Update (launch + 15 minutes): It was a picture-perfect launch, and everything looks good for an orbital rendezvous with the Space Station.
The Space Shuttle Atlantis is preparing for liftoff at 7:38 p.m. Eastern time tonight. Rather than update this blog a zillion times (and avoiding sending a zillion emails to everyone who subscribes to this blog), I will be updating my Twitter page. Twitter is designed for just this sort of thing, so head on over there!
You can also watch it online at NASA TV and read their official launch blog!
June 8th, 2007 at 2:51 pm
Why do they have these “built in” holds? Why did they not just add that time to the countdown clock? Makes it seem rather arbitrary to me.
June 8th, 2007 at 2:54 pm
That’s what I was just going to ask. I turned on NASA TV at T minus 13 and thought, “Oh, I might get to see the launch before I have to run out for errands!” Then they put it on hold for 46 minutes. Why?
June 8th, 2007 at 3:33 pm
I wish I could stop the countdown on deadlines.
June 8th, 2007 at 3:53 pm
Damn it I missed it. Hey where can I go to see the replay of it?
June 8th, 2007 at 3:54 pm
Atlantis is in orbit.
Time to go eat beans.
June 8th, 2007 at 4:01 pm
To bed with me, goodnight…
June 8th, 2007 at 4:10 pm
That was awesome. My 4YO is obsessed with space everything, and we watched it live on NASA TV, opening it up at T-5. Great timing!
June 8th, 2007 at 4:14 pm
Beautiful launch. Great camera angles. Loved watching the orbiter detach from the external tank.
All three of my kids (ages 6, 4 and 2) were more spellbound than I expected!
June 8th, 2007 at 4:37 pm
I believe the built in holds are all contingencies, so they have a window to correct any issues that come up and stay outside of the countdown-or something like that. I’m guessing here a bit and havn’t totally researched this so I’m probably wrong.
They breakdown the built-in holds here:
http://www.nasa.gov/returntoflight/launch/countdown101.html
June 8th, 2007 at 4:48 pm
Last summer I got the opportunity to talk to Jim Reilly, a mission specialist on STS-117 . They were still planning to launch in February then. Now it’s four months later. Figures.
June 8th, 2007 at 6:09 pm
Bugger, missed it.
June 8th, 2007 at 6:14 pm
It was definitely spectacular. I had my 5 year old watching until external fuel tank separation… I’m surprised it held his interest that long!
June 8th, 2007 at 11:52 pm
Shuttle launches these days seem as rare as hen’s teeth. Makes the Spectacle that much more appreciated. I missed this one though! (Encore NASA, Encore!)
June 9th, 2007 at 4:36 am
A comment from Bob Park, the man who doesn’t know what he’s talking about.
4. SPACE: WHY FINISH THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION?
With an astronaut love triangle and shuttle problems, it hasn’t been a great year for the ISS, but then, there has never been a great year for the orbiting boondoggle. Atlantis is again set for launch at 7:38 pm ET today. NASA must complete the ISS so it can be dropped into the ocean on schedule in finished form.
June 9th, 2007 at 7:34 am
Thanks for the heads up Phil, if I hadn’t checked your site I would have missed it. They nearly managed to sneak this launch under the radar, I didn’t see it announced anywhere else; it’s usually on BBC news etc. a few days in advance.
June 9th, 2007 at 7:41 am
Tom, you can always add Spaceflight Now - http://www.spaceflightnow.com - to your daily/weekly/whatever reads. It’s been invaluable to me since I discovered it a couple of years back, and it has plenty of other fascinating news that’s not always covered by the BA.
June 22nd, 2007 at 6:39 pm
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