Top Ten Posts of 2020

Now that we are at the end of 2020, it is time to look back at this year’s material published on Drew Ex Machina and see which of the 30 new essays I posted during this site’s seventh year online, along with earlier published material, proved to be most popular to my readers. In addition to satisfying my curiosity, this exercise is an attempt to figure out what kinds of articles my readers prefer so that I can focus my attention on similar topics over the coming months when possible. What follows is a review of the Top Ten most popular articles on this site during 2020 based on a raw tally of their page views. If you are interested in checking out any of these articles for yourself, they can be accessed by clicking on the titles or the feature images in the reviews that follow.

An artist’s depicition of Sirius A and its whit dwarf companion. ((NASA, ESA and G. Bacon – STScI))

#10 New Hubble Observations of the Sirius System

The #10 rated article on Drew Ex Machina in 2020 took a closer look at new results using Hubble Space Telescope observations of the nearby Sirius system which consists of the brightest star in our nighttime sky and a dim white dwarf. Not only have these new observations helped astronomer’s refine our knowledge of the orbits and other properties of these stars, but they have allowed the century-old mystery of the potential presence of a third substellar companion to be addressed as well. Although this article was published originally in 2017, apparently there has been renewed interest in Sirius among a segment of my readers.

SpaceShipOne shown lading at the end of Flight 15P in June 2004. (Mike Massee/Scaled Composites, LLC)

#9 The Spaceflights of SpaceShipOne

On June 21, 2004 Scaled Composites test pilot Mike Melvill flew SpaceShipOne to an altitude of 100.1 kilometers to become the first crewed spacecraft to be developed and flown above 100 kilometers by a non-governmental organization. This successful test flight set the stage for SpaceShipOne to fly the pair of crewed flights above the 100 kilometer Karman line three months later that was required to win the $10 million Ansari X prize that fall. The #9 rated article on Drew Ex Machina in 2020 took a closer look at SpaceShipOne and its spaceflights 16 years ago.

The first closeup view of Phobos acquired by NASA’s Mariner 9. (JPL/NASA)

#8 First Pictures: Mariner 9 Closeup View of Phobos – November 29, 1971

When NASA’s Mariner 9 entered orbit around Mars on November 14, 1971, a global dust storm shrouded the spacecraft’s view of the surface putting a hold on the mission objective to map the Red Planet. As a result, time was available to observe other targets of opportunity as scientists waited for the dust to settle – the tiny Martian moons, Phobos and Deimos. The #8 most popular article on Drew Ex Machina for 2020 took a closer look at the events leading to the acquisition of the first closeup image of Phobos on November 29, 1971.

The launch abort of Mercury-Redstone 1. (NASA)

#7 The Infamous Launch Abort of NASA’s Mercury-Redstone 1

After the failure of NASA’s Mercury-Atlas 1 in July 1960, focus turned to the first test flight of the suborbital Mercury-Redstone which would be used to launch the first Americans into space in less than six months. Unfortunately, a malfunction at the launch of Mercury-Redstone 1 on November 21, 1960 led to an unintended abort resulting in a failure to meet the mission’s flight objectives. The #7 ranked article on Drew Ex Machina for 2020 took a close look at NASA’s Mercury-Redstone 1 mission and the causes of its disheartening failure.

An image of Mars taken by George E. Hale on November 3, 1909 using the 60-inch telescope at the Mt. Wilson Observatory. (Mt. Wilson Observatory)

#6 The Best Images of Mars – 1909

During the fall of 2020, Mars made an especially close approach to the Earth during its opposition making it a tempting target for amateur and professional astronomers alike. This interest in Mars during its oppositions goes back well over a century. The confluence of an especially favorable opposition in the 1909 and advances in telescopes as well as photography allowed astronomers to take the best photographs of Mars for their day. The #6 most popular article on Drew Ex Machina in 2020 presented photos taken by famed American astronomers, E.E. Barnard (a pioneer in astrophotography) and George E. Hale, using the largest telescopes available at the time.

Jupiter C missiles in storage in ABMA’s Huntsville facility. (NASA/MSFC)

#5 Redstone: The Missile That Launched America Into Space

For those who recall the events of this time, the Redstone missile seemed to be a part of many key moments in the early history of the Space Age: The first object to be recovered from space after a hypersonic reentry, the first American satellite successfully launched into orbit and the first American launched into space are some of those achievements. The #5 rated article on Drew Ex Machina in 2020 took a closer look at the history of the US Army’s Redstone missile and the role it played in the Space Age and as a weapon system in the defense of the US during the Cold War.

A model of the Venera 5 & 6 spacecraft.

#4 Venera 5 & 6: Diving Towards the Surface of Venus

On May 16, 1969 the Soviet Venera 5 spacecraft reached Venus and deployed a lander. Because of unresolved differences between Soviet and American scientists about the conditions at the surface and insufficient time to strengthen the lander significantly, the Venera 5 lander succumbed to the increasing pressure during its descent still 18 kilometers from the surface after a parachute descent of 53 minutes. Venera 6 arrived at Venus the following day in a repeat of the mission. The fourth most popular article on Drew Ex Machina in 2020 took a close look at Venera 5 and 6, their development and how the data they returned helped scientists finally confirm the hostile conditions on the surface of Venus.

A view of Gemini 7 during the rendezvous with Gemini 6. (NASA)

#3 Gemini 7: Two Weeks in the Front Seat of a Volkswagen

As many of us around the globe are dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic by isolating ourselves at home for two weeks (or more!), I was reminded of some of the early long-duration space missions – the ultimate example of long-term isolation. In December 1965, NASA astronauts Frank Borman and Jim Lovell spent a fortnight in orbit on board Gemini 7 under conditions which were described by the press at the time as like spending two weeks in the front seat of a Volkswagen Beetle. The #3 most popular article on Drew Ex Machina for 2020 took a detailed look at the Gemini 7 mission which set a space endurance record which would stand for almost five years.

A view of the ascending Apollo 6 as it shed pieces from its Spacecraft Launch Adapter. (NASA)

#2 Apollo 6: The Saturn V that Almost Failed

The most popular article on Drew Ex Machina for the past two years, which this year comes in at #2, related the details of the unmanned Apollo 6 mission. Launched on April 4, 1968, the second Saturn V to fly experienced more than its share of problems during its flight culminating with the failure of the S-IVB third stage to reignite to send the spacecraft on a simulated trajectory to the Moon. Fortunately, the causes of the failures were quickly assessed, and fixes confidently identified eliminating the need for a third unmanned test flight of the Saturn V and keeping NASA’s schedule on track to land on the Moon before the end of 1969.

The classic portrait of the Earth and Moon taken by Voyager 1. (NASA/JPL)

#1 First Pictures: Voyager 1 Portrait of the Earth & Moon – September 18, 1977

Having grown up in the ‘70s during the Golden Age of planetary exploration, I got to witness the exploration of all of the planets known to ancient astronomers. It can be argued that the crowning achievement of this era was NASA’s Voyager program which eventually visited the four outer planets of our Solar System. By a huge margin, the most popular article on Drew Ex Machina during 2020 presented the story behind the portrait that Voyager 1 took of the Earth and Moon on September 18, 1977 just as this spacecraft was starting its historic mission of exploration.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the over 120,000 people from around the globe who have taken time in 2020 to read these Top Ten as well as the other 319 essays on Drew Ex Machina. The many comments and feedback on this site as well as in other forums have also been greatly appreciated. I intend to continue posting interesting essays on space-related topics during 2021 and hope that all of you continue reading and enjoying them.

Happy New Year!   Drew LePage

Follow Drew Ex Machina on Facebook.