[RocketsNW] Space Shuttle Endeavour Launch (STS-127), Saturday, 11JUL09/1639 PDT, 1939EDT

Fri Jul 10 09:54:55 PDT 2009

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http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/main/index.html
One Day Before Endeavour's Launch, Preps Continue
Fri, 10 Jul 2009 07:15:22 AM GMT-0700

Launch countdown operations are continuing on schedule today at NASA's 
Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The countdown to space shuttle 
Endeavour's STS-127 launch began on time July 8 at 10 p.m. EDT.

There will be a prelaunch news conference today beginning no earlier 
than 11:30 a.m (EDT). Watch it live on NASA TV or http://www.nasa.gov/ntv

Endeavour's liftoff is scheduled for Saturday at 7:39 p.m. (EDT). Due to 
expected showers, thunderstorms and anvil clouds in the area, the launch 
weather forecast continues to be 40 percent "go." Tonight at Kennedy's 
Launch Pad 39A, the rotating service structure will begin to retract 
from around Endeavour at 11 p.m.

Other news articles:
http://www.spaceflightnow.com/shuttle/sts127/090708count/
http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2009/07/endeavour-into-countdown-atlantis-window-damage-cleared/
http://www.reuters.com/article/scienceNews/idUSTRE5680HJ20090709
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STS-127 (ISS assembly flight 2J/A) is the next space shuttle mission to 
the International Space Station (ISS). It will be the 23rd flight of 
Space Shuttle Endeavour, and is scheduled to launch on July 11, 2009 at 
4:39PM PDT (23:39 UTC) and return on July 27, 2009 at 9:19AM PDT (16:19 
UTC).

The first launch attempt on June 13, 2009 was scrubbed due to a gaseous 
hydrogen leak observed during tanking. The Ground Umbilical Carrier 
Plate on the external fuel tank experienced a potentially hazardous 
hydrogen gas leak similar to the fault that delayed the Space Shuttle 
Discovery, mission STS-119 in March 2009. Since a launch date of June 
18, 2009 would have conflicted with the launch of the Lunar 
Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO)/Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing 
Satellite (LCROSS), NASA managers discussed the conflict issues with 
both the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter project, as well as the Air Force 
Eastern Range that provides tracking support for rockets launched from 
Florida, and looked at options for launching the shuttle, without 
affecting the LRO project significantly.

The second launch attempt on June 17, 2009 was also scrubbed due to 
hydrogen leak issues seen from the GUCP.  A tanking test performed on 
July 1, 2009 with a modified system led to no leaks being detected.

The primary purpose of the STS-127 mission is to deliver and install the 
final two components of the Japanese Experiment Module: the Exposed 
Facility (JEM EF), and the Exposed Section of the Experiment Logistics 
Module (ELM-ES).

Mission Statistics
Mission name:    STS-127
Space shuttle:    Endeavour
Spacecraft mass:    TBD
Launch pad:    LC-39A
Launch date:    July 11, 04:39 p.m. PDT (11:17 UTC)
Landing:    July 27, 9:19 a.m. PDT (16:19 UTC)
Mission duration:    16 days
Number of orbits planned: 248
Orbital period: 94 mins.
Orbital altitude:    356 km (221 nautical miles)
Orbital inclination:    51.6 degrees

Crew
Commander:    Mark L. Polansky (Third spaceflight)
Pilot:    Douglas G. Hurley (First spaceflight)
Mission Specialist 1:    Christopher J. Cassidy (First spaceflight, EVA#3)
Mission Specialist 2:    Julie Payette, CSA (Second spaceflight, Flight 
Engineer)
Mission Specialist 3:    Thomas H. Marshburn (First spaceflight, EVA#4)
Mission Specialist 4:    David Wolf (Fourth spaceflight, Lead 
Spacewalker EVA#1)
Mission Specialist 5:   Timothy Kopra (ISS Expedition 20, First 
spaceflight, EVA#2)
Koichi Wakata (JAXA, ISS Expedition 20, Third spaceflight)

The mission marks
158th American manned space flight
127th shuttle mission since STS-1
23rd flight of Endeavour
29th shuttle mission to the ISS
102nd post-Challenger mission
14th post-Columbia mission
First time thirteen people will be on the ISS (most people ever on one 
spacecraft at one time)
STS-127 will carry the 500th person to space
STS-127 will mark the first time that two Canadian astronauts, Robert 
Thirsk and Julie Payette, are in space at the same time.
This mission is the fourth to the last of the Space Shuttle missions 
before they are retired from service.

Twitter Page
STS-127: http://twitter.com/STS127
NASA's:  https://twitter.com/nasa
Mark Polansky's: https://twitter.com/Astro_127
SpaceFlight Now: http://twitter.com/spaceflightnow/

Websites:
NASA's Space Shuttle page: 
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/main/index.html
NASA' STS-127 page: 
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts127/index.html
SpaceFlight Now, Live Mission Updates: 
http://spaceflightnow.com/shuttle/sts127/status.html
Space.com Launch and Mission Coverage: http://www.space.com/spaceshuttle/

Watching the Launch
http://www.fromil.com/tv/index.php?radio=5
http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/index.html
http://www.floridatoday.com/content/blogs/space/livenasatv.shtml
http://www.floridatoday.com/content/multimedia/space/livenasamediafeed.html

Live Web Cams at Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Air Force 
Station in Florida and Vandenburg AFB in California.
http://www.floridatoday.com/content/maps/spacewebcams.shtml

Tracking the Shuttle and the ISS
http://heavens-above.com/
http://www.n2yo.com/
http://spaceweather.com/flybys/
http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/realdata/sightings/

Videos
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LqQkEqMJoOw
STS 127 Endeavour Crew Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e16eXXAoisg
Shuttle Commander To Take Video Questions In Space
(Post your question on YouTube and send the link to his Twitter account)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vA2341yukeI
STS-127 Endeavour Rollover from the Orbiter Processing Facility (OPF) 
the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3vfdvomWcfA
Hoisting Endeavour next to the External Tank.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ew2aNhXPqNU
Endeavour's roll out to Launch Pad 39B.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DHgBEUxaDZY
STS-127 Post Flight Readiness Review Briefing

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJ8C4PCxN9c
STS 127 Pre Launch Briefing (11JUN09)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ZyylxkQ-uc
STS-127 Spacewalk Overview Briefing

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5R-gRAcepC4
STS-127 EVA#1 Spacewalk Briefing

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8FguRQd_aSM
STS-127 EVA#2 Spacewalk Briefing

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFOKv8Mhy70
STS-127 EVA#3 Spacewalk Briefing

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m36Ajqk5y0o
STS-127 EVA #4 Spacewalk Briefing

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EjHOzKjMw7w
STS-127 EVA #5 Spacewalk Briefing

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZUauMdwHlc
NASA STS-127 EVAs Question and Answer