Good morning.
As September ends, we’ll have a bit of fog in the morning, and then a sunny day with a high of seventy-three. The moon is a waning crescent with 19% of the its visible disk illuminated.
Private spaceflight took a step forward this weekend, as SpaceX’s upgraded Falcon 9 rocket saw a successful test:
On this day in 1954, America commissions the world’s first nuclear submarine:
Much larger than the diesel-electric submarines that preceded it, the Nautilus stretched 319 feet and displaced 3,180 tons. It could remain submerged for almost unlimited periods because its atomic engine needed no air and only a very small quantity of nuclear fuel. The uranium-powered nuclear reactor produced steam that drove propulsion turbines, allowing the Nautilus to travel underwater at speeds in excess of 20 knots.
In its early years of service, the USS Nautilus broke numerous submarine travel records and in August 1958 accomplished the first voyage under the geographic North Pole. After a career spanning 25 years and almost 500,000 miles steamed, the Nautilus was decommissioned on March 3, 1980. Designated a National Historic Landmark in 1982, the world’s first nuclear submarine went on exhibit in 1986 as the Historic Ship Nautilus at the Submarine Force Museum in Groton, Connecticut.
On this day in 1859, Abraham Lincoln speaks at a Wisconsin agricultural fair:
1859 – Abraham Lincoln Speaks at State Fair
On this date Abraham Lincoln delivered an address at the Wisconsin State Fair. In his speech, he connected agriculture to education: “Every blade of grass is a study; and to produce two, where there was but one, is both a profit and a pleasure.” The rising political star (who was elected the following year), also stressed the importance of free labor. This was Lincoln’s last visit to Wisconsin. In 1861, after winning the presidential election, Lincoln signed the bill establishing the U.S. Department of Agriculture. [Source: AbrahamLincoln.org]
The text of Lincoln’s speech is available online.
Scientific American‘s daily trivia question asks about early space exploration. (Clicking on the question leads to its answer.)