Friday Space Bytes, January 25, 2018: Blue Origin Groundbreaking, NASA Day of Remembrance Postponed

Friday Space Bytes is a weekly roundup of North Alabama aerospace-related news.

Blue Origin BE-4 Engine Plant Groundbreaking Ceremony Set For Friday

The long-awaited groundbreaking ceremony for Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin BE-4 engine plant will take place today. (25JAN2018).  The 200,000 square foot facility will be located in Huntsville’s Cummings Research Park and is expected to employ around 340 people. The BE-4 engine will be used to power ULA’s Vulcan rocket and help with the reduction of the use of Russian engines in future U.S. spaceflight activities.

Speaking of Blue Origin, Sprocketeers sends congratulations to the Blue Origin team, including two Space Camp Hall of Fame members, on the success of their recent New Shepard 10 test flight in west Texas. If you missed the launch you can you view the highlights below.

NASA’s Day of Remembrance Re-Scheduled For Post Shutdown

NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine sent out a tweet on Thursday concerning NASA’s annual Day of Remembrance. The event scheduled for January 31st will be delayed until after the government shutdown is over.  The annual event, that normally occurs on the last Thursday in January, pays tribute to the crews of Apollo 1 and the crews of the Challenger and Columbia disasters, as well as other NASA colleagues who lost their lives while furthering the cause of space exploration.

Due to the ongoing furlough of NASA employees, we’re postponing the annual Day of Remembrance activities that were scheduled for January 31st. An updated time for our commemoration has not yet been selected, but we will make it a priority once the @NASA family is back at work. pic.twitter.com/q0Dz4jPLPL

— Jim Bridenstine (@JimBridenstine) January 23, 2019

Mad Scientist’s Ball at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center

Tickets are still available for the Mad Scientist’s Ball on January 26 at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center.  The event is an annual fundraiser for the U.S. Space and Rocket Center Education Foundation and proceeds will be used benefit STEM-based children’s programs and exhibits and camp scholarships.  Your $100 per person donation gives you access to live music, themed cuisine and libations.  This year’s guest speaker will be Huntsville native astronomer Dr. Mike Brown also known as the man who killed Pluto.

The event takes place at the Davidson Center for Space Exploration, Saturday January 26th at 6:30 pm until 10 pm.  Tickets can be purchased at https://gospaceeducation.org/events