UPDATE! September 09, 2006::Space Shuttle Mission STS-115
According to NASA, the launch of the orbiter Atlantis is scheduled for launch Saturday morning at 11:15 am EST.
Engineers had postponed the launch on Friday to allow engineers to evaluate problems with the a fuel sensor device. One of the functions of the sensor is to monitor the mixture of liquid, gaseous propellants. A mixture too rich or too lean could spell disaster for the shuttle and its crew.
UPDATE! September 08, 2006::Space Shuttle Mission STS-115
Atlantis Launch Postponed: The scrub was called approximately 9 minutes before a scheduled hold. A post scrub press conference is planned for sometime after noon, EST. According to sources at Mission Control
"The launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis has been postponed a day to evaluate a problem with a fuel sensor. The next launch attempt would be Saturday, Sept. 9, at 11:15 a.m. EDT. Commander Brent Jett and his crew are set to install the 17.5 ton P3/P4 truss on the International Space Station, activating a new set of solar arrays that will double the outpost's ability to generate power from sunlight.
UPDATE! September 07, 2006::Space Shuttle Mission STS-115
According to Mission Control:
"The shuttle Atlantis is now set for liftoff from NASA's Kennedy Space Center at 11:41 a.m. EDT on Friday, Sept. 8. Mission managers spent two days reviewing a problem with one of Atlantis' fuel cells and decided the shuttle is safe to fly. Commander Brent Jett and his crew are set to install the 17.5 ton P3/P4 truss on the International Space Station, activating a new set of solar arrays that will double the outpost's ability to generate power from sunlight." http://www.nasa.gov/
UPDATE! September 06, 2006::Space Shuttle Mission STS-115
According to mission experts at launch control, engineers have detected a damaged fuel cell while performing their pre-launch check. Fuel cells provide power to the orbiter while on its 11 day mission. There are two other fuel cells that seem to be working fine, but NASA requires that all three of these elements are working before they will launch. This set-back may delay the launch of Atlantis until October if they cannot fix this problem before their launch window closes in the next couple of days. From all indications the launch at 12:30 EST has been scrubbed! Launch is TBA.
UPDATE! August 29, 2006: STS-115 MISSION ATLANTIS ORBITER
UPDATE!
August 27 launch delayed :: Saturday August 26, 2006;
During a Saturday evening press conference, Space Shuttle Program Launch Integration Manager LeRoy Cain, reported that the orbiter sustained a direct hit by lightning on
Friday, August 25, 2006. 1 The electrical systems that power the hydrogen vent arm
(on the ground side) may have been damaged. To make matters worse, work has been
delayed on launch pad 39b due to the danger of another lightning strike.
NASA is developing a "retest plan." They said that they will "follow the data"
wherever it may lead. Systems check and re-checked. Damaged or
faulty parts changed-out. The mission shall proceed from there. Additional details are forthcoming.
TIPS: For best viewing, make sure that you get the stream running early before
VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS: Watch launch of STS-115
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granted to our space/science specialist Mike Van Dusen. Mike Van Dusen is
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UPDATE! September 05, 2006::Space Shuttle Mission STS-115
According to mission control, the orbiter Atlantis is set to launch on Wednesday the 6th day of September 2006.
Orbiter: Atlantis
Mission: Space Station Assembly Mission 12A
Payload: P3/P4 Integrated Truss Segment
Launch Date: Sept. 6
Launch Time: 12:29 p.m. EDT
Launch Pad: 39B
Mission Duration: 11 days
Shuttle is rolled back to 39b from vehicle assembly hanger to weather the storm!
additional information TBA.
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/main/index.html
NASA STS-115 Orbiter Atlantis
the launch; WAY!...because it is almost impossible to load NASA TV ® at the
time of launch.
http://www.nasa.gov/ram/35037main_portal.ram
http://www.nasa.gov/55644main_NASATV_Windows.asx
ERRATA: Launch: September 06, 2006
Orbiter: Atlantis (OV-104)
Mission Number: Shuttle flight No. 116
Launch Pad: 39B
Mission Duration: 11 days
Landing Site: KSC
Inclination/Altitude: 51.6 degrees/122 nautical miles
Primary Payload: Nineteenth station flight (12A), P3/P4 arrays
1. CORRECTION... when we had originally ran this update we had said the lighting strike was on Saturday. We have corrected our err in the current update.
