posted 02-14-2008 04:54 PM               

NASA Updates Shuttle Target Launch Dates

NASA officials on Thursday revised the target launch dates for space shuttle flights during the second half of 2008. The space shuttle and International Space Station programs agreed to the changes during a meeting at NASA's Johnson Space Center to evaluate options following the STS-122 mission delay.

The next two shuttle flights, STS-123 on Endeavour targeted for March 11 and STS-124 on Discovery targeted for April 24, are being assessed and coordinated with NASA's international partners. Any decision on those launch dates will take place after the current STS-122 mission lands.

Late 2008 shuttle mission target launch dates are: Aug. 28 - Atlantis (STS-125) to service the Hubble Space Telescope Oct. 16 - Endeavour (STS-126) to deliver equipment to the International Space Station Dec. 4 - Discovery (STS-119) to deliver the final set of solar arrays to the station

Flights beyond 2008 have not been assessed. Both shuttle and station program officials are considering options for scheduling the remainder of the shuttle flights.

posted 02-20-2008 10:35 AM               

NASA Updates Target Launch Date for Shuttle Discovery

NASA is targeting May 25 at 7:26 p.m. EDT for the launch of the space shuttle Discovery's STS-124 mission from the Kennedy Space Center, Fla.

The flight originally was targeted for April 24. Fuel sensor system repair work on STS-122 and STS-123 delayed final preparations of Discovery's external fuel tank. The tank is expected to arrive at Kennedy in early March. Also, the shuttle cannot launch to the International Space Station between May 7 and 25 because the angle of the sun with respect to the plane of the station's orbit is too high to generate sufficient solar power for the mission.

Discovery's launch date move will not affect the remainder of the shuttle manifest.

Shuttle and station program officials will continue to evaluate Discovery's liftoff date and are protecting the option to launch the shuttle a few days earlier.

During the mission to the space station, the shuttle and its seven-member crew will deliver the pressurized module and the robotic arm of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Kibo laboratory.

posted 02-22-2008 05:00 PM               

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Oct. 16 - Endeavour (STS-126) to deliver equipment to the International Space Station

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posted 02-22-2008 05:06 PM               

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Originally posted by BMckay:
Day or night time launch?

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posted 04-06-2008 12:31 AM               

Atlantis' STS-125 mission to Hubble delayed to October

The Michoud Assembly Facility (MAF) has completed a re-evaluation of the delivery dates for ET-127 and ET-129. The two tanks directly relate to the launch date target for STS-125 - the final servicing mission to the Hubble Space Telescope - and the LON-400 rescue mission contingency.

As a result of the evaluations, STS-125 has been delayed to October, STS-126 to November and STS-119 to February, 2009.

posted 04-07-2008 09:11 AM            

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Originally posted by Mr Meek:
...but seeing STS-125 (with both Atlantis and Endeavour on the pads) would be an incredible bonus.

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posted 04-07-2008 09:19 AM               

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Originally posted by Hilary:
Only STS-125 will be on the pad since there is only one operational pad for the shuttle at this point.

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Once Atlantis is deemed safe for reentry, Endeavour's use as an emergency rescue ship will be released and it will be rolled from Pad 39B to Pad 39A for STS-126.

posted 04-07-2008 10:36 AM            

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Originally posted by Robert Pearlman:
While 39B is being converted for use by the Constellation program, its modifications were purposely deferred to allow for the STS-125 mission and its launch-on-need requirement.

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posted 05-22-2008 12:38 PM               

NASA Updates Space Shuttle Target Launch Dates

NASA Thursday adjusted the target launch dates for two space shuttle missions in 2008. Shuttle Atlantis' STS-125 mission to the Hubble Space Telescope is now targeted for Oct. 8, and Endeavour's STS-126 supply mission to the International Space Station has moved from Oct. 16 to Nov. 10.

The final servicing mission to Hubble was moved from Aug. 28 due to a delay in deliveries of components, including the external fuel tanks, and the need to prepare Endeavour for a possible rescue mission approximately two weeks after STS-125 launches.

Flights beyond STS-126 will be assessed and coordinated with NASA's international partners at a later date. Both shuttle and station program officials will continue to consider options for the remainder of the shuttle flights, with those target launch dates being subject to change.

The Shuttle Program also has decided that Atlantis will be assigned two additional flights after the Hubble mission in order to more efficiently fly the remaining shuttle flights using the three orbiters in sequence.

posted 07-07-2008 03:58 PM               

NASA Sets Launch Dates for Remaining Space Shuttle Missions

Following a detailed, integrated assessment, NASA selected target launch dates for the remaining eight space shuttle missions on the current manifest in 2009 and 2010. The manifest includes one flight to the Hubble Space Telescope, seven assembly flights to the International Space Station, and two station contingency flights, planned to be completed before the end of fiscal year 2010. The agency previously selected Oct. 8 and Nov. 10 as launch dates for Atlantis' STS-125 mission to service Hubble and Endeavour's STS-126 / ULF-2 mission to supply the space station and service both Solar Alpha Rotary Joints on the port and starboard end of its truss backbone that supports equipment and solar arrays.

The approved target dates are subject to change based on processing and other launch vehicle schedules. They reflect the agency's commitment to complete assembly of the station and to retire the shuttle fleet as transition continues to the new launch vehicles, including Ares and Orion.

Shuttle Flights in 2009

• Feb. 12 -- Discovery (STS-119 / 15A) will kick off a five-flight 2009 with its 36th mission to deliver the final pair of U.S. solar arrays to be installed on the starboard end of the station's truss. The truss serves as the backbone support for external equipment and spare components, including the Mobile Base System. Lee Archambault will command the 14-day flight that will include four planned spacewalks. Joining him will be pilot Tony Antonelli and mission specialists John Phillips, Steve Swanson, Joseph Acaba, Richard Arnold and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Koichi Wakata. Wakata will replace Sandy Magnus on the station as a flight engineer. STS-119 marks the 28th shuttle flight to the station.

• May 15 -- Endeavour (STS-127 / 2JA) sets sail on its 23rd mission with the Japanese Kibo Laboratory's Exposed Facility and Experiment Logistics Module Exposed Section, the final permanent components of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's contribution to the station program. During the 15-day mission, Endeavour's crew will perform five spacewalks and deliver six new batteries for the P6 truss, a spare drive unit for the Mobile Transporter and a spare boom assembly for the Ku-band antenna. Mark Polansky will be Endeavour's commander with Doug Hurley as pilot. Mission specialists will be Christopher Cassidy, Tom Marshburn, Dave Wolf, Tim Kopra and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Julie Payette. Kopra will become a station flight engineer replacing Koichi Wakata, who will return home with the STS-127 crew. It will be the 29th shuttle flight to the station.

• July 30 -- Atlantis (STS-128 / 17A) launches on its 31st flight, an 11-day mission carrying science and storage racks to the station. In the payload bay will be a Multi-Purpose Logistics Module holding science and storage racks. Three spacewalks are planned to remove and replace a materials processing experiment outside the European Space Agency's Columbus module and return an empty ammonia tank assembly. The mission includes the rotation of astronaut Nicole Stott for Tim Kopra, who will return to Earth with the shuttle crew. The remaining crew members have yet to be named. STS-128 marks the 30th shuttle flight dedicated to station assembly and outfitting.

• Oct. 15 -- Discovery's (STS-129 / ULF-3) 37th mission will focus on staging spare components outside the station. The 15-day flight includes at least three spacewalks. The payload bay will carry two large External Logistics Carriers holding two spare gyroscopes, two nitrogen tank assemblies, two pump modules, an ammonia tank assembly, a spare latching end effector for the station's robotic arm, a spare trailing umbilical system for the Mobile Transporter and a high-pressure gas tank. Canadian Space Agency astronaut Bob Thirsk will return home aboard Discovery with its crew, which has yet to be named. STS-129 marks the 31st shuttle mission devoted to station assembly.

• Dec. 10 -- Endeavour (STS-130 / 20A) will close 2009 with its 24th mission to deliver the final connecting node, Node 3, and the Cupola, a robotic control station with six windows around its sides and another in the center that provides a 360-degree view around the station. At least three spacewalks are planned during the 11-day mission. The 32nd station assembly mission by a shuttle does not yet have a crew named.

Shuttle Flights in 2010

• Feb. 11 -- Atlantis (STS-131 / 19A) begins its 32nd mission as the first flight in 2010, carrying a Multi-Purpose Logistics Module filled with science racks that will be transferred to laboratories of the station. The 11-day mission will include at least three spacewalks to attach a spare ammonia tank assembly outside the station and return a European experiment that has been outside the Columbus module. It will be the 33rd shuttle mission to the station. The crew has yet to be named.

• April 8 -- Discovery's (STS-132 / ULF-4) 38th mission will carry an integrated cargo carrier to deliver maintenance and assembly hardware, including spare parts for space station systems. In addition, the second in a series of new pressurized components for Russia, a Mini Research Module, will be permanently attached to the bottom port of the Zarya module. The Russian module also will carry U.S. pressurized cargo. The first Russian Mini Research Module to go to the station is scheduled to launch on a Russian rocket in the summer of 2009.

  Additionally, at least three spacewalks are planned to stage spare components outside the station, including six spare batteries, a boom assembly for the Ku-band antenna and spares for the Canadian Dextre robotic arm extension. A radiator, airlock and European robotic arm for the Russian Multi-purpose Laboratory Module also are payloads on the flight. The laboratory module is scheduled for launch on a Russian rocket in 2011. The mission marks the 34th mission to the station. The STS-132 crew has yet to be named.

• May 31 -- Endeavour's (STS-133 / ULF-5) 25th mission will carry critical spare components that will be placed on the outside of the station. Those will include two S-band communications antennas, a high-pressure gas tank, additional spare parts for Dextre and micrometeoroid debris shields. At least three spacewalks are planned to be carried out by the crew, which has yet to be named. The 15-day mission will be the 35th to the station.

posted 09-24-2008 01:18 PM               

NASA Announces New Target Launch Dates

The target launch date for space shuttle Atlantis' STS-125 mission to service the Hubble Space Telescope has been reset to Oct. 14 at 10:19 p.m. EDT. A news conference is scheduled for Friday, Oct. 3, at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida to announce an official launch date.

With the delay of Atlantis' launch from Oct. 10 to Oct. 14, shuttle Endeavour's STS-126 supply mission to the International Space Station, also will move from Nov. 12 to Nov. 16 at 7:07 p.m. EST. The target launch date adjustments were made Wednesday during the Space Shuttle Program's Flight Readiness Review, which concludes Thursday.

Detailed assessments were presented Wednesday by Mission Operations, Flight Crew Operations, and training divisions affected by the closure of the NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, as a result of Hurricane Ike. While vehicle processing at Kennedy continues on schedule, the lost week of training and mission preparation due to the impacts of the storm led to the decision to slip the dates.

The Oct. 3 news conference will follow the Flight Readiness Review, a meeting to assess preparations for the STS-125 mission to Hubble, and will begin no earlier than 4 p.m. EDT.

The briefing participants are:

• Associate Administrator for Space Operations Bill Gerstenmaier
  
• Deputy Associate Administrator for Programs, Science Mission Directorate Mike Luther
  
• Space Shuttle Program Manager John Shannon
  
• STS-125 Launch Director Ed Mango

NASA Television and the agency's Web site will broadcast the briefing live.

posted 05-06-2009 07:53 AM               

Do you think I would have time to watch a launch at 7:19 AM, fight my way out of traffic, drive across the state and be in Clearwater in time to get myself and my two boys ready for my sister's wedding at 6 PM??