It’s hard to pick my favorite image, but I can definitely point out my least favorite:

Why, because it involves a Russian Orthodox priest blessing a rocket? Read up on Russian manned spaceflight. This is actually one of the more normal traditions they have before manned spaceflight. I am seriously not kidding. Yeah, I know we don’t do stuff like that — but we also don’t think it’s bad luck if the cosmonauts don’t take a moment to relieve themselves on the astrovan’s tires (just because Yuri Gagarin did).

Basically, if something was done on a past launch, and it went well, they keep doing it. Hard to know how much is out of superstition and how much is just to quiet pre-launch jitters, but it’s become quite an elaborate process now.

Have we lost our ability to dream in this era of cheap hollywood special effects, so that it is not worthed doing anything for real? These days its all about how and we forgot the why.

Robots? I think the most advanced robots of the future will not be sillicon-based but rather carbon-based, and even you can produce them today with very low-tech technology, its called a baby, try the real love of a human for God sake. You spend way too much time with your sillicon friends.

virtual Cheyenne says :

Robot love will be more efficient, safe, and above all, orders of magnitude cheaper than human love

Can they love?

That’s definitely the best way to take pictures of the earth from space – A human with a hand held camera shooting through a smudgy window. One of these days we may be able to create “robots” and some kind of new fangled “satellite” that the kids are talking about – but them’s pipe dreams I tell ya.

Tell me one human activity that can not be, or could not be done by robots. So what are humans good for, according to you ? ( except for building the first generation of robots ? )

“The publications (bibliographic references) listed on this page result from research performed on the International Space Station (ISS) or on Shuttle Missions to the ISS (“Sorties”). The publications are listed alphabetically by experiment.”

And a list follows…

Contrary to what some of you suggest, there is actual science being done on ISS. Maybe it doesn’t hit the news every other day… but hey, what science does?

It’s not so much the discoveries that are being made on the ISS (I don’t keep up with the work they do up there), but more of the technologies that are going into the Space Station. Also, my comment was more of a generalization about the discoveries we’re making here on Earth. This is an exciting time to be alive.

I have no problem with paying my 0.7 penny for pretty pictures … for now!

Long term micro-g effects and better ways to counter them should be one of the top priorities. That’s just me though…

He’s got no reflection in the windows there!

Send Buffy up there quick!

Afraid this specific picture doesn’t float my boat – it makes it look so cramped like Soichi Noguchi can’t even stand up straight without banging his head!

@ 8. Robert Says:

OK Allen, list the discoveries from the ISS.

You may want to at least wait until its been finished first before bagging the ISS y’know!

Yes indeed. That grease can’t be good for photographic clarity. This photo gave me a hint of how the space station must smell and look a lot like an old gym. So much for the antiseptic spacecraft that Hollywood has modeled in so many science fiction movies.

Besides it being the only known way to get a gazillionaire to scrape mold and do otherkeeping chores and have him pay for the privelege.

I’m just waiting for Virgin Galactic or whoever to make space travel commercial and cheap so that 30 years from now I can do the same thing.

Get some windex up there!

-R2K