Norm Fusaro, W3IZ, ARRL Assistant Manager, Membership & Volunteer Programs Department wrote this week, "After review, ARRL will permit contacts through the ISS (Earth - ISS - Earth) to be counted towards satellite endorsement for WAS and DXCC. This applies to contacts made via the onboard repeater equipment provided that the equipment does not hold and re-transmit information. Contacts with the ISS do not receive any award credit. Further information will be available on the LoTW website." See: http://www.arrl.org/lotw/

Story at http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/news/

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - With space shuttle Discovery now at its launch pad at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, the next major milestone for the upcoming STS-120 mission is a full launch dress rehearsal.

The shuttle arrived at the pad near noon EDT Sunday on top of a giant vehicle called the crawler-transporter. The crawler-transporter began carrying Discovery out of Kennedy's Vehicle Assembly Building at 6:47 a.m., traveling less than 1 mph during the 3.4 mile journey. Discovery was firmly on the launch pad, or hard down, at 1:15 p.m.

Discovery is targeted to launch Oct. 23 on a 14-day mission to the International Space Station. The shuttle's seven crew members will add a module to the space station that will serve as a port for installing additional international laboratories. The crew also will move the station's first set of solar arrays to a permanent location and redeploy them.

The Expedition 15 crew members are busy with science, station maintenance, preparations for their return to Earth and the arrival of the next crew to the International Space Station.

Commander Fyodor Yurchikhin and Flight Engineer Oleg Kotov worked Monday with a medical experiment that tests the cardiovascular system by applying negative pressure on the lower body to simulate the effects of gravity.

Flight Engineer Clay Anderson collected samples of the station's potable water. These samples are for a periodic check of the water for microbial or chemical contamination.

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NASA has assigned the space shuttle crew for Endeavour's STS-126 mission, targeted for launch in September 2008. The flight will deliver equipment to the International Space Station that will enable larger crews to reside aboard the complex.

Veteran space flier Navy Capt. Christopher J. Ferguson will command Endeavour. Air Force Lt. Col. Eric A. Boe will serve as the pilot. The mission specialists are Navy Cmdr. Stephen G. Bowen, NASA astronaut Joan E. Higginbotham, Army Lt. Col. Robert S. Kimbrough and Navy Capt. Heidemarie M. Stefanyshyn-Piper. Boe, Bowen and Kimbrough will be making their first spaceflight.