From the official Tabula Rasa site :

Richard Garriott's flight to the International Space Station began at 2:00 a.m. CST October 12, 2008 with the launch of the Russian Soyuz TMA-13 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

A couple of minutes after lift-off Richard could be seen on camera holding a message for the fans of Tabula Rasa. It is written in the fictional language of "logos," which figures prominently in the game's storyline. We will not spoil things by revealing the meaning of the message just yet, but we can tell you that it is a quote attributable to someone else.

To see video of the launch, go to the Official Tabula Rasa Channel on YouTube. Because it could not be seen clearly over the camera in the cockpit, here is the message:

Garriott and the crew successfully docked at the space station this morning!

UPDATE: According to this announcement, player Valeshar correctly translated the message as a quote by Konstantin Tsiolkovsky, father of space travel: "The Earth is the cradle of humanity, but mankind cannot stay in the cradle forever."

As you know, Richard Garriott is currently in space as part of Operation Immortality, carrying the DNA of numerous people, including Jeffrey Moyer (founder of Allakhazam.com and president of the ZAM Network), in an attempt to "save humanity." He will dock with the space station tomorrow, and there's numerous ways to keep track of the rocket.

Of course, there's still work to be done here on Earth, and Tabula Rasa team members have posted some news on Deployment 14, which won't be seen until the update hits the test server.

Senior QA Tester Casey Thorp focuses on dynamic spawners, which will add new and interesting combat scenarios to the game. QA Tester Dwight Spaulding said that the number of treasure chests on Plains and Mires will be increased and contain better loot. Lastly, Software Engineer Raven Sherman said they will be adding four more tabs to the clan lockbox. The full post can be found here or below.

Tabula Rasa now has a YouTube channel where the developers will post trailers, demos and updates. In addition, the devs will post their favorite player-made Tabula Rasa videos. If you have a YouTube video to share, submit a link to it in a message through the channel homepage.

There are currently seven developer's videos on the YouTube channel, as well as 66 fan videos. Keep an eye on the channel for additions. Who knows, maybe your video will make the list.

As we reported earlier this month, Richard Garriott's launch into space for Operation Immortality will be webcast in the early hours of Sunday, Oct. 12. Well, the Tabula Rasa team has announced that 23 lucky players have been selected to "live on forever by having their DNA sequenced, digitized, and recorded on the Immortality Drive."

These players were randomly selected from those that have logged into Tabula Rasa throughout Operation Immortality's duration, which ended on Sept. 29. Keep reading for a full list of names, or check out the announcement.

Also, Operation 5 of PlanetTR's new podcast, "Incoming Radio Transmission," is now available here. Hosts Grier and Chandler discuss PAUs/Mechs, progressive weapons and end-game content with Senior Designer Lee Ridout.

Tabula Rasa Designer Brian Hudson has answered some specific questions regarding Deployment 15 on the game's official Web site , and his focus is on PvP Control Points. These Control Points are "PvP-centric maps designed to deliver a streamlined experience where level 50 players can jump into the action immediately and begin fighting one another."

According to Hudson, players that participate "will be rewarded with Prestige for taking out Epic Bane, killing other players, and completing special PvP missions." Also, new item sets and equipment will be available for the victors, and skilled players will get the opportunity to pilot a Mech by controlling specific Control Points in Edmund Valley.

And, of course, a scoreboard will keep track of all the action. For more information, keep reading below or go directly to the Feedback Friday" post.

An all-out server vs. server war will bring new meaning to the term PvP on Oct. 11. The carnage will take place from 2-6 p.m. Pacific Time. Your class and gear are your choice, but it is highly suggested to level up to 50.

There's only three rules for the server vs. server war. The first is that you do not talk about the server vs. server war. Actually, that's not right at all. Tell all your friends!

Here's the real rules:

1. Clan leader has final say - listen to the clan leader or be kicked; 2. No hospital camping or setting up any means to kill those in the hospital; 3. Be respectful and have fun.

In a webcast that is somewhere between "Can't be missed" and "Are you kidding me?" Richard Garriott's launch into space for Operation Immortality will be webcast for your viewing enjoyment as well as being available for those in or around Austin, Texas!

Interested in watching Richard Garriott's historic journey into space in the early hours of Sunday, October 12? Now you will have multiple opportunities, both at a space launch party in Austin and across the Internet via a variety of live video streams.

If you're going to be up and around in Austin Saturday night into Sunday morning, the space watch party will be held at Opal Divine's Penn Field restaurant on 3601 S. Congress Avenue. The festivities start with live music by The Echo Vine at 11PM, with pre-launch activities starting at 12:30AM and the launch scheduled for 2AM local time. You must be 21 or over to attend.

Read on to find out where you can watch it on the web!

New recruits in Tabula Rasa will be able to receive basic training in the game from GM_Vagabond through a Q&A session on each server.

"Tabula Rasa 101" will address the game's basic mechanics, as well as answer frequently asked questions. The meeting will be held at Alia Das in Wilderness 1 atvarious times for each server. Check here or below for your orientation time.

Tabula Rasa's Deployment 13 is currently on the Public Test Server and includes the introduction of the Command System, which allows players to control subordinates like pets, mission NPCs and devices.

In today's Feedback Friday post, Dev_Harleyquin explains in detail exactly how a player can control these subordinates on the test server. The full post is located here , or you can keep reading after the jump.

According to this announcement , Tom Potter has left Destination Games and his position as lead designer of Tabula Rasa to "pursue another opportunity in the industry," and Susan Kath has been chosen as his replacement.

Kath has been working on Tabula Rasa for the last four and a half years, having originally joined the team as a fiction writer and most recently working as the lead mission designer. She wore many hats before attaining her current position, and hopes to oversee some new additions to the game as far as battles are concerned.