Endeavour to the ISS (STS 127)

lord lucan

Is that pic from the visitor centre viewing site beeker as opposed to the causeway?

Kevster

Oh bugger - yeh - I just realised that there are only - what - 7 launches remaining? I'm in no position to afford to go over to see a launch, so, I guess that's it then (I'll never see one). Make sure you come back with detailed second by second accounts of what happens lord lucan

lord lucan

NASA seem happy with the results from Endeavours heat shield scan,no cause for concern.

On a related note they've delayed Discoverys(STS-128) roll out from proccessing to the VAB from monday until friday. They want to have a further look at it's ET before they mate the 2. I'd imagine it's a follow on from the foam debris episode on STS-127,could put STS-128 back towards the end of august now though!

ynotdu

Kevster wrote: »

Oh bugger - yeh - I just realised that there are only - what - 7 launches remaining? I'm in no position to afford to go over to see a launch, so, I guess that's it then (I'll never see one). Make sure you come back with detailed second by second accounts of what happens lord lucan

You and me mate as regarding affording to go see a Launch:mad:
Guess we will have to beat up Beeker for having got the T shirt, and bury Lord Lucan alongside Shergar if he manages the trip and does not post photos:D

as always though the shuttle may keep us guessing and if it does not have a premature ending and not fly 7 more times,it may through delays run well into 2011,or beyond?

Obama has the whole future of NASA under review by a consultant,who knows what it might suggest?to my surprise though rumour has it that Barack himself favours unmanned flight in light of his liking for technology during campaign.:(

So may,be we should not give up hope of seeing a launch just yet:)

ynotdu

If anybody wants to follow the Apollo 11 mission as it happened this site is now recreating in delayed real time in real footage,graphics where no video available and audio,all as if it was happening now.The main party behind the site is the JFK Library.there is even a a desktop widget if you wish and tonnes of other stuff.I will proably post it in another forum as well but wanted to be sure you guys got it:)


http://wechoosethemoon.org/#

Kevster

ynotdu wrote: »

You and me mate as regarding affording to go see a Launch:mad:
Guess we will have to beat up Beeker for having got the T shirt, and bury Lord Lucan alongside Shergar if he manages the trip and does not post photos:D

as always though the shuttle may keep us guessing and if it does not have a premature ending and not fly 7 more times,it may through delays run well into 2011,or beyond?

Obama has the whole future of NASA under review by a consultant,who knows what it might suggest?to my surprise though rumour has it that Barack himself favours unmanned flight in light of his liking for technology during campaign.:(

So may,be we should not give up hope of seeing a launch just yet:)

Well said dude. We shouldn't discount a similar launch-and-reuse type orbiter in the future too though, but the launches probably wouldn't be as dramatic. I guess we have to face it that the rocket is vastly wasteful and won't - and shouldn't - feature in long term plans.

By the way, that website from that link is intense!

ynotdu

Kevster wrote: »

Well said dude. We shouldn't discount a similar launch-and-reuse type orbiter in the future too though, but the launches probably wouldn't be as dramatic. I guess we have to face it that the rocket is vastly wasteful and won't - and shouldn't - feature in long term plans.

By the way, that website from that link is intense!

Yeah pad 39b was officialy handed over to testing of the Launch vehicle of Orion(Ares1 and Ares 5 )they have already had a stability test firing of it.

they are going for lots of re-usable if Orian and its launcher gets accepted,but the good and sensible news is the crew will be above the tanks and they will have an escape tower!

ynotdu

Lucky Cosmonauts:eek:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UyFF4cpMVag

Beeker

lord lucan wrote: »

Is that pic from the visitor centre viewing site beeker as opposed to the causeway?

Yes I took it standing next to the Shuttle launch Experience building at the visitors center. I could not get a ticket for the causeway in time. The causeway is the best viewing site but tickets are no easy to get. The visitors center is no bad but you do not get a view of the launch pad so you only see the launch once it clears the tree tops {a few seconds}. The advantage is you have access to the center while waiting. All the displays and of course food and toilets. They also have a big screen so you can follow the countdown. You can also watch from Titusville which gives you a great view accross the Indian river to the pad. The disadvantage of this is you are 12 miles away, you see it from ignition but you dont have the same sound and view as from the visitors center. If you can get to the causeway.

lostexpectation

ynotdu wrote: »

Lucky Cosmonauts:eek:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UyFF4cpMVag

could have done, when did they need to use one?.

ynotdu

lostexpectation wrote: »

could have done, when did they need to use one?.

the last audio from the shuttle Challenger was" aw ohh" as all their caution and warning lamps would have been flashing.
That split second would have allowed them to tug on an escape tower handle that the commanders of all mercury,gemini and apollo flights had decades before.thus the refrences in earliour posts to the sts,s many design flaws.
Great machine though the Orbiter is as far as Crew safety is concerned it was a retrograde step.they would at least have had a chance.
there are slim chances after two minuates of a sucessful abort and return to earth with the sts.
before that once ignited they are sitting on a potentiol explosion with no way to save their lives.

lord lucan

Undocking from ISS in 10 minutes on NASA tv.

Beeker

Great video from the fly around! Landing this Friday at 15:48.

ynotdu

lord lucan wrote: »

Undocking from ISS in 10 minutes on NASA tv.

Lord lucan i could not watch it,did they have uninterupted live coverage?
as you know the relay satelites often are out of range at crucial moments and all we get to see is the graphics?

ynotdu

Beeker wrote: »

Great video from the fly around! Landing this Friday at 15:48.

Hi Beeker,the time you quoted for the landing is Irish time?

Would,nt it be kindda cool for once if a shuttle had to land in one of the alternate landing sites around the globe just once before its retired.
i know it would cost lots and delay future flights.
still i would like to see it for the novelty!

P.S i had not even heard of pad 34 for Mercury flights,let alone know it still existed!
that tour must really be Brilliant!!!!!!

jumpguy

I've actually kinda wished they'd do that. To see a Shuttle at Shannon would be amazing. But it'd be too difficult and an unnessicary risk. I'd say all NASA are praying for is to finish the Shuttle program with no further fatalities.

ynotdu

jumpguy wrote: »

I've actually kinda wished they'd do that. To see a Shuttle at Shannon would be amazing. But it'd be too difficult and an unnessicary risk. I'd say all NASA are praying for is to finish the Shuttle program with no further fatalities.

i agree totally with both your points,
the real pity is if the shuttle had not had the desighn flaws previously mentioned *She* would most likely not be for the chop:(

I feel real sorry for the Astronauts who trained for it but will never fly her:(

NASA,s real problem was their budget was changed at the design stage at the whim of congress:mad:
they are still at the mercy of same whilst trying to build their next generation craft:mad:

NASA,s workers(not their top brass or politicions)are BRILLIANT!

lord lucan

ynotdu wrote: »

Lord lucan i could not watch it,did they have uninterupted live coverage?
as you know the relay satelites often are out of range at crucial moments and all we get to see is the graphics?

Pretty much uninterupted coverage,a couple of times they had to go to constantly updating still shots and once to graphics,great video of it doing a lap around the ISS !

ynotdu

lord lucan wrote: »

Pretty much uninterupted coverage,a couple of times they had to go to constantly updating still shots and once to graphics,great video of it doing a lap around the ISS !

It is great to see either the shuttle sending live feeds of the iss in all its glory aint it,also a live feed from the iss of the shuttle departing/arriaving?
have lost count of the amount of times they were too far away from tracking stations or needed the hi-gain for radar purposes.sounds like you got lucky on this departure!

ty for the reply:)

jumpguy

God the ISS is different than when I last saw it. Did they deploy new solar panels that might increase it's mag?

ynotdu

jumpguy wrote: »

God the ISS is different than when I last saw it. Did they deploy new solar panels that might increase it's mag?

I have only seen the iss once with the naked eye in a built up man made light viewing area.

the final set of solar arrays were deployed a few missions ago.

I have read elsewhere that the iss can FLARE by up to a magnitude of x16 of Sirious,but even NASA cannot predict when these FLARES might happen.
in as much as i understand the iss has to be at just the perfect angle relative to your area and the sun.

i would love to catch THAT sometime!!!!!

Beeker

ynotdu wrote: »

Hi Beeker,the time you quoted for the landing is Irish time?

Would,nt it be kindda cool for once if a shuttle had to land in one of the alternate landing sites around the globe just once before its retired.
i know it would cost lots and delay future flights.
still i would like to see it for the novelty!

P.S i had not even heard of pad 34 for Mercury flights,let alone know it still existed!
that tour must really be Brilliant!!!!!!

Landing time is Irish.

Landing at Shannon would be something else!:)

Oh yeah what a tour, designed for the nerd in us all!:D

jumpguy

ynotdu wrote: »

I have only seen the iss once with the naked eye in a built up man made light viewing area.

the final set of solar arrays were deployed a few missions ago.

I have read elsewhere that the iss can FLARE by up to a magnitude of x16 of Sirious,but even NASA cannot predict when these FLARES might happen.
in as much as i understand the iss has to be at just the perfect angle relative to your area and the sun.

i would love to catch THAT sometime!!!!!

The ISS is always visible to the naked eye in the evening for about a third of the year. You just meerly have to look up. The only conditions that have to be fulfilled is that the viewer is in darkness and the ISS is lit by sun. It'll be visible again in the evening in about a month!

You can go to www.heavens-above.org to get a load of pass times for loads of satellites (including the ISS). You just have to enter your co-ordinates.

EDIT: Sorry, the bolded text was referring to flares! Your first sentence though confuses me, do you mean you've only seen flares that way or the ISS in general?

As far as I know, ynotdu is talking about something different.

The ISS can, on occasion, flare in the same way as an Iridium satellite. When it does this, it can hit mag. -5/-6 or even greater (Iridium flares can hit -8). Very specific conditions have to be met for it to flare (the angle of the solar panels has to be perfect relative to both your location and the Sun).

Look at this photo:



You can see the ISS get brighter for ~5/10 degrees. That's the flare.

lostexpectation

-JammyDodger- wrote: »

As far as I know, ynotdu is talking about something different.

he always is isn't he

ynotdu

-JammyDodger- wrote: »

As far as I know, ynotdu is talking about something different.

The ISS can, on occasion, flare in the same way as an Iridium satellite. When it does this, it can hit mag. -5/-6 or even greater (Iridium flares can hit -8). Very specific conditions have to be met for it to flare (the angle of the solar panels has to be perfect relative to both your location and the Sun).

Look at this photo:



You can see the ISS get brighter for ~5/10 degrees. That's the flare.

Great photo Jammydodger,no we are talking about the same thing only you demonstrated it by photo and phrased it better:)

ynotdu

lostexpectation wrote: »

he always is isn't he

lostexpectation your continuas one line sarcastic remarks on this thread impress nobody.
excuse people if in their enthusismn for space they go off topic in YOUR opinion,i suggest you report it to an admin since it bothers you that much.

it would be even better though if you had posted something of interest to ANYBODY, anywere on this thread.

Stargate

-JammyDodger- wrote: »

As far as I know, ynotdu is talking about something different.

The ISS can, on occasion, flare in the same way as an Iridium satellite. When it does this, it can hit mag. -5/-6 or even greater (Iridium flares can hit -8). Very specific conditions have to be met for it to flare (the angle of the solar panels has to be perfect relative to both your location and the Sun).

Look at this photo:

You can see the ISS get brighter for ~5/10 degrees. That's the flare.

Hiya -JammyDodger-

Theres something really nice about that shot !
Cool

Stargate

ynotdu

Kevster wrote: »

Oh bugger - yeh - I just realised that there are only - what - 7 launches remaining? I'm in no position to afford to go over to see a launch, so, I guess that's it then (I'll never see one). Make sure you come back with detailed second by second accounts of what happens lord lucan

Hi Kevster did you read this thread started by Lord lucan?
looks like we might get a chance to see a launch after all!
the link LL put on his first post makes for very interesting reading!http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055636033

lord lucan

I think by pure fluke i seen Endeavour pass in the early hours of this morning. I was out in my garden having a smoke before bed around 02.05 and out of the corner of my eye i seen 2 reasonably bright objects pass,one lower than the other. Seemed the same as last time i saw the 2 in relative proximity last november.

Haven't been near heavens above all week,our lovely summer weather is making visibility poor atm so i haven't been looking to see what passes are being made and what mag they are.