Of course, these are no ordinary paper planes. Each of the 14 x 9-inch 1-ounce space shuttles are made with a special paper, treated with chemical products to allow it to resist such temperatures. The shuttles were tested in a hypersonic wind tunnel at the beginning of the year and, if everything goes well, they will make the trip to Kibo, the Japanese ISS module, on board the Space Shuttle Discovery in February.

Once they reach their destination, astronaut Dr. Koichi Wakata will then throw them in their voyage either by hand or using Dextre, the gigantic robotic arm on the ISS.

If they are lucky, they will reach populated areas, where they can be picked and returned to Japan's space agency. Hopefully for money, because if I got one of these from the ISS, I would keep it or sell it on eBay. [Asahi via Pink Tentacle]

The last time he went (in 2007), Simonyi paid roughly $20 million to participate in a lower back muscle study, map the station's radiation environment and test HD camera components. This time around, he'll have to pay $30 million thanks to inflation and increased costs. [MSNBC]

The team will select four possible moves to answer Greg's play. Using a web page, people around the world will be able to vote on the final move, which will be send to the space station. Greg will then move the piece on his special Velcro chess set, which he brought with him on the Discovery.

One piece of advice to the world: Let him win. Who knows what kind of anti-matter rays they have up there. [Play here via Daily Mail]

Further details from NASA Watch:

"After transitioning the JSL (Joint Station LAN) network to the new Netgear wireless APs (Access Points, WAPs) which provide the ISS with WiFi (wireless+Ethernet) connectivity, Gregory today repeated functionality tests, abandoned earlier this week, in three Kibo JPM (JEM Pressurized Module) locations from the wireless SSC -11 laptop, and later also in the COL (Columbus Orbital Laboratory). Afterwards switching to "Proxim" APs, the new WiFi "Dolphin" BCRs (Barcode Readers) were also tested."

Other random, cool ISS news (at least for this fan of the game): NASA astronaut Greg Chamitoff is currently playing six simultaneous games of chess with the six ground control locations that monitor the ISS.

Even cooler? Magnets are a forbidden item for trips to the station, so Chamitoff made his custom lightweight set out of Velcro. [NASA Watch via Slashdot]

The ISS doesn't have a full-time net connection, but astronauts can send email periodically through the Ku-band main data link. NASA reassures us that any virus found on an astronaut's laptop has little chance of compromising any of the station's main systems. But it did manage to spread to more than one laptop once onboard the station, either via machine-to-machine networks or thumb drives—so it's not a crazy assumption to make.

NASA further downplayed the story to the folks at Threat Level, saying this kind of thing happens "all the time." But still, whoever the fuck-up is that wrote this virus is now collecting massive, massive LOLZ in whichever basement he is currently calling home. [BBC, Threat Level via Slashdot]

The article 14 of the ISS agreement says: "The Space Station together with its additions of evolutionary capability will remain a civil station, and its operation and utilization will be for peaceful purposes, in accordance with international law."

According to Russia, the photos were taken to "support potential humanitarian activities in the area, including serious water resource management issues" as part of the Russian "Uragan" project, which studies glaciers and water sources in the country. However, I don't remember all those tanks with reactive armor participating in any humanitarian activities in the area two days after the invasion, the day the photos were taken.

The whole thing smells quite fishy, but apparently NASA has preferred to avoid confrontation and not investigate the matter. Put your conspiracy hats on and give us your explanation in the comments. [Aviation Week]

I can't wait until they install a permanent high definition feed up there. On the ISS, I mean. We have enough people with cameras down here. [NASA]

So what, exactly, is a plasma rocket?

Rather than heating chemicals and directing the resulting gases through high-temperature metal nozzles, VASIMR uses radio waves to create and speed up free-flying, electrically charged particles known as plasma. The concoction is then herded through nozzles made of magnetic fields, not metals like traditional rocket engines.

Designed by a former astronaut who's flown in the shuttle seven times, the plasma rocket will use solar power to produce energy to convert into radio waves. This makes it reusable, and the plan is to have it haul things from low-Earth orbit to low-Lunar orbit, a trip that would take about six months to haul one ton of equipment, and it could be reused six or more times.

They hope to launch the engine up to space in 2011 or 2012. And while this engine isn't going to be suitable for transporting people, NASA is already thinking about the next generation of this design: one powered by a nuclear reactor, cutting the trip time down from nine months to 39 days. Awesome. [New Launches via Discovery News]

Statement on Inaccurate Reports About Japanese Cargo Services

WASHINGTON — Contrary to news reports, NASA has not officially or unofficially been discussing the purchase of H-II Transfer Vehicles (HTV) — uninhabited resupply cargo ships for the space station — from the Japanese Space Agency, or JAXA.

NASA is committed to domestic commercial cargo resupply to the space station and does not plan to procure cargo delivery services from Japan. As part of our original agreements as compensation for common system operating costs NASA has limited cargo capability on the Japanese and European cargo vehicles. NASA has recently issued a request for proposal for the cargo needs of International Space Station beyond those supplied by our current international agreements. NASA has chosen to depend on commercial resupply of cargo delivery to the station.

[Reuters]

It's true, we have a problem with the flushing system. This is a serious matter. In such circumstances there's even the possibility of an emergency departure from the station.

This Thursday and Friday, visiting NASA astronauts will try to fix the problem. If the space plungers don't work, the aliens are in for one nasty surprise welcoming when they make first contact. [breitbart]

Seven astronauts who will fly into orbit aboard space shuttle Discovery will have comfortable seats for the climb into space. An eighth space ranger won't have a seat at all. In fact, he will be packed tight inside a box and won't even get to enjoy the ride up.

But it's nothing veteran spaceman Buzz Lightyear can't overcome.

The good news is that he'll have some sports shows to listen to, along with a host of jerseys that have been to the Champs Elysees in Paris for the Tour de France and to the Super Bowl.

More accustomed to soaring among the galaxies on fold-out wings and a backpack rocket, Lightyear will take to space on Discovery's STS-124 mission stowed inside a locker in Discovery's crew compartment. The 12-inch-tall action figure is flying as part of a partnership between NASA and Disney Parks to encourage students to pursue studies in science, technology and mathematics, one of NASA's main educational goals.

Disney's Youth Educational Series and NASA have developed an online program known as the Space Ranger Education Series. It includes fun educational games for students, as well as materials for educators to download and integrate into their classroom curriculum.

"NASA is excited to help students understand the science and engineering currently underway on the International Space Station," said Joyce Winterton, NASA assistant administrator for Education. "The educational games and resources from this partnership will allow students to explore the science and math behind space exploration with a beloved character."

[NASA, Buzz Lightyear at NASA and NASA]

The most notable is the ATV's automatic rendezvous and docking technology - the ship can find its own way to the station and attach itself without any human intervention.

Tomorrow's launch will be carried off by an Ariane 5 rocket, and the double-decker-bus-sized ATV will be the heaviest payload ever carried by one. The maneuver will be trickier than usual, with the upper stage of the rocket igniting twice, to get it up there and then again to boost it safely over the Pacific Ocean. [BBC News]

The Russian half of the station is stuck with the old latrine. They'll have to continue to load up one of their unmanned cargo vessels with boxes of their leftovers and send it to burn up in the atmosphere, which is pretty much the equivalent of flushing right now in space.

The new toilet should be familiar to the crew as it is similar to the hole 'n hose model the station has employed since 2000, but it is designed to allow for more privacy. As water is notably scarce in orbit, the ability to generate an onboard source of it is very important. The US-made filtration system separates water molecules from waste by not letting anything larger than tiny water molecules through.

The fancy new space toilet comes as part of a $46 million upgrade package purchased by NASA. So far, the single toilet on the Russian half of the station is responsible for the crew of three. As the crew size will double to six in 2009, NASA no doubt saw the need for a additional toilet. Six people, one bathroom? Think the Brady Bunch, but in space. If Marcia takes too long dolling it up for the cosmonauts, Jan doesn't bang on the door and yell. She jettisons her.

$19 million toilet turns urine into water [Canada.com]

Bill Gates on the International Space Station [Playfuls.com]