October 20, 2007
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Shuttle
USA TODAYAs one female astronaut commands the shuttle Discovery, another will assume the leadership post on the space stationWhen space shuttle Discovery blasts off as early as Tuesday, the astronaut in the commander’s seat will make history — and also represent the likely end of an era.
Commander Pamela Melroy, 46, will be second female shuttle commander. She’ll also almost certainly be the last.
No other female astronaut is qualified to lead a shuttle flight, and NASA is unlikely to hire women to follow in Melroy’s footsteps before the shuttle retires in 2010.
Still, Melroy’s trip represents how far women have come in taking on leadership roles in space. Melroy’s arrival in space will mark the first time that two female commanders will orbit the Earth. The other is astronaut Peggy Whitson, who today officially becomes the first female commander of the International Space Station.
The overlap “is just indicative that there are enough women in the program that coincidentally this can happen,” Melroy says. “And that is a wonderful thing.”
Discovery is scheduled to lift off at 12:38 p.m. CDT on its mission to the International Space Station.
The 14-day mission includes five spacewalks – four by shuttle crew members and one by the station’s Expedition 16 crew. Discovery is expected to complete its mission and return home at 4:47 a.m. EST on Nov. 6.
Looking ahead to launch-day weather, there is a 40% probability that weather could prohibit liftoff.
I always look forward to the Space Shuttle blasting off.
Comments (9)
I know some people in South Africa who believe that no ne has ever been in space but that the whole thing is filmed in Hollywood studios
During the early days of the Space Mission
of the Challenger, Discovery, and Columbia
I would wake up to watch the Space Shuttle lift offs.
I don’t follow them as such now days.
Thanks for sharing…
Blessings,
“Susie” :0)
Nice post and an intersting one. Thanks for sharing!
RYC:
I thank God for Friday Night Church.
So glad that you guys had church last night too.
Church is a GOOD ”thing.”
Keep on seeking and soak in what happened at Church last night.
I always look forward to watching the Shuttle…and yet so many of us find it normal and sooo routine.
I just saw this on the news awhile ago. Isn’t that great. Hey, that is my mom’s birthday She’ll be 82yr but we won’t celebrate till the weekend.
Remember in the late 60′s early 70′s and even now when ppl believed we didn’t “really,” land on the moon, that it was all Hollywood?
My former father in law is retired from NASA, he worked on the space shuttle in the 80′s, it’s always an exciting time for him when anything blasts into space.
Nice post!
Hope they all return safe
Hope you are having a good week.