A Forward Storm

PAO: This is the Public Affairs Officer at Ground Control in Brownsville, Texas. The final countdown for STSminus30 has begun at 10:00 AM on June 5, 2014. The ground crew has begun filling the liquid-oxygen tank and the liquid-hydrogen tank in the external tank. The astronauts have entered the Orbiter through the access hatch and are stowing their gear. We are now at T minus 50 minutes to liftoff.

Launch Control: Discovery, this is Launch Control. Radio check, over.

Harkens: Roger, out.

CAPCOM: Discovery, this is Mission Control. Radio check, over.

Harkens: Roger, out.

PAO: Radio communications between Launch Control, Mission Control, and the Orbiter have been checked at T minus 49 minutes to liftoff.

CAPCOM: Discovery, this is Launch Control. Ready abort advisory check.

Kinser: Roger, check is satisfactory, out.

PAO: Launch Control has lighted the abort light on the front instrument panel.

CAPCOM: Discovery, this is Control. Side hatch is secure.

Lab: Roger, we copy.

PAO: The ground crew has closed and secured the hatch. Medical Officer Control, this is Discovery. We show normal cabin pressure, over.

CAPCOM: Roger, out.

PAO: Both cabin vent switches have been closed. We are now at T minus 47 minutes to liftoff.

Kinser: Control, this is Discovery. Inertial measurement alignment complete. We show two-eight degrees, three-six minutes, three-zero point three-two seconds north, by eight-zero degrees, three-six minutes one-four point eight-eight seconds west. Over.

Navigation: Roger, Discovery. Out.

PAO: Latitude and longitude of launch pad 39A at Kennedy Space Center has been confirmed.

Kinser: Control, this is Discovery. Boiler control switch ON. Nitrogen supply switch ON, over.

CAPCOM: Roger, out.

PAO: The Harkens has confirmed boiler control switches 1, 2, and 3 are now ON; nitrogen supply switches 1, 2, and 3 are now ON.

Kinser: Control, this is Discovery. General purpose computer, backup flight system complete.

CAPCOM: Roger, out.

PAO: The main flight software and its backup have been loaded at T minus 45 minutes to liftoff.

CAPCOM: Discovery, this is Control. Ground crew is secure, over.

Harkens: Roger, out.

PAO: The ground crew has secured the white room and has retired to the fall back area. The orbital maneuvering system (OMS) has been pressurized. The cabin pressure has been checked and is normal at 16 point 7 psi. The cabin will now be vented at T minus 44 minutes to liftoff. Lab 2, this is Discovery. OMS pressure ON . . . Cabin vent complete, over.

CAPCOM: Roger, we see that, out.

PAO: Control has confirmed that the cabin pressure has decreased.

Harkens: Control, this is Discovery. Commander's voice check, over.

CAPCOM: Roger, out.

Kinser: Control, this is the pilot; voice check, over.

PAO: The Harkens and pilot have conducted voice checks with Mission Control center. The vent valves have been closed. The pilot will now load flight plan OPS-1 into the computer. We are now at T minus 40 minutes to liftoff.

Kinser: Control, this is Discovery. Flight plan is loaded into the computer, over.

CAPCOM: Roger, out.

PAO: The pilot will now enter SPEC99 and OPS101 on the keyboard. This controls the Shuttle from Tminus20 minutes until lift-off. The main propulsion system helium has been pressurized. We are now at T minus 38 minutes to liftoff. CAPCOM Discovery, this is Control. We will conduct the abort check, over.

Lab 2: Roger. Looks good, out.

PAO: Mission Control has cycled the ABORT light bright, dim, then off, three times.

Medical Officer: Control, what are the current weather conditions?

Meteorologist: M.E.1, do you copy? What is your status?

M.E. 1: We are orbiting Cape Kennedy at 54,000 feet, over.

Harkens: M. E. 1, this is Discovery. What are the current weather conditions over Kennedy? Over.

M. E. 1: Discovery, this is M. E. 1. Temperature is 45 degrees Fahrenheit. Humidity is at 30 percent. Winds are out of the north, northeast at 15 mph, gusts to 25 mph. Barometric pressure stands at 30.31 inches, and the weather is partly cloudy, over.

Kinser: M. E. 1, this is Discovery. We copy, out.

PAO: Weather conditions are nominal at T minus 35 minutes to liftoff.

Medical Officer: Control, this is Discovery. Event timer started.

CAPCOM: Roger, Discovery. Out.

PAO: The EVENT TIME indicator has started and is now counting down. The automatic ground launch sequencer has started. The alternating current sensor switches have been switched off for one second, then switched to MONITOR. The crew access arm has retracted at T minus 34 minutes to liftoff. CAPCOM Discovery, this is Control. Initiate APU prestart procedure, over.

Kinser: Roger, out.

PAO: The three auxiliary power units which power the Orbiter's hydraulic system for operation have been started. The pilot and Harkens have checked the boiler supply nitrogen supply switches, boiler control power switches, boiler control power/heater switches, the auxiliary power unit fuel tank valves, and the auxiliary power unit fuel pump valves. The auxiliary power unit controller power switches are all ON at T minus 31 minutes to liftoff.

PAO: The hydraulic circulation pump switches, auxiliary power unit auto shut down switches, auxiliary power unit speed selection switches, and auxiliary power unit control switches have all been checked. The hydraulic main pump pressure selector switches have been changed to LO. The auxiliary power unit fuel tank valves are now OPEN at T minus 29 minutes to liftoff.

Kinser: Control, this is Discovery. Prestart complete. Powering up APU's, over.

CAPCOM: APU's look good, out.

PAO: The hydraulic pressure indicator shows HI GREEN. The hydraulic circulation pump switches are now OFF. The hydraulic pressure light is now OFF. We are now at T minus 28 minutes to liftoff.

CAPCOM: Discovery, this is Control. You are on internal power, over.

Harkens: Roger, out. PAO The Orbiter has switched to internal power at T minus 27 minutes to liftoff.

CAPCOM: Discovery, this is Control. Hydraulic check complete, over.

Lab 2: Roger, out.

PAO: The Orbiter aero surfaces have been moved to condition the hydraulic system.

CAPCOM: Discovery, this is Control. Main engine gimbal complete, over.

Kinser: Roger, out.

PAO: The Orbiter main engines have gimbaled (swiveled) to their launch positions at T minus 25 minutes to liftoff.

CAPCOM: Discovery, this is Control. O-two vents closed. Looks good, out.

Medical Officer: Roger, out.

PAO: The external tank oxygen vents have been closed; the liquid-oxygen tank has begun pressurizing at T minus 24 minutes to liftoff.

Harkens: Control, this is Discovery. APU to inhibit, over.

CAPCOM: Roger, we copy Discovery. Out.

PAO: The audio volume control has been adjusted. The auxiliary power units have been set to INHIBIT.

CAPCOM: Medical Officer, report on the condition of the crew, over. Medical Officer Control, this is Discovery. The crew is in excellent condition and is eager to go!

CAPCOM: Roger, Discovery. Out.

PAO: The medical officer aboard the Discovery has reported on the condition of the crew at T minus 12 minutes to liftoff.

CAPCOM: Discovery, this is Control. H-two tank pressurization OK. You are go for launch, over.

Lab 2: Roger, go for launch, over.

PAO: The external tank hydrogen vents have been closed, and liquid-hydrogen tank pressure is building up for flight at T minus 10 minutes to liftoff.

CAPCOM: Discovery, this is Control. APU start is go. You are on your on-board computer, over.

Kinser: Roger, out.

PAO: The solid rocket booster auxiliary power units have started. The management of countdown has switched to the onboard computers.

Flight Director: 15, 14, 13, 12, 11, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4 . . .

PAO: The solid rocket boosters have ignited, and we have lift off. The Discovery has cleared the tower.

CAPCOM: The tower has been cleared. All engines look good. Beginning roll maneuver.

PAO: 120 degree roll into "heads down" position starts. We are now at T plus 3 minutes after launch.

CAPCOM: Roll maneuver complete, Discovery, you're looking good.

Kinser: Control, this is Discovery. Main engines at 65%, over.

CAPCOM: Roger, out.

PAO: The Discovery has reached Mach 1, and the space shuttle main engines have been throttled down from 100% to 65%. We are now at T plus 5 minutes after launch.

Harkens: Control, this is Discovery. Max Q, over.

CAPCOM: Roger, Discovery. Out.

PAO: Maximum dynamic pressure has been reached, and the space shuttle main engines have been throttled back up to 100%.

Kinser: Control, this is Discovery. We have SRB burnout; ready for SRB sep, over.

CAPCOM: Roger, out.

PAO: The computer has reported that the solid rocket boosters have burned out at T plus 7 minutes.

Harkens: Control, this is Discovery. We have SRB sep, over.

CAPCOM: Roger, we can see that, Discovery. Out.

PAO: The solid rocket boosters have separated from the Orbiter at T plus 9 minutes.

CAPCOM: Discovery, you are negative return. Do you copy?

Kinser: Roger, Mission Control. Negative return, out.

PAO: Mission Control has reported that a return-to-launch-site abort is no longer possible at T plus 10 minutes.

Lab 2: Control, this is Discovery. We are single engine press to MECO, over.

CAPCOM: Roger, Discovery, out.

PAO: The Commander has reported that the Discovery can reach orbit even if two main engines fail.

CAPCOM: Discovery, this is Control. Main engine throttle down, over.

Kinser: Roger, out.

PAO: Mission Control has instructed the pilot to throttle down to keep acceleration less than 3 g's.

CAPCOM: Discovery, this is Control. Go for main engine cut-off, over.

Harkens: Roger, Main engine cut-off on schedule, out.

PAO: The three main engines have shut down.

CAPCOM: Discovery, this is Control. Go for ET separation.

Kinser: Roger, we have external tank sep, over.

PAO: The external tank has separated from the Orbiter.

Kinser: Beginning minus Z translation, out. PAO The crew are preparing for orbital maneuvering system burn number one.

CAPCOM: Discovery, this is Control. You are go for OMS-one burn, over.

Lab 2: Roger, OMS-one, out.

Kinser: Control, this is Discovery. We have OMS cut-off, over.

PAO: The orbital maneuvering system burn has stopped.

CAPCOM: Roger, we copy. Please advise when ET umbilical doors are closed, over.

PAO: The auxiliary power unit has been shut down. The pilot will now enter OPS105 on the keyboard to change the computer program. The external tank umbilical doors have been closed and latched at T plus 20 minutes.

Harkens: Umbilical doors closed, over.

CAPCOM: Roger, out.

CAPCOM: Discovery, this is Control. Coming up on OMS-stwo, over.

Kinser: Roger, OMS-two.

PAO: The orbital maneuvering system burn number two has been initiated. We are now at T plus 24 minutes after launch.

Kinser: OMS-two cut-off. We have achieved orbit, over.

CAPCOM: Roger, Discovery, out. PAO The pilot will now enter OPS106 on the keyboard to change the computer program. We are now at T plus 27 minutes.

CAPCOM: Discovery, we are receiving some interference with the signal, is anything wrong on your end?

Harkins: Negative Command, nothing wrong up here, over.

CAPCOM: Sensors show an anomaly not far from your position Discovery. Can you see anything?

Kinser: Negative, there is nothing out there Command. I don’t see anything...

Harkins: Fire maneuvering thrusters now, get us out of the way!

Kinser: Thrusters fired, Vector is now one-eight by two-six. What was that?

Harkins: It looked like a station. Command, what stations are currently active?

CAPCOM: Discovery, only the ISS is up right now.

Harkins: Kinser, try raising the ISS.

Kinser: Negative Commander, no response.

CAPCOM: Same on our end Discovery. ISS has gone silent.

Harkins: Command, could the ISS have been destroyed by an IBM?

CAPCOM: Negative Discovery, not with out us knowing.

Harkins: Alright Command, I’m calling mission abort. Standby for further information. Bring us around Kinser, lets get back...

[Static]

CAPCOM: Discovery, what happened? Please respond. Shuttle Discovery, come in.