Last week we saw the lift-off for the final voyage of the shuttle Discovery.   Launch was Thursday, Feb 24th and carried six astronauts and one robot.   When Discovery returns to earth on March 7th it will be the first of the shuttle fleet to be retired.The causeways were absolutely packed with cars headed over to the beach for space fans to watch the launch.   We haven’t seen this level of crowd since John Glenn’s 2nd trip in space in 1998.  In spite of enjoying the luxury of watching many, many launches over the years we still hold our breath during the final process and countdown.   The best policy is to watch all the readying procedures on TV,   then run outside and look to the sky during the final countdown.   One other option is to have a TV “manager” inside your ocean-front condo.   They can yell updates to the group hanging out on the beach!

This week the shuttle crew is busy working on the International Space Station.  Two other shuttles are slated for their final flights this year:   Endeavour in April and Atlantis in June. We will follow the crew’s success and then their journey home on March 7th.  Safe travels guys - see you soon.