Space Shuttle | Universe Today

NASA has been creating some behind-the-scenes videos as the STS-129 crew prepares for their upcoming mission to the International Space Station. Astronaut Mike Massimino, of the HST servicing mission fame, hosts and records the videos, and this one is pretty interesting: what it takes to put on the orange launch and entry suits, also known as the Pumpkin Suits. It's not just the suit itself, but several layers of necessary garments underneath that make suiting up a chore, especially in the microgravity environment of space. Here, commander of STS-129, Charlie Hobaugh (a.k.a. "Scorch") practices putting on the Pumpkin Suit. You'll also get to see how the astronauts make their drinks on the space shuttle. Check out the other "behind-the-scenes" videos on the NASATelevision You Tube site; they'll be adding more as preparations for the flight continues. Launch is currently scheduled for Nov. 16 at 2:28 p.m. EST.

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It's the old shuttle shuffle. The launch of Atlantis for the STS-129 mission has been pushed back by four days to November 16 (at 2:28 pm EDT) to accommodate two unmanned rocket launches from Cape Canaveral, as well as the inaugural launch of the Ares I-X, scheduled for October 27. Right now the shuttle launch window lasts one day – the 16th. A second launch attempt on November 17 is being negotiated with a Delta IV launch, but NASA will stand down the 18th for the Leonid Meteor Shower (NASA won't launch the shuttle into a shooting gallery), so if weather or technical issues don't allow liftoff then, the next window opens from December 6-14. But there are issues with that time frame, too.
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Space shuttle Atlantis rolled out to Launch Pad 39A on Wednesday in preparation for the next shuttle flight, STS-129, currently scheduled for liftoff on Nov. 12, 2009 at 4:04 p.m. EST. And in case you haven't heard, for the first time, NASA is inviting those who use Twitter to view a space shuttle launch in person. The first 100 people who sign up on NASA's website will be granted access to Kennedy Space Center on Nov. 11 and 12 for the opportunity to take a tour of the facilities, view the space shuttle launch and speak with shuttle technicians, engineers, astronauts and managers. The Tweetup will include a "meet and greet" session to allow participants to mingle with fellow Tweeps and the staff behind the tweets on @NASA. An additional 50 registrants will be added to a waitlist. Registration opens at noon EDT on Friday, Oct. 16. To sign up and for more information click here.
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NASA photographer Bill Ingalls is in Russia at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, capturing the rollout of the Soyuz TMA-16 rocket today, scheduled to launch on Sept. 30 to the International Space Station. Of course the Soyuz rollout and launch is a whole different experience from the shuttle rollout, and these pictures tell the story. Additionally, this launch has a bit more "festive" feel to it: spaceflight participant Guy Laliberte, founder of Cirque du Soleil, is part of the crew. Also on board, Soyuz Commander Max Suraev, and NASA Flight Engineer Jeff Williams are scheduled to launch at 2:14 a.m. CDT on Wednesday, Sept. 30.

Above, a Russian security officers walk along the railroad tracks as the Soyuz rocket is rolled out to the launch pad.
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Russian Federal Space Agency Roscosmos head Anatoly Perminov said earlier today in Moscow that he hopes that the US space shuttle program will be prolonged, adding he has been informed of the possibility of shuttles flying beyond 2011. "We have received information from certain sources that the use of space shuttles could be extended beyond 2011," Perminov was quoted in Interfax, adding that this information arrived through unofficial channels.
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With the shuttle retirement looming, you never know if or how often you're going to see this sight again. So enjoy these two videos of the shuttle hitching a piggyback ride back to Kennedy Space Center atop a modified 747. Space shuttle Discovery left Edwards Air Force Base in California on Sunday, Sept. 20 and arrived at KSC today, the 21st. Top, is the 747/shuttle landing at KSC (it gets good about 1:20 in) and below is really pretty footage of the duo getting ready to leave Edwards just at dawn, and the lighting is just plain gorgeous.
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This picture is from last week; September 9, 2009 to be exact, but I still wanted to share it. I just got in touch with photographer Clair Perry from Prince Edward Island, Canada to get his permission to post the image. No, this is not a comet. Pictured is space shuttle Discovery executing a water dump. The shuttle needed to get rid of excess waste water before landing the next day, and jettisoned it overboard via the waste water dump line, creating a spectacular visual effect as sunlight hit the spraying water. This dump occurred just as the shuttle was flying over North America last week, and lots of people witnessed this "toilet flush." Some reports indicated it was "pristine" water (the shuttle fuel cells' by-product is water) and other reports said it was "waste water and urine" (the Bad Astronomer called it Constellation Urion). Whatever, it was pretty. NASA said this was an unusually large dump, about 150 pounds (68 kg), because new regulations say no shuttle water dumps can take place while docked to the ISS, so as not to contaminate the outdoor experiments on the Kibo lab.

See below for the spectacular entire image, which also includes the nearby ISS creating a streak in the sky. Thanks to Clair Perry for sharing his images.
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Sad news to report: The son of Israeli astronaut Ilan Ramon was killed Sunday when his F-16 warplane crashed on a routine training flight, the Israeli military said. Lt. Asaf Ramon was the son of Ilan Ramon, Israel's first and only astronaut, who was one of the seven crew members killed when the Columbia broke apart as it re-entered the atmosphere in 2003, as the crew was returning home after the STS-107 mission.

Lt. Ramon, 21, was the eldest of Ilan Ramon's four children, and was just 15 when his father died. According to Avi Blozovsky, editor of Hayadan, the only dedicated science news site in Hebrew, after the death of his father, the young Ramon said he hoped to be an astronaut and continue the legacy of his father.
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There's nothing prettier than watching the space shuttle land. Sure, it drops like a rock, a piano, a safe; but when the vehicle makes the final turn and lines up with the runway, and then the commander sticks the landing like Rick Sturckow did tonight, it's a work of art. If you missed the landing in real time, here's a great video of Discovery's landing at Edwards Air Force Base in California, at 5:53 PDT on Friday, ending the 14-day mission to the International Space Station.
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Paolo Beltrame from Italy sent us this amazing montage of images he took of space shuttle Discovery docked to the ISS on September 1, 2009. See the incredible details visible of the space station and docked shuttle! Paolo is with the Circolo AStrofili Talmassons (Amateur Astronomers Club in Talmassons, or CAST) who have an impressive observatory (take a look at Paolo's website). He took these selected images from a 2-minute movie taken with a TourcamPro webcam. As impressive as Paolo's astrophotos are, however, he says his real passion is viewing the night sky with the naked eye. His motto is "Lasciate che i fotoni vengano a me!" (Let the photons come to me!) See a close up of Paolo's best shot of the ISS/shuttle below, as well as images from other astrophotographers of Tuesday evening's pass of the shuttle and ISS as they flew in tandem after Discovery undocked from the station on Tuesday afternoon. There's also video from the shuttle's flyaround.
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If you catch this post on Monday night, you might have a chance to see the International Space Station and Discovery while the space shuttle is still docked to the ISS. Flying as one, the station/shuttle complex is very bright and very easy to spot. But Tuesday evening you'll be able to see double. The shuttle is scheduled to undock from the station Tuesday at 2:26 pm CDT(19:26 GMT), and if you have clear skies, you should be able to see Discovery slightly trailing the ISS. It will be a great sight — highly recommended!

How do you find out when the duo will be flying over your backyard?
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As the crew of the STS-128 mission pack up and prepare to get ready to undock from the International Space Station on Tuesday, it's time to look back at the very successful mission that worked on space station construction. Here's some of the best images of the mission.

Above, ESA astronaut Christer Fuglesang works (and waves) during the third and final EVA of the mission. Fuglesang and NASA astronaut John "Danny" Olivas installed several items and did work to prepare for the installation of Node 3, which will take place next year.
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The third launch attempt was a charm for space shuttle Discovery and her crew. The STS-128 mission is now underway with a successful liftoff one minute before midnight, local time, from Kennedy Space Center. Discovery is carrying the Leonardo supply module to the International Space Station, and tucked away inside is the COLBERT treadmill, along with several refrigerator-sized racks of science equipment, a freezer to store research samples, a new sleeping compartment, an air purification system, and other supplies, plus another unusual object packed in Swedish astronaut Christer Fuglesang's belongings: a theoretical particle called a neutralino.
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NASA officially scrubbed the second attempt for launching the STS-128 mission. "The last half an hour or so, a problem cropped up with a fill-and-drain valve in the bottom part of the shuttle, the aft part of the shuttle, related to the liquid hydrogen," said NASA TV launch commentator Allard Beutel. "This particular valve … gave indications it did not close when it was commanded to."

No word yet on what might be needed to replace the valve or restore it to normal operation. NASA is currently targeting the next launch attempt for Friday at 4:22 GMT (12:22 am ET) pending a review analysis on the valve issue.

NASA only has until August 30 to launch Discovery or the flight will be delayed to mid October because of upcoming Japanese and Russian space station missions and a conflict with the Air Force Eastern Range. We'll keep you posted.

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Posted for your enjoyment: Just hours before the scheduled launch of the STS-128 mission, NASA TV played a message from comedian Stephen Colbert, namesake of the Combined Operational Load Bearing External Resistance Treadmill (COLBERT). The treadmill is on board space shuttle Discovery, which will launch at 5:36 GMT (1:36 EDT) Tuesday morning, heading to the International Space Station for a 16 day mission. As of this writing, Discovery’s external tank has been loaded with about 500,000 gallons of liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen in preparation for the launch. This will be Discovery's 37th mission to space and the 30th mission of a space shuttle dedicated to the assembly and maintenance of the International Space Station.

UPDATE: The launch was scrubbed because of stormy weather. NASA will try again at 5:10 GMT (1:10 a.m. EDT) Wednesday. The most recent forecast calls for a 70 percent chance of acceptable conditions at that time.

The launch will be shown live on NASA TV. Here's where to watch it one the web.

Spaceflightnow.com will also be hosting a live webcast with Miles O'Brien, David Waters and former astronaut Leroy Chiao starting at 9 p.m. EDT Monday evening.

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