Martin.Canales's blog

Estimados Amigos,

En nombre del Grupo Latinoamericano de SGAC queremos dirigirnos a Ustedes quienes se encuentran en la region por donde (segun los pronosticos) pasara el huracan Ike para traerles nuestro apoyo moral en tan dificil situación.

Las noticias dan informacion de las consecuencias del huracan en paises como Haiti y Cuba y nos afecta saber que muchos Latinamericanos y compatriotas estan pasando malos momentos o han sufrido la perdida de sus hogares.

Deseamos que todos Ustedes junto con vuestros familiares y amigos se encuentren seguros y fuera de peligro.

Atentamente

The attached astronaut photograph was taken looking east as the International Space Station was flying about 100 kilometers (about 62 miles) off the Peruvian coast and shows Cordillera Huayhuash (pronounced “Why-wash”) in the central part of Peru.

The European fluid science research activities in space reached a milestone on August 7. with the successful completion of the first experiment run in the Fluid Science Laboratory (FSL) facility, one of the payload racks located in the European COLUMBUS laboratory on the International Space Station.

In August the experiment, called GEOFLOW, has concluded and completed two further runs on the 19th and 25th, and a partial run on the 27th prior to an ISS debris avoidance manoeuvre performed by the European Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV).

NASA has selected target launch dates for the remaining eight space shuttle missions for 2009 and 2010. The flights are, one to the Hubble Space Telescope, seven assembly flights to the International Space Station, and two station contingency flights, planned to be completed before the end of fiscal year 2010.

In order to allow additional checks on the Automated Launch Vehicle Jules Verne, Arianespace and ESA have decided to postpone the launch by 24 hours. The launch is now scheduled during the night of Saturday, March 8 to Sunday, March 9, 2008:

GMT: 3:59 am on March 9, 2008.
PARIS: 4:59 am on March 9, 2008.
KOUROU: 0:59 am on March 9, 2008.
MOSCOW: 6:59 am on March 9, 2008.

Follow the launch live on the internet:
http://www.videocorner.tv/index.php?langue=en
Live webcasting starts 20 minutes before lift-off.
Video streaming will be available in RealMedia and WindowsMedia formats.

Space shuttle Atlantis undock from the International Space Station at 3:24 a.m. (Houston time) after nine days of joint operations carrying the seven-member crew that successfully commissioned the European Space Agency’s new Columbus science laboratory.

Yesterday’s wake-up song, played for STS-122 crew member Dan Tani, at 11:53 p.m. was “Over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World,” sung by Hawaiian-Japanese vocalist Israel Kamakawiwo'ole.

Newly arrived French astronaut Leopold Eyharts and German shuttle flier Hans Schlegel opened hatches to partially enter the European Space Agency's Columbus research module on February 12, marking the moment with a call to flight controllers in Houston, Moscow and now, Oberpfaffenhofen near Munich, Germany.

The European Space Agency's Columbus laboratory module was successfully removed from the shuttle Atlantis' cargo bay today and bolted to its permanent home on the front right side of the international space station to accomplish the primary goal of the year's first shuttle mission.

"Columbus is touching the station for the first time," French astronaut Leopold Eyharts radioed at 21:29 GMT. as the station's robot arm, operated by shuttle astronaut Leland Melvin, moved Columbus into position for bolting.

"All right!" someone exclaimed. "Good job, guys!"

As ESA’s Columbus module was on the launch pad awaiting liftoff on board the Space Shuttle Atlantis, Europe enjoyed a great view night of its destination: the International Space Station (ISS).

The ISS revolves around the Earth at an altitude of 400 km. It travels at a speed of almost 8 km/s. Despite its high-speed passage, you can spot the ISS easily… if you know where to look.

A DOT OF LIGHT

3, 2, 1 and LIFTOFF!
Liftoff of Atlantis -- a 21st century voyage of Columbus begins as the space shuttle clears the tower!

19:45:30 GMT
T-minus 10 seconds, go for main engine start, fuel valves are opening, engine ignition

19:44:59 GMT
T-minus 31 seconds. AUTO SEQUENCE START!

19:44:30 GMT
T-minus 1 minute. Computers are verifying that the main engines are ready for ignition.

19:43:30 GMT
T-minus 2 minutes. The astronauts are being instructed to close and lock the visors on their launch and entry helmets.

19:42:30 GMT
T-minus 3 minutes.

19:37:30 GMT