Va. Astronaut Melvin Set for Nighttime Launch
It appears Virginia’s Leland Melvin will have to stay up late for his first space flight.
The STS-122 mission is slated for a rare nighttime launch on Jan. 10, according to an e-mail NASA sent Monday to Melvin’s relatives and friends. NASA told recipients to be ready for a launch about 2:30 a.m.
The previous attempt at the mission’s launch on Dec. 6 was delayed because of troublesome backup fuel sensors. Engineers at Kennedy Space Center are continuing to work on identifying the source of the sensor problem. NASA managers are to meet on Dec. 27 to discuss potential remedies.
A Kennedy Space Center spokesman said NASA is targeting no earlier than 2:26 a.m. on Jan. 10 as the launch time.
Melvin’s sister, Cathy Clarke of Rustburg, confirmed that she had been notified about the early-morning launch time.
"If that’s the time they have to launch, we’ll be there," she said. Nearly 300 relatives and friends of Melvin’s were on hand in Florida for the launch attempt on Dec. 6.
Only 30 of the 120 previous launches have been night launches.
"That’s supposed to be the most exciting one," said Bill Myers, Melvin’s former chemistry professor at the University of Richmond, when he heard about the night launch. Myers said he planned to return to Florida for the next launch attempt.
Since the Columbia disaster in 2003, NASA has generally avoided night launches so cameras monitoring the shuttle’s ascent could get well-lit views of any damage done during blastoff. NASA has newer surveying equipment on hand, which Melvin will put into place on the second day of the mission to examine the shuttle’s heat-protection shield.
The most recent night launch — and the only one since the Columbia disaster — was at 8:47 p.m. on Dec. 9, 2006. The timing of launches on most shuttle missions depends on the shuttle’s ability to rendezvous with the orbiting International Space Station.
Melvin, a Lynchburg native, was a chemistry major who played football at the University of Richmond, where he set school records as a wide receiver.
He joined the NFL before injuries sidelined his sports career and then turned to NASA, first at the Langley Research Center in Hampton. He will serve as the primary operator of the space station’s robotic arm on the upcoming mission. Contact A.J. Hostetler at (804) 649-6355 or ahostetler@timesdispatch.com.