Space Shuttle Discovery Launch Live Thread (11:59 EDT 8/28/09)

08/27/09 | Kevin Davis

[KevinDavis]

The final Discovery astronaut has boarded the shuttle today. Jose Hernandez, mission specialist No. 2 and flight engineer, has now entered the hatch. He will sit in the flight deck center seat, giving an extra set of eyes to aid the commander and pilot watch displays and switches during launch and landing.

The 47-year-old, born in Stockton, California, is the son of a Mexican migrant family who worked to harvest fruits and vegetables. He earned degrees in electrical engineering and worked at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and Johnson Space Center before becoming an astronaut. This will be his first spaceflight.

[KevinDavis]

Initialization of the Ground Launch Sequencer has been completed. This is the master computer program that will run the final nine minutes of the countdown.

[JerseyJohn61]

Checking in.

“From The Halls Of Montezuma, To The Shores Of Tripoli...”

“Up We Go, Into The Wild, Blue Yonder...”

[KevinDavis]

The astronauts are completing a series of radio communication checks with ground controllers.

[KevinDavis]

T-minus 90 minutes and counting. Countdown clocks continue to tick down to T-minus 20 minutes where the next hold is planned. Activities remain on track for liftoff at 11:59 p.m., weather permitting.

[KevinDavis]

Just about 2 hrs to go bump...

[Textide]

Radar's looking good!

[WVKayaker]

Will it be seen along the east coast?

[KevinDavis]

I think so..

[KevinDavis]

The orbiter closeout team at the launch pad is shutting Discovery’s crew module hatch for flight.

[KevinDavis]

Discovery’s hatch has been closed and locked.

[KevinDavis]

LOOKS LIKE WE HAVE A GO!!!!!

[KevinDavis]

http://spaceflightnow.com/shuttle/sts128/status.html

[KevinDavis]

Just two hours remain until launch. The storm cells that has popped up around the Cape are dissipating, but weather remains the primary worry for the 11:59 p.m. EDT liftoff time.

[KevinDavis]

A weather briefing is underway for senior launch officials and the odds remain at 60 percent for conditions being acceptable at launch time due to a chance of thunderstorms and anvil clouds in the area.

The outlook includes a few clouds at 3,000 feet, scattered clouds at 10,000 feet and broken clouds at 25,000 feet, 7 miles of visibility, southerly winds of 5 peaking to 10 knots, a temperature of 79 degrees F.

If the launch should slip into the weekend, there's a 70 percent chance of good weather on Saturday night and 80 percent on Sunday.

[Ramius]

bumparoonie

[KevinDavis]

The mainline computer program for the Ground Launch Sequencer has been activated.

[George from New England]

so bumped at 10:11 pm

what pisses me off about NASA?

The is the SECOND TIME I turned on NASA TV ten minutes before scheduled launch AND they are running recorded programming. Nothing about the canceled launch, no text crawl or anything. I am losing interest in watching launches when NASA can’t even realize that MANY PEOPLE will tune in 15 minutes before launch time and WOULD LOVE TO KNOW what happened instead of stupidly leaving us in the dark.

[KevinDavis]

WEATHER SO FAR SO GOOD!!!

[KevinDavis]

The ground pyrotechnic initiator controllers (PICs) are scheduled to be powered up around this time in the countdown. They are used to fire the solid rocket hold-down posts, liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen tail service mast and external tank vent arm system pyros at liftoff and the space shuttle main engine hydrogen gas burn system prior to engine ignition.

The shuttle's two Master Events Controllers are being tested. They relay the commands from the shuttle's computers to ignite, and then separate the boosters and external tank during launch.