Space exploration

I love space stuff. I'm not sure what it is that fascinates me so much. Maybe it is the stuff of science fiction that comes true every day. Maybe its because I can't read stuff about outer space without hearing a Star Trek theme playing in my head or even Major Tom (Space Oddity) or Rocket Man. But, I love this stuff. I get the NASA updates emailed to me so I can follow the stuff going on.

Didja know that we have an American and a Russian (NASA Science Officer Mike Fincke and Expedition 9 Commander Gennady Padalka) are living on the Space Station right now? They completed their fourth and final space walk of a six-month mission Friday. There are so many cool aspects of this mission to me. The international teamwork is one of them. The American's space suit malfunctioned (great American handiwork, I'm sure) before the third space walk, so he has been using a Russian spacesuit. Fincke spent five hours, 21 minutes outside completing mainenance tasks and installing antennas to prepare for the initial arrival of a cargo ship next year.

Five hours floating in outer space. How scary and exhilarating must that be at the same time? The spacewalk was the 56th in support of Station assembly and maintenance and the 31st based from the Station. In all, Padalka and Fincke have spent 15 hours and 45 minutes outside the Station during their four spacewalks together. To date, spacewalkers have spent more than 338 hours outside the Station for maintenance and assembly work.

For more information about the spacewalks and other real-life space stuff, you can check them out at informational website for the International Space Station at http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/station/ You can even see pictures of Hurricane Frances from the Space Station.