7 June 2007

Observing Location	VP
Observational Period	1000-1015 EDT
Atmospheric Conditions	Cloud Cover Clear Temperature 65°F Wind Calm Humidity Low Feels Like A little cool Seeing wasn’t that great today. I was constantly adjusting the binocular. Transparency Good Seeing III
Instruments	Canon 15x50 IS binocular w/Baader AstroSolar filter film - Charlie
Observing Party	Charlie Ridgway

Target Sunspots Constellation Tau Category Solar Time yyyymmdd.hhmm 20070607.1000 EDT Comments Distance Light Time 1.014838 AU 8ms Angular Size 31'34.2" Altitude 26.5° Heliographic Latitude (B0) +0.07° Heliographic Longitude (L0) 181.04° Position Angle (P) -13.08° Carrington rotation number (CR) 2057 I saw all three groups of spots today. Group 958 was the hardest to locate.   Groups Spots R North 0 0 0 South 3 6 36 Total 3 6 36 R = (Groups * 10) + Spots) Group 960 Heliographic Latitude -6° Heliographic Longitude 176° Carrington rotation number (CR) 2057 Mcintosh System Cso The two main spots are prominent. I can detect a small penumbra around the leading one but not around the trailing one. I think there are some small spots around the leading spot but seeing is not good enough for me to be sure. There is a small spot behind and below the back main spot. Group 959 Heliographic Latitude -10° Heliographic Longitude 204° Carrington rotation number (CR) 2057 Mcintosh System Bxo All I can make out here is two tiny dots, fairly widely spaced. Group 958 Heliographic Latitude -16° Heliographic Longitude 224° Carrington rotation number (CR) 2057 Mcintosh System Axx This group was hard to locate and is only one tiny spot.

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Shuttle Launch Sequence
T-43 hours and Counting Countdown begins Begin final vehicle and facility close-outs for launch Check out backup flight systems Review flight software stored in mass memory units and display systems Load backup flight system software into the orbiter's general purpose computers Remove middeck and flight deck platforms Activate and test navigational systems Complete preparation to load power reactant storage and distribution system Complete flight deck preliminary inspections
T-27 hours and Holding Built-in hold Typically lasts four hours Clear launch pad of all non-essential personnel
T-27 hours and Counting Begin operations to load cryogenic reactants into the orbiter's fuel cell storage tanks
T-19 hours and Holding Built-in hold Typically lasts four hours Demate the orbiter's midbody umbilical unit
T-19 hours and Counting Begin final preparations of the orbiter's three main engines for main propellant tanking and flight Fill launch pad sound suppression system water tank Resume orbiter and ground support equipment close-outs Close out the tail service masts on the mobile launcher platform
T-11 hours and Holding Built-in hold Varies in length, but typically lasts 12 to 13 hours Flight crew equipment late stow Move rotating service structure to "park" position Activate the orbiter's inertial measurement units and communications systems Perform ascent switch list
T-11 hours and Counting Activate the orbiter's fuel cells Clear the blast danger area of all nonessential personnel Switch the orbiter's purge air to gaseous nitrogen
T-6 hours and Holding Built-in hold Typically lasts two hours. Launch team verifies no violations of launch commit criteria before loading the external tank with propellants Clear pad of all personnel Chill-down of propellant transfer lines Begin loading the external tank with about 500,000 gallons of cryogenic propellants
T-6 hours and Counting Finish filling the external tank with its flight load of liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen propellants
T-3 hours and Holding Built-in hold Typically lasts two hours Perform inertial measurement unit preflight calibration Align Merritt Island Launch Area (MILA) tracking antennas Final Inspection Team proceeds to the launch pad to conduct a detailed analysis of the vehicle as the team walks up and down the entire launch tower Closeout Crew proceeds to the launch pad to configure the crew module for countdown and launch and assist the astronauts with entry into the orbiter
T-3 hours and Counting Crew departs for the launch pad and, upon arriving at the pad, begins entry into the orbiter via the White Room Complete close-out preparations in the launch pad's White Room Check cockpit switch configurations Astronauts perform air-to-ground voice checks with Launch Control (Kennedy Space Center) and Mission Control (Johnson Space Center) Close the orbiter's crew hatch and check for leaks Complete White Room close-out Close-out crew retreats to fallback area
T-20 minutes and Holding Built-in hold Typically lasts 10 minutes Shuttle Test Director conducts final launch team briefings Complete inertial measurement unit preflight alignments
T-20 minutes and Counting Transition the orbiter's onboard computers to launch configuration Start fuel cell thermal conditioning Close orbiter cabin vent valves Transition backup flight system to launch configuration
T-9 minutes and Holding Final built-in hold Varies in length depending on the mission. The Launch Director, Mission Management Team and Shuttle Test Director poll their teams for a go/no go for launch
T-9 minutes and Counting Start automatic ground launch sequencer
T-7 minutes, 30 seconds and Counting Retract orbiter access arm
T-5 minutes, 0 seconds and Counting Start auxiliary power units
T-5 minutes, 0 seconds and Counting Arm solid rocket booster range safety safe and arm devices
T-3 minutes, 55 seconds and Counting Start orbiter aerosurface profile test, followed by main engine gimbal profile test
T-2 minutes, 55 seconds and Counting Retract gaseous oxygen vent arm, or "beanie cap"
T-2 minutes, 0 seconds and Counting Crew members close and lock their visors
T-50 seconds and Counting Orbiter transfers from ground to internal power
T-31 seconds and Counting Ground launch sequencer is go for auto sequence start
T-16 seconds and Counting Activate launch pad sound suppression system
T-10 seconds and Counting Activate main engine hydrogen burnoff system
T-6.6 seconds and Counting Main engine start
T-0 Solid rocket booster ignition and liftoff!
Source: NASA

Spaceflight Now has a very detailed story about the upcoming STS-117 flight. The two points I came away from it with are

1. The STS-117 mission could be extended by two days if they have trouble geting to solar panels to retract properly.

   This would mean that the Shuttle would not be crossing the disk of the Sun on 17Jun07.

2. Atlantis will only fly two more missions then it will be decomissioned and its parts used as replacements for any parts that fail in Discovery and Endeavor

   Even though Atlantis could be put through an Orbiter Maintenance Down Period (OMDP) and come back online before the end of the Shuttle program NASA isn't going to spend the money doing this and we will be down to two Shuttles that will have to back each other up after Atlantis makes its last flight to repair the Hubble Space Telescope in September 2008.