Author Topic: The Official Space Exploration Thread  (Read 230801 times)

Offline DSJ™

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Re: The Official Space Exploration Thread
« Reply #210 on: August 4, 2005, 09:38 PM »

Offline DSJ™

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Re: The Official Space Exploration Thread
« Reply #211 on: August 6, 2005, 01:13 AM »


Discovery's Raffaello cargo module is placed back in the playload bay on Friday.



The International Space Station crew says goodbye to the crew of Discovery before hatch closure. Credit: NASA TV.

The Space Shuttle Discovery crewmembers bid farewell to Expedition 11 aboard the International Space Station today. Now they will undock and head for home.

Hatch closure is scheduled for 12:24 a.m. EDT, with undocking to follow at 3:24. Then the Shuttle will fly around the Station at a distance of 400 feet, allowing the Shuttle crew to photograph the orbiting outpost.

After undocking, Discovery and its seven-member crew will continue to orbit the Earth until early Monday, when they are scheduled to land at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

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Re: The Official Space Exploration Thread
« Reply #212 on: August 6, 2005, 03:28 PM »


Space Shuttle Discovery undocks from the International Space Station. Credit: NASA TV.



Discovery departed from the International Space Station on August 6, 2005 and glided off on its own in the first step toward the shuttle's risky return to Earth. In this photo, the International Space Station is seen with the earth as the background in this view from the payload bay cameras of space shuttle Discovery, operated by astronaut Soichi Noguchi of Japan, August 6, 2005. NASA TV/Reuters Photo by Nasa Tv/Reuters.



A television camera in the payload bay of the space shuttle Discovery, not pictured, shows a possible piece of debris lower left, bright trianglular shape, after the International space station undocked Saturday, Aug. 6, 2005. AP Photo/NASA TV.



The glare from the sun is reflected in this televised view of the International space station after the craft undocked from the space shuttle Discovery Saturday, Aug. 6, 2005. AP Photo/NASA TV.

Astronauts take out trash:

By Marcia Dunn

SPACE CENTER, Houston -- The space shuttle made a long overdue trash pickup at the international space station Friday -- the first one in 2-1/2 years.

The Discovery astronauts hoisted a giant garbage can holding 5,000 pounds of broken machines, discarded equipment, empty food cartons and other junk into the shuttle's cargo hold.

It was one of the last chores before the shuttle pulls away from the station after more than a week of linked flight, today.

The two space station occupants were glad to get rid of the stuff since it left them with a much tidier -- and more spacious -- home.

It was the first trash pickup by a shuttle since the end of 2002. The Columbia disaster in early 2003 prevented shuttles from returning to the space station until now, forcing the resident crews to rely on the much smaller and less frequent Russian supply ships for garbage disposal.

Offline DSJ™

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Re: The Official Space Exploration Thread
« Reply #213 on: August 7, 2005, 02:58 AM »
This has to be the best picture ever!  :o   8)

Click the pic's for a very large high res photo.



Space Shuttle Discovery approaches the International Space Station. Discovery docked to the Station at 6:18 a.m. (CDT) on Thursday, July 28, 2005 as the two spacecraft orbited over the southern Pacific Ocean west of the South American coast.




Space Shuttle Discovery, as seen from International Space Station (ISS) during rendezvous and docking operations on the morning of July 28,

In this picture, you can just see one of the astronauts in the crew cabin window.



The detail on the pictures are incredible.

Offline DSJ™

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Re: The Official Space Exploration Thread
« Reply #214 on: August 7, 2005, 03:18 AM »
Coming up on Friday, August 12th is the Perseid meteor shower, worth a look if your skys are clear.

August Is The Month For Meteors

Offline DSJ™

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Re: The Official Space Exploration Thread
« Reply #215 on: August 8, 2005, 02:05 AM »
Payload Bay Doors Closed for Landing.

Spacecraft Communicator Ken Ham in Mission Control Houston called Space Shuttle Discovery with an optimistic weather report for landing today. The first landing opportunity is at 4:47 a.m. EDT.

Commander Eileen Collins, Pilot Jim Kelly and the rest of the crew are well into their preparations for landing at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. One important milestone, closing the orbiter's payload bay doors, was executed after the weather report and an official "go" from Mission Control.

If the crew gets the go-ahead from Mission Control for the first landing opportunity, Collins and Pilot Jim Kelly will execute an engine burn that drops Discovery from orbit at 3:40 a.m. EDT. If weather prohibits landing on that orbit, Discovery will have another opportunity about 90 minutes later.

Time to come home, a safe return Discovery and it's crew.  :)

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Re: The Official Space Exploration Thread
« Reply #216 on: August 8, 2005, 08:24 AM »
Discovery landing delayed. New Florida arrival set for 5:07 a.m. ET Tuesday

Due to low clouds at the Kennedy Space Center landing site, Mission Control Houston has waved off both landing opportunities for Space Shuttle Discovery today. STS-114 Commander Eileen Collins and the rest of the crew aboard Space Shuttle Discovery will return the orbiter to normal flight operations for another day. The next opportunity is at 5:07 a.m. EDT Tuesday.

There are several opportunities to land tomorrow, including two at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida and two at Edwards Air Force Base in California.

Offline Darth_Anton

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Re: The Official Space Exploration Thread
« Reply #217 on: August 8, 2005, 10:31 AM »
What kind of things do they due when they're stuck in space for another day? I know they fill nearly every second of their schedules with something to do, but what do they do durring plan B-type situations like this?
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Re: The Official Space Exploration Thread
« Reply #218 on: August 8, 2005, 08:55 PM »
That's a really good question.

NASA gave them the day off.  ;)

As it stands, they are a go for tomorrows landing at KSC (kennedy Space Center) or if need be, alternative sites were being prepared at Edwards Air Force Base in California and at White Sands in New Mexico.

Landing at KSC would be great as they would not have to ferry the shuttle back from another site.

Discovery is coming down somewhere.  :)

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Re: The Official Space Exploration Thread
« Reply #219 on: August 9, 2005, 08:53 AM »
All right!  8)



Space Shuttle Discovery lands at Edwards Air Force Base in California. Credit: NASA.

'Discovery is home'

Offline Darth_Anton

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Re: The Official Space Exploration Thread
« Reply #220 on: August 9, 2005, 10:58 AM »
Heard the sonic boom this morning! It woke me up. :P

If I had worked a little harder, I could have thrown the family in the car and watch it land.
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Offline Matt_Fury

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Re: The Official Space Exploration Thread
« Reply #221 on: August 9, 2005, 11:06 AM »
I caught a bunch of launches and a few landings when I was going to school at UCF in Orlando.  Truly amazing to see for yourself, tv doesn't do it any justice.
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Offline sfg

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Re: The Official Space Exploration Thread
« Reply #222 on: August 9, 2005, 11:52 AM »
Does anyone (Dale?) know whether when the shuttle approaches the earth for landing, it's under power?  I seem to remember hearing that after it gets deep enough into the earth's atmosphere that the air is thick enough for the wings to catch, it acts purely as a glider, and falls without engine help to the earth.  Someone else I'm talking to (with as little aviation experience as me...none) says that's impossible, and that it has to be powered somehow.  I agree that makes sense and wouldn't be surprised if I'm wrong, but I swear I read that on landing, it's just a glorified glider.

Anyone care to settle the issue?

 ???

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Re: The Official Space Exploration Thread
« Reply #223 on: August 9, 2005, 12:01 PM »
sfg, you're right.  The Shuttle does not use any engine power when it's landing.  After it fires it's Orbital Manuevering thrusters to degrade its orbit for reentry, it's basically a glider.


It's really cool when it lands, all you hear are the sonic booms and then nothing.
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Offline JediMAC

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Re: The Official Space Exploration Thread
« Reply #224 on: August 9, 2005, 12:31 PM »
5:08am - Patty and I are sound asleep.

5:09am - BOOM!!!  :o

5:09am - We rocket out of bed, more wide awake and alert than we probably ever have been in our entire lives (especially me).  We run around the house trying to figure out how close the explosion was to us, looking outside both the front and the back.  Nothing.  A minute goes by where we're trying to figure out exactly what in the hell that insane explosion noise was, before it finally dawns on Patty that the Space Shuttle was probably flying into Edwards (45 minutes away), and that it was just a sonic boom.  Turned the TV on, and sure enough, that was exactly the case, as it was still gliding in, and touched down a minute or two later.

Scared the living **** out of us though.  Big time.  Damn.  I'm gonna have to stay more apprised of Shuttle touchdown times, especially when it has to potentially get switched out here, so I don't **** my pants in my sleep again.  :-X

Cool watching it glide in in the dark though.  Glad they made it back home safe and sound.  Hopefully all the added precautions and space walk fix-it jobs shows that our space program can still function quite capably and safely, so they'll lift the temporary grounding edict that was passed last week.  Good stuff.