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February 18, 2010
Astronauts add room on ISS; spacecraft to study sun
Compiled by Susan Walden
The astronauts now have a room with a view at the International Space Station.
Crew members on Space Shuttle Endeavour and the ISS got their first look inside the orbiting outpost’s newest module and cupola Feb. 12.
The 13-day mission delivered a connecting module that increases the space station’s interior space node 3, called Tranquility, which provides additional room for crew members and many of the station’s life support and environmental control systems. Attached to the node is a cupola, which is a robotic control station with six windows around its sides and another in the center that will give the astronauts a panoramic view of Earth, celestial objects and visiting spacecrafts.
STS-130 astronauts who went into the module initially wore goggles and masks to protect against floating debris. Shuttle Commander George Zamka and Mission Specialists Stephen Robinson and Kathryn Hire worked with station Commander Jeff Williams to outfit the vestibule between Unity and Tranquility after the hatch opening.
As that work continued, Endeavour Pilot Terry Virts and station Flight Engineer Soichi Noguchi transferred parts of the Advanced Resistive Exercise Device and an Air Revitalization System rack into Tranquility.
The mission includes three spacewalks.
There are four remaining space shuttle missions left. The next launch is scheduled for March 18, 1:34 p.m. on Discovery.
After launching Endeavour early Feb. 8, NASA employees and contractors got back to work for the Solar Dynamics Observatory mission.
The Atlas V roared to life Feb. 11 in the morning from Cape Canaveral Air Froce Station sending the SDO into space on its mission to evaluate the complex mechanisms of the sun.
The spacecraft’s orbit will be in a geosynchronous orbit 22,300 miles high. From that altitude, it will point its instruments at the sun and relay the readings instantly to a ground station in New Mexico. The research is expected to reveal the sun’s inner workings by constantly taking high resolution images of the sun, collecting readings from inside the sun and measuring its magnetic field activity. This data is expected to give researchers the insight they need to eventually predict solar storms and other activity on the sun that can affect spacecraft in orbit, astronauts on the ISS and electronic and other systems on Earth. |
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February 18, 2010
Tastee Donuts – best donuts around
Susan Walden
If you’re hankering for the best donuts you’ve ever tasted, or for that matter just about any bakery treats, you’ve got to go to Tastee Donuts.
Owner Leonard Whalen is tasting sweet success with his new business at 4950 S. Washington Avenue in Titusville, just south of the U.S. 1 and SR 50 intersection.
“I’m originally from Cincinnati and my dad owned bakeries there,” he said. From the time Whalen could walk, he helped his dad and learned all about the bakery business as he grew into a man. Over the years he’s worked at several bakeries, which he says has helped him become a supreme baker.
“But about 95 percent of my recipes come from my dad’s bakery – great recipes that date back from the 1950s and 60s too.”
Even though Tastee Donuts has only been open three months, it’s becoming a household word in North Brevard.
One of the reasons Tastee Donuts has become so popular is because you just can’t substitute freshness. Whalen works all night baking donuts, breads, coffee cakes and other pastries so his customers never have any products a day old. They’re usually only a few hours old or just fresh right out of the oven.
When you walk in Tastee Donuts, the sweet aroma will drive you weak at the knees. And when you look at all the fresh delights staring before you, it’s hard to make a decision as to what to order.
“My customers keep saying how they love my products,” he said. “I enjoy what I do so even though it’s work, it really isn’t.”
You can choose from 25 to 30 kinds of donuts. Even though donuts are the most popular items on Whalen’s menu, you can choose from a wide variety of baked products.
Order through the drive-thru, take out or come in, sit and enjoy your order. Tastee Donuts also offers delicious beverages including coffee, milk and various cold beverages.
What’s even sweeter than his bakery goods, is his prices. Get a half dozen donuts for $4.25 or a dozen for just $6.80.
Tastee Donuts is open daily from 1 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Cheer up your day and bring home a sack of the best bakery items you and your family have tasted – at Tastee Donuts. |
