A little catch me up on what's going on in space.
New crew arrives at ISS on Oct 12th.
NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson, Expedition 16 commander, is seen via cameras inside her Soyuz TMA-11 spacecraft during an Oct. 10, 2007 launch to the International Space Station. At bottom left is Expedition 16 flight engineer Yuri Malenchenko, with Malaysian astronaut Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor out of frame. Credit: NASA TV.
A Russian Soyuz TMA-11 spacecraft ferries Malaysian astronaut Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor and the new Expedition 16 crew to the International Space Station on Oct. 12, 2007. Exterior cameras on the station caught this view of the incoming spacecraft. Credit: NASA TV.
Fighter spaceships of 'Star Wars.' Rendezvous cameras aboard a Russian Soyuz TMA-11 spacecraft caught this view before it ferried the Expedition 16 crew to the ISS on Oct. 12, 2007. Credit: NASA TV.
Space staion crew to return Sunday, their space station departure will set the stage for a busy few weeks aboard the ISS, beginning with the planned Tuesday launch of NASA's shuttle Discovery to deliver a vital connecting node to the orbital node. The 14-day construction flight will lay the foundation for future international laboratories at the ISS.
The crewmembers onboard the International Space Station pose for a group photo in the Destiny laboratory of the International Space Station. From the left (front row) are: Expedition 15 flight engineer Oleg Kotov and commander Fyodor NYurchikhin; and Malaysian astronaut Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor. From the left (back row) are: Expedition 16 flight engineer Yuri Malenchenko, commander Peggy Whitson; Expedition 15/16 flight engineer Clay Anderson. Credit: NASA.
China wants role in space stationMars rovers to go at least 2 more yearsMan, those rovers just keep going & going...
Shuttle cleared for launch despite wing concernsDrinking report casts shadow over shuttle crew
Space Shuttle Discovery was secured on Launch Pad 39A after a nearly 7 hour journey on the crawlerway and was hard down at 1:15 p.m. EDT, Sept. 30. A banner at the launch pad proclaims the sentiments of the work force at Kennedy Space Center. Photo credit: NASA/George Shelton
Jeff also reminds us that Luke's lightsaber is ready for take-off as reported on JD's front page.
Luke Skywalker's Jedi Lightsaber from Return of the Jedi has been stowed aboard the space shuttle Discovery and is ready for the big trip into space with the seven STS-120 astronauts. The shuttle is scheduled for lift-off on October 23rd at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. Check out the Official Site for all the details.
Astronaut Jim Reilly accepts Luke Skywalker's Jedi lightsaber from R2-D2 on NASA's behalf at Kennedy Space Center.
The Jedi lightsaber, which appeared in Return of the Jedi, will also make its way back to NASA's Space Center Houston once Discovery returns to Earth. "The Jedi lightsaber will have traveled more than six million miles in space after this mission," says Roger Bornstein, Marketing Director for Space Center Houston. "And we'll have the honor of displaying this flown movie artifact once it returns." The Jedi lightsaber will be part of a new exhibit at Space Center Houston that will showcase a small collection of famous Star Wars movie props and a full-size X-wing starfighter through Jan. 1.
Also take note, during the two-week mission, Star Wars fans will be able to leave their best wishes to the space shuttle astronauts at
http://spacecenter.org/message.asp
Luke Skywalker's Jedi lightsaber has been carefully stowed aboard space shuttle Discovery and will travel to the International Space Station before returning to Earth 14 days (and six million miles) later. Help mark this historic event by leaving a message of support for the the seven STS-120 astronauts.
Your message to the space shuttle crew will be collected online and placed onto a CD, which will be presented to the astronauts at the official public debriefing at NASA's Space Center Houston after their return.
Show your appreciation & leave a message.
