Free Republic

Virginia Beach examines driver's record, Facebook postings VIRGINIA BEACH The city trash truck driver who ran over and killed a homeless man sleeping on the beach in June had a series of driving violations that the city now says it’s examining. Between 2004 and 2008, Heather Boyd was ticketed at least eight times, according to Virginia Beach and Chesapeake court records. Boyd had at least four violations on her record when she was hired as a driver by the city in 2007. The city says it monitors the records of its drivers after they are hired and warns department heads...

Workers started assembling twin solid rocket boosters this week to help power Endeavour toward orbit in February on the final scheduled launch of the space shuttle program. A heavy-lifting crane hoisted the aft segment of the shuttle's left solid rocket booster Monday and moved the motor atop a mobile launcher platform. The boosters for Endeavour's STS-134 mission are being stacked inside High Bay 1 of the Kennedy Space Center's cavernous Vehicle Assembly Building. Crews repeated the procedure Tuesday and lifted the right booster's aft segment from the VAB's transfer aisle into High Bay 1. It will take about three weeks...

The Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center recently received and interesting visitor on an unannounced tour. I used to do work out there, and there were always hogs, deer, manatees, rattlesnakes, eagles, schools of redfish and gators all over the place. There was a lake just a few blocks southeast of the HQ building where I counted over 40 gators one summer. Just thought including the notes that accompanied the picture (below) would be interesting. They're in reverse chronological order. "for those who used to work here, see what you are missing?" "for those who still work here, see...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Hurricane Frances did more damage to the Kennedy Space Center than any other storm in history, tearing an estimated 1,000 exterior panels from a giant building where space vehicles are assembled, officials said Monday. No space shuttles were inside the 525-foot-high building, a familiar landmark at the space center. But center director James Kennedy said he feared the damage could set back NASA's effort to resume shuttle launches next spring. Monday marked the first time anyone from NASA had seen the damage from the storm because the agency completely evacuated the space center — the first...