Bad Astronomy

Shuttle, ISS, and… babies?

1) Astronauts have repaired the tear in the insulation blanket on the Orbiter using staples, duct tape, and, presumably, old reruns of MacGyver.

2) A computer glitch on the International Space Station is causing major trouble. Installation of the new solar panels evidently set off some sort of software or hardware bug, and the guidance gyros (among other utilities) on the station aren’t working. Atlantis is being used for attitude control. NASA says this is fixable, and they’re working on it.

3) A woman in Palatine, Illinois is picking up Shuttle video transmissions on her baby monitor. This is a funny story and all, but my main interest is that when I first saw it, I thought she lived in Palpatine. Oh well.