Volume XVIII, Issue XX: Return to the Final Frontier
Astronauts Douglas Hurley and Robert Behnken prepare for their historic flight. NASA Photo.
Crewed Flight to the ISS
NASA’s SpaceX Demo-2 mission will return U.S human spaceflight to the International Space Station from U.S. soil with astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley on an American rocket and spacecraft for the first time since 2011. In March 2020, at a SpaceX processing facility on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, SpaceX successfully completed a fully integrated test of critical crew flight hardware ahead of Crew Dragon’s second demonstration mission to the International Space Station for NASA's Commercial Crew Program; the first flight test with astronauts onboard the spacecraft. Behnken and Hurley participated in the test, which included flight suit leak checks, spacecraft sound verification, display panel and cargo bin inspections, seat hardware rotations, and more. The spacecraft will lift off from Pad 39A on May 27, 2020 at approximately 4:33 EDT. NASA Will Provide Live Coverage [click to watch].
Tentative Schedule of the Mission
May 27, Wednesday
12 p.m. – Live Views of the SpaceX Falcon 9 Rocket on Launch Pad 39-A at the Kennedy Space Center for NASA's SpaceX Demo-2 launch to the International Space Station – Kennedy Space Center
12:15 p.m. – Coverage of NASA's SpaceX Demo-2 launch to the International Space Station (Launch scheduled at 4:33 p.m. EDT) – Kennedy Space Center/Hawthorne, California/Johnson Space Center. Launch Scrubbed Due to Bad Weather, Rescheduled Launch Saturday, May 30, 3:22 p. m. EST
6 p.m. – NASA/SpaceX Demo-2 post-launch news conference Editor's note: The live views of the launch pad at 12 p.m. EDT begin continuous coverage on all channels through the Crew Dragon docking to the International Space Station on Thursday, May 28, and subsequent hatch opening and welcoming ceremony.
May 28, Thursday
11:29 a.m. – Docking of the SpaceX Crew Dragon, with NASA Astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken, to the International Space Station – Hawthorne, California/Johnson Space Center
1:55 p.m. – Opening of the hatch to the SpaceX Crew Dragon and entrance of the DM-2 NASA astronauts into the International Space Station - Hawthorne, California/Johnson Space Center
2:25 p.m. – Welcoming Ceremony for the SpaceX DM-2 NASA astronauts - Hawthorne, California/Johnson Space Center
4 p.m. - SpaceX/Dragon DM-2 Post-Docking Briefing – Johnson Space Center
May 29, Friday
11:05 a.m. - International Space Station Expedition 63 crew news conference with Commander Chris Cassidy of NASA and astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley of NASA
NASA Video.
Build! Plant! Bless! And Pray!
Now these are the words of the letter that Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem unto the residue of the elders which were carried away captives, and to the priests, and to the prophets, and to all the people whom Nebuchadnezzar had carried away captive from Jerusalem to Babylon;
After that Jeconiah the king, and the queen, and the eunuchs, the princes of Judah and Jerusalem, and the carpenters, and the smiths, were departed from Jerusalem;)
By the hand of Elasah the son of Shaphan, and Gemariah the son of Hilkiah, (whom Zedekiah king of Judah sent unto Babylon to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon) saying,
Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, unto all that are carried away captives, whom I have caused to be carried away from Jerusalem unto Babylon;
Build ye houses, and dwell in them; and plant gardens, and eat the fruit of them;
Take ye wives, and beget sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons, and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters; that ye may be increased there, and not diminished. And seek the peace of the city whither I have caused you to be carried away captives, and pray unto the Lord for it: for in the peace thereof shall ye have peace.
For thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; Let not your prophets and your diviners, that be in the midst of you, deceive you, neither hearken to your dreams which ye cause to be dreamed. For they prophesy falsely unto you in my name: I have not sent them, saith the Lord.
For thus saith the Lord, That after seventy years be accomplished at Babylon I will visit you, and perform my good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place.
For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.
Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.
And I will be found of you, saith the Lord: and I will turn away your captivity, and I will gather you from all the nations, and from all the places whither I have driven you, saith the Lord; and I will bring you again into the place whence I caused you to be carried away captive.” – Jeremiah 29:1-14
Church of the Good Shepherd designed by T. J. Collins and Sons, Jolivue, Virginia. Photo by Bob Kirchman.
Temple House of Israel, Staunton, Virginia, designed by Sam Collins of T. J. Collins and Sons. Photo by Bob Kirchman
Did you know that: “Jews make up 0.2 percent of the world population, but 54 percent of the world chess champions.” – David Brooks
I found an interesting article by Rabbi Nathan Lopez Cardozo in Jewish World Review. The Greatest Chess Game on Earth [click to read] shows how the people who followed Jeremiah's advice learned how, not only to survive, but to thrive in exile. After the destruction of the Temple, the development of small fellowships in Synagogues fed the spiritual hunger of those who had been carried away. Central to this community were the Holy Scriptures. Rabbi Lopez gives us a unique perspective on the Scripture. We should not see the constraints of Faith as restrictive. Rather, they are the structural rules which allow us to pursue great works, and in the process bless those around us.
The game of Chess, Cardozo writes, has strict rules. Yet, within these rules there are an unlimited amount of possibilities:
He who knows all the rules is not automatically a good player. What makes him a great player is his ability to use these rules to unleash an outburst of creativity, which resides deep within him and emerges only because of the "unbearable" limitations. He then strikes! One small move forces everything to shift around, creating total upheaval and causing the opponent to panic as he never did before. And all this without ever violating one chess rule. This is mental torture. But it is also the height of beauty. It is the poetry of the game, like a melody is to music. Like one gentle brushstroke of Rembrandt on a colorful canvas, making everything look radically different, or like the genius musician playing her Stradivarius, re-creating the whole of Mozart's Violin Concerto No. 5. It transports the chess player to heaven. His body must be in top form because his playing ability deteriorates when his body does. Body and mind are inseparable. An entire world of feelings, images, ideas, emotions and passions come to the forefront.” – Rabbi Cardozo
Rabbi Cardozo offers deep nourishment for the journey ahead, as well as unique insight into how to live in the light of Holy Scripture. I LOVE the implications of his final thoughts:
Surely chess is just a game, while Halacha, if properly understood and lived, deals with real life, deep religiosity, moral dilemmas, emotions and intuitions far more significant in man's life than a chess game.
But the man who plays chess in real life as suggested by Halacha will realize that if he “plays” well he is on the track to drawing closer and closer to the King, until he is checkmated and, unlike in a chess game, falls into the arms of the King.” – Rabbi Cardozo
Elon Musk is opening his factory, he's launching his rocket. Be like Elon!
Digital Portrait of Elon Musk, Elon Musk Forum.
On Writing History
[click to read]
Remarks by Vice President Mike Pence
History is written by those who dare to dream big and do the impossible.” – Vice President Mike Pence (read more)
[Click to Read]
