Expanding the Outpost

Well, folks, the Orbiter undocked successfully this morning and that ends the 13A mission for the ISS team. Of course, we are waiting in anticipation of the the safe landing of Atlantis on Thursday, but we have to continue with our 24/7 operations and planning, as well as some recuperating from the past two weeks. Due to the difficulties encountered this mission, this doesn't just include us folks that supported console operations, but our team members back in the office, who were supporting 24/7 meetings, brainstorming to come up with ideas, so that we on console could do our jobs. A big thanks to them!

Oh, and I have rejoined the world of the living... :)...for those of you who thought I had dropped off the face of the planet.

There are going to be lots of amazing pictures of ISS floating around, but let me start off with one that my branch chief sent out, as well as some words from one of our Flight Directors.

Congratulations to the 13A/STS-117 team – Not just the real time execute teams, but the ‘Team 4’ support, SPAN, the Program and Engineering teams and everyone else who stepped up to help out.

With the undocking this morning of STS-117 from the ISS, we have completed one of the most amazing demonstrations of team effort that the Programs have seen in recent memory. The mission objectives were accomplished, and then some. The Station is one step further along to final configuration. But beyond the measurable objectives, the joint Station and shuttle team, and the international ISS team, have elevated their team efforts to an unprecedented level.

What was more important, though, was the way the entire community stepped up to this challenge. Over the next several days the whole NASA team, and the ISS partners, engaged in a magnificent exhibition of teamwork, technical competence, and old-fashioned determination to work through the options and resolve the problems. We demonstrated the best of what we value as Mission Operations Directorate (MOD)– Teamwork; Discipline; Toughness. And it wasn’t confined to the MOD team, or the station or the shuttle teams.

Every member of this community engaged with whatever they could bring to the table. The Engineering and Program Office communities were fully engaged and the level of cooperation was exceptional. The RIO and HSG teams played a crucial role in helping us engage with our Russian partners, whose willingness to work with us for a solution was remarkable. Offers of assistance came in from around the Agency, and many former NASA and MOD team members came back from their new positions to add whatever they could.

Every member of the team performed in an exemplary manner, and each of you can be justifiably proud of the job you did. Significant personal sacrifices were made in many cases and the hours were long. Gladly, the outcome was positive and much of the ‘what if’ work was never put into play. But that does not diminish the fact that we stepped up to those challenges as a team we and were prepared to respond to any contingency.
This is the stuff of which NASA’s legacy is made. These are the characteristics and values that made our reputation…and ensure our future.

Congratulations – to the ENTIRE TEAM - on a job well done!

Russian Computers

So, if you aren't on my Space Geek Central distribution list, you may not know that we are having some very serious problems on board the space station. All of the Russian computers have failed and the system that my group takes care of (Attitude Determination and Control) is very dependent on these computers. There is really too much to tell, so reference this article, it has a really good summary...and leave a comment if you want to be added to my distro list.

http://www.spaceflightnow.com/shuttle/sts117/070614computers/index6.html

I am now going to go read something non-space related so that my brain can rest and I won't dream of work for the third day in a row.

Proud Auntie!

My nephew, John Michael, just cut his first tooth! He'll be 6 months on the 17th. I can't wait to see him again!

Mommy Monica feeding John Michael cereal while Grandpa Mark watches.

He's just soooo cute!

Dragons and Blueberries

So I finally relented to the request of my friends, Laura and Kristen, and joined them and Houston Heat (that's the team, not a description of the current weather) out on the lovely brown waters of Clear Lake (really the bay, not a lake) for an adventure in Dragon Boating. Wondering what that is? Well, since I didn't take my camera (Melissa+camera+large body of water=...seriously?), here's a picture from Houston Heat's site:

It's basically a long boat with 20 people in it sitting side by side, paddling at the same time. What's interesting is that the way you paddle is completely different from canoeing or kayaking. You use your back (leaning forward when you put the blade of the paddle into the water and sitting up for the stroke- a technicality I struggled with). Judging from the loud protesting of my lower back and um, posterior, today, I must have done it it right at some point... I had fun. I am going to try it again after the mission and see if it warrants paying the membership fee. The practices are every Saturday and since I didn't even buy season Dynamo tickets because I knew I am never in town...well see.

Next it was on to Moorhead farms, north of The Woodlands (south of Conroe) for some blueberry picking. My friend Pam and I have been planning this for oh...since last year. The only time that worked for both our schedules was yesterday at about 2pm.

Yep, that's right...standing on a muggy Texas blueberry field during the hottest part of the day frantically trying to fill a 4 gallon bucket with berries to rationalize the 1hr+ drive to the farm before we melt or die of heat stroke.

I pulled the wuss card first and called it quits...with 7.04 lbs of blueberries to my name. Pam beat me with having picked a little over 8 (it's that medical school efficiency I tell you!). Anyways, I am excited to make all sorts of blueberry goodness goodies.

The bags are getting frozen...the bowl contains endless possibilities of baking experiments...

My friend Lisa and I are planning on going blackberry picking as well. Hmm...my freezer is groaning at the hinges. 3 lbs of strawberries (Walmart had a sale), 7lbs of blueberries...and now blackberries? I wonder if they make TARDIS freezers? (For those who have been British science fiction deprived, that's a Dr. Who reference for you- old school, not the new one)

In Memory and Thanks

Twice a year, our country as a whole stays home from work to honor those who served for, fought for, and for some, died for, our country: Memorial Day and Veteran's Day . There is no mail, no garbage collection, no summer school. Few businesses are open. We BBQ and go to the beach, relax with family and friends, thankful for an extra day off where we don't have to use vacation time. This is all fine and dandy; I love participating in these events and plan to do so this year, but over the last couple of years, I have endeavored to pause for a moment on these days and remember why I have the day off.

War is controversial topic in our society today and perhaps, it has always been and will be. Should we or shouldn't we? Too much money or not enough money? Expand or decrease the size of our military? Heated debates fill the headlines and our ears during the evening news. And we get tired of it...tired of the same arguments, tired of the constant politcking, just tired of the same old same old...and we stop listening. We stop thinking about the men and women who are overseas fighting for a reason we may not completely understand, we stop thinking about those who are still here in the states, training and preparing, we stop thinking about the young men who turn eighteen and have their name added to the draft list, and we stop thinking about those who have already been through this.

I am 26 years old and have seen two wars, the Gulf War and what is currently going on now, which, in my own ignorance, am not sure if it has been called anything but "what is going on in Iraq". I remember arguments for and against both of these wars and one thing that sticks out in my mind is my dad telling me that no matter what you believe about the war, you HAVE to support the people who are over there fighting. You have to. My dad is a die-hard Patriot. We have several American flags flying in our yard and several others inside our home. My dad hoisted a Britsh flag as well when Tony Blair and the British troops joined our fight against terrorism. I, like most of you, have relatives that fought in past wars: WWII, Korea, and Vietnam. I have friends now who are serving in the Navy, Air Force, and Air Force National Guard.

I had the chance to visit Washington DC about 3 years ago and was able to finally visit all the memorials I had read about in Social Studies and US History. I remember standing in front of the Iwo Jima Memorial reading the names of the soldiers depicted in that sculpture. I recognized one name that I had become familiar with as I helped my friend Lynn write out wedding invitations just a few weeks before. Right then, I called her and asked if she had a relative who had died on Iwo Jima and was in the raising of the flag picture. "Yeah, an uncle, or I guess he was really a great uncle". Rene Gagnon to be exact. Amazing how a personal connection, however, remote, can change your perspective about war.

So this Memorial Day, I challenge you to take a moment to make it personal. Send that friend of yours who is stationed in Iraq an email thanking him or her for serving our country, call up a relative who is a veteran and thank them. Be on the look out for older men wearing baseball caps telling of what war, what service they served in and go up to them and shake their hand. I recently had the opportunity to talk with some Blackhawk pilots who were stationed in Honolulu as my friends and I waited to be seated at a restaurant. When our buzzer went off, we got up and I turned around and thanked them for their service to our country. Well, maybe they thought I was just weird, but I was sadden to see the surprise on their faces when I spoke those words. Maybe, we just don't thank them enough.

Humphrey and Friends

Remember the television show, Reading Rainbow? I distinctly remember this book being read and feeling so sorry for the lost whale.

Now there are two more whales that are stuck, Delta and Dawn. A mom and baby. You can read the article here. The junior high I went to specialized (sorta) in Marine Biology, kind of odd for an Arizonan school, but then maybe that is why all the students were so interested in it. Each year, there was a special trip to California, focusing on marine biology- whale watching, snorkeling at Catalina Island, dissecting fish at Scripps Institute in Long Beach. It was an awesome program. Oh and by the way, there is an amazing IMAX film out there, probably one of the best I've seen.

Makes you want to be a diver and preserve the reefs. Watching things like this are a kinda of like smack on the back of the head, saying "wake up- take the time to appreciate His creation!"- (betcha ya didn't know slaps on the back of the head could talk, huh?). What an awesome, omnipotent, omniscient God we have that can keep track of all of those little organisms and still love, care for, and discipline us. "Great are the works of the Lord, studied by all who delight in them. Full of splendor and majesty is His work, and His righteousness endures forever." ESV, Psalm 111:2-3

Hammer Time

So I added 4 Hawaii photos to The Wall. The Wall is my black and white photo collage I am creating with b&w pics from all the places I travel to...



Unfortunately, I couldn't seem to find one of the gazillion hammers I own (well, okay, I own two), so I nailed the little hook things in with a can opener (after trying the screwdriver and the case of CD-RWs...I don't recommend trying the latter).

So, the three people I am appreciating most today: 1) Grady, my pastor, for continually striving to fulfill his role biblically as a pastor and also for opening his heart so that God can speak through him. This past year we have been in the book of Exodus. Grady is preaching through it verse by verse and what I have learned would fill books. Thanks Grady! 2) TimaSue- for her wisdom and goofiness...like when we were in the Polynesian Cultural Center and she tried to say "Fijians" but the dancers from Tahiti were still quite on her mind and it came out "Fahitis" which she then tried to cover by saying "Fajitas". Maybe not funny to y'all, but coming from the perspective of someone who is constantly channeling Yoda, I did appreciate her attempt :). 3) Desiree and David- for being so hospitable and opening up your home for fellowship, fun, and good food. Thanks guys!