Don Hladiuk on LinkedIn: 40 years ago on May 30th, 1984, Marianne and I flew to Atlanta, Georgia to… | 10 comments (2024)

Congratulations to #NASA, #BoeingSpace and #ULA on the successful launch of the #Starliner spacecraft with Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams onboard! It was also great to hear Canadian astronaut Joshua Kutryk calling out the uphill milestones to the crew during the launch. Docking to the ISS is planned for tomorrow. Follow NASA.gov for the latest news on this first Crew Flight Test of the Starliner spacecraft. #CFT1. #cbcnews Image Credits: NASA TV.

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Forty years ago this month, I first started my Starman column on the #CBC Calgary EyeOpener. It is so hard to believe 4 decades have passed. I am very grateful for the CBC for allowing me to share my passion for astronomy and space exploration with our audience. I want to thank our loyal audience who have supported the show plus this incredible crew. L-R: Angela Knight, Host: Loren McGinnis, yours truly (yes, there were nine planets in our solar system when I started), director Mack Meyer and our amazing tech Ashley Gerbig. I also have to acknowledge all the producers and especially my senior producer Josh Pagé who produce this number one morning show! And thank you, to all who worked on the show (a very long list), over the years. I am truly grateful to have worked with so many exceptional people on this program.I also want to acknowledge RASC member, Larry McNish, who provides valuable comments and corrections to my background notes before they are posted on the RASC website.

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Today’s NASA, Boeing Starliner Crew Flight Test launch has been scrubbed. The automatic ground launch sequencer halted the countdown at T-minus 3min 50sec. Reason for the hold has not been provided at this time. Might be a software issue? Crew access arm has been moved back into place to allow the crew to egress the vehicle.

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Earlier this afternoon I captured this image of the Sun with multiple sunspot groups clearly visible. There is a chance we could observe the Northern Lights on the night of May 31/June 1. If you have clear skies tonight, step outside and check the skies for any signs of a geomagnetic storm.

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First crew launch using the Boeing Starliner capsule on an Atlas Centaur rocket has been delayed to NET May 25 at 15:09 EDT. A link to the latest blog is attached below.My photo taken on May 6, 2024.https://lnkd.in/gHU5fvJE

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If you missed my column earlier this week on the CBC EyeOpener with host LorenMcGinnis, here is a link to hear a replay. I described my recent trip to Florida to try and photograph the first crew launch of NASA's Boeing Starliner capsule. Due to a newly discovered helium leak, the launch is now scheduled for NET May 21. The crew for this test flight is Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams.And thanks to the #NASA and #ASC-CSA media teams, I was able to interview Josh Kutryk who will be capsule communicator (CapCom) for Starliner's launch and re-entry. The two most critical phases in the test flight. It was an honour to speak with Josh who is also from Alberta.https://lnkd.in/gvJ3m-f3

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Last night (May 10/11) my all-sky camera was operating and recording the night sky from our backyard in Calgary, Canada (51 degrees N). The attached time lapse video captures two significant outbursts at around midnight and 2 am MDT. Rather than looking south to see the northern lights, the best displays were overhead and even to the south! This geomagnetic storm is still in progress!Tune in to the CBC Calgary EyeOpener (1010 AM, 99.1 FM or streaming on the web) with host Loren McGinnis on Monday morning at 7:37 am MDT for more about this strongest geomagnetic storm in almost 20 years and other space news stories. #Auroraborealis

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I ran back inside to switch to a fish-eye lens to try and show how much of the sky is covered in the red glow.That is the Big Dipper near the top centre of the frame.Spaceweather.com is calling this the largest geomagnetic storm in nearly 20 years.#Geomagnetic #storm #aurora #auroraborealis #spacecoast #Florida

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