August activites

I have been busy with the summer activies of my daughter's to blog. Another flyby of Titan by Cassiniis here.
Mars Rover Updates: Opportunity here and Spirithere.

PodCast from Space

Mission Specialist Steve Robinson podcasts from space. (Very first one!) His take on the whole mission is one of learning. Humans will always strive to learn. It is our destiny to explore the Final Frontier.

At any rate I will close this very brief first podcast from space with a greeting to all Earthings and a thank you for your interest and support. Whether you support the space program or not, you're learning from it. You're learning from it the very moment you hear this and think about what we're doing. And I think that learning is what looking over the horizon is all about, and don't forget that learning can be exciting and fun, too, because that's certainly what this mission has been all about.

Our Prayers for Discovery

Discovery has detached from the ISS. Early Monday Morning the shuttle will land at KSC around 4:46 A.M. Eastern (1:46 A.M. Pacific).

Collins said she appreciates all the prayers -- from President Bush to strangers around the world. "We thank you for caring for us," she said in an interview with The Associated Press on Thursday.

"We ask also that you pray for our space program overall because it is a great thing for people all over the Earth. ... We believe in it and that's why we are doing this."


My prayers are for the crew members and their families also. The commander is right, we all should pray for the US space program also. The risks are worth it, to explore the heavens God created. May the loving arms of the Lord bless each crew member for the safe return of Discovery. Amen.

Gene Kranz on Shuttle Grounding

When the shuttle management announced a "grounding of the Shuttle fleet" due to the foam breaking off the external tank PAL ramp, I thought about Eugene F. Kranz and the Apollo program. Gene said during the Apollo 13 mission (and movie), "Failure is not an option."

Gene said in his op-ed that we took many steps in the Gemini missions to achieve a successful space walk. Buzz Aldrin's space walk in Gemini 12 NASA succeeded. Astronauts now train underwater to learn how to move in outer space because of Buzz's insistence to train for space walks.

We have to take many steps to get it right. Exploration is trial and error. Just look at our past and you'll see many failures and many successes. Our space program is too important to our Nation to just give up.

No more shuttle repairs

The 13 inch tear in the fabric under the commanders window poses no danger in Discovery's return on Monday. NASA engineers have tested the problem in a wind tunnel. Here is the AP news release.

Tribute to Fallen hero's

I viewed the touching tribute paid to fallen astronauts and cosmonauts. We as humans have suffered the cost of exploration over centuries to find new worlds to live in. Long live our fallen comrades. May you touch the face of God.

Bush support for Space

Some of my spacer activist colleges don't feel confident that President
Bush supports space exploration. One complaint was Bush does not mention space in his state of the Union speeches. (The president has more pressing issues, i.e like the GWOT, the economy, social security reform, tax reform, etc.) I disagree. When Bush presented his Vision to the Nation on January, 14 2003, he spoke directly to the people who count most. The NASA workers! The people who are doing the work in space. I was thrilled that Space exploration was placed back on the agenda. I support the low-orbit activities going to private enterprise (service the ISS, cargo shipping to the Moon) and the focus toward setting up bases on the Moon and then on to Mars.

President Bush interviewed with 5 papers yesterday and voiced his support for Space after months of silence. (Actually he did make a statement after the launch of the Shuttle last Tuesday.)

"I am confident NASA will be able to implement the vision I laid out and that is to use the moon as an exploratory base to go further into space," said Bush

(HT NASA Watch).

Today Bush spoke briefly today to thank the Discovery and ISS crew for taking the risk to explore in space. Godspeed Discovery and we pray for your safe return!