Space happenings in Lakeland, Florida

Meteor shower over The Florida Keys | Photo by @jeffberkesphoto

Table of Contents

Yesterday marked the start of World Space Week — an annual event that celebrates contributions to space technology. This year, 90+ countries are participating in the festivities around the world.

ACE_front

Aerospace Center for Excellence, photo courtesy of Aerospace Center for Excellence

We certainly did a lot of exploring this year. Gravitate towards this list of some of Lakeland’s space happenings.

  • Aug. 4, 2021: Lakeland’s Aerospace Center for Excellence unveiled its Skylab facility, which includes a simulator training lab, planetarium, and an aerospace training center for students and teachers.
  • Sept. 15, 2021: SpaceX Inspiration4 launched as the first all-civilian mission into orbit. Aboard was commander Jared Isaacman, the founder of Draken International, a military adversary company right here in Lakeland, near SUN ’n FUN’s ACE campus.

If you’re one to venture beyond Swan City, check out how the rest of the world left their mark on the galaxy:

  • Feb. 18, 2021: The Perseverance rover landed on Mars, and with it the first of its kind: Ingenuity, a helicopter testing controlled flight on another planet. Perseverance’s main goal is to look for signs of previous life on Mars and collect samples.
  • July 11, 2021: Billionaire Richard Branson became the first person to go to space in their own spaceship. This trip to space only took 15 minutes.
  • July 20, 2021: Jeff Bezos followed suit of fellow billionaire Richard Branson and took a flight to space on the fifty-second anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing.

We can’t wait to see what will launch into orbit next year. 🚀

Question:

<

/h3>

More from LALtoday
We hear readers’ hopes for future Lakeland eateries all the time. Now, we’re compiling them all into a restaurant wishlist to see which foodie dreams come true.
From improving quality of life to wins for local businesses, find out how Lakeland measured up in last year’s rankings.
Avelo Airlines announced plans for two additional aircraft at its Lakeland International Airport base, as well as more flights on its schedule.
Create the city you want to live in by applying to serve in these volunteer roles.
Airbnb released its travel trends predictions for the year — here’s how you can take part, starting in Lakeland.
Has anyone seen Frosty? He was around here somewhere...
From lifting weights and personal training to dance fitness and spin classes — we’ve rounded up 25+ gyms and fitness offerings around Swan City.
We compiled all of the feedback from our Giving Campaign to learn what readers love most and want to see more of in our newsletters. Here’s a peek at what they said.
Bookmark this guide for a curated list of events taking place each month that we’re most looking forward to.
Here’s the deal — the thrift and vintage shopping scene is stellar in Swan City.