Comments for Silver Rockets

Comment on 40 Years Ago Today by D'Lanie Blaze

D'Lanie Blaze — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 04:35:39 +0000

The employees of North American Aviation’s Rocketdyne at Santa Susana Field Laboratory (SSFL) near Los Angeles built the engines that made this event possible. They worked tirelessly to win the Race to Space, and were exposed to toxic chemicals and radiation in the process. They were never informed of their risks for radiation exposure, or trained in radiation safety.

Today, the Energy Employee Occupational Illness Compensation Program (EEOICPA, which was established by Congress in 2000 to help those who contributed to the Cold War and who are suffering from cancer and other illnesses as a result), specifically excludes the Space Race Heroes of SSFL based on erroneous information, missing records, and a reluctance on Department of Energy’s part to be held accountable for both human and environmental damage. As historical documents surface challenging this policy of exclusion, EEOICPA continues to deny eligibility rather than correcting this error and implementing the Act as it was intended. The Heroes who made this event possible are suffering without recourse, and they are on borrowed time.

Information to help honor these Heroes can be found at TheAeroSpace.org, or by visiting the Aerospace Cancer Museum of Education (ACMELA.org). SSFL’s cleanup of nuclear & chemical contamination is an ongoing controversy, and the heroes of the Race to Space and Cold War should be acknowledged with gratitude for serving our country.

Thanks for posting these beautiful photos, and thoughtfully acknowledging this fantastic time in our nation’s history by hosting a truly magnificent web site. I will continue to Touch Down at Silver-Rockets.com!

Blast Off!
D’Lanie Blaze
TheAeroSpace.org

Comment on Space Camp by Eric E

Eric E — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 02:51:17 +0000

Well, you’d better not watch Airplane 2 either. ;)

Comment on Space Camp by Danielle

Danielle — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 17:56:59 +0000

You know I never have seen that, lol. I doubt I could keep my mouth shut long enough… I can suspend my disbelief for just about anything, but for some reason if a Space Shuttle is on the screen, I dissolve into a pile of “but that… they can’t… but it… that doesn’t… YOU CAN’T LAUNCH A SPACE SHUTTLE OFF THE BACK OF A 747, ARGH!!”

Oh… whoops, was that out loud? XD

Comment on Space Camp by Eric E

Eric E — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 07:57:33 +0000

Thanks for sharing. I was also interested in space flight back then, but the closest I got was that campy Tom Skerritt movie. :)

Comment on Space Camp by Danielle

Danielle — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 06:50:02 +0000

Definitely inspirational. I feel very, very fortunate! :)

Comment on 31st LPSC by Danielle

Danielle — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 02:28:13 +0000

Wow, sounds neat!! If I could afford it, I’d go to LPSC every year just to listen to the talks. I LOVE the Moon. I always will.

Comment on First Women by Danielle

Danielle — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 22:48:35 +0000

Yeah! I’m all for it! :D

Comment on Weird Streaks by Danielle

Danielle — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 22:40:59 +0000

It’s possible (chemical weathering), because the surface dust is definitely a different color than the dark underlying material. It seems like each week they find something new and strange about Mars. I hope I see some geologists on the surface in my lifetime!

Comment on 31st LPSC by russ

russ — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 22:39:44 +0000

In January I particularly had the Moon on my money and my money on the Moon! and went to the “Lunar dust, plasma and atmosphere: The next steps” workshop at the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics at the University of Colorado in Boulder, Colorado USA. … for 3 days! Facinating.

Comment on Weird Streaks by Danielle

Danielle — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 22:37:57 +0000

No doubt. Spoken like a true geologist!