LIVE THREAD: The Final Countdown-STS-135

NASA ^ | 7/7/11 | NASA

[tanknetter]

Wasn’t there a flight where the countdown was accelerated/truncated in order to beat a weather system that was moving in? Could/would they do that today?

[hoagy62]

I think there was. Let me look into it.

Count has entered the planned T-9:00 hold lasting for 41minutes 13seconds. At this point, they are still saying all is “GO” for launch.

[raygun]

Don't know about countd0wn accel to beat weather patterns, but cloud deck minimims could be an issue today.

[hoagy62]

Launch director has just announced launch window is 4min. 13sec long, and that the countdown clock will resume at 11:17:45am with an assumed liftoff time of 11:26:45am

NASA Commentary has said the weather at this time is “observed GO”.

[raygun]

current obs:

KTTS 081440Z 17009KT 10SM FEW015 BKN120 BKN150 OVC200 28/24 A2996 RMK SLP146 1CU /0/ 5AC 1AC 8CS /7/ N1709/14 C1912/17 S1711/15

[hoagy62]

Thanks (but I don’t speak METAR). :)

[raygun]

LOL. How does it feel to be deprived? I almost washed out of Wx tech school because I couldn't plot the below fast enough (derived from above data):

They allowed three errors per plot and I just could't plot the 60 stations w/out errors fast enough in the time allowed. I got remedial training twice. On my third - and final - attempt to qualify I passed with 0 seconds to spare and one error.

[hoagy62]

Anderson Cooper is saying that there’s a NO GO condition with the weather...but nothing official from NASA.

A former astronaut sitting with the CNN panel says that IF there’s a scrub, the earliest they can safely turnaround and re-try for the launch is Sunday morning. She said that because there are so many people out there watching the launch (some say a million people), the KSC personnel don’t have enough time to go home, get a good night’s sleep, and then come back to do it tomorrow after the people leave.

[Jemian]

I’m watching.

[hoagy62]

(Now on a negative note...)

That slimeball Ozero is speaking now...keep it short, you bozo. DO NOT talk into the Shuttle launch window.

[raygun]

Well, lets see if the rememberer has had a single event latch-up or not:

KTTS (Kennedy Space Ctr)

081440Z Universal time, i.e., 1440 Greenwhich mean time 8 Jul 11

17009KT winds out of 170^o @ 9 Kts

10SM visibibilty 10 miles sky condition, layers at 1500, 12k, 15k, 20k (few CU at 1500, cieling at 12k', overcaset at 20k'

temp 24^o dew point 24^o (C^o)

Remaarks:

Altimiter 29.96"

Sea Level pressure 1046 mb cloud layers / type:
1/10 CU
5/10 Alto CU
1/10 Alto CU
8/10 Cirrostratus

I'm not sure what that other stuff is (gotta look it up). Looks like the rememberer indeed had a single-event latch-up.

[Jemian]

NASA LIVE WEB FEED

[hoagy62]

POLLING NOW....all GO...waiting for Flight, but all GO including Weather.

We might actually go today.

I’m actually starting to mist up.

[hoagy62]

WE ARE GO!!! OFFICIALLY!!!

[hoagy62]

Retracting crew access arm.

[hoagy62]

Starting APU’s

[raygun]

Wx looks good to me; can't imagine them scrubbing on account of that.

Bummers for all the people that are unemployed as the clock ticks on...

All the food prep people - unemployed
All the suit up guys - unemployed
Shuttle fuel up dudes - unemployed
shuttle hanger prep dudes - unemployed
etc

[raygun]

C’mon lets kick the tires and light the fires on this thing.

[jpsb]

What is Houston going to do? It is the manned space flight center and there is no longer a manned space flight program.

[raygun]

unemployed