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Space Blogging

People have blogged from strange locations but in orbit around the earth is one of the more unusual ones. Meet Astronaut Bill Oefelein currently on board Space Shuttle mission STS-116. He has not posted post-launch but is expected to:

Dec. 8, 2006 -- Here we are, one day after our scrub, but more importantly, one night before our next attempt. From those that were at the launch attempt last night, I hear the anticipation was captivating. There was so much energy in the air that you could feel it. We were inside the shuttle, ready to go. Roman (Mark Polansky) and I were busy getting the systems on line for the launch. I felt good about the weather prospects, but it wasn't meant to be. As much as I would've liked to go, I still enjoyed the moment.

It was dark outside as we approached the shuttle last night. The only thing one could see was this big majestic spacecraft illuminated against a moonless sky. It was an incredible sight. As we stepped out of the van, you could see the shuttle venting. You could hear it creaking and moaning. It was as if it was alive and longing to leave the bounds of the launch pad. I'm certainly not a poet, but I sure felt some serious inspiration last night. We spent a minute in the grasp of the moment, then proceeded up to the 195-foot level where you enter the ship. I took some time to just soak in where we were and what we were going to attempt.

The brightly lit shuttle waited for us on the pad. We took our turns, getting called to the white room, where we put on our parachute harnesses, then entered the orbiter. After strap in, we checked our communication and then waited. Every so often, we were called to perform some task to get the shuttle ready to fly, flipping switches with great care. We entered and came out of several pre-planned launch holds, all the while wondering if the weather would break just enough so we could depart. Our last hold was at T-5 minutes, where we stayed until our launch window closed. Five minutes from space. Much closer than I've been in the five years I've trained for this flight. I had a very brief moment of disappointment, then had to get busy safing all the systems we brought on line for a flight that wasn't to happen. As I left the orbiter nearly an hour and a half later, I paused at the same spot I had prior to entering. Christer came and stood by me. We both just looked. The moment was too special for us to concentrate on what wasn't. We, instead, focused on what was. We had the incredible experience of almost launching into space. We thought we would savor that for a while.

Now, it's another day. Tomorrow, we hope to have the privilege of repeating that experience. Of course, we hope to take it further. Coming out of that T-5 minute hold for a spectacular night liftoff. I am looking forward to that. We are ready to go. We have prepared long and hard. I will be taking all of my family and friends with me. I look forward to sharing that experience.

Please keep in mind all the men and women involved in our human spaceflight program who got us this far. None of this is possible without them.

All my best as we prepare for another try tomorrow.

Godspeed Bill -- fun journey and a safe return... Posted by DaveH at December 9, 2006 10:29 PM