Three minutes after my alarm went off this morning, our friends at the International Space Station woke up to a song called “Ain’t Nobody Here But Us Chickens.” That was at 6:43 a.m. EDT. In 20 minutes, the mission’s third spacewalk will occur. Starting at 11:43 a.m., the spacewalk will last 6.5 hours. That sounds exhausting! Maybe they’ll need some chocolate when they’re done…

According to nasa.gov, the shuttle is still scheduled to land on March 28. I talked with another source last week that said they may come home a day early. I’ll be doing my best to keep updated! I plan to visit Houston to meet the astronauts, either at the homecoming celebration after they land or at the mission debriefing in late April.

Back here on Earth, we’re producing our Dark Chocolate with Deep Forest Mint rainforest bar. I love mint day because the office smells minty. Visitors say our office always smells like chocolate, but I don’t smell it anymore. Except on mint day. Mmmmm…

My friend at www.CollectSpace.com just shared an amazing story. A small, stubborn bat was discovered clinging to the external tank during countdown on March 15. The tiny guy refused to budge, hanging on “until at least the vehicle cleared to tower.” In The Legend of the Bat-ronaut we learned that it was a free tail bat with an injured wing. We’re sad that he likely didn’t make it, but the images truly show his determination and courage.

Maybe next time they should take Dark Chocolate with Cacao Nibs “bat” chocolate in honor of the Bat-ronaut.

Shuttle Discovery is right on schedule to dock at the International Space Station at 5:12 EDT (I didn’t realize that space is on Eastern time). Nasa.gov has a great photo of two astronauts posing for a photo while working the controls on the flight deck. Both are wearing ball caps and big grins (is that a dark chocolate bar I see on the dash?).

Meanwhile, back on Earth, we’re enjoying unseasonally warm weather on this green St. Patty’s Day. I spoke to a group at the Customs and Border Control office in Indianapolis this morning. We talked about incorporating green into daily life – a great St. Patrick’s Day topic. Do astronauts have to go through customs when the return to Earth? Sorry, I can’t help but relate everything to space…

This just in:

Space shuttle Discovery is about 600 feet underneath the International Space Station and is starting to perform a back flip. This nine-minute Rendezvous Pitch Maneuver will expose Discovery’s heat shield to the space station, enabling Expedition 18 crew members Mike Fincke and Sandra Magnus to snap high-resolution digital photos that will be analyzed by imagery experts at the Johnson Space Center in Houston. Once the back flip is complete, Discovery will move from underneath to in front of the station and slowly close the gap. Docking is expected at 5:12:46 p.m. EDT.

The shuttle, crew and chocolate have been up for 1 Day 21 Hours 01 Minutes and 18 Seconds!

NASA successfully launched shuttle Discovery flight STS-119 to the International Space Station on March 15 at 7:43 p.m. After many delays, the launch occurred during a beautiful Florida sunset and is said to be the “the most visually beautiful launch…ever seen” (www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/main/ ). The STS-119 crew members are flying the S6 truss segment and installing the final set of power-generating solar arrays to the International Space Station. The S6 truss will complete the backbone of the station and provide one-fourth of the total power needed to support a crew of six.

Indianapolis’ WISHTV8 came out to the chocolate factory on Friday to do a story about our dark chocolate making the trek to space – http://www.wishtv.com/dpp/news/local/region_1/Indy_chocolate_to_make_space_trip_20090313. We had tons of fun with news anchor, Eric Halverson, and camerman, Gary.

It sounds like all is going well on shuttle Discovery. After the smooth countdown and launch, the crew sees no debris of concern and is looking forward to docking at the International Space Station at 5:13 p.m. on Tuesday. They awoke at 10:13 a.m. for what is called Flight Day 2. Keep up with the latest news of the STS-119 crew at http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/main/.

Godspeed STS-119!

NASA is fixing a leak on Discovery that will hopefully prepare the shuttle to launch at 7:43:44 p.m. on Sunday, March 15. If the repairs are successful, this will be one small step for man and one giant leap for Endangered Species Chocolate.

STS-119 must arrive at the International Space Station, carry out its mission and depart the dock by March 25 in order to not interfere with an upcoming Russian mission. The astronauts will have to eliminate one of their spacewalks to complete the docked mission on time. Discovery must be off the ground by St. Patty’s Day or the launch will have to be delayed until early April.  �

We were so excited that Shuttle Discovery, along with eight Endangered Species Chocolate Supreme Dark Chocolate bars, was finally scheduled to launch this evening, until we learned that there is another delay.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – NASA has postponed the launch of space shuttle Discovery because of a gas leak. The leak of gaseous hydrogen occurred as the launch team was filling the external fuel tank for liftoff Wednesday night. The seven astronauts had yet to board the spaceship.

Discovery’s flight to the international space station is already a month late because of concern about hydrogen gas valves in the engine compartment.

NASA officials say the leak occurred in plumbing outside of the shuttle and had nothing to do with those valves.

Shuttle officials are now shooting for a launch on Thursday night.

Can you imagine being an astronaut, all suited up, ready to go, then finding out there’s a change in plans? Suddenly you have to figure out what to have for dinner tonight. Maybe they’re slightly relieved because it means they get to catch another round of American Idol. 

Of course, the most important thing is that the shuttle is completely prepared for a safe flight to and from the International Space Station, so any delay is fine by me (not that NASA called to ask). I’ll be watching the progress as they continue to prepare the shuttle. More later!