Mitch Traphagen
An era ends; the legacy endures
On Thursday, the United States entered the post-shuttle era. Photo gallery inside.
The dreams in Dry Creek
There was a time when people still reached out to others and that is a time that could still be today. It’s just down the road, after all....
After Atlantis: The future of American Spaceflight
“This isn’t the beginning of the end,” Garver said of the last shuttle launch. “This is the end of what was our beginning.”...
Atlantis: Reporting on history
Reporting on history was interesting but involved a lot of mosquitoes. Photo gallery and launch video at end of article....
Atlantis: the final launch
By MITCH TRAPHAGEN STS-135 Atlantis blasted off at 11:26 a.m. on Friday. It was the 135th and final shuttle launch, successfully capping off the 30-year-old space ...
Wildlife sanctuary opens to the public
Only a year ago, Elmira’s Wildlife Sanctuary was in survival mode....
Atlantis: Astronauts arrive in Florida; Twitterers pack for launch
Astronauts ready for Friday launch, 150 Twitterers to get experience of a lifetime....
Observations: The good son?
Often I think that if I were a good son, I’d pack up our lives and move to that little town in Minnesota......Author info
Mitch Traphagen
Mitch Traphagen is a photojournalist, columnist and online editor for the Observer News Publications. He is the recipient of 55 awards of excellence from the Community Papers of Florida for his photography and writing. He has worked for some of the nation’s largest corporations, as Press Secretary for a U.S. Congressman, owned and published a weekly newspaper, and produced a commercial documentary video on sailing. He is a Commodore in the Seven Seas Cruising Association (ssca.org). Mitch is a writer, photographer, sailor and traveler with a bit of a geek thing going on. You can visit his personal website at mitchtraphagen.com