Lift Off of STS-134!

Shuttle Endeavour left KSC Launch Pad 39A at 8:56 a.m. EDT in spectacular fashion. It was a beautiful launch and it was extra special having ALL of my 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade math and science students joining me. This is the 25th and final flight for Shuttle Endeavour. They are headed to the International Space Station to bring several important science experiments, supplies and spare parts for the station.

Already there are some great video clips of the mission. I will share links in another post later. For now, I'll share this photo that photographer Red Huber from the Orlando Sentinel shared on Twitter.

Flight controllers in Houston said good night to commander Mark Kelly and crew about 4:00pm. After successfully getting into orbit, the astronauts quickly went to work transforming their rocket into a spacecraft by opening the payload bay doors and getting various systems up and running. They'll be awakened Monday night for Flight Day 2 at 11:56 p.m. EDT.

Tanking Began on Schedule at 11:36pm

Tanking is underway, filling the external fuel tank (ET - the big orange center tank) with a mixture of liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen. The ET fuels the shuttle's three main engines during lift off. This particular ET was damaged during Hurricane Katrina. It was repaired and cycled back into the launch flow. The tank holds about 535,000 gallons of fuel.

11:30 p.m.	NASA TV: External Tank Fueling Coverage Begins
11:36 p.m.	Countdown resumes at the T-6 hour mark
Midnight	Crew wakeup
12:21 a.m.	Liquid Hydrogen Low Level Cutoff sensors go "wet"
12:30 a.m.	Crew breakfast
12:36 a.m.	Liquid Hydrogen "fast fill" begins
1 a.m.	Crew final medical exams
1:51 a.m.	LH2 "topping" begins
2:36 a.m.	Countdown enters a 2 1/2 hour hold at the T-3 hour mark
3:30 a.m.	Launch Coverage Begins on NASA TV and the Launch Blog
4:31 a.m.	Astronauts receive a weather briefing from the Ascent Team
4:41 a.m.	Astronauts suit up for launch
5:06 a.m.	Countdown resumes at the T-3 hour mark
5:11 a.m.	Crew departs for Launch Pad 39A
5:41 p.m.	The astronauts begin to board Endeavour
6:56 a.m.	Endeavour's hatch is closed and latched for launch
7:46 a.m.	Countdown enters a 10-minute built-in hold at the T-20 minute mark
7:56 a.m.	Countdown resumes at the T-20 minute mark
8:07 a.m.	Countdown enters a ~40-minute built-in hold at the T-9 minute mark - MMT conducts final poll "Go-No Go" for launch
8:52 a.m.	Countdown resumes at the T-9 minute mark
8:56:26 a.m.	Launch of Endeavour on the STS-134 Mission
9:04:49 a.m.	Main Engine Cut-Off (MECO)
~ 10 a.m.	NASA TV: Post launch news conference

Out To Launch

Endeavour's six astronauts spent today studying flight plans, visiting with their families and touring the shuttle at the pad. They also received briefings on orbiter preparations, the payload status and the weather forecast from the ascent team of flight controllers in Houston.

They go to sleep at 4 p.m. EDT and will be awakened for launch day at 12 midnight. They'll have breakfast at 12:30 a.m. and then undergo final medical exams at 1 a.m. Suit up begins around 4:30 a.m. and departure from crew quarters is scheduled for 5:11 a.m. in preparation for blastoff at 8:56 a.m. EDT.

RSS Retract, Shuttle Go for Launch

At 12:00 p.m. EDT, the Rotating Service Structure (RSS) was retracted, revealing Shuttle Endeavour poised for lift off tomorrow morning at 8:56 a.m.

The STS-134 crew are scheduled to wake up at midnight for launch preparations. Here's a brief schedule of tomorrow's events:


Crew Activities: (times may vary slightly)
12 a.m. -- Crew wakes up (not on NASA TV)
4:31 a.m. -- Weather briefing (commander, pilot and mission specialist 2)(not on NASA TV)
About 4:41 a.m. -- Astronauts don flight suits
5:11 a.m. -- Depart for launch pad
5:41 a.m. -- Arrive at White Room and begin boarding Endeavour
6:56 a.m. -- Crew hatch closed and latched

8:56 a.m. - Launch!

STS-134 Crew Arrives at KSC

STS-134 Crew arrived at Kennedy Space Center, FL Thursday morning. They will continue final  preparations for launch on Monday, May 16 at 8:56 a.m. Current weather forecast for Monday is 70% GO.

Mission Highlights:

May 13: Countdown sequence begins @ 7 a.m.

May 15: Pad gantry retracted @ 12 noon

May 16: LAUNCH @ 8:56 a.m. EDT

May 17: Orbiter heat shield inspections

May 18: Docking to space station @ 6:15 a.m.

May 19: Install AMS on station

May 20: Spacewalk No. 1 @ 4 a.m.

May 22: Spacewalk No. 2 @ 3 a.m.

May 25: Spacewalk No. 3 @ 2:30 a.m.

May 27: Spacewalk No. 4 @ 1:30 a.m.

May 29: Undocking from station @ 11:53 p.m.

May 30: Test re-entry and landing systems

June 1: LANDING in Florida @ about 2:32 a.m. EDT

Endeavour Preparing for Launch

WEDNESDAY, MAY 11, 2011
All testing of the various systems that run through the replaced Aft Load Control Assembly No. 2 power switchbox has been successfully completed. Shuttle Endeavour's aft engine compartment is being buttoned up once again in preparation for launch and the access doors on either side of the orbiter will be installed today.

The six-man astronaut crew is completing some last-minute refresher training at the Johnson Space Center. They are scheduled to arrive at the Kennedy Space Center on Thursday around 9 a.m. EDT in advance of the countdown clocks starting to tick Friday at 7 a.m.

"Heading back to Florida tomorrow. Hopefully this is it," commander Mark Kelly tweeted this afternoon.

Liftoff remains on schedule for next Monday at 8:56 a.m. EDT.

New Launch Date Set

NASA has Monday May 16 at 8:57 a.m. as the new launch date for STS-134 Shuttle Endeavour.

Repairs and testing of the faulty electrical circuits on Shuttle Endeavour were completed over the weekend.  Launch directors feel that the problems have been corrected and the necessary safety margins are once again in place to re-start the countdown to launch.

STS-134 crew returned to quarantine at Johnson Space Center (Houston, TX) on Monday. They will fly back to Kennedy Space Center (Cape Canaveral, FL) later this week. The two extra days have been locked into the mission, so there will be a 16 day schedule for STS-134. During the time that Endeavour is docked at the ISS, one of the two Soyuz capsules will undock and return to Earth, carrying Dimitry Kondratyev, Paulo Nespoly, and Cady Coleman.

For more details, watch Monday's briefing by KSC Launch Directors.