Just watched the launch of Atlantis on NASA TV. Beautiful launch, beautiful separation, outlook to be a great flight. The only problem was the weather, which cleared and cooperated wonderfully by launch time. STS-122 is a mission to carry the Columbus lab up to the ISS.
Dang, I missed it. I wanted to capture the shuttle's APRS feed as it was taking off.
Oh well, next time.
It was smokin' up the hill, lemme tell ya. That was a nice launch.
It annoys the living daylights out of me that the networks can't be bothered to talk about the space program unless its:
a) 30 seconds before the launch and then *maybe* for the next 8 minutes. Then *bam* we're back to what Britney Spears had for dinner at a truck stop and who killed Natalie Holloway;
and
b) when there is a problem and they're all praying for the next Apollo 13...
And then, during the ascent, the @##$% talking heads have to blather on about stuff they have next to ZERO knowledge of.
I thought it was funny when the NASA PAO said "Five and a half minutes.." and I looked at my girlfriend and said "2 1/2 more minutes and the 2nd stage will be done and they'll essentially be in orbit.." and about 10 seconds later, the talking head of MSNBC or whatever we were watching says "In two and a half minutes, they'll be in orbit..."
I kept saying "Dude, shut your flytrap and let Rob Navias talk!" I'd rather hear the air-to-ground loop and the PAO any day over the vacuous bozos they put down there at the Cape.
Why can't Comcast in my area carry the NASA channel?
disregard edit. I zigged when I should've zagged -TA
Quote from: NIN on February 07, 2008, 09:25:44 PM
Why can't Comcast in my area carry the NASA channel?
get a dish (http://dishnetwork.com) dude. :)
Quote from: NIN on February 07, 2008, 09:25:44 PM
Why can't Comcast in my area carry the NASA channel?
You should be able to get it online.
Was CAP patrolling for this launch?
Quote from: MikeD on February 08, 2008, 02:42:41 AM
Quote from: NIN on February 07, 2008, 09:25:44 PM
Why can't Comcast in my area carry the NASA channel?
You should be able to get it online.
http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/digital.html
Just watched the live docking. Very cool stuff. They're doing leak checks now and in about 20 minuets they will be opening the hatches for the welcoming ceremony.
They are currently over the Atlantic Ocean and will be crossing over the UK in about 10 minutes.
Quote from: ♠SARKID♠ on February 09, 2008, 06:03:35 PM
Just watched the live docking. Very cool stuff. They're doing leak checks now and in about 20 minuets they will be opening the hatches for the welcoming ceremony.
They are currently over the Atlantic Ocean and will be crossing over the UK in about 10 minutes.
Do they always do a welcoming ceremony every time the shuttle makes a successful dock?
Quote from: mynetdude on February 10, 2008, 12:02:55 AM
Quote from: ♠SARKID♠ on February 09, 2008, 06:03:35 PM
Just watched the live docking. Very cool stuff. They're doing leak checks now and in about 20 minuets they will be opening the hatches for the welcoming ceremony.
They are currently over the Atlantic Ocean and will be crossing over the UK in about 10 minutes.
Do they always do a welcoming ceremony every time the shuttle makes a successful dock?
Well, its not so much of a ceremony as just a bunch of hugs, smiles, and thoughts of "Oh my god I've been stuck in this space station with the same three people for months. I'd have gone crazy if you took one more second getting through that airlock!...did you bring our new food menu!?!?"
Quote from: mynetdude on February 10, 2008, 12:02:55 AMDo they always do a welcoming ceremony every time the shuttle makes a successful dock?
One word... tradition! ;D Since most of the NASA astronauts are current or former squiddies or gyrenes a lot of naval tradition has carried over into space.
The Russkies have some traditions they always do before a launch from Baikonur:
- Each cosmonaut signs the door to their room before they leave on launch day.
Before they board the transfer van to the pad each crew member steps to their own designated square and reports their readiness to the commander of the space center (a Russian general).
Somewhere during the trip to the launch pad the bus will stop and allow the cosmonauts to 'drain their plumbing' before boarding. Yuri Gagarin did it on his flight, and tradition stuck. As for female cosmonauts doing this tradition it may be a little more difficult... ;D
Quote from: AlphaSigOU on February 10, 2008, 05:38:07 PM
Quote from: mynetdude on February 10, 2008, 12:02:55 AMDo they always do a welcoming ceremony every time the shuttle makes a successful dock?
One word... tradition! ;D Since most of the NASA astronauts are current or former squiddies or gyrenes a lot of naval tradition has carried over into space.
The Russkies have some traditions they always do before a launch from Baikonur:
- Each cosmonaut signs the door to their room before they leave on launch day.
Before they board the transfer van to the pad each crew member steps to their own designated square and reports their readiness to the commander of the space center (a Russian general).
Somewhere during the trip to the launch pad the bus will stop and allow the cosmonauts to 'drain their plumbing' before boarding. Yuri Gagarin did it on his flight, and tradition stuck. As for female cosmonauts doing this tradition it may be a little more difficult... ;D
Well for the sake of history education, has there been any female cosmonauts? I know there have been a few and one currently that I know of NASA female astronauts.
How do you get NASA TV?
Quote from: flyguy06 on February 10, 2008, 08:54:52 PM
How do you get NASA TV?
http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/digital.html
or just watch it online here
http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/index.html
Quote from: mynetdude on February 10, 2008, 08:02:12 PMWell for the sake of history education, has there been any female cosmonauts? I know there have been a few and one currently that I know of NASA female astronauts.
So far, two that have flown: Valentina Tereshkova (first woman in space aboard Vostok 6, 1963) and Svetlana Savitskaya (first woman to walk in space). IIRC the current ISS commander, Peggy Whitson hopped a ride aboard an R-7 booster. And so did Shannon Lucid. Reportedly, she was asked by the Russkies if she would perform the tradition, but politely declined.
I was flipping through the TV one day and I came across NASA TV on the Digital Cable tier as well. I forgot the channel though, so many to remember (about 600-800). Oh well, I'm sure I'll stumble across it again.
Also, just adding in this shameless plug, but check out Orbiter, www.orbitersim.com. It's a very realistic (read complex) space simulator, totally free too. Once I get going with training on my sim workshop, I may bring in Orbiter on a wildcard whim or something, heh. There's plenty of mods you can get for more spacecraft both real and fictional too.
Quote from: Brad on February 11, 2008, 05:14:55 PM
I was flipping through the TV one day and I came across NASA TV on the Digital Cable tier as well. I forgot the channel though, so many to remember (about 600-800). Oh well, I'm sure I'll stumble across it again.
Also, just adding in this shameless plug, but check out Orbiter, www.orbitersim.com. It's a very realistic (read complex) space simulator, totally free too. Once I get going with training on my sim workshop, I may bring in Orbiter on a wildcard whim or something, heh. There's plenty of mods you can get for more spacecraft both real and fictional too.
I have a strong dislike for orbiter, that doesn't make it a bad program its just that I am not cut out for that complexity.
Speaking of orbiter, CAPFlight 2000 seems to use some of orbiter's graphics or physics and so what not? I don't know if any of you have seen/heard/use CAPF2000 before, but it is popular in ORWG as our WG CC is the one who programmed it.
I saw the Shuttle go up from Kissimmee. Wow. We were on our way to work and saw it go up. I think we are 60 miles away.
Saw the docking on TV outstanding.
The space walk going on now is breath taking too.
Quote from: RobG on February 11, 2008, 07:03:03 PM
The space walk going on now is breath taking too.
I hope it was spectacular, but I really hope it wasn't
breathe taking, that would mean sucking vacuum, and that would not be fun. . .
;)
Quote from: RogueLeader on February 23, 2008, 01:23:01 AM
Quote from: RobG on February 11, 2008, 07:03:03 PM
The space walk going on now is breath taking too.
I hope it was spectacular, but I really hope it wasn't breathe taking, that would mean sucking vacuum, and that would not be fun. . .
;)
lolz!!!!