What a Week! On the launch of its first space satellite. Called SNAPPY, it measures solar particles. The story, including the launch, is above.  And, the signs went up on this nationally innovative project.    Between the this first-of-its-kind blending of how doctors, nurses and those in the field of medical technology are educated; the University of Kansas Medical School, and the Kansas School of Osteopathic Medicine, Wichita is becoming quite the center of medical innovation.  And, 40 miles northwest of Wichita -- "The best space museum in the world!" Really. It is pretty impressive when the Administrator of NASA and the astronauts give you that type of endorsement.  The Cosmosphere has always been a plucky, overachieving institution. When they used a loophole to get their Gemini capsule, they spirited it away from Houston -- the second it was legally theirs -- on the back of a flatbed truck borrowed from the local agricultural company.  They spent the ...

Here is an article in ArsTechnica  well worth your time pertaining to the restoration of the Apollo 11's control room. And, to whom did NASA turn when they wanted this job to be done? They turned to the same organization the Smithsonian turns to: The Kansas Cosmosphere's Spaceworks .  The Cosmosphere, outside of Wichita in Hutchinson, is generally considered to be the second best (behind the Smithsonian's Air and Space Museum ) in the world. If you have never visited, especially with the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11 coming up, it is well worth the trip.

Today was a great turn out for the Hutchinson, Kansas Cosmosphere Tornado Alley event where Mike was a guest speaker along with Discovery Channel's "Storm Chasers" Star Sean Casey who was also appearing with his Armored TIV2 vehicle. Mike's presentation "Warnings Save Lives: A Look Back at Greensburg, Udall and Joplin" described how this year was the deadliest tornado season since 1947 but how many, many lives have been saved due to early and accurate warning systems being in place. Mike had a question and answer session from the audience after his presentation and signed his book   WARNINGS: The True Story of How Science Tamed the Weather .  The Cosmosphere is located at 1100 N. Plum in Hutchinson or visit www.cosmo.org .

Repeating a Blog Post: The real Apollo 13 on display   Frequent readers of "Meteorological Musings" know what a fan I am of the  Kansas Cosmosphere , generally thought to be the second best space museum in the world. It is second only to the Smithsonian's Air & Space Museum. There is an encore event surrounding Sean Casey's IMAX movie  Tornado Alley  this Friday and Saturday. Here is the schedule: Friday, Nov. 4 4 pm.   Sean Casey Presentation, with Q&A, “Storm Chasing Adventures” 4:45 pm.   Drawing for TIV2 ride winners followed by rides. Saturday, Nov. 5 2:30  pm.  Author and AccuWeather Enterprise Solutions Senior Vice President Mike Smith presents “Warnings Save Lives: A Look Back at Greensburg, Udall and Joplin.” 3 pm.   Book sale and signing with Mike Smith, “Warnings: The True Story of How Science Tamed the  Weather.” 4 pm.   Sean Casey Presentation, with Q&A, “Storm Chasing Adventure...

...for the write-up in Summer, 2011, newsletter, OuterSpace. They talk about April's tornado day at the Cosmosphere which was a huge success. If you are visiting the Cosmosphere this summer, they have autographed copies of Warnings  for sale in the book store.

This past Monday, the Kansas Cosmosphere hosted the Tornado Intercept Vehicle (TIV) from Discovery's Storm Chasers  television show. The TIV visited because the Cosmosphere is showing the new movie "Tornado Alley" in its IMAX theatre. I gave the movie a very favorable review here . A number of people got to take rides in the TIV. At 4pm, nearly 100 people came in to watch me present Miracle at Greensburg--  the story of how weather science saved more than 200 lives that horrible Friday evening. Comsosphere CEO Chris Orwoll was kind enough to introduce me and to tell everyone how much he was enjoying reading my book, Warnings.  I then made my presentation, took questions and answers for nearly a half hour, and then signed copies of my book. While we sold a large number of books, there are a few left in the Cosmosphere's book store and those copies are signed. I had a wonderful time with a great audience. I also want to thank my friend Katherine Bay who simply c...

...was a huge success. I'll have a full report when I get all the photos.

Reminder that Monday, April 8, is tornado day at the Kansas Cosmosphere and Discovery Center in Hutchinson. The Tornado Intercept Vehicle (TIV) will be there and a lucky participant will get to take a ride. The festivities begin at 10am.  Here are the plans: 10 a.m. - The TIV arrives 10:30 a.m. - Press Conference 11 a.m. - TIV ride for Cosmosphere Winners TIV returns to Cosmosphere for viewing 2-4 - TIV Rides for drawing winners 4 p.m. - Meteorologist Mike Smith presents "Miracle at Greensburg" and signs his book 6 p.m. - Marcus and Brandon present about "Tornado Alley" 7 p.m. - Last showing of "Tornado Alley" for that day And, yes, I will be there at 4pm. If you are coming, keep in mind that it is a good idea to make reservations for Tornado Alley, the IMAX movie about tornado chasing. Hope to see you there!

The complete schedule for the activities at the Cosmosphere Monday, April 11 has been posted. Details here . It should be a fantastic day for anyone interested in weather or tornadoes.

Mark your calendars, this is going to be special:  The Kansas Cosmosphere & Discovery Center is having a special day about tornadoes on April 11, 2011. They are showing "Tornado Alley" in their IMAX Theatre and will have the Tornado Intercept Vehicle (TIV) on site. They are having a contest to win a ride in the TIV. At 4pm, I'll be presenting Miracle at Greensburg  and I'll be signing copies of Warnings.  You may bring yours or we'll have them available for purchase. The movie is terrific (my review is here ) and it should be a great event. So, mark it on your calendars and I look forward to seeing you in Hutchinson!

That's a great idea according to The Washington Post . I certainly agree. While you are in the area, make sure you visit the Kansas Cosmosphere , my favorite space museum. Here is what the Post  says about it: Affiliated with the Smithsonian Institution, it is, in my view, every bit the rival of the National Air and Space Museum in Washington.   Wichita got some other big news this week: It is now the #1 city in growth of exports due to its world-class aviation business (Boeing, Airbus, Cessna, Beech, Learjet, Hawker and others).  I'm very proud of my adopted home town and am an unabashed booster. Come and visit. You'll be surprised at all we have to offer.

While Andrew and I were shooting photos in the Flint Hills yesterday, 50 mi. to the west a celebration was taking place: The 40th anniversary of the successful conclusion Apollo 13 mission at the Kansas Cosmosphere .  The Wichita Eagle and Hutchinson News have complete coverage, just clock on the colored links. The Eagle  has additional photos here .  You'll recall that Apollo 13 was the mission to the moon that suffered an in-flight explosion on the way. The mission had to be aborted and the astronauts barely made it back alive. It was the subject of the wonderful Tom Hanks' movie Apollo 13 .  Yesterday's event featured the astronauts, Gene Kranz the flight director (memorably played by Ed Harris in the movie), and the behind-the-scenes people who made the safe return possible.  The Eagle  reported it was the first time astronaut Haise (played by Bill Paxton in the movie) saw the restored capsule since climbing out of it exactly 40 years before.  ...