Monday - May 16, 2011

Once More Into The Blue

On its 16-day mission, Endeavor will deliver a cosmic ray detector to the space station, which scientists hope will give them a glimpse into the very first moments of the universe, just after the big bang. On board, the astronauts are all wearing the blue bracelets celebrating Giffords life.

The liftoff of Endeavor marks the beginning of the end of an era for the shuttle program. It’s the next to last launch. Atlantis lifts off in June, bringing the 30-year shuttle program to an end.

Hard to believe the US Space Program is getting ready to close down. Harder to believe what NASA’s new “mission” will be. Damn. I grew up with the voice of Mission Command and that age of glory. And now it’s all coming to an end. Budget cuts: the Democrats have always been against the space program, always. And honestly, after the moon landings, they’ve kind of been stuck in neutral for decades. As a junior rocketeer and a huge reader of sci-fi, I would have figured we’d have a profit making lunar colony by now, and men on mars. Alas no.

At T-9 minutes and holding, the STS-134 launch countdown continues its march toward liftoff of space shuttle Endeavour at 8:56:28 a.m. EDT.

During this hold, the mission management team will conduct their final “Go-No-Go” poll, and the countdown enters the home stretch.

“T minus 9”. Will future children even understand what that means?

The crew members for space shuttle Endeavour’s STS-134 mission are Commander Mark Kelly, Pilot Gregory H. Johnson and Mission Specialists Michael Fincke, Greg Chamitoff, Andrew Feustel and European Space Agency astronaut Roberto Vittori.

During the 16-day mission, Endeavour and its crew will deliver the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS) and spare parts including two S-band communications antennas, a high-pressure gas tank and additional spare parts for Dextre.

Final words from Commander Kelly: “We have always been a nation that reaches for the stars. We must not stop.”

Aw crap I’m getting all weepy here.

Godspeed, Endeavor.





All systems are go, the countdown runs down to zero, and we have ignition. And it’s a picture perfect launch. Endeavor blasts through some low level clouds and punches a hole in the sky, accelerating to faster than a speeding bullet within a minute, and reaching escape velocity in under 8 minutes. The boosters fall away without issue, and two minutes later the liquid fuel tank lets go without a hitch. After only 10 minutes flight Endeavor is in space, hundreds and hundreds of miles downrange. Now the steady 3G acceleration eases, and the computers arc the ship from an elliptical orbit into a circular one, 136 miles up above the sky.

For this, the 26th Shuttle mission, everything is nominal. That’s another word that is going to fade out of our language, or at least that usage. Only NASA could make “being trifling in comparison with the actual value; minimal” mean “letter perfect in every way shape or form” because with good engineering that’s only to be expected. No magic, no miracle, merely working as designed. Nominal. Even though a miracle is occurring. No wonder the Space Program was a reflection of national confidence. And no wonder such a program had to be eliminated by our twisted leaders, if for no other reason than that.

Posted by Drew458     on 05/16/2011 at 07:29 AM   
Filed Under: • Space •  
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