Susan Poulton
Full Moon in Space: Seven-Time Astronaut Jerry Ross Shares Personal Moments
Posted by Susan Poulton on February 25, 2013 When astronaut Jerry Ross launched into space for the first of his seven world record-setting flights tying him for the most space launches of any human, a nearly full moon hung in the sky over Kennedy Space Center. It was a night launch in November of 1985 aboard the space shuttle Atlantis, an orbiter he…
NASA’s Dharma Initiative “Swan Station?”
Posted by Susan Poulton on February 1, 2013 All that is missing is the computer, the beeping, and a prompt to enter the code 4, 8, 15, 16, 23, 42. The dome-shaped survival room deep under Launch Pad 39A at Kennedy Space Center in Florida has been abandoned for over 40 years and now NASA is letting folks take a look.
Mission 26 The Big Endeavour from Givot on Vimeo.
This stunning new time-lapse video of the space shuttle Endeavour’s shuffle through the streets of Los Angeles is quite simply, the best.
According to some, people in Los Angeles are hard to impress. But bring a real spaceship to town and tow it through the streets? That’ll do it.
Crowdsourcing Team Assists in Climber Search
Posted by Susan Poulton on July 28, 2012 Update: The team at Tomnod has just alerted us that the bodies of Gil and Ben have been found. The team offers words of thanks and consolation for all those involved.
Whenever someone meets me, it doesn’t take them long to ask me the question, “How did you get so into space?” Given that I’ve likely just worked the space shuttle into a conversation about owls or mentioned a solar flare as part of ordering a pizza, it’s not surprising. It could have been all the…
Space Shuttle Discovery Powers Down
Posted by Susan Poulton on December 16, 2011 
Friday morning marked a sad and permanent milestone in the ongoing decommissioning of the space shuttles at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center with the closing of the payload bay doors and the final power-down of Discovery.
Final Chapter: Diary of a Shuttle Launch Enthusiast
Posted by Susan Poulton on July 20, 2011 
From a true space shuttle launch “junkie” here are the top six moments from six years of shuttle launch experiences.
Don’t Cry for Me, Discovery
Posted by Susan Poulton on February 24, 2011 
Space Shuttle Discovery lifted off from Kennedy Space Center today at 4:53pm ET in spectacular fashion on her 39th and final mission. However, it wouldn’t be a Discovery launch if it wasn’t a nail biter. I’ve been to over 45 launch attempts since 2005 and this was the closest yet, with the countdown going right…
Launch Coverage: Discovery’s Hatch is Closed…
Posted by Susan Poulton on February 24, 2011 
The crew is now securely in the shuttle and the hatch has been closed in preparation for the 4:50pm ET launch of Discovery this afternoon. Everything is still looking good with no technical issues being worked and weather still holding at 90% go for launch. It was an on time walk out from the crew…
“Go” for Final Launch of Discovery
Posted by Susan Poulton on February 24, 2011 
By Susan Poultonfor Breaking Orbit As far as space shuttle launches go, it doesn’t get much better than this. Tanking of Space Shuttle Discovery began on time at 7:25 am ET this morning, getting it ready for its final flight scheduled for 4:50pm ET this afternoon. The weather forecast has been upgraded to a…
Discovery’s Last Ride
Posted by Susan Poulton on September 21, 2010 
By Susan Poultonfor Breaking Orbit Space Shuttle Discovery rolled out to the launch pad for the final time tonight, with first motion out of the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) coming 30 minutes early at 7:23pm ET, beneath a stunning sunset. Hundreds of employees gathered to watch the event and cheer on Discovery as they watched…
Space Shuttle Launch Coverage: Launch
Posted by Susan Poulton on May 14, 2010 By Susan Poulton for Breaking Orbit Space Shuttle Atlantis is on its way to the International Space Station (ISS) in a spectacular on time launch from Kennedy Space Center at 2:20pm ET. This marks the 32nd and final launch for the shuttle Atlantis who had its maiden voyage on October 3, 1985. Cheers and applause…
Space Shuttle Launch Coverage: All Aboard!
Posted by Susan Poulton on May 14, 2010 By Susan Poulton for Breaking Orbit The crew is now on board and completing their communication checks and the hatch has been closed. Liftoff of Atlantis is still on schedule for 2:20pm ET with the weather forecast holding steady at 70%. There’s still a slight chance of a low cloud ceiling over the launch pad…
Space Shuttle Launch Coverage: Quiet Morning for Atlantis’ Last Flight
Posted by Susan Poulton on May 14, 2010 By Susan Poulton for Breaking Orbit The press site is quiet for the moment as the sun rises behind Atlantis, poised on the launch pad ready for her final flight. The weather looks good and there are no technical problems, but the mood here is a mixture of somber excitement as the space shuttle program…
Space Shuttle Launch Coverage: Dawn Breaks Over Discovery
Posted by Susan Poulton on April 4, 2010 By Susan Poulton for Breaking Orbit Fog drifted across the press site as photographers gathered this morning for the routine RSS (Rotating Service Structure) rollback, revealing space shuttle Discovery on the launch pad, ready and waiting for her 6:21am ET lift of early Monday morning. RSS rollback occurred precisely on time at 9:30am ET and…
STS-130 Launch Coverage: Launch!
Posted by Susan Poulton on February 8, 2010 By Susan Poulton for Breaking Orbit The space shuttle Endeavour successfully launched tonight at 4:14am ET after a last minute scare that the weather was not going to cooperate at the back up landing sites in Europe. They cleared up long enough for the shuttle to get off the ground and it was a spectacular…
STS-130 Launch Coverage: Weathering the Waiting Game
Posted by Susan Poulton on February 8, 2010 By Susan Poulton for Breaking Orbit If there’s one person in the press center who often gets the most attention it’s the representative from the 45th Weather Squadron. The group, including Kathy Winters, the Shuttle Launch Weather Officer, is responsible for monitoring all the local weather here and at the back up landing sites and…
STS-130 Launch Coverage: Scrub…And A Wonderful Experience
Posted by Susan Poulton on February 7, 2010 
By Susan Poultonfor Breaking Orbit NASA has scrubbed the launch of the space shuttle Endeavour due to weather and will try again tomorrow at 4:14am ET. As I was dozing off in the press center waiting for the countdown, I heard my name announced over the loud speaker. All of a sudden, I found myself…
STS-130 Launch Coverage: Crew Departure
Posted by Susan Poulton on February 7, 2010 
One of the more special moments in the marathon of launch events is crew walkout. The astronauts get suited up, wave goodbye to staff members and family and head for the van. Outside of a handful of NASA administrators who ride along in the van, the members of the press and other invited guests have…
STS-130 Launch Coverage: Tanking Begins
Posted by Susan Poulton on February 6, 2010 By Susan Poulton for Breaking Orbit The press center is very quiet right now as most members of the media (and Kennedy Space Center staff) have gone home to get some rest before tonight’s excitement. Only those of us who were not able to get a hotel room thanks to the Super Bowl being played…
STS-130 Launch Coverage: Sunrise at the Launch Pad
Posted by Susan Poulton on February 6, 2010 By Susan Poulton for Breaking Orbit It was a chilly morning at the launch pad, as the sun rose on Endeavour during the rollback of the Rotating Service Structure (RSS). When the shuttle is on the launch pad, it is covered by a gantry structure to protect it from the elements and allow for access…
Diary of a Shuttle Launch Enthusiast: STS-130 Launch Coverage
Posted by Susan Poulton on February 5, 2010 By Susan Poulton for Breaking Orbit We’re in the final stages of the countdown of both STS-130, the final night launch of the space shuttle, and possibly the U.S. manned space program–at least for quite some time. President Obama’s recent announcement regarding the approved 2011 budget for NASA effectively cancels the next phase of the…
Launch!
Posted by Susan Poulton on November 14, 2008 Image Credit: Susan Poulton Space Shuttle Endeavour successfully launched at 7:55pm EST tonight in a spectacular night launch. This is my second night launch, but it continues to be the most amazing sight I have ever seen. The entire night sky lights up while the roar of the launch washes through you. When the shuttle…
Launch Day From Kennedy Space Center
Posted by Susan Poulton on November 14, 2008 Update 7:35pm EST: —Image Credit: Susan Poulton Twenty minutes until launch, and the nearly full moon has made a spectacular appearance behind the shuttle launch pad. This is one of those unique experiences that will make for some breathtaking photos of this launch. I’m making the final adjustments on my camera and waiting for the…
