Space Outpost "Colbert?"

CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) - NASA's outreach to the public to drum up interest in the International Space Station started innocently enough with an online contest to name the station's new living quarters.

But Stephen Colbert, a comedian who poses as an ultra right-wing news commentator on cable television's Comedy Central, nosed into the act with a grass-roots appeal that has backed the staid U.S. space agency into a corner.

The comedian's supporters cast 230,539 write-in votes to name the new module at the $100-billion space outpost "Colbert." The top NASA-suggested name, "Serenity," finished a distant second, more than 40,000 votes behind.

Contest rules stipulate that the agency retains the right to basically do whatever it wants, but it may not be that easy.

Last week, U.S. Representative Chaka Fattah, a Pennsylvania Democrat, called on NASA to do the democratic thing and use the name that drew the most votes.

"NASA decided to hold an election to name its new room at the International Space Station and the clear winner is Stephen Colbert," Fattah said in a statement. "The people have spoken, and Stephen Colbert won it fair and square -- even if his campaign was a bit over the top."

NASA is taking some time to ponder its next move.

"We have a plan and we're working with some folks and in a couple of weeks you'll know what the answer is," NASA's associate administrator Bill Gerstenmaier said.

Prosecutor: Faulty part could have destroyed shuttle

A Friendswood man pleaded guilty Monday to selling NASA a space shuttle part that prosecutors allege could have endangered astronauts’ lives.

Richard J. Harmon, 60, the former owner of Cornerstone Machining Inc. in Alvin, pleaded guilty to a federal felony charge of fraud involving a space vehicle part. U.S. District Judge Lynn Hughes scheduled Harmon’s sentencing for June when he could face up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

Assistant U.S. Attorney John Lewis presented the judge with a written summary of Harmon’s crime. It stated that Harmon, who had worked in the aerospace industry for decades, subcontracted to build two fasteners for $18,795 each and agreed to meet all precise specifications or let authorities know about any changes.
The fasteners would hold cargo to the space shuttle and prosecutors allege if a defect had caused the cargo to come lose in ascent into orbit, “it would almost certainly have resulted in the destruction of the shuttle.”
Harmon’s shop was making one of the fasteners when a cutting machine made a gash in the aluminum, and Harmon agreed to have it welded over.

He did not tell the contractor that hired him, Spacehab Inc., about that mistake, Lewis’ written fact scenario stated. Harmon also failed to inform the lead contractor, Lockheed, and NASA.
The weld caused the fastener to lose 40 percent of its strength, the government claimed. “Ultimately Lockheed scrapped the (part) because the gash and weld created too great a risk that it would fail in flight and destroy the space shuttle,” Lewis’ fact scenario concluded.

READ THE REST OF THE STORY HERE.

Expensive homes on the market still have a niche

Business is steady for those looking to sell or buy a home in the $500,000-to-$1 million price range in the Clear Lake area, but things are a bit tougher for those more expensive than that.
Faye Williams, a Realtor with Coldwell Banker in Clear Lake, said there are currently 42 homes on the market in the Clear Lake area in the $500,000-to-$1 million price range, the average price being $732,390.
Based on rate of sales in the previous 12 months, it would take slightly more than 16 months to deplete that inventory, Williams said.
But for homes over $1 million, only six properties in the Clear Lake area sold in the previous year, for an average of $1.46 million. There are currently 22 houses for sale between $1 million and $5 million, for an average of $1.69 million.
“In other words, when you list a high-dollar house, you know right away it probably won’t sell in 60 days,” Williams said.
Dan McCarver with Prudential Gary Greene specializes in selling homes in Bay Oaks, a master-planned golf community. He said there are currently 29 homes for sale in Bay Oaks, and of those, only three are priced at more than $1 million.

Read the full story HERE.

Welcome back Discovery!

Space Shuttle Discovery Returns Home
Sat, 28 Mar 2009 02:15:16 PM CDT

Space shuttle Discovery rolled to a stop at Kennedy Space Center, completing its 13-day journey of more than 5.3 million miles in space.

The post-landing news conference is set for approximately 5:15 p.m. EDT and will air live on NASA Television. The participants are Bill Gerstenmaier, LeRoy Cain and Mike Leinbach. The crew's return to Houston's Ellington Field is expected about 5 p.m. Sunday.

STS-119 was the 125th space shuttle mission, the 36th flight for Discovery and the 28th shuttle visit to the station.

There be whales here!

It was a fish story that even veteran boat captains found fascinating: As many as 200 killer whales feeding on tuna in the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico.

“It was like being at Sea World, because they’d come right up to the boat,” said Eddie Hall, captain of the Shady Lady, the 60-foot charter boat that spotted the shiny black sea beasts with white eye patches and undersides. “It was pretty neat.”
It also was hard for some skeptics to believe: Orcas, as killer whales also are known, typically are thought to live in cold water and eat seals.

But Hall’s description of what he saw last Oct. 31 was no tall tale: A government biologist who saw video taken from Hall’s boat confirmed the captain had spotted the creatures. And last week that same scientist, Keith Mullin, explained at a public meeting in Orange Beach, Ala., that yes, contrary to common perceptions, killer whales really do live in the Gulf, far from land.
Mullin, whose outfit has been working for years to get an accurate count of the Gulf’s whale population, said it may be time to dramatically increase estimates on how many killer whales are lurking in the deep waters off the Gulf Coast. He’s taking part in a research expedition this summer that could determine whether his hunch is right.

Read the full story HERE.

Scientists believe the whales have been in the Gulf for years, Mullin said, and that their presence — though startling to some anglers — isn’t a sign of climate change or other manmade conditions. Their relatively small population and the speed at which pods move make them difficult to count, which could have led to lower estimates.
“I’ve got good records of them in the Caribbean. We see them almost exclusively in deep water, 600 feet and more,” Mullin said. “I think they’ve always been there. It’s just in the last 15 to 20 years that we’ve been trying to study them.”

Latest Space Shuttle News

The International Space Station crew goes to sleep at 9:43 p.m. EDT Tuesday followed by the space shuttle Discovery crew at 10:13 p.m. Wake up comes at 5:13 a.m. Wednesday to start the final hours of the joint mission. Discovery is set undock from the station at 3:53 p.m. after the crew bids farewell to its temporary home and the Expedition 18 crew, leaving behind Japanese astronaut Koichi Wakata and bringing home Sandy Magnus after four months aboard the station.

All the crew members aboard Discovery and the space station gathered in the station's Harmony module Tuesday morning and spoke to the President of the United States, members of Congress and students. The president was joined in the White House's Roosevelt Room by Sens. Kay Bailey Hutchison and Bill Nelson, along with Reps. Gabrielle Giffords, Bart Gordon, Parker Griffith, Suzanne Kosmas and Alan Mollohan. The schoolchildren were from the Boys and Girls Club of Washington, D.C., Southeast Elementary Academy of Washington, the Louise Archer Elementary School and Thoreau Middle School in Virginia, and the Parkland Magnet Middle School for Aerospace Engineering in Maryland.

Ethics complaints filed against 4 council members

Ethics complaints filed against 4 council members

By Rhiannon Meyers
The Daily News
Published March 22, 2009

LEAGUE CITY — The same Montgomery County watchdog group that filed ethics complaints against Galveston City Council members has now lodged complaints against four League City council members.

The group accuses Neil Baron, Tommy Cones, Jim Nelson and Phyllis Sanborn of violating the state’s campaign finance regulations. The council members said the errors are stupid mistakes and oversights, and at least two of the members, Cones and Nelson, have accused the group of being politically motivated by their League City political opponents.

“I think there’s pretty good evidence (the group) received their information from League City citizens,” said Cones, though he declined to name names. “The motive behind all this is political in nature.”

Richard McDuffee, a member of the watchdog group that has described itself as a loose knit organization of like-minded people tired of watching politicians flout the rules, said he has no political ties to any League City residents.

“I’m a taxpaying, money-bleeding citizen who is tired of people telling me what to do and writing the rules ... but when it comes to the rules they’re supposed to follow, they turn a blind eye to it,” he said. “There’s nothing political about it ... Rules are rules. If they didn’t want to follow all those little pesty rules that have been on the books for years, then one, don’t run for office or two, follow the rules.”

The organization has filed similar campaign finance complaints across the state.

Read the full story HERE.

Astronauts Prepare for Third Spacewalk

Mon, 23 Mar 2009 06:29:21 AM CDT

Today's wakeup music was "Ain't Nobody Here but Us Chickens" by Louis Jordan played for Discovery astronaut Steve Swanson at 6:43 a.m. EDT, suggested by his children.

Astronauts aboard Discovery begin the mission's third spacewalk at 11:43 a.m. During the 6.5 hour excursion, Joseph Acaba and Richard Arnold will relocate a cart that moves along the rails of the station's truss, attempt again to deploy the unpressurized cargo carrier attachment system, install a similar attachment system on the starboard side, lubricate the space station arm's end effector and reconfigure some cables that power the station's gyroscopes.

STS-119 Over Texas (First Orbit)

STS-119 launched tonight and we had a rare opportunity to see it flying over Texas before it went into a higher orbit. At the time these photos were taken the shuttle was about over Abilene, at 72 miles up. I used a 300 mm Nikkor zoom lens with 2X converter and with a lot of processing was able to get these shots of the shuttle's belly.

In this first shot you can even make out the shape of the shuttle and which end is the pointy end, despite the blooming reflection of the setting sun.



In this next shot you can see that the orbiter has turned a bit as the nose is swinging from right to left.





God's speed Discovery!

-Steve

Discovery Launches!

LIFTOFF!
Sun, 15 Mar 2009 06:44:01 PM CDT

Space shuttle Discovery has cleared the launch tower! It is tracing a brilliant arc of white and orange flames through the dusky-night sky on its way to orbit.

The twin solid rocket boosters will burnout shortly and fall away as Discovery continues its climb powered by its three main engines. Once in orbit, it will take Discovery about two days to catch up to the International Space Station.

The astronauts of STS-119 are to install the last major set of solar arrays to the orbiting laboratory complex during the mission.

Japan's Koichi Wakata also will switch from the shuttle to the station crew and current station crew member Sandra Magnus will become a member of the Discovery crew.

Discovery, Weather Looking Good For Launch

Sat, 14 Mar 2009 02:07:00 PM CDT

NASA managers said Saturday that space shuttle Discovery is ready for Sunday’s launch opportunity as repairs on a leaking gaseous hydrogen vent line are moving along smoothly.

“I think we’re in really good shape,” said Mike Moses, chairman of the Mission Management Team that reviewed the shuttle’s readiness.

Mike Leinbach, shuttle launch director, said the work to replace a suspect quick disconnect assembly on the launch pad is about three hours behind schedule, but that will not delay the countdown. Leak checks will be performed later tonight.

“We feel really good and we’re really excited about launching tomorrow,” Leinbach said.

The weather forecast continues to call for an 80 percent chance of acceptable conditions, said Kathy Winters, shuttle weather officer.

Launch controllers will begin preparing to pump fuel and oxygen into the external tank Sunday at 10:18 a.m. EDT. Launch time is 7:43 p.m.

Judge approves disputed BP plea deal in Texas City blast

A division of BP officially became a felon Thursday when a federal judge accepted a long-pending plea bargain to resolve a criminal investigation into the deadly 2005 explosion at the company’s Texas City refinery.
U.S. District Judge Lee Rosenthal ordered BP to pay the agreed-upon $50 million fine by Monday and comply with blast-related settlements with regulators while on probation for three years.

The explosion on March 23, 2005, killed 15 workers and hurt many more.
Rosenthal’s ruling came nearly a year and a half after the plea deal was unveiled in late October 2007. In February 2008, Texas City plant manager Keith Casey pleaded guilty on the company’s behalf to a felony violation of the Clean Air Act.
But Rosenthal held off on approving or rejecting the deal as blast victims repeatedly implored her to toss it out.

Victims say the fine is too small, that BP has failed to abide by blast-related settlements with regulators and that prosecutors bypassed a 2004 federal victim rights law requiring prosecutors to confer with victims before drafting the accord.
Rosenthal heard arguments and testimony on all those points. A 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals panel sided with victims regarding the 2004 law but stopped short of ordering Rosenthal to reject the plea deal, leaving the final decision in her hands.

“I don’t think there’s any question as to the extent of opportunity that has been extended and used” by everyone who wanted to be heard, Rosenthal said Thursday.
After “a great deal of thought and consideration,” she said, “the plea should be accepted.”

READ the full story HERE.

Shuttle Launch No Earlier Than Sunday

Wed, 11 Mar 2009 05:36:03 PM CDT

Space shuttle Discovery’s launch to the International Space Station now is targeted for no earlier than March 15. NASA managers postponed Wednesday’s planned liftoff due to a leak associated with the gaseous hydrogen venting system outside the external fuel tank. The system is used to carry excess hydrogen safely away from the launch pad.

Liftoff on March 15 would be at 7:43 p.m. EDT. The exact launch date is dependent on the work necessary to repair the problem. Managers will meet Thursday at 4 p.m. to further assess the troubleshooting plan.

Shuttle Managers Set Press Conference

NASA managers will hold a news conference no earlier than 6:30 p.m. EDT to discuss the status of space shuttle Discovery's launch to the International Space Station. The launch was postponed Wednesday due to a leak associated with the gaseous hydrogen venting system outside the external fuel tank. The system is used to carry excess hydrogen safely away from the launch pad. At 2:37 p.m., managers officially scrubbed the launch for at least 24 hours.

Mission managers are holding a meeting that started at 5 p.m. to discuss potential repair options and Discovery's launch attempt opportunities. The news conference will follow the meeting's conclusion and will air live on NASA Television and the agency Web site.

Launch Scrubbed after Slight GH2 Leak

Wed, 11 Mar 2009 02:34:19 PM CDT

NASA officials scrubbed Wednesday’s attempt at 2:37 EDT to launch space shuttle Discovery after a slight leak was detected in a gaseous hydrogen (GH2) vent line. The vent line is at the intertank region of the external tank and is the overboard vent to the pad and the flare stack where the vented hydrogen is burned off. The launch team is resetting to preserve the option of attempting a Thursday night liftoff at 8:54 p.m. EDT depending on what repairs are needed and what managers decide. The Mission Management Team is meeting at 5 p.m. today to discuss the issue.

Countdown Proceeding Smoothly

Wed, 11 Mar 2009 08:03:14 AM CDT

The countdown for space shuttle Discovery's STS-119 launch resumed as planned at 4:55 a.m. EDT, and there are no significant technical issues standing in the way of tonight's liftoff. Mission Management Team will meet at 11:55 a.m. to give a "go" or "no go" to begin fueling Discovery's external tank. The preferred launch time has been adjusted by four seconds to 9:20:14 p.m.

View NASA live webcast HERE!

Pasadena mom launches campaign against the 'choking game

By Courtney Zubowski / 11 News
Vickie Morgan never thought she'd be obsessed with the on-line social networking website known as Facebook. That is until the long-time Pasadena ISD school board member’s daughter, Jenny, 17, died.

"It's the worst pain that a mother can go through,” said Vickie Morgan. "I walked over to her and I said, ‘Jenny,’ and when I did I touched her and I said, ‘Jenny. My God, my God, what has happened’”?

Jenny Morgan, a senior at Pasadena Memorial High School, died in December.

Vickie Morgan believes the “choking game” cost her teenage daughter her life.

"We fully believe Jenny was doing it for peer pressure. She wanted to be accepted," said the teen’s mother.

To play the choking game you 'choke' someone or 'choke' yourself. After a short time, you pass out.

Experts say that some teens do it for a brief 'high.' The CDC reports that nearly 100 people have died from playing this deadly game.

Read the full story HERE

NASA Gives Green Light for Friday's FRR

Technicians at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center are finishing up their work today in the back section of space shuttle Discovery in preparation for a tentative launch to the International Space Station next week.

NASA Space Shuttle Program managers gave the go-ahead Wednesday for the Flight Readiness Review, or FRR, following an in-depth review of the testing and inspection data from space shuttle Discovery's gaseous hydrogen flow control valves. Managers concluded at yesterday’s meeting that technicians do not need to add reinforcement to the area known as the elbow bend in the gaseous hydrogen pressure line, which is located near the flow control valves in Discovery’s engine plumbing.

Managers will hold a news conference following Friday's FRR and are expected to announce the official launch date for Discovery’s STS-119 mission. The briefing is scheduled to begin no earlier than 2:30 p.m. EST at Kennedy.

For planning purposes, launch is tentatively targeted for March 11 at 9:20 p.m. EDT.

In anticipation of a launch date, the STS-119 crew has entered quarantine at NASA Johnson Space Center's Astronaut Quarantine Facility, where they will spend the day reviewing their flight plans.

If the March 11 launch date is approved, Discovery's crew will fly to Kennedy on Sunday in advance of the start of the countdown, which begins at 7 p.m.

Missing Doctor Zella Found Dead

A nearly week long search for a popular psychiatrist who fell into Clear Lake while kayaking ended this week when his body was found under a pile of debris and pulled from the water.

Authorities identified the victim as Stephen Zella, 38. He worked at a Nassau Bay hospital. Friends said Zella was new to kayaking when he took a late-morning glide on the lake Feb. 20.
The husband and father of two was found dead by a diver several days later, trapped under debris near a bridge, said Texas EquuSearch search coordinator Frank Black. The volunteer organization was called out to help assist with the search.

“He was found in almost the same area he disappeared in,” Black said. “That made it that much harder for us to locate him.”
On the day of his disappearance, officials said two motorists driving past the lake spotted a kayaker struggling in the water about 11:30 a.m. in the area of 5000 NASA Parkway . But by the time the motorists and fire department got the scene, the kayaker was no longer visible.

Texas EquuSearch, the Nassau Fire Department and officials with Harris County Constable Precinct 8 asked the public for assistance finding shallow water boats, jet skis and foot searchers to aid in the rescue effort.
Officials setup a command center at Clear Lake Park as Zella’s wife Rhonda and children Remington, 11 and Maxwell, 8 along with other family members and friend anxiously awaited new developments.
People driving sonar-equipped boats, kayaks and wave runners along with divers and foot searchers hit the water and by Monday, Zella still hadn’t been found.

In the days following, efforts to locate Zella were hampered by the staggering amount of debris lying on the lake floor.\

Read the full story HERE.

I-45 at NASA Parkway shut this weekend

By T.J. Aulds
The Daily News
Published March 3, 2009

WEBSTER — Commuters who drive Interstate 45 in the Clear Lake area or who travel between Webster and Friendswood along NASA Parkway will have to adjust their travel plans.

State road crews will shut down I-45 Friday through Monday, while NASA Parkway is scheduled to be closed through May.

The demolition of the NASA Parkway bridge at I-45 is scheduled to begin Friday. The interstate’s main lanes will be closed throughout the weekend. That’s just the beginning of what transportation officials say will be a major travel headache for two to three months.

At 9 p.m. Friday, the interstate will be closed from just north of League City to Bay Area Boulevard. I-45 is expected to reopen at 5 a.m. Monday.

Workers will begin closing lanes tonight as crews prepare for the demolition. That includes work on the feeder roads.

Starting Wednesday night, the southbound frontage road will be rerouted to FM 528. The northbound frontage will be rerouted to NASA Parkway east starting Thursday.

Those wanting to avoid I-45 during construction should take state Highway 3.

The biggest commuter snag will be for those who use NASA Parkway to travel between Webster and Friendswood. The section of the road that crosses I-45 will be closed through May 4.

When the road reopens in May, NASA Parkway will cross under I-45.

Until then, commuters should use FM 646, FM 518, Bay Area Boulevard, El Dorado or FM 2351.

For those traveling south on I-45 and wanting to get to NASA or Clear Lake, the best route may be the NASA Parkway Bypass.

Texas Department of Transportation spokeswoman Karen Othon said the contractor has been given a $20,000-a-day incentive to finish the job early.

+++

I-45 main lanes shut down

9 p.m. Friday through 5 a.m. Monday

Alternate route: State Highway 3

Note: Frontage road detours of I-45 will be open

+++

NASA Parkway/FM 528 at I-45 shut down

9 p.m. Wednesday through May 4

Alternate routes: FM 2351, Bay Area Boulevard or El Dorado Boulevard to the north of NASA Parkway;

FM 646 and FM 518 to the south of NASA Parkway

Those traveling south on I-45 can also take the NASA Bypass to get to NASA or Clear Lake

NASA has new plan for next launch

NASA has new plan for next launch

Updated: 02.28.09
NASA's Space Shuttle Program has established a plan that could support Discovery's launch to the International Space Station, tentatively targeted for March 12.

An exact target launch date will be determined as work progresses with the shuttle's three gaseous hydrogen flow control valves.

At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians have started removing Discovery's three valves, two of which will undergo detailed inspection.

Approximately 4,000 images of each valve will be reviewed for evidence of cracks. Valves that have flown fewer times will be installed in Discovery. Engineering teams also will complete analysis and testing to understand the consequences if a valve piece were to break off and strike pressurization lines between the shuttle and external fuel tank.

Hardware modifications may be made to the pressurization lines to add extra protection in the unlikely event debris is released.

NASA and contractor teams have been working to identify what caused damage to a flow control valve on shuttle Endeavour during its November 2008 flight.

Read full story HERE.