STS-118: Omnibus Thread

Great thread
would have missed it but for this
- listened to the feed thanks guys - god speed

Nice clean launch. Good luck, all.

Here's what the launch looked like from my house.
Not the most spectacular looking launch, but here it is anyway.
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external image

What a great launch.

I hate to admit it, but when I saw the SRBs separate I had a lump in my throat, and my eyes may have been getting a little wet. I think I'd sell my soul to get the chance to ride a Shuttle into orbit.




This just feels like it's going to be a great mission.

Go Endeavour, Go !!!!!

Originally posted by Jbird
I never realized the NASA feed has, what appears to be,
a 30 second delay, from the live shots on tv.

i was chatting with a friend on googletalk and he was watching nasa tv on satellite whereas i was watching it on the web and there is a 30 second delay... i was so pissed! lol...

Originally posted by subject x
Here's what the launch looked like from my house.
Not the most spectacular looking launch, but here it is anyway.

nice pic mang... at least you were close enough to see it! that rocks...



yes, a beautiful launch; flawless... w00t!





[edit on 8 8Aug 07 by m3rlz]

Nice addition subject x !

I'm jealous, but not as jealous as I am of those folks, walking
around on the grass in front of the Countdown clock.

If it was a little darker , I'd probably be outside watching, too.

I've seen it go up the East Coast at night, but not much chance of
catching it , in daylight, here.

That looked remarkabley unremarkable. Text-book. They make it "look" easy - it is not. There was a bit of flutter in the ET tank skin aft of the camera. The "dancing plasma" off the edge of the camera housing or the Orbiter was something I'd never seen before. No footage of the ET from the umbilical well and ET (External Tank) Astro' pics and vids until they get the doors open and the Ku band antenna deployed.

There is a slight problem with the payload bay doors and they are cycling the mechanism (this has occured before) and hasn't been a big issue yet. I would expect a management news briefing within the hour.

Cool pic of the flightpath. I'm trying to get the shuttle ephemeris should be able to see it in less than 2 hours or so.

Clean launch for sure... want dirty? Keep an eye out for STS-1 launch video... the External Tank Sep is nothing but an ice storm, great big chunks.

Still no further word on the payload bay doors...

Cheers,

Vic

[edit on 8-8-2007 by V Kaminski]

Originally posted by m3rlz

i was chatting with a friend on googletalk and he was watching nasa tv on satellite whereas i was watching it on the web and there is a 30 second delay... i was so pissed!

I had CNN on TV and a NASA web feed on the computer.
My computer ran about 20 seconds behind CNN, but I got to see things twice.

The NASA TV on the web had the most information, even if it was behind. You could hear Mission Control and Shuttle comm traffic instead of Miles O'Brian.

Thanks, folks.

I just wanted to say that the little dot just south-east of center on my pic
is not a UFO. It's crap on the lens.

Just so no-one starts freaking out.

Post-Launch News Conference alert. Let's see what gets asked by who of whom? www.nasa.gov/ntv

Cheers,

Vic

[edit on 8-8-2007 by V Kaminski]

Um, was the news conference I watched about STS-118? Well kinda, I guess... lots about NASA's future. Maybe a bit defensive. Good words about space junk. Also good words about the loss of core-intellectual competencies with Shuttle "going away" in 2010 with only Soyuz available. A bit about Ares... we'll be hearing lots about Ares.

Command has been given to commence on-orbit ops and the payload bay doors are open and the Ku is deployed...

Shuttle is about 10 minutes behind ISS for those who wish to sky watch a link (plug in your country and locale) here.

The class 3 data error was nothing and related to SpaceHab which is being activated now and the crew is setting up the network.

Cheers,

Vic

[edit on 8-8-2007 by V Kaminski]

Only caught bits and pieces of the news conference, Vic.

Did I hear someone say, that depending on other nations help, in space, is 'unseemly' ?


BTW, here's the link, to check to see if you can get a glimpse of the Shuttle, or the ISS , pass over head.

spaceflight1.nasa.gov...

Looks like I'm out of luck , in my area, this mission, but was lucky enough to see it STS117 and the ISS , last mission.

Quite impressive, when you catch it.

Just pick your country, state, and city , under 'Sighting Opportunities' to see the dates and times.


[edit on 8-8-2007 by Jbird]

Yeah, Director Griffin said "unseemly". Blamed it on what went down in a previous administration. I don't think those comments will go over "big" in Korolev or Moscow.

Looks like maybe "a former flight surgeon" is being cast in a bad-light as a whistleblower or somewhere in the Boozegate story something is broken large. I think that issue will come up again once NASA-IG has completed it's work.

I can't help but think Russia and America are drifting apart on joint civilian spaceflight operations, even with all the contracts to Energia. Time will tell. I think Dr. Griffin is OK, but I'd be looking over my shoulder... the person "at the top" often gets blamed and Shana Dale is hovering.

I guess it went OK. No one asked about the cracked bracket on the Oh - Two line, no big deal. I thought the hatch problem was really well explained by Mike Linebach. Noticeably missing, Wayne Hale.

Cheers,

Vic

I'd like to try to catch that conference, again , but NASA doesn't seem to keep the
conference schedule page, very up to date.

Do they usually replay the next day, or do you know of a schedule , elsewhere?

Though I'd ask , while I'm looking.

Um? Camera flare... it seems to rotate... my eyes aren't so good. Space junk?



Cheers,

Vic
EDIT: To add pics





Gettin' ready for Canadarm check out... there were two other bits of debris at 9:40PMEDT. I'll check them when the file is done recording.

Nuther EDIT: The second pic link doesn't work (don't know why) sorry.

Vic

[edit on 8-8-2007 by V Kaminski]

Found this page, with the planned daily NASA TV schedule, up to day 12.

Flight Day 2 schedule

As well as, lots of other data info.

Here's a sample -

THURSDAY, AUGUST 9 - FD 2
5...FLIGHT DAY 1 HIGHLIGHTS................00/06:24...01:00 AM...05:00
10...ENDEAVOUR CREW WAKEUP (FD 2)..........00/14:00...08:36 AM...12:36
11...VIDEO FILE............................00/14:54...09:30 AM...13:30
12...RMS GRAPPLE & UNBERTH OF OBSS.........00/17:15...11:51 AM...15:51
13...EMU CHECK OUT.........................00/17:50...12:26 PM...16:26
13...OBSS STARBOARD WING SURVEY............00/18:15...12:51 PM...16:51
14...NOSE CAP SURVEY.......................00/20:10...02:46 PM...18:46
15...OBSS PORT WING SURVEY.................00/21:10...03:46 PM...19:46
16...MISSION STATUS BRIEFING...............00/23:24...06:00 PM...22:00
16...OBSS BERTH............................00/23:30...06:06 PM...22:06
17...CENTERLINE CAMERA INSTALLATION........01/00:00...06:36 PM...22:36
17...OMS POD SURVEY........................01/00:25...07:01 PM...23:01
17...ODS RING EXTENSION....................01/00:30...07:06 PM...23:06
17...RENDEZVOUS TOOLS CHECK OUT BEGINS.....01/00:45...07:21 PM...23:21
18...CREW CHOICE DOWNLINK OPPORTUNITY......01/02:00...08:36 PM...00:36
21...ENDEAVOUR CREW SLEEP BEGINS...........01/05:00...11:36 PM...03:36
21...FLIGHT DAY 2 HIGHLIGHTS...............01/05:24...12:00 AM...04:00

Next scheduled briefing is Thur. 6 pm, not showing any replay times.

Yup, they're still on TVSKED Rev A. STS-117 got out to Rev F. It may all change depending on whether SSPTS power transfer works and what happens during Orbiter inspection tomorrow. This CSA media press kit details much of the nominal briefing times... they don't often happen exactly on schedule. If they don't rebroadcast the Post-Launch Conference send me a u2u Jbird.

Cheers,

Vic

[edit on 8-8-2007 by V Kaminski]

I must say , watching NASA TV is quite informative .

I never understood, they opened the Shuttle bay doors, so early in the mission.

And who doesn't love those live (well, almost live) feeds from Space.

I could watch that all day.


BTW, Vic-

Did you ever get a chance to put together that, 'Best Of' compilation, from the last mission?
I think I missed it.

I didn't catch the segment, of the anomaly you posted above,
but the stills, seem to make it appear to be small and
closer to the camera, rather than behind the shuttle.

Did it appear to be larger, and behind the shuttle in the video?

Yeah, it seemed to be above and aft of the port OMS Pod... the video sequence is interesting but nothing that screams alien... it disappears below the level of the OMS pod when the OMS 2 burn was completed... it left me with the impression it was spinning slowly and wobbling as space junk like plastic might, the "spot" has not reappeared and there have been some sun flares between then and now and STS has reoriented. The other debris at 9:40PM EDT is tiny and leaves the picture at angles not parallel to the Orbiter... most likely space junk. hey, cheers on the new duties eh.

Vic

Thanks for all the STS threads V, very interesting an informed, and I always enjoy to follow them. Oh, and don't forget, keep your head up for samsquanch, and stay on that Swayze train, or else Steve French might get you !!!