STS-114 Countdown - Launch 13 Jul 05

[Dead Parrot]

The space shuttle Discovery is scheduled to lift off on 13 July 2005 at 2:51pm Central Standard Time.

Here are the mission particulars from the NASA website:

Mission: International Space Station Flight LF1.
Shuttle: Discovery .
Launch Pad: 39B.
Launch: July 13, 2:51 p.m. CDT (1951 GMT).
Launch Window: 5 minutes.
Docking: July 15, 11:27 a.m. CDT (1627 GMT).
EVAs: 3 spacewalks.
Undocking: July 23, 8:23 a.m. CDT (1323 GMT).
Landing: July 25, 10:01 a.m. CDT (1501 GMT).
Duration: 11 days, 19 hours, 10 minutes.
Orbital Insertion Altitude: 122 nautical miles.
Orbit Inclination: 51.60°.

Dead Parrot's bottom line: the crew will evaluate the shuttle's performance and peform spacewalks to test in-flight repair methods. They will also be delivering supplies to the International Space Station.
Specifically, the Italian built Multi-Purpose Logistics Module (MPLM) aka Raffaello. They'll use the shuttle's robot utility arm to lift the module out of Discovery's cargo bay and attach it to the ISS.

In other words, it's going to be a busy frickin' mission.

I'll be taking my radio with me to work that day. If you're a praying man, think about this mission over the next couple of weeks.

DP

[Dead Parrot]

AUUUUUUUGGGGGGHHHHHHH!

DP