Apollo 8

Fifty years ago today, December 21, 1968, Apollo 8 left Earth to orbit the Moon. It was the first crewed launch of a Saturn V rocket with astronauts Frank Borman, James Lovell, and William Anders aboard. Apollo 8 became the first manned spacecraft to orbit two celestial bodies as it went around both the Earth and the Moon. Although the mission was to attain lunar orbit Apollo 8 is best remembered for William Anders’ “Earthrise” photo as well as the television broadcast of the crew, which was estimated to have been watched by one billion people. The crew ended the broadcast with the following words that still resonate today - “And from the crew of Apollo 8, we close with good night, good luck, a Merry Christmas and God bless all of you—all of you on the good Earth."

InSight Has Landed!

Today NASA landed a craft named InSight on Mars. The robotic lander was launched May 5th of this year and traveled over 140 million miles to get to Mars. InSight’s mission will be a comprehensive look beneath Mar’s surface that will include collecting data about the planet’s crust, mantle and core. This data would be important for a future manned mission. Click here to see footage from Mission Control as InSight landed.

Vintage Moon Glass Collection

One of the hidden gems of the Tranquility Base Arcade is a not a rare arcade game or even a scarce piece of 1980’s memorabilia but items from an earlier time – my collection of vintage moon glasses. Apollo mission glasses or moon glasses, as they are more commonly known were originally a premium offered by Marathon gas stations in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s. The glasses feature Apollo missions 11 through 14. A pitcher was also available. My parents originally obtained some of the glasses when filling up the family station wagon over 40 years ago! As a kid during the 1970's I was able to complete the set and add to the collection. Since the 50th anniversary of the moon landing is rapidly approaching I have decided to highlight this seldom seen collection that is proudly part of the Tranquility Base Arcade.

1991 Rowe LaserStar Gold CD-100A Jukebox

I recently acquired a 1991 Rowe LaserStar Gold CD-100A Jukebox.
I have wanted this type of jukebox for quite some time and was thrilled to finally find one. After the usual cleaning and a repair to the bill acceptor it now plays great! Now I just have to decide whether I want to listen to Pac-Man Fever or Goin' Berzerk!

SpaceX Launch

SpaceX launched their Falcon Heavy rocket today. It was the maiden voyage for a Falcon Heavy rocket, which features 27 Merlin 1D engines producing five million pounds of thrust. The rocket's payload included a Tesla Roadster with a "Starman" astronaut sitting in the driver's seat. The pictures showing the Tesla ‘flying around the Earth’ and the simultaneous landings of the boosters captured the world's attention!