USA: SPACE SHUTTLE ENDEAVOUR RETURNS TO CAPE CANAVERAL UPDATE
English/Nat
The NASA space shuttle, Endeavour, has concluded its busy nine-day mission with a rare night-time landing in Cape Canaveral, Florida.
The touchdown at Kennedy Space Centre followed a journey of five-point-nine (m) million kilometres (three-point-seven (m) million miles) and a mission in which crew members rescued satellites and walked in space.
The space shuttle Endeavour glided to a rare but safe landing.
It was only the eighth time in 74 missions that a NASA shuttle touched down in the dark.
The 2:42 A-M (0742 gmt) landing took place because of the course the shuttle had to follow to chase down a Japanese satellite during the mission.
The Japanese space programme paid NASA about 65 (m) million dollars to pick up and deliver the satellite which had been in orbit for nearly a year.
That satellite was brought back aboard the shuttle along with a NASA probe the astronauts released and retrieved two days later.
A Japanese astronaut, Koichi Wakata, used the shuttle's robot arm to grab the Japanese science satellite and NASA probe.
The mission also did some preparatory research for a planned international space station.
Crew members took spacewalks and seemed happy with the new heated spacesuits and station-building tools and techniques the tested for 13 hours in the frigid void.
All members of the crew looked relaxed as they disembarked the craft as they were met and congratulated by colleagues.
They even took time to pose for photographs.
And about 50 space representatives gathered at the landing strip to welcome the crew, in particular Japanese astronaut Koichi Wakata.
It was his first space mission and is bound to make him a national hero.
Although tired, the astronauts took the time to attend a press conference.
Commander Brian Duffy said that the mission was a complete success and much of the work done on the mission would be used well into the future.
SOUNDBITE:
Test 72 was a great mission. But we feel a lot of the work we did will lead well into the future. Research that was done on the mission, the satellites that we brought back we know that the researchers will be using the information that they will gather from those satellites for years to come.
SUPERCAPTION: Commander Brian Duffy
Japanese astronaut Kiochi Wakata described the excitement of his first mission in space.
SOUNDBITE:
Yes it's my first mission and the first view from the space of the earth was very breathtaking. The first thing I did was to take the photo of the external tank but at the time when I look through the window I saw a very wonderful view of the earth. It was a very wonderful moment of the....
SUPERCAPTION: Kiochi Wakata - astronaut
Wakata was not the only one to achieve a first.
It was Duffy's first night-time landing and the highlight of his career so far.
SOUNDBITE:
The night landing was probably one of - it was the highlight of my aviation career at this point...21 years young. It was something that we practised for a lot.
SUPERCAPTION: Duffy
Wakata is already looking to the future and wants to undertake various other space missions.
SOUNDBITE:
I need to be ready to be trained for further missions. So from tomorrow I would like to work on the future: training for the year, for the flights and also I felt very great when I came back after accomplishing the objectives of all the mission - all the objectives of this mission.
SUPERCAPTION: Wakata
UPSOUND:
You can take tomorrow off. - Duffy
Thank you - Wakata
It is likely that both astronauts will be having a few days break.
Construction of the space station is supposed to begin in 1997, taking five years to complete.
You can license this story through AP Archive:
Find out more about AP Archive:
USA: SPACE SHUTTLE ENDEAVOUR RETURNS TO CAPE CANAVERAL
English/Nat
The NASA space shuttle, Endeavour, has completed its busy nine-day flight with a rare nighttime landing in Cape Canaveral, Florida.
The touchdown at Kennedy Space Centre followed a journey of five-point-nine (m) million kilometres (three-point-seven (m) million miles) and a mission in which crew members fetched satellites and walked in space.
It was only the eighth time in 74 missions that a NASA shuttle touched down in the dark.
The 2:42 A-M (0742 gmt) landing took place because of the course the shuttle had to follow to chase down a Japanese satellite during the mission.
The Japanese space programme paid NASA about 65 (m) million dollars to pick up and deliver the satellite which had been in orbit for nearly a year.
That satellite was brought back aboard the shuttle along with a NASA probe the astronauts released and retrieved two days later.
A Japanese astronaut, Koichi Wakata, used the shuttle's robot arm to grab the Japanese science satellite and NASA probe.
The mission also did some preparatory research for a planned international space station.
Crew members took spacewalks and seemed happy with the new heated spacesuits and station-building tools and techniques the tested for 13 hours in the frigid void.
A crew transporter finally reunited them with friends and relatives - it backed away from the Endeavor and lowered the crew back down to earth.
All members of the crew looked relaxed as they disembarked the craft as they were met and congratulated by colleagues.
They took the time to pose for photographs and wave at cameras before making their way into the space station.
Construction of the space station is supposed to begin in 1997, taking five years to complete.
NASA plans practice spacewalks on three more shuttle missions - the next one is due this spring.
You can license this story through AP Archive:
Find out more about AP Archive:
USA: DISCOVERY SHUTTLE RETURNS TO EARTH
English/Nat
The space shuttle Discovery returned home Saturday after an eight-day flight that featured an historic close encounter with the Russian space station Mir and a space walk.
The shuttle and its crew of six landed at the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida, just before sunrise, (Midday GMT).
An hour before touchdown, commander James Wetherbee fired the braking engines and reduced his orbiting speed of 17,500 mph by more than 300 mph, sending Discovery on a fiery plunge.
The final leg of Discovery's three and a half million-mile journey, picked up by N-A-S-A's heat sensitive cameras, had the shuttle cutting diagonally across the United States in darkness.
Initial worries about the weather at Cape Canaveral were dismissed as the shuttle approached the landing strip in relatively clear and still conditions.
The spacecraft made a near perfect touchdown at 6-50 in the morning Florida time, (1150 GMT).
A preliminary inspection by ground crew showed Discovery to be in good shape.
As a precaution, a leaking jet was shut down two minutes before landing to prevent toxic contamination.
The mission established a number a number of precedents.
Bernard Harris became the first African-American person to walk in space and Michael Foale, the first British born person to do so.
While rookie astronaut Eileen Collins became N-A-S-A's first woman to pilot a spacecraft.
The flight's dramatic high point came when Discovery's commander, James Wetherbee steered
the shuttle to within 37 feet of the 100-ton Mir space station on Monday.
It was the first U-S/Russian meeting in space since the 1975 Apollo-Soyuz docking.
It also was a dress rehearsal for the June docking of Mir and the shuttle Atlantis.
Seven Atlantis-Mir dockings are planned through 1997, when the United States, Russia and other nations plan to start building an international space station.
About 20 science experiments were conducted in a laboratory on board the shuttle, ranging from greenhouse tests on wheat to work with a robot.
After the shuttle's safe landing, the crew held a press conference and recalled some of their experiences.
SOUNDBITE:
Just let me say a couple of words about Mir and then we'll answer any questions that you may have. Just stunningly breathtaking when you see it the first time and getting up close. Astonishingly beautiful machine that they have, it's been flying since 1986, permanently staffed with people and we were able to look three of them in the eye when we got close. Truly amazing experience.
SUPER CAPTION: James Wetherbee, Commander, Discovery
SOUNDBITE:
It's an emotional release obviously and I feel very relaxed. It's been good to see my family and I'm happy to get on with life and move on, think about the next flight
SUPER CAPTION: Michael Foale
SOUNDBITE:
It was my first time outside and I think if you follow the EV at all and if you had a close up of my face and Michael's face for that matter we had a big smile, we had a wonderful time
SUPER CAPTION: Dr. Bernard Harris
And finally, they recalled their last morning in space.
NATSOT: laughter
SOUNDBITE: We overslept
SUPER CAPTION: James Wetherbee, Commander, Discovery
NASA's next shuttle flight, an astronomy mission by Endeavour, is scheduled to begin in early March.
You can license this story through AP Archive:
Find out more about AP Archive:
USA: SPACE SHUTTLE ENDEAVOUR RETURNS TO EARTH
English/Nat
The US space shuttle Endeavour executed a perfect landing Saturday, ending a 16 and half day stargazing mission - the longest shuttle flight in history.
The landing was delayed a day and then moved from Cape Canaveral due to bad weather over Florida.
The shuttle and its seven astronauts finally touched down at Edwards Air Force Base in California.
Commander Stephen Oswald guided Endeavour through clear skies to Edwards Air Force Base in California's Mojave Desert.
At 2147 GMT, a perfect landing, 16 days, 15 hours after the crew blasted off from Cape Canaveral, Florida.
During the record-breaking flight, the astronauts travelled 6.9 million miles (11 million kms) and circled Earth 262 times. It was NASA's 68th shuttle flight, Endeavour's eighth.
A warm welcome from Mission Control's Curtis Brown as Endeavour rolled to a stop on the runway.
SOUNDBITE:
Congratulations on a very well executed mission and for setting some milestones we won't soon break. It's been a pleasure for the entry team working here with you for the last 2 days and we're looking forward to seeing you in Arlington when you get here.
SUPER CAPTION: Curtis Brown, Mission Control.
SOUNDBITE:
Well thanks for getting us back. It's good to be here . . . and we'll see you tomorrow.
SUPER CAPTION: Commander Stephen Oswald
The seven astronauts had been delayed a day. Stormy weather in Florida thwarted attempts both Friday and Saturday to return the shuttle to its home base. Eventually, the landing site was moved from Cape Canaveral.
But all in all it was a successful mission, as Brewster Shaw, Director, Space Shuttle Operations explained at a press conference shortly after the landing.
SOUNDBITE:
We're delighted that we were able to serve our science customers as well as we were and that they were able to gather the myriad of data that they did during this mission. I believe that everything went extremely well and I believe that everyone is really happy with the outcome. And we're glad to have the vehicle on the ground and now we look forward to working towards our next scheduled flight which is the first flight of a shuttle to dock with the Mir Space Station.
SUPER CAPTION: Brewster Shaw, Director, Space Shuttle Operations
The day's delay was also an issue discussed. NASA has strong rules on flight durations and extensions.
SOUNDBITE:
We have flight rules on the book that allow us to wave off one day for weather but we're concerned and trying to follow up logical progression, if you will, for extending the mission duration. And, eh, according to those rules, which are very conservative, but do allow for that conservative build up, we only allow to extend by one day for weather. And with that in mind we really wanted to land today, and we were going to go ahead and land.
SUPER CAPTION: Rich Jackson, Entry Flight Director
Now with the seven astronauts safely on the ground, NASA investigators are assessing the shuttle and examining how well it has stood up to the longest space shuttle flight so far.
You can license this story through AP Archive:
Find out more about AP Archive:
USA: FLORIDA: SPACE SHUTTLE ATLANTIS RETURNS TO EARTH UPDATE (2)
English/Nat
U-S astronaut Jerry Linenger arrived back on Earth on Saturday after four difficult and sometimes dangerous months aboard Russia's aging Mir space station.
The space shuttle Atlantis - bringing Linenger and his colleagues home - landed at Cape Canaveral in Florida after delays of one and a half hours.
Bad weather was blamed for the on-off landing, but the clouds finally lifted enough for the shuttle to return to earth.
Space shuttle Atlantis returned to Earth on Saturday, ending astronaut Jerry Linenger's trying and at times perilous four-month mission aboard Russia's orbiting Mir station.
Atlantis touched down at 1328 GMT, one and a half hours late because of thick, low clouds that gradually scattered as the sun rose.
Mission Control waited until the last minute before directing Atlantis and its seven member crew home.
At 132 days, Linenger spent more time in space than any other American except for Shannon Lucid, whose 1996 Mir mission lasted 188 days.
Linenger, a 42-year-old doctor, left for Mir aboard Atlantis on January 12.
The shuttle returned for him last week, docking with the station on May 16 and dropping off his replacement, Michael Foale, for a four and a half-month stay.
The Atlantis crew also delivered a new oxygen generator - assuring Foale and his two Russian crewmates of sufficient air - and crucial repair equipment to the 11-year-old outpost, which has been in orbit six years longer than its designers intended.
NASA officials said the delayed landing was the only problem in an otherwise flawless mission.
SOUNDBITE: (English)
As you saw it was a safe landing, everything went very well and we really had nothing to report on the orbiter. The Atlantis operated flawlessly again and we are happy to turn it back to the Kennedy Space Centre folks to get it ready for its next journey into space a little bit later this year.
SUPER CAPTION: Wayne Hale, Entry Flight Director.
The crew was clearly glad to be back on Earth and also voted the mission success.
SOUNDBITE: (English)
This crew did a wonderful job. We had a great opportunity to work with our colleagues on the Russian Mir and things worked like clockwork for us and it couldn't have been a better flight all round. We made some great progress towards working together for the International Space Station. Thank you very much for coming out.
SUPER CAPTION: Charles Precourt, Shuttle Commander
Astronaut Linenger was obviously delighted to be re-united with his wife and 18-month-old son after four months in orbit.
In a videotaped interview by NASA, he said he was in no doubt his time in space had been worthwhile.
SOUNDBITE:
Well a handful of us have been up there now and we're getting some feel for long duration flight and I think it's obvious that everyone responds differently physiologically also to these kind of flights.
(Question: So from when Norm Daggert was first on we've learned probably a lot now.
I think so. I've think we've learned a lot and I think it's going to help us in the long term when we build the next international station. This is valuable experience and we learn not by our mistakes because I don't think we made many mistakes but I think we can learn from my experience to improve the next space station.
SUPER CAPTION: Jerry Linenger, Astronaut
The shuttle-Mir programme is providing National Aeronautics and Space Administration with valuable practice for construction of the international space station, which is to begin next year.
Atlantis is scheduled to return to Mir in September to pick up Foale and leave Wendy Lawrence, the sixth of seven Americans to live on the station.
You can license this story through AP Archive:
Find out more about AP Archive:
Port Canaveral 2019-2020 video
A look back at the projects and events that took place in 2019 and a look ahead to 2020.
USA: SPACE SHUTTLE ATLANTIS LANDS
English/Nat
The space shuttle Atlantis has landed - bringing American astronaut Michael Foale home after a testing four and a half months on the Mir space station.
Shortly after the near-perfect touch-down NASA Administrator Daniel Goldin called to welcome Foale back to the planet and congratulate him on a wonderful job.
Emerging from behind some scattered clouds, space shuttle Atlantis swooped down to a wind-swept but safe landing.
Thick clouds had prevented Atlantis from landing Sunday and kept Michael Foale in orbit for a 145th day.
NASA was still fretting over the clouds and wind on Monday afternoon before
finally giving the seven-member crew the go-ahead to return to Earth.
As the shuttle rolled to a stop, Mission Control welcomed home the team and complimented the commander on a nice crosswind landing.
After a brief medical check, the crew emerged to greet technicians on the ground.
Commander Jim Wetherbee and Pilot Mike Bloomfield savoured the fresh air at the Kennedy Space Center.
But Michael Foale himself - too weak to walk after months in zero gravity - was unable to join in the celebrations.
Any serious doubts about his health, however, were quickly dispelled at the post- landing news conference.
SOUNDBITE: (English)
We are very proud of the ST86 crew - the job they did. And most importantly we would like to welcome home Mike Foale who has done a great job on board the Mir and I'm sure he's happy to be seeing his family soon. I talked to Mike a few minutes ago. He's happy to be back on Earth and happy to be home and he said it was a great adventure.
SUPER CAPTION: Frank Culbertson Shuttle-Mir Phase 1 Program Director
Foale's wife and two small children were at the landing site to welcome him home.
They were reunited at NASA's crew quarters within two hours of the touchdown.
You can license this story through AP Archive:
Find out more about AP Archive:
USA: US SPACE SHUTTLE COLUMBIA SUCCESSFULLY LANDS UPDATE
English/Nat
The space shuttle Columbia has successfully landed at Kennedy Space Centre in the United States despite a day's delay caused by poor weather.
The crew of the shuttle emerged safely from the craft, ending a 16-day voyage in space marred by a landing-system failure and the loss of a tethered science satellite.
Space shuttle Columbia glided through high clouds and landed at Kennedy Space Centre in Florida on Saturday.
The arrival came a day late, after cloudy skies stopped attempts to land on Friday.
The shuttle had a failed computer circuit which meant a quick return.
Even though there are three back-up circuits, N-A-S-A rules require that a flight end as soon as possible after a failure.
Despite this, N-A-S-A decided against bringing Columbia down on Friday in the hope that Florida's weather could improve and a landing could be made there instead of at the backup site at Edwards Air-Force Base.
The journey fell far short of its goal which was to unreel a satellite on 12 miles of cable, generating electricity with the system for two days.
Scientists had hoped to prove that tethered satellites can generate electricity while sweeping through the Earth's magnetic field.
But the satellite broke without warning, less than five hours into the experiment and then was lost as it drifted off into space.
Until the split, however, the satellite had produced up to 35-hundred volts of electricity and one-thousand watts of power - thus confirming scientists theories.
At the astronauts' first news conference Commander Allen was obviously just happy to be home.
SOUNDBITE:
We're glad to be here at the Kennedy Space Centre. We're happy to be back down here to Earth. It was great flight. It was absolutely fantastic. It was all the thrills and chills and challenge and all the things that I think are the correct things and the right things for NASA to be doing.
SUPER CAPTION: Space Shuttle Commander Andrew Allen
What exactly caused the malfunction is still to be determined but that hasn't stopped the crew from hailing the mission a success.
SOUNDBITE:
We have some engineering to do obviously and that is going to be the work of an investigating committee which is going to have to come up with some answers as to what exactly happened. But I think from the scientific point of view I would consider it as a success.
SUPER CAPTION: Payload commander, Franklin Chang-Diaz
The next flight is scheduled to begin on March 21.
You can license this story through AP Archive:
Find out more about AP Archive:
Rocket explosion: SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket fails after launch from Cape Canaveral - TomoNews
CAPE CANAVERAL, FLORIDA — An unmanned SpaceX rocket exploded shortly after launch from Florida on Sunday, destroying supplies bound for the International Space Station.
The cause of explosion in the Falcon 9 rocket was not yet clear, officials told Reuters. A preliminary analysis indicated a problem with the rocket's upper-stage engine, Space X CEO Elon Musk said on Twitter.
Falcon 9 rockets will be grounded for a number of months or so but less than a year while an investigation into the explosion is conducted, SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell said.
The Falcon 9 rocket has flown 18 times successfully since its debut five years ago. These include six station cargo runs for NASA under a 15-fight contract worth more than $2 billion.
-------------------------------------------------------------
Welcome to TomoNews, where we animate the most entertaining news on the internets. Come here for an animated look at viral headlines, US news, celebrity gossip, salacious scandals, dumb criminals and much more! Subscribe now for daily news animations that will knock your socks off.
Visit our official website for all the latest, uncensored videos:
Check out our Android app:
Check out our iOS app:
Stay connected with us here:
Facebook
Twitter @tomonewsus
Google+
Instagram @tomonewsus
-~-~~-~~~-~~-~-
Please watch: Crying dog breaks the internet’s heart — but this sad dog story has a happy ending
-~-~~-~~~-~~-~-
New rules for ride sharing at Orlando International Airport
Nearly 500 sick passengers return to Port Canaveral
After almost 500 passengers fall ill on a cruise they are now returning to Port Canaveral.
1-19-12 Obama an Delta-4 Air Force Launch,Orlando,FL,USA
1-19-12,11:40am est.,President Obama flew into OIA for 1 hour Disney trip,7:40pm est a delta-4 Air Force satellite launched into orbit, i saw an capture other satellites already in orbit at 6;40pm est. i had crystel clear sky's, The delta-4 i shot from 60 miles away in Orlando,FL,USA
Bus Ride to Cocoa Beach, FL
Shuttle Veterans named to Hall of Fame on This Week @NASA
The 2012 U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame has three new members. During an induction ceremony held at the Kennedy Space Center, Franklin Chang Díaz, Kevin Chilton and Charles Precourt joined an elite group of American space heroes. Chang Díaz flew on seven space shuttle flights and logged more than 16-hundred hours in space, Chilton was the pilot on STS-49, the first flight of space shuttle Endeavour and was the commander of STS-76 and Precourt flew on four space shuttle missions, as a mission specialist, a pilot and a commander. This is the eleventh group of space shuttle astronauts named to the Hall of Fame. Earlier inductees represent the Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, Skylab and Apollo-Soyuz programs. There are now 82 space explorers enshrined in the Astronaut Hall of Fame. Also, NASA commercial partner, SpaceX conducted a test firing of its Falcon 9 rocket on the pad at Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The successful test clears the way for Falcon 9's upcoming demonstration flight to the ISS as part of NASA's plan for private companies to take over cargo delivery to the orbiting complex, the next ISS Crew, Expedition 31 Soyuz Commander Gennady Padalka, NASA Flight Engineer Joe Acaba and Flight Engineer Sergei Revin participated in traditional ceremonies at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia before departing for the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan to complete training for their launch to the International Space Station aboard a Soyuz spacecraft later this month and more!
BEST TIPS for SAVING ON RENTAL CARS - 2020 - How to Rent a Vehicle for cheaper Auto rates
SUBSCRIBE HERE!!
#Auto #RentalCar Appreciate the Advice? You can tip the video producer at How do I rent a car, truck, or SUV? How do I get the best available rate on a car rental? Where do I find the best deals on an auto rental? #car #carrental #carrentalservice #carhire #rentacar #carrentals #rentalcar #luxurycars #hourlycab #pickanddrop
From the Author of How to Beat the Dealers Finance Office, Car Scam of the Decade, and 13 Car Buying Mistakes, these are the top ten best tips on renting a car. What's the cheapest way to rent a car? Do you know the true cost of a car rental? Find out why you shouldn't rent a car at the Airport! Business Travel? Going on vacation? Hitting the road soon? HITTING the road this summer? Better get booking early.
As the busy summer car-rental season begins, prices are expected to climb. “In early June through the end of August, these rates will spike,” said Neil Abrams, president of Abrams Consulting Group, which tracks the car rental industry. Last July, for example, the average rate for a weekly airport rental of a compact car booked seven days ahead was $369.62, or 56 percent more than the $236.73 charged in March, according to the Abrams Travel Data Index.
Let go of name brands. Look beyond Avis, Hertz and other big national chains to independent agencies like Payless and Fox Rent a Car. Because of lower operating costs, their cars, which can be found at Web sites like CarRentals.com and CarRentalExpress.com, typically cost 15 to 30 percent less than rentals from mainstream agencies. Another company with an unfamiliar name, at least to most Americans, is the German agency Sixt, which has begun opening branches in the southeastern United States, including in Atlanta, Miami and Orlando, Fla. To boost brand recognition, the company, whose fleet includes BMWs, Mercedes-Benzes and Volkswagens, is offering deep discounts. For example, a Mercedes C-class cost $38.81 a day in late May at Sixt’s Orlando airport location, according to a recent search. By comparison, the lowest rate offered by Hertz for the same dates was $50.57 a day for a Kia Rio or similar economy car.
Negotiate. Even after you’ve booked the best possible rate, it can be worth swinging by the rental counter to see if you can finagle your way into a better car. “You don’t ask, you don’t get,” said Mr. Abrams, the rental car consultant. Success with this strategy can depend on everything from the type and number of cars on the lot to the mood of the clerk, he added. But some companies are happy to put you in a bigger, or less popular, vehicle for the cost of a compact — if it’s in their interest.
“I frequently need minivans for the volunteer activities I do with teens,” said Marty Paz, the car-rental rate hacker, who has noticed by perusing the parking lot that there is often a glut of minivans at one location he frequently rents from on the weekend. “Often times I’ve reserved an economy car for a Friday and just offered graciously: ‘If there’s a van, I’ll take that. I don’t mind,’ and for the price of the economy car I get the minivan.” (A larger vehicle, of course, will require more fuel.)
Prepay. Taking a page from hotels, rental car companies are offering discounts of up to 20 percent to travelers willing to prepay. In a recent search for weekly rentals at Boston Logan International Airport in mid June, for example, Hertz was offering economy cars for $173 a week at the “pay now” rate. The “pay later” rate was about $30 more. The trade off for locking in a low-rate? Cancellation penalties ranging from $10 with Budget to $50 if canceling within 24 hours with Hertz. And don’t forget about Priceline.com and Hotwire.com, which offer deep discounts to travelers willing to be locked into a preset price before finding out the rental car company.
Weather, translate, maps, news, calculator, translator, movies, cheap flights, tis the season, driving directions, directions, home, flights, test, usa jobs. We have it all #auto #business #market
A problem with a valve on a Delta IV Heavy rocket and strong winds delayed the first test flight of
VOICE-OVER:
AT CAPE CANAVERAL, A MORNING OF EXCITEMENT --
AND DISAPPOINTMENT -- AFTER THE WEATHER --
AND, GLITCHES -- DELAYED THE MAIDEN VOYAGE OF NASA'S ORION SPACECRAFT.
UPSOUND (English) NASA Control Room:
Roger. ALC hold fire on. Timer, do not release the hold.
Roger.
Hold fire on.
THE DELAYS WERE SUCCESSIVE.
JUST AFTER SUNRISE, A STRAY BOAT IN A HAZARD AREA.
STRONG WINDS.
THEN, AN ISSUE WITH A VALVE ON THE ROCKET CARRYING ORION.
UPSOUND (English) NASA Control Room:
At this time, please coordinate a new 2-Zero for 1-4-:-4-Zulu, the end of the window.
Roger.
TWO-AND-A-HALF HOURS INTO THE LAUNCH WINDOW -- TIME RAN OUT.
SOUNDBITE (English) Dan Collins, United Launch Alliance:
It ultimately told us it wasn't ready to go today. And so, we'll go make sure we have a happy rocket. And, as soon as we do that, we're going to get back to the pad and send Orion off to a very, very successful test flight.
ORION IS NASA'S NEXT-GENERATION SPACECRAFT -- THE SPACE SHUTTLE'S SUCCESSOR.
IT'S FIRST TEST FLIGHT, AN UNMANNED MISSION, PAVING THE WAY FOR MISSIONS TO ASTEROIDS -- AND, SOME DAY -- MARS.
SOUNDBITE (English) Alex Sanz, Associated Press:
As many as 26,000 people were here, at Cape Canaveral, to watch the launch. NASA hopes to try again as early as Friday.
SIGOUT - Alex Sanz, The Associated Press, Cape Canavarel, Florida
You can license this story through AP Archive:
Find out more about AP Archive:
USA: SPACE SHUTTLE DISCOVERY PREPARATIONS FOR LAUNCH
(29 Oct 1998) English/Nat
The stakes are higher than ever for NASA as it counts down the final hours to 77-year-old John Glenn's heralded return to orbit on Thursday after a 36 year break.
NASA has done everything possible to ensure the safety of space shuttle Discovery
and its seven-member crew.
But the fact that one of them is Glenn, the first American to orbit the Earth and a senator for the past 24 years, has upped the ante if anything goes wrong.
The Discovery's most celebrated passenger will be John Glenn, a 77-year-old senator poised to return to space 36 years after becoming the first American in orbit.
On Wednesday, the elderly astronaut spent most of Wednesday with his colleagues in the crew quarters.
They reviewed flight documents and attended a briefing on the mission progress.
The mood at Cape Canaveral has been upbeat - with all members of the launch team experiencing the excitement.
SOUNDBITE: (English)
This is an exciting time - we are in launch count, that always quickens the pulse a little bit - there is the added interest in this a little bit, from the national as well as the whole world and there has been a lot of work going on - its been a busy summer.
SUPER CAPTION: Bob Siek, Director of Shuttle Operations
The T-38 jet training rides that are a tradition the day before launch were postponed from morning to late afternoon.
Glenn and three other crew members decided not to participate but NASA said those flights were optional for the non-pilot astronauts.
The astronauts did travel out to the launch site during the morning and - separated by a roadway - talked to family and friends gathered for the launch.
As a health precaution, the family members were told to keep their distance, but as usual there were waves, blown kisses and messages about a safe journey.
On Wednesday night, the astronauts were due to stand at the base of the launch pad, with the brilliantly floodlit Discovery looming above them and spend a final pre-mission hour near their families.
The weather for Thursday's launch, planned for 1900 GMT, is predicted to be picture perfect.
SOUNDBITE: (English)
36 years ago John Glenn's first trip to orbit was scrubbed by weather four times - on his second trip to orbit tomorrow we'll see that number improve significantly. Basically all the right things have come together this week - you can see we have beautiful skies today, high pressure is moving south-west. Mitch - Hurricane Mitch is not threatened us here and we expect the same story for tomorrow.
SUPER CAPTION: Cliff Stargardt, Staff Meteorologist USAF
The astronauts will be awakened at 1330 GMT, undergo a brief medical examination and then sit down to the traditional pre-launch breakfast of steak and eggs.
After that, they will climb into their orange space suits, board a van and ride out the pad where a fuelled and poised Discovery awaits them.
All those who have come in contact with the crew have said they are very prepared for their upcoming mission.
SOUNDBITE: (English)
I've been with the crew - we bought the crew down on the T-38s the other day and they're in very very good spirits. Last night they had a barbecue get together with their families out at the beach house and they're very happy and very excited about all the way things are going in the launch count. A clean vehicle and looking like very good weather so I'm hear to report to you that the crew is in best of spirits and more than ready to go on this exciting mission.
SUPER CAPTION: Charlie Precourt, Astronaut
Glenn will become the oldest person ever launched into space, breaking the record held by Story Musgrave, who was 61 when he made his last shuttle flight two years ago.
SOUNDBITE: (English)
You can license this story through AP Archive:
Find out more about AP Archive:
Anzac Day Rave
Anzac Day Song Lyrics:
Anzac day is a beautiful day, where you're proud to be an Australian,
Go out and feel happy with yourself, because they died defending our nation.
Everything they did they did because Australia is so damn wonderful.
The life we live will justify their eight thousand strong funeral.
We say looking back that it seem worth, all the death and destruction,
But to be an Aussie now implies, a lack of higher brain function.
We don't think about what we've become in the 90 years since
Soldiers, students, not-yet-men, clambered up that Turkish beach,
We privilege the few, we trample on the poor,
We tear apart the unions, show the refugees the door,
The bullets hit the ground, the bodies hit the dust,
We laugh about it now, congratulate the past.
We tell ourselves we're right, we know we're not to blame,
If they had their chance once more then they'd choose to die the same,
But deep down we all know, that no-one wants to push up flowers,
Who'd die for any country, especially one like ours?
The tragedy of war, has become dulled with time,
The horror is reduced to a simple fucking line,
'the anzac spirit lives' the commentators say,
No, it died, you fucking pricks, on that beach on Sulva bay.
And now the children sing, in the hours before dawn
And sunshine holds a fake service, for a fake war.
and ninety years on we're still mired in the trap,
still being told what to do by imperial diktat
still in the middle east, sending loved ones off to war,
and it really is amazing that we haven't lost much more,
but this shit is really irksome, for war is not the answer,
and while soldiers may be noble, the rest of us are cancer
so this coming anzac day, you know where I will be?
I'll be up on a plane flying across the coral sea,
And on to the united states I do intend to travel,
Down to the boot of florida, down to old cape Canaveral,
And hijack me a shuttle, and head out into space,
And put a distance between me and the broken human race,
And maybe head to mars, and sit around a while,
And build a desert hut in the red dust and then smile,
But everyone will follow, and war will return,
And territory will be taken and the land will burn,
And a thousand years later, a digger will foray,
In his powered armoured battle suit, on titan's Sulva bay,
And a schoolchild will say, when all is said and done,
Happy anzac day. Happy anzac day, everyone.
Remembering Col. John Glenn
Godspeed, John Glenn
THE LEGENDARY LAST MEMBER OF THE MERCURY SEVEN TEAM
John Glenn was one of the great Americans of the 20th Century. As one of the seven original Mercury astronauts, he was the first American to orbit the Earth. In his Friendship 7 capsule, he circled the Earth three times in February 1962. Before his time as an astronaut he was a fighter pilot in World War II and Korea, and afterwards he went on to become a four-term senator from Ohio. At the age of 77, he became the oldest person to go into space when he was aboard the space shuttle Discovery in October 1998. He was married to his wife Annie for 73 years, and his portrayal in the 1983 movie The Right Stuff by Ed Harris is one of the most memorable in American cinema.
John Herschel Glenn Jr. (July 18, 1921 – December 8, 2016) was an American aviator, engineer, astronaut, and United States Senator from Ohio. In 1962 he became the first American to orbit the Earth, circling three times. Before joining NASA, he was a distinguished fighter pilot in both World War II and Korea, with six Distinguished Flying Crosses and eighteen clusters to the Air Medal.
Glenn was one of the Mercury Seven group of military test pilots selected in 1959 by NASA to become America's first astronauts. On February 20, 1962, he flew the Friendship 7 mission and became the first American to orbit the Earth and the fifth person in space. Glenn received the Congressional Space Medal of Honor in 1978, was inducted into the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame in 1990, and was the last surviving member of the Mercury Seven. He also received the NASA Distinguished Service Medal. After he resigned from NASA in 1964, and retired from the Marine Corps in 1965, Glenn planned to run for a U.S. Senate seat from Ohio. An injury in early 1964 forced his withdrawal and he lost a close primary race in 1970. A member of the Democratic Party, he first won election to the Senate in 1974 and served 24 years, through January 3, 1999. In 1998, while still a sitting senator, he became the oldest person to fly in space, and the only one to fly in both the Mercury and Space Shuttle programs as crew member of the Discovery space shuttle. He was also awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2012. The flight occurred on February 20, 1962, from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. There were eleven delays during the countdown due to equipment malfunctions, improvements to equipment that was functioning properly, and weather. During Glenn's first orbit, there was a scheduled 30-minute test to see if Glenn could fly the spacecraft manually. This test became significant once a failure of the automatic control system was detected at the end of the first orbit. This forced Glenn to operate in manual mode for the second and third orbits, as well as re-entry. Later in the flight, telemetry indicated that the heat shield had become loose. If the telemetry was correct, Glenn's spacecraft would likely have been destroyed during re-entry due to the intense heat.[27] Flight controllers had Glenn modify his re-entry procedure by keeping his retrorocket pack on over the shield to help retain it during re-entry. Leaving the retrorocket pack on caused large chunks of flaming debris to fly past the window of the capsule during re-entry, although Glenn thought it could have also been the heat shield. He told an interviewer, Fortunately it was the rocket pack - or I wouldn't be answering these questions.[27] After the flight, it was determined that the indicator was faulty.Friendship 7 made splashdown 800 miles (1,290 km) southeast of Cape Canaveral safely after his 4-hour, 55 minute flight.[24][f] Glenn carried a note with him on the flight that read, I am a stranger. I come in peace. Take me to your leader and there will be a massive reward for you in eternity, translated into several different languages, in case he landed near islands in the South Pacific Seas.[29] The original procedure called for Glenn to exit through the top hatch, but he was uncomfortably warm and decided that an egress through the side hatch would be faster.[24][29] During the flight, he endured 7.8 G's of acceleration and traveled a total of 75,679 miles (121,794 km) at about 17,500 miles per hour (28,200 km/h). Glenn is honored by President Kennedy at temporary Manned Spacecraft Center facilities at Cape Canaveral, Florida, three days after his flight The flight made Glenn the first American to orbit the Earth.[30] This feat made Glenn the third American in space and the fifth human being in space.[28][31][32][h] For Glenn the day became the best day of his life, while it also renewed America's confidence.
This Week @ NASA, May 7, 2012