"ROCK 'N ROLL DISCOVERY!"
The Shuttle Discovery has left a bright trail of fire and smoke yesterday afternoon, Thursday, when it climbed into orbit for a very important mission for the International Space Station.
The launch comes (finally) after a last-minute technical problem (literally!) that left only four seconds in the launch window and actual practice, only two seconds, because of controls on the external fuel tank.
" Mike Leinbach (Shuttle Launch Director) had a second longer than necessary to do the job, so there was a lot of margin " said Mike Moses, president of the Mission Management Team. Nevertheless, he joked, "h or had fewer heart palpitations in the final seconds of the countdown .
Leinbach said the launch simulations have affected the team of controllers to handle the tension of the last seconds before the decision of "go" at the end to be taken in any way without putting at risk a mission.
"This was an event for the record books," said Leinbach. "It may sound a bit 'absurd to people outside of our team but it is only through the merits of team that we have succeeded in this."
The launch of the shuttle is not the only thing that took place yesterday in the context of international space activities.
Just as the tank of Discovery has ended to be fed with fuel, the ' European Space Agency's Automated Transfer Vehicle docked at the space station. Transport, without people aboard, was launched from South America last week on an Ariane V.
" This was quite a day of space flight" tremendous " for us," said BLL Gerstenmaier, NASA's administrator for space operations. "We sit here today, with these two events occur simultaneously, is something quite amazing."
With a new module to the International Space Station in its cargo space, the Discovery began its latest mission, starting toward the blue sky of Florida.
The flight carries important spare parts for the International Space Station and Module Express Logistics Carrier-4.
Astronaut Steve Bowen has replaced Mr Tim Kopra as a mission specialist following a cycling accident which occurred on January 15 Kopra unable to support the efforts of the launch.
Bowen flew on the shuttle Atlantis in May 2010 as part of STS-132 crew and participate in this mission STS-133 makes it 's first astronaut who has flown missions in two consecutive .
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