watch?v=9lMjY4RdSaw

I was wondering what it must be like to celebrate a holiday like Thanksgiving in space.  A quick search discovered this year-old video from the collectspace YouTube Channel. It shows two of the astronauts aboard the International Space Station describing their Thanksgiving dinner and counting their blessings.

The current astronauts have bid farewell to the space station crew, as they prepare to undock and depart the station Friday morning for a return to earth.  The Endeavour shuttle mission was declared a success with four spacewalks completed in eleven days.  More info at www.nasa.gov

NASA announced today communications from the Phoenix Mars Lander have ceased.  The expected power drain on the spacecraft amid the onset of Martian winter has finally signaled the end of a very successful mission.  There’s just not enough sunlight to recharge the batteries.

The good news; NASA got more than the anticipated amount of scientific data.  More than 25,000 pictures, soil analysis and detailed weather observations from 152 days on Mars contributed to years of scientific data received by project teams for NASA, JPL and the University of Arizona.

So far scientists have discovered small concentrations of salts, a mildly alkaline soil and calcium carbonate, a marker of effects of liquid water.  The Phoenix Lander also coordinated with the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter to perform simultaneous ground and orbital observations of Martian weather.

The study continues into the history of the Martian environment, as the next Mars mission gets ready for launch; the Mars Science Laboratory.

View the latest pictures from the Phoenix Mars Lander at www.nasa.gov.

Daylight savings time ends on November 2nd, so it’s time to “fall back.”  Set your clocks back one hour Saturday night (November first) so you’re synchronized with the time change.  The official time shift occurs at 2:00 am Sunday morning.

Reference Links:
www.WorldTimeZone.com

U.S. Naval Observatory Time

Time Keeping in Astronomy