DeltaRomeo

DeltaRomeo

doug reeves: unfluencer
Staff member
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
 
Great Work by Many!!

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! :rolleyes:

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

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



img2195pt5.jpg
 
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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!
 
The Space Program Continues

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
 
Happiness.....

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

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
 
Happy Landings!

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
 
Congradulations guys on a successful launch!!

The last one I witnessed was I think, Columbia, and it was a night launch. We had departed MIA headed for Washington Dulles, and our flight plan took us just inland of the Space Center and the Shuttle was on the pad in her final minutes before launch. It was night time but the lights trained on the launch pad were very apparent, even from altitude. We were disappointed that our timing wasn't just a little later, so we could see the launch up close!!

Somewhere around the VA/NC border just before beginning descent for IAD, we saw this very fast moving light up in the sky off to our right. ...passed us like we were standing still, and we were doing 480 kts! I can only guess at the Mach number passing through on her way up into space! ....speed is purely a relevant thing isn't it?

You guys done good! Keep up the good work as you folks at NASA represent some of the very best this country has to offer!!

Godspeed to the crew!
 
Paul, would that be you I just saw in the control room?

I would like to make it down and watch a launch somtime. Maybe when I get the plane done. :rolleyes:
 
JohnR said:
Paul, would that be you I just saw in the control room?

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Seeing as how your post was at 1:13 AM CDT.......yup, that'd be me! Lead Flight Director - the Glory shift....Midnight to 0900....Hey, them's the laws of orbital mechanics! :rolleyes:

Paul
 
STS-115

Doug is very kind to include me in the same category with Paul. This last summer, my responsibilities at NASA changed a bit, so I'm not as directly involved with the Shuttle now as much as I was in my previous job. One thing I learned early in my NASA career is it takes a lot of teamwork to make the Shuttle fly...plus it's a really neat place to work!

I trust all you guys and gals know the Shuttle is scheduled to fly only until the latter part of 2010 which is just four years away. I've only seen two launches up close. I would like to see at least one more launch, and I think it would be neat to see a landing. Our next generation of manned spacecraft vehicles will not be landing on a runway so make your plans accordingly!
Thanks for your support of what we do.
Don Hull
 
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STS-115 Docking

I just watched the successful docking of the Orbiter and the International Space Station! Way to go, Paul!
I think I also saw a quick shot of Paul at his console in Houston. It's neat to know a fellow RV-er is involved in the Space Program!
Don
 
Aussie Docking

Paul,
I'm flattered that you chose to dock over the East Australian coast. Just in time................. before you were over NZ.
Pete.
 
Doug was kind enough to post a link on the front page of VAF to a story I wrote about Paul Dye that I did for my day job yesterday. Associated Press also picked it up and distributed today.

Hopefully it won't lead to one of those "that st upid news media doesn't know what it's talking about when it comes to airplanes" threads.

Yep, *I'm* the stupid news media you've heard so much about. :eek:
Audio links are on the right side.
 
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