STS-131 Shuttle Mission to the International Space Station Launches Monday 11:21 BST
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Caporegime
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This picture is awesome. Do NASA do larger pictures?Up, up and away:
Caporegime
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You learn something new everyday. Cheers 
Soldato
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Wow. Just... wow.
So I only got one shot...
[img ]Have some of that.
Further reports to follow over the next week (I'm tired and the wi-fi here is somewhat broken).
Great shot. Looking forward to your reports.
Not taken 5 hours prior to the lift off of Discovery, but a cool overhead picture of the KSC launch site nonetheless: http://twitpic.com/1dcd0l
Soichi Noguchi, who took off from Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, as part of the Soyuz TMA-17 mission has been taking plenty of browse-worthy snaps from the ISS including these two of a recognisable phenomenon resulting from a geomagnetic storm.
Wow, what a way to see it.
Soichi Noguchi, who took off from Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, as part of the Soyuz TMA-17 mission has been taking plenty of browse-worthy snaps from the ISS including these two of a recognisable phenomenon resulting from a geomagnetic storm.
Wow, what a way to see it.
Truly amazing.
I would give away my organs just to be able to sit in the compartment of the ISS which has the 360 degree window view.
Must be truly epic stuff that would be sure to make a mess in your boxers
Both my cameras malfunctioned due to me getting in a panic, so I only got one shot...
Have some of that.
Further reports to follow over the next week (I'm tired and the wi-fi here is somewhat broken).
Lucky sod
I would love to go see a launch, what did it feel like to see it?One last look at launch:
Flight Day 2 Plan:
• Discovery’s Thermal Protection System Survey with Shuttle Robotic Arm/Orbiter Boom Sensor System (OBSS)
• Extravehicular Mobility Unit checkout
• Centerline Camera Installation
• Orbiter Docking System Ring Extension
• Orbital Maneuvering System Pod Survey
• Rendezvous tools checkout
The crew of Discovery were woken at 01:21 BST to the song “Find Us Faithful” performed by Steve Green. Inspection of Discovery’s surface is well underway to determine whether any damage has been sustained during launch and the heat shield is safe for re-entry.
Flight Day 2 Plan:
• Discovery’s Thermal Protection System Survey with Shuttle Robotic Arm/Orbiter Boom Sensor System (OBSS)
• Extravehicular Mobility Unit checkout
• Centerline Camera Installation
• Orbiter Docking System Ring Extension
• Orbital Maneuvering System Pod Survey
• Rendezvous tools checkout
The crew of Discovery were woken at 01:21 BST to the song “Find Us Faithful” performed by Steve Green. Inspection of Discovery’s surface is well underway to determine whether any damage has been sustained during launch and the heat shield is safe for re-entry.
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There is always room for one more:
Flight Day 3 Plan:
• Rendezvous with the International Space Station
• Rendezvous Pitch Maneuver Photography of Discovery’s Thermal Protection System by Expedition 23 crew members Creamer and Kotov
• Docking to Harmony/Pressurized Mating Adapter-2
• Hatch Opening and Welcoming
• Canadarm2 grapple of OBSS and handoff to Shuttle robotic arm
The rendezvous pitch manoeuvre has been completed. Discovery has just docked with the ISS. We open for business.
Flight Day 3 Plan:
• Rendezvous with the International Space Station
• Rendezvous Pitch Maneuver Photography of Discovery’s Thermal Protection System by Expedition 23 crew members Creamer and Kotov
• Docking to Harmony/Pressurized Mating Adapter-2
• Hatch Opening and Welcoming
• Canadarm2 grapple of OBSS and handoff to Shuttle robotic arm
The rendezvous pitch manoeuvre has been completed. Discovery has just docked with the ISS. We open for business.
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Flight Day 3 has ended successfully and the crew of Discovery have said good night.
Now for something different:
Photo courtesy of Fernando Echeverria.
The ISS flying across the face of the moon over KSC approximately 15 minutes before the launch of Discovery on Monday.
Now for something different:
The ISS flying across the face of the moon over KSC approximately 15 minutes before the launch of Discovery on Monday.
Flight Day Plan 4:
• Leonardo Multi-purpose Logistics Module unberth from Discovery’s cargo bay and installation on Harmony module’s Earth-facing port
• Leonardo activation and ingress
• Spacewalk 1 preparations by Mastracchio and Anderson
• Spacewalk 1 procedure review
• Spacewalk 1 campout by Mastracchio and Anderson in the Quest airlock
Flight Day 5 Plan:
• Transfer of cargo from Leonardo to ISS
• Spacewalk 1 by Mastracchio and Anderson
(removal of depleted Ammonia Tank Assembly from S1 truss, replacement of a failed gyroscope unit in the S0 truss, retrieval of Japanese experiment from the Japanese Exposed Facility, preparations for replacement of batteries on the P6 truss on a later mission)
Spacewalk 1 is well underway and is expected to last 6.5 hours. The Ammonia Tank Assembly is now being moved from the shuttle's payload bay.
Flight Day 6 Plan:
• Focused inspection of Discovery’s thermal protection heat shield, if required
• Cargo and rack transfer from Leonardo to ISS
• Spacewalk 2 procedure review
• Spacewalk 2 campout by Mastracchio and Anderson in the Quest airlock
Mission Control has extending the flight by one day to enable a standard late inspection of the shuttle heat shield while the shuttle is docked to the International Space Station. Landing now is targeted for 13:54 BST Monday, April 19th.
A smoke alarm went off aboard the ISS when air filters were being cleaned. The transfer of cargo is now underway.
Flight Day 7 Plan:
• Spacewalk 2 by Mastracchio and Anderson (install new Ammonia Tank Assembly on the S1 truss, temporarily stow the depleted ammonia tank on the truss’ crew translation cart, install micrometeoroid debris shields on the Quest airlock)
Today’s spacewalk is well underway.
