|
|
|
Coverage continues at Part 7 of our Mission Journal.
-
08 August 2005 - Evening Update - Flight Day 15
starts
tonight, as we
look towards an
early Tuesday homecoming.
NASA reports:
Landing Rescheduled for Tuesday
The crew aboard Space Shuttle Discovery was awakened at 8:39 p.m. EDT today to prepare for landing Tuesday morning.
"We sure hope we get our feet on the ground today," Mission Specialist Wendy Lawrence radioed down after the wake-up call.
Low clouds at Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida prevented the orbiter from landing Monday.
Similar weather conditions are expected for the Tuesday landing opportunities in Florida, so all three primary Shuttle landing sites will be activated.
KSC will remain the preferred landing site. Edwards Air Force Base, California, will be second in preference for landing and White Sands Space Harbor, New Mexico, will be third in preference.
Two Shuttle landing opportunities will be available at each site.
Weather forecasters will be watching the skies over Florida for the first landing opportunity, which would begin with a deorbit engine firing at 4:01 a.m. EDT and lead to a touchdown at KSC at 5:07 a.m. EDT.
-
08 August - Afternoon Update -
Discovery's crew
enjoyed
an
extra free day in space today.
This
article has the new landing schedule.
Officials are
hoping to land in
Florida, but
if the
weather doesn't cooperate, we may be
looking at
California.
NASA reports:
Landing Postponed to Tuesday
Weather conditions at Kennedy Space Center have forced a postponement of Monday's landing to Tuesday. The forecast in Florida remains unstable calling for low-level cloud cover and the potential for rain showers at the landing site.
Unlike launches for which a "go" for liftoff can be given within minutes of changing weather conditions during the launch window, the landing site must be chosen more than an hour before touchdown, when the deorbit burn takes place.
A switch in sites usually can be made up to 90 minutes prior to landing.
Get up early, or stay up late, and watch the
landing with us! Previous landing info below. Updated info is on the
STS-114 Home Page.
-
08 August 2005 - WAVE OFF! -
NASA has
delayed
Discovery's
landing by
one day, due to
weather concerns at
KSC,
setting the next
opportunity for
Tuesday morning.
NASA reports:
Landing Waved Off for Monday
Due
to low clouds at the Kennedy Space Center landing site, Mission Control Houston has waved off both landing opportunities for Space Shuttle Discovery today. STS-114 Commander Eileen Collins and the rest of the crew aboard Space Shuttle Discovery will return the orbiter to normal flight operations for another day.
The next opportunity is at 5:08 a.m. EDT Tuesday.
There are several opportunities to land tomorrow, including two at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida and two at Edwards Air Force Base in California.
Check out NASA's new Landing play-By-Play.
-
08 August 2005 - 3:44AM EDT -
Low clouds have caused a
wave-off of the first
landing attempt.
NASA reports:
First Landing Opportunity Waved Off
Due to low clouds at the Kennedy Space Center landing site, Mission Control Houston has waved off the first landing opportunity for Space Shuttle Discovery today.
STS-114 Commander Eileen Collins and the rest of the crew aboard Space Shuttle Discovery are still working through their landing checklist, working toward the second opportunity at 6:22 a.m. EDT.
If the crew gets the go-ahead from Mission Control for the second landing opportunity, Collins and Pilot Jim Kelly will execute an engine burn that drops Discovery from orbit at 5:15 a.m. EDT.
Mission Specialist Steve Robinson, on his last day in space, offered a glimpse of his experience on a historic spacewalk and other mission events during the first podcast delivered from orbit.
+ Listen to the podcast
The second
landing attempt would bring the total orbits up to 202.
Flight Day 13 videos are up.
DirecTV customers can watch
NASA TV on channel 376, and it's on the web
here.
CNN presentation here.
-
08 August 2005 - LANDING DAY -
Discovery is
buttoned up and
ready
for
re-entry. With weather at
KSC looking
good, the
payload bay doors have been
closed, and we
await the order for
de-orbit burn, which should come at 3:21 AM EDT.
NASA reports:
Payload Bay Doors Closed for Landing
Spacecraft Communicator Ken Ham in Mission Control Houston called Space Shuttle Discovery with an optimistic weather report for landing today.
The first landing opportunity is at 4:47 a.m. EDT.
Commander Eileen Collins, Pilot Jim Kelly and the rest of the crew are well into their preparations for landing at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
One important milestone, closing the orbiter's payload bay doors, was executed after the weather report and an official "go" from Mission Control.
If the crew gets the go-ahead from Mission Control for the first landing opportunity, Collins and Pilot Jim Kelly will execute an engine burn that drops Discovery from orbit at 3:40 a.m. EDT.
If weather prohibits landing on that orbit, Discovery will have another opportunity about 90 minutes later.
Check the play-by-play links at top right, and watch live on
NASA TV. CBS
video coverage
here.
Landing Schedule and
Ground Tracks available.
-
07 August - Evening Update -
Sunday night into Monday
morning marks
Flight Day 14, where Discovery's
seven astronauts will
return home.
NASA reports:
Landing Day Arrives
"We're
looking forward to coming home," Commander Eileen Collins radioed to Mission Control upon crew wakeup at 8:30 p.m. EDT today.
Collins and her crewmates immediately began preparing the orbiter and themselves for landing.
Their first landing opportunity is at Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 4:47 a.m. Monday. If weather prohibits landing on that orbit, they will have another opportunity about 90 minutes later.
If the crew gets the go-ahead from Mission Control for the first landing opportunity, Collins and Pilot Jim Kelly will execute an engine burn that drops Discovery from orbit at 3:40 a.m.
Listen to a podcast from space:
Mission Specialist Steve Robinson, on his last day in space, gives a glimpse of his experience on a historic spacewalk and other mission events.
Stay tuned for live coverage.
-
07 August 2005 - Sunday -
Heading home.
Discovery
is slated to land early Monday
morning,
taking a
new ground track.
Weather at
KSC is looking good.
NASA reports:
Discovery's Voyage Nears an End
Space Shuttle Discovery flies alone.
Its crew was awakened at 8:39 p.m. EDT for the last full day of spaceflight before landing, which is scheduled for 4:46 a.m. EDT Monday.
This will be a quiet day aboard Discovery for the crew, who spent nearly nine days in joint operations with the International Space Station's Expedition 11 crew before undocking early Saturday.
Together, they transferred tons of supplies and equipment to and from the Station, conducted three spacewalks and experimented with techniques for repairing the Shuttle's heat shields.
STS-114, dubbed the most photographed spaceflight, set a new precedent for future test flights.
Never-before-seen imagery aided engineers in assessing the Shuttle’s external tank performance and ensuring a safe heat shield for return to Earth.
A mission of firsts, STS-114 carried the Orbiter's Boom Sensor System on its maiden flight, performed the first back-flip in spaceflight and successfully completed a first-of-its-kind repair to the Shuttle, making spacewalk history.
Discovery was the first Space Shuttle to visit the Station since late 2002.
The two crews paid tribute to the astronauts and cosmonauts who have given their lives for space exploration.
Flight Day 12 pics and
videos are up,
as well as the
Mission Status Briefing.
For EVA3 and Undocking coverage, see Part 5 of our Mission Journal.
[STS-114 Home]
|
|
|
|