My Outer Space: Shuttle Flip, Saturn's Moon, Shakleton Crater, Dextre The Robot

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     The Space Shuttle Endeavor did a controlled flip on the way to the International Space Shuttle.  It's  similar to watching a trapeze artist doing a death defying somersault from one trapeze bar to the next even though shuttle weighs thousand of tons filled with billions of dollars worth of equipment not to mention seven  crew members.  You can check it out at: www..metacafe.com/watch/773977/nasa_space_shuttle_back_flip_mission_sts_...
Just don't get motion sickness watching it...
      Enceladus, one of the most exciting places in the Solar System and one of Saturn's moon that the Cassini space module took a fly-bye about two years ago.  The photo's it took excited the imagination of scientists worldwide when it caught pictures of geysers that were shooting off what appears to be water plumes into space.  This week Cassini will pass by again and catch some more film and answer the questions of whether the scientists hopes are justified or  are all wet...
     The next manned flight to the moon will land in The Shakleton Crater on the southern pole of the moon.  The Crater is of much interest because scientist think that water
stored underground might be there.  As I reported in my last blog, they are currently testing that theory with a two punch rocket fire into the crater.  Maybe by the time the United States astronauts get there a water fountain will be available...
     Finally, the International Space Station is getting a space robot built by Canada.  The robot named Dextre will be assembled by the seven man crew in three different space walks.  Dextre when fully assembled will be able to do odd jobs on the outside of the space station that usually  had to be done by astronauts.  The robot that resembles a science-fiction creature cost over $200 million dollars to build and as time goes bye will be a key workman on the station.  It gets the name from the projects title, Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator, which doesn't explain why it is spelled Dextre..