July 11, 2005
Space Shuttle Discovery is set to launch Wednesday.
If all goes well, the shuttle should launch at 3:51 ET.
I'm excited about this, and so is the news media (last link gives launch times in the UK). I'm fairly certain you can watch the launch online here. Going into space after the last mission exploded (especially since the safety issues have been "incompletely addressed.") is one of the scariest things I can imagine, so here's hoping all goes well for the astronauts.
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I don't have much to say about it, other than I think the Shuttle is rather useless. Or rather, because NASA is so underfunded, there is nothing much for the Shuttle to do. I'm not even particularly excited about the launch, and I'm a pretty hardcore space exploration nerd. There's probably a psychological explanation for that.
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What STS-114 will be doing. (pdf)
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Chyren, I agree with you for the most part. NASA could do some amazing things if only we spent more money on them and less on, say, blowing people up (on purpose, I guess). Still, I'm excited, in a "you have to get back on the horse" kind of way.
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野口宇宙飛行士、頑張って!
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Trans: Go Discovery, FUCK YEAH!
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*shakes fist at kitfisto* *secretly laughs ass off*
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I get Wild mouth space flight gentleman, obstinate Zhang! Booya!
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Bah!
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Dammit!
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oops...
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It is better that they be cautious.
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True. *sigh*
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Yes, it is. I got all excited, but I would rather they not have another accident.
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Oh, and I just noticed that in the link minda25 put up, they just delayed the launch until Saturday. The last I heard it was delayed indefinitely. Saturday's ok with me, but this latest problem does make me nervous.
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Wikipedia has a pretty good page on return to flight
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"With the countdown entering its final hours and a fuel gauge problem still unexplained, NASA said it is prepared to bend its long-standing safety rules to launch the shuttle Tuesday..." Yeah, that seems like the smart thing to do...
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It worked. Yay!
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I hope they get back home ok. (I'm excited and nervous.)
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Godspeed.
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D'ya know what? I fucking love the whole space programme thing. The space shuttle is ace-ers.
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NASA grounds shuttle fleet. Will be interesting indeed, if NASA decides to send another shuttle to retrieve the crew if Discovery is deemed too risky to return to Earth with its crew.
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And this is kinda interesting, "...astronauts on the international space station have been grabbing hold of anything extra they can beg, borrow or steal from the shuttle Discovery to enhance the station's long-term habitability..." spare rolls of gray tape (the repair aid preferred by astronauts) Heh, code word for duct tape!
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More shuttle stuff (flash, video, audio)