# Return to Space: STS-121 Launch in HD



## Nick (Apr 23, 2002)

NASA ON HDNet

Space Shuttle Discovery STS-121 Launch - The new crew of space shuttle Discovery
will return to space, continuing to test new equipment and procedures that have been
designed to increase the safety of space shuttles, during the STS-121 mission to the
International Space Station. HDNet, as one aspect of its partnership with NASA, will
present the live launch of STS 121, as well as other significant events
of launch day.

Sat., Jul 1 - 10:00 AM ET / 7:00 AM PT


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## Nick (Apr 23, 2002)

A reminder that the Space Shuttle Discovery STS-121 Launch is scheduled for tomorrow, Saturday, July 1. 
HDNet will begin its _wall-to-wall_ HD coverage of launch day events at 10am eastern / 7am pacific.

Coverage of the launch in SD will also be available on NASA TV, NASA's free public interest channel.

NASA TV


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## Laverne (Feb 17, 2005)

COOL!! Thanks for the reminder, Nick! I had no idea it was coming up so soon!! :eek2:

Anyone know exactly what time lift-off is scheduled for?


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## Danny R (Jul 5, 2002)

3:49 PM Eastern


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## homeskillet (Feb 3, 2004)

Keep an eye out, as the National Weather Service has said that their is a 60% chance of weather delaying the launch (Source: The Today Show)


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## Neil Derryberry (Mar 23, 2002)

I can't wait to see it.. I've got a sony 57" widescreen to watch it on now!


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## BobMurdoch (Apr 24, 2002)

Gotta set the PVR for it.......


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## Richard King (Mar 25, 2002)

I'm going to TRY to drive up the road and catch it live. If I do I'll be posting some pix to my PBase site. I can't wait to try the 400mm lens on this one.  A friend of mine is coming to town tomorrow morning to jump out of perfectly good airplanes. I hope to get him to the drop zone (on the way to the Cape) and leave him there. I have a feeling that there will be a real mob scene trying to get close though. I also am making it a PVR event.


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## Richard King (Mar 25, 2002)

Launch Pad 39B is to be used tomorrow. If I go to the Cape to catch a launch my normal viewing point is at the southern tip of this map, just east of where it says Cape Canaveral. I think this time I will head to Titusville for a closer view. Most commercial launches (Echostar) leave from the Cape Canaveral USAF Station giving me a good shot from my usual spot.


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## redbird (May 9, 2005)

This should be a good workout for your sub-woofers!


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## Richard King (Mar 25, 2002)

Well, I didn't go (this time). I looked at the sky and figured they would scrub it. Glad I didn't waste my time. Tomorrow's another day, I think.


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## Nick (Apr 23, 2002)

Richard, you should have been a weatherman. :sure:


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## tnsprin (Mar 16, 2003)

Richard King said:


> Well, I didn't go (this time). I looked at the sky and figured they would scrub it. Glad I didn't waste my time. Tomorrow's another day, I think.


Anyone know if they will cover Today, if it occurs, or the 4th if it is delayed again? Doesn't appear to be on at the moment.


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## Nick (Apr 23, 2002)

NASA said it will try again today, Sunday at 3:26 p.m. EDT. Saturday's launch attempt was scrubbed due to weather conditions at the Kennedy Space Center. Today's countdown will again be on HDNet with HD coverage beginning at 11am ET. Yesterday, I also saw extensive pre-launch coverage in SD on C-Span and NASA TV.

If today's launch is scrubbed, NASA said it will try again Tuesday, July 4.

www.nasa.gov, www.hd.net.com


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## Richard King (Mar 25, 2002)

Scrubbed until the 4th. Today's weather was worse than yesterday. Needless to say, I didn't make the trip, again.


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## Nick (Apr 23, 2002)

NASA: Discovery Launch Delayed

Bad weather at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida has delayed the launch
of Discovery. The next launch attempt is on Tuesday, July 4, at 2:38 p.m. EDT.


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## Earl Bonovich (Nov 15, 2005)

http://www.hd.net/pressrelease.html?2006-07-03-01.html



> HDNet's Rescheduled Exclusive HDTV Coverage of Discovery Launch Begins At 10:00 AM EDT July 4th
> What: HDNet's coverage of the liftoff of NASA's Space Shuttle Discovery, STS-121 will resume on Tuesday, July 4th at 10:00am ET with liftoff set for 2:38pm EDT. HDNet will be the only television network to bring viewers the launch coverage in stunning high-definition television. It would be the first manned launch by the United States on Independence Day.
> 
> When: Live, uninterrupted coverage begins at 10:00am EDT on July 4th, and continues through the 2:38pm EDT liftoff.
> ...


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## Nick (Apr 23, 2002)

Thanks, Earl, but we already have an ongoing thread about HDNet's coverage of the launch of STS-121. Perhaps you could just add the press blurb to the thread so we don't get two discussions going in different threads on the same topic.

Thanks


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## Earl Bonovich (Nov 15, 2005)

Otay


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## Dave from Kazoo (Nov 28, 2004)

Great to see the launch in HD.


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## Richard King (Mar 25, 2002)

Well, I took about 70 (edit... make that 100 shots) pictures from Patrick Air Force Base across from the main gate. When I got to my shooting site I realized that I forgot to set my timers.  I'll be posting some pix on my PBase site later today(?) when I get some time. FANTASTIC site.


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## Richard King (Mar 25, 2002)

We have liftoff. I have six images so far uploaded to here: http://www.pbase.com/rking401/shuttle_july_4th_2006

I'll be doing a bunch more and will post when done.


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## Richard King (Mar 25, 2002)

Done uploading.
http://www.pbase.com/rking401/shuttle_july_4th_2006&page=all


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## Nick (Apr 23, 2002)

Great pics, Richard. That 400x is impressive - puts you right on the flight deck!

About how far away were you from the launch?


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## Chris Blount (Jun 22, 2001)

Excellent pics Richard! Very impressive. Cool how you were able to catch the boosters coming off. 

The HDNet coverage was great. I liked how after the launch, they replayed it from the different camera angles. The shuttle never looked better.


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## Richard King (Mar 25, 2002)

They were shot from about 40 miles away, right next to Patrick Air Force Base south of Cocoa Beach. I got the boosters because I had a relatively long lens (400mm) which brings the action in closer and I cropped the pictures a bit. This one: http://www.pbase.com/rking401/image/62947015 is uncropped, but resized. If you look at the stats on each picture (below the pictures at the site) you can see the time frame. I want to get closer the next time as I had originally planned. Too many things got in the way time wise to be able to make it ot Titusville.


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## mwgiii (Jul 19, 2002)

Cool pics Richard.


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## Richard King (Mar 25, 2002)

Thanks, MW


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## sorahl (Oct 24, 2002)

Awesome  Thanks Richard 
The Space Shuttle launching is, in my book, one of the 10 most beautiful things on earth...


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## untouchable (Jun 24, 2006)

Awesome pics...not a better day for it to have taken place either...should make everyone feel proud to be an American.


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## Laverne (Feb 17, 2005)

Certainly not to take away from the pics Richard took.... But he wouldn't have had a good angle to take some of the pics posted on the NASA site:

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/multimedia/index.html

I especially enjoyed the high res pics found in the Flight Days 3 and 5 Highlights.  Particularly the one of the nose of the shuttle with the view of the earth below, and the one of the belly of the nose.  Those were in the Flight Day 3 Highlights.


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## Chris Blount (Jun 22, 2001)

The solid rocket booster video is incredible!

http://mfile.akamai.com/18566/wmv/e...a-global/sts-121/right_forward_srb_camera.asx


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## Richard King (Mar 25, 2002)

Chris Blount said:


> The solid rocket booster video is incredible!
> 
> http://mfile.akamai.com/18566/wmv/e...a-global/sts-121/right_forward_srb_camera.asx


THAT has to be the most amazing video I have ever seen!! I REALLY need to find a way to run that on my 98" projector. How can I save that file?


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## Richard King (Mar 25, 2002)

By the way, did you people see me waving at you?


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## Richard King (Mar 25, 2002)

If you concentrate on what is happening you can see the shuttle speeding away on the first three flips that the tank takes. Soon after the shuttle leaves the frame the sun hits and overdrives (and shuts down) the camera for a few seconds. That really is an amazing video Thanks Chris for finding it. (watching on my 98" monitor)


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## Chris Blount (Jun 22, 2001)

Did you see the other one Richard? The camera is looking up instead of down. While not as impressive, it's still interesting because you can see exactly when they break through the outer atmosphere.

http://mfile.akamai.com/18566/wmv/e....nasa-global/sts-121/right_aft_srb_camera.asx


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## Nick (Apr 23, 2002)

Richard King said:


> ...watching on my 98" monitor)


Size matters. :grin: _"Consumer Reports' survey of 500 HDTV owners showed that viewing enjoyment increased with screen size, and many wished they'd purchased a bigger set."_


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## Richard King (Mar 25, 2002)

Chris Blount said:


> Did you see the other one Richard? The camera is looking up instead of down. While not as impressive, it's still interesting because you can see exactly when they break through the outer atmosphere.
> 
> http://mfile.akamai.com/18566/wmv/e....nasa-global/sts-121/right_aft_srb_camera.asx


That was good too, but doesn't beat that first one. It's a good thing they used a waterproof camera, although I really expected to see some fishies swimming by checking out what all that noise was about. The second one gave a good view of the smoke trail from the launch on the way down a couple of times. Too much sun overall though.


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## Nick (Apr 23, 2002)

HEADS-UP: Discovery is on final approach for td at KSC.


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## Laverne (Feb 17, 2005)

Wow! Thanks, Nick!! :grin: Somehow I had it in my head that it was tomorrow! :eek2: (Guess I can't count to 13 very well..  )

This is kind of a spoiler, maybe.. How is it that it seems like Greg Dobbs didn't get the heads-up that the shuttle was landing? He was talking away like they weren't gonna land for another hour or so! Then they cut to the shot of the runway right before the shuttle came into view. He seemed very surprised to see it!


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## Nick (Apr 23, 2002)

I agree with you, Laverne.

With all due respect to Greg Dobbs who did a yeoman job of covering the long hours
preceeding the delayed launch of STS-121, I think HDNet's production and directorial
decisions on coverage of the shuttle landing sucked big time. In the minutes before
TD, with 3 windows open on my laptop, I was also watching CNN Pipeline's NASA
feeds, streaming live video from NASA and live doppler radar of the deteriorating
weather around KSC. Much better, IMO, except for PQ, of course.. :shrug:

I supposes we veteran space groupies just expect more of the nitty-gritty technical
details and less of the continuous narration, which I would imagine most sophisticated
HDTV subs would also want.

Anywho, WELCOME HOME :welcome_s and a big THUMBS UP :up: to the crew of STS-!21. !pride


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## Laverne (Feb 17, 2005)

Well, I did appreciate his commentary before the launch. He seemed very knowledgeable. It sounded like he had been to quite a few launches, etc., in times past. (And I disagree that Dan Rather would be good for that job, I kinda like Mr. Dobbs. )

Hopefully they will get some sort of rhythm going, as I am really enjoying watching the shuttle comings and goings in High Definition. :grin: In fact, IMHO, those events alone are worth "the price of admission"!


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## penguin44 (Oct 29, 2005)

Nick said:


> I agree with you, Laverne.
> 
> With all due respect to Greg Dobbs who did a yeoman job of covering the long hours
> preceeding the delayed launch of STS-121, I think HDNet's production and directorial
> ...


I totally agree. I was looking forward to some great HD landing coverage. I know it was overcast etc, but with HDnet on I couldn't PIP the landing but I did PVR it and then watched both Nasatv and HDNet. I like the PQ but it was like 'oh yeah, here comes the shuttle' and then cut to the landing about 200 feet to go. When I watched the Nasa station, i liked the POV shots and some of the shots from the VAB and other TV camera locations.

Launch coverage was good though. I could use less of him talking and more of the Nasa guys talking.


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## Richard King (Mar 25, 2002)

I was amazed that they brought it back to Florida considering the overcast skies. It was near total overcast here, about 75 miles south of the cape, and very much overcast there also. You could see the shuttle dropping through the clouds on the front mounted camera (I was watching NASA television for the landing since NDNET seemed quiet). By the way, there was no sonic boom here, must be too far away on the flight path they used.


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## bheil (Feb 24, 2006)

Yeah. Loved the launch coverage, but the landing sucked. Did anyone else think the PQ was a little low on the landing as compared to the launch? I noticed it especially when they showed the convey at the side of the runway. Seemed a lot less detailed and sharp then the shots of the launch.
Now they need to get some HD cameras on and in the ISS, and give us 24x7 HDNasaTV!
Even so, some of the shots of the station and orbiter they showed during the highlights after the landing were pretty nice.


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## dfergie (Feb 28, 2003)

Explanation from Greg Dobbs


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