Each astronaut took time to thank their families and the people who helped with training and operations.

Perhaps the most poignant comments considering the upcoming retirement of the space shuttle came from the rookie, Pilot Terry Virts, who said that standing by the space shuttle prior to launch, listening to it come to life, filled him with pride to be an American. He thanked everyone who had worked on the shuttle program, and the audience erupted in loud applause.

Steve Robinson added to these sentiments by thanking the workers who have already left the program, saying that he was grateful to them for making "this dream come to life." He asked that if anyone knew any retired NASA workers to please thank them.

I must admit I got a little choked up when he said that, as someone who worked the first shuttle flights, standing there wearing my NASA Alumni League badge. The 14-year-old son of one of my good friends came up to me afterwards, and said, "I'm supposed to say 'thank you' to you' so 'thank you!'"

The crew were so tired that JSC Director Mike Coats forbid them to stay after the ceremony and sign autographs.

It is hard to believe that there are only four more shuttle flights. The old workhorse has just about finished assembling and outfitting the International Space Station. Another Expedition crew is getting ready to launch, and the next shuttle is scheduled for April 5.

To the stars,

Marianne Dyson

NSS Advisor
Join NSS (and me, too) on Facebook!
http://www.mdyson.com

Once the shuttle docks with the station, the real moving begins. The crew gets up about about 4 PM Houston time on Tuesday, works overnight, and goes to bed about the time Americans are getting up.

This puts most of the action of this flight during the late evening and wee hours of the morning. But don't worry, you can catch the highlights most mornings. Check the NASA Website or CBS site for the schedule.

Here's a quick summary of what's happening on this flight:

The first EVA starts on Thursday night around 8 PM Houston time and ends Friday around 2:30 AM. The Tranquility Node will be lifted out of the Shuttle bay and installed on the port side of the Unity Node. Highlights will be aired at 10 AM Houston time Friday.

Friday night, the crew will open the new module for the first time. But they won't be looking out through the cupola yet. They have to move it from its launch location on the end of the module to the side facing Earth (called the nadir port). But even then, they won't be able to loook out until the bolts are removed holding the protective covers over the glass--and that doesn't happen until the third EVA. Word is that Kay Hire gets first dibs on the view.

The second EVA starts Saturday night around 8 PM Houston time, and ends at 2:30 AM Sunday. That spacewalk will include lots of long hoses and this very odd-shaped thermal blanket. The crew said they expect this one to be the most challenging.

You might plan to tune in to NASA TV on Monday night at dinner time. That's when they will be moving the PMA-3 (the bent looking "funnel") from the top of Harmony to the "outside" of the new Tranquility node. The install is scheduled for around 7:30 PM. PMA-3 was used twice for shuttles to dock to while they moved things around, but a shuttle can't dock to it in its new location. So PMA-3 is the new high-tech closet for the "rec room."

The third EVA starts Tuesday night around 8 PM Houston time and ends at around 2:30 on Wednesday. They'll be moving lots of cables and installing handrails.

It is likely that this mission will be extended to allow more time to move all the life support equipmet out of the lab and into Tranquility--it is basically becoming the gym/bathroom/kitchen/rec room, and will have the toilet and the Colbert treadmill. Destined to be the most popular room in the "house," I bet the "new module" smell doesn't last too long!

Currently, the plan is to undock on Thursday and do the fly-around at 7 PM Houston time. That will be the first time an ISS crew will get to see a shuttle fly past the new "bay" windows of the cupola. Should be some very pretty pictures!

Landing is planned for Saturday night at 10 PM Florida time.

To the stars,

Marianne Dyson
NSS Advisor
http://www.mdyson.com

This mission's primary objective is to deliver and install the last big piece of the space station, the Tranquility Node. Old models and lithographs show this "Node 3" on the Earth-facing (nadir) port of Node 1 (Unity), but a decision was made to move it the port side instead to allow it to be used as a docking port once commercial cargo ships are available.

The big picture window, called the cupola, will be moved to the Earth-facing port of Tranquility, providing a view that every member of the crew is anxiously awaiting to experience.

The pressurized mating adaptor # 3 (PMA3) is also being moved-to the port side of Tranquility. This location will not support docking of a shuttle or Soyuz, but it is hoped that it will eventually be used by commercial cargo ships. In the meantime, it will provide some badly needed closet space.

The new location of Tranqulity requires a series of complicated spacewalks to hook up the ammonia cooling system via a fancy set of "extension cords" that must be covered with a huge long white thermal blanket.

There will also be plenty going on inside the space station including a test of the recalcitrant water recycling toilet. The last shuttle flight brought back the distillation unit and discovered that it was clogged by calcium deposits. STS-130 is taking up a filter that should help prevent that problem in combination with a change in operating the system--basically emptying the tank more often. They will bring the tank back on the shuttle to see if this worked, so they want to get as much run time on it as possible before they have to disconnect it. The flight may even be extended an extra day to allow more time for this test.

If launch happens on time Sunday, Endeavour will arrive at the station on in the wee hours (12:23 a.m. Central time) on Tuesday. First EVA will be on Thursday.

I was fortunate enough to witness a night launch back in 1999. Night became day, fish jumped out of the water, and then the roar of the liftoff washed over us--powerful enough to rock our van back and forth (and blur my photos!). This is the last Space Shuttle night launch. I envy those who will experience it in person. If you haven't ever seen a launch with your own eyes, felt it through the soles of your feet, and heard it with your own ears, you may want to plan a Florida vacation between now and September when the last shuttle flight is currently scheduled. If you want to see a shuttle night launch, this Sunday is your last chance.

To the stars,

Marianne Dyson
NSS Advisor
http://www.mdyson.com

Note: any opinions expressed here are my own and not necessarily those of the National Space Society.

As a former flight controller, I can well imagine the reaction in Mission Control when those depressurization alarms went off on Thursday (Nov. 19). After all, the Leonid meteor shower peaked just days before, and a random fireball (that experts said was not a Leonid) exploded over several western states. But the data showed no leak, and the controllers soon determined it was a false alarm.

However, the station's systems had already responded automatically as they are supposed to do. The fans that keep the air flowing, shut off so as not to feed the leak. Without active air flow, hot air, which does not rise in freefall, stays put in a bubble around the hot equipment. Dust and lint in the air hang around, too--sometimes being electrostatically attracted to various things.

So no active air flow led to some dust triggering a smoke alarm in the Columbus module. It took the crew about an hour to reset everything and get back to sleep.

The alarms went off again on Friday night. This time, the two spacewalkers were in the airlock at a lower pressure to help purge their bodies of nitrogen. (The space suits are at a lower pressure, causing nitrogen to bubble out of the blood and sometimes get trapped in the joints--causing the bends--and also strokes.) The station systems responded to the depress alarm by bringing the airlock back to pressure so the astronauts could get back into the station--and presumably into a Soyuz escape ship.

This false alarm also triggered the fans to shut down, and led to two more fire alarms--one in Columbus, and the other in the Quest airlock.

I admit to having a very active imagination, but those alarms going off in the middle of the "night" while sealed in an airlock trying to sleep before my first ever space walk...would have scared me out of my wits! I'm looking forward to hearing Foreman's and Bresnik's stories after they return.

Because the pressure was raised from 10.2 to 14.7 psi, the spacewalkers had to go back to the old method of breathing pure oxygen for several hours to purge their systems instead. This delayed the start of their spacewalk on Saturday.

The false alarm was apparently caused by a problem in the new Russian Poisk module. I have not heard any details, but I doubt that the shuttle being docked was just a coincidence. I'm sure the flight controllers will figure it out, if they haven't already.

The spacewalk was lovely, though I only caught a few glimpses via my computer on a busy oh-my-the-company-is-coming-for-Thanksgiving Saturday. I can only imagine how Bresnik must have felt, trying to focus on his work with not only the gorgeous view of Earth to distract him, but knowing his wife was in labor, delivering their new baby daughter. Even so, the crew not only got all their work done, but did some extra "get-ahead" tasks.

The Bresniks adopted their son Wyatt, now 3, from the Ukraine last year--Bresnik saying that they got the call within 48 hours of his assignment to STS-129. And Abigail was born on Saturday night, during the mission, on the same day of Bresnik's first spacewalk.

As Bresnik said, "A miracle adoption as well as the miracle of childbirth, all in one year. We're just amazingly blessed."

Atlantis is scheduled to land the day after Thanksgiving at Kennedy Space Center. If so, the crew will return to Houston on Monday. What a joyous occasion that will be--time to celebrate a successful flight and the start of a new life.

This Thanksgiving, as we go around the table and share what we are thankful for, I'm going to add the wonder of human spaceflight to the list.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Marianne Dyson
NSS Advisor

The first Express Logistics Carrier (ELC-1), about the size of a small car, will be pulled from the shuttle's payload bay by the shuttle's robotic arm this afternoon. Astronauts Randolph Bresnik and Leland Melvin will "hand over" the ELC-1 from the shuttle arm to the station arm, controlled by shuttle crewmember Barry Wilmore and station crewmember Jeffrey Williams. The ELC-1 will then be "parked" on the Earth-facing side of the port (left) side of the truss.

The spares on this carrier are big heavy items such as a 600-pound control moment gyroscope, a 550-pound nitrogen tank, a 780-pound external cooling system pump, and a 1700-pound tank of ammonia. Though all these spares are weightless in freefall, they retain their mass, which means they have to be moved very slowly to keep the force (mass times acceleration) to a minimum.

The second carrier, ELC-2, will be shifted from the shuttle to the station on Saturday. The total mass of these two carriers is about 27,000 pounds, requiring the heavy-lift capability that only the space shuttle currently provides. A typical Russian Progress delivers about 5500 pounds to the station. Space X's Falcon cargo rocket, currently under development, is planned to lift about 23,000 pounds to ISS initially and up to 65,000 pounds eventually.

Spacewalkers Michael Foreman and Robert Satcher, Jr. will be camping out in the station airlock tonight in preparation for the first spacewalk of the mission Thursday. Foreman and Bresnik will be teamed up for the spacewalk on Saturday, and Satcher and Bresnik on Monday.

Atlantis is scheduled to undock next Wednesday and land at Kennedy Space Center on Friday, the day after Thanksgiving.

To follow STS-129 in real-time, I recommend watching NASA TV, reading CBS's Bill Harwood"s blogs, and following Leland Melvin, Astro_Flow, on Twitter.

To the stars!

Marianne Dyson
NSS Advisor

STS-129 commander is Charles Hobaugh, the pilot is Barry "Butch" Wilmore, and missions specialists are Leland Melvin and spacewalkers Robert Satcher, Michael Foreman and Randolph Bresnik. Nicole Stott, who is currently winding up a three-month stay as a flight engineer on the ISS, will return home on Atlantis, the last astronaut to come home via space shuttle. (The Russian Soyuz will be used exclusively for crew exchange from now on.)

The flight is delivering essential spare parts for critical station systems. Three space walks and lots of robotic arm work are planned as part of this flight.

Also being delivered is a communications unit that will be used in a demonstration of Space X's Dragon capsule in 2010. Space X is participating in NASA's Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) program to provide cargo services to the ISS.

To view a summary of the 12-day flight, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/externalflash/129_flash/

To the stars,

Marianne Dyson
NSS Advisor

The welcome home ceremony for the STS-128 crew will be held at Ellington Field (Take 45 to Ellington exit) in Houston on Saturday at 4:00 p.m. (gates open at 3:30).

This traditional welcome home, held in hangar 990, is free and open to the public, though most of the crowd is family, friends, local news media, and coworkers. After the crew make their remarks (thanking everyone), they pose for photos and sign autographs--so bring a crew photo if you have one (there are not any available there). Children are welcome, but please be aware that there are only a few chairs, and the hangar is not air-conditioned. It sometimes gets quite warm despite the fans!

Another successful mission comes to a close. A hearty well done to the crew and ground teams of STS-128!

To the stars,

Marianne Dyson
NSS Advisor

Twenty years ago, in 1989, we had just recovered from the Challenger accident, and were catching up on the backlog of shuttle payloads: 3 DoD flights, Galileo, and Magellan launched that year.

Here we are in 2009, recovered from the Columbia accident, and catching up again--we got Hubble repaired and got that final solar array and Columbus and Kibo modules up.

Some people seem to think that we've not made much progress in space, especially those focused on returning to the Moon. I admit, I am disappointed that we haven't returned, and also worried that because of the economy, we will again postpone gaining the hands-on experience with in-situ resources that is necessary to really live in space.

But then I take a good look at what is happening on STS-128. The public is not interested in this space station mission. I had to dig in the newspaper to even find a small update--and I live in Space City (i.e., Houston). Most space enthusiasts (even this one) can only barely explain what those 13 people are actually doing up there in orbit.

What they are doing mostly is maintaining a station. The shuttle brought up supplies, tons and tons of them. The crew are unpacking, sorting, storing, testing all kinds of "stuff." The shuttle brought up the equivalent of a new appliance--the new ammonia tank, essential to the cooling system. (Hey, do they get cash for bringing back the old clunker?)

Isn't this exactly what NSS members have been pushing for 20 years? Routine space life. People living and working in space. The 13 men and women up there now, that's what they are doing. They are living the NSS dream.

So it's not on the surface of the Moon or Mars. Gerard O'Neill, whose city in space inspired many of us to join the movement 30-some years ago had his students do a study--some of you all will remember--that showed that humanity's future is not on the surface of any world, but in space itself. Now we know how to live there, and are ready to go out get the materials from the Moon, asteroids, and Mars, to build those space factories and cities.

We have indeed made amazing progress. Next week, Japan will launch a new cargo carrier. NASA has let contracts to develop a commercial cargo delivery system, and the entrepreneurs have responded. The X-Prize is celebrating its 5th anniversary this fall.

Still, I'm hoping, along with many other NSS members, that the Obama administration will understand that we can't sustain a permanent presence in space without access to in-space resources. And in fact, in-situ resources are the key to our economic future as well. (Insert solar power satellite promotion here from my previous posts!)

We owe a great deal of thanks to the crew of STS-128 and Expedition 20 (and their ground support teams) for doing these "routine" jobs, hauling cargo, repairing and replacing equipment, being test subjects for the food service and medical folks, doing repetitive research to confirm results, and generally making it all look easy.

Space enthusiasts know it really isn't easy or routine, and are reminded of that when things like debris threaten the station--but thank goodness what they are doing is NOT on the front page of the papers because of some problem or failure. Perhaps the lack of news is the true sign of success and progress?

How about a round of applause for maintaining a station!

To the stars,
Marianne Dyson
NSS Advisor

PS If you want to comment on this blog, come find me on Facebook!

Still, no one likes delays, and the KSC team should be commended for their quick work in addressing the problem and getting Discovery into space safely.

The STS-128 crew includes Commander Rick Sturckow, Pilot Kevin Ford and Mission Specialists Pat Forrester, Jose Hernandez, Danny Olivas, Nicole Stott, and European Astronaut, Christer Fuglesang. Stott will replace Timothy Kopra on the station.

The crew days are shifted so they go to bed around 4 AM and get up around noon, CDT. This means all the spacewalks start in late afternoon and run during American evening hours. As always, NASA will cover the mission live online (see http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/index.html) so the best times to watch are during and after dinner. Highlights from the previous day will be shown on the hour during crew sleep, in other words, watch those when you’re eating breakfast.

Here is a summary of the flight:

Saturday, Aug 29, tile inspection

Sunday, Aug 30, rendezvous. Docking with the station at 8:03 PM CDT, welcome 9:59 PM. Nicole Stott joins the Expedition crew, and Kopra moves to the shuttle.

Monday, Aug 31, Leonardo Multi-Purpose Logistics Module (MPLM) is transferred from the shuttle to the station arm and then installed on Harmony’s nadir (Earth-facing) port.

Tuesday, Sept 1, COLBERT tread mill is transferred to the station. Extravehicular activity (EVA) #1 with Olivas and Stott from 4:49 to 11:19 CDT.

Wednesday, Sept 2, Racks installed in Destiny. Tile inspection if needed.

Thursday, Sept 3, EVA #2 with Olivas and Fuglesang from 4:19 PM to 10:49 PM CDT.

Friday, Sept 4, station crew off duty. Shuttle crew does equipment transfers.

Saturday, Sept 5, EVA #3, Olivas and Fuglesang from 3:49 to 10:19 PM.

Sunday, Sept 6, Equipment transfers.

Monday, Sept 7, MPLM (now emptied), moved from Harmony back to shuttle bay between 5:14 PM and 7:59 PM. Farewell and station/shuttle hatch closing at 9:29 PM.

Tuesday, Sept 8, Undocking at 2:27 PM with flyaround (lots of cool images) between 2:52 and 4:10 PM.

Wednesday, Sept 9, Shuttle checkout.

Thursday, Sept 10, Deorbit burn at 5:05 PM (if waveoff, would be decided before this). Landing at KSC at 6:08 CDT (7:08 EDT).

To the stars,

Marianne Dyson
NSS Advisor

http://www.mdyson.com

Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX) announced that she and Congressman Pete Olsen (R-TX) are co-chairs of a new NASA Action Space Team that will be busy advocating for space. She thanked all the politicians for being present (Houston city and Harris county reps as well as staff members from Ron Paul’s office and the Japanese consul general) and for showing their support of space through visits to DC. She encouraged every aerospace worker there to remind people of the importance of space exploration to our nation and the world. “NASA is a priority for this community.” She recognized each crewmember with a certificate.

After thanking his family for their support, STS-127 Commander Mark Polansky reminded those present “to talk it up,” so the public will know what important work they do here.

The pilot, Douglas Hurley (after thanking his wife Karen, who is also an astronaut) singled out one of those critical people who work in the space business—the lead flight director, Holly Ridings, who was present. Being one of the first women flight controllers 20-some years ago, I couldn’t help but think how her accomplishment is something that many people will not be aware of, and is certainly worth talking about!

Spacewalker Chris Cassidy, who had a carbon dioxide (CO2) buildup in his suit that caused Mission Control to cut one spacewalk short, joked about having a CO2 bubble around him, and that people should approach him with caution. But seriously, solving the problems of carbon dioxide buildup, in space suits, on the station (the American CO2 removal system failed with 13 crewmembers onboard), and in Earth’s atmosphere are important and well worth talking about.

Canadian astronaut Julie Payette emphasized that this flight was a great example of what we (humans) can do when we come together. She said we should stand tall and be proud to tell our friends and families that we “are in the business of space exploration.”

Rookie spacewalker Thomas Marshburn thanked the training team for making it possible for him to be immediately comfortable in his space suit in orbit. NASA has gotten astronaut training down to a fine art. That’s something to talk about.

Spacewalker and former Russian Mir crewmember Dave Wolf echoed the comments of the others. At the autographing afterwards, I heard him ask a young boy, “What do you like about space?” The boy was immediately tongue-tied, and Wolf suggested, “Weightlessness?” to which the boy nodded vigorously. Wolf smiled, and declared him a, “future engineer.” Setting an example for the next generation—that’s certainly worth talking about.

Finally, Japanese astronaut Koichi Wakata, who spent more than 4 months on the space station, said it “seemed like a week.” Considering that half of the media present were Japanese, I expect he will be talking about his experience for the rest of his life.

As he should. As we all should.

Talking about space is important! Whatever our connection is to space, whether we are aerospace professionals or armchair enthusiasts, let’s talk it up. Participate in the NSS Blog. Follow NSS on Twitter and connect with NSS space friends on Facebook and LinkedIn and whatever other social or business networking you do. Read some space books. Plan to attend the International Space Development Conference in Chicago in 2010. Go see one of the last Space Shuttle launches. Then share what you’ve learned and why it excites you. Together, we can build a community in space, by enjoying our space community on Earth!

The next Space Shuttle flight is STS-128, currently scheduled for launch at 1:36 a.m. August 25, 2009. I plan to be talking about it—how about you?!

To the stars,

Marianne Dyson

NSS Advisor
www.mdyson.com

The main task for the spacewalk was to install 4 of 6 new batteries that are used to store electrical power for use when the space station is in orbital darkness. No details have been released yet, but it is assumed that the unfinished activities of today's spacewalk will be added to the next spacewalk, scheduled for Friday. Another spacewalk is planned for Monday (see schedule below).

I anticipate that Cassidy and his suit will be put through some tests before he is cleared to join Marshburn as planned for the next two spacewalks. Hopefully a swap of the LiOH canister will correct the problem. If not, then Mission Control is sure to devise an alternative way to get those important batteries installed.

Here is the original plan for the rest of the mission:

Thursday is Flight Day 9. The Shuttle crew has shifted their sleep start from midnight to 8 PM now. (ISS crew sleep starts a half hour earlier.) Bed times always shift earlier during Shuttle missions because the crew has to be awake for launch and landing--and the landing opportunities shift earlier each day.

Th 7-23, First use of new Japanese robotic arm by Wakata/Kopra begins just before 9 AM CDT. Will move 3 experiments from the exposed section (farthest from the module) to the exposed facility (closer to the window). Experiments are an all-sky X-ray camera; a space environmental data measuring experiment, and a communications system that sends data between Kibo and Tsukuba, Japan.

Fr 7-24, EVA #4 begins at 8:58 AM CDT and ends at 3:28 PM. Marshburn and Cassidy complete battery swap out on the port truss. Station arm hands off the ICC-VLD to the Shuttle arm operated by Polansky/Hurley at 2:03 PM.

Sat 7-25, off-duty day. ISS crew is up at 3:33 AM, and Shuttle crew up at 4 AM CDT. Bedtime is 7:03 and 8:00 PM respectively.

Sun 7-26, At 7:03 AM, Wakata/Kopra will use the station arm to hand off the Japanese exposed section to Polansky/Payette who will use the Shuttle arm to put it into the cargo bay. The handoff should be fun to watch. Joint crew news conference at 3 PM.

Mon 7-27, EVA #5 begins at 7:28 AM and ends at 1:58 PM, Marshburn and Cassidy swap connectors on the Z1 truss (is it still called Mr. Potato Head?), install new video system, and remove insulation from the Dextre arm. ISS crew sleep begins at 5:33 PM, and Shuttle crew at 6:03 PM.

Tues 7-28, Station arm hands Shuttle back its arm extension. Hatch closure at 9:23 AM.

Wed 7-29 Undocking and fly around/inspection. These images are always spectacular, and will show the station with its new “porch” for the first time. Shuttle holds station 46 miles away from ISS in case of a problem.

Th 7-30, At 7:27 AM, Deploy Dragonsat which is the AggieSat2 and Paradigm (from UT). At 7:49, deploy ANDE-2, a DoD scientific satellite. Last bedtime is 5:03 PM, 7 hours earlier than their first night!

Fr 7-31, Crew is up at 1:03 AM. Landing at Kennedy Space Center is 9:45 AM CDT/10:45 AM EDT.

For more details, I recommend Bill Harwood’s blog: http://www.cbsnews.com/network/news/space/current.html

To the stars,

Marianne Dyson

Member NSS Board of Advisors
www.mdyson.com

His vision is OUR vision: people living and working in thriving communities beyond the Earth, and the use of the vast resources of space for the dramatic betterment of humanity.

The Apollo astronauts took those first steps toward that grand vision 40 years ago. Everyone is talking about it, and contemplating, along with the Augustine Committee, how we can tap that legacy to move forward without breaking the budget or risking lives.

While most people in the space community agree that we want to end up with thriving communities beyond Earth, opinions vary on what path we should take to get there.

Buzz suggests that the United States join with its space station partners (plus China, India, and South Korea) to revisit the Moon—but put the bulk of American investment into deep-space exploration—preparing for Mars and asteroids and beyond.

I’m only speaking for myself (not NSS), but I think we are having the wrong argument. While it is important to know where we are going in order to choose how to get there; and it is also important to understand why we want to go in order to plan for the right mix of humans and robots and equipment that must be developed, unless a need is driving us toward space, it is unlikely there will ever be sufficient funds either from the government or private sectors to create the space-faring civilization many of us envision.

So what do we need that space can provide, and provide to the point where the cost of satisfying that need makes good common sense to the majority of people, just like going to the Moon made perfect sense in the 60s to satisfy a political need?

And what do we need NOW that space can provide? I think the answer is obvious: ENERGY.

Space has all the energy we need, and then some. We already know how to collect and use this energy in space. The solar arrays on the space station have been soaking it up and keeping the lights on and pumps pumping for more than ten years. The old solar panels are still at 99 percent of their original generating capacity.

The station arrays generate enough power to support 6 full-time crewmembers and all their equipment in space. They also provide power to the Shuttle while it is docked. One of the tasks of the STS-127 space walks this week is to replace the oldest of the batteries that store the energy for use during orbital night.

So we already have solar power systems that we know will work for more than a decade under space conditions—and technology has come a long way since those arrays were manufactured.

Buzz has a good idea for us to use the space station as a testbed. But instead of just using it to test humans for long-duration missions TO anywhere—how about using it to prepare to build the first “Hoover dam” in space?

Let space become an obvious solution to an obvious need. Then going to the Moon for oxygen to supply the assembly workers in orbit and the propellant for the space tugs and supply haulers; and going to the asteroids or Mars or Jupiter’s moons for metals or water, will just evolve naturally.

People will be needed to help assemble the satellites, repair the robots, remotely control the mining and processing equipment, fly the ships, and, like the STS-127 crew is doing this week, install new equipment and replace batteries. Many of these tasks can be practiced on the station and on the Moon.

All the other reasons for going to the stars will remain: science, exploration, vacation, etc. But I believe that a true space-faring civilization will begin by satisfying a basic human need for energy.

So on this special anniversary, let us celebrate the first steps toward the vision of people living and working in space, and think about what space can do for us as well as what we can do for space!

To the stars,

Marianne Dyson
NSS Advisor

Read more about space solar power: http://www.nss.org/settlement/ssp/.

It is going to be a busy flight! Here's an overview of the first week of this 17-day flight:

Th 7-16, Tile inspection day. Let's hope the foam strikes seen during launch were not serious. If so, another inspection will occur on Saturday.

Fr 7-17 Docking at 12:55 PM Central time, with hatch opening at 2:43 PM. Celebration of first time 13 people together on the station. Seven Americans, two Russians, two Canadians (I think this is a first?), one European, one Japanese. Sadly (IMHO), only one woman (Julie Payette).

Sat 7-18 EVA #1 (of 5) starts at 10:58 AM CDT. Spacewalkers are Wolf (solid red stripes), and Kopra (white). Kopra's first and only EVA this flight (he joins Expedition 20 crew). First of 3 for Wolf. Shuttle arm work by Polansky and Payette, ISS arm work by Hurley and Padalka. Main task is to unload and install Japanese Exposed Facility (they call if "JEF") Ends at 5:28 PM.

Sun 7-19 Tile inspection, if needed, begins around 7:30 AM. Otherwise, station and Shuttle arm work by Payette and Kopra, Polansky and Hurley to unload Integrated Cargo Carrier-Vertical Light Deploy (ICC-VLD).

Mon 7-20 (40th anniversary, first humans on the Moon) EVA #2 begins at 10:28 AM. Wolf and Marshburn (dashed red lines). Transfer of equipment from the ICC-VLD to a stowage place between the port radiator and the first solar array wing. Ends at 4:58 PM.

Tues 7-21 Shuttle and Station arm work by Polansky/Payette and Hurley/Wakata to unload and install Japanese Logistics Module-Exposed Section. Begins 7:08 AM, handover between arms at 11:33 AM should be fun to watch.

Wed 7-22 EVA #3 begins at 9:58 AM. Wolf and Cassidy (horizontal red stripes). First part of swap out of 6 batteries (on station since 2000) on the far port end of the solar arrays--should be some spectacular views from there around 11 AM. EVA ends at 4:28 PM.

I'll post the second week's summary timeline in a later message. Landing is planned for July 31.

To the stars,

Marianne Dyson
NSS Advisor

PS Come join me and members of NSS of North Texas at the "Moon Day" event at the Frontiers of Flight Museum at Love Field (airport) in Dallas Sunday 1-5!

Sigh. It's never easy. Crews are used to waiting, but these delays must be frustrating for them and their families, as well as costing NASA extra money. Let's hope Wednesday will see this shuttle take flight!

Marianne Dyson
NSS Advisor

While you're waiting for launch, check out some good reads on the NSS Reading Space page: www.nss.org/books!

The chance of launching STS-127 on Sunday is around 60 percent. Cross your fingers!

Marianne Dyson
NSS Advisor

www.mdyson.com