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Bad Weather Scrubs Discovery Launch
Cape Canaveral, Florida (AFP) Aug 25, 2009 NASA scrapped a launch for the US space shuttle Discovery early Tuesday, announcing a 24-hour delay due to unfavorable weather conditions. Earlier technicians had closed and latched the hatch on Discovery for an early Tuesday takeoff, but NASA was prepared for the worse as the weather forecast worsened Monday evening, eventually scuttling today's launch from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida.
earlier related report Cloud formations and rains were within a 22-mile (36-kilometer) radius from the launch pad. Thunderstorms and lightning were located some five miles (eight kilometers) from the Kennedy Space Center. NASA would cancel liftoff if the conditions remained in the area when the shuttle was due to blast off toward the orbiting International Space Station (ISS) to drop off a shipment of appliances and supplies, as well as a new ISS team member, said NASA TV commentator Mike Currie. "The seven astronauts inside the shuttle can get out quickly in the unlikely event of an emergency," NASA noted in a statement. The storms, it said, could dissipate in the area before the launch
earlier related report US space officials said they saw nothing worrisome that would impede Discovery's liftoff, set for 1:36 am (0536 GMT) from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. "Everything looks normal. There is no technical issue to report," said National Aeronautics and Space Administration spokesman George Diller. Outfitted in their bright orange launch suits, Discovery's seven astronauts -- six Americans and a Swede -- headed late Monday to launchpad 39A where they began boarding the shuttle three hours prior to liftoff. Mission officials said there is an 80-percent chance of launch-friendly weather conditions, although there is a slight risk of thunderstorms and lightning within an eight-kilometer (five-mile) area of the launchpad. But as the astronauts boarded their craft, a NASA commentator announced that "from a launch weather perspective we are green across the board." A trouble-free launch would be welcome relief from the turbulence of the previous shuttle mission, in July, which had been postponed five times by weather woes and technical glitches. Discovery is to deliver equipment for a new bedroom, a treadmill, a freezer, food and other supplies. It will also be dropping off the newest ISS resident -- US astronaut Nicole Stott. Stott will be taking over from engineer and fellow American Tim Kopra, who has been aboard the ISS since July and is returning to Earth with Discovery. The shuttle crew, led by Commander Rick Sturckow, will be delivering 6.8 tonnes of cargo transported in a pressurized module called Leonardo that was built by the Italian space agency. Two astronauts from the team are scheduled to conduct three spacewalks of six and a half hours each during the 13-day mission, which is the fourth of five planned for the shuttle this year. The last is scheduled for November. One of the key goals of the space walks is the replacement of an old liquid ammonia tank, which will be substituted with a new 800-kilogram (1,760-pound) replacement brought aboard Discovery. The substance is used as a coolant. The astronauts will also be retrieving experiment equipment from the outside of the ISS and returning it to Earth for processing. The new freezer will store samples of blood, urine and other materials that will eventually be taken back for study on the effects of zero-gravity. The COLBERT treadmill, named after popular US comedy talkshow host Stephen Colbert, will be the second aboard the ISS. Exercise is key for astronauts spending long periods of time in space, where zero-gravity can result in muscle atrophy. Among the seven-member crew is veteran European astronaut Christer Fuglesang, 52, of Sweden. The shuttle flight also is the first with two Hispanic astronauts: veteran mission specialist John "Danny" Olivas, 44, of El Paso, Texas, and rookie Jose Hernandez, 47, of Stockton, California. Hernandez will provide bilingual Twitter updates from space, via Twitter.com. The mission will be the 128th for the space shuttle program, and the 30th mission to the ISS. Once the Discovery mission is complete, just six more shuttle flights remain before NASA's three shuttles are retired in September 2010. The International Space Station is a project jointly run by 16 countries at a cost of 100 billion dollars -- largely financed by the United States. Share This Article With Planet Earth
Related Links Shuttle at NASA Watch NASA TV via Space.TV Space Shuttle News at Space-Travel.Com
Discovery Carries Vaccine Research Along With ISS EquipmentAustin TX (SPX) Aug 25, 2009 Along with supply and equipment cargo bound for the International Space Station, Space Shuttle Discovery STS-128 will carry an additional scientific payload being conducted by Austin-based Astrogenetix, the first commercial space company to use microgravity to discover the foundation of new medicines. Specifically, research will be conducted on Staphylococcus aureus and Salmonella microbes ... read more |
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