The lingerie seamstresses who helped put man on the moon
In the 1960's when President JFK accelerated the space race, NASA needed someone to design a spacesuit capable of putting man on the moon. When the big contractors failed to meet the challenge, NASA had no choice but to work with the only company up to the job: Playtex — manufacturers of women's girdles and bras.
🎧 Hear No One Saw It Coming with Marc Fennell on the ABC listen app.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
9 News
an hour ago
- 9 News
The 'best meteor shower of the year' is about to light up the skies
Your web browser is no longer supported. To improve your experience update it here A spectacular night sky event that space pundits have dubbed "the best meteor shower of the year" is just days away. The Perseids are one of the most plentiful and brightest meteor showers, with up to 100 meteors streaking across the sky per hour, according to NASA. They are known for leaving long wakes of light and colour behind and emitting fireballs — larger explosions of light and colour that persist longer than the typical meteor streak. The Perseids meteor shower is one of the most plentiful and brightest showers. (Sanghee Liu) The meteor shower occurs annually and will begin on July 17 this year until August 23. But forecast conditions are making it difficult to view in Australia. Here is everything you need to know. Australians in the north will be able to catch a glimpse of the meteor shower, according to Monash University observational astronomer and associate professor Michael Brown. "The Perseids (are) very much best seen in the northern hemisphere, because basically, roughly from the north is where the direction of the comet debris is coming from," he said. "So while they're visible in the northern parts of Australia, they aren't really visible from the southern parts of Australia." The Perseids meteor shower in Mongolia in 2023. (Sanghee Liu) Since the Perseids are typically best suited for the northern hemisphere, northern Australians will have to be up quite early to catch sight. "The hour or two before dawn is about the best time to see them," Brown said. "Look towards the north." The Perseids meteor shower will peak around August 12 or 13. The viewing, however, may be obstructed by the almost full moon. "During the peak of the shower, the moon is up, which is going to hinder the views as the Perseids hit, unfortunately," Brown said. The Perseids meteor shower occurs every year around August. (AP) The Perseids meteor shower occurs every year around August when the Earth passes through debris left behind by Comet Swift-Tuttle. "This is a fairly standard Perseids meteor shower," Brown said. space meteors national Australia CONTACT US
Perth Now
11 hours ago
- Perth Now
Private space station mission ends with splashdown
A private spaceflight featuring the first astronauts in more than 40 years from India, Poland and Hungary has come to a close with a Pacific splashdown. Their SpaceX capsule undocked from the International Space Station on Monday and parachuted into the ocean off the southern California coast, less than 24 hours later. The crew of four launched nearly three weeks ago on a flight chartered by the Houston company Axiom Space. Axiom's Peggy Whitson, the most experienced US astronaut, served as commander. Joining her were India's Shubhanshu Shukla, Poland's Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski and Hungary's Tibor Kapu, whose countries paid more than $65 million apiece for the mission. The visiting astronauts conducted dozens of experiments in orbit while celebrating their heritage. The last time India, Poland and Hungary put anyone in space was during the late 1970s and 1980s, launching with the Soviets. It was Axiom's fourth mission to the orbiting outpost since 2022, part of NASA's ongoing effort to open up space to more businesses and people. The company is one of several developing their own space stations to replace the current one. NASA plans to abandon the outpost in 2030, after more than 30 years of operation.
West Australian
11 hours ago
- West Australian
Private space station mission ends with splashdown
A private spaceflight featuring the first astronauts in more than 40 years from India, Poland and Hungary has come to a close with a Pacific splashdown. Their SpaceX capsule undocked from the International Space Station on Monday and parachuted into the ocean off the southern California coast, less than 24 hours later. The crew of four launched nearly three weeks ago on a flight chartered by the Houston company Axiom Space. Axiom's Peggy Whitson, the most experienced US astronaut, served as commander. Joining her were India's Shubhanshu Shukla, Poland's Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski and Hungary's Tibor Kapu, whose countries paid more than $65 million apiece for the mission. The visiting astronauts conducted dozens of experiments in orbit while celebrating their heritage. The last time India, Poland and Hungary put anyone in space was during the late 1970s and 1980s, launching with the Soviets. It was Axiom's fourth mission to the orbiting outpost since 2022, part of NASA's ongoing effort to open up space to more businesses and people. The company is one of several developing their own space stations to replace the current one. NASA plans to abandon the outpost in 2030, after more than 30 years of operation.
