INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION ANNIVERSARY: Today marks 20 years that humans have lived and worked continuously on the space station to test technologies, conduct scientific research, and develop skills needed to explore farther from Earth.
Through this global endeavor, 241 people from 19 countries have visited the unique microgravity laboratory that has hosted more than 3,000 research and educational investigations from people in 108 countries and areas.
Permanent human occupancy of the station began Nov. 2, 2000, when Expedition 1commander William Shepherd of NASA and Russian cosmonauts Yuri Gidzenko and Sergei Krikalev entered the orbiting laboratory after docking their Soyuz TM-31 spacecraft to the complex. The trio launched Oct. 31, 2000, from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
A new episode of EZ Science also will discuss how the station has contributed to scientific advancements. A new episode of Houston, We Have a Podcast slated for release on Monday, Nov. 2, will feature Shepherd and International Space Station Program Manager Joel Montalbano, respectively.
This year, the launch anniversary also coincides with a rare blue Moon. Visible to the naked eye, the space station is the third brightest object in the night sky and is easy to spot. NASA provides sighting opportunities, including notifications via email and text message, at:
http://spotthestation.nasa.gov.
———
BORROWING FROM FRIENDS: 1 in 5 Pennsylvanians admit to having used borrowed money to buy alcohol, according to a recent survey.
National Alcohol Debt: AlcoholRehab.com, a leading provider of alcohol and drug addiction treatment resources, conducted a survey of 3,050 adults (aged 21+) to see how many purchased alcohol with borrowed money.
It was discovered that nearly 1 in 5 (18%) Pennsylvanians admit to having borrowed money to buy alcohol (compared to a national average of 19%).
Over 1 in 4 people admit to dipping into their savings to buy alcohol, 18% say they purchase alcohol on store credit and more than 1 in 10 admit they would leave off items from their grocery list to buy alcohol instead.
