NASA Clears Shuttle For Nov. 1 Liftoff

Aviation Week and Space Technology ^ | 10/28/2010 | Irene Klotz

[ErnstStavroBlofeld]

NASA managers cleared space shuttle Discovery for launch at 4:40 p.m. EDT Nov. 1, following a review of weekend repair work to fix a small leak in the flange area of the Orbital Maneuvering System (OMS).

“We’re in great shape out at the pad,” Launch Director Mike Leinbach told reporters Oct. 25 following NASA’s Flight Readiness Review for the STS-133 mission, the 39th and final planned mission for Discovery.

The replacement of two seals in the OMS flange ate up the four contingency days that had been remaining in the shuttle’s processing schedule, but Leinbach said he saw no reason why the three-day launch countdown could not pick up as planned the afternoon of Oct. 29.

[kabar]

Day before the election. I guess the timing is just a coincidence.

[ErnstStavroBlofeld]

I do not think so.The launch must be carefully timed to occur around the times that the target vehicle’s orbital plane intersects the launch site.

[kabar]

NASA has already been politicized. Nothing would surprise me coming from Obama and Axelrod.

[ErnstStavroBlofeld]

You could be right. But who knows what happens behinnd closed doors.

[RandallFlagg]

Yeah.
A national tragedy to milk sympathy would be just the ticket.
They might even be able to fabricate a target for attack if it happened.

Hmmmm. Now who might the target be?

[kabar]

No, I am not inferring that there will be a tragedy. I hope and pray that all goes well. A successful launch will just let the public know that our manned space program is alive and well even though Obama is cutting it dramatically and has instructed the head of NASA that one of his major priorities is working with the Muslim world.

A tragedy would hurt Obama politically.