Nasa Prepares for Sunday Launch

[lkdood]

Discovery is set to liftoff at 7:43 p.m. EDT on the STS-119 mission to the International Space Station. Commander Lee Archambault and crew will install the outpost's final set of solar arrays


latest:
Countdown Underway, Weather Forecast Favorable

Sun, 15 Mar 2009 12:54:54 PM GMT

The countdown for the launch of space shuttle Discovery picked up as planned at 3:18 a.m. EDT, from the T-11 hour mark. Launch teams aren't working any issues that would prevent a liftoff at 7:43:46 p.m. The updated launch forecast is unchanged. Weather remains 80 percent "go." The main concern is for a slight chance of a low cloud ceiling at Kennedy Space Center. Two transatlantic abort landing (TAL) sites are forecast to have acceptable weather today. Only one TAL site is required to be "go." There are no weather concerns at the alternate landing site at Edwards Air Force Base in California.

nasa

thread updating

 

[lkdood]

launch is at

11.43 P.M UK time

05.13 A.M Sri lanka time(monday)

 

[4keven4]

thanks for the news

 

[lkdood]

thanks for the news

i will keep updating

 

[lkdood]

update:

Mission Management Team Gives "go" for Fueling

Sun, 15 Mar 2009 02:06:54 PM GMT

The Mission Management Team met at 9:45 a.m. EDT and assessed Discovery's readiness to proceed with fueling the external tank for today's 7:43 p.m. launch. Managers gave a "go" to begin the fueling operation on time at 10:18 a.m. During the three-hour process, more than 500,000 gallons of liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen will be loaded into the tank. At 12:33 p.m., the liquid hydrogen portion of the tank will enter "topping" mode, about the point in the process when a hydrogen leak was detected during Wednesday's launch attempt.

Discovery's astronauts awoke for launch at 9 a.m. and ate breakfast at 9:30 a.m. The astronauts will undergo final medical checks at 10:30 a.m., receive a weather briefing from Mission Control in Houston at 3:13 P.M., don their launch and entry suits at 3:23 p.m. and depart for the launch pad at 3:53 p.m.

Launch coverage of the STS-119 mission is scheduled to begin at 2:30 p.m.

 

[Muzain]

Thanks man for ur updates

 

[coolgayathra]

thanksss for the info

 

[harintheman]

thanxxx vry much for da infoo!!!

 

[lkdood]

update:

External Tank Fueling Proceeding Smoothly

Sun, 15 Mar 2009 03:49:17 PM GMT

Fueling of the external tank continues on schedule. The operation began with chill down at 10:20 a.m. EDT and the flow of liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen at 10:30. An hour into the three-hour process, both tanks are about 26 percent full. The "topping" mode of the liquid hydrogen section begins at about 12:35 p.m.

 

[lkdood]

7 hours 19 min. to launch

 

[lkdood]

update:

External Tank Fueling 50 Percent Complete

Sun, 15 Mar 2009 04:14:28 PM GMT

At noon, the three-hour external tank fueling operation was about 50 percent complete. The operation is proceeding uneventfully. The liquid hydrogen tank will enter the "topping" mode at about 12:35 p.m. EDT. It was during the "topping" phase that a leak was encountered during Wednesday's launch attempt.

There is a chance for isolated showers developing this afternoon, but they should dissipate before the 7:43 p.m. liftoff of Discovery. The weather forecast continues to be 80 percent "go," with just a slight chance of a low cloud ceiling at the time of launch.

 

[buddhika19]

thanks

 

[lkdood]

update:

Tank Topped Off, No Leak Found

Sun, 15 Mar 2009 04:28:59 PM GMT

Launch controllers found no signs of a leak when they opened the valve that releases evaporating hydrogen from Discovery.s external fuel tank into a system that carries it safely away from the shuttle. With the fueling of the tank going well, the countdown is proceeding toward an on-time liftoff of Discovery on STS-119 this evening at 7:43 p.m.

The vent line controllers are watching was repaired following a leak that developed during Wednesday.s fueling. That countdown was called off so technicians could inspect and repair a valve on the vent line. The vent line connects to the external tank during the countdown and falls away when the shuttle lifts off.

The weather forecast remains at an 80 percent chance of acceptable conditions at launch time.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Thanxxxx 4 the in4

 

[lkdood]

 

[mawella]

ela ela ela

 

[NPDJs]

newsaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

 

[coolgayathra]

wow
ela
matath space gamiyek wenna hena arsawak thiyano

 

[lkdood]

6 hours 2 min. to launch

 

[lkdood]