NASA Good to Go—Pack Extra Pillows

NASA’s next space shuttle launch is planned for May 31. Some of the astronauts might want to pack extra pillows, considering the Russian‘s ISS return rough landing on Earth on April 19. This came after an off-course, steeper-than-usual descent, with the hatch door facing front rather than turned toward the back, making the interior far warmer than usual. One of the three astronauts returning in it ended up in the hospital with back pain. The Russians hope to have a report to determine what went wrong completed by the end of the month. Even if it’s not complete before Discovery launches, officials believe the Soyuz at the space station is reliable in case of an emergency. Even if the report isn’t ready in time for Discovery’s liftoff, there would be no benefit to delaying the shuttle mission so that the Russians could determine went wrong with their Soyuz. This was the second flawed landing in a row for a Soyuz spacecraft.



NASA astronaut Gregory Chamitoff will fly on Discovery and will remain at the space station for six months. He’ll replace fellow American, Garrett Reisman, who was dropped off in March. Discovery and its crew of seven will deliver and install Japan‘s huge laboratory, Kibo, which translates as “hope.” The first part of the lab was carried up in March—Cape Canaveral, Florida