Campers’ Sites Link Section Updated

I have just updated the page of HabLinks with a fantastic site I recently discovered.

Estelle Tidey won a trip last summer to the 2000 session of International Space Camp by writing a wonderful essay on the International Space Station.

Estelle’s “Space Nut” section on her website details her experience at Space Camp, and includes many wonderful photos from around camp.

I highly recommend that everyone check out her site!

Estelle's World

Look, Ma! No Boosters!

I recently acquired a currently out-of-print book titled, “Let’s Visit A Space Camp.”

The book, which dates back to 1990, contained, among other great photos, one taken before the Pathfinder received its SRB’s.

Pretty great stuff!

Pathfinder sans Boosters

Links Section Reorganized

I have reorganized the HabLinks section  such that instead of throwing every single site together on one page, it’s now organized by type.  There’s a page for Official Space Camp web sites as well as sites created by campers.

In the future, I also plan to include links to other sites, such as official NASA sites and such…this reorganization will make that much easier.

It’s a Blast from the Future, George!

This auction, currently running on eBay, has a Jetsons cereal box from 1990 with a promotional ad offering a free trip to Space Camp.

The box is from 1990 (I didn’t even know there ever was a Jetsons cereal, let alone as recent as 1990).

The auction price is currently at $4.95.  While I did plan to buy it so I could post scans of the back (assuming there’d be a full-blown Space Camp promo on it), I really can’t justify spending even five bucks for the thing, so you’ll have to make do with this very small picture the seller posted.

Jetson's Cereal Box

NASA to Cancel X-33 and X-34 Projects

Due to technical difficulties, NASA has decided to no longer invest any additional funds above the approx. $1 billion they’ve already spent funding two new shuttle projects.

It’s really sad to see the X-33 project, which was to eventually spawn the Venture Star (and which was also supposed to have had a test flight in 1999), get canceled.

At Space Camp, one of the things they always spoke of (as of late) was the exciting new changes coming to our space program…

On the other hand, this means they can probably go another twenty years or so without having to replace all of their simulators…

Further details on this story can be found at Space.com.

An Ad I Saw at Taco Bell

I was eating dinner at Taco Bell last night and on the paper insert on my tray was an ad from the National Kidney Foundation featuring the space shuttle with the slogan, “About the only vehicle we can’t accept.”  The ad is trying to get people to donate their vehicles to the NKF.

Now, a shuttle is worth several billion dollars.  If someone had one to give, I assure you, they’d take it.

Still…I thought it was pretty funny…especially considering it came from Taco Bell!  Enjoy!

Taco Bell Tray Ad

I’m Still Alive!

No, your intrepid webmaster isn’t dead!

I know this site hasn’t been updated for some time, but let me assure you that that’s true in appearance only…sort of…

I’m currently spending most of the time I have to work on this site working on the CamperFinder project.

It’s coming along alright, but it’s probably going to be a few weeks before it gets even close to done (if all goes well, at least).