As we say goodbye to the last shuttle launch with Atlantis, it seems like just yesterday that we started launching men into space. Back then as the Apollo missions returned to earth, we watched with baited breath as the capsule floated under its parachute to the sea hoping all was well with the men inside.
I took a photo of the last space shuttle launch from my back yard and watched my family viewing it climb into the heavens with awe, waiting for the usual rumble sound. Since my youth, I have been encouraged to follow aerospace technology having a father who was a pilot by profession and a brother who worked for Grumman in Melbourne.
NEW SMYRNA BEACH -- Space Shuttle Atlantis rocketed into history this morning as thousands cheered on the hard sands of New Smyrna Beach and tens of thousands more in Brevard County and countless millions across the United States through television and the Internet.
Photo credit: NASA TV / Space shuttle Atlantis stands ready for liftoff at 11:26 a.m. ET on Launch Pad 39A.NEW SMYRNA BEACH -- If the weather cooperates, thousands will watch this morning's historic end to the space shuttle program with the liftoff of Atlantis from the beach here and along the beaches of Brevard County with tens of millions more watching on TV and the Internet.
Atlantis is set to liftoff at 11:26 a.m. ET on a 12-day mission to the International Space Station.
Atlantis will carry a crew of four and the Raffaello multipurpose logistics module containing supplies and spare parts for the space station.
ORLANDO -- With credit of 1,043 days already spent in jail, Casey Anthony's effective sentence is six days with her freedom coming Wednesday. That information was released to the media by courthouse spokeswoman Karen Levey: "That information was released to the media by courthouse spokeswoman Karen Levey. "Her release date has been calculated as July 13."
.jpg)
ORLANDO -- Saying there were "four distinct separate lies," Circuit Judge Belvin Perry sentenced Casey Anthony to four consecutive one-year sentences and a $1,000 fine on each of four misdemeanor counts of lying to police.
Asked if she wanted to say anything before sentencing, Anthony, through her defense counsel declined. That's consistent with her silence during the high profile trial that led the jury to find her not guilty of capital murder or any of the lesser included felony charges in the death of her toddler daughter, Caylee.
The judge handed down the maximum possible punishment of four consecutive one-year sentences for each of the four misdemeanors for which the the jury found her guilty. The misdemeanors were for lying to police. Anthony was also slapped with a $1,000 fine on each of the counts. In reality, she'll be out of jail before summer's end.
.jpg)
ORLANDO -- Casey Anthony is looking at two distinct scenarios when she is sentenced at 9 a.m. by Circuit Judge Belvin Perry for the four misdemeanors of lying to police: A concurrent sentence, which with gain time would mean she'd be free later today. A consecutive sentence, could mean time behind bars.
Independence Day is especially significant this year as we wave yet another farewell to the freedoms guaranteed in its original promise. No longer a government of, by or for the people, we have a topsy-turvy, Alice-in-Wonderland, tea-partying America presided over by a plutocracy of tax-evading billionaires whose sole ambition is to oust, rather than respect, our elected president.
NSBNews.net videos by Sera Frederick and Henry Frederick
EDGEWATER -- While 10,000 or so heads were craned to the brightened skies of red, blue and green and the "kaboom" sound, 3-year-old Carmine Smith was more focused on his sparkler as he twirled it around.
This year we celebrate once again the anniversary of our declaration of independence from the British Empire. 2011 is the 235th time we have marked July 4th and on Monday, as we mark it again we are far and away the richest and most powerful nation the world has ever seen.
