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T-43 Hours and Counting

An anonymous reader submits "As seen on NASA TV, for the first time in over two years, the countdown clock has started at 6:00 PM EDT for the Wednesday 3:51 PM EDT launch of Space Shuttle Discovery on the first of the return to flight test flights. The launch is not for certain due to weather issues associated with hurricane Dennis. Currently it is estimated for a 70% chance of launch on Wednesday, with the chances lowering later in the week. If you are confused on how T-43 hours equals almost 3 days, perhaps you should read Countdown 101."

19 of 192 comments (clear)

  1. Just like (American) football by spectral · · Score: 5, Funny

    Where you have short periods of time that somehow extend to 2-5x as long as they're 'supposed to', because of all the time stoppage in the middle!

    1. Re:Just like (American) football by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

      And then they pre-empt Futurama! I'll be in the angry dome!

  2. NASA and NFL in cahoots by ChillyWillie · · Score: 5, Funny

    Maybe NASA is leasing their timer from the NFL where the last several minutes really takes a half hour.

    --
    I am NOT putting my signature in this stupid little box! How do I know you won't steal my identity???
  3. Re:NASA TV by mcc · · Score: 5, Funny

    Anyone remember those?

    All I remember about CUSeeMe is a lot of nudity.

    Man.... NASA sure has gotten a lot more conservative since then

  4. Re:Good for Science by Somegeek · · Score: 3, Funny

    Tell you what then, kill yourself and I will donate a thousand dollars to the science project of your choice. I bet we could get some more people on here to kick in too. Could be a real windfall for some deserving program- think about it - and it only requires one death, not seven!

    --
    And as you tread the halls of sanity, You feel so glad to be, Unable to go beyond. I have a message, From another time..
  5. Re:Good for Science by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    One of those suggestions was an intelligent, well reasoned, well thought out proposal for improving humanity. The other was just silly! Where is he going to find a job?

    I'll get started on the robots.

  6. T-19 Hours... by Yardboy · · Score: 4, Funny

    T-19 hours and holding This built-in hold typically lasts four hours. * Demate the orbiter's midbody umbilical unit I don't have any idea what this means, but it sounds really sexy. yb.

    --
    drink beer, and let the water run the mill
  7. Glimpse inside mission control by Andy+Gardner · · Score: 5, Funny
    http://www.nasa.gov/images/content/64568main_ffs_g allery_mcc_image2.jpg

    Assistant: Sir, the TV ratings for the launch are the highest in ten years.

    Everyone: Yay!

    Controller: And how's the spacecraft doing?
    Assistant: I dunno. All this equipment is just used to measure TV ratings.

    1. Re:Glimpse inside mission control by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      "what's the computer doing?"
      "it's using Munga Bunga to brute force the nuclear launch codes"

  8. Flight plan? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    "Clear the blast danger area of all nonessential personnel" What kind of flight plan is that? Shouldn't they leave the nonessential people in the blast danger area, and the essential people get to spare their lives???

  9. Re:Visit Policy by QuantumG · · Score: 2, Funny

    Can we stay at your place? Do you have spare beds? Does your Mom make good tuna salad?

    --
    How we know is more important than what we know.
  10. Re:13 isn't really a good number for NASA by bsytko · · Score: 3, Funny

    Well, if something does go wrong, they can go to the backup backup plan and thats blame it on the fact they launched on the 13th.

  11. Re:Can someone please explain by __aaclcg7560 · · Score: 2, Funny

    T means Texas, where Houston Control is located. It's just a guess that Lyndon Johnson put the T back into Texas during his years in the White House.

  12. OB Simpsons Quotes by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    Tom: It's a lovely day for a launch, here, live at Cape Canaveral, at the lower end of the Florida Peninsula, and the purpose of today's mission is truly, really electrifying.

    Man 2: That's correct, Tom. The lion's share of this flight will be devoted to the study of the effects of weightlessness on tiny screws.

    Tom: Unbelievable, and just imagine the logistics of weightlessness. And of course, this could have literally millions of applications here on Earth -- everything from watchmaking to watch repair.

    Homer: Boring.

    [tries to switch channels, but the batteries fall from the remote control]

    Homer: No! The batteries!

    Tom: Now let's look at the crew a little.

    Man 2: They're a colorful bunch. They've been dubbed "the Three Musketeers". Heh heh heh --

    Tom: And we laugh legitimately. There's a mathematician, a different kind of mathematician, and a statistician.

    Homer: Make it stop! [panics]

    Bart: Oh no, not another boring space launch. Change the channel. Change the channel!

    Homer: I can't! I can't!

    [Bart dives for the plug and tears it from the wall]
    [He and Homer both sigh]

    Meanwhile, at Mission Control...

    Assistant: Sir, we've run into a serious problem with the mission. These Nielsen ratings are the lowest ever.

    [holds a piece of paper]

    Scientist: Oh my God...we've been beaten by "A Connie Chung Christmas!"

  13. designed for commercial tv coverage by weighn · · Score: 4, Funny

    "we're at T-20 minutes and holding, we'll be back after these messages"

    --
    Mongrel News all the news that fits and froths
  14. No wonder! by Cervantes · · Score: 4, Funny

    Sheesh, no wonder every time you guys get something from a foreign provider you always screw up the conversion... it's bad enough you have feet instead of meters, gallons instead of liters..... but, come on man, you guys just have to have your own special, unique number of hours in 3 days?!? It was all fine and good that you started spelling things differently after the War of Independance, but that's just wrong!

    --
    If I knew the wedgies I gave you back in 6th grade would have resulted in this . . . I might have taken a moments pause.
  15. Re:Visit Policy by vrioux · · Score: 3, Funny

    You lucky americans! Up here in Canada, I'll have to fallback to that damn Windows Media stream :(

    Oh well, at least we have good beer!

  16. Re:So.. What does.. by some+guy+I+know · · Score: 4, Funny
    The origin of "T" is lost in the mists of time.
    However, many eminent scholars have various informed opinions as to what it stands for:
    • Stephen J. Cannell - Sgt. Bosco "B.A." Baracus>.
    • My Plumber - A right-angle junction between the end of one pipe and somewhere other than the end of another.
    • Julie Andrews - A drink with jam and bread.
    • Sitting Bull - A kind of pee.
    • George W. Bush - One of those letters in the back of the alphabet, somewhere near "Z", or 17, or maybe Chicago, I think. It's too hard. What do you think, Dick? Has anybody seen my pretzels?
    --
    Those who sacrifice security to condemn liberty deserve to repeat history or something. - Benjamin Santayana
  17. Re:What are the odds? by Detritus · · Score: 2, Funny

    There's this thing called "weather", you might have heard of it.

    --
    Mea navis aericumbens anguillis abundat