Earlier this week, Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) fired up their Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft in a successful test to prepare for launch to the International Space Station, set for Friday, March 1, at 10:10 a.m. EST. Space travel fans can follow along during the event via LiveStream starting at 9:30 a.m.
Monday, SpaceX teams ran through all the countdown processes as if it were launch day. All nine engines on the Falcon rocket were successfully fired for nearly two seconds, clearing the way for the historic launch.
Friday’s launch will be the fourth flight for SpaceX’s uncrewed Dragon cargo spacecraft and the fifth and final flight for the company’s two-stage Falcon launch vehicle. It it the second SpaceX operational mission contracted to NASA under a Commercial Resupply Services contract.
Did you ever wonder what they send to the International Space Station on resupply missions?
In addition to what we might expect; food, clothing and gear needed for survival in space, the 1493-pound mission manifest includes experiments sent from a variety of nations.
Japan’s Aerospace Exploration Agency, for example, is sending stem cells. The Canadian and European Space Agencies have experiments going up also. NASA and the Russians are sending various supplies, computer resources and replacement parts.
With favorable weather expected, coverage of the launch from NASA’s Launch Complex 40 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida will begin at 8:30am on NASA TV.
Here is a short clip of that test-fire earlier this week-
I was on a commuter train – in Los Angeles. I kept repeating these words to myself as the Metrolink light rail whisked me through East LA, the city’s underwhelming skyline in the distance. Union Station was the next stop and terminus. From there I’d gawk at the station’s interior, in all its Art Deco beauty, and then hop on the red line to Thai Town.
Yes, that’s right: the subway. The Los Angeles Metro Rail, as it’s called, consists of six lines, all named by color, that snake through the greater Los Angeles area, mostly above ground but, as in the case of the line I took, the red line, underground as well. An Angelino can now travel from the San Fernando Valley to Long Beach. And that’s just the Metro Rail. There’s also the Metrolink, which goes even further afield and has been running since 1992.
Until recently, “public transportation” and “Los Angeles” seemed like antonyms, antipoles that were part of two different worlds. There are cities all over the planet with functioning rapid transit systems, subways and monorails and trains; and then there was Los Angeles, which seemed to exist outside the sphere of normal cities, an exception to the rule where cars reigned on the road and the most popular form of self expression was found on one’s vanity plate or personalized license plate.When I was growing up in the suburbs of Los Angeles, there were no trains or subways or light rail. There were only busses, frequented by crazy people who would boisterously yell “Bye bye!” to every person before getting off and by grumpy geriatrics whose licenses were revoked because they’d plowed their Oldsmobiles into a family of four, mistaking them for speed bumps (which is, essentially, what they became).
But before that, Los Angeles had an extensive public transportation system that covered 1,000 miles of the city. Revenue losses during the Interwar period were the death knell for the system. And, though contested, there’s the Great American Streetcar Scandal, which asserts that a GM-led consortium bought up the system and dismantled it to inspire people to buy more automobiles. If that’s true, it worked. Los Angeles has been an annoying miasma of steel and concrete ever since.
Maybe some day that will completely change. Last week, after transferring at Union Station, I took the subway to the Hollywood/Western stop and ate at Jitlada in Thai Town, a restaurant some critics claim is the best Thai restaurant in the country. I haven’t eaten at every Thai restaurant in America, so it’s hard to say. It was, though, some of the best Thai food I’ve ever eaten (disclosure: I’ve never been to Thailand). After that, I got back on the subway and headed downtown to the Los Angeles Times Travel Show where I watched Andrew McCarthy give an inspiring talk about why we should check our fear at the door when we hit the road and got to chat with friend Jen Leo and fellow Gadling’er and expert hugger, Don George.
At the end of the day, I hopped back on the Metrolink to Montclair where I was staying with my sister. The sun was setting behind me and I looked out the window at cars slowed and, at times, stopped, in traffic. It was the culmination of what would have been a very un-LA day but I’m happy to say is increasingly more and more Los Angeles with each rider.
Death Valley National Park may look otherworldly at times but this weekend it will actually play host to an event that is definitely out of this world.
The second annual MarsFest will take place in the park starting Friday, March 1, running through Sunday, March 3. The event is designed to allow scientists and space enthusiasts to interact with one another as they jointly explore the possibilities of space exploration, something that Death Valley has played a crucial role in for decades.
Because of the extreme environments and conditions that exist in the Valley, it has long served as a testing ground for new gear and equipment for NASA. The park is often used to simulate hostile alien environments such as those founds on the surface of Mars. In fact, many of the instruments that are currently in use on the Curiosity Rover were first put through their paces in Death Valley. Attendees of MarsFest will get to see just how NASA uses Death Valley as a proving ground before sending their multi-million dollar equipment into space.
The three-day festival has a full schedule of events on tap, including field trips to a variety of locations inside the park, guest lectures from scientists and guided hikes to remote locations. A daylong expo with informational booths will provide demonstrations of some of the delicate instruments used by NASA, while panel discussions on the future of space travel should prove enlightening as well.
If you’re interested in attending MarsFest 2013 click here for more details.
Speculation seems to be running rampant about potential losses to frequent flier accounts via the merger of American Airlines with US Airways. A new study recently analyzed American Airlines AAdvantage program and US Airways Dividend Miles program and found several pros and cons, many depending on which airline’s existing program is adopted for both.
Comparing programs, TravelNerd looked at some possible scenarios and came up with some interesting “what if?” results. Not all are bad either. US Airways members would come out ahead, for example, if the combined airline sticks with American’s meal program, enjoying meals on three-hour flights.
That’s good news. Not-so-good news: increased baggage fees could be a result as well. If the American Airlines program is adopted for both airlines, US Airways passengers will have to pay $25 more for three or more bags, and $10-$25 more for overweight bags
Thinking the new alliance means less countries, TravelNerd says US Airways will say goodbye to Star Alliance and join Oneworld, so Dividend Miles members will lose access to 44 countries.On the other hand, I am a member of both loyalty programs and received emails from each saying not to worry and that everything will stay the same. TravelNerd cries foul.
“Airlines are aware that mergers make consumers nervous and will send newsletters to members to ensure that their miles and status are safe,” Amy Lee TraveNerd Senior analyst told me via email. “This is true there are usually no changes in the short term.”
But Lee believes that change is coming and once the merger is complete and has passed government regulations, the streamlining will begin.
“One way they plan to do this is to bring Dividend Miles members into their AAdvantage program,” notes Lee. “In the American Airlines Merger Investor Presentation, they wrote, “US Airways members join AAdvantage, the first and best developed loyalty program in the world.” This implies that they plan to maintain one loyalty program – presumably AAdvantage since American Airlines brand will be taking the helm of this merger.”
Travelnerd points to the United-Continental merger as an example, noting that merger was announced in May 2010 but frequent flier accounts were not linked until March 2012.
More bad news from the study is the notion that more members equals less upgrades. TravelNerd predicts that with a combined total of over 101 million members, frequent fliers will have a tough time upgrading their seats.
Our first thought: Why? Are they going to sell off a bunch of planes? We’ve heard nothing of decreased capacity.
“Regarding upgraded seats, you’re right there are going to be the same number of seats available,” replies Lee. “However, Dividend Miles members currently enjoy many upgrades due to their smaller frequent flier program (30 million members). Once the merger finalizes, the AAdvantage members (71 million members) will make it harder for the Dividend Miles members to enjoy as many upgrades as they currently do because of the increased number of frequent fliers.”
Admittedly, much of what we have here is speculation. But if Merger History 101 tells us anything it’s that change is inevitable. It will be interesting to see how it plays out.
For a closer look at the merger from an unbiased source, we turn to public broadcasting and their sobering view on the topic:
The International Space Station is one of the wonders of modern technology. A series of interconnected orbital modules are home to a rotating crew of astronauts and cosmonauts plus a host of ongoing experiments. While the ISS only gets into the news every now and then, interesting things are happening there daily.
Right now three astronauts – two American and one Canadian – are on duty up there along with three cosmonauts from Russia. This video is a weekly update showing what they did last week. The main work has been preparing for the arrival of the Dragon spacecraft, which will bring supplies and take some completed experiments and waste back to Earth.
Besides that, the crew has been conducting experiments, doing maintenance work on their spacesuits, troubleshooting a partial communications failure, training with the robotic arm, and answering questions from the public back on Earth.
The three astronauts even got a break for Presidents Day. I didn’t know they got days off up there. I wonder what they do? Stare out the window a lot, I bet.
The weekly update gets uploaded every Friday and there are daily updates throughout the week. You can followed them on the ISS website.