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| Image above: The shuttle training aircraft, with
STS-116 Pilot William Oefelein in the pilot's seat, waits on the Shuttle
Landing Facility before takeoff in the Tuesday evening twilight. Image
Credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett |
No technical issues should affect Thursday's planned launch of Space
Shuttle Discovery, NASA Test Director Jeff Spaulding announced during
a countdown status briefing at Kennedy Space Center.
Discovery's onboard cryogenic tanks were loaded last night, and software
loads and verifications are underway today, along with the power-up and
checkout of ground communication systems. The launch pad's rotating service
structure is set to be retracted at 12:30 a.m. EST Thursday, and loading
of Discovery's orange external tank will begin around 11:40 a.m.
"Discovery and her crew are set to embark on one of the most complicated
missions ever performed, and I'm happy to say our vehicle is ready,"
Spaulding said.
Asked about the issues raised Tuesday evening regarding the mobile launcher
platform power surge and adhesive on a reusable solid rocket motor, Spaulding
replied, "We expect all issues to be cleared by the time we go into
the L-1 MMT meeting today."
Joining Spaulding at the briefing were Debbie Hahn, STS-116 payload manager,
and Kathy Winters, shuttle weather officer. Discovery's payloads are ready
for flight, but weather remains a major concern.
"Tomorrow we are expecting a frontal system to come into the area,
and that is going to bring in a lot of cloud cover," Winters said.
"We did increase our probability of weather prohibiting a [Kennedy]
launch to 60 percent."
The forecast indicates the possibility of isolated light rain and low
clouds in the area at launch time. Weather is also a concern at a contingency
landing site in Istres, France. Tail winds there may increase and pose
an issue as well.
In the case of a 24-hour delay, the forecast isn't much better: there's
a chance the winds at the launch pad or Shuttle Landing Facility could
exceed limits, bringing the chance of weather prohibiting launch to 70
percent. A 48-hour delay would leave the launch team with a 60 percent
chance of weather preventing liftoff.
"Weather starts getting more promising as we get into Sunday or
Monday evening, but Tuesday looks the best right now," Winters concluded.
The STS-116 mission is the 33rd for Discovery and the 117th space shuttle
flight. During the 12-day mission, the crew will continue construction
on the International Space Station, rewiring the orbiting laboratory and
adding a segment to its integrated truss structure
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| US astronaut Sunita Williams, KD5PLB - eager to do
ARISS school group contacts from NA1SS |
• Shuttle Discovery will carry three radio amateurs, one of whom
- US astronaut Sunita Williams, KD5PLB - will
join ISS Expedition 14 in progress.
She'll replace European Space Agency astronaut Thomas Reiter,
DF4TR, whose duty tour has spanned Expeditions 13 and 14
- the first time that's happened in the history of the ISS.
Williams is said to be eager to do ARISS school group contacts from NA1SS.
Also aboard Discovery will be European Space Agency astronaut and mission
specialist Christer Fuglesang, KE5CGR/SA0AFS,
Sweden's first astronaut, who will be making his first journey into space.
Plans are in place for Fuglesang to carry out an Amateur Radio on the
International Space Station (ARISS) school contact with students at Thunmanskolan
in Knivsta, Sweden. The contact would be the first ARISS school QSO with
Scandinavia. On November 20, Fuglesang attended an Amateur Radio training
session at Johnson Space Center to prepare him for using the ARISS Phase
2 station for his school contact.
Primary payloads on the 12-day mission are the P5 integrated truss segment,
SPACEHAB single logistics module and an integrated cargo carrier.
Mission specialist Nicholas Patrick, KD5PKY,
also is on the seven-member STS-116 mission crew. This will mark the 20th
shuttle flight to the ISS
Source: NASA, ARRL
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