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2009 International Space Station Calendar

2009-07-05T21:33:00.001-07:00

As part of NASA's celebration of the 10th anniversary of the International Space Station, the agency is offering a special 2009 calendar to teachers, as well as the general public.

The calendar contains photographs taken from the space station and highlights historic NASA milestones and fun facts about the international construction project of unprecedented complexity that began in 1998.

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Station Crew Completes Soyuz Move

2009-07-05T21:30:00.000-07:00

Image Above: The Soyuz TMA-14 spacecraft approaches the Pirs docking compartment of the International Space Station shortly before docking. Credit: NASA TV
The Expedition 20 crew members aboard the orbiting International Space Station were busy Thursday making last minute preparations for the relocation of the Soyuz TMA-14 spacecraft.

Commander Gennady Padalka and flight engineers Mike Barratt and Koichi Wakata undocked the spacecraft from the aft port of the Zvezda service module at 5:29 p.m. EDT and piloted it over to the Pirs docking compartment, redocking the vehicle at 5:55 p.m. The move clears the way for the arrival of the ISS Progress 34 supply ship, which is scheduled to arrive later this month.

Flight engineers Frank De Winne, Bob Thirsk and Roman Romanenko remained inside the station during the move to assist the Soyuz crew during the maneuver and to monitor station systems.

Crew members adjusted their sleep schedule Thursday to accommodate the late start time of the move. A wake up time of 9:30 a.m. set in motion final preparations for Padalka, Barratt and Wakata, including closing the hatches, conducting leak checks and donning their Sokol launch and entry suits.

Throughout the week, crew members set up camera and video equipment to monitor the move and reviewed Soyuz relocation procedures with specialists at the Russian Mission Control Center.

Over the weekend, crew members will make preparations for the upcoming STS-127 mission as well as continue their regular maintenance, housekeeping and exercise activities. They also will enjoy some off-duty time and have an opportunity to speak with family members.

Transformers 2

2009-07-05T21:22:00.000-07:00

Last night, there was a big nationwide event launching the new trailer for Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. Theaters in about 20 cities premiered the trailer in front of a special screening of the first Transformers, and there were costume contests and lots more.

But the highlight here is the new trailer, which, as it should, showcase all of those remarkable effects. I don't expect much out of the story, but as sheer spectacle, it looks like a pretty engrossing experience. Oh, and Megan Fox, who is a special effect unto herself. I could do without the first 30 seconds or so, but after that, it really picks up:

Jaa-Dropping New Trailer for 'Ong bak 2'

2009-07-05T20:23:00.000-07:00

I've been watching martial arts movies pretty consistently for over 25 years. In that time, I've only seen a few guys on the level of Tony Jaa. Bruce Lee and early Jackie Chan, obviously, but check out the work of Yuen Biao if you've never seen him. I'd take Jaa over anything I've ever seen Jet Li do, if that tells you anything.

The point is Tony Jaa is one of the best martial arts actors we've ever seen, and his unbelievable action scenes and fight choreography is probably unparalleled right now. The good news is Jaa was still in his 20s when the first Ong bak was released, so he's still in his prime. Let's hope that means another couple decades of his films. Ong bak 2 will hopefully get a healthy U.S. release, even though Jaa's The Protector wasn't a very big hit here. Hard to deny there will be some interest if enough people see this trailer, though. Is that a real alligator?