The Nasa Channel

I've been entranced the past several days by my discovery of the NASA channel.  I've been watching the US astronauts up on the International Space Station.  It's the last time the shuttle Discovery will be flying...and it's kind of fun to watch people floating around.  This morning I found myself leaning over on my side to look at the picture sideways.  It's pretty hilarious.  Whatever direction they are facing or sitting is right side up for them.  (How fun would that be??  I'm jealous.)  It's not like you can really trip over anything when you're out there....wouldn't you just sort of bounce off in a new direction?  You can just tell everyone you were practicing insterstellar gymnastics.

Today the astronauts had the 'afternoon off.'  What do you do on your day off when you are circling the planet in a great big can? Frisbee? Poker?  Mad Libs are always entertaining.....(I just had visions of a hard core belly laugh sending them all flying in different directions...)

So then it makes me wonder if they bring personal luggage at all.  The Shuttle crew wears one color shirt with khakis and the Station crew another color shirt with khakis.  If you have to wear the clothes provided by NASA do you get to pick out your own socks and underthings?  Those are kind of personal items.  And how do they control their hair? Looking at the men's hair, it looks more or less like normal, short, guy hair.  But the ladies, on the other hand, have hair flying everywhere.  It's like an 80's hair band without hairspray and blow dryers.  I spent most of high school trying to get that kind of volume. One of the lady scientists said she tends to keep it in a ponytail so she doesn't get stuck on the random velcro located throughout the station.  Ouch.

I wonder if they have to tie themselves down when they sleep.  Can you imagine waking up from THAT sleepwalking episode? Yowza.  Dear NASA, we are making an unscheduled side trip to the Outer Rim.  We'll send you a postcard....

All silliness aside, visually connecting with what's going on out there has me amazed and awed.  Last night my daughter and I caught a glimpse of thunderstorms over Chile from 217 miles high; one view from a camera on the ISS.  You could see the lightning.  Wow.  In this sci-fi, techy world we move in, there is so much familiar imagination out there that the reality of what they are doing has taken a back seat.  There are people living and working and going about daily routines who aren't even on this planet! I've thought about what it would take to actually get to that point.  Years and years of work and determination and prayer and sacrifice.  A good set of brains.  And after all that, the willingness to be shot off the earth, not knowing if you'll get there, and not knowing if you'll get back.  Wow.  Talk about heroes.