If you're looking for a unique gift, or the ultimate in cool kids room decor, you can't go past the "cool rockets" website. Jeff Brewer, master creater of comic book style rockets, builds his amazing space craft from scrap metal, and adds detailing that is reminiscent of the comic book style of the 40's and 50's. Jeff also has an impressive career in film and tv, working on projects such as Tim Burton's "Nightmare before Christmas", Star Wars Episode 1 and Star Trek V111-First Contact.

The two rockets above are some of my favourites from his collection, but with such an awesome range it's almost impossible to choose. Space Tub (top) is inspired by retro cartoon “Mighty Mouse” and takes me back to eating cornflakes in front of Saturday morning cartoons in my childhood! Space Bucket, is described by Jeff as "everyone’s favorite spaceship runabout! An economical “family style" vehicle, the Bucket is equally at home visiting the next galaxy or just schlubbing junior out to the mall". Now that would be a cool way to take the kids to soccer practice!

View the whole Cool Rockets range at http://www.coolrockets.com 

Spiral galaxy

Unspoken communication (guys and gals). Pretty funny!

Can smoke be art? Judge for yourself!

Ultra slo-mo video of a Saturn V rocket launch - Wow!

I would categorise the museum into three different kinds of places: the interactive exhibits, theaters and the tram tour. There are three theaters: Blastoff theater, Space center theater and Starship gallery, each of which broadcast multimedia presentations on the history and technological innovations in the quest of space. The Astronaut Gallery and NASA Tour are two other sections which are equally interesting and educating.

Here are some pictures of the exhibits at the Space Center. Tomorrow I will post pictures taken while on the tram tour of the NASA campus, including a visit to the historic mission headquarters, rocket workshop and the rocket park.

Rockets on display

A Rocket Engine on display, looks quite interesting!

An exhibit of man on moon

Moon rover - A model of the electric vehicle which was taken to the moon during the second mission

A exhibit of a space station

Exhibit explaining how gravity can be defied

The NASA museum's main wall

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If you are planting by the moon for the first time have you had better results than normal or has it not made any difference? Please let us know by leaving comments below.

If you are interested in trying this it really is a good idea to get the book, I only list the basic favourable days. Within those days there are three star, two star, one star periods for cultivation as well as suggested best times for harvesting, pruning and every other aspect of growing.

Monday 6th from 1am right through to Wednesday 8th up to 1pm sow and cultivate fruits - all cereals, aubergine, broad bean, courgette, cucumber, gherkin, marrow, gourd, pumpkin, melon, pea, peppers, runner bean, sweetcorn, tomato.

Wednesday 8th from 1pm right through to Friday 10th up until 7pm sow and cultivate roots - All root veg, beetroot, carrot, celeriac, endive, garlic, Jerusalem artichoke, parsnip, potato, radish, salsify, shallot, turnip, onions. Beware - the period between 2am and 2pm on Friday is a red time when you are not supposed to sow or cultivate anything!

Friday 10th from until 7pm through to Sunday 12th up until 4pm sow and cultivate flowers - All flowers, artichoke, broccoli & cauliflower.

Sunday 12th from 4pm sow right through to Wednesday 15th up until 9am and cultivate leaves - basil, brussels sprout, cabbage, kohlrabi, sorrel, celery, chervil, chinese cabbage, cress, dandelion, curly endive, fennel, purslane, lamb’s lettuce, leek, lettuce, rocket, spinach, cardoon, parsley, swiss chard.

If you have been planting by the moon using the info I have been posting you will need to get your own book for next year as I will not be continuing to post the details.

‘In Tune with the Moon 2008' is now available from Findhorn Press for £3! It is well worth having a look at this page as there are some links to some screen-shots of some of the calender pages in the book.

They also have ‘In Tune with the Moon 2009' available now at the best price I have seen so far - £6.29. Findhorn Press is independent publishing house in northeast Scotland, you could buy both of these books from them for the same price as one of them is being sold for at a national stationary chain and many online book stores. You will then be able to see that me putting the dates on this site is only scratching the surface of this fascinating subject.

The rough idea behind the plan is that an elevator would be made to take humans into space using a genius counterweight system.

This could take elevator pitches to a new level. :D.

He plans to blast off on October 12th and return in Spring '09.

To read more on the spaceman visit http://blog.wired.com/wiredscience/2008/09/microsoft-exec.html.

Materials List:

Heavy duty Paper 2-3 peices

Tape

Pen

Scissors

Large Circular object  (i.e. Pot Lid, coffee can lid, etc.)

PVC Launch tube

The South Pacific launch marked Space Exploration Technologies' fourth attempt to get its two-stage Falcon 1 rocket into orbit.

Elon Musk, who made his fortune with the PayPal electronic payment system, pledged to continue getting rockets into orbit, saying the company has resolved design issues that plagued previous attempts.

Last month, Space Exploration lost three government satellites and human ashes, including the remains of astronaut Gordon Cooper and Star Trek actor James Doohan after its third rocket was lost en route to space. The company blamed a timing error for the failure that caused the rocket's first stage to bump into the second stage after separation.

The company's maiden launch in 2006 failed because of a fuel line leak. Last year, another rocket reached about 290 km above Earth, but its second stage prematurely shut off.

Falcon 1, a 21-metre-long rocket powered by liquid oxygen and kerosene, is the first in a family of low-cost launch vehicles priced at $7.9 million US each.

Besides the Falcon 1, Musk's company is developing for NASA a larger launch vehicle, Falcon 9, capable of flying to the international space station when the current space shuttle fleet retires in 2010.

Interest in commercial space flight has risen in recent years since the 2004 success of SpaceShipOne in achieving sub-orbital flight. Billionaire Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic bought the rights to develop a fleet of spaceships based on SpaceShipOne.

In July, Virgin Galactic rolled out the mothership aircraft of its private space tourism business, designed to launch a passenger spaceship into low-Earth orbit.

Meanwhile, Amazon founder Jeffrey Bezos's space venture, Blue Origin, is working to launch satellites and passengers into orbit. And id Software founder John Carmack's space company, Armadillo Aerospace, designs and tests rockets.

With files from the Associated Press

British property-market woes hit MacDonald Dettwiler stock

Yesterday, Space Exploration Technologies Falcon 1 launched its fourth flight into space. This is the first privately developed launch vehicle to reach earth orbit from the ground. This is important because this was done by a private company, not by  NASA or any other government agency. Could this lead to future commercial space travel?

"Falcon has cleared the tower."

Falcon 1 is the first privately developed liquid fuel rocket to orbit the earth. Check out their website for more information on the program and the Falcon 1 launch here.

]]> http://garymurning.wordpress.com/?p=796 Mon, 29 Sep 2008 17:25:52 +0000 Gary Murning http://garymurning.pt.wordpress.com/2008/09/29/everyones-a-critic/ Now, there's a lot of bad shit written about the Taleban. There's the whole treatment of women issue, ethnic massacres and persecution -- and, yes, they were a bit too pally with Osama bin Laden for most people's taste. But having today read the article quoted below, I'm beginning to wonder if, perhaps, they don't actually have, you know, a good side.

"Ant and Dec, the television presenters, were forced to take cover from a rocket attack while visiting Afghanistan to present a bravery award to troops."

Looks like someone in Afghanistan's been watching Ant and Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway, methinks! (Actually, now that I think about it, maybe it wasn't the Taleban at all! Our troops are indeed a brave bunch, but everyone has their limit... right?)

(Yeah, okay, I admit it -- I'm quite fond of Ant and Dec, too, and wouldn't really want anything bad to happen to them... honest ;) )

© 2008 Gary William Murning

Read the complete story at WIRED

http://www.popsci.com/scitech/article/2004-06/supercavitating-torpedo

by John Macneill: Several challenges remain for the supercavitating torpedo, including how it will be steered underwater. Water-tunnel tests have already proven that speed can be achieved: In 1997, the Navy tested a supercavitating projectile that reached 5,082 feet per second, becoming the first underwater projectile to exceed Mach 1. Photo by John Macneill

Submarines peaked in power and relevance during the Cold War; there has since been a shift in focus to aircraft-based combat, and subs have become budget-cut victims. But subs are still prized for their ability to sneak about global waters undetected and to defend surface ships from attack. Many U.S. subs are being converted from missile launchers into delivery vehicles for special operations troops.

But the supercavitating torpedo—a rocket-propelled weapon that speeds through the water enveloped in a nearly frictionless air bubble—may render obsolete the old submarine strategy of sly maneuvering and silent running to evade the enemy. The superfast torpedo could be outfitted with conventional explosive warheads, nuclear tips or nothing at all—a 5,000-pound, 230-mph missile could do enough damage on its own. The Russians invented the concept during the Cold War, and their version of this underwater killer—dubbed the Shkval (“Squall”)—has recently been made available on the international weapons market; the United States, of course, wants a new, improved version of the original.

The hard part about building a rocket-propelled torpedo isn’t so much the propulsion as clearing a path through the ocean. Water creates speed-sapping drag; the best way to overcome that drag is to create a bubble that envelops the torpedo—a supercavity. A gas ejected uniformly and with enough force through a cavitator in the nose of the torpedo will provide such a bubble, permitting speeds of more than 200 mph and a range of up to 5 miles (traditional torpedoes have slightly longer ranges, but lumber at only 30 to 40 mph).
Though submerged, the torpedo remains essentially dry, with a frictionless surface. “That sounds easy, but doing it is extremely difficult, especially if you’re trying to steer,” says Kam Ng, program manager for the torpedo at the Office of Naval Research, which has been developing the weapon since 1997. “If your torpedo moves in a straight line, you just aim and shoot,” says Ng. “That capability already exists with
Shkval. But the U.S. vehicle will be more capable—it will turn, identify objects, and home in on the target.” (Improvements to the torpedo to make it steerable likely froze when the Soviet Union collapsed, says GlobalSecurity.org’s Pike.)

Among the greatest challenges for U.S. torpedo researchers is developing detection and homing technology that will enable the torpedo to distinguish an enemy sub from, say, a rock formation, says Ng. Also tricky is finding a way to control the gas bubble to permit those course changes. “When you turn, the bubble distorts because it is no longer symmetrical,” he says. “So you have to compensate for that by putting more bubble to one side.” This is done, Ng explains, by ejecting more gas toward the outside of the turn.

Naval officials say the high-speed torpedo will enable submarines to attack enemy subs and surface ships without giving them time to respond. The U.S. military has tested a prototype, but combat-ready versions are not expected for at least 15 years.

For the military ethusiasts, here's a detailed analysis on how to possibly counter this threat.

http://www.military.com/forums/0,15240,93859,00.html

Iran isn't about to give up easily in their war of words (and associated psy-ops) about their new wonder-torpedo. They allege it's “sonar evading.” If you know very much about sonar, you have to be scratching your head and asking, What the heck is that supposed to mean? I tag it as agit-prop doubletalk -- better laughed at than worried about. I justify my tagging as follows:

Sonar evasion per se, by any weapon or vessel, is achieved in one of two ways. The first is to be very quiet, so your target's passive sonars can't detect your presence nearby. Scratch that, since supercavitating rockets are deafeningly loud -- the vacuum bubble collapses in the turbulence of their engine exhaust, providing scant sound isolation if any at all. The second is the old, familiar use of sonar layers and other underwater noise propogation effects to mask your acoustic signature from the target as you approach. But no one understands these effects better than the U.S. Navy, and not just subs but surface ships and aircraft are equipped to leave no room for a roaring rocket motor to hide. (Surface combatants can stream variable-depth sonar towed arrays, and their supporting anti-submarine helicopters can use variable-depth dipping sonar and also drop optimized patterns of sonobuoys.) Besides, in the littorals (shallow and/or near-shore waters), where near-future naval battles seem most likely to occur against enemy diesel subs or small surface craft deploying any large weapons, there often is no sonar layer -- the water isn't deep enough for one to form. With up-to-date and thorough hydrographic data in hand (including salinity variations, charted and uncharted wrecks, gas- and oil-drilling/pumping noise sources, and water transparency or lack thereof), American and allied subs would sneak in where undersea conditions maximize their own stealth, while they use the same knowledge to seek and ambush enemy subs.

(Purists will note there is a third way to achieve low observability against active pinging sonar, namely the use of anechoic -- sound absorbing -- coatings on the hull. But modern U.S. submarine passive sonars are able to derive the range to any high-decibel sound source instantly, obviating the need to ever go active against an inbound torpedo. The implied analogy to radar-absorbent materials on cruise missiles fails underwater.)

So much for “sonar evading.”

To best appreciate these issues, it's important to think of the bigger picture. Superior U.S. Navy sonars (and the skilled sonar techs who use them) in any theater of conflict or combat will constantly be hunting for the slightest hint of enemy threats. And an incoming Shkval has to come from somewhere -- it doesn't materialize out of thin air. The best strategy, as always in naval warfare, is to destroy the enemy platform before it can fire its weapons effectively. Special new active and passive sonars, advanced signal processing algorithms, and console display modes so sophisticated they're classified are intended to eke out the slightest whiff of an enemy diesel sub concealing itself amid the naturally high background noise to be found in most littoral areas. The same thing goes for enemy fast-attack craft rushing along or lurking on the surface.

In many littoral warfare scenarios an American sub won't be operating alone, but rather as part of a joint (or combined, i.e., allied) task force that would include other subs, unmanned undersea vehicles, temporary bottom-moored listening grids, surface warships, aircraft (including recon drones), plus intermittent overpasses by surveillance satellites. Network-centric warfare is a complicated team sport. With recent and impending breakthroughs in “comms at depth and speed,” submarines are now part of that team, and the task force would literally cast a wide net to localize, track, target, and sink any threats. In the earliest, “battlespace preparation” phase of some armed showdown, a lot of attention would be paid to accounting for and neutralizing all potential Shkval-launching platforms.

The point of the discussion, so far, is that speed of one weapon, viewed alone, doesn't determine the outcome of either a sub-on-sub dogfight or a major naval engagement. The fact that the maximum range of a Shkval or derivative, before its rocket fuel runs out, is only four or five miles, should help put in proper perspective that supercavitating torpedoes are hardly as “hellacious” as they've been described. (By the way, their disadvantages hold equally well if carried on enemy nuclear subs as if carried on enemy diesels.)

Perhaps one good proof of this is that active duty submariners I've met on subs or talked to at conferences aren't exhibiting any panic over Shkvals. The way they describe it, the latest mod of the Improved Advanced Capability (ADCAP) Mark 48 sub-launched heavyweight torpedo remains by far their weapon of choice. They scoff at the threat that a Shkval would pose -- assuming it isn't armed with a nuclear warhead. (In that nightmarish scenario, the Shkval with its limited range would amount to a suicide weapon. And Mark 48s are nuclear-capable, if necessary, too.) In contrast to the Shkval, the latest Mark 48 is reported to have a maximum range of some 30 nautical miles. During a game of cat-and-mouse, this means the American sub can threaten anything inside an area 36 times as big as what's covered by a 5-mile-range Shkval. That gives a very significant, classic tactical advantage: By holding open the range using the nuclear submarine's maximum speed advantage over the diesel's (say, 30+ knots sustained compared to 20ish in short bursts), the American vessel can “bombard” its opponent from outside the diesel's ability to hit back with Shkvals. Furthermore, the maximum speed of a Mark 48 is reported in open sources as some 60 knots, and I suspect that the actual (classified) figure for the latest (ninth?) mod might be several knots higher than that. The American weapon is three times as fast as the enemy diesel -- and is also much faster than any known nuclear sub. (One news source claimed that the U.S. Navy had failed to invest in good torpedos for years now, and that our best fish were so slow that enemy subs and ships could simply outrun them. I have never read a more incorrect statement in my entire 10-year career as a non-fiction submarine commentator.)

Granted, Iran's rocket torpedo is three times faster than the latest Mark 48, but I've tried to show above that in the wholistic framework of modern naval action, out in blue water or in the littorals, a factor of three in weapon speed makes a difference in degree but most certainly not a difference in kind. Yes, better situational awareness, and faster reaction time, are at a heightened premium aboard American ships and subs in the emerging environment. It's precisely these attributes that the Navy is striving with a will to enhance in every possible way. (The revolutionary layout of the Virginia-class control room is just one example of many in this arena of man-machine interfaces for optimal warfighting preparedness and survivability.)

But there is a difference in kind between a Shkval and a Mark 48. The Mark 48 is wire guided, allowing fire-control technicians to adjust the fish's course for weaknesses in the original firing solution (think torpedo “Kentucky windage”), or to compensate for evasive maneuvers by the target. Technicians can also use their submarine's powerful sensors to help discriminate between the genuine target and any decoys or noisemakers the target might launch -- all assuming the wire doesn't break. Even if the guidance wire does break, the latest Mark 48s have such capable active and passive sonars and on-board computer brains that they can search on their own, pick out their intended target from amid littoral (or other) acoustic clutter while ignoring neutral vessels nearby, and then zero in for the kill.

In contrast, most supercavitating weapons that are operational right now are pretty dumb. This is mainly because their ancestors started out as dedicated nuclear weapons, so that pinpoint accuracy wasn't much of an issue to the engineers and commanders who built and deployed them. Speed was the design bureau's sole object (because conventionally-powered USSR torpedoes in the late 1960s were slow). Given this dubious legacy, most high-explosive-armed Shkval-like torpedoes still rely on traveling in a straight line, with no guidance or homing whatsoever after launch. Nowadays, the firing vessel hopes that this straight line intersects the target's track at the same moment that the target happens to be at that point on its track. This is like early World War II technology! A well-aimed spread of such weapons could definitely prove fatal to a big surface ship, say one of our supercarriers, and higher torpedo speed does make up for softness in the firing solution. But as mentioned above, the key to successful defense is to prevent the Shkval's launching vessel from getting close enough to the carrier to begin with. This is presumably one driving force behind the U.S. Navy's greatly stepped-up emphasis on anti-submarine warfare for surface battle groups -- with enemy diesel subs receiving particular attention, their roles played by allied diesels including the leased Swedish Gotland-class sub and her crew. At this point American submariners have been engaging in anti-diesel exercises for some time; after a few initial humbling setbacks, the U.S. side collectively developed doctrine and tactics that give them a much better edge. (For a take on the relative disadvantages of modern diesels with air-independent propulsion, compared to nuclear-powered subs, see my archives for “Diesel Downside,” 13 July 2005.)

American submariners tell me that all they need to do when faced with an incoming high-explosive Shkval is make a slight change in depth (or a fast change in heading and speed), and the Shkval will go right by, its impact or laser-proximity fuse left with no reason to explode within dangerous range. It's very beneficial to be able to move in three dimensions, even or especially in the littorals!

Of course, as with all weapons down the ages, Shkval-type technology isn't standing still. Russia is developing a version of a supercavitating torpedo that does have some artificial intelligence and homing sensors including sonar. The problem is that for the sonar to work, the Shkval has to slow down drastically, in spurts, so it won't be blinded by its own noise and has a chance at acquiring and reacquiring its prey to make the needed terminal course corrections. This seeming enhancement to the Shkval introduces a substantial Achilles' heel: When moving slowly, and relying on conventional sensors to home on its target, the Shkval becomes vulnerable to all the standard evasive tactics and countermeasures with which American submariners are exceedingly well versed. The Shkval, during such an attack, also repeatedly forfeits its one apparent advantage, its speed, before having to accelerate again. Rumor has it that Moscow is trying to make a wire-guided Shkval, but trailing a wire that doesn't snap at 300 knots, or melt in the searing heat of the rocket exhaust, or cause the vacuum bubble to collapse enough for the whole weapon to suddenly tear itself apart, seem daunting problems indeed.

Counterattacking the Shkval's launch platform is best done with a Mark 48 or two. The answer is definitely not for our Silent Service to rush and clone the Shkval. This is another overwhelming benefit of our current conventional torpedoes: They can be launched very quietly, be programmed to run on a dog-leg course initially at slow and quiet speed to disguise their point of origin, and then attack the Shkval's parent platform with ease -- because the launch signature and trajectory of the Shkval will point right back to its own point of origin. The American submarine, in contrast to the Shkval shooter, can shoot back while retaining good stealth. With the latest integrated combat systems, if ever caught by surprise our guys can get their retaliatory fish into the water in a matter of seconds. Then using superior technology and tactics, the American sub can regain the initiative and go on the offensive. (Speed of opening accurate counter fire can be more important than transit speed of the weapon itself.)

If you are planting by the moon for the first time have you had better results than normal or has it not made any difference? Please let us know by leaving comments below.

If you are interested in trying this it really is a good idea to get the book, I only list the basic favourable days. Within those days there are three star, two star, one star periods for cultivation as well as suggested best times for harvesting, pruning and every other aspect of growing.

Monday 29th from 9am right through to Wednesday 1st October until midnight sow and cultivate roots - All root veg, beetroot, carrot, celeriac, endive, garlic, Jerusalem artichoke, parsnip, potato, radish, salsify, shallot, turnip, onions.

Thursday 2nd and Friday 3rd up until 11am sow and cultivate flowers - All flowers, artichoke, broccoli & cauliflower.

Friday 3rd from 11am right through to Monday 6th until 1am sow and cultivate leaves - basil, brussels sprout, cabbage, kohlrabi, sorrel, celery, chervil, chinese cabbage, cress, dandelion, curly endive, fennel, purslane, lamb’s lettuce, leek, lettuce, rocket, spinach, cardoon, parsley, swiss chard.

You are supposed to wait until the following week to sort out your fruit:

Monday 6th from 1am right through to Wednesday 8th up to 1pm sow and cultivate fruits - all cereals, aubergine, broad bean, courgette, cucumber, gherkin, marrow, gourd, pumpkin, melon, pea, peppers, runner bean, sweetcorn, tomato.

‘In Tune with the Moon 2008' is now available from Findhorn Press for £3!

They also have ‘In Tune with the Moon 2009' available now at the best price I have seen so far - £6.29.

Findhorn Press is independent publishing house in northeast Scotland, you could buy both of these books from them for the same price as one of them is being sold for at a national stationary chain and many online book stores. You will then be able to see that me putting the dates on this site is only sctatching the surface of this fascinating subject.

A Chinese astronaut has become the first in his country's history to take a walk in space.

In an operation broadcast live on national TV, fighter pilot Zhai Zhigang emerged from the capsule orbiting the Earth to wave a Chinese flag.

Mr Zhai, 42, stayed outside the capsule for 15 minutes while his two fellow astronauts stayed in the spacecraft.

The exercise is seen as key to China's ambition to build an orbiting station in the next few years.

Mr Zhai began the manoeuvre just after 1630 Beijing Time (0830 GMT) on Saturday, and completed it about 15 minutes later.

"I'm feeling quite well. I greet the Chinese people and the people of the world," he said as he climbed out of the Shenzhou VII capsule.

His colleague, Liu Boming, also briefly got his head out of the capsule to hand him the flag.

Mr Zhai wore a Chinese-made spacesuit thought to have cost between £5m and £20m ($10m-$40m) for the space walk.

The "yuhangyuan" (astronaut) was tethered to the capsule with an umbilical cable.

Mr Zhai retrieved an externally mounted experiment.

The third yuhangyuan on the mission is Jing Haipeng.

Leap

The Shenzhou VII capsule soared into orbit on a Long March II-F rocket from Jiuquan spaceport in north-west China on 25 September.

1958: Base for spaceflights built at Jiuquan, in Gobi desert
April 1970: China launches its first satellite into space
1990-2002: Shenzhou I-IV are launched to develop systems
Oct 2003: The first manned space mission launches on Shenzhou V
Oct 2005: The Shenzhou VI mission takes two men into space
Oct 2007: Chang'e-1 orbiter sent on unmanned mission to the Moon

The rocket put the Shenzhou capsule in a near-circular orbit more than 300km above the Earth.

Earlier, Zhang Jianqi, one of the chief engineers for China's space programme, said keeping three men in the spacecraft, and then sending one outside, would be a "big test".

"This is a big technological leap," he told state-run news agency Xinhua.

"The risks are quite high. Sending up three astronauts is a jump both in quantity and quality."

The ship is to release a 40kg (90lb) satellite which will circle the orbiter and beam back images to mission control.

At the end of the mission, the Shenzhou re-entry capsule will target a landing in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.

China became only the third nation after the United States and Russia to independently put a man in space when Yang Liwei, another fighter pilot, went into orbit on the Shenzhou V mission in October 2003.

Two years later, Fei Junlong and Nie Haisheng completed a five-day flight on Shenzhou VI.

According to the Associated Press news agency, Xinhua posted an article on its website prior to the lift-off that was written as if Shenzhou VII had already been launched into space.

The article reportedly carried a date of 27 September and came complete with a dialogue between the astronauts.

Chinese media report that this latest mission is the "most critical step" in the country's "three-step" space programme.

These stages are: sending a human into orbit, docking spacecraft together to form a small laboratory and, ultimately, building a large space station.

The Shenzhou VIII and IX missions are expected to help set up a space laboratory complex in 2010.

China launched an unmanned Moon probe last year about one month after rival Japan blasted its own lunar orbiter into space.
SHENZHOU VII SPACECRAFT

1. Forward orbital module - crew live and work in this section, which contains scientific equipment. In future missions, this module may remain in orbit as part of a Chinese space station
2. Re-entry capsule - contains seats for three crew
3. Propulsion module - contains spacecraft's power unit and liquid fuel rocket system
4. Solar panels - spacecraft carries one pair of solar panels
5. Spacewalk - One yuhangyuan (astronaut) exits the orbital module on a tether. Another crew member stands just inside to assist in case of an emergency

Three different colored planes with my company's logo on the tail flying in line, upside down.

A peach colored egg shaped translucent fiberglass rocket shaped, barely enough room, I'm squatting and Owen is standing launching us upward.

And then those dreams that are brief snippets. Epic in length and forgotten on the awakening until you're in the car driving and a brief wisp pops out and you can't close your eyes to hold on. But you know it's important. Like you're given a message you're doomed to not remember.

I've always had vivid, epic dreams. Some seem to have some vague significance attached but lately they are daily and I feel an urgency behind them.

Hong-Kong government finds chemical agent melamine in baby food, crackers and cereal.

Americans wake up to a failed and re-sold WaMu.

Lehman, Bear Sterns fail, Wachovia looks for buyer.

The South-East is facing gas-shortages not seen since the 1970s. Headlines read, "Gas Shortage Leads To Fights, Threatens Football."

Some guy flies across the English Channel wit a rocket strapped to his back.

America attempts to nationalize financial industry; America's richest to benefit most from deal.*

*Voters fervently oppose deal.

Miley Cyrus.

Sarah Palin has still only done 2 interviews.

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