Shuttle Launch
 

STS-119, shuttle Discovery, launch is still a go for 6:43 pm CST today. Weather just got upgraded to 100% go for launch. 2 of the alternate landing sites plus Edwards are all go for launch.

We may launch finally... After 6 dalays.

11 day mission now. 3 EVA's (space walks).

Tom

It's 7:22 EST. Just 11 minutes (BTW: I just saw this post) I hope all goes good!

7th time's a charm!!! Thanks Tom!

whooooooo hoooooooo what a spectacular launch:Dancing-Chilli:

I so love being able to just walk outside and see it:p

cheers and applause from all of us out in the road :D

the twilight also enabled us to get an amazing view of the boosters separating

way to go NASA and may they have a successful mission and safe return

I watched it too! :D

We rarely see the launches live here in Oz, but this time they broadcast the whole thing on TV. Yay!

BEAUTIFUL!!!

(boy am i envious of Chemar right now!) :)

Wow, that must have been truly amazing, Chemar.

Awesome site, thats what I said to my wife too Chemar. You could see the seperation, the skies were so clear it was even great hear on the west coast side of Florida.

Hope too see many more.

Finally!

I've been in mission status for over a month now. We've been thru half a dozen critical power checkouts for half a dozen launch windows. I'm tired and the mission has only begun...

Schedule (all times central time)

EVA 1 - Thursday 0830-2000
EVA 2 - Saturday 0930-1900
EVA 3 - Monday 0830-1800
Undock - 3/25 0500-1000

These are actually critical time windows. The EVA's aren't as long as the total critical phase.

Tom

Question for you, Tom-

At some point during the night between 2:00 a.m. and 7:00 a.m. Eastern, I couldn't sleep and I got up and turned the TV on to NASA channel.

They were talking about the shuttle and showed a pic of it in space, taken inside the cargo bay, and the doors were open by that point.

I saw something small above what would be the right cargo bay door (it was left looking at it from the camera view) It slowly spun and drifted out of sight behind the orbiter.

What was it???

I didn't see another shot of that so I couldn't look at it closer.

Did someone leave a screwdriver loose in the shuttle bay or what?? :eek: