Shuttle Discovery on track for afternoon landing

[Guest guest]

Dear friends,

 

The Shuttle discovery is set for a landing this afternoon in Florida. Below I offer a discussion of the astrology of this mission.

 

 

Shuttle Discovery on track for afternoon landing

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – It's landing day for space shuttle Discovery. Discovery and its crew are scheduled to touch down at NASA's Florida spaceport early Saturday afternoon. Favorable weather is expected. The seven astronauts are winding up a 13-day mission that was highlighted by the successful installation and unfurling of the space station's last pair of solar wings. The $300 million addition brought the orbiting outpost up to full power. It's an essential part of NASA's plan to double the space station population by late spring and boost the amount of science work. Discovery is bringing back former

space station resident Sandra Magnus. She's spent 4 1/2 months in orbit.

The space station, meanwhile, is getting more guests Saturday with the arrival of a Russian Soyuz capsule.

http://news./s/ap/20090328/ap_on_sc/space_shuttle

 

STS-119 Latest News

The astronauts on space shuttle Discovery are preparing to spend what is planned to be their final night in orbit, with wake up set for 5:13 a.m. EDT Saturday to ready for a 1:39 p.m. landing at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Weather conditions are forecast to be acceptable for the shuttle's return home to Florida. Discovery's crew will go to sleep at 9:13 p.m. Following wake up on Saturday, they will begin deorbit preparations at 8:33 a.m. Discovery will fire its engines at 12:33 p.m. to begin the descent to Florida. A second

opportunity is available if needed for Discovery to land at Kennedy on Saturday, beginning with a deorbit burn engine firing at 2:08 p.m. leading to a 3:14 p.m. touchdown.

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/main/

 

Kennedy Space Center

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kennedy_Space_Center

 

Liftoff

Space shuttle Discovery launched March 15, 2009 at 7:43 p.m. EDT, carrying a crew of seven and the final set of power-generating solar arrays to the International Space Station. The successful liftoff highlighted a day of perfect Florida weather and a smooth countdown.

 

Scheduled landing

Discovery and the STS-119 crew are set to land at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 1:39 p.m. EDT Saturday.

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/main/

 

Astrology of the shuttle mission

 

1. Launch

18° Virgo rises. Jupiter/Rahu period is operating. 1st lord Mercury is at 18° Aquarius and 6th house in D-1 but debilitated in H10 of D-9. Sub-period lord Rahu at 14° Capricorn aspects 5th, 9th, 11th and 1st houses. 2nd lord Venus at 20° Pisces favourably aspects 1st house. Debilitated 4th lord Jupiter at 22° Capricorn aspects 5th, 9th, 11th and 1st houses, offering some protection. This chart suggests the possibilty of some malfunction but not a life threatening event.

 

2. Landing (scheduled time)

10° Cancer rises. Ketu/Saturn period is operating. 1st lord Moon at 11° Aries is conjunct MEP of 10th house and aspects 4th house. Sub-period lord Saturn, as 8th lord, is well placed and unafflicting in the chart. Moon's nodes, Rahu and Ketu are at 13° Capricorn and Cancer, respectivly, and thus on the MEP of 7th and 1st houses. 2nd lord, 3rd lord and 4th lords are conjunct in the MEP of the 9th house, aspecting also the 3rd house. This chart does not indicate any problems.

 

3. Transit/period influences in SAMVA USA chart (Perpetual Union) at landing time

Venus-Saturn period is operating. Sub-period lord Saturn, as 8th lord is in transit at 23° Leo, conjunct the MEP of the 2nd house and thus also moderately afflicting the 4th, 8th and 11th houses. Natal 3rd lord Mercury at 12° Capricorn/H7 is conjunct transit Rahu at 13° Capricorn/H7. Transit 3rd lord Mercury is at 12° Pisces/H9 and afflicted by transit Ketu at 13° Cancer/H1. 4th lord Venus at 13° Pisces and transit 2nd lord at 15° Pisces are conjunct Mercury but also afflicted by transit Ketu. Transit 10th lord Mars at 16° Aquarius is afflicted by transit Ketu at 18° Libra/H4. Natal Mars at 10° Scorpio/H5 is moderately afflicted by transit Ketu at 13° Cancer/H1. Finally, transit 6th lord Jupiter at 24° Capricorn/H7 is conjunct natal 2nd lord Sun at 24° Capricorn. Hence, the indications for travel are not good at this time.

 

Fortunately, the risks do not appear high in the launch and landing charts. However, as before, the transits indicate danger in the SAMVA USA chart at a time when space exploration is taking place. As has earlier warned, the transits this weekend are difficult, especially involving Venus, which is 4th lord in the chart. However, the 3rd lord Mercury and Mars, which rule such ventures in the chart, are also afflicted at the time of landing. That said, we need to keep in mind that there are always risks involved in space exploration. In the SAMVA USA chart, the phenomenal US space achievements, which include the regular shuttle missions, are seen to occur when the transits show a risk of catastrophic failure. While the technological advances and increased experience allow mankind to make such ventures more safe, the

risks, or death-defying nature of such activities, still are there and seen clearly in the chart. Both the achievements and failures are seen to add to the status of the country. They highlight the significant risks involved and many sacrifices made in the efforts to conquer the frontier of space, in effect on behalf of all of humanity.

 

Best wishes,

 

Thor