Casual Astronomy, Spaceflight News and Lower California Weather 

The next big event is the final flight of the Space Transportation System, STS-135. Shuttle Atlantis is scheduled to launch from Kennedy Space Center on July 8 at 11:26am EDT ±5 minutes.

Spaceflight Now | STS-135 | Mission Status Center

A Wallops Island, Virginia launch visible from Mid-Atlantic states scheduled to take place this evening was scrubbed due to storms around the launch area.

The launch has been rescheduled for tomorrow with much more favorable weather outlook. The launch window runs from 8:28-11:28pm EDT.

Spaceflight Now | Minotaur Launch Report | Mission Status Center


Pat Thanks for update on Captain Kelly, Congresswoman Giffords and their family. I am humbled by the strength and love there.

Here is an interesting sidelight to tomorrow's scheduled Minotaur I launch. There have been two failed launches of NASA climate research satellites atop a Taurus XL, the OCO on February 24, 2009 and GLORY on March 4 of this year.

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Although the rockets are different, they share a similar separation system in the payload fairing, a clamshell-like structure that protects the satellite during the early phases of launch. Once the rocket is above the dense lower atmosphere, the shroud is released to jettison weight.

Orbital Sciences Corp., the contractor for the Taurus and Minotaur rockets, completed its investigation into the March launch failure, according to Lou Amorosi, Orbital's vice president for the Minotaur program.

"They found a design susceptibility in the fairing separation system," Amorosi said. "That is the most probable cause of the failure, and that susceptibility was demonstrated through ground testing. We did do similar testing on Minotaur because we do share some components with Taurus, and what we found is the Minotaur is much less susceptible to this issue."

But "to be absolutely safe" in the wake of the Taurus mishap, Amorosi said Orbital recommended making minor modifications to the Minotaur rocket to ensure the ORS 1 mission is not struck by the same anomaly. The Air Force agreed with the changes, which included a software and a mechanical modification, according to Amorosi.

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from Spaceflight Now | Minotaur Launch Report | Tactical military satellite due for launch on Minotaur rocket

For the NASA webcast of today's scheduled Minotaur I launch:

Wallops Flight Facility

from Spaceflight Now | Minotaur Launch Report | Mission Status Center:

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5:58 p.m. EDT (2158 GMT)
HOLD. T-minus 2 hours, 30 minutes and holding. The countdown has paused as engineers study the anomaly with launch support equipment. This means launch will likely not occur as scheduled at 8:28 p.m. EDT. But there is a three-hour launch window extending until 11:28 p.m. EDT for the Minotaur to get off the ground tonight.

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The Minotaur I launch from Wallops Island, Virginia is now targeted for 10:05pm EDT.

sp Those launch failures really got my paranoia subprocessor revved up. After the later incident at KSC involving the fatal fall, a quantity of cocaine and no details forthcoming I was thinking a good suspense novel or at least a Hollywood action thriller. ;^)

The larger rockets now launching from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS) on Wallops Island, Virginia will be visible from Washington, D.C. not surprisingly but even from New York, New York.

Minotaur I Launch Visibility Map

A problem with the Flight Termination System (FTS) is the reason for the HOLD of tonight's scheduled launch. No word on if an attempt can be made before the launch window closes at 11:28pm EDT tonight.

The FTS problem is resolved and the launch may be retargeted for 11:28pm EDT.

A new launch target has been set for 11:09pm EDT.

Hi Skye! :^)

LIFTOFF! The Operationally Responsive Space-1 satellite is now making its climb to orbit.

Payload fairing separation has occurred and the 3rd stage is coasting now.

3rd stage jettison and 4th stage ignition coming up shortly.

4th stage burn in progress.

4th stage burn complete.

Payload separation of the Air Force's ORS-1 tactical intelligence satellite. It should be in it's planned orbit now.

Skye Glad you enjoyed it. I'll be trying to keep up with the heads ups again.

Thanks Pat. That's July 8 at 11:26am EDT ±5 minutes... a good day to take the day off. Another great era of spaceflight is coming to a close.

Pat We have to wonder how long it will be before we see another craft so inspiringly capable.

Oss I'm crossing my fingers for good weather for everyone making a special effort to be there to witness the final climb.

shore I think it's very cool to see the recognition of the gravity of the occasion. (Of course it was intentional, lol!)

Cybr Thanks for the great link. I can only echo your encouragement.

Pat Thanks for the news link. The Science Channel will be running Last Shuttle: Our Journey Friday, July 8, 2011 at 10PM Eastern & Pacific.

As long as you're looking up this evening... just don't get too distracted by the fireworks. ;^)

Pat Thanks for the heads up on the International Space Station flyover. Southwestern California and Baja are having one too just before fireworks time.

ISS Ground Track (Times are PDT)

Pat Thanks for the video feeds.


Current forecasts for favorable launch weather are:
40% Friday,
60% Saturday, and
70% Sunday.

Spaceflight Now | STS-135 Shuttle Report | Countdown commences for shuttle Atlantis' blastoff

The chances of favorable launch time weather during the 3 day period is 93%.

The launch windows are:
Friday 11:26am EDT ±5 min,
Saturday 11:01am ±5 min,
Sunday 10:38am ±5 min.

Pat I feel that too. Something's next but what and when is murky.

Odds of favorable Shuttle launch time weather on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday are now at 83%.

Current forecasts for favorable launch weather for each day are:
30% Friday,
40% Saturday, and
60% Sunday.

The launch windows are:
Friday 11:26am EDT ±5 min,
Saturday 11:04am EDT ±5 min,
Sunday 10:38am EDT ±5 min.

Currently no Shuttle launch attempts are planned for Monday, July 11 through Friday, July 15 due to a scheduled Delta IV launch of a new GPS satellite from Cape Canaveral AFS on July 14.

Pat, Cybr The shuttle program has truly been an all-America effort. For example, the Space Shuttle Main Engines (SSMEs) that mostly come from just "next door" to me...

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The SSMEs were designed in the late 1970s by Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne - UTC. Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne - UTC continues to build and assemble the majority of components in Canoga Park, California.

The SSME has undergone major upgrades to improve performance, safety and reliability. Improvements include the introduction of redesigned high-pressure turbopumps into the SSME fleet. The new pumps, designed and built by Pratt & Whitney at West Palm Beach Florida, have over 900 fewer welds than the previous design. The reduction in welds improves engine reliability and safety, and reduces the time spent on inspecting the engines.

The main engines are tested at Stennis Space Center in Mississippi. The new Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne - UTC turbopumps are also tested at Stennis. Engines and engine components are delivered to Kennedy Space Center to be prepared for flight.
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Skye As a lifetime? local you probably know of other good vantage points. There will likely be exceptional crowds though. Good luck. It will be a lifetime memory for the entire family.

Oss You still have good odds if you can stay around for the weekend. Even if more attempts than that are required those attempts won't start until next weekend. In any case good luck to you.

Quoting Ossqss:
Why, as many have asked, do we sub-out our space presence to Russia?

The short answer is that no realistically funded successor plans were in place to coincide with the long planned end of the shuttle program.

That said I think that American aerospace is mature enough that America can benefit more from commercial competition for fixed bid Low Earth Orbit (LEO) contracts awarded based on performance achievements than from the cost plus model. I think the cost plus contract model is more suitable for development of cutting edge technologies that will take us entirely beyond Earth orbit.

Quoting Ossqss:
What is the take on X-37?

It has not been developed for human spaceflight. It is a Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Orbital Test Vehicle (OTV) reusable robotic spaceplane. Whatever other purposes it could be used for it is an excellent orbital test bed allowing rapid deployment, testing, return and evaluation of new technologies' performance in the actual space environment.

The possibility of shuttle Atlantis launching this weekend has just become more complicated.

Spaceflight Now | STS-135 Shuttle Report | Engineers assess lightning strike at space shuttle pad

Further complicating factors...

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Between 500,000 and 750,000 spectators are expected to turn out for NASA's final shuttle launch, complicating NASA's scrub-turnaround plans. If the weather or some other problem triggers a delay in the last four hours of the countdown, Launch Director Mike Leinbach likely will order a 48-hour delay because of concern the launch team would not be able to make it home through expected heavy traffic and get back to the space center in time for a launch try the next day.

As a result, a launch scrub Friday likely would delay a second attempt to Sunday.

Going into the launch campaign, NASA managers said Atlantis had to be off the ground by Sunday or the flight would slip to July 16 to make way for launch of a military navigation satellite from the nearby Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. But if the Air Force agrees to a one-day slip, NASA could get a fourth launch opportunity Monday. How that might play into the decision to proceed with a Friday launch try remains to be seen.

(from the same link as the previous comment)

At least today's lightening strike is no longer a complicating factor.

Spaceflight Now | STS-135 | Mission Status Center

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2145 GMT (5:45 p.m. EDT)
The engineering board determined there were no issues with lightning strike and shuttle Atlantis' countdown can proceed as scheduled.
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Pat Thanks for the background and update.

For the moment weather conditions are "go".

Today's launch window is 11:26am EDT ±5 min.

Current forecasts for favorable launch weather are:
30% today,
60% Saturday, and
50% Sunday.

The chances of favorable launch time weather during this 3 day period is 86%.

The next launch windows are:
Saturday 11:01am ±5 min,
Sunday 10:38am ±5 min.

Excellent updates, video and commentary are at

Spaceflight Now | STS-135 | Mission Status Center