Our Moon 3/28/15

Here's my photo of our moon from Saturday, march 28, 2015. I'll probably update this with the hi-res image later today (3/30). Canon Powershot (50X)

CCarson 3.28.2015

NASA Social #StateOfNASA at John C. Stennis Space Center

I was VERY fortunate to be selected to attend the NASA Social event for the #StateOfNASA address given on Monday, February 2, 2015! 

Here is a bit more about the event. I chose the John C. Stennis Space Center because it's close to me than any other AND I have been remiss in not visiting it these past years I've lived in New Orleans! It was about time! 

"If it goes to space, it goes through Mississippi!"
"If it has engines, it goes through Mississippi"
~ Charles F. Bolden, Administrator of NASA

Here's an article The University of New Orleans put out and I am SO excited and happy that they didn't alter my quotes. I truly feel this way about STEM / STEAM education and space exploration!

The day was AMAZING! I got to meet the movers and shakers at the John C. Stennis Space Center, have behind-the-scenes tours, ask questions about the programs and work done there, watch a live broadcast of the national #StateOfNASA address with other media, and be one of the voices of Stennis during this day. It was such an incredible honor and I absolutely LOVE and admire the important work being done there. There were only three of us so I truly felt like I had a significant voice that day! We also got to go out to the engine testing stands - the GIGANTIC B-stand and both A stands. The Stennis Center, grounds, fee area, and buffer zones are absolutely massive. NOAA offices, various research buildings, and universities also share the grounds. 

After that, we spend some time inside the Aerojet Rocketdyne building and got to see engines being put together in various stages. 

There was even a room where 1.6 billion dollars worth of finished engines were being stored under giant white tarps (being pumped with dry air). SO COOL!!! I am planning to take a group of UNO Physics students up to visit Stennis! I'm including the link to my twitter transcript for that day in this blog post because it's too long to paste the text, shared articles, and photos! Here's the LINK Do check it out if you have time!

I was tweeting under myself @Conductor222 and The Solar System @The_SolarSystem 

Though it's rather lengthy, I'm thrilled that I was able to get so much information out about what I was experiencing, what we learned about Stennis' role, and fun times during the day. I was able to do it with two twitter accounts. Most of my Solar System followers are scientists, photographers, educators, big space fans, folks who work on NASA missions, some NASA missions themselves, and even accounts such as ESA's Rosetta and the CSA. I'm pretty proud of the fact that the account has a solid science, space, and STEM reach. I also learned a TON by preparing a few info. tweets beforehand from articles I had read about the work that has been done at Stennis!

I hope you enjoy reading about it!

https://twitter.com/search?f=realtime&q=%23StateOfNASA%20OR%20%23NASASocial%20OR%20%23NASAStennis%20OR%20%23Stennis%20from%3AThe_SolarSystem%20OR%20from%3AConductor222%20since%3A2015-02-02%20until%3A2015-02-03&src=typd

SpaceX Dragon Launch to the ISS Aboard a Falcon 9 on January 10, 2015

I completely forgot to put up my launch screenshots! These are from NASA TV coverage.
On January 10, 2015, SpaceX's Dragon capsule of #ISSCargo launched to the International Space Station aboard a Falcon 9 rocket! I'll probably add the ones from last Fall as well, just because one can't get enough of spacey goodness.

A collage of ROCKETY GOODNESS!

We could actually watch the solar panels deploying!!

@The_SolarSystem is NOW ON FACEBOOK TOO :-)

OK, I finally (and happily) caved in and made a Solar System FB page. A number of my twitter peeps have been asking for it and that makes me very happy! I'm planning super interesting articles and awesomely stunning space photos etc. I invite you to give it a "LIKE" if you'd be so inclined You should also like the official NASA Solar System Exploration FB page so give that some love too! 

Here is the link to my small (but good) potatoes page.
https://www.facebook.com/SolarSystemAmbassador

O Gentle Light

O Gentle Light of the holy glory of the immortal, heavenly, holy, blessed Father, O Jesus Christ: Having come to the setting of the sun, having beheld the evening light, we praise the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit: God. Meet it is for Thee at all times to be hymned with reverent voices, O Son of God, Giver of life. Wherefore, the world doth glorify Thee. (Russian Orthodox trans of the Phos hilaron).

NASA-app image info at this link: http://www.nasa.gov/content/goddard/hubble-sees-turquoise-tinted-plumes-in-large-magellanic-cloud/#.VE3FuiLF-So

Ideas for WORLD SPACE WEEK Activities from The Solar System

IT'S WORLD SPACE WEEK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This post is written for those who may not have World Space Week activities in their areas or the ability to travel to an activity. World Space Week  #WSW2014  is from October 4-10.

“The General Assembly declares 4 to 10 October World Space Week to celebrate each year at the international level the contributions of space science and technology to the betterment of the human condition.”
                                 ~ UN General Assembly resolution, 6 December 1999 

Founded in 1999, it has grown larger each year and often has an annual theme. In 2013, there were more than 1400 events in 80 countries! This year's 2014 theme is a new satellite navigation theme “Space: Guiding Your Way”, aiming to inspire millions! Check out this link to see events in your area or to search for specific events. 

I hope you enjoy these space-related ideas - It's certainly not a comprehensive list, but just a few suggestions from yours truly :-)

The Pleiades Deep and Dusty
Image Credit & Copyright: David Lane

- Go outside & look up! Honestly, this most basic activity is often forgotten!
- Join The Planetary Society
- Find when the ISS passes overhead & wave at it!

- Write a poem or read a poem about space, the sky, or technology each day

- Plan a trip to one of several NASA, CSA, ESA, or other space facilities!
- Check out NASA TV, Star Walk, & all sorts of Space apps - there are so many!

- Write a THANK YOU LETTER to a space agency or an astronaut. Make a copy for your                senator, governor, or school.
- Think about the Universe and our place in it for one solid minute!

- Check out NASA's EYES ON THE SOLAR SYSTEM - http://eyes.nasa.gov/index.html 
- Donate space-themed toys to children and/or education programs
- Write to your government asking support for your national space agency
- Wear a space t-shirt

- Science lesson plans for kids
- Watch a documentary about space
- Support STEM Education and the STEM Education Coalition

- Read about human space flight - Here's one site

- Check out http://www.spaceflightnow.com/ 

- Listen to the sounds of space - Voyager, The Sun, a Meteor Shower 

- Follow space organizations on social media and keep up with posts
- Make plans to visit a planetarium or local observatory if there are any in your area
- Look into your local astronomy society and check their activities

- Check out NASA's SPACE PLACE and activities, printable PDFs
- Learn about one astronaut each day this coming week. Here are some NASA astronauts
- Drive out to where the sky is dark and spend the evening stargazing
- Read an article about space

- Sign up for an online astronomy class - such as this one

- Check out some astronaut and space facts here
- Learn about current missions

- SPACE-THEMED BAKING - someone needs to do this for me, LOL!
- Make a solar system in an arts & crafts project
- Listen to Holst's "The Planets"

- Other NASA space education activities

- Leave other suggestions in the comments or send me a tweet!

- Again, go outside & look up!

Filaments of the Vela Supernova Remnant
Image Credit & Copyright: Angus Lau, Y Van, SS Tong (Jade Scope Observatory)
http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap131001.html 

SpaceX Dragon Launch to the ISS Sept 21, 2014

At 1:52 AM EDT on Sunday, September 21, 2014, SpaceX launched its Dragon capsule aboard a Falcon 9 rocket to deliver cargo and several science experiments to the ISS. It had been scrubbed from the previous evening due to weather constraints, but I stayed up and watched the launch via NASA TV. I'm always excited to see a launch! 

You can also watch it launch here

Here is my photo collage from the launch!

Also check out the space humor between agencies - see tweet below from the Canadian Space Agency to SpaceX after the initial scrubbed launch! OPEN ARM, HA! 

A Prayer for Quiet Confidence

A Prayer for Quiet Confidence

O God of peace, who has taught us that in returning and rest we will be saved, in quietness and confidence will be our strength: By the might of your Spirit lift us, we pray, to your presence, where we may be still and know that you are God; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

~ Book of Common Prayer

Sand tufas and the Milky Way by Celso Mollo

Episcopal Prayers at the Close of Day

Look down, Lord, from your heavenly throne. Illuminate the darkness of this night with your celestial brightness, and from us, the children of light, banish for ever the deeds of darkness. God our judge and our teacher, let us not waste time when the day is done in guilt or self-reproach. Give us rather the courage to face whatever has been, accept forgiveness, and move on to something better. Amen. (from the New Zealand Prayer Book)

NASA / Hubble image of Messier 5

NROL-33 Launch on an Atlas V

This is a delayed post since it's June, but I wanted to save my launch photo collage somewhere and summer is a TIME TO CATCH UP for me! Back on May 22, the classified NROL-33 satellite launched aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket. 

My FAVORITE shot that I took during the video! NROL-33 lifts into the air!

I watched online, as I do frequently for various launches. I also tweeted the launch and made a collage of launch photos which always goes over well online. From what I understand, the NROL-33 is a satellite launched to join a constellation of spacecraft in GEO orbit to relay for the US Reconnaissance Office - stuff like imaging. SUCH an interesting article HERE at spaceflight101.com and also some basic info about this launch at its ULA site. Launches have always fascinated me and I get super excited watching them. Once at UNO, I brought a few folks into my office to watch one with me because it was during the school day. The sheer power used to gain lift and then speed is amazing. Then, the booster separation and different propellant to push it further away from Earth's gravity and yet, into orbit, is also mind-blowing for me! 

Collage from iPhone video, a bit poor, but whatever

Episcopal Prayers at the Close of Day

From the New Zealand Prayer Book:

Lord it is night. The night is for stillness. Let us be still in the presence of God. It is night after a long day. What has been done has been done; what has not been done has not been done. Let it be. The night is dark. Let our fears of the darkness of the world and of our own lives rest in you. The night is quiet. Let the quietness of your peace enfold us, all dear to us, and all who have no peace. The night heralds the dawn. Let us look expectantly to a new day, new joys, new possibilities. In your name we pray. Amen.

A Starry Night of Iceland
Credit: Stephane Vetter (Nuits sacrees)
http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap110517.html

Episcopal Prayers at the Close of Day

From the Book of Common Prayer, 1979

O God, your unfailing providence sustains the world we live in and the life we live: Watch over those, both night and day, who work while others sleep, and grant that we may never forget that our common life depends upon each other’s toil; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Three Galaxies and a Comet
Image Credit & Copyright: Miloslav Druckmuller (Brno University of Technology)
http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap131020.html

Episcopal Prayers at the Close of Day

From the Canadian Prayer Book:

To you before the close of day, Creator of all things, we pray that, in your saving constancy, our guard and keeper you would be. Save us from troubled, restless sleep; from all ill dreams your children keep. So calm our minds that fears may cease and rested bodies wake in peace. A healthy life we ask of you: the fire of love in us renew, and when the dawn new light will bring, your praise and glory we shall sing. Almighty Father, hear our cry through Jesus Christ, our Lord, most high, Whom with the Spirit we adore forever and for evermore. Amen.

Milky Way Over Spain's Bardenas Reales
Image Credit & Copyright: Maria Rosa Vila
http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap130902.html

Episcopal Prayers at the Close of Day

From the New Zealand Prayer Book:

Support us, Lord, all the day long, until the shadows lengthen, and the evening comes, the busy world is hushed, the fever of life is over, and our work done; then Lord, in your mercy, give us safe lodging, a holy rest and peace at the last. Amen.

A Milky Way Shadow at Loch Ard Gorge
Credit & Copyright: Alex Cherney (Terrastro)
http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap100823.html

Many more Episcopal Prayers at the Close of Day at my Episcopal Space blog site and some here on Carsonia as well, just type in "Episcopal prayers" to search.

Episcopal Prayers at the Close of Day

Tonight, I offer two short prayers. One is adapted from the BCP via www.EpiscopalShare.org and changed slightly to reflect my love of SPACE! I'll be using this one almost all the time :-)

God, grant as we probe the wonders and mysteries of the universe, we may come to know you more truly! Amen.

From the New Zealand Prayer Book:
Look down, Lord, from your heavenly throne. Illuminate the darkness of this night with your celestial brightness, and from us, the children of light, banish for ever the deeds of darkness. God our judge and our teacher, let us not waste time when the day is done in guilt or self-reproach. Give us rather the courage to face whatever has been, accept forgiveness, and move on to something better. Amen.

Star Forming Region in the Small Magellanic Cloud, NASA Image
www.nasa.gov/multimedia/imagegallery/image_feature_448.html 

The MOON

Here are four photos of our Moon that I took recently!  Canon Powershot 50X zoom
1. Wed., Jan 22 2:30 a.m.



2. Closeup of CRATERS - I really can't believe this camera can get such a zoom!

3. This one was taken from the UNO parking lot in the morning! You can still see craters! I darkened it slightly and that's why it looks so grainy.

 

4. Crescent moon from the Crescent City. The moon was setting and to catch it, I had to climb up into the attic and take the pic through the dirty window, but it still came out pretty well :-)







ÖWF, PolAres, and Aouda Spacesuit Lab in Innsbruck, Austria

My Visit to the Austrian Space Forum





Earlier this week, on Tuesday, July 29, I had the honor of visiting the ÖWF  (Öesterreichisches Weltraum Forum), the Austrian Space Forum! Just how did I come by this terrific experience? Twitter! That's right...I mentioned something about JUST arriving in Innsbruck too late and missing an awesome European space tweetup (a meeting in person for those who have met online and share / tweet about similar interests) and the fantastic Remco Timmermans (@timmermansr ), head of World Space Week (another link explaining the event HERE), saw my tweet and wrote that while I was in Innsbruck teaching, I should try to meet a few Austrian spacetweeps and he gave me their twitter handles. As it turned out, the wonderful, witty, and sweet Olivia Haider (@olidax ), chief financial officer and social media guru of the ÖWF, wrote me back! So, after teaching a while and getting my bearings in Innsbruck, we made a plan to meet at the forum office so I could see the PolAres program and see the Aouda spacesuit lab! Needless to say, I was very excited!!!

Olivia Haider

From the website: "The OeWF is The Austrian Space Forum (Österreichisches Weltraum Forum, OeWF) is a national network for aerospace specialists and space enthusiasts. Our organization serves as a communication platform between the space sector and the public; it is embedded in a global network of specialists from the space industry, research and politics." ~ http://www.oewf.org/cms/oewf_en.phtml

It has a history and habit of outreach to young people in Austria and beyond!
They told me some of the plans for the following day included setting up a telescope with a solar filter in the Old Town near the Goldenes Dachl (Golden Roof) for the morning and a city park for the afternoon. The goal was to give young people....or any people really, a glance at the sun and to talk to them about the sun and space! How COOL!

Some of the OeWF's recent projects include:
- PolAres field simulations - In February 2013, the team went to Morocco to do testing in high temperatures and arid environment. They conducted an analogue Mars field simulation to prepare for future Mars missions.
- Stratospheric balloon tests
- Aouda - Aouda.X Analog spacesuit prototype for planetary surface exploration

- Phileas - a rover built for robotic work and in cooperation with astronauts

When I arrived, the president of the board of the OeWF, Dr. Gernot  Grömer, and Olivia Haider greeted me. We went upstairs to Dr. Grömer's office to chat for a bit. He is charming, brilliant, funny, and very hospitable. We talked about how the ideas of space exploration, and in particular, Mars exploration, are becoming more widely accepted in places like Austria and how the forum is expanding its outreach and media efforts across all ages. He mentioned that now, instead of saying IF we go to Mars, more people are saying WHEN we go. That is a giant leap of progress!

Dr. Gernot Grőmer, President of the Board of the OeWF in his office w/ a lovely Alpine setting

Next, we went into the lab and I saw a 3-D printer that they had assembled. This was a treat for me as I had not yet seen one in person. Dr. Grömer told me that they had a previous opportunity where people could write code for the printer and send it to the OeWF. What resulted was that some people wrote code to make it move and used the different pitches of the printer's movements to create music. One such piece that someone wrote for was the Star Wars "Imperial March"!   HAHAHAHA!

Following this, I met "Dignity" the grandfather of the Phileas rover that was given to the European Space Agency (ESA) in 2009.

It was very special that I got to play with the rover. My goal was to move it across the floor and pick up a candy bar.....which just happened to be a Mars bar :-)

SUCCESS! I did it :-)

Proof that I did picked it up off the ground :-)

Now it was time to see the Aouda spacesuit!
I was able to touch it and ask questions about the suit. Analogue means that it is the practice /ground version of  the suits the astronauts wear and not the real one. Nor is it always hooked up to working cameras, air systems, etc.

Inside was a rather low-tech piece of blue pillowed cloth and I wondered what it was for.
Dr. Grömer told me that when you begin to sweat in the suit, your nose begins to itch. The stripe of pillow cloth is actually for you to scratch your nose! I also got to see some of the garments worn by astronauts. In particular, an inner layer for underwear, has a unique cooling cloth which was very interesting.

We talked a little about upcoming projects including an event for World Space Week where the OeWF Innsbruck office and lab will be the hub of activity for Austrian space events. THIS IS SUPER EXCITING!!!! They will include live feeds interacting with the OeWF for a number of events.

Mars meteorite at the OeWF

I cannot thank Gernot and Olivia enough for taking their time out to visit with me and to let me play with their rover and see the lab! I had a wonderful time. For more information on the OeWF, see the links above or contact them! Know that space exploration, serious and recognized research, and tons of science is being done in Austria at the OeWF sites! They are an inspiration!

Follow them on Twitter!!! @OEWF and @halidax

Planet Earth Says "Cheese"!

Did you #WaveAtSaturn on July 19th? I did from Austria and I said "Cheese!" 
Yes, I'm a space nerd...and proud of it :-)

Think of all that you know of the past, present, and future: people, places, things, memories, experiences, etc. Now look at this stunning image from the Cassini spacecraft near Saturn showing our Earth from 898 million miles away. Cassini has been orbiting Saturn for about fifteen years. Taken last Friday, July 19th, with the sun behind Saturn, its rings beautifully backlit, it's the first time Humanity has been aware of its being photographed as a whole.....HOW COOL IS THAT?! It was all over the internet and people were trying to drum up support across the globe to wave at Cassini during the window of photograph time.

It is the first interplanetary photograph of Earth taken in natural COLOR as well! In a couple of months, the full mosaic of photographs taken of Earth from this vantage point will be ready to view. I have to add that it's very nice to see Earth as we see other planets....little dots of dim illumination. It actually makes it much easier for me to imagine that we might truly be looking out into space upon another Earth like our own. Why not?

This image was taken on July 19, 2013 and used the wide-angle camera on NASA's Cassini spacecraft. What a stunning view of Saturn's rings and Earth. Photo: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute

There have been only two images of Earth from the outer solar system in all the time humankind has been exploring space! The first one, taken by Voyager in February 1990 from four billion miles away, showed Earth as a pale blue dot.

The other was taken by Cassini in 2006 from 926 million miles away. This one used infrared and ultraviolet sensors instead of natural color. Still, it is STUNNING and will always be! 
                 http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/photos/imagedetails/index.cfm?imageId=2314

Photo credit: NASA/JPL http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/photos/imagedetails/index.cfm?imageId=2314

Talk about perspective! Just how do you feel about being so small and precious, living in a "Habitable Zone", balanced JUST IN THE RIGHT SPOT for life to thrive? I'm in agreement with a large number of people (many scientists as well), that the more I read about, see, learn of our place in the Universe and space in general, the more it points to a Divine influence and creator. Whether or not you feel this way, you must admit that these photographs show us in a particular framework of being vulnerable and tiny within the vast cosmos. Within my lifetime, we WILL become interstellar explorers (I've been stalking Voyager data lately, will post about that very soon!) SO EXCITING FOR HUMANITY!!!!!

Houston...We've Got a Pr.... NASA Social - POST #1

N A S A   R O C K S  ! ! !

I decided, a day or so before the deadline, to apply for the ISS (International Space Station) NASA Social that was held in Houston at the NASA Johnson Space Center. I found out that I was accepted for the event on my way to Dallas, Texas for the national ACDA (American Choral Directors Convention)!!! WOOHOO!!! So, my rejoicing and nerding out began a week before the event :-) We returned to New Orleans from Dallas on Sunday afternoon. Monday after classes, I hopped back in the car and drove straight to Houston, fortunately avoiding traffic during the entire trip. I will split this fabulous experience into a few different blog posts!

The NASA Social description is here: "Go Behind the Scenes of the ISS"

http://www.nasa.gov/connect/social/social_ISS_JSC_mar2013.html

Needless to say, I was SUPER EXCITED! Back in October, I was lucky to attend the NASA Social event at the Goldstone Deep Space Network (DSN) (previous blog post here) which was an amazing adventure and a chance to learn much more about how radio astronomy works. Considering my favorite spacecraft is Voyager 1, it was the experience of a lifetime!

This event in Houston was MARVELOUSLY done! Every step well-planned and full of awesome.

Some of the highlights of our NASA Social tour included:

Speaking with science researchers whose work is enabled by the ISS

Asking questions of NASA Astronaut Karen Nyberg, European Space Agency Astronaut Luca Parmitano and Russian Cosmonaut Fyodor Yurchikhin during a March 19 press conference about their upcoming Expedition 36 to the International Space Station

Touring unique facilities, including:

     - the Robonaut Laboratory
     - the Mission Control Center - I had always wanted to see this in person!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
     - the Exercise Equipment Training Facility

We got to Learn about:

Current scientific experiments underway aboard the space station and new experiments planned to launch in the future

Commercial and educational research opportunities enabled by the station's microgravity environment

How researchers study the effects of a weightless environment on the human body to help protect astronauts for long-duration spaceflight missions in the future

How the space station is being used to test groundbreaking, new technologies that will help astronauts safely reach new deep space destinations, including an asteroid and eventually Mars

Our tour opened at the Space Center Houston with a welcome from enthusiastic Joel Montalbano, the Deputy Manager for ISS Utilization. Then, we 

moved into a small auditorium and had a terrific presentation by fabulous Liz Warren, of Barrios Technology, [ @Spasmunkey ] on the science and other activities on the ISS.  and we could ask questions about anything.

I hadn't know it, but at any given time, there are between 100 -125 experiements going on in the ISS! The majority of what the astronauts do is scientific research.

We then moved to our shuttle buses, for which I quickly created a Foursquare "Cool Bus" check-in :-)  #nerdmoment  Susan Henderson was the escort on our bus and she was awesome! Lynette Madison was the other escort and equally awesome! So full of information and enthusiasm for the day!

Our first stop was Bldg 5 - the Space Mission Simulation Facility (including the recently retired Shuttle Mission Simulators, or SMS, the ISS Mission Simulator, and the Orion Mission Simulator). Here, it was so cool to walk through the hall and see various mission programs honored with plaques and pictures.

We made our way through to the ISS astronaut training facility! This is a mockup facility where astronauts train for moving through the ISS and for problems that may arise. It was HUGE! 

To our delight, Rick Mastracchio, astronaut, was our tour guide! What a great guy! He showed us all through the mockup and talked to us about what it is like to be aboard the ISS and the level of athletic training one needs to stay fit up in space. We got to ask him a ton of questions! He graciously took his time out to have a picture with us in small groups - so nice! He also told us "Don't press any buttons" :-)  the facility was laid out exactly as the ISS is and it was VERY cool to be walking through there, seeing what the astronauts see. This is as close as I will ever get to actual space exploration and I'll take it!

Astro Rick showed us some computer areas and issues, how they maneuver around, alcoves, how there is as much technology on the ceiling as there is on the walls, and explained that there is constant science going on. This is one of my favorite pictures because the mockup is life-sized and you gain perspective on how the astronauts live and move within a confined setting. Just remove gravity and we're all set :-)

There are storage facilities, labs, sleeping areas, etc. The permanent crew is six people. Astro Rick mentioned that people must get used to weightlessness and be well before launching.

When asked how they avoid getting sick, he talked to us a little bit about how astronauts were quarantined for two weeks before going to the facility from which they would launch. 

The actual living space on the ISS is about the 
equivalent of one-and-a-half Boeing 747s (roughly).
The main ISS area was put together piece by piece,
by bolting giant modules to one other to form one 74m-long tube. Inside, most everything is built into the walls and the ceiling to provide for space to get around. To the right, you see a computer station with at least five monitors.

Below, you see an ISS hatch diagram schematic with hatch closure directions. This also shows you how the modules are connected. Here is a link to a YouTube video of hatch closure as the crew of Expedition 33 begins their return home. It is from Nov 2012.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ICiyc_c2hIo

The ISS moves at 17,500 mph relative to the Earth and It takes 90 min to circle the planet which turns out to be 16 complete laps every day. I asked both Astro Rick and Susan Henderson (whose husband is Astro Clayton Anderson) whether or not they knew that some people wave and say hello outloud to the ISS as it passes overhead  : )

The above is a picture of several #spacetweeps with Astro Rick (I'm on far left) :-)

The next post will cover our visit to Building 9 and the Space Vehicle Mockup Facility. My pictures are posted on Facebook  here.