SpaceX Still “GO”
For An Early Morning
Saturday Launch
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Friday, May 18th, 2012
7:14am CDT
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The
SpaceX Falcon 9 Rocket with its Dragon Spacecraft was stood vertical overnight
on the launch pad at Space Launch Complex-40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force
Station in Florida. At this time, we still have a “GO” for Launch.
Read more HERE
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Launch Date: Saturday, May 19th, 2012
Launch Time: 3:55am CDT
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* Launch
Coverage:
Watch Launch LIVE at…
Coverage starts
at 2:30am CDT
...
Also
begins at 2:30am CDT
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About Mission: Dragon Spacecraft built by SpaceX
will head to the International Space Station with about 1,200 pounds of cargo
during its demonstration mission, including commemorative patches and pins, 162
meals and a collection of student experiments.
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Since
the company's rocket and spacecraft are conducting a test flight, the manifest
attests to important goods for the station's crew of astronauts and cosmonauts,
but not mission-critical items.
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A
successful flight, due to liftoff from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., at
3:55am CDT on May 19th, is expected to lead to regular cargo missions that will
carry a wider range of goods to the orbiting laboratory. Hawthorne,
Calif.-based SpaceX, formally known as Space Exploration Technologies, is also
deep into the work required to make Dragon suitable to carry people into orbit.
Read the
rest HERE
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UPDATE: 4:00am CDT
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WELL CRAP!!!
Countdown clock went down to zero and the rocket
just sat there!!!
Flight computer saw something it didn’t like
and shut everything down… And I’m sure that was a good thing. But DAMN, I really
wanted to see her fly this morning… OHHHH well…
Next launch attempt
will be on Tuesday if all goes as planned.
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Post UPDATE:
Saturday, May 19, 2012
11:00amCDT
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SpaceX
Engine to be Inspected
Next Launch Opportunity will be this Tuesday, May
22nd
(Launch Time 2:44am CDT)
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Engineers
will physically inspect engine 5 on the SpaceX Falcon 9 after high pressure
readings from the engine prompted a launch abort half-a-second before liftoff,
SpaceX officials said during a briefing Saturday morning.
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The
next launch attempt could come as early as this Tuesday, May
22nd, (Launch Time 2:44am CDT,) but
that determination won't be made until after the inspection, said Gwynne
Shotwell, President of Space Exploration Technologies of Hawthorne, Calif.,
known as SpaceX.
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There’s also another launch opportunity on
Wednesday, May 23rd.
* Read more HERE
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Well… all
we can do now is wait and see!
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With all the delays this sucker has been
having just to get off the ground… makes me wonder if the SpaceX bunch can even
come close to guiding the Dragon Spacecraft anywhere near the International
Space Station when they finally do get her off the ground. Not to mention
actually hooking UP with it! Really hope none of this comes out to be the case…
What a setback THAT would be!
AubreyJ………
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All info
from the NASA.gov website - Image credit: NASA/Gianni Woods
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