Space

Over the decades, the nonprofit Calusa Nature Center and Planetarium has introduced countless people of all ages to the natural world, and the cosmos, through educational programs. Their 105-acre site features a natural history museum with live native and teaching animals, a butterfly garden and raptor aviary, as well as exhibits about the animals, plants, and environment of Southwest Florida. And they host events like music under the stars, paint and sips, night hikes, summer camps, and even an event called Potter in the Park. We sat down in their planetarium on a Saturday morning to shine some light on the work they do and the resources they provide to the community.

Many children dream one day of walking among the stars. For Retired Navy Captain Winston Scott, that reality was manifested when he was selected for NASA’s Astronaut Program.

55 years ago, the world was captivated by the Apollo 13th mission. Three astronauts were trying to find a way back to Earth and Mission Control worked overtime to ensure every variable was ready.

Winston Scott grew up in Miami and attended Florida State University to study music. While at FSU he started getting into engineering and at one point the word astronaut flashed briefly through his mind. So, after graduating in 1972, he entered Naval Aviation Officer Candidate School and two years later became a Naval Aviator and served as a production test pilot flying the F/A-18 Hornet at A-7 Corsair. Mr. Scott was then selected by NASA to become an astronaut and reported to the Johnson Space Center in 1992. These days he’s Director of Operational Excellence at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor’s Complex and in that role was touring last week so we brough him by the studio to talk about being an astronaut, and what goes on at the KSC Visitor’s Complex.

Over the decades, the nonprofit Calusa Nature Center and Planetarium has introduced countless people of all ages to the natural world, and the cosmos, through educational programs. Their 105-acre site features a natural history museum with live native and teaching animals, a butterfly garden and raptor aviary, as well as exhibits about the animals, plants, and environment of Southwest Florida. And they host events like music under the stars, paint and sips, night hikes, summer camps, and even an event called Potter in the Park. We sat down in their planetarium on a Saturday morning to shine some light on the work they do and the resources they provide to the community.

There's a space race brewing within The Sunshine State. Companies are spending billions in returning to space and giving a boost to Florida's economy in the process.

In April, four astronauts will venture around the moon on Artemis II, the first crewed mission on NASA's path to establishing a long-term presence at the moon for science and exploration. Urbanite Theatre has set its sights beyond the moon. They’ll be taking audiences to the red planet.

The orbiters that might link to the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation's marine reporting system, can categorize environmental hazards and help scientists see patterns caused by climate change.

A new weather eye launched into space on Tuesday, June 25, with the latest technology that will help meteorologists and other scientists bring the best forecasts in Earth and Space.The launch can be seen on the NASA site here.

NASA ground controllers used the International Space Station’s robotic arm in March 2021 to release a cargo pallet containing aging nickel hydride batteries from the space station following the delivery and installation of new lithium-ion batteries as part of power upgrades on the orbital outpost. About 5,800 pounds of hardware was released from the space station.Rocket forward to March 8 of this year and a piece of the hardware that was expected to fully burn up during entry through Earth’s atmosphere survived re-entry and impacted a home in Naples.