Night (meaning after-midnight) Launch

[krpalmer]

It hasn't been that long since the last space shuttle mission returned to Earth, but already Endeavour is in space under the numerically interesting codename STS-123. Instead of being stuck at work during the scheduled time for the launch with only the radio news to keep up with, this time I was asleep. I did wonder if this is somehow ammunition for those who would like things to be more exciting (although there, I can also wonder if more missions at no risk whatsoever would make any difference), but a launch at 2:28 in the morning does seem to give me an excuse. In any case, the mission is going to carry up part but not all of a Japanese lab and a Canadian robot manipulator, which I keep wanting to call the "Canadahand," although the official metaphor seems to be of it having its own two arms. After the mission, a new European cargo spacecraft will finally have its chance to dock with the space station. I had thought that its long wait in space would rule out any chance of it carrying "fresh food" for a pleasant change of diet on board, and then remembered that kind of stuff could conceivably be carried on Endeavour.