China this week launches its most ambitious space mission yet, a sign of rising confidence as Beijing cements its status as a space power and potential future competitor to the United States.

The Shenzhou 7 mission, to launch as early as Thursday, will be the first to carry a full complement of three astronauts, one of whom will perform China's first spacewalk, or EVA for "extra-vehicular activity." It is China's third manned mission.

http://www.space.com/missionlaunches/080922-ap-zhenzhou-countdown.html

The Atlantis astronauts aim to complete a critical training exercise at Kennedy Space Center this week while managers sort out the effects of Hurricane Ike and minor technical problems on an Oct. 10 target launch date.

Mission commander Scott Altman and his crew jetted to KSC for standard emergency training and a two-day practice countdown that will culminate Wednesday with a launch-day dress rehearsal.

http://www.space.com/missionlaunches/ft-080922-sts125-rehearsalarrive.html

My son and I are going back to Kennedy Space Center this weeken for another tour.
The tours will be free this weekend. We are also going up to see the shuttle lift off in October.
Should be alot of fun.

73 Kc8fks

An International Space Station Expedition 17 ARISS school contact has been planned with participants at Michael Sobell Sinai School, Harrow, Middlesex, United Kingdom on 25 September. The event is scheduled to begin at approximately 1134 UTC.

The contact will be a telebridge contact between stations NA1SS and WH6PN. The contact should be audible over Hawaii. Interested parties are invited to listen in on the 145.80 MHz downlink. The participants are expected to conduct the conversation in English.

The Michael Sobell Sinai School opened in 1981 and is the largest Jewish Primary School in Europe. It caters for children aged 3-11 and offers a challenging curriculum and the highest standard of education. It receives excellent Ofsted reports on a consistent basis.