Day 8 -- Half Way Point Again?

Well, fact of the matter is that we aren't sure if we're extending any further. There is a potential for that though...depending how EVA 4 goes in 2 days. Today was team picture day, which is a little early in the mission. I think they chose today so that no one would dress up for Halloween, not that anyone would...most of us are a serious lot. I didn't even realize today was Halloween until i got to work and some one told me "happy halloween." Yes, i'm somewhat slightly dazed (although i'm washed). There's a tough reference for you!?

Today we handed over to the orbiter so that they could dump some water. So it was a pretty busy day for us. And the rest of the mission is in a state of flux right now. There are some proposed plans in the work, but we'll see what we walk into tomorrow.

A special guest will be visiting us tomorrow. I'm not sure i'll see this special guest in the flesh, but there is a small possibility. Stay tuned to tomorrow's post to find out who it is...

Day 7 -- Half Way Part Duex

Well here we are...at the half way point again. Today the mission was extended an extra day. And today we had some issues with the the solar array deployment. When the crew was deploying the second solar array wing, they noticed a tear in it. What does that mean? Well, i'm not sure right now. I know that when i left today, engineers were still looking at the issue. Some think that this may have been a pre-existing issue from when we retracted the array on the 12A.1 mission last december. Remember we had some issues with that?

Why oh Why didn't we just use nuclear power?

Sorry that my posts have been somewhat bland lately. I'm just a little too tired to put forth a decent effort.

Day 6 -- Half Way There

Today was a fairly good day. We're half way through the mission. There is talk that the mission may be extended a day. Today we handed over attitude control to the orbiter and they turned the mated stack around the other way. Now we're flying forward...usually when the orbiter is attached we fly backwards. We fly backwards to protect the orbiter's belly from micrometeorites. For today, we're flying forwards to protect the orbiter's main landing gear from thermal extremes.

The end of today's shift snuck up on us today. We weren't ready for the next team. Time flies when you are engrossed in your job. So the last few hours of the shift were a maddening whirl...

i like a maddening whirl...

Day 5 -- Direct Handover

Ugh...missions just suck the life out of you. The only thing i want to do when i get home is sleep. And we're not even half way through yet...

Anyway, today the crew went outside for another EVA. The crew removed a set of solar array wings (P6) in preparation for a move to the outboard port side of the vehicle. The P6 is in a park position until it can be relocated.

The other task we completed today was a direct handover from the orbiter to the ISS in CMG momentum management control mode. While successful, it didn't quite work out as planned. Thanks to an excellent recommendation by Christina, the team was able to successfully complete the handover without any further issues. We think we know what happened...that's always good news to figure things out.

Not much else to report...hope you are enjoying the great weather?

Day 4 -- The Lights are On

Today the crew ingressed Harmony. The lights were turned on the and hatch was opened. She's clean and tidy inside...however, that won't last too long.

The ADCOs didn't have much to do in the way of executing any tasks...however, we had plenty to deal with. Rumors started to trickle down to us and we were unhappy with those rumors. Without going into the boring details, lets just say, i have no idea what i'll be walking into tomorrow morning. I knew of at least 4 different paths we could end up on...

Today was also the last day of peace before the mission gets tough. The calm before the storm...

I'm going to bed...

Day 3 -- Harmony attached

Today, Node 2 (or Harmony) was temporarily attached to the international space station. I say temporarily because it will be relocated to a new location once Discovery leaves. Right now Discovery is attached to the port, which itself will be relocated to the end of the Node 2. Then Node 2 will be relocated to its permanent location. Harmony will increase the habitable volume of the ISS.

I'm quite tired today, so i'm turning in early today. For continuous mission updates, visit this site frequently.

Tomorrow should be a rather light day for the ADCOs...

Day 2 -- Docking

Today we had quite a smooth shift. We successfully docked Discovery to the ISS. It's always nice to perform a docking the way it was intended. When we practice docking simulations, we are bombarded with failures to prepare us for very difficult situations. without failures, docking is a piece of cake. We had a good day.

I wonder what tomorrow will bring...

Beautiful Wall Art

And here are my beauties. Displayed in the proper way when not hugging me... I told you that i had a surprise post...this is it. Not what you were expecting, huh? That's why it was a surprise... ha ha.

But really, just a few more things for the studio and she'll be done. I still have 2 other guitars floating about the house, but when i tried to hang those, they just didn't sit right...so i may have to come up with another solution for those...or i could just leave those in their stands.

I was a bit hesitant to drive dry wall anchors into my newly painted walls...for if i screwed that up, it would be a rather noticeable mess. Luckily, things worked out and i gathered the courage to drive those into the wall. The guitars are secure...away from direct sunlight, heat, and cold...they rest comfortably, and are pleasing to the eye.









Sorry the pictures turned out so crappy...i didn't have time to polish them up. So for now they'll have to do.

BTW, i typed up this post sitting on my new comfy love seat, listening to some groovy tunes in the studio. Nice and relaxing...

Day 1

Day 1, the easiest of them all...is done. Melissa and I were the first shift of this long mission. But we made it through. Today was the easiest of them all. All we did today was prepare for the next 10 days. Actually we really only prepared for a few days. The next two shifts will do the same thing. Tomorrow is the big day for us ADCOs, docking day. This is one of the days that we train heavily for, it's ADCO's day.

I'm starting to feel really tired right now...i think i could easily fall asleep. i need to hold on a few more hours. I did run a few errands before i made my way home. Stay tuned for a surprise post...it may not be today, but soon...

Weird...

It's a little weird to be going to bed at this hour. I was able to get some things done today though. Petey got a checkup (i.e. state inspection) and is good to go for another year. I also updated the iPod with the new Finding Reason logo (pretty cool to see the logo...almost like a real band logo.)

I also found some time to do some work in the studio...wow...i'm outta practice. Hopefully i'll have some additional time to spend in there...after all, i do have comfortable seating in there now.

I paid some bills...never a fun thing to do. The next few days i have a few other errands to run, and with my work hours, that shouldn't be a problem.

Here We Go!

Whether we are ready or not is of no consequence now...the game is on! Discovery and her crew is successfully and safely in orbit on the way to a rendezvous with the ISS.

Well, now i know what i'm doing over the next few weeks. Missions can be very exhausting...but somehow, once it's all over, it is a great experience. The good news is that Melissa will get to fly her mission (we hope she gets to fly all of it).

I have some things to do before i settle in to a long and arduous mission.

As before, I will probably be keeping an active journal of the days activities and accomplishments...

Waiting...

Right now i sit with my eyes struggling to stay focused on the tv. I'm awaiting the launch of Discovery. I was up at 4am trying to get some sort of sleep shifting in. If Discovery launches, then i will try to prepare mentally to the long road ahead, 12 or so days of work starting at 3:30am. Uggh. At least we'll be busy...perhaps too busy to notice that we should be asleep when we're not. Our bodies will remember though. I have to wait another 2 hours to determine what my near future holds.

On another note, Petey's repairs were a success further than i could imagine. Not only is the shifting secured, but the repair has made the shifting more precise which has had a noticable affect on performance. I can make quicker, more precise shifts, for smoother acceleration and drive. I'm pleased with my $3 fix. Petey is enjoyable to drive again, like when new...however, i'm still looking for that new car to come at the end of this year or the beginning of next year (my guess is, it'll be next year...just because there are only 4 days left in this year when the vehicle will be released for sale.

Around the Bend

Brandon and Jessica recently took a trip to Texas's Big Bend National Park. Here are a few pictures from their trip. (Brandon, i bet you are wondering how i got these pictures...hope you don't mind me posting them?)



Jessica relaxin' at the camp site.



Brandon on the top of the worl... er, Texas.





The private one-room nylon chalet.


I think if you put a saddle on this guy, you could ride him around...

Concrete is HARD...

Amid the PeTey repairs, laundry, house cleaning, flower bedding, and lunch (thanks mom and dad), there was some other repairs going on. I don't have before or after pictures because the demolition started while i was out working on Petey. The threshold to my french doors was badly rotting away. So we decided to try to fix that. Dad brought a replacement threshold, but it turns out that this was height dimension was too big. Since i don't have a lot of wood working tools (perhaps i should've asked melissa wallace?) we couldn't plane away the material to make it fit.

So, off we go to Home Depot...turns out that even though the particular threshold i have is quite common, Home Depot doesn't carry it, nor does Lowes. Since i had a nice gap where the old threshold used to be, we had to do something to prevent the weather from getting in. After comparing the old threshold to something that might work, we decided to give it a try.

Got home and started drilling the necessary holes in the concrete so that we can secure the threshold. This is where the title of this blog comes in...concrete is hard. I wasn't able to get very far (must've hit some large stones or something...). We decided to try a bigger masonry bit that i had to see if the masonry bit that i had was defective or not...Well, the bigger bit was able to chew down a little more, but not much more. I didn't have the right tools to do the job. But, thanks to Josh (it must be borrow Josh's things weekend?) we were able to get the 6 holes drilled that we needed to drill. Thanks Josh. However, it took me 3 masonry drill bits to do it...the first two melted on me...that concrete just ate up those bits. Concrete is HARD.

Well, we got the thresholds in, but we'll need to do some additional dimensional changes to make it all work smoothly. But for now it works.

Busted Knuckles

It's a good feeling when you bust up your knuckles...especially if it saves you nearly $500. Today i performed the workaround to the problem that the mechanic found regarding my shifter cable. So, Chrysler designed this POS device...in the first picture, you will see a ring around a pin...yeah, that's not supposed to be like that...i don't know what it supposed to be like. According to the mechanic there is some sort of plastic part that centers that pin in the ring. Well, of course plastic does fatigue...and break. It's not so easy to replace that "plastic" part in the ring...Chrysler doesn't make a part for that...you have to buy the entire shifter cable , which costs about $240. Add in mechanic's labor to replace the entire shifter cable system and you're lookin' at about $450-$500.



So...at first i was a little concerned. The mechanic said that the vehicle would be rendered stranded if this thing broke--which is a true statement...i can't shift gears without it. It sounded as though the part was nearly going to break...that was the concerning part.

I popped the hood and searched around and saw what the mechanic was looking at...and that is something that i noticed probably more than a year ago. At least Chrysler designed it so that the cable wouldn't easily pop off the pin.

A quick search on the internet yielded the $3 solution. I spent roughly 20 minutes on this workaround (and it probably works better than replacing the entire cable anyway). I was so excited that things were going together so smoothly, that i complete forgot to take a picture of the workaround before i replaced the air filter box. Well, i took a picture of the fix after everything was back in place...





I busted my knuckles trying to get to the other cable which is under a bracket that i decided was more trouble removing that what it was worth. At any rate, the cruiser is fixed...and i saved $497. So, i charged myself $497...hmm...i think i'll buy some winter clothes...

Current FR Logo

Here is the current version of the Finding Reason logo that i mentioned a few days ago.

Cushy Comfort

I'm one step closer to finishing the studio project. With the help of Josh and Avy, we were able to retrieve the love seat from IKEA and get it in the studio with no problems. We actually had more issues removing the packaging than the transporting. So a BIG thanks goes out to Josh and Avy. Thank You!

So, here is a few pictures of the new seat of love, er... love seat. (The pictures aren't that great, low battery power prevented me from using a flash...batteries are charging)






So, what's left of the studio project you ask? Well, i think i'm going to hang the guitars on the wall. I just need to find some good wall hangers. I think i'll spin by Guitar Center to see what they have...otherwise i'll order them online. Hanging the guitars is two fold, 1) frees up some valuable floorspace and makes the room look less cluttered, and B) guitars make for nice wall art. And for the rest of the walls i'll add some additional wall art.

Tid Bits...

I have nothing profound to say tonight so i'll leave you with some tidbits.
Tonight, the MudDogs won the final game of the regular summer season. We should be advancing to the playoffs for the third consecutive time. Hopefully this time, we will prevail as champions. Second place is getting old.

But with the upcoming mission, that championship run may have to wait. The next mission is scheduled to launch...in less than a week!! Yep, it almost seems like yesterday that i finished my mission. But attention has turned to Melissa Green's mission--a very complex mission. And with melissa less than a month away from having her second child, we are definitely paying close(r) attention. Currently i am melissa's backroom support for the mission. Should the little tyke come a little early, i'll move to the front room and Lisa will take my place in the backroom. Needless to say, we are hoping that melissa gets to fly her mission...since she's done all the planning.

Sadly, i've been quite busy of the last few weeks and haven't spent too much time in the studio. The time i have spent in there has been shared between working on music and working on the new Finding Reason logo. I think we've got something to work with. The current version (which i don't think will change that much) is on the Finding Reason myspace page. I'd post it here, but it's on the other computer...and i'm too lazy to go get it. Let me know what you think? You may be seeing it in the future...

Not a Fan...

I'm decidedly not a fan of jury duty. A wasted day is all it was. I made it to the bonus round, but then after telling us to come back 3 hours later, we were all eventually dismissed. They decided they didn't need a jury. Ugggh. so much productivity lost on account of the judicial system. Oh well...i did start reading (again) that book i never finished way back when.

Now, with my ever fluctuating schedule, i must now get some sleep, since i have a Sim starting at midnight. Oh, i hope i can make it through...

Todd is grumpy...

Sonic Drive-through?

Seriously? Why does Sonic have a drive-through? My brother, sis-in-law, and I contemplated this very question while we sat at the outdoor picnic area of East Bernard's new Sonic. You really don't get your food faster do you? If you decide to park, you still get your food in your car. So, i think i have an answer...Sonic has a drive-through for the reverse-challenged. Those that are afraid of R go through the drive through at Sonic.

And who rocks your face off?? Sonic Radio...that's who! (This was heard at the sonic...i wonder if that channel is on satellite radio?

Really, the weather is really nice in the evenings. It was enjoyable to sit outside and not be bothered by bugs or humidity.

Petey Update: BTW, PeTey is the name of my cruiser...I know, not very original...I figured i'd give it a name before i got rid of it. So, Petey had the radiator cooling fan replaced and the overheating issues have gone away. However, the tech uncovered some other issues that may require attention. In the eyes of the tech, it almost requires immediate attention. Money-hungry basters... Anyway, he's not completely out of his mind, the issue at had would leave me stranded. Now, i turn the evil eye toward Chrysler for making a part so cheaply that it isn't even servicable...you have to buy the entire component if this piece breaks. I was kinda bummed when the auto shop told me this and then gave me the estimate of nearly $500 to fix the problem. Well, in my wallowing in self pity, i did some research on the internet. Some other PT owner encountered the same problem...but designed his own fix for around $3. Yep that's three dollars. In fact, i think his fix is probably how the thing should've been designed in the first place. Once i have a little time, i'm going to employ the fix and then i'll post the results. What should i buy with the $497 i'm going to save?

And on another subject, i'm excited. This post comes to you from my parents house. While you may think that's not unusual, you've posted from there before...you'd be right. However, i was able to link up with a wireless network. No, EB is not WiFi...that i know of. But this wireless link is much faster than that darned old phone line. Let's just say, the neighbors are nice around here...probably too nice.

Tonight we had 'show and tell' night. Mom dug out all of the artwork that me and my brother did over the years. Some of it's pretty good...i kinda remember doing some of it. I just wish i could remember the book that i used to make that one drawing from...it was an awesome book.

I have run out of things to say...other than, hello to melissa wallace...she's working one of the worst shifts in all of flight controller land...i know she frequents this blog from time to time...wake up...the sun will rise soon enough. :)

How Does It Know?

Seriously, how does it know? How does your car know when you are about to sell it? Inevitably, the car knows, and then makes your life that much more complicated. Right now the Cruiser is getting a new cooling fan installed (which involves a lot more than i thought a cooling fan replacement would need). This was the culprit behind my recent spouts of overheating. I figured it was better to spend some money now, instead of spending a lot of money later. I hate to invest money into something that wont' be around much longer.

Oh well, i'll just dip into my Infiniti down payment fund to pay for it all. I hate to do that, but it's better than paying for a whole new engine.

Ughh...the little annoyances in life...what's your 'favorite'?

Discover Card a Callin'...

I'm sure by the end of the day, i'm going to receive a call from Discover Card Services. Why you ask? Well, i don't use that card all that often, and usually for small purchases. Today, i made large purchases.



I just couldn't make it another 3 or 4 months on my old tires. So, i had to buy the cruiser new sneakers today. Luckily i had today off and i could spare the time to wait while they were installed.



Directly from the tire store, i made voyage to IKEA to see if they had what i wanted for the studio. Good news is yes, they did have what i wanted...and it is so comfortable. This particular item had to be ordered and will arrive (at the store) in 2-3 weeks. The bad news, i need to figure out how to transport it. I refuse to pay their ridiculous shipping charges. I think the package will be just a bit too large for the cruiser.

Weekend Update:

Saturday Night i spent in EB with mom and dad, since we were going to a family reunion in Austin on Sunday. Seeing family is a good thing. It was a nice distraction from the usual grind.

So, some of you have already seen my new frames that i bought a few weeks ago. I just realized that i haven't posted any pictures of the new specs. So, take a good close look Luke, it's just me ... Uncle Todd. No need to run away...



And on a final note, I'm not dating anyone. Some of you have been asking who kelly is. She is a friend, and the wife of a good high school buddy of mine. She just likes my blogs. Don't you??!

Farewell

Poor Pepe died tonight. Well, i'm not sure his name was Pepe, and i'm not even sure he was French. What i do know is that the poor critter wasn't wearing reflective clothing and tried to cross the dark road in the dark night. Sometimes you just can't help it.

Does anyone know how to get pepe stink off of your vehicle?

One Billion Dollars!

Sorry, I couldn't resist the urge. The Senate has approved an extra billion dollars for NASA's budget in FY08. Good news. The House also approved an increase in NASA's budget...now it comes down to negotiating the actual value of the increase. Full story here.

50 Years!

Today, the space age turns a young 50 years old! The Russians launched Sputnik into orbit on this day, Oct. 4, 1957.



To learn more about the Sputnik story, tune into this Wikipedia site.

It's hard to believe that the space age is only 50 years old. We've come a long way in 50 years time...too many advances to list here. Once upon a time we were in a race against the Russians, now we work with them and call them our friends. And we currently work together on the world's grandest engineering project.

Without the advances made over the last 50 years, my signature would not have made it on orbit.





I blurred out the other signatures on the card since i didn't have their permission to post. We signed this card and sent it up on a Russian Progress vehicle during Increment 14. I think LA enjoyed all the "personal" items that we sent to them during their 7 month stay.

I'm sure the next 50 years will yield even more exciting events!
Again, Congratulations to our Russian friends on 50 years!

Another Peek

Ok, i think you deserve another glance at the studio.



Before...



After...

Now, keep in mind that this wall is not finished. Paint wise it is done, i still need to add the wall decorations. I haven't acquired those just yet, but i'm still searching. And frankly, the pictures don't do it justice. Gonna have to see this room in person...when it's completely finished.

As you can see i did a little re-arranging. Some of the re-arranging you can't see is that i re-arranged the all the wires. Moving the CPU from the left to the right made for a mess of wires...i hate wires. But i'm much happier with the new arrangement. I'm also considering moving everything about 3" to the left to center that whole set up on that wall.

If you were to zoom in to the computer screen, you'd see that i'm working on the newest Finding Reason tune. Well, i'm not making any changes to the music, i'm just trying to learn the sequencing and such. I really like this new song. I hope you do too...

Stay tuned...
Rock On!