Atlantis Blasts Off Finally

After Many Weather Delays



Atlantis is off and flying.

After two weeks of postponements caused by bad weather and nagging mechanical problems, the Atlantis lifted off on time at 11:14:55 a.m.

The countdown was unhindered by any major technical issue. After a blazing rise into the sky, the yellow flames of its booster rockets visible through holes in billowing cloud banks, the shuttle slipped into orbit without incident about 10 minutes later.

"Your long wait is over," NASA's launch director, Michael D. Leinbach, told the crew just before liftoff.

The fuel tank sensor that forced postponement of Friday's attempt appeared to work normally during early-morning fueling of the 500,000-gallon tank that held the propellant for the shuttle's three main engines. The engine cutoff sensor that failed and three others that operated properly in the hydrogen section of the shuttle's external tank proved not to be an issue.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration has been trying to launch the shuttle on its 11-day mission to resume construction of the station since Aug, 27. A lightning bolt hitting the launching pad, a threatening tropical storm and equipment problems with a shuttle power generator and the fuel sensor forced repeated delays.

The shuttle had to get off this weekend to avoid conflict with a Russian launching of a Soyuz spacecraft carrying a new crew to the space station on Sept. 18 . A delay would have forced NASA to wait until at least the end of September.

Back to the construction of the ISS.
Meanwhile in Japan...

JAXA Launch Delayed Due To Weather


JAXA were launching a surveillance satellite, but they have delayed their launch due to inclement weather.

宇宙航空研究開発機構は10日未明、同日午後に予定していた政府の情報収集衛星の打ち上げを11日以降に延期する、と発表した。打ち上げ場所の種子島宇宙センター（鹿児島県）の天候が悪化したため。

　情報収集衛星は3基目で、北朝鮮のミサイル施設などを監視する事実上の偵察衛星。国産主力ロケットＨ２Ａ・10号機で10日に打ち上げる予定だった。

They'll try again next week. Now that I know what it's like in the PR observation room, I can just imagine the deep sighs amongst the press. I even know that grey-haired guy in that photo handing out the PR stuff. He's a really annoying, unhelpful man.