HDNet to Provide LIVE Exclusive High Def Coverage of Launch of Atlantis - Saturday!

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HDNet to Provide LIVE Exclusive High Definition Coverage of Launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis, Sunday, August 27th

Exclusive HD Telecast of STS-115 will provide NASA with high-definition imagery to aid in-depth analysis of launch

Source

DALLAS, TX – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - HDNet will once again take viewers on an exclusive high-definition adventure with complete coverage of NASA's launch of the Space Shuttle Atlantis and her six astronaut crew as they embark on mission STS-115.
Coverage begins Sunday, August 27th at 12:00pm ET with a scheduled launch time of 4:30pm ET. HDNet will provide an abbreviated encore presentation of the launch at 8:00pm ET on Monday, August 28th.
In addition to the live coverage, HDNet’s footage will also provide NASA engineers with some extra help in analyzing Sunday’s launch. By utilizing the special, high-definition imagery provided exclusively by HDNet, engineers will especially be looking for any release of the protective foam from the outer surface of the shuttle’s external tank that may occur during the launch.
The NASA Debris Team "quick-look" analysis begins immediately following the launch and will include the HDNet cameras that will record the lift-off, the roll and the solid rocket booster separation of the shuttle.
The analysis activity will go on for days, which means that the HDNet imagery will be scrutinized many times over by the NASA Debris Team.
“We’re very honored to provide a high-definition resource for NASA,” said Mark Cuban of HDNet. “To be able to aid in the analysis of the launch process makes this partnership with NASA about a lot more than just great television, it means we’re helping to make space travel safer for future generations.”
"This venture was so successful during the historic return-to-flight launch of Space Shuttle Discovery on STS-114 and on mission STS-121 that we are more than happy to continue our partnership with HDNet," said NASA Chief of Media Services Bill Johnson. "Watching a launch in high definition captures the excitement of seeing the shuttle lift off from the Kennedy Space Center."
As with the previous launch of Discovery in July of this year, HDNet will be using up to 14 cameras positioned throughout the Kennedy Space Center, in addition to a Canon 86xTele lens.
HDNet's extensive live coverage will include behind-the-scenes access to the astronauts as they suit up and board the shuttle, complete with their pre-launch routine inside the crew module. Then viewers will witness the countdown, launch, and follow the shuttle as it reaches far into the earth's atmosphere.
The network’s coverage will be hosted by Greg Dobbs, in addition to a new member of the HDNet broadcast team, former NASA Astronaut, Lieutenant Colonel Charles D. “Sam” Gemar.
Gemar is a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy and veteran of three Shuttle missions, including one aboard Atlantis.
HDNet will also deliver the live audio feed from NASA in keeping with the network’s practice of delivering live world news raw and uninterrupted by outside commentary. This way, the HDNet audience can also receive information directly from NASA mission control.
During the 11 days in space, Atlantis will meet the international space station then install a truss and two large solar arrays which will eventually provide one quarter of the total power generation capability of the completed station.
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The launch has been postponed for at least 24 hours...
 
NASA: Shuttle Atlantis to Launch No Earlier Than Tuesday
27 August 2006 11:50 a.m. EDT


CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The planned flight of the space shuttle Atlantis is officially delayed until Tuesday at the earliest due to ongoing discussions over a Friday lightning strike at the spacecraft’s Florida launch pad, NASA spokesperson Bruce Buckingham said today.

The announcement marks the second launch delay in as many days for Atlantis due to a powerful lightning strike at the shuttle’s Pad 39B launch site on Friday.

Atlantis is now set to launch toward the International Space Station (ISS) on Tuesday, Aug. 29, at 3:41:43 p.m. EDT (1941:43 GMT), NASA said. The 11-day STS-115 mission will deliver a pair of massive, 17.5-ton trusses to the ISS, as well as two new solar arrays, to resume construction of the orbital laboratory.

Engineers are analyzing the bolt’s impact on the explosive charge system that separates Atlantis’ solid rocket boosters from the launch pad at liftoff and the orbiter’s external tank two minutes into flight.

NASA delayed Atlantis’s launch from a planned Aug. 27 liftoff on Saturday due to the 100,000-amp lightning strike, which hit part of Pad 39B’s protection system and not the orbiter itself.

“No damage to the vehicle or the pad has been reported,” Buckingham said.

A briefing is now set for 2:00 p.m. EDT (1800 GMT), Buckingham added.

That briefing would be held on NASA TV. You are invited to follow the briefing using SPACE.com’s NASA TV, which is available by clicking here or using the button at the left.

Click here for SPACE.com’s earlier report of the today’s launch delay.



Source Space.Com
 
NASA's website says the launch is now scheduled for Sept 6:

Atlantis Launch Set for Sept. 6

After weathering tropical depression Ernesto at the launch pad, the shuttle Atlantis is set for launch from the Kennedy Space Center at 12:29 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, Sept. 6
 
Atlantis Launch Set for Sept. 6

Atlantis Launch Set for Sept. 6
After weathering tropical depression Ernesto at the launch pad, the shuttle Atlantis is set for launch from the Kennedy Space Center at 12:29 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, Sept. 6
Commander Brent Jett and his five crewmates will travel to the International Space Station to install a new 17-ton segment of the station's truss backbone, adding a new set of giant solar panels and batteries to the complex. Three spacewalks are planned.
From Nasa
 
Launch Delayed by Fuel Cell Problem
The launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis was postponed Wednesday for at least 24 hours because of an issue with the shuttle's fuel cell number 1. A short (a spike and drop in voltage) in the fuel cell coolant motor was seen shortly after the cell was activated.
The Mission Management Team is scheduled to meet at 1 p.m. EDT Wednesday, and a news conference will follow.
Source Nasa
 
Fuel Cell Analysis Continues
NASA managers are taking more time to gather data about a problem with one of Space Shuttle Atlantis' fuel cells. The next launch attempt will be no earlier 11:41 a.m. EDT on Friday, Sept. 8.
Commander Brent Jett and his crew are set to install the 17.5 ton P3/P4 truss on the International Space Station, activating a new set of solar arrays that will double the outpost's ability to generate power from sunlight.
Source Nasa
 
Well, looks like it may happen today!
Pretty good reporting by HDNet this morning. :up
 
Ilya said:
Well, looks like it may happen today!
Pretty good reporting by HDNet this morning. :up

Yeah, I love watching the shuttle launch in HD! Just so crisp imagery.

They just shut the hatch. 2 hours and counting!
 
Its off!!!

But they had a camera on it that was mostly covered by smoke. Not the picture perfect launch in terms of filming. But a glorious launch nonetheless!
 
At last! This crew has been waiting for this moment for years!
 
rockymtnhigh said:
Its off!!!

But they had a camera on it that was mostly covered by smoke. Not the picture perfect launch in terms of filming. But a glorious launch nonetheless!

Yes, it was gorgeous. A minor oddity: I had HDNET on my big plasma (TV1), and the NASA channel on my little TV (TV2). There was an approximate 12 second lag from the NASA channel to HDNET, so liftoff actually occurred 12 seconds before it was visible on my HDNET (over DISH ViP622). I suppose this is due to the extensive digital processing necessary to negotiate the high definition path?