SpaceX Dragon Completes Key Tests as it Heads to Space Station

Today, Space Exploration Technologies' (SpaceX) Dragon spacecraft completed key on-orbit tests as part of a historic attempt to be the first commercial company in history to send a spacecraft to the International Space Station.

In the days since SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft successfully launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida, the vehicle has steadily completed one task after another as it prepares to berth with the International Space Station. Only minutes after the spacecraft separated from the Falcon 9 rocket's second stage, its solar arrays successfully deployed, providing power to the spacecraft. The door that had been covering sensors needed for proximity operations opened successfully.

On Tuesday and Wednesday Dragon traveled in orbit, firing its thrusters to catch up to the space station. During that time, the vehicle hit a series of milestones. Dragon showed its Absolute Global Positioning System (GPS) is in good working order. The vehicle demonstrated both a pulsed and a full abort. It also demonstrated free drift, floating freely in orbit as it will when grappled by the space station's robotic arm. And its proximity operations sensors and SpaceX's COTS UHF Communication Unit (CUCU) are up and running.

Early this morning, Dragon's thrusters fired, bringing the vehicle 2.4 kilometers below the International Space Station. The vehicle completed two key tests at that distance. Dragon demonstrated its Relative GPS and established a communications link with the International Space Station using CUCU. Astronauts commanded on Dragon's strobe light to confirm the link worked. A video of Dragon as seen by the space station is available at http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/videogallery/index.html?media_id=144472261

With these tests complete, Dragon has started the trip flying around the space station, returning the spacecraft to its original approach location.

Dragon has been performing well, but the most difficult aspects of the mission are still ahead.

FRIDAY MORNING - Final Approach, Dragon Grapple

Around 2:00 AM Pacific/5:00 AM Eastern NASA will decide if Dragon is GO to move into the approach ellipsoid 1.4 kilometers around the space station. If Dragon is GO, after approximately one hour Dragon will move to a location 250 meters directly below the station. Dragon will then perform a series of maneuvers to show systems are operating as expected. If NASA is satisfied with the results of these many tests, Dragon will be allowed to perform the final approach to the space station.

Sometime around 6:00 AM Pacific/9:00 AM Eastern, astronauts on the space station will grapple Dragon with the space station's robotic arm and the spacecraft will attach to the station.

SATURDAY MORNING - Hatch Opening

If all goes well, at approximately 2:00 AM Pacific/5:00 AM Eastern, the crew will start procedures to open Dragon's hatch. It will take around 2 hours to complete all operations leading to the hatch opening. Once the hatch is opened, astronauts will enter Dragon for the first time in space.

All dates and times are approximate and could easily change.

10-Year Old Drives Car Through McDonald's Drive-Thru

A Grandmother let a 10-year old drive a car through a McDonald's Drive-Thru and as you can expect the results weren't good.

This makes Greg's Odd News this week and for good reason.

Picture yourself getting your cup of coffee and your Egg McMuffin and you see a little kid behind the wheel hitting other cars.

Here's the link:

http://news.yahoo.com/video/oddnews-22772304/grandmother-lets-10-year-old-drive-car-in-mcdonald-s-parking-lot-resulting-in-accidents-29377459.html

Tornado Threatens Wedding and Attendees Don't Seem to Mind

Looks like a tornado was also invited to this wedding.

Caleb and Candra Pence were married last Saturday, May 19 in an outdoor wedding on their property near Harper, Kansas. The couple and their guests were aware of the weather, the threatening rain and tornado. But they didn't let any of it spoil the sacred event.

The tornado was seen over the ridge while the wedding was underway.

"I wasn't worried. It was moving to the northeast so I wasn't worried," said Carla Pence, the groom's mom.

The wedding photographer seemed more worried about the rain than the tornado about eight miles away.  “As soon as they came back down the aisle, my main concern was trying to quickly get some pictures of the couple and the wedding party before the rain started,” he said.

The tornado reportedly caused serious damage where it touched down, but there were no injuries.  Cool video, though.

Donald Driver Brings Mirror Ball Trophy to Green Bay

Green Bay Packer's wide receiver Donald Driver took home the coveted mirror ball trophy on the season finale of ABC’s Dancing With the Stars.

He may have wrapped up the trophy Monday night during his country-themed freestyle dance. And he and pro partner Peta Murgatroyd repeated the feat Tuesday with his shirt-free cha-cha, earning a perfect 30 from the judges and a total of 89 for the two nights.

Driver adds to the list of football players who have had success on the show.

Driver defeated Welsh opera star Katherine Jenkins, who was runner-up, and Latin actor and model William Levy to become the third football star (after Emmitt Smith and Hines Ward) to win on DWTS.

It's looking like next season's DWTS will feature stars from previous seasons.

Clijsters to Retire After U.S. Open

Kim Clijsters announced she will retire from tennis after the U.S. Open in September, the setting for three of her four major titles.

Clijsters retired from the game back in 2007 to give birth to her first daughter but returned in 2009 to enjoy the most successful period of her career.

The 28-year-old added to her first grand slam in 2005 by securing back-to-back titles at the U.S. Open in 2009 and 2010. She then added the 2011 Australian Open to her roll of honor.

It was during this period that Clijsters took over the world No. 1 ranking for the first time in five years, but over the last 12 months, a series of nagging injuries have cut short her time on the court.