Author Archive for Kerrie Dougherty

Missing Russian spacecraft, Mars 3 may have been found

Published on April 15, 2013 by Kerrie Dougherty in Object of the week, science and Space and beyond. 0 Comments Tags: , , .
A 1:2 scale model of the Mars 3 spacecraft in the Powerhouse Museum collection. The model shows Mars 3 in its interplanetary cruise configuration with the lander tucked under the conical atmospheric entry heat shield at the top of the orbiter.

A 1:2 scale model of the Mars 3 spacecraft in the Powerhouse Museum collection. The model shows Mars 3 in its interplanetary cruise configuration with the lander tucked under the conical atmospheric entry heat shield at the top of the orbiter. Collection Powerhouse Museum

When the Powerhouse Museum opened in 1988, its Space-beyond this world exhibition included several replica Soviet spacecraft on loan from the then Soviet Academy of Sciences. Amongst this collection of reproduction spacecraft was a 1:2 scale model of the USSR’s Mars 3, the first spacecraft to make a successful touchdown on the surface of Mars.
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“Sometimes, when we reach for the stars, we fall short…”

Published on February 1, 2013 by Kerrie Dougherty in Object of the week and Space and beyond. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , .
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The official portrait of the Apollo 1 crew. (l. to r. ) Edward White (Gemini IV, first US spacewalker on Gemini IV), Mission Commander Virgil Grissom (second US astronaut, on the Liberty Bell 7 Mercury flight, and Commander of Gemini III), and Roger Chaffee (his first space flight)

The end of January and beginning of February is always tinged with sadness for those interested in space flight, for it is within this period that the anniversaries occur of the three US space disasters that resulted in the loss of astronaut lives.
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Farewell Gerry Anderson-master of marionette magic and merchandising

Published on January 9, 2013 by Kerrie Dougherty in Object of the week, Space and beyond, Television and Toys. 2 Comments Tags: , , , , .
Puppet master Gerry Anderson (1929-2012) in a promotional portrait taken in 1996. Photo copyright David Finchett 1996

Puppet master Gerry Anderson (1929-2012) in a promotional portrait taken in 1996. Photo copyright David Finchett 1996

Readers of this blog post may not be familiar with the name Gerry Anderson, but you’ll almost certainly know his most famous television series Thunderbirds, which, after premiering in Australia in 1968, has been a staple of Saturday morning children’s television, screening almost non-stop since 1977.
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Apollo 17-An Unexpected Legacy

Published on December 20, 2012 by Kerrie Dougherty in Object of the week. 1 Comment Tags: , , , .
How the “Blue Marble” view of the Earth actually looked, with South at the top. Courtesy NASA

The “Blue Marble” view of the Earth, said to be the most widely reproduced image in history. Courtesy NASA

You’ve probably seen the image above many times: it is, after all, said to be the most widely reproduced image in history. However, you may not be aware that it was taken during the Apollo 17 mission, NASA’s last lunar landing mission, that came to a successful conclusion 40 years ago today.

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History Week 2012 Threads – Dressed for Space

Published on September 15, 2012 by Kerrie Dougherty in History week, Object of the week, science and Space and beyond. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , .
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Sokol KV-2 spacesuit worn by Soviet cosmonaut Gennadi Manakov in 1990. Image Courtesy Powerhouse Museum

Previously, my colleague Margaret Simpson wrote about clothing worn during Douglas Mawson’s 1911-1914 expedition in the extreme environment of Antarctica. Space is also an extreme environment that requires its explorers to wear a specialised garment for survival: the spacesuit. A spacesuit is like a miniature spacecraft in itself, designed to protect the wearer from the harsh vacuum environment of space while conducting an extravehicular activity (‘spacewalk’), or in the event that the life support system of their spacecraft fails.

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The Man who took that One Small Step-Neil Armstrong 1930-2012

Published on August 28, 2012 by Kerrie Dougherty in Object of the week, science and Space and beyond. 2 Comments Tags: , , , , .
Neil Armstrong’s official Apollo 11 astronaut portrait. Courtesy of NASA

Neil Armstrong’s official Apollo 11 astronaut portrait. Courtesy of NASA

In July, just after the 43rd anniversary of the Apollo 11 lunar landing, I wrote a blog post about the passing of first US woman in space, Dr. Sally Ride. Little did I imagine at the time that a month later I would find myself writing another blog to commemorate the passing of the commander of that mission, Neil Armstrong.

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On the Path to Curiosity

Published on August 27, 2012 by Kerrie Dougherty in Object of the week, science, science week and Space and beyond. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , .
The Mars Science Laboratory rover, Curiosity

The Mars Science Laboratory rover, Curiosity Image courtesy NASA

At 3.32pm on Monday August 6, over a hundred people in the Museum’s Coles Theatre erupted in cheers as word came through on the live feed that we were watching from the mission control room at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in California that NASA’s latest Mars explorer, the Curiosity rover, had landed safely.
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Farewell Sally Ride, first US woman in Space (1951-2012)

Published on July 25, 2012 by Kerrie Dougherty in science and Space and beyond. 0 Comments Tags: , , , .
Dr. Sally K. Ride, first American woman in space, during the STS-7 mission in June 1983

Dr. Sally K. Ride, first American woman in space, during the STS-7 mission in June 1983. Image courtesy NASA

This week we have said goodbye to Dr. Sally K. Ride, the first American woman to make a spaceflight and a passionate promoter of science and engineering education for girls, who passed away on July 23 after a seventeen month battle with pancreatic cancer.
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What’s the link between Apollo 16, a Soviet Moon mission and the Powerhouse Museum?

Published on April 12, 2012 by Kerrie Dougherty in Object of the week, science and Space and beyond. 0 Comments Tags: , , , .
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40 years ago, Apollo 16 landed in the Descartes region of the central lunar highlands. Image Courtesy NASA

This might sound like the set-up for a joke, but there really is a connection between the museum, NASA’s Apollo 16 mission and the USSR’s Luna 20 lunar sample recovery mission.
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The Friendship 7 Mission’s secret stamp of approval

Published on February 22, 2012 by Kerrie Dougherty in Object of the week, Space and beyond, stamps and Technology. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , .
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Launch of the Friendship 7. Image: courtesy NASA

Fifty years ago, in the early hours of February 21, 1962 (Sydney time), NASA astronaut John Glenn became the first American to orbit the Earth, on board his Mercury spacecraft Friendship 7. Although two previous Mercury missions had flown brief sub-orbital flights, achieving orbit was an important goal for the US space program at that point in the Cold War contest of the Space Race. The Soviet Union had already launched two orbital missions in its Vostok program: the first had put Yuri Gagarin into orbit as the world’s first space traveller; the second had seen Cosmonaut Gherman Titov spend an entire day in space. To maintain credibility in the Space Race, America had to demonstrate that it, too, had the capability to put an astronaut into orbit.

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