STS-126: Launch Day minus 23 Days Update

SLN: Up to the Minute, I'm Charles Atkeison ... Space shuttle Endeavour's flight crew of Commander Chris Ferguson, pilot Eric Boe, Stephen Bowen, Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper, Donald Pettit, Robert Shane Kimbrough and Sandra Magnus will depart Houston this Sunday on a trip to KSC and the traditional TCDT or countdown dress rehersal.

Tomorrow morning, the Endeavour space shuttle stack atop a mobile launcher platform will move from Pad 39-B to Pad 39-A to begin final launch preperations. The crew will board Endeavour this Wednesday to review orbiter entry and launch countdown procedures.

Currently, Endeavour is in a planned launch attempt for 7:55:28 p.m. ET on November 14th from Pad 39-A. An on-time launch will see the orbiter return to KSC on November 29th.

Atlantis in VAB; Endeavour Prepares for STS-126

SLN: Up to the Minute, I'm Charles Atkeison... The space shuttle Atlantis returned back to her bay inside the massive Vehicle Assembly Building yesterday afternoon, as she stands down due to recent Hubble trouble.

Meanwhile, sistership Endeavour is being readied for her move from launch pad 39-B to 39-A this Saturday in preperation for her launch in mid-November. Endeavour will fly mission STS-126 to the international space station on the last flight of the year. Launch is currently targeted for November 14th.

Atlantis' mission STS-125 is being delayed due to recent Hubble space telescope equipment issues. Thus, the whole flight is being retooled in support of the new equipment needed in support of this last HST servicing mission. The Atlantis stack will be housed in Bay 3 of the VAB through January.

Look for new data and info related to Endeavour's flight soon.

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In the orbiter processing facility here at KSC, the orbiter Discovery is being readied for her February flight to ISS. In January, shuttle program managers will decide if Discovery or Atlantis will fly first during February - most likely Discovery.

Shuttle Shuffle; Delta IV Launch Nears

[October 11, 2008] -- SLN: Up To The Minute, I'm Charles Atkeison... Space Shuttle program managers will soon move shuttle Atlantis back to the Vehicle Assembly Building from launch pad 39-A, and then place shuttle Endeavour at 39-A now that the Hubble Space Telescope servicing mission will not fly before February.

On Sept. 28th, a critical computer in Hubble's science control failed, and the Hubble Team in Maryland needs a few months to get a back-up which had been used for testing upgraded for flight. Also needed is crew training and mission planning in support of replacing the new unit. Atlantis will return to the vehicle assembly building on Oct. 20th.

NASA's shuttle shuffle of flights now sees Endeavour flying mission STS-126 next to the international space station around November 14th. This will be a resupply flight which will also support four spacewalks, and return a space station crew member home. Next, shuttle program managers both here at KSC and at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, will decide if a critical computer needed for Hubble will be ready to make a mid-February target date; or if Discovery will be next in early February on a solar array delivery mission to the ISS.
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KSC has a New Director -- KSC director Bill Parsons is departing, and four-time shuttle veteran Robert Cabana will become the center's new director in a few days.

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CCAS Prepares for Delta 4 -- A United Launch Alliance Delta 4 ELV rocket, with a classified payload for the National Reconnaissance Office NROL-26, is targeted to launch on November 16th from launch complex 37 at Cape Canaveral. A formal launch window will be announced the day prior to flight.

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Last, welcome to a new chapter for spacelaunchnews.com and spacelaunchnews magazine, as we continue with a newer version of live blogging related to space news from Cape Canaveral.

Delta II Launches NASA's GLAST Telescope

A Delta II rocket carried NASA's GLAST payload into space today, beginning a new chapter in gamma-ray detecting space telescopes for the 21st century.

Launch occurred at 12:05 pm EDT today, from Launch Pad 17-B under beautiful weather here at Cape Canaveral Air Station. GLAST, also known as the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope, had a successful ride to orbit. Over the next few weeks, the crafts systems will begin to come alive and run through check-outs as it receives power from it's solar arrays.

Click to watch the launch video:

According to NASA's JPL, GLAST's Large Area Telescope is a 3-ton detector with almost a million channels of electronics, but it uses less than half the power of a hair dryer.

Field Trip to the Kennedy Space Center

[June 24, 2006] -- As a boy in 1983, I began to enjoy science more thanks to my science teacher, Ms. Zoller. She was cool. She was into the song 99 Red [Luft] Balloons and the Eurythmics, too. She also gave me a real science background on how things worked. In turn, I used to decorate her large classroom bulletin board with space shuttle 8 x 10 color images which NASA would send to me. It was a great learning tool.

Now, fast-forward to 2006 and I have been working these last few years giving my children a science background -- planting the seeds at an early age.

For example, a few days ago we traveled to Orlando to visit family and go to the beaches. On June 21st, I took my two daughters and oldest son, Aaron, to what used to be my playground and workplace in the 1990's -- the Kennedy Space Center.

I took them inside the restricted grounds and traveled to the launch pad where space shuttle Discovery sat awaiting launch in a few days. I explained to my children just what they were looking at and what would later happen in just days. Next, we traveled to an area where Emily [age 5 1/2] and Rachel [4] would touch an actual moon rock which was brought back from a latter Apollo moon mission. I then explained what the rock meant and a bit about the moon. They were asking questions!

Later, the four of us went over to view two actual Mars rover models, like the two which roamed Mars several years ago. Aaron really enjoyed this part, and he even had the opportunity to contol via joystick one of the rovers.

From the space sciences to the rocket engineering aspect, my children took in so much during our visit to KSC. They saw up close a real shuttle main engine, too. Some might state that they won't remember this years Iater. But in the few times we have visited KSC, Emily and Rachel know more about space sciences than some adults. Learning begins early and as a parent, I want to instill in them that there is more to an education than just learning in a classroom. I want them to learn from the source, too.

I took alot of pictures and video for us to look back on as they develop their minds -- not with video games, but with a field trip of learning.

SpaceLaunch News Astronaut Profile: Susan J. Helms STS-101

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. --  (Click on each story image for a larger view to read. Originally published in SpaceLaunch News magazine in May 2000.)

Atlas 2A and Ariane 4 begin 2000 as STS-99 nears launch

 (Click on each story image for a larger view to read. Originally published in SpaceLaunch News magazine in February 2000.)

SpaceLaunch News: July 1999 Issue

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Click the image to read my three space flight features.

My stories on the NASA FUSE satellite launch; the first U.S. female spacecraft commander, Eileen Collins; and the passing of Apollo 12 monwalker Charles Conrad in July 1999.

SpaceLaunch News: STS-96 Issue Feature on Apollo 6

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Featured in the STS-96 issue of SpaceLaunch News magazine, my story on the Apollo 6 mission in 1968.

SpaceLaunch News: STS-88 Issue

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Click on each image to read my stories from the December 1998 SpaceLaunch News issue covering the mission of shuttle Endeavour on STS-88.

SpaceLaunch News: Shuttle Discovery STS-95

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- My October 1998 features published in SpaceLaunch News magazine on the great Walter Cronkite as he returned to the anchor desk for the launch of John Glenn aboard Discovery. I used "Tyler" as my pen name throughout the 1990's.

A Tribute to Alan and Louise Shepard

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Click the image to read my October 1998 story on the passing of astronaut Alan Shepard and his wife, Louise, featured in SpaceLaunch News magazine.

SpaceLaunch News: STS-91 Shuttle Discovery Issue

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- The June 1998 issue of SpaceLaunch News magazine, featuring my stories celebrating the 25th anniversary of Skylab; and updates on the launching of the International Space Station's first components; and the Russian Mir space station update.

SpaceLaunch News: STS-79 Issue Features

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- SpaceLaunch News issue for the STS-79 mission of space shuttle Atlantis in September 1996.

Two of my features were published in this issue, including my SLN: Up to the Minute column and an update on NASA astronaut Shannon Lucid's stay at Russia's Mir space station.

Atlas IIA (AC123) WAMT Launch Coverage

Charles Tyler Atkeison WAMT-AM (Titusville, FL) radio coverage of the launch of an Atlas IIA (AC-123) flight. September 8, 1996

WAMT-AM: KSC: Up to the Minute August 14 1996

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Charles Tyler Atkeison "KSC: Up to the Minute" radio segment on WAMT-AM (Titusville, FL)  August 14, 1996. Updates include the STS-79 and Atlas 2A/ AC-123 launch preps.

Atlas II (AC125) WAMT Launch Coverage

Charles Tyler Atkeison WAMT-AM radio coverage of the Atlas II rocket launch on July 25, 1996.

WAMT-AM STS-78 Space Shuttle Columbia LIVE Launch Coverage

TITUSVILLE, Fla. -- Space Shuttle Columbia STS-78 Live Launch Coverage on WAMT 1060 AM Titusville, Fla. by Charles Tyler Atkeison and Ray Smyth. Includes NASA launch audio.

SLN: Up to the Minute Notes & SRB Recovery June 1996

Click on each image to read my stories from the June 1996 SpaceLaunch News issue covering the mission of shuttle Columbia on STS-78.

SpaceLaunch News Magazine: STS-77 Issue

Cape Canaveral, Fla. -- Click on each image to read my feature, SLN: Up to the Minute, in May 1996 SpaceLaunch News issue covering the mission of shuttle Endeavour on STS-77.