Space shuttle Discovery and a crew of seven astronauts are beginning a 13-day mission to the International Space Station.
Discovery’s two solid rocket boosters ignited right on schedule at 6:21 a.m. EDT, sending the shuttle soaring past the launch tower at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Commander Alan Poindexter will lead the STS-131 mission to the International Space Station. Discovery will deliver a multi-purpose logistics module filled with science racks to be transferred to laboratories on the International Space Station. The mission will feature three spacewalks.
Mastracchio and Anderson will conduct three six-and-a-half-hour-long spacewalks on flight days 5, 7 and 9 to replace an ammonia tank assembly, retrieve a Japanese experiment from the station’s exterior and switch out a rate gyro assembly on the S0 element of the station’s truss. STS-131 is the 33rd shuttle mission to the station.
You can follow the STS-131 mission until the shuttle lands back safely to earth over at http://www.spacevidcast.com
If you don’t have a computer to hand you can still tune into Shuttle audio on reflector 9877 via IRLP / Echolink connected nodes.
The crew of space shuttle Endeavour awoke at 4:14 p.m. EST to the song “Forty Years On,” the Harrow School in London song, played for Harrow alumnus Mission Specialist Nicholas Patrick.
After further analysis of the center disk cover interference issue, the teams determined that there wasn’t an issue with relocating the cupola. The crew will spend time today preparing the cupola for its relocation.
Today, Terry Virts and Kathryn Hire will latch onto the cupola with the station’s robotic arm. They then will move the cupola to its permanent position on the Earth-facing side of the Tranquility node and then open the hatch. Robert Behnken and Stephen Robinson will grapple Pressurized Mating Adapter-3 with the station’s robotic arm near the end of the day for its relocation on flight day 9.
Endeavour’s 13-day flight will include three spacewalks and the delivery of a connecting module that will increase the International Space Station’s interior space. Node 3, known as Tranquility, will provide additional room for crew members and many of the space station’s life support and environmental control systems.
Attached to the node is a cupola, which is a robotic control station with six windows around its sides and another in the center that will provide a panoramic view of Earth, celestial objects and visiting spacecrafts. After the node and cupola are added, the space station will be about 90 percent complete.
To find out more about the current STS 130 Mission see – http://www.nasa.gov
The ABC Television series, “Last Man Standing” is about Mike Baxter (played by Tim Allen), a marketing executive for “Outdoor Man,” a fictitious sporting goods store in Colorado. Mike, is a “man’s man” and involved in all kinds of outdoor activities including hunting, fishing, camping, hiking, boating. Likewise, Mike (and Tim) has a love for all the electronics that go with these activities. Among Mike’s interests is Amateur Radio (Ham Radio).
Tim's character (Mike Baxter), is KA0XTT. This is a call sign the show cleared for use on air. "XTT" is a bit of a private joke as Tim's character name on "Home Improvement" was Tim Taylor. So, ex T. T.
In the show’s radio inventory is currently an ICOM IC-9100 HF radio, an IC-92AD dual band, hand-held, a Heil PR-781microphone, a Daiwa CN-801HP SWR/Power meter a Comet CAA-500 antenna analyzer and a Iambic CW Paddle.
The South Yorkshire Repeater Group monthly meeting will be held at the Three Horse Shoes in Brierley on Thursday the 8th of December 2011 at 8pm.
Paid up members nominations for the forthcoming SYRG elections in 2012 are due within the next 21 days.
Oh and we may even sneak in a pre Chris...
Icom is organising a weekend long D-STAR QSO Party that is to be held between 0:00 on the 11th of November to 24:00 on the 13th of November (UTC) 2011.
This event differs from previous D-STAR contests that have taken place over the last few years.
Instead of competing for numbers of contact...
The Great Northern Hamfest in Barnsley has now been running for 20 years.
On the 18th September 2011, it will be somewhat special - as it is the 21st Birthday of the Great Northern Hamfest.
To celebrate our 21st Birthday, we want you to design our limited edition pin button badge.
Thi...
