STS-135 On Track for Early Thursday Landing

NASA:

MEDIA ADVISORY: M11-151

NASA'S SPACE SHUTTLE SCHEDULED TO RETURN TO EARTH FOR FINAL TIME THURSDAY

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- The final flight of NASA's 30-year-old space shuttle program is scheduled to end on Thursday, July 21, when Atlantis and its STS-135 crew return to Earth. The landing at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida marks the completion of a 13-day mission to supply the International Space Station for the post-shuttle era.

Thursday's Kennedy landing opportunities are at 5:56 a.m. and 7:32 a.m. EDT. Atlantis' entry flight control team, led by Flight Director Tony Ceccacci, will evaluate weather conditions at the landing site before giving approval to Atlantis to return. If the shuttle is unable to come home Thursday, additional opportunities are available on Friday at Kennedy and at the backup landing site, Edwards Air Force Base in California. Recorded updates about landing are available at 321-867-2525.

Journalists are invited to cover news briefings and special events to commemorate the historic event. To cover landing at the Shuttle Landing Facility (SLF) runway, reporters must sign up at Kennedy's press site for transportation. NASA will accommodate as many news media representatives as possible, but the number is limited because of safety requirements.

At about 7:45 a.m., NASA Administrator Charles Bolden and STS-135 Commander Chris Ferguson will make comments at the shuttle runway. The remarks will be broadcast live on NASA Television and the agency's website.

>From about 8 - 9 a.m. on Thursday, following the astronaut's departure from the shuttle runway, a limited number of journalists at the SLF will be allowed near Atlantis for a photo opportunity and comments from Bolden and Kennedy Space Center Director Bob Cabana. Interested journalists must e-mail Allard Beutel at allard.beutel@nasa.gov by 5 p.m. Wednesday. Space is limited.

At 10 a.m., NASA officials will hold a briefing at Kennedy's press site to discuss Atlantis' STS-135 mission. The event will be broadcast live on NASA TV and the agency's website. The participants will be:
- Bill Gerstenmaier, associate administrator for Space Operations, NASA Headquarters
- Bob Cabana, director, Kennedy Space Center
- Mike Moses, space shuttle launch integration manager
- Mike Leinbach, space shuttle launch director

Also at about 10 a.m., Atlantis will be towed from the runway and parked outside Orbiter Processing Facility-2 (OPF-2) for several hours to give employees an opportunity to walk around and photograph the shuttle. Reporters interested in covering the move must sign up at the press site for transportation to the photo opportunity locations. These events will not be carried live on NASA TV.

At 11:45 a.m., Bolden and Cabana will host an employee appreciation event outside OPF-2. Journalists can cover the event from a designated media area near the main stage. News media representatives interested in covering the event must sign up at the press site for transportation. The event will be broadcast live on NASA TV and the agency's website.

At about noon, following opening comments at the employee event, the STS-135 crew is expected to participate in a post-landing news conference from the press site. The astronauts' availability is subject to change. Immediately after a 20-minute media question-and-answer session, the astronauts will go to the employee appreciation event to talk briefly to the work force. The events will be broadcast live on NASA TV and the agency's website.

The Kennedy press site will open for shuttle Atlantis' landing at 8 a.m. Wednesday and remain open until 6:30 p.m. Thursday. News media representatives approved for STS-135 mission badges can pick them up at NASA's Pass and Identification Building on State Road 3 on Wednesday from 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. and Thursday from 2 - 4 a.m. The last bus will depart from the press site for the SLF about one hour before landing.

If the shuttle landing is diverted to Edwards after Thursday, reporters should call the public affairs office at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center at 661-276-3449 for access. Dryden has limited facilities available for previously accredited journalists.

If Atlantis lands Thursday, it will have spent 307 days in space and traveled nearly 126 million miles during its 33 flights. Atlantis launched on its first mission on Oct. 3, 1985. For the latest information about the STS-135 mission and accomplishments, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle
The NASA News Twitter feed is updated throughout the shuttle mission and landing. To follow, visit:

http://www.twitter.com/NASA

For NASA TV downlink information, schedules and links to streaming video, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/ntv
For more information about the space station and its crew, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/station

-end-

And that is the final QRT for the Space Shuttle program. Many people in this aerospace-dependent region are distressed about the absence of a well-planned program to create and fly its replacement. We seem to be getting a lot of vague talk about decades-off exploration missions, while waiting for private industry to miraculously come up with a heavy-lifting solution that can be flown at a profit. The USA used to have bigger dreams than that.

Discovery Prepares for Tuesday Landing

From NASA:

Mon, 19 Apr 2010 08:59:09 PM PDT

At 10:21 p.m., mission control played “On the Road Again” by Willie Nelson as the wakeup call for Commander Alan G. Poindexter, Pilot James P. Dutton Jr. and Mission Specialists Dorothy Metcalf-Lindenburger, Rick Mastracchio, Stephanie Wilson, Clayton Anderson and Japanese astronaut Naoko Yamazaki.

Space shuttle Discovery’s crew is prepared to return home Tuesday, as mission managers closely monitor weather that could affect their entry and landing at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

The first Kennedy opportunity Tuesday would see a deorbit burn at 5:28 a.m. with a landing at 6:34 a.m. For the second opportunity the deorbit burn at 7:02 a.m. would lead to a landing 8:08 a.m.

For Edwards, the first opportunity deorbit burn would be at 6:56 a.m. with landing at 8:01 a.m. The next would have a deorbit burn at 8:30 a.m. and a landing at 9:35 a.m. while the third would begin with a deorbit burn at 10:05 a.m. leading to a landing at 11:11 a.m.

STS-131 Set to Land Tuesday

After a Monday wave-off of both KSC landings for bad weather, STS-131 has several opportunities to land on Tuesday, starting early in the morning local time.

Weather permitting, Discovery is scheduled to land at Kennedy Space Center's shuttle landing facility Tuesday at 7:34 a.m., 40 minutes after sunrise. The second landing opportunity at Kennedy is at 9:08 a.m.  Edwards Air Force Base in California is expected to be called up as a possible landing site. The first landing opportunity at Edwards is at 9:01 a.m.

All of the KSC opportunities are on descending paths over much of the continental US, allowing many people an opportunity to see a pretty spectacular re-entry in a dark or early morning sky.  The Edwards opportunities go right down the West Coast, and may do similar.  The rain storm that is moving into California should not affect Edwards in this time frame.

Check web sites for which orbit will actually have a landing.  Also, a table of passes for your US city can be generated by entering orbit number and KSC or EDW somewhere on NASA's site at spaceflight.nasa.gov.

STS-131 May Land Monday (If Weather Permits)

The first landing opportunity is on the KSC runway at 8:48 AM (1248 UTC).  If this landing happens, the ground track is different than usual, making the re-entry potentially visible to much of the continental US.

Unfortunately, the weather forecast is for conditions violating several constraints.  Another KSC opportunity exists Monday, and this one also uses the descending node track that would take it over the US.  If this is also waved off, STS-131 has several shots at KSC and Edwards on Tuesday.

Weather Iffy for Sunday Night STS-130 Landing

NASA:

Weather permitting, Endeavour is scheduled to land at Kennedy Space Center's shuttle landing facility at 10:20 p.m. EST. The STS-130 entry team led by Flight Director Norm Knight will be on console in Mission Control at 3:30 p.m. to prepare for deorbit and landing.

The latest Kennedy forecast calls for a chance of showers within 30 nautical miles of the shuttle landing facility and a cloud ceiling at 6,000 feet, both violations of landing rules. The forecast for Edwards Air Force Base in California also contains violations for showers within 30 nautical miles of the runway and cloud ceilings at 3,000 and 6,000 feet. The National Weather Service Spaceflight Meteorology Group at Johnson Space Center will provide Knight and his team with continuous updated forecasts and real-time observations to aid in a "go-no go" decision for the deorbit burn.

STS-129 To Land Friday

From NASA:

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Space shuttle Atlantis and its seven-member crew are expected to return to Earth on Friday, Nov. 27, after an 11-day mission. The two landing opportunities at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida are at 9:44 a.m. and 11:19 a.m. EST.

NASA will evaluate weather conditions at Kennedy before permitting Atlantis and its crew to land. If bad weather prevents a return to Florida on Friday or Saturday, both Kennedy and the backup landing site at Edwards Air Force Base in California will be activated for consideration on Sunday. For recorded updates about the shuttle landing, call 321-867-2525.

STS-128 Will Land At EDW Today

NASA has decided upon a landing at Edwards AFB. Deorbit is 2347 UTC, with landing at 0053 UTC. The ground track crosses the California coast near Santa Barbara. There may be sonic booms in the area.

STS-128 First Landing Opp Waved Off

The weather forecast is "no go" today for Friday’s first landing opportunity at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. If the weather cooperates for the second Kennedy landing opportunity, the deorbit burn would occur at 6:17 p.m. EDT (2217 UTC), with landing at 7:23 p.m. (2323 UTC). Weather does not look good, however.

Since weather for Edwards AFB is OK today but predicted to deteriorate tomorrow, odds are good for an Edwards landing today.

STS-128 Won't Land Today

NASA waved off the second landing attempt 8 minutes before the deorbit burn would have begun. Weather. There are more opportunities tomorrow at KSC and Edwards AFB. KSC opportunities come on orbits 217 and 218. It is not yet known if the NASA facility at Edwards will be activated.

STS-128 Waved Off 1st Landing

Second opportunity an orbit later, which would lead to a landing at 8:40 PM Eastern. The weather does not look any better for this time either.

STS-128 Closes Doors

While weather does not look good for a landing at KSC today, Discovery was still given a go to close the payload bay doors. This enables an early landing if the weather somehow improves.

Shuttle Landing On for EDW ~30/2125 UTC

Bad weather forecasts next two days at KSC caused a decision to go with the first Edwards AFB landing option. The Los Angeles City Fire Department is warning people to expect the distinctive sonic booms, since there hasn't been a landing on this track right over L.A. in years:

Please anticipate twin 'sonic booms' across SoCal at 1:20-1:25 PM today due to Space Shuttle Endeavour landing at Edwards AFB. -Brian Humphrey [LAFD Public Service Office] ###

Space Shuttle Landing Tomorrow (Sunday)

From NASA:

Final Full Day in Space for STS-126,
Landing Set for Sunday

Saturday, November 29, 2008 2:52 PM
The STS-126 crew spent its final full day in space Saturday. The crew tested space shuttle Endeavour's flight control surfaces and reaction control system thrusters in preparation for a Sunday landing. The two landing opportunities at Kennedy Space Center are for 12:19 p.m. and 1:54 p.m. EST. However, an unfavorable weather forecast in Florida called for two more landing opportunities at Edwards Air Force Base in California at 4:25 p.m. and 6 p.m.

Southern CA note: The first EDW landing opportunity, which would be at 1:25 PST, has a ground track directly over Los Angeles, ensuring nice big sonic booms. The second opportunity tracks more to the north, over Santa Barbara.