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Space Shuttle Endeavour Launches (at last)

Posted by michael on from the astronauts-not-allowed-to-bring-nailfiles-on-board dept.

mumkin writes: "Hey, STS-108 has finally launched! In addition to bringing a new crew to the International Space Station and performing an EVA, Endeavour will be releasing Starshine 2, another orbiting disco-ball for ground-based observers to track."

6 of 90 comments (clear)

  1. More Cargo by flynt · · Score: 5, Informative

    In addition to the things already mentioned, the shuttle also has 6000 American Flags, which when returned from space, will be given to the members of the families of the World Trade Center victims.

  2. To see the ISS & Shuttle yourself... by Tsar · · Score: 5, Informative

    Go to Heavens-Above and enter your location on earth, and it'll provide you with all the info you need to spot the ISS, the Shuttle, and a host of other orbiting objects as they pass over you before sunrise or after sunset. The site has a wealth of other information about satellites and space exploration in general as well, so it is with a very heavy heart that I expose one of my absolute favorite sites to the eminent threat of slashdottery.

  3. Satellite Sighting! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Informative

    I invite you to check for ISS/shuttle sightings on the nasa website. Also Heavens above might be updated with the shuttle orbital information within the next few hours.

    For example, I see there will be a nice pass almost straight above San Francisco, Thr Dec 06, 05:26 PM for ISS, and 11 minutes later (05:37 PM) the shuttle catching up with it! So I suspect similar opportunies for other US cities in the coming days, weather permitting of course.

    Don't expect to see more than a moving point of light, but it is still quite cool.

  4. GAS Payloads on STS-108 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Informative

    STS-108 also contains GAS Payloads...which are basically just canisters that can be rented, usually by universities and space agencies. Experiments are flown in these canisters and they range anywhere from boiling water to growing plants, testing the effects of microgravity. I am the webmaster of the Utah State University GAS Team and we sent up a payload on this shuttle with 3 powered experiments and a few passive ones. Glad the shuttle finally got off the ground!

  5. Re:Why do we bother by Str1der · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Why do we bother sending people to space when there are so many problems on earth?... Terrorist attacks against America, terrorist attacks against Israel, unemployment, economy problems, homelessness, bad education, health care problems, etc...

    Maybe to remind the world that there is a lot more to our existance than out (mostly) petty quarrels. Maybe to inspire a new generation to strive for a better education. Mabey to conduct zero-g research that will indirectly lead to inexpensive soulutions to many health issues. There have been countless spinoffs from the space program and there will be many more. I think it is a great way to spend that small fraction of our budget.

  6. Re:So what exactly does this massive student proje by ukryule · · Score: 5, Interesting
    From NASA:

    The experiments include: STARSHINE-2, the Prototype Synchrotron Radiation Detector, Collisions Into Dust Experiment-2, Capillary Pump Loop, and Space Experiment Module-11.

    STARSHINE 2 will be the third satellite of Project Starshine -- the Student Tracked Atmospheric Research Satellite for Heuristic International Networking Experiment -- to be deployed. More than 25,000 students from 26 countries will track STARSHINE 2 as it orbits Earth for eight months. The students will use the information that they collect to calculate the density of the Earth's upper atmosphere. Starshine will fly into space in a Hitchhiker canister in the payload bay of Endeavour and will be deployed 240 miles (387 kilometers) above the Earth.

    So 25,000 students will be monitoring it - it wasn't built by 25,000 students :-)