Intro music.
Launch poll.
Launch day is a culmination of two or three years, four or five on some missions,
of work that's gone into this final day of loading up this launch vehicle and putting the spacecraft up into, into orbit.
So, it's kind of like your wedding day. You build up to it, and here it is, and it's today.
And it's a very serious day and it'll impact that mission from here on out because you're sending it on its way.
When I come in for, for launch day or launch night in the firing room. And I come in, I can see a frenzy of people going around,
I'm like, oh it's going to be one of those nights. That's one end. The other side is, if it's quiet and the weather's good,
and people just seem to be kind of, just now ramping up, ready for a good count,
it's nice to be able to ease into it and hopefully prepare for a somewhat relaxing countdown.
This is the NLM, we are ready to proceed with terminal count at T minus 20 minutes. NASA CE?
NASA CE is go. NASA MIM? NASA MIM is go. SMA? SMA is go. NAM? NASA Advisory Team is ready. SMD, are you ready to proceed?
SMD is ready. Copy that. NASA team is ready to proceed at T minus 20.
We have up roughly seven or eight channels on at one time,
so the one thing that we launch managers are very good at is filtering out conversations.
We're able to sit there and absorb about seven or eight channels,
and even be talking at the same time while we're listening to some of the stuff going on in the background.
(Headset voices)
Can you imagine, if it's like seven or eight different conversations, all on a different topic possibly.
And you're trying to pull this all together and make sure that everybody's talking about the right
things at the right time and make sure that we're able to grasp that right recipe to be able to launch that day.
SMD, this is the NLM on the NLM Net. Go ahead, NLM.
Yes sir. On your problem with communicating with Astrotech, are you guys working black phones, or is that on-link back up?
We're working black phones. We still don't have the comm link up.
Copy that. Will that be a work-around into the launch op, or is that not acceptable?
That is listed as a mandatory, so it won't be acceptable.
Copy that.
NLM, MD on eight. Go ahead, MD.
Yeah, I just wanted to confirm. I thought I heard you talking to the spacecraft.
The comm problem between Astrotech and here is workable?
Currently, that's a mandatory for them. They're working it on black phones but...(INTERRUPTED)
Even though we practice, simulate problems prior to launches and dress rehearsals,
you can't always predict what the problem's going to present of itself on launch day.
NLM, this is SMD on NLM net. Go ahead, SMD.
We do have a PCC issue on our power control console.
Is that going to be a problem?
Still assessing. Copy that.
We track along with it, and we make sure that the engineers are following their process.
And they report out on anomaly resolution, as we call it, and hopefully,
they give us a "ready to proceed" and then we poll the management team and get their permission.
Go ahead, SMD. Yeah, getting back to you, we have no further issues as a result of the PCC issue.
Copy that.
Music.
The working relationship that Chuck and I have stems back roughly 13, 14 years. We're very comfortable with each other,
so it's wonderful that, that we have a great working relationship. We enjoy each other's professionalism,
and vice versa when I do the role as the ALM, the assistant launch manager on his missions, we're doing the same thing.
If we're getting too busy -- like I said, there's times when I have seven comm nets going at once --
I can't talk on all seven of them at once and keep the conversations going,
so I might be off working one issue on one net and he's off either telling me to stand by,
he's working an issue, or he's off working it himself for me.
This is ALM, go ahead, sir.
Yeah, I just wanted to let you know the range received record capability in Antigua is back and the range is green at this point.
So we're, I know of two issues at this moment.
That's the spacecraft communication with Astrotech and then the potential weather issue.
Oh, Astrotech is back up? Correct.
Roger. Then we're only working the... (INTERRUPTED)
I try to give Omar as much support as, as I would want myself. I want him to be as, as successful as he can be.
There's kind of a lot of unwritten things that we do for each other that you probably, it's just a reflex.
Yeah, and we can confirm Astrotech voice is back up.
Music.
T minus 4 minutes and counting.
What can still go wrong after T minus four? Well, everything.
That poll is a poll to make sure that everybody's mind is set and we're ready to launch. But we could have hardware go bad,
we could have the weather go bad, we could have a lightning strike that catches us by surprise.
T minus 3 minutes.
T minus 3 minutes and counting is not the point of no return. It is a point where we're getting much closer,
and the blood pressure is rising and, and, but it's an exciting time because again,
we've gotten through a lot, a big part of the countdown and we're getting really close.
This is the NLM on the NLM net for ready to proceed with terminal count and final launch poll.
Currently working no issues on the range, launch vehicle or spacecraft. At this point, I'd like to poll the team for concurrence to go or no go.
NASA CE? NASA CE is go. NASA MIM? NASA MIM is go. SMA? SMA is go. SMD? SMD is go. NAM? NASA advisory team is ready. Copy that.
NASA team is ready to proceed into terminal count and final launch readiness.
T minus 110 seconds. MD, NLM on mission managment. Go ahead. NASA is go for launch. Roger that. Copy. NASA is go for launch.
LVD, this is the MD on eight. LD. You have permission to launch. Copy, permission to launch.
T minus 90 seconds.
Music.
T minus 80 seconds. RTL report range is go for launch.
Range is go.
LCDR you are go for launch. Roger.
T minus 70 seconds.
T minus 60 seconds.
The last 60 seconds, for me, are very exciting. A big part of my job has been completed. It's still quite nerve-wracking.
You know, the pressure is up, the stress level is up.
But with the launches I've done, and the rehearsals and stuff, I feel confident that I'll be able to do it.
T minus 35 seconds. Hydraulics go. T minus 30 seconds. T minus 22 seconds. T minus 20 seconds. T minus 15 seconds.
Greenboard! T minus 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, zero, liftoff! Plus one, plus two, plus three..
Working with the LSP team is, is something that's phenomenal.
It's a disciplined program, in the sense that there's a structure to everything we do. It is great work for engineers. It's satisfying.