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* Saturday’s Launch Scrubbed *
* Next Launch Attempt:
Sunday Evening
7:13pm EDT *
Careful Testing Under Way After Lightning Strikes
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Posted at 11:00am CDT
About above image: A lightning strike at Launch Pad 39A during Friday's thunderstorm.
Image credit: NASA TV
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The launch of Space Shuttle Endeavour was postponed until Sunday evening so engineers could evaluate the spacecraft's myriad systems following 11 lightning strikes in the Launch Complex 39A area.
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None of the strikes hit the shuttle or its external tank and solid rocket boosters, but there were strikes to the lightning mast and water tower. The launch pad is equipped with a lightning protection system of wires that is intended to steer bolts away from the shuttle.
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"We've seen nothing so far that shows anything affected any of the systems," said Mike Moses, chairman of the pre-launch Mission Management Team.
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Two of the strikes were strong enough to trigger an evaluation by engineers just to make sure all of Endeavour's systems are ready for flight. Although early evaluations showed no problems, engineers wanted more time to make sure they have checked everything correctly.
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"We need to be 100 percent confident that we have a good system across the board," Moses said.
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Next Launch Attempt: Sunday at 7:13pm EDT
Weather forecast calls for a 60 percent chance of acceptable conditions
Info taken from the NASA.gov website
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POST Update:
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Image credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett - June 3, 2009
Endeavour Fueling Underway
9:40am CDT
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Space Shuttle Endeavour's external fuel tank is being filled with more than 500,000 gallons of liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen. The three-hour operation began at 9:48 a.m. EDT. The tank will be completely filled, known as stable replenish, at about 12:48 p.m. The countdown will then enter a T-3 hour hold for 2.5 hours.
Info taken from the NASA.gov website
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Liquid Hydrogen Tank Reaches "Topping" Mode, No Leak
11:13am CDT
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At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the external tank's liquid hydrogen section has reached the "topping" mode, the time during which leaks were detected during launch attempts on June 13 and 17. There are no indications of a leak.
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Weather forecasts remain at 70 percent chance favorable for tonight’s liftoff of space shuttle Endeavour on the STS-127 mission set for 7:13 p.m. EDT
Info taken from the NASA.gov website
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T-9 Minutes and Holding
5:21pm CDT
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At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Space Shuttle Endeavour awaits liftoff on the STS-127 mission at 7:13 p.m. EDT. The countdown clock has paused for a built-in hold lasting about 45 minutes. The seven astronauts set to carry out the STS-127 mission are all aboard space shuttle Endeavour, awaiting liftoff.
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Forecasters at NASA's Spaceflight Meteorology Group say current conditions violate rules for launching Endeavour because of weather near the Shuttle Landing Facility. The runway would be needed in the unlikely event that Endeavour would have to make an emergency landing back at Kennedy. There is also a sea breeze coming off Florida's west coast that is making the weather more dynamic.
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Today’s Launch Scrubbed!
6:03pm CDT
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Today’s Launch has been scrubbed due to bad weather.
Next Launch attempt will be Monday evening…
at 6:51pm EDT
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Endeavour's Launch "No Go" Due to Weather
6:04pm CDT
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Officials at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida have called off today's liftoff of Space Shuttle Endeavour due to inclement weather. Cumulus clouds and lightning violated rules for launching Endeavour because of weather near the Shuttle Landing Facility. The runway would be needed in the unlikely event that Endeavour would have to make an emergency landing back at Kennedy.
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Endeavour's next launch attempt is 6:51 p.m. EDT Monday. NASA TV coverage will begin at 1:30 p.m.
Info taken from the NASA.gov website
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Well… Fingers crossed for a successful launch Monday!
Next post UPDATE Monday morning.
Until then…
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Post Update:
Monday, July 13, 2009
7:21am CDT
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STS-127 Launch Update
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Shuttle managers met late last night to discuss the partially unattached Tyvek cover on one of Endeavour’s thrusters. After a thorough discussion, teams decided that no action was required to reattach the cover and to leave the rotating servicing structure on the launch pad open. The Tyvek cover, which is attached by adhesive, had come partially unattached during the countdown yesterday, but wasn’t a constraint to launch. It’s used to keep rain and other debris out of the thruster.
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Officials at NASA's Kennedy Space Center called off Sunday's planned liftoff due to inclement weather.
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As of now, launch is scheduled for 6:51 p.m. EDT today. If a new technical issue crops up or rain gets into the thruster, teams will look to target launch for Tuesday.
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Managers will meet again beginning at 8:45 a.m. this morning.
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Today's live countdown coverage will begin at 1:30 p.m. on NASA Television and NASA's Launch Blog.
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Info taken from the NASA.gov website
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Endeavour Tanking Underway
9:52am CDT
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Teams met this morning and a "GO" was given for tanking of Endeavour’s external tank. Tanking officially began at 9:33 a.m. EDT and liquid hydrogen started flowing into the external tank at 9:43 a.m.
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Weather permitting, launch is scheduled for 6:51 p.m. The forecast is 40 percent “go” for liftoff.
Info taken from the NASA.gov website
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Endeavour Fueling Complete
11:40am CDT
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The countdown to launch of Space Shuttle Endeavour is under way at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, where the shuttle's large orange external tank has been filled with a half-million gallons of liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen. Both propellants have reached "stable replenish," in which small amounts that boil away during the rest of the countdown are replaced. Stable replenish will continue until the final minutes before launch.
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Launch is schedule for a 6:51 p.m. EDT, with weather being the only concern.
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Info taken from the NASA.gov website
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Let’s keep our fingers crossed on getting a successful launch off today!
AubreyJ
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STS-127 Astronauts are Boarding Endeavour
2:34pm CDT
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The STS-127 astronauts are boarding Space Shuttle Endeavour at NASA Kennedy Space Center's Launch Pad 39A. Once all seven astronauts are aboard, the hatch will be closed and latched for flight.
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Launch is scheduled for 6:51 p.m. EDT. Endeavour's external fuel tank was filled earlier today with liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen. These propellants will feed the shuttle's three main engines during the climb to orbit.
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As is common in Florida in the summer, the weather situation today is very dynamic. Launch managers and weather officers are monitoring conditions closely.
Info taken from the NASA
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ALL ABOARD!!!
All STS-127 Astronauts are Aboard
3:30pm CDT
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The STS-127 astronauts all have strapped into their seats inside Space Shuttle Endeavour at NASA Kennedy Space Center's Launch Pad 39A.
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Launch is scheduled for 6:51 p.m. EDT. Endeavour's external fuel tank was filled earlier today with liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen. These propellants will feed the shuttle's three main engines during the climb to orbit.
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As is common in Florida in the summer, the weather situation today is very dynamic. Launch managers and weather officers are monitoring conditions closely.
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Info taken from the NASA.gov website
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T-20 Minutes and Counting
4:48pm CDT
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The countdown clock at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida is counting once more following release of the T-20-minute hold. There is one more planned hold remaining, which occurs at the T-9-minute mark.
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At Launch Pad 39A, space shuttle Endeavour's crew access hatch has been closed, sealed and locked for flight. All seven STS-127 astronauts are safely strapped into their seats and are awaiting liftoff at 6:51 p.m. EDT.
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The closeout crew has left the pad and are in place at a roadblock a safe distance away.
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No technical issues are in work, but storms within 20 nautical miles of the Shuttle Landing Facility are a concern, and the range is currently "no-go" due to lightning in the area. Launch managers and weather personnel continue keeping a wary eye on the weather.
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Taken from the NASA.gov website
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STS-127 Countdown in Final Planned Hold
4:57pm CDT
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At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the countdown clock has paused for 45 minutes at the T-9-minute mark. This is the final built-in hold for today's countdown to liftoff of Space Shuttle Endeavour on its STS-127 mission.
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The countdown is going relatively smoothly, with no technical issues in work. Although launch managers and weather officials are monitoring weather conditions around the launch area and Shuttle Landing Facility very closely, liftoff remains scheduled for 6:51 p.m. EDT.
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Watch for countdown clocks to resume ticking backwards at 6:42 p.m. when the T-9-minute hold is released.
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Taken from the NASA.gov website
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Sorry Folks -
Today’s Launch has been scrubbed
due to bad weather in area.
We’ll know in the next hour if the next launch attempt will be within 24 hrs or next Tuesday. Info coming in next update…
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Next Launch Attempt: Wednesday 6:03 p.m.
6:00pm CDT
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NASA’s Launch Blogger Steven Siceloff writes:
The launch team will stand down Tuesday and go for a launch Wednesday evening at 6:03 p.m. The closeout crew will make their way to the launch pad and help the astronauts unstrap from Endeavour's crew compartment. After the crew is off and the external tank is drained of its propellants, the rotating service structure will be rolled into place around Endeavour to protect it from rain or other conditions. Technicians will also fix the Tyvek cover that pulled loose slightly from a thruster near Endeavour's nose.
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So that’s it for today’s posting and the close of this post. I’ll start a new post on Wednesday evening's Launch attempt Wednesday morning…
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So again… NASA has decided to give Launch another try this Wednesday evening with the earliest launch attempt coming at 6:03pm EDT.
Until Wednesday morning…
AubreyJ………
* POST NOW CLOSED! *
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* STS-127 Mission Overview *
The 16-day mission will feature five spacewalks and complete construction of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Kibo laboratory. Astronauts will attach a platform to the outside of the Japanese module that will allow experiments to be exposed to space.
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The STS-127 crew members are Commander Mark Polansky, Pilot Doug Hurley and Mission Specialists Dave Wolf, Christopher Cassidy, Tom Marshburn, Tim Kopra and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Julie Payette. Kopra will join the space station crew and replace Japanese astronaut Koichi Wakata. Wakata will return to Earth on Endeavour to conclude a three-month stay at the station.
Taken from the NASA.gov website
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* A Countdown of Countdowns *
The Space Shuttle’s Finale
Image credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett.
Note: Counting the flight of Space Shuttle Endeavour STS-127… there is now only Eight Flights Remaining before the fleet is scheduled to retire.
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For 50 years, NASA’s been famous for counting backward from 10 to zero. But a final countdown is now under way that will stand out among them all.
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After 126 space shuttle missions, only eight remain before the fleet is scheduled to retire. That’s eight flights remaining to use the unique capabilities of the shuttle to finish construction on the International Space Station and prepare it for life after shuttle. Each flight is unique and extremely complicated. Attention to detail and planning will be needed to be successful. There are no easy flights remaining and there may be pauses in this countdown that will ensure the highest chance of mission success. The shuttle will fly each flight when it’s ready.
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[Please…] Take the time to look and really study the remaining Shuttle flights. Here’s a close up look at the countdown of flights… HERE
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I’d ask all of you out there to do as I do, (‘Papaw’ AubreyJ,) and get with your Children/Grandchildren and watch the missions… launches/spacewalks/landings and talk-up our Space Programs… Past/Present/Future.
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Right now, the children watching in full interest of today’s missions… might just be the ones stepping foot on Mars in the years to come.
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Now THAT’s something to think about!
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Watch Mission LIVE
At NASA TV
Click HERE to view
ENJOY!!!
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STS-127: Interactive Mission Timeline
Click HERE or on above image to view
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View the
* Space Shuttle Gallery *
HERE
Past Images/Videos/Audios
(NASA Public Affair image collection, Videos, Animations, Wakeup calls & Mission Communications)
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NOTE: I’ll be updating this post on the mission and spacewalks over the next few days so check back!!!
GOD SPEED to the Crew of STS-127 Endeavour...
AubreyJ.........
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