I got an opportunity to watch the launch of the Space
Shuttle... While I was watching, I took some screen
shots of the NASA TV screen -- I was watching the launch
online.
There's not going to be too many more of
these... so I glad I got to watch this one...
At 20 minutes… a 10
minute hold to run though systems testing for go for launch
Its too bad
there’s only about 5-6 more shuttle flights… iThe Shuttle
program going to be retired in 2010.
After 2010, the US will
be without a crew launch capability until the ORION project
comes online… which right now is about 2015
On this mission the crew
will replace 11 trundle bearings on the space station,
because they were manufactured without enough lubricant. The
bearings are used to move the solar panels, which need to
move in order to track the sun.
Right on schedule, the
countdown restarted…
This mission is going to be a repair mission. 3-4 more
missions will be conducted to complete construction of the
space station. In addition to the repair, a water and air
recycling unit, which will allow the station to support 6
people at the same time. Currently, the station is limited
to 3.
The Orion
project’s first task is a return to space. The Orion capsule
– we’re returning to an Apollo-style launch system – can
carry up to 6 people. The first order of business is to
shuttle supplies, people and equipment to the station.
During the interrupted US program gap, the Russians will
provide launch capability to the station. 15 crew launches
are currently planned during that time.
Follow on targets for
the Orion program include the Moon, by 2020, and possibly a
manned Mars mission some time after that. The Shuttle
program is already beginning to be disassembled, because
enough components are in the pipe – fuel tanks, solid-rocket
boosters (which will be used by Orion, also), and expendable
items such as flight suits.
The Shuttles, originally planned to perform 100
launches each, on a rotating basis of a launch every month
or so, with end up flying about 140 missions between the 5
shuttles. The original estimated time to have a
shuttle ready for re-launch was 2 weeks, but in reality, it
took longer than 3 months.
4 shuttles were built to
fly into orbit. The very first shuttle, Enterprise, was
functionally complete, but was not built to withstand flight
in space. When Challenger was destroyed, it was replaced
after US elementary students raised some 3 million dollars
to help pay for it. Columbia was destroyed during a failed
return, but was not replaced.
Another hold at 9
minutes lasts for 45 minutes… assuming there's been no
unscheduled holds up until then. This hold allows them
to have some leeway to work out issues, and still make the
launch window.
The countdown continued smoothly at exactly 45 minutes... in
the last 9 minutes, some 200,000 checks are made prior to
firing the rocket. At 2 minutes to launch, "Auto
Sequence Start", the computer aboard the shuttle takes over,
and it performs about 20,000 checks on the systems it needs
to get into space… any failure stops the count.
There was some water
dripping out of someplace… this is the lower joint with the
shuttle and the tank.
At 1 minute, the gimbals check takes place… the
rocket nozzles are moved through their motions, so the
computer can make sure it can move them if it needs to..
Meanwhile, the
engineers check the systems from the outside, using cameras…
The joints on
the shuttle that hold the shuttle to the external tank is
very important, and it highly scrutinized.
You can see the drips…
they kept going back to it… I don’t remember seeing this on
any of the other launches, but they just might not have
shown us this angle before…
At 20 seconds, the arms
are fully retracted, and the shuttle is running fully on its
own power…
Checks complete, the nozzles return to launch ready
position…
The
moment of silence… 15...14...13…
Back to the
dripping… they kicked on the igniters while they were
looking at it… you can see the drip lit up by the sparks
The igniters make
SURE that the fuel burns, because hundreds of gallons per
second of fuel gets pumped through the nozzles, and it would
quickly create a nasty hazard.
The igniters kick on at
about 9 seconds…
Main engine start happens at 6 seconds, to give them a
chance to run up to full power…
Ready to go…
3...2...1...
Booster ignition and liftoff…
Leaving the pad…
The camera that was
looking at the joint had a great view… but it kicked off
shortly after this shot – probaby the heat took it out.
Leaving the pad with
a roar…
The
Shuttle's nose heads past the camera…
Followed by the rest of
the Shuttle…
Heading through the clouds and on into space…
Once the Shuttle is
clear of the tower, Houston takes over from The Cape...
8 minutes later,
they're in orbit...
After that, its a catch-up game, with the Shuttle
catching up to the Space Station, some 200 miles above the
earth
I've seen it a
Hundred times... but each time, its AMAZING!
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