Sally Ride to Receive Posthumous Presidential Medal of Freedom

Sally Ride, the first female astronaut in space who came out in July 2012 in her obituary, will be awarded a posthumous Presidential Medal of Freedom, the White House announced today.

"Dr. Ride’s partner, mother, and sister were notified last week of the President’s decision to award her with the Nation’s highest civilian honor for her contributions to the U.S. space program and education system. The remainder of the honorees selected by the President will be announced over the coming weeks and the awards will be presented at a White House ceremony later this year," said the White house in a press release.

Said President Obama of the honor:

“We remember Sally Ride not just as a national hero, but as a role model to generations of young women. Sally inspired us to reach for the stars, and she advocated for a greater focus on the science, technology, engineering and math that would help us get there. Sally showed us that there are no limits to what we can achieve, and I look forward to welcoming her family to the White House as we celebrate her life and legacy.”

Chris Hadfield, Two Other ISS Astronauts Make Parachute Landing in Kazakhstan: VIDEO

Canadian ISS Commander Chris "Space Oddity" Hadfield is safely back on Earth with two other crew members from the International Space Station, American Thomas Marshburn and Russian Roman Romanenko.

The Guardian reports:

[The spacemen] landed as planned south-east of the town of Dzhezkazgan at 8.31am local time on Tuesday. The Soyuz TMA-07M capsule slowly descended by parachute on to the steppes under clear, sunny skies. Russian search and rescue helicopters hovered over the landing site for a quick recovery effort.

Rescue teams moved quickly to help the crew in their bulky spacesuits exit through the narrow hatch of the capsule. They were then put into reclining chairs to start adjusting to Earth's gravity after 146 days in space.

The three astronauts smiled as they chatted with space agency officials and doctors who were checking their condition. Hadfield, who served as the space station's commander, gave a thumbs-up sign. They then made quick phone calls to family members and friends.

Watch a NASA reel of the landing and a Euronews report, AFTER THE JUMP...

The Coolest Astronaut on the ISS Says Good-bye With Completely Amazing Music Video: WATCH

Over the past few months I've been posting videos of Commander Chris Hadfield aboard the International Space Station educating the public about various things that happen in space (like how astronauts sleep, what happens to tears when you cry, what happens to a washcloth when you wring it out, and what rocket launches look like).

Hadfield, a Canadian, is leaving the ISS and coming back to Earth tonight. For his farewell, he recorded a revised version of David Bowie's "Space Oddity", the first music video made in space. I think you'll agree Hadfield is the coolest guy to ever orbit the Earth.

Watch, AFTER THE JUMP...

Hadfield transferred command of the ISS to Russian cosmonaut Pavel Vinogradov at 3:40 pm ET today. He'll be headed home soon.

More Than 78,000 Sign Up for One-Way Trip to Mars: VIDEO

A Netherlands-based non-profit called Mars One has begun taking applications for pioneering Mars colonists it plans to finance “by staging a global reality-TV event, with cameras documenting all phases of the mission from astronaut selection to the colonists’ first years on the Red Planet.”

Via The Space Reporter:

So far, plenty of people are interested in this job offer. As of a few days ago, the number was already at 78,000 applicants.

The application period opened on April 22, 2013, and continues until August 31. It’s actually fairly easy to apply: You have to be at least 18 years of age, and you must also submit a one-minute video to Mars One that explains your motivation for becoming a Martian settler. And anybody in the world can apply. Also, you can watch all of the applicants’ videos on Mars Ones’ website.

“With [that many] applications in two weeks, this is turning out to be the most desired job in history,” Mars One CEO and co-founder Bas Lansdorp said in a statement. “These numbers put us right on track for our goal of half a million applicants.”

Watch two introductory videos, AFTER THE JUMP...

Richard Branson's Tourist Spaceship Breaks Sound Barrier: VIDEO

Civilian space travel got one step closer yesterday as the first private spaceship designed for space tourism fired its rockets for a few seconds and broke the sound barrier.

Mashable writes:

Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo space plane fired its rocket engines for the first time during flight this morning in a test from California's Mojave Air and Spaceport. The vehicle was carried aloft by the mothership WhiteKnightTwo, and then released in midair at an altitude of about 46,000 feet. At that point, SpaceShipTwo test fired its rocket engine, designed to propel the craft of the rest of the way up to space.

After a short 16-second burn today, SpaceShipTwo reached a maximum altitude of 56,000 feet before flew back to Earth. The trip marked the 26th test flight of the vehicle, and the first "powered flight," which propelled the ship to Mach 1.2, fast enough to beat the speed of sound, which is 761 miles per hour.

Watch, AFTER THE JUMP...

Towleroad Guide to the Tube #1354

TURTLE HILL, BROOKLYN:A new gay indie.

GRASSHOPPER: The SpaceX rocket that can vertically take off and land makes its biggest leap yet.

EXERCISING WITH CATS: An informative how-to.

MARRIED AND COUNTING: A gay couple gets married in every state they can.

For recent Guides to the Tube, click HERE.