STS-127

Preparations for the next shuttle mission, scheduled for a Saturday morning launch, are proceeding smoothly.

The main task of STS-127 will be to complete constructiom of Japan's Kibo laboratory. Like last month's Hubble repair mission and other ISS construction missions, this one will require extensive spacewalks. That's probably not a good thing. If humanity is serious about pushing into deep space, developing sophisticated robots that can do most of the outside work should be a priority.