Jan Davis

@realhomerhickam @NASA_Marshall Many happy memories there as a diver - met many astronauts there who gave me great advice. That’s also where I met you!

Gone forever now. A great personal loss as I was the lead scuba instructor there for over a decade and a great national loss as the @NASA_Marshall Neutral Buoyancy Simulator was a resource that could have been protected & utilized for future missions to complement the NBL at JSC. Oh, well. We will never forget what was done there. Of interest perhaps, the glass in the portholes were over two inches thick but the maximum water pressure was no more than 35 PSI. A little over engineered but that was how they rolled in the Apollo era.

@realhomerhickam Cool!

A surprise gift from a Neutral Buoyancy Simulator paramedic from the tank’s glory days. She used an internal porthole ring & made a beautiful sculpture. Photo in ring is of me with Astronaut Kathy Sullivan on Hubble mockup.

I am so proud of the Artemis II crew and the thousands of people at NASA and their industry and international partners who made the mission a success!

🌌 On the Move: Artemis II's Next Giant Leap! Happening Now! After undergoing essential work inside the Vehicle Assembly Building, Artemis II has embarked on its journey back to Launch Pad 39B at Kennedy Space Center. This marks yet another critical milestone as preparations intensify for America’s first crewed Artemis mission around the Moon. Once again, @amentum_corp's skilled teams were fully engaged with the critical operations in the VAB and are now proudly operating the legendary crawler-transporter 2, delivering NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft with unmatched precision and care. Together, we’re propelling space exploration forward—one historic step at a time. 🌕 Milestone Approaching. Momentum Growing. Watch Live! lnkd.in/gT27YFPe #ArtemisII #NASA #SLS #Orion #WeAreAmentum #SpaceExploration @NASA @NASAKennedy Photo by NASA

@cbs_spacenews Thanks for your excellent reporting, as usual.

Artemis II: The rehearsal countdown is in a hold at the T-minus 10-minute mark; NASA says the closeout crew has not yet finished work in the launch pad white room and that the test will run past the original 9pm EST (0200 UTC) simulated launch time; it's not clear when the team will hit the current T-0, whatever it might be, or how much past that they'll work to practice/test re-cycle options as originally planned; NASA has said all along the work could continue to around 1am (0600 UTC)

As an astronaut, If I could change one thing it would be people's perception of spaceflight. I think it is seen too often as a distant, flashy endeavour - cool, but not relevant, and that could not be further from the truth! The science conducted in space leads to medical and technical advancements that benefit everyone. Most people don't realize the ripple effect of space research that sparks innovation, jobs and solutions that range from cancer treatments to your smartphone's camera!

A meatball: when ingredients come together to create a round nugget that transcends the sum of its parts. Do you know what components make up NASA's historic meatball logo? Find out their symbolism: go.nasa.gov/3XvxaeB #NationalMeatballDay

Spectacular work

@NASA I made ice skates from FDF cover and gray tape, and did a quintuple axel in space!

Let the games begin! Athletes from across the world are gathering today to kick off the 2024 #Olympics – pushing boundaries and inspiring generations. If you were an Olympic athlete, which sport would you play?

@waff48 Please don’t have a headline this in Alabama when the tragedy occurred in Maine

“It’s been an intense and tragic morning here in Auburn." waff.com/2024/06/16/mai…

I’m excited that preorders are available for my new book “Air Born: Artistic Musings of a WWII Pilot and POW”. It contains my father’s POW Wartime log (with annotations by me) and all 97 of the PENNY cartoons he drew for the Stalag Luft III newspaper. Ballastbooks.com/purchase/air-b…

@realhomerhickam I’m so sorry for your loss. I know how hard that is. Sending hugs to you and Linda ❤️

The absence of Summer, our princess we had to send through heaven’s gate yesterday, has decidedly been sensed by Curly Bill & Wyatt. Wyatt has taken to his bed & won’t be consoled & CB has been looking for her in her usual places. We will try to keep their world otherwise steady. Summer on our couch a few weeks ago.

linkedin.com/pulse/gift-gui… This holiday season, give the gift of literary delight! Our Ballast Books gift guide newsletter is your go-to resource for finding the perfect bookish presents for your loved ones. Happy gifting and happy reading!

Many thanks to @Astro_Jan for being our tour guide at KSC today! It was an amazing experience. @melanieadunn

@JDerrickD @melanieadunn Great to meet you!

@DrSianProctor Sian, I hate to break it to you, but Unfortunately, it is all about the money for the airlines. @Delta, I am a million miler and a Diamond Medallion, but they could care less that I am an astronaut!

Ugh - Here’s irony for you. I just got a message from @AmericanAir that I will probably loose my #ConciergeKey status next year because the 300k miles I’ve flown so far isn’t enough to keep the status. How about counting in the good will and inspiration I bring to flights like the one below! When they call Concierge Key boarding, most people, including AA employees are shocked and happy to see a black woman with this level of status. But I am still filled with gratitude. Moments like below make it worth it regardless of my status. And it was nice to have CK even if just for a year. 🙏🏽😊✈️ #gratitude

Retired NASA astronaut Jan Davis cites her father, Benjamin Smotherman, as a large influence, and shares both of their stories in a new book: "Air Born: Two Generations in Flight" (Ballast Books, 2023). @Astro_Jan @Ballast_Books (my story in @SPACEdotcom) buff.ly/45fq7Yn

NASA and Bastion: A History of Space Exploration and Mission Safety Collaboration

Borders and divisions vanish when you look down on Earth from space, serving as a reminder that we are all part of a global community sharing a common home. As access to space begins to open to a broader audience, I am hopeful we can begin to focus less on our divisions and more on our commonality as human beings.

Love what you've done with the space...