reaching for the stars

as more breathtaking images emerge (recent hubble images), and cosmonauts pass the time wired.com features the nextgen crew exploration vehicle--the simulation vid is a must see--which will take man closer to the stars
update ~6pm: perhaps the CEV could eventually contribute to a 'water run' to saturn's moon

"It appears we have all the ingredients that all the experts have claimed for a long time now, you would need to have environments suitable for living organisms," said Carolyn Porco, a Cassini team leader. "And so, that’s what we think we have here. We have found another environment in our solar system, in a very surprising place, that could host living organisms.
"Now, of course, we’ll never know until we go there, but it’s a very, very, very exciting possibility. It's really broadened the diversity of those environments that we can expect to see conditions suitable for life."

¶ - nitish @ 5:19 PM