JULY 27 - AUGUST 2, 2005
NEWS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
7
NASA
Shuttle liftoff success
NASA launches first shuttle since Columbia
First Lady Laura Bush, left, watches the launch of the space shuttle Discovery as she sits with Florida Gov. Jeb Bush at the Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral, Fla. on July 26.
BY MARCIA DUNN THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Bruce Weaver/THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. Discovery and seven astronauts blasted into orbit July 26 on America's first manned space shot since the 2003 Columbia disaster, ending a painful, 2 1/2-year shutdown devoted to making the shuttle less risky and NASA more safety-conscious.
At stake were not only the lives of the astronauts, but also America's pride in its technological prowess, the fate of the U.S. space program and the future of space exploration itself.
"Our long wait may be over. So on behalf of the many millions of people who believe so deeply in what we do, good luck, Godspeed — and have a little fun up there," launch director Mike Leinbach told the astronauts just before liftoff.
Space program employees and relatives of both the Discovery and Columbia crews watched nervously as the shuttle rose from its pad at 10:39
a. m., climbed into a hazy midsummer sky, skirted two decks of clouds and headed out over the ocean in the most scrutinized launch in NASA history. Two chase planes and more than 100 cameras documented the ascent from every possible angle to capture any sign of flying debris of the sort that doomed the last flight.
Some two hours later, after Discovery had settled into orbit, Discovery commander Eileen Collins radioed back: "We know that the folks back on the planet Earth are just feeling great right now, and our thanks to everybody for all the super work that's been done over the past 21/2 years to get us flying again."
Mission Control replied by promising to bring the astronauts home safely.
Video showed what appeared to be a large piece of debris flying off the external fuel tank two minutes into the flight. The object did not seem to hit the orbiter. Footage also showed what might have been at least two light-colored objects flying off Discovery as the shuttle cleared the launch pad.
Deputy shuttle program manager Wayne Hale raised the possibility that the light-colored objects were harmless pieces of paper that protect Discovery's thrusters before
launch. But he insisted it was too soon to say what the cameras may have picked up, and he gave assurances the multitude of images will be examined frame by frame in the
coming hours and days.
"No telling what might be there or what's not there — we hope nothing." he said.
The fuel gauge that thwarted a launch attempt two weeks ago worked properly before and during the liftoff, and the countdown was remarkably smooth. If the sensors had acted up before liftoff, the space agency had been prepared to bend its safety rules to get the shuttle flying.
A TV camera mounted on Discovery's giant orange external fuel tank provided an unprecedented view of the shuttle's entire climb to orbit in spectacular orange and blue, and showed the shuttle banking away and the empty tank being jettisoned back toward Earth to burn up in the atmosphere.
"I ask you all to take note of what you saw here today: the power and the majesty of launch, of course, but also the confidence and the professionalism, the sheer gall,
the pluckiness, the grittiness of this team that pulled this program out of the depths of despair 21/2 years ago and made it fly," NASA Administrator Michael Griffin said shortly after the launch.
Across the country, Americans watched the liftoff, cheering and applauding as it roared away from the launch pad. "I am very proud," said Airman First Class Daniel Tureac of New York City, who watched on a giant screen in Times Square. "I am part of the Air Force and this is the highest up you can go, being on a shuttle crew. This is very exciting."
In the hometown of Japanese astronaut Soichi Noguchi, firecrackers were popped and congratulatory cheers of "Banzai!" rang out.
During the 12-day mission, the astronauts will deliver supplies to the international space station and test new techniques for inspecting and patching the shuttle in orbit.
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