Space Shuttle Atlantis Launch Live Thread Friday 7:38 PM EDT

06/07/2007 | Kevin Davis

[KevinDavis]

his is the official live thread for the Space Shuttle Atlantis.. The shuttle is suppose to launch at 7:38 PM EST.

Mission updates can be found at Space Shuttle Atlantis Launch Updates

If you can't view the launch on Cable or Satellite you can go to the Nasa site to view launch live.

AD ASTRA!!

[KevinDavis]

I don’t think this will be a PC Mission....

[real saxophonist]

NASCAR drivers? Check this out. Yes, that's the late LCDR Kevin Davis he's flying with.

[BallyBill]

Finally have the NASA channel on DISH now. Can’t wait!

[real saxophonist]

Sonny was a great guy. He went to school with my sister. She has an autographed picture of him.

I've posted Sonny's bio before, and was admonished, something like 'why would you post something about a dead person', or some such crap. Look at what he accomplished in his life!

I mean, how cool is it to be a flight surgeon for a Marine squadron? Well, that wasn't enough, he became an actual Aviator with that squadron!

Sorry for the thread drift, I tend to post Sonny's story on Nasa threads.

Oh, and I see I posted the Blue Angel Kevin Davis on your thread too. Sorry. There are something like 35 people with my name. One is a lawyer, one supplies exotic material to knifemakers, for their handles. Guess which one I'd rather be associated with...

[BwanaNdege]

Sonny & I graduated from high school together.

I have a daughter working toward her application for astronaut training. While in the 10th grade she hesitantly mentioned wanting to be an astronaut. I told her about Sonny and told her to go for it. So far she has her Masters and has worked as a systems engineer on the Fluids & Combustion Facility Laboratory module for the ISS. She’s just been hired as a systems engineer for the Service Module of the CEV (Crew Exploration Vehicle), the Shuttle replacement.

I imagine that Sonny has inspired many other young people to go for it.

[NonValueAdded]

Heading out to the beach for this one. It won’t exactly be a night launch but when it gets some altitude, the setting sun should light it up nicely against the darkening eastern sky.

[real saxophonist]

There are quite a few schools in that area named for him. There are ‘Christa McAuliffe’ schools everywhere, including here, and I don’t mean to take away from her, but it’s kinda cool to have known someone for whom a school is named.

[KevinDavis]

When the Blue Angel Kevin Davis died, there was people who thought it was me who died in the crash and I had to post to say that I'm still alive..

Go ahead and post Sonny bio on NASA threads.. From what I saw , Sonny had the right stuff....

[KevinDavis]

Right now, my biggest regret is that I didn’t go to either the Naval Academy and the Air Force Academy to be a pilot...

[burzum]

Let's just get this station built so NASA can go on to do more useful things. Here goes yet another truss segment and solar panels. This will be the third truss installation in a row, not to mention the cycle before the Columbia accident with three truss installations and three general maintenance missions. Oh, and STS-118 (the next mission) is also a truss installation mission. For future space stations I hope they use a 100 ton rocket to put the truss up in one piece, and then use their smaller rockets to add the other components. Building it one piece at a time is annoying!

Element	Flight	Launch date	Length (m)	Diameter (m)	Mass (kg)
Z1 truss	3A – STS-92	October 11, 2000	4.9	4.2	8,755
P6 truss – solar array	4A – STS-97	November 30, 2000	73.2	10.7	15,824
S0 truss	8A – STS-110	April 8, 2002	13.4	4.6	13,971
S1 truss	9A – STS-112	October 7, 2002	13.7	4.6	14,124
P1 truss	11A – STS-113	November 23, 2002	13.7	4.6	14,003
P3/P4 truss – solar array	12A – STS-115	September 9, 2006	73.2	10.7	15,824
P5 truss	12A.1 – STS-116	December 9, 2006	13.7	3.9	1,864
S3/S4 truss – solar array	13A – STS-117	no earlier than June 8, 2007	73.2	10.7	15,824
S5 truss	13A.1 – STS-118	no earlier than August 9, 2007	13.7	3.9	1,864
P6 truss – solar array (relocation)	10A – STS-120	no earlier than October 20, 2007	–	–	–
S6 truss – solar array	15A – STS-119	July, 2008	73.2	10.7	15,824

[Pyro7480]

All white men. When’s the last time this has happened? The first shuttle missions?

[sig226]

7:38 pm now. I’ll have to follow up tommorrow, I could make that one. I haven’t been to a launch in a while. If I go, I’ll get photos.

[BenLurkin]

Prayers up for a safe trip up, around and back.

[Larry Lucido]

So what’s the latest with the strike?

[2Jedismom]

Here I am! Checking in!

Thanks for the ping!

[AntiKev]

Latest I’ve heard is that it will not affect STS-117 or processsing flow for 118. USA has qualified replacement workers for 118 processing if it becomes necessary. Most are white collar with qualifications that need some dusting off. Beyond that there has been no news.

[AppyPappy]

Space Shuttle Atlantis to carry special Virginia Tech tribute flag on mission

By Larry Hincker
Flag being carried on space shuttle.

BLACKSBURG, Va., June 7, 2007 — Under the Florida twilight sky, the Space Shuttle Atlantis, STS-117, and its seven astronauts, scheduled to launch into space Friday, June 8 on their mission to the International Space Station, will carry a Virginia Tech flag as a tribute and symbol of the resilient spirit of the university community following the tragedy of April 16 at the university.

The special, custom designed Virginia Tech flag will be on the Atlantis’ payload and will be flown during the mission. Atlantis is scheduled to launch at 7:38 pm EDT on June 8 from Kennedy Space Center launch pad 39A. “We are honored to be recognized by NASA in this way,” said Virginia Tech President Charles W. Steger. “The relationship between Virginia Tech and NASA is long and deep with many hundreds of Virginia Tech alumni that work in NASA today and the many other Hokies that have contributed to its rich history and accomplishments.”

“Our spirit of recovery is strong at Virginia Tech and we share in the pride of being a part of Atlantis’ mission,” Steger added.

Astronaut and Virginia Tech alumnus Charlie Camarda had carried a smaller VT flag aboard the space shuttle Discovery, STS 114, during the July 26- August 9, 2005 mission. STS-114 was the first return to flight following the loss of Columbia on February 1, 2003. Camarda presented that VT flag to the university in November 2005.

On April 25 a Pegasus rocket was launched and sported a Virginia Tech memorial ribbon logo in memory of the students and faculty members that were lost on April 16. The Aeronomy of Ice in the Mesosphere (AIM) spacecraft is on a two-year mission to study noctilucent clouds, which are clouds that shine brightly at night and are typically concentrated around the poles, to discover what is causing them to appear more frequently and at lower latitudes.

[N. Theknow]

If you can't view the launch on Cable or Satellite you can go to the Nasa site to view launch live.

Me?

Take my glass of wine and my cigar and sit in my backyard and watch.

Too bad it won't be dark. THOSE launches are spectacular!

[leadpenny]

All male crew? Did anyone get approval from the NOW gang and/or Hillary?

[leadpenny]

C-SPAN has been covering the NASA status reports over the past couple of weeks.