Updates STS-133 Updates

[IronRain]

jup, 24 hours. But tomorrow and Saturday there are high winds and if Discovery don't launch before Sunday, it's a scrub till December 1st

 

[orb]

Spaceflight Now: Ascent Timeline and Abort Boundaries.
________________________________________

On Friday, MMT meeting is scheduled at 5 a.m. EDT / 09:00 UTC, tanking starting at 5:39 a.m. EDT / 09:39 UTC, the astronauts donning their spacesuits around 10:40 a.m. EDT / 14:40 UTC and the crew departing quarters at 11:14 a.m. EDT / 15:14 UTC.

Friday's launch window, for both Flight Days 3 and 4 Discovery and ISS rendezvous opportunities, stretches from 2:59:00 to 3:12:13 p.m. EDT / 18:59:00 - 19:12:13 UTC.

The precise launch time when Earth's rotation carries pad 39A into alignment with the International Space Station's orbital plane is at 3:04:00 p.m. EDT / 19:04:00 UTC.

---------- Post added at 12:36 ---------- Previous post was at 12:21 ----------

Spaceflight Now: Weather postpones shuttle Discovery's final launch.

CBS News Space: Stormy weather prompts 24-hour launch delay (UPDATED).

NASASpaceFlight: STS-133: Discovery scrubbed ahead of tanking for 24 hours.

SPACE.com: Stormy Weather Delays Space Shuttle Discovery's Launch At Least 24 Hours.

Florida Today - The Flame Trench: NASA Scrubs Discovery Launch; Reschedules For Friday.

 

[Rtyh-12]

This is much easier in Orbiter... Just disable WeatherMFD...

 

[Orbinaut Pete]

Aww, I came home hoping to watch a launch, and instead I find a scrub.

Spaceflight Now:
• STS-133 Countdown Timeline (Updated).
• STS-133 Flight Plan (Updated).

collectSPACE: "Photo Gallery: Discovery revealed for final flight".

Here's a nice RSS retraction time-lapse video.​

 

[orb]

And there's updated NASA TV schedule:

• STS-133 NASA TV schedule rev. C (PDF - 173 KB)
• STS-133 NASA TV schedule rev. C (XLS - 97 KB)

(source: NASA)​

 

[IronRain]

Nice panoramic view of Discovery: http://www.nasa.gov/externalflash/nov3-discovery/

 

[orb]

Florida Today - The Flame Trench: Weather Clears As NASA Gears Up For Final Discovery Flight.

 

[Kyle]

GUCP problem!

UPDATE:

Launch SCRUBBED!

 

[orb]

NASASpaceFlight: STS-133 SCRUB: Discovery’s tanking suffers GUCP leak.

 

[Kyle]

AT LEAST a 48 hour turnaround. A lot of Chatter on KSC feeds on waiting until December.

 

[orb]

It's 72 hours turnaround. Monday would be the soonest that shuttle Discovery could attempt launch again. Liftoff time would be 12:53 p.m. EST / 17:53 UTC.

---------- Post added at 14:12 ---------- Previous post was at 13:52 ----------

Engineering and MMT meetings are planned at 11 a.m. EDT / 15:00 UTC. There is possible extension of launch window to Tuesday, before launch will be scrubbed until December.

---------- Post added at 14:16 ---------- Previous post was at 14:12 ----------

The official launch window on Monday would open at 12:48:15 and last until 12:58:15 p.m. EST / 17:48:15-17:58:15 UTC. The targeted liftoff time occurs in the middle of the window at 12:53:15 p.m. EST / 17:53:15 UTC.

---------- Post added at 15:51 ---------- Previous post was at 14:16 ----------

Spaceflight Now: Hydrogen leak scrubs space shuttle Discovery's launch.

CBS News Space: Realtime coverage of STS-133 launch countdown.

SPACE.com: Fuel Leak Delays Launch of Space Shuttle Discovery.

Florida Today - The Flame Trench: Shuttle Launch Scrubbed Due To Hydrogen Gas Leak.

Central Florida News 13: NASA scrubs today's Discovery launch after hydrogen leak found.

BBC News: Discovery shuttle launch halted again after fuel leak.

CNN: Discovery launch delayed again due to gas leak.

 

[DaveS]

From KSC scanner feed: No early RSS rotation, no PRSD top-off, RSS rotation early third shift(?) tomorrow.

 

[Kyle]

Lets hope they find some sort of fix to the problem quick like STS-119 and not have a drawn out misery like STS-127!

 

[DaveS]

Lets hope they find some sort of fix to the problem quick like STS-119 and not have a drawn out misery like STS-127!

From scanner: feedd Possible culprit for the GUCP noted. Looking up the vent arm retract line, where it splits of into a Y, the GUCP is slightly askew.

 

[Orbinaut Pete]

The hydrogen leak may have been a lucky break. Found a crack in the ET outer foam with ice underneath. Don't know that we'd have caught it.

...

Looks like we will pack it in for now. Got a T-38 to Houston scheduled for this afternoon instead of a shuttle to ISS

http://twitter.com/alvindrew

:OMG:

---------- Post added at 04:31 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:23 PM ----------

I'm hearing unofficial chatter that there will be no launch on Mon, and that the crew is heading back to JSC.

---------- Post added at 04:34 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:31 PM ----------

Apparently, Monday is officially scrubbed. Next attempt will be Nov 30th at 4:05 AM EST/9:05 AM GMT.

---------- Post added at 05:11 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:34 PM ----------

FYI, November 30 is the same date as the Soyuz TMA-19 undocking & landing. So Wheels, Shannon & Fyodor won't get to fly on the Shuttle.

---------- Post added at 05:18 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:11 PM ----------

Photo of the ET crack.

 

[IronRain]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uM-BqF2TIZo&feature=sub"]YouTube - STS-133 Launch Scrub[/ame]

 

[Evil_Onyx]

From that photo of the crack it looks like it is on the join between the Liquid oxygen tank and Intertank, or am i off?

 

[Orbinaut Pete]

Some NASA TV videos:

NEW DATE SET FOR STS-133.​

Ground Umbilical Carrier Plate​

-----

And here's a nice "Fragile Oasis" blog entry from Nicole Stott, including some cool photos of the Beach House!

"They say our love won't pay the rent…" — A prelaunch blog.

---------- Post added at 08:47 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:12 PM ----------

Spaceflight Now: "Hydrogen leak scrubs space shuttle Discovery's launch".

SPACE.com: "NASA: Discovery's Launch Delay Shouldn't Impact Shuttle Fleet Retirement Schedule".

BBC News: "Discovery shuttle faces three-week delay".


BBC News'/Jonathan Amos' "Spaceman" Blog: "One giant leap for 'tin mankind'".

 

[tblaxland]

From that photo of the crack it looks like it is on the join between the Liquid oxygen tank and Intertank, or am i off?

That's what I reckon too. I'm also curious what position it is in around the tank.

I also can't find any news on whether a rollback is required to repair either the GUCP or the crack. IIRC, the GUCP was repaired at the pad for STS-127.

 

[DoyleChris]

I heard on the video it is up near the front support of the shuttle, where it connects to the tank by the nose gear. and that its underneath the shuttle.