Good afternoon,

NASA TV - Real Video - still playing and I am listening.

One of the benefits of no job and sitting in the middle of the USA while your daughter is in an Army class. :-)

Some small amount of debris was seen coming off theShuttle tank as the SRBs finished their burn and separated. The news and lists are a buzz searching for those BIG DARK words to talk about. Will copy one InsideKSC snip. The shuttle has new tools on the armand an extension so will be giving itself a completelook over. - LRK -

The Sun is has some sunspots on the far side that are hurling coronal mass ejections (CMEs) over the sun'slimb. No problem now. As the Sun turns and the sunspots come around maybe we will see Auroras on Earth and the shuttle astronauts will get some more pictures of just what happens in space.
http://www.astropix.com/HTML/G_SUN/AURORAS.HTM
http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2000/ast13sep_1.htm

Larry Kellogglarry.kellogg at sbcglobal.net
https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update
http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/
http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/

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http://www.nasa.gov/returntoflight/main/index.html

Almost nine minutes after lifting off from KennedySpace Center in Florida, Space Shuttle Discoverysuccessfully reached orbit, marking the Shuttlefleet’s return to space. STS-114 is the first mission to fly since the loss of Shuttle Columbia and the STS-107 crew on Feb. 1, 2003.

Discovery and its seven-member crew launched at 10:39a.m. EDT to begin the two-day journey to the International Space Station. Discovery is slated to dock with the ISS at 7:18 a.m. EDT Thursday.

The mission has several objectives. The STS-114 crew will demonstrate new methods of inspecting and repairing the Shuttle’s thermal protection system.

Discovery will deliver supplies to the ISS, and the STS-114 crew will perform three spacewalks. The spacewalks tasks will include tasks to repair and outfit the ISS.

Discovery and its crew are scheduled to return toEarth on Aug. 7 at 5:46 a.m. EDT.
snip

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http://www.nasa.gov/returntoflight/crew/index.html

Discovery's seven-member Return to Flight crew willfly to the International Space Station primarily to test and evaluate new safety procedures.

There have been many safety improvements to the Shuttle, including a redesigned External Tank, new sensors and a boom that will allow astronauts toinspect the Shuttle for any potential damage.

Two crewmembers, Steve Robinson and Soichi Noguchi,will venture outside the Shuttle three times on spacewalks (+ Read About Their Training). The firstwill demonstrate repair techniques on the Shuttle'sprotective tiles, known as the Thermal ProtectionSystem. During the second spacewalk, they'll replace afailed Control Moment Gyroscope, which helps keep the station oriented properly. Finally, they'll install the External Stowage Platform, a sort of space shelf for holding spare parts during Station construction.

STS-114 will also be the third trip of the MultiPurpose Logistics Module (MPLM) named Raffaello to the Station. It's essentially a "moving van" thattransports supplies to the orbital outpost.

[more and links at the web site ] - LRK -

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[as seen on [Inside KSC] Debris ] - LRK -

Debris strikes are a regular occurrence during the STS boost phase. TPS foam, ice and other debris has inflicted tile damage, to some degree, on practically every launch.The new camera views were bound to provide some scary and unprecedented views of debris coming off of the vehicle during this particular launch. Consequently, it is no surprise that some media types are enthusiastically jumping on the debris footage with near glee.

The professional experts are now going over the video and impact sensor data. The new boom extension will provide high quality close-ups of any tile damage. The ISS crew and EVA participants will also have a goodview of the Orbiter.

It does little good to ignorantly speculate at this point, but it is inevitable that we do speculate. I heard one cable news reporter (a blond female) erroneously call that post-SRB sep debris episode a, "debris strike". I have my own ignorant, speculative ideas about the debris event. The fact that the debris came off shortly after SRB sep is significant, in my view,although the debris event is probably very inconsequential as far as safety is concerned. The bit of TPS, or other material, that came loose appeared to be in an area somewhat shielded from dynamic pressures by the SRB structure prior to sep.

Thanks, Jim McDade
snip
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[ Now that we are in orbit, what will they see as theSun lets fly with more CMEs? ] - LRK -
Space Weather News for July 26, 2005 http://spaceweather.com

At any given moment, only one side of the sun faces Earth. The other side, the farside, is hidden from direct view. Nevertheless, it is possible to monitoractivity "over there." In recent days the farside of the sun has been very active. One or more sunspotshave been exploding, hurling coronal mass ejections(CMEs) over the sun's limb. Because the sun spins, sunspots on the farside now will be rotating around to face Earth later this week and next, raising the possibility of geomagnetic storms and auroras. Visit http://spaceweather.com/ for more information and updates.

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Thanks for looking up with me.- LRK -=======================================================
WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILLACHIEVE - LRK
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