Kennedy Space Center

Kennedy Space Center, NASA’s most experienced orbiter – and the most-flown spacecraft ever – lifted off from the Kennedy Space Center under sunny skies at: 53pm ET for a -day assignment to resupply the International Space Station.Discovery’s all-American crew of six will deliver a pressurized logistics module called Leonardo, which will be permanently attached to the space station to provide more storage space.

“Bittersweet” was the word of the day at Kennedy Space Center as astronauts, engineers and space fans crowded in to get a glimpse of history by watching Discovery’s crowning launch 27 years after it first flew into space.”There is no doubt the space shuttle is an engineering marvel. People have dedicated their lives for decades to build and operate the space shuttle – these are some of the greatest engineers and scientists that our nation has,” said NASA chief technologist Bob Braun.

ATK’s (NYSE: ATK) Reusable Solid Rocket Motors (RSRM) ignited at: 53 p.m. EST, launching the Space Shuttle Discovery and its crew on their 11-day mission to the International Space Station (ISS). Since the inaugural flight of the space shuttle, space shuttle solid rocket motors have been launched to date, with 53 full-scale ground tests allowing ATK and NASA to constantly improve safety, techniques and processes.

“As we near the conclusion of the Space Shuttle Program, we reflect on the dedicated workforce that has provided the most reliable, human-rated propulsion system in the world for more than two decades,” said Blake Larson, ATK Aerospace Systems Group President. “With the future of human space flight unfolding, it is critical to leverage proven technology to ensure a safe and robust transportation system as we explore outside of Low Earth Orbit.”

The 149-foot-tall solid rocket boosters each produced more than 15 million horsepower, safely launching the shuttle to approximately miles in altitude in just over two minutes. After the flight, the RSRMs were jettisoned from the orbiter and external tank by ATK’s 16 Booster Separation Motors (BSMs). Each booster has eight BSMs: four on the forward skirt and four on the aft skirt. The separation motors propelled the RSRMs to a safe distance from the shuttle orbiter, enabling the spent boosters to parachute down through the Earth’s atmosphere where they splashed down into the ocean for recovery.

In addition, ATK supplied the titanium hydrazine propellant tanks for the space shuttle Auxiliary Power Unit (APU). Three APU tanks house the hydrazine fuel that generates power for the shuttle’s hydraulic system. These tanks have performed perfectly for each of the shuttle’s three decades of operations.

While continuing to safely fly the space shuttle, ATK is making significant strides in the development of the new five-segment solid rocket motor with the successful test firing of development motor-2, or DM-2, in August.

“The tremendous success we are seeing as we develop this new motor and move toward a Critical Design Review (CDR) in fall of this year is due to the continuous improvements over the life of the Space Shuttle Program,” said Charlie Precourt, ATK’s vice president and general manager, Space Launch Systems. “The next motor, DM-3 has been cast and we are planning for its test fire prior to CDR.”

Modifications to the motor include an added fifth segment, changes to the propellant grain, a larger nozzle opening, and an upgraded liner and insulation – all designed to meet performance requirements and increase reliability while lowering manufacturing costs.

“We were able to incorporate many design changes during the development of the five-segment motor that we identified during the shuttle program but were not able to make given the shuttle vehicle’s operations tempo,” said Precourt. “We also incorporated materials and streamlined processes that have been flight-proven in our commercial programs.”

ATK is an aerospace, defense, and commercial products company with operations in 24 states, Puerto Rico, and internationally, and revenues of approximately $4.8 billion. News and information can be found on the Internet at www.atk.com.

Certain information discussed in this press release constitutes forward-looking statements as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of. Although ATK believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, it can give no assurance that its expectations will be achieved. Forward-looking information is subject to certain risks, trends and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected. Among those factors are: changes in governmental spending, budgetary policies and product sourcing strategies; the company’s competitive environment; the terms and timing of awards and contracts; and economic conditions. ATK undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements. For further information on factors that could impact ATK, and statements contained herein, please refer to ATK’s most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and any subsequent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and current reports on Form 8-K filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

SOURCE ATK

[Source: image via WWW.AEROSPACEGUIDE.NET]

Nasa TV Live

Nasa TV Live, NASA and Sony have announced a live stream of the launch on Thursday will be made available from within PlayStation Home – the online virtual world, you can access from the PlayStation game machines. It will be the first live event streaming shown in the House. Well, if you want to watch the shuttle launch from there, you’ll have to buy a boat. Specifically, you’ll have to buy the Yacht Sunset.

The good news is, the Yacht Sunset is less expensive than, for example, a real sailboat. But it’ll still cost you to 4.99. You can purchase the yacht – which becomes your own virtual personal space within PlayStation Home – to pillage the store in the mall PlayStation Home. Once you have the yacht, you can invite your friend’s home and PS3 players to bring their fellow avatars to your boat so you can watch the shuttle launch all together virtually. It will be broadcast live on NASA TV on a giant screen suspended in the middle of your boat.

Source: http://ingame.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/02/23/6119655-watch-the-real-live-shuttle-launch-from-a-virtual-yacht?chromedomain=cosmiclog

Nasa Shuttle Launch

Nasa Shuttle Launch, It is very excitement moments when after 4 months long delay ended now NASA is ready to launch Shuttle after delay, it is believe that This mission is going to open New Discoveries for Upcoming Generations, Discovery Space Shuttle at NASA’s oldest and went about to launch Thursday on his last mission to the International Space Station, wrapping a legacy of nearly three decades of orbital travel.

When the spaceship takes off stage at 16:50 (2150 GMT), it will mark the beginning of the end of the program of the U.S. space shuttle Discovery with the first of the three other shuttles head to retire this year. NASA originally meant to retire the shuttle program for 30 years in September last year, but due to technical delays, the date was postponed. The plan to continue the program this long because failure on the part of the United States to plan adequately for its aging fleet. In an interview with CNN, NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said: “What is not acceptable is the fact that the most powerful nation in the world, the United States of America, is in a situation that we are not good planning to have a vehicle in place to replace the shuttle when it arrives from his last landing. ”
After four months of delay, NASA finally allowed discovery to blastoff Wednesday morning after announcing he has found a solution to a problem that was causing cracks in fuel tanks.

Commissioned by Steve Lindsey, STS-133 will be five other ferry astronauts to the International Space Station expedition 10 days. The mission is tasked to deliver supplies and make a robot Robonaut’s powerful 2-to become the first humanoid in space.

Discovery is widely regarded as the mainstay of the fleet of shuttle flight to the space of 39 times and traveled more than 150 million miles in his life.

Thursday’s launch of space shuttle will be the first of the final shuttle missions. Shuttle Endeavor is scheduled for launch in April, with Mark Kelly, Rep. Gabrielle Giffords husband, mission commander. Atlantis is scheduled for launch in June

Kennedy Space Center

Kennedy Space Center, (AP) — Storms prevented Discovery from blasting off on its final journey Thursday, the latest in a series of postponements for NASA’s oldest and most traveled space shuttle.

Just before daybreak, mission managers called off the afternoon liftoff and said they would try again Friday.

Rain was pounding the area, and meteorologists said there was little chance the weather would break in time for Thursday’s planned launch. The official forecast was 80 percent “no go.”

“As crazy luck would have it,” the area’s monthlong drought ended Thursday, said Pete Nickolenko, assistant launch director.

“If it looked like there was any possible chance of giving it a shot, then I think we would have,” he said. “It was really very clear today that it just wasn’t looking to be our day weather-wise,” Nickolenko said.

On Friday, the weather outlook improves. There is a 60 percent chance that conditions will be acceptable for launch once the cold front passes through, although wind will be a concern.

Managers will meet again early Friday to evaluate the weather. If they feel they have a decent shot, they will give the go-ahead to fuel Discovery for liftoff. Liftoff on Friday would be at 3:04 p.m.

Discovery already has been delayed by gas leaks and an electrical problem.

The mission to the International Space Station is now running four days late. It will be the final flight for Discovery, which faces a museum retirement as the shuttle program winds down.

Six veteran astronauts are assigned to the 11-day flight. They have been at Kennedy Space Center for the past week, waiting out all the delays.

NASA has until Sunday to launch Discovery; otherwise the shuttle will remain grounded until the beginning of December because of unacceptable solar angles.

It’s officially NASA’s next-to-last shuttle flight. Endeavour is scheduled to lift off at the end of February. An extra mission may be added in mid-2011, if money is forthcoming.

The White House wants NASA focused on next-generation rockets and spacecraft that could carry astronauts to asteroids and Mars. The plan, for now, also calls for private business to develop rockets capable of carrying astronauts to the space station. Until then, American space travelers will need to hitch rides on Russian Soyuz vessels.

On the Net:
NASA: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/main/index.html

Space Shuttle

Space Shuttle:Lighting the sky before dawn, the shuttle Discovery left the darkness into the light of the rising sun early Monday, put on a spectacular show sky like distant thunder on a space mission to resupply the station.

Carrying a crew of seven and 10 tons of supplies and equipment, the Discovery lifted off from pad 39A at Kennedy Space Center at 6:21 am EDT after a smooth countdown.

Riding on a column of fire by land twin propellers of the ship of solid fuel, fuel loaded ship 4.5 million pounds accelerated through 100 km / h – with a straight back – in just seven seconds, majestic roll about to line up in a northeast trajectory parallel to the East Coast.

The launch was scheduled for the moment Earth’s rotation moved the pad in line with the orbit of the space station’s Destiny. The laboratory complex striped over Florida spaceport 15 minutes before liftoff of Discovery, a bright white moving through space at 5 miles per second.

Discovery’s climb to orbit without incident showed no obvious signs of problems. A camera mounted on the side of the ship’s external tank showed a few pieces of insulating foam falling alleged midway through the ascent, but it was long after the period in which the waste poses a serious threat in the thermal shield ferry.

The crew will conduct a detailed inspection of the shuttle‘s nose cap and wing panel edge early Tuesday. If all goes well, commander Alan G. Poindexter, a Navy captain and pilot James P. Dutton an Air Force colonel, will guide the spacecraft to a docking with the space station about 3:44 a.m. Wednesday.

Waiting to welcome seven shuttle fliers, the station is five men, one woman, the Expedition 23 crew, including two Russian cosmonauts and a NASA astronaut who arrived at the lab early Sunday aboard Russian spacecraft Soyuz. The six watched Discovery’s launch on video beamed up from mission control.

“We are absolutely delighted to have our friends and colleagues to join us here in a couple of days,” said Army Col. Timothy J. Creamer through the radio station.

“Be prepared for a knock on the door,” said a flight controller.

Discovery’s mission is one of the end of the four flights carrying NASA as the space agency races to complete the international laboratory before retiring the orbiter later this year.

The station is almost complete, but NASA is trying to save the laboratory with spare parts and equipment as a hedge against possible problems after moving to land and the station becomes dependent on smaller, less capable of Russia, cargo ships from Japan and Europe.

Discovery’s crew is to deliver 10 tons of scientific instruments, parts and supplies, including ammonia coolant, hardware experiment station astronauts sleep, a freezer and an enclosure experiment shows the camera-to darkroom Destiny module’s Earth-facing window.

Three spacewalks are planned by Richard A. Mastracchio, a veteran of the shuttle, and Clayton C. Anderson, who spent six months on the station in 2007. The men will replace one of the two cooling tanks 1700 pounds of ammonia. They also plan to develop a set of aging batteries solar array to be replaced at a future flight. Capt. Poindexter, Colonel Dutton, flight engineer Dottie Metcalf M. Lindenburger, Stephanie D. Wilson, Mr. Anderson, Mr. Mastracchio and Japanese astronaut Naoko Yamazaki plan to undock from the space station on April 16 and land back at Kennedy Space Center two days later.