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So far everything is okay with the launch of Discovery–I was worried with the foam issue on the external fuel tank but the liftoff was good, and the first separation went smoothly as well.
We are just before the “Abort to Orbit.” They are now high up enough to where if anything did happen they would not return to Florida, they would have to head to Spain to land.
11:42am PT: we are no officially in outer space–60 miles up. We will roll to heads up at mach 13–right now we’re upside down, but here comes the roll over… we go from ground station communication to satellite communication, The external fuel tank is still attached.
11:45am PT: The cameras on the shuttle are still working so I’m watching the image of the fuel tank still attached. You can see plasma floating around. Booster separation any second now…there it goes! Falling away…External tank separation confirmed.
The ground crew is now hugging each other. So far, so good. Looks like the liftoff was excellent. I just got nervous when the Commander announced Up Throttle which is exactly when the Challenger exploded in 1986. But this time, all was well.
Now, the Columbia catastrophe happened at re-entry when the wing that was unknowingly damaged at liftoff from the foam problem made the shuttle explode. The cameras we have on the shuttle will now look for any liftoff damage, and when we get to the Space Station, she will also roll over so the astronauts on the space station can take a look at the condition of the entire vehicle.
Whew! This is the first shuttle launch on the 4th of July. The first step is taken and went well. Let’s now send our prayers for the whole mission to go as smoothly.
Stay in touch with the shuttle throughout their mission with Nasa Watch, which is not affiliated with NASA and keeps an objective eye on what is happening at the agency and with the projects. And of course there is the official NASA site for all the public details about the shuttle, her crew, and other space projects.
UPDATE 2:04pm PT:
Up to six pieces of debris fell off Discovery: NASA
Up to six pieces of debris that could be foam insulation fell off Discovery’s troublesome external fuel tank minutes after liftoff Tuesday, a top NASA official said. Officials cautioned, however, that it was too soon to know whether the debris struck Discovery and that the pieces came off later than would normally endanger the shuttle…
“About two minutes and 47 seconds give or take (after the Discovery launch), we saw three perhaps four pieces come off (the fuel tank),” said shuttle program manager Wayne Hale, adding that it was unclear whether it was foam or “something else.”
“We also saw another piece or two come off at about four minutes 50 seconds,” he told reporters at the Kennedy Space Center.
More on this, and its impact on the safe return of the shuttle, as it develops.
