Congrats on Successful STS-115 Launch!

DeltaRomeo · #1 09-09-2006, 09:35 AM

I wanted to congratulate two fellow RVators, friends and NASA employees Paul F. Dye (Ironflight) and Don Hull (RV7Boy) on another successful launch of the most complex experimental aircraft/spacecraft ever.

Way to go, Paul and Don !!!! Next lunch is on me.

Best,
Doug

robertahegy · #2 09-09-2006, 09:38 AM

I guess they'll have to stop calling it a penguin, now!!! Good show!

Roberta

Ironflight · #3 09-09-2006, 11:24 AM

Thanks folks - getting Atlantis back in the air took a little while, but we're up there, and all is going well. I just left the Control Center to start my sleep cycle, and saw no significant systems problems that would interfere with the mission. Not bad for a machine that has been in the hangar for over 4 years! That has taken the fine work of thousands of people involved with the program, and I'm proud of how they have all gone above and beyond the call. The next eight days on orbit is one of the most aggressive schedules we have ever flown, but this is one of the best trained crews and most dedicated teams I've ever had. Confidence is high.

As I was leaving MCC, the boss said "OK Dye, you're grounded until this flight lands..." But he didn't ask for the airplane keys, so we'll see...maybe we'll just compromise on no Acro or IFR until we get done!

Ya'll watch us on NASA TV - the crew day starts about midnight CDT, so insomniacs can join us for the key events...

Paul

ChiefPilot · #4 09-09-2006, 12:36 PM

Quote:

Ya'll watch us on NASA TV - the crew day starts about midnight CDT, so insomniacs can join us for the key events...

Let's see, what is on at midnight....Stargate Atlantis or Space Shuttle Atlantis....I guess I'll be hooking up the laptop to the TV so I can watch shuttle stuff!

Am I a sissy because my eyes water watching the shuttle go up?

fpeebles · #5 09-09-2006, 01:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChiefPilot

Let's see, what is on at midnight....Stargate Atlantis or Space Shuttle Atlantis....I guess I'll be hooking up the laptop to the TV so I can watch shuttle stuff!

Am I a sissy because my eyes water watching the shuttle go up?

Congrats Paul and everybody on the NASA team. My eyes seem to get something in them everytime the shuttle launches as well. You all are making us very, very proud.

mhflyit · #6 09-09-2006, 02:05 PM

Gents,

I watched from Hobe Sound some 90 miles south of Kennedy - it was, as always, incredible. I have now watched a few live launches night and day (the very first shuttle launch I saw on TV as a child in school in the UK). I watched the initial lift off today on NASA TV and ran outside to see the flame and plume rising in the clear blue sky immediately after lift off - wow. Had my 6 year old daughter and 3 year old son with me. Last time we drove to the space center which was unique partly because of the atmosphere with roads closed and thousands of people watching, however, from 90 miles away you get a much different perspective on speed and distance rather than being "under" the launch. Man o man it moves.

A very beautiful and impressive picture it carved through the sky today. The picture (struggled with the focus but the plume is approx 90 miles away) was taken after I ran back in to get the camera...after I removed the kids from my shoulders!! The orbiter is just ahead of the plume but not visible to the naked eye. Where the plume ends the boosters were ejected.

Paul, the NASA team is an inspiration to all generations. Good luck with the ISS build and all future flights. Hope I?m around to see the moon flights and beyond.

LettersFromFlyoverCountry · #7 09-09-2006, 03:23 PM

When I was growing up I had a little reel-to-real recorder and I'd watch Frank McGee (NBC - brought to you by Gulf!) and Walter Cronkite (CBS - Tang, as I recall) and I'd talk into my recorder pretending I was covering the launch.

My mother had a beauty shop in the cellar and she had a sink witha chair that reclined back. So I'd put plastic on my brother's football helmet, put on a parka (big plastic typething) and get in the chair and pretend I was an astronaut in the capsule for liftoff.

I thought maybe someday I'd grow up to be an astronaut. But I didn't. I ended up being a reporter instead and I've seen presidents and movie stars and all that sort of thing up closer. Even talked to a few.

But the one thing I've never seen in person which is -- I'm guessing -- my last dream from my youth still possible to fulfill: a rocket launched.

So, mhflyit, thanks for the picture (it comes close). And Paul and Don... you guys are living the dream, man. You're living the dream!

Bob Axsom · #8 09-09-2006, 04:44 PM

When I was 22 years old I was assigned to the Mercury Project from the F-101 at McDonnell Aircraft in St. Louis so one might expect me to be a little burned out or even negative about the space program. Not true at all,
it is out in front of everything by far. I've always been an airplane guy and did the space work because it was my job and I always took my job very seriously. In the last 15 years or so it became more than a job as I could see that we are moving beyond the "get into space novelty and technology development" phase and true space exploration is beginning. It would be nice to get good feedback of the progress on the Space Station. I was gad to hear the launch was successful.

Bob Axsom

Ironflight · #9 09-09-2006, 08:15 PM

Happiness is waking up and seeing no messages marked "Urgent" on your Blackberry....

Still trying to sleep shift, and not doing a very good job of it - will do with a few hours less than optimum tonight. But All appears to be well aboard the spacecraft as the crew is in the last couple of hours of sleep.

Today is all about a visual inspection of the exterior of Atlantis as we continue in a tail-chase of the ISS for tomorrow's docking. We'll pull out the robot arm and pick up a long boom with special laser sensors and digital cameras on the tip, and scan all of the critical leading edges to make sure we have no damage from ascent debris. It will take the ground analysts several days to clear us or give us spots they want us to go look at more closely, which we'll fit in on Flight Day 5.

Today's thanks go to all of our Canadian friends - the robot arm, boom, and sensor systems are all products of their aerospace program. Remarkable and reliable systems which fly very nicely!

Paul

N79PT · #10 09-09-2006, 08:36 PM

Great takeoff! Hope the mission goes well.

Here at the PACOM JPRC we are tasked to be ready to provide SAR coordination and/or military SAR assets the Pacific theater for Shutttle launches and re-entries. We are here but please don't employ us.

My night job (day job is a student):
Gregory H. Grigson, Lt Col, USAF
Senior Joint Personel Recovery Center Controller
Kenney HQ/ Combat Operations Division
Hickam AFB, HI 96853