Shuttle Discovery Lifts Off

An anonymous reader writes "CNN is reporting that the Space Shuttle Discovery has lifted off, marking the United States' returned to manned space flight for the first time since the Columbia disaster in February 2003"

MSNBC Commentator is a jackass

[SoCalChris]

"There are large vultures circling the launch tower, we've got to ask ourselves if they know something that we don't". Jackass.

We've Returned Baby

[null etc.]

marking the United States' returned to manned space flight

Here's hoping to United States' returned to proper grammar and editorial spellchecking.

fun with conspiracy theories.

[peculiarmethod]

I saw the live feed from NASA.. I must say congrats.. but I'll give the conspiracy theorists something to ponder.. from the t-minus 30 minutes that I caught it, there was no switch to internal cameras to show the crew on-board.. this was not the case on the feed from the scrapped launch weeks ago. plenty of live shots on the crew that time. hmmmmm.. perhaps this mission is humanless??? hmmmmmmmmm???

or perhaps they're sending te backstreet boys, cause they needed funding.

RIAA FUNDS NASA!!

hehe

If you missed the launch...

[angst7]

No worries, it'll be announced again right here on Slashdot within 24 hours. I can hardly wait!

Yet another reason to hate MS

[carambola5]

Scene: me and 50 coworkers at a NASA subcontractor watching the webcast a la MSN Video on an XP box.

20 seconds before launch, the feed goes blank. Way to piss off a bunch of rocket scientists, Microsoft. Way to go. We ended up watching the rest on NASATV on a puny TV, which was ahead of the webcast by a minute. In other words, by the time the webcast went blank, back on the regular TV, we had already missed ignition and lift off.

ARGH!

Re:MSNBC Commentator is a jackass

[Anonymous Coward]

How did CNN get the Star Trek Transporter Chief to be a commenator on the shuttle launch? Must have had an "IN" with commander Sisko.

Re:Camera Views

[Buran]

Except they cut to a fucking Ford commercial instead of run the footage until the camera signal was lost. I hate CNN.

Re:MSNBC Commentator is a jackass

[Drachemorder]

"That's why you watch CNN and Miles O'Brien if you need a commentator. The guy is an enthusiast, and his excitement comes across the screen quite well."

He ought to know what he's talking about. He spent enough time patching up the Enterprise and DS9 that.... oh. Never mind.

Re:Torrent of HD stream?

[Anonymous Coward]

It's been available for weeks now. Although it wasa the prerelease screener with timecode still on it.

Oh and they did not finish the special FX so the rocket exaust is rteally weak looking.

Re:Torrent of HD stream?

[Hogwash McFly]

In space, no one can peer your stream.

But look at the mission crew!

[Anonymous Coward]

This vessel is manned by a mathematician, a different kind of mathematician, and a statistician. How can you call that boring??

Re:Godspeed!?

[Rob Carr]

It's 0.99999999999999999999999091854725c, if I crunched the numbers right.

That's the speed at which 4.5 billion years passes in 7 days. (6 days working plus one of rest).

Oblg. Simpsons Quote

[AgentSmith]

Okay. It's kinda on topic.

Bart: Go, Dad, go!
Lisa: "How doth the hero strong and brave,
A celestial path in the heavens pave."
Everyone: Huh?
Lisa: [quiet] Go, Dad, go.

Quote from Simpson's episode titled
Deep Space Homer

Re:Camera Views

[Anonymous Coward]

So they cut from one vehicle with a reputation for exploding to another?

(ducks and runs)

We need an HD "Earth Views" satellite in orbit

[wsanders]

I for one would go out and finally buy an HD TV and subscribe to a channel that consisted solely of Earth views from an HD-capable camera placed in orbit permanently. Or you could just bolt this on to the side of the ISS. How hard could this be? And you could use the footage for MSN Maps (ka-dunk!)

I have a small pile of "Earth View" tapes from early shuttle missions that NASA used to sell for cheap. Good viewing, slap in a tape and put your favorite space music on the CD player. Not very HD but an excellent use of my tax dollars.

Re:A toast!

[pete-classic]

And if that doesn't work, try whippits.

-Peter

Re:Godspeed!?

[Rob Carr]

Sure: The speed at which God would be moving that would result in 13.8 billion years passing in 6 days is 0.99999999999999999999999929053887c. All things considered, 0.9999999999999999999999993 is good enough for sig. figs. I used the Lorentz transformation and solved for v/c. I needed to know the ratio of the two time periods. 13.8 billion *365/6 gives you the ratio of days. I'm ignoring leap years, but it's insignificant. Now, that's a large number, and you take the reciprocal, square it, and then subtract it from one. The square root of that should give you v/c.

Re:MSNBC Commentator is a jackass

[Predius]

One of the two conditions was met, it worked flawlessly on all tests up to and including the one at 9 mins before launch. Once in space, the booster tank is already jettisoned, sensor included, so if it wants to fail during reentry, more power to it.

Re:MSNBC Commentator is a jackass

[PriceIke]

Better Miles O'Brien than Montgomery Scott.

"Oh look, rocket-powered propulsion. How quaint."