STS-134 Shuttle Mission to the International Space Station Launches Monday 16th @ 13:56 BST

Cosimo · 16 May 2011 at 12:24

The tile has been repaired so we are ok and time to grab a quick lunch.

Embed · 16 May 2011 at 12:26

Sorry i have no sound (at college), why was that water being released from the tower?

Merlin5 · 16 May 2011 at 12:26

From spaceflightnow:1125 GMT (7:25 a.m. EDT)
Mainline activation of the Ground Launch Sequencer has been completed. This is the master computer program that will run the final nine minutes of the countdown.

DJMK4 · 16 May 2011 at 12:27

Watching it now in work

DJMK4 · 16 May 2011 at 12:36

29 minutes

seaviewuk · 16 May 2011 at 12:37

Embed said:
Sorry i have no sound (at college), why was that water being released from the tower?

Sound suppression feed tower. Tanks are full!

The system includes a 290-foot-high water tank filled with 300,000 gallons of water, and it empties in 41 seconds during a launch. Water pours from 16 nozzles on top of the flame deflectors and from outlets in the Shuttle main engine exhaust hole in the MLP at main engine ignition, which occurs approximately 7 seconds before liftoff.

Merlin5 · 16 May 2011 at 12:37

What stream you guys watching? I find the ustream HD stream slightly ahead of the nasa HD link, so I'm watching on ustream.

sbi5ar · 16 May 2011 at 12:39

Am I correct in assuming that this was the last flight of the current fleet, however Atlantis has been given the go ahead for another flight making this the penultimate flight?

I don't want to get too excited if there is still one more to come

!

Metalface Mark · 16 May 2011 at 12:40

sbi5ar said:
Am I correct in assuming that this was the last flight of the current fleet, however Atlantis has been given the go ahead for another flight making this the penultimate flight?

I don't want to get too excited if there is still one more to come !

Yeah, one last one after this.

VaderDSL · 16 May 2011 at 12:43

Merlin5 said:
What stream you guys watching? I find the ustream HD stream slightly ahead of the nasa HD link, so I'm watching on ustream.

Ustream for me also

seems the most stable on the previous launch.

DJMK4 · 16 May 2011 at 12:46

Just watching it on the nasa tv website stream

Darkman · 16 May 2011 at 12:46

Why are they holding at 20mins?

Freakbro · 16 May 2011 at 12:48

Darkman said:
Why are they holding at 20mins?

Simulatorman said:
01...10...00...12:46 .....Begin 10-minute built-in hold (T-minus 20m)
01...00...00...12:56 .....NASA test director countdown briefing
01...00...00...12:56 .....Resume countdown (T-minus 20m)

They hold the countdown at various stages

Cosimo · 16 May 2011 at 13:01

A great sight:

Cosimo · 16 May 2011 at 13:13

One more for the album:

mctiny · 16 May 2011 at 13:13

simulatorman said:
A great sight:

and a very sad sight...

It's a shame they are retiring the "shuttle" without any replacement in the pipeline right now

.

DJMK4 · 16 May 2011 at 13:17

mctiny said:
and a very sad sight...

It's a shame they are retiring the "shuttle" without any replacement in the pipeline right now .

Indeed, the shuttle is one hell of a space flight machine, and a work of art.

PermaBanned · 16 May 2011 at 13:18

mctiny said:
and a very sad sight...

It's a shame they are retiring the "shuttle" without any replacement in the pipeline right now .

I spent some time last night researching the British designed HOTOL, if it were possible to hate Thatcher even more...

Merlin5 · 16 May 2011 at 13:33

If the shuttle launched a few seconds or even a minute after their maximum 3 to 4 minute launch window, what would actually go wrong? Just wouldn't meet up with the ISS at the right time?

Kazz · 16 May 2011 at 13:33

I'm stuck at work for this launch and using a mobile net dongle, what's the lowest quality stream available?

Edit: The ustream HD stream seems more smoother than Nasa TV one, irony

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