HOME PAGE: No matter what your political views might be... One thing is for certain. In these days of fast news and even faster life styles... We all seem to have forgotten those moments in history that so abruptly and tragically changed this beloved Country of ours... 9/11… How soon we forget…
Taking a Moment to Honor All our Fallen Heroes And all that serve/served * Memorial Day 2010 *.Rolling Thunder Salute A U.S. Marine salutes the Rolling Thunder members as they travel to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial through downtown Washington, D.C., May 30, 2010. Thousands of bikers from across the United States turned out for the annual event that aims to raise awareness for the needs of veterans, prisoners of war and those still missing in action. DoD photo by Fred W. Baker III ......................................... . Memorial Day Message Monday, May 31, 2010
About this video: A Memorial Day message from Defense Secretary Robert Gates This video posted on YouTube by DODvClips ............................................................. . Click here for more stories, photos, videos and more from DOD ............................... . In memory of all of those that have given their all in the service of this great country of ours AubreyJ.........
Phantom Recall - Say it isn’t SO!!! “Johnson & Johnson” Government may take criminal action against Johnson & Johnson over violations in manufacturing and quality control practices that led to last month's massive recall of over-the-counter infant's and children's liquid medicines Thursday, May 27, 2010 . *Buinessweek.com brings us this troubling report today and it starts off like this... Johnson & Johnson’s manufacturing lapses, which caused 40 types of children’s drugs to be pulled from store shelves this month, date to 2008 when there was a “phantom recall” of the painkiller Motrin, a lawmaker said... Consultants to J&J’s McNeil Consumer Healthcare unit triedin August 2008 to retrieve large quantities of 88,000 packages of Motrin from stores without notifying regulators, Representative Edolphus Towns said today at a hearing... Read the rest at link below... J&J ‘Phantom Recall’ Shows Motrin Troubles Go Back . * New York Times has the following report on this Johnson & Johnson mess posted up on their website today and itsStarts off like this...The Johnson & Johnson business unit that recalled millions of liquid children’s Tylenol and other pediatric medicines last month may face criminal penalties, product seizures or other sanctions, an official from the Food and Drug Administration said Thursday... The agency is considering further actions against McNeil Consumer Healthcare, the Johnson & Johnson unit, after a pattern of violations in manufacturing and quality control practices led to a number of recent recalls, Dr. Joshua M. Sharfstein, the F.D.A.’s principal deputy commissioner said at a Congressional hearing Thursday... On April 30, McNeil voluntarily recalled more than 136 million bottles of liquid pediatric Tylenol, Motrin, Benadryl and Zyrtec because they may have contained too much of the active drug ingredient, metal specks or inactive ingredients that failed testing requirements, the agency said... Read this report in full at link below... F.D.A. Considers Further Penalties in Drug Recall . *ABCNews.com reports the story this way... Children's Tylenol Recall: Did 'Culture of Mediocrity' at McNeil Labs Affect Children's Medicines? . ********************************* . I found the following recall information today by going to the Johnson & Johnsonwebsite and checking out Featured Stories. Click here to read more >McNeil Product Recall Information
Welcome Home Atlantis STS-132 Another picture-perfect landing!!! Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Photo credit: NASA/Sandra Joseph . Space Shuttle Atlantis and six astronauts ended a journey of more than 4.8 million miles with an 8:48am EDT landing Wednesday at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The flawless landing wrapped up a highly successful mission to deliver the Russian-built Mini Research Module-1, known as "Rassvet" ("dawn" in Russian), to the International Space Station. . "It was smooth as silk," STS-132 Commander Ken Ham said of Atlantis' entry and landing. "We were clearly riding in the middle of a fireball, and it was spectacular. The windows, all of them, were bright, brilliant orange. One of the neatest things was when we flew right into orbital sunrise." . This was the final scheduled flight for Atlantis, which has logged more than 120 million miles during its 25 years of service. The orbiter will go through standard prelaunch preparations as the "launch-on-need" vehicle for Endeavour's STS-134 mission. That flight currently is targeted for November. . "Atlantis treated us very well. She was just an incredible ship," Mission Specialist Michael Good said, citing the precision of the deorbit burn as an example of Atlantis' performance. "The engines had it trimmed out to within .01 of what the burn was supposed to be." . The all-veteran astronaut crew will head home to Houston on Thursday. The public is invited to attend the welcome ceremony for the crew Thursday at 4 p.m. CDT at Ellington Field's NASA Hangar 276. . "We're thrilled, because we accomplished the mission that was put in front of us," Ham said. He explained that in addition to the technical objectives of the 12-day mission, the astronauts also wanted to enjoy themselves and share their enthusiasm of spaceflight with the world. . "We've been hearing stories about how folks have been having fun and enjoyed watching us have fun, and that's really important to us." . STS-132 is the 132nd shuttle mission and the 34th mission to visit the space station. The next mission, STS-133, is slated to launch in September. . Note:This WAS the last scheduled mission EVER for Space Shuttle Atlantis. Yep... To the history books she now goes! .............................................. . Safe Landing Ends Atlantis' Final Flight
About this video: STS-132 Commander Ken Ham and his five crewmates: Pilot Tony Antonelli and Mission Specialists Garrett Reisman, Steve Bowen, Mike Good and Piers Sellers are safely back on Earth after Space Shuttle Atlantis glided to a picture-perfect landing at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Fla. on Wednesday morning, May 26. It was Atlantis' 32nd and final flight, traveling a total of more than 120 million miles. The 12-day, STS-132 mission delivered the Russian Mini Research Module-1, Rassvet ("dawn") to the International Space Station. This video posted on YouTube by NASAtelevision . ******************** . We have seen the landing - Now let’s check out the launch again too. Pretty COOL stuff, with music! . STS-132 Ascent Highlights
About this Video: Space Shuttle Atlantis and the STS-132 crew begin the journey to the International Space Station on May 14, 2010. . .................................................... . In this last video - We enjoy a short recap of the overall STS-132 Mission . STS-132 Mission Video Highlights
About this video: Highlights of Atlantis' STS-132 mission to the International Space Station are presented in images and video. . Many, MANY more STS-132 videos can be seen HERE ... ********************** *Mission Wind Down* Read Latest News and Updates at NASA.gov.
******************* Again... WELCOME HOME!!! And job well done... AubreyJ.........
.About above image: Mission Specialists Garrett Reisman (left) and Stephen Bowen starting off their first STS-132 mission spacewalk .... - First Spacewalk of STS-132 Completed - Monday, May 17, 2010 3:30pm EDT . Mission Specialists Garrett Reisman and Stephen Bowen completed the first spacewalk of the STS-132 mission at 3:19pm EDT. They installed a second station space-to-ground Ku-band antenna and a spare parts platform on Dextre, the two-armed robotic Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator. The spacewalk lasted 7 hours, 25 minutes. . Reisman and Bowen began the spacewalk at 7:54am. Mission Specialist Michael Good and Pilot Tony Antonelli, the intravehicular officer, assisted the spacewalkers from inside the orbiting complex. Support for robotic arm operations was provided by Mission Specialist Piers Sellers and Flight Engineer Tracy Caldwell Dyson. . Meanwhile, Commander Ken Ham was overseeing the activities and work on transfer of supplies to the station.
* Photo for the Day *-Atlantis Roars Off The Launch Pad- Space Shuttle Atlantis lifts off from Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on-time at 01:20pm CDT, Friday, May 14, 2010. Might be noted that Atlantis was lifting off on its last ever scheduled flight too... Photo/Info Credit: NASA
Watch Launch and Mission Live Of Space Shuttle Atlantis STS-132 POST DATE: Friday, May 14, 2010 . Friday’s Launch looks like a GO! * Launch Time:1:28pm CST*
About Photo: Flags wave briskly at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, after the rotating service structure opened to reveal space shuttle Atlantis on Launch Pad 39A Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller - Taken May 13, 2010 ... We have LIFTOFF! And what A Picture Perfect Launch it was too...
Space Shuttle Atlantis enjoyed a near flawless countdown and launch from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on May 14, 2010, to begin the STS-132 mission. Launch went off on time at 1:20pm CDT. ..................................................................... . STS-132: Liftoff Atlantis!
The six-member crew of STS-132 began their 12-day mission to the International Space Station with the May 14th liftoff of Space Shuttle Atlantis at 2:20pm Eastern from NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Fla. Commander Ken Ham, Pilot Tony Antonelli and Mission Specialists Garrett Reisman, Steve Bowen, Mike Good and Piers Sellers are delivering to the ISS a cargo carrier filled with spare parts and Rassvet, the Russian Mini Research Module-1. .. ********************* Read Latest News and Updates atNASA.gov And at NASA’s Launch Blog . **************************** Watch Launch and Mission LIVE Spacewalks TOO! At NASA TV Click HEREto view ENJOY!!! **************************** . STS-132: Interactive Mission Timeline
ClickHEREto view . ********************* .. - Atlantis' Final Mission - . After almost 25 years and more than 115 million miles, Space Shuttle Atlantis is down to just one final mission - but it will be going out on a high note. . STS-132 will deliver to the International Space Station the Russian Rassvet Mini-Research Module-1, only the second Russian module to ever be carried into space by a space shuttle. It’s a fitting final payload for the orbiter that not only launched the first into space, but also was the first shuttle to dock to the Russian Space Station Mir – in fact, Atlantis was the shuttle behind seven of the 11 shuttle missions to Mir. . "Atlantis has a history of being the shuttle that did the most international things," said Emily Nelson, lead space station flight director for the mission. "It’s the orbiter that the Russians have known best, because it’s one that came to their space station most often, and it’s one that we used to deliver a module for them in the past." . Whether or not they recognize it by name, many people are likely familiar with Atlantis’ work. Besides the visits to Mir, Atlantis carried the Magellan Spacecraft into orbit, sending it on its way to Venus, where it mapped 98 percent of the plant from orbit. The same year – 1989 – it also deployed the Galileo Spacecraft to Jupiter, where it collected data on the planet and its moons for eight years. . Closer to home, Atlantis has visited the International Space Station 10 times – STS-132 will be its 11th trip – delivering among other pieces of hardware, the United States’ Destiny Laboratory and Europe’s Columbus. And just last year it made the final flight to the Hubble Space Telescope, bringing upgrades that should allow the telescope to see further into the universe than ever for years to come. . "Atlantis has clearly been a work horse of the space shuttle fleet over the years," said Mike Sarafin, lead STS-132 shuttle flight director. "The shuttle program history is pretty complicated, but I think it will show that Atlantis is a remarkable vehicle." . But Atlantis is not finished making history just yet – there are still a few firsts in store. . For instance, the installation of Rassvet. Normally when a new piece of the space station is installed, all the work is done (the hooks are engaged and the latches latched to attach the new module to the rest of the station) from the space station side of the equation. That’s true for all of the international partners involved in the station except for Russia. Until now, the Russian modules have all been launched into space on their own, not carried up by a space shuttle, and the Russian system makes use of that by relying on the momentum of the new module as it approaches to force the latches. . That won’t be possible this time around. Instead, the STS-132 crew will use the space station’s robotic arm to attach it. The arm will be extended to just about its full 58 feet to reach Rassvet’s home on the Zarya module, which will make it difficult to push with much force. In addition, the commands to the module to work those latches and hooks will have to take a long circuitous route from the robotic arm controls inside the Cupola, through the United States segment of the station to the Russian segment, then back to the United States segment and out through the robotic arm to the Rassvet. .. "Installing that module is going to be an interesting day," STS-132 Commander Ken Ham said. "If anything goes wrong in this delicate plan, we have to get it to work right. We think, based on the analyses, that we’re going to be just fine. However, we’re prepared for all sorts of problems that could arise getting that thing in there." . If the team is lucky, some of Atlantis’ good luck will rub off on the module while it’s in the shuttle’s cargo bay, and the installation will go off without a hitch – Atlantis tends to be the member of the shuttle fleet with the fewest problems in flight, so it wouldn’t be out of character. . "Like any home or any car that you’ve had over the years, the shuttles have their nuances," Sarafin said. "Atlantis tends to behave very well when it’s flying. That’s a nice luxury to have." . ***************************************** . NOTE:I’ll be updating this post on the mission and spacewalks over the next few days so check back!!! . GOD SPEED to the Crew of STS-132 Atlantis... AubreyJ.........
On its Last Leg - Oil Rig Deepwater Horizon - . This file photo shows Fire Boat Response Crews battle the blazing remnants of the oil rig Deepwater Horizon off the Louisiana coast in the Gulf of Mexico. Photo taken April 21, 2010 A U.S. Coast Guard photo - Taken from the DoD website ...................................... . In memory of those that lost their lives to this tragic accident in the Gulf
BP suffers another setback in Gulf oil containment effort -Semisubmersible Drilling Rig ‘Deepwater Horizon’- Saturday, May 08, 2010 .
BP suffered a setback on Saturday in an attempt to contain oil gushing into the Gulf of Mexico with a huge metal dome when crystallized gas filled the structure, a blow to hopes of a quick, temporary solution to a growing environmental disaster... Word of the snag came as balls of tar appeared in waters off a popular Alabama island beach in what may be the first evidence of spilled oil washing into a populated area... Read the full report at link below... BP suffers snag in Gulf oil containment effort
. ******************************* . Deep-sea Ice Crystals Stymie Oil Leak Fix About following Video: A BP official says ice crystals have formed inside of the oil containment box that was placed over the massive oil leak. That's forced crews to move the box away to study the problem. .
This news video posted on YouTube by AssociatedPress . ............................... . POST UPDATE: Sunday, May 09, 2010 . Crews planned Sunday to park the giant oil containment box on the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico, and offload equipment that could be used in a new attempt to stem the flow of gushing into the sea... The equipment to be offloaded from another vessel would use a tube to shoot mud and concrete directly into the well's blowout preventer, a process that could take two to three weeks. But BP PLC spokesman Mark Proegler said no decisions have been made on what step the company will take next... The company was considering several options, including the technique known as a "top kill," Proegler said... Read the full report at link below... BP plans to park oil box; unload new equipment . * CNN.com has this report posted up on their website this Sunday afternoon and it starts off like this...If using a massive dome to cover the source of the oil gushing into the Gulf of Mexico doesn't work, crews are preparing for another option: clogging it... Engineers are examining whether they can close a failed blowout preventer by stuffing it with trash, said Adm. Thad Allen, the commandant of the Coast Guard. The 48-foot-tall, 450-ton device sits atop the well at the heart of the Gulf oil spill and is designed to stop leaks, but it has not been working properly since the oil rig Deepwater Horizon exploded April 20 and later sank... "The next tactic is going to be something they call a junk shot," Allen told CBS's "Face the Nation" on Sunday. "They'll take a bunch of debris -- shredded up tires, golf balls and things like that -- and under very high pressure, shoot it into the preventer itself and see if they can clog it up and stop the leak."... Read the rest at link below... Next step to stop oil: Throw garbage at it . ........................ AubreyJ.........
Rolling Thunder Salute
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