Educating Children with Manolo!

Love the use of designer shoes to teach kids!

Boeing News Article

Atlantis completes shuttle era's final mission 

Space Shuttle Atlantis lands for the final time at NASA's 

Kennedy Space Center, Fla. (NASA photo)

 Atlantis and its crew of four astronauts arrived safely at Kennedy Space Center, Fla., at 5:57 a.m. Eastern time Thursday. The landing brings to an end the final mission of what industry experts call a technological marvel that has lasted more than 30 years -- the Space Shuttle program.

"More than any other system, the shuttle has made human access to low Earth orbit routine," said Brewster Shaw, vice president and general manager of Space Exploration. "It has provided great value to the United States and much of the world. While we will miss the shuttle and her extensive capabilities, other opportunities in human space flight await us. Boeing employees compiled an excellent record of execution on a program that has captured America’s imagination for more than 30 years."

Boeing’s Checkout, Assembly and Payload Processing Services team prepared the mission’s payload, including the Raffaello Multi-Purpose Logistics Module. The MPLM took supplies and spare parts designed to sustain International Space Station operations for several years.

Boeing also developed and stowed the upgraded waste-treatment tanks called the Advanced Recycle Filter Tank Assembly. The space station's current tanks have to be returned to Earth regularly for refurbishment. The new AFRTA tanks do not require refurbishment and can be emptied by the crew.

Atlantis was the fourth orbiter to join NASA's fleet. Since its inaugural voyage in October of 1985, it has deployed 14 satellites, docked with the Mir space station seven times and docked with the ISS 12 times. Atlantis also flew the last Hubble Space Telescope servicing mission on STS-125.

The shuttle will be transported to the Orbiter Processing Facility to be decommissioned and then will be displayed at the Kennedy Space Center visitor complex.

"Working on the space shuttle program has been one of the most incredible, inspiring jobs I could have ever asked for," said Rachel Wiedemann, a Boeing aerothermal engineer. "It allowed me to play a fulfilling role in a part of American culture that has brought us improvements in communication, technology, medicine and space exploration. The shuttle program has also provided me with the opportunity to meet truly wonderful people and work on a unique and iconic piece of history."

Boeing is a major subcontractor to United Space Alliance, NASA’s prime contractor for space shuttle operations. Under this contract, Boeing provides NASA and USA with sustaining engineering, engineering support to operations -- including launch -- and overall shuttle systems, integration and payload integration services. Boeing is the designer and manufacturer of the orbiters.

By Susan Wells

Paint Chip Art

I just discovered a link to this blog that has instructions for making DIY art out of paint chip samples!  The above picture is the author's finished piece and I love it!   What a great option for cheap, stylish artwork!

Autumn Wishlist

Autumn is my favorite season for clothes.  Bundling into warm, cozy sweaters, getting to play around with makeup a bit more since it won't just melt right off, and layering are just a few of the things I look forward to.  Being a Floridian I have to wait a little longer until the weather allows for these, but I'm already starting my list of wants now.  I'm into wine colored lips and nails, nubby cable knits, smooth shiny hair, and a kick of red.  I'm also wanting to try out the new cape and leather trends to make a statement without breaking the bank.

1. Plaid Cape - Tinley Road, $89
2. Rose Gold First Knuckle Ring - catbird, $58
3. High-Gloss Shampoo - Gloss Moderne, $27.50
4. Bordeaux Nail Polish - Essie, $8
5. Faux Leather Skirt - Forever 21, $22.80
6. Red Pants - Love Moschino, $49
7. Lobster Cardigan - Markus Lupfer, $291
8. Lip Scrub and Plum Tint - Fresh, $25
9. Cable Knit Sweater - River Island, $60.34
10. Leopard Ballet Flats - Lauren by Ralph Lauren, $79

Two of my Favorite Places

A friend of mine posted a link to this site on facebook yesterday and I couldn't help but re-post as it is a picture of two of my favorite places: space and Chicago!  I think it is so fabulous to see the edges of the ISS framing this photo!

Friends, Food Trucks, and Fun

Sorry I missed my post yesterday, I was recovering from a wonderful weekend spent mostly out in Orlando.  On Saturday, my friend R and I drove out to meet up with friends and spent the night partying at Mr. Sisters where oogled our hot bartender, drank creamsicle flavored concoctions (perhaps a few too many...), and danced until they kicked us out :o)

The following day we split up for a little while.  I headed over to Millenia Mall and got some killer deals!  A pair of flare pants at Gap for $11 (originally 70!), as well as a pair of sneakers for $11 as well and a skirt for $30 (originally 120!) at Talbots.  Afterwards I met back up with R and we headed up to Oviedo for a Food Truck Festival!  

I know food trucks are the hot new culinary thing, but I didn't realize we had any in the Orlando area.  So it was a pretty fun dinner of food truck discoveries and experimentations.  We started with Pupusas, which are kind of like cornmeal pancakes filled with cheese, beans, and a meat or vege, and were probably my favorite.  I then made my way over to another truck where I partook of a sandwich of prosciutto, butterkase cheese, and cranberry jalapeno jam on a brioche roll.  The jam was amazing.  I finished up my dinner portion of the meal at the Korean Taco truck with a spicy pork taco bento box.  Not sure why I went with spicy, since that's not really my thing, though it was tasty.  I just had to drink a lot of water with it. I always have to end my meal with something sweet, so I hit up an italian ice cart where I got a small scoop of the blueberry flavor.  It was really good, but as it typical with blue foods, turned my mouth a rather smurf-y shade...

R and I ended our weekend jaunt with a quick trip to Whole Foods before we headed back to the coast.  I was thrilled to stock up on pink gerber daisies, golden beets, these absolutely incredible key lime gelato sandwiches, cheeses, and some mussels which I plan to steam in white wine for dinner tonight.  Overall a fantastic weekend!

Interviews Galore

I had an interview yesterday with a guy from the Euro Space Center in Belgium, so if you ever head out that way look for a plaque with my name and picture on it :0P

In the process of giving the interview I realized I had a bunch of articles and such that I was quoted in from my stint at the press site for STS-135 that I have not yet posted yet, so here goes...

This picture taken in the shuttle simulator during STS-134 is the one that the company has been providing to the press.  It can be found online on Boeing's flikr site, attached to an article/radio interview that I did for KIRO radio out in Seattle, and for my Boeing "twitterview", which you can find on the BoeingDefense twitter account and which was also advertised on Boeing's Facebook page.

Here is the transcript of the twitterview:

 BoeingDefense Boeing Defense

In 5 we'll Twitterview #Boeing shuttle pgm engineer Rachel Wiedemann @BoeingDefense w/ Qs sent Thurs #nasatweetup #csatweetup #spacetweeps

Q. Rachel, what do you do on the shuttle program?

A. I work with the tiles and thermal protection – it’s very hands-on. Repairs, fabrication, design.

Q. How did you become a shuttle engineer?

A. I’ve always done well in math and science, and I’ve been passionate about space since I was a child. It was a natural career choice for me

Q. How is it being a female engineer?

A. My workgroup has a lot of female engineers. I don’t see gender as a component of teamwork.  Engineering is intelligence-based, not gender-based.

Q. What is the coolest part of working on the shuttle?

A. It’s the space shuttle! It’s iconic and I get to be around it every day.  I saw STS-121 land mere feet away and it was just incredible to be so close.

Q. What do you consider to be the biggest accomplishments of the shuttle program?

A. The space station, advances in medicine, improvements in technology.  Benefits from the space shuttle are countless -- things that have helped our daily lives.

Q. What do you like the best/worst about your job?

A. Worst is working to very strict timelines -- not impossible, just stressful.  Best is I don’t have to sit at a desk all day -- I get to talk with people and work interactively.

Q. How do you feel about the shuttle program ending?

A. It’s sad. It’s been a big part of my life. I’ve loved working w/ the shuttle; now I have to find something else.

Q. What will you do when the shuttle program ends?

A. I don’t have plans yet. I’d love to stay with #Boeing, but I want to stay working with anything space-related.

Q. What’s your advice for young people who want to be space engineers or astronauts?

A. Don’t forget your passion. Pursue opportunities that you’ll enjoy doing.  Internships, clubs, math and science -- find all the things you can do to get the experience and make it happen.

BoeingDefense Boeing Defense

Thanks to #Boeing space shuttle engineer Rachel Wiedemann & to everyone who sent questions! Go Atlantis! #shuttleandbeyond

Also, I was recent sent this is a picture that was taken during STS-134 by one of the Boeing Communications representatives while I gave a TV interview for a local station.

Absolutely Hysterical!

This is one of the funniest sites I've run across in a while.   You have to check it out:

Suri's Burn Book

Just because you don't have a Ferragamo handbag doesn't mean you can behave like a child. (I'm looking at you, Shiloh.)

 

 

Girls' Week in NYC

I just spent most of last week up in New York City with my Aunt and Cousin for some girl time.  Actually, some of the best parts of the trip were meeting up with other family members who live up in the area for lunches, dinners, and candy shop runs.  I had no idea I had so many family members up there!  But we got our fair share of girliness in as well, including trips to all of the major department stores to check out the shoe sales as well as the Alexander McQueen exhibit at the Met.  It was fantastic. 

Anyway, that's why I was (once again) MIA from the blog last week.  I'm back now, though!  I leave you with a final picture of my dream shoes from Saks (they are by Valentino and too expensive to even mention...)

Oh, and sorry for the slightly blurry photos, but I was using my iphone.