Notable

GOLDEN MOMENTS:  Every once in awhile, the kids' rigorous classroom learning lectures during private pilot ground school are interrupted with a fun field trip to the neighboring Museum of Flight. 

A couple of days ago, they got to visit the "Destination Moon" exhibit currently at the museum. It's an astounding collection of Apollo-era artifacts.

The cornerstone of the exhibit is the actual capsule that carried astronauts to the Moon during Apollo 11. As you've likely heard (due to extensive media coverage), that mission is celebrating its 50th anniversary right now. Saturday evening will mark the "one small step" moment.

It's super special to have the Apollo 11 command module Columbia here in Seattle. It's the firs time it has left the National Air and Space Museum since the museum opened to the public in 1976.


There are other treasures in the collection, as well.  

Check out some of Buzz Aldrin's lunar equipment! 

 And this is a briefcase like no other. It held moon rocks!

 I really rather love this particular signage from the exhibit. I'd never seen this angle on the iconic flag planting before.

 And this display made note of a Northwest connection. I'd not thought of the Columbia tie-in before. 

 And there was also this cool graphic, giving one an idea of just how enormous a Saturn V rocket, the one that lifted Apollo 11, was.

With the Apollo 11 anniversary, there have been so many stories from so many sources about people involved in the project. It took so many individuals to make that moon landing happen! 

Today, NPR posted a story about how a 10-year-old boy literally had a hand in the mission's success. Back in 1969, young Greg Force lived in Guam with his family, including his NASA-employed dad, Charles Force. The moonwalkers had made their triumphant trek, but on their way back, a problem arose: A bearing broke in the dish antenna that was used to track the capsule. That meant that NASA risked losing the ability to communicate with the capsule as it approached Earth.

Charles Force called home, and asked his son Greg to come to work, hoping the young boy's nimble arm would be able to squeeze down through the antenna's access hole and pack grease around the bearing. An announcement from NASA public affairs officer at the time noted his contribution, saying, "The bearing was replaced with the assistance of a 10-year-old boy named Greg Force who had arms small enough that he could work through a 2½ inch diameter hole to pack [the bearing]."

Pretty cool memory for a then 10-year-old, called into service to help the moon mission!

GOOD BOYS: My view at 6 this morning. 

Look closely. There are actually two Dobermans in this photo.

We got up with the big boys and sat out on the patio for nearly three hours, letting them party down while the temperature was still below 95 or so.