HISTORY!: First thing Saturday morning, I turned on NASA TV to find out if the scheduled SpaceX Demo-2 manned flight mission was on track for a midday liftoff. We were happy to find out that the weather was looking good and that all systems were go. At noon, we gathered 'round the TV in earnest, awaiting the 12:22 launch. We held our breath as the clock ticked down to T-0, and hooted and hollered when the Falcon rocket with the Dragon capsule atop it lifted off from launchpad 39-A at Cape Canaveral.
It's customary for crews to take a "zero-g indicator" aboard their ships. Imagine our surprise when, a few minutes into the flight, a sequined dinosaur floated into the frame.
From a Space.com article, we learn the back story about how the flashy Apatosaurus wound up in low Earth orbit.
"We both have two boys who are super interested in dinosaurs," said (NASA astronaut Bob) Behnken. "We collected up all the dinosaurs between our two houses and 'Tremor,' the Apatosaurus, got the vote from the boys to make the trip into space today with us."
NASA photo
Naturally, we simply *had* to have one of those things. Turns out we weren't the only ones thinking that same thing. Made by Ty (the same company that makes Beanie Babies), "Tremor" the disco dinosaur was a white hot commodity on Saturday, selling out everywhere.
But not before I sourced one at a Joann fabric store (yes, really!) in Federal Way, WA, about 25 minutes south of us. I even had a 50 percent off coupon, so we got the high demand keepsake for just $8. When I had a break from work today, Annabelle and I jammed down there and picked it up. It's so darn cute!
Sunday morning, I rousted CJ and Annabelle out of bed at about 7:15 a.m. in order to watch the Dragon capsule dock with the International Space Station.
Fortunately, everything went without a hitch.
Photo: NASA
The NASA photo above shows the SpaceX Crew Dragon heading toward the JAXA's (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) robotic arm, which is attached to Japan's Kibo laboratory module. The Dragon crew carefully navigated toward the space station, and the capsule was captured.
A couple of hours later the two 'new' guys joined the rest of the crew on the ISS.
Photo: NASA TV
So what's next for the Dragon capsule and SpaceX's historic mission? In just over 100 days, the spacecraft will return to Earth, and splash down in the ocean. It's actually the part of the mission that SpaceX founder Elon Musk is most nervous about. This Business Insider article can tell you more about that:
https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-spacex-nasa-astronaut-mission-biggest-concern-reentry-danger-2020-5
RED HOT: Our yard continues to delight with new focal points popping up all of the time. Over the weekend, these 'red hot pokers' started putting on a show. I love them. They remind me of rocket fire.
According to GardeningKnowHow.com, the red hot poker plant (Kniphofia uvaria) is "an upright evergreen perennial with a clumping habit. Over 70 known species exist of this South African native plant."
SIT IN: The little birdie atop our ping pong table hasn't moved in about a week, it seems like. We make eye contact every once in awhile, but we are keeping our distance as much as possible. I hope her chicks hatch soon.
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