I'd like to have the Tums concession for Nasa about now.

[SoCalDem]

Can you imagine how tense those people in the command center must be? I wonder how many counselling sessions they have had prior to this touchdown.

[kikiek]

1. Yeah I am nervous for them. Have the NASA channel on this early am

[jim3775]

2. I'd rather see a peanut vendor. n/t

[terrya]

3. Has NASA decided where Discovery is going to land?

[SoCalDem]

4. Edwards 7:12 CST

Fingers crossed

[jim3775]

5. The GO for landing has officially been given

and the deorbit burn will take place at 7:06 a.m. EDT.

http://www.spaceflightnow.com/shuttle/sts114/status.html
"The upcoming two-minute, 42-second retrograde burn using the twin orbital maneuvering system engines on the tail of Discovery will slow the shuttle's velocity by 186 miles per hour, just enough to slip the craft out of orbit and begin the plunge into the atmosphere."

[terrya]

10. Me, too. Just an hour from now.

I'm going to just keep tabs via here. Maybe we can keep this thread kicked periodically with any news.

I won't breathe a sigh of relief until the shuttle lands and that parachute opens.

[jim3775]

11. The deorbit burn is going well. n/t

[bluedonkey]

6. I will be glad

when they're on the ground!
I couldn't believe they let them take off.Is not like you can call AAA when something goes wrong.The shuttle is just to damn old!

[SoCalDem]

7. Why can't they rig up a protective mesh of some kind

to hold that foam in place? It seems like a no brainer

[jim3775]

8. Because a protective mesh would weigh...

thousnads of pounds (a coat of paint would weigh 700). It would also ruin the aerodynamics and make takeoff even more risky.

Edit: It's not a no brainer it's rocket science.

[HeeBGBz]

9. Can you imagine the angst of the shuttle crew

Must be very intense right now.

I wish them a safe journey home. Please no more bad news.

[symbolman]

12. Watching

waiting for the Burn over the Cook Islands, want to see if I can SEE a plasma blast from Hawaii..

May be stupid I know, but I like watching the skies and had ALL the models from Mercury through all the Apollo mission when I was a kid..

Wish I had them now for my son, my big bro used to wake me up at age 6 to watch men go into space for the first time, damn I wish I could go - I'd thought as a kid that by the time I hit 52 I'd at LEAST be able to pay a few thousand and go into orbit, if not a space station vacation, or the MOON.

God bless these poor bastards, horse that baby home like 68 chevy and then MAKE BETTER UNITS before you go back up...

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

13. The only good thing Bush has ever done...

...was to fund the shuttle replacement project.

[SoCalDem]

14. But he cut Nasa's overall budget and put inept people in charge

:(

[SoCalDem]

15. 17000 mph.. yikes they're gonna get a ticket

Please land safely guys:)

[terrya]

16. Wow...can you imagine traveling that fast?

I'm on pins and needles here. PLEASE land safely, folks. :-)

[SoCalDem]

17. Can see it now..

a few more minutes..

[SoCalDem]

18. WHEW !!!

Thank goodness