NASA senior managers today unanimously recommended launching the Space Shuttle Discovery on December 7. Commander Mark Polansky and his six crewmates are scheduled to lift off at 9:35 p.m. EST on the STS-116 mission, one of the most challenging flights to continue building the International Space Station.

During the 12-day mission and three spacewalks, the crew will work closely with flight controllers at NASA's Johnson Space Center, Houston, to install a new segment of the station's girder-like truss and activate the station's permanent, complex power and cooling systems.

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International Space Station Expedition 14 crew commander Michael Lopez-Alegria, KE5GTK, told Belgian schoolchildren earlier this month that he's been enjoying a busy time in space now that he's gotten used to the routine aboard the ISS. Via NA1SS Lopez-Alegria spoke November 10 to students at Henri D'Haese Primary School in Gentbrugge. The Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) program arranged the contact. One youngster wanted to know what kinds of activities the ISS crew was engaged in.

Complete story at http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2006/11/28/102/?nc=1

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Hi there to everyone. Using Wx-Track and Heavens Above, I managed to spot the ISS early this morning. It reached max altitude (90 deg) at approx 5.43am as predicted travelling in an Easterly direction. I've waited about 3 or 4 days for this because the weather here in London UK has been very cloudy during the ISS early morning passes. Here's the best bit. Just before the ISS flew over, I saw something else but for some reason I thought it was the ISS. I thought, Crikey! it looks more like the pin prick of a star. Surely that's not the ISS I thought. Not quiet travelling towards the East but more N/E. I'm not an experienced observer but I have seen the ISS a few times before and remember it being much bigger so to speak.