A Galaxy Not So Far Away

Moondog's Dog Blog

Let's take Boone and Sadie for a romp around the "big field"......

It's A Bug's Flight

Last night, I set up the meteor-detection camera, facing east. It captured a couple of meteors, but what I thought was REALLY interesting was the flight path of a moth flying around my backyard, illuminated by my porch light. These sequences all occurred within 30 seconds......

ISS and a Meteor

Taking a little break from the Hubble mission, I set up two cameras last night to capture the International Space Station as it passed overhead.
The first photo was taken from the all-sky camera. The ISS always travels from west-to-east, so this image shows it passing from the bottom of the frame to the center.
The 2nd photo was taken from a high-resolution video camera, pointed up 60°, toward the NNE. It captured a video sequence of the pass, and created a still image. Fortunately, there is a website that predicts EXACTLY when and where the ISS will pass overhead, so all I need to do is point the camera and wait!!
I also got a bonus....a bright meteor pierced the skies about an hour later! (see video)

HUBBLE: EVA #3

On Saturday, John Grunsfeld and "Drew" Feustel performed EVA #3.
Here, John exits the airlock, then prepares the foot-restraint on the end of the Shuttle's robotic arm and assists Drew as he positions himself on the arm.
Drew's reflection is seen in Hubble's shiny outer covering as he is lowered on the robotic arm; he finishes stowing a large component in the Shuttle's cargo bay, then stows his Pistol Grip Tool (PGT) on the "mini workstation" mounted on the robotic arm.

HUBBLE: EVA #2

Today, Mike Massimino and Michael Good replaced three Rate Sensing Units and some Battery Packs in Hubble. The three RSU's contain 6 gyroscopes which help point and align the telescope.

Michael Good is working from the end of the Shuttle's robotic arm.

Here is a short (2:31) video segment of some of the activities....enjoy.....

HUBBLE: EVA #1

John Grunsfeld and Andrew "Drew" Feustel performed the first EVA (spacewalk) to begin replacing components on Hubble. Here, John and Drew exit (egress) the airlock, Drew unbolts the Wide Field Planetary Camera-2 (WFC-2), then removes it from Hubble, just like pulling out a drawer, and is lowered down to the Shuttle's cargo bay with the camera in hand. The new WFC-3 is then installed......

***Unbolting the camera was not as easy as it looks....the bolt was tighter than expected, and Drew's torque wrench kept slipping. They decided to let him use his brute-strength to loosen the bolt. Depsite the risk of breaking the bolt and not being able to replace the camera, he was able to loosen it, then use the motorized socket to remove it....whew!!!!! Close one!!!!!

Capturing Hubble

WEDNESDAY, MAY 13: Ahhhh, the long-awaited "Hubble-Hug"!

It's been 7 years since Hubble's last servicing mission, hence, this is the first time we have seen the telescope in that long...

This video has 3 parts: the first view of Hubble as Atlantis approached, the actual capture (grapple) of Hubble as seen from the camera on the end of the shuttle's robotic arm as Atlantis inches toward it from below, and Hubble finally attached to the end of the arm, flying above Earth. (all video segments are recorded as time-lapse to reduce file size and viewing times)

My next few posts will include video segments from the actual spacewalks as the astronauts replace several components. Stay tuned!

Atlantis Tile Survey

For the next several days, I will be posting updates and brief video segments covering the current shuttle mission, STS-125. As I mentioned previously, this is the LAST servicing mission to the Hubble Space Telescope.

Today, the crew of Atlantis is doing an extensive survey of the Thermal Protection System, which includes all the protective tiles on the underside of the shuttle, as well as the nosecap and wing leading-edge surfaces. This survey, performed on the first full day in orbit, has been standard protocol on every shuttle mission since the Columbia accident, to ensure that there hasn't been any damage to the shuttle during launch.

This video shows part of that survey. This view is loooking at the port (left) side of Atlantis, just behind the nose, at the thruster ports. The camera, mounted on the orbiter's robotic arm, moves back, toward the crew hatch....

Atlantis and the Hubble Space Telescope

Space Shuttle Atlantis launched successfully today from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. This is a unique mission, as it is the last servicing mission to the Hubble Space Telescope. Several components and cameras on Hubble will be replaced, as well as some repairs which were not originally designed to be performed in space!

Something else that makes it unique, is that the astronauts will not be anywhere near the International Space Station. That means that if they have problems in orbit, Shuttle Endeavour is on the launch pad, ready for a rescue mission if needed. Needless to say, this is an exceptionally risky mission!

Here are some different camera views of the launch. I recorded them as time-lapse, to save file size and time...enjoy.....

Mother's Day Sundogs

Mother's Day started out beautiful and clear.

Rising in the east, the Sun was accompanied by a pair of sundogs....rainbow-colored reflections in the high, thin cirrus clouds, on either side of the Sun. Sundogs can vary in brightness, size and intensity, but these were a wonderful tribute to all the Mothers in our lives........

(Artificial eclipse added)

VideoBlog: Veggies and Dogs

A short tour of my little corner of the universe...

ISS and the Milky Way

The all-sky camera here at Meadowcreek Park Observatory captured the International Space Station as it passed overhead last night. Clearly visible, is the Milky Way, stretching across the view, from left to right!!

The ISS travels from west-to-east (top-to-bottom in this view). Click on image for larger view.