Space shuttle roars back into orbit

Satdude

Space shuttle roars back into orbit

Discovery triumphantly soared off its launch pad on Tuesday, marking the return of the space shuttle to space.

“It’s one of the nobler things we do on behalf of mankind,” said Bill Readdy, NASA’s associate administrator of space operations.

While all at Kennedy Space Center cheered Discovery through her climb to space, NASA officials are holding off on the official celebrations until the orbiter is back on solid ground.

If all goes according to schedule, Discovery will land at Kennedy Space Center at 0546 EDT (0946 GMT) 7 August. “That’s when we’ll know this is a safe flight,” says NASA Administrator Mike Griffin.

The shuttle fleet had been grounded since the Columbia orbiter disintegrated while re-entering Earth’s atmosphere on 1 February 2003, killing all seven astronauts. “I think today Mother Nature smiled on us, but I think the Columbia crew also smiled on us,” Readdy says.

Healing wounds

“I think today will provide a real sense of closure,” astronaut Scott Parazynski says. Parazynski was initially scheduled to fly on the first flight after Columbia. After the accident, his mission was pushed back to September 2006. “I think it will heal some wounds.”

“This is the best way any of us would think to remember Columbia,” Scott Thurston, who used to manage Columbia

Since the loss of Columbia, NASA has spent more than $1.4 billion to redesign the external tank, restructure its management team, and make other safety changes recommended by the Columbia Accident Investigation Board.

NASA had attempted to launch Discovery on 13 July, but a fuel sensor in the external fuel tank failed a pre-launch test. So managers delayed lift-off while they worked on the problem. The cause of the problem was never found, on the day the sensors performed without trouble.

Falling object

During launch, one of the cameras appeared to show an object coming off of Discovery’s external tank less than a minute into its ascent. But NASA managers had not yet seen the footage and would not comment on it until their experts analysed the photos.

Now Discovery is finally off the ground, its seven-person crew will bring much-needed supplies to the International Space Station. They will also test new safety measures required after the Columbia disaster.

Immediately after launch, Japanese astronaut Soichi Noguchi took video of the external tank as it separated from the orbiter while fellow astronaut Andy Thomas snapped digital photographs. Those images will be analysed for any major foam loss from the external tank.

Arm extension

One of the new features of Discovery's mission is an extension of the shuttle's robotic arm which allows it to reach underneath the orbiter. This enables the inspection of any damage to the sensitive heat shield. Such damage doomed Columbia when it let searing hot plasma into the shuttle during re-entry to Earth's atmosphere. Astronauts will perform the complicated manoeuvres required with the arm extension on Wednesday.

Then as the shuttle approaches the space station on Thursday, commander Eileen Collins will make the orbiter perform a back flip. This will expose the orbiter’s belly to the station so that the two crewmembers aboard can take digital pictures of the heat shield.

If engineers spot critical damage during these inspections or through pictures taken from the ground during launch, the space agency could send a rescue shuttle to retrieve the crew from the space station. In the past, NASA has not had a spare shuttle ready to take on a rescue.

During the first of three spacewalks, astronauts Soichi Noguchi and Steve Robinson will also test new tools for repairing a damaged heat shield in space.

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