High Flying

If anyone wondered why people could enjoy orbiting Earth this video will put their questions to rest. It will leave dreamers thinking how they can reserve a spot on the International Space Station. Here is your Discovery Channel link to this astonishing time lapse journey on the ISS taken on Expedition 28 and 29 between May and November 2011.

Fasten your seat belts and be sure to watch in high definition. If you need an itinerary, refer to the list below the video link.



Photo: NASA, Johnson Space Center

"It's Amazing That It Was Possible At All."

As the last space shuttle mission orbits Earth, OTR is reminded of that day in October 1957 when Russia placed the first artificial satellite in a similar orbit. He turned eleven that year and since then has spent many a night peering into that infinite, dark and jeweled dome overhead. OTR knows there will be more manned space missions coming out of both NASA and private endeavors. Still, it seems difficult to say goodbye to the thirty-year-old shuttle program that has given us so many opportunities to extend our reach of possibilities. And furthermore, we must now face an immediate dependence on the Russian space program to give us access to the International Space Station. Yes, we are stepping back a bit, but OTR hopes it is only for a moment.

Some imaginative minds at The Sagan Series on Facebook,com have created a most entertaining video on our once vigorous space program and why it is such a compelling aspect of the human--especially American--experience. OTR thinks it will be the most uplifting five minutes and forty-four seconds you'll have today. Do enjoy.

Here is your link via Moonbattery. Don't let the accompanying commentary depress you. Though what is says is honest, OTR doubts the policies will survive beyond January 2013.

Photo: Atlantis liftoff, July 8, 2011. Credit: NASA

Space Stations and Mullah Missles

Last night, I went outside about an hour after sunset to watch the International Space Station (ISS) pass over my house. Atlanta was in the last grasps of an arctic dome of cold, clear air, so the pass was exceptional, rising in the northwest, reaching a height of 61 degrees, and disappearing at the horizon in the southeast after 112 seconds. Earlier in the day, I noticed that my source for the flyover time - Spaceweather - also listed the near tandem passes for the new Iranian satellite and its booster rocket. That reminded me of another story in yesterday's news: President Obama's intention to carry out his campaign promise to pursue a policy of no weapons in space, e.g., no "Star Wars" projects. There was also news of his proposal to reduce our nuclear weapons stock to something like 500 warheads, if Russia would agree to do the same. I think there was some indication of a unilateral action to give others some incentive.

With Iran working hard to develop some nuclear capability with assistance from the Russians, our defense systems should take on new meaning. It is one thing to deal with an old adversary who shares many of your Western values. It is quite another to coexist with a society bent on martyrdom as a pathway to salvation. I hope we are looking beyond Russian missiles when planning our tactical response to threats from the sky. The Iranian space program may have more in store for us than opportunities to watch their latest achievements in space drift over my house.

Granted, it has been a very rough two weeks for the new administration, undoubtedly the worst in my 50 years observing such transitions. We can afford neither the instability nor the soft leftist thinking that appears to be seeping into our defense policy. The world is watching every move, every minute. Let's not give them opportunities to see weakness. As my life unfolds, I want to be assured that the bright fast-moving "star" coming over my horizon is the ISS or another object I can enjoy watching.