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Random Ramjet Ramblings

Various thoughts and musings that tumble from my brain onto Ye Olde Interwebbes.
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50 Years

50 Years

The Artemis I mission occurred 50 years after Apollo 17. What will it take to not have this happen again?

Becoming Santa

Becoming Santa

Santa Claus. Father Christmas. Kris Kringle. St. Nicholas. Papa Noel. Me.

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-THE TRENCH-
FLIGHT DYNAMICS OFFICER
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-THE TRENCH-

The space exploration advocacy website of Roger Balettie, former Flight Dynamics Officer in NASA’s Space Shuttle Mission Control Center.

Select a menu tab to the left for detailed links or one of the main sections below:

FLIGHT DYNAMICS OFFICER

The Flight Dynamics Officer (FDO, pronounced “fido”) is a Flight Controller in the Mission Control Center responsible for the overall trajectory, or flight path, of the Space Shuttle and all related payloads or other space-bound vehicles associated with the Shuttle.

Read about the:

MISSION CONTROL

"Houston… Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed."

Since 1965, the Mission Control Center (MCC) has been the nerve center for America’s manned space program.

-THE TRENCH- blog

Space- and NASA-based blog entries.

Last 3 blog posts:
50 Years

50 Years

The Artemis I mission occurred 50 years after Apollo 17. What will it take to not have this happen again?

Countdown

Countdown

It’s been 40 years since the launch of STS-1, and the excitement of that day never faded.

USMNT Gold Cup 2015 opener

by | Jul 8, 2015

USMNT_goldcup2015_scarfandtixIt’s always special sharing things with your kids. Andrew and I got to share our first time to see the US Men’s National Team (USMNT) live as they kicked off (heh… punny) the 2015 Gold Cup competition at FC Dallas’s stadium in Frisco.

We had great seats behind one of the goals in a huge crowd of the “American Outlaws”, the semi-official USMNT supporter’s group who have organized chapters across the country, but also travel to support the team whenever they play. We’ve seen and heard them in matches over the years, and it was great fun to be a part of it!

USMNT_goldcup2015_usflagcrowdAfter the National Anthem (the loudest and most energetic I’ve ever heard!), we unrolled a giant American flag in our section. This picture is from *underneath* the flag – so much patriotic energy!

The match, itself, left a bit to be desired. Even though we ended up winning 2-1, the chemistry that recent USMNT outings have shown in international friendly victories over Germany and the Netherlands just wasn’t there on the pitch.

Hopefully, they’ll get it sorted.

In the meantime.. #OneNationOneTeam!