I spent a lot more time watching Bob and Doug return to earth than I intended. It was fascinating watching all the events leading to splashdown in real time as they happened. The capsule was completely automated and the astronauts were basically just passengers. All the people in the control room at Hawthorne were just monitoring a very complicated sequence of events to make sure nothing went wrong. Nobody had to intervene. Unlike the Boeing Starliner mission, the Space X software worked perfectly. I've always been impressed with what Elon Musk has been able to accomplish. Today was a big milestone. I can't wait to see Starship get off the ground.
It didn't take me long to spot Elon in the mission control video feed. He was the guy in the front row who kept taking his mask on and off and casually eating a sandwich while everyone else was staring intently at their screens. I kept wondering what the guy behind him wearing white hi-top boots was doing. Other than the outlandish shoes, he was dressed very normally. I spotted a woman on the back row of monitors who didn't appear to be wearing a mask. What was the story here? The room itself seemed spotless with the exception of one table with a big piece of laminate material falling off. Some might find the long lock-off shots of control rooms boring, but I like looking at the details. Where is the box of donuts? Who is texting or taking selfies instead of looking at their screen? There is always something going on.
I bet Space X will keep the splashdown location secret the next time there is a manned launch. I was surprised to see a flotilla of cabin cruisers and fishing boats coming near the capsule as the Space X team prepared to secure it. Space X was probably even more surprised. Apparently they forgot to ask the Coast Guard to set up a safe zone around the splashdown area. Some of these private boats got very close to the capsule while it was floating in the water. Oops. I doubt that this will happen again.
I didn't spend all day watching the landing. We had a nice walk with Dawn this morning. We didn't get an early start, but the weather was a little cooler and there was a nice breeze. There are always fewer people in the park on Sunday than on Saturday. Tomorrow morning there will be fewer still. Everything is very predictable after you've been doing these walks for a while. Usually you see the same people day after day. When a regular walker disappears, you can't help but wonder what happened. Did they catch the virus, or did they just get tired of exercising?
I briefly thought about going back to the gym today, but then I remembered that the grass needed mowing. Mowing the grass burns just as many calories as my time on the treadmill. The yard looks better too. I'll go back to the gym some day, but I'll still in no hurry. I'm getting plenty of exercise on Sundays. 20,000 steps was a piece of cake today.
Janet made a pot roast for dinner tonight. We've had to cut out a lot of activities, but we are certainly eating well during the pandemic. Tomorrow we meet Marshall when we go visit the rescue dogs at the kennel. He's finished with his initial visit to the vet and will be joining Charlie, Hank, and Luckie. I need to remember to take my camera so I can get some pictures of him for the website. I don't anticipate an exciting week, but it will be predictable.
Scout is today's Dalmatian of the Day |
Watch of the Day |
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