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 Still's First Mission |
Web posted Jul. 02 at 12:37 AM
By Amy Joyner
Lt. Cmdr. Still, who was raised in Augusta, and six other astronauts beat pessimistic weather conditions and blasted into orbit at 2:02 p.m. Tuesday, becoming the first crew in the 36 years of human spaceflight to fly together twice.
The shuttle Columbia painted the gray-blue sky with a spire of orange flame and clouds of billowing exhaust smoke. NASA had given Columbia a 10 percent chance of launching Tuesday, but the weather cleared just in time.
``Well, gang, I've got to tell you, that's not bad for a 90 percent chance of no-go, huh?'' NASA spaceflight chief Wilbur Trafton Jr. said.
Lt. Cmdr. Still is Columbia's pilot for the 16-day STS-94 microgravity science laboratory mission. This is her second spaceflight; she is NASA's second female shuttle pilot. Lt. Cmdr. Still's first mission STS-83, made with the same crew in April, was forced to return 12 days early because of a defective power generator.
Today, Lt. Cmdr. Still must set up the shuttle's Wireless Data Acquisition System, which will monitor the hardware in the shuttle's payload bay. The data collected will be used in planning of the International Space Station. She must also set up amateur radio gear, so the astronauts can talk to ham radio operators back on Earth.
The astronauts got the message they wanted Tuesday afternoon when mission control cleared them for liftoff at 1:52 p.m.
``Columbia, keep the dream alive,'' mission control said as the countdown started.
But there were moments Tuesday when it seemed Columbia would stay put.
About 11/2 hours before the launch, the skies over Kennedy Space Center darkened and the forecasted showers came. Photographers and reporters ran for cover at the press site, and NASA meteorologists were already calling the launch a wash.
`Everything's working against us today,'' launch weather officer Capt. Scott Jacobs said then. ``The gods are against us.''
The prospects didn't look much better at 1:30 p.m. The area surrounding Kennedy Space Center was buffeted with thunderstorms and summer showers. NASA weather safety rules prohibit a shuttle from launching if there is any precipitation at the launch pad or in the flight path.
The astronaut's family was even contemplating going back to their hotel Tuesday and coming back today for another try.
Asked before liftoff if the shuttle would make it off the ground, Lt. Cmdr. Still's father, Dr. Joseph Still quipped, ``You got a coin?''
Air Force weather forecasters had predicted since the weekend that intermittent afternoon thunderstorms would likely keep the shuttle on the ground until today, if not later. To beat the storms, NASA officials on Monday moved the targeted launch time up 47 minutes to 1:50 p.m.
To accommodate the earlier launch Tuesday, mission managers sacrificed one of four daylight landing opportunities at the end of the mission on July 17. Engineers also worked through the night to ready the shuttle for early liftoff.
Lt. Cmdr. Still told her family that Tuesday was the optimal time for the shuttle to launch and the astronaut scientists to begin their in-orbit experiments.
``Susan had said they were trying everything they could to go (Tuesday),'' said Sue Still, the astronaut's stepmother.
By 1:52 p.m., the storms had subsided and launch weather constraints were lifted and the shuttle was cleared for liftoff. The odds were finally in the astronauts' favor.
``Have a good flight. You're clear to launch,'' mission control announced, as crowds at the Banana Creek viewing area cheered and applauded. ``The weather's improving everywhere.''
Columbia launched about nine minutes later, shooting straight into a hazy sky. The shuttle made orbit without any mechanical problems, except for an irregular reading from an auxiliary power unit shortly after liftoff. Mission managers did not consider the irregular reading a problem late Tuesday.
``The experts are looking at the data, but so far they haven't seen anything that worries them at all,'' Mr. Shriver said.
Dr. Still said he expects his daughter and her crewmates to have some equipment problems during their mission because the shuttle is a highly technical vehicle.
``I have a lot of confidence in her and the space shuttle crew, and I don't have any fear about things,'' he said. ``I do expect problems, but I think they can handle it.''
If nothing goes wrong, the shuttle Columbia will remain in orbit for 16 days. During the mission, the astronauts will conduct 33 experiments to test how gravity affects combustion, crystal growth and plant growth. These experiments are a precursor to the work that will be done on the planned International Space Station.
The shuttle landing is set for 7:23 a.m. July 17 at Kennedy Space Center.
Shari Green, a 13-year-old burn patient of Dr. Still, watched the launch with members of the astronaut's family. The Orangeburg, S.C., teen said she was excited to see her doctor's daughter rocket into space.
``I think she's much like her father,'' Shari said. ``She lives to follow her dream.''
The Associated Press contributed to this article.
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