Space Shuttle Landing Live Thread(Update: 2d Pass on landing. Weather unstable. 24 Hour extension)

08/07/05 | Kevin Davis

[KevinDavis]

Well since the Space Shuttle is landing at 4:45 am, I figure I start a live thread now (I won't be awake)...

[STARWISE]

Boy, that pilot flying approaches sure has a weighty role right now.

[Sam Cree]

Best wishes and prayers for your health. Have enjoyed your comments tonight.

[ajolympian2004]

"Discovery, you have clearance to land here in Colorado at the Ft. Collins / Loveland regional airport, do you copy?"

[HiTech RedNeck]

Must be getting too much perclorate or sumfin.

[STARWISE]

OMG .. why so early? Make up days?

[paulat]

Please don't think this is a criticism...but would NASA have been smarter in the PR department to have this landing happen when schoolkids could see it? Or, do you think they are worried enough that they *wouldn't* want kids to see it?

I'm just thinking about how they're trying to rebuild faith in the program.

[tiredoflaundry]

Early riser, and I got here around 4am eastern I thought I missed it all!

[tiredoflaundry]

nope.. normal start

[Cedar]

Still wide awake, mostly.... :)

[Talking_Mouse]

been here all night -- I have to plead that I have really been working most of it, but have been checking the thread ever so often when I get a break.

[OrangeDaisy]

Are there early risers on this thread now, or have most have you been up all night?

I set my alarm for 3:15 CDT. Back to sleep until 4:40 or so! g'night

[Aracelis]

"Discovery, you have clearance to land here in Colorado at the Ft. Collins / Loveland regional airport, do you copy?"

Secondary Colorado site is Jeffco airport. All systems nominal here.

[Prime Choice]

My prayers for a full and speedy recovery for you. Meanwhile, very pleased you are with us this evening/morning on this thread.

Thanks so very much. It is good to be back. Some day I'll be as strong as I was five years ago. Until then I'll just have to make up for it by being twice as scrappy. ;o)

[STARWISE]

Final decision in about 1/2 hr., and if go, then engine firing would happen at 4:15am at alt. of 227 miles. (totally disjointed thought: I always wanted to see Pitcairn Island ;).

"Cross above Tampa Bay, FL" ... OMG -- there are going to be rude awakenings and jangled nerves in West Central FL this am if, God willing, this happens. People will be twitching .. LOL.

[newzjunkey]

Good morning to you as well.

[ajolympian2004]

Secondary Colorado site is Jeffco airport. All systems nominal here.

Let's go with Jeffco. That way we can have them do a low fly-by over Boulder. Two years ago during a Air Force ROTC graduation ceremony a B-1 did a low flyby over the Univ. of Colorado campus in Boulder and the liberals in town were hysterical.

[Prime Choice]

The de-orbit and landing was delayed by a week from the original landing. Now it's all a function of the timeline following decoupling from the ISS.

We used to have nighttime launches and landings without issue. Of course, we stopped doing nighttime launches after Columbia for obvious reasons.

[Semper911]

Why ever are they using statute miles? Last I looked, earth navigation is based on lines of latitude and longitude, which reduce to nautical miles, not statute.

Yes, I have the same question. No idea. A nautical mile is one minute of latitude, measured along the lines of longitude. (Amounts to about 2000 yards). It would seem a much more logical measure for orbiting spacecraft.

But hey, what I don't know about rocket science could fill a book!

[newzjunkey]

Damn! I was really hoping to wake the guests at Club Gitmo. Oh well, maybe when Atlantis returns.