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

08/27/09 | Kevin Davis

[SE Mom]

Looks good here in Seminole County.

[KevinDavis]

At the current time, the launch weather rules are green across the board and the weather officer is cautiously optimistic.

[KevinDavis]

Commander Rick Sturckow is pressurizing the gaseous nitrogen system for Discovery’s Orbital Maneuvering System engines and pilot Kevin Ford activated the gaseous nitrogen supply for the orbiter’s Auxiliary Power Units’ water spray boilers.

[KevinDavis]

The work to seal the shuttle’s crew compartment hatch for flight is complete. And the closeout team that assisted the astronauts into Discovery this evening is stowing equipment in the White Room before leaving the launch pad now.

[JerseyJohn61]

I think I'll have a Coca-Cola; in a clean glass.

[NormsRevenge]

Looking Good!!!

Technicians Close Discovery’s Hatch for Launch
Fri, 28 Aug 2009 07:02:51 PM PDT

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/main/index.html

[NormsRevenge]

Image above: The crew of space shuttle Discovery has climbed inside the
spacecraft and the countdown is moving ahead toward launch at 11:59 p.m. EDT.
Photo credit: NASA TV

[NormsRevenge]

Space Shuttle Discovery Commander Rick Sturckow prepares to board the orbiter in the white room on the launch pad at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida in this image from NASA TV August 28, 2009. REUTERS/NASA TV (UNITED STATES SCI TECH)

[KevinDavis]

T-minus 20 minutes and holding. The countdown has paused for a 10-minute built-in hold. Launch is scheduled for 11:59:37 p.m. EDT, weather permitting.

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.

[NormsRevenge]

Bio - Colonel Sturckow, USMC

He has logged over 4,790 flight hours and has flown over 50 different aircraft. 3 space flights, over 904 hours in space.

[NormsRevenge]

I bet Rick’s heart is going pittypat purty good about now..

[KevinDavis]

1 hr to go bump!!!

[winodog]

Thanks for the thread and a prayer for the Shuttle.

[KevinDavis]

The odds of acceptable weather at the planned launch time have increased to 80 percent. The radar is looking good right now.

[JerseyJohn61]

Agreed!

[NormsRevenge]

Rick is just the commander tho, not the Pilot.. Kevin A. Ford.. glider pilot dude is flying this puppy.. he's flown mostly f-15s and f-16s in the usaf .. heck, he flies just about anything.. cool as a cucumber about now.. :-)

[KevinDavis]

The Orbiter Closeout Crew is driving away from the pad.

[KevinDavis]

T-minus 20 minutes and counting. The countdown has resumed after a 10-minute hold. Clocks will tick down for the next 11 minutes to T-minus 9 minutes where the final planned hold is scheduled to occur. The hold length will be adjusted to synch up with today's preferred launch time of 11:59:37 p.m.

Discovery's onboard computers are now transitioning to the Major Mode-101 program, the primary ascent software. Also, engineers are dumping the Primary Avionics Software System (PASS) onboard computers. The data that is dumped from each of PASS computers is compared to verify that the proper software is loaded aboard for launch.

[NormsRevenge]

Lights

Camera

Action!!

Chris Chamberlain/KSC

[KevinDavis]

Pilot Kevin Ford is configuring the displays inside Discovery’s cockpit for launch while commander Rick Sturckow enables the abort steering instrumentation.