The final Four missons of NASAs Space Shuttles: 7/3/11

Friday, July 8, 2011

Looks an awful lot like Scobles doesn't it?

The long ride home

A million people leaving after the launch

30 years with the good Captain.

Atlantis and four astronauts rocketed into orbit Friday on NASA's last space shuttle voyage, dodging bad weather and delighting hundreds of thousands of spectators on hand to witness the end of an era.

.It will be at least three years — possibly five or more — before astronauts launch again from U.S. soil, and so this final journey of the shuttle era packed in crowds and roused emotions on a scale not seen since the Apollo moon shots.

After days of gloomy forecasts full of rain and heavy cloud cover, the spaceship lifted off at 11:29 a.m. — just 2½ minutes late — thundering away on the 135th shuttle mission 30 years and three months after the very first flight. The four experienced space fliers rode Atlantis from the same pad used more than a generation ago by the Apollo astronauts.

The shuttle was visible for 42 seconds before disappearing into the clouds.

NASA waived its own weather rules to allow the liftoff to go forward. In the end, though, the countdown was delayed not by the weather but by the need to verify that the launch pad support equipment was retracted all the way.

The crew will deliver a year's worth of critical supplies to the International Space Station and return with as much trash as possible. Atlantis is scheduled to come home on June 20 after 12 days in orbit.

Before taking flight, Commander Christopher Ferguson saluted all those who contributed over the years to the shuttle program.

"The shuttle is always going to be a reflection of what a great nation can do when it dares to be bold and commits to follow through," he said, addressing NASA launch director Mike Leinbach. "We're not ending the journey today ... we're completing a chapter of a journey that will never end."

He added: "Let's light this fire one more time, Mike, and witness this great nation at its best."

It wasn't clear until the final moments of the countdown that the launch would come off. That was fitting in a way, since Florida's famously stormy weather delayed numerous shuttle missions almost from the start of the program and was a major reason spaceflight never became routine, as NASA had hoped for.

Hundreds of thousands of spectators jammed Cape Canaveral and surrounding towns for the emotional farewell. Kennedy Space Center itself was packed with shuttle workers, astronauts and 45,000 invited guests, the maximum allowed.

NASA's original shuttle pilot, Robert Crippen, now 73, was among the VIPs. He flew Columbia, along with Apollo 16 moonwalker John Young, on the inaugural test flight in 1981.

Other notables on the guest list: a dozen members of Congress, Cabinet members, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, four Kennedy family members, Jimmy Buffett, Gloria Estefan and two former NASA chiefs.

The space shuttle was conceived even as the moon landings were under way, deemed essential for building a permanent space station. NASA brashly promised 50 flights a year — in other words, routine trips into space — and affordable service.

But the program suffered two tragic accidents that killed 14 astronauts and destroyed two shuttles, Challenger in 1986 and Columbia in 2003. NASA never managed more than nine flights in a single year. And the total tab was $196 billion, or $1.45 billion a flight.

Yet there have been some indisputable payoffs: The International Space Station would not exist if it were not for the shuttles, and the Hubble Space Telescope, thanks to repeated tuneups by astronauts, would be a blurry eye in the sky instead of the world's finest cosmic photographer.

The station is essentially completed, and thus the shuttle's original purpose accomplished. NASA says it is sacrificing the shuttles because there is not enough money to keep the expensive fleet going if the space agency is to aim for asteroids and Mars.

Thousands of shuttle workers will be laid off within days of Atlantis' return, on top of the thousands who already have lost their jobs. And the three remaining shuttles will become museum pieces.

This day of reckoning has been coming since 2004, a year after the Columbia tragedy, when President George W. Bush announced the retirement of the shuttle and put NASA on a course back to the moon. President Barack Obama canceled the back-to-the-moon program in favor of trips to an asteroid and Mars.

But NASA has yet to work out the details of how it intends to get there, and has not even settled on a spacecraft design.

The space shuttle demonstrates America's leadership in space, and "for us to abandon that in favor of nothing is a mistake of strategic proportions," lamented former NASA Administrator Michael Griffin, who led the agency from 2005 to 2008.

The final sep of the SRBSThe launch contrail is hanging over KSC, blowing north of pad 39A toweard what was 39B. Very touching. Sound was ear splitting

The final shuttle flight srb SEP as seen from ET external cam

Scoble checks in with this great shot

The Definitive final shuttle photo taken by Robert Scoble at KSC Press site

Space

The launch contrail is hanging over KSC, blowing north of pad 39A toweard what was 39B. Very touching. Sound was ear splitting (florida today)

Copyright 2011 Fairbanks Broadband LLC

The final liftoff

Final launch from LC 39 press site (florida today)

Liftoff

Whats next in space

Who helped launch the shuttle

HISTORY

The get for the final launch

Want to feel like you are there?

George Diller does final shuttle mission

In the 1970s I was covering every manned and unmanned launch from the Cape, one of the nicest people I knew used to drive over from Tampa to watch these things. Little did I know he would later become a NASA PIO George Diller. He worked for one of the last beautiful music stations in Florida. Would rarely ask any questions at pre or post launch and now the moderates and picks the questionnaires This is a great behind the scenes look at the people who launch the shuttle.. Copyright 2011 Fairbanks Broadband LLC

Follow the flight track of the final shuttle

The last dawn over Atlantis

SUNRISE LCC 39 A Final Shuttle Flight Atlantis.

Crew is on board

The hatch has been closed. George Diller the NASA PIO fittingly gets the final launch, I've known Geroge since the 70s. You are learning a lot today on NASA TV.

The final flight

Just a few hours away, weather willing. The last space shuttle will hopefully clear the pad and head into orbit from Merritt Island Florida's Kennedy Space Center.
Copyright 2011 Fairbanks Broadband LLC

The final flight

So it's come to this..the day of the final shuttle launch ever

Can you see the forest thru the trees?

Like a butterfly shuttle ready to spread its wings for the final time.

Following what may have been Atlantis’ last – and rather eventful – final full day at Launch Pad 39A, Mission Management Team (MMT) managers are set to meet to discuss whether or not to proceed with Tanking. With the weather showing no signs of improvement in the forecasts for T-0, even a GO decision holds a large potential to result in a scrub later in the countdown. This happens around 1:30 am Eastern, if they scrub early you get a 24 hour recycle and they will try for Saturday.
STS-135 Latest:
As has been the trend for most of the week, the main concern for launch are showers and thunderstorms within 20 nautical miles of the Shuttle Landing Facility (SLF), flight through precipitation, and cumulus clouds. As such, there is only a 30 percent chance of favorable weather by the time Atlantis is due to launch, with the window opening at 1121 EDT.
S0007 (Launch Countdown) tasks have proceeded without any major issues, with the PRSD (Power Reactant Storage and Distributation) cryo load, LO2 and LH2 Preps for ET load, and ET feedline inspection and Borescope inspection of SRB crossovers all completed.
The FRCS (Forward Reaction Control System) Tyvek covers were installed. However, due to a failed pull test some of the covers were reinstalled. COM activation was completed on Thursday morning, leading up to the next milestone, which was the retraction of the Rotating Service Structure (RSS).

This operation was moved around on the timeline due to storm weather in the region, which produced a very strong 70,000 amps lightning strike – one of two observed by the array of monitoring equipment – inside the Pad 39A complex.
“Data review showed the two strikes occurred at 12:31 p.m. and 12:40 p.m. EDT,” noted NASA. “The first struck the water tower 515 feet (157 meters) from the pad and the second struck the beach area northeast of the pad.”
Thankfully, an Engineering Review Board (ERB) meeting later in the day cleared the stack from any ill effects from the event.
Four new Interim Problem Reports (IPRs) were listed by the NASA Test Director (NTD), the latest of which on Thursday – IPR-59 – has since been resolved.

“IPR 0059: The IPR was taken to document the loss of all three facility chillers at Pad A. Initially Chiller #2 dropped offline and subsequently Chillers #1 and #3 failed to startup properly. No cooling violations were violated on GSE (Ground Support Equipment) or Flight hardware,” noted the NTD report (L2).
“Chiller #2 and #3 were able to be restored to service but the root cause of the three failures is unknown. The team will continue to troubleshoot the issue (since cleared from being a constraint in the pad flow).”
The Tanking/Weather Brief MMT meeting will take place at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC), with a GO/NO GO decision expected between 1:30 and 1:45 am local time.

Won't see signs like this on SR 3 anytime soon..

Plenty of things going on with the Space Tweeps, including today's star not the two flown astronauts but Elmo holding center stage.


NASA Space Tweeps at the final RSS rollback that you will ever see

Nasa did hold a pre launch briefing on where we go next in space but very little was paid to the subject of manned space flight, the russians this, the russians that we gave commercial company's money but no body has launched any test flights manned or unmanned. Wait til the fall of the presidential election then we're going to hear about the jobs that KSC will get..Not until. Yes it's politics as usual.

Great photo by Apacheman who's about to join the rest of the unemployed space workforce.

I have friends everywhere watching this launch, one of them is a transplanted New Zealander and she assembled this package today
If you have audioboo look for the work of Space Kate, you will learn some things you didn't know.

Buran only flew once, it was unmanned but get ready for this:

But according to cosmonaut (and ISS alum) Oleg Kotov, the craft had some serious potential—outclassing its American rival at both saving lives and destroying them.
Kotov talked to New Scientist, explaining that the Buran's design superiority lay in safety:

It would have allowed all of a crew to escape at any stage of the flight; even on the launch pad there was an escape pod. The NASA shuttle crew does not have this opportunity. Buran had ejector seats for all crew members. And that includes those sitting in the mid-deck, who had seats that ejected sideways.

The Buran could have also avoided the Columbia's horrible fate by avoiding the need for (failure-prone) foam:

We had no external tank: the Buran orbiter was attached to an Energia rocket, not a tank. And that rocket needed no foam on its surface.

But what about this nuke launching business? That's not exactly a NASA mainstay!

It was originally designed as a military system for weapon delivery, maybe even nuclear weapons...A shuttle is particularly useful for this because it can change its orbit and trajectory—so an attack from it is almost impossible to protect against.

Buran was sold to the Politburo and Gorbachev as an anti star wars program. The Russians truly feared that Shuttle would kill their satellites and be used as a first strike weapon. (ah the cold war)

My partner in crime at KSC Biff Burns used to phone Paul Harvey with bumper-stickers he would have enjoyed this one.

This is all that is left of the Ares I Pad LCC 39 B where Challenger was launched {photo by CatherineQ}

Press site for Apollo, ASTP, and Space Shuttle before the press corps showed up.

Canadian Astronaut Chris Hadfled who will command an ISS Expedition later this year. The last time you will see this sight at night...in your lifetime.

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Launch day playlist your tunes welcome in comments open to all

A good playlist is always essential to a final launch ( the photo great Jim Long taught me that)
So here's what I would be listening to:
1. Coming with all your gear onto KSC Band on the run McCartney and Wings (remix)
2. Hiway to the Danger Zone Kenny Loggins from the Top gun soundtrack
3. Here comes the Sun Beatles (remix cd)
4. Star Trek Theme---the Cincy Pops Version because it's LOUD
5. It's a shame Hugh Heller Jingle from WRMF, edited version..
6. Theme from Black Sheep Squardron in honor of the late Dick Young a NASA KSC PIO..
7. The common man classical piece..Not on CD or digital source
Ok here's seven of em...got any more.... let me know..

Copyright 2011 Fairbanks Broadband LLC

What are you reading before launch?

Does your bookshelf have these:
From Wayne Hale et. al. Wings in Space, in bookstores and alsohttp://www.amazon.com/Wings-Orbit-Scientific-Engineering-1971-2010/dp/0160868467/ref=pd_ys_qtk_general_recs_4?pf_rd_p=1286318242&pf_rd_s=center-1&pf_rd_t=1501&pf_rd_i=home&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=1XG0JWRM6Z3KXF04DK1B
and two magazines about the shuttle one from NASM, the other from the UK and David Baker.The Air and Space one is a collection of things and may be sold out it does not have any 135 coverage as it went to press before 135 was even ok'd by the USG....The other UK magazine which you should be able to find at any of the Barnes and Noble chain stores is called "space celebrating 50 years of human space flight" It will set you back about 12.50 USD

Copyright 2011` Fairbanks Broadband LLC

And this fall: http://www.amazon.com/Space-Shuttle-Celebrating-Thirty-Years/dp/0760339414/ref=pd_rhf_p_t_3

Let your fingers do the walking thru these launch windows

The launch window for STS-135 is 10 minutes long, centered on the moment when Earth's rotation carries the pad into the plane of the space station's orbit. To optimize ascent performance, NASA targets the "in-plane" time. All times are Eastern Daylight, UTC -5


DATE.......WINDOW OPEN...IN PLANE......WINDOW CLOSE..DOCKING
    
Fri 07/08...11:21:46 AM...11:26:46 AM...11:31:46 AM...FD 3
........................................11:35:04 AM...FD 4

Sat 07/09...10:59:15 AM...11:04:15 AM...11:09:15 AM...FD 3

Sun 07/10...10:33:31 AM...10:38:31 AM...10:43:31 AM...FD 3
........................................10:46:45 AM...FD 4

----------------------------------------------------------
NO LAUNCH BETWEEN 07/11-15 DUE TO DELTA 4 LAUNCH CONFLICT
----------------------------------------------------------

Mon 07/11...10:10:58 AM...10:15:58 AM...10:20:58 AM...FD 3
........................................10:24:16 AM...FD 4

Tue 07/12...09:46:34 AM...09:50:16 AM...09:55:16 AM...FD 3
........................................09:56:18 AM...FD 3
........................................09:58:27 AM...FD 4

Wed 07/13...09:22:42 AM...09:27:42 AM...09:32:42 AM...FD 3
........................................09:35:57 AM...FD 4

Thu 07/14...09:00:10 AM...09:05:10 AM...09:10:10 AM...FD 3

Fri 07/15...08:34:28 AM...08:39:28 AM...08:44:28 AM...FD 3
........................................08:47:39 AM...FD 4

As we get into the end of the month the window gets earlier, mid July you would have a night time pre dawn launch, which would be a fitting end much like Apollo 17.

Copyright 2010 Fairbanks Broadband LLC

ISS Science briefing

Points to know:
1. Salmonella vaccine being worked on in the Space Station, the space environment grows cells differently than here on earth. And they are also looking at now to make a better Pneumonia vaccine.
2. Stem cells behave differently in space than on earth. Wound healing in space flight don't work as they do on the ground. Wish they were doing something on brain stem cells. But then I have a vested interest in that subject. Those that know me have an idea of what that issue is all about.
3. Plants, in space this was very tough to follow but it takes five days and they watch the seedlings grow then return the incubated plants to Earth. Interesting but not really explained very well. Copyright 2010 Fairbanks Broadband LLC

More things

1. Somber mood at the LCC as they prepare for the final shuttle flight.
2. The more traffic or people outside KSC, and the countdown time will really determine the scrub turnaround. IE you get a scrub at T -2 hrs you'll see a Sunday lunch.Why traffic only two ways to exit KSC, SR 3 and also the NASA Causeway. Both of these are not four lane highways so they jam up quickly. You will have launch visitors, and workers, plus people who drove to the cape area to watch the launch all trying to leave. Highways the US 1 will be jammed. Ie, first STS 1 launch took me 2 hours to get to my hotel in Melbourne Beach on AIA. Normally a 20 minute trip...Coming back to Orlando for a later launch last year took about 3 hours to get to the airport after a scrub. So that's why.
3. Pad 39 A post launch will be SOP, no tear down or demolotion planned unlike 39 b which is a bring your own RSS.
4. Tanking should go ok without a major weather problem.
5. RSS rollback which takes place at 2pm Thursday may have weather delays.
Copyright 2010 Fairbanks Broadband LLC

Just a few things

!. The weather is going to suck on Friday, it gets much better on Sunday. I would expect to see a launch on Sunday. Once you get stuck in a summer weather pattern it tends to repeat. The launch window pushes back 30 minutes every day so Sunday's launch would be around 9:36 AM EDT.
2. NASA is not dead they are just flying unmanned missions, like in 1977, the space agency is pushing it's unmanned science missions. The overview was way too breif to explain what's going on for Juno, Grail and the next Mars Mission. So if you have interest in those missions check the NASA website and find the information you wish to know about. Two of these missions will have live webcams...Grail which is a lunar mission and Juno which heads off on a five year mission to Jupiter next month. That means you and I at home can see what these spacecraft are seeing. That's never happened before.
3. Download or capture this video.
It's got everything but Jay Barbree , features a priceless interview with the late Reuters correspondent Marry Bubb who always wore at hat for every launch, for STS 1 you can see here in her Shuttle hat. The voice over guy who narrates isn't that great.. NASA you could have had Jim Cutler or I do it.
Copyright 2010 Fairbanks Broadband LLC

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Hard to belive that this is the final shuttle countdown

It got underway 5 July at 1pm EDT or 1800 UTC it will weather permitting end in an on time liftoff Friday morning at 11:36 AM EDT 15:36 UTC. This mission with 4 crew on board instead of the normal 6 or 7 will haul up the hill a years supply of food and other supplies for the international space station. This will be the last manned space flight that the United States will fly for the near future. No issues are being worked by the launch team but the weather for Friday at launch time doesn't look good, rain and high winds aloft are likely. Things get much better 48 hours or Sunday than on Saturday. NASA has until July 10th to get the shuttle into space or face a delay until August 15, provided a Delta IV on the 14th is able to launch one of the new updated GPS navigation satellites. Copyright 2010 Fairbanks Broadband LLC

The final Four missons of NASAs Space Shuttles

Search This Blog

Friday, July 8, 2011

For the record only

Priceless from the KSC Closeout Crew

Reporting from the tweet generation

The Offical NASA photo

Whats next for manned space

The long ride home

30 years with the good Captain.

The audio mix could be better

AP Story FROM NY TIMES

The final sep of the SRBSThe launch contrail is hanging over KSC, blowing north of pad 39A toweard what was 39B. Very touching. Sound was ear splitting

Scoble checks in with this great shot

Space

The final liftoff

Liftoff

Whats next in space

Who helped launch the shuttle

HISTORY

The get for the final launch

Want to feel like you are there?

George Diller does final shuttle mission

Follow the flight track of the final shuttle

The last dawn over Atlantis

Crew is on board

The final flight

The final flight

So it's come to this..the day of the final shuttle launch ever

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Launch day playlist your tunes welcome in comments open to all

What are you reading before launch?

Let your fingers do the walking thru these launch windows

ISS Science briefing

More things

Just a few things

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Hard to belive that this is the final shuttle countdown

Blog Archive