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NASA Clears Shuttle Atlantis for Sunday Launch
Davemania writes "This Sunday, NASA will resume the reconstruction of the International Space Station with the launch of the Space Shuttle Atlantis. NASA predicts a 60% chance that the weather will hold but will be keeping their eye at Tropical Storm Ernesto. The six-astronaut crew is tasked with deploying two large solar arrays and integrating the port 3/port 4 truss segment. As usual, the live launch can be seen on NASA TV."
Space shuttle "Antlantis" doesn't exactly fill me with confidence - I mean, why not just go with "Space Shuttle sinking continent" or "Space Shuttle doomed civilization"
There are shills on slashdot. Apparently, I'm one of them.
Good luck! As long as they keep those motherf%^#ing snakes off the shuttle, they're in good shape!
Where were you when the voynix came?
They might as well call it "Space shuttle soon to be cancelled Stargate spinoff"
Where were you when the voynix came?
Godspeed Atlantis! (and don't forget your spatula!)
"It takes considerable knowledge just to realize the extent of your own ignorance." - Thomas Sowell
Why don't they just have Sunday Lunch at home like everyone else? Why do they need to have it in the shuttle?
vxworks, it's not windows, thats all i would be worried about.
"NASA predicts a 60% chance that the weather will hold but will be keeping their eye at Tropical Storm Ernesto. "
How are they keeping their eye AT Ernesto?
The title "Editor" is highly misplaced for the so-called "editors" at slashdot.
Man, I wish the news would pay the same respect to me. Just imagine:
"On Saturday, if the weather holds, Mike will deliver a 200lbs payload. He is expected to raise the vehicle on jack stands, and make necessary repairs for the coming week's commuting mission. MFMA (Mike's Fleet Maintenance Agency) reports that Mike will replace the transmission, perform an oil change, and inspect the ball joints."
Not fair!
Tsunami -- You can't bring a good wave down!
Actually, the Space Shuttle's systems are run on proprietary software written by a company that basically just writes the shuttle software. They have uber-secure programming practices to prevent any bugs in the system. The software, because it's so carefully written, is the most expensive piece of software in terms of dollars per line.
Google: "All your data are belong to us."
> the Space Shuttle's systems are run on proprietary
> software written by a company that basically just
> writes the shuttle software.
Specifically, of the five CPUs in the primary Shuttle management system, four run identical copies of the management/control software. This version was originally written by IBM's then Federal Systems Division, which was later sold (to Loral I believe). The fifth CPU runs code written to the same specifictions by the shuttle's prime contractor (then Rockwell, now Boeing). The two groups were (and I believe are) only allowed to communicate through formal written specifications and are never allowed to speak directly or to see one another's code. Whenever the software is changed, both versions must independently pass the same functional tests and then the entire cluster of five CPUs must pass the functional tests as a unit.
I haven't seen any detailed write-ups since they upgraded the Shuttle cockpit using what was essentially the Boeing 767 avionics, but I assume similar procedures still apply.
sPh
Endeavours to challenge the hiding place of the lost city of Atlantis predate even Columbus' discovery.
The mercury is rising for those still dedicated to Atlantis' existence, because results to date indicate it the whole thing is mere legend. Rumours of ancient conspiracies have appalled certain academics. Iss there any credible basis for continuing to believe?
Okay, soyuz all later.
These stories are free but worth money.
sorry for the "anonymous coward" post (I've written a wrong password)
http://www.ghostnasa.com/ http://www.gaetanomarano.it/articles/articles.htm
...but more of a realist: what percentages of shuttles have gotten-off on-time-first-time-no-probs, have been delayed for technical reasons, have been delayed for weather, and whatever-else?
"It's time to take life by the cans." ~ Bender ("Bendin' in the Wind", ep. 3-13)
'NSA clears Shuttle Atlantis for Sunday Launch'? Blah, I need more coffee.
How are they keeping their eye AT Ernesto?
Maybe not NASA, but certainly NOAA really can literally keep their eye AT a TS/hurricane by flying around and thru it in one of their P-3 Orions.
Sorry. The shuttle DOES NOT use boineg 767 Avionics. The job of the two is VERY different. The shuttle DOES have a glass cockpit now. The eight balls like they used for attitude control on Apollo and on the old shuttle are gone.
c ockpit/EL-2000-00037.JPG
http://oea.larc.nasa.gov/news_rels/2000/art/glass
Gorkman
The eight balls like they used for attitude control on Apollo and on the old shuttle are gone.
Is it safe to launch now?
libguestfs - tools for accessing and modifying virtual machine disk images
Bad timing, actually a big thunderstorm rolled through and the platform took several direct hits. Nothing hit the shuttle itself because of the series of wires and towers that they have installed to draw the lightening away, but they are still going to take the day today and tomorrow to inspect everything.
i mg_display.php?pic=060826_sts115_lightning_02.jpg& cap=Remote+cameras+captured+a+lightning+strike+at+ the+launch+pad+on+Friday%2C+Aug.+25%2C+2006.+Photo +credit%3A+NASA.+Click+to+enlarge.
There are some ok photos of the direct hits to the tower.
http://www.space.com/php/multimedia/imagedisplay/
"KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Florida (CNN) -- The launch of space shuttle Atlantis on Sunday was scrubbed for 24 hours because of lightning striking the launch pad Friday and other weather worries, NASA announced.
. launch/
The launch will be tried again Monday. Sunday is the first day of the shuttle's launch window, which closes September 7.
Mission managers said no other significant issues besides weather could affect the launch, said NASA test director Jeff Spaulding."
http://www.cnn.com/2006/TECH/space/08/26/atlantis
The Associated Press and the New York Times are now reporting that Atlantis will not launch Sunday. The delay will "give engineers more time to determine whether one of the most powerful lightning strikes ever at a Kennedy Space Center launch pad caused any problems. The lightning Friday didn't hit the shuttle -- it struck a wire attached to a tower used to protect the spacecraft from such strikes at the launch pad -- but it created a lightning field around the vehicle, NASA managers said. The launch, planned for Sunday, now won't happen until at least Monday."
über-secure does not mean bug free. Remember when the Shuttle fired its laser into space, instead of at a ground target, because someone calculated altitude wrong? No system is bug-free.
I want to delete my account but Slashdot doesn't allow it.
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