[Fl_Gulfer]

NASA on HDNet: Space Shuttle Atlantis STS-125 Launch
HDNet TV has the launch today starting at 1:30 pm
If you haven't seen a launch in HD it's AWESOME on a large HDTV, They are going up to repair the Hubble Telescope.. this is one of the most dangerous missions there is, they have another shuttle set up on the pad for backup incase something bad happens. The telescope orbits twice as far away from the earth than the spacestation so there is alot more junk floating around to hit in space.
The launch is at 2:01 est.
I hope you all get a chance to see a launch in HD.

Enjoy
Jack

Thanks for reminding. For us who don't receive a TV program of this, in addition to the lower quality NASA TV web stream there's a better stream available at Spacevidcast on USTREAM: Making Space Commonplace. 24/7.

EDIT: -38 minutes

[Rustyoldbug]

You haven't seen a launch until you have stood down there and felt the ground rumble under your feet. Been to three shuttle launches in person and have done a vip launch for a research sat that a company I worked for helped build sensors for - very cool experience.

My other half is the actual scientist and has a lot to do with a few of the current missions. I have to say movie night with her co-workers can be pretty dry though...

[Ira]

This launch is a major deal, and Wednesday is when the risks come:

Besides the space junk floating around, they'll be repairing Hubble parts that weren't designed to be repaired in space. And since this is supposed to be "it" for the Shuttle program until 2015 when the new ships are ready, this is the LAST Shuttle mission for a bunch of years.

It kind of pisses me off that they did this one in daylight, because for the night flights, I have a spot to watch it from, even from the Ft. Lauderdale area, a couple of hundred miles south of the launch.

I know that my personal viewing experience doesn't amount to a hill of beans in the scheme of things, but this mission is an important one, and I would have really liked to have seen it go up and live and in person, albeit a bit far away.

[Rustyoldbug]

This launch is a major deal, and Wednesday is when the risks come:

Besides the space junk floating around, they'll be repairing Hubble parts that weren't designed to be repaired in space. And since this is supposed to be "it" for the Shuttle program until 2015 when the new ships are ready, this is the LAST Shuttle mission for a bunch of years.

It kind of pisses me off that they did this one in daylight, because for the night flights, I have a spot to watch it from, even from the Ft. Lauderdale area, a couple of hundred miles south of the launch.

I know that my personal viewing experience doesn't amount to a hill of beans in the scheme of things, but this mission is an important one, and I would have really liked to have seen it go up and live and in person, albeit a bit far away.

It's not the last shuttle launch, it's the last mission to the Hubble - and that could change. One of the things they are installing is a docking ring of sorts. This ring will allow a robotic craft to dock and push it into the ocean at "the end" of it's life - but it could also allow an Orion module to dock and do even more upgrades.

Hubble has produced some amazing stuff - I knew some of the Astronomy grad students they had processing images and the stuff was amazing. Some of the new stuff coming from MRO is pretty gorgeous too.

[Ira]

It's not the last shuttle launch.

"The shuttle program is scheduled for mandatory retirement in 2010, in accord with the directives president George W. Bush issued in the Vision for Space Exploration. The shuttle's planned successor is Project Constellation with its Ares I and Ares V launch vehicles and the Orion Spacecraft. NASA plans to launch 7 more shuttle missions before the program ceases.

"In an internal e-mail apparently sent August 18, 2008 to NASA managers and leaked to the press (published September 6, 2008 in the Orlando Sentinel), NASA Administrator Michael Griffin stated his belief that the current US [Bush] administration has made no viable plan for U.S. crews to participate in the International Space Station beyond 2011, and that OMB and OSTP are actually seeking its demise.

"The email appeared to suggest that Griffin believed the only reasonable solution was to extend the operation of the shuttle beyond 2010, but noted that Executive Policy (ie, the White House) is firm that there will be no extension of the shuttle retirement date, and thus no US capability to launch crews into orbit until the Ares I/Orion system becomes operational in 2014 at the very earliest."

[lithos]

Thanks for reminding. For us who don't receive a TV program of this, in addition to the lower quality NASA TV web stream there's a better stream available at Spacevidcast on USTREAM: Making Space Commonplace. 24/7.

EDIT: -38 minutes

Hah! It amazed me that Channel Ten down here knew enough about current affairs to (re-)run the classic Simpsons episode...


"Ladies and gentlemen, er, we've just lost the picture, but, uh, what we've seen speaks for itself. The Corvair spacecraft has been taken over - "conquered", if you will - by a master race of giant space ants. It's difficult to tell from this vantage point whether they will consume the captive earth men or merely enslave them. One thing is for certain, there is no stopping them; the ants will soon be here. And I, for one, welcome our new insect overlords. I'd like to remind them that as a trusted TV personality, I can be helpful in rounding up others to toil in their underground sugar caves."

[KrisK10D]

"In an internal e-mail apparently sent August 18, 2008 to NASA managers and leaked to the press (published September 6, 2008 in the Orlando Sentinel), NASA Administrator Michael Griffin stated his belief that the current US [Bush] administration has made no viable plan for U.S. crews to participate in the International Space Station beyond 2011, and that OMB and OSTP are actually seeking its demise.

This was posted at another forum a few days ago. Pretty sad and shortsighted really.

And tho I don't know what the OMB and OSTP are, if they're talking about the demise of the ISS, they better not hold their respective breaths. Way too much has been invested in it for anyone to mothball it. If the US don't want to play anymore I have no doubt that all the other Euro and Asian countries currently involved will run with it on their own.

[Rustyoldbug]

Yes, I have seen all the press releases too - your first post's wording made it sound like this flight was the last Shuttle mission and I was just pointing out this is not the last one. No offense.

As for Shuttle retirement - on paper per Bush's policies it is doomed. It probably will be extended for at least a few more flights though unless there is another major accident. My fiance and I both have been through a lot of meetings recently on budget, possible extensions for contracts we have for instruments, other missions, etc... (She is on the science team for one company - mostly Mars related stuff though and I have been working part time for another company mostly doing computer stuff and remote sensing instruments - though I have a new gig soon working on sensors in the field for another company that is more "terrestrial" in nature and doesn't involve the NASA politics)

Best thing that has happened for the whole space science community lately - Griffin's departure. We need to get the politics out of the science. Maybe get rid of some of the middle management that doesn't have a science or engineering background too. A prime example was one of the meetings I was in last month where I sat next to one of the middle management bean counters from NASA - most of the meeting he was on his laptop doing Facebook, ebay, news, looking for local places to eat, etc...

On another note - it looks like Spirit may be doomed. They haven't been able to get it to move for several days (the science instruments are still going though). If they can't fix it in the next week or so - they will have a press conference with the bad news. Letting the rovers die off would actually be good - the useful science coming from them lately is pretty minimal but they are a huge budget drain and that is affecting other projects and missions. They keep extending them for the PR value though - "Look! Still Going!"

They need to focus that energy on the MSL. It is suppose to be a flagship mission. That thing makes me nervous - far too big for airbags so they are going to drop it with a sky crane which has a lot of things that can go wrong. If you haven't seen it - here is the animation of how it should work if it ever gets finished and launched:

Mars Science Laboratory: Videos

Plus they figured out it's batteries and power supply aren't enough to keep it going so they are adding some solar panels and beefing up the power system. Oh - they just figured out the drive wheels may have some issues too, with the weight being put on them since they have added so much stuff on the rover. Kind of like taking a stock van and turning it into a fully furnished camper without beefing up the suspension.

"The shuttle program is scheduled for mandatory retirement in 2010, in accord with the directives president George W. Bush issued in the Vision for Space Exploration. The shuttle's planned successor is Project Constellation with its Ares I and Ares V launch vehicles and the Orion Spacecraft. NASA plans to launch 7 more shuttle missions before the program ceases.

"In an internal e-mail apparently sent August 18, 2008 to NASA managers and leaked to the press (published September 6, 2008 in the Orlando Sentinel), NASA Administrator Michael Griffin stated his belief that the current US [Bush] administration has made no viable plan for U.S. crews to participate in the International Space Station beyond 2011, and that OMB and OSTP are actually seeking its demise.

"The email appeared to suggest that Griffin believed the only reasonable solution was to extend the operation of the shuttle beyond 2010, but noted that Executive Policy (ie, the White House) is firm that there will be no extension of the shuttle retirement date, and thus no US capability to launch crews into orbit until the Ares I/Orion system becomes operational in 2014 at the very earliest."

[RoxnDox]

This was posted at another forum a few days ago. Pretty sad and shortsighted really.

And tho I don't know what the OMB and OSTP are, if they're talking about the demise of the ISS, they better not hold their respective breaths. Way too much has been invested in it for anyone to mothball it. If the US don't want to play anymore I have no doubt that all the other Euro and Asian countries currently involved will run with it on their own.

OMB is the Office of Management & Budget, zealous guardians of the purse strings. OSTP is Office of Science & Technology Policy(? from memory).

Thankfully, the administration that was current as of that memo, is no longer current. Things will hopefully be reversed so that science is actually regarded as a good thing... And funded accordingly.

Jim

[Ira]

OMB is the Office of Management & Budget, zealous guardians of the purse strings. OSTP is Office of Science & Technology Policy(? from memory).

Thankfully, the administration that was current as of that memo, is no longer current. Things will hopefully be reversed so that science is actually regarded as a good thing... And funded accordingly.

Jim

Ditto--but who the heck knows.

Times are tough.