Bio / Pictures

             R. Michael Gordon was born in Ontario, Canada and lived in England for a few years before moving to Los Angeles, California. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree, magna cum laude, in Geography at California State University at Dominguez Hills. Michael worked as an aerospace Illustrator and Art Supervisor for 25 years and began writing full-time in 1998. As for writing, more often than not he can be found in the corner booth at his favorite coffee shop, pencil in hand writing his next book on cross-checked paper in his very well-worn note pad holder. (Coffee and dark toasted bagel with cream cheese will certainly not be far away.) At home at his desk one will find it to be a bit cluttered with two computers for his writing as well as the usual pile of reference notes. You would also find two potted plants with a third hanging from the ceiling nearby (all of which are named “Fred” for some reason as yet to be discovered).

            Hobbies include collecting stamps, building spacecraft models, and collecting old radio shows, including Suspense, The Shadow, The Green Hornet, etc. (His favorite being the “War of the Worlds” 1938 Orson Wells program.) With a touch towards the “old school,” Michael regularly uses his dial telephone, tube radio, old typewriter and record player which of course still operate just fine. (He does however have a cell phone!)

            He has also developed his own space history library over many years which include newspaper articles, slides, video and digital tapes, magazines, photographs on every American manned flight as well as on unmanned missions to the Moon and the planets, and of course several dozen books on astronomy and the history of space flight. He was an original member of the Planetary Society.

            For the future, Michael holds a 1969 bottle of wine from the year mankind first walked on the Moon. He intends to use this wine to toast the first time humans set foot on Mars.

Natural History Museum Prehistoric World More than 99% of all species that have ever lived on Earth are now extinct. Unearth stories about the prehistoric creatures that once roamed Earth and swam in ancient oceans, and explore what Museum fossils and palaeontologists are revealing about prehistoric life. Indepth, from R Michael Gordon.

The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library is the repository of presidential records from the administration of Ronald Reagan, the 40th president of the United States, and the burial place of the president and first lady, Nancy Reagan. It is the largest of the 13 federally operated presidential libraries, containing millions of documents, photographs, films and tapes. There is a permanent exhibit covering Ronald Reagan’s life, as well as memorabilia such as Air Force One, the aircraft personally used by the president, and a section of masonry from the Berlin Wall. The library is located in Simi Valley, in Southern California, and was designed by Hugh Stubbins and Associates. It is administered by the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). https://www.reaganfoundation.org/

The Korean Demilitarized Zone (한반도 비무장 지대 / 韓半島非武裝地帶; Hanbando Bimujang Jidae) is a strip of land running across the Korean Peninsula near the 38th parallel north. The demilitarized zone (DMZ) is a border barrier that divides the Korean Peninsula roughly in half. It was established to serve as a buffer zone between the countries of North Korea and South Korea under the provisions of the Korean Armistice Agreement in 1953, an agreement between North Korea, China, and the United Nations Command. The DMZ is 250 kilometers (160 mi) long and about 4 kilometers (2.5 mi) wide. There have been various incidents in and around the DMZ, with military and civilian casualties on both sides. Within the DMZ is a meeting point between the two nations, where negotiations take place: the small Joint Security Area (JSA) near the western end of the zone.

https://www.koreakonsult.com/Attraction_DMZ_eng.html

The Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) is a federally funded research and development center and NASA field center in the city of La Cañada Flintridge (with a Pasadena mailing address) in California, United States. Founded in the 1930s, JPL is owned by NASA and managed by the nearby California Institute of Technology (Caltech).[2] The laboratory’s primary function is the construction and operation of planetary robotic spacecraft, though it also conducts Earth-orbit and astronomy missions. It is also responsible for operating the NASA Deep Space Network. Among the laboratory’s major active projects are the Mars 2020 mission, which includes the Perseverance rover and the Ingenuity Mars helicopter; the Mars Science Laboratory mission, including the Curiosity rover; the InSight lander (Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport); the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter; the Juno spacecraft orbiting Jupiter; the SMAP satellite for earth surface soil moisture monitoring; the NuSTAR X-ray telescope; and the forthcoming Psyche comet orbiter. It is also responsible for managing the JPL Small-Body Database, and provides physical data and lists of publications for all known small Solar System bodies. More info: https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/  ​

Meteor Crater is a meteorite impact crater approximately 37 miles (60 km) east of Flagstaff and 18 miles (29 km) west of Winslow in the northern Arizona desert of the United States. Meteor Crater lies at an elevation of 5,640 ft (1,719 m) above sea level. It is about 3,900 ft (1,200 m) in diameter, some 560 ft (170 m) deep, and is surrounded by a rim that rises 148 ft (45 m) above the surrounding plains. The center of the crater is filled with 690–790 ft (210–240 m) of rubble lying above crater bedrock. One of the interesting features of the crater is its squared-off outline, believed to be caused by existing regional jointing (cracks) in the strata at the impact site. Despite historic attempts to make the crater a public landmark, the crater remains privately owned by the Barringer family to the present day. The crater is privately owned by the Barringer family through their Barringer Crater Company, which proclaims it to be the “best preserved meteorite crater on Earth”. Since the crater is privately owned, it is not protected as a national monument, a status that would require federal ownership. It was designated a National Natural Landmark in November 1967. More info can be found: https://www.barringercrater.com/

Space Shuttle Endeavour R Michael Gordon, Space Shuttle Endeavour (Orbiter Vehicle Designation: OV-105) is a retired orbiter from NASA’s Space Shuttle program and the fifth and final operational Shuttle built. It embarked on its first mission, STS-49, in May 1992 and its 25th and final mission, STS-134, in May 2011. STS-134 was expected to be the final mission of the Space Shuttle program, but with the authorization of STS-135, Atlantis became the last shuttle to fly.

The United States Congress approved the construction of Endeavour in 1987 to replace the Space Shuttle Challenger, which was destroyed in 1986.

NASA chose, on cost grounds, to build much of Endeavour from spare parts rather than refitting the Space Shuttle Enterprise, and used structural spares built during the construction of Discovery and Atlantis in its assembly.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Shuttle_Endeavour

Battleship USS Iowa Served our Country Proudly R Michael Gordon

Battleship USS Iowa served our country proudly in WWII, Korea, and the Cold War.  Today, the historic U.S. Navy ship is an iconic Los Angeles landmark and considered one of the region’s best outdoor museums for families and visitors of all ages.  Follow in the footsteps of sailors and our mischievous mascot Vicky the Dog and experience first hand why she is known as the “Battleship of Presidents”, “The Grey Ghost”, and “The Big Stick”.  Add-on a behind-the-scenes guided tour to explore areas off-limits to the public and hear first hand accounts of service, commitment, and bravery.  You and your family will make lasting memories during your visit to the Battleship USS Iowa.  https://www.pacificbattleship.com/museum_visit/

John Fitzgerald Kennedy, the 35th president of the United States, is assassinated while traveling through Dallas, Texas, in an open-top convertible. The official Warren Commission report of 1964 concluded that neither Oswald nor Ruby were part of a larger conspiracy, either domestic or international, to assassinate President Kennedy. Despite its firm conclusions, the report failed to silence conspiracy theories surrounding the event, and in 1978 the House Select Committee on Assassinations concluded in a preliminary report that Kennedy was “probably assassinated as a result of a conspiracy” that may have involved multiple shooters and organized crime. The committee’s findings, as with those of the Warren Commission, continue to be disputed. https://www.history.com/this-day-in-h..

“David Abate” photographer for Kennedy.

=========== WARNING: This works constitutes an historical review of a murder, Viewers are advised that certain portions of this work maybe disturbing to some individuals. If an individual is easily disturbed by this work they are advised to limit their viewing experience.

 

The Queen Mary. On May 27, 1936, the Queen Mary departed from Southampton, England embarking on her maiden voyage. She boasted five dining areas and lounges, two cocktail bars and swimming pools, a grand ballroom, a squash court and even a small hospital. The Queen Mary had set a new benchmark in transatlantic travel, which the rich and famous considered as the only civilized way to travel. She quickly seized the hearts and imaginations of the public on both sides of the Atlantic, representing the spirit of an era known for its elegance, class and style. Since her retirement from the sea as an active liner in 1967, the Queen Mary has never been more popular as an iconic Southern California attraction, hotel, and venue for special events. The ship carried some 2.2 million passengers in peacetime and 810,000 military personnel in the Second World War, but here in Long Beach, an estimated 50 million people have visited. https://www.queenmary.com/history/

The California Science Center (sometimes spelled California ScienCenter) is a state agency and museum located in Exposition Park, Los Angeles, next to the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County and the University of Southern California. Billed as the West Coast’s largest hands-on science center, the California Science Center is a public-private partnership between the State of California and the California Science Center Foundation. The California Natural Resources Agency oversees the California Science Center and the California African American Museum. Founded in 1951 as the “California Museum of Science and Industry”, the Museum was remodeled and renamed in 1998 as the “California Science Center”. The California Science Center hosts the California State Science Fair annually. Visit today: https://californiasciencecenter.org/

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Thank You R. Michael Gordon

As a Veteran of the US Army, I am pleased to support Rock For Vets, a Long Beach based non for profit, helping Veterans through music.  Check them out.

Please contact my assistant directly: rmichaelgordon.writer@gmail.com

Warning: this website contains occasionally strong images, which may be unsuitable for all ages.  The website content may be disturbing and disruptive and make you change your mind. Reader/viewer discretion is advised.  What you are about to see you might not like and therefore advised to stop looking at it before things get unpleasant; for you or others.  Some of the content on this website your about to hear/see/read is graphic.

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