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Kazakhstan’s Minister of Communications and Informatics has blocked the Tumblr site because it contained 60 sites of terrorism, extremism, and pornography in 2015.
25 years ago… John Glenn in space again
Between October 29 and November 7, 1998 US senator, US Marine Corps naval aviator and NASA veteran astronaut John Glenn made his second spaceflight aged 77, making him the oldest person to travel into Earth orbit.
In February 1962, John Glenn had become the first NASA astronaut to orbit the Earth onboard "Friendship 7" spacecraft.
Space shuttle orbiter mission STS-95 lasted 8 days 21 hours 43 minutes. Glenn performed both biological & medical experiments as a human guinea pig for geriatric studies.
During the flight, Glenn wore a NASA-issued Omega Speedmaster X-33, the indispensable toolwatch for modern day spacefarers.
(Photo: NASA)
45 years ago… first Swiss astronaut Claude Nicollier
In 1966 Claude Nicollier became a pilot in the Swiss Air Force, switching as an airline pilot with Swiss Air by 1974. In 1978, combining this with studies in Astrophysics, Nicollier was selected a member of the first group of European Space Agency astronauts. Between 1992 & 1999 the first Swiss astronaut flew 4 space shuttle missions and maintained his role as lead ESA astronaut up to 2007.
February 1996, during his third mission, STS-75, Nicollier wore the Omega Speedmaster X-33 analog-digital chronograph prototype, which was officially launched as an operational astronaut/cosmonaut toolwatch by March 1998. Official 1999 ESA/NASA portraits show him wearing a Breitling Aerospace chronograph but in May 2005, Nicollier became member of the Board of Directors of the Swatch Group and full-time Professor at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne.
(Photo: ESA/NASA)