The Liverpool Astronomical Society

Tomorrow evening at 20:48 BST, given good weather in Florida, sees the launch of the space shuttle Endeavour. If, by luck, the skies are clear in Liverpool we may be lucky to see the shuttle come up over the western horizon some 20 minutes later. In the past we have observed launches live on the internet then popped outside and actually observed the bright white shuttle rise higher into the sky followed by the separated orangey red fuel tank. A sight not to be forgotten.
So I urge you to get out tomorrow and look to the western horizon, it should be visible as it climbs through the belt of Orion, then passes under Procyon in Canis Minor, through Hydra, under Leo and Saturn before disappearing through Virgo towards the east. Compare with star chart:
http://www.liverpoolas.org/content/category/11/29/66/

Times are all in British Summer Time (clock time )
Appears      21h05m09s   3.8mag  az:270.5° W    horizon

Culmination  21h08m16s  -1.6mag  az:192.8° SSW  Alt: 27.0°
 
Disappears   21h10m09s   0.1mag  az:124.5° SE   Alt: 7.3°

The launch is, usually, broadcast live on NASA tv:    http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/index.html

Let us know if you see anything :-)
Good luck and clear skies.

Launch delayed by at least 72 hours because of technical problem.

No Launch Attempt Monday, Teams to Replace APU Heater Power Box
Sun, 01 May 2011 03:01:10 PM GMT

Technicians and engineers at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida are narrowing in on the likely source of what caused heaters on a fuel line for space shuttle Endeavour’s auxiliary power unit-1 (APU-1) to fail on Friday and scrubbing the first launch attempt for the STS-134 mission. But because of work associated with fixing the problem, launch teams will not be able to make a launch attempt tomorrow. Teams will meet Monday and are expected to determine a new “no earlier than” next launch attempt for Endeavour at that time.     MORE.....
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/main/index.html