The Space Shuttle Atlantis is set to roar into space today, Monday November 16, at 19:28 GMT (14:28 Eastern time). Unlike the last time, weather looks pretty good for an on-time launch.
Unfortunately, I’ll be sitting on an airplane during the launch so I’ll miss it, but lots of people are covering it on Twitter. Just search on the hashtag #nasatweetup to get all the info you need.
Image courtesy NASA.
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Phil Plait, the creator of Bad Astronomy, is an astronomer, lecturer, and author. After ten years working on Hubble Space Telescope and six more working on astronomy education, he struck out on his own as a writer. He has written two books, dozens of magazine articles, and 12 bazillion blog articles. He is a skeptic, and fights misuses of science as well as praising the wonder of real science.
Contact me: The Bad Astronomer "at" gmail "dot" com
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November 16th, 2009 at 8:11 am
Or, if you’re not on a plane, it’s covered life as usual at:
http://WWW.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv
Or click phil’s link and hit “nasa tv” on the left sidebar.
November 16th, 2009 at 8:32 am
…28 minutes after I have to be at work. Gee, thanks, NASA! Can’t you put your “weather” and “orbital mechanics” for a side just once so I can catch a launch?
November 16th, 2009 at 8:38 am
Thanks for the reminder, BA, but its already *Tuesday* morning, Nov. 17th, here in Oz!
Best wishes and hopes for the ‘Atlantis’ may everything go smoothly and on schedule if not ahead of it!
@ 2 Levi : No chance of grabbing a quick conveniently timed tea or coffee break then or surreptiously switching to NASA TV online?
(Devilish)
November 16th, 2009 at 8:50 am
You sure seem to be racking up the Frequent Traveler Miles there Dr. Plait.
Any trips planned up to the Boston area? I bet you could do a DFTS series at the Boston Museum of Science!
I’ll be in meetings during the launch myself, so I’ll miss it too.
November 16th, 2009 at 8:54 am
Any chance of you flying over to Australia sometime soonish, BA?
T minus 3 hours and 19 minutes now.
November 16th, 2009 at 9:14 am
Commander Charles O. Hobaugh is the first aboard,
I hope that’s not pronounced “Hobo!” Kinda puts the wrong image in your minds eye.
Good luck STS-129 & THX for the reminder BA.
3 hours 13 minutes and counting down …
November 16th, 2009 at 9:38 am
Wow, the lighting and colors remind me of the drydock scene in the first Star Trek movie.
November 16th, 2009 at 9:49 am
Hope both the flight of the Shuttle & the BA both go smoothly & well – & no luggage is left behind on either trip!
T – 2 hrs 37 min on the STS clock as I type this & looks like all’s good so far…
November 16th, 2009 at 11:18 am
For those who want to know about the countdown and what all the letters stand for they should check out http://science.ksc.nasa.gov/shuttle/countdown/count.html
November 16th, 2009 at 11:37 am
T minus 9 and holding
Holding for about 45 minutes
07:37 am here in Wellington, New Zealand
November 16th, 2009 at 12:38 pm
Just watched the lift off,it was great.One of the reasons I love living in Lakeland Florida.
November 16th, 2009 at 1:49 pm
Another awesome launch! Covered live on CNN and MSNBC.
How much further could we have been if the US Congress did not defund the US Air Force’s 1960’s DynaSoar program? We’ll never know.
http://www.astronautix.com/craft/dynasoar.htm
November 16th, 2009 at 3:06 pm
Now this is what I like to hear from the NASA news page :
***
“Atlantis broke the record for the lowest problems reported, previously held by space shuttle Discovery. “It’s due to the team and the hardware processing. They just did a great job.” The record will probably never be broken again in the history of the Space Shuttle Program, so congratulations to them,” Leinbach continued.”
***
However I hope & expect Leinbach is wrong & this “lowest problems & smoothest launch” record will be broken – or at least equalled again!
This is the last shuttle flight for this year apparently according to local TV news coverage.
And next year is the last year for shuttles ever according to schedule.
Durnit – just when we’ve got it right?
November 16th, 2009 at 6:31 pm
Great news – watched the lift-off on the early morning news today.
Hope it all continues to go smoothly for the ‘Atlantis’ mission.
Have they done the ‘foam-strike on orbiter’s belly’ sumersault with extended arm check yet? That always looks cool. Or will they do that when they reach the ISS?
PS. The recent NewScientist magazine (31st October 2009 IYA) has a good one=-page article on NASA’s future options : “Where will NASA astronauts go next?” by David Shiga that may be worth a look or even a blog post. *Hint hint*
November 16th, 2009 at 6:40 pm
There’s only a few left.
Hey, Phil, can you get us ringside seats during the April 4th launch? C’mon, you know somebody, right?