Space Shuttle Discovery Launches
NASA Space Shuttle Discovery Launch Mission Status
Launch: 2:37:55 pm EDT
Landing: July 16 8:51 am EDT.
Mission Updates: SpaceRef ISS/Shuttle Status Center
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2:50 p.m. – The crew of Discovery and mission control have confirmed that the orbiter’s external tank camera captured images of the tank. The pictures will be analyzed by the mission management and imagery analysis teams over the next few hours.
2:46 p.m. – MECO: Discovery’s main engines have “cut off” and separation of the external fuel tank has finished.
2:45 p.m. – Discovery is currently travelling at more than 4 miles per second, 14,000 mph.
2:44 p.m. – Discovery has rolled to a heads up position. All three engines continue to function normally. Two minutes of powered flight remaining for Discovery.
2:42 p.m. – Discovery is now at the point of negative return and four minutes, eight seconds into the flight
2:41 p.m. – Discovery is now 53 miles in altitude, speeding along at more than 4,000 mph.
2:40 p.m. – Discovery’s solid rocket boosters have cleanly separated from the shuttle.
2:38 p.m. – 10…9…8…We have a “go” for main engine start…5…4…3….2….1…Booster ignition…and…LIFTOFF OF THE SPACE SHUTTLE DISCOVERY – Returning to the Space Station…while paving the way for future missions beyond….
2:32 p.m. – APU prestart is complete and the units are ready for activation. The orbiters “black boxes” to record flight data are now in the recording mode and will continue to collect data of the shuttle systems performance during the flight.
2:30 p.m. – The orbiter access arm is being retracted from Space Shuttle Discovery. In an emergency, it could be returned to its extended position in just 28 seconds. The White Room, which only hours ago provided access to Discovery’s crew module, is at the tip of the arm.
2:28 p.m. – T-9 minutes and counting down to the liftoff of Space Shuttle Discovery on this glorious July day.
2:25 p.m. – After the NASA Test Director and Launch Director’s poll, Mike Leinbach advises Commander Lindsey that Discovery is go for launch and he wished the crew well. Lindsey said he hoped that soon the east coast would see “the rocket’s red glare.”
2:15 p.m. – The Mission Management team has been polled and they are ready to proceed with the countdown.
2:14 p.m. – According to mission control in Houston, there are no longer any wind issues at the Shuttle Landing Facility in the event a landing would be required. No other weather issues are in work and it is looking good for Discovery to launch this afternoon.
2:04 p.m. – There will probably be an unscheduled hold at T-31 seconds while we wait for the liquid oxygen (LOX) inlet temperatures on Discovery’s main propulsion system to come back down to within limits. At this time, the team is not sure if this temperature will be exceeded or not. The main propulsion system LOX temperature is slightly higher than during the last few days and must be at a specific temperature to ensure that the propellant is in a precise state for engine startup. The hold could last for up to three minutes and 44 seconds without delaying the launch.
1:55 p.m. – Just before this hold is released there will be a number of polls. Mission Management Team Chairman John Shannon will poll the Mission Management Team to proceed with the count. NASA Test Director Jeff Spaulding will complete his poll of the various test conductors, including those responsible for the vehicle, the spacecraft, the launch range, the tracking stations and mission control. Mike Leinbach, launch director, will poll the shuttle engineering director, the Cape weather officer and the director of safety to verify that everyone is ready to pick up the countdown to launch.
1:43 p.m. – The countdown is at T-9 and holding. When the count resumes, the GLS will be in control of all critical space shuttle launch operations. This master computer program will issue all of the commands necessary to perform final critical tasks required to put the vehicle in the final launch configuration.
This is the last of our built-in holds and will last for about 45 minutes.
1:36 p.m. – Pilot Mark Kelly is performing the main propulsion system helium reconfiguration. This procedure will open the helium isolation valves to permit in-flight purges of the three engines, as well as provide an emergency source of pressure for pneumatic shutdown of the engines.
1:32 p.m. – The clock has started again at T-20 minutes and counting. The latest weather report states that crosswinds at the runway are gusting in and out of the 15-knot limit. This will continue to be monitored and an average wind speed will be calculated as we get closer to launch time. Offshore rain showers are dissipating as they approach 20 nautical miles from the pad.
1:22 p.m. – The countdown is at T-20 minutes and holding. The booster recovery ships have reported that they are on station in the Atlantic and ready for launch.
1:12 p.m. – Commander Lindsey is prepping the gaseous nitrogen system for Discovery’s orbital maneuvering system (OMS) engines while Pilot Kelly is activating the gaseous nitrogen supply for the orbiter’s auxiliary power units.
1:03 p.m. – The Ground Launch Sequencer (GLS) computer has been activated in the firing room. The GLS is a master computer program which controls the final nine minutes of the countdown. The GLS will monitor approximately one thousand different measurements to ensure the system operates within predetermined limits.
The crew inside Discovery continues to perform their preflight checklists.
12:54 p.m. – The preflight calibration of the inertial measurement units (IMU) will be completed shortly. The IMU system controls the guidance and navigation of the shuttle during ascent and while on orbit. The system tells the orbiter where in space it is in relation to Earth.
12:48 p.m. – The STA being piloted by Astronaut Mike Bloomfield has just taken off from the Shuttle Landing Facility at Kennedy. Bloomfield will remain airborne through the rest of the countdown monitoring weather around the pad and runway.
12:29 p.m. – The hatch has been closed and locked for flight. Technicians are now performing cabin leak checks to make sure Discovery is maintaining pressure.
12:21 p.m. – The time remaining to the launch of Discovery is now T-1 hour, 20 minutes and counting. The go was given by launch control to close and seal the orbiter’s hatch. The closeout crew leader is making final preparations to shut the hatch. Once sealed, the leader will ensure that the hatch is properly pressurized for flight.
12:15 p.m. – The clock is at T-1 hour, 33 minutes and counting. At launch time, the ISS will be located 763 km. (474 miles) south of Tazmania at 50:36:10 S latitude and 148:13:26 E longitude tracking southeast.
11:42 a.m. – Mission Specialist Lisa Nowak will be the last crew member to enter the orbiter. She will be sitting on the flight deck between Steven Lindsey and Mark Kelly. Like Wilson, Nowak will also operate the robotic arm during the mission’s spacewalks. Nowak’s official responsibilities aren’t just limited to on-orbit events. During launch and landing, she serves as a second set of eyes for Commander Lindsey and Pilot Kelly.
As the astronauts are seated and “buckled” into place, they are conducting air-to-ground communications checks with the launch team and mission control in Houston.
11:32 a.m. – Once all of the astronauts are in their seats, they will spend three hours on their backs completing their preflight checklists. Their work will culminate at T-0 when Discovery is scheduled to liftoff at 2:38 p.m.
Piers Sellers and Mike Fossum are the next two crew members to enter the orbiter. The two astronauts will be the space walkers for this mission, conducting either two or three “EVAs.”
11:28 a.m. – Mission specialist and first time astronaut Stephanie Wilson is the next crew member to get ready to enter the orbiter as she follows Pilot Mark Kelly. Wilson will be the robotic arm operator for the mission’s spacewalks. This is the third time in four days that the astronauts are being seated inside Discovery for launch.
11:25 a.m. – Commander Steve Lindsey is participating in communications checks with launch control at Kennedy and mission control in Houston. He has wished the teams Happy 4th of July!
11:16 a.m. – European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Thomas Reiter is the next crew member to be seated in Discovery. Reiter will be sitting below the flight deck on the mid-deck. He will be remaining on the International Space Station (ISS) and is the first ESA astronaut to live on the outpost for a long duration. Pilot Mark Kelly follows Reiter into the orbiter and will be seated on the flight deck next to Commander Lindsey.
11:11 a.m. – The astronauts have specific seating designations for each launch. Often the seating arrangement is changed for descent. There is
