March 1, 2001 Update:

Space Shuttle Discovery launched successfully on October 11, 2000, embarking on the 100th mission of NASA's venerable Space Shuttle program, carrying signatures from hundreds of school children in South Dakota!  See Oct. 12, 2000 CNN story.  See related Oct. 12, 2000 article in the Rapid City Journal.  Click here for STS-92 Mission Summary.

There were a few launch delays (reasons for delay.)   The launch was historic, not only because of its 100th mission, but because of its significance in the sequence of the International Space Station construction (see details below). The South Dakota Space Grant Consortium (SDSGC) announced that it is also significant for South Dakota because STS-92 is the shuttle mission that carried South Dakota's "Student Signatures in Space".   Children from the following schools and science centers within the state autographed posters for this project.

As evidenced by the large number of signatures collected, the enthusiasm in South Dakota for space programs is high.  After flying in space aboard the Shuttle's 100th mission last October, the student signatures were returned to the schools today, March 1, 2001, with a crew photo and flight certificate.  Tom Durkin, Deputy Director and Outreach Coordinator for SDSGC said: "This was a wonderful opportunity for students in South Dakota to get involved with space travel and with the science and engineering behind the Space Shuttle and the International Space Station."  The signatures on the posters traveled 5.3 million miles while in space.

This digital artist's concept shows the International Space Station after all assembly is completed in 2006. Orbiting at more than 200 miles above the Earth, the Space Station is quickly growing into one of the brightest permanent fixtures in the night sky.

When construction is complete, estimates suggest the 470-ton "city in space" will be brighter than the planet Venus. The completed station will be powered by almost an acre of solar panels. The pressurized volume of the station will be roughly equivalent to the space inside two jumbo jets.

In total, 16 countries are cooperating to provide a state-of-the-art complex of laboratories in the weightless environment of Earth orbit. It is the largest international space construction effort in history. The Earth below the station in this view reflects the glint of sunlight.

The International Space Station (ISS) circles the planet approximately 16 times per day, traveling at 17,500 mph in orbit and is easy to see.

To see the ISS with the naked eye, click on the location nearest to you:
        »Rapid City
        »Sioux Falls
        »Elsewhere
Feb. 16, 2001 Image of ISS over Pategonia
Related Sites: International Space Station (ISS) and ISS Image Gallery and People behind ISS

Lifting Our Dreams: 100 Missions of America's Space Shuttle ... Delivering the Future

  Click to acquire STS-92 Mission Patch

• For information on "South Dakota Space Days 2001: A Space Odyssey in Rapid City" to be held at the Rushmore Plaza Civic Center on May 4-6, 2001, click here.

Back to South Dakota Space Grant Consortium Homepage