22:20 - NASA decided to abandon the landing attempts in Florida due to thunderstorms
Update 12 / 9 / 09 The shuttle landed. See new news.
Update 22:45 - NASA decided to completely abandon the landing in Florida. The landing in California is expected at 01:53, when the engines will be turned on for about 3-4 minutes to slow the shuttle down at 00:47.
22: 30 Update
The NASA website states that tonight (evening for them) four landing opportunities are expected for the shuttle Discovery, two in Florida due to its problematic weather and the others in California. The first landing window will be scheduled for 00:48 Israel time, although it was missed due to the weather. There is a possibility to land in the next lap - at 02:23, which will be relevant if it is not finally decided to move the landing to California.
If landing in Florida is not possible on any of the occasions, the astronauts will be able to land at Edwards Air Force Base in California. This option is less preferred by NASA due to the high cost of transporting the shuttle from California back to Florida, and the need to quickly return it to use due to the tight schedule of shuttle flights in the coming year.
The first opportunity to land in California is expected at 03:53, and the second at 05:28.
NASA will try to land the shuttle on the night between Friday and Saturday in Florida and if the weather conditions continue to be difficult - a landing will be made in California
Update 11/9/09 time 03:15
NASA decided to postpone the landing of the shuttle Discovery for at least a day, after two landing options at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida were postponed due to thunderstorms less than 50 km from the Kennedy Space Center.
Now the seven members of the STS-128 mission team who returned from a ten-day mission on the space station will have to wait for the weather forecast before the possible landing windows in Florida tomorrow (the night between Friday and Saturday). Tomorrow also has several landing opportunities at Edwards Air Force Base in Florida. The weather forecast for tomorrow speaks of unstable weather in Florida compared to excellent weather for landing in California. NASA ordered the Edwards base to be used for the shuttle landing tomorrow.
Discovery left the space station - landing on the night between Thursday and Friday 02:05
Despite the concerns, the disengagement went smoothly. The ferry is expected to land in Cape Canaveral during Thursday * The landing date may change depending on the weather conditions
Update 10/9/2009 - The landing is expected tonight, with the first attempt planned for 02:05 Israel time, the night between Thursday and Friday (19:05 on Thursday EST). If the landing is not possible, there will be another opportunity about an hour and a half later.
00: 30 Update
The pilot of the space shuttle Discovery, Kevin Ford, disconnected Discovery from the International Space Station this evening (Tuesday) at 22:26 Israel time. This happened when the two spacecraft were hovering at an altitude of about 360 km above western China, near the Mongolian border. During the operation, there were fears of malfunctions in the departure of the spacecraft due to a lack of fuel in the auxiliary engines in the bow of the shuttle used for maneuvers in space, but it seems that the maneuver passed safely.
After drifting about 150 meters away from the station, Ford performed a flyby around the station to allow the shuttle crew to scan and photograph the space station complex. Shortly after midnight, the ferry set fire which caused it to move away from the station.
Later, shuttle crew members will open the robotic arm again and attach extension sensors and cameras to it for a final look at the heat protection system to check for any damage during the week the shuttle was docked at the space station.
The shuttle landing at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida is expected on Thursday. Although we are used to weather often delaying ferry landings.
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It turns out that rain is a very expensive business then..
She is obviously being brought back to Florida. It is not possible to launch from anywhere else. It costs 2-3 million dollars to fly it on a 747 that was specially adapted for this, and it also takes them a week of preparations for the next launch which should take place later this year.
If it lands in California they have to return the shuttle to Florida for NASA? Is she staying there in Edward?
To invest more resources in space!! And send a manned flight to Mars already!!
I don't think our goal should be to search for life on other planets
We need to look for another planet for humans rich in resources
Titan is a moon of the planet Saturn in the solar system. Your question is valid regarding stars and other celestial bodies outside the solar system, at a distance of several tens or hundreds of "light years".
A "light-year" is a measure of distance, and it is the distance that light travels (whose speed is constant) during one year, and is approximately 9,500,000,000,000 kilometers.
Titan is a few light hours away, no more
A question for astronomers:
When we look at Titan do we see what was decades or hundreds of years ago
And if so, then what's the point, maybe now there is already life there and it will take up to hundreds of years until we know what is there now
In general, I would be happy to receive a short explanation about the point of looking back at the time of the rules mainly
Thanks to the tortured