Dragon Watch

    Image: SpaceX

CLOSING IN: After yesterday afternoon's successful launch of SpaceX's Falcon 9 with a Dragon capsule atop it, we have been keeping track of the spacecraft's progress toward the International Space Station.

We were lucky enough to get to see the ISS fly overhead last night about 9:50 p.m. Seattle time. It seemed to go right over our house!  We didn't see Dragon chasing it yet, however, as it was too soon after launch. There's another pass over Seattle tonight at 8:59, and the skies are clear. You know we'll be watching for the ISS and Dragon!

One of the more interesting items on board Dragon is an ISSpresso machine. Designed by Argotec, the Italian engineering company specializing in the design of aerospace systems and European leader in the preparation of foods for in-space consumption, and Lavazza, the historic Italian coffee brand, the appliance takes its name from the International Space Station (ISS), where it will get plenty of use, no doubt.

          Photo: Lavazza

ISSpresso is the first capsule-based espresso system able to work in the extreme conditions of space, where the principles that regulate the fluid dynamics of liquids and mixtures are very different from what a coffee maker on Earth has to deal with. 

Here is a graphic from Lavazza explaining how the ISSpresso will work. It's kind of like a K-cup machine. ...

Lavazza even has a video about the out-of-this-world espresso maker.

https://youtu.be/cx45rg8Q-Cw

There is still lots of buzz about the video of Falcon 9's attempt to land on the barge in the Atlantic. Rhett Allain has written an article with analysis for WIRED magazine about the attempt. It's worth a read: 

http://www.wired.com/2015/04/analysis-falcon-9-crash-landing/?mbid=social_fb

Meanwhile, SpaceX has posted a hi-res, color corrected video of the attempted landing. So interesting! 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BhMSzC1crr0
"So close. So freaking close," Annabelle said after watching the newest video.

Meanwhile, Christian is making his way home from the Space Coast. When the Mariners and Dodgers were getting underway at 7 p.m. our time, he was over the heart of the Midwest.

HAT TIP:  Speaking of baseball, as we often do, today is the day Major League Baseball celebrates barrier-breaker Jackie Robinson.

An inspiration for the ages, Jackie broke into the bigs with the Brooklyn Dodgers on April 151947 . When we visited the Mets' stadium, in Brooklyn, awhile back, we were happy to see a permanent homage to Robinson was prominently on display.

Tonight, the Mariners played the (LA) Dodgers. Jackie's widow attended on-field, pre-game festivities.

Number 42 has been retired across all of MLB, in honor of Robinson.

Robinson's contributions were recognized by baseball fan and astronaut Terry Virts on the ISS. "Honoring #JackieRobinson today! #42" wrote Virts, wearing a replica Jackie Robinson jersey on orbit in the cupola of the International Space Station.

 Image Credit: NASA