This website: http://isstracker.com/ is en example of so many technologies and trends in this world, I find it beautiful.  But then I'm a geek.

1. The ISS.  I know, I know many people argue it doesn't have a compelling mission beyond just being a space station but I still think it's vital.  We are continuing and extending our knowledge about how humans can live, work and build in space.
2. Global mapping tools that are now available at our fingertips.  Like cell phone cameras, maps.live.com and maps.google.com and mapquest and all the others are now ubiquitous in our world.   Remember the Thomas guides to find where you were going? 
3. Mashups: Information and tools put into the hands of ordinary Joes.  Anybody with a modicum of skill can build this site.
4. Now we have a 2+2=5 type of equation.  And you as a member of the intertubes viewing public have an ISS live tracker system at your fingertips.  Think of that.  You don't have to be in the control center of NASA to track the space station.  You can be in your pajamas, click click click.  Oh yeah there she is, over Bermuda.

Cool.

This is pretty cool.  Submit your questions over here: Make Contact: Ask the Astronaut on Space Station a Question.

You can watch (or read) all his responses to previous questions over here: Greg Chamitoff Answers.

There are lots of interesting questions and answers.  This one was very interesting.

...floating up here is awesome, even now three months into it, it's a blast.

Sounds great.

Isn't this what we all want to do in space?

Cool.  From what I can tell it is a complete floating tour of the inside of the International Space Station.

Paolo gave a pretty good demonstration of the flying technique right there you pretty much gotta look at your target and your body will figure it out if you're not deliberate about it you're liable to go catywampus en route.

...why space poop of course.

This cute short video actually has one of the most succinct explanations of how a space toilet works.

Interesting article over at the Washington Post by Michael Benson: It's All Decked Out. Give It Somewhere to Go.

His premise is we already have a habitable platform built in Earth orbit, the International Space Station, why not give it a little boost and make it an interplanetary spacecraft.

Cool idea.

The one issue he does not bring up is the radiation exposure on humans outside of the Van Allen belt.  The Space Station is not built to protect astronauts against the harsh radiation between planets but relies on the strong protection of the Earth's magnetic field.

...but besides that tiny detail, fairly compelling idea.

Reminds me of a cycler as proposed by Buzz Aldrin: Mars cycler, which could sail on the low energy pathways between the planets: Interplanetary Transport Network

I vote Do It!

So.  heh.  Did someone have trouble reading the directions?

The toilet is breaking up on the space station and there is only one.  There isn't a hardware store nearby where you can go buy a new wax seal you know,.  If you need a replacement for it, it's gotta be flown up there.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - After being rushed in from Russia, a toilet pump was loaded into space shuttle Discovery on Thursday just in time for this weekend's liftoff to the international space station, where the lone commode is acting up. - [yahoo news]

I wonder if it was small enough to be considered carry-on or if they had to check it.

The toilet isn't completely broken luckily.  Just the urine pump.

While the three space station residents are eager to see the Kibo lab, the bathroom situation has become a more pressing issue. For the past week, the two Russian and one American men have had to periodically manually flush the urine side of the Russian-built toilet. The job takes 10 minutes and requires two people.

Just reminds me of the quotes about the Apollo capsules being flying outhouses.

One of the Apollo 7 astronauts said the smell was so bad it woke him out of a deep sleep. - [linky]

ick.

There were two separate articles that are two sides to the same coin that came out this week.

On the 12th Popular Mechanics had this article: NASA Makes Space U-Turn, Opening Arms to Private Industry which spoke of NASA changing its policy.

NASA officials insist that the budding commercial spacecraft fleet represents the only way the United States can realize its dreams of solar-system conquest on schedule and at an affordable cost.

Wow!  This is great news, it opens the door to the protagonist[s] in our second article from Aviation Week: SpaceX Claims Crew Transfer Ability By 2011.

techrivet.com has reported in the past the business plan that SpaceX and it's principal Elon Musk are pursuing.  They want to be the private space delivery system for NASA and other customers.  Specifically the only ones capable of the heavy lifting needed to supply the ISS.

It appears his plan is well on its way to fruition.

The much maligned International Space Station keeps moving forward oblivious to its critics.  Yesterday the Shuttle Atlantis blasted off with the Columbus Module aboard.

The Columbus module is another science module with the ability to hold 10 racks of scientific experiments.

It is growing and finally becoming a significant platform in space.  I understand the critics that deride its lack of strategic space location.  Its in-between-ness that doesn't help us much to get anywhere else in the solar system.  I understand the critics that bring up the ROI on a manned space station and compare it to one of our probe missions like the Mars Rovers.

I understand all that.

But I believe it provides other benefits:

1. It teaches us how to construct complicated things in space.  What we are learning from the ISS will be crucial for ANY construction we do in space and if you think there won't be much call for that...well I disagree with you.
   
   This has been done over a period of years.  From a broad base of contributors spanning continents, languages, governments.  It's remarkable.
   
2. We continue to learn how to make livable habitats for humans in space.  We need to have this sussed if we are to do any sort of long range trips in the future - Mars anyone?
   
3. There ARE science experiments that can only be performed by humans in space.  The trick is identifying them and prioritizing them.
   
4. It is a manned presence in space.  Do you realize if things just stumble along like this for another 10 years or so that we might enter an era where mankind will always have a representative in space.  And in my opinion there will be increasing numbers of extra-terran humans as the years go on.  Too many people want to explore "out there".

I also think it is flippin' cool.  And in the grand scheme of government and society expenditures the entire space programs of all the world are hobbies.  NASA has had a 12-15 billion dollar budget since the 1980's.  Through all that inflationary time, where the value of its dollars has steadily decreased, it has maintained the program and accomplished significant things.

It will be fascinating to see if the burgeoning commercial space programs will interface with the existing governmental ones.  Stay tuned...

Update: The final volume of the ISS is going to be approximately 1000 cubic meters. It is more than half done but for the sake of argument let's say there is 500 cubic meters of livable volume in orbit right now.

Well according to the awesome intertubes a standard 40 foot shipping container has 67.5 cubic meters of volume inside it.  That means there are the equivalent of 7.5 shipping containers of habitat up there right now and in the end there will be approximately 15 shipping containers of habitable volume (a little less actually but close enough).

Now that is amazing.  The space boys and girls aren't just whistling Dixie.