Casual Astronomy, Spaceflight News and Lower California Weather

Thanks for pointing to the awesome video too.

Pat Thanks for the chronicle of our first venture to other worlds. :^)

Skye I did enjoy those pics. I chose to feature the beauty shot (at the bottom of my blog entry) but I think it is fitting that the Approvers chose to feature the end-of-the-line shot.

sp Thanks for the great retrospective.

Pat Thanks. Mission Accomplished indeed.

July 21, 2011

NASA Administrator Commemorates Final Space Shuttle Landing

WASHINGTON -- NASA Administrator Charles Bolden today issued this statement about the final landing of the Space Shuttle Program:

"At today's final landing of the space shuttle, we had the rare opportunity to witness history. We turned the page on a remarkable era and began the next chapter in our nation's extraordinary story of exploration.

The brave astronauts of STS-135 are emblematic of the shuttle program. Skilled professionals from diverse backgrounds who propelled America to continued leadership in space with the shuttle's many successes. It is my great honor today to welcome them home.

I salute them and all of the men and women who have flown shuttle missions since the very first launch on April 12, 1981.

The shuttle program brought our nation many firsts. Many proud moments, some of which I was privileged to experience myself as a shuttle commander. I was proud to be part of the shuttle program and will carry those experiences with me for the rest of my life.

As we move forward, we stand on the shoulders of these astronauts and the thousands of people who supported them on the ground – as well as those who cheered their triumphs and mourned their tragedies.

This final shuttle flight marks the end of an era, but today, we recommit ourselves to continuing human spaceflight and taking the necessary-and difficult-steps to ensure America's leadership in human spaceflight for years to come.

I want to send American astronauts where we've never been before by focusing our resources on exploration and innovation, while leveraging private sector support to take Americans to the International Space Station in low Earth orbit.

With the bold path President Obama and Congress have set us on, we will continue the grand tradition of exploration.

Children who dream of being astronauts today may not fly on the space shuttle . . . but, one day, they may walk on Mars. The future belongs to us. And just like those who came before us, we have an obligation to set an ambitious course and take an inspired nation along for the journey.

I'm ready to get on with the next big challenge.

The future is bright for human spaceflight and for NASA. American ingenuity is alive and well. And it will fire up our economy and help us win the future, but only if we dream big and imagine endless possibilities. That future begins today."

Link

Daybreak at Gale Crater

Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

NASA - NASA's Next Mars Rover to Land at Gale Crater

PASADENA, Calif. -- NASA's next Mars rover will land at the foot of a layered mountain inside the planet's Gale crater.

The car-sized Mars Science Laboratory, or Curiosity, is scheduled to launch late this year and land in August 2012. ....

"Mars is firmly in our sights," said NASA Administrator Charles Bolden. "Curiosity not only will return a wealth of important science data, but it will serve as a precursor mission for human exploration to the Red Planet.
....

Spaceflight Now | Breaking News | Voyages to deep space will originate from shuttle pads

.... NASA plans to put launch pad 39A into mothballs in the coming months for long-term storage until human expeditions depart for asteroids or Mars, according to agency officials.
....
The space agency is finalizing the design of the Space Launch System, which will likely use shuttle-derived hardware, engines and other equipment. NASA managers, the White House and independent consultants are reviewing the design before it is released to the public and contractors.
....
NASA says the SLS won't be flying astronauts until 2020 under current budget projections, but Kennedy Space Center aims to have the launch pad ready years before then.
....

(Emphasis added by me.)

Spaceflight Now | Breaking News | Hired private cargo ships booked to visit space station

.... SpaceX and Orbital Sciences are gearing up for test flights of their cargo freighters to the orbiting lab in December and February,....

The commercial automated cargo vehicles are in the final stages of development and testing before moving to their launch sites in Florida and Virginia.

NASA has "technically" agreed to combine SpaceX's next two demonstration flights of the company's Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon capsule, electing to send the next mission all the way to the space station. ....

Best summertime meteors of 2011 in late July, early August | EarthSky

Every year, people look forward to the Perseid meteor shower. But, this year, the full moon is destined to interfere with the peak of the shower, which comes on August 12 or 13. That fact makes the next several days - in the hours before dawn - a good time in 2011 to watch ....

.... there's another meteor shower going on around now, too. The Delta Aquarid shower ....

The best spotting will be under dark rural skies but even city dwellers may spot a few.

(Also see comment 169.)

Cybr Yes, that is painful but thanks for bringing the news here.

My favorite from the comments section of your news link is:

Tankmodeler | July 28, 2011 7:53 PM | Reply

There are two problems here, both of which are the result of organisational stupidity.

1) Congress thinks they know how to design a rocket (which they don't).

2) NASA thinks they can ignore congresses requests, no matter how assinine (which they can't)

The results speak for themselves.

Paul

For more background on the current drama see:

SLS (Senate Launch System) = Ares V | nasaengineer.com

and

Preliminary NASA plan shows Evolved SLS vehicle is 21 years away | NASASpaceFlight.com

The Perseid meteor shower is already achieving respectable hourly rates.

Perseid Meteor Activity

Graph credit: International Meteor Organization (IMO)

(Also see comment 166.)

shore yw

The NASA Juno mission to Jupiter is scheduled to launch from Cape Canaveral AFS, Florida on Friday, August 5 11:34am-12:43pm EDT.

The current launch weather forecast is 70% favorable. If the launch date slips the weather forecasts become less favorable as Tropical Cyclone Emily passes.

Juno will be launching on an Atlas V rocket with five solid rocket boosters that will burn during the first minute and 44 seconds of flight. The resulting smoke column should be easily visible for quite a distance if skies are not too cloudy.

New Horizons Launch

Image credit: John J Rice

The New Horizons mission launched from the same pad atop the same launch vehicle configuration.

Find United Launch Alliance webcast instructions at ULA | WEBCAST.

Find mission status updates and other info at
Spaceflight Now | Atlas Launch Report | Mission Status Center.

Juno will have escaped Earth's gravity after 50 minutes but will require an Earth flyby in October 2013 for a gravity assist to reach Jupiter in October of 2016.


Image credit: University of Wisconsin

Rainman Good to see you out and about. Thanks for the info on the additional opportunities. :^)

The NASA Juno mission Atlas V rocket is now on the pad for the first available launch window - tomorrow Friday, August 5 11:34am-12:43pm EDT.

The decision to actually fuel the rocket for the attempt will come tomorrow morning. Once fueling begins if tomorrow's launch is scrubbed for any reason it would take nearly a full day to return the Atlas V to the protection of the assembly building.

More details on the mission and launch at comments 172 & 173.

Skye Just as I was previewing the following comment yours appeared. Inevitably memory begins to fade. Thanks to spouse and friends I have some memorabilia from the final shuttle flight. Glad you got some restorative time off the grid.

With no "Emily weather" expected in the near future countdown is underway for a 11:34am-12:43pm EDT launch of an Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral.

More details on the mission and launch starting at comment 172.

The launch heading will be virtually east.

Less than half an hour to scheduled liftoff.

Currently holding to resolve an anomoly. Launch now no earlier than 11:44am EDT.

Launch NET (No Earlier Than) 11:59am EDT while anomaly resolution still in progress.

Anomaly is not a problem on the launch vehicle but with some ground equipment. That may be resolved before today's launch window closes at 12:43am EDT.

Launch now NET 12:04Pm EDT.

Launch NET 12:13pm EDT.

Good morning Pat. Thanks for that update.

Launch NET 12:18pm EDT.

Launch now scheduled 12:25pm EDT with no current issues now.

All "GO" for launch.

T minus 4 minutes and counting!

LIFTOFF!

I love looking in the rear view mirror! :^)

Solid rocket boosters have been jettisoned.

Payload fairing jettisoned.

Upper stage has separated and ignited.

First upper stage engine cutoff after attaining Earth parking orbit.

Pat Indeed! It's a big rocket and fast when it has 5 boosters.

Launch replays now on NASA TV

The NASA TV link is fixed now. :^]