SPACE:  With the landing of the shuttle Atlantis, the US manned space program will come to an end. After this, if we want to send an astronaut to  the Internatinal Space Station, we'll have to use the technology of another coumtry, most likely Russia. Trusting the Russians with our personnel and technology is like letting the fox guard the henhouse. President Obama is making a big mistake in throwing away all that this country has developed  in space over the last forty years. Unfortuately Obama is perfect in his own eyes, so the chances of him reversing his decision are slim.
NASA  http://www.nasa.gov/ has a comprehensive website  that will gladden the hearts of space geeks and casual observers both.. Under Home click on STS-135 and learn about Atlantis, its mission and its crew. Photographs and videos are available for downlading. You can even download the tunes used to wake up the astronauts each morning..Plus there is plenty of background on previous shuttle missions and crew.  Information on NASA's unmanned space probes is also available.. For example, did you know that the Cassini-Huygen space probe recently recorded a lightening storm on Saturn?

While we're on the subject, happy birthday Neptune. The planet just completed its first orbit around the sun in the 165 years since it was discovered.

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Neptune by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope

And Now, A Few Words From the Cat:

Hi! Raja here. Mommy is so busy with her blog that she's neglecting mine.I wanted to tell you about my new furry brudder, Panda. He' sa tuxedo cat who stared hanging around here.   He very politely asked if he could share my territory. I told him "Okay. I'll even get you food. But stay away from my human." He didn't listen. First he caressed her legs with his whiskers. The he poked her with his little pink nose.  Two days later it was head butts  and rubbed against her.The next thing you know, Mommy is cradling his head in her hand and cooing"How's my Pandy Man.?"  BLECH. He  lives mostly outside,but comes in for food and cuddles. Yesterday he took a two hour nap in MY bathtub. I suppose he is a handsme fellow. He's white with black spots. The lower half of his face is white, while the  upper part and his ears are black. He also has a black tail. I guess Panda is an okay name for him. It's cuter an Holstein. And he knows that I'm the Queen an must be obeyed.

That's all for now...