Review Finds No Lightning damage to Discovery, Pad

I went to NASA's website to read this article, Review Finds No Lightning damage to Discovery, Pad.

According to this article, there is a launch of Space Shuttle Discovery to the International Space Station scheduled for 1 November 2010.

This is the last flight of this shuttle of the fleet.

There were five lightning strikes near the launch pad Tuesday.

But no damage to the ground support equipment or the space shuttle systems at Launch Pad 39A was found.

Expedition 25 Crew at Work, Waiting for Three New Members

I went to NASA's website to read this article, Expedition 25 Crew at Work, Waiting for Three New Members.

According to this article Flight Engineer Fyodor Yurchikhin, Commander Doug Wheelock and Flight Engineer Shannon Walker are aboard the International Space Station.

A Soyuz TMA-01M spacecraft is scheduled to carry Scott Kelly, Alexander Kaleri and Oleg Skripochka to the ISS by 9 October 2010 after a 7 October 2010 launch.

For Returning Space Flyers, a Fur Chair and an Apple

I went to Space.com to read this article,

For Returning Space Flyers, a Fur Chair and an Apple By Mike Wall (SPACE.com Senior Writer).

According to this article, a Soyuz spacecraft landed in Kazakhstan on 25 September 2010. The spacecraft carried Tracy Caldwell,

Mikhail Kornienko

and Alexander Skvortsov from the International Space Station back to Earth.

After a long stay in weightlessness, astronauts are discouraged from standing and walking right away after returning in a Soyuz spacecraft. Traditionally recovery crews lift the crew members from the spacecraft and place them in furry chairs and give them each an apple.

Emergency Water Restrictions

I suppose the biggest news around here would be the emergency water restrictions recently put in place because of the drought. We are no longer allowed to water our lawns, gardens, or scrubs. I have a rhododendron -- a "true" rhododendron -- that I planted early this spring that probably isn't going to make it. Oh, well....

AAAS Formed on 20 September 1847

I was listening to The Writer's Almanac this morning on WCVE 88.9 FM and Garrison Keillor mentioned that the American Association for the Advancement of Science was formed in 1847 on September 20 in Philadelphia.
Happy 162nd anniversary AAAS!

Monthly Meeting

Our regular monthly meeting is this coming Sunday at Books-A-Million in Colonial Heights around 2:00 PM.

Everyone with an interest in Sci-fi is welcome!

Asteroids to Pass Close to the Earth Today

Apparently, two asteroids will pass within the distance of the Moon by the Earth today: http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2010/sep/HQ_M10-128_Asteroids_Pass_By.html. They were discovered September 5 -- not much warning, huh?

Star HD 10180 in Southern Constellation Hydrus

I am reading this article, Rich exoplanet system discovered By Victoria Gill, at the BBC News UK website.

According to this article astronomers have discovered at least five planets orbiting a star called HD 10180 in the constellation Hydrus.

I am reading this article, Richest Planetary System Discovered Up to seven planets orbiting a Sun-like star at the European Southern Observatory website.

According to this article, astronomers who made this discovery used the HARPS spectrograph, connected to ESO's 3.6-meter telescope at La Silla, during a study of star HD 10180 for six years.

Star HD 10180 is 127 light-years away from Earth.