Hubble Telescope Stops Sending Data

A mission to repair the Hubble Telescope scheduled for two weeks time has been put on hold by NASA until it understands the problems experienced by the telescope over the weekend. The space shuttle Atlantis had been scheduled to rendevous with Hubble in two weeks, but a new unexpected problem with Hubble appeared on Saturday night and the astronauts would potentially have new repairs to contend with, repairs that haven't trained for. Because it will take time to identify the failed part and train the astronauts to repair or replace it, the mission originally scheduled for October 14th will be postponed until early next year. Discovery Channel.

NASA delays Atlantis launch until at least Jan. 2

A flight that was to begin on Thursday, for the crew of Atlantis, and then postponed until Sunday has now been pushed back until January 2nd and perhaps later. According to the New York Times, "one of four critical sensors in the liquid hydrogen section of the external tank malfunctioned during early morning fueling." The folks at Kennedy Space Center will attempt to make repairs on the launch pad but if it becomes necessary to roll Atlantis off the pad the delay could extend to later in January.

While I'm sure this is disappointing news for the mission crew, it opens up a whole new opportunity for my family during our vacation. We are arriving in Orlando on New Years Eve and plan on spending a week at Disney. The one thing that I've maintained would get me off of the resort is a shuttle launch! Perhaps we'll have a chance to experience the Atlantis launch in person, talk about your geek dream vacation!

A good day in space

Russian cosmonauts were able to reboot 2 of the 3 downed computers that were putting their mission in jeopardy on the inside of the International Space Station, while NASA astronauts used surgical equipment meant to stitch wounds to repair the damaged shuttle thermal blanket. Good news on both fronts! CNN has some great video footage here.

Oh... and happy Father's Day!

Honey, we have a problem

Natalie Meilinger, an elementary school teacher from a Chicago suburb got an out of this world surprise when she checked her video baby monitor earlier this week. Instead of images of her 3 month old Jack, she was receiving NASA's live video feed of the Space Shuttle Atlantis crew on a space walk to repair the shuttle's thermal blanket which was torn on liftoff. Natalie apparently checked the baby's room to make sure their were no uninvited astronauts.

MSNBC article and video here.

NASA fighting on two fronts

While NASA astronauts are working to repair the torn thermal blanket on the Space Shuttle Atlantis, Russian cosmonauts are working diligently to reboot 3 failed computers that control the Interational Space Station's orientation. The docked shuttle is able to assist the space station with it's thrusters while the Russian's work from onboard and from earth. Atlantis crew have powered down some systems to conserve energy in the event that they will have to prolong their stay to help keep the station on orbit. While NASA says there are no current plans to abandon the space station that is the worst case scenario in the event the computers can not be restarted. More here at Globeandmail.com

Thermal blanket concerns for shuttle

Nasa engineers will be paying close attention to images of the space shuttle Atlantis to determine whether or not repairs are required to a torn thermal blanket. The affected area of the shuttle does not heat as much as other critical areas upon re-entry, but the shuttle crew is equiped to make the necessary repairs if required. Read more at CNN...