![]() "Youcan expect to see some pretty brilliant flashes in a sequence after we have physical separation from the external tank." "This will be thefirst time that we've flown that," Cain said, noting that it should put onquite a show when Endeavour sheds its orange fuel tank high above the Earth. ![]() One of the new improvements flying aboard Endeavour is a flashunit for a belly-mounted camera to help photograph the shuttle’s fuel tank afterseparation. ![]() "We feel verycomfortable to go fly at night," Cain told reporters during a Sundaybriefing. If all goes as planned,Endeavour will be the second shuttle to launch in darkness since the 2003Columbia tragedy, and the 30th total night launch, following the shuttle Discovery'sDecember 2006 liftoff.ĭarkness can be dangerousbecause technicians have a tough time spotting errant chunks of ice orinsulating foam that can shed from an orbiter's 15-story fuel tank - debriswhich can damage the heat-resistant underbelly of a space shuttle.īut LeRoy Cain, chair of NASA'smission management team, said the agency has addressed these risks by improvingthe external fuel tank and adding extra cameras to the launch vehicle. The only concern we have is a slight chance ofseeing some low-level clouds moving into the area from … the Atlantic," Barrettsaid, adding that cloud cover can interfere with tracking the 100-ton orbiteras it speeds to more than 17,500 mph (28,200 kph) during the trip to space. "We are expectingfavorable conditions for launch. Pat Barrett,NASA’s shuttle weather officer with the 45th Weather Squadron, in a Sundaybriefing. A successful launch willmark the second space station assembly mission of 2008, as well as the second ofup to six NASA shuttle missions planned for the year.Įndeavour has a 90 percentchance of favorable weather conditions at launch time, with the potential forthick clouds posing the only threat, said U.S. ![]()
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