Electric Light Orchestra's "Mr. Blue Skies" woke up the seven astronauts sleeping on board the Endeavour this morning, played for STS-118 commander Scott Kelly.

Endeavour Liftoff
The space shuttle Endeavour, also known as Orbiter Vehicle-105 (OV-105), and its seven-member crew lifted off Wednesday from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, embarking on its 20th launch into space. A former primary-school teacher is with the crew.

The astronauts are on their way to the International Space Station (ISS) for an 11-day mission, designated STS-118, during which the crew will add the Starboard 5 (S5) truss segment to the right side of the station's backbone. This will provide clearance between sets of solar arrays. The flight will also include at least three spacewalks, each of which will last 6.5 hours, during which the astronauts will install a new gyroscope and external spare parts platform to the station.

If NASA chooses, they may decide to extend the mission an additional three days, and incorporate a fourth spacewalk to install a camera boom. "This would allow crews to inspect the heat shields of future shuttle missions for damage while they're docked to the station," according to Wired.

The shuttle's crew is set to reach the station at 1:53 p.m. EDT (1753 GMT) today to dock.

Endeavour and its seven-member STS-118 crew head to the ISS
Credit (both): NASA

Shuttle Delays
Endeavour was originally set for a Tuesday launch before a leaky valve in the cabin delayed liftoff by a day.

A database analysis by The Associated Press showed that only 47 of the 118 previous space shuttle missions have taken off on their originally scheduled day. Technical glitches account for more than half the delays, and bad weather at Kennedy Space Center is to blame for about a third.

Since the 2003 Columbia accident that killed seven astronauts, there are more rules to pay attention to, of course. Since NASA's post-Columbia return to flight in 2005, NASA has had 10 launch delays and only five liftoffs, a 33 percent success rate. In its most successful years, 1997 and 1998, NASA launched 13 times with only three delays, an 81 percent on-time rate.

AP reports:

The good news for NASA is that over time, technical delays are becoming far less frequent as engineers better understand the complicated vehicle. From 1981-85, 73 percent of all delays were technical glitches, but that was down to just 38 percent from 2000-06 … The bad news: Weather delays are soaring.

The reason may be that the shuttle's only mission nowadays is to go to the ISS. Because of the orbital mechanics required to hook up with the orbiting outpost, NASA has only five minutes at set times of day to launch.

Contrary to previous reports, we shouldn't be surprised that "nursing killer hangovers" wasn't listed among the major reasons for delay.

Endeavour Makeover
Built to replace Challenger after that orbiter along with seven astronauts were lost in a 1986 explosion, Endeavour first flew in May 1992 on a dramatic mission during which astronauts rescued a stranded communications satellite. Today it is the last of the remaining U.S. shuttles to return to flight following the 2003 Columbia disaster.

This week's is its first flight since late 2002. But the waiting time was not wasted. Before lifting off on Wednesday, the Endeavour shuttle received an extensive overhaul and upgrade.

During Endeavour's downtime, engineers inspected some 150 miles (241 kilometers) of wiring, enhanced its avionics interface and added new power-transfer and engine-monitoring systems, among other upgrades. All in all, some 13,156 safety checks were carried out and 194 modifications were made since NASA sidelined the spacecraft.

Now the 100-ton space plane is equipped with a new cockpit, modern satellite navigation gear, advanced main engine sensors and a power system that will allow it to stay longer at the ISS.

According to Florida Today, the orbiter returned to the launch pad with upgrades that include the following:

• New GPS navigation gear
The orbiter is outfitted with new Global Positioning System navigation equipment that will enable the shuttle to land — particularly in an emergency — at any runway in the world.

• A new power transfer system
Endeavour is flying with the Station-Shuttle Power Transfer System (SSPTS), which will enable the ship to remain docked at the international outpost up to 12 days, 50 percent longer than current capability. The system will convert 120-volt power generated by the station's solar wings so it can be used in the shuttle's 28-volt system.

• A modern "glass cockpit"
The orbiter's crew cabin flight deck now features 11 full-color, flat-panel screens that display data on the ship's attitude, altitude and speed, as well as the performance of various systems. The electronic displays replace 1970s-era analog instrumentation that included 32 gauges and electromechanical indicators and four cathode ray tubes.

• Advanced engine sensors
Along with state-of-the-art monitoring computers, the sensors will instantaneously detect failures and automatically cut off Endeavour's engines before inadvertent shutdowns can occur. Up to 40 percent of catastrophic engine failure scenarios will be avoided as a result.

A team of up to 200 shuttle workers helped upgrade Endeavour, which, according to NASA, will be decommissioned in 2010 after 18 years of service.

Mission Highlights
The 119th shuttle mission will feature a number of firsts and lasts. According to Space.com and Reuters:

• First use by a U.S. space shuttle of a satellite navigation system, or GPS, for landing. The three-string GPS system, which was tested in part on a shuttle flight last year, replaces Endeavour's 1950s-era TACAN system that is gradually being phased out worldwide.

• The shuttle is NASA's first to carry the SSPTS, which will enable station construction crews to do more assembly work during the limited number of missions before the shuttle fleet is retired in 2010.

• This is the first time a space station crew member will join a shuttle astronaut for a spacewalk. That means station astronaut Clay Anderson has not had a chance over the last two months to train in person with his spacewalking partners.

• Endeavour also sports the first fully activated Advanced Health Management System to watch over the shuttle's three main engines during launch. The health management system is designed to monitor vibrations in each of the high-pressure fuel and oxidizer turbo pumps — which rotate 34,000 times and 23,000 times per minute, respectively — that feed Endeavour's three main engines with the 526,000 gallons (1,991,126 liters) of propellant required for the 8.5-minute launch into space. If an engine's turbo pumps vibrate too much, the new system is designed to shut it down.

• The final flight of a Spacehab Inc. cargo carrier — a sort of U-Haul carrier that fits into the shuttle's payload bay and which can cart about 5,000 pounds (2,268 kg) of supplies and equipment to the ISS.

• The last shuttle flight before NASA delivers a second connecting node, or gateway, to the station so that Japanese and European partner labs can be hooked on — making the station truly multinational.

Gas Giant
An international team of astronomers has discovered the largest known planet orbiting another star.

The so-called "transiting" planet — meaning one that passes in front of its home/parent star — is about 70 percent bigger than Jupiter. But the "gas giant" has a much lower mass than Jupiter — the largest planet in our solar system — making it of extremely low density. According to ScienceDaily, its mean density is only about 0.2 grams per cubic centimeter, or about the density of balsa wood.

Discovered by a team working on the Transatlantic Exoplanet Survey (TrES), the new exoplanet, called TrES-4, is located in the constellation of Hercules.

Très cool.

Computer-generated simulation of TrES-4; host star on the right
Credit: Jeffrey Hall, Lowell Observatory

Space Age (and Weight)
Find out your age and weight on other planets.

You're Welcome.
And finally, for those not interested in space or shuttle missions, HERE are some real chickens wearing suits.


Stay tuned for our upcoming space-themed issue of the biweekly IMT newsletter. Cheers.