endeavour launch set; giffords returns for husband's flight

from usa today: The space shuttle Endeavour stood poised for its final launch Sunday on Kennedy Space Center's launch pad 39A. Endeavour, with a crew of six astronauts, is scheduled to blast off this morning at 8:56 on NASA's next-to-last shuttle mission. NASA officials said Sunday that conditions — from weather to technical issues - couldn't look much better. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz., the critically wounded wife of mission commander Mark Kelly, arrived Sunday at Kennedy Space Center, her staff reported... Her staff says she will not make any public appearances. Her launch viewing location has not been disclosed. The staff plans to hold a press conference after the launch. President Obama, who came for the initial launch try, will not attend. He will be in Memphis visiting residents flooded out of their homes.

Joining Kelly on the 16-day trip to the International Space Station are pilot Greg Johnson and mission specialists Greg Chamitoff, Drew Feustel, Mike Fincke and Roberto Vittori of the European Space Agency. Endeavour's grand finale is a 16-day mission to deliver a $2 billion cosmic ray detector to the space station. Also flying in the shuttle's expansive cargo bay: a pallet of large spare parts that will help keep the outpost operating through at least 2020. The flight is Endeavour's 25th since a maiden voyage 19 years ago this month. The youngest shuttle orbiter was built after Challenger and its crew were lost in 1986. The Endeavour mission faces schedule challenges as a result of the two-week slip. The delay knocked the work schedules of the shuttle and station crews out of sync.

video updates: endeavour rockets into orbit on its final flight*
NASA astronauts use robot to inspect shuttle*

capt. kirk wakes up the discovery space shuttle crew

from cnn: At the intersection of science-fiction and science-fact was William Shatner on Monday. As James T. Kirk, the fictional captain of the Starship Enterprise, Shatner voiced the opening credits of the original "Star Trek" TV series and several movies since 1966. The 79-year-old actor reprised his role to wake up the crew of the space shuttle Discovery at 3:23 a.m. ET Monday. "Space, the final frontier. These have been the voyages of the space shuttle Discovery. Her 30-year mission: To seek out new science. To build new outposts. To bring nations together on the final frontier. To boldly go, and do, what no spacecraft has done before," Shatner said over the "Theme from Star Trek." This is the spacecraft's final scheduled mission. It has made 39 flights and 13 journeys to the international space station. Discovery undocked from the space station for the final time at 8:37 a.m., according to NASA, in preparation for its flight home. Discovery is scheduled to land at Florida's Kennedy Space Center shortly before noon Wednesday - one day later than originally scheduled. The nearly three-decade shuttle program is scheduled to end later this year.

moonrise as seen from iss

Italian astronaut Paolo Nespoli takes pictures from the International Space Station (ISS) such as the spectacular distorted moonrise above. Nespoli posts his pix online for your viewing pleasure--pure eye candy!

international space station's moon transit

French Astrophotographer Theirry Legault captured image, at right, of International Space Station crossing the Moon (near center of picture).  Legault took this impressive shot on December 20th from Normandy, France just a few hours before the eclipse. Please view article and more pictures at Universe Today.

defcon 7/1: fight the net, biomet & int'l sex station

the secret state's mad scheme to control the net*
comprehensive cyber legislation approved*
windows 8 features, like biometrics, revealed in leaked microsoft documents*
white hat uses foursquare privacy hole to capture 875k check-ins*
impediments to a post-scarcity future*
obama space plan under continuous assault*
nasa commander says sex banned aboard international space station*