It finally happened! As some of you may recall, way back in September I was selected to be a part of NASA’s tweetup for the 39th and final launch of Discovery. Long story short, after 115 days, Discovery finally lifted off on her way to the International Space Station on February 24, 2011. We were fortunate enough to be invited back by NASA and their amazing staff to witness the launch from the press area. It’s about three miles from the launchpad and, from what I’ve been told, just about as close as you can safely be to a launch.

As the countdown clock ticked down, everyone was getting situated in their spots for the launch. The edge of the press site was lined with on-lookers both Tweetup and press related. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen so many DSLRs in one place before. I was armed only with my iPhone 4 camera and a desire to just soak it all in.

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As promised in my post recapping the recent #NASATweetup, I wanted to post a few photos that I took with my iPhone while in Florida. This was definitely one of the best experiences of my life—even without witnessing the actual launch—and I’d never pass up the opportunity to geek out and share some of the experience. So, check out the photos from the trip after the break!

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Have you ever wondered where your clothes are made or about the people who make them? Do you realize that the majority of the clothes bought in the U.S. do not come from this country? Our next interview is with author and friend, Kelsey Timmerman, who traveled around the world following his obsession of discovering who makes the clothes he wears. All of us at Rule29 love the concept of Kelsey’s book Where Are You Wearing. And after you meet him, a truly simple midwest guy looking to satisfy an overwhelming curiosity, you get the sense that he is a genuine article – check out his Flickr set for more proof. Enjoy this interview, one of the funniest we have had, and let us know what you think or “where you are wearing” today.

1: When did you first know you wanted to be a writer?
There wasn’t an epiphany or anything, just small little moments:

I won an award in 4th grade for a story about flying shoes.

In college I had a blast on an assignment for Religion 101 about Buddhism. I titled the paper “Quantum Leap of Faith” and it was largely based on the show “Quantum Leap” starring Scott Bakula. I got a C-.

I guess what really sealed the deal was when I started penning a column about some of my travels and realized that I could take folks around the world 800 words at a time.

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It’s about that time of year when many people start planning vacation getaways to warmer climates, or start searching for that amazing deal 6 months ahead of time for a summer trip. Here are some things to think about as you travel to make sure your vaca isn’t making a big fat footprint on the earth!

Flights: Flying is unfortunately one of the hardest modes of transportation on the planet. But if your destination of choice requires some air time consider using Continental. Forbes reported that this airline has done the most and gone the furthest to make their flights more environmentally conscious. This includes spending over $16 billion over the past ten years to replace its fleet with more efficient aircrafts. In addition they have hired 13 full-time staff environmentalists to work along side engine manufacturers, to design green terminals, and track carbon emissions and chemical recycling daily.

Destinations: Want to make sure that your destination is being earth friendly too? Smarter Travel gives their top ten green destinations across the globe. Some of which include Portland, Oregon, The Great Barrier Reef in Australia and Ireland’s newly established Greenbox ecotourism zone.

Packing: What’s a vacation without the cumbersome suitcase? Packing light = traveling green. Lighter luggage means less fuel used. Over packing tends to be one of the biggest traveling mistakes people make. These sites provide several tips on how to minimize your load and remember to do it!
www.dontforgetyourtoothbrush.com
www.onebag.com

No matter where you go, you can do things to be green…participating in local recycling programs, turning down air conditioning in hotel rooms while you’re gone during the day, use hotel and public transportations or ask to reuse towels and linens.

Making green choices where ever you go will help ensure we can all enjoy those places longer. Happy traveling!