STS-128 HD Launch
With seven astronauts and a host of experiments and equipment on board, space shuttle Discovery completed a flawless ascent into orbit Friday night to begin a two-day chase of the International Space Station. With Commander Rick “C.J. ” Sturckow at the controls, the shuttle lifted off on-time at 11:59 p.m. EDT from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The crew will rendezvous and dock with the station Sunday and the crew will begin transferring equipment to the outpost during the 13-day mission.
After flying up on Discovery, Nicole Stott will trade places with station resident Tim Kopra, who went into space last month aboard Endeavour. Equipment and science racks for the orbiting laboratory are riding inside the Leonardo cargo module, which is secured tightly inside Discovery’s payload bay. The module will be lifted out of Discovery and locked onto the station so the crew can transfer the gear efficiently. The treadmill named for comedian Stephen Colbert also is aboard Discovery and destined for the station.
Beautiful.
Why do the booster's engines have such a large, bright flame, while the shuttle's engines flame is almost invisible & not a bright flame?
the solid rocket boosters are burning solid fuel, where, relatively, there is a lot of wasted energy in the form of light and color. The shuttle's engines are burning pure liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen where there is very little waste, and therefore very little light and color.
What are the thrust-pound ratings of each SRB compared to the triple main engines?
SUPER
ladda
Dose any one know what they mean when they say "reducing stress in the bucket "
Shuttles made a lot of smoke because of the Solid Rocket Boosters. Solid fuel rockets leave a thick, dirty trail with lots of corrosive particulates.
I was there to see this launch. Discovery launched on a Friday, when it was supposed to launch on that Monday.
Jose Hernandez :')
Space Shuttle Discovery will be 32 years old this year. Discovery should still be flying.