Keith Cowing Archives

Early Morning Skywatching and Teaching Satellite Concepts to Sherpas

by Keith CowingMay 17, 2011December 17, 2023

I got up early today to see the ISS and Endeavour fly over my house. Its always cool to see them flying in formation like this.

NASA astronaut Robert Behnken, STS-130 mission specialist, poses for a photo near the windows in the Cupola of the International Space Station while space shuttle Endeavour remains docked with the station. Next to him is the plaque containing Apollo 11 Moon rocks and a piece of the summit of Mt. Everest.

Moon, Polar / Alpine Expeditions, Space Stations

Apollo 11 Moon Rocks And An Everest Summit Rock At Home In Space

by Keith CowingFebruary 20, 2010December 18, 2023

Moon rocks, collected during the historic Apollo 11 mission, found a new residence aboard the International Space Station alongside a piece of Mt. Everest.

Moon, Polar / Alpine Expeditions, Space Stations, Status Report

Everest and Moon Rocks On-Orbit: NASA STS-130 Report #23 5 a.m. CST Friday, Feb. 19, 2010

by Keith CowingFebruary 19, 2010December 18, 2023

Mission Control Center, Houston, Texas HOUSTON – Hatches between Endeavour and the International Space Station were closed at 2:08 a.m. CST. During 9 days, 52 minutes of joint operations, the […]

STS-130 Commander George Zamka receives a plaque containing a piece of the summit of Mt. Everest and the Apollo 11 moon rocks that Scott Parazynski carried to the summit of Mt. Everest.

Polar / Alpine Expeditions

Photos From Moon and Everest Rock Event at NASA

by Keith CowingJanuary 6, 2010December 17, 2023

Scott Parazynski, Miles O’Brien, and Keith Cowing were in Houston Texas on Wednesday for the formal return of the Moon rocks we brought to Everest and the presentation of a […]

Imaging & Spectroscopy, Tricorders & Sensors

Using a Tricorder on Mount Everest

by Keith CowingSeptember 20, 2009September 20, 2022

If you’ve ever seen a Starfleet away team beaming down to a new planet, you know that the first thing they do is whip out their tricorder and scan everything. […]

This is a portion of the GigaPan panorama taken by Scott Parazynski at Mount Everest’s Camp IV at 26,000 feet (7,924 meters) at approximately 10 am local time, May 19, 2009. The saddle between Mount Everest and Lhotse, the fourth highest mountain in the world) is also known as the South Col can be seen. The Challenger Center Everest team believes that this is the highest GigaPan image ever taken on the surface of the Earth.

Exploration Gear & Tech, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Polar / Alpine Expeditions

Everest Update: The Highest GigaPan Panoramas Ever Taken On Earth’s Surface

by Keith CowingSeptember 4, 2009December 17, 2023

On 20 May 2009 astronaut Scott Parazynski became the first person to have both travelled in space and to stand atop the summit of Mt. Everest. From that vantage point […]

Artemis & Lunar Exploration, Away Teams & Field Reports, Moon, Polar / Alpine Expeditions, Space Stations

Playing With Moon Rocks and Duct Tape at the Dinner Table

by Keith CowingAugust 11, 2009April 14, 2024

This evening I was prowling through pictures taken during the current Expedition aboard the International Space Station when I came across a picture of astronauts and a Moon rock. The […]

Image: Canadian Space Agency astronaut Julie Payette, STS-127 mission specialist, is pictured on 25 July 2009 near a food package floating freely in the Unity node of the International Space Station while Space Shuttle Endeavour remained docked with the station.

Polar / Alpine Expeditions, Status Report

Everest Update: Dal Bhat In Space

by Keith CowingJuly 1, 2009December 16, 2023

Keith Cowing’s note: If you were following Scott Parazynski and I during our trip to Mt. Everest in Nepal, then you must have read at least one complaint from each […]

Image: Keith Cowing standing at Everest Base Camp in Nepal holding a container with 4 small moon rocks collected during the Apollo 11 mission. The Moon can be seen overhead. These moon rocks were carried to the summit of Mt. Everest by astronaut Scott Parazynski in May 2009. These moon rocks, plus a piece of the summit of Mt. Everest are now on board the International Space Station.

Polar / Alpine Expeditions

Confessions of a Moon Rock Courier

by Keith CowingJune 30, 2009December 17, 2023

Keith Cowing: I have been home from my trip to Mt. Everest in Nepal for a month. That trip lasted for a month and a half. I was gone longer […]

Night vision photo of Scott Parazynski on the summit of Mt Everest

Polar / Alpine Expeditions

Is Scott Parazynski’s climbing of Mt. Everest “exploration”? Scott Replies

by Keith CowingMay 30, 2009December 16, 2023

Several weeks ago, my friend Wayne Hale asked his Twitter community: “Space Policy forum is debating the definition of exploration. Is Scott Parazynski climbing Mt Everest “exploration”?”