Weather Good for Space Shuttle Discovery's Thursday Launch, NASA Says

FoxNews.com ^ | February 21, 2011 | AP

[ColdOne]

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – After a four-month grounding of the space shuttle fleet, NASA's countdown clocks started ticking again Monday for Discovery's final ride into orbit.

Discovery is scheduled to blast off Thursday afternoon to the International Space Station. Forecasters put the odds of good weather at 80 percent.

When NASA tried to launch Discovery in early November with supplies and a humanoid robot for the space station, the countdown never got past the fueling phase. A hydrogen gas leak halted everything, then a more insidious problem cropped up: cracks in the external fuel tank.

[Yet_Again]

This will be the third to last mission, the last flight for Discovery. The next time Endeavor flies on April 19th will be the last flight for that particular orbiter and may be the last one ever.

I'd have the kids watch them if you care about such things - with NASA being repurposed for Islamic outreach these shuttle flights are likely the last time Americans will travel to space. By the time Obama is replaced, we will be unable to afford a space program.

STS- 134- April 19th 2011
This is the last launch of the shuttle Endeavor and will have a 6 person crew, headed to the ISS.
Commander Mark E. Kelly, leads the 6 person crew on this 14 day mission.

STS- 135- June 28th 2011
This mission will be the LAST of the shuttle missions, as the Shuttle Atlantis is launched to the ISS, with a 4 person crew, to the ISS.
At the time of this publication, funding for the mission may be in doubt.

[onedoug]

Nicole Stott. ¨A homina-homina....¨

[SuziQ]

Commander Mark E. Kelly, leads the 6 person crew on this 14 day mission.

Isn't he Gabrielle Gifford's husband? I'm glad she's doing well enough that he can go on the flight. I'm sure she's proud for him to take that last opportunity to fly the shuttle.

[Gator113]

“.......with NASA being repurposed for Islamic outreach....”

That makes me physically ill.

We were once a nation of great dreams. We asked the impossible questions and embarked on a journey to answer them.

Will we be remembered as a people of achievement..... or one of great failure? I don’t know, but what I do know is when I was a child in the 50’s, I was given wonderful dreams, yet todays children seem to be sentenced to a lifetime of nightmares.

I know that that was a bit over the top for this thread, but this crap puts me in a bad mood...

[Venturer]

What International Space Station? After the shuttles stop flying we will have to pay Russia to take us there, we are in effect leaving it to the Russians.

[jmcenanly]

After the shuttles stop flying we will have to pay Russia to take us there, we are in effect leaving it to the Russians.
There is another. On December 8, 2010, the Space-X corporation became the first commercial company to successfully recover a spacecraft from Earth orbit.This vehicle can carry up a crew of six at about half the $50 M per seat that the Russians are charging.
http://www.spacex.com/updates.php

[Venturer]

With all due respect. Let me know again after their first trip up there.

[jmcenanly]

http://www.spacex.com/launch_manifest.php
These are unmanned flights, but the craft is pressurized and recoverable