Discovery docks with ISS

Space shuttle Discovery yesterday docked with the International Space Station at 17:20 EDT (21:20 GMT), delivering the final solar arrays and associated truss segment to the orbiting outpost. The Discovery crew enter the ISS. Pic: NASA The STS-119 mission crew, comprising Commander Lee Archambault, Pilot Tony Antonelli, …

[Jonathan]

Poor Bat

I suppose it got toasted...

Still it good that the shuttle launched successfully.

[stirfry]

Holy Bat Blastoff Batman - Check out that Do!

That shuttle chick needs a hair net - yipes...!

[Ralph B]

I blame Hollywood

The bat must've seen Wall-E pulling the same stunt. (Copycat bat?)

There really should be chiropteral certification for drive-in movies.

[Phil the Geek]

Bat house

If you're ever near Chester Zoo with a couple of hours to kill, go to the bat house. It's night time inside and the bats fly freely around you. It's an amazing experience, though you may come out guano-positive.

[Steve]

LoL maybe it was

Dun nun nun nun nun nun nun, Dun nun nun nun nun nun nun SPACE BAAAAAAAAAAT

POW

SOCK

BASH

I'll get me coat

[Martin Lyne]

Hah!

"Launchbat.html"

Virus scanners at the ready!

Cute and tragic, but glad the shuttle got their safely

[Anonymous John]

One small step for a bat.

A giant leap for batkind.

[Tawakalna]

bat murderers..

you'd have thought they could have at least tried to save the poor bat.

[Graham Marsden]

On the other hand...

... that bat could come back from space 50' across and start attacking the World!

[Anonymous Coward]

I, for one,

wish our Rocket Propelled Bat OverLord (deceased) a sad farewell.

[Peter Gant]

Damn Square Brackets

OK, a question for our Colonial cousins, what is it with you lot and square brackets in the middle of sentences? "provides support to the [Kennedy Space] center" reads just as well as "provides support to the Kennedy Space Center" because there aren't so many space centres (sorry, centers) around.

Can [someone] skilled in American English let us [all in] on the secret?

[TJ]

Gives new meaning...

To the term "Rude Awakening"

RIP SpiderBat.

[Graham Marsden]

@Peter Gant

Square brackets are an editorial convention (and not just something in American English) indicating that the words contained in them have been added for clarity, but weren't in the original quote.

The quote would actually have been "provides support to the center" which would have made sense if the entire comment was printed in full, because, prior to that, the speaker would have referred to the "Kennedy Space Center", but subsequently just mentioned "the center" (ie it wouldn't be clear to the reader *which* center is being referred to without the full context) so the writer of the article adds [Kennedy Space] to make it clear.

Clear? :-)

[Robbie]

Space bat debries?

Oh noes, Now the Iss will have to change orbit to avoid being hit by Spacebat