Posted on 07/25/2005 4:24:13 PM PDT by OXENinFLA
Poised for Liftoff
Space Shuttle Discovery rests in full view on the launch pad. Image above: The rolling back of Launch Pad 39B's Rotating Service Structure reveals orbiter Discovery. + Click for larger image. Image credit: NASA/KSC
Launch of Space Shuttle Discovery on mission STS-114, NASA's Return to Flight mission, is set for Tuesday at 10:39 a.m. EDT.
The launch pad's Rotating Service Structure (RSS) was rolled away from Discovery at 3:38 p.m. on Monday. When in place, the giant enveloping appendage is used to install payloads into an orbiter's cargo bay and provide protection from inclement weather. With the RSS now out of the way, propellant loading is set to begin after midnight Tuesday morning with the pumping of more than 500,000 gallons of liquid oxygen and hydrogen into the vehicle's orange External Tank.
The chance of Kennedy weather cooperating for the launch remains at 60 percent.
First Lady Laura Bush will join other dignitaries and VIPs at Kennedy for the Return to Flight liftoff, White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan announced earlier today.
SpaceflightNow.com
1745 GMT (1:45 p.m. EDT)
The astronauts are settling into life in space aboard Discovery. The payload bay doors were opened a little more than an hour ago and the crew is progressing through their post-launch activities.
The ascent flight control team in Houston has completed its job today, turning duties over to the Orbit 2 team of controllers for the rest of the astronauts' day. Many of the ascent team members will handle entry and landing for Discovery's return to Earth on August 7.
"We know the folks back on the planet Earth are just feeling great right now and our thanks to everybody for all of the super work that's been down over the past two-and-a-half years to get us flying again," commander Eileen Collins radioed CAPCOM astronaut Ken Ham in Mission Control.
"And I do want to pass on from those of us who have flown before, that was by far the smoothest ascent through first stage and up to MECO (main engine cutoff) that we've ever experienced. And the great weather and everything put together, nice ascent with no malfunctions, (you) couldn't ask for a better flight. So thanks to everybody down there on the ascent team and we're looking forward to seeing ya in 12 or 13 days for entry and landing."
"You got it Eileen," Ham replied. "We'll bring you home safe then."
Crew sleep time will be coming up at 4:39 p.m. EDT. A mission status briefing follows at 5 p.m. EDT.
http://live.irlp.net:8000/listen.pls
hey hey....try this...delayed a little.
oh, scratch that link...
Amazing lift off, I am so damn proud.
what is the problem with the ARM, they are delaying the burn.
It's a wonder they didn't think of having this level of camera coverage *before* Columbia's loss. I blame stupid beancounters and arrogance only engineers could muster.
Yeah, where have the quality/safety engineers been? How hard was it to come up with the idea of an external camera?
"I blame stupid beancounters and arrogance only engineers could muster."
You forgot /armchair quarterback
Maybe he is an expert...
Even the B&W camera on the first Apollo landing was a last-minute afterthought. RCA developed it and it was launched even though it was still a laboratory kluge. Note the lack of appropriate internal baffling.
NASA is reviewing 2 pieces that fell off the orbiter....
Going to be showing video from High Altitude planes next
Those B57 films were awesome!
NASA tv is showing the plane video now
The astronauts will be awakened late tonight at 11:39 p.m. CDT to begin their first full day in orbit.
The next STS-114 status report will be issued shortly after crew wakeup, or earlier, if events warrant.
Well, that was special.
I must have caught the tail-end of the footage. All I saw was a bright light jumping around the screen.
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