STS-127 Updates

[agentgonzo]

Cheers Pete! Most helpful. Encouraging about the weather too. I'll be out waiting if the weather's good. Presumably the ET will be somewhere very near the orbiter as it goes over the UK.

 

[Zoe]

The countdown has started. Countdown events schedule:

All times Eastern.

L-4 Days - Tuesday, July 7

2 p.m - Crew arrival

L-3 Days - Wednesday, July 8

10 a.m. - Countdown Status Briefing
- Charlie Blackwell-Thompson, NASA test director
- Kathy Winters, shuttle weather officer

10 p.m. - Launch countdown officially begins (not on NASA TV)

L-2 Days - Thursday, July 9

10 a.m. - Countdown Status Briefing
- Steve Payne, NASA test director
- Scott Higginbotham, payload manager
- shuttle weather officer

L-1 Day - Friday, July 10

11:30 a.m. (no earlier than) - Prelaunch News Conference
- Mike Moses, chair, Mission Management Team
- Pete Nickolenko, shuttle launch director
- JAXA representative
- Kathy Winters, shuttle weather officer

1 p.m. - Ares I-X Stacking Vehicle Assembly Building Media Event (not on NASA TV)

11 p.m. - Rotating Service Structure begins move to launch position

Launch Day - Saturday, July 11

10 a.m. - Fueling commentary begins

Approx. 10:14 a.m. - Fueling begins (not on NASA TV)

2:30 p.m. - Live launch commentary begins

Crew Activities: (times may vary slightly)
8:45 a.m. -- Crew wakes up (not on NASA TV)
3:09 p.m. -- Weather briefing (commander, pilot and mission specialist 2) (not on NASA TV)
3:19 p.m. -- Astronauts don flight suits
3:49 p.m. -- Depart for launch pad
4:19 p.m. -- Arrive at White Room and begin to board Endeavour
5:34 p.m. -- Close crew hatch

7:39 p.m. -- Launch

Launch + 1 hour - Post-launch News Conference
- Bill Gerstenmaier, associate administrator for Space Operations
- Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency Representative
- Canadian Space Agency Representative
- Mike Moses, chair, Mission Management Team
- Pete Nickolenko, STS-127 shuttle launch director

Launch + 2 hours - JAXA Post-launch News Conference (local only, not on NASA TV)

Kennedy News Center Office Hours for STS-127
Times may be adjusted in real time depending on mission events and timelines.

Tuesday, July 7 --- (Launch minus 4 days) --- 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Wednesday, July 8 --- (Launch minus 3 days) --- 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Thursday, July 9 --- (Launch minus 2 days) --- 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Friday, July 10 --- (Launch minus 1 day) --- 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Saturday, July 11 --- (Launch) Flight day 1 --- 8 a.m. - 11:59 p.m.
July 12 – July 26 --- Flight days 2 - 16 --- 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. (except weekends)
Monday, July 27 --- (Landing) Flight day 17 --- TBD

Media Badging Schedule

News media may obtain STS-127 mission credentials from the Kennedy Space Center Pass and Identification Office on State Road 3. Office hours of operation are listed below.

Tuesday, July 7 ----- 10 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.
Wednesday, July 8 ----- 8 a.m. - 3 p.m.
Thursday, July 9 ----- 8 a.m. - 3 p.m.
Friday, July 10 ----- 8 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Saturday, July 11 ----- 12 p.m. - 6 p.m.

News media are required to be escorted by NASA Public Affairs at all times while at Kennedy Space Center, except when at the news center or the Complex 39 cafeteria. No photography is allowed anywhere other than the press site unless prior permission is granted by NASA Public Affairs. News media are allowed at the press site only when public affairs personnel are on duty and the NASA News Center is open.

STS-127 Crew
Commander: Mark Polansky
Pilot: Doug Hurley
Mission Specialist: Christopher Cassidy
Mission Specialist: Julie Payette
Mission Specialist: Tom Marshburn
Mission Specialist: Dave Wolf
Mission Specialist: Tim Kopra

 

[ryan]

This is helpful with the countdown operations also, http://spaceflightnow.com/shuttle/sts127/fdf/127count.html

Countdown Clocks Tick Toward Endeavour Launch

Fri, 10 Jul 2009 01:04:42 AM UTC+1000


Launch countdown operations are on schedule with no issues to report, according to launch officials at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The countdown to space shuttle Endeavour's STS-127 launch began on time July 8 at 10 p.m. EDT.

"All systems are in excellent shape," NASA Test Director Steve Payne said during a morning status briefing. "The STS-127 flight crew, Endeavour and launch team are ready to go."

The STS-127 astronauts will review their flight plan today, relax and check out their launch-and-entry suits as launch day approaches.

Liftoff is scheduled for Saturday at 7:39 p.m. Due to expected showers, thunderstorms and anvil clouds in the area, the launch weather forecast continues to be 40 percent "go."

 

[Orbinaut Pete]

KSC weather forecasts for Endeavour launch:

Saturday - 40% GO
Sunday - 60% GO
Monday - 70% GO

---------- Post added at 13:51 ---------- Previous post was at 13:30 ----------

The current launch time is:

Sat 11 Jul @
(12h) 11:39:35pm GMT/UTC
(24h) 23:39:35 GMT/UTC

----------

FOR ANY BRITS, remember that the launch date will actually be Sunday!:

Sun 12 Jul @
(12h) 12:39:35am BST
(24h) 00:39:35 BST

---------- Post added at 21:59 ---------- Previous post was at 13:51 ----------

It has to be said, the weather is not looking promising for Endeavour's launch tomorrow...

Super-large version: http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2472/3707372807_143b264a11_o.jpg

To be honest, I doubt Endeavour will launch tomorrow. I think it will probably be Sunday EDT.


---------- Post added at 22:07 ---------- Previous post was at 21:59 ----------

RSS rollback will be at:

(EDT) 11:00pm Fri
(GMT/UTC) 3:00am Sat

 

[ryan]

RSS Retract Begins on Time

Sat, 11 Jul 2009 01:17:58 PM UTC+1000


At NASA Kennedy Space Center's Launch Pad 39A, crews began moving the Rotating Service Structure to its park position on time at 11 p.m. EDT. The move takes approximately one hour.

The launch team will meet tomorrow at 9:30 a.m. for a weather briefing before fueling space shuttle Endeavour. Tanking coverage will begin at 10 a.m. on NASA Television.

 

[Orbinaut Pete]

Endeavour's launch has been scrubbed for 24 hours due to lightning strikes last night around LC-39A. A 24 hour pad turnaround is currently underway.

Last night, there were 11 lightning strikes within the 3 mile perimeter around LC-39A. It is not yet known if anything has been damaged by the lightning strikes, but technicians need more time to investigate - which is the reason for the scrub. The pyrotechnics in the SRB's are the main area of investigation at this time.

The new launch time is:

(EDT) Sun 12 Jul @:
12h: 07:13:49pm
24h: 19:13:49

(GMT/UTC) Sun 12 Jul @:
12h: 11:13:49pm
24h: 23:13:49

(BST) Mon 13 Jul @:
12h: 12:13:49am
24h: 00:13:49

Weather for tomorrow's launch is predicted to be 60% GO.

There are launch opportunities for Endeavour up to and including the 14th. After that, the Progress 34 launch will become an issue. It is possible however that the Russians can delay the Progress launch for the Shuttle.

 

[Kyle]

STS-127: One of those missions that will never fly.

 

[flying coffin]

STS-127: One of those missions that will never fly.

Please don't do this. It is this kind of attitude that led to 51-L.

 

[Kyle]

Please don't do this. It is this kind of attitude that led to 51-L.

Columbia was the orbiter that never flew either but when it did it always gave you a mostly promblem free mission.
Columbia scrubbed for over a year once.

 

[Orbinaut Pete]

KSC weather forecast for Endeavour's launch tomorrow has improved to 70% GO!

The specifics call for showers and thunderstorms inland, just a few clouds at 3,000 feet, scattered cirrus at 25,000 feet, visibility of 7 miles, launch pad winds from the southeast at 8 peaking to 12 knots and a temperature of 82 degrees F.

The primary concern will be showers or storms within 20 miles of the Kennedy Space Center runway where Endeavour would make an emergency landing in the event of a problem during launch.

 

[Kyle]

I'll be at Cape again tomorrow though, so will be interesting

 

[Orbinaut Pete]

Here's a cool shot of a lightning strike at LC-39A last night:

I suppose it proves that the lightning tower works!

---------- Post added at 19:38 ---------- Previous post was at 19:32 ----------

A BBC news article about the delay:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/8145414.stm

---------- Post added at 22:09 ---------- Previous post was at 19:38 ----------

A video of lightning strikes at LC-39A:

---------- Post added at 22:10 ---------- Previous post was at 22:09 ----------

Also, Mission Specialist-1 Chris Cassidy will officially be the 500th person to fly in space! :speakcool:

 

[ryan]

Careful Testing Under Way After Lightning Strikes

Sun, 12 Jul 2009 01:59:52 AM UTC+1000


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.

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.

"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.

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.

"We need to be 100 percent confident that we have a good system across the board," Moses said.

The launch time for Sunday is 7:13 p.m. EDT. The weather forecast calls for a 60 percent chance of acceptable conditions.

---------- Post added at 05:51 AM ---------- Previous post was at 05:14 AM ----------

When i was watching the briefing on YouTube, i took down some notes.
11 total stricks hit the pad area, and 7 hitting the lightning rod and it worked as advertised, and around 3 hit the water tower. A panel called the E3 panel will look into how the strick could effect Endeavour and the stack as a whole, and systems will be checked in the 24 hours until the launch. It also looks like the stricks did not effect the payloads at all and everythings still looks in good shape, this is just a precuation taken so they can be certain everything is still working well, the astros are still in quarantine they must be banging there heads against the wall.
Weather looks actually better for a launch tommorow than the first attempt. Good ole Kathy Winters may say something about the weather on the next briefing.
Thanks.
Ryan.

 

[Orbinaut Pete]

Here's some really cool shots of lightning strikes around LC-39A:

 

[astrosammy]

Ahh, beautiful, I have a new desktop background now...

 

[Orbinaut Pete]

Endeavour's fuelling has been completed - no leaks!!! :speakcool:

 

[David413]

Updated launch scenarios for Expansion pack users

For users of the STS-127 Shuttle Fleet Expansion pack, here are updated launch scenarios for a 23:13:55 UTC launch tonight.

Dave

 

[Omhra]

Thanks! :speakcool:

 

[Orbinaut Pete]

Launch scrubbed again at L-10 mins due to bad weather.
Another 24hr turnaround is now in progress.

New launch time is:

EDT: Mon 13 @ 6:51:24pm (18:51:24)

GMT/UTC: Mon 13 @ 10:51:24pm (22:51:24)

 

[DaveS]

Today's launch attempt have been scrubbed due to RTLS wx. Lightning and anvil clouds within 20 NM of the SLF at T0 violated the RTLS wx LCCs.

Next attempt is Monday, July 13.