Jan 272024
 

Astronauts Virgil Grissom, Edward White, and Roger Chaffee were killed in the Apollo I fire in 1967. The three were in a training simulator when a spark set off a fire in an oxygen-rich capsule. The hatch could not be opened quickly enough, and the three perished. NASA took two years off to improve the safety of the space program. Children could learn about Apollo I at: Apollo I.

Aug 102024
 

Lettuce grown on International Space Station was consumed by astronauts in 2015. This event marked the first time space travelers grew and ate their own food. American astronauts Scott Kelly and Kjell Lindgren grew the “Outredgous” red romaine lettuce aeroponically. Half the harvest was eaten by the astronauts, and half was frozen and returned to earth for analysis. The vegetable is very significant because astronauts on future, lengthy space trips will need to grow their own food.