National Aeronautics and Space Administration

More friends in town! Kevin and Rich got here today, just in time for the first test since the rocket was all put together. Everything looks great, and the weather is still warm and clear. I can tell that everyone is really excited about launch. It’s not just me!

And check out this photo – they’re wishing us luck from way way down under! One of my friends is down in Antarctica right now, so now she knows all about being cold all the time. It’s kind of funny… she’s sending warm wishes from a very cold place to a very cold detector in a warm part of Japan!

I’m ONE WEEK away from the launch window! I can’t quite believe I’m here, I keep expecting to wake up back at Goddard and find out it was just a dream. It’s just so exciting! More of my old friends from Goddard are on their way here for the launch, and everything is just slipping into place. The weather has even been nice. So far, so good – keep your fingers (and toes) crossed for me!

The team is cooling down my Neon dewar right now, so they can get me nice and cold and do their next tests. Things are getting so close! We’ve even made the news in Japan. Not the front page… but maybe next week!

They’re doing a lot of work with the electrical and plumbing stuff today, to get ready for the final tests and launch preparations. I got a photo of Ochi-san and Yoshida-san putting some of the plumbing in place that will cool down the Neon in one of the dewars around me. That white curved thing is the nose fairing outside of me, and they just go in through that little hole and keep the dewars full. That’s one of the holes that the rocket techs will close up before launch.

While all of this is getting done, I’ve got some time to myself. It’s probably the last break I’ll have before launch! I saw the schedule they’ve got planned for me, and it’s a doozy. I’ve got more tests (it’s always more tests), cooldown, and final positioning for launch. We even have a rehearsal for launch, so everything will go smoothly on the actual day. I think I’ll take a nap while I still can!