Space Shuttle Discovery Landing Live Thread (11:57 am est 03/09/11)

03/09/11 | Kevin Davis

[KevinDavis]

Well this is final live thread of the Space Shuttle Discovery.

I'm going to miss seeing those birds..

[Ladysmith]

No doubt. The cloudy weather we’ve had didn’t allow for flyover sightings either. Totally bites.

[jmcenanly]

With the economic disaster resulting from Obama I’m starting to doubt I’ll see another American manned launch in my lifetime after the final shuttle flight
How are you feeling?

http://www.virgingalactic.com/

[naturalman1975]

Can an expert (ie, somebody who knows what they are talking about) tell me what time this will start to get ‘exciting’.

The reason I ask is I’m a teacher in a boarding school in Australia and I’ve agreed to wake up boys to watch the landing and while I want them to get a good show, it is going to be the middle of a school night here and we can’t have them awake any longer than we have to. It’s the first time we’ve had access to NASA TV readily available to us.

I’d also love to get some sleep myself, but that’s less important. :)

[Johnny B.]

Can an expert (ie, somebody who knows what they are talking about) tell me what time this will start to get ‘exciting’.

I'm not an expert, but...

There's nothing to see until about a minute before the landing. The only reason to watch earlier than that is to hear the radio chatter between the Shuttle and ground.

And, frankly, the launches and landings all look very similar (except, alas, for the last Challenger launch).

[NautiNurse]

[NautiNurse]

And, frankly, the launches and landings all look very similar (except, alas, for the last Challenger launch).

STS 107 Columbia, February 3, 2003

[NCC-1701]

Space Shuttle Discovery's first crew.

And her last crew.

In between the two were 37 others. 185 people flew aboard Discovery either launched only, landed only, or launched and landed. She is and was a great spacecraft.

[NCC-1701]

“...However, keep in mind that the shuttle is a space vehicle, although a really good one, that was designed in the 60’s, built in the 70’s and then started flying in the 80’s....”

It was ironic that when the appropriations bill was passed by Congress in 1972, Space Shuttle Columbia’s eventual first commander was walking on the moon when the word was passed along to the Apollo 16 crew. John Young was the guy to command the very first space shuttle flight. His Apollo 16 command module pilot, Thomas K. Mattingly II flew a few shuttle flights as well.

[NautiNurse]

Judy Resnik was a mission specialist aboard the maiden flight of Discovery, and perished during the launch of Challenger STS 51 at the age of 36 years.

[chessplayer]

And the US manned space program comes to an end. The future belongs to China, India, etc., as the US will be content to sit and gaze at it`s navel.

[VeniVidiVici]

Thanks. Guess you’ll get a decent view? I need to get out there to KSC and watch at least ONE landing.

Stumbled across this a few minutes ago. They have a board for everything it seems :-)

http://www.orbiter-forum.com/showthread.php?p=248147

[Pyro7480]

De-orbit burn complete: Discovery is under way to land at the Kennedy Space Center.

[SE Mom]

Not sure how much of a sonic boom we’ll get here- it may go too far south..

Kind of cloudy here- what about over there?

[Jack Hydrazine]

Latest updates:

1552 GMT (10:52 a.m. EST)
DEORBIT BURN IGNITION. Flying upside down and backwards above the east-central Indian Ocean, shuttle Discovery has begun the deorbit burn. The firing of the twin Orbital Maneuvering System engines on the tail of the shuttle will last 2 minutes and 27 seconds, slowing the craft by about 200 mph to slip from orbit. The retro-burn will send Discovery to Kennedy Space Center in Florida for a pinpoint touchdown at 11:57 a.m. EST.

1553 GMT (10:53 a.m. EST)
Both engines continue to fire, each producing about 6,000 pounds of thrust.

1553 GMT (10:53 a.m. EST)
DEORBIT BURN COMPLETE. Discovery has successfully completed the deorbit burn for the trip back home. Landing is scheduled for 11:57 a.m. EST at the Cape to conclude this mission to the space station and Discovery’s final flight.

1557 GMT (10:57 a.m. EST)
Sixty minutes to touchdown. Discovery is maneuvering to the orientation for entry. The shuttle will hit the upper atmosphere at 11:25 a.m.

1600 GMT (11:00 a.m. EST)
Discovery is passing 215 miles above the southwestern tip of Australia.

1607 GMT (11:07 a.m. EST)
Now 50 minutes from touchdown at the Kennedy Space Center to conclude Discovery’s 12-day, 19-hour, 4-minute flight. The orbiter will weigh 204,736 pounds at landing, which is 63,884 pounds lighter than when it launched.

Video and updates here.
http://www.spaceflightnow.com/shuttle/sts133/status.html

Video can also be seen here.
http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/
http://www.fromil.com/tv/index.php?radio=5

[NautiNurse]

Mostly clear here. We should hear the booms again; have never visualized the shuttle return over the Gulf coast. fyi—saw Discovery’s final launch from Titusville. Magnificent!

[Hatteras]

I watched both the shuttle and the ISS pass over last evening around 7:20 from my backyard in NC. I just happened to be stargazing while waiting for the dogs to crap. Went back in and checked the shuttle tracker on-line to verify. Pretty cool stuff...

[Jack Hydrazine]

1622 GMT (11:22 a.m. EST)
Now 35 minutes left to go. This will be the 76th shuttle landing at Kennedy Space Center.

The Florida spaceport’s Shuttle Landing Facility was built in 1975. The concrete strip is 300 feet wide and 15,000 feet long with 1,000-foot overruns at each end. The runway is located about three miles northwest of the 525-foot tall Vehicle Assembly Building.

Discovery is targeting Runway 15, which is the southeast to northwest approach. The shuttle will make a 250-degree left overhead turn to align with the runway.

1625 GMT (11:25 a.m. EST)
ENTRY INTERFACE. Discovery’s thermal protection system is feeling heat beginning to build as the orbiter enters the top fringes of the atmosphere — a period known as entry interface.

The shuttle is flying at Mach 25 with its nose elevated 40 degrees, wings level, at an altitude of 400,000 feet over the Pacific Ocean.

Touchdown remains set for 11:57 a.m. EST in Florida.

[Hatteras]

"I'm going to miss seeing those birds.."

You do know there are two more missions, right? I'm sure you do but I get the sense that a lot of people hear "final mission" and don't hear "for Discovery". The shuttles Endeavor will launch on April 19 and the shuttle Atlantis will launch on June 28. Atlantis will be the last shuttle to launch.

[Jack Hydrazine]

STS-134, Space Shuttle Endeavour Launch 3MAY2011/1648 PST

According to this Wiki entry it says:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/STS-134

STS-134 (ISS assembly flight ULF6)[4] is the penultimate voyage of the Space
Shuttle. This flight will deliver the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer and an ExPRESS
Logistics Carrier to the International Space Station.[5] The mission will also
mark the final flight of Space Shuttle Endeavour.[6] STS-134 was expected to be
the final space shuttle mission if STS-135 did not receive funding from
Congress; however, in February 2011, NASA stated that STS-135 would fly
“regardless” of the funding situation.[7]

http://www.collectspace.com/news/news-042610a.html
NASA shuffles shuttle schedule: Endeavour to fly after Discovery for final
planned flight

(excerpt)
April 26, 2010 — NASA has rearranged the flight order for its final planned
space shuttle missions, such that orbiter Endeavour will now have the
distinction of making the last flight rather than Discovery, as earlier
manifested.

The shuttles’ shuffle, which now has Discovery’s STS-133 mission launching to
the International Space Station (ISS) before Endeavour’s STS-134 flight, was
driven by a delay readying the latter mission’s scientific payload for launch.

As originally planned, Endeavour’s STS-134 crew was to deliver the seven-ton
Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS) cosmic ray experiment to the orbiting lab in
late July. The state-of-the-art particle physics detector, once mounted to the
station’s exterior, is designed to examine fundamental issues about matter as
well as the origin and structure of the universe.

http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2011/02/nasa-insist-sts-135-will-fly-payload-options-assessment/

NASA managers insist STS-135 will fly – Payload options under assessment
February 13th, 2011 by Chris Bergin

(excerpt)
As the future of NASA’s budget finds itself under scrutiny again this week,
managers have told their workforce that STS-135 will fly “regardless” of what
happens with the funding situation via the Continuing Resolution (CR). Atlantis’
preparations for the final flight of the Space Shuttle are continuing without
issue, as managers debate the payloads which will ride to the International
Space Station (ISS).

And this latest update for Endeavour from Spaceflightnow.com

http://www.spaceflightnow.com/shuttle/sts133/status.html
1610 GMT (11:10 a.m. EST)
Meanwhile, tonight’s planned rollout of shuttle Endeavour from Vehicle Assembly
Building to pad 39A has been delayed by a forecast of poor weather and the
chance of hail.

The move is rescheduled for Thursday night starting at 8 p.m. EST.

[poobear]

Speed 13,000 MPH less than 20 minutes till touchdown. Should hear those “boom booms” shortly.