LIVE: Atlantis Rollover to VAB (July 24)

[Rocket Guy]

Not directly, but Florida Today reports it's in the vertical position undergoing engineering imaging for tile damage later in the flight.

[Jim]

dutch courage - 24/7/2006  11:43 AM

Some of the facilities at KSC that incorporate extensive lightning shielding devices include the service structures at Launch Pads 39A and 39B, the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) and the hanger-like Orbiter Processing Facility.

So unless there's a hurricane threat they will continue.

They shut down all hazardous ops including lifts for lightning.

[astrobrian]

Is the protocol the same as LCC when it comes to lightning then?

[Jim]

astrobrian - 24/7/2006  10:12 PM

Is the protocol the same as LCC when it comes to lightning then?

Launch Commit Criteria?  No.  

Different facilities have different rules based on the facility, the operations, hazardous commodities and the safety organization in charge of it (NASA, USAF or Astrotech).  Those rules are applied to the operations and  any procedure run in the facility

No lifts end up being generic to most facitities (especially one with SRM's in it)

[Paul Howard]

Still seems to be interest in this mission. This is UK news site Sky News http://www.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,30200-13534432,00.html

[shuttlefan]

Atlantis must be hard-mated to the ET by now!!

[jacqmans]

[rdale]

shuttlefan - 25/7/2006  9:22 AM

Atlantis must be hard-mated to the ET by now!!

Based on the picture below - either they took it down after mating or you need a better source of info...

[psloss]

shuttlefan - 25/7/2006  9:22 AM

Atlantis must be hard-mated to the ET by now!!

Maybe, sounds like not quite yet according to this:
http://www.floridatoday.com/floridatoday/blogs/spaceteam/2006/07/shuttle-mating-operations-under-way.html

(Also note the comments regarding possible TV coverage of rollout.)

[DaveS]

Some new photos of mating activties are up:
http://mediaarchive.ksc.nasa.gov/search.cfm?cat=4

[Austin]

It's great to see Atlantis verticle again -- it'll be even better to see her airborne!

[psloss]

Austin - 25/7/2006  9:54 PM

It's great to see Atlantis verticle again -- it'll be even better to see her airborne!

This is her third trip to the VAB since STS-107; she even made a little roll-around trip after the disaster for the first destacking.  It'll be good to see her out at the pad again, too.

[Mark Dave]

Yeah, she's been stuck on the ground for a long time now. 3 years of sitting there in the OPF, already set to fly. IMO it's like putting a new car in the garage and never driving it.

[astrobrian]

You can almost here the sibling rivalry going on.
Atlantis: She's always getting to launch  
Discovery: You're just jealous

[jacqmans]

astrobrian - 26/7/2006  10:02 PM

You can almost here the sibling rivalry going on.
Atlantis: She's always getting to launch  
Discovery: You're just jealous

And Endeavour the pinguin, the bird that can't fly......

But it used to be Columbia that was the pinguin, the bird that won't fly...acording to German TV during the launch campaign for STS-55 (Spacelab D2), all the delays that kept her on the ground, the German TV reporters gave her that name.....

[shuttlefan]

Columbia was the flagship of the fleet. Too bad it was destroyed and didn't end up in a museum. I think Columbia was so special in everyones' hearts.

[Jim]

speak for yourself, as mentioned on another thread, OV-102 was the pig of the fleet and was a hangar queen for awhile

[DaveS]

Jim - 26/7/2006  11:01 PM

speak for yourself, as mentioned on another thread, OV-102 a hangar queen for awhile

So was Discovery between August 2001 and September 2002 when Discovery was stored inactive in the VAB transfer aisle.

[TFGQ]

Endeavour is not a pengun  that happens to be my favorite bird    Columbia was 2nd