For anyone interested and along the landing ground track STS-131 lands tomorrow at 7:51 AM Central time. If sky's are clear this will be one of the few landings with approach coming over the United States from the North West instead of the South West. NASA - Space Shuttle
Thanks for the "heads up", sadly I live too far south to see anything. This is probably the only time since the early sixties I wished I still lived on the Hi-Line occasionally. I used to go up there some springs to do the spring planting, but haven't been back in the area since I went up there for a friend's funeral back in the '90s. Too bad, I have a good set of binocs and could probably get some sort "view" if the sky was clear and I was close enough.
Clint, If they need to wait one additional orbit the time will be later and it would then follow a more Southern track and possibly be closer to you. I won't be able to see it in any case, darn it!
Just a heads up for anyone interested : NASA - A Countdown of Countdowns: The Space Shuttle's Finale Atlantis STS132 Wednesday's Landing Day Highlights (all times are listed in EDT, US) 3:40 a.m. Deorbit preparations begin 5:01 a.m. Payload bay door closing 5:11 a.m. Mission Control "go" for Ops 3 software transition 6:18 a.m. Atlantis astronauts suit up 6:41 a.m. Astronauts strap into their seats 7:08 a.m. Orbital Maneuvering System engine gimbal checks 7:19 a.m. Auxiliary power unit prestart 7:21 a.m. Mission Control "go/no-go" decision for the deorbit burn 7:28 a.m. Maneuver to the deorbit burn attitude 7:41 a.m. Deorbit burn 8:35 a.m. Merritt Island, Fla. tracking station acquires signal from Atlantis 8:48 a.m. Landing
When I heard/felt the sonic boom this morning, I was happy they'd returned safely and very sad that Atlantis has flown its last.
Just another 'heads-up'; Space shuttle Endeavour and its crew of six astronauts are to return to Earth in the early morning of June 1, 2011, to complete the STS-134 mission, the last of Endeavour's space going career. Landing is scheduled for 2:35 a.m. EDT. The mission launched Monday, May 16, 2011, at 8:56 a.m. EDT on a mission to the International Space Station. NASA - Space Shuttle Just one Shuttle Mission left.
View attachment 13348 My Father sent me this, An F15 "Strike Eagle" on patrol at 26,000 feet as Endeavor breaks through cloud cover after launch. Last Shuttle "ENDEAVOR" flight from Kennedy Space Center - 5-16-2011. I guess no one is going to tread on our Shuttle Launch. America the Beautiful! He used to work on Apollo tracking programs (68-73) on the USNS Huntsville. Converted to a Missile Range Instrumentation Ship at Triple "A" Machine Shop, Inc., San Francisco, CA. 1961 navsource.org/archives For Biak and Texson66.
Nice. Are the Eagles still flying? Heard they had stress cracks in the airframe...And why a Strike Eagle? Weren't they for low level attack?
Thanks for the picture of my favorite Aircraft with the shuttle an added bonus! I missed my one and only chance to actually get a 'hop' in a F-15 back in 1982. I've been depressed everyday since then
"The F-15E Strike Eagle is a superior next generation multi-role strike fighter that is available today. Its unparalleled range, persistence and weapons load make it the backbone of the U.S. Air Force (USAF). A complement of the latest advanced avionics systems gives the Strike Eagle the capability to perform air-to-air or air-to-surface missions at all altitudes, day or night, in any weather." Source: Boeing "A derivative of earlier F-15 model aircraft (A-D), the F-15E Strike Eagle includes the following attributes: Unmatched combat radius and persistence Advanced digital electronic controlled higher thrust engines Max speed greater than twice the speed of sound More than 23,000 pounds of payload, including air-to-air and air-to-ground weapons such as the: the Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) the AGM-130 the Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM) AIM-9X An Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar A digital threat warning system A Service life that will allow it to be viable until at least 2035 The F-15E is produced by Boeing and will be in the U.S. Air Force (USAF) inventory well into the 21st century. For more information, read the F-15E Strike Eagle (PDF) overview." It does seem that this is a bit out of the F-15E normal operational scope but they can carry Aim-120 AMRAAM, AIM-9 Sidewinders and AIM-7 Sparrows. Their versatility is extraordinary since they can fly air to air patrols and then drop their GBU's, LGB's or JDAMS from low altitudes (the ride is a little rough down there) before breaking off for home. Their normal patrol time is 7.5 hours. "The F-15E Strike Eagle is a dual-role fighter with two crew members, a pilot and a weapons systems officer, performing air- to-air and air-to-ground missions. An array of avionics and electronics systems gives the F-15E the capability to fight at low altitude, day or night, and in all weather, as well as the capability to fight its way to a target over long ranges, destroy enemy ground positions and fight its way out." F-15E Strike Eagle Factsheet USAF, Air Combat Command
All time great aircraft that may be getting long in tooth. Inspections show cracks on ninth F-15 - Air Force News | News from Afghanistan & Iraq - Air Force Times
