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NASA approves June 13 shuttle launch date
Washington DC (AFP) June 3, 2009 NASA has given a green light to the next mission to the International Space Station by the shuttle Endeavour, set to blast off on June 13. The launch is due to take place at 7:17 am (1117 GMT) at the Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral, Florida, the US space agency said in a statement after a meeting of top officials to assess preparations. The date was set date after a meeting at which mission officials evaluated shuttle and launcher readiness. "We did not have a lot to talk about (during the meeting), the vehicule is in great shape and really ready to go," said NASA official Bill Gerstenmaier. NASA will have a three-day window to launch until June 15, as another launch of a moon probe has been scheduled to take place on June 17 at the nearby military base. If Endeavour's June launch has to be postponed then the next available date will be from July 12. The mission of the Endeavour's seven-strong crew to the International Space Station (ISS) is due to last 16 days. They will install the last element of the Japanese Kibo laboratory, a platform to conduct zero-gravity experiments. Endeavour will also take US astronaut Tim Kopra to the ISS to replace Japan's Koichi Wakata who will return to Earth on board the shuttle. When Endeavour docks, given the increased crew size on the ISS, which has risen from three to six, the station will have 13 people on board -- its biggest crowd ever. The Endeavour mission aims to continue assembly of the Japanese Kibo laboratory at the International Space Station, on what will be the 127th mission for the space shuttle program since 1981. NASA plans to make eight more flights before ending the shuttle program in September 2010. Besides Endeavour, the US shuttle program has two other vehicles, Atlantis and Discovery. Weather worries are a constant concern for mission planners. The upcoming Endeavour mission faces the theoretical posssibility of being pushed back a month in the event of stormy weather conditions which are common in Florida this time of year. Last month, rainy, blustery weather in Florida delayed landing of the shuttle Atlantis for three days before the space vehicle was diverted to California. Atlantis astronauts had a successful mission upgrading the Hubble space telescope. The enhancements have equipped Hubble to search for the earliest galaxies, probe the mysteries of dark matter and dark energy as well as study the planet making processes under way around other stars, according to astronomers. Share This Article With Planet Earth
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NASA approves June 13 shuttle launch dateWashington (AFP) June 3, 2009 NASA on Wednesday gave the green light for the next mission to the International Space Station by the shuttle Endeavour to blast off on June 13. The launch is due to take place at 7:17 am (1117 GMT) at the Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral, Florida, the US space agency said in a statement after a meeting of top officials to assess preparations. NASA will have a three-day window to ... read more |
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