Shuttle Info
 

STS-126 Launch: 6:55 PM CST, Friday 11/14
Vehicle: Endeavour
Dock with ISS: 3:56 PM CST, Sunday 11/16
EVA 1: 12:45-19:25 CST, 11/18 - NTA and FHRC relocate
EVA 2: 12:45-19:55 CST, 11/20 - CETA relocate; SARJ tasks
EVA 3: 12:45-19:25 CST, 11/22 - SARJ tasks
EVA 4: 12:45-19:25 CST, 11/24 - SARJ stuff; GPS antenna, JEM
Undock: 9:31 AM CST, Thur 11/27
Land: 13:00 PM CST, Sat 11/29

3 day launch window
60% chance GO for launch in Florida tomorrow (weather)
40% Saturday
70% Sunday

EVA = extra vehicular activity (space walk)
SARJ = solar array rotary joint

Lots of plumbing work this trip...

Tom

We won't get a break in the clouds up here until... oh... about May or so. I'll be there online, though. Thanks, Tom!

thanks Tom, do you think they will take the 70% chance, and make a go for Sunday?

I actually figured out how to get nasa tv to work on my phone, then promptly killed my phone lol, i can still watch it on the tv, I go to sleep every morning watching NASA tv, thank you again you cant imagine how much I look forward to seeing your nasa updates and inside track info, Thank You Tom

Thanks Tom, I was thinking yesterday it was time for an update!

Thanks Tom!!! So where will you be this time??

Oh yeah. I forgot something. NASA will make the announcement on 11/17 on whether or not STS-119 launch date will move up to 1/20/09. This is going to the ISS.

STS-125 is still on for May. It's going to Hubble telescope. It can't really slip much. It's hogging space needed by the first firing of the next generation thing ARES, which is scheduled for 7/12/09.

We really want to launch STS-126 tomorrow. Sunday's pushing it. The angle of the sun's getting too low and we can't get enough power on the station for a full ISS crew and a full shuttle crew.

I'll hopefully be home drinking a beer for the launch tomorrow. I'm alternate COD mission manager for this one. I'll take over thanksgiving day and be in the control room for landing on the 29th.

A little bit of trivia - there's alot of debris near hubble. There's a 1 in 8 chance that STS-125 will hit something. Astronauts... Go figure. First they strap themselves to a big bomb and then they play roulette with space junk... The odds are alot lower for hitting trash going to the ISS. They told me what the odds were but I forget.

Tom

Kewl info Tom~ Thanks for the update!

Since I'm bored, another update -

Launch this evening weather conditions upgraded to 70% GO for launch

We start tanking the bomb, um, external fuel tank... at 0930 this morning

There's a Russian Progress re-supply ship at the station right now that's gonna un-dock at 1020 this morning. The Station crew is packing up the final garbage for its return to oblivion (it burns up in the atmosphere - by design).

Tom

hey Tom ... cool info ...

did you know that the abbrev "ISS" was asked on Jeopardy yesterday?? with all your info - I knew the answer!! (and it was a $2000 question, too!)

Thanks Tom!
I'll be watching NASA TV!:)

When we lived in Florida...I loved watching the night launches in Titusville

A kid asked me once if the earth is round why we can't see people standing on it...like an ant on a basket ball when you turn it as the ant moves. lol

I remember telling him he would probably be an astronaut one day...

Yeah... sitting on thousand of pounds of fuel...I think I'll sit here and drink my ale...

Thanks for the updates...:)

Well just watched it, was great as usuall, a few low clouds here but still saw the ball of fire from west coast.

My teenage daughter is in Houston right now (from Vancouver, Canada), playing in a recruiting ball tournament. She said they got to the space center on Wed, so maybe she got to see the prep. :)

She was telling me that there is still a lot of damage in Houston from the hurricane last summer ...? Apparently all the hotels are booked out with residents, and the one they got "moved" to (to accomodate long-term stay's due to the hurricane), was very, very scary. They were told it was a nice "alternative" to where they were originally booked, but it turned out to be a dive in Beaumont, with prostitutes, no locks, blood everywhere (even on the bed) cockroaches. :eek: They had to head 3 hrs out of town to find ANY hotel that could hold accomodate 14 rooms.

She said Houston and the space center were very cool though. :)

Cherie

If ya had told me she was gonna be here, I would've said hi to her at the tram tour. I work in the mission control facility. I can also give people a personal tour of the place. I know where the aliens are...

I was not aware of the hotel situation. 99% of the area is back to normal, although there's still alot of blue roofs.

Tom

Cool launch! Night launches are spectacular to watch.

I always love flying at night ... love watching all the lights.

I posted on Social forum too on how spectacular it was watching the launch outside our house last night. we are approx 50 miles from KSC and being flat Florida...a clear view . There was a full moon in the background and cloudless here at time of launch....http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/thread59783.html

Orlando Sentinel has a great photo gallery
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/...0.photogallery

that was awesome launch I had hoped it was going to launch while that harvest moon was sitting at the ten oclock position that would of made for a wonderful picture, still it was cool, again as always Tom thank you for the heads up

What a kind thought, Tom :hug: . . . wish I would have thought of the chance that maybe you could have shown them a thing or two. :(

They managed to get into a motel closer to the "Stars Over Texas" tournament grounds (not sure where they are :confused:) by Friday, so at least they didn't have to commute that far to the games. As it is, they have to get up at 6:00 am, play all day, and of course aren't getting much sleep with 4 to a room. :eek: She said she wasn't ready to come home from Texas yet :(, even though they fly back tomorrow. She got her dad a "Everything's bigger in Texas" T-shirt, so she's pleased about that.

Thanks for the offer though.

Cherie