Justifying Yourself in Zero Gravity

"Why do we need to go to space?"

"Why are the benefits we can see from all the expense and effort?"

"Can't you do this research on the ground?"

These questions are becoming more and more prevalent in queries from the press to the astronauts in space.

It's no surprise since rumors have been circulating that the Obama administration will be making huge cuts in NASA. The Moon shot and Mars expeditions that President Bush announced publicly over a year ago are also in danger of being reduced, or scrubbed altogether.

A sad day indeed, when America can't afford to look beyond its borders and forge new futures for new generations, rather than borrowing from them.

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Adventures of a Super Cub

Atlantis to Rise

Mission to Service NASA's Hubble Space Telescope 
Veteran astronaut Scott Altman will command the final space shuttle mission to service NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, and retired Navy Capt. Gregory C. Johnson will serve as pilot. Mission specialists rounding out the crew are: veteran spacewalkers John Grunsfeld and Mike Massimino, and first-time space fliers Andrew Feustel, Michael Good and Megan McArthur. 

During the 11-day mission's five spacewalks, astronauts will install two new instruments, repair two inactive ones and perform the component replacements that will keep the telescope functioning into at least 2014. 

In addition to the originally scheduled work, Atlantis also will carry a replacement Science Instrument Command and Data Handling Unit for Hubble. Astronauts will install the unit on the telescope, removing the one that stopped working on Sept. 27, 2008, delaying the servicing mission until the replacement was ready. 

Astronaut shines as JAXA’s first to live in space

Excitement is building for the upcoming STS-119 mission to the International Space Station, especially within Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, or JAXA. The S6 truss and solar arrays will be delivered, as well as Koichi Wakata, JAXA’s first astronaut to live and work on the orbiting laboratory.

“This is a very big milestone for Japan’s government, as well as for the Japanese people,” Hiroki Furihata, deputy director of the JAXA liaison office at Kennedy Space Center said. “The JAXA engineers working on the Kibo elements for a future mission are excited, as well.”