Image above: Viewed from the Banana River Viewing Site, Space shuttle Discovery and its seven-member STS-128 crew head toward Earth orbit and rendezvous with the International Space Station (ISS). Liftoff was on time at 11:59 p.m. (EDT) on Aug. 28, 2009 from launch pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. Credit: NASA

Image above: Backdropped by Earth's horizon and the blackness of space, the International Space Station is seen from Space Shuttle Discovery as the two spacecraft begin their relative separation. Credit: NASA

Image above: Astronaut Nicole Stott, Expedition 20 flight engineer, participates in the STS-128 mission's first session of extravehicular activity (EVA) as construction and maintenance continue on the International Space Station. Credit: NASA

GMT290, Already 50 days in space!  Hard for me to believe I’m already past the ½ way point.  We have been busy up here.  The highlights (an attempt to pick things since everything is so cool up here) for me have been launch, first sighting of the Earth and the space station through the space shuttle windows, crossing the hatch into the space station, the space walk, the arrival of HTV, the indescribably beautiful sights of our planet, and my crewmates.  It’s amazing how quickly our bodies adapt to a new environment.  There is of course time spent figuring out how to live up here --- finding time every day to talk with my family, eating, going to the bathroom, washing my hair, photography, the best way to float/fly to get around, communicating with mission control, etc, but it quickly becomes second nature and you even forget that walking is a “normal” thing.  This is an awe inspiring place.

Image above: The International Space Station's Canadarm2 grapples the unpiloted Japanese H-II Transfer Vehicle (HTV) as it approaches the station. Credit: NASA

Image above: The STS-128 and Expedition 20 crew members found a few moments to pose for some portraits on the International Space Station. Credit: NASA

Image above: Crew members on the International Space Station pose for a group photo following a joint crew news conference in the Harmony node. Credit: NASA