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Author
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Topic: 10/5: Adler Planetarium lecture "The First Person to Fly a Rocket Into Space"
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Robert Pearlman
Editor Posts: 42986
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 09-04-2007 02:00 PM
   
From the Adler Planetarium, Chicago, IL: The First Person to Fly a Rocket Into Space: The Story of Yuri GagarinOctober 5, 2007
7:00 pm, The Adler Planetarium
Francis French (Director of Education)
San Diego Air & Space Museum Celebrating the 50th anniversary of the launch of Sputnik, the Adler Planetarium is pleased to present a talk by Francis French about the world's first man to fly in space, Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin. Gagarin's life was full of amazing experiences, including a harrowing childhood in World War II war-torn Russia. Mr. French features these and many more stories in two books that have been recently published by the University of Nebraska Press: "Into that Silent Sea: Trailblazers of the Space Era, 1961-1965" and "In the Shadow of the Moon: A Challenging Journey to Tranquility, 1965-1969". Both books will be available from the Adler's Infinity Shop for signing by Mr. French immediately following his presentation. |
rjurek349
Member Posts: 1190
From: Northwest Indiana
Registered: Jan 2002
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posted 09-04-2007 07:50 PM
Francis - thanks for making the trip to Chicago. This is great to hear. Can't wait for your presentation. The GT12 and Lovell exhibit is fantastic, and it will be great to hear your lecture among such historic memorabilia. Looking forward to it. Richard |
BMacKinnon
Member Posts: 230
From: Waterford, MI. USA
Registered: Jul 2007
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posted 09-05-2007 06:17 AM
Chicago - the renowned author Francis French - Adler Planetarium - Six hour drive from Detroit - No Problem! To see Francis and hear him provide us with more stories from his latest two books. I can't wait - just have to figure out how to get the kids out of school early. |
FFrench
Member Posts: 3161
From: San Diego
Registered: Feb 2002
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posted 09-07-2007 04:45 PM
Thanks so much - I look forward to seeing both of you, and others, there. Brad, I still can't believe you are planning a 560-mile round trip to hear me speak! I had better made it a really good talk...As you can see from this link, they have a number of other great speakers in this time frame - the Smithsonian's Roger Launius, Sergei Khrushchev, Apollo 17's Jack Schmitt, plus others. Looks like a good time to be in Chicago! |
Richard Easton
Member Posts: 175
From: Winnetka, IL USA
Registered: Jun 2006
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posted 09-16-2007 12:37 AM
It sounds like an interesting talk. My dad, Roger Easton, designed Vanguard 1 and invented TIMATION, the main technological source for GPS. |
FFrench
Member Posts: 3161
From: San Diego
Registered: Feb 2002
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posted 09-17-2007 12:52 PM
Thanks so much, Richard. I've read a good deal about your father's work with Vanguard, Minitrack and GPS - as well as the recent, well-deserved awarding of the National Medal of Technology.I hope you'll be able to attend the talk. |
FFrench
Member Posts: 3161
From: San Diego
Registered: Feb 2002
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posted 10-05-2007 10:43 PM
Brad, it was great to see you there tonight at the talk - thanks so much for coming - I still can't believe you and your kids drove all that way! And to then discover that another gentleman drove all the way from Kansas to hear the talk - that was just mindboggling to me. Thank you! I hope the talk was worth it.
Certainly, the venue is an amazing place. Not only in its great location on the lake with a stunning view, and the incredible building, but the exhibits. For those of you who haven't seen the Gemini 12 exhibition with such a personal focus on Jim Lovell, I strongly encourage it. It is, in my opinion, the best example I have seen of using AV to bring a spacecraft story to life. While looking at the spacecraft, you watch a Lovell-narrated story of the mission's highlights. I wish every spacecraft display had such a great personal touch. And how wonderful to see the much-underrated Gemini program highlighted in this way. It capped a great first day in Chicago, doing interviews on the space race with CBS, and meeting with the curators at the science and industry museum (including a good look at Aurora 7 and Apollo 8). I'm looking forward to more tomorrow. |
BMacKinnon
Member Posts: 230
From: Waterford, MI. USA
Registered: Jul 2007
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posted 10-07-2007 08:30 AM
What a great day it was for my kids and I in Chicago. We went to the Shedd Aquarium, Field Museum, Sears Tower, Art Institute and then the Adler Planetarium. To cap off a perfect day we had the privilege of meeting and talking with Francis and then hearing his lecture on Yuri Gagarin was worth the ten hours we spent driving that day. If anyone else has the opportunity to meet Francis and hear him speak, go! It is well worth the trip for he is a vast repository of space related knowledge. He is able to tell you the human side of space travel based on all of personal insights from those he has interviewed. Thanks again Francis for making my day, I only wish I had more time to visit with you. |
FFrench
Member Posts: 3161
From: San Diego
Registered: Feb 2002
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posted 10-08-2007 11:05 PM
Thank you so much, Brad, for that very kind message - it was certainly an interesting time to be there, with a little debate going on in the local media because of comments made by Sergei Khrushchev, who had spoken at the Adler the night before me, about who won the space race, and a response from Jim Lovell.I'm so glad that you liked the talk, based on the work Colin and I have done in recent years. I ended up speaking to four different groups while I was there, and enjoyed each meeting tremendously. And the Adler's store now has signed copies for anyone who might still want one in the area. Thanks again!
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