Discovery
 

STS 121 Discovery is still scheduled for a 3:49 EDT launch. Weather is better than originally forecast, but the usual Florida afternoon CB's remain the main risk to launch.


KTTS 011555Z 10SM SCT021 BKN250 29/24 A3018 RMK MDT CU SE SLP220 3CU /3/ 7CI /3/

KTTS 011310 08006KT 9999 BKN020 BKN250 QNH3012INS
BECMG 1516 11010KT 9999 SCT020 SCT100 BKN250 QNH3015INS
BECMG 0203 10006KT 9999 FEW020 SCT250 QNH3010INS T30/18Z T25/09Z 1350 LAST NO AMDS AFT 0114 NEXT 0120

Which is 19:49 GMT (or UTC for the French).

If there's one aspect of the STS launch procedure which I really cannot stand, it's that soppy "......aaaand lift off of Discovery on America's blah blah blah" commentary. It gets longer and more banal each launch.

Why don't they just STFU and let the Shuttle communications be heard?

I'm in Houston this weekend and so gonna head over to NASA and watch the launch from there if they will let us in. Even late last night they were saying that it might not go ahead. I wonder how many more of these things they have left before they retire the shuttle all together.

Live video feed from NASA:

http://science.ksc.nasa.gov/shuttle/countdown/video/

Launch scrubbed due to weather. (Anvil clouds within twenty miles of shuttle landing facility.)

"Not a good day to launch the shuttle, so we are going to try for tommorrow."

BEagle
 

Agreed...once upon a time it was "liftoff, liftoff of Apollo 11 at 23 minutes past the hour", or whatever...Now it's "on America's 99th attempt to open a Sears in orbit, sponsored by Home Depot....."

Beagle
Turn down the volume then. You're kinda a voyeur to begin with, watching a US shuttle blast off while sitting in the UK.

Shuttle Scrub
 

Ah Well another weather scrub for the shuttle.
I cost all that money and its VFR only :)

At least the 380 will be Cat 3:}

I can't find it in myself to be flippant about this... I admit that I would give my left nut for a ride in the shuttle, but you can't deny the sheer bravery of the people who are prepared to strap their little pink bums to the thing and go, knowing full well that they are putting their lives on the line in the cause of space exploration. Let's applaud them instead of taking the p***. If they have to wait a while until conditions are right for launch then so be it. I'll be watching and wishing them well.

I know that was posted in jest. But the bravery of these guys, even in VFR is beyond criticism.

Hope to see them launch, orbit, and get home again safely. What's the latest prediction for launch?

(PPRuNe - the Best source for information :E )

ESG, see www.nasa.gov for the nasa home page and it gives you all sorts of links to other pages including latest shuttle news and also nasa TV. Next attempt is tomorrow (Tue 4th July - how apt) at 1938 UK local. Hope this helps.

Safely in orbit. That thing really does go, 4mins 39sec 65 miles high and 255 mile downrange at 7000mph.. Noticed on the NASA display in mission control that it passed over the South West of the UK 21 minutes after launch.

Watched the launch on t'internet this evening, absolutely awesome. Huge respect for all on board.

Loved the 4 minutes call of "500 miles down-range and accelerating through 5000 miles per hour" :D

Must get booked on Bransons thang out of Macrahanish or wherever :)

Now lets see if they can get it back down again.......

Fantastic launch which brought back great memories for me of watching a previous launch in Florida.

What a great way to silence all of those who arrogantly criticise the US aviation system, what a superbly positive attitude to flying and space adventure !!!

But I am sure that there is somebody in old Blighty with 4 stripes on his shoulder sitting in a portacabin somewhere rainy who knows much more about flying and maintains much higher standards of safety (irony !);)

Dunno if you've seen this video clip before, it's shot from a camera on one of the SRBs during the launch sequence. Definitely need Broadband to view: it's quite long and frankly there are bits you can fast forward through - it spends quite a long time spinning down again (presumably not under chutes until later in the sequence) and once it's splashed down I don't think anything interesting happens at all!

Also, it appears that the Shuttle is heading inland rather than out over the Atlantic unless the shoreline visible during the launch is the Indian River. I assume it must be the angle the camera is shooting at, 'cos the SRB definitely comes down in the sea!

Link to video clip

Landed safely a few minutes ago in Florida.