| SPACE TRAVEL | SPACE DAILY | SPACE WAR | TERRA DAILY | MARS DAILY | SPACE MART | GPS DAILY | ENERGY DAILY |
 |
Washington (AFP) Dec 5, 2007 NASA on Wednesday said that conditions were right for the Thursday launch of the space shuttle Atlantis, on a mission to deliver a European-built space laboratory to the orbiting International Space Station. Atlantis is scheduled to blastoff from the Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral, Florida, at 4:31 pm (2131 GMT). "The countdown is proceeding smoothly," Shuttle Test Director Jeff Spaulding told reporters. "The vehicle's looking good and the weather's looking good, too," added NASA meteorologist Kathy Winters. The weather forecast "calls for a 90 percent chance of acceptable conditions at launch time," Winters said. However if the launch is delayed for any reason by 24 hours, the forecast for good weather would drop to 60 percent, Winters said. The shuttle's 11-day mission calls for three spacewalks aimed at attaching the European-built Columbus space lab to the ISS. NASA said a fourth space walk could be added to inspect a faltering mechanism in one of three solar panels serving the station, which would extend shuttle's stay in orbit. Atlantis astronauts include Leopold Eyharts from France and Hans Schlegel from Germany, both with the European Space Agency (ESA). With Columbus, Europe will be equipped to tackle scientific experiments with microgravity, considered essential to prepare for long-term space flight. Until now, only the United States and Russia have had their own laboratories, which form the heart of the ISS. The new European laboratory will allow astronauts to conduct hundreds of other experiments a year, notably in areas of biotechnology, medicine, materials and fluids. The shuttle's crew of seven arrived at the Kennedy Space Center on Monday from Houston, Texas where they are based. Community Email This Article Comment On This Article Related Links Shuttle at NASA Watch NASA TV via Space.TV Space Shuttle News at Space-Travel.Com
Conditions right for shuttle launch: NASA
Washington (AFP) Dec 4, 2007NASA on Tuesday said conditions were right for this week's launch of the shuttle Atlantis, as it prepared for its mission to deliver a European-built space laboratory to the orbiting International Space Station.
|
|
| The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2006 - SpaceDaily.AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA PortalReports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additionalcopyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement |
