ISS crew watches Hurricane Felix
The Expedition 15 crew aboard the International Space Station made several observations of Hurricane Felix during the weekend.
National Aeronautics and Space Administration controllers in Houston said the crew was able to view the hurricane during two orbital passes this weekend -- the first when Felix was churning through the Caribbean as a Category 5 storm with winds up to 165 miles per hour. During the second pass Felix was nearing Honduras and Nicaragua with slightly weaker winds.
The space station crew this week is to prepare for a test of a navigation system that will help guide the European Space Agency's Automated Transfer Vehicle when it docks with the ISS nearly next year.
Dubbed "Jules Verne" the new ESA cargo vehicle is scheduled for launch no earlier than Jan. 31.
Copyright 2007 by United Press International
