The Dragon is Ready for Launch!

 A company known as SpaceX has built a spacecraft and rocket to carry supplies and people up to the International Space Station. This is significant due to the fact that never before have we been this close to starting a private space travel industry. This upcoming trip scheduled for April 30th, 2012 and will only be carrying cargo this time. The cargo is only going to be supplies for the astronauts and future customers.

Falcon 9 1st Demo Launch

The spacecraft is named Dragon and has only ever seen one test launch so this cargo transport is mostly a test. 1200 pounds of material will be transported to the International Space Station (ISS) and the craft will return to Earth. If this test is successful then the Dragon will be making regular runs to the ISS. The test are extremely nerve wrecking as launching something over 17,000 mph at a target that is very small can be an extremely difficult task. 

The Dragon is actually propelled by a rocket which was also built by SpaceX. The Falcon 9 rocket has seen 2 previous launches and is also very new. In December 2011, the Falcon 9's second launch, which included the Dragon spacecraft for its first time, it made history as being the first ever launch of a privately built and operated spacecraft to to be launched to Earths orbit and then also recovered.

Rare Opportunity to See the Space Shuttle!

  Tomorrow on Tuesday April 17th, 2012, between 10 and 11 am EDT, the space shuttle discovery will be en route from the Kennedy Space Center to where it will now reside at the National Air and Space Museum. It will be transported by a 747 Jetliner sitting right on top. What a sight!

NASA has provided us with locations at which ist will be possible to see the space shuttle! If you live near or around the District of Columbia, you can see the shuttle at the National Mall, including Memorial Bridge, The Lincoln Memorial, and the Washington Monument. Also near the District of Columbia, you will be able to see it at the Southwest Waterfront Park. If you live near Virgina, then you may be able to see it at the Long Bridge Park, Old Town Alexandria Waterfront, and Gravelly Point. Finally, if you live near Maryland, then you might sport the shuttle at the National Harbor.

The exact times are entirely dependent upon the weather tomorrow morning, however it would be worth a few minutes wait to see this historic event. Thank you so much space shuttle Discovery for your years of service to this country and to science as well. The plane should be around the altitude of 1500 feet.

The Space Shuttle Discovery in action!:

747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft

To get a shuttle from place to place can be pretty intense. The NASA team has special equipment for this job. They have modified two 747 jetliners to provide transport for their shuttles. Where passengers would sit, there is nothing. Everything had to be designed specifically house the shuttle which sits directly on top. These entered commercial service in 1969.

The things that make these shuttle so special can be listed and are not so much different from the ones you fly in to see grandma on the holidays:

There are 3 struts which provide extra support from the interior to help hold the shuttle.
There are 2 additional vertical stabilizers which enhance directional stability
Removal of all interior furnishing and equipment forward of the No.1 door.
Extra Instrumentation to help monitor the electrical loads during the entire journey.

These sound like they are extra technological and awesome however I wouldn't look forward to flying in one. No AC or anything of that nature would make for an annoying ride!

These are generally used to get the shuttle to places it needs to go where ground travel just seems unfeasible.