Justin scooped me!
I’d forgotten to check on the launch preparations for STS-115’s first scheduled launch attempt tomorrow afternoon. As is often the case, the Florida weather is the culprit — thunderstorms, including a lightning strike on Friday, have made NASA mission managers wisely (and per protocol) postponed the launch attempt to Monday.
Anousheh Ansari — Female Space Tourist
If her name sounds familiar, you’re right on the money. She is the chairwoman of the board of the company which sponsored the Ansari X Prize.
Ahhhh… I wish I were in her shoes (boots)!
Random Sign We’re Getting Older:
We’ll probably always think of Pluto as a planet.
Well, it’s official: Justin’s riding in the MS150 “Bike to the Beach,” a two-day, 150-mile bicycle ride from San Antonio to Corpus Christi, Texas, that roughly 4,000 riders will be participating in. Justin’s been riding with a dedicated group of cycling enthusiasts for at least 6 months, ever since he purchased a Felt road bike, and his mileage is enough to make most of us suck wind just thinking about it — 30 to 49 miles on his road bike on weekends, followed by another 10-16 miles on his mountain bike. Ouchies!
Bexar Met, our water district, banned all landscape watering last Thursday — one day before our scheduled “watering day” during water restrictions. No more hand watering, buckets or soaker hoses, sprinklers, etc. If they could find a way to account for the moisture content, they’d probably ban spitting on one’s lawn, too!
The Space Shuttle Atlantis is launching as soon as ten days from now for STS-115. This will be a very significant mission, primarily because it adds two long-overdue new solar arrays and truss segments (the “building blocks” of the International Space Station) — hardware that was originally scheduled to be assembled in April 2003. Sadly, the loss of Space Shuttle Columbia during re-entry on STS-107 in January 2003, delayed all Shuttle flights and curtailed NASA human spaceflight for over a year and a half.
First Launch Attempt: Sunday, August 27, 2006 (4:30 PM ET)
37.3 MPG at the height of summer is sweeeeet! That’s what my latest tank in the FEH (Ford Escape Hybrid) came out to. I fill up once every 4+ weeks, and that’s driving daily for errands and to visit family.
I need to post some more photos now that I finally got her washed, although I need to do some quick detailing because the Wash Tub staff cuts some corners when they’re busy. I still tip ‘em — their work saves me 5 to 8 hours of work in the driveway and garage when I do it myself (granted, I wash, clay bar and wax her when I’m doing the work, but still!)
