Saturday, May 12, 2007

First view from space

This is the first photo of Earth from space, taken by a camera onboard a V-2 rocket, launched October 24, 1946. It shows the view from an altitude of 65 miles. An article from "Air and Space" tells the little known story and has a link to a fascinating clip from that launch. These views of the earth from space came years before Sputnik first went into orbit.

Wednesday, May 2, 2007

The Queen



Fifty years after her visit to Virginia for the 350th anniversary of the Jamestown settlement, Queen Elizabeth is repeating the visit for the 400th anniversary. Many things have changed in these 50 years, including the effigy used for the obverse of the coins of the United Kingdom. The first portrait was adopted in 1953, the second in 1968, the third in 1985, and the current one in 1998. Maundy coins are the exception, still bearing the original 1953 portrait.