News and views from the World's Spaceports.

Monthly archives for June, 2011

The final Space Shuttle Rollout: Atlantis, STS-135

Jun29
2011 1 Comment Written by Mike
STS-135 Space Shuttle Atlantis Rollout from VAB to Launch Pad

STS-135 Space Shuttle Atlantis Rollout from VAB to Launch Pad

After the Lift and Mate in the Vehicle Assembly Building the Orbiter, External Tank, and SRBs (known as the Stack) are mounted on the Mobile Launch Platform and further prepared for flight in the shelter of the huge hanger.

This time the Atlantis Stack was ready to go to the launch pad before the pad was ready to accept it so the rocket was held back in the VAB. Eventually the decision was made to Rollout Atlantis to the pad on the same night that Endeavour returned to the Shuttle Landing Facility.

The Rollout starts by manoeuvring the crawler underneath the Mobile Launch Platform with the stack on top and then hydraulically lifting it off the ground. The VAB hanger door is opened and the crawler started to haul the entire launch configuration out onto the crawlerway the is a specially constructed roadway leading from the VAB out to launch pads 39A and 39B.

Atlantis’s trip out to the pad this night was scheduled a few hours before Endeavour was due to land, making it a very busy night at Kennedy Space Center. About 8:40pm the diesel engines of the crawler revved up and shortly after the MLP with Atlantis on top started its first movement.

The full Rollout details and picture gallery follow:
READ MORE »

Posted in Kennedy Space Center, Space Shuttle, STS-135 Atlantis - Tagged , , , , , , ,

STS-135 Atlantis – The Final Space Shuttle: Find the best places to watch from

Jun28
2011 Leave a Comment Written by Mike
On the top of the RSS with Space Shuttle Atlantis STS-135 being prepared for flight

On the top of the RSS with Space Shuttle Atlantis STS-135 being prepared for flight

If you are planning to watch Space Shuttle Atlantis launch live then you will be one of probably 1,000,000 people contesting the small amount of real estate around Kennedy Space Center. Before you set out you should have a good idea of where you will try to get a spot to watch from. Not only will you need a plan A, but you will also need a plan B… Our list of viewpoints for the rocket launch have all been individually visited and assessed. A lot of these sites offer only a small amount of parking and often no or limited facilities.

All this information and more is available from our iPhone KSC Launch Pad App. Click here for more details.

We have broken the sites down into four main categories:
- Launch viewing locations in Titusville
- Southern shuttle launch viewpoints
- Shuttle launch viewing from a little further away
- Ticketed shuttle launch viewing locations

If you have not already bought a ticket for viewing the launch then it is unlikely that you will manage to obtain one at this short notice so it is best to focus on some of the other launch viewing sites.  If you have a favorite spot to watch rocket launches that we have not covered then let us know about it.

Read on for the Final Space Shuttle launch viewing locations: READ MORE »

Posted in Cape Canaveral AFS, Kennedy Space Center, Rocket Launch Companies, Space Shuttle, STS-135 Atlantis - Tagged , , , , , , ,

The final Space Shuttle Lift and Mate: Atlantis, STS-135

Jun28
2011 4 Comments Written by Mike
Atlantis STS-135 Moving over the transom

Atlantis STS-135 Moving over the transom

Earlier in the day Space Shuttle Atlantis was delivered into the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) from the Orbiter Processing Facility (OPF). This is known as the Rollover we are now ready for the Lift and Mate.

The Lift and Mate involves fitting a lifting rig to the orbiter by four attachment points, moving the orbiter into a vertical position then lifting it into the VAB high bay where the External Tank (ET) and Solid Rocket Boosters are waiting for it. The orbiter is finally lowered into place where is is connected to the ET and SRBs by the 3 attachment points that were used to mount it on the transporter.

This whole process takes many hours as the engineers have to stop the movement and wait for the orbiter to stop swinging at a number of points in the lift.  During these periods engineers take photographs of the heat shield tiles for reference comparisons against in-flight images.

More details of the Lift and Mate together with a photo gallery follow: READ MORE »

Posted in Kennedy Space Center, Space Shuttle, STS-135 Atlantis - Tagged , , , , , ,

The final Space Shuttle Rollover: Atlantis, STS-135

Jun27
2011 1 Comment Written by Mike
Space Shuttle Atlantis STS-135 approaching its parking position

Space Shuttle Atlantis STS-135 approaching its parking position

The day after the launch of Space Shuttle Endeavour STS-134 to the International Space station saw the first process in the preparation for the launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis on the final Space Shuttle flight. This launch will be identified with a lot of historic ‘lasts’ as there will never be another Space Shuttle launch when Atlantis returns. This fact is slowly sinking into the Space community as we remember the tremendous success of the Space Shuttle program and look forward to reaching out beyond Earth’s orbit to explore space once again.

Atlantis had been encased in the Orbiter Processing Bay 1 (OPF1) since its return from the ISS back in May 2010. It was being prepared for a ‘Launch On Need’ mission to recover the Endeavour crew in the event of a serious issue with that orbiter. Its status was changed to an active mission in Feb 2011 and on May 17th the day after the launch of Endeavour it was transferred to the Vechicle Assembly Building (VAB) in a process known as Rollover.

Picture gallery of the last Atlantis Rollover follows: READ MORE »

Posted in Kennedy Space Center, Space Shuttle, STS-135 Atlantis - Tagged , , , , ,

STS-135 Atlantis The Final Space Shuttle Mission

Jun20
2011 Leave a Comment Written by Mike
STS-135 Atlantis the last Space Shuttle

STS-135 Atlantis the last Space Shuttle

Next month sees the last ever launch of a Space Shuttle when STS-135 Atlantis soars into the sky on its way to the International Space Station.

Originally designated as STS-335 Atlantis was intended to be prepared for flight as a Launch On Need (LON) rescue mission in case of a problem with the STS-134 Endeavour orbiter. Earlier this year the mission managers re-designated Atlantis to STS-135 and it became the final shuttle mission.

The Atlantis orbiter designated OV-104 had its first flight on the 3rd October 1985 and has flown 32 missions in its active life. The 33rd mission will be the historic Final Space Shuttle Flight scheduled for launch on July 8th at 11:26am. The mission is to carry the Raffaello MPLM (multi-purpose logistics module) packed with spares and supplies to the International Space Station and to return a faulty ammonia pump for diagnostic analysis back on Earth.

Atlantis will carry a four person crew on the mission, one of the smallest crews in Space Shuttle history. The reason for this is that if there is an issue preventing the return to Earth of the orbiter then the crew can return to Earth abroad the Russian progress capsules. If Atlantis carried a larger crew then the would not be the capacity to return to Earth using the Russian capsule.

Wired4Space will be bringing you full coverage of the final flight from the rollover to the towback after landing.  Check this site and @wired4space on twitter to keep abreast of what is going on.

READ MORE »

Posted in Kennedy Space Center, Space Shuttle, STS-135 Atlantis - Tagged , , , , , ,

AmericaSpace Mission Tracker

Next Launch GPS IIF-4 on a Alas V rocket from Cape Canaveral AFB, FL scheduled for 15 May 13 21:38:00 GMT

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  • NASA regains the capability to transport supplies and equipment to and from the ISS thanks to SpaceX
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STS-133 Discovery Last Flight NASA 90.jpg
STS-133 Discovery Last Flight NASA 90.jpg

KSC Launch Pad iPhone App

iPhone App: KSC Launch Pad now available!

NOW ONLY $0.99 / £0.59

Are you visiting Kennedy Space Center? Do you want to see a rocket launch?

If so then KSC Launch Pad is the only app you will need. Using local knowledge it shows you the best places to watch from and identifies all the major points of interest in and arround Kennedy Space Center.

Available now from the Apple AppStore. Click here for more details...

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