Oh my, another day, another Enterprise, another NCC-1701. We're up to what must be nearly a dozen such starships to carry the famous name, what with counting a few variants along the way. This week another rose into awareness as an image of the latest ship slipped to fandom. A publicity tour provided as the trailer nears release has inevitably leaked many details about the film, and this frame must be part of that.

The image immediately stoked fervent if not feverish opinion, fanning a firestorm it didn't introduce but certainly didn't extinguish. At best respectfully evocative of the refit 1701 in TMP, at worst overcomplicated and drab, this approach reaffirms that the film is obviously a reboot, and intends more than simply a screen-worthy transition of the classic TOS Enterprise. (That the designers were "deferential to 'inviolates' of Star Trek design vocabulary" is clear and remonstrable, that the spirit was Star Trek design was sought remains another matter altogether.) Like with the bridge, the style of the ship should not outweigh the story, should the story actually deliver as I am casually optimistic it will. If not, look back to these breezy designs as the tumultuous start of where it blows.

Meanwhile in matters more serious, countdown! STS-126 Endeavour plans for launch in two days on a rigorous mission to outfit (and infit?) the International Space Station with necessary equipment to support the expanded crews yet to come. In addition four spacewalks are planned to service the malfunctioning starboard solar array, stilled for over two years after metal filings were found in the gears where they shouldn't be. STS-125 Atlantis has been demated from the launch stack, dropped to her landing gear, and rolled back to the Orbiter Processing Facility (to re-inflate the tires kidding you not, though the delay is entirely due to the now-somewhat behaving Hubble Space Telescope).

On Mars the indomitable robot rovers Spirit and Opportunity both lapped the Phoenix probe that finally succumbed to the extremes (and we mean it!) of a Martian winter. Neither rover is in prime condition but doggedly their discoveries continue. Phoenix proved the multi-stage landing system could be a smashing success then (without picture or sound or interesting story) rapidly lost interest with the public that paid for it. Closer to home the Chandrayaan lunar mission successfully reached its target's orbit and sent back a distinct if distant photo of its new study. Pictures, a good story, and never take your public for granted. That's how you don't blow it.