Space Shuttle Launch
 

Not long to go now until the launch of the Space Shuttle Endeavour (STS-126) on their mission to deliver equipment to the International Space Station.

http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/index.html

Thanks for the link Jizz...

Countdown holding at T minus 9 minutes

8 mins to go, bring it on.

Watching the launch now, thanks for the link.

Nice launch, now heading up and over the North Atlantic.

If theres one thing I want to do before I die seeing a shuttle launch is one of them.

For tracking you can use:

http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/realdata...ing/index.html

and for possible sightings:

http://spaceflight1.nasa.gov/realdat...ntry=Australia

People up north may be able to see it but aint coming over Sydney :(

It's not an easy thing to do, I've tried twice, and there are less than 9 launches left from memory.

1st time it was hail damaged, delayed launch and spent a week in Orlando, not much to do in Orlando, managed to do Universal Studios via public transport, but I recommend the KSC site tour, basically you can spend as much time at each place and catch the next tour bus. Gator Tours do a early morning pickup (5am) from the hotel and return you in the evening. They also take you to the KSC Astronaut Hall Of Fame before KSC.

KSC Tour

Astronaut Hall Of Fame

2nd time, I was hoping there was a delay, made it to SFO to watch it on TV in the hotel room.

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1151/...0194f073_m.jpg

BTW: I keep this URL as a link on the desktop to the NASA TV Video: http://playlist.yahoo.com/makeplayli...segment=149773

Only 9 shuttle launches left? I'd better hurry to the states :eek:

What's going to replace the shuttle after the 2009/2010 missions?

Simple Rockets, that will depend on the Russians until they have a replacement.

Griffin looks to be replaced as well, it will be sad to see him go.

"I serve at the pleasure of the president," Griffin said. "There are different kinds of political appointments, there are fixed terms, the FBI is six years, Federal Reserve is seven, you know, FAA is five. NASA is an 'at the pleasure of.' So if the next president wants to ask me to continue, I'd be happy to do it. I doubt that that will happen. It would need to be under the right circumstances.

"The Bush administration did not pick any members of my team for me," Griffin continued. "It's a mutual process, there's a veto on both sides, but I didn't have anybody crammed down my throat. I think we've done the experiment at NASA to see whether or not people who don't know anything about the space business can run NASA. It didn't work, and I don't want to be party to doing it again, I need to be able to keep around me the kind of team I've got. Otherwise, I'll fail, because I don't actually do anything, I just pick people. And if I can't pick the right people... I know how to fail, just pick the wrong people and you're doomed.

It's luck if you get to see a launch, don't bother with the KSC tickets (sell out in seconds and they charge $75 to deliver) book a tour down to space park if you are in the area when it takes off.

Good luck, you will need it to see a launch.

There was a news story a week or so ago saying they may have to extend the Shuttle program until 2015, as NASA dont think they could afford to have no suitable transport to the ISS.