Stacy's Amazing Astronomy Club

10/12/2026

Each mission was one step closer to the Giant Leap.

🚀 58 YEARS AGO TODAY, APOLLO 7 CHANGED THE COURSE OF SPACE HISTORY

On October 11, 1968, NASA launched Apollo 7, the first crewed mission of the Apollo program.

Astronauts Wally Schirra, Donn Eisele, and Walter Cunningham spent 11 days in Earth orbit, testing the Apollo command and service modules and proving that the spacecraft was ready for the next steps toward the Moon.

The mission marked a crucial comeback after the Apollo 1 tragedy in 1967, when astronauts Gus Grissom, Ed White, and Roger B. Chaffee lost their lives during a ground test.

Apollo 7's success paved the way for Apollo 8, which would send humans around the Moon just two months later.

🌕 Every giant leap begins with a critical first step.

Love the Universe

10/11/2026

So cool! My mom watched the first man step foot on the moon when she was little. She told me about the TV show 1999. So cool to think I will get to watch a moon base being built for real!

IT'S HAPPENING! In just two short months, NASA plans to launch the first shipment to the moon, which astronauts will use to build our first permanent lunar colony. In 2027, they plan to send additional shipments every month. The building site for the Neil Armstrong Lunar Outpost? The moon's south pole, whose soil is known to contain vast reserves of frozen water.

10/10/2026

If planets were vegetables!

It’s harvest season — so we started wondering: what would the Solar System look like if we compared its objects to things that grow here on Earth? 🎃⁠
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We picked a 30 cm pumpkin for the Sun and scaled every planet down by the same ratio.⁠
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The math is simple: divide each planet’s real diameter by the Sun’s diameter, then multiply by 300 mm.⁠
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Before anyone asks: what about Pluto? We didn’t forget it! It’s just tiny. At this scale, Pluto would be only about 0.5 mm across — about the size of a grain of sugar.⁠
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Have you ever tried comparing the Solar System to everyday objects? What did you use — or what would you like to compare it to? Share your ideas in the comments!⁠
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09/27/2026

Alrighty then!

The International Astronomical Union (IAU) recently approved naming an asteroid after musician and actor 'Weird' Al Yankovic.

09/12/2026

One of the most stirring speeches ever! I encourage you to read or listen to the entire speech, not just the sound bites!

“We choose to go to the Moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard.”

On this day in 1962, President John F. Kennedy stood at Rice University in Houston and gave voice to a challenge that would inspire a generation and help set the nation on a course for the Moon.

Sixty-four years later, that spirit of exploration lives on.

Through Artemis, astronauts are returning to the lunar surface, this time with our sights set on a place no human has ever explored before: the lunar South Pole region. There, we will work to establish a Moon Base that will help humanity stay on the Moon longer, explore farther, and discover more.

What began as a bold vision became footprints on the Moon.

Now, we’re building on that legacy and taking the next giant steps.

The destination is familiar. The frontier is new. And the journey continues.

Watch President John Kennedy’s full speech: https://go.nasa.gov/45ZrLRy

09/06/2026

Here's a quick overview of NASA Artemis 3

08/24/2026

Today we remember how changing the meaning of words can cause lasting debates. 20 years ago, the IAU declared that Pluto was no longer a planet, to the outrage of many and the flat-out denial by Illinois.

Twenty years ago today, Pluto was demoted to a dwarf planet. Discovered in 1930, it was considered to be the ninth planet in our solar system until 2006, when the International Astronomical Union (IAU) voted to reclassify it. In order to qualify as a planet, Pluto must orbit the Sun, be nearly round, and clear its orbit. While Pluto orbits the Sun and is round, it’s not massive enough to control any other object in its orbit with its gravitational force.

Pluto also consists of a rocky core with ice around the outside—making it more similar to objects in the Kuiper Belt, a band of cometary debris at the edge of our solar system, than it is to the other eight planets. Located 3.7 billion mi (5.9 billion km) from the Sun, it takes Pluto 248 Earth years to orbit the Sun.

Image: NASA, PD, Wikimedia Commons

07/21/2026

Yesterday was the anniversary of the first steps on the moon. Today is the anniversary of the 2nd man in space, fellow Hoosier Virgil "Gus" Grissom. Truly a hero!

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/14jE355eFZ1/

07/21/2026

Cool! The next Artemis crew!

07/10/2026

Very sad news from NASA today. I'm only 5 degrees away from knowing her. My mom has a friend whose daughter is a pilot, and she is friends with Ms. Funk.

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1BVz4P2qfi/

We are saddened to hear of the passing of Wally Funk, a trailblazing aviator, the youngest of the Mercury 13, and the oldest woman ever to travel into space.

In the early 1960s, she was among a select group of female pilots who underwent the same rigorous physical and psychological testing as the Mercury 7 astronauts. This privately funded effort demonstrated that highly trained women could meet NASA’s astronaut standards. She outperformed many of her peers, proving not only her capability but the capabilities of women who were ready to serve their country in space exploration.

Though the Mercury 13 were denied the opportunity to fly in NASA’s early astronaut corps, Wally never let go of her dream. She was the last remaining member of the Mercury 13 and the only one to travel to space, flying on Blue Origin's first New Shepard flight.

Godspeed Wally