Shuttle Return to Flight scrubbed

[THead]

I know this is off topic, but its science, and the space program has done alot for weather forecasting, research etc, so I just wanted to make sure everyone was aware, and thinking about the shuttle mission later today. Hopefully it goes off without a hitch.

http://www.nasa.gov/returntoflight/main ... kipIntro=1

[HurricaneJoe22]

Hey, neighbor, I'm over in Sunrise.

They might have waited another day...isn't 13 an unlucky number

I wonder what the consequence would be of another shuttle disaster.

[THead]

Howdy Neighbor!

I was wondering that too, no superstition at NASA I guess, launching on the 13th, at least its not Friday.....

Another disaster within the next few launches would be devastating, I doubt they would even fly the shuttle again. That would be more than a setback for NASA, but for the human race as a whole. Space travel is always going to be risky, but from what I've seen, NASA has really gone to extremes to make sure they've done everything they can to make it as safe as possible. I hope everything goes well.

We might get some great pics from the shuttle crew of some of these developing storms and upcoming TD's!!

[Hurricaneman]

Those will be great shots

[Roxy]

Howdy Neighbor!

I was wondering that too, no superstition at NASA I guess, launching on the 13th, at least its not Friday.....

Another disaster within the next few launches would be devastating, I doubt they would even fly the shuttle again. That would be more than a setback for NASA, but for the human race as a whole. Space travel is always going to be risky, but from what I've seen, NASA has really gone to extremes to make sure they've done everything they can to make it as safe as possible. I hope everything goes well.

We might get some great pics from the shuttle crew of some of these developing storms and upcoming TD's!!

You are right, if (GOD FORBID) something should happen, we'd be done with the shuttle..and perhaps manned spaceflight all together.

For those of us who are employed in this arena today will be a good day (actually a good day for all Americans), it's been long hard work to get here and I pray all goes well.

[Rocketman]

For those of us who are employed in this arena today will be a good day (actually a good day for all Americans), it's been long hard work to get here and I pray all goes well.

Amen.....

[Roxy]

If anyone is interested in updates throughout the day on the status of this launch you can go here:

http://www.spaceflightnow.com/shuttle/s ... tatus.html

[gtalum]

I am pleasantly surprised and impressed that they seem to be on schedule for launch. I humbly withdraw my doubts from last week.


To answer another question, if there's another shuttle disaster, it will likely spell the end of the shuttle program and with it the International Space Station. Another system is in the very early stages of being developed, but it won't be ready for flight for a very long time, as the basic design has yet to be chosen. The ISS needs the Shuttles for long-term supply and for construction.

[Brent]

Still a 40% chance of a delay due to rain.

Alternate landing sites in Frances and Spain look good though.

Hope all goes well. I will be watching.

[iluvseashore]

Thanks for the link Roxy. I'll be watching too. Hope to catch a glimpse of it here in Clearwater. Hope the typical afternoon thunderstorms hold off for it and all else goes well.

[Earth_Is_Changing_Fast]

Also 13 was part of COLUMBIA'S Callsign number. STS-113 it was called.

[gtalum]

No, the last Columbia mission was STS-107.

[wx247]

Watching coverage on MSNBC throughout the morning. Will be watching liftoff from there this afternoon.

[GalvestonDuck]

No, the last Columbia mission was STS-107.

Correct. STS-113 was a 13-day Endeavour mission, whose primay goal was to deliver the Expedition 6 crew (international space station) and return with the Expedition 5 crew. STS-107 was the following mission and we know the unfortunate outcome of that flight. The original STS-114 was to be an Atlantis orbiter launch in March '03, which would exchange the Expedition 6 crew (after 4 months in space) with the Expedition 7 crew. Because of the Columbia tragedy, that mission was scrubbed and "STS-114" is now the number for today's "Return to Flight" mission. The Expedition crew has since been transported by Russian Soyuz and Progress flights. The next Space Shuttle mission to the Expedition space station will be the next mission after today's -- in September of this year when Atlantis is launched for STS-121.

[gtalum]

It will be good to start having regular Shuttle missions to the ISS. Hey GalvestonDuck, do you know if they found a way to boost the ISS without the Shuttle? Before the demise of the Columbia, one of the Shuttle's duties on ISS missions was to actually pull the ISS into higher orbits, since at the time the ISS's boosters were not yet installed. The ISS, as with all near-Earth satellites, has a natural tendency to orbital decay.

[jkt21787]

Things are not looking good in the weather dept:

Weather conditions worsen for shuttle
Prospects for launch drop from 60 percent to 40 percent

Chris O'Meara / AP
Discovery is scheduled to blast off at 3:51 p.m. ET.

Updated: 11:26 a.m. ET July 13, 2005
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - The prospects for an on-time shuttle launch darkened Wednesday, with the chances of favorable conditions for NASA's first shuttle takeoff in more than two years dropping from 60 percent to 40 percent.

Air Force Lt. Mindy Chavez, one of the weather officers providing forecasts to NASA, said a sea breeze had been expected to push thunderstorms off to the West, but that with a high-pressure ridge further south than expected, that may not happen. That means there is a greater chance that thunderstorms might take place within a 20-nautical mile radius of the Kennedy Space Center during the critical 10-minute launch period later in the day. Current launch time was set for 3:51 p.m. ET.

Current weather conditions, with dark puffy clouds filling the sky, are "red" for launch -- meaning that if the space shuttle Discovery had been set to go up now, weather would forbid it. However, the weather conditions are expected to go back and forth over the next few hours.

Earlier Wednesday, NASA workers filled up Discovery's fuel tank for the launch to the international space station. The three-hour procedure was delayed for more than an hour due to a glitch.

While preparing to fill the tank with supercooled liquid hydrogen and oxygen, engineers encountered a problem with a launch-pad heater for the tank's nitrogen lines — but a backup was working, and the launch team sent a replacement heater to the pad for a quick change. Because of the built-in flexibility in NASA's schedule, the delay had no effect on the timing of the launch.

Discovery's crew, led by commander Eileen Collins, went through NASA's usual launch-day routines, including their choice of breakfast. NASA said Collins had toast and margarine, while the other astronauts chose from fresh fruit, bagels and cream cheese, and even chicken sandwiches.

The primary aims of Discovery's 12-day flight are to resupply the space station and, even more importantly, to test safety measures that have been put into place since the catastrophic breakup of the shuttle Columbia during re-entry in February 2003.

All seven of Columbia's astronauts were killed in the tragedy, and NASA put shuttle launches on hold until the causes of the accident could be found and fixed. Investigators determined that Columbia's wing was damaged by foam insulation that flew off the external fuel tank just after launch — a mishap that was caught on tape but dismissed as a cause for concern at the time.

Safety culture
NASA says it has revolutionized its safety culture to be more attentive to problems, and it has reworked dozens of shuttle components and processes to minimize the risk of damage during launch.

More than 100 cameras will be monitoring liftoff for any sign of flying debris. After the ascent to orbit, astronauts will use a brand-new 50-foot (15-meter) extension boom, equipped with laser rangefinders and a high-resolution camera, to take an up-close look at the shuttle's protective skin.

NASA Administrator Mike Griffin told reporters on the eve of the launch that the shuttle was as safe as engineers could make it. "There is nothing that we know of that we have not addressed," he said.

At the same time, he acknowledged that risks still remained. "Can there be something that we don't know about that can bite us? Yeah. This is a very tough business," he said.

Ironically, a launch-pad accident came to light just hours later: Engineers found that a 2-pound (1-kilogram) plastic-and-foam cover had fallen off one of Discovery's cockpit windows and damaged two tiles on an engine pod. Fortunately, the tiles were attached to a panel that could be easily switched out, and the pre-launch schedule was not seriously disrupted.

NASA sources told NBC News that the cover might have been dislodged when an airbag was being retracted from that area of the shuttle.

"I’m actually very proud that we saw it, caught and were able to act so quickly," said Stephanie Stilson, Discovery's vehicle manager. “That’s a great amount of work in a short period of time."

[Brent]

Ugh... not looking good.

[Skywatch_NC]

So if indeed showers/t-storms interfere with today's plans down there...wonder what day that they would try for next? And given FL's daily t-storm pop-ups...that would probably be a hard question to answer.

Eric

[jkt21787]

So if indeed showers/t-storms interfere with today's plans down there...wonder what day that they would try for next? And given FL's daily t-storm pop-ups...that would probably be a hard question to answer.

Eric

They have a similar opportunity tomorrow, but the forecast is much the same.

They have officially until July 31 to get it up, otherwise its another few months before a launch window comes back.

[gtalum]

They can try again every day for a few days. i think they said Saturday is their last chance in the immediate future. They ultimately have a 19 day window in which to get this mission off before they have to reconfigure the plan.