Page 92 - Launch Control News Today

Pretty normal for the launch control team and for the crew. >> and as we talk about the fact that weve seen postponements in the past, is there any pressure not to postpone this launch? >> is there any pressure not to? >> yeah. >> is that the question? >> yeah, to keep it on track, especially with the heightened, i guess, relevance with gabby giffords going to be attending, the president attending. >> thomas, there is -- in fact, i have emphasized this to the teams, both the houston mission cont...

Mission? >> well, theç mission is 11 da, as you said. theyre going to the international space station. theyre taking up a pallet of parts. extra storage room, if you will, that they will attach to the station, but theyre also, dylan, taking up the first robot. now this robot will be doing a lot of learning itself. what they want to do is to be able to use robots on the future on the international space station to do mundane work, if you will. but also to do any hazardous work that might be too...

1:30 into the flight all three auxiliary power units that provide hydraulic power to the orbiters systems in good shape as are the fuel cells providing electricity to all of the systems onboard. "atlantis" is already 19 miles in altitude, down range from the kennedy space center. 20 miles traveling, 2,500 miles per hour. >> were listening to kyle herron in launch control. >> the rocket boosters burn out and separate from the orbiter. >> reporter: we have separation coming up of the solid booster...

Counting and heres what we do. we go to george diller in launch control for the final seconds. >> the rocket booster nozzle check. firing chain is armed. sound suppression water system activated. t minus 13, 12, 11, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 -- and zero and liftoff, space shuttle "atlantis." historic achievements in space. >> roger. >> houston is now controlling. the maneuver is complete and "atlantis" is on course for a 51.6-degree, 136 by 36 mile orbit.

Pad with the astronauts sitting on the launch pad. we have pictures of. now. you can see it like a blurry star, but actually its got those wings sticking out. the space station is twice as large as two football fields set side by side, so this crew will dock with them early wednesday morning. there will be 13 up on that space station. for the first time, willie, there will be four women on board. never had that many. theyre there. for the final countdown, here is launch control. >> three engines...

Eight unit buyers have a choice of six different driving and hybrid modes. or youll get my the nice and smooth ride but it can also pack a mighty punch and no wonder thanks to an output of five hundred kilowatts and eight hundred fifty newton meters of torque goes sound like the specs of a missile and it even has a launch control functional first you set the mode selection to support plus. then engage the brakes done with it while putting your foot to the floor on the gas thats got take your foo...

Well, according to her chief of staff. also divulged today is that congresswoman giffords, her voice sounds pretty much as it did before she was shot back in january in the front of her left side of her head. and she also understands sarcastic humor, which is linguistically much more difficult. down below here in the foreground, theres a seven-story structure, where the launch control is, and on the rooftop thats where the congresswoman reportedly watched her husband blast off, saying "good stuf...