Last shuttle launch by NASA

Belle ville native Sandra Magnus is one of the astronauts assigned to the last space shuttle scheduled to launch today. Here are questions and answers about the mission:


When is the launch?

The Atlantis is scheduled to launch at 10:26 a.m. CDT today from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. However, poor weather may force a delay.


Where can I watch the launch?

> NASA will show the launch live on its website, www.nasa.gov.
> The St. Louis Science Center will air the launch at its planetarium.
> St. Louis television: KSDK TV, Channel five, will show the launch; KMOV and KTVI representatives didn’t immediately know if the launch would be aired live.


Will the shuttle fly over Illinois?

A NASA spokesman Joshua Buck said, “The Atlantis will take off in the direction of the Atlantic Ocean and will not fly over the United States.”

Buck said, the path of the Atlantis' return to Earth will be finalized closer to the landing date.


Where is the shuttle going?

Buck said, The Atlantis will bring supplies to the International Space Station, which is about 220 miles up.

It will take the shuttle one day, 23 hours and 43 minutes to get to the space station, arriving at 10:06 a.m. CDT Sunday.


Will I be able to see the shuttle?

Buck said, the space station and shuttle are visible to the naked eye at night if they're flying overhead, the spacecraft looks like a big, solid star with no blinking lights, streaking steadily across the sky.


When does the shuttle return?

The shuttle flight will last for twelve days. The Atlantis is scheduled to land at 6:06 a.m. CDT July 20 to the Kennedy Space Center.


What if the launch is delayed?

There is a 70% chance the launch will be delayed because of the weather, but NASA decided Thursday afternoon to continue with launch preparations.

Thunderstorms that produced lightning near the launch pad passed through the area about noon Thursday, according to NASA.

Mission managers will reassess the situation before it decides to fuel the Atlantis, which was scheduled to start at 1:01 a.m. CDT today.

The weather is expected to be slightly better on Saturday and Sunday. NASA has until Monday to launch the Atlantis, or else the launch may be postponed until July 16.


Fun Facts:-

> The space station and shuttle will circle Earth about every ninety minutes, and there's a sunrise and sunset each cycle.
> The shuttle will be filled with 500,000 gallons of fuel.
> The Atlantis crew will carry the first iPhone into space to help with experiments on this mission.
> The shuttle will bring eight thousands pounds of supplies, a year's worth, to the space station.
> Orbiters like the Atlantis are the length of about 3 forty foot school buses and weigh 178,000 pounds.