Cape Canaveral: Life has never been so good off the planet, and it`s about to get better.
Just two weeks after the arrival of the Internet, the space station astronauts are getting an observation deck that will offer panoramic views of Earth.
Space shuttle Endeavour will deliver the seven-windowed dome to the International Space Station next week, along with more living space in a chamber called Tranquility.
Endeavour`s planned Sunday morning launch with six astronauts — at the wee hour of 4:39 a.m. — comes just days after President Barack Obama`s big space station plug in his proposed budget for the coming fiscal year. The countdown clocks began ticking Thursday.
While the White House scrapped NASA`s moonward-ho Constellation program, the space station got an extension until at least 2020, with the promise of more relevant research. NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said the goal is to make full use of the space station as "the national lab it was envisioned to be."
"There`s so much we need to know before we can venture safely out of low-earth orbit for the long term," Bolden, a former shuttle commander, said after the budget was released Monday.
The dome going up on Endeavour — like a big bay window — should greatly improve the quality of life aboard the space station.
When astronauts exercise in the Italian-built Tranquility, for instance, they will be able to gaze out the nearby dome windows whenever the shutters are open. And when the day`s work is done, they will be able to pop their heads and shoulders into the 5-foot-tall cupola, beholding the universe.
The lookout also will provide 360-degree views of the space station, allowing the crew to see directly outside during robotic work. Until now, they`ve had to rely on TV cameras when they use the robot arm to move or install big-ticket items.
PTI
