The Space Shuttle Discovery is set to launch tomorrow for it's final mission:
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – NASA has cleared the space shuttle Discovery for one final launch into space on Wednesday (Nov. 3), after completing some last-minute repairs to plug minor gas leaks on the historic orbiter.
Discovery's mission managers met here at NASA's Kennedy Space Center this morning (Nov. 1), and voted unanimously to clear the space shuttle for launch. Liftoff is set for 3:52 p.m. EDT (1952 GMT) on Wednesday.
"[The meeting] went very quickly," Mike Moses, NASA's shuttle integration manager, told reporters in a news briefing today. "We didn't have any technical issues to discuss. Heading into count, there were no problems whatsoever."
The final launch of Discovery was initially slated to launch Nov. 1, but the flight was delayed two days due to leaky helium and nitrogen seals in the aft engine section last week. Moses praised shuttle technicians here at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, who were able fix the problem in time for Wednesday's launch attempt.
"They held together beautifully – they performed outstanding work all weekend long," he said.
Today shuttle technicians began loading Discovery with cryogenic liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen to feed the spacecraft's fuel cells, which generate the vehicle's power during flight. [Gallery: Building Space Shuttle Discovery]
Current weather forecasts call for a 70 percent chance of acceptable conditions in the area on launch day. For the time being, the only major weather threats are low clouds and a chance of isolated showers near the launch pad.
If Wednesday's launch is delayed further, however, weather issues could become more of a concern, said Kathy Winters, NASA's shuttle weather officer.
A weather front pushing down into parts of central Florida that could prohibit launch due to showers and even thunderstorms in the area, she explained. Under these circumstances, forecasts currently estimate a 60 percent chance of favorable conditions if NASA officials were to delay the launch by 24 hours.
Discovery is set to launch on an 11-day mission to the International Space Station. The orbiter will haul critical spare parts to the space station, including a storage room and a humanoid robot to assist the crew of the orbiting laboratory.
The journey will be Discovery's 39th and final mission into space before being retired along with the rest of the shuttle fleet next year.
"There's still a certain amount of disbelief that it's her last launch," said Mike Leinbach, NASA's shuttle launch director. "After having Discovery and the rest of the fleet for 30 years, flying so well for America – it's difficult to accept emotionally, but rationally we know it's the right thing."
Discovery's final flight will be NASA's 133rd shuttle mission. NASA plans to shut down its 30-year space shuttle program in 2011 to make way for a new space plan that relies more heavily on commercial spacecraft, and has an ultimate aim of sending astronauts to visit an asteroid and Mars.
Launch delayed until tomorrow due to an electrical problem.
P.S. Try the NASA TV widget and get the feed directly to your desktop:
http://gallery.live.com/liveItemDetail.aspx?li=e71d2a30-6ba2-458e-98e7-5009f2f07558&bt=1&pl=1 (http://gallery.live.com/liveItemDetail.aspx?li=e71d2a30-6ba2-458e-98e7-5009f2f07558&bt=1&pl=1)
Delayed again due to weather this time. New launch target now is Friday.
Poor Discovery can't seem to catch a break. Fuel leaks have delayed the launch now until at least next Monday.
http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2010/11/05/fuel-leak-delays-launch-space-shuttle-discovery/ (http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2010/11/05/fuel-leak-delays-launch-space-shuttle-discovery/)
How many more shuttle flights are planned?
Looks like there's two more trips for Endeavor on the books so far.
http://www.nasa.gov/missions/highlights/schedule.html (http://www.nasa.gov/missions/highlights/schedule.html)
Hmm, I just see one for Endeavour in Feb. 2011.
Oh oops, I read wrong :) STS-134 is the next one.
Wish they'd just build a new fleet of them...that way we have more time till the next-gen.
King
Quote from: Kingisaaclinksr on November 05, 2010, 05:55:15 PM
Wish they'd just build a new fleet of them...that way we have more time till the next-gen.
King
They couldn't. Obselescence would kill them.
They'd end up redesigning half of them, the budget would go through the roof and that would pretty much put paid to the follow on capability they're working on now.
You can have one or the other. You can't afford both.
Launch seems to be delayed at least until the end of November due to lingering issues.
I'd be nervous going into space in a machine that runs on one meg of ram :)
Maybe Mike can shed some light but I guess it's a question of efficient integrated systems programming?
Next launch date is looking like the end of February. Check out this awesome pic!
(click it to make it bigger)
Awesome Rico, going to be right off that piece of land kayaking in April, really wished the last launch was going to be at the same time. Also really sorry to see our Big Birds stop flying. It's one thing that make America stand out.
V
I've stood next to one of the crawlers at Kennedy, they are HUGE!!!!
Finally, Discovery has been cleared for launch on Feb. 24th. :metallica:
After an hours-long meeting at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, NASA's top officials unanimously cleared the space shuttle Discovery for its final launch next Thursday (Feb. 24).
NASA shuttle managers made the decision today (Feb. 18) during the mission's Flight Readiness Review, where they discussed the current state of Discovery, the International Space Station, and the astronauts who will fly the orbiter on its 39th and final flight.
Following the meeting, NASA officially set the shuttle's launch date and time for Feb. 24 at 4:50 p.m. EST (2150 GMT).
"I can't say enough about the work the teams have done, they did a tremendous job," Bill Gerstenmaier, NASA's associate administrator for space operations, said in a news briefing today.
Discovery is targeted to liftoff from Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral on the same day that the European Space Agency's Automated Transfer Vehicle-2 (ATV-2) cargo ship is scheduled to arrive and dock at the space station.
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2011/02/18/nasa-discusses-launch-options-shuttle-discoverys-final-flight/#ixzz1EPc6jTpO (http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2011/02/18/nasa-discusses-launch-options-shuttle-discoverys-final-flight/#ixzz1EPc6jTpO)
Discovery set to lift off today (2/24) at 4:50pm EST.
http://www.digitaltrends.com/international/final-countdown-space-shuttle-discovery-blasts-off-for-the-last-time-today/ (http://www.digitaltrends.com/international/final-countdown-space-shuttle-discovery-blasts-off-for-the-last-time-today/)
Is this the last shuttle mission or just Discovery's last mission?
Quote from: Geekyfanboy on February 24, 2011, 07:47:07 AM
Is this the last shuttle mission or just Discovery's last mission?
Last mission for Discovery. I believe there is one more for Endeavor still.
Anyone interested, nasa.gov is airing live coverage of the historic launch!!
that was pretty cool.
Great launch! Good luck guys and enjoy!
Perhaps one of the coolest videos ever! Shuttle launch as seen from an airplane.
Space Shuttle Launch: Viewed From an Airplane (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GE_USPTmYXM#ws)
That is awesome! I'm posting this on facebook. WAY COOL!
Quote from: moyer777 on February 26, 2011, 02:03:51 PM
That is awesome! I'm posting this on facebook. WAY COOL!
Yeah - I know! So much power! I just put it up on my Facebook too!
Wow.. that is simply AWESOME
In this frame grab from video taken from NASA television, space shuttle Discovery performs a maneuver as it zooms toward an afternoon check-in at the International Space Station, its final visit before being parked at a museum, Saturday, Feb. 26, 2011. (AP Photo/NASA)
My wife found this video on here facebook page and showed it to me. That was really cool. I loved it when somebody said "I don't want anybody to complain because we are late." That was probably the pilot.
Quote from: Rico on February 26, 2011, 02:02:24 PM
Perhaps one of the coolest videos ever! Shuttle launch as seen from an airplane.
Space Shuttle Launch: Viewed From an Airplane (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GE_USPTmYXM#ws)
wow!!! it just goes up and up and up! sweet!
Oh man that video gave me goosebumps. Just awesome :D
Story on the room (and live in robot) that Discovery brought up to the Space Station on this trip.
The International Space Station got a sorely needed storage room Tuesday, a 21-foot-long supply closet packed with goods and a humanoid robot that will remain boxed up for another two months.
The space station and space shuttle crews teamed up to attach the newest module, using a hefty robot arm to anchor it down. It became the 13th room at the sprawling outpost, and the only one devoted entirely to storage.
Built in Italy, the new compartment is named Leonardo, after Leonardo da Vinci.
As Leonardo was bolted into place, the shuttle-station complex soared more than 200 miles above Turin, Italy.
"So far, Leonardo's looking very, very happy to be in his or her new home," said space station astronaut Catherine Coleman.
"It's a big day for us," added Discovery crewman Michael Barratt, "and for Italy, one of the greatest contributions to spaceflight next to Paolo Nespoli."
Nespoli is among the six-person station crew.
Leonardo flew seven times to the space station as a temporary cargo carrier, but always returned on the shuttles. This time, it's staying for the duration. Storage space is at a premium, and Leonardo will provide some relief during the next decade.
The absence of visiting shuttles after this summer will make it harder to clear out the space station. Every time a shuttle returns from the station, it's loaded down with trash and discarded items.
Space station commander Scott Kelly thanked Mission Control for the new storage unit. "It's much needed," he said.
The robot delivered inside Leonardo — Robonaut 2, better known as R2 — will have to wait until May before being unpacked and tested as a potential astronaut helper. The space station residents are swamped with other chores during this week's visit by Discovery, and Endeavour will be along in April, meaning the robot will stay put for a couple more months.
"So far, space is great — but I suspect it will be even better once I'm out of my box!" R2 said in a Twitter update....
story: http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory?id=13028083 (http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory?id=13028083)
Awesome...but I would have thought they named it after Leonardo DeCaprio! :)
COOL!
Star Trek "Amok Time" fight music wakes up STS-133 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSeb8aAHp_Q#)
Coming home: Discovery undocks from the International Space Station for the last time... with a send-off from Captain Kirk
By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 10:12 AM on 8th March 2011
Star Trek actor William Shatner paid tribute to the Nasa shuttle's voyages
Discovery is scheduled to land back on Earth on Wednesday
Discovery, the world's most travelled spaceship, has left the International Space Station for the last time with a send-off from Star Trek's original Captain Kirk.
The vessel undocked from the ISS yesterday morning, wrapping up a nine-day visit there.
This is the final flight for Discovery, which is due to land back on Earth on Wednesday.
The Nasa vessel is being retired and sent to a museum, where the U.S. space agency's two other shuttles will join it in retirement, following their upcoming missions.
Discovery's six astronauts got a special greeting in advance of their space station departure.
Actor William Shatner, who played Captain Kirk on the original Star Trek television series, paid tribute to Discovery's voyages over the decades.
'Space, the final frontier,' he said in a pre-recorded message. 'These have been the voyages of the space shuttle Discovery.
'Her 30-year mission - to seek out new science, to build new outposts, to bring nations together on the final frontier, to boldly go and do what no spacecraft has done before.'
'We're going to miss you,' the space station's commander, Scott Kelly, told the six shuttle astronauts. 'But most of all we're going to miss Discovery.
'Discovery has been a great ship and has really supported the International Space Station more so, I think, than any other space shuttle. We wish her fair winds and following seas.'
Shuttle skipper Steven Lindsey nodded in agreement, then shook hands with Mr Kelly.
He noted that all Discovery's mission objectives had been accomplished - the new storage unit carried up by was installed and unloaded, leaving behind an empty, pristine compartment ready to serve its purpose.
Nasa flight director Royce Renfrew radioed up congratulations to the two crews, before the hatches slammed shut.
He said he was 'really proud to take Discovery home at the very top of her game', and he credited the astronauts in large part.
The bonus days stretched the entire mission to 13 days on top of the 352 days already logged during Discovery's previous 38 missions.
In their last hour together, the 12 astronauts amused themselves in the new 21ft-long, 15ft-wide storage compartment.
Taking turns a few at a time, they performed somersaults in the centre of the chamber, bounced off the walls, and floated through with outstretched arms like underwater swimmers.
The astronauts were having so much fun that Mission Control was sorry to interrupt.
'I hate to ring the recess bell on you,' Nasa radioed, reminding the shuttle crew of one last job remaining before the hatches needed to be shut.
President Barack Obama spoke to the astronauts at the ISS on Thursday - and jokingly asked why they hadn't unpacked the droid Robonaut 2 yet
Immediately after undocking, Discovery will now fly a victory lap of sorts around the orbiting lab, essentially for picture-taking. Then the shuttle astronauts will pull out an inspection boom and survey their ship for any signs of micrometeorite damage.
Landing is scheduled for Wednesday.
Aboard the space station, meanwhile, the crew hopes in the next week or two to unpack the humanoid robot that was left behind.
The robot, named R2 for Robonaut 2, is the first humanoid in space.
Nasa, meanwhile, is monitoring a piece of space junk - an old rocket segment - that is threatening to come too close to the space station on Wednesday.
Experts will assess the risk to the station following Discovery's undocking and determine whether the complex will have to move out of the way. The shuttle is not expected to be affected by the debris, officials said.
Only two other shuttle missions remain. Endeavour is due to blast off April 19 with Kelly's identical twin brother Mark at the controls. Mark is married to Arizona senator Gabrielle Giffords, who is recuperating from a gunshot blast to the head.
Atlantis will close out the 30-year shuttle program with a launch at the end of June.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1363807/Star-Trek-moment-Discovery-send-Captain-Kirk.html# (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1363807/Star-Trek-moment-Discovery-send-Captain-Kirk.html#)
Welcome home Discovery!!!
Check out these other amazing pics of Discovery's launch.
it's so pretty!!! just a big beam of light!
Rico, you always find cool pics. Also that parachute didn't look big enough to slow down a big Space Shuttle!
"Capt. Kirk" Wakes Discovery Crew (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WYmozt4yFZs#ws)
My Dad pointed this out to me and I'm really not sure how I missed it, but it's pretty cool. A custom wake up call for the Discovery crew by the Shatner himself.
Yes, I saw that and for some reason assumed that it had been posted here. It's interesting to see the influence that a 30 year old TV role can still have!
Quote from: Sheppard on March 24, 2011, 06:33:43 PM
"Capt. Kirk" Wakes Discovery Crew (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WYmozt4yFZs#ws)
My Dad pointed this out to me and I'm really not sure how I missed it, but it's pretty cool. A custom wake up call for the Discovery crew by the Shatner himself.
WHAT THE?!
ok that's just plain cool
Glad you like it. I thought it was pretty cool myself.
i spelled plain wrong...
what is wrong with my brain?!