Update
: Endeavour's launch has been postponed for at least 48 hours due to "an issue with Auxiliary Power Unit 1 heaters." NASA's space shuttle
makes its final
today at 3:47 p.m. Commander Mark Kelly and his crew bring with them the
, as well as spare parts needed at the International Space Station. This is the second-to-last mission in NASA's
, which began 30 years ago with the launch of Columbia on April 12, 1981.
is scheduled for the program's
(link opens PDF) mission launch on June 28 at 3:40 p.m. As usual, NASA offers a wealth of options for following along with today's events: its
, a
, its
and
pages, and an interactive
. Or, you can, um, play chess. In 2008, astronaut Greg Chamitoff challenged the Earth to a chess match while he was aboard the ISS. Earth won, and now he wants a
. The match, which also includes astronaut Greg H. Johnson, will be hosted by the United States Chess Federation; you can suggest or vote on a move on its
.
