Offical Letter to STS-119 Guests (Update)

Family and Friends of STS-119,

NASA managers and engineers met on Friday, February 13 at the Johnson Space Center to discuss recent results from the on-going analysis of the flow control valve issue which has caused delays in the launch of STS-119. The meeting was lengthy and detailed, lasting almost 10 hours. In the end, managers rescheduled the continuation of the Flight Readiness Review for February 20 at the Kennedy Space Center. The Flight Readiness Review will officially set the launch date for STS-119; however, today’s meeting recommended a launch date no earlier than February 27. If launch occurs on February 27, launch time would be approximately 1:32 A.M. EST. Please see the attached NASA Public Affairs Office press release for further details on the investigation and upcoming Flight Readiness Review.

I am very proud of the significant work performed by the numerous NASA centers across the country in support of STS-119. I am confident NASA engineers will ultimately develop a solid solution in the best interest of safety of flight. In the interim, the crew will continue a moderate level of training to be ready to support a February 27 launch date. We now plan to enter quarantine on February 20 and travel to the Kennedy Space Center on February 22 in anticipation of a potential February 27 launch.

Have a great weekend and thanks, again, for supporting STS-119.

Lee J. Archambault, Colonel, USAF
STS-119 Commander

• Well with this current information the tentative plan for our family is to leave Houston on the 22nd of Feb. and arrive in FL on the PM of the 24th of Feb. and to be around 2 full days before the launch date to be available to help then we will head back to be home the 1st or the 2nd of March. We should know more by the 20th of what we will be doing. It's time to get excited about this trip again and make the needed check list of what has to get done. And hope that all the kids will be in clear with being healthy by then.