January 31 - Launch of Apollo 14

Today also marks the 40th anniversary of the launch of Apollo 14, which landed on the Moon in Fra Mauro.

January 31 - Ham the Chimp

This year, January 31st also marks the 50th anniversary of the flight of Ham the chimpanzee. Ham flew a suborbital mission on Mercury-Redstone 2.

January 31 - Explorer I

January 31st is a day rife with space anniversaries. On this day in 1958, Explorer I became the first American satellite to reach orbit.

January 30

 

Astronauts Elliot See, Pete Conrad and Neil Armstrong training in a Gemini survival raft.

(Photo: Ralph Morse)

January 29

John Glenn and Scott Carpenter, hamming it up after a press conference in 1961.
The LIFE caption is vague, but I believe this was the press conference that announced Glenn as the pilot of MA-5, with Carpenter as his backup.
(Photo: Ralph Morse)

Photoset Friday, January 28 - Space Monkeys

A neat photoset featuring "space monkeys" and the scientists who study them, by photographer Grey Villet. Unfortunately the year is not specified, but it's certainly 1961 or earlier.

January 27

Godspeed to the crew of Apollo 1.
(Photo: Ralph Morse)

January 26

 

Hans Gruene in the Launch Control Center at Cape Kennedy, 1968 or 1969.

(Photo: Ralph Morse)

January 25

The parking lot at Cape Canaveral, 1958.

January 24

Bob Gilruth shortly after the Mercury-Atlas 4 mission with Enos the chimpanzee, September 1961.

January 23

 

A technician testing a prototype Moon suit falls down on a simulated lunar surface, 1962.

(Photo: Fritz Goro)

January 22

 

Portrait of the Gemini 4 crew, 1965.

(Photo: Ralph Morse)

January 21 - Photoset Friday

This week's edition of Photoset Friday contains many stunning pictures of the Saturn V rocket and its launch complex. These photos were taken by Yale Joel.

January 20

A man on the USS Hornet hoses down the area in front of the Apollo 11 quarantine trailer, July 1969. This was done to kill any "moon germs" that the crew may have brought back from their journey.

January 19

 

John Glenn, trying on his Mercury suit.

Unfortunately, I don't know the names of the people with him. Anybody out there know?

(Photo: Ralph Morse)

January 18

 

Apollo 9 crew members James McDivitt and Dave Scott get a haircut, 1969.

January 17

Space food, circa 1963.
(Photo: Ralph Morse)

January 16

Group 3 astronauts examine a knife during jungle survival training.

January 15

Alternate take of the September 1959 Mercury Seven LIFE cover.

(Photo: Ralph Morse)

January 14 - Photoset Friday

This week's Photoset Friday is a fun one - it consists of the Gemini 9A crew playing in the pool.
(Photographer: Ralph Morse)

January 13

The first three Americans in space, dressed in desert survival gear in Nevada. From left to right: John Glenn, Gus Grissom, Alan Shepard.

(Photo: Ralph Morse)

January 12

 

The Apollo 12 crew, with their Corvettes.

(Photo: Ralph Morse)

January 11

The Apollo 11 crew in front of their Saturn V rocket, 1969.

(L-R: Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins, Buzz Aldrin) 

(Photo: Bill Eppridge)

January 10

The first seven astronauts pose beside a mockup of a Mercury spacecraft at the McDonnell plant in St. Louis, May 1959.

January 9

Astronaut Gus Grissom during parachute survival training, Ellington Air Force Base, September 1963.
(Photo: Ralph Morse)

January 8

 

Frank Borman and Jim Lovell watch their helmets float away during weightless training in the KC-135 (or "Vomit Comet"), 1963.

(Photo: Ralph Morse)

Photoset Friday, January 7: Jerri Cobb

Today I'm starting a new Friday tradition called Photoset Friday, in which I showcase a particular photoset from the LIFE archives. This one contains pictures of Jerri Cobb, one of the famed "Mercury 13" members. These were taken in 1960 by photographer Ralph Crane.

Even though she's nearly thirty in these pictures, the photoset is entitled "Girl Astronaut." Stay classy, LIFE.

January 6

Bob Gilruth, explaining the Project Mercury org chart, 1959.

(Photographer: Hank Walker)

January 5 (belated)

Sorry everyone, Blogger was down last night. Here's a photo of pad leader Guenter Wendt emerging from the Holiday Inn pool, soaking wet, after being thrown in during a post-Freedom 7 celebration party in May 1961.

(Photographer: Ralph Morse)

January 4

Maybe it's just me, but I find it really, really hard to believe that we'll celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Mercury-Redstone flights this year.

(Gus Grissom and Alan Shepard, of course)

January 3

 

The Apollo 10 crew, standing on the surface of the Moon.

(Photo: Ralph Morse)

January 2

Gag photo of the second group of astronauts, 1962. That's Life photographer Ralph Morse in the back, next to Frank Borman. Unfortunately I don't know the name of the gentleman sitting on Jim McDivitt's lap; if you do, let us know.

Starting from the top left and going counter-clockwise: Neil Armstrong, Ed White, Elliot See, Jim Lovell, unknown, Jim McDivitt, Pete Conrad, Tom Stafford, John Young, Frank Borman, Ralph Morse.

January 1

Two men watch John Glenn drive around in a toy car.

Clearly, they are jealous.

(Photo: Ralph Morse)

Happy New Year!

Starting today, and continuing until December 31st, I'm going to post one photo a day from the LIFE magazine space archive. 

Two years ago, LIFE magazine published their photo archive - and their countless unpublished pictures from the space program - onto Google Images.  Unfortunately, the archive is poorly organized and difficult to navigate.  I want to display some of LIFE's incredible photos, as well as provide access to some of the harder-to-find pictures.

Why am I doing this? I love the space program and space history, and I think it's important to keep these pictures available. Also, since space aficiandoes frequently see the same pictures over and over again, I want to show some of the rarer photos. I don't care who you are; I promise that you've never seen some of these pictures before.

Also, this blog is not affiliated with LIFE magazine in any way. I figured you knew that, but I just wanted to make that clear.

This site is a works in progress, so be patient with me. (And feel free to give me feedback!)