Big Test on Tap

   Photo: NASA
ONE TO WATCH: Friday morning, in the wee hours West Coast time, there will be an important launch at the Space Coast. 

It's Boeing's test flight of their manned spaceflight capsule, the CST-100 Starliner. 

In the photo above, you can see it atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket.

It's scheduled to lift off at 6:36 a.m. EST, Friday, Dec. 20. Data from this test fight will be used as part of NASA’s process of certifying the crew transportation system for taking astronauts to and from the International Space Station.

This is a demonstration exercise, so no human life forms on board. However, there will be one mannekin: Rosie the Astronaut.

Photo: Boeing

An Anthropomorphic Test Device (ATD) (sounds so much better than a 'flight test dummy'), Rosie features a multitude of sensors that will track critical data points during the flight, including the G-forces that the ATD experiences.

Coverage of the launch can be found on NASA TV beginning at 5:30 a.m. East Coast time on Friday.

You can read more about the Boeing commercial crew program here: https://blogs.nasa.gov/commercialcrew/category/boeing/

DEVILED EGGS, WE MADE: Christian's office holiday party is today, so last night Annabelle and I made a little something for him to take.

We have had enough sugar work to last awhile, so we decided to go savory. Deviled eggs are usually a hit, so we made some of those - with a little twist.

Today is the premier of the newest "Star Wars" movie (we'll be there!), so we decided to embrace that theme. As I posted here a couple of days ago, we saw some "Baby Yoda" deviled eggs a clever person posted online, and so we tried our hand at those. 

HELP YOURSELF: Today we finally got around to putting out a little thank you on the front porch. 

I've seen others post about a little thank you station at  their place. Ours isn't very picturesque - it's a beat up old cooler - but it's supposed to rain like hell here today, and we don't have a covered porch. Also, we *do* have squirrels, crows, bunnies, cats and the occasional rat (ewwwwwww). 

You can't tell by this crappy photo, but the cooler has five different kinds of drinks, various trail mixes and power bars, some beef sticks, candy ... that sort of thing. We'll see if it gets any action today.