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Image courtesy of NASA

Teamwork

Cycloneda munda Spotless Ladybug

Coccinellidae, the family of beetles known as ladybirds in the UK, ladybugs in North America or lady beetles by entomologists consist of about 5,000 species worldwide and more than 450 native to North America.

Ladybugs feed on aphids and scale insects and lay their eggs near their prey so the larvae can more easily find their prey.

The insect's name has a long history, the Virgin Mary supplanting Freyja, the Norse fertility goddess, so that Freyjuhaena and Frouehenge have evolved to Marienvoglein or, Our Lady's Bird. In various parts of Europe they are known as Our Lady's Cow, God's Cow, (Russia) Mary's Hen, (Denmark) or God's Little Cow in Ireland and are generally thought lucky. They're certainly better at eliminating plant pests than the cat.

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Savannah has been doing her part to secure vital materiel on the home front

Welcome Home, Discovery

Space Shuttle Discovery lands at Edwards Air Force Base in California. Credit: NASA

There is nothing remarkable about it. All one has to do is hit the right notes at the right time and the instrument plays itself. - Bach

Space Shuttle Discovery touched down this morning at Edwards Air Force Base in California to successfully conclude NASA's Return to Flight Mission. STS-114 was the first Shuttle mission to fly since the loss of Space Shuttle Columbia and the STS-107 crew on Feb. 1, 2003.

Discovery spent two weeks in space, where the crew demonstrated new methods to inspect and repair the Shuttle in orbit. The crew also delivered supplies, outfitted and performed maintenance on the International Space Station. A number of these tasks were conducted during three spacewalks.

In an unprecedented event, spacewalkers were called upon to remove protruding gap fillers from the heat shield on Discovery's underbelly. In other spacewalk activities, astronauts installed an external platform onto the Station’s Quest Airlock and replaced one of the orbital outpost’s Control Moment Gyroscopes.

Inside the Station, the STS-114 crew conducted joint operations with the Expedition 11 crew. They unloaded fresh supplies from the Shuttle and the Raffaello Multi-Purpose Logistics Module. Before Discovery undocked, the crews filled Raffeallo with unneeded items and returned to Shuttle payload bay.

Return To Flight STS-114, Day 2

STS-114 Commander Eileen Collins waves while she and Mission Specialist Steve Robinson work on Discovery's flight deck hours after launch. Image credit: NASA TV

The crew of Space Shuttle Discovery was awakened this morning at 12:39 a.m EDT to start its first full day in space. As the orbiter spends the day chasing the International Space Station, the crew will use Discovery's robot arm to inspect the vehicle's exterior.

Unprecedented imagery captured during Tuesday’s ascent to orbit enabled engineers to see two so-called "debris events." A camera mounted on the external tank caught what appeared to be a small fragment of tile coming from Discovery's underside on or near the nose gear doors.

A later image about the time of Solid Rocket Booster separation showed an unidentified piece departing from the tank and exiting away, apparently not striking the orbiter. The crew was notified of these observations and told that imaging experts would be analyzing the pictures.

Mission managers will review the information gathered yesterday and today to help determine the health of Discovery's thermal protection system over the next four days before it is cleared for landing later in the flight.

nspections of Discovery's heat shield that began this morning were completed early afternoon. Crewmembers used cameras and a special boom on the robot arm to inspect Discovery's wings, nose cap, and crew cabin. Also, crewmembers used handheld cameras to inspect tiles on the Orbital Maneuvering System pods.

Discovery is slated to dock with the ISS at 7:18 a.m. EDT Thursday.

Update As of 15:00 (PDT) NASA has announced that the Space Shuttle fleet is grounded until further engineering reviews of debris strikes and damage are assessed. At this time there are no announced alterations in the current mission. Space Shuttle Atlantis is currently on Pad 39A preparing for a September launch or a possible crew rescue mission for the Discovery crew if necessary. If an Atlantis launch is not feasible, returning the Disvovery crew would fall to Soyuz.

More to follow tomorrow.

Return to Flight

Talk about stereo separation; I can hear a Mockingbird outside my window in NorCal, and another one over the mike on the live broadcast from NASA TV

Discovery crew is currently (04:03 PDT - 07:03 EDT) in the Airstream on the way to the pad.

Countdown is - 02:37:00

Tourists

Just prior to entering the elevator, the Discovery crew stops to rubberneck and take pictures of one another. "What I did on summer vacation - my friend at the launch pad."

Sensor re-check completed and optimal.

T - 02:24 Led by Commander Eileen Collins, the astronauts are entering the Orbiter.

T - 02:00 3 hours to launch. Even the weather appears to sense it. Clouds and winds are receding from the 20 mile weather perimeter.

2 hours, 30 minutes to launch. All seven crew members are in the orbiter and secured.

The Morning Commute

As final strap-in and comm checks are completed before closing the Orbiter, Mission Specialist Charlie Camarda uses his assist strap to take a little weight off. The crew may spend as much as three hours lying on their backs in their pressure suits - only one reason for a rapid de-suiting after main engine shutdown.

Amother purpose is for one of the mid-deck Mission Specialists to photograph the External Tank upon separation.

At 01:55:00, The Orbiter cabin is being sealed and the Launch director has said that the original launch time, 10:39 EDT is selected and is the center of the 9 minute launch window.

And Liftoff, of Space Shuttle Discovery

Exactly on time, 10:39 EDT July, 26, 2005

Return To Flight T- 08:00:00

Image courtesy NASA/KSC

The Rotating Service Structure (RSS) was rolled away from Discovery at 3:38 p.m. on Monday. The giant enveloping appendage is used to install payloads into an orbiter's cargo bay and provide protection from inclement weather. With the RSS now out of the way, propellant loading is set to begin after midnight Tuesday morning with the pumping of more than 500,000 gallons of liquid oxygen and hydrogen into the vehicle's orange External Tank.

Launch of Space Shuttle Discovery on NASA's Return to Flight mission is still on track for Tuesday at 10:39 a.m., NASA Test Director Pete Nickolenko announced during a morning briefing at Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

According to International Space Station Mission Manager Scott Higginbotham, the hardware in Discovery's payload bay is ready for mission STS-114.

"We are still concerned that right around the launch time, the sea breeze will be developing, and some off-shore activity could bring in some anvil clouds and some showers or cumulous clouds in the area of the launch pad or the [Shuttle Landing Facility]," said Shuttle Weather Officer Kathy Winters. The chance of Kennedy weather cooperating for the launch remains at 60 percent.

Wayne Hale gave a show-and-tell presentation of a fuel sensor and described how they're used in the External Tank. "We have completed all of our ambient temperature checks. We have run every test we could think of and so far no repeat."

Hale went on to say "If the problem recurs and under very closely defined circumstances in sensor #2 or sensor #4 then we will do some more tests and if we are comfortable that we have a good understanding then we can go fly...We are ready to go launch Tuesday morning."

Senior NASA managers met Sunday at Kennedy Space Center for a launch readiness meeting. Discussions focused on recent problems related to a liquid hydrogen low-level fuel sensor inside the external fuel tank, which prompted postponement of the Shuttle’s launch on July 13. Since then, engineers have been working around-the-clock on troubleshooting the sensor system issue.

During the countdown, managers will monitor for recurrence of the problem. If any new sensor-related issues occur, engineers would stop the countdown to reassess the situation.

During their 12-day mission to the International Space Station, Commander Eileen Collins and her six fellow astronauts will test new techniques and equipment designed to make Space Shuttles safer. They also will deliver supplies and make repairs to the Space Station.

Godspeed, Discovery

Countdown Begins

Launch countdown begins. Image: NASA/KSC

At noon today, countdown clocks at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida came to life at the T-43 hour mark and immediately began counting down toward a liftoff Tuesday at 10:39 a.m. EDT.

Space Shuttle Discovery is in great shape for the Return to Flight launch, NASA Test Director Pete Nickolenko announced during a briefing Saturday morning.

"We believe our flight systems and ground support systems are ready," Nickolenko explained. "We are looking forward to a successful launch and mission."

Due to concerns about the early development of showers and cumulus clouds, the chance of Kennedy weather prohibiting launch is 40 percent, according to Shuttle Weather Officer Kathy Winters. There are also concerns about crosswinds at all three Trans-Atlantic Landing sites, located in Spain and France.

Note: At 03:39 PST, Sunday, July 24, the actual time to launch is -2 Days 04:00:20. The apparent discrepancy is accounted for by built-in holds in the countdown.

If at First...

Bill Drier, NASA, performs a test on wiring in the aft engine compartment on Space Shuttle Discovery. Image credit: NASA/KSC

Launch Countdown to Begin Saturday, July 23

NASA officials have announced plans to the begin the countdown to a July 26 launch of Space Shuttle Discovery. The countdown will start Saturday and, if all goes well, will continue to liftoff at 10:39 a.m. EDT on Tuesday.

In the meantime, technicians will work with grounding wiring associated with the liquid hydrogen engine cutoff sensor system, as well as adjust the configuration of components within Discovery's point sensor box. During a briefing held after a mission managers meeting, NASA Space Shuttle Program Manager Bill Parsons said "We've all agreed that this work is doable, and that it all takes us to a launch on the 26th".

The engine cutoff sensors are mounted at the bottom of the External Tank and trigger the orbiter's engines to shutdown in the event liquid hydrogen levels run expectedly low. The system failed a routine pre-launch check during the countdown on July 13, causing NASA to postpone Discovery's first launch attempt.

The window to launch Discovery to the International Space Station extends through July 31.

Commander Eileen Collins and her six Discovery crew mates come out of quarantine Tuesday for one day off. They resume quarantine and training on Friday.

Red Friday

Dedicated she is, but it will be a really red day if she doesn't stop her new-found habit of following everyone who walks by out into the street. An unusually agressive female, at least to other cats, sometimes she reminds me of the guy who walks into a waterfront bar with his hands in his pockets saying; "I can whip anybody in the bar".