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STS-121 Discovery - (Almost) Go for Launch


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STS-121 Discovery - (Almost) Go for Launch
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PKIDelirium
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Join Date: Oct 2005
 
2006-07-01, 10:26


(Live NASA TV image updates every minute)

Discovery is loaded up, tanks filled, and almost go for launch. The chance of a weather delay is down to 40%, from 60% yesterday.

Right now, they're working on a problem with one of the steering jets that has a heater out, but it looks like it will be fixed in time.

Launch time: 3:49 PM, Eastern Time today.
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ast3r3x
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2006-07-01, 10:54

Why 3:49 and not 3:50, or 4? Anyways, I'll be watching the world cup…Brazil and France, yummy!
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atomicbartbeans
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2006-07-01, 14:17

Anywhere we can watch the launch live on the interwebs?

I don't feel like going downstairs to watch it on TV.
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PKIDelirium
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2006-07-01, 14:42

http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/

Live webcasts.

4 minutes left in the 9 minute hold.

Edit: Update, it seems to be aborted for the day.
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BlueRabbit
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2006-07-01, 14:42

Watch it here There's a Launch Video Player link on the side - and they're using Quicktime.

Looks like they're postponing until tomorrow, though.
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GladToBeHere
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2006-07-01, 14:43

scrubbed
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PKIDelirium
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2006-07-01, 14:52

3:26 PM tomorrow is the next window.
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Banana
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2006-07-01, 16:09

Am I only one amused by the fact that they pinpoint a very specific time of the day to launch, yet cannot reliably and accurately predict weather, rendering the high precision moot?
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billybobsky
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2006-07-01, 16:18

Teeheehee...
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Enki
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2006-07-01, 18:56

Quote:
Originally Posted by Banana
Am I only one amused by the fact that they pinpoint a very specific time of the day to launch, yet cannot reliably and accurately predict weather, rendering the high precision moot?
Probably. Orbital mechanics are incredibly predictable, decades in advance. The effects of atmospherics at orbital altitudes are negligible and always just an infitessimal little coefficient of friction. Weather? Pure chaotic turbulence. Weather in Florida in July, even more so.
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Moogs
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2006-07-01, 19:31

Go Discovery, Go.
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psmith2.0
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2006-07-01, 19:39

I made it a point to be near a TV and tune in today at launch time, hoping to see it. Guess I'll try again tomorrow. I love stuff like this.

I wish them the best...they can't take another hit (or more crap falling off the shuttle during launch).
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PKIDelirium
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2006-07-02, 11:13

Grr...

70% chance of weather scrub. They're showing a video feed on CNN right now, and the clouds AIN'T PRETTY.

Crew is loading into the shuttle now anyway, hoping to get a few minutes cleared to get off the ground.
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psmith2.0
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2006-07-02, 12:14

I assume the weather conditions aren't necessarily for lift-off (the thing's just going straight up, really fast...what do a few clouds matter; isn't like you have to steer around them ), but, rather, for any possible abort or emergency landing or re-entry in the area?

Hope to see it take off today. I'd go up in moment's notice, and not think twice about it. That would have to be the greatest rush and thrill you could ever experience: the launch/thrust itself and, moments later, floating weightlessly and looking back down on the planet you live from that kind of altitude.

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PKIDelirium
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2006-07-02, 12:26

The weather is in case they have to do an emergency RTLS abort where they dump the tank and boosters early and re land.

Scrubbed again today though. 2:38 PM Tuesday, next attempt. They have to stand down and re-service the reactants now.
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curiousuburb
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2006-07-02, 15:01

They've also increased severity of the visibility rules since the incidents of foam shedding off the external tank.

Cannot lift off unless clear enough to watch the whole way up to check for impact damage.

Technically capable of flying through clouds, sure... but the Safety engineers say no.

All those who believe in telekinesis, raise my hand.
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RichieB
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2006-07-02, 15:48

NASA needs to get their act together. They are a monopoly and it is very apparent, at high cost to us tax-payers and certainly to the dead Astronauts and their families. I say open up the space industry to private enterprise and let competition clear the way for the winner.

Here tonight, we have, ah, apple and orange. We all different, but in the end, we all fruit.
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Banana
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Join Date: Feb 2005
 
2006-07-02, 16:11

I don't think there will be anyone who want to make money off the space exploration; at least not for a long time.

My impression was that NASA is governmental simply because it's one of few "hard sciences" project that does not alway translate into profits. While we've made several discoveries in the lab up there that was very profitable, AFAICT, bulk of NASA's work is in studying the space, the origin of the universe among other things. One would be hard pressed to think how they can generate profit out of those projects.

Besides, you have to consider that space exploration is one of few projects that several countries are working together; turning it into a competitive venture would have negative impact on the politics (think about oil companies for a second).

While I do agree that business in general are more effective and less wasteful than any governmental venture, I don't think we are at a point where it make sense just yet.
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billybobsky
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2006-07-02, 16:48

I know that science and profit often stand in each other's way. Drug companies are the classic example of this. Do you honestly think that Merck gives a rats ass how its newest drugs work?
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psmith2.0
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2006-07-02, 17:42

If they don't want to get their living balls sued off sideways, they'd better care a little bit, wouldn't you think?
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psmith2.0
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2006-07-03, 09:56

The latest.

Has this stuff ALWAYS been in place, but simply ignored or "not considered important"? It seems we never had this many little things holding stuff up. Or, back in the 80's and 90's, were they simply glossed over or not deemed a "serious threat"?

But after two shuttle explosions and a few NASA missteps and gaffes, are they now in a real "fine-tooth comb" mindset? A speck on the windshield, someone's faulty piss valve, not enough Tang in the galley, etc. enough to postpone or scrub a launch?

Or is NASA - like everyone else, it seems - just getting more lazy, sloppy and incompetent workers into their ranks, gumming up the entire program? This foam (and "stuff falling off the shuttle during launch" business) has been a story now for about three years. What's different NOW vs. 10-20 years ago? Was all this happening then too? Or is a truly recent development?

Did they change foam companies or other suppliers and contractors?

The guy who was making my McNuggets and giving me attitude 18 months ago...is he now at NASA, farting around on the job? Cutting corners, rushing through his checklist, blowing certain tasks off, text-messaging his friends all day, going outside to take 10-20 smoking breaks, etc.

Has USS (Useless Shithead Syndrome) crept into NASA over the years?



I want to know. As I'm helping foot the bill for all this, I think I'm entitled to a few answers.
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Maciej
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2006-07-03, 10:23

Isn't NASA a huge yearly loss for the United States? There must be something wrong with the bureaucracy in place if it is not producing the results publicly expected.

User formally known as Sh0eWax
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julesstoop
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2006-07-03, 10:35

It is in fact quite difficult to make a direct profit from space exploration.

A lot of it is science from which a certain percentage of the results generate spin-offs. Over (a long) time these may or may not lead to new and profitable industries.

A black hole is where god divided by zero.
http://settuno.com/
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PKIDelirium
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2006-07-03, 10:42

Crap!

Inspectors found a 5-inch-long crack in the tank's foam. Tuesday launch is in jeopardy. In the live image above, you can see the rotating service structure back in place around the vehicle, and the tank cap not connected.

It's supposed to be filling the tanks right now.

Edit:: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/...n1773978.shtml

Last edited by PKIDelirium : 2006-07-03 at 10:56.
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psmith2.0
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Join Date: May 2004
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2006-07-03, 11:15



Yeah, that's what I was referring to in my post, three slots above...these newfound cracks in the foam, possibly delaying things further.

Welcome to the party!

What a lousy position NASA is in. I'd hate to be the one who makes the "we're go as is" call, and then the unthinkable happens (again). That CBS story above says that's one of the options being considered: go as is, quickie repair, scrub altogether for later date. If I'm one of the astronauts onboard, I'm gonna have to vote for the final option. Or the second one, at the very least.

"Uh, what the hell do you mean we 'go, as is'?!? It's not your butt strapped to this thing, pal!"

Man, NASA would NEVER get over that one or live it down...they got roasted and toasted for the past couple of incidents, remember? How bad do you think folks would come down on them if they green-lit a launch without repairing this crack (that EVERYONE now knows about) and something bad happened? They certainly couldn't claim "we were unaware" like they might've been able to in the past...



Forget the symbolism of a July 4th launch and just FIX it and fix it right, and launch whenever it's ready. We don't need anymore astronauts dying on live TV.

Last edited by psmith2.0 : 2006-07-03 at 11:26.
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PKIDelirium
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2006-07-03, 11:21

Yeah, I just woke up, saw the news, and made a quick post, I missed yours at first.
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turtle
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2006-07-04, 11:46

It's on the pad and a go for now. I have been watching it on the NASA channel. Pretty cool if you asked me!
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atomicbartbeans
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2006-07-04, 12:27

Yup... here's a direct link to the QuickTime feed.
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psmith2.0
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2006-07-04, 12:32

Think they'll have the backward-facing cameras again (I missed that the last time, the shot of the ground zooming away).

I'll be watching. Only an hour to go!
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Dorian Gray
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2006-07-04, 12:36

Does anyone know what the steam-like gasses are that are continuously being sprayed from small nozzles close to the engines? I thought at first it was condensation of some sort, but the gasses seem to be sprayed deliberately from nozzles.

This is all very interesting stuff. It's also very nice that I can access NASA TV for free from Europe!
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