Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Space Truckers, Year of Astronomy 

NASA announced yesterday that it has awarded contracts to two companies to haul cargo between Earth and the International Space Station.   SpaceX and Orbital Sciences will deliver 20 tons of material for a total of $3.5 billion through 2016.  This program is designed to bridge the gap between the retirement of the space shuttles and the launch of the replacement line.  

Also of note is that 2009 is the UN-designated International Year of Astronomy.  This year was chosen as it includes the 400th anniversary of Galileo's first use of an astronomical telescope.  The main theme is "The Universe, Yours to Discover."  So get out there and discover it.

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Posted by Rogueslayer at 6:37 AM