FW: NASA - Weather favorable for Thursday shuttle launch (it did not happen)

[Guest guest]

Friday, 8 December 2006, 02:51

GMT

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shuttle

night lift-off postponed

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nasa

has called off the launch of its third space shuttle mission in six months because of

poor weather.

The crew were seated inside the space shuttle

Discovery at the scheduled launch time of 2135 (0235 GMT), but low

clouds prevented lift-off.

The launch was scheduled to be the first night launch of the

orbiter since the Colombia accident in 2003.

Nasa is racing to finish work on the International Space Station

(ISS) before the fleet is retired in 2010.

A British-born astronaut, Nicholas Patrick, is due to fly aboard

Discovery.

A cold front was forecast to bring low clouds into central Florida on Thursday

evening.

A launch appeared possible until the

last moments of the launch window despite weather forecasts

putting the chances at just 40%.

But controllers called off the launch when weather systems

revealed no break in the clouds over Cape Canaveral.

" We gave it the best shot and didn't get clear and

convincing evidence that the cloud ceiling had cleared for us, " launch

director Mike Leinbach told the shuttle's seven

astronauts.

Commander Mark Polansky urged the crew " not to be too

disappointed " .

Five of the astronauts were preparing for their first shuttle

flight.

The forecast is worse for Friday, with only a 30% chance of

favourable weather.

'Complex

mission'

Nasa has described the construction mission as one of the most

complex to date.

On the previous shuttle flight in September, astronauts

delivered new solar arrays to provide power for additional modules scheduled

to be installed next year.

The tricky task of wiring the arrays

into the ISS power grid falls to the crew of shuttle Discovery. This will

need to be done without interrupting the station's life-support

and other critical systems.

Astronauts will also switch the station off its temporary power

system, a step Nasa had planned to do in 2003.

Half the outpost will be powered down while astronauts make the

new electrical connections during two separate spacewalks. It

will be a tense time, with little back-up power if other problems arise.

" Many of us consider this the most challenging flight that

the International Space Station will have done since we began the effort of

assembling it, " said space station manager

Mike Suffredini.

Station completion

The only visual change in the outpost will be the addition of a

small segment to the space station's exterior

truss. But if all goes well, Nasa may have put its biggest construction

hurdle behind it.

At least 14 more missions are needed to finish the $100bn

(£51bn) station.

Discovery's flight is scheduled

to last 12 days, with landing targeted for 19 December at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Discovery's crew consists of

commander Mark Polansky, pilot William Oefelein and mission specialists

Robert Curbeam, Joan Higginbotham, Nicholas Patrick, Sunita Williams and the

European Space Agency astronaut Christer Fuglesang.

Sunita Williams will be making a one-way trip. She is to remain

aboard the space station, replacing Germany's Thomas

Reiter, who will return with the rest of the Discovery crew.

Night time launches

The US space agency says

it would prefer to launch Discovery during the daytime. Daytime launches give

cameras a better view of the tank as the shuttle climbs to orbit.

But the shuttle would need to be able to fly both night and day

if the construction programme on the orbiting platform was to be completed

within four years.

Managers believe the shuttle's fuel tank has

been improved to the point that foam debris shedding from the tank during

launch - which triggered the Columbia accident - is no

longer a threat.

A briefcase-sized chunk of foam damaged Columbia's wing on

lift-off, allowing superheated gasses to penetrate the heat shield as it

returned to Earth in February 2003. All seven astronauts were killed in the

disaster.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6216798.stm

 

Dear David and list,

 

The launch did not happen.

 

Best wishes,

 

Jorge

 

 

jorge angelino

[jorge.angelino]

quarta-feira, 6 de Dezembro

de 2006 20:11

'SAMVA '

RE: NASA -

Weather favorable for Thursday shuttle launch

 

Dear David,

 

From the muhurta chart, I am not so sure

about a successful launch. But if it happens so, it seems that problems will

come later on.

 

Think for example about the transits on

December 10, at 12 GMT:

 

Dasha: Ju/Ma/Me

 

Transit

Jupiter, L6, will be afflicting natal Jupiter and natal Mars. Natal Jupiter

will be afflicting transit Jupiter, transit Mars and transit Mercury. All

operational planets will be afflicted.

 

Natal Moon

is weak. Saturn is retrograde. Transit Moon will be afflicted by the MMP.

 

Natal

Venus and transit Venus, L4, are badly placed in H6, and its dispositor is

exactly afflicted by itself.

 

 

 

I hope I am wrong.

 

Best wishes,

 

Jorge

 

 

SAMVA

[sAMVA ] On Behalf Of David

Hawthorne

quarta-feira, 6 de Dezembro

de 2006 17:34

SAMVA

Re: NASA -

Weather favorable for Thursday shuttle launch

 

 

dear

jorge:

 

 

 

 

 

thanks

for posting this data and info...

 

 

 

 

 

in

viewing the " muhurta " chart for the liftoff, we find:

 

 

 

 

 

Dec. 7th, 2006

 

 

9:35

p.m.

 

 

Cape

Caneveral, Florida (FL) USA

 

 

80W36:18

 

 

28N24:20

 

 

Timezone:

5

 

 

DST:

0

 

 

 

 

 

This

gives Cancer rising sign at 18:04 degrees.

 

 

 

 

 

None of

the malefic planets, Rahu, Ketu, Jupiter and Saturn are close to the MEP,

thus reducing the chance for grave mishaps and misfortune.

 

 

 

 

 

The main

period ruler is the functional malefic (FM) Jupiter, the sub period

ruler is the functional benefic (FB) Mars.

 

 

 

 

 

Jupiter

appears to be well placed, and is supported by the benefics Mars and Mercury.

 

 

 

 

 

Mars,

although close to FM Jupiter, appears to be strong in degrees and in its own

sign of Scorpio, and is supported by the FB Mercury.

 

 

 

 

 

Moon,

ruling the chart is weak in infant state, but is well placed in its own sign in

the first house, and is about 140 degrees from the Sun, in good strength.

 

 

 

 

 

Sun,

ruling status, is well placed and blesses the fifth and eleventh house, due to

its close position to the MEP.

 

 

 

 

 

Venus,

ruling fixed assets and property is weak in the house of conflict and fire.

 

 

 

 

 

Overall,

the chart seems to support a successful launch and return.

 

 

 

 

 

Best

wishes,

 

 

 

 

 

David

Hawthorne

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

-

 

 

jorge angelino

 

 

SAMVA

 

 

 

Wednesday,

December 06, 2006 2:27 AM

 

 

 

NASA - Weather favorable for Thursday shuttle launch

 

 

 

 

Weather favorable for Thursday shuttle launch

POSTED:

2:58 p.m.

EST, December 5, 2006

CAPE

CANAVERAL, Florida (AP) -- The weather forecast for

the planned liftoff of Discovery was downgraded slightly Tuesday but still

remained favorable for the first night space shuttle launch in more than four

years.

Concerns about clouds over the Kennedy

Space Center at the launch time of 9:35 p.m.

EST Thursday caused forecasters

to reduce the chances of favorable weather to 70 percent from 80 percent.

Strong wind was expected on Friday and Saturday, diminishing the chances of

good launch weather for those days to 40 percent.

" The first day is the best day

weatherwise, " said Kathy Winters, shuttle weather officer.

Weather will improve early next week.

NASA has four launch opportunities

over five days, if need be, to start the 12-day mission.

The space agency likely won't attempt to

launch past December 17 since flight controllers want Discovery on the ground

before the new year. Shuttle computers aren't designed to make the change from

the 365th day of the old year to the first day of the new year while in flight.

A potential solution to the problem hasn't been thoroughly tested.

However, NASA officials haven't ruled

out going past December 17 if they run out of launch opportunities.

http://www.cnn.com/2006/TECH/space/12/05/space.shuttle.ap/index.html

 

 

 

 

 

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