Space shuttle Discovery

Discovery just got a go for re entry burn.
fingers crossed.

Aaron

Burn in progress, weather good, BBC have coverage - news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4133680.stm

Good look Discovery!

Burn complete, all is well. Altitude 125 miles.


Hydraulic power units okay. Everything is going well. First effects of atmosphere will be felt soon. In the next 30 minutes or so, As Discovery travels north east, it will bank four times to adjust speed (to reduce it) and to get onto a path for Edwards. Speed will be about 8,100 miles per hour, dropping to about 3,000. It will arrive over the US around Oxnard, in the Los Angeles area.

I saw Columbia break up live on TV and I keep having flashbacks. If we're nervous, imagine how NASA and the families of the crew feel...

6 minutes until the re-entry proper begins...

All is well, 28 minutes to landing...

Go Eileen - Safe Home to all Discovery's crew after a wonderful example of working in space and instead of a grounding of manned space flight for the moment lets hope it heralds in a new and renewed interest in this cutting edge of space exploration,and human endeavour.

Deirdre Kelleghan
IAS