Shuttle launch to go ahead
The shuttle programme manager is quoted here describing the decision to go ahead with today’s scheduled launch of the Space Shuttle Discovery as “an acceptable risk”, but it’s also reported to be going ahead after “members of Nasa’s engineering and safety centre were overruled after 12 hours of debate.” The mission, STS-120, aims to add the Italian-built Harmony module and allow a change of crew on the International Space Station ahead of a planned series of European Space Agency missions to the station – including delivery of the Columbus laboratory. As usual there is launch blog coverage, lift-off due at 4.38pm, and NASA TV live online.
Launch successful. Shuttle in orbit.
I’ll be more content when the flying brick touches down safely.
Hey, Pete and Joe. In a nakedly transparent attempt to escape both the world of work and the world in general I just watched some of the Nasa tv footage of the shuttle docking at the space station. The nasa link wouldn’t work for me Tuesday, but it did today, and it is s-t-u-n-n-i-n-g.
to the tune of “Yellow Submarine”
“I want to be
in zero g
in a silver steel
space station
in the sky…”
Don’t even say it. I’ll get my hat.