STS-123 Space Shuttle Mission

Swift · #1 (**permalink**) 18-February-2008, 07:02 PM

Since 122 is wrapping up, might as well get the ball rolling for 123, scheduled to launch March 11.

NASA.gov

Quote:

Space shuttle Endeavour’s next flight to the International Space Station will truly be an international endeavor.

“This is the first flight where we actually have all the partners,” said Dana Weigel, the lead station flight director. “It’s not just ‘a Japanese flight,’ or ‘a Canadian flight.’ This flight truly is the first time that it requires every single partner actively participating to make everything work. I think that’s a great milestone.”

Topping the list of milestones is the delivery of part of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s module, marking the beginning of the agency’s presence on the station. The Japanese Experiment Logistics Module, Pressurized Section – called the JLP – is really just the warm-up act for JAXA. It will contain critical avionics and serve as a storage area for experiment materials. At 14.4 feet in diameter and 12.8 feet in length, it is the smaller of two pressurized Japanese modules. Combined with other elements, they will make up Kibo, the station’s Japanese complex, named for the Japanese word for hope. Kibo’s main facility and its robotic arm are scheduled to launch on the following shuttle mission, and a "front porch" that will allow astronauts to expose experiments directly to space will be delivered later.

01101001 · #2 (**permalink**) 18-February-2008, 07:31 PM

Cool. I was thinking that too. Great minds...

Let's see... we need an insignia for the collection:

Launch target:
2008, Monday, March 10, 2328 PDT (Daylight time begins on March 9.)
2008, Tuesday, March 11, 0228 EDT
2008, Tuesday, March 11, 0628 UTC

About 3 weeks to launch

Here, have a link. Take several. They're free:
NASA Space Shuttle Mission Pages
NASA STS-123 Mission Information
NASA Mission Overview: All Aboard for STS-123: The Station Goes Global
Wikipedia: STS-123
NASA Launch Schedule
NASA Kennedy Space Center Shuttle Countdown Status
NASA Shuttle Launch and Landing
NASA Shuttle Launch Blog (active about 6 hours before liftoff)
CBS News Space Place
SpaceFlightNow STS-123 Mission Coverage (sparse at first)
BAUT Forum topic STS-122 Shuttle Mission (previous mission)
NASA TV

BPCooper · #3 (**permalink**) 18-February-2008, 10:14 PM

And the vehicle rolled out to the pad overnight last night.

01101001 · #4 (**permalink**) 26-February-2008, 07:28 AM

NASA Space Shuttle Mission Pages

Quote:

Astronauts Pass Tests with Flying Colors

Feb. 25, 2008
With the launch dress rehearsal behind them, the Endeavour crew members returned to NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston for final launch preparations.

NASA's Flight Readiness Review will take place Feb. 28-29 and will conclude with the announcement of an official date for launching Endeavour on the STS-123 mission to the International Space Station.

CBS News Space Place

Quote:

The astronauts hope to strap in for real the night of March 10 for a launch at 2:28:10 a.m. [EDT] on March 11. As it now stands, NASA will have two shots at getting Endeavour off the ground, on March 11 or 12, before standing down a few days to make way for the already planned launch of an unmanned Delta 2 rocket carrying an Air Force Global Positioning System satellite.

Launch target:
2008, Monday, March 10, 2328 PDT (Daylight time begins on March 9.)
2008, Tuesday, March 11, 0228 EDT
2008, Tuesday, March 11, 0628 UTC

2 weeks to launch (minus 1 hour for daylight time)

KaiYeves · #5 (**permalink**) 26-February-2008, 10:41 PM

The joke that somebody had to make:
After all of that trouble with the Atlantis launch, I hope the Endeavour one goes like 1-2-3.
If you didn't get it, highlight this line.STS-123, get it?

01101001 · #6 (**permalink**) 29-February-2008, 06:02 PM

NASA Space Shuttle Mission Pages

Quote:

NASA's senior officials and Space Shuttle Program managers have concluded today's Flight Readiness Review, a standard process leading up to any shuttle mission.
[...]
Endeavour and its crew of seven astronauts are targeted to launch March 11, 2008, at 2:28 a.m. from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

schlaugh · #7 (**permalink**) 29-February-2008, 06:57 PM

Television just can't do justice to a night launch of any rocket, especially the Shuttle. I am envious of my Space Coast friends.

01101001 · #8 (**permalink**) 04-March-2008, 07:28 AM

NASA Space Shuttle Mission Pages

Quote:

March 3, 2008
With the launch officially set for March 11 at 2:28 a.m. EDT, space shuttle Endeavour is going through its final checks and closeouts.

All pre-launch propellant servicing and troubleshooting was successfully completed on Friday and orbiter aft closeouts continued through Monday.

Launch target:
2008, Monday, March 10, 2328 PDT (Daylight time begins on March 9.)
2008, Tuesday, March 11, 0228 EDT
2008, Tuesday, March 11, 0628 UTC

1 week to launch (minus 1 hour for daylight time)

banquo's_bumble_puppy · #9 (**permalink**) 04-March-2008, 05:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KaiYeves

The joke that somebody had to make:
After all of that trouble with the Atlantis launch, I hope the Endeavour one goes like 1-2-3.
If you didn't get it, highlight this line.STS-123, get it?

how many times are we likely to hear this:

3...2...1... SRB ignition and "liftoff" of STS 123???

banquo's_bumble_puppy · #10 (**permalink**) 04-March-2008, 05:24 PM

it's a RADAR launch

01101001 · #11 (**permalink**) 04-March-2008, 05:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by banquo's_bumble_puppy

how many times are we likely to hear this:
3...2...1... SRB ignition and "liftoff" of STS 123???

I expect none, because the usual form is:

Three, two, one, [zero] [and] liftoff of space shuttle [name]...

For instance, STS-118 transcript: 3, 2, 1, Liftoff!

Quote:

GEORGE DILLER: T minus ten, nine, eight, seven, six, go for main engine start, four, three, two, one, zero and liftoff of Space Shuttle Endeavour, expanding the International Space Station while creating a classroom in space.

banquo's_bumble_puppy · #12 (**permalink**) 04-March-2008, 05:57 PM

picky (correct)

KaiYeves · #13 (**permalink**) 06-March-2008, 12:19 AM

Quote:

Three, two, one, [zero] [and] liftoff of space shuttle [name]...

Or with the unmanned probe launches:
Three, two, one, [zero] [and] liftoff of the rocket carrying...

Extravoice · #14 (**permalink**) 07-March-2008, 08:43 PM

Does anybody know if the launch trajectory will be visible along the US east coast? I'd heard that some night launches are visible as far north as NYC.

BPCooper · #15 (**permalink**) 08-March-2008, 01:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Extravoice

Does anybody know if the launch trajectory will be visible along the US east coast? I'd heard that some night launches are visible as far north as NYC.

Yes if you are on the east coast and it is clear you will easily see it. It will race up out of the southern sky about 7.5 minutes into flight; across the southeast sky about 10-20 degrees above the horizon (depending on where you are) and eventually into the eastern sky heading back towards the northeast horizon. It will appear as a bright orange light (like Venus in magnitude, sometimes brighter) occasionally flickering as it nears MECO (also visible) and then go out at engine cutoff at +8:20-30. It moves noticeably quicker than an airplane at altitude.

Anywhere on the east coast from Florida to New England can see it (earlier in flight). I have seen it many times from NYC and have friends who saw 116 easily from up in Rhode Island.

KaiYeves · #16 (**permalink**) 08-March-2008, 02:18 AM

It can be seen from NYC. It may not if the launch is at 2:28 AM and you have school the next morning. ;-D

KaiYeves · #17 (**permalink**) 08-March-2008, 06:37 PM

Endeavour looks upon the Cape
And the Cape looks on the sea
And musing there an hour alone
I dreamt of wonders yet to be

Five points if you know what I'm riffing on!

01101001 · #18 (**permalink**) 09-March-2008, 08:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KaiYeves

Endeavour looks upon the Cape
And the Cape looks on the sea
And musing there an hour alone
I dreamt of wonders yet to be

I meant to comment on this, but have no time, let alone an hour. I've got a marathon to run.

NASA Space Shuttle Mission Pages

Quote:

Crew Arrives, Countdown Under Way
[...]
"I think once we get the weather done today we'll have a good shot at launching this week. But we just wanted to convey how excited we are to be here for launch week. We've got a great training team, they've got us ready.”

The countdown for the launch of space shuttle Endeavour began on time at 3 a.m. EST in Firing Room 4 of the launch control center. The clock picked up at the T-43 hour mark.

The launch weather forecast calls for only a 10% chance of not meeting the launch weather criteria, primarily due to a low cloud ceiling.

Launch target:
2008, Monday, March 10, 2328 PDT (Daylight time begins on March 9.)
2008, Tuesday, March 11, 0228 EDT
2008, Tuesday, March 11, 0628 UTC

2 days to launch (minus 1 hour for daylight time)

KaiYeves · #19 (**permalink**) 09-March-2008, 03:07 PM

Quote:

I've got a marathon to run.

Good luck! I do endurance running in school.
I'm sure somebody else will figure it out, a lot of people here are very good with poetry.

01101001 · #20 (**permalink**) 10-March-2008, 08:28 AM

NASA Space Shuttle Mission Pages

Quote:

Endeavour gets a go

March 9, 2008
Space shuttle Endeavour’s STS-123 mission is officially set for launch after getting the "go" from NASA's Mission Management Team on Sunday. Liftoff from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, is scheduled for 2:28 a.m. EDT Tuesday, March 11.
[...]
The current weather forecast calls for only a 10 percent chance atmospheric conditions will delay the launch, with the primary concern coming from a slight chance of a low cloud ceiling around Kennedy.

CBS News Space Place (includes lengthy, 9000-word mission preview)

Quote:

The Japanese module is the first of two that will make up an entire wing of the space station, a state-of-the-art addition that will complement U.S. and European research modules. But the assembly of Canada's $209 million special purpose dextrous manipulator, or "Dextre," represents the most complex task of Endeavour's mission.

Capable of manipulating objects as big as a phone booth and as small as a phone book, Dextre is an attachment for the station's Canadian-built robot arm that, in effect, will give it a pair of hands capable of positioning components to within 2 millimeters and gripping them with as little as 1.5 pounds of force.

"If you could picture what a praying mantis would look like, that's what I liken Dextre to," Linnehan said in a NASA interview. "I grew up with cartoons and sci-fi and there used to be this show on when I was a kid called 'Gigantor, the Space Age Robot' and so, you know, my pet name for Dextre is 'Gigantor.' It's this giant robot with arms and out-riggers and all this equipment, with wrists and hands that actually move and can articulate itself all over the station."

Some assembly required. Batteries not included.

Launch target:
2008, Monday, March 10, 2328 PDT
2008, Tuesday, March 11, 0228 EDT
2008, Tuesday, March 11, 0628 UTC

23 hours to launch (daylight time stole an hour from me)

Swift · #21 (**permalink**) 10-March-2008, 02:41 PM

Quote:

Capable of manipulating objects as big as a phone booth and as small as a phone book, Dextre is an attachment for the station's Canadian-built robot arm that...

will be used for making telephone calls.

Extravoice · #22 (**permalink**) 10-March-2008, 02:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BPCooper

Yes if you are on the east coast and it is clear...

Thanks. Unfortunately, it looks as if the local weather may not cooperate

01101001 · #23 (**permalink**) 10-March-2008, 06:24 PM

CBS News Space Place

Quote:

"If you could picture what a praying mantis would look like, that's what I liken Dextre to," Linnehan said in a NASA interview.

Ladies and gentlemen, Gigantor -- I mean Dextre:

(CSA STS-123 Dextre pages)

01101001 · #24 (**permalink**) 10-March-2008, 07:28 PM

Still go for launch.

NASA Space Shuttle Pages

Quote:

The current weather forecast calls for only a 10 percent chance atmospheric conditions will delay the launch, with the primary concern coming from a slight chance of a low cloud ceiling around Kennedy.

CBS News Space Place:

Quote:

NASA's Mission Management Team plans to meet late this afternoon to assess the weather and any outstanding technical issues before giving the launch team permission to begin loading a half-million gallons of liquid oxygen and hydrogen rocket fuel into Endeavour's external tank. The three-hour remotely controlled procedure is scheduled to begin around 5 p.m.
[...]
Endeavour's trajectory for the second night launch of the post-Columbia era will carry it along a path paralleling the East Coast of the United States, a dramatic sight for viewers with clear weather. T.S. Kelso, a noted satellite tracking analyst, provides a very useful visualization tool illustrating the shuttle's flight path and visibility from various locations. Interested readers can find the STS-123 data file, and the free Analytical Graphics viewer software necessary to play it, here:

AGI Viewer: http://www.agi.com/products/viewer/
STS-123 data file: http://celestrak.com/events/sts-123-launch.asp

Launch target:
2008, Monday, March 10, 2328 PDT
2008, Tuesday, March 11, 0228 EDT
2008, Tuesday, March 11, 0628 UTC

12 hours to launch

01101001 · #25 (**permalink**) 11-March-2008, 02:35 AM

NASA TV coverage has begun.

NASA Shuttle Launch Blog has begun.

SpaceflightNow STS-123 Mission Status Center

Quote:

0135 GMT (9:35 p.m. EDT Mon.)

All continues go well in the countdown for the 2:28 a.m. EDT launch of Endeavour. The launch team is not working any issues of significance and the weather forecast still predicts a 90 percent chance of acceptable conditions for the liftoff.

T minus 3 hours and holding.

Less than 5 hours to launch

01101001 · #26 (**permalink**) 11-March-2008, 03:28 AM

Launch target:
2008, Monday, March 10, 2328 PDT
2008, Tuesday, March 11, 0228 EDT
2008, Tuesday, March 11, 0628 UTC

4 hours to launch

Swift · #27 (**permalink**) 11-March-2008, 04:18 AM

01101001, You'll have to take this one on your own, I'm already late for bed. Happy launching.

01101001 · #28 (**permalink**) 11-March-2008, 04:28 AM

OK. I'll try to capture it for your review in the morn.

3 hours to launch

01101001 · #29 (**permalink**) 11-March-2008, 05:20 AM

Humans are packed in and access hatch is being closed.

Let's hear it for our white room heroes: Thing 1, Thing 4, Thing 5, Thing 6. And, in a supporting role, Thing 3. Thing 2, in the black hat, played the hoser. Well done, guys!

whiteroom.jpg

Hey, where did Thing 7 come from and how did he wrest the hose away from Thing 2?

2 hours 8 minutes to launch

Bean Counter · #30 (**permalink**) 11-March-2008, 05:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 01101001

Thing 2, in the black hat, played the hoser.

What is the purpose of that hose? Air? Vacuum? FSM tenticle? Has Endeavour been touched by his noodly goodness?

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