The last shuttle was distroyed by heat while entering the atmosphere. Damage had been done to the leading edges of one of the wings which led to a temperature of over 2'500 degrees centigrade inside the wing and the structure melted down.

This shuttle (St114) has a special obot arm (the boom) which can survey and take photos, video and laser picture (3D). Here is one of them:

impressive little blighter! - so where is the "on/off" switch?

As usual you have "grahamized" the pic to perfection. I still cannot find words to desribe the motorbike you put on your graphics thread- very sleak......
I was actually looking for urls or pictures of the equipment that provides live fead or photos of the shuttle - both from the ground and from other satellites - some of course are clasified secret as they are army radar systems.... so make sure you code those names before you put them on the net

thanks!

"WHAT a wonderful world" by Loius Armstrong - this morning's wake up song. (one of my favourites)

.. and today is DOCKING DAY - not quite as simple as putting a laptop into a docking station because they have the computer power of a couple of thousand laptops ... not to metion that it is slightly larger LOL

Interesting exchange of opinions yesterday - seems as though the main problems so far on the shuttle - the shuttle lan (network cards problems), hardisc problems and video tape problems.

They have been doing a lot of rebooting of laptops and reseting of digitsl cameras.

The most amaizing discoveries for me were two statements:

1. "we have not received the files in outlook - email yet"
2. "it is in the form of a power point presentation"

which efectively means that NASA is using microsoft software for its user applications !!! Interesting that.

very cool docking of shuttle to space station. Final preperations to open latch between the two..... first time since 2002 - GREAT JOB!

Just before docking the space shutlle did a loop to have high resolution pitures taken of its underside to ensure no damage had been done during take-off and exit through atmosphere (2500 centigrade - wow!!), which takes 8 1/2 minutes!

yet to come- space walk and transfer of goods to space staion, waste to shuttle and then external repairs to the space station with the replacement of a module in space using a robot arm

[thumbs up]

amaizing "the astronauts have gone into their sleep shift after busy day "

Eileen Collins has brought a 100 ton vechicle traveling at 17'000 miles an hour to dock up plus/minu 2-3 inches with the space station hanging at 230 miles from earth in orbit,

while millions of people look at how NASA is using millions of dollars of tax payers money and with the greatest scientists in the world obseving every move she made.....


..... and they call it a busy day


great job Eileen and all who worked on this project!!!