DailyTech - NASA Prepares For Shuttle Endeavour Launch

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Blog: Science NASA Prepares For Shuttle Endeavour Launch
Michael Hoffman (Blog) - July 20, 2007 5:16 PM

7 comment(s) - last by Martin Blank.. on Jul 24 at 11:55 PM

Look out space, shuttle Endeavor will be on its way!

Even though NASA started the year off behind schedule with shuttle Atlantis, everything appears to be going well for the planned Endeavour launch in early August. The August 7 launch will be the first Endeavour launch since NASA sent it into space in November 2002.

The crew's planned 14-day mission aboard the International Space Station (ISS) includes the installation of a new truss segment, four scheduled spacewalks, gyroscope replacement, and several tasks that should help expand space education for those of us back on Earth.

Astronauts recently participated in a launch dress rehearsal that was successful - and now the seven astronauts started pre-launch drills.

This is the second of hopefully two more launches for 2007, which puts the U.S. space agency right on track to finish the ISS in 2010 - before the current generation of space shuttle retire.

You can expect to see shuttle Endeavour mentioned numerous times in future editions of DailyTech's International Space Updates. And for the small number of you who took the time to contact me about the ISS, let me apologize that we haven't published an International Space Update in a while - a new one will be published over the weekend.

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Ohh the view...

By pauldovi on 7/20/2007 7:35:30 PM , Rating: 3

This will be my first opportunity to watch the shuttle launch from the air since I got my pilots license in June. :)

RE: Ohh the view...

By Ringold on 7/21/2007 3:26:09 PM , Rating: 2

Did you get it locally here in Florida? I was a permanent fixture at Air Orlando for a few years ending around 05. I think everybody's gone now except for Richard.. I've been to the schools at SFB and ISM, and while it's more expensive Air Orlando definitely took the best care of their planes.

They'll put a TFR up of around 40nm in radius, usually from the ground to FL180, and if you want to push your luck you can try to get flight following within 30nm but don't count on it. Still though, I watched one that way from a 172 before Columbia, and while Jetty Park lets you feel the thunder the view from the plane, as is often the case, was a very unique perspective.. Though, looking back, wish I'd gone with a low-wing. :\

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Power transfer interface.

By ccbr01 on 7/20/2007 9:45:48 PM , Rating: 3

I'm really glad to see optimizations done to orbiter even though retirement is coming soon for the shuttle program. If the power transfer interface from the ISS to the orbiter works, the rest of shuttle's missions could be up to a possible three weeks. Awesome work in my opinion.

RE: Power transfer interface.

By Ringold on 7/21/2007 3:09:48 PM , Rating: 2

If I'm not mistaken, Endeavor's upgrades were set in stone before the Columbia incident. I wouldn't be surprised if all major future work that had been planned was swept off the table. Money better spent at this point keeping the wheels greased for Orion/Constellation/Ares/Etc.

Should take a quick look at a picture of the cockpit from the early to mid 90s and what it looks like now. They went from looking like Cessna 150s to ultra-modern glass panel's that the finest corporate jets just barely have. Sweet stuff

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By lompocus on 7/22/2007 5:12:29 AM , Rating: 1

:( so when will I ever get to see a launch from the west coast? I live next to freaking Vandenburg for God's sake!

Mebbe that's why they just recently demolished the launch platform that was used only ONCE! :(.

RE: :(

By Eris23007 on 7/23/2007 6:41:08 PM , Rating: 2

Vandenburg is a good launch location for different orbits than Kennedy, specifically, to achieve a polar orbit, as after liftoff a rocket headed to polar orbit will not fly over populated areas, which is not true of Kennedy.

Satellites are regularly launched there using Delta IV and Atlas V rockets. Just not space shuttles.

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RE: :(

By Martin Blank on 7/24/2007 11:55:59 PM , Rating: 2

The shuttle never lifted off from Vandenberg, and all thoughts of launching from there ended in 1986 after Challenger exploded and flight operations were consolidated at Cape Canaveral.

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