Carol “CJ” Jenzano grew up in the 1960s in a house where astronauts showed up whenever they felt like it. Those elite NASA astronauts could come to Morehead Planetarium & Science Center on a call-ahead basis to receive stellar identification training. Showing up at the planetarium director’s house beforehand was a perk that the astronauts loved. And CJ? She was the planetariumContinue reading “Astronauts in Chapel Hill, North Carolina”
Tag Archives: Chapel Hill
Astronaut Dick Gordon has died
In March of 1964, Dick Gordon first set foot in Morehead Planetarium for training, coming back six other times over the next four years. He worked with trainers in Morehead’s dome and classrooms, learning how to align his spacecraft with the stars. This training aided him in piloting Gemini 11 and eventually circling the Moon asContinue reading “Astronaut Dick Gordon has died”
Under the Dome Again
In April, Jonathan Frederick, Michael Frederick, and I ate lunch at Top of the Hill with Captain Jim Lovell (above, center). Jim Lovell was the commander of Apollo 13, CMP on Apollo 8, and astronaut on both Gemini 7 and Gemini 12. Upon my recommendation, Captain Lovell had the Lizard Chips, a spicy and tangyContinue reading “Under the Dome Again”
A Big Boost for my Morehead Planetarium Books
Todd Boyette (above, far right) is Director of Morehead Planetarium and Science Center. Today, he sent me a memorandum of understanding regarding my writing projects. It may not sound particularly exciting, but what it says is this: I have his, and MPSC’s, full support on my research and writing projects. The support even includes fundingContinue reading “A Big Boost for my Morehead Planetarium Books”