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Discovery Set to Launch July 13

Posted by CowboyNeal on from the checked-the-bags-preflight dept.

An anonymous reader writes "The US space shuttle is set to launch July 13 for the first time in nearly two and a half years, after being grounded following the 2003 Columbia disaster, NASA said today. NASA experts held a final 'flight readiness review' meeting on Wednesday and Thursday to make a final decision."

11 of 161 comments (clear)

  1. whaa? by maotx · · Score: 3, Interesting

    What about the fact that NASA failed to meet three vital safety recomendations Tuesday?

    I mean granted, I'm sure they know what they are doing but what happens if we lose Discovery too? We haven't launched in over two years due to Columbia blowing up and I can't even imagine what would happen to the space program if we lost Discovery. Even more so if it is because of one of the failed safety checks.

    From my link:
    The panel said that NASA had failed to satisfactorily eliminate losses of foam and ice from the shuttle's external fuel tank. Additionally, the agency could not adequately strengthen areas of the spacecraft that are at risk of being damaged by the impact of stray debris. The astronauts who are a part of the return to flight mission did not have reliable repair kits, the panel pointed out.

    --
    I'm a virgo and on Slashdot. Coincidence? Yes.
    1. Re:whaa? by ndansmith · · Score: 4, Insightful
      Yes, we did not meet the security recomendations, but I don't think that should be a big deterrent for NASA. Compared to the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo programs, the Shuttle program is very safe. Add to that all the improvements they've made since the Shuttle came on-line, and space flight is much safer than it used to be.

      The space business is a dangerous game and everyone used to accepted that. This was when astronauts were larger than life Supermen rather than scientists. I just want to know when the threat of death became an unacceptable risk for exploration.

    2. Re:whaa? by lorelorn · · Score: 4, Insightful
      Exploration? What exploration? The shuttle has so far contributed precisely ZERO to human exploration of space.

      One aspect of the recent tragedy was that those astronauts died on nothing more than a glorified taxi run. Their mission contributed nothing to science, it had no scientific reason to take place

      The sooner we re-focus on real exploration in space the better, and we can do it without the shuttle or the money pit that is the ISS.

      NASA needs to stop wasting money and get on with unmanned exploration of Mars, Europa and elsewhere, replace Hubble, and launch the terrestrial planet finder. All these projects are being pushed back to make way for this current fad of unscientific garbage that explores NOTHING.

    3. Re:whaa? by ndansmith · · Score: 4, Insightful

      I agree that there has not been much space exploration done by the shuttle per se, but it did facilitate the Hubble telescope, which has been one of the best tools for space exploration.

    4. Re:whaa? by Robotron23 · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Considering the advances made within the ISS during its years in space already, the astronauts on board don't just sit up there for months twiddling their thumbs, they do a lot of research on a huge variety of fields, such as theeffects of zero gravity on biological organisms. Also, the fact that Shuttles have consistantly maintained projects such as Hubble contradicts your views on its potential replacement! I think you need some trolling practice dude.

  2. My memories by Himring · · Score: 5, Insightful

    We vacationed every summer in FL. It was always part of the trip to visit Cape Canaveral (Cape Kennedy). I have fond memories of it. Hot faced from too much sun, beach clothes and sandals, and seeing those incredible rockets towering into the sky as my dad drove us onto the compound. Little did I know of the history, for I was born in 1968 and at the time was a child. My dad was really into it and took all the time to explain the details of the thing. To me, he was everything, and so was my country. He bought me a Space Shuttle model, and I remember clearly the towering building wherein it all was assembled -- labeled with our nation's flag. I remember the juggernaut machine that traveled at one or two miles an hour which moved the rockets into place. I remember the launch pad, the museum displaying the Apollo crafts and astronaut suits. My dad took lots of pictures. He taught me to believe in our country and in its projects. There was so much pride in me then. I was proud of my dad, our country, our achievements.

    My dad is gone now, and I'm not sure what he would think about things now. I think he would be sad. We have angered countries, lost landmarks and shuttles have fallen. I would not want him to know these things, and I bear them now in his memory, but maybe, just maybe, we can regain our standing as a nation and in space....

    --
    "All great things are simple & expressed in a single word: freedom, justice, honor, duty, mercy, hope." --Churchill
  3. Wednesday the 13th by WillAffleck · · Score: 5, Funny

    They were going to leave on July 4th, but someone pointed out the space highways would be crowded then, and liquid NOX prices would be higher.

    So they decided to go surfing for a week before, to beat the crowds.

    --
    Will in Seattle
  4. Meanwhile... by Black+Parrot · · Score: 3, Interesting

    ...more immediately and IMO more interestingly, Deep Impact is going to do its stuff in about 4 days.

    --
    Sheesh, evil *and* a jerk. -- Jade
  5. No Guts, No Glory? by cloudofstrife · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Why doesn't anyone ever seem to realize that all of the scientific advancements that have come through manned spaceflight have come at a risk? Astronauts are strapped into a rocket capable of accelerating the space shuttle (no small object) to 10.7 km/s, many miles in the air (above the atmosphere) and then have to re-enter the atmosphere and land safely after slowing down from many times the speed of sound. With manned space flight, sh-I mean bad stuff has got to happen, and it's a wonder that more hasn't gone wrong.

  6. Re:Please tell me they at least have the ability by LiquidCoooled · · Score: 4, Interesting

    The Canadarm on its own cannot reach to the places required, however, the Canadarm creators (MD Robotics have come up with an extension boom for the shuttle.

    In orbit, this attaches to the end of the Canadarm and is able to inspect the entire surface.

    They have a rather cool animated walkthrough and some images here.

    --
    liqbase :: faster than paper
  7. 1-800-KSC-INFO by G27+Radio · · Score: 3, Informative

    When I moved to Florida one of my friends gave me the number. It's great for knowing when to watch for a launch here--not just shuttles, but any launch from Kennedy Space Center.

    If you call you'll hear in the first 10 seconds of the recorded message that the launch is currently targeted for July 13th. The message said the same as last time I checked a week or two ago.

    Definately a handy number to have :)

    1-800-KSC-INFO for anyone that didn't see the subject.