If New Horizons makes it to Pluto in 2015, I'll be 25. And everything will have changed.

Cheer up...as a white male at 50 your life expectancy according to the CDC is 78.5...and that's not even taking into account benefits due to a (likely) higher than average SES!

http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/lifexpec.htm

Got this from Larry Kellog's Lunar Update list:

Folks on the InsideKSC group said that CNN reported the scrub, but FOX news
was reporting that "NASA will try again this afternoon..."

I wonder how connected the news reporters are.

Yesterday MSNBC reporter said that New Horizons had nuclear generators like
the ones that powered the LASER Reflector the Apollo Astronauts used to beam
LASERs to Earth.

Come on. The RETROREFLECTOR is just that, a reflector for LASER beams sent
from Earth and bounced back.

-----------------------------------------------------------
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Retroreflector
http://www.lpi.usra.edu/expmoon/Apollo11/A...ments_LRRR.html

Apollo 11 Laser Ranging Retroreflector Experiment

The Laser Ranging Retroreflector experiment was deployed on Apollo 11, 14,
and 15. It consists of a series of corner-cube reflectors, which are a
special type of mirror with the property of always reflecting an incoming
light beam back in the direction it came from. A similar device was also
included on the Soviet Union's Lunakhod 2 spacecraft. These reflectors can
be illuminated by laser beams aimed through large telescopes on Earth. The
reflected laser beam is also observed with the telescope, providing a
measurement of the round-trip distance between Earth and the Moon. This is
the only Apollo experiment that is still returning data from the Moon. Many
of these measurements have been made by McDonald Observatory in Texas. From
1969 to 1985, they were made on a part-time basis using the McDonald
Observatory 107-inch telescope. Since 1985, these observations have been
made using a dedicated 30-inch telescope. Additional measurements have been
made by observatories in Hawaii, California, France, Australia, and Germany.
snip

Frankly, given the level of knowledge of the typical TV "science reporter," I wouldn't be surprised if the main qualification for the job is a demonstrated (or perceived) expertise in "technical" things, for example, being the only person in the newsroom who knows how to change the toner cartridge in a LaserJet printer.

Yesterday on Euronews they said at least 50 times over, that New Horizons is going to be the fastest Space Shuttle ever...
How is that connected?
P.S.
I have recorded it on my PC...if somebody doesn't believe me...

I'll be 66 and ready to kick off into retirement. Uh, "kick off" meant in a positive sense...

--Bill

I have 20 minutes or so of DVD recordings of Sky News with "Space Shuttle Launch" in the corner.

Doug

That's nothing. The Dutch Metro newspaper actually reported this morning that New Horizons was launched yesterday!

Maybe they know something we don't? Does it have something to do with Europe being roughly half a day ahead of the US?

Same thing happened to a major US newspaper with the first or second Space Shuttle launch in 1981. They had banner headlines saying that the Shuttle had launched, when in fact it was scrubbed that day. Whoops!

Perhaps. And the time differences can work the other way, too. If I recall correctly, some of the Meridiani Planum science findings (specifically the first Mössbauer results on the Eagle Crater outcrop) were revealed by Der Spiegel several hours before the "official" NASA news conference.

Well I am absolutely exhausted, but I know it's well worth it in the end!

Beautiful rocket out there, just got back from the launch pad servicing remote cameras.

Great work (so far) Ben!

Keep it up

James

That's OK -- somewhere I believe I still have a frame grab I picked up somewhere from February 1, 2003, on CNN News. They were covering the break-up of Columbia over Texas.

The graphic on the screen read "Shuttle broke up while traveling at 16 times the speed of light."

I kid you not.

When I saw that, in a rather obvious bit of gallows humor, I remarked, "Well, no wonder it broke up! It's not designed to travel anywhere NEAR that fast!"

-the other Doug

Well, guys, I'm going to have to be at work during NH's launch window that opens in about twelve hours... so I'll leave it to you guys to get her off good and proper.

I'll be looking forward to reading the thread when I get home tomorrow night! And I'll have a bag of peanuts waiting to start munching at about five past noon, my time, tomorrow...

-the other Doug

Does anyone remember John Holliman (I hope I spelled it correct) on CNN. He covered the shuttle launches in the mid 90ies and MPF of course. Sure he made some mistakes. But he was really fascinated by spaceflight and exploration. He was the guy. Much, much better than Miles O'Brien or John Zarella, although both are still better than the average TV reporter.

Sadly Holliman died in a car crash 1998.

Analyst

That CNN reporter even lobbyed to fly on a space shuttle and NASA was thinking about it!

Doug, Will You also record this evening's NH launch preps, together with what You have that would make a 'must have' DVD !

This goes back to late childhood/early adulthood, but the space/science reporters who I'll always remember will be Walter Cronkite and Jules Bergman. This was long before the "talking heads" phenomenon where you need a pretty face to feed the masses.

--Bill

Oh, I intend to record tonight as well. It's set to 4 hrs, so whatever happens, I should get everything that they cover.

I'm sure www.insideksc.com will carry a divx before too long as well

Just watching the MRO launch - it took 7 seconds to get from lift off, to the main engine being level with the top of the tower. I wonder how NH will do

Doug

Some replies:

1. Toma B,
Yaohua200 might be right after all about the launch-vehicle attached webcams, check this link of an ATLAS V launch:
http://www.selkirkshire.demon.co.uk/analog.../hb6launch.html

2. Doug,
I would be interested in a copie of that DVD ...
Best regards
Philip

Launch NOT on rocket cam schedule.

http://www.eclipticenterprises.com/newsinf...nchschedule.php

Nick

Nice to see the winds are picking up again...
Currently at 24 km/h (15 mph for all you "imperialists" out there...)

THURSDAY, JANUARY 19, 2006
1220 GMT (7:20 a.m. EST)

It is not exactly like the movie Ground Day depicted when the same day kept repeating. No two launch attempts are completely identical. But for the third consecutive morning the Lockheed Martin Atlas launch team is stepping through procedures to ready its largest rocket ever. Liftoff carrying NASA's New Horizons spacecraft remains targeted for 1:08 p.m. EST today.

Rodolfo

Don't they mean Groundhog Day? Saw it a couple weeks ago. Man, what a character Bill Murray is!

Yes - he was great. When I heard of his death, I thought CNN would be hard pressed to find someone as enthusiastic as he was to work the space beat. And so far they haven't, IMHO. It's a shame he didn't live to see all of the missions that are going now - he would have loved this time.

2000, please...

Sorry "Yaohua2000" ... Thanks to "Ames" for the webcam launchvehicle listing!
http://www.eclipticenterprises.com/newsinf...nchschedule.php

A bit of maths for a laugh

MRO's Atlas V ( a 401, 4m fairing, no solids, one engine on the Centaur ) was 336,000 kgs, 57m tall, and had 3.8MN of thrust at launch. Inital accel of 1.5 m/s^2, thus 8.71s to launch to its own height, ignoring reduction in mass due to fuel consumption

NH's Atlas V ( A 551, 5m fairing, 5 solids, one engine on the Centaur ) is 573,160 kgs, is 59.7m tall, and has 3.8MN of thrust from the RD180 - PLUS - 5x1.64MN Solids ( for a total of 12MN ) - Initial accel of 11m/s^2 - covering it's own height in 3.29s

It's going to be fast

Doug

Hopefully it'll be third time lucky. Then again the way things have been going maybe this time instead of a power failure, someone with a 'No Nukes' banner is going to chain themselves to the launch pad.

Think I read somewhere that this is the most powerful launch so far for ILS Atlas.

Dont think they have tried a 5 strapon until now.

Hope the stack can handle it!

Nick

Yep!!!
This is the first time Atlas5 launches with maximum of 5 buster rockets...Please lauch it today...

I hope the cloud ceiling of 3000 ft won't stop the launch, I beleive they need 6000 ft ?

Looking at the current Sat Vis loop, the cloud maybe thinning from the SE

Today's New Horizons Launch On Schedule

http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewsr.html?pid=19324

"The countdown is proceeding toward today's (Thursday) launch of NASA's New
Horizons spacecraft aboard an Atlas V launch vehicle. Today's forecast for Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida calls for an 80% chance of favorable weather, and no technical issues with the rocket or spacecraft are in work at this time."

New image gallery at Spaceflight.com:
Atlas 5 photo gallery

Isn't she a beauty?
Click to view attachment Click to view attachment Click to view attachment

They have launched a 3-solids Atlas V, it's not that big a performance hike really.

It might be the biggest ILS launch, but Lo-Mart (the major player of ILS) used to do Titan's did they not - some of them were very very big.

Doug

This just in from NASA's virt. launch center:
"10:39 a.m. - The weather is green at this time and should remain so. If we were to delay until tomorrow there would be a 30% chance of a weather constraint. "

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/newhoriz...aunch/vlcc.html

Are they all ground lit solids?

If not, what's the sequence 3 then 2?
If so, then it's not that different.

Nick

New Horizons was 4767000000 kilometers away from Pluto at 2006-01-19 15:57:37 UTC.

Location: 28°35?N, 80°35?W, Earth
Range: 4767 million km
Range-rate: -15.646 km/s
Velocity: 34.224 km/s

Yes they are all ground lit solid rocket boosters...

WOW!

From Spaceflight Now:



Any ideas what the object(s) are?

not the Moon, perhaps space debris.

The ISS and Hubble

*Walks away*

Maybe, you can find if there are any object, ISS, HSB, Spitzer, Telecom, Meteorological satellites over Florida on that time by visiting the following URL: http://www.heavens-above.com/

Rodolfo

It could be anything, active satellites, debris, upper stages, etc etc.

Just to confim, yes, all 5 solids are ground-start.

Doug

Thanks Doug
BTW can you confirm my post (question) on "Hubble Versus Keck" topic?
It would really mean a lot to me if somebody can...

Harder is on line, all systems go here.
Last weather report fr Spaceflightnow was 1 hr ago - no problems. Is our own anchor person for weather updates from Florida already on line (MahFL)? I appreciated the regular wind updates a lot 2 days ago.

I am here, cloud maybe a problem today, but last report was weather was green.

You can click on "Front Page" in the top logo to see who is on line.

Got a nice solid NASA TV feed now. The baby is looking nicely chilled yet again.