Shuttle Discovery de-orbit burn for KSC landing in 10..9..8..7..6..5..4..3..2..1

[karlrschneider]

Mark!

[Dr.Phool]

1. I should expect a sonic boom soon.

[karlrschneider]

6. About 45 minutes yet for that

:D

[Blue_In_AK]

2. I hope everybody makes it back safe.

Bill Ofelein, the pilot, is an Alaska boy, graduated from the same high school as two of my daughters. :)

[whistle]

3. It is 4:27pm right now in Orlando, highly overcast, 82F and about 110% humidity

:scared: :shrug: :hide: :yoiks:

[nashville_brook]

4. is it happening?

http://www.floridatoday.com/floridatoday/blogs/spaceteam/

from the Florida Today Space blog:

This has been an unpredictable mission. Here's the latest. The horrible weather forecast of the past few days has given way to allowing NASA to land the shuttle Discovery here at Kennedy Space Center at 5:32 p.m. tonight. Discovery's commander will fire its engines at 4:26 p.m. for a no-turning-back dive through the atmosphere. Forecasters say that the rain is subsiding enough and conditions will be good enough for a safe touchdown at the spaceship's home port.

[karlrschneider]

7. They're committed to Canaveral now. About an hour to touchdown

...

[itsmesgd]

5. completing the deorbit burn

I'm surprised that they picked FL. it looks like spotty rain showers. I guess to cheap to pick white sands

[karlrschneider]

8. Look at the White Sands on Google Earth if you have it...

it's 50 miles to the nearest rest room. :D

[itsrobert]

9. Rain and Snow showers

at White Sands tonight. Plus wind is picking up.

[karlrschneider]

11. Doesn't matter now, they've de-orbited for KSC

...about 45 minutes now.

[tridim]

13. And no hangars or other support facilities, right?

I was under the impression that White Sands was only used as an absolute last resort.

[A HERETIC I AM]

Landing anywhere other than Kennedy adds millions to the cost of the flight

for no other reason than having to ferry it back on the 747's they use. There are only a few places with what they call a "Mate-Demate" facility


The cost of the men and the flight is expensive. If i am not mistaken, there are only 4 of these facilities; One at Edwards (Dryden Research Center), one at the Plant 42 Complex in Palmdale where the Shuttles were built (about 30 miles from Edwards) One at Vandenburg AFB in CA and one at the cape. If they land it anywhere else it is going to sit there for as long as it takes to get one of those units shipped in and assembled.

[La_Fourmi_Rouge]

10. Watching the "parade" on cable access NASA tv...

This mission has been a real success so far, but my gut always stays tight until touchdown.

[karlrschneider]

12. That road must have a 2 mph speed limit!

:D

[helderheid]

16. me too

[tridim]

14. I must have missed the news, what happened with the left-wing leading edge?

Was it a false alarm?

[karlrschneider]

15. Duct tape.

:evilgrin:

[MazeRat7]

17. Hey hey... looks like I'v got a shot at seeing them pass by....

For Austin best chance is @ 4:16 about 37degress above the horizon and ~300NM. It should be somewhere in the NW sky... 320 degrees E of North to be exact.

Here is the link to the tracking info for others...

http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/realdata/tracking/

Doubt I'll see it but I've been lucky before.


MZr7

Sorry I forget the link: I got excited.

[karlrschneider]

18. You forgot the link. It'll be a ways south of you

;-)

[MazeRat7]

19. Yup... Didn't see if but definately heard the boom at 23min after.

Oh well.. its was fun trying...

MZr7

[La_Fourmi_Rouge]

20. Very smooth!

Falling like a brick, strip in sight.

[La_Fourmi_Rouge]

21. Sweet! n/t

[alfredo]

22. I really liked the infrared views. I can see why they take

their time approaching the vehicle.