posted 11-05-2007 02:47 PM               

Deorbit Timeline for the First KSC Landing Opportunity November 7
(all times are CST)

posted 11-05-2007 02:54 PM               

Orbit 238
TIG: 10:59:12 CST
Landing: 12:01:50 CST

Orbit 239
TIG: 12:34:42 CST
Landing: 1:36:12 CST

posted 11-05-2007 03:17 PM               

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Landing Weather - The MMT [Mission Management Team] took a quick look at EOM [End of Mission] KSC weather. A dry front is predicted to move through KSC about 12 hours before landing resulting in strong head winds on the 33 approach but still within Flight Rule limits. A full entry brief will be provided to the MMT tomorrow including the complete weather forecast.

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posted 11-06-2007 07:48 AM               

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Entry Plan - Entry Flight Director/Bryan Lunney briefed the entry plan at today's MMT [Mission Management Team]. The limiting orbiter consumable will be supply water with at least 7 deorbit opportunities available over 3 days. The remaining orbiter consumables will support EOM [End of Mission] +3 with at least 2 opportunities per day. The plan is to target two KSC opportunities for EOM on orbits 238 and 239. In the event of an EOM wave-off, EDW may be considered on EOM+1 pending the latest weather forecast and all three sites (KSC, EDW, NOR) will be activated on EOM+2.

Entry Landing Site/Weather - All three landing sites are ready with nominal convoy support, landing aids, and navigation aids. Both the EDW and NOR lakebeds are green. A dry front will pass through KSC early Wednesday morning. This front is forecast to leave behind dry, cool air and a GO forecast with a head wind of 14P23 knots on KSC runway 33. EOM+1 has a GO forecast for EDW and NOR while KSC has a chance of precipitation and a chance of ceilings. EOM+2 has a GO forecast for KSC and NOR while EDW has a slight chance for virga.

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posted 11-06-2007 02:32 PM               

Orbit 328

• Crossing over North America from the North West to South Eart
  
• Start over west coast of British Columbia near Vancouver
  
• Cross over
  • Montana
    
  • Northeast corner of Wyoming
    
  • Southwest corner of South Dakota (Rapid City)
    
  • Central Nebraska
    
  • Northeast Kansas (Topeka)
    
  • Southwest corner of Missouri
    
  • Northeast Arkansas
    
  • Tennessee (Memphis)
    
  • Northeast corner of Mississippi
    
  • Alabama (Birmingham)
    
  • Georgia (Columbus)
• Across northern border of Florida toward east coast (between Orlando and Daytona Beach) and KSC.

• Crossing over North America from the North West to South East.
  • Shallower track over Southwestern United States than first opportunity
• Start over the west coast of Oregon near Portland.
  
• Cross over
  • Southwest corner of Idaho
    
  • Utah (Salt Lake City)
    
  • Colorado
    
  • Northeast corner of New Mexico
    
  • Panhandle of Texas (Amarillo, Wichita Falls, Dallas-Forth Worth)
    
  • Lousiana
• Skirts along the coast and over the Gulf before crossing over the west coast of Florida near Cedar Key and Waccasassa Bay, heading east just north of Orlando to KSC.

posted 11-07-2007 06:55 AM               

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Originally posted by Jay Chladek:
By the time it is over Georgia, it will be deeper in the atmosphere and probably not as visible since I don't think it will be producing a plasma trail at that point (it would probably show up on an infrared camera though). But, I wouldn't be surprised if you heard a sonic boom where you are.

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posted 11-07-2007 11:30 AM               

Discovery has begun entering the atmosphere ("entry interface") at an altitude of around 400,000 feet as it passes over the northern Pacific Ocean.

posted 11-07-2007 12:01 PM               

"Houston, Discovery, wheels stop," announced STS-120 commander Pam Melroy at 12:02:13 p.m. CST.

"Copy wheels stop Discovery, congratulations on a tremendous mission and a great landing Pam," replied capcom Terry Virts.

The landing brings to an end Discovery's 34th mission, the 23rd shuttle flight to the International Space Station and the 120th mission of the shuttle program. STS-120 is the 66th mission to land in Florida and the 51st to land at KSC during the day.

At a mission duration of 15 days, 2 hours, 23 minutes and 55 seconds, STS-120 is the ninth longest shuttle flight. Discovery traveled a total of 6,249,432 miles during 238 orbits of the Earth.

posted 11-07-2007 12:24 PM               

Nose gear touchdown was 14 seconds later at 12:01:32 p.m. (15 days, 2 hours, 23 minutes and 14 seconds).

posted 11-07-2007 01:59 PM               

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Originally posted by NavySpaceFan:
Smooth landing!!!! If she were Navy, I'd say COL Melroy caught the three wire!

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posted 11-07-2007 02:06 PM               

However, at about 11:46AM, I did hear a distinct sonic boom. It was faint, but unmistakable. I went into a closed hangar and even the mechanics inside working on aircraft heard it. Pretty cool stuff.

posted 11-07-2007 02:22 PM               

STS-120 commander Pam Melroy led her crewmates George Zamka, Scott Parazynski, Doug Wheelock and Stephanie Wilson on the traditional walkaround of their orbiter post-landing. ESA astronaut Paolo Nespoli and returning ISS resident Clay Anderson stayed within the crew transport vehicle to undergo additional medical tests, as Melroy explained in her comments:

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It's great to be out here on this gorgeous day, it's a little breezy.

It's great to be back in Florida, especially the home of Discovery. We could not have done this mission without Discovery being as clean and beautiful as it was. Discovery worked perfectly and I just want to say a big thank you to everybody at the Kennedy Space Center for everything that you do because it takes the entire team to pull it together to launch a shuttle as clean as this. And that goes for the whole agency!

I think that the whole agency had to pull together for this particular mission. We saw a lot of unusual things happen, we did a pretty amazing EVA and that was very exciting. It was a thrilling day for both the space shuttle and the space station programs, vindicating both programs in their purpose and their flexibility in space.

I just want to say thank you, we are thrilled to be back home. Sorry that Clay and Paolo couldn't be out here, they're doing great, they're just doing some extra medical tests, so they couldn't join us right now, but I know they feel the same way, particularly Clay can't wait to see his wife Susan, it's their 15th wedding anniversary. So if you see Clay be sure to say happy anniversary and thank you everybody for a beautiful vehicle and a beautiful mission.

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posted 11-07-2007 04:22 PM               

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Originally posted by GACspaceguy:
I managed to get away and watch the landing as shown on the NASA channel. I thought that she "planted" the last ten feet or so of the vertical decent. I was wondering if this may have been due to the head winds and not wanting it to "float" down the runway. I will need to see the replays tonight to verify this. Any comments by those who also saw the landing?

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I'm very interested in the landings of the space shuttle and pay close attention to them, especially the sink rate just before touchdown. Pambo did indeed "plant" it a little during the last few feet. The headwainds were up to 23 knots which is pretty close to the flight rule limits (25 knots). It seems she also touched down a little early at a bit too high speed, judging from the time she derotated the nose. That happens at 185-180 knots and the nose was up much longer than other landings I've seen with touchdown points at 195 knots.

But, hey, I'm knitpicking. What a great landing by Pambo. She did a magnificent job based on the landing conditions and I don't think anyone could've done a better job.

posted 11-07-2007 06:32 PM               

She knew exactly what she was doing and why landing that bird the way she did.