Burt Rutan Retires....

If you’re an aerospace engineer or space enthusiast....you know of Burt Rutan. An innovative man crafting flight vehicles with a complete “think-outside-the box” design. Well now Rutan retires...

Read more...

STS-133 Shuttle Discovery Launch Delayed to 11/5!

With rain showers and low clouds sweeping over NASA's Florida spaceport, agency managers decided early Thursday not to fuel the shuttle Discovery, delaying launch another 24 hours to Friday at 3:04 p.m. EDT. While conditions will improve in the wake of a cold front, forecasters are predicting a 40 percent chance of high winds that could cause another scrub.....Here's the weather outlook over the next days.

Friday @ 3:04 p.m. EDT: 60 percent favorable, concerns for low-cloud ceilings and launch pad winds

Saturday @ 2:41 p.m. EDT: 40 percent favorable, concern for launch pad winds

Sunday @ 1:15 p.m. EST: 70 percent favorable, concerns for crosswinds at emergency KSC runway and launch pad winds

Monday @ 12:52 p.m. EST: 90 percent favorable, slight concern for crosswinds

STS-133 Shuttle Discovery Launch Delayed to 11/4

The shuttle Discovery's launch on a space station resupply mission Wednesday was delayed at least 24 hours, to no earlier than 3:29:43 p.m. EDT Thursday, to give engineers more time to troubleshoot an apparent electrical glitch in circuitry associated with a backup main engine computer.

STS-133 Mission Status Center

Think Outside the Circle!

http://spacecoalition.com/benefits-of-space/think-outside-the-circle

I want the Shuttle Adventure!!!!

I want the Lego Shuttle Adventure (10213)! One of the guys at work had this at his desk today and I was completely jealous. The design is awesome and they nailed little details I can appreciate after working on the shuttle program.

Filming of Transformers 3 at Kennedy Space Center

Well now I am just going to HAVE to watch Transformers 3 to see what at Kennedy Space Center made it into the movie. Scenes were shot at Pad 39A last week. They even had the Rotating Service Structure (RSS) retracted to maybe even give some credit to Discovery!

But then they went off to shoot in Washington D.C and a non-scripted crash of Bumblebee occurred. Whoops! I'm sure they have "extras" of Bumblebee, right?!? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mkq6fi2U2zE&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Transformers 3 is set to release next summer on June 11th.

Discovery Rolling Out to the Pad (STS-133)

Vote for Your Favorite Wake Up Song!!!

The wakeup song has been a part of the space program since the days of the Apollo missions, and now NASA is giving you two chances to be a part of this history! NASA needs your help selecting wakeup songs to be played during the final missions of the Space Shuttle Program! You can either vote from their Top 40 List or submit your own original work!

Visit: https://songcontest.nasa.gov/home.aspx

This Week in Space

This Week In Space

Robotnaut 2!!!

Rosie from the Jetson's comes true! Just kidding! NASA and GE have been working on jointly on this robot, Robonaut 2 or R2, which consists of a white-suited torso with two arms, two five-fingered hands and a gold head. The robot's role in space initially will be to perform tasks serving as an "astronaut's assistant" from a fixed position inside the U.S. Destiny lab. Eventually, upgrades could have this robot performing spacewalks!

R2 has a very human-like design for the purpose of being able to use human tools as well. The robot will fly on Discovery's 11-day mission's scheduled for November 1, 2010 at 4:40pm.

Need some ideas!!!

I need your ideas! I'm starting to get active with the Society of Women Engineers here in Boston and I've volunteered to keep an outreach event going where we educate kids about engineering through a FUN day filled with a variety of hands-on workshops.

I need your help with any good experiments or activities kids would be able to accomplish within an hour, BUT still incorporate learning about different engineering disciplines. We're hoping to have them complete about 6-7 different workshops for the day. I have some ideas (bottle rocket launching, music box kit, etc.)and I've looked around online, but does anyone have some good ones they really like out there?!?! If you have recommendations, it doesn't matter what age group/grade. We'd like to host an event for 3-6 and 7-12 graders. I'm open to all suggestions! THANKS!

Get your face in space!!!!

For as rainy and gloomy as it was this weekend in Boston, I turned out to have a pretty nice weekend!!! It amazes me how many events happened around the city here. This weekend I ventured out to the 2010 Health and Fitness Expo (got to meet Mario Lopez!) and explored the city a little more. I also bought a pair of rain boots and a good rain shell that I’ve definitely needed to not let the rain hamper my plans. I also found an awesome gym near my house that I've signed up with. There is a boxing class that is taught by a Women's Boxing Olympic coach and I've started really enjoying the sport and learning the correct techniques.

With two shuttle launches left (STS-133 in September and STS-134 in November), you can fly your face in space. Visit http://faceinspace.nasa.gov/index.aspx for details. I just submitted mine to fly on the last mission for STS-134.

JAXA’s Asteroid Explorer "HAYABUSA" successfully separated its capsule and re-entered the atmosphere to complete its mission. For about seven years since its launch in May 2003, the HAYABUSA successfully completed a great achievement by landing on the asteroid "ITOKAWA," gathering rocks and returning them to Earth.

Read the first diary post from ESA’s Mars500!! http://www.esa.int/esaMI/Mars500/SEMUXB5XT9G_0.html

This Week in Space

This Week in Space

Enough of the blog break!

It's been a while since I've blogged. A LONG WHILE! I should be improving that now that I've settled in and have my after-work activities balanced out.

No matter where you are in your career, transitioning to a new job and living in a new area is always an adjustment challenge. Work is getting better and I'm making progress in my research and learning new tools. I'm very glad I took this position and am amazed at the expertise of the MIT Lincoln Laboratory.

I still have been keeping up with the space world. It saddened me to watch (or in my case stream on-line) the launch and landing of Atlantis especially when that was the vehicle I worked on the most out at Kennedy Space Center.

Congrats to SpaceX for a successful launch today!!! I think this is a start to really take out space program in a new direction. SpaceX previously agreed with NASA to fly three demo flights of the Dragon capsule under the Commercial Orbital Transportation Services program. Upon successful test flights, SpaceX would then be delivering equipment to the space station.


I've also been keeping track of a friend of mine, Diego. He's currently participating in an 500-day ESA Mars Simulation (Mars500). They're in a facility in Moscow, completely isolated from the world. There were various experiments and training since last year and now they are currently in the 'fly to Mars' phase over the next 250 days, 'land and explore' for 40 days and then 'return to Earth' in 230 days. The crew hatch will remained closed until November next year!! So exciting to watch Diego go through this. You can follow Diego on twitter during the Mars500 http://twitter.com/diegou

That's it for now...I'll be keeping up with my blog now. :)

This Week In Space

Steven Hawking warns us about aliens, the military launches a space shuttle, NASA helps keep an eye on oil slick off Louisiana, and the countdowns are on for Atlantis' final scheduled flight and Falcon 9's inaugural flight.

Going into my 2nd work week!

I survived my first week of work!! This past week was an adjustment week as I tested out different routes to dodge traffic, what my start time would be, and getting myself situated in the office. Everyone at work has been welcoming and I've already been assigned my first project that I know I will enjoy working on. There is some training I need to do to catch up, but overall I had a great first week.

Today I took part in Patriots' Day, commemorating the anniversary of the Battles of Lexington and Concord. Starting at 5:30am they had a re-enactment of these first battles of the American Revolution at Lexington Green (Lexington, MA.) and then later at the Old North Bridge in (Concord, MA). I walked the entire battle road and then enjoyed the parade they had later in the afternoon. Now to get ready for my "Monday" tomorrow.

As for Discovery still orbiting in space, I'll be streaming the next landing attempt. Also due to weather, Atlantis has been rescheduled to roll out tomorrow to pad 39A! :)

Back To Work Tomorrow!!!

Tomorrow will be my first day of work with my new position at the MIT Lincoln Laboratory. I have to say that prior to the move the process went real smooth, but once I got here I have just been faced with many little challenges. Luckily, as of today, everything is now in order and I am settled in my apartment. I'm very excited and anxious about starting this new position. I made a big change in my life right now it'll be great to see how this chapter unfolds.

I've been following the STS-131 mission online. I definitely missed being out in Houston with the team for support. The team has been doing a fantastic job (despite the KU band failure) assessing the items of interest. A late mission inspection will still occur which is a final scan of the wing leading edge. Landing is scheduled for April 19!!!

This Week in Space

Discovery takes its next-to-last flight, Obama prepares to face the music on the Space Coast, SpaceX outlooks a May launch for Falcon 9, the price goes up for a seat on a Soyuz, space fans the world over gear up for Yuri's Night, auroras on Saturn, WISE images the "hidden galaxy", Spitzer spies Orion, Phoenix is almost certainly dead, and Buzz gets the boot.

This Week In Space

"VSS Enterprise" takes flight and "space for the rest of us" moves a step forward, the Martian Rite of Spring commences while the folks at JPL prep a "rover on steroids" for departure for the Red Planet, the Wizard Nebula is ready for its close-up, Roller Derby on Saturn's rings, Discovery is "go" for launch, orbital Olympics, the crew of STS-134 prepares to go where no one has gone before, and Buzz "Twinkle-Toes" Aldrin wows the judges on "Dancing with the Stars" - or (ahem!) not.

This Week in Space

Astronomers get WISE to a mysterious class of space rocks lurking dangerously near Earth and only visible in the infrared, workers at the Kennedy Space Center race to troubleshoot a valve problem with Discovery in hopes of keeping her on track for launch, a string of comets take a death dive, Jupiter's Great Red Spot gets the thermal imaging treatment, new views of the moons of Mars and Saturn, rover tracks on the moon, Bob Bigelow puts out the all-call for astronauts, the shuttle Enterprise may be old but she's apparently still up for a piggyback ride, shrimp on ice, and a helicopter crash only a dummy could survive.

It's official, I'm moving to Boston!

Next week, I will be leaving my position with Boeing and trek to Boston to work for the MIT Lincoln Laboratory in Lexington, Ma.

Earlier today I read my very first blog post and how I felt my first week here at Kennedy Space Center has not changed to this day. I will definitely miss everyone I've worked with, the awesome launches, and the space program! However, this does not mean I am giving up on my dream in becoming an astronaut. The blog will continue! :)

I still plan on being very active in the community, stay a space advocate, and work towards a PhD. Right now, the direction of our space program is a little up in the air, but I know we'll get back on track. I'm also excited that I found a nearby judo club I am going to join so I can continue the sport.

This endeavor will be exciting and I will be supporting the Engineering Analysis group on various projects. Next week is my last week, but I will definitely be blogging during the move process! Thanks to all for the support up to this point. It really means a lot to me!!

Discovery has a leak!

While attempting to load propellant Friday night, a leak was detected in Discovery's RCS (Reaction Control System) Helium Isolation Value – on the right-hand OMS (Orbital Maneuvering System) fuel system. Further testing and troubleshooting steps are being planned at the launch pad to examine two helium system regulators, which maintain pressure to the fuel tank and are further down the plumbing from the isolation valves.

If the regulators are functioning correctly, which will be tested later this week when the necessary equipment is ready, engineers could determine Discovery can safely fly 'as-is' despite the isolation valve problem.

If a repair or replacement to the valve is required, we would not be able to access it out at the pad...which means...rolling the shuttle back to the Vehicle Assembly Building, demating Discovery from its external fuel tank and solid rocket boosters, then towing Discovery to the Orbiter Processing Facility....AND removing the OMS pod.

Even with the planned testing, the April 5 launch date still stands. It's what comes out of these test results that will determine if we need to roll back the shuttle which would cause a delay.

Congrats, SpaceX!

SpaceX successfully fired the Falcon 9 rocket's nine Merlin engines for 3.5 seconds, completing a key preflight test before the privately-developed booster is cleared for launch in April.

Ground test was one of the final steps before launch of the Falcon 9, which is scheduled for no earlier than April 12. The static fire verified all of the launch pad's ground systems are ready to support the mission. Between now and launch, engineers will install the rocket's flight termination system charges that would destroy the vehicle if it flew off course and threatened the public.

NASA awarded SpaceX a $1.6 billion contract to fly 12 operational Falcon 9 and Dragon missions to the International Space Station beginning in 2011.

SpaceX plans a flight of the Dragon in July, followed by a rendezvous demonstration with the space station in November. But those schedules hinge on a timely and successful Falcon 9 test flight in April.

This Week in Space

"IMAX: Hubble 3D" debuts at the Air and Space Museum...we give it the "red carpet" treatment - checking out the movie, checking in with the astronaut stars, listening to the star who voiced it over - Leonardo DiCaprio, and weighing in with the director and the NASA brass about the wow-factor of the IMAX experience. Also: a Falcon 9 "hot fire" disappoints, the shuttle program manager says "no problem" for shuttle to keep flying, and safely -- it's only a question of money -- and Obama gets ready to speak up for his controversial new plan for NASA...and braces for what promises to be a firestorm of protest at planned April 15 conference on the future of America's space program.

Tour the International Space Station

Currently at KSC.....

Discovery is currently at Launch Pad 39A. Launch of STS-131 is targeted for April 5, 2010 at 6:27 a.m. This past week, the STS-131 astronaut crew went through a mock countdown/dress rehearsal to prepare themselves for their actual launch date operations.



The external tank that will be used for STS-132 (Shuttle Atlantis - targeted launch on May 14, 2010) arrived last week and was transferred to the Vehicle Assembly Building.

You may have heard some talk effecting Endeavour's planned July launch. An issue related to the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer-02 payload testing is threatening a delay to STS-134’s slot in the manifest, to the point it may slip behind STS-133, or even as far as 2011 in a worst case scenario. However, no decision will be made on the schedule until after additional testing results and the launch of STS-131 in April. Read more..here.


The next step in ground testing SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket will be a hotfire of the first stage engines. The launch team will ignite the nine Merlin 1C engines for three-and-a-half seconds during the test. Hot fire is targeted for late morning or early afternoon, tomorrow.

Lift-off of the rocket could occur late this month, but more likely early April.

This Week In Space

Florida's Space Coast braces for layoffs, Buzz Aldrin muses on the next steps for NASA and his upcoming stint on "Dancing with the Stars," plus other headlines from This Week In Space.

Space Coast - Society of Women Engineers Awards Banquet

Yesterday I attended the Space Coast's Society of Women Engineers Awards Banquet. I was nominated for the Distinguish New Woman Engineer award. We had guest speaker Dr. Cammy R. Abernathy (Dean, College of Engineering of University of Florida and Professor of Materials Science and Engineering) who gave a great insight about the economic shift in society that has effected the engineering disciplines within universities and industry.

I was selected to receive the award in the category I was nominated for. It was a great honor accepting this award last night and being surrounded by so many women who embrace leadership and give back to their community. I have had great support and encouragement from my mentors who have helped shape me professionally throughout my career. One thing I have learned for sure is that you can never have too many mentors. I learn a variety of qualities from the different people I look up to.

The ceremony was fantastic and I was amazed in the technical leadership of all the nominees. Below are the names of all the honorees that were recognized last night.


Nominees for Space Coast Distinguished New Woman Engineer of the Year
Mrs. Susie Allen-Sierpinski
Ms. Arianna Aron
Ms. Jessica Beahn
Lt. Sofia Calica
Ms. Patricia Del Rio
Mrs. Megan Jaunich
Ms. Brigette Linville-Padgett
Ms. Melissa Mierzwa
Ms. Erin Mulholland
Mrs. Rye Myers
Ms. Tzvetelina Petrova
Ms. Tamalyn Resnick
Ms. Amanda Sandberg
Ms. Damaris Sarria - recipient
Ms. Nicole Titus
Ms. Jessica Towslee
Ms. Sarah Walden

Nominees for Space Coast Technical Achievement Award
Capt. Shana Figueroa
Ms. Helen Garcia
Ms. Catherine Kammerer - recipient
Ms. Barbara Kerschner
Ms. Catheryn Logan
Ms. Teresa Sauter
Mrs. Carlyn Smith
Mrs. Marcella Solomon

Nominees for Space Coast Outstanding Woman Engineer of the Year Award
Ms. Beta Alfonso
Capt. Meredith Beg
Ms. Maria Groh-Hammond
Mrs. Kimberly Guodace
Mrs. Janice Jingle
Ms. Catherine Kammerer
Ms. Barbara Kerschner
Ms. Kathy McLaughlin
Mrs. Elaine Seiler
Mrs. Consuela Smith - recipient
Ms. Nancy Szpara
Ms. Denise Thaller

Endeavour is back, and Discovery is in the VAB

What a day! Preps continue in getting Endeavour back to processing for its next flight (STS-134, November 2010)....and Discovery rolled over to the VAB!!!

This Week in Space

The International Space Station gets a room with a view like no other - many wish NASA had as clear a view of what is next in space. "This Week in Space" talks to the exiled president of the "Constellation Nation" – former NASA boss Mike Griffin – who equates the Obama decision to Richard Nixon's cancellation of Apollo – only worse. And we hear from a leading space entrepreneur – Eric Anderson of Space Adventures - who says the Obama plan is "brilliant... a masterstroke of U.S. space policy."

Endeavour to land at KSC today.....maybe....

Although the skies don't look too bad right now at the Kennedy Space Center, the weather forecast for landing time continues to call for low cloud ceilings and showers in the area.

A final decision whether to land on time will come around 9 p.m., leading to ignition of Endeavour's braking rockets at 9:14:52 p.m. for 2 minutes and 38 seconds to start the trek home. The shuttle would hit the upper atmosphere at 9:49 p.m.

Landing on Runway 15 at the Kennedy Space Center is scheduled for 10:20:37 p.m. EST.

If the weather or a problem forces entry flight director Norm Knight to scrub the day's first re-entry opportunity and keep Endeavour in space, there is a backup landing option available one orbit later. That would begin with a deorbit engine firing at 10:50:52 p.m. and a touchdown in Florida at 11:55:50 p.m. EST.

NASA is calling up support from the alternate landing site at Edwards Air Force Base in the Mojave Desert of California. So if the weather prevents a landing in Florida, the spacecraft could be diverted there. The first deorbit opportunity will be 12:20:31 a.m. EST and landing on the temporary Runway 22R at 1:25:41 a.m. EST. A second shot into Edwards would come an orbit later.

However, weather forecasters are calling for the chance of low clouds and rain showers at both landing sites tonight. :(

----------------------

UPDATE: GO FOR THE DEORBIT BURN! Weather conditions at the Kennedy Space Center are going to cooperate for the space shuttle landing this evening, allowing entry flight director Norm Knight in Mission Control to give final approval for Endeavour to perform the deorbit burn at 9:14:47 p.m. EST that will commit the spacecraft for the journey back to Earth.

Touchdown in Florida on Runway 15 is set for 10:20:32 p.m. EST

Some Awesome Shots from STS-130

Orbiter Updates :)

Lots happening here in the space world. Endeavour is scheduled to return to KSC on Sunday night at 10:25 EST. I haven’t seen a definite weather briefing, but low ceiling clouds may pose a threat to landing at KSC. The weather at Edwards Air Force base in CA. is not favorable on Sunday, but great for Monday. So…we’ll see as it gets closer to the de-orbit burn on Sunday. The hatch closure will occur today at 2:49pm and Endeavour will undock from the ISS at 7:58pm.

Discovery’s launch date has changed to April 5th at 6:27am! Roll over from the OPF will occur on Monday (weather permitting). There will be a 10 day window for this launch.

We’re busily processing Atlantis for its next launch as well. It will be rolling out of the OPF to the VAB on April 8th, rolling out to the launch pad on April 20th, and with a targeted launch date of May 14th.

STS-130: Flight Day 4

We've completed the inspection of the orbiter's imagery and found 2 areas of interest. The first issue we found was a loose ceramic insert around a fastener securing a carrier plate around one of the shuttle's cockpit windows. The fastener is protruding a bit above the surface of the window frame, as shown above. Currently, we're assessing the effects of this insert as debris transport if it were to loosen completely during reentry.

Another area of interest is a repaired tile on the upper surface of the crew module. The repair appears to have degraded and one corner of the tile is slightly protruding higher than the rest of the tile.



Neither issue appears to be a serious threat, but we do need to complete the analysis from a debris transport view and present it to the Mission Management Team.

Overall, Endeavour's surfaces looked very clean. We didn't have to log in any tile damages as none were out of criteria. The orbiter is very clean from a thermal protection standpoint. :)

STS-130: Flight Day 3

Endeavour will dock with the International Space Station at 12:06 am EST.

Today the Orbiter Boom Sensor System (OBSS) was used in inspecting Endeavour's heat shield. The initial inspection sweeps using the boom have been completed by the crew. Here at Johnson Space Center, we're reviewing the data to be able to declare the heat shield safe for re-entry.

Before docking with the International Space Station, high resolution photos will be taken of the orbiter by the ISS crew and the team I'm on will begin to inspect the imagery. I'm on a overnight shift so I'm just going into work now!

Successful Launch of Space Shuttle Endeavour (STS-130)!!!

Such a beautiful launch early this morning at 4:14 a.m. EST!!! As the crew of space Shuttle Endeavour is on their way to the International Space Station, I'm on my way to Houston for imagery inspection operations for the Thermal Protection System of the orbiter. Watching a launch feels so rewarding. :)

Weather conditions postpone Endeavour launch 24 hours

24-hr SCRUB!!! Low clouds over Kennedy Space Center prevented space shuttle Endeavour from launching today. Another try will come Monday at 4:14 a.m. EST.

STS-130 Launch Sunday!

The countdown has officially started for Sunday’s STS-130 launch of Space Shuttle Endeavour. Sunday’s (Feb. 7th) launch is scheduled for 4:39 a.m. EST and there is a 70% favorable weather conditions for lift off!!!!

So where is our Space Program headed?

Earlier this week, President Obama stated NASA’s proposed budget for the fiscal year. Starting Oct. 1 the budget seeks to cancel the current Constellation program intended to send astronauts into orbit and to the Moon. The other major change in Obama's space policy calls for $6 billion to be spent to help private companies develop rockets and crew capsules to carry astronauts to the ISS.

NASA's work on the Constellation Program, including the Ares 1 and Ares V and Orion, will continue this year while Congress examines the proposed changes. We’re all looking very forward to the thorough evaluation that will be performed by Congress of the budgetary framework President Obama has proposed to ensure NASA can sustain a robust and balanced space program of human spaceflight, climate, science, robotics and aeronautics.

So what’s new with me? Well since I was hired under the Space Shuttle Program contract, the retirement of the shuttle fleet does effect me. My plan? To find another position that will advance my career. Our option here is to continue with our position until the end of the program (or until layoffs effect us) or….there may be other opportunities that may come to KSC that we could apply for.

There is also uncertainty over the future of the astronaut corps. Space agency officials declined Tuesday to confirm if NASA's astronaut corps would continue after the space shuttle retires within the year. I have been asked by many how this effects me and if I will continue to aspire to become an astronaut. Of course I will still apply to become an astronaut if the opportunity is there! At the moment I am focusing on my current job responsibilities, looking for what direction I want to take my career next, and continue in advancing my education. I’ve been very involved with volunteering my time to encourage math, science, and technology to students through the Society of Women Engineers and through some school visits. I fully intend to continue being very active in the community wherever my next venture takes me!

Merion Elementary School Visit

Today I visited Merion Elementary School in Merion Station, PA. I have to say I had the biggest grin on my face as soon as I walked into the building. On my way to the front office I saw this sign the kids had made to welcome me!

All throughout the school halls there were more signs and in the auditorium as well. Their art work was heartwarming and greatly appreciated! I gave a special presentation to Mrs. Glackman's brilliant 3rd grade class and then to the rest of the elementary school in the auditorium.


The presentations went great and all the kids were engaged! I tried to answer as many questions as possible, but time was limited. I do encourage the parents or students to post their questions as comments and I'll make sure to answer them! I enjoyed today and I know the students did as well. Now I have some wonderful thank you cards to read through from Mrs. Glackman's class! Thanks everyone!!!

Space Shuttle Program Commemorative Patch

NASA has revealed the 15 patch designs that will compete to become the agency's official commemorative emblem for the end of its space shuttle program later this year. A panel of NASA judges will select the winning artwork to be flown on STS-132, the final flight of space shuttle Atlantis as currently scheduled for launch in May. Before they make their selection though, NASA is giving employees a chance to vote for their favorite.

Collectspace.com is hosting their own voting for the top 15! To cast your vote for your favorite patch, Click Here

85 designs were received in the Space Shuttle Program Commemorative Patch Contest from a wide variety of individuals, including astronauts and former and current civil servants and contractors.

The winning design will be flown on an upcoming shuttle mission, and the winner will be presented with their flown artwork as an award. Click here for the 85 entries that were submitted. The top 15 entries can be viewed here.

Oak Park Elementary School Visit

Today I visited Oak Park Elementary in Titusville, FL. I gave the pre-K class a presentation about the space shuttle and launch preparation processing. They enjoyed the presentation very much and got to handle some blankets and tiles. There favorite part of the presentation was watching a video from the solid rocket booster from launch to splashdown. At the end of my visit they were officially shuttle experts as I stuck a NASA sticker on them. We had a great morning!