David Shanske – Page 114

The 1986 Kennedy Space Center Mystery

I have had this tendency of late to produce trip reports. I visited the Kennedy Space Center for the first time since 1986. So, even though I’m away from home, and my archives are a bit disorganized, I figured I’d reflect on my first visit, for a moment.

I was able to locate these images from that visit.

I also apparently saw an IMAX movie. The dream is alive was released in June of 1985 and prominently featured the Challenger. I do not remember much of that trip clearly.

Attempts to narrow down when I was there exactly have intrigued me, because January of 1986 also marked the Challenger disaster. I wonder how close I was to one of the sad chapters in American Space Exploration.

The Challenger was scheduled to depart the 22nd of January, but it ultimately didn’t happen till the 28th due to a combination of factors including a prediction of inclimate weather for January 26th. In the pictures, I am carrying an umbrella.

Martin Luther King Day was observed nationally for the first time on Monday January 20th, 1986. From recollections of the other parties, we left Florida after that and were back in New York when the disaster occurred.

That would put the trip sometime in the range between Monday, January 6 and Friday, January 17th. We know the previous mission, STS-61C, operated by the Columbia, had an aborted launch on the 6th, and was cancelled on the 7th due bad weather at the contingency landing sites in Senegal and Spain. There was a mechanical problem on the 9th, and on the 10th there was heavy rainfall at the launch area at KSC. It finally launched on the 12th and it later didn’t land at Kennedy Space Center on January 18th due to inclimate weather, ultimately landing at Edwards Airforce Base.

If there had been a launch attempt any day we were there, it would be something that would likely stick in our minds. There is a vague recollection of the shuttle being on the launch pad. But it was most likely the Columbia, not the Challenger as suggested. But who knows?

The final clue is a trip to Disney, taken as part of the same trip, which shows a sunny day. So, we need two days together, one inclimate, one nice…not hard in Florida weather. But lacking concrete historical weather data for 1986(anyone have access to that information?), or more clues, it seems unlikely I can narrow is down further.

The Columbia, which operated STS-61C, disintegrated on February 1, 2003 on reentry. The two shuttle disasters claimed the lives of 14 dedicated men and women.

The search is ongoing for additional visuals from this trip. The mystery remains.

A little piece of home. Ben’s of Boca Raton

Space Shuttle Atlantis

WordPress 4.4 was released today. For the first time, I was one of the core contributors. Before you sound impressed, there were 469 of us. But after over 9 years of WordPress use…nice to be involved.

Liked Hanukkah – Lift Yourself Up – music video by Jewish a cappella group Shir Soul – Happy Hanukkah! (YouTube)

Happy Hanukkah from Shir Soul!

After mentioning Chanukah Music, at least one acapella group, and giving one plug to Scott Eckers, I’m sure someone in his family would comment if I didn’t link to Shir Soul’s Chanukah song, as Scott appears in it(he’s the guy in the red shirt).

Tonight is the first night of Chanukah. I’d mentioned I was listening to some Chanukah music. Wanted to give a few quick recommendations. I have nearly 200 Chanukah tracks.

It’s Chanukah(Amazon link) – An album released back in 2011 by a friend of mine, Scott Eckers. It features the students of the I.L. Peretz Jewish School. It’s a nice production.
A Maccabeats Chanukah(Amazon link) – Just released, the Maccabeats cover some classic Chanukah songs.
Woody Guthrie’s Happy Joyous Hanukkah by the Klezmatics(Amazon link) – Several rerecord Woody Guthrie Chanukah songs, Guthrie poems about the holiday, and some instrumental compositions by the Klezmatics.
Hooked on Chanukah(Amazon link) – Nothing like a classic Boy’s Choir to sing some holiday songs.

There are many more I haven’t mentioned, like the five different version of the classic Ladino song, Ocho Candelikas. And I’m skipping I have a little Dreidel. But to continue to expand my collection. Any suggestions?

I walked into a store right after Thanksgiving and started hearing Christmas Music. I see this as a signal to bring Chanukah Radio on the air. Broadcasting wherever I am.

Checked into LaGuardia Airport

JetBlue Flight 1371 to Ft. Lauderdale

Bookmarked The Microcomplaint: Nothing Too Small to Whine About by Teddy Wayne (nytimes.com)

It was once considered unbecoming, or annoying itself, to moan publicly about trifling personal ordeals. Now we tolerate, even encourage, the microcomplaint.

This is pretty much a large part of my professional life…other people microcomplaining.

Israel: Part 9 – The New City Part 1

It’s been a while since the last post on this matter…but I intend to finish this narrative.

Thursday, June 11, 2015

We headed to Ammunition Hill. I have to say that their museum’s video display was one of the most well-done presentations I can recall seeing in a museum. Ammunition Hill was a Jordanian military post in East Jerusalem and the site of one of the battles of the Six-Day War.

The Jordanians seized control of the hill during the 1948 conflict, which severed the connection between Mount Scopus and West Jerusalem. On June 6, 1967 at 2:30AM, the Israelis attacked. However, due to faulty intelligence, the size of the Jordanian forces was three times as much as expected. The battle ended four hours later, with 36 Israeli soldiers and 71 Jordanians killed.

We returned to just outside the gates of the old city to see a common site…young boys preparing for a Bar Mitzvah at the Western Wall. They are escorted from outside under a chupah with friends and musicians.

The Knesset is the legislature of Israel. It first convened on February 14, 1949, and moved to its current location in 1966. The Menorah is located in front of the Knesset and was presented in 1956. It took over six years to finish, and depicts various scenes from the history of the Jewish people.

At the Israel Museum, you can not only see the Dead Sear scrolls(no photography permitted), but the Holyland Model of Jerusalem. Commissioned in 1966 by the owner of the Holyland hotel, it was relocated to the museum in 2006.

Since 1965, the majority of the Dead Sea scrolls can be found at the Shrine of the Book, at the Israel Museum.

Next time…we finish off the New City with Mount Hertz and Yad Vashem and move on to the final touring day.

Ellis Island Hard Hat Tour

After living in New York City my entire life, I finally got around to visiting the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island today. I went on the Ellis Island Hard Hat Tour.

“Your tour guide will take you to select areas of the 750-bed Ellis Island Hospital, including infectious and contagious disease wards, kitchen and the mortuary and autopsy room. At its peak of operation in the early 20th century, this was the largest Public Health Service facility in the United States. Following in the footsteps of the dedicated doctors and nurses of years gone by, you will learn the fascinating history of the hospital and its role in preserving public health. You’ll also visit the Laundry Building, with much of its original equipment still in place, where over 3000 pieces of laundry were washed and sanitized daily.”

A ward, last used as a Coast Guard office in the 1950s

Most people do not realize that Ellis Island had a hospital, or the controversial nature of it. From 1902 to 1930, the hospital treated immigrants who were identified with a health deficiency of some kind. One in five immigrants who passed through Ellis Island were identified as having an issue, and nine out of ten of those were eventually cured and allowed to enter the United States.

It was an amazing concept then, as it would be today. It was one of the largest public health hospitals in U.S. history. It was designed based on the philosophies of the time, with isolated wards to keep disease from spreading, large windows and other natural methods of circulating air, a mattress sterilizer, and a dedicated laundry for hospital linens.

By the thirties, advances in technology, including air circulation systems, made the hospital increasingly obsolete. It was receiving little upgrades or equipment. Ultimately, the hospital was closed and was used as a military psychiatric hospital during its later years.

In the end, on November 12, 1954, 61 years(less one day) to the day I stopped by, the hospital closed for the last time. There was no removal of fixtures or supplies. The fixtures were so antiquated, the employees simply left everything where it was…where it remained…ready for the next day that never came. Over the next few decades, the island was looted and vandalized, until it was reopened as a museum.

Statue of Liberty from Ellis Island