National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Now that we're actually getting closer to launch (woo-hoo!), things are getting busy again. There's a lot of excitement in the air as we move into the final stages of putting everything together and testing it. I know, it seems like they're always testing something! Imagine being in my shoes.

Today they're testing the solar paddles, which will collect the Sun's light and keep me running. I get a big inspection tomorrow, then they'll make me cold again and ship me off to Tsukuba next week. I get another adventure!

At Tsukuba, they'll be spin-balancing me — I have to be perfectly aligned for launch! They measure the “moment of inertia” – I think this means they make sure I don't wobble!