Florida Today has a feature to give you launch status updates by cell phone, for those of you headed for the beaches or barbecues.

I'd bet that they're going to launch today--no technical issues (no ice formed where the foam came off) and the forecast is about as good as it gets. Unfortunately, we can't drive all the way up and back from Boca, and also have the people over for the planned barbecue and fireworks tonight (at least not easily, with high probability of success). We might head up north of Jupiter or Hobe Sound, though, where the coast turns to the northwest to give a view of the Cape from the south on a barrier island. That would only take an hour each way, and be relatively uncrowded. We wouldn't hear or feel the launch, but we'd see it. Still making plans.

What really sucks is the orbit of the ISS makes the shuttle go to the northeast rather than southeast. I have decent viewing from my backyard when they go to an equatorial orbit, but they are obcsured by trees going to ISS. Two weeks ago got to see the delta launch from the Fl turnpike around Jensen Beach.
Always has been my wish that the ISS was in an orbit that made it useful as an orbital garage. I wonder what the feeling about manned spaceflight would be if some tech from JPL had to go to the ISS to tweak the latest probe before it was sent on its way.

Um.. I don't think they can go into an equitorial orbit. Don't you have to launch from the equator to do that? I thought an orbit had to include the launch site.

He probably meant a 28.5 degree orbit (due east).

You know, I actually feel kinda smart that I even knew that. It's a long way from my field of comfortable expertise.

Generally, the lowest inclination you can directly launch into is equal to the site's latitude. Since the Cape is roughly 28.5 degrees north latitude, that's the minimum inclination. You might be able to get a little lower inclination by altering course while still under powered flight but probably not by very much.

To the best of my knowledge, no one has ever launched from the Cape directly into an orbit with an inclination less than 28.5 degrees. That might be due to other constraints, such as avoiding overflying Cuba or other occuppied islands.

Sometimes, the minimum inclination from a launch site is due to these other constraints. Take the launch site at Tyuratam (AKA Balkinour). If memory serves, it is located at roughly 49 degrees north latitude but the minimum inclination they go for is roughly 51 degrees to avoid overflying China. That's why the ISS was put in the orbit it's in.

Always open to learn new stuff. From my house the shuttle was obscured by clouds. FWIW being a poor horticulturist space fan I always remember that when I first moved to Florida my then roomate helped Frank Borman buy lawn fertilizer. He came home and said, "He may have gone to moon but you know more about fertilizer than he does."

my then roomate helped Frank Borman buy lawn fertilizer. He came home and said, "He may have gone to moon but you know more about fertilizer than he does."

Wow, Frank Borman really didn't know...?

Um, never mind.

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