Monday, February 28, 2011

Discovery Blasts Off One Last Time


Nearly everyone has seen a shuttle launch, on cable or regular television sometime during the last 30 years. While the program, with its successes and failures, has to many become routine, launches over the years remain a symbol of hope and pride to the American public.

The announcement last summer that the shuttle program will be ending has put a question mark on America's manned space program.

The shuttle Discovery was scheduled to launch in November, but due to a myriad of technical issues, was not launched until this past Thursday, Feb. 24.

In attendance for the historic launch were John and Susie Galer of Hillsboro, publishers of The Journal-News.

The six man crew, plus one robot, is delivering a permanent Multipurpose Module to the International Space Station. The PMM will provide additional storage for the station crew and experiments in physics, materials science biology and biotechnology.

Discovery also carries critical spare components and the Express Logistics Carrier 4 to the station. The Express is an external platform which can hold large equipment and can only be transported using the shuttle's unique large load capability.

The STS-133 mission will also feature two space walks for maintenance and installation of new components.

The Launch

There were perfect launch conditions last Thursday at the Kennedy Space Center, and the launch being Discovery's last brought thousands of media and visitors to the center, located in Cape Canaveral, FL.

Liftoff was scheduled for 4:50 p.m. EST, but the launch control was on a five minute hold because of a safety issue on the range.

At 4:48, the hold was released and the countdown started. A three minute window was allotted for Discovery's launch. It had to takeoff by 4:53 p.m. or the crew would get to start over again on Friday.

The launch team succeeded with only two seconds to spare, overcoming a technical glitch.

Watching a shuttle launch on TV, is always exciting, but nothing compares to being on the Complex 39 Press Area just three miles from the launching site.

The scenes on TV or reading about it the next day in a newspaper don't begin to give you an adequate feeling of the event.

At first as the launch starts, steam rises from under the shuttle launch tower. Water used as a sound and vibration buffer pours out when the three shuttle engines are first ignited and turns instantly to steam about two seconds prior to liftoff.

The firing of the two solid rocket boosters initiates Discovery's climb off the pad, and visually smoke and huge orange flames engulf the tower.

From our vantage, three miles from the launch pad, we watch as Discovery slowly clears the tower and starts a rotation which directs all five motors back our way. There still is no sound but the rockets burn is one of the brightest lights you can see without looking away. It is unbelievably bright.

The launch is only a few seconds under way. The crowd is silent, awestruck at the amazing display.

About 15 seconds into the launch from our vantage point, still in total silence, you begin to feel a vibration, as your pants and shirt sleeves seem to vibrate, you feel the power first. Then slowly the sound arrives, first a couple of sharp clicks, these are the ignition of the main shuttle engines, which were started prior to liftoff and created the initial steam.

Next comes the growing roar of the solid rocket boosters as they ignite for liftoff. The sound grows a little, but after the shuttle's turn, with all five rocket motors facing you, the sound grows and grows. It is incredible, to feel and hear the power of this launch and to be close to the drama of sending six crew men into space.

Visually you can see Discovery through the first four minutes of the flight. The solid rocket booster's separation is also visible. In less than seven minutes Discovery was in orbit for its 11-day mission.

Discovery's History

Discovery flew its maiden voyage in 1984, and will be retired after this flight. It flew the return to flight missions in 1988 following the loss of Challenger and again in 2005 after the loss of Columbia. It launched the Hubble Space Telescope in 1990, and Senator and former astronaut John Glenn flew onboard in 1998.

With this trip, Discovery will have flown in space 39 times more than any other shuttle.

Loss of the program will mean a loss of nearly 9,000 jobs for the space program. But there is current optimism at NASA, that the manned space program will adapt as private business is given the chance to fill the need in manned space flight.

Source:http://www.thejournal-news.net/articles/2011/02/28/news/news01.txt

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