Posted on 03/10/2008 9:13:27 AM PDT by RobFromGa
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — NASA's space shuttle Endeavour is on track to light the predawn Florida sky ablaze early Tuesday as it rockets toward the International Space Station (ISS) with seven astronauts on board.
Led by commander Dominic Gorie, Endeavour's STS-123 crew will install the first piece of Japan's three-part Kibo laboratory, assemble a monstrous, two-armed Canadian robot and deliver a suite of on-orbit experiments during their mission. The shuttle is counting down toward a planned 2:28 a.m. EDT (0628 GMT) launch on Tuesday from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla.
Gorie and his crew plan to spend 16 days executing their mission, which is the longest space station-bound flight NASA has ever concocted. And with no less than five spacewalks on tap, the astronauts consider their mission as one of the most intense and exhilarating, too.
"If you go to a drawing board and describe an exciting mission from scratch, I think you'd end up with STS-123," Gorie said. "We've got everything on this mission that you could imagine."
Joining the veteran spaceflyer aboard Endeavour will be pilot Gregory H. Johnson, mission specialists Robert Behnken, Mike Foreman, Rick Linnehan and JAXA astronaut Takao Doi. Rookie spaceflyer Garrett Reisman will stay behind as a member of the Expedition 16 space station crew, allowing European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Leopold Eyharts to return home.
A successful launch will mark the second space station assembly mission of 2008, as well as the second of up to six NASA shuttle missions planned for the year.
Clear skies?
Endeavour has a 90 percent chance of favorable weather conditions at launch time, with the potential for thick clouds posing the only threat, said U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Pat Barrett, NASA's shuttle weather officer with the 45th Weather Squadron, in a Sunday briefing.
"We are expecting favorable conditions for launch. The only concern we have is a slight chance of seeing some low-level clouds moving into the area from ... the Atlantic," Barrett said, adding that cloud cover can interfere with tracking the 100-ton orbiter as it speeds to more than 17,500 mph (28,200 kph) during the trip to space.
If all goes as planned, Endeavour will be the second shuttle to launch in darkness since the 2003 Columbia tragedy, and the 30th total night launch, following the shuttle Discovery's December 2006 liftoff.
Shot in the dark
Darkness can be dangerous because technicians have a tough time spotting errant chunks of ice or insulating foam that can shed from an orbiter's 15-story fuel tank — debris which can damage the heat-resistant underbelly of a space shuttle.
But LeRoy Cain, chair of NASA's mission management team, said the agency has addressed these risks by improving the external fuel tank and adding extra cameras to the launch vehicle.
"We feel very comfortable to go fly at night," Cain told reporters during a Sunday briefing. One of the new improvements flying aboard Endeavour is a flash unit for a belly-mounted camera to help photograph the shuttle's fuel tank after separation.
"This will be the first time that we've flown that," Cain said, noting that it should put on quite a show when Endeavour sheds its orange fuel tank high above the Earth. "You can expect to see some pretty brilliant flashes in a sequence [in video footage] after we have physical separation from the external tank."
International cargo
Shortly after reaching the space station some 212 miles (340 kilometers) above the Earth, the crew will deliver the cylindrical Japanese Logistics Pressurized (JLP) module.
"Japanese people have been waiting a very long, long time," Yoshiyuki Hasegawa, ISS program manager for JAXA, said of the JLP's launch and delivery to the space station. "It will be an unforgettable event."
Two days after Japan's first orbital room is stowed in a temporary berth at the space station, spacewalkers Linnehan, Foreman and Behnken will piece together Dextre — the Canadian Space Agency's (CSA) maintenance robot that weighs more than 3,440 pounds (1,560 kilograms).
The giant robot, often personified by the STS-123 crew as "Mr. Dextre," will have an arm span of about 30 feet (9 meters) and stand 12 feet (3.7 meters) tall. By guiding highly precise "hands" from inside the space station, astronauts can perform basic space station maintenance without having to venture into the unforgiving space environment outside.
"As spacewalkers, we don't want to put ourselves out of the job," Foreman said of the robot's abilities. "But I think ... Dextre will be a boon to the space station when it gets built and put into work."
If the shuttle's Tuesday morning launch attempt is foiled, NASA will try again no earlier than 2:02 a.m. EDT (0602 GMT) on Wednesday with a less encouraging 70 percent chance of liftoff. Clouds may botch a second attempt, with the added threat of rain showers, shuttle weather officials said. Should further delay be required, Endeavour would stand down until after March 15 to allow an unmanned Delta 2 rocket to launch a navigation satellite from the nearby Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.
Endeavour is scheduled to return to Earth on March 26 at 8:35 p.m. EDT (0035 GMT March 27) at Kennedy Space Center.
It will be my first. Weather looks favorable!
Any Freepers with tips for where to watch from? I am in Orlando and have been told that Jetty Park in Cocoa Beach is about 45 minutes from here and is a good place to watch a takeoff.
Any other suggestions???
I am extremely jealous of those who will be able to watch this event live. Maybe I can get down there to watch one launch before they cancel the program.
Your in the right area.. I watched the Hubble go up from COCO Beach... it was awesome !!!
I am a space nut since I was seven and watched Apollo moon landings. I have never been to see a launch live although I have always wanted to do so. Now that I am by chance 45 minutes away I need to make the trip!
Rob, Jetty Park is good but I don’t know about 2AM access. Parks usually close but that one might stay open for night launches. They’ll pro’ly charge for parking. :)
With a night launch, any spot along Cocoa Beach will be great.
Very important: Bring a radio and tune to 1240 AM or 920 AM. Otherwise, you can be standing on the beach for a long time wondering why it hasn’t gone up yet. You can’t count on theose around you having one.
Also, even though it is 0-dark-thirty and traffic is usually light, don’t rely on it being a 45 minute drive. It is far better to arrive early. 1240 AM usually has longer coverage than 920, so listen in on the drive over. It might save you an hour’s driving if there is an early scrub.
Enjoy the launch ... it is a school night otherwise I’d be up to get our locals together to FReep the launch.
My son (see tagline) is in Key Largo. Could he see it that far away?
Key Largo is south of Miami, so that is a long way (probably 300 miles). He might be able to see a speck of light climbing in the sky...
How are you doing don-o? I haven’t had much time for anything besides work and family lately. And I’ve lost some interest in politics with the choices we have been given anyway. Good to hear from you...
Dittos on the busyness - and apathy for politics. Doing well. I’ll catch up with you soon.
I think US 1 in Titusville is a better vantage point if you have no pass to get into KSC. It is closer than Cocoa Beach/Cape Canaveral. Even at 12 miles from the launch pad you get a pretty good view. I saw one launch from Titusville way back in 1989 and the view was good once the shuttle cleared the ground haze. Assuming it is a clear night tonight though you can see the vehicle right on the pad. The only real drawback is you won’t hear any sound until about T-90 seconds. Having seen several other launches from the press or VIP sites I can tell you it is more exciting to hear that roar as soon as the shuttle clears the pad. ;) But if you have to watch from Titusville I don’t think you will be disappointed.
God Bless your son, and his willingness to stand up for our country. My family and I sincerely appreciate his service.
Titusville will be a quicker trip back to Mousetown too won’t it?
Highway 50 is on the north side of Orlando. It leads to Titusville. Advantage is that it isn't a toll road. Disadvantage is that it's not divided the full length, a consideration since you'll be sharing it with the bar crowd at 2 AM. It also has lots of traffic lights between you and the coast. Also consider finding a stopping place on US 1 in the dark. You will be on the mainland side of the Indian River but should still have a good view and the hallmark of a night launch, the flame trail reflected in the water. That is why I'm biased towards an ocean rather than a river view.
Do your map work now!
Put LIVE in the headline. It’s traditional.
I live in Sarasota, 100+ miles away on the west coast, and with no clouds, it appears as a bright light and smoke trail.
With binoculars I can see the 2 boosters separate from the shuttle.
BTW, did the Japanese involvment in the mission have anything to do with the overnight (PM-Japan) launch time?
I am in Savannah, GA and we get a great view of the launch as the shuttle appears to climb out of the ocean. We’re about 230 miles from the Cape. For night launches, we can see the initial firing of the engines and then, about 2 minutes later, the craft pops up over the horizon. We see it all the way to MECO (Main Engine Cut Off.
I have seen shuttle launches from as far away as St. George South Carolina. I was coming home from college, driving on I-95 and pulled over to watch it clear some trees on the other side of a field. Thats 310+ straight miles from the Cape with not a good horizon at all.
spaceflightnow.com
MONDAY, MARCH 10, 2008
1730 GMT (1:30 p.m. EST)
The weather forecast for tonight’s launch remains excellent with a 90 percent chance of acceptable conditions for the 2:28 a.m. EDT liftoff time.
“Today partly cloudy skies and northeasterly winds will prevail for the daylight hours. Overnight Monday and into launch time on Tuesday, generally favorable weather conditions will continue with a slight chance of a low cloud ceiling moving onshore over Kennedy Space Center during the launch countdown. Our primary concern for launch time is a low cloud ceiling,” the weather team reported this morning.
The launch time outlook calls for scattered stratocumulus clouds at 3,000 feet, scattered altocumulus clouds at 8,000 feet and broken cirrus clouds at 25,000 feet, good visibility, northeasterly winds from 060 degrees at 8 peaking to 12 knots and a temperature of 63 degrees F.
Should the launch be delayed for any reason, the odds of good weather on Wednesday morning are 70 percent and fall to 60 percent on Thursday morning.
“On Wednesday and Thursday, an upper level feature is forecast to move into Florida increasing the chance of low cloud ceilings and possible precipitation.”
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