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Yahoo
a day ago
- Science
- Yahoo
'Wild West of rocketry': Cape Canaveral's first launch, Bumper 8, marks 75th anniversary
It was "the wild, wild West of rocketry" back on July 24, 1950, when technicians inside a wooden tar-paper shack launched Cape Canaveral's first primitive rocket: Bumper 8, which had been assembled using a captured German V-2 missile. The experimental 56½-foot rocket's upper stage failed about 51,000 feet above the Atlantic Ocean waters. But Bumper 8 successfully accelerated America's Space Race and was "key to the DNA of the Cape," said Jamie Draper, director of the Cape Canaveral Space Force Museum. Seventy-five years and more than 8,000 missile and rocket launches later, Draper said Bumper 8 paved the way for the Cape to become America's premier gateway to space. "Bumper 8, when that launched, that was the early days of the Cold War. And you had the mad dash of missile development, paralleled with Space Race developments," Draper said. "What were they doing? They were testing all kinds of high-speed or high-velocity staging of rockets. That became essential for all of our future space programs, all the way up to today," he said. "And it all started with Bumper," he said. Bumper 8 rocket: Since 1st rocket launch 75 years ago, Brevard undergoes huge development sparked by Space Race A small group of scientists, engineers and technicians launched Bumper 8 at 9:28 a.m. that date from the Long Range Proving Ground, which would later become Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. This week, officials on Florida's Space Coast will host a pair of 75th anniversary events: ■ Thursday evening, the U.S. Space Force Historical Foundation will host an invitation-only celebration during a VIP dinner event at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. The speaker lineup features Space Force Maj. Gen. Stephen Purdy Jr. and former NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine, and the event will kick off the foundation's new Legacy of Launch fundraising drive. ■ For the general public, the newly remodeled and revamped Sands Space History Center — which celebrated a grand reopening in mid-June — will host a Bumper Bash from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday, July 26. Admission is free, and the museum address is 100 Spaceport Way on the north side of Port Canaveral. Activities will include scavenger hunts, giveaways, refreshments, special displays and a coloring station. Florida Historical Society Executive Director Ben Brotemarkle called Bumper 8 not only a landmark event in Space Coast history, but in national and world history. "I always have to smile looking at the photographs. It almost looks like an old science fiction movie — and the people seem to be right on top of the launch. You wonder about the safety protocols there. They seem to be right by where this rocket is going off," Brotemarkle said. 'The wild, wild West of rocketry' A control panel inside the Bumper blockhouse, shown in this July 1950 U.S. Air Force photo. Draper painted a portrait of how the Bumper 8 mission was "testing the waters on this newfangled thing called rocketry." After crews finished building the 100-by-100-foot concrete launch pad roughly ½-mile northeast of the Cape Canaveral Lighthouse, a cableway led to the technicians' unlikely "firing room" command center only 400 feet away: a wooden tar-paper shack. "Not a reinforced concrete bunker that they used for the next however-many decades. But that tar-paper shack, with that sandbag-and-sand berm surrounding it in a horseshoe pattern, offering some level of protection. That's the berm that all the photographers were on," Draper said. A telephone pole sunk into the pad's cement helped stabilize the rocket's umbilical tower, Draper said. And two "mobile service towers" standing six or seven stories tall were merely painters' scaffolding on wheels. "You look at these photos, and it's just all these shirtless servicemembers or contractors muscling the scaffolding in place, muscling this trailer around with the rocket on it to put it in position. Super rustic, compared to what followed just a couple years later," he said. During 2023-24, University of Central Florida Department of Anthropology students and faculty teamed up with Space Launch Delta 45 to excavate and study the long-abandoned Bumper 8 blockhouse site. The University of South Florida's Center for Digital Heritage and Geospatial Information also used a light scanner to create a 3D-map of the site. Now, the Sands Space History Center is displaying a Bumper 8 "First Cape Launch" feature exhibit through mid-August. Excavated blockhouse artifacts include pieces of tarpaper, roofing nails, fragments of mirror from a viewing periscope, grommets and pieces of a Coke bottle produced by a bottling plant in Cocoa. Rocketry fuels Space Coast's fast-paced growth In terms of economic and cultural impact, Brotemarkle said Bumper 8 — Cape Canaveral's inaugural launch — served as a catalyst for Brevard County's eye-popping population growth. Consider Cocoa Beach's statistics: A mere 246 people lived in sleepy Cocoa Beach in 1950, census records show. That population skyrocketed 14-fold during the 1950s as the Cold War heated up, reaching 3,475 residents by 1960. Then Cocoa Beach's population nearly tripled during the 1960s thanks to NASA's Project Mercury, Gemini and Apollo moon-race programs, hitting 9,952 residents by 1970. Two weeks ago, the Brevard County Commission adopted a resolution proclaiming Thursday as Space Coast Day in honor of Bumper 8's 75th anniversary. Draper said 16 Brevard communities and municipalities did likewise. The Space Coast Day proclamation noted that Bumper 8 and subsequent groundbreaking missions led to America's first satellite, Explorer I, orbiting Earth in 1958; Alan Shepard riding the first crewed Mercury capsule in 1961; John Glenn orbiting Earth in 1962; Apollo 11 landing on the moon in 1969; NASA's space shuttle program; and a permanent human presence in space aboard the International Space Station. "Bumper is just key to the DNA of the Cape. Not just for beginning this sequence of launches that's gone into 75 years, but for that spirit of exploration," Draper said. "It was just an epic, epic beginning to this premier gateway to space." For the latest news from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and NASA's Kennedy Space Center, visit Another easy way: Click here to sign up for our weekly Space newsletter. Rick Neale is a Space Reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Neale at Rneale@ Twitter/X: @RickNeale1 Space is important to us and that's why we're working to bring you top coverage of the industry and Florida launches. Journalism like this takes time and resources. Please support it with a subscription here. This article originally appeared on Florida Today: 'Like an old science fiction movie': Cape's first rocket launch marks 75 years
Daily Mirror
14-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
'Best sci-fi series in years' has Amazon Prime fans demanding more
The show has seemingly found a new lease of life on Prime Video A sci-fi sensation has been experiencing a resurgence of popularity after making its way onto Prime Video, despite originally airing back in 2014 on Syfy, reports the Express. The series, which consists of a mere six episodes, has captivated new viewers who have been eagerly devouring the show and clamouring for more. One viewer raved on Google Reviews: "One of the very best Sci-Fi shows I've seen in years. Every episode changes what you think is going on and reveals another layer." Another fan left a glowing five-star review on Rotten Tomatoes, saying: "I absolutely loved this. I started this in 2024 without realising it was only one series. I would pay a lot of money to see more or even if they could write a book." A third lamented: "The only tragedy is that it ended with just the mini series..." Meanwhile, another added: "Show has a great hook and really digs in with some interesting stories, good acting and interesting side stories." They continued, highlighting the show's compelling narrative: "The first big hook might seem like something that sets it up for a simple reveal and an unexciting unwinding, but by the end of the season they set enough plots in motion that you are truly excited for the next season." And as yet another viewer put it succinctly: "Best sci-fi I've seen in a while. Good storyline, retains momentum." Heading to IMDb, one devoted fan shared: "I am a science fiction lover and really did enjoy this show, BUT when I see "miniseries" I expect it to end after the 3 parts. That being said I found the story line to be believable and interesting with enough twists and turns to keep it that way." Meanwhile, another enthusiast penned: "Scifi that delivers... finally. As I read some of these other reviews I have to wonder if I watched the same miniseries as they did. This little series was a true gem. It delivered an actual story rather than relying on a ton of (bad) CGI. Something that doesn't happen in this genre much anymore." They continued: "The entire concept was fascinating. The shocking reveal at the end of hour 2 was perfectly played." The reviewer added: "The characters are believable. The 60's environment frozen it time is fantastic. The conspiracy theorists websites and people were spot on! Loved it. This however, is a series for thinkers." Concluding with a cheeky jab, they noted: "If you need to turn your brain off to enjoy a series Ascension will not be for you. I'd suggest Transformers (gag)." Ascension originally premiered more than a decade ago, but streaming platforms have breathed fresh life into the production. The enigmatic series centred on a spacecraft 50 years into its voyage, following its clandestine launch during the 1960s amid Cold War tensions and the fierce Space Race competition. The USS Ascension, a generational spaceship, was midway through its century-long voyage to Proxima Centauri with the aim of colonising a new world and safeguarding humanity's future. But the mission took a dark turn when a murder on board threw the crew into disarray as they frantically tried to solve the crime. Doubts about their mission's true intent began to surface among the crew as they delved deeper into the mystery. The series boasted a stellar cast including Tricia Helfer of Battlestar Galactica and Lucifer, Gil Bellows from The Shawshank Redemption, Brian Van Holt known for Cougar Town, Andrea Roth of Rescue Me, and Brandon P. Bell from Dear White People. Despite a clamour for more episodes from Ascension enthusiasts, the US network SyFy dashed hopes by confirming the show would not continue beyond its initial run. Their 2015 statement read: "We were very happy with Ascension as an event series, but with so much high profile development in the works, we have decided not to pursue a full series."
Tom's Guide
09-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Tom's Guide
3 Prime Video top 10 movies you should watch this week — including a new action-comedy with John Cena and Idris Elba
Every week, I keep a very close eye on the Prime Video top 10 most-watched list, and if I've learned one thing over the years, it's that a high ranking is no cast-iron guarantee of quality. I've seen plenty of underwhelming movies secure the top spot, which is why I've combed through the current Prime Video top 10 (as of Wednesday, July 8), and picked out the three movies most deserving of a place in your watchlist. My picks range from an original action flick that sees John Cena and Idris Elba play world leaders thrown into a dangerous situation, to an inspirational biographical movie that spotlights the unseen figures who helped win the Space Race. And for those who like dark movies, there's also a disturbing gothic horror from genre master, Robert Eggers (director of 'The Witch') Not sure what to watch next on Prime Video? The streaming service's top 10 is a great starting point, and I think three movies are worth watching first. Frankly, I was sold on 'Heads of State' just based on its two stars. The pairing of John Cena and Idris Elba seemed like pure blockbuster brilliance on paper, and when my colleague, Alix Blackburn, waxed lyrical about the Prime Video original, I was sure Amazon had something worth watching on its hands. Cena plays the President of the United States, and Elba the U.K. Prime Minister, but there's no special relationship here. Instead, the two world leaders are engaged in a very public rivalry. However, they're forced to put their squabbles aside when Air Force One is shot down, and they have to rely on each other to get out of danger and maybe just save the free world in the process Also starring Jack Quaid, Priyanka Chopra and Paddy Considine, 'Heads of State' is a big-budget blockbuster beamed directly into your home, and it's bursting with explosive action and cutting quips from its two A-list leads. The narrative is a little hokey, but its comedic chops are sharp, and 'Heads of State' is a quintessential summer watch that you don't need to trek out to your local theatre to enjoy. Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. Watch "Heads of State" on Prime Video now Did 1922's horror classic 'Nosferatu' need a modern reimagining? Probably not. The silent original is certainly dated at more than a century old, but it remains a genre touchstone to this day. However, when Robert Eggers was confirmed as director, my interest levels rapidly increased. Eggers' spin on the 'Nosferatu' legend, which is itself inspired by Bram Stoker's iconic 'Dracula,' is a deeply unsettling gothic chiller, full of suspense, intrigue, and a dark web of secrets that is a horrific delight to unspool. It also packs some of the most striking imagery I've seen in any movie in several years. Just be prepared for your skin to crawl on occasion. Set in the 1800s, Thomas Hutter (Nicholas Hoult) is an ambitious estate agent taking on a lucrative job from his employer that requires him to travel to remote Transylvania to meet the mysterious Count Orlok (Bill Skarsgård). With a new bride at home (Lily-Rose Depp), Thomas hopes to conclude business swiftly and return home, but what he uncovers at Orlok's sinister abode is something unimaginably evil that changes him forever. Adding further intrigue is that his new wife is somehow linked to the reclusive Orlok, and isn't prepared to let her free from his grip without a fight. Eggers' direction is near perfection, and the production design is exquisite. We probably didn't need a new 'Nosferatu,' but I'm glad we got one anyway. Watch "Nosferatu" on Prime Video now If an eerie gothic folktale sounds a little too bleak for your mid-week viewing, and you'd rather something that will make you feel inspired and leave your soul nourished, rather than have you sleeping with the lights on for days afterward, then 'Hidden Figures' is the perfect alternative candidate. Loosely based on the book of the same name by Margot Lee Shetterly, it recounts the true story of three African-American mathematicians who were vital to NASA's efforts during the Space Race of the 20th century. These inspirational figures are Katherine Goble Johnson (Taraji P. Henson), Dorothy Vaughan (Octavia Spencer), and Mary Jackson (Janelle Monáe). Each of them had a vital role to play as the U.S. looked towards the stars to lead the world into the cosmos. While the movie highlights and celebrates the trio's important contribution to America's space exploration mission, it also isn't shy about showing the discriminatory barriers they faced along the way, and the cruel attempts made to scrub their vital work from the pages of history. Johnson, Spencer and Monáe are fantastic in the leading roles, and star-studded support comes from Kevin Costner, Kirsten Dunst, Jim Parsons, Mahershala Ali, and Glen Powell. Watch "Hidden Figures" on Prime Video now
Yahoo
03-07-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
CU receives $2.5 million investment to explore space governance
DENVER (KDVR) — Less than a century ago, the idea of ascending to space above the Earth seemed like only a dream. With the successful launch of Sputnik 1 into orbit on Oct. 4, 1957, and the subsequent Space Race that followed, humanity's dream became a reality, and a new frontier was explored. Postal carrier explains why you may see a dryer sheet in your mailbox Fast forward 67 years, and people are in space all the time, even Katy Perry has been there. With an increased network of spacecraft, satellites, stations and more, structure is needed in some capacity in the cosmos. Students at the University of Colorado Boulder have the opportunity to be the next generation to formulate that space infrastructure. The university was recently granted a $2.5 million gift from long-time donors Dale and Patricia Hatfield, according to a press release from CU. The funding will be used to establish the Hatfield Endowed Professorship in Space Policy and Law. The school said that the new professorship will drive teaching and research on space policy and law, with broad implications for national security, global communications, navigation, weather forecasting and international collaboration. 'As humanity ventures beyond our planet, space law and policy have emerged as a new frontier, offering vast opportunities to shape the future of space exploration and utilization,' said donor Dale Hatfield. 'The realm of space beckons a new generation to establish the legal and policy frame that will govern our cosmic endeavors.' The multi-faceted position will work in different capacities every two years, alternating between the College of Engineering and Applied Science, the Leeds School of Business and the Silicon Flatirons Center at Colorado Law. This allows the students to learn about the future of space governance from a variety of perspectives. North America's second-oldest nudist resort is turning 90 — and it's here in Colorado The position will start with Professor Marcus J. Holzinger of aerospace engineering sciences as the inaugural Hatfield Endowed Professor. The university said that he brings expertise in space policy, domain awareness, development and strategy. Helzinger plans to focus on policy research, combining astrodynamics and geopolitics to build a future in space-based democratic norms. For more information on the Hatfield Endowed Professorship, visit the CU Office of Advancement website. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
29-06-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Since 1st rocket launch 75 years ago, Brevard undergoes huge development sparked by Space Race
Assembled with a captured German V-2 missile, the experimental Bumper 8 rocket rose above surrounding wilderness on July 24, 1950, marking America's first launch from Cape Canaveral — and sparking the Space Coast's swift trajectory from "a sleepy, agriculture-based community" into the world's top commercial spaceport. Only 246 people lived in rustic Cocoa Beach when Bumper 8 lifted off. Neither the cities of Palm Bay nor Satellite Beach yet existed. And with a mere 4,223 people, Melbourne had fewer residents than Cocoa's population of 4,245. From those humble beginnings, rocket-fueled population growth during the Space Race of the 1950s and '60s propelled Brevard County's economic and community development far faster than U.S. cities that had a century-plus head start. 'You had thousands of technicians and engineers and just plain folks (move here) — everybody from launch directors to the people who clean the offices up there in the space center. So this was good news for Brevard County, and maybe some tough news,' said Robert Taylor, a Florida Institute of Technology history professor. 'The good news is that the economy, of course, is just being stimulated to all get-out. Because these people are relatively well-paid. And they're spending their money here,' Taylor said. 'The downside is the growth in population would happen so fast that there'd be shortages of everything. Shortages of housing. Shortages of schools. The roads very quickly became jammed with cars at certain parts of the day,' he said. In 1950, a mere 23,653 people lived in Brevard, which Florida Historical Society Executive Director Ben Brotemarkle described as "a sleepy, agriculture-based community" along 72 miles of Atlantic Ocean coastline. But Brotemarkle noted Brevard's population skyrocketed a remarkable 371% during the 1950s as Cape Canaveral missile testing, NASA and Project Mercury debuted, reaching 111,435 residents by 1960. Then the population more than doubled during the 1960s, surpassing 230,000 residents by 1970. Brotemarkle views this as a microcosm of Florida's population influx as a whole, but the Space Coast's explosive experience was unique — ranking as one of America's fastest-growing counties in terms of percentage. "A lot of infrastructure came with that, too. When the space program first happened, people that worked for NASA were complaining that they had to go to Orlando just to go grocery shopping," Brotemarkle said. "When you talk about population growth, it's important to remember that that led to massive infrastructure here: Neighborhoods being built, and bridges that didn't exist. Causeways connecting the barrier islands. Churches and schools and roads — and everything that goes with more people," he said. Indeed, Taylor mentioned local tales of early Cape employees moving into garages, "camping" in sewer pipes by the sides of roads, and living in tents on beach. 'That may sound nice, but it's hot on that beach — and there's these things called sandflies,' Taylor said. Growing throughout NASA's Projects Mercury, Gemini, Apollo and the 30-year space shuttle program — and the ongoing, accelerating industry transition to commercial companies led by SpaceX — Brevard's population reached 658,447 residents by July 2024, census records show. That represents a healthy 8.5% increase since April 2020. "Those of us who have been around a while have watched that growth continue," Brotemarkle said. "Over the past 60, 70 years, that growth has continued. And we see it every day. The Viera area, in particular: That used to be cow pasture. And now, it is many housing developments and restaurants and shopping malls. "Just amazing growth continuing today, from what started with NASA in the mid-20th century," he said. For the latest news from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and NASA's Kennedy Space Center, visit Rick Neale is a Space Reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Neale at Rneale@ Twitter/X: @RickNeale1 Space is important to us and that's why we're working to bring you top coverage of the industry and Florida launches. Journalism like this takes time and resources. Please support it with a subscription here. This article originally appeared on Florida Today: U.S. Space Race rockets Brevard through decades of swift development
