Posted 8/19/2007 06:56:00 AM by Douglas

In case you're wondering why we're cutting mission short, Endeavour, take a look out the window.

Playing it safe, NASA shortened the last spacewalk for astronauts aboard the shuttle Endeavour and ordered the spacecraft to return to Earth on Tuesday — a day early — fearing the storm might threaten the Houston home of Mission Control.

But they did take a good picture or two:

Overheard during yesterday's EVA:

"Holy smokes! That's incredible

"It's only incredible when it's not headed towards you!"

200 miles up gives you such a clear perspective on things.

Labels: Dean, hurricanes 2007, STS-118

Posted 8/17/2007 08:00:00 PM by Douglas

As I've said before, that Space Shuttle don't fly itself:

The space shuttle Endeavour could come home a day early from the International Space Station if Hurricane Dean threatens the ground operations center in Houston, NASA officials said on Friday.

"It's not ideal," shuttle commander Scott Kelly told an in-flight press conference. "But we could potentially undock the day after the (Saturday) spacewalk and come home a day early."

The powerful hurricane was barreling northwest through the Caribbean Sea and was expected to clip Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula early next week and then move into the western Gulf of Mexico, potentially menacing the Texas coast.

This, after the Erin tried to flush South East Texas into the gulf like the turd that it is.

Gonna be a long weekend in mission control.

Labels: Dean, hurricanes 2007, STS-118

Posted 8/08/2007 07:00:00 PM by Douglas

Endeavour, go with throttle up!

Labels: STS-118