by Brad
19. August 2010 05:18
The Soyuz TMA-13 spacecraft, carrying Expedition 18 Commander Michael Fincke, Flight Engineer Yury V. Lonchakov and American spaceflight participant Richard Garriott, launched Sunday, Oct. 12, 2008, from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
HOUSTON -- A new crew that will live and work aboard the International Space Station rocketed into orbit early Sunday aboard a Soyuz spacecraft. U.S. astronaut E. Michael Fincke, Russian cosmonaut Yury Lonchakov and Richard Garriott, a U.S. computer game developer, lifted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 2:01 a.m. CDT. Fincke, the only American to launch twice on a Soyuz, will serve as commander of the six-month Expedition 18 mission. The mission's main focus will be preparing the station to house six crew members on long-duration missions. The Expedition 18 crew is scheduled to arrive at the station Tuesday, with docking to the Zarya module scheduled for 3:33 a.m. After the hatches are opened, Expedition 17 Commander Sergey Volkov and spaceflight participant Garriott will become the first children of previous space fliers to greet each other in orbit. Garriott is the son of former NASA astronaut Owen Garriott, who was a member of the Skylab-3 crew in 1973. Volkov is the son of veteran cosmonaut Alexander Volkov, who flew three Soyuz missions. Garriott will spend nine days on the station under a commercial agreement with the Russian Federal Space Agency. He will return to Earth on Oct. 23 with Volkov and Expedition 17 Flight Engineer Oleg Kononenko, who have worked aboard the station since April 10. Expedition 17 Flight Engineer Greg Chamitoff, who arrived at the station in June, will be replaced in November by NASA astronaut Sandra Magnus. Space shuttle Endeavour will deliver Magnus and return Chamitoff to Earth. Endeavour's November STS-126 mission also will deliver equipment to the station necessary for supporting a six-member crew, including a water recycling system, sleeping quarters, a new kitchen, a second toilet, and an advanced exercise device. Although they will be in space on Election Day, Chamitoff and Fincke have arranged for the chance to cast their ballots from the station.
by Brad
2. January 2010 16:58
by Brad
20. December 2009 23:38
by Brad
18. December 2009 03:26
House on 12-10-09
by Brad
16. November 2009 19:30
by Brad
18. October 2009 05:22
Here are a couple of images of the new house.
by Brad
15. September 2009 17:22
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I just put the old townhouse on the market on the Sept. 8th, 2009 after living here since February 29, 1996. I decided it was time to move up in the world and actually purchase a home. I also recently talked to a realtor about purchasing a new construction house that would be finished around mid January. I have already gotten preapproved for the loan on my new house and am now just waiting for my place to sell. It's amazing how time flies. It seems like just yesterday I moved into this town home, but in reality it has been over 13 and 1/2 years. It's almost like just yesterday I was placing things into the budget storage garage on the south side of Ankeny and now I have things stored in a Budget rental storage facility on the north side of town. I remember driving from Mason City to West Des Moines everyday to go to work at Hy-Vee as a night mainframe operator 4 days a week. I also remember stopping every trip to place 3 or 4 boxes into storage knowing the town home wouldn't be ready for Tally and I to move into until after my birthday. Now, she is gone and I have been here in the town home almost 5 years since the divorce. This time the move should be much easier and closer. I am thinking about purchasing a house that has yet to be built. It looks like I have two options, one that is a bit over 2,100 sq. ft. and one that is a bit over 2,800 sq. ft. on the same property. Both houses have 3 stall garages and both have 4 bedrooms with a large living room as well as family room. At the moment I am leaning toward the larger house due the excellent pricing for more space. I will hear more once the realtor of the new house let's me know the builders thoughts on adding Ethernet and removing the fireplace (who really uses those things, I have had one for 13 years and only used a couple dozen times). Below are a few more memorable photos of the old townhome.......
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by Brad
6. July 2009 06:02
Well, I decided to get myself a belated birthday present this year. I had been contemplating buying a new Chevy Camero, but instead decided to go for an 09 Dodge Challenger. I went with the SRT8 model in Hemi Orange from Woodhouse in Omaha, Nebraska. The car is fully loaded with all the electronic gadgets I could ask for: GPS / Satelite radio / DVD Player / Timers for 0 - 60 MPH ~ 60 - 0 MPH ~ 1/4 Mile ~ 1/8 Mile. It also comes with a 426 horsepower 6.1 liter HEMI engine. Leather interior as well as remote start and alarm.
