It's Launch Day!

November 16, 2009

Titusville, Florida

STS - 129 launch day

Florida is a bit more breezy this morning, and the cloud coverage is quite thick, though the local weather indicates that all of it will burn off before launch time. 

STS-129 is scheduled to shoot off at 2:23 EST today.  What's much more different with this launch than from the ARES IX launch is the window opportunity of launch for the shuttle.  The ARESIX rocket had a window of four hours because it wasn't going into space.  It was merely a test rocket.  The ARES flew up and fell right back down into the Atlantic – the shuttle is much more different.  

The window for the shuttle is only 10 minutes long.  It is this way because the shuttle has to be able to meet with the space station as it is orbiting the earth in the nearest possible location.  In order to do so NASA must perfectly sync the shuttle's launch with the location of the space station in orbit.  This window is very narrow, and if anything goes wrong or isn't a "go", the window is lost.  

In the case that this occurs the launch will be scrubbed for today ad picked back up tomorrow for a window time of twenty minutes later than today.  

The crew is hopeful and ready for the launch, and in fact at the press conference yesterday Kathy Winters the chief meteorologist for NASA stated that there's a 10% chance of the launch not flying today due to weather related issues.  In NASA terms, a 10% chance of a no-go is practically a guarantee.  Though, this morning with the strong breeze and grey clouds it's easy to be skeptical.  

As of right now the countdown clock is at the 3 hour hold mark.   Before the seconds start ticking down again we will be conducting three interviews with three astronauts!  We certainly have a busy schedule, and the crew is starting to feel the buzz at Kennedy Space Center that today is launch day.  This is happening nowhere else in the world today, and they're here to see it.  

I believe I speak for all of them when I say thank you MTSU for this opportunity. It's an experience like this that forms a professional.  Thank you for the mold.