Posted on 08/25/2006 4:48:21 PM PDT by RightWhale
FRIDAY, AUGUST 25, 2006 1430 GMT (10:30 a.m. EDT)
The shuttle Atlantis' countdown continues to tick smoothly toward launch on a space station assembly mission. Liftoff is targeted for 4:30 p.m. Sunday. The latest forecast calls for a 60 percent chance of favorable weather, improving to 80 percent "go" Monday and Teusday. The concern Sunday is for possible afternoon thunderstorms within the launch area.
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(Excerpt) Read more at spaceflightnow.com ...
spaceflightnow.com2117 GMT (5:17 p.m. EDT)
The briefing start time has been pushed back to 6 p.m. EDT.
Freezing icecubes is faster. Wayne Hale said something like this (paraphrasing) yesterday:"If you are looking for high drama, this is it, especially if you are a nerd".
From the launch briefing...Launch is on for Friday, and if weather doesn't permit, launch is possible on Saturday for a full duration mission. The non-working phase of the freon motor will be turned off for the ride uphill. Even if no launch this week, the fuel cell won't be swapped out for flight in late September. The press was wringing their hands (hehe).
yah Go for the "Hail Mary" shot before the window closes tomorrow night.
The reason we can't launch past Saturday is officially to prevent a "conflict" with the "Russian resupply mission" this month.
Translated, that means a couple of things. First, the Russians will raise hell if we interfere with their sending another tourist to the ISS because they need the $20 Million in cash.
Next, we don't completely trust the Russian re-supply missions ever since they rammed Mir that time; so it's infinitely safer for the shuttle if it isn't anywhere near orbit when the Russians start firing projectiles toward LOE...
Just sayin...
spaceflightnow.com
2201 GMT (6:01 p.m. EDT)
Shuttle program manager Wayne Hale says "cloud over fuel cell No. 1" has lifted and the device should be safe to launch as-is without repairs. But that decision was not fully unanimous. A final piece of analysis will be reviewed at the next management team meeting prior to fueling overnight.
We'll post a complete story following the news conference.
2139 GMT (5:39 p.m. EDT)
GO FOR LAUNCH. Space shuttle Atlantis has been given approval to proceed toward launch Friday morning at 11:41 a.m. The press briefing to explain how the fuel cell issue was resolved is coming up in about 20 minutes.
Yeah, all that, . . . and . . . there is considerable coordination between Russian launch control and NASA. Personnel need time to jump to the next project.
spaceflightnow.com
2340 GMT (7:40 p.m. EDT)
NASA managers today cleared the shuttle Atlantis for launch Friday despite a suspect electrical generator, deciding the risk of an in-flight fuel cell shutdown that could prompt a shortened mission was not a credible threat to the thrice-delayed space station assembly flight. Liftoff time is 11:41 a.m. EDT (1541 GMT).
spaceflightnow.com
1425 GMT (10:25 a.m. EDT)
T-minus 20 minutes and holding. The countdown has paused for a 10-minute built-in hold. Launch remains scheduled for 11:41 a.m. EDT, pending the engine cutoff sensor issue.
During this built-in hold, all computer programs in Firing Room 4 of the Complex 39 Launch Control Center will be verified to ensure that the proper programs are available for the countdown; the landing convoy status will be verified and the landing sites will be checked to support an abort landing during launch today; the Inertial Measurement Unit preflight alignment will be verified completed; and preparations are made to transition the orbiter onboard computers to Major Mode 101 upon coming out of the hold. This configures the computer memory to a terminal countdown configuration.
spaceflightnow.com1446 GMT (10:46 a.m. EDT)
T-minus 9 minutes and holding. Countdown clocks have gone into the planned 45-minute built-in hold. Today's launch remains set for 11:41 a.m. EDT. However, the failed engine cutoff sensor remains an unresolved issue right now.
spaceflightnow.com
1550 GMT (11:50 a.m. EDT)
Atlantis has was opened at 11:45 a.m., and mission specialists Joe Tanner and Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper have climbed out of the middeck.
1531 GMT (11:31 a.m. EDT)
After a dramatic, down-to-the-wire debate, NASA's Mission Management Team called off the shuttle Atlantis' countdown today and delayed launch at least 24 hours because of concern about an apparently faulty low-level hydrogen fuel sensor in the ship's huge external tank.
Read our full story.
1530 GMT (11:30 a.m. EDT)
The Orbiter Closeout Crew and the AstroVan have arrived back at pad 39B to assist the astronauts out of Atlantis.
Meanwhile, NASA is planning a post-scrub news conference no sooner than 12 p.m.
spaceflightnow.com
1614 GMT (12:14 p.m. EDT)
The AstroVan is driving away from launch pad 39B now -- a little more than four hours after delivering the astronauts to board Atlantis.
1608 GMT (12:08 p.m. EDT)
Commander Brent Jett has exited the shuttle. All six astronauts will be heading back to crew quarters for dinner and await tomorrow's launch attempt.
1606 GMT (12:06 p.m. EDT)
Rookie shuttle pilot Chris Ferguson has emerged.
1602 GMT (12:02 p.m. EDT)
Steve MacLean from the Canadian Space Agency has egressed.
1600 GMT (12:00 p.m. EDT)
Flight engineer Dan Burbank has exited Atlantis.
spaceflightnow.com
1639 GMT (12:39 p.m. EDT)
Briefing has just started.
spaceflightnow.com
2050 GMT (4:50 p.m. EDT)
Engine cutoff - ECO - sensor No. 3, the one that "failed wet" earlier today and derailed an attempt to launch the shuttle Atlantis, continued indicating it was immersed in liquid hydrogen after the ship's external tank was drained this afternoon, officials said. The other three ECO sensors in the hydrogen tank correctly indicated they were dry as one would expect.
0521 GMT (1:21 a.m. EDT)
Shuttle Atlantis is being fueled up again for launch to the International Space Station. Loading of the external tank with 528,000 gallons of liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen began around 1:15 a.m. for this second countdown attempt. Controllers will be carefully monitoring the engine cutoff sensors in the tank as fueling proceeds. As long as the three hydrogen sensors that worked normally yesterday remain good today, NASA will meet its rules governing the hardware and expect to press forward with 3-of-4 sensors for liftoff at 11:15 a.m.
The weather outlook remains favorable with an 80 percent chance of acceptable conditions. There are no other technical issues being worked by the team.
spaceflightnow.com
1425 GMT (10:25 a.m. EDT)
The International Space Station is orbiting 220 miles above Earth. Right now, the outpost is flying south of Australia. At launch, it will be over the North Atlantic. Liftoff is timed to place Atlantis on course to dock with the station Monday at 6:45 a.m.
1420 GMT (10:20 a.m. EDT)
T-minus 9 minutes and holding. Countdown clocks have gone into the planned 45-minute, 55-second built-in hold. Today's launch remains set for 11:14:55 a.m. EDT.
I live about 40 miles north of the Cape. It gets dark at about 8pm here right now. I would like to see a night launch too though...
As much as I agree that NASA has stagnated over the past 30 years, one of the positive results is that the private sector is attempting to bring space travel to the masses. I'd much prefer that they try than the government.
spaceflightnow.com
1835 GMT (2:35 p.m. EDT)
The shuttle's 50-foot robotic arm has come to life. The astronauts are flexing the Canadian-made arm as part of post-launch tests to ensure it will be ready for tomorrow's inspections of Atlantis' heatshield and Monday's unberthing of the solar array truss from the payload bay.
spaceflightnow.com
1420 GMT (10:20 a.m. EDT)
The shuttle is quickly departing the vicinity of the space station. The ship will stationkeep about 70 miles behind the outpost in case a re-rendezvous is needed.
The shuttle crew will be performing another series of heat shield inspections tomorrow, then packing up the cabin and testing flight controls Tuesday. The deorbit burn to begin reentry is scheduled for 4:56 a.m. EDT Wednesday, with a predawn touchdown on Kennedy Space Center's three-mile concrete runway at 5:58 a.m. EDT to conclude STS-115.
ISS looks lopsided. That thing will spin out of control if they don't get the other solar panel up there pretty soon.
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