Archive for April, 2010
In the RV Processing Facility
Yesterday I took RV-103 to Preventive Maintenance Service of Florida for her oil change and to have our damaged door panels looked at. The owner, Al Cruz, came out and looked at the damaged door panels. I told him that along with the oil change and safety check, I [Read More]
How Do You Connect to the Internet in a RV? A Review of Verizon’s MiFi.
When we were in New York during our Shakedown Cruise (see Mission #1), we found that wireless internet at the various campsites did not always live up to their hype. Connections were spotty and many times nonexistent. Since we spent a good amount of time online [Read More]
April 23rd, 2010 Mission #2 Westward Ho is Accomplished
We awoke that morning and struck camp. We exited without any problems and finished the final leg home. We decided to come down Florida Route 19 instead of I-75 and had a nice scenic drive. The last 20 miles were the longest. We hit Clearwater traffic right at rush [Read More]
April 22nd, 2010 Houston, There Appears To Have Been An Anomaly.
We got up that morning and packed up the RV to continue on our way. We had been staying the night at Martin Lake RV Park. As we started to leave, we ended up having an anomaly during our exit. The exit is lined with wooden poles sticking about 3 feet up from the [Read More]
April 21st, 2010 Back on the Road Towards Home.
We finally packed up from our nice rest just outside of Houston and continued our re-entry back home. It had been a nice break from traveling, and we really did enjoy the campsite we were staying at, but it was time to press on. Not long after we started our journey [Read More]
April 18th, 2010 Visit to Johnson Space Center Visitor Center
On April 18th, our fearful leader Commander Merlin allowed me some shore leave. Since we were just outside of Houston, I drove over to see Johnson Space Center’s Visitor Center. I have spent many hours at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Center (I’m even shown [Read More]
Obama’s April 15th Speech at Kennedy Space Center
I watched with great interest Obama’s speech at Kennedy Space Center and had to take a few days to think about how I would reply to it. (Please also see this post.) I think the first thing that needs to be covered is the ending of the Shuttle Program. I have found, [Read More]
April 17th, 2010 Houston TX Day One
Commander Merlin ordered the crew to take a break from our duties. So, we drove to a campground just outside of Houston and settled down for a couple days of R&R. We ended up at Trinity Bay RV Park in Anahuac TX on Trinity Bay. The place actually ended being a very [Read More]
April 16th, 2010 Still in TX!
We proceeded on our re-entry home. Commander Merlin spent a good amount of time on the bridge and touring the ship. It is always good to see the Commander. She does improve crew morale. Eventually she took her seat behind the crew and kept watch over us while we [Read More]
April 15th, 2010 The Great State of Texas!
The next morning we arose and started to leave our desert oasis. We seriously debated taking a detour to go to Roswell NM and see Obama’s new space program at Area 51, but decided against it. We instead continued our journey and went on to Texas. We entered TX at El [Read More]
April 14th, 2010 Night in the Desert
We continued through AZ after our adventure at the Rest Stop and entered NM. We ended up staying at a RV park in Deming NM owned by Bowlin Travel Center right off I-10 for only $12. This park is right in the middle of no mans land with nothing but desert all around. The [Read More]
Danger Danger Will Robinson!!!
The one thing I don’t like about AZ is the fact that they have closed every rest stop on I-10 except for two. I don’t know why AZ has closed so many rest stops. It might be due to budget shortfalls, or as some signs said, “No water.” No matter the reason or [Read More]
April 13th, 2010 Resumed our re-entry
Early the next morning, we resumed our journey back home. We passed Edwards Air Force Base in the Mojave Desert. Edwards is the backup landing site for the Space Shuttle. When the weather is too bad at KSC, the shuttle will always go to Edwards. The first five flights [Read More]
April 12th, 2010 RV-103 Starts Re-entry
Today we packed up RV-103 and started the long journey home to Florida. We have been sitting in one spot for so long, that it took us a little longer than usual to get RV-103 ready to leave. Usually, it takes us less than 30 minutes to pack up and get moving, but when [Read More]
Satellite TV: Part Two
If you recall, prior to RV-103 launching on her first mission, I looked into getting satellite TV without success. You can find that story here. Anyway, while here in CA, we had a neighbor in the campground for a few weeks that suggested a local company that specialized [Read More]
Neil deGrasse Tyson on What NASA Means to America’s Future
Mr. Tyson was speaking at the University of Buffalo recently when he was asked about Obama’s cancellation of our Human Space Flight program. I truly wish I was as eloquent as he is when it comes to explaining why we need Human Space Flight as a nation. Please take 4 [Read More]
That’s My Girl!!! Fly Baby Fly!!!
Early Easter Morning Shuttle Discovery (OV-103) lit up the pre-dawn sky from Launch Complex 39A. She was the first ship I got to work on when I was employed by United Space Alliance and is what RV-103 is named after. From the NASAwebsite: Discovery Lifts off An exhaust [Read More]
