Waiting for Discovery...

Last Thursday, it was a squirrely pyro bolt on the external tank. That pushed the launch of STS-92 (a.k.a., ISS flight 3A) to Friday. On Friday, a malfunctioning valve in the propulsion system caused a delay to Monday. On Monday, it was high winds that prevented fueling of Discovery.

Today, everything seemed ready to go when a sharp-eyed inspection team found a "pip pin" wedged between the external tank and the Shuttle. The pin weighs about half a pound, but had it dislodged during launch, it might have bounced after falling 40 feet...right back up into one of the Shuttle main engines, and that would have ruined everybody's day.

In the meantime, the incredibly cheap tickets I found to go visit my folks up North are looking less sure by the day. As it is, had Discovery launched today, my so-called "vacation" would have started on the last day of mission support. My problem with all these delays is that I'm working as a backup on this support team, and the team is getting stretched thinner by the minute.

I may have to "abort" my vacation. And that will not make me a happy camper.

Cheers...

Raking in the campaign contributions...

An interesting item from the Capitol Hill Blue web site tells of a rather unique approach to fundraising on the part of the Libertarian Party candidate for the position of attorney general in Utah.

CHB is not altogether my cup of tea, but it does provide some interesting contrast to what passes for journalism among the major networks. And in any event, any site that offers updates on "America's Criminal Class: The Congress of the United States" can't be said to have its heart in the wrong place.

So many scandals...so little time.

Vote Libertarian.

Cheers...