Thoughts on the Week as We Blaze Forward..

Hello Troops,
It’s 58 degrees outside! I think we can nearly, almost if not certainly proclaim - without too fine a point, yet steadfastly with room for doubt, but firm with conviction without getting too carried away that Winter weather is behind us. Wouldn’t you agree or nearly so, perhaps?

The Space Center is getting more private mission bookings and the last two overnight camps were full - all of which makes me happy. Happy is defined as a steady stream of money coming in and not as much going out; such a situation means we are running well into the black. We need to raise as much money as possible so I can purchase a $27,000 new portable planetarium to take the place or our aging Starlab. That poor dome is so full of holes you’d swear you were looking up into the night sky from some alien planet.

Oh, I can’t forget the remodeling of the Voyager. New computers, new front screens and new chairs.... sigh..... Speaking of chairs, the nice modern chairs I bought for the Voyager nearly ten years ago are breaking one by one over a steady stream of months. We lost one yesterday when the Engineer step down from the Engineering section onto the Right Wing chair and broke a section of the plastic off.

It seems like every week something new breaks but that is the nature of equipment under heavy use.

We had network problems in the Odyssey and Magellan during the overnight camp and Saturday private missions. That’s something else that needs to be addressed. Numont University in Salt Lake City nearly finished the new Odyssey controls before their term ended. Matt Long and the Programming Guild will take what they’ve done and finish them up. I’m hoping new controls on a stable platform like Cocoa will eliminate many if not all of the Odyssey’s issues.

I want to thank all the new volunteers that recently finished their five observations and are now eligible to volunteer at the Center. I signed another young man in yesterday afternoon. These new volunteers are full of drive and enthusiasm. I need you old timers to stand close to them and hopefully some of their energy will transfer into you. And once again a pat on the back to our current volunteers. You guys keep the Center open with your many hours of unpaid time.

Their are several factors responsible for the Center’s success. Among the top five are the outstanding volunteers and staff, all of whom (including the paid staff) donate hours of volunteer time each month. I’m grateful and urge you to keep coming! We are moving into our busiest time of the year and, well, you know. We can’t do this without you.

And now I’ll stop because If I write too much I’ll lose half the Blog’s readers (many of my staff continue to remind me that I write too much and when I do they won’t read it. What is with this younger generation? So many, but not all as I've been reminded, seem to have the attention span of a goldfish!)

Mr. Williamson

Expedition 22 Completed

One of several Russian helicopters flown to the landing site. It looks cold... BRRR.

With the landing of the Soyuz TMA-16 spacecraft in Kazakhstan this morning, Expedition 22 of the ISS has come to a successful end. Jeff Williams and Max Suraev arrived safe and sound.

Russian rapid transit in the steppes.

Actually they arrived in the freezing steppes in Winter. NASA's photo of the day showed a capsule landing in a giant frozen field of snow. Watching the Russian camera footage, one really gets a feel of how different our two space programs really are. The Russian program works, and works well, but at times it almost seems comical or amateurish. Mostly this is because the Russian cameraman did not do a good job. As the space voyagers were carried from their capsule to waiting chairs, the camera view constantly cut off people's heads, he could not for the life of him think of getting both crewmen in the same view, and at times didn't even bother to aim the camera at anything other than the ground- and upside down.

Get used to this view, folks... Once the shuttle retires and all we have left are overpriced trips on the Russian rockets, we won't see our high definition, good quality camerawork that we are used to. We'll be dependent on landing our astronauts in frozen or desolate wastes, with poor Russian camerawork, and it will be a long time until we return to the American way.

ISS in orbit. View of the Central Truss and solar panels.

Meanwhile, ISS Expedition 23 begins with the Soyuz departure. The change of command ceremony was held yesterday, and Russian Commander Oleg Kotov takes over. There are currently three ISS members, and they will be joined by three more on April 4. The Expedition 23 expansion crew will arrive by a Russian Soyuz. The shuttle Discovery will launch to the ISS on April 5th to bring up more equipment.

By Mark Daymont
spacerubble.blogspot.com

A National Geographic Special. Asteroid Impact!

Could an asteroid impact with Earth wipe out the human race? Known Universe explores what is being done to prevent such an Armageddon by heading to the first line of asteroid defense: the Lunar and Planetary Laboratory in Arizona. Here we see the technologies used to monitor the skies for near-Earth objects, including a football stadium-sized rock that will pass close to Earth on Friday the 13th, April 2029. Scientists predict it may be so close that gravity could cause a catrophic collision.
Be sure to watch this Known Universe show on the evening of April 1st on the
National Geographic Channel.

I know I'll be watching :)

Mr. Williamson