NASA Fuels Endeavour for Next-to-Last Shuttle Launch Today

[bananas]

Source: space.com

NASA has begun fueling its youngest orbiter, the space shuttle Endeavour, for one last journey to space today (April 29).

Endeavour is set to launch on its 25th and last voyage at 3:47 p.m. EDT (1947 GMT) from here at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. Weather forecasts predict a 70 percent chance of clear skies, but if clouds or strong winds linger at the launch pad NASA may have to delay the liftoff.

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Endeavor's main mission is to carry up a particle detector that aims to revolutionize astrophysics and cosmology. The Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS) will be installed on the space station to search for cosmic ray particles that might shed light on cosmic mysteries such as the invisible dark matter that is thought to permeate the universe.

"It's the premier physics experiment; it's probably the most expensive thing ever flown by the space shuttle," Kelly said in a NASA interview.

<snip>

Read more: http://www.space.com/11517-nasa-space-shuttle-endeavour-launch-preview.html

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Launches this afternoon.
3:47 pm EDT is 12:47 pm PDT
Video feeds:
KSC: http://science.ksc.nasa.gov/shuttle/countdown/video/
NASA TV: http://www.nasa.gov/ntv

[Dennis Donovan]

1. Next-to-last? I thought this was the final flight...

...I know it's the final flight for Endeavour, but I thought this was being billed as the last shuttle flight.:shrug:

[Ineeda]

5. Last for Endeavour but

Atlantis (the very last) is scheduled for June 28.

[bananas]

12. Scrubbed for at least 48 hours nt

[Keith Bee]

2. We will regret this

Giving up our role in manned spaceflight is inutterably unwise.

[bananas]

4. I feel good about SpaceX and the others

NASA wasn't getting the funding needed,
SpaceX, Bigelow, and the others put their own money into it,
they got tired of waiting for Congress.

[backscatter712]

11. That's where our hope lies, for better or for worse.

Here's hoping SpaceX gets its Dragon capsule and man-rated Falcon 9 operational. I find them incredibly promising, especially after successful flights of Falcon 9 and the Dragon test capsule.

[plumbob]

6. Yep. Our entire standard of living is a direct result of the space program.

The problems solved during the creation of manned space flight provided answers far more valuable than actual information from the flights.

Now, the private sector, which is in pre-1957 mode, will get to fuck us for $$, and that's the end of shared knowledge.

LBJ knew exactly what he was doing when he insisted NASA be a civilian agency.

[humblebum]

7. That cannot be stated strongly enough. nt

Very unwise and potentially very dangerous. America is being dismantled one piece at a time.

[stockholmer]

9. "America is being dismantled one piece at a time" ding ding ding-- we have a winner!

Both political parties are absolutely to blame for being puppets of the money-changers. To support either one (as the 'lesser of 2 evils') is national suicide.

Things, tragically, are going to get real ugly in the States.

US DX is down to 72.7, and dropping like a rock. Brent crude is over $126 a barrel. Massive new amounts of unemployment claims, even as millions are dropped from the rolls. Class action lawsuits against the rapacious corporations were banned by the Supreme Court.

But hey! The DJIA is at 12763, so ALLLLLL is fine, nothing to see here, move along.

:thumbsdown:

[Kolesar]

3. Is the "space race" with the "evil Russians" finally over?

Fifty years of Titans and Saturns done? How will the aerospace industry make money now? And buy second homes and BMWs for the engineers??

[newblewtoo]

8. Corporate Amerika took it private

But for completely noble purposes, I am sure. :sarcasm:

Review: The Privatization of Space Exploration


http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1617/1

I need to find this book, anyone here read it??




The Russians are not entirely happy with this arrangement.

Russia has concerns for SpaceX safety for docking to ISS
April 26, 2011 By Nancy Atkinson, Universe Today

http://www.physorg.com/news/2011-04-russia-spacex-safet...

It seems like such a long time ago when a young JFK led us into space. Why do I now feel like that dream is being sold out to the highest bidder?

[Roland99]

10. 750,000 expected to view the launch

good thing tomorrow's Saturday or a lot of people wouldn't be making it to work the next morning! :)

[cpwm17]

13. The local news out of Orlando says the launch is scrubbed

There are technical problems. Maybe it will go on Sunday at the earliest.