WEEKLY WHINE

A robo chick of your very own

Well, last week, STS-121 came to a successful conclusion, making it two completed Space Shuttle missions since STS-107. There are currently sixteen more missions planned to the International Space Station, as well as a possible mission to the Hubble Space Telescope, if NASA feels confident about flying to a non-station orbit.

Many of you wrote in over the course of this mission, but because we were so busy with the 2006 Men's World Cup and the punishments of those Italian clubs, we didn't properly address your questions. But now we will, as we once again push OSHA to the limit with our flagrant use of the GoobNet Mailbox. There's no reason to fear, unless you fear things that are fear-inducing.

Yaaay! I love space shuttle missions that go smoothly! – Cheyenne Kisunni, Beetle Ridge, WA, USA

So do we.

Wasn't that the best space shuttle mission ever? – Steve Lindsey, Cape Canaveral, FL, USA

Maybe. STS-99, with the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission, was a classic. STS-93, with Commander Collins, will be remembered fondly. STS-103 was one of the most thrilling, with three EVAs over eight hours in a lengthy effort to repair the Hubble Space Telescope. This one might be fourth or fifth on the all time list.

Who was your favourite crewmember on this mission? – Roland Poolspucker, Sedentarie, Belgium

We were always fans of Mark Kelly and his twin brother, Scott. You think NASA would notice if one of them took the other's place on a mission? Discovery would be about to reenter, and all of a sudden, the Mission Control Center would hear "Oh, by the way Houston... surprise! I'm not Mark, I'm Scott! Ha ha ha!"

So there wasn't any damage to the tiles after all? – Rachel Doschek-Hill, Christchurch, New Zealand

There's always some damage to the tiles. In this case, there wasn't a whole lot, and mission managers decided that there was no need for repair work on orbit.

I had a foam party wherein we celebrated the Space Shuttle losing less foam than ever before. It was great. I'm planning to do it again for the next mission, no matter how much foam is lost this time. – Dessie White, Southampton, England, UK

Edvard says he'd like an invitation.

Wait, so who are these robochicks I keep hearing about? – Nick Jenkins, Hats Corner, MN, USA

They are mission specialists Lisa Nowak and Stephanie Wilson. The MCC took to addressing them as the "robo chicks".

That's hilarious! Are "Robo Chicks Dig Canadians" shirts going to be available in the lobby of the Johnson Space Centre? – David Handsworth, Saskatoon, SK, Canada

Yes. But they're not available for purchase; they can only be earned by successfully completing the robot arm grapple activity at the visitor's centre.

I find that incredibly demeaning and sexist. Would Mission Control ever address two male astronauts as "robo dudes"? – Cate Reilly, Trenton, NJ, USA

Yes, they would. Shut up.