BB FANS

If you want to watch the launch or watch the crew do their 7 hour long space walks tune into Nasa TV here

http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/index.html

At this point its 1 day 20 hours till lift off

i watched the last mission from lift off to landing. its incredible to watch them float around and to see wiered light anomolies fly round the cabin which Nasa will never comment on

Calrissian, Blagman, copy that.
---

*chances of flight tomorrow are not so good with the afternoon storms. If they don't get off by Monday, there is the problem of 'Ernesto'.

Whenever though, it should be a blast watching them install new set of solar arrays, and those will make the station much more visible at night.

Calrissian: waiting for the beanie cap to be retracted

Latest from NASA

Mission: STS-115 - 19th International Space Station Flight (12A) -
P3/P4 Truss Segment and Solar Arrays
Vehicle: Atlantis (OV-104)
Location: Launch Pad 39B
Launch Date: Aug. 28, 2006, 4:04 p.m. EDT
Crew: Jett, Ferguson, Tanner, Burbank, MacLean and Stefanyshyn-Piper
Inclination/Orbit Altitude: 51.6 degrees/122 nautical miles

The Mission Management Team decided today to postpone the launch of
Shuttle Atlantis on mission STS-115 for 24 hours. Launch is now
scheduled for 4:04 p.m. Eastern time on Monday, Aug. 28. On Friday,
at about 1:49 p.m., a lightning strike occurred on the pad's
lightning protection system. Managers determined additional time was
required to be assured all systems on the shuttle and the pad were
not affected.

Mission managers will meet again Sunday morning to further assess
launch readiness. The countdown clock is currently in an extended
hold at T-11 hours.

At Launch Pad 39B, launch preparations continue. Loading of the fuel
for the power reactant storage and distribution system was completed
Friday night, following a six-hour weather delay. Closeouts of the
pad systems and final stowage of flight crew items is under way.

U.S. Air Force weather officers are forecasting a 20-percent chance of
weather prohibiting a launch attempt on Monday. The primary weather
concern is for the probability of showers within 20 nautical miles of
the Shuttle Landing Facility.

Also for Satellite TV coverage keep an eye on

ESA TV
Transmission details:Eutelsat Atlantic Bird at 12.5 degrees West
Transponder F5, channel C (SCPC) horizontal, F=12.643 MHz MHz, SR=6.1113 Ms/sec, FEC=3/4

Also Eutelsat at 10E id UP4 - United Press
10970MHz Verticle ,SR 4167 ,FEC 5/6.

Recent NASA TV reports
NASA TV,10.0°E

Channel data : 10e,11180v,6111,3/4
Channel Name : SCOPUS-NET-TECH
Date :25/08
Time : 16:56
Sat Name : Eutelsat W1
Sat Pos : 10.0°E
Event Type : NASA TV

A general purpose digital receiver is needed (not Sky) and ideally a motorised dish.

Latest from ESA

The launch at Space Shuttle mission STS-115 has been postponed by at least 24 hours to gather information and investigate potential effects from a lightning strike at the launch pad on Friday. At this point, there are no indications of damage, and the Mission Management Team will meet at 22:00 GMT today and decide whether to set the launch for Monday at 20:04 GMT. If it is determined that all systems are go for a Monday launch, the weather presents an 80 percent chance of "go" according forecasts made at Cape Canaveral.

In case of a launch on 28 August, the ESA TV Service will put the satellite details online around noon that day. The transmission will be from 19:45-22:15 GMT on Atlantic Bird 1.

For further information and a daily update of the transmission schedule, visit our website at http://television.esa.int. For all enquires, contact Claus Habfast, Tel +31 71 565 3838, Fax +31 71 565 6340, e-mail claus.habfast@esa.int.

With kind regards,

ESA TV Service

Latest from ESA

NASA will not launch space shuttle Atlantis on 28 nor on 29 August as tropical storm Ernesto approaches Florida, NASA spokesman Dean Acosta told journalists at KSC. NASA's hurricane guidelines call for a Shuttle to be returned from launch pad to the Vehicle Assembly Building if wind speeds are forecast to reach 125 km/h. This must happen before the winds actually reach 75 km/h. Therefore, preparations have already begun to move Atlantis away from the launch pad.

The Shuttle and the launch pad had been cleared yesterday of any lightning-related problems.

When a new launch date is fixed, the ESA-TV details for the Mission STS-115 launch coverage will be posted

Atlantis has returned to Launch Pad 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center to weather Tropical Storm Ernesto in place. Mission managers are confident in the ability of the rotating service structure to protect the vehicle on the pad. Depending on how the center weathers the storm, a launch attempt could come as early as next week.

New Launch Date Set for STS-115
As launch preparations resumed at NASA's Kennedy Space Center's Launch Pad 39B on Thursday, mission managers set Sept. 6 as the new date for the launch of Atlantis on Mission STS-115 to the International Space Station. Liftoff time would be 12:29 p.m. EDT

08.31.06

Grey Hautaluoma
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-0668

Bruce Buckingham
Kennedy Space Center, Fla.
321-867-2468

RELEASE: 06-308

NASA ANNOUNCES SPACE SHUTTLE ATLANTIS LAUNCH DATE

Following a detailed inspection of NASA's Space Shuttle Atlantis at
the Kennedy Space Center, Fla., the six-member crew has a new launch
date to begin the STS-115 mission to the International Space Station.
The lift-off from Kennedy is set for 12:29 p.m. EDT Wednesday, Sept.
6.

Shuttle managers decided on the launch date after assessing conditions
at Kennedy following Tropical Depression Ernesto. The center's
facilities and Atlantis, which sits on Launch Pad 39-B, sustained no
damage during the storm.

If weather or other issues prevent Atlantis' launch on Sept. 6,
opportunities are available on Sept. 7 and 8. All dates allow for
completion of the mission's objectives and allow for shuttle
undocking from the station by Sept. 17. This is necessary so the
Russian Soyuz taking the next space station crew up to the orbiting
laboratory can launch Sept. 18.

Many of the standard launch preparations were completed before the
shuttle's partial move to the center's landmark Vehicle Assembly
Building and return to the launch pad on Tuesday. During the next
several days, teams will focus on completing pre-launch tasks, so an
official countdown can begin Sunday at 8 a.m. EDT.

Mission: STS-115 - 19th International Space Station Flight (12A) -
P3/P4 Truss Segment and Solar Arrays
Vehicle: Atlantis (OV-104)
Location: Launch Pad 39B
Launch Date: Sept. 6, 2006, 12:29 p.m. EDT
Crew: Jett, Ferguson, Tanner, Burbank, MacLean and Stefanyshyn-Piper
Inclination/Orbit Altitude: 51.6 degrees/122 nautical miles

At Launch Pad 39B, preparations for Wednesday's launch are under way,
with the launch countdown scheduled to begin on Sunday at 8 a.m. The
liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen transfer lines used for filling the
external fuel tank (ET) were reconnected to the mobile launch
platform. The ET hydrogen vent line hook-up is complete. The ordnance
was disconnected to allow for vehicle power-up and will be
reconnected this weekend. The Orbiter Midbody Umbilical Unit (OMBUU)
mate is complete. This is the connection point for lines that will be
used to provide hydrogen and oxygen reactants for the fuel cells.
Weekend work includes pressurization of the orbital maneuvering
system, the reaction control system and the main propulsion system.
The two doors to the aft compartment of Atlantis were removed for
access to ordnance, and they will be closed during the weekend to
allow for the aft confidence test on Sunday. This test involves
powering up and testing all aft systems, such as the main propulsion
system circuits.

On Tuesday, the shuttle was moved off the pad in advance of Tropical
Storm Ernesto, then returned to the pad after traveling about 2 miles
toward the Vehicle Assembly Building when the storm predictions
became more favorable. On Thursday, engineers inspected the ET
thermal protection system, post-rollback, and found three areas of
minor foam damage. One area, about 3/8 inches long, is located at the
midsection of the liquid oxygen tank, about 2 feet outboard of the
ice frost ramps. A second area, about 1 inch long by 1/16 inch wide,
is located near the ET/right SRB aft fairing, which is the attach
point between the two components. Both of these resemble a scratch,
are accessible and are expected to be easily repaired. The third
area, a missing foam nodule from the liquid hydrogen barrel between
the ET and the left SRB, about five feet below the intertank flange
closeouts, will not need repair.

LAUNCH COUNTDOWN BEGINS SEPT. 3 FOR SPACE SHUTTLE ATLANTIS

NASA will begin the countdown once again for the launch of Space
Shuttle Atlantis on mission STS-115 Sept. 3 at 8 a.m. EDT, at the
T-43 hour point. During this mission, Atlantis' crew will resume the
construction of the International Space Station, which is the goal of
the space shuttle flights remaining in the program.

The Kennedy Space Center launch team will conduct the countdown from
the newly renovated Firing Room 4 of the Launch Control Center. The
countdown includes 33 hours, 24 minutes of built-in hold time leading
to a preferred launch time at about 12:29 p.m. on Sept. 6 with a
launch window extending about five minutes.

COUNTDOWN MILESTONES
*all times are Eastern

Launch-3 Days (Sunday, Sept. 3)

Prepare for the start of the STS-115 launch countdown
Perform the call-to-stations (7:30 a.m.)
Countdown begins at the T-43 hour mark (8 a.m.)
Begin final vehicle and facility close-outs for launch
Check out backup flight systems
Review flight software stored in mass memory units and display systems

Load backup flight system software into Atlantis' general purpose
computers
Remove flight-deck platforms (4:30 p.m.)
Complete preparation to load power reactant storage and distribution
system (7 p.m.)
Activate and test navigational systems (9 p.m.)
Flight deck preliminary inspections complete (midnight)

Launch-2 Days (Monday, Sept. 4)

Enter first built-in hold at T-27 hours for duration of 4 hours
(midnight)

Clear launch pad of all non-essential personnel
Perform test of the vehicle's pyrotechnic initiator controllers

Resume countdown (4 a.m.)

Begin operations to load cryogenic reactants into Atlantis' fuel cell
storage tanks (4 a.m.)

Enter 10-hour built-in hold at T-19 hours (noon)

Demate orbiter mid-body umbilical unit (12:30 p.m.)
Resume orbiter and ground support equipment close-outs

Resume countdown (10 p.m.)

Final preparations of the shuttle's three main engines for main
propellant tanking and flight (10 p.m.)
Begin filling pad sound suppression system water tank (midnight)

Launch-1 Day (Tuesday, Sept. 5)

Pad sound suppression system water tank filling complete (3 a.m.)
Close out the tail service masts on the mobile launcher platform
Begin star tracker functional checks (5:50 a.m.)

Enter planned hold at T-11 hours for 13 hours, 34 minutes (6 a.m.)

Activate orbiter's inertial measurement units
Activate the orbiter's communications systems
Install film in numerous cameras on the launch pad (6:55 a.m.)
Flight crew equipment late stow (11:10 a.m.)
Move Rotating Service Structure (RSS) to the park position (3 p.m.)
Perform ascent switch list
Fuel cell flow-through purge complete

Resume countdown at T-11 hours (7:34 p.m.)

Activate the orbiter's fuel cells (8:45 p.m.)
Clear the blast danger area of all non-essential personnel
Switch Atlantis' purge air to gaseous nitrogen (9:20 p.m.)

Launch Day (Wednesday, Sept. 6)

Enter planned 2-hour built-in hold at the T-6 hour mark (12:34 a.m.)

Launch team verifies no violations of launch commit criteria prior to
cryogenic loading of the external tank
Clear pad of all personnel

Resume countdown (2:34 a.m.)

Chilldown of propellant transfer lines (2:34 a.m.)
Begin loading the external tank with about 500,000 gallons of
cryogenic propellants (about 2:44 a.m.)
Complete filling the external tank with its flight load of liquid
hydrogen and liquid oxygen propellants (about 5:34 a.m.)
Final Inspection Team proceed to launch pad

Enter planned 3-hour built-in hold at T-3 hours (5:34 a.m.)

Perform inertial measurement unit preflight calibration
Align Merritt Island Launch Area (MILA) tracking antennas
Perform open loop test with Eastern Range

Resume countdown at T-3 hours (8:34 a.m.)

Crew departs Operations and Checkout Building for the pad (8:38 a.m.)
Complete close-out preparations in the white room
Check cockpit switch configurations
Flight crew begins entry into the orbiter (about 9:10 a.m.)
Astronauts perform air-to-ground voice checks with Launch and Mission
Control
Begin to close Atlantis' crew hatch (about 10 a.m.)
Begin Eastern Range final network open loop command checks
Perform hatch seal and cabin leak checks
Complete white room close-out
Close-out crew moves to fallback area
Primary ascent guidance data is transferred to the backup flight
system

Enter planned 10-minute hold at T-20 minutes (11:14 a.m.)

NASA Test Director conducts final launch team briefings
Complete inertial measurement unit preflight alignments

Resume countdown at T-20 minutes (11:24 a.m.)

Transition the orbiter's onboard computers to launch configuration
Start fuel cell thermal conditioning
Close orbiter cabin vent valves
Transition backup flight system to launch configuration

Enter estimated 40-minute hold at T-9 minutes (11:35 a.m.)

Launch Director, Mission Management Team and NASA Test Director
conduct final polls for go/no go to launch

Resume countdown at T-9 minutes (about 12:21 p.m.)

Start automatic ground launch sequencer (T-9:00 minutes)
Retract orbiter crew access arm (T-7:30)
Start mission recorders (T-6:15)
Start Auxiliary Power Units (T-5:00)
Arm SRB and ET range safety safe and arm devices (T-5:00)
Start liquid oxygen drainback (T-4:55)
Start orbiter aerosurface profile test (T-3:55)
Start main engine gimbal profile test (T-3:30)
Pressurize liquid oxygen tank (T-2:55)
Begin retraction of the gaseous oxygen vent arm (T-2:55)
Fuel cells to internal reactants (T-2:35)
Pressurize liquid hydrogen tank (T-1:57)
Deactivate Bi-pod heaters (T-1:52)
Deactivate SRB joint heaters (T-1:00)
Orbiter transfers from ground to internal power (T-0:50 seconds)
Ground Launch Sequencer go for auto sequence start (T-0:31 seconds)
SRB gimbal profile (T-0:21 seconds)
Ignition of three space shuttle main engines (T-6.6 seconds)
SRB ignition and liftoff (T-0)

SUMMARY OF STS-115 LAUNCH DAY CREW ACTIVITIES

Wednesday, Sept. 6
1:30 a.m. -- Crew wake up
3:00 a.m. -- Breakfast
*6:55 a.m. -- Television coverage from crew quarters
7:58 a.m. -- Weather briefing
*8:08 a.m. -- Don flight suits
*8:38 a.m. -- Depart for launch pad
*9:08 a.m. -- Arrive at white room and begin ingress
*10:23 a.m. -- Close crew hatch
*12:29 p.m. -- Launch

* Televised events (times may vary slightly)
All times Eastern

ESA BROADCAST CENTRE

The next transmission of the ESA TV Service will be:
06-Sep-06 16:15 - 16:45 GMT
Launch of Shuttle Mission STS-115
ESA TV Live

Background information on the transmission:

The countdown is ticking for Space Shuttle Atlantis for lift off tomorrow on mission STS-115 to deliver the second of four sets of power-generating solar arrays that will power laboratories, living quarters and all other ISS systems.

Atlantis and its six astronauts are set to lift off at 16:29 GMT from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida and to land again at KSC on 17 September at approx 11:59 GMT.

NASA managers today agreed to make three consecutive attempts to get the Shuttle off the ground if bad weather or technical problems prevent a launch on Wednesday.

The forecast calls for an 80 percent chance of good weather Wednesday, decreasing to 70 percent on Thursday and Friday.

If Atlantis is not launched by Friday, the flight will most probably ahve to be delayed to late October.

ESA TV will provide extensive mission coverage - beginning with live coverage of the launch. The detailed schedule will be posted after lift-off.

The line-up time for this SCPC feed is 5 minutes.

More background information can be found on http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/M ... aking.html.



Transmission details:Eutelsat Atlantic Bird at 12.5 degrees West
Transponder F5, channel D (SCPC) horizontal, F=12.652 MHz MHz, SR=6.1113 Ms/sec, FEC=3/4


For further information, visit our website at http://television.esa.int. For other enquires, contact Claus Habfast, Tel +31 71 565 3838, Fax +31 71 565 6340, e-mail claus.habfast@esa.int.

With kind regards

ESA TV Service

09.06.06

Tracy Young/Allard Beutel
Kennedy Space Center, Fla.
321-867-2468

RELEASE: 06-311

NASA POSTPONES SPACE SHUTTLE ATLANTIS LAUNCH

NASA has delayed Wednesday's launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis on its
STS-115 mission to the International Space Station. Shuttle Program
managers made the decision early Wednesday morning due to a problem
that occurred during the activation of one of the shuttle's three
electricity-producing fuel cells.

Teams are evaluating data on what might have caused a voltage spike in
the fuel cell's coolant pump that cools the fuel cell system. Mission
managers will hold a meeting at 1 p.m. EDT Wednesday to assess the
issue. There will be a news conference on NASA TV at the conclusion
of the meeting.


Atlantis' crew, Commander Brent Jett, Pilot Chris Ferguson and Mission
Specialists Dan Burbank, Heide Stefanyshyn-Piper, Joe Tanner and
Steve MacLean, a Canadian Space Agency astronaut, remains at Kennedy
Space Center.

For the latest information about the STS-115 mission and its crew,
visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle

woo hoo...

STS-115 is 'okay to go'.

Launch Friday afternoon

Calrissian: one of the few that loved 'contact'

Just caught the end of the press conference ,so the Shuttle is good to fly without the fuel cell that had the problem.

Is the time still 1541 GMT for launch ?
I need to preset a timer to record the events.

I need to choose whether to go for the offical ESA transmission or take a chance of which of the other two known transponders that cover NASA TV.

First being the Associated Press Television News transponder at 10 East (ID UP4)

or

The SCOPUS-NET-TECH transponder also at 10 East.

Guess I'll have to play safe and get the dish etc at 12,5W for the ESA transmission.

If I wasn't working I'd be monitoring for early reports of signals with the recorder ready to go.

I could if I could be bothered record both transponders off 10E ,one to DVD and the other to tape but I'll play safe.

One of four engine cutoff sensors which did not show the correct reading, has forced NASA to postpone today's Shuttle launch. The external tank will now be drained and another countdown performed tomorrow in view of a launch at 15:15 GMT.

This is an extension of the launch window that was announced today. For this reason, it is not know whether the ESA TV Service will be able to provide a rebroadcast of the launch.

Once the necessary bookings have been confirmed, the details will be put online and a amiling made.


For further information and a daily update of the transmission schedule, visit our website at http://television.esa.int. For all enquires, contact Claus Habfast, Tel +31 71 565 3838, Fax +31 71 565 6340, e-mail claus.habfast@esa.int.

With kind regards,

ESA TV Service