Space Task Force

Sept 20, 2010: “It’s a LITERAL RIVER: This calls for a study!”

tim846 — Mon, 20 Sep 2010 21:43:19 +0000

For the second podcast in conjunction with Spacevidcast.com, we decided to mix it up a bit and introduce the all female version! We tackle everything from what it’s like being a woman in the space industry to some of our favorite space shuttle stories. And for some fun we threw in a few stories about some trouble we may or may not have gotten into. With the likes of Jen Scheer, Kat Coderre and Amanda Stiles along with Spacevidcast’s very own Cariann Higginbotham, you know it has to be good.

Listen here

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Sept 13, 2010: Beans are GO!

tim846 — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 21:28:10 +0000

Space discussion roundtable with Tim Bailey, Robert Pearlman, Jeff Foust and Emory Stagmer. This weeks topic is the end of Constellation, the final flight of Space Shuttle Discovery and Beans are GO!

Listen here

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Atlantis’s Final Flight – STS 132

spaceshark — Sat, 15 May 2010 15:33:03 +0000

SpaceTaskForce and SpaceVidCast with Space Shuttle Atlantis

Click here to download STF Video: Space Shuttle Atlantis: The Final Flight

George and Tim cover the final flight of Space Shuttle Atlantis, in this special video — with Ben and Cariann from SpaceVidCast.com We’ll see you in space!

Click here to download STF Video: Space Shuttle Atlantis: The Final Flight

STF: STSF-131 Landing

spaceshark — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 21:02:25 +0000

George Schellenger and Tim Bailey report from the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA Kennedy Space Center on April 20, 2010. Space Shuttle Discovery landed after nearly 16 days in space during mission STS-131.

You can also check out our latest video of the STS-131 Landing on Vimeo!.

Extended STF: President Obama goes to NASA

spaceshark — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 17:32:41 +0000

George and Tim in front of NASA's VAB

George and Tim take a broad look at President Obama’s trip to NASA from Space X to Orion. What’s in it for you? How can you get involved? This time on the Space Task Force.

Click here to download STF Video: President Obama’s Visit to KSC

Space Task Force: President Obama’s Visit to KSC

spaceshark — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 14:07:50 +0000

George and Tim take a look at President Obama’s visit to Space X and the Kennedy Space Center, what it means for the present – and what it means to the future of NASA.

STF Audio – Click here to download: President Obama’s Visit to KSC

STS-130, First of the Final Five Launches

tim846 — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 21:53:17 +0000

After low-lying clouds scrubbed the first attempt, STS-130 took off at 4:14 am in what is scheduled to be the last night launch of a space shuttle. The Space Task Force was on hand for the historic launch of Endeavour–as we will be for each of these ‘Final Five’ launches in 2010.

STS-130 is carrying the Tranquility module (formerly known as “Node 3″) along with the special multi-window “cupola” viewport. The crew of Endeavour will spend their first two days catching up to the space station before docking to start their mission.

The orbiter is scheduled to return to Kennedy Space Center Stay late on Feb 20 after 13 days in space. Stay tuned to the Space Task Force as we continue our extended mission coverage of STS-130 from rollout to the pad to rollout on the runway.

You can also download the video here: STS-130 Launch!

STS-130 Scrub

tim846 — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 09:37:00 +0000

This is what it looks like at 4:30am in the KSC Press Center when a launch is scrubbed.

All eyes are on the Flight Director, waiting for his call. The launch polling just ended with two “NoGo” calls due to weather. Things have been tentative and getting worse all day.

Finally, he makes the tough call and scrubs the launch attempt. Everyone is a bit disappointed, but we know it is the safest thing to do. Now the press, much like the astronauts, must clean up enough to move out for a few hours and come back tomorrow.

Unlike the astronauts, we can get in our cars and go back to hotels (or for some of us, home to our families). The crew of STS-130 has hours of work to do shutting-down the orbiter and getting out of their launch suits before they can retire–in quarantine–to the confines of the astronaut quarters.

And yet, there is a bit of excitement in the air knowing that we get to do it all again. We’d all prefer to have a good launch the first time, but there is also a knowledge that we won’t have many more shuttle launches. Very few of the Go/NoGo pollings are left to call. We’ll cherish every one and, if needed, come back and do it all again.

Good night, everyone. See you tomorrow!

STF Video; STS-130 Rollout to Pad

spaceshark — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 16:01:00 +0000

Click here to watch or download: STS-130 Rollout to the Pad

As 2010 begins, we’ve started to countdown for the final shuttle flights. This time, Tim and I go behind the scenes of a shuttle rollout. Space Shuttle Endeavour is scheduled to launch of Feb 7 on a mission to the International Space Station to install Tranquility – space’s first bay window on the earth.

STF Video: Unlimited Visibility

spaceshark — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 22:38:00 +0000

Click here to watch or download: Unlimited Visibility

In the final part of our 4 part series, Space 2010, we remember the words of Gemini and Apollo Astronaut Ed White. In describing his first spacewalk, he talked about having “unlimited visibility.” Space provides “unlimited visibility” – but it also provides something more – and the more is the focus of this final segment.

Click here to watch or download: Unlimited Visibility

On behalf of Tim and myself and all the members of the Space Task Force, special greetings this holiday season – and here’s wishing that the New Year provides us all the vision for an incredible future…