International Space University

Next week I will be in Barcelona, Spain!!! I was selected to represent the Boeing Space Exploration Division in attending the International Space University's 2-month Space Studies Summer Program.

There will be a wide variety of lectures, activities, team projects, and workshops related to space. The program will give me an interdisciplinary and international perspective of the space sector and the global professional network.

Altogether, this will be a major experience for me on many levels. First all, I have never even traveled out of the country, so I am definitely excited for that! I am looking forward to meeting new friends and collaborating with the international scientific community. This weekend is going to be devoted to packing and getting all my last minute travel stuff taken care of.

Some additional microgravity photos....

The photographer onboard our flight posted his professional photos. Here are some additional shots from Sunday. It was hard to get that smile off my face. :)

Today....I felt like an Astronaut!!!

Today was absolutely amazing. I experienced 1 Martian G (1/3 my body weight), 2 Lunar G's (1/6 my body weight), and 12 zero gravity parabolas. Workforce Florida, Brevard Workforce Development Board, Inc. (BWDB), Brevard Community College (BCC), SpaceTEC, and the Zero Gravity Corp (Zero-G) all made this possible for us to experience. THANK YOU!!! I know everyone had a blast on their flight. I seriously felt like an astronaut today!!! On Tuesday we will reunite as a group to take one big group photo and receive certificates.

Discovery Lands and Microgravity Tomorrow

We had a successful landing today of Discovery. I was not at KSC at the time of landing as I was attending a training class for my microgravity flight tomorrow. I am to report at noon and we will receive our flight suits and be briefed before the flight. On my way home from the training, I saw locals and tourists awaiting Discovery's landing along the road and at nearby parks. I pulled over to hear the sonic boom and watch Discovery land.



Here are some other pictures from landing and Discovery's track into the Orbiter Processing Facility.

SpaceTec's Florida Aerospace Microgravity Training Program

This week has been absolutely fantastic! On Tuesday, I started the Microgravity Training Program with SpaceTec. A group of 75 Florida aerospace technicians, engineers and scientists have been split up into 3 flight groups. I am assigned to flight group 2 that will be flying next Sunday morning. We have been given presentations from a great group of program coordinators related to the microgravity environment. In our presentation today, we were shown the following video related to how fluids react in microgravity. Watch the whole the thing...you don't want to miss the Alka-Seltzer reaction!!!



I am really looking forward to the flight on Sunday. We have some more training to complete next week to go over some activities we'll be performing during the flight to get a first-hand experience of how the lack of gravity effects certain tasks we are able to perform in the gravity environment. With Zero G's G-Force-One Boeing 727-200 aircraft, parabolic maneuvers will be performed in order to create the microgravity environment. The controlled ascent and descent of the plane will allow us experience Martian gravity (1/3-gravity), Lunar gravity (1/6-gravity), and microgravity.

From Atlantis's left wing

Atlantis's payload bay doors were closed and I figured it was the perfect time to take a photo of my standing on the left wing. Sometimes we'll have to "walk on the wing" to access certain tiles or parts from the upper surface. We're not allowed to wear shoes, so I have fabric "booties" on to protect the flight hardware.

What a lift off!

Well here's something we don't normally see after a launch. Numerous concrete blocks and bricks from the flame trench were blown away during the STS-124 launch and ended up damaging some of the surrounding fence and were scattered throughout the launch site. We're not sure yet what caused this to happen, but it will be fixed in time for the next launch of Atlantis on October 8th. The pictures below are amazing. Be glad you were not on the launch pad when this happened!

You can read a little more on Spaceflight now: http://www.spaceflightnow.com/shuttle/sts124/080601pad/

A successful launch of Discovery

Yesterday I watched the launch from the beach with some friends. It was nice because we watch the launch as we were swimming in the ocean. It was a great launch and beach day!

3 days until launch of STS-124

Last night, I completed the additional astronaut application forms and mailed in my transcripts. I'm officially complete with my application. :)

I've APPLIED to the Astronaut Candidate Program!!

I did it!!!

I just finished applying to NASA's Astronaut Candidate Program. YEY!! However, after submitting my resume, I was granted access to complete some other NASA required forms. On Tuesday I need to call my eye doctor to get my eye prescription and mail in my transcripts. Then, I can completely submit all the required forms and I'll be done.

CSE's Congressional Reception

Below are just some of the Florida travelers that funded their own way to advocate the importance of space exploration with the Citizens for Space Exploration.


Pictured in this photo below are all of the students sponsored to attend this year. We are all very grateful of the opportunity that was given to us to experience this trip and to voice our concerns on the Hill. So..apparently in this picture I see I am the only one showing off their certificate. I thought everyone was doing that! How embarassing. Ha ha!

Making the Case for Space

Today, my group has mostly had appointments with the Colorado and Washington congressional members. We visited the offices of Rep. Lamborn (CO.), Rep. Ken Salazar (CO.), Rep. Perlmutter (CO.), Rep. Udall (CO.), Rep. McMorris Rodgers (WA.), and Rep. John Salazar (CO.). In an hour we are having a reception where we invite the Representatives and Senators and their staff. We're really busy with the visits, so I won't be able to do much sight seeing. However, below are some shots from walking around from building to building today.

Leaving for Washington D.C

I am about to take off to the airport for the annual Washington D.C trip where the Citizens for Space Exploration gather to advocate the importance of space exploration and express to the members of Congress to continue their support in the budget. Tonight is the reception where all the members will meet each other. I will also be able to meet my other team members that I will join for congressional appointments on Tuesday and Wednesday. Well....here I go... :)

Send Your Name to the Moon

Visit this link to send your name to the Moon on board a Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO)
http://lro.jhuapl.edu/NameToMoon/index.php

Orlando Muddy Buddy 2008: Completed!!!!! :)

After running and biking about 6 miles, here I am about to crawl through the mud pit to get to the finish line:



Here I am submerged in the mud:



And then there is the after shot of me all muddy after the race and ready for a shower. :)


It was a fun, yet an exhausting day.

And some more pictures :)

2008 Muddy Buddy Ride & Run in Orlando!

Wish me luck! Tomorrow, I am participating in the 2008 Muddy Buddy Ride & Run in Orlando. The race features a 6-7 mile course and 5 obstacles. At the start of the race, I will run and my buddy will ride the bike. At the 1st obstacle, my buddy will drop the bike, complete the obstacle, and begin running. Then I will arrive, complete the obstacle, find our bike, and begin riding. All the other participating teams will continue leapfrogging each other through the entire course. At the end of the race, all of the buddies will crawl through the infamous Mud Pit crossing the finish line together!

By the way....Anyone out there watch the Colbert Report? Astronaut Garrett Reisman, currently living on the International Space Station, was featured on the show. The segment was quite comical and Astronaut Reisman has a great sense of humor.

Space Shuttle Discovery at the Launch Pad (STS-124)

Space Shuttle Discovery made its way from the Vehicle Assembly Building to Launch Pad 39A in preparation for the STS-124 mission. The 3.4-mile journey from the Vehicle Assembly Building began at 11:47 p.m. on Saturday. Discovery arrived at the launch pad at 4:25 a.m. early Sunday morning. We're still on target for a May 31 launch date!!