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STS-119

March 24, 2009 on 9:00 am | In Space | No Comments

Once again, I’ve got NASA TV running in a small window on my computer while I work. I LOVE watching spacewalks and even the more “routine” (though I suppose nothing is routine in orbit) tasks aboard the ISS (International Space Station).

Exciting things will be happening up there over the next week or two. First, the shuttle mission is bringing more power to the station. It means more full-time station inhabitants can launch from Russia to rendezvous with the station over the weekend and take up residence. The way I’m reading the schedule, it looks like the Soyuz module with Expedition 19 will launch on Thursday and the shuttle will leave the station just before the Soyuz shows up.

Although most of the recent shuttle flights have had a lot to do with construction of the ISS, it’s still super interesting to watch. The multitude of spacewalks necessary to get the station built are probably the most exciting parts – at least for me. As a writer, I like to see where we’re at as far as personal protection in vacuum and imagine what the possibilities for the future might be.

But that’s just me. So if you’re interested in the space shuttle mission, they’ll be up there for a few more days. You can tune into NASA TV if you have sattelite TV, or you can watch it on your computer at http://www.nasa.gov/, then hit “Multimedia” and “NASA TV”.