Updated July 22nd--

JAPAN, IRELAND, AND NASA---

July 21, 2008—Events regarding NASA took an international flavor over the weekend. NASA is now strongly disputing published reports that it's talking with Japan about new ways to re-supply the International Space Station, and I spoke at the inaugural “History Book Club” event at the Orange County Regional History Center where a couple from Ireland took time from their U.S. vacation to sit in.

A Japanese newspaper report stated that NASA had opened informal talks with The Japanese Space Agency, JAXA, to buy some of its yet-to-be flown H-2 unmanned cargo ships. The story also made U.S. papers and that prompted NASA to strongly deny that talks were taking place. The Agency has reason to respond. NASA signed a development deal with a Virginia based company to build U.S. cargo ships to resupply the International Space Station. 

Each of the $131 million dollar Japanese vehicles is designed to carry six tons of food, fuel, and supplies to the space station. Japan plans to start launching the robot freighters next year. Europe is already ahead in that respect with the launch of the first of its automated transfer vehicles, or ATV’s, called Jules Verne. The compartment, shown here, docked to the rear of the space station to deliver cargo and act as an extra module on the outpost until it undocks and burns up in the atmosphere after six months in orbit.

On the book front, many thanks to the Orange County Regional History Center, for the successful launch of its “History Book Club” on Saturday, Thirty people braved the 90 degree plus temperatures to crowd an upstairs conference room at the museum for my talk on “Final Countdown”. That includes Cherie Boyce of Orlando, pictured here. Two other guests were David and Catherine Woltham visiting the U.S. from Ireland. The lecture was following by an informal coffee break and book signing, and it looks like “a good time was had by all”. It was my privilege to be the inaugural speaker for the event.

Again, you'd like to hear the interview I did for UCF-TV's "Expressions program. Here's the link to that...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gv_lMXGFtFA

More to come...

Photo courtesy of NASA