Discovery Rollout Underway following Delay

Thunderstorms and lightning over the Kennedy Space Center this morning forced a two hour delay in the start of the roll out of the space shuttle Discovery to her ocean side launch pad, however muddy bedrock is slowing the ships progress.

Riding atop a massive mobile launcher platform a fixed to a crawler transport, the space shuttle stack for the upcoming STS-128 mission officially left the vehicle assembly building at 2:07 am EDT, this morning to begin its 3.5 mile journey to launch pad 39-A.

The multi-tread crawler has had to make a few stops early on due to thick mud and rock collecting within and outside of the tread. So technicians have had to clear the limestone rock and mud so that the tracks are not impacted from ease of movement.

The mobile launcher platform crawler weighs 8.8 million pounds alone; and 11 million pounds with the empty space shuttle Discovery riding a top this morning.

The transporter, according to officials here at Kennedy, "travels on eight tracked tread belts, each containing 57 tread belt "shoes". Each shoe is 7 1/2-feet long and weighs 2100 pounds." New shoes were installed in late-2004, replacing worn and cracked shoes.

The crawler way, which runs from the vehicle assembly building out to the launch pad, is 130 feet wide with river gravel about four inches thick on the straight away lanes. The rock measures 8 inches deep along the curves of the crawler way. Below this is another 7.5 feet of crushed stone and dirt which were compressed as the layers were built up.

Discovery is currently targeted for launch on August 25th, at 1:36 am EDT.

Finnish President Calls Space Station

The president of Finland made a long distance call to American space station resident Timothy Kopra this morning, who carries special Finnish heritage both inside and in the form of a medalion.

The President of the Republic of Finland Tarja Halonen spoke with Kopra for about 15 minutes beginning at 8:55 am EDT, as the station passed over the Atlantic Ocean and up toward Europe.

A few months ago, President Halonen sent Kopra the Kalevala medal, which Kopra brought with him to the space station during his launch a few weeks ago aboard Endeavour. The medal signifies services for Finnish culture. Kopra will return the medal this Fall in person to the madam president.

Kopra will return back to earth in early-September aboard space shuttle Discovery.

NASA Rover Discovers Unusual Rock on Mars

A NASA rover alone on the desert plains of the planet Mars has happened across an out of place big rock and this has grabbed the space agencies attention.

The two foot rock known as Block Island, was discovered on July 18 as the rover Opportunity was moving along and passing it by. NASA scientists then put the breaks on the rover's treads and turned it around to move in and photograph the rock.

NASA scientists at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, believe the dark grey rock could be that of a meteorite.

Little information was released on Friday by JPL, however the rock will be studied to look for origins of this mysterious fragment from space.


Opportunity took the two images on July 28th, 2009, on the 1959 solar Martian day or SOL. According to JPL, "Scientists will be testing the rock with the particle X-ray spectrometer to get composition measurements and to confirm if indeed it is a meteorite."

The Opportunity rover only travels about 50 to 75 feet a day on average; and has moved only 10.7 miles across the Martian surface.

The rover was launched from Cape Canaveral in July 2003, and arrived on Mars in January 2004 -- a few weeks after Opportunity's sister rover, Spirit, arrived following joint launches weeks apart.

UPDATE: Discovery Rollout to Pad 39A Delayed

Tomorrow's scheduled rollout of the space shuttle Discovery to her ocean side launch pad has been delayed one day due to inspections of the left rocket booster.

Discovery's move from the vehicle assembly building to launch pad 39-A is set to begin on Tuesday morning.

Stay tune for new updates on Monday right here; and via our mobile feed on Twitter (@spacelaunchnews).

Crew Departs Shuttle after "Fantastic Mission"

Hailing the newly concluded flight of space shuttle Endeavour as a "fantastic mission", the crew departed the orbiter and made a few comments after the traditional walk around of their craft.

"It's a great day to be here at the Kennedy Space Center!" mission commander Mark Polansky shouted out to those on runway 15 as the entire crew stood near the resting orbiter.

"What a fantastic mission!", Polansky continued to say. "What can we say but thanks to everybody at the Kennedy Space Center for working so hard on Endeavour. It's a beautiful vehicle and we enjoyed every minute of it. Hopefully we brought it back in good shape."


Six of the seven members of the crew of Endeavour - Commander Polansky, pilot Doug Hurley and mission specialists Julie Payette (Canada), Christopher Cassidy, David Wolf, Tom Mashburn - were able to get out and make the walk around inspection one hour after landing.

Only returning space station astronaut Koichi Wakata of the Japanese Space Agency stayed in a special chair in the astronaut transporter as he readapts to gravity following over four months in space.

SLN VIDEO: Endeavour Lands in Florida

Endeavour lands at 10:48 am EDT, at KSC.

Endeavour Lands at Kennedy Space Center

The space shuttle Endeavour left earth orbit this morning for a free fall journey back home to a beautiful landing at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

The orbiter's main gear hit the space center's runway hot and fast at 10:48:08 am EDT, concluding 15 days, 16 hours and 46 minutes in space, and the final mission to complete the Japanese Kibo segment aboard the international space station.

NASA's 29th space shuttle mission to help construct the massive space station flew 6.52 million miles and was docked to the orbital complex for 12 days.

"Congratulations on a superb mission from beginning to end. Very well done," CAPCOM Alan Poindexter radioed the crew of Endeavour from back in Mission Control after the spacecraft came to a complete stop.

Coming home on the day before his 46th birthday, Japan's first long duration space traveler, Koichi Wakata, landed in a space chair on the middeck of the orbiter.

On hand to greet the crew is new NASA administrator Charles F. Bolden, who began his first day at work in Washington, D.C. days after Endeavour launched on her 23rd flight.

The next space shuttle launch is targeted for no earlier than August 23rd, by Discovery. Discovery is set to head to her ocean side launch pad on Monday morning.

Endeavour "GO" for DeOrbit Burn; Landing Today

Mission Control in Houston just gave the seven member crew of the space shuttle Endeavour a "Go" for the burn which will slow the ship down and drop it out of earth orbit.

The deorbit burn, in which Endeavour fires her breaking engines for nearly three minutes, will slow the spacecraft down and begin her free fall back to earth. The twin small engines will ignite at 9:41 am EDT.

Landing at the Kennedy Space Center is scheduled for 10:48 am, as the main gear hits runway 15 after nearly 16 days in space.

Weather Improves for Endeavour's Landing

The summer weather here along the Florida Space Coast has improved this morning in support of a 10:48 am EDT landing by space shuttle Endeavour following 16 successful days on orbit.

Endeavour's crew closed and latched her payload bay doors at 7 am, and later began software updates to prepare turning their ship from space craft to an atmospheric glider.

When Mission Control clears the weather this morning, Endeavour's commander Mark Polansky will fire the ship's twin orbital maneuvering engines for nearly 3 minutes at 9:41 am EDT, to begin their decent and drop out of orbit. The deorbit burn will slow the orbiter's speed by 207 miles per hour to allow for it to drop out of orbit.

Landing is currently planned for the Kennedy Space Center's runway 15 with a main gear touchdown at 10:48 am.

Endeavour's crew includes commander Polansky, pilot Doug Hurley and mission specialists Julie Payette (Canada), Christopher Cassidy, David Wolf, Tom Mashburn and Japanese astronaut Koichi Wakata who is coming home after four months aboard the international space station.

One hour prior to the deorbit burn, the seven member crew will begin drinking fluids to keep from dehydrating & in support of their fluid shifts during the reentry. They will "consume 8 ounces of water or artificially sweetened drink with two salt tablets, or 8 ounces of Chicken Consommé every 15 minutes".

CREWMEMBER FLUID:

CDR (Polansky) 40 oz - Chicken Consommé
PLT (Hurley) 40 oz - Orange Drink w/ A/S
MS1 (Cassidy) 40 oz - Water
MS2 (Payette) 24 oz - Chicken Consommé 8 oz - Lemon-Lime Ade
MS3 (Marshburn) 16 oz - Water 8 oz - Tropical Punch w/ A/S 8 oz - Chicken Consommé
MS4 (Wolf) 40 oz - Water 10
MS5 (Wakata) 32 oz - Water 8

One hour following landing, the crew will leave Endeavour, and except for Wakata, will perform the walk around inspection of the ship as it rests on the runway after traveling over 6 million miles.

UPDATE: DRAGONSat Deployed from Endeavour

The DRAGONSat student satellites deployed successfully from Endeavour this morning at 8:35 am EDT, streaking up and over the orbiter as they begin their multiyear mission to study automatic dockings in space.

We captured a NASA-TV image of DRAGONSat several meters above the orbiter, seconds following the deployment.

Deployment came as the orbiter flew some 218 miles over central South America.

Endeavour Steers Tword Friday Landing

The space shuttle Endeavour is in great shape and ready for its return back home to the Kennedy Space Center tomorrow morning following 16 days in earth orbit.

Currently, landing here at KSC's shuttle landing facility will be at 10:48 am EDT, on runway 15.

Endeavour's commander Mark Polansky and pilot Doug Hurley will burn the ship's small twin engines at 9:45 am EDT on Friday to begin its free fall back to earth. About twenty minutes later, Endeavour will begin feeling the effects of earth's upper atmosphere as reentry begins.

Landing will come on the mission's 248th orbit of the earth, as the orbiter tracks from the central Pacific Ocean and northeast as it flys over central America, over the Caribbean Sea and up over Cuba as it heads to Kennedy.

Endeavour, which launched on July 15th, is expected to see generally good weather during her mid-morning approach to the Florida Space Coast.

Weather is forecast to be partly cloudy with an air tempertaure of 82 degrees just prior to the 10:48 am landing time. Thunderstorms, which could occur later in the afternoon, will not be an issue.

Endeavour Spends Final Day on Orbit

The crew of the space shuttle Endeavour checked out the ship's rudder and speed brakes early this morning, and will deploy two small satellites as they prepare for tomorrow's landing here at the Kennedy Space Center.

Endeavour's commander Mark "Roman" Polansky and Pilot Doug Hurley will power up one of three power units which provide power to enable the spacecrafts aerodynamic's to perform when the orbiter drops through earth's atmosphere during landing.

The pair also tested the reaction control system thruster jets which will be needed early in the landing phase to drop Endeavour out of orbit. At 7:25 am EDT, Endeavour performed a series of burns in support of positioning the orbiter's altitude in support of two satellite deployments.

"Endeavour, Houston. Good burn... Good job gettings those burns off in short order," commented mission control's CAPCOM Alan Poindexter.

This morning, at 8:33 am EDT, the first of two small satellites will be deployed from the orbiter's payload bay as it flies 218 miles high.

The payload known as the Dual RF Astrodynamic GPS Orbital Navigator Satellite, or DRAGONSat, uses two picosatellites to study the way spacecraft dock automatically in space using the GPS system. DRAGONSat was design by students at the University of Texas and at Texas A&M.

DRAGONSat is comprised of two aluminium boxes which measure 5 inches by 5 inches, and are covered by solar cells to provide power to the internal radio receivers.

This afternoon, another satellite known as ANDE-2 or Atmospheric Neutral Density Experiment, consists of two 19-inch spherical satellites and will orbit earth at 210 miles up and study the makeup of our atmosphere as scientists study how low earth orbit creates drag on orbital crafts.

ANDE-2 is set for deployment at 1:22 pm EDT today.

NASA prepares Discovery for August Launch

Running a few weeks behind schedule due to the delays of the recent Endeavour mission, the space shuttle Discovery is expected to depart the Kennedy Space Center's vehicle assembly building for her launch pad on Monday.

Riding a top a huge mobile launcher platform, the STS-128 space shuttle stack is expected to begin its first motion just after midnight on August 3. Approximately eight hours later, the transport is expected to be at Launch Pad 39-A as crews prepare Discovery for her late-August flight.

Moving at just 1 mph the entire three and one-half miles, the space shuttle crawls so slow so that vibration from speed does not cause the stack to move. As the crawler approaches the ramp up to the pad, the flat top of the platform remains level as hydraulic jacks rise and lower to keep the space shuttle level at her base.

Two days following roll out, the seven member crew of Discovery's STS-128 mission will arrive here at Kennedy for three days of launch pad drills and safety checks. Crew arrival is expected this Wednesday afternoon.

Launch of Discovery is expected for no earlier than August 25th -- a few days shy of the 25th anniversary of her first flight into space on STS-41D.

Inside the orbiter's payload bay will be the Leonardo Module, which will host a wealth of supplies, food, fuel and more for the six-person crew aboard the international space station.

Also inside Leonardo (one of two reusable Italian-built supply modules) will be the COLBERT or Combined Operational Load-Bearing External Resistance Treadmill. The COLBERT was named for the Comedy Central host Stephen Colbert, and will be built and used aboard the station for crew exercise.

Russian Cargo Craft Docks with Space Station

A Russian launched resupply craft successfully docked to the international space station this morning, filled with food and fuel for the current and future crews of six.

The Progress M-67 (34) craft docked to the station's Russian Zvezda module's aft port at 7:12 am EDT, as the two spacecraft flew 220 miles over western Russia.

However, about ten minutes prior to docking, the Progress' automatic docking system failed to place the craft in proper alignment with station. Russian cosmonaut and space station commander Gennady Padalka then took over and manually docked the cargo ship a few minutes earlier than planned.

This is the 34th Progress supply ship carries within it just over two tons of food, fuel, oxygen and spare parts for the Expedition 20 crew, of which most of the supplies will last into this October's arrival of the 21 crew.

"Gennady is top of the line on manual modes," stated co-station resident Michael Baratt minutes after the docking.

Launched last Friday, the Progress was placed in a holding pattern as Endeavour finished up work to complete the Japanese Kibo module. The docking occurred just 18 hours after shuttle Endeavour's undocking on Tuesday.

Endeavour Soars in the Ocean of Space

The newly undocked space shuttle Endeavour continues this afternoon to move away from its home for the last 12 days, the international space station, following work to complete the construction of the Japanese Kibo science module.

Moments following undocking, Endeavour flew around the station, and then performed two separation burn to begin the orbiter's track back home for a Friday morning landing at the Kennedy Space Center.

At 3:18 pm, Endeavour was 13,200 feet away from the space station, as it moves out to a distance of about 46 miles below and ahead.

Meanwhile, there will be two great sighting opportunities of the newly seperated shuttle and station from most sections of the United States both tonight and on Wednesday evening after sunset.

For example, on Wednesday night in the north Atlanta, Georgia area, Endeavour will travel across the night sky for three minutes beginning at 9:04 pm EDT, followed minutes later by the space station at 9:06 pm. They will travel from west toward southeast as two bright stars in the blackness of space. At Cape Canaveral tomorrow, the space duo will fly over starting at 9:05 pm.

Click Here for the link of a complete updated listing to find your city and the times and directions the two will fly over.

Station Crew Captures Endeavour Departure

Two of a series of high def images taken from aboard the international space station moments ago as the space shuttle Endeavour made her fly around of the orbital complex.

This was the 29th space shuttle docking with the space station since 1998, and completed the three mission construction of the Japanese section of the station, Kibo.

Endeavour Departs Space Station

The space shuttle Endeavour departed from her port-of-call early this afternoon as she and her crew of seven left a newly supplied international crew of six aboard the space station.

Undocking by Endeavour occurred on time at 1:26 pm EDT, as the orbital duo flew high over the Indian Ocean on the 203 orbit of Endeavour's STS-127 mission. "We have physical separation," shuttle skipper Mark "Roman" Polansky stated as bolts opened on the two docking ports.

As the two spacecraft tracked from the central Pacific Ocean, over Mexico and through central Texas and later Arkansas, the orbiter performed a fly around of the station in an orbital ballet 217 miles up.

Endeavour's pilot Doug Hurley moved the ship out to 610 feet from the orbital outpost in space and began a 360 degree fly around. During the station-go-round, Endeavour's astronauts photographed and surveyed the new look of the space station,

Endeavour docked to the station complex on July 17th, and since installed an experiment platform of the Japanese Kibo module, performed five spacewalks, and transferred food, fuel and oxygen to the station while docked.

Endeavour Prepares for Station Undocking

Flying high on the heels of a NASA-termed successful mission, the space shuttle Endeavour is just hours away from undocking with the international space station following nearly 12 days of docked operations.

The combined thirteen humans will say their goodbyes as the seven member crew of Endeavour boards the orbiter and the two ships close and lock their hatches at 10:23 am EDT. Endeavour's crew of commander Mark "Roman" Polansky, pilot Douglas Hurley, and mission specialists Chris Cassidy, David Wolf, Tomas Marshburn, Julie Payette (Canada) and former space station crewmember Koichi Wakata (Japan).

Wakata is returning home to earth following a four month stay aboard station as a member of the Expedition 18, 19 and 20 crews. He is being replaced on station by former Endeavour-launched astronaut Tim Kopra. Kopra will live aboard station through the end of August when Discovery arrives on the STS-128 resupply mission.

Undocking is planned for 1:26 pm today, as the two crafts fly through orbital darkness over Russia. Endeavour will be half-way through her 203 earth orbit of the mission.

Endeavour's pilot Hurley will move the ship out to 600 feet from the orbital outpost in space and begin a 360 degree fly around. During the station-go-round, Endeavour's astronauts will use cameras and survey the new look of the space station, which now includes the newly installed Japanese Experiment Platform on the Kibo module.

Endeavour's crew awoke this morning to the great music of Lee Greenwood's, Proud to Be an American, in hour of Chris Cassidy who performed three spacewalks on this STS-127 mission.

This was the first time in human history which saw thirteen people together in one spacecraft work and live together - and it will not be the last.

On Wednesday, a recently launched Russian cargo craft will move in and dock with the space station. The Progress M-67, carrying food, water, oxygen, supplies and fuel is scheduled to dock at 7:16 am EDT.

Endeavour is set to return home on Friday morning back here here at the Kennedy Space Center with a touchdown time of 10:47 am.

Discovery Prepares for Rollout to Pad 39-A

As the space shuttle Endeavour soars 220 miles above earth, her sister ship, Discovery, was hoisted into position and attached to its external fuel tank and rocket boosters in preparation for launch in late-August.

In high bay one of the Vehicle Assembly Building here at the Kennedy Space Center, Discovery was vertically lifted by crane to a high point over its large fuel tank on Sunday. Later, engineers slowly lowered her down so that the orbiter's tank attachment points were aligned for mating.

During this week, technicians will ensure the orbiter is securely attached to the rust-colored fuel tank prior as the STS-128 space shuttle stack awaits its rollout to launch pad 39-A early next week.

Discovery is scheduled to launch in late-August on a resupply mission to the international space station as she carries the Leonardo Multi-Purpose Logistics Module full of experiments, food, and fuel.

If Discovery meets the late-August launch date, it would come exactly 25 years after her madien voyage of STS-41D - NASA's 12th space shuttle flight.

Fifth Endeavour Spacewalk Underway

The fifth and final spacewalk of space shuttle Endeavour's mission to the international space station is underway as two astronauts complete tasks at the Japanese module.

Endeavour astronauts Chris Cassidy and Thomas Marshburn began the 130th spacewalk in support of space station construction since 1998. This is also the pair'sthird spacewalk each.

Today's orbital walk in space began nearly one hour early at 7:33 am EDT, as the shuttle-station passed over the central Atlantic Ocean.

Addressing questions about today's spacewalk during a news conference on Sunday, Endeavour's commander Mark "Roman" Polansky summed up his thoughts on the orbital walk today, "I have all the confidence in the world in the EVA team and all the folks back in Houston and everywhere else who have planned what we're going to do. We're all keenly aware that EVAs carry some risk to them and so we're going to be very, very deliberate and careful about the last EVA... So EVA-5 should be our final one and we're hoping it's going to go real well."

Cassidy and Marshburn will set up two video cameras on the Japanese Exposed Facility this morning. The cameras will help astronauts in the Japanese Kibo module to inspect science experiments which are exposed to the vacumm of space; and to assist with the future dockings of the new H-2 transfer cargo crafts which will be launched from Japan beginning this September 10.

Between now and through 2016, America, Russia, Japa and Europe will launch their own unmanned crafts to space station, filled with fuel, oxygen, food, experiments and astronaut personal items.

The spacewalk is expected to last 6 hours.