonder no one is dropping out of the race yet. No one is really even in the race right now.

Stand by, it has got to get a lot more interesting as the days melt away into summertime.

-- Bob Doan, Los Angeles, CA

Flying again

I was halfway into a six hour flight yesterday when the realization hit me that not only was I bored, but my butt hurt from sitting, my neck was stiff, and my sore shoulder was still, sore.

Ugh! The joys of being crammed onto a too small, fully loaded aircraft getting more familiar with my neighbor than I really cared to ever become.

I was tired of listening to music, reading, and playing sudoku.

I had bought a box lunch in hopes of killing time eating, to no avail. Not only was there not enough room to eat, but the meal consisted of a bunch of small items that needed preparation--but there was no where to put the pieces together.

Time was passing slowly.

I could feel each second ticking my life away trying to find a diversion.

If only . . .

I was traveling first class? Probably not much better.

I was reminded of my sailing adventure last summer where I learned that I'm more about the destination that the journey.

Beam me up, Scotty. I want to be there already.




-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD