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#580
by
DaveS
on 08 Jun, 2007 02:52
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Ford Mustang - 8/6/2007 4:50 AM
There is no audio, Astromattical. I do not think they will have shuttle commentary for anything except the Launch Coverage and the regular.
EDIT: When is the shuttle 'skin' thing going to be retracted? It's the thing covering the shuttle from weather.. I forgot the name of it..
It's called the Rotating Service Structure(RSS). And nobody knows when they plan to retract the RSS. It frequently ends up behind schedule.
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#581
by
Chris Bergin
on 08 Jun, 2007 02:53
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I'm getting a lot of e-mails asking when we actually go to a Launch Day Live Update thread. To clear this up, we'll be starting this tomorrow morning ahead of tanking. It gets really crazy around here on launch days, so it would be a minefield to start one right now.
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#582
by
Astromattical
on 08 Jun, 2007 02:55
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Dave, can you point me to some details about the RSS? I'm curious as to why it often retracts behind schedule...I can easily imagine some of the reasons that might be, though! What an ordeal that must be!
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#583
by
landofgrey
on 08 Jun, 2007 02:56
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For anyone not familiar, it's not unusual for RSS retract to be behind an hour or even more, so grab a snack and keep watching. Eventually it'll move. I forget which one of the last few missions it was, but retract was over an hour late. Not a big deal as there's plenty of leeway in the timing, but it's sure nicer when things are on time. The slowest part of the operation is moving the structure the first short distance just to get it clear of the shuttle. That's very delicate. Then it'll speed up.
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#584
by
DaveS
on 08 Jun, 2007 03:02
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landofgrey - 8/6/2007 4:56 AM
For anyone not familiar, it's not unusual for RSS retract to be behind an hour or even more, so grab a snack and keep watching. Eventually it'll move.
It is moving. First motion was at 11 pm EDT. Until the RSS is well clear of the orbiter, the pace is going to be slow.
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#585
by
Namechange User
on 08 Jun, 2007 03:03
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Before anyone asks why so slow, it is because there are spotters at various points around the RSS/Orbiter to make sure there are no interference issues and that nothing is going to ding the ship.
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#586
by
landofgrey
on 08 Jun, 2007 03:06
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I just noticed the slight move. That's not too bad, 30 minutes late.
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#587
by
Chris Bergin
on 08 Jun, 2007 03:08
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#588
by
MySDCUserID
on 08 Jun, 2007 03:09
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If you get right up against your tv screen, you can see the motion by looking at the pixels close the edges of prominent structures/contrast. (Not recommended for extended duration)
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#589
by
Jim
on 08 Jun, 2007 03:10
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the area below the pad are rooms full of high pressure gas cylinders
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#590
by
Astromattical
on 08 Jun, 2007 03:11
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First time I've seen this, too! Incredible!
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#591
by
DaveS
on 08 Jun, 2007 03:13
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Justin Wheat - 8/6/2007 5:12 AM
how long is this expected to take?
Around 30-45 minutes.
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#592
by
William Graham
on 08 Jun, 2007 03:14
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If it launches tomorrow, how long will it take to reach the West coast of the UK? I know the ISS is making visible passes over my house about 30 mins before, and 60 mins after STS-117 is scheduled to launch, so I assume I should be able to see Atlantis, provided there is no cloud cover. Does anyone know how long it takes to cross the Atlantic?
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#593
by
Ford Mustang
on 08 Jun, 2007 03:14
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When would the Xenon lights come on? And how much brighter would that make this?
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#594
by
on 08 Jun, 2007 03:17
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#595
by
landofgrey
on 08 Jun, 2007 03:19
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When the xenons come on I'm going to go outside and try to take a picture. I'm hoping it's humid enough to get the "cone of lights".
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#596
by
Namechange User
on 08 Jun, 2007 03:21
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Ford Mustang - 7/6/2007 10:14 PM
When would the Xenon lights come on? And how much brighter would that make this?
Usully after retract is complete and everything is locked down. It makes it much brighter in the area but I'm honestly not sure how well that will translate to TV
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#597
by
MySDCUserID
on 08 Jun, 2007 03:47
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Ford Mustang - 7/6/2007 11:43 PM
I just heard that they were looking at replacing an avionics system.. Would they do it, or could they fly on a backup.. If they do it, would that postpone launch to Saturday or Sunday?
EDIT: Sorry if this was already answered, I just looked back through 5-6 pages, and couldn't find it.
http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/content/?cid=5124This is a news website, not just a forum.
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#598
by
Austin
on 08 Jun, 2007 03:49
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Zachstar - 7/6/2007 8:30 PM
Let the vets and Chris do the Image posting. It gets very hard to load when you have everyone wanting to post snapshots.
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The retract is looking nice!
And on the subject of "hard to load," those for whom this will be their first NSF launch, please be cognisant of the fact that this site is heavily relied on and monitored by many for updates during the final phases of the coundown -- especially as we enter the terminal count (inside 20 minutes). Unless you are posting accurate updates, or are on a 3-way call with Wayne Hale and Mike Leinbach, please refrain from any unnecessary comments. Just enjoy the professional coverage from a great site! I'm sure that Chris will reiterate this tomorrow, but there will be a lot of traffic here, and unnecessary comments just slow things down.
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#599
by
Chris Bergin
on 08 Jun, 2007 03:50
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Another article:
http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/content/?cid=5125 - post RSS Retract. More on the MLS issue.
All make a note of one manager THANKING people for dissenting opinions...as there's been some old stories of how that was a bad thing in the old days. Not now.
