By TonyF on 28 March 2009 at 3:20PM
On a windy Saturday afternoon, Discovery returned to Kennedy Space Center to wrap up mission STS-119, leaving the International Space Station with full power-producing capability, and its first Japanese crew member. NASA reports:
Image above: Space shuttle Discovery lands at Kennedy Space Center, Fla. Photo credit: NASA TV
Live landing coverage available on NASA TV and NASA's Launch Blog.
Space shuttle Discovery rolled to a stop at Kennedy Space Center, completing its 13-day journey of more than 5.3 million miles in space.
The post-landing news conference is set for approximately 5:15 p.m. EDT and will air live on NASA Television. The participants are Bill Gerstenmaier, LeRoy Cain and Mike Leinbach. The crew's return to Houston's Ellington Field is expected about 5 p.m. Sunday.
STS-119 was the 125th space shuttle mission, the 36th flight for Discovery and the 28th shuttle visit to the station.
Live coverage at NASA landing blog and SpaceVidcast. Look for landing pics and video at KSC. Discussion here. Check the links at right for play-by-play and NASA TV.
By TonyF on 28 March 2009 at 2:22PM
Discovery has fired her OMS engines, and the seven astronauts are headed back to Florida! NASA reports:
Image: Long range landing ground tracks for Discovery's return to NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Credit: NASA
› STS-119 Landing Ground Tracks
Mission Control has confirmed space shuttle Discovery's successful deorbit burn. The burn lasted from three to four minutes, slowing Discovery enough to begin its descent.
Touchdown on runway 15 at Kennedy's Shuttle Landing Facility will be at 3:14 p.m. EDT. Meanwhile, the landing crews are ramping up into high-gear for Discovery's arrival.
Live landing coverage is available on NASA TV and NASA's Launch Blog.
There will be a post-landing news conference at no earlier than 2 hours after landing and a crew post-landing news conference, at no earlier than 5 1/2 hours after landing. Both events will be broadcast on NASA TV.
Landing Day Timeline - All times listed in EDT
2:08:44 p.m. Deorbit burn duration 3 minutes, 1 second - slows shuttle's speed to
231 mph
2:11:45 p.m. Deorbit burn complete
2:42:21 p.m. Entry interface - distance to Kennedy Space Center, 5,023 miles
2:47:21 p.m. First roll command to right
2:56:36 p.m. First right-to-left roll reversal
3:03 p.m. C-band radar acquisition
3:07:24 p.m. Velocity less than mach 2.5
3:09:37 p.m.Velocity less than mach 1
3:10:23 p.m.Shuttle banks to line up on runway 15
3:13:59 p.m. Landing - 202 orbits / Mission Elapsed Time: 12 days, 19 hours, 30 minutes, 15 seconds
Follow the homecoming at the NASA landing blog and at SpaceVidcast. Look for landing pics and video at KSC. Discussion here. Check the links at right for play-by-play and NASA TV.
By TonyF on 28 March 2009 at 11:38AM
High winds at KSC have caused mission managers to wave off the first landing attempt, and go around for one more orbit. NASA reports:
› STS-119 Landing Ground Tracks
Mission Control Center in Houston has waved-off the first landing opportunity at Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
The next Kennedy landing opportunity is at 3:13 p.m. EDT, with a deorbit burn of 2:08 p.m. EDT.
Live landing coverage available on NASA TV and NASA's Launch Blog.
Check the links at right for play-by-play and NASA TV.
Live coverage at NASA landing blog and SpaceVidcast. Flight Day 13 pics and video are up at the JSC Gallery. Discussion here. Status Report #26 here. Look for landing pics and video at KSC. Discussion here. Check the links at right for play-by-play and NASA TV.
By TonyF on 28 March 2009 at 9:55AM
Shuttle Discovery is due to land today at 1:39PM EDT - but mission managers are keeping a close eye on the weather. NASA reports:
Image above: Astronauts Richard Arnold (foreground) and Steve Swanson, both STS-119 mission specialists; along with astronaut Lee Archambault (right), commander, look out an overhead window on the aft flight deck of space shuttle Discovery. Photo credit: NASA
Commander Lee Archambault leads Discovery's crew of seven, along with Pilot Tony Antonelli, and Mission Specialists Joseph Acaba, John Phillips, Steve Swanson, Richard Arnold and Sandy Magnus on mission STS-119.
The STS-119 crew members flew the S6 truss segment and installed the final set of power-generating solar arrays to the International Space Station. The S6 truss completes the backbone of the station and provides one-fourth of the total power needed to support a crew of six.
High-definition video of space shuttle Discovery's flyaround of the International Space Station is now available on NASA's HD Video page.
› View video
› View the shuttle and station crew members speaking with President Obama
› Listen to President Obama's call to the space station (19.2 Mb MP3)
Additional Resources
› STS-119 Flow Valve Fact Sheet (447 Kb PDF)
› STS-119 Mission Summary (562 Kb PDF)
› STS-119 Fact Sheet (788 Kb PDF)
› STS-119 Press Kit (5.06 Mb PDF)
› STS-119 Information for Educators
Image: Long range landing ground tracks for Discovery's return to NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Credit: NASA
› STS-119 Landing Ground Tracks
Flight controllers reported to the space shuttle crew that weather conditions are forecast to be acceptable for their return home and that they could begin deorbit preparations.
Discovery will fire its engines at 12:33 p.m. to begin the descent to Florida on a northeasterly track that will cross over Central America and Cuba.
The first landing opportunity is set for 1:39 p.m. EDT at NASA Kennedy's Shuttle Landing Facility on Runway 15.
Check the links at right for play-by-play and NASA TV.
Live coverage at NASA landing blog and SpaceVidcast. Flight Day 13 pics and video are up at the JSC Gallery. Discussion here. Status Report #26 here. Look for landing pics and video at KSC. Discussion here. Check the links at right for play-by-play and NASA TV.
By TonyF on 15 March 2009 at 6:52PM
Discovery blasted into the evening sky on a 13-day mission to the International Space Station. NASA reports:
Image: Space shuttle Discovery blazes into the night sky as it lifts off Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. Photo credit: NASA TV
Space shuttle Discovery has cleared the launch tower! It is tracing a brilliant arc of white and orange flames through the dusky-night sky on its way to orbit.
The twin solid rocket boosters will burnout shortly and fall away as Discovery continues its climb powered by its three main engines. Once in orbit, it will take Discovery about two days to catch up to the International Space Station.
Image: Space shuttle Discovery, with the STS-119 astronauts aboard, awaits liftoff. Photo credit: NASA TV
› View larger image
The astronauts of STS-119 are to install the last major set of solar arrays to the orbiting laboratory complex during the mission.
Japan's Koichi Wakata also will switch from the shuttle to the station crew and current station crew member Sandra Magnus will become a member of the Discovery crew.
Live webcast from KSC and SpaceVidcast. Preflight pics are up at the JSC Gallery and Orlando Sentinel. More preflight pics and video at KSC. Discussion here. Check the links at right for play-by-play and NASA TV.
By TonyF on 15 March 2009 at 5:08PM
The hatches are closed, and the weather outlook has improved from 80% to 100%. NASA reports:
Image: A Kennedy technician secures Commander Lee Archambault into his seat on space shuttle Discovery. Photo credit: NASA TV
› View High-res
Live webcast from KSC and SpaceVidcast. Preflight pics are up at the JSC Gallery and Orlando Sentinel. More preflight pics and video at KSC. Discussion here. Check the links at right for play-by-play and NASA TV.
By TonyF on 15 March 2009 at 4:06PM
The seven astronauts of STS-119 are strapping into the Orbiter for tonight's launch. NASA reports:
Image: Discovery's crew member wave to well-wishers as they make their way to the Astrovan which will take them to Launch Pad 39A. Photo credit: NASA TV
› View High-res
Image: The STS-119 crew members wave to the crowd before climbing into NASA's Astrovan. Photo credit: NASA TV
› View larger image
| All times listed in EDT |
|
| 2:30 p.m. |
Live launch coverage begins on NASA TV and Launch Blog |
| 3:48 p.m. |
Countdown resumes at T-3 hours |
| 3:53 p.m. |
Discovery astronauts depart crew quarters for Launch Pad 39-A |
| 4:23 p.m. |
Discovery astronauts arrive at the launch pad and begin to board Discovery |
| 5:38 p.m. |
Discovery's hatch is closed and latched for launch |
| 6:28 p.m. |
Countdown enters a 10-minute planned hold at the T-20 minute mark |
| 6:38 p.m. |
Countdown resumes at the T-20 minute mark |
| 6:49 p.m. |
Countdown enters a 45-minute planned hold at the T-9 minute mark, during which the Mission Management Team, and Launch Control team will conduct polls to give a final "go" decision for launch |
| 7:34:44 p.m. |
Countdown resumes at the T-9 minute mark |
| 7:38:44 p.m. |
Auxiliary Power Units start at the T-5 minute mark |
| 7:43:44 p.m. |
Discovery launches on the STS-119 mission |
| 7:52:07 p.m. |
Main Engine Cut Off (MECO) |
Live webcast from KSC. Preflight pics are up at the JSC Gallery and Orlando Sentinel. More preflight pics and video at KSC. Discussion here. Check the links at right for play-by-play and NASA TV.
By TonyF on 15 March 2009 at 3:40PM
A special team of ground personnel have deployed to the launchpad to check out a system on the Mobile Launch Platform. Also, a small bat (a small furry flying mammal, not the baseball kind!) has decided to "hang out" on the External Tank. He's in for a wild ride! NASA reports:
Image: Kennedy's "Red Team" is sent to Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center to check out a helium pressure drop. Photo credit: NASA TV
› View High-res
A "red team" has been dispatched to the launch pad to adjust a pressurization valve on the mobile launcher platform, or MLP. The team of technicians and safety personnel are accessing a panel inside the MLP to increase the pressure of helium that feeds to a "gap" area between the external tank and shuttle. This area where liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen lines run from the tank to the shuttle, is purged with helium to prevent the formation of ice and the accumulation of gaseous hydrogen and oxygen. Helium does not freeze in the presence of super-cold hydrogen.
The helium level was on the lower side of acceptable limits, and the red team will adjust the pressure to create the proper margin.
This issue will not interfere with today's launch attempt.
Image: Space shuttle Discovery stands tall on NASA Kennedy Space Center's Launch Pad 39A awaiting liftoff. Photo credit: NASA TV
› View larger image
Live webcast from KSC and SpaceVidcast. Preflight pics are up at the JSC Gallery and Orlando Sentinel. More preflight pics and video at KSC. Discussion here. Check the links at right for play-by-play and NASA TV.
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