RETURNed TO FLIGHT!!!

Two and a half years of tears, head-scratching, ideas, planning, waiting, more planning, more waiting and it has finally come. The Space Shuttle has returned to flight. Space Shuttle Discovery lifted off at 9:39 CDT on this 26th day of July. It was a spectacular launch. I hope you were able to watch it?

Here are a few word from our NASA Administrator, Michael Griffin, "Take note of what you saw here today. The power and the majesty of the launch, of course, but also the competence and the professionalism, the sheer gall, the pluckiness, the grittiness of this team that pulled this program out of the depths of despair 2 1/2 years ago and made it fly."

There were a lot of people involved in making this happen. We say thank you to you all. We, on the International Space Station side, have continued to fly since Columbia. It's been tough, but we have managed and we've done it safely. Now with Discovery in the air, we can resume the construction efforts of the ISS and work towards Mr Griffin's and President Bush's vision of going back to the moon and to Mars. I am extremely proud and excited to be working on this endeavor! I hope to be around when the next human sets foot on the moon...and then Mars...and then....

These are exciting times...let's cherish them and not take them for granted. Let's put back the excitement and imagination back into our youth and our elderly. Maybe you too will begin to feel excited again!

Camera Problems Solved

Well, as the title alludes, our camera problems have been solved. And yes, the rumors are true. We have a new digital camera added to our family. It all started with a faltering "old" digital camera. Took that in for repair and it came back with the same issues that we brought it in for -- even though they did $172 worth of work on it. The service plan has already paid for itself. So, with an upcoming trip to Moscow, Russia, I need a camera i can trust. I bought a Canon Powershot SD400. This little thing is pretty amazing. Lots of nice features and it takes fairly decent pictures. I'll be sure to post some pictures upon my return.

On another note, the bank no longer owns my PT Cruiser. I made the last payment yesterday. So, now i can re-direct that money to other places that need it more. I am looking for some home improvement projects to get started on. I'll also pay off some lingering bills.

Stay tuned for Canon SD400 pictures...