Mother Nature Cuts NASA A Break

ANN REALTIME REPORTING 02.07.08 1445 EST: The moment NASA has waited for over three months, and two delays, finally reached fruition moments ago... as the shuttle Atlantis lifted off from Cape Canaveral, in what appeared to be a flawless launch.

The feared arrival of a cold front over the Cape held off, as conditions over the launch site remained mostly clear.

NASA astronaut Steve Frick commands a crew of six, including Pilot Alan Poindexter and Mission Specialists Leland Melvin, Rex Walheim, Stanley Love and the European Space Agency's Hans Schlegel and Leopold Eyharts. This is the first spaceflight for Poindexter, Love and Melvin.

Shortly before launch, Frick thanked the teams that helped make the launch possible. "We're looking forward to a great flight and coming back to see our families in two weeks," he said. "It looks like today's a good day, and we're ready to go fly."

During the 11-day mission, the crew's prime objective is to attach the European Space Agency's Columbus Laboratory to the International Space Station, adding to the station's size and capabilities.

Expedition 16 Flight Engineer Daniel Tani, who arrived at the station aboard Discovery in October, will return to Earth with the Atlantis crew as Eyharts takes his place on the station.

Original Reports

1430 EST: NASA remains cautiously optmistic the space agency will finally be able to send the space shuttle Atlantis into orbit in approximately 15 minutes, as for the moment clouds remain clear of the launch pad at Cape Canaveral.

There are also no significant technical issues that have cropped up to prevent Atlantis from flying spaceward... already a welcome relief for NASA, after two previous attempts were scrubbed due to faults with the engine cut-off sensors onboard the shuttle's external fuel tank.

So far, all four ECO sensors have passed pre-launch tests with flying colors. NASA will test the sensors two more times over the next several minutes, to ensure the problematic sensors are at launch-ready.

Stay tuned!

1250 EST: For the moment, at least, we're still "go" for launch of the space shuttle Atlantis in a little less than two hours from now. The seven-member STS-122 crew has boarded the orbiter with the assistance of the closeout crew, who conducted last-minute checks and adjustments to the astronauts' flight suits before they crawl into the shuttle's crew compartment.

Liftoff is scheduled for 1445 EST, the middle of a tight 10-minute launch window.

Weather remains a concern for launch... although the odds have improved slightly from earlier predictions. Forecasters still expect a cold front to settle over Kennedy around launch time, bringing with it clouds and storms, but they now forecast a 40-percent chance of good weather for liftoff. It's a small improvement -- earlier estimates pegged favorable conditions at 30 percent -- but NASA will take what it can get.

About an hour ago, a low cloud deck moved over the Cape, briefly resulting in "red" launch conditions. The clouds moved out about 15 minutes later. The incoming front can be seen from KSC.

Further, there is a possibility that the front may stall over Central Florida, providing only slightly better chances for acceptable weather for launch attempts on Friday or Saturday.

NASA has strict flight rules for weather that include limits on cloud height, storms in the area and clouds that could produce lightning. The criteria are set in part by the conditions a shuttle would need if it has to make an emergency landing soon after liftoff.

In better news, it appears fixes made to the fuel line connections between Atlantis and its external fuel tank during the orbiter's almost two-month grounding paid dividends... as fueling of the external tank went off without a hitch earlier this morning, with no issues reported with the tank's four engine cut-off (ECO) sensors.

02.07.08 0001 EST: It's not looking good for the chances of a Thursday launch of the space shuttle Atlantis and its seven-member STS-122 crew. On Wednesday, meteorologists downgraded earlier launch forecasts to give the shuttle but a 30 percent chance of acceptable conditions on Thursday.

As ANN reported, liftoff is scheduled for 1445 EST, which is the middle of the 10-minute launch window. The timing is precise so Atlantis can catch up and dock with the International Space Station.

NASA tells ANN forecasters expect a cold front to move over Kennedy on launch day, and bring with it clouds and storms. Meteorologists also think the front may stall over Central Florida, so they also lowered the chances for acceptable weather if launch attempts are made Friday or Saturday.

Friday's forecast calls for a 60 percent chance of acceptable weather, while Saturday's forecast sets the odds at 70 percent for acceptable conditions. As anyone who's familiar with Florida's wintertime weather knows, though, those odds are likely to come down.

NASA has strict flight rules for weather that include limits on cloud height, storms in the area and clouds that could produce lightning. The criteria are set in part by the conditions a shuttle would need if it has to make an emergency landing soon after liftoff.

The good news for Atlantis and its crew of seven astronauts is that the shuttle is showing no technical issues and liftoff preparations are continuing at the launch pad and in the launch team facilities. In the above image, NASA astronaut Alan Poindexter checks the settings and instruments on Atlantis' flight deck on the day before launch.

Stay tuned to ANN as we regular updates on the scheduled launch of STS-122.

(Image courtesy of Kim Shiflett, NASA)

FMI: www.nasa.gov