We've landed a probe on the northern polar region of Mars and it is beaming some great pictures back to Earth. A spacecraft in orbit snapped a photograph of a spacecraft landing on Mars. We're about to launch a shuttle to deliver a huge laboratory to the ISS. So what was the coverage on the news I saw today and what subject dominated the NASA pre-launch press briefing.

The toilet on the ISS is malfunctioning.

Sigh.

Posted by: Fred Kiesche at 09:02 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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A while back I came across a list of movies, books and other entertainment items on the International Space Station. I forwarded that list to Baen Books, as I noticed that a good chunk of the titles involved were from that publisher.

Somewhat jokingly I suggested that, in the spirit of their programs to give free books to members of the military and free books to disabled readers, they ought to give free books to the crew of the ISS.

Gee...maybe I should have suggested they give me a book contract. Because it appears they listened to me!

(I can't complain. They get free books, and I got a free Baen Books apron and a bunch of bookmarks and a sheet of autographed bookplates!)

Posted by: Fred Kiesche at 07:47 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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They've gone and planted a flag on another planet. Again!

Seriously folks, take a look at this image. The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter took a shot of Phoenix as it was landing!!!

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The first pictures are coming in from the Mars Phoenix Lander (only on television nothing on the web yet). From the looks of things, Phoenix managed to miss any rocks and the area that we've seen (so far) actually looks very flat. Can't tell if the surface is ice and dirt mixed, ice covered by dirt, dirt-colored ice or what. One picture being displayed is of a landing pad, it does not appear to have sunk into the ground much (if at all).

UPDATE: Raw image, taken directly from television, now available.

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Ernst Stuhlinger, one of the last members of Werner von Braun's original rocket team has passed away.

Stuhlinger was a key inventor of ion propulsion, a system that has been used successfully on several missions to the Moon, the asteroids and one comet. Probably more of the public know him than they realize, thanks to his work in the 1950's Walt Disney television shows which featured realistic depictions of voyages to the Moon and Mars.

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The Mars Phoenix Lander has successfully landed in the northern polar region of Mars. Waiting on the first pictures.

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Fred's Reading Report (April 200

O.K., it's that time of the month again!

Eighteen books YTD! 187 short works!

Which is to say...there's good news and there's bad news. For short works, if the goal is one short a day, I needed to be at 121 stories by the end of April. So, I've exceeded that goal. For long form, 18 books is better than one book a month for a year, so I'm way ahead of 99.99% of the people I know (many barely manage a book a year, for all love). more...

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