Thanks guys...
Not bad for someone chasing wild abysses...

climber...don't mention that...
I had everything planned to be there today but as the company decided to move into new facilities in June everything got messed up, I should be on vacations and I'm still in the office...
I'll try to keep a close watch.

GO PHOENIX GO!

Man...this is confusing...
Now on the Phoenix site the countdown clock marks 14h to go...
That makes...1.26 GMT...

The countdown clock says 12h for me. It must be taking the time from the local time of the web page user, making it wrong unless it's set to EDT.

If you are talking about this page

http://countdown.ksc.nasa.gov/elv/

WINDOW OPENING TIME is the GMT of launch time

The L-TIME and T-TIME are total minutes MMMM:SS, not HHMM:SS.

All the times in the Countdown Events window are MMM:SS

The Phoenix site countdown:

http://phoenix.lpl.arizona.edu/

That launch countdown gives me ten hours until launch..

The only I listed is the official one and it is synched to the range clocks

Jim,

Why should the first stage of the rocket be fueled just hours before launch, but not days before? For example a Soyuz rocket is being fueled with kerosene days before launch if I'm right. Sorry if my question is silly...

Delta II heats its kerosene to increase performance. It would cool off if tanked earlier

Soyuz is rolled out to the pad horizontally the day before, so no, not until the final hours is it fueled with RP-1 and O2. And don't forget oxygen boils off, so that is why it is loaded right before launch.

The shuttle launch has been postponed 24 hours so more chances for Phoenix is needed.

Hearing some unpleasant rumbles that weather may be an emerging concern for Saturday. On the positive side (in this context), Endeavour's been slipped to Wednesday per Spaceflightnow.com.

EDIT: Sorry, BP, didn't mean to step on you...guess we saw the news at the same time.

Hmmmm.. Where did you get that info? There is no website I know that shows something about a weather concern.

I think those 'sources' were just pulling your legs.

... and don't worry about the weather, the situation is just fine and we'll get this little birdy out of its nest tomorrow

Mars be praised...
That baby hasn't left earthly ground and I can't already wait to see her reaching her landing site...this is going to be hard...

Firstly we are going to see a blastoff in flames and then a beautiful rocket will reach the sky Be patient

It's so good to have you, wonderful friends here, at UMSF

I would just give my right...chair..to be there...
I really have a great feeling about this mission...that kind of feeling that might lead us into a great time of space exploration.

And yes...it is great to havea place where we can find people who share visions of Beyond...Great!

Mobile Service Structure now rolling back from the Delta II...

http://countdown.ksc.nasa.gov/elv/public/

Now that is a super-cool link, PB; thanks VERY much! Next best thing to being there.

Yesterday's prelaunch press conference is archived on the invaluable SPACE MULTIMEDIA site, which has emerged as a crucial resource for devotees of nasa press briefings, even though its main focus seems to be shuttle and ISS operations.

For me there were two highlights: (i) meeting Chuck Dovale, who I gather alternates as launch director with Omar Baez, who led the New Horizons launch, and (ii) learning a little about the way the launch "instant" times can be manipulated (in this case, scheduling the launch for the morning, when the weather's better) by varying the coast time between the second stage firings.

TTT

EDIT: Baez also figures in one of the many insightful vignettes which make Roving Mars such an instructive as well as entertaining book. pp. 210-211.

Hmm. Does anyone know why the tower hasn't retracted yet?

EDIT: Nevermind. Lightning reported 50 miles southeast of the launch pad...said to be drifting north.

http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/forums/th...91&posts=99

Yeah, that's the problem with Florida; lightning's usually no more than 50 nm from anywhere, all the time.

MST rollback taking place now!

The ISS made a wonderful appearance in the western sky as we were waiting for the roll-back. I see from Calsky that the ISS will be visible right behind the pad at liftoff this morning. Anyone got good contacts in the TsUP who could warn the crew to watch out ?? Should be an amazing sight from both the ground and orbit !

watch here
http://countdown.ksc.nasa.gov/elv/