The Space Shuttle Discovery successfully launched this morning, marking the first launch since the Columbia disaster nearly 2 1/2 years ago which claimed the lives of its entire crew and set in motion mass overhauls of the shuttle's heat shields which failed upon re-entry due to damage sustained during takeoff. Since that time, nearly 50 major safety improvements had been made.
Liftoff was at 10:39 EST in Cape Canaveral, Florida. This return to orbit for Discovery had been delayed weeks due to problems and bad weather, compounded by the uneasiness of returning the shuttle to flight after such a long hiatus. The ascent was monitored by two chase planes and 100 cameras for signs of any damage which could jeopardize the ship's re-entry into the atmosphere at the end of its mission. The launch was witnessed by the families of both the Discovery and Columbia crews.
Discovery's mission is to deliver to the half-finished International Space Station nearly three years of supplies put on back order since the last shuttle visit in late 2002. The entire quest is expected to last 12 days.
View: NASA TV
View: Mission STS-114 Highlights
News source: Yahoo! News
Liftoff was at 10:39 EST in Cape Canaveral, Florida. This return to orbit for Discovery had been delayed weeks due to problems and bad weather, compounded by the uneasiness of returning the shuttle to flight after such a long hiatus. The ascent was monitored by two chase planes and 100 cameras for signs of any damage which could jeopardize the ship's re-entry into the atmosphere at the end of its mission. The launch was witnessed by the families of both the Discovery and Columbia crews.
Discovery's mission is to deliver to the half-finished International Space Station nearly three years of supplies put on back order since the last shuttle visit in late 2002. The entire quest is expected to last 12 days.
View: NASA TV View: Mission STS-114 Highlights News source: Yahoo! News
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Ehem, I'm sorry. I mean, yay! Maybe one day we'll make it to Mars and then realize it's a giant red rock!
Oops, I did it again, I mean umm, glad we got the shuttle off. Good luck to the crew on their re-entry. :o
I would hope to go to Mars, however that probably won't happen.
and statistically looking at it, airplanes from the same company don't crash twice.
(That would mean the shuttle would be the safest transport through the air right now
Last edited by 15584 on 26 Jul 2005 - 17:07
From spaceflightnow.com:
1512 GMT (11:12 a.m. EDT)
T+plus 33 minutes. A few seconds after solid rocket booster separation, a large chunk of something broke free from the external fuel tank. The onboard video camera mounted on the tank showed the object flying away from the vehicle without striking Discovery.
1522 GMT (11:22 a.m. EDT)
An image from the external tank video shows the chunk of debris breaking away from the tank just after the solid boosters separated. See the image here: http://www.spaceflightnow.com/shuttle/sts1...50726debris.jpg
1605 GMT (12:05 p.m. EDT)
Mission management team chairmain Wayne Hale says he doesn't know any details about the debris coming off the tank noted just after booster separation. He said the film experts will be studying all launch footage frame by frame, as was plan doing into this first post-Columbia launch.
edit: this news is now carried in swedish mainstream news... hmm :-/
Last edited by 21023 on 26 Jul 2005 - 17:59
14,800mph at one point... I want one!!
Can anyone send me a link to the launch on the internet, or NASA TV ???
The real test will come when they bring that thing back down and try a re-entry.
Suppose they find a hole in Discovery's wing that prohibits a safe reentry...so, they move the crew onto the space station, and rush Atlantis to launch, Atlantis gets into orbit, only to discover.....a hole in their wing, too!!
So, now, instead of 2 people living on the station, you've got 11! (the original 2, plus Discovery's 7, plus the 2 from Atlantis, which would only launch with a commander and pilot in order to accomodate the Discovery crew). Guess the Russians would be sending a lot of their Soyuz capsules up to bring our people back! (Not to mention that we'd lose two Shuttles, and, more than likely, the space station).
Sheesh.
Bob
Besides the fact, those tools (patches, goop, etc.) haven't been tested under actual reentry conditions...would you want your life (and the lives of 6 of your friends) dependent on untested tools and techniques?? I'm not so sure I would.
Bob
Well, well, this is interesting....
NASA grounds future shuttle flights
Foam insulation flew off fuel tank but did not hit Discovery
At least...we hope not
Last edited by 507 on 27 Jul 2005 - 23:08
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