Shuttle Discovery Launch!!!

[ballaratdragons]

Discovery is to lift off tomorrow morning our time!

If you would like to watch it live and you have PayTV it is on SkyNews (and probably CNN) at 5:51am AEST

I don't know if any channels on free to air will show it.

EXCITING STUFF!! :2thumbs: Good luck to the crew!!!! and enjoy the trip.
Come home safe guys.

p.s. Andy Thomas is on board!! :thumbsup:

[ving]

wonder if nasa will do a live stream at thier website?
hang on.............

[ving]

........ back!
yup, on nasa tv! :)

[Greg Bryant]

Channel 7 are starting their Sunrise show half an hour early to cover the launch.

http://seven.com.au/sunrise

[rowena]

ok so who's getting up at 5:30am? Thank goodness I have a TV in the bedroom... however the other half is threatening to sleep on the couch so I don't wake him up! lol

[[1ponders]]

I see they had a few problems with it today with a window cover falling off and damaging one of the tiles already. Not a good omen :confuse3:

[acropolite]

Americans, after all they did build the Harley Davidson, what can you expect... (sorry Ken) :P

[asimov]

My wife put a nice lil' tv out in the dog kennel for me!:thumbsup: Apparently I can watch the landing in there as well! :love:

[ballaratdragons]

Space Shuttle, Harley Davidson. One and the same! Both rockets Phil!!

Atleast windows don't fall off Harleys, just the riders do :ashamed:

[Astroman]

Woke up to find the shuttle still on the launch pad. 20 minutes before launch it was scrubbed. :(

[iceman]

I heard it was 2 hours before launch doh :(

I also heard it won't be launched before next monday, now.

[acropolite]

The kickstarter probably fell off as well....:P

[ving]

I heard that the key was left at home on the bedside table.... silly peeps!!! :P

oh well, i wasnt up early enuff for it anyhow :)

[Daring Dave]

From the NASA site

NASA managers continue to analyze the issue with the Engine Cut-Off sensor on Space Shuttle Discovery's External Tank. The sensor protects an orbiter's main engines by triggering them to shut down in the event fuel runs unexpectedly low. For the moment, no new launch date for Discovery has been set. During the briefing, Space Shuttle Program Deputy Manager Wayne Hale said the most optimistic possibility for the next launch attempt could be as early as this Saturday, July 16. Additional information will be posted as it becomes available.

[slice of heaven]

They've been having problems with those sensors for months.

They should put those dinosaurs back in the hangar and push forward developing the new shuttle. How many more shuttle disasters are they expecting by 2010 from these firecrackers.

With the Chinese intention of landing on the moon within 10 years I would've thought the yanks would be cranking up their space program.

[elusiver]

the space program is dead. GW doesn't give a rats about space, science or anything else for that matter that isn't related to guns, bombs and getting the bad guys.

cowboy. yeeehah!

el :)

[davidpretorius]

translated in "male speak" to

"ok so who's getting up at 5:30am? Thank goodness I have a TV in the living room that can be turned down real quiet like... however the other half is threatening to to call me asimov if I dare wake her up! lol"

[Sausageman]

What do they need a sensor for?
If they fill up the tank, they know how far it goes. Right into orbit.
When the flame goes out it's empty :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:
Sort of like a Harley.....

How many times have they launched it now?

Thats an engineer for you.....
We Aussies are made of tougher stuff, she'll be right...LOL

How come Andy didn't say that?


Mike

[Striker]

Yeah I say just replace the sensor bulb and fire away...end of story.

What could be the worst that could happen....oops better not go there.....lol

[Chrissyo]

The shuttle launches are pretty much fully automatic. That is, the commander doesn't do of the roll, pitch and what have you. A fairly recent NASA policy is to shut of the main engines whilst still on a sub-orbital path, allowing the External Tank to reenter the atmosphere allowing it to not become part of the increasing amount of Space Junk. I'm fairly sure after the Main Engine cut off, the commander and pilot do the rest of the initial orbital insertion.

My guess is they don't train overly much with the launch, as I think the only time they havn't used the automated system was the very first launch (its pretty stable). Therefore, if there was an error in the automated take-off system, it would become fairly vital to know at what point the shuttle is required to roll over, release the ET and allow control to the Astronauts. Although, you'd think they would just use their fuel meter. There's probably some good reason for it :P

On a quick similar note, does anyone agree with me on simply mothballing the Shuttle fleet now? (EDIT: Sorry Slice of Heaven, didn't see your post). I would think it to be much safer and easier to simply cut the shuttles, give the running money to the Russians to use for Soyuz and Progress craft (to transport humans, stages supplies) whilst NASA concentrated on the CEV. Though I know this isn't realistic at all (it was a quick thought I had whilst eating Breakfast) I think it would be a safer decision... the shuttles are old. Reusable spacecraft are the ideas of the past. Then again, can a Proton or whatever lifter the Russians use carry some of the parts of the ISS?

[rowena]

I want NASA to bring back the Saturn 5's!!! That would rock seeing one of them being launched!!!

The shuttle should be scrapped, but unfortunatly its the only thing big enough at the moment to take up the peices left to build the rest of the ISS. With the amount of money they have spent on Return to Flight they could of invested in a totally new system, which has a less likelyhood of failing compared to a 20-30yr old brick on wings!

As for the 20min/2hr left on the count down clock.. it is both!.. just to confuse everyone.... it was 20minutes left on the count down clock, however they pause the count down clock between 20mins to 1 min for various periods to do their checks, which in this case they were saying to equate to around 2 hrs of realtime.

For a typical countdown with holds see http://www.nasa.gov/returntoflight/launch/countdown101.html

and taken from http://science.msfc.nasa.gov/Realtime/Rocket_Sci/clocks/time-launch.html

"Countdown Clock &
Time to Liftoff
Countdown Clock

10... 9... 8... 7... 6... 5... 4... 3... 2... 1... Liftoff
The countdown clock would be simple to explain except for the "holds". The countdown clock is a method of representing what pre-launch events or milestones have been accomplished. If an event is late, the clock will hold until that event occurs. Also, the countdown will contain several "built-in" holds. Sometime built-in holds are included to allow synchronization with other countdown clocks (for example, a payload countdown). Other built-in holds allow people to take a break. The built-in holds vary significantly from day-launch missions to night-launch missions.

The shuttle countdown clock typically starts counting at about 43 hours. "

[asimov]

Nice find there Rowena!

[rowena]

hehehe it is hard to find some stuff on the NASA website, but if you do see something interesting you tend not to forget! :)

I think the NASA website is poorly organised! Trying to find current or up to date info is hard sometimes too! even clicking on their latest news links!

[Iddon]

I think an early risk assessment was 1 hull loss after 100 launches. Then Challenger, and that safety program took the estimate well above 1/100. Guess they were wrong (2 in 126 ??). I think the current safety drive should take them into the 1 in the hundreds. I would ride it.

I have done a lot of reading on the Apollo/Saturn program. From what I recall their risk number were worse than Shuttle.

[ballaratdragons]

Actually, what happened to all the work on the Space Plane.

I'm sure with a bit of Modification (OK, lots of Mods) it could be used to replace the Shuttle!

[Iddon]

the Dynosoar ??

[slice of heaven]

2 in 113.

Each shuttle was expected to complete 100 flights when designed.

Flying in one would be great, you only have to worry about takeoff and landing.

[cometcatcher]

I think they should make the next "shuttle" look like this Klingon Bird Of Prey complete with disruptor cannon and photon torpodoes. :D

[Chrissyo]

After the shuttles, we won't be seeing any (overly) reusable craft for quite some time. They are just not good enough (saftey risks. Safer to make something new than repeatly patch up holes in something old). This is where the Crew Exploration Vehicle comes in. Its gonna be basicly similar to the Russian Soyuz, only more modern. NASA also plans to use it in a similar style to the Saturns, using it as a Comand Module to the Moon and eventually Mars.

A little while ago, the Nasa/airforce X projects included several space vehicles, such as the CRV, X-33 and eventually X-37. The project got scrapped however. Apparently, the CRV should be making a reapperance though.

[ballaratdragons]

NASA would like to say 'Thank You' to all U.S. Tax payers for letting us use up Billions of dollars on experimental craft we will never use, coz we keep going back to the Shuttle.

Thank You America.

[Chrissyo]

The project was cancelled because of budget cuts. If the us public had of been willing to continue paying a little extra in taxes, they probably would have seen something come out of it. Besides, they have the CRV to look forward to (not for a long time though), and as far as I can tell, the X-31 will be useful for future fighter jets. And NASA knows where it stands in relation to Lifting Bodies. :P