gpc
11-07-2006, 09:21
Ehm, e come la prendi la spinta dal "propulsore nucleare"?
View Full Version : [Space] NASA - STS-121 - Discovery
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GioFX
11-07-2006, 14:40
apriamo un thread apposito per cortesia se non già presente. A tal proposito si veda l'indice in alto nella pagina.
GioFX
11-07-2006, 14:54
Discovery officially cleared of any launch damage
BY WILLIAM HARWOOD
STORY WRITTEN FOR CBS NEWS "SPACE PLACE" & USED WITH PERMISSION
Posted: July 9, 2006
After around-the-clock analysis, NASA managers today officially gave the shuttle Discovery's heat shield a clean bill of health, concluding there are no problems with tiles, the ship's nose cap or wing leading edge panels that require any repair work by the astronauts.
It was a long awaited moment for thousands of NASA and contractor engineers and managers who have put in long hours since Discovery's last flight to correct potentially catastrophic problems with foam insulation.
As it turned out, Discovery's external tank lost less foam than any tank before it and the orbiter suffered virtually no impact damage or other serious problems with its fragile heat shield.
Discovery's crew was given the news just before bedtime, after engineers worked through the night to resolve questions about a protruding gap filler and tears in two small insulation blankets.
"So with that, we've closed out all issues on the TPS (thermal protection system) and we deem the TPS as 100 percent cleared for entry," astronaut Lee Archambault radioed from mission control.
"Well, that is great news, that's fantastic," replied Discovery commander Steve Lindsey. "To get all that done by the end of flight day six, when we did focused inspection on flight day four, is just amazing. So our thanks to the imagery team, the MMT and all the engineers working on this to get the vehicle cleared this quickly. That's very impressive."
"Everyone here around the room as you can imagine is most happy," Archambault said. "I think you'll be delighted when you see the images that you guys sent down after you get back. They really were amazing."
Flight controllers were equally wowed by stunning movies shot by cameras mounted in the shuttle's twin solid-fuel boosters. The rocketcam videos made it back to the Johnson Space Center today, providing engineers with never-before-seen views of launch and booster separation. The giant solid-fuel rockets performed normally, officials said today, with no problems of any significance.
John Shannon, chairman of NASA's Mission Management Team, said he remains optimistic NASA will resolve the few problems that have cropped up during Discovery's flight in time to launch the shuttle Atlantis Aug. 28 on a space station assembly mission, the first shuttle construction flight since Columbia went down in 2003.
"This has really been two missions for us," he said. "The first was to go and do ... a lot of things to assess orbiter health and potential repair capabilities. The other piece of it that's just as important is what we have done for the space station.
"We've talked a lot about how wonderful the orbiter looks and how well the external tank performed and how good the boom was. But I don't want to lose sight of the other half of this, which is how much we're doing to get ourselves ready in August for beginning the assembly of the space station again."
The August mission depends on the success of a spacewalk Monday by astronauts Piers Sellers and Mike Fossum to repair a stalled robot arm transporter on the station's solar array truss. The robotic transporter is required to move the station's robot arm from work site to work site on the unfinished truss and until it is fixed, station assembly is on hold.
Last December, a spring-loaded cable cutter inadvertently fired, severing one of two power and data cables leading to the transporter. Sellers and Fossum plan to replace the cable reel mechanism Monday during a tricky make-or-break spacewalk.
"We need that thing to be working, to move big pieces around during the assembly," Sellers said today. "Right now, it's dead on one side. Our job (Monday) is basically to replace the unit that supplies power to the truck so it can be ready for the next stage of assembly. It's important to get that done before the next guys show up."
A third spacewalk is on tap Wednesday to test wing leading edge repair techniques. Engineers briefly worried the astronauts might have to pluck a protruding gap filler from Discovery's belly during the third excursion, but Steve Poulos, manager of the orbiter projects office at the Johnson Space Center, said today a detailed analysis showed Discovery can safely re-enter the atmosphere as is.
"Nobody had any concerns whatsoever we were going to exceed any of their limits," he said. "We had no dissension across the entire community, everybody was 100 percent on board."
Gap fillers are thin, heat-resistant spacers between tiles to prevent chafing during the vibrations and temperature extremes of launch and orbital flight. Some 16,000 gap fillers are in place, including more than 5,000 that were replaced in wake of Discovery's flight last summer on the first post-Columbia mission.
Gap fillers can occasionally shake loose and if they stick up too far into the air stream during re-entry, they can break up the smooth flow across the belly of the shuttle, creating turbulence that can raise downstream temperatures.
During Discovery's approach to the space station earlier this week, engineers saw a gap filler sticking up from tiles near a propellant feedline access door. The high-resolution photography by the station's crew showed the gap filler was damaged and creased.
Poulos said engineers conducted tests showing the gap filler most likely will roll over in the re-entry air stream. But even if it doesn't, testing showed Discovery is in no danger of excessive heating.
During a normal re-entry, the tiles in that area should not experience temperatures higher than 2,300 degrees at their surface, more than 625 degrees at the bondline where they attach to the shuttle's skin and 350 degrees for the aluminum skin itself.
In a worst-case scenario, Poulos said, one in which the protruding access door gap filler disturbed the insulating "boundary layer" just after atmospheric entry at 24.7 times the speed of sound, temperatures on the tile surface would not exceed 2,254 degrees. The bondline temperatures would not rise above 579 degrees and the shuttle's skin down stream of the gap filler would not get hotter than about 344 degrees.
If the gap filler rolls over like engineers expect, tripping the boundary layer around 19.5 times the speed of sound, conditions will be even more benign: 2,254 degrees at the downstream tile surface; 496 degrees at the bondline; and 289 degrees on the skin.
"With all that data, we were able to clear that gap filler as a non constraint for entry," he said.
Engineers worked one other open item overnight, conducting tests and computer analyses to show two small, damaged thermal blankets near the shuttle's nose will not pull off during entry and pose an impact threat to Discovery's cockpit windows or other areas.
Testing showed the blankets would not begin to peel away unless relatively large "loads" were applied - more than five pounds of pull. The testing and computer analysis showed the blankets would experience no more than about 0.9 pounds of loading during entry.
"In my terminology, not only did the team pound these issues flat, they put a dimple in the board when it was all said and done," Poulos said. "So we are absolutely clear and ready to bring this vehicle home whenever the mission is accomplished."
In one minor correction, Shannon said additional analysis showed a piece of foam insulation that peeled off Discovery's external tank during launch weighed just .055 pounds instead of .11 pounds as he earlier reported. Either way, it was well below NASA's safety limit of .25 pounds for potentially serious impact damage
BY WILLIAM HARWOOD
STORY WRITTEN FOR CBS NEWS "SPACE PLACE" & USED WITH PERMISSION
Posted: July 9, 2006
After around-the-clock analysis, NASA managers today officially gave the shuttle Discovery's heat shield a clean bill of health, concluding there are no problems with tiles, the ship's nose cap or wing leading edge panels that require any repair work by the astronauts.
It was a long awaited moment for thousands of NASA and contractor engineers and managers who have put in long hours since Discovery's last flight to correct potentially catastrophic problems with foam insulation.
As it turned out, Discovery's external tank lost less foam than any tank before it and the orbiter suffered virtually no impact damage or other serious problems with its fragile heat shield.
Discovery's crew was given the news just before bedtime, after engineers worked through the night to resolve questions about a protruding gap filler and tears in two small insulation blankets.
"So with that, we've closed out all issues on the TPS (thermal protection system) and we deem the TPS as 100 percent cleared for entry," astronaut Lee Archambault radioed from mission control.
"Well, that is great news, that's fantastic," replied Discovery commander Steve Lindsey. "To get all that done by the end of flight day six, when we did focused inspection on flight day four, is just amazing. So our thanks to the imagery team, the MMT and all the engineers working on this to get the vehicle cleared this quickly. That's very impressive."
"Everyone here around the room as you can imagine is most happy," Archambault said. "I think you'll be delighted when you see the images that you guys sent down after you get back. They really were amazing."
Flight controllers were equally wowed by stunning movies shot by cameras mounted in the shuttle's twin solid-fuel boosters. The rocketcam videos made it back to the Johnson Space Center today, providing engineers with never-before-seen views of launch and booster separation. The giant solid-fuel rockets performed normally, officials said today, with no problems of any significance.
John Shannon, chairman of NASA's Mission Management Team, said he remains optimistic NASA will resolve the few problems that have cropped up during Discovery's flight in time to launch the shuttle Atlantis Aug. 28 on a space station assembly mission, the first shuttle construction flight since Columbia went down in 2003.
"This has really been two missions for us," he said. "The first was to go and do ... a lot of things to assess orbiter health and potential repair capabilities. The other piece of it that's just as important is what we have done for the space station.
"We've talked a lot about how wonderful the orbiter looks and how well the external tank performed and how good the boom was. But I don't want to lose sight of the other half of this, which is how much we're doing to get ourselves ready in August for beginning the assembly of the space station again."
The August mission depends on the success of a spacewalk Monday by astronauts Piers Sellers and Mike Fossum to repair a stalled robot arm transporter on the station's solar array truss. The robotic transporter is required to move the station's robot arm from work site to work site on the unfinished truss and until it is fixed, station assembly is on hold.
Last December, a spring-loaded cable cutter inadvertently fired, severing one of two power and data cables leading to the transporter. Sellers and Fossum plan to replace the cable reel mechanism Monday during a tricky make-or-break spacewalk.
"We need that thing to be working, to move big pieces around during the assembly," Sellers said today. "Right now, it's dead on one side. Our job (Monday) is basically to replace the unit that supplies power to the truck so it can be ready for the next stage of assembly. It's important to get that done before the next guys show up."
A third spacewalk is on tap Wednesday to test wing leading edge repair techniques. Engineers briefly worried the astronauts might have to pluck a protruding gap filler from Discovery's belly during the third excursion, but Steve Poulos, manager of the orbiter projects office at the Johnson Space Center, said today a detailed analysis showed Discovery can safely re-enter the atmosphere as is.
"Nobody had any concerns whatsoever we were going to exceed any of their limits," he said. "We had no dissension across the entire community, everybody was 100 percent on board."
Gap fillers are thin, heat-resistant spacers between tiles to prevent chafing during the vibrations and temperature extremes of launch and orbital flight. Some 16,000 gap fillers are in place, including more than 5,000 that were replaced in wake of Discovery's flight last summer on the first post-Columbia mission.
Gap fillers can occasionally shake loose and if they stick up too far into the air stream during re-entry, they can break up the smooth flow across the belly of the shuttle, creating turbulence that can raise downstream temperatures.
During Discovery's approach to the space station earlier this week, engineers saw a gap filler sticking up from tiles near a propellant feedline access door. The high-resolution photography by the station's crew showed the gap filler was damaged and creased.
Poulos said engineers conducted tests showing the gap filler most likely will roll over in the re-entry air stream. But even if it doesn't, testing showed Discovery is in no danger of excessive heating.
During a normal re-entry, the tiles in that area should not experience temperatures higher than 2,300 degrees at their surface, more than 625 degrees at the bondline where they attach to the shuttle's skin and 350 degrees for the aluminum skin itself.
In a worst-case scenario, Poulos said, one in which the protruding access door gap filler disturbed the insulating "boundary layer" just after atmospheric entry at 24.7 times the speed of sound, temperatures on the tile surface would not exceed 2,254 degrees. The bondline temperatures would not rise above 579 degrees and the shuttle's skin down stream of the gap filler would not get hotter than about 344 degrees.
If the gap filler rolls over like engineers expect, tripping the boundary layer around 19.5 times the speed of sound, conditions will be even more benign: 2,254 degrees at the downstream tile surface; 496 degrees at the bondline; and 289 degrees on the skin.
"With all that data, we were able to clear that gap filler as a non constraint for entry," he said.
Engineers worked one other open item overnight, conducting tests and computer analyses to show two small, damaged thermal blankets near the shuttle's nose will not pull off during entry and pose an impact threat to Discovery's cockpit windows or other areas.
Testing showed the blankets would not begin to peel away unless relatively large "loads" were applied - more than five pounds of pull. The testing and computer analysis showed the blankets would experience no more than about 0.9 pounds of loading during entry.
"In my terminology, not only did the team pound these issues flat, they put a dimple in the board when it was all said and done," Poulos said. "So we are absolutely clear and ready to bring this vehicle home whenever the mission is accomplished."
In one minor correction, Shannon said additional analysis showed a piece of foam insulation that peeled off Discovery's external tank during launch weighed just .055 pounds instead of .11 pounds as he earlier reported. Either way, it was well below NASA's safety limit of .25 pounds for potentially serious impact damage
Marilson
12-07-2006, 00:40
GioFX ma sei solo in grado di fare copia e incolla oppure sai anche argomentare qualcosa? Oggi il jet backpack di Piers Sellers si è rotto e ci è mancato poco che lo perdessero tra le stelle... :stordita:
GioFX
12-07-2006, 01:20
mi spiace ma so solo fare copia incolla. :rolleyes:
certo come no, abbiamo proprio rischiato di pederlo... :doh: ma dove le hai lette certe cose? hanno solo avuto le noie (prevedibili) con i nuovi cavi di sicurezza americani.
PS: era ieri, FD7, non oggi.
certo come no, abbiamo proprio rischiato di pederlo... :doh: ma dove le hai lette certe cose? hanno solo avuto le noie (prevedibili) con i nuovi cavi di sicurezza americani.
PS: era ieri, FD7, non oggi.
GioFX
12-07-2006, 01:25
Riporto i resoconti attendibili, per la gioia degli amanti del copia-incolla:
NASA managers thrilled with results of spacewalk
BY WILLIAM HARWOOD
STORY WRITTEN FOR CBS NEWS "SPACE PLACE" & USED WITH PERMISSION
Posted: July 10, 2006
Space station flight director Rick LaBrode sweated bullets going into today's spacewalk to fix a stalled robot arm transporter on the international lab complex. But months of planning, tests and simulations paid off with a successful repair job, clearing the way for resumption of station assembly.
"Man, do I feel better!" LaBrode exclaimed at a post-spacewalk news briefing. "I'll tell you, I've spent the better part of the last three years of my life putting together this mission. And this particular day was my main concern.
"The obvious reasons are, one, It was extremely complex and challenging. And two, there were huge implications for continued space station operations. So it was a big deal, and getting it behind us successfully is a great feeling."
Astronauts Piers Sellers and Mike Fossum spent six hours and 47 minutes carrying out a dramatic spacewalk today, moving a cooling system pump module from the shuttle Discovery's cargo bay to an external storage platform on the station and repairing the mobile transporter.
The transporter, designed to carry the station's robot arm along a huge solar array truss to assist with the lab's construction, has been out of action since last December when a cable cutter inadvertently fired, severing one of two redundant power, data and video cables.
NASA flight rules forbid moving the transporter without redundant power and data and today, Fossum and Sellers installed a new cable reel assembly and a replacement for the mechanism that malfunctioned last year. With the completion of today's spacewalk, the transporter once again has redundant power. The one remaining cable cutter was disabled during a spacewalk Saturday when Sellers and Fossum bolted on a device to physically block the blade from reaching the cable even if it fires.
LaBrode said late today it would take several hours to thoroughly check out the mobile transporter, but engineers were optimistic about positive results.
"We have done a preliminary checkout of connections that they made to the mobile transporter and those connectors all check out nominally," he said. "We still have some more checkouts to do. We've applied power to the mobile transporter and we've tested the telemetry connections. We still are in the process of driving some of the integrated motor control assemblies and we also are going to be looking at some video that passes through that TUS cable. But thus far, everything looks great."
Later, astronaut Lee "Brew" Archambault radioed more good news to the astronauts on board the shuttle-station complex.
"ISS control room reports that so far, they've checked out everything with the exception of the video (from one camera) and everything they have checked out so far has been outstanding, looks great," Archambault said.
"That's great news, we're really glad to hear that," shuttle skipper Steve Lindsey replied.
Phil Engelauf, chief of NASA's flight directors office, said the initial success of Discovery's mission gives the agency optimism about a fast turn around to get Atlantis off the ground in late August.
"We're about at the halfway point here and we have behind us most of the initial evaluation of the shuttle," he said. "The health of the vehicle is great, we're not working any particular problems and now that we've got the early inspection and review of the inspection data behind us, the emphasis of the mission is turning now to the actual tasks at hand. With the completion of the second EVA today, all of that is going really well.
"It's very gratifying, now that we've gotten through a couple of ascents here and are starting to get comfortable with the new tools that we have available to us, it is letting us feel a lot better about proceeding into the (space station) assembly sequence. It's great to be focused on how well everything's going on 121 (Discovery's mission). But we have a huge amount of work coming ahead and the success of this mission so far, I think, is a good indicator that we're heading towards another launch in the August time frame unless anything new comes up."
For readers looking ahead to Atlantis' launch on mission STS-115, here's the latest processing schedule (some dates under review and subject to change):
DATE.......EVENT
07/17/06...Discovery lands
07/25/06...Atlantis rollover to Vehicle Assembly Building (may change)
07/27/06...Payload to launch pad (may change)
08/04/06...Shuttle stack rollout to launch pad (may move up a few days)
08/07/06...Crew flies to Kennedy Space Center
08/08/06...Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test begins
08/09/06...Astronaut Q & A at launch pad
08/10/08...TCDT ends with dress-rehearsal countdown
08/11/06...Pre-flight briefings at the Johnson Space Center
08/15/06...Flight readiness review begins
08/16/06...FRR ends; official launch date announced
08/25/06...Countdown begins
08/28/06...Launch (current estimate: 4:04 p.m. EDT)
09/13/06...Shuttle launch window closes
"The assembly sequence is set to proceed fast and furious here," Engelauf said. "We're only six to seven weeks out from the next mission. The big thing on our plate now, I think, is seeing how well everything worked here, we have a green flag to press ahead and that's where our attention is focused."
The Discovery astronauts will focus Tuesday on continued work to transfer supplies and equipment from the shuttle and the Leonardo cargo module to the space station. A third spacewalk by Fossum and Sellers is on tap Wednesday to test wing leading edge panel repair techniques.
NASA managers thrilled with results of spacewalk
BY WILLIAM HARWOOD
STORY WRITTEN FOR CBS NEWS "SPACE PLACE" & USED WITH PERMISSION
Posted: July 10, 2006
Space station flight director Rick LaBrode sweated bullets going into today's spacewalk to fix a stalled robot arm transporter on the international lab complex. But months of planning, tests and simulations paid off with a successful repair job, clearing the way for resumption of station assembly.
"Man, do I feel better!" LaBrode exclaimed at a post-spacewalk news briefing. "I'll tell you, I've spent the better part of the last three years of my life putting together this mission. And this particular day was my main concern.
"The obvious reasons are, one, It was extremely complex and challenging. And two, there were huge implications for continued space station operations. So it was a big deal, and getting it behind us successfully is a great feeling."
Astronauts Piers Sellers and Mike Fossum spent six hours and 47 minutes carrying out a dramatic spacewalk today, moving a cooling system pump module from the shuttle Discovery's cargo bay to an external storage platform on the station and repairing the mobile transporter.
The transporter, designed to carry the station's robot arm along a huge solar array truss to assist with the lab's construction, has been out of action since last December when a cable cutter inadvertently fired, severing one of two redundant power, data and video cables.
NASA flight rules forbid moving the transporter without redundant power and data and today, Fossum and Sellers installed a new cable reel assembly and a replacement for the mechanism that malfunctioned last year. With the completion of today's spacewalk, the transporter once again has redundant power. The one remaining cable cutter was disabled during a spacewalk Saturday when Sellers and Fossum bolted on a device to physically block the blade from reaching the cable even if it fires.
LaBrode said late today it would take several hours to thoroughly check out the mobile transporter, but engineers were optimistic about positive results.
"We have done a preliminary checkout of connections that they made to the mobile transporter and those connectors all check out nominally," he said. "We still have some more checkouts to do. We've applied power to the mobile transporter and we've tested the telemetry connections. We still are in the process of driving some of the integrated motor control assemblies and we also are going to be looking at some video that passes through that TUS cable. But thus far, everything looks great."
Later, astronaut Lee "Brew" Archambault radioed more good news to the astronauts on board the shuttle-station complex.
"ISS control room reports that so far, they've checked out everything with the exception of the video (from one camera) and everything they have checked out so far has been outstanding, looks great," Archambault said.
"That's great news, we're really glad to hear that," shuttle skipper Steve Lindsey replied.
Phil Engelauf, chief of NASA's flight directors office, said the initial success of Discovery's mission gives the agency optimism about a fast turn around to get Atlantis off the ground in late August.
"We're about at the halfway point here and we have behind us most of the initial evaluation of the shuttle," he said. "The health of the vehicle is great, we're not working any particular problems and now that we've got the early inspection and review of the inspection data behind us, the emphasis of the mission is turning now to the actual tasks at hand. With the completion of the second EVA today, all of that is going really well.
"It's very gratifying, now that we've gotten through a couple of ascents here and are starting to get comfortable with the new tools that we have available to us, it is letting us feel a lot better about proceeding into the (space station) assembly sequence. It's great to be focused on how well everything's going on 121 (Discovery's mission). But we have a huge amount of work coming ahead and the success of this mission so far, I think, is a good indicator that we're heading towards another launch in the August time frame unless anything new comes up."
For readers looking ahead to Atlantis' launch on mission STS-115, here's the latest processing schedule (some dates under review and subject to change):
DATE.......EVENT
07/17/06...Discovery lands
07/25/06...Atlantis rollover to Vehicle Assembly Building (may change)
07/27/06...Payload to launch pad (may change)
08/04/06...Shuttle stack rollout to launch pad (may move up a few days)
08/07/06...Crew flies to Kennedy Space Center
08/08/06...Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test begins
08/09/06...Astronaut Q & A at launch pad
08/10/08...TCDT ends with dress-rehearsal countdown
08/11/06...Pre-flight briefings at the Johnson Space Center
08/15/06...Flight readiness review begins
08/16/06...FRR ends; official launch date announced
08/25/06...Countdown begins
08/28/06...Launch (current estimate: 4:04 p.m. EDT)
09/13/06...Shuttle launch window closes
"The assembly sequence is set to proceed fast and furious here," Engelauf said. "We're only six to seven weeks out from the next mission. The big thing on our plate now, I think, is seeing how well everything worked here, we have a green flag to press ahead and that's where our attention is focused."
The Discovery astronauts will focus Tuesday on continued work to transfer supplies and equipment from the shuttle and the Leonardo cargo module to the space station. A third spacewalk by Fossum and Sellers is on tap Wednesday to test wing leading edge panel repair techniques.
GioFX
12-07-2006, 01:27
RIPETO PER L'ULTIMA VOLTA:
Questi sono thread di informazione (raccolte da fonti ufficiali o non ufficiali e siti specializzati) oltreche di discussione. Quindi ci sono stati, ci sono e ci saranno articoli in inglese sugli argomenti di volta in volta oggetti di discussione.
Questi sono thread di informazione (raccolte da fonti ufficiali o non ufficiali e siti specializzati) oltreche di discussione. Quindi ci sono stati, ci sono e ci saranno articoli in inglese sugli argomenti di volta in volta oggetti di discussione.
Marilson
12-07-2006, 02:32
ok continua a copia incollare, tanto io ho nasa.gov come pagina principale :)
GioFX
12-07-2006, 10:41
ok continua a copia incollare, tanto io ho nasa.gov come pagina principale :)
ti basta poco allora... ;)
In ogni caso NASA.gov non ha il live update degli eventi, per quello c'è NASA TV, e anche in questo caso molti non hanno possibiltà di seguire lo streaming TV da casa o lavoro.
ti basta poco allora... ;)
In ogni caso NASA.gov non ha il live update degli eventi, per quello c'è NASA TV, e anche in questo caso molti non hanno possibiltà di seguire lo streaming TV da casa o lavoro.
GioFX
12-07-2006, 21:13
come si mandano i piani di lavoro dal MCC di Houston alla ISS?
in PDF naturalmente! :D
Flight Day 9 - EVA3 Execute Package
http://www.nasa.gov/pdf/152120main_fd09_ex_pkg.pdf
in PDF naturalmente! :D
Flight Day 9 - EVA3 Execute Package
http://www.nasa.gov/pdf/152120main_fd09_ex_pkg.pdf
razziadacqua
12-07-2006, 21:42
ci è mancato poco che lo perdessero tra le stelle... :stordita:
Madonna che morte orribile sarebbe stata.
Pregunte:
Capitasse davvero di avere un Astronauta in EVA alla deriva...cosa farebbero?Proverebbero a recuperarlo?
Capitasse che sto povero disgraziato sia condannato alla deriva...avrebbe un modo rapido ed indolore di morire?...ammicco ammicco...
Madonna che morte orribile sarebbe stata.
Pregunte:
Capitasse davvero di avere un Astronauta in EVA alla deriva...cosa farebbero?Proverebbero a recuperarlo?
Capitasse che sto povero disgraziato sia condannato alla deriva...avrebbe un modo rapido ed indolore di morire?...ammicco ammicco...
Octane
12-07-2006, 21:54
come si mandano i piani di lavoro dal MCC di Houston alla ISS?
in PDF naturalmente! :D
Flight Day 9 - EVA3 Execute Package
http://www.nasa.gov/pdf/152120main_fd09_ex_pkg.pdf
minchia che bordello.. ma farli un po' piu' chiari e a colori ;) (lo so sono stato viziato da project, ma i diagrammi di gannt in quella maniera sono pressoche' illeggibili! :fagiano: )
tra l'altro hanno le righe numerate come se stessero programmando in basic! :D
(sto scherzando. lo fanno per ovvii motivi di praticita')
in PDF naturalmente! :D
Flight Day 9 - EVA3 Execute Package
http://www.nasa.gov/pdf/152120main_fd09_ex_pkg.pdf
minchia che bordello.. ma farli un po' piu' chiari e a colori ;) (lo so sono stato viziato da project, ma i diagrammi di gannt in quella maniera sono pressoche' illeggibili! :fagiano: )
tra l'altro hanno le righe numerate come se stessero programmando in basic! :D
(sto scherzando. lo fanno per ovvii motivi di praticita')
GioFX
13-07-2006, 23:19
Mission managers update crew on shuttle APU issues
BY WILLIAM HARWOOD
STORY WRITTEN FOR CBS NEWS "SPACE PLACE" & USED WITH PERMISSION
Posted: July 13, 2006
The Discovery astronauts took the day off today, relaxing and enjoying the view from space after a hectic week in orbit highlighted by three spacewalks and work to transfer supplies and equipment to the international space station. Texas Gov. Rick Perry plans to call spacewalker and fellow Texas A&M graduate Mike Fossum later today and flight engineer Lisa Nowak will join Fossum for two media interviews. Engineers, meanwhile, continue analysis of two seemingly minor issues with Discovery's hydraulic system.
In the morning "execute package" of instructions and timeline changes uplinked to the astronauts, mission control passed along a few tongue-in-cheek ideas for spending an off-duty day in space:
Good morning, Discovery. Since today is an off-duty day for you, the planning shift team has come up with a few ideas* to help you pass the time:
1. Who can toss the laptop the furthest down the station before it bounces off the wall (of course, we would appreciate it if you use Station assets for this one).
2. Arm wrestling: Big [robot] arm vs. little arm, David and Goliath II, the battle begins.
3. Boom toss - toss the [robot arm inspection] boom between arms (just don't tell the Canadians if you lose it).
4. Take all the CWCs [water transfer bags] into the Crew Lock, close the hatch, empty the CWCs and go for a swim (PBAs might be needed).
5. Lawn darts (if you need a target, remember that's an Aggie compatible task).
6. Marco polo (the whole fish-out-of water thing would need to be tweaked though).
7. We could up-link a few appropriate computer games for you if you like - Asteroids, Space Invaders, or Star Wars' Wing Commander.
And last but not least, here's a haiku from our GC,
Day of Freedom Launch
Leonardo and Spacewalks
Crew now Chillaxin'
Enjoy your day off, it's well deserved.
*None of these ideas have been approved by the MMT
The morning execute package also included the latest thinking from NASA's Mission Management Team about the status of two of Discovery's auxiliary power units, or APUs, which provide the hydraulic power necessary to operate the shuttle's aerosurfaces, landing gear brakes and nose wheel steering during entry and landing.
The shuttle is equipped with three APUs and can safely land with just one. But given the critical nature of the system, engineers pay close attention when anything out of the ordinary occurs.
In a brief call to the crew late Wednesday, mission control told shuttle commander Steve Lindsey that engineers were monitoring two unrelated issues with APUs 1 and 3. The pressure in APU 1's fuel tank appears to be decaying faster than expected, indicating a possible hydrazine fuel leak or a leak in the nitrogen (N2) gas system used to provide pressurization. And APU 3 is experiencing heater problems.
Both issues may be related to work done before Discovery's launch, but that remains to be seen. Here is the MMT explanation of what has been observed to date:
"APU 1 Tank Pressure Decay - The APU 1 fuel pressure is decaying differently than the other two tanks which is indicative of a small N2 or hydrazine leak. The data is very subtle so it has taken eight days to detect this change in slope between the three APU fuel tank plots. APU 2 and APU 3 shows a normal pressure decay of 6 psi over the eight days of the mission. This is due to the temperature change in the tanks which is caused by a 9-10 degrees Fahrenheit decrease in the tank temperatures as the aft structure cools. It takes some time to see this change because ascent does a good job of warming up this part of the vehicle.
"APU 1 Tank pressure has dropped a total of 22 psi over these eight days which is indicative of a leak which is most likely N2. The Entry Flight Director, CB (astronaut office) Reps, and the entire APU community are meeting several times daily to understand the data and determine a forward plan of action. There was an N2 leak at the QD (quick-disconnect) panel during a portion of the STS-121 OPF (orbiter processing facility) flow that was later fixed; that has many in the community thinking that the leak is N2. Analysis is in work to determine if it is feasible to leak hydrazine based on the very slow leak rate and the propensity of hydrazine to freeze and slow an actual fuel leak. We hope to have more details on this subject (Thursday) but as of today there is no change to any mission plans based on the data collected. The APU is not considered failed and the N2 pressure will be more than 100 psi above the lower operating limit at EOM (end of mission).
"APU 3 GG/Fuel Line/Pump/Valve Heater - Both the A and B heaters appear to be controlling at their upper limit on the overtemp thermostat. Initially the B heater appeared to fail ON, as indicated by the Supply Line Temp, increasing from ~82 deg F to 190 deg F. The heater then operated nominally for two cycles, and then failed ON again. MMACS (mission control mechanical systems officer) asked to reconfigure the heater to the A system, where it is also operating on the overtemp thermostat.
"There are a few theories on the failure mode that could affect both the A and B heaters. This area was reworked before STS-121 with a new sealant such that the heaters were removed and rewrapped. If the wrap came loose on orbit, it would bias both thermostats cold and would appear as a failed on heater. If the heater is debonded, a similar signature would be expected. The teams continue to meet multiple times each day on this topic and additional data will be provided as the analyses mature. APU 3 is not considered failed for entry at this time and there are no significant impacts to entry operations."
At present, these do not appear to be serious issues, but given the critical nature of the APU system they bear watching. More information will be posted here as it becomes available.
The Mission Management Team congratulated the Discovery astronauts on the successful completion of their third spacewalk Wednesday and told the crew a lost spatula posed no threat of returning to the shuttle-station complex.
Shuttle and station managers "were extremely happy with the results of EVA 3 including the get-ahead task of transferring the grapple bar to ISS," the MMT report said. "FYI - The spatula that was released inadvertently during the EVA is well clear of the orbiter and ISS. It was 4 miles in front of the ISS/Shuttle at crew sleep on FD9 (flight day 9) and continues to move in front of and below the ISS with the distance increasing about 2 miles each rev."
BY WILLIAM HARWOOD
STORY WRITTEN FOR CBS NEWS "SPACE PLACE" & USED WITH PERMISSION
Posted: July 13, 2006
The Discovery astronauts took the day off today, relaxing and enjoying the view from space after a hectic week in orbit highlighted by three spacewalks and work to transfer supplies and equipment to the international space station. Texas Gov. Rick Perry plans to call spacewalker and fellow Texas A&M graduate Mike Fossum later today and flight engineer Lisa Nowak will join Fossum for two media interviews. Engineers, meanwhile, continue analysis of two seemingly minor issues with Discovery's hydraulic system.
In the morning "execute package" of instructions and timeline changes uplinked to the astronauts, mission control passed along a few tongue-in-cheek ideas for spending an off-duty day in space:
Good morning, Discovery. Since today is an off-duty day for you, the planning shift team has come up with a few ideas* to help you pass the time:
1. Who can toss the laptop the furthest down the station before it bounces off the wall (of course, we would appreciate it if you use Station assets for this one).
2. Arm wrestling: Big [robot] arm vs. little arm, David and Goliath II, the battle begins.
3. Boom toss - toss the [robot arm inspection] boom between arms (just don't tell the Canadians if you lose it).
4. Take all the CWCs [water transfer bags] into the Crew Lock, close the hatch, empty the CWCs and go for a swim (PBAs might be needed).
5. Lawn darts (if you need a target, remember that's an Aggie compatible task).
6. Marco polo (the whole fish-out-of water thing would need to be tweaked though).
7. We could up-link a few appropriate computer games for you if you like - Asteroids, Space Invaders, or Star Wars' Wing Commander.
And last but not least, here's a haiku from our GC,
Day of Freedom Launch
Leonardo and Spacewalks
Crew now Chillaxin'
Enjoy your day off, it's well deserved.
*None of these ideas have been approved by the MMT
The morning execute package also included the latest thinking from NASA's Mission Management Team about the status of two of Discovery's auxiliary power units, or APUs, which provide the hydraulic power necessary to operate the shuttle's aerosurfaces, landing gear brakes and nose wheel steering during entry and landing.
The shuttle is equipped with three APUs and can safely land with just one. But given the critical nature of the system, engineers pay close attention when anything out of the ordinary occurs.
In a brief call to the crew late Wednesday, mission control told shuttle commander Steve Lindsey that engineers were monitoring two unrelated issues with APUs 1 and 3. The pressure in APU 1's fuel tank appears to be decaying faster than expected, indicating a possible hydrazine fuel leak or a leak in the nitrogen (N2) gas system used to provide pressurization. And APU 3 is experiencing heater problems.
Both issues may be related to work done before Discovery's launch, but that remains to be seen. Here is the MMT explanation of what has been observed to date:
"APU 1 Tank Pressure Decay - The APU 1 fuel pressure is decaying differently than the other two tanks which is indicative of a small N2 or hydrazine leak. The data is very subtle so it has taken eight days to detect this change in slope between the three APU fuel tank plots. APU 2 and APU 3 shows a normal pressure decay of 6 psi over the eight days of the mission. This is due to the temperature change in the tanks which is caused by a 9-10 degrees Fahrenheit decrease in the tank temperatures as the aft structure cools. It takes some time to see this change because ascent does a good job of warming up this part of the vehicle.
"APU 1 Tank pressure has dropped a total of 22 psi over these eight days which is indicative of a leak which is most likely N2. The Entry Flight Director, CB (astronaut office) Reps, and the entire APU community are meeting several times daily to understand the data and determine a forward plan of action. There was an N2 leak at the QD (quick-disconnect) panel during a portion of the STS-121 OPF (orbiter processing facility) flow that was later fixed; that has many in the community thinking that the leak is N2. Analysis is in work to determine if it is feasible to leak hydrazine based on the very slow leak rate and the propensity of hydrazine to freeze and slow an actual fuel leak. We hope to have more details on this subject (Thursday) but as of today there is no change to any mission plans based on the data collected. The APU is not considered failed and the N2 pressure will be more than 100 psi above the lower operating limit at EOM (end of mission).
"APU 3 GG/Fuel Line/Pump/Valve Heater - Both the A and B heaters appear to be controlling at their upper limit on the overtemp thermostat. Initially the B heater appeared to fail ON, as indicated by the Supply Line Temp, increasing from ~82 deg F to 190 deg F. The heater then operated nominally for two cycles, and then failed ON again. MMACS (mission control mechanical systems officer) asked to reconfigure the heater to the A system, where it is also operating on the overtemp thermostat.
"There are a few theories on the failure mode that could affect both the A and B heaters. This area was reworked before STS-121 with a new sealant such that the heaters were removed and rewrapped. If the wrap came loose on orbit, it would bias both thermostats cold and would appear as a failed on heater. If the heater is debonded, a similar signature would be expected. The teams continue to meet multiple times each day on this topic and additional data will be provided as the analyses mature. APU 3 is not considered failed for entry at this time and there are no significant impacts to entry operations."
At present, these do not appear to be serious issues, but given the critical nature of the APU system they bear watching. More information will be posted here as it becomes available.
The Mission Management Team congratulated the Discovery astronauts on the successful completion of their third spacewalk Wednesday and told the crew a lost spatula posed no threat of returning to the shuttle-station complex.
Shuttle and station managers "were extremely happy with the results of EVA 3 including the get-ahead task of transferring the grapple bar to ISS," the MMT report said. "FYI - The spatula that was released inadvertently during the EVA is well clear of the orbiter and ISS. It was 4 miles in front of the ISS/Shuttle at crew sleep on FD9 (flight day 9) and continues to move in front of and below the ISS with the distance increasing about 2 miles each rev."
GioFX
15-07-2006, 12:14
FD-12 - Undocking
Oggi ci sarà il saluto dell'equipaggio dell'ISS da parte di quello del Discovery, il distacco e i preparativi per il rientro, previsto Lunedì 17 alle 9:14 AM EST (15:14 ora italiana).
http://www.spaceflightnow.com/shuttle/sts121/fdf/images/121undocking.gif
Oggi ci sarà il saluto dell'equipaggio dell'ISS da parte di quello del Discovery, il distacco e i preparativi per il rientro, previsto Lunedì 17 alle 9:14 AM EST (15:14 ora italiana).
http://www.spaceflightnow.com/shuttle/sts121/fdf/images/121undocking.gif
GioFX
15-07-2006, 12:16
Here are all the deorbit ignition and landing times for Discovery's crew through next Wednesday at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC), Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. (EDW) and Northrup, N.M. (NOR). "Rev" refers to the shuttle's orbit (all times in EDT and subject to change):
SITE..REV...DEORBIT......LANDING (updated times)
Monday, July 17
KSC...202...08:11 a.m...09:14 a.m. (planned)
NOR...203...09:35 a.m...10:39 a.m.
KSC...203...09:40 a.m...10:42 a.m.
EDW...204...11:09 a.m...12:11 p.m.
NOR...204...11:11 a.m...12:13 p.m.
EDW...205...12:45 p.m...01:46 p.m.
Tuesday, July 18
KSC...218...08:18 a.m...09:21 a.m.
EDW...219...09:47 a.m...10:51 a.m.
NOR...219...09:49 a.m...10:52 a.m.
KSC...219...09:54 a.m...10:56 a.m.
EDW...220...11:23 a.m...12:25 p.m.
NOR...220...11:25 a.m...12:27 p.m.
EDW...221...12:59 p.m...02:00 P.m.
Wednesday, July 19
KSC...233...06:56 a.m...08:00 a.m.
KSC...234...08:32 a.m...09:35 a.m.
EDW...235...10:01 a.m...11:04 a.m.
NOR...235...10:03 a.m...11:06 a.m.
EDW...236...11:37 a.m...12:39 p.m.
NOR...236...11:40 a.m...12:41 p.m.
SITE..REV...DEORBIT......LANDING (updated times)
Monday, July 17
KSC...202...08:11 a.m...09:14 a.m. (planned)
NOR...203...09:35 a.m...10:39 a.m.
KSC...203...09:40 a.m...10:42 a.m.
EDW...204...11:09 a.m...12:11 p.m.
NOR...204...11:11 a.m...12:13 p.m.
EDW...205...12:45 p.m...01:46 p.m.
Tuesday, July 18
KSC...218...08:18 a.m...09:21 a.m.
EDW...219...09:47 a.m...10:51 a.m.
NOR...219...09:49 a.m...10:52 a.m.
KSC...219...09:54 a.m...10:56 a.m.
EDW...220...11:23 a.m...12:25 p.m.
NOR...220...11:25 a.m...12:27 p.m.
EDW...221...12:59 p.m...02:00 P.m.
Wednesday, July 19
KSC...233...06:56 a.m...08:00 a.m.
KSC...234...08:32 a.m...09:35 a.m.
EDW...235...10:01 a.m...11:04 a.m.
NOR...235...10:03 a.m...11:06 a.m.
EDW...236...11:37 a.m...12:39 p.m.
NOR...236...11:40 a.m...12:41 p.m.
GioFX
15-07-2006, 15:24
Discovery departs station with sights set on landing
BY WILLIAM HARWOOD
STORY WRITTEN FOR CBS NEWS "SPACE PLACE" & USED WITH PERMISSION
Posted: July 15, 2006
The shuttle Discovery undocked from the international space station early today, leaving European Space Agency astronaut Thomas Reiter behind to boost the crew size to three for the first time since downsizing in the wake of the Columbia accident.
Undocking occurred on time at 6:08 a.m. as the two spacecraft sailed high above New Zealand.
"And we have physical separation," a Discovery astronaut said as the shuttle's docking system disengaged.
"Discovery, station, roger, we're watching here in the cameras," station flight engineer Jeff Williams radioed. "Have a safe journey back, soft landings and we'll see you on the ground in a few months."
With pilot Mark Kelly at the controls, Discovery drifted straight away from the station, pulling out in front to a distance of about 400 feet before beginning a slow loop up and over the international outpost.
The shuttle's departure trajectory was designed to keep Discovery within about 40 nautical miles of the station until the astronauts can complete a final survey of the shuttle's nose cap and right wing leading edge panels.
They inspected the left wing leading edge Friday, looking for any signs of damage from impacts by micrometeoroids or space debris. Lisa Nowak and Stephanie Wilson will use Discovery's robot arm and a long inspection boom today to make laser scans of the ship's reinforced carbon carbon nose cap and right wing leading edge panels beginning around 9 a.m.
If any serious problems are found, Discovery has enough propellant on board to re-rendezvous with the space station. But if the wings and nose cap are sound, Discovery will leave the area and the crew will begin gearing up for a landing opportunity Monday at the Kennedy Space Center. Based on the latest calculations by mission control, the shuttle's twin braking rockets will be fired at 8:11 a.m. Monday for a landing at 9:14 a.m.
Here is an updated timeline of today's activities in space (in EDT and mission elapsed time):
TIME DD HH MM EVENT
07/15/06
01:08 AM 10 10 30 STS crew wakeup (flight day 12)
01:38 AM 10 11 00 ISS crew wakeup
03:38 AM 10 13 00 Farewell ceremony
03:53 AM 10 13 15 Hatch closure
04:28 AM 10 13 50 Centerline camera installation
04:38 AM 10 14 00 Group B computer powerup
04:38 AM 10 14 00 Orbiter docking system leak check
05:23 AM 10 14 45 Undocking timeline begins
06:08 AM 10 15 30 UNDOCKING
07:08 AM 10 16 30 Shuttle separation burn
07:43 AM 10 17 05 Group B computer powerdown
07:43 AM 10 17 05 Crew meals begin
08:43 AM 10 18 05 Robot arm maneuvers to survey attitude
08:58 AM 10 18 20 OBSS starboard survey
10:08 AM 10 19 30 ISS: PMA-2 depressurization
10:28 AM 10 19 50 OBSS nose survey
11:00 AM 10 20 22 Mission status briefing on NASA TV
12:28 PM 10 21 50 OBSS berthing
01:33 PM 10 22 55 Shuttle robot arm powerdown
03:24 PM 11 00 46 NC-5 rocket firing
05:00 PM 11 02 22 Post-MMT briefing on NASA TV
05:08 PM 11 02 30 STS crew sleep begins
06:00 PM 11 03 22 Daily video highlights reel on NASA TV
BY WILLIAM HARWOOD
STORY WRITTEN FOR CBS NEWS "SPACE PLACE" & USED WITH PERMISSION
Posted: July 15, 2006
The shuttle Discovery undocked from the international space station early today, leaving European Space Agency astronaut Thomas Reiter behind to boost the crew size to three for the first time since downsizing in the wake of the Columbia accident.
Undocking occurred on time at 6:08 a.m. as the two spacecraft sailed high above New Zealand.
"And we have physical separation," a Discovery astronaut said as the shuttle's docking system disengaged.
"Discovery, station, roger, we're watching here in the cameras," station flight engineer Jeff Williams radioed. "Have a safe journey back, soft landings and we'll see you on the ground in a few months."
With pilot Mark Kelly at the controls, Discovery drifted straight away from the station, pulling out in front to a distance of about 400 feet before beginning a slow loop up and over the international outpost.
The shuttle's departure trajectory was designed to keep Discovery within about 40 nautical miles of the station until the astronauts can complete a final survey of the shuttle's nose cap and right wing leading edge panels.
They inspected the left wing leading edge Friday, looking for any signs of damage from impacts by micrometeoroids or space debris. Lisa Nowak and Stephanie Wilson will use Discovery's robot arm and a long inspection boom today to make laser scans of the ship's reinforced carbon carbon nose cap and right wing leading edge panels beginning around 9 a.m.
If any serious problems are found, Discovery has enough propellant on board to re-rendezvous with the space station. But if the wings and nose cap are sound, Discovery will leave the area and the crew will begin gearing up for a landing opportunity Monday at the Kennedy Space Center. Based on the latest calculations by mission control, the shuttle's twin braking rockets will be fired at 8:11 a.m. Monday for a landing at 9:14 a.m.
Here is an updated timeline of today's activities in space (in EDT and mission elapsed time):
TIME DD HH MM EVENT
07/15/06
01:08 AM 10 10 30 STS crew wakeup (flight day 12)
01:38 AM 10 11 00 ISS crew wakeup
03:38 AM 10 13 00 Farewell ceremony
03:53 AM 10 13 15 Hatch closure
04:28 AM 10 13 50 Centerline camera installation
04:38 AM 10 14 00 Group B computer powerup
04:38 AM 10 14 00 Orbiter docking system leak check
05:23 AM 10 14 45 Undocking timeline begins
06:08 AM 10 15 30 UNDOCKING
07:08 AM 10 16 30 Shuttle separation burn
07:43 AM 10 17 05 Group B computer powerdown
07:43 AM 10 17 05 Crew meals begin
08:43 AM 10 18 05 Robot arm maneuvers to survey attitude
08:58 AM 10 18 20 OBSS starboard survey
10:08 AM 10 19 30 ISS: PMA-2 depressurization
10:28 AM 10 19 50 OBSS nose survey
11:00 AM 10 20 22 Mission status briefing on NASA TV
12:28 PM 10 21 50 OBSS berthing
01:33 PM 10 22 55 Shuttle robot arm powerdown
03:24 PM 11 00 46 NC-5 rocket firing
05:00 PM 11 02 22 Post-MMT briefing on NASA TV
05:08 PM 11 02 30 STS crew sleep begins
06:00 PM 11 03 22 Daily video highlights reel on NASA TV
adsasdhaasddeasdd
17-07-2006, 09:38
http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/realdata/tracking/ si è staccato?? ma è in orbita stazionaria'?
GioFX
17-07-2006, 10:37
si è distaccato sabato... :D
è in orbita bassa, tra poco sarà azionato l'OMS (Orbiter Manuevring System) per le prime fasi del rientro, l'attrito con l'atmofera farà il resto, riducendo la componente orizzontale della velocità dell'orbiter, riportandolo a casa...
è in orbita bassa, tra poco sarà azionato l'OMS (Orbiter Manuevring System) per le prime fasi del rientro, l'attrito con l'atmofera farà il resto, riducendo la componente orizzontale della velocità dell'orbiter, riportandolo a casa...
GioFX
17-07-2006, 10:45
Spaceflightnow.com:
Astronauts eager for Monday's return to Earth
BY WILLIAM HARWOOD
STORY WRITTEN FOR CBS NEWS "SPACE PLACE" & USED WITH PERMISSION
Posted: July 16, 2006
The shuttle Discovery is in excellent condition for landing and with a successful space station repair and resupply mission now in the books, NASA should be clear to resume assembly flights with launch of shuttle Atlantis in late August, Discovery skipper Steve Lindsey said today.
"It's been very, very clean throughout the mission, we've had very, very few issues with it," Lindsey said of Discovery in an interview with CBS News. "The vehicle's been clean, the (external fuel) tank looked pretty clean, we got a clean bill of health today to enter after inspecting for micrometeorite damage yesterday and the day before. So I think this vehicle has done great."
As for Discovery's mission to deliver supplies to the international space station, to repair a critical robot arm transporter and to ferry a third full-time crew member to the lab complex, Lindsey said "we achieved all of those objectives."
"Two big objectives were to get the space station ready for assembly as well as bring the crew back up to three people," Lindsey said. "I think we are ready to go back to space station assembly and start flying the shuttle, hopefully, as soon as August.
"Having said that, we'll stay vigilant with the shuttle, we'll continue watching it, taking care of it, paying attention to ice-frost ramps and areas like that. Just because we're going to be back to flight doesn't mean we're going to change the way we're operating. We're going to be very careful, very cautious, look at everything and we'll leave no stone unturned as we continue with this program."
NASA managers hope to launch Atlantis as early as Aug. 27 to install a huge set of solar panels on the end of the station's main solar array truss. To ensure good lighting for photo documentation, and to avoid a conflict with the planned launch of a Russian Soyuz rocket carrying the station's next crew, Atlantis must get off the ground between Aug. 27 or 28 and Sept. 7.
If the shuttle isn't off the ground by then, the flight will slip into late October at the earliest.
Asked if he was concerned about pressure to get Atlantis off in the September window, Lindsey said he was confident NASA managers would make the right decisions.
"Every program and project I've ever been involved in, every one I know of, there is schedule pressure," he said. "And there are other kinds of pressures, too. There is technical pressure, their are cost pressures, all those are a part of every program and project that I know of. ... As long as we can carefully balance those pressures, I think we'll be fine.
"The diligence that went into launching us ... I think the same will happen for Atlantis. We will shoot for August and if something happens and we can't make August, then we'll go for the next launch date. I'm not worried about it, everybody's paying attention, we're especially conscious of that sort of thing and we talk about it a lot. So I think the program will make the right decisions."
But first, entry flight director Steve Stich and his team must make the right decision about when to bring Discovery back to Earth. In a pre-entry briefing today, Stich said the only concern is the weather, with forecasters predicting a chance of showers that could cause problems.
Discovery will have two chances to land at the Kennedy Space Center Monday, the first at 9:14 a.m. and the second around 10:50 a.m. If the weather doesn't cooperate - and it looks slightly better for the first opportunity than the second - Lindsey and his crewmates will remain in orbit an extra day.
In that case, Stich likely will activate the shuttle's backup landing site at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., and bring Discovery down on one coast or the other Tuesday. The forecast in Florida calls for possible showers Tuesday while Edwards is expected to be "go" Monday and Tuesday. The shuttle has enough on-board supplies to remain in orbit until Wednesday.
"The weather looks fairly reasonable for tomorrow," Stich said. "Of course, at the Kennedy Space Center in the summertime, even though it's a morning landing, they're always looking at a chance of showers and that's the main thing we're looking at tomorrow. There's a frontal boundary just to the north of the Kennedy Space Center and they're worried about that front pushing to the south and causing showers. That's about the only concern for weather."
Otherwise, he said, Discovery is in excellent condition for landing.
Lindsey, pilot Mark Kelly, flight engineer Lisa Nowak, Piers Sellers, Mike Fossom and Stephanie Wilson spent the day packing up and rigging Discovery for entry. Thomas Reiter, the European Space Agency astronaut who blasted off with Lindsey and company July 4, was left behind on the space station to boost crew size back to three for the first time since downsizing in the wake of the Columbia disaster.
Discovery's mission featured one of the busiest flight plans in recent memory, with dual robotic arm operations virtually every day, three spacewalks and work to move tons of supplies and equipment from the shuttle to the station.
"I've got to tell you, about the first seven to nine days, depending on what your role was on this flight, it was a pretty tough timeline," Lindsey told CBS News. "It was tough. This is my fourth flight and it's probably the toughest one I've ever seen.
"We actually did, on flight day 10, get about three quarters of a day off where everybody could just kind of goof off. I actually ordered the crew, because I couldn't get them to stop, they were not allowed to work and they had to go look around station, tour station, take pictures and just have fun. I think everybody took advantage of it, came out of it refreshed and ready to pick up with the last part of the mission."
REV.EVENT.............................SITE..MET........EDT........GMT
SUNDAY, JULY 16
182...DISCOVERY CREW WAKE UP................11/10:30...01:08 AM...05:08
184...FCS CHECK-OUT.........................11/13:20...03:58 AM...07:58
184...RCS HOT FIRE..........................11/14:30...05:08 AM...09:08
184...CABIN STOWAGE BEGINS..................11/14:35...05:13 AM...09:13
188...DISCOVERY CREW DEORBIT REVIEW.........11/20:20...10:58 AM...14:58
189.*.CNN, CBS NEWS, NBC NEWS, ABC NEWS,....11/21:25...12:03 AM...16:03
......FOX NEWS CHANNEL LIVE INTERVIEWS
189...MISSION STATUS BRIEFING.........JSC...11/21:52...12:30 PM...16:30
190...KU BAND ANTENNA STOWAGE...............11/23:25...02:03 PM...18:03
192...DISCOVERY CREW SLEEP BEGINS...........12/02:30...05:08 PM...21:08
193...FLIGHT DAY 13 HIGHLIGHTS........JSC...12/03:22...06:00 PM...22:00
193...MISSION STATUS BRIEFING REPLAY..JSC...12/04:22...07:00 PM...23:00
MONDAY, JULY 17
197...DISCOVERY CREW WAKE UP................12/10:30...01:08 AM...05:08
199.*.DEORBIT PREPARATIONS BEGIN............12/13:31...04:09 AM...08:09
200.*.PAYLOAD BAY DOOR CLOSING..............12/14:49...05:27 AM...09:27
202.*.DEORBIT BURN..........................12/17:29...08:07 AM...12:07
203...C-BAND RADAR ACQUISITION..............12/18:23...09:01 AM...13:01
203...KSC LANDING.....................KSC...12/18:36...09:14 AM...13:14
Discovery's path to landing
Orbit 202
These maps show space shuttle Discovery's track during re-entry and landing at Kennedy Space Center on Monday, July 17. This track would be used for the Orbit 202 landing opportunity, leading to touchdown on Runway 33 at 9:14 a.m. EDT.
http://www.spaceflightnow.com/shuttle/sts121/060715tracks/orbit202a.gif
http://www.spaceflightnow.com/shuttle/sts121/060715tracks/orbit202b.gif
http://www.spaceflightnow.com/shuttle/sts121/060715tracks/orbit202c.gif
Orbit 203
If Discovery's homecoming is delayed one orbit for weather or other factors, these maps show the space shuttle's track during re-entry and landing at Kennedy Space Center on the backup opportunity available Monday, July 17. This track would be used for the Orbit 203 landing opportunity, leading to touchdown on Runway 33 at 10:50 a.m. EDT.
http://www.spaceflightnow.com/shuttle/sts121/060715tracks/orbit203a.gif
http://www.spaceflightnow.com/shuttle/sts121/060715tracks/orbit203b.gif
http://www.spaceflightnow.com/shuttle/sts121/060715tracks/orbit203c.gif
Astronauts eager for Monday's return to Earth
BY WILLIAM HARWOOD
STORY WRITTEN FOR CBS NEWS "SPACE PLACE" & USED WITH PERMISSION
Posted: July 16, 2006
The shuttle Discovery is in excellent condition for landing and with a successful space station repair and resupply mission now in the books, NASA should be clear to resume assembly flights with launch of shuttle Atlantis in late August, Discovery skipper Steve Lindsey said today.
"It's been very, very clean throughout the mission, we've had very, very few issues with it," Lindsey said of Discovery in an interview with CBS News. "The vehicle's been clean, the (external fuel) tank looked pretty clean, we got a clean bill of health today to enter after inspecting for micrometeorite damage yesterday and the day before. So I think this vehicle has done great."
As for Discovery's mission to deliver supplies to the international space station, to repair a critical robot arm transporter and to ferry a third full-time crew member to the lab complex, Lindsey said "we achieved all of those objectives."
"Two big objectives were to get the space station ready for assembly as well as bring the crew back up to three people," Lindsey said. "I think we are ready to go back to space station assembly and start flying the shuttle, hopefully, as soon as August.
"Having said that, we'll stay vigilant with the shuttle, we'll continue watching it, taking care of it, paying attention to ice-frost ramps and areas like that. Just because we're going to be back to flight doesn't mean we're going to change the way we're operating. We're going to be very careful, very cautious, look at everything and we'll leave no stone unturned as we continue with this program."
NASA managers hope to launch Atlantis as early as Aug. 27 to install a huge set of solar panels on the end of the station's main solar array truss. To ensure good lighting for photo documentation, and to avoid a conflict with the planned launch of a Russian Soyuz rocket carrying the station's next crew, Atlantis must get off the ground between Aug. 27 or 28 and Sept. 7.
If the shuttle isn't off the ground by then, the flight will slip into late October at the earliest.
Asked if he was concerned about pressure to get Atlantis off in the September window, Lindsey said he was confident NASA managers would make the right decisions.
"Every program and project I've ever been involved in, every one I know of, there is schedule pressure," he said. "And there are other kinds of pressures, too. There is technical pressure, their are cost pressures, all those are a part of every program and project that I know of. ... As long as we can carefully balance those pressures, I think we'll be fine.
"The diligence that went into launching us ... I think the same will happen for Atlantis. We will shoot for August and if something happens and we can't make August, then we'll go for the next launch date. I'm not worried about it, everybody's paying attention, we're especially conscious of that sort of thing and we talk about it a lot. So I think the program will make the right decisions."
But first, entry flight director Steve Stich and his team must make the right decision about when to bring Discovery back to Earth. In a pre-entry briefing today, Stich said the only concern is the weather, with forecasters predicting a chance of showers that could cause problems.
Discovery will have two chances to land at the Kennedy Space Center Monday, the first at 9:14 a.m. and the second around 10:50 a.m. If the weather doesn't cooperate - and it looks slightly better for the first opportunity than the second - Lindsey and his crewmates will remain in orbit an extra day.
In that case, Stich likely will activate the shuttle's backup landing site at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., and bring Discovery down on one coast or the other Tuesday. The forecast in Florida calls for possible showers Tuesday while Edwards is expected to be "go" Monday and Tuesday. The shuttle has enough on-board supplies to remain in orbit until Wednesday.
"The weather looks fairly reasonable for tomorrow," Stich said. "Of course, at the Kennedy Space Center in the summertime, even though it's a morning landing, they're always looking at a chance of showers and that's the main thing we're looking at tomorrow. There's a frontal boundary just to the north of the Kennedy Space Center and they're worried about that front pushing to the south and causing showers. That's about the only concern for weather."
Otherwise, he said, Discovery is in excellent condition for landing.
Lindsey, pilot Mark Kelly, flight engineer Lisa Nowak, Piers Sellers, Mike Fossom and Stephanie Wilson spent the day packing up and rigging Discovery for entry. Thomas Reiter, the European Space Agency astronaut who blasted off with Lindsey and company July 4, was left behind on the space station to boost crew size back to three for the first time since downsizing in the wake of the Columbia disaster.
Discovery's mission featured one of the busiest flight plans in recent memory, with dual robotic arm operations virtually every day, three spacewalks and work to move tons of supplies and equipment from the shuttle to the station.
"I've got to tell you, about the first seven to nine days, depending on what your role was on this flight, it was a pretty tough timeline," Lindsey told CBS News. "It was tough. This is my fourth flight and it's probably the toughest one I've ever seen.
"We actually did, on flight day 10, get about three quarters of a day off where everybody could just kind of goof off. I actually ordered the crew, because I couldn't get them to stop, they were not allowed to work and they had to go look around station, tour station, take pictures and just have fun. I think everybody took advantage of it, came out of it refreshed and ready to pick up with the last part of the mission."
REV.EVENT.............................SITE..MET........EDT........GMT
SUNDAY, JULY 16
182...DISCOVERY CREW WAKE UP................11/10:30...01:08 AM...05:08
184...FCS CHECK-OUT.........................11/13:20...03:58 AM...07:58
184...RCS HOT FIRE..........................11/14:30...05:08 AM...09:08
184...CABIN STOWAGE BEGINS..................11/14:35...05:13 AM...09:13
188...DISCOVERY CREW DEORBIT REVIEW.........11/20:20...10:58 AM...14:58
189.*.CNN, CBS NEWS, NBC NEWS, ABC NEWS,....11/21:25...12:03 AM...16:03
......FOX NEWS CHANNEL LIVE INTERVIEWS
189...MISSION STATUS BRIEFING.........JSC...11/21:52...12:30 PM...16:30
190...KU BAND ANTENNA STOWAGE...............11/23:25...02:03 PM...18:03
192...DISCOVERY CREW SLEEP BEGINS...........12/02:30...05:08 PM...21:08
193...FLIGHT DAY 13 HIGHLIGHTS........JSC...12/03:22...06:00 PM...22:00
193...MISSION STATUS BRIEFING REPLAY..JSC...12/04:22...07:00 PM...23:00
MONDAY, JULY 17
197...DISCOVERY CREW WAKE UP................12/10:30...01:08 AM...05:08
199.*.DEORBIT PREPARATIONS BEGIN............12/13:31...04:09 AM...08:09
200.*.PAYLOAD BAY DOOR CLOSING..............12/14:49...05:27 AM...09:27
202.*.DEORBIT BURN..........................12/17:29...08:07 AM...12:07
203...C-BAND RADAR ACQUISITION..............12/18:23...09:01 AM...13:01
203...KSC LANDING.....................KSC...12/18:36...09:14 AM...13:14
Discovery's path to landing
Orbit 202
These maps show space shuttle Discovery's track during re-entry and landing at Kennedy Space Center on Monday, July 17. This track would be used for the Orbit 202 landing opportunity, leading to touchdown on Runway 33 at 9:14 a.m. EDT.
http://www.spaceflightnow.com/shuttle/sts121/060715tracks/orbit202a.gif
http://www.spaceflightnow.com/shuttle/sts121/060715tracks/orbit202b.gif
http://www.spaceflightnow.com/shuttle/sts121/060715tracks/orbit202c.gif
Orbit 203
If Discovery's homecoming is delayed one orbit for weather or other factors, these maps show the space shuttle's track during re-entry and landing at Kennedy Space Center on the backup opportunity available Monday, July 17. This track would be used for the Orbit 203 landing opportunity, leading to touchdown on Runway 33 at 10:50 a.m. EDT.
http://www.spaceflightnow.com/shuttle/sts121/060715tracks/orbit203a.gif
http://www.spaceflightnow.com/shuttle/sts121/060715tracks/orbit203b.gif
http://www.spaceflightnow.com/shuttle/sts121/060715tracks/orbit203c.gif
GioFX
17-07-2006, 13:50
1144 GMT (7:44 a.m. EDT)
CAPCOM Steve Frick says a thunderstorm 40 miles north of the runway and the associated anvil clouds are being watched. A decision on the deorbit burn is just minutes away.
1135 GMT (7:35 a.m. EDT)
The weather watch is going down to the wire. Forecasters with the Spaceflight Meteorology Group at the Johnson Space Center are carefully monitoring rainshowers well north of the Cape and associated anvil clouds.
1131 GMT (7:31 a.m. EDT)
A steering check of the Discovery's twin orbital maneuvering system engines on the tail of the shuttle has been completed. The engines will perform the deorbit burn to slow the ship for entry into the atmosphere this morning.
CAPCOM Steve Frick says a thunderstorm 40 miles north of the runway and the associated anvil clouds are being watched. A decision on the deorbit burn is just minutes away.
1135 GMT (7:35 a.m. EDT)
The weather watch is going down to the wire. Forecasters with the Spaceflight Meteorology Group at the Johnson Space Center are carefully monitoring rainshowers well north of the Cape and associated anvil clouds.
1131 GMT (7:31 a.m. EDT)
A steering check of the Discovery's twin orbital maneuvering system engines on the tail of the shuttle has been completed. The engines will perform the deorbit burn to slow the ship for entry into the atmosphere this morning.
GioFX
17-07-2006, 14:00
1156 GMT (7:56 a.m. EDT)
GO FOR THE DEORBIT BURN! The six astronauts aboard space shuttle Discovery have received news from Mission Control that weather conditions are deemed acceptable at Kennedy Space Center for landing this morning. The crew is "go" to perform the deorbit burn at 8:06:55 a.m. EDT to commit the shuttle for the trip back to Earth.
The upcoming 3-minute, 2-second retrograde burn using the twin orbital maneuvering system engines on the tail of Discovery will slow the shuttle's velocity by 302 feet per second, just enough to slip the craft out of orbit and begin the plunge into the atmosphere.
Discovery is headed to a landing at 9:14 a.m. EDT on Runway 33 at Kennedy Space Center to end the 12-day, 18-hour, 36-minute mission.
GO FOR THE DEORBIT BURN! The six astronauts aboard space shuttle Discovery have received news from Mission Control that weather conditions are deemed acceptable at Kennedy Space Center for landing this morning. The crew is "go" to perform the deorbit burn at 8:06:55 a.m. EDT to commit the shuttle for the trip back to Earth.
The upcoming 3-minute, 2-second retrograde burn using the twin orbital maneuvering system engines on the tail of Discovery will slow the shuttle's velocity by 302 feet per second, just enough to slip the craft out of orbit and begin the plunge into the atmosphere.
Discovery is headed to a landing at 9:14 a.m. EDT on Runway 33 at Kennedy Space Center to end the 12-day, 18-hour, 36-minute mission.
GioFX
17-07-2006, 14:13
1210 GMT (8:10 a.m. EDT)
DEORBIT BURN COMPLETE. Discovery has successfully completed the deorbit burn, committing the shuttle for its journey back to Earth. Landing is scheduled for 9:14 a.m. EDT at the Cape.
1209 GMT (8:09 a.m. EDT)
Now two-thirds of the way through the deorbit burn. No problems reported.
1207 GMT (8:07 a.m. EDT)
DEORBIT BURN IGNITION. Flying upside down and backwards 184 nautical miles above the Indian Ocean, Discovery has begun the deorbit burn. The firing of the twin orbital maneuvering system engines on the tail of the shuttle will last three minutes and two seconds, slowing the craft to slip from orbit. The retro-burn will send Discovery to Kennedy Space Center in Florida for a touchdown at 9:14 a.m. EDT.
1203 GMT (8:03 a.m. EDT)
Pilot Mark Kelly has activated one of three Auxiliary Power Units -- APU No. 1 -- in advance of the deorbit burn, now four minutes away. The other two APUs will be started later in the descent to provide pressure needed to power shuttle's hydraulic systems that move the wing flaps, rudder/speed brake, drop the landing gear and steer the nose wheel. NASA ensures that at least one APU is working before committing to the deorbit burn since the shuttle only needs a single unit to make a safe landing.
1201 GMT (8:01 a.m. EDT)
Discovery has maneuvered to the deorbit burn attitude. The shuttle is flying upside-down and backwards with its tail pointed in the direction of travel.
DEORBIT BURN COMPLETE. Discovery has successfully completed the deorbit burn, committing the shuttle for its journey back to Earth. Landing is scheduled for 9:14 a.m. EDT at the Cape.
1209 GMT (8:09 a.m. EDT)
Now two-thirds of the way through the deorbit burn. No problems reported.
1207 GMT (8:07 a.m. EDT)
DEORBIT BURN IGNITION. Flying upside down and backwards 184 nautical miles above the Indian Ocean, Discovery has begun the deorbit burn. The firing of the twin orbital maneuvering system engines on the tail of the shuttle will last three minutes and two seconds, slowing the craft to slip from orbit. The retro-burn will send Discovery to Kennedy Space Center in Florida for a touchdown at 9:14 a.m. EDT.
1203 GMT (8:03 a.m. EDT)
Pilot Mark Kelly has activated one of three Auxiliary Power Units -- APU No. 1 -- in advance of the deorbit burn, now four minutes away. The other two APUs will be started later in the descent to provide pressure needed to power shuttle's hydraulic systems that move the wing flaps, rudder/speed brake, drop the landing gear and steer the nose wheel. NASA ensures that at least one APU is working before committing to the deorbit burn since the shuttle only needs a single unit to make a safe landing.
1201 GMT (8:01 a.m. EDT)
Discovery has maneuvered to the deorbit burn attitude. The shuttle is flying upside-down and backwards with its tail pointed in the direction of travel.
GioFX
17-07-2006, 14:23
1222 GMT (8:22 a.m. EDT)
Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landing Facility was built in 1975. The concrete strip is 300 feet wide and 15,000 feet long with 1,000-foot overruns at each end. The runway runs northwest to southeast and is located about three miles northwest of the 525-foot tall Vehicle Assembly Building.
1218 GMT (8:18 a.m. EDT)
The convoy of landing support vehicles is rolling from the staging point to the runway for receiving Discovery.
1214 GMT (8:14 a.m. EDT)
Touchdown is 60 minutes away. Excess propellant reserves in the shuttle's maneuvering thrusters will be dumped overboard. The dump time will be 70 seconds.
Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landing Facility was built in 1975. The concrete strip is 300 feet wide and 15,000 feet long with 1,000-foot overruns at each end. The runway runs northwest to southeast and is located about three miles northwest of the 525-foot tall Vehicle Assembly Building.
1218 GMT (8:18 a.m. EDT)
The convoy of landing support vehicles is rolling from the staging point to the runway for receiving Discovery.
1214 GMT (8:14 a.m. EDT)
Touchdown is 60 minutes away. Excess propellant reserves in the shuttle's maneuvering thrusters will be dumped overboard. The dump time will be 70 seconds.
GioFX
17-07-2006, 14:27
1225 GMT (8:25 a.m. EDT)
The propellant dump is underway.
1224 GMT (8:24 a.m. EDT)
Astronaut Mike Bloomfield, flying weather reconnaissance in the Shuttle Training Aircraft, told flight controllers the shuttle would fly into a broken deck of clouds around 16,000 feet above the landing site but would break out into the clear around 10,000 feet. He also reported smooth air and no turbulence.
The propellant dump is underway.
1224 GMT (8:24 a.m. EDT)
Astronaut Mike Bloomfield, flying weather reconnaissance in the Shuttle Training Aircraft, told flight controllers the shuttle would fly into a broken deck of clouds around 16,000 feet above the landing site but would break out into the clear around 10,000 feet. He also reported smooth air and no turbulence.
GioFX
17-07-2006, 14:35
1231 GMT (8:31 a.m. EDT)
All three auxiliary power units are now running to supply pressure to the shuttle's hydraulic systems, which in turn move Discovery's aerosurfaces and deploy the landing gear. One unit was started prior to the deorbit burn; the others just a few moments ago. The units are only activated during the launch and landing phases of the shuttle mission.
1228 GMT (8:28 a.m. EDT)
Onboard guidance is maneuvering Discovery from its heads-down, tail-forward position needed for the deorbit burn to the reentry configuration of heads-up and nose-forward. The nose will be pitched upward 40 degrees. In this new position, the black tiles on the shuttle's belly and the reinforced carbon-carbon panels on the wing leading edges and nose cap will shield the spacecraft during the fiery plunge through the Earth's atmosphere with temperatures reaching well over 2,000 degrees F. Discovery will begin interacting with the upper fringes of the atmosphere above the South Pacific at 8:42 a.m. EDT.
All three auxiliary power units are now running to supply pressure to the shuttle's hydraulic systems, which in turn move Discovery's aerosurfaces and deploy the landing gear. One unit was started prior to the deorbit burn; the others just a few moments ago. The units are only activated during the launch and landing phases of the shuttle mission.
1228 GMT (8:28 a.m. EDT)
Onboard guidance is maneuvering Discovery from its heads-down, tail-forward position needed for the deorbit burn to the reentry configuration of heads-up and nose-forward. The nose will be pitched upward 40 degrees. In this new position, the black tiles on the shuttle's belly and the reinforced carbon-carbon panels on the wing leading edges and nose cap will shield the spacecraft during the fiery plunge through the Earth's atmosphere with temperatures reaching well over 2,000 degrees F. Discovery will begin interacting with the upper fringes of the atmosphere above the South Pacific at 8:42 a.m. EDT.
GioFX
17-07-2006, 14:42
1240 GMT (8:40 a.m. EDT)
The shuttle is 96 miles above the South Pacific as it nears the upper fringe of Earth's atmosphere. All three auxiliary power units continue to function normally.
1238 GMT (8:38 a.m. EDT)
Discovery is 108 statute miles in altitude and more than 6,300 miles from the runway.
1234 GMT (8:34 a.m. EDT)
Now 40 minutes to touchdown. Today's landing will mark the 62nd to occur at Kennedy Space Center and the first since December 2002.
The shuttle is 96 miles above the South Pacific as it nears the upper fringe of Earth's atmosphere. All three auxiliary power units continue to function normally.
1238 GMT (8:38 a.m. EDT)
Discovery is 108 statute miles in altitude and more than 6,300 miles from the runway.
1234 GMT (8:34 a.m. EDT)
Now 40 minutes to touchdown. Today's landing will mark the 62nd to occur at Kennedy Space Center and the first since December 2002.
GioFX
17-07-2006, 14:45
1242 GMT (8:42 a.m. EDT)
ENTRY INTERFACE. Discovery's thermal protection system is feeling heat beginning to build as the orbiter enters the top fringes of the atmosphere -- a period known as entry interface.
The shuttle is flying at Mach 25 with its nose elevated 40 degrees, wings level, at an altitude of 400,000 feet over the southern Pacific Ocean and descending at a rate of over 600 feet per second.
Touchdown is set for 9:14 a.m. EDT in Florida.
ENTRY INTERFACE. Discovery's thermal protection system is feeling heat beginning to build as the orbiter enters the top fringes of the atmosphere -- a period known as entry interface.
The shuttle is flying at Mach 25 with its nose elevated 40 degrees, wings level, at an altitude of 400,000 feet over the southern Pacific Ocean and descending at a rate of over 600 feet per second.
Touchdown is set for 9:14 a.m. EDT in Florida.
GioFX
17-07-2006, 14:50
1248 GMT (8:48 a.m. EDT)
Discovery is beginning the first of four banks to scrub off speed as it plunges into the atmosphere. These turns basically remove the energy Discovery built up during launch. This first bank is to the left.
1247 GMT (8:47 a.m. EDT)
Altitude now 50 miles, 3,700 miles from the runway.
Discovery is beginning the first of four banks to scrub off speed as it plunges into the atmosphere. These turns basically remove the energy Discovery built up during launch. This first bank is to the left.
1247 GMT (8:47 a.m. EDT)
Altitude now 50 miles, 3,700 miles from the runway.
GioFX
17-07-2006, 14:53
1251 GMT (8:51 a.m. EDT)
Mission Control just radioed the crew that some weather had built up south of the Runway 33. So controllers are looking at possibly changing the approach and using the north-end of the Shuttle Landing Facility for touchdown on Runway 15.
1249 GMT (8:49 a.m. EDT)
Time to touchdown now 25 minutes. Speed is Mach 24.3.
Mission Control just radioed the crew that some weather had built up south of the Runway 33. So controllers are looking at possibly changing the approach and using the north-end of the Shuttle Landing Facility for touchdown on Runway 15.
1249 GMT (8:49 a.m. EDT)
Time to touchdown now 25 minutes. Speed is Mach 24.3.
GioFX
17-07-2006, 14:58
1257 GMT (8:57 a.m. EDT)
The shuttle is experiencing maximum heating as it descends through an altitude of 41 miles at a speed of Mach 20.
1254 GMT (8:54 a.m. EDT)
Discovery has crossed the equator in the central Pacific. Altitude 44 miles, traveling at 15,000 mph.
The shuttle is experiencing maximum heating as it descends through an altitude of 41 miles at a speed of Mach 20.
1254 GMT (8:54 a.m. EDT)
Discovery has crossed the equator in the central Pacific. Altitude 44 miles, traveling at 15,000 mph.
GioFX
17-07-2006, 15:00
1258 GMT (8:58 a.m. EDT)
Distance left to travel to the runway now 1,000 miles. Sixteen minutes to touchdown.
1258 GMT (8:58 a.m. EDT)
The crew aboard the International Space Station is watching a live video uplink of the landing coverage.
Distance left to travel to the runway now 1,000 miles. Sixteen minutes to touchdown.
1258 GMT (8:58 a.m. EDT)
The crew aboard the International Space Station is watching a live video uplink of the landing coverage.
GioFX
17-07-2006, 15:03
1302 GMT (9:02 a.m. EDT)
The spacecraft is speeding across the Gulf at an Mach 11.6. Altitude 32.5 miles.
1300 GMT (9:00 a.m. EDT)
Discovery is crossing the Yucatan Peninsula. Soon it will cross the Gulf of Mexico and make landfall in Florida for the final minutes to landing.
1300 GMT (9:00 a.m. EDT)
The runway has been changed, officially, to Runway 15. That is the northwest to southeast approach. The change was ordered due to weather that has developed on the path Discovery would have used to Runway 33.
The spacecraft is speeding across the Gulf at an Mach 11.6. Altitude 32.5 miles.
1300 GMT (9:00 a.m. EDT)
Discovery is crossing the Yucatan Peninsula. Soon it will cross the Gulf of Mexico and make landfall in Florida for the final minutes to landing.
1300 GMT (9:00 a.m. EDT)
The runway has been changed, officially, to Runway 15. That is the northwest to southeast approach. The change was ordered due to weather that has developed on the path Discovery would have used to Runway 33.
Marilson
17-07-2006, 15:04
arriviamo arrivamo
GioFX
17-07-2006, 15:06
1304 GMT (9:04 a.m. EDT)
The TACAN navigation units aboard Discovery are now receiving data from beacons located at the landing site.
1303 GMT (9:03 a.m. EDT)
Discovery remains on the proper track for landing in 11 minutes. Mission Control computes Discovery will land 2,400 feet down the runway at 205 knots.
The TACAN navigation units aboard Discovery are now receiving data from beacons located at the landing site.
1303 GMT (9:03 a.m. EDT)
Discovery remains on the proper track for landing in 11 minutes. Mission Control computes Discovery will land 2,400 feet down the runway at 205 knots.
GioFX
17-07-2006, 15:07
1306 GMT (9:06 a.m. EDT)
Eight minutes to touchdown. Air data probes are being deployed from the shuttle's nose to feed air speed, altitude and angle of attack information to the computers for navigation.
1305 GMT (9:05 a.m. EDT)
Discovery is now making landfall over Florida's southwest coastline.
Eight minutes to touchdown. Air data probes are being deployed from the shuttle's nose to feed air speed, altitude and angle of attack information to the computers for navigation.
1305 GMT (9:05 a.m. EDT)
Discovery is now making landfall over Florida's southwest coastline.
GioFX
17-07-2006, 15:09
1308 GMT (9:08 a.m. EDT)
Six minutes to landing. Discovery flying over Central Florida now.
1307 GMT (9:07 a.m. EDT)
Mission controllers report they didn't detect the right-side probe deploy. Crew has been asked to re-flip the switch.
Six minutes to landing. Discovery flying over Central Florida now.
1307 GMT (9:07 a.m. EDT)
Mission controllers report they didn't detect the right-side probe deploy. Crew has been asked to re-flip the switch.
GioFX
17-07-2006, 15:11
1310 GMT (9:10 a.m. EDT)
Altitude 9 miles, range to touchdown on Runway 15 is 68 miles.
1309 GMT (9:09 a.m. EDT)
Mach 1.7. Altitude 12.5 miles. The right-side air data probe did not deploy.
Altitude 9 miles, range to touchdown on Runway 15 is 68 miles.
1309 GMT (9:09 a.m. EDT)
Mach 1.7. Altitude 12.5 miles. The right-side air data probe did not deploy.
GioFX
17-07-2006, 15:12
1311 GMT (9:11 a.m. EDT)
Commander Steve Lindsey is now flying Discovery. The shuttle is in the Heading Alignment Cylinder, an imaginary circle to align with Runway 33. The crew is piloting the shuttle through a 240-degree left-overhead turn. Altitude under 40,000 feet.
1311 GMT (9:11 a.m. EDT)
The sonic booms have thundered across the Cape area, announcing the shuttle's arrival.
1310 GMT (9:10 a.m. EDT)
The right-side probe has finally deployed.
Commander Steve Lindsey is now flying Discovery. The shuttle is in the Heading Alignment Cylinder, an imaginary circle to align with Runway 33. The crew is piloting the shuttle through a 240-degree left-overhead turn. Altitude under 40,000 feet.
1311 GMT (9:11 a.m. EDT)
The sonic booms have thundered across the Cape area, announcing the shuttle's arrival.
1310 GMT (9:10 a.m. EDT)
The right-side probe has finally deployed.
Marilson
17-07-2006, 15:13
discovery now 3 minutes to touchdown
GioFX
17-07-2006, 15:13
1312 GMT (9:12 a.m. EDT)
Altitude 16,000 feet.
1312 GMT (9:12 a.m. EDT)
Commander Steve Lindsey is in control after pilot Mark Kelly got a few moments of stick time.
Altitude 16,000 feet.
1312 GMT (9:12 a.m. EDT)
Commander Steve Lindsey is in control after pilot Mark Kelly got a few moments of stick time.
GioFX
17-07-2006, 15:14
1313 GMT (9:13 a.m. EDT)
Field in sight. Commander Steve Lindsey can see the runway as he pilots Discovery to landing. The shuttle descending at a rate seven times steeper than that of a commercial airliner.
1313 GMT (9:13 a.m. EDT)
Discovery descending through 12,000 feet.
Field in sight. Commander Steve Lindsey can see the runway as he pilots Discovery to landing. The shuttle descending at a rate seven times steeper than that of a commercial airliner.
1313 GMT (9:13 a.m. EDT)
Discovery descending through 12,000 feet.
GioFX
17-07-2006, 15:17
1316 GMT (9:16 a.m. EDT)
WHEELS STOP. Discovery has returned from space, capping a highly successful test flight for the space shuttle program.
1315 GMT (9:15 a.m. EDT)
Discovery is rolling out on Runway 15 on a cloudy summer morning in Central Florida.
1314 GMT (9:14 a.m. EDT)
TOUCHDOWN! Main gear touchdown. Drag chute deployed. Nose gear touchdown.
1314 GMT (9:14 a.m. EDT)
Landing gear down and locked. Standing by for touchdown on Runway 15
1314 GMT (9:14 a.m. EDT)
Discovery is aligned with Runway 15.
1313 GMT (9:13 a.m. EDT)
Wings are level.
WHEELS STOP. Discovery has returned from space, capping a highly successful test flight for the space shuttle program.
1315 GMT (9:15 a.m. EDT)
Discovery is rolling out on Runway 15 on a cloudy summer morning in Central Florida.
1314 GMT (9:14 a.m. EDT)
TOUCHDOWN! Main gear touchdown. Drag chute deployed. Nose gear touchdown.
1314 GMT (9:14 a.m. EDT)
Landing gear down and locked. Standing by for touchdown on Runway 15
1314 GMT (9:14 a.m. EDT)
Discovery is aligned with Runway 15.
1313 GMT (9:13 a.m. EDT)
Wings are level.
Marilson
17-07-2006, 15:18
meraviglioso.. che rateo di discesa pazzesco... 300 miglia/h e 6000 ft a 9 miglia paura!!
Quincy_it
17-07-2006, 15:24
Peccato non averlo potuto vedere da NASA Tv (causa proxy aziendale). :(
adsasdhaasddeasdd
17-07-2006, 15:35
Peccato non averlo potuto vedere da NASA Tv (causa proxy aziendale). :(
na gran sola a riguardo di pixel
stasera su tg5 va.. ;) cmq mi affascina troppo sto aliante che arriva dallo spaizo e atterra
na gran sola a riguardo di pixel
stasera su tg5 va.. ;) cmq mi affascina troppo sto aliante che arriva dallo spaizo e atterra
Octane
17-07-2006, 15:41
Peccato non averlo potuto vedere da NASA Tv (causa proxy aziendale). :(
idem,
tnx Gio per tutti i puntualissimi updates! :)
idem,
tnx Gio per tutti i puntualissimi updates! :)
GioFX
17-07-2006, 17:27
1520 GMT (11:20 a.m. EDT)
Here are the landing times in Eastern Daylight Time and Mission Elapsed Time:
Main Gear Touchdown
9:14:43 a.m. EDT
MET: 12 days, 18 hours, 36 minutes, 48 seconds
Nose Gear Touchdown
9:14:53 a.m. EDT
MET: 12 days, 18 hours, 36 minutes, 58 seconds
Wheels Stop
9:15:44 a.m. EDT
MET: 12 days, 18 hours, 37 minutes, 54 seconds
Here are the landing times in Eastern Daylight Time and Mission Elapsed Time:
Main Gear Touchdown
9:14:43 a.m. EDT
MET: 12 days, 18 hours, 36 minutes, 48 seconds
Nose Gear Touchdown
9:14:53 a.m. EDT
MET: 12 days, 18 hours, 36 minutes, 58 seconds
Wheels Stop
9:15:44 a.m. EDT
MET: 12 days, 18 hours, 37 minutes, 54 seconds
GioFX
17-07-2006, 17:28
Da Spaceflightnow.com:
Discovery is home
BY WILLIAM HARWOOD
STORY WRITTEN FOR CBS NEWS "SPACE PLACE" & USED WITH PERMISSION
Posted: July 17, 2006; Updated at 11:15 a.m.
http://www.spaceflightnow.com/shuttle/sts121/060717landing/landing.jpg
Discovery returns to Earth. Credit: Ben Cooper/Spaceflight Now
Under an overcast sky, the shuttle Discovery glided to a smooth touchdown on runway 15 at the Kennedy Space Center today, closing out a successful space station repair and resupply mission that appears to clear the way for resumption of station assembly in September.
With commander Steve Lindsey at the controls, Discovery settled to a tire-smoking, high-speed touchdown at 9:14:43 a.m. A few moments later, pilot Mark Kelly deployed the shuttle's braking parachute, the ship's nose gear dropped to the runway and Discovery rolled to a stop to close out a voyage spanning 5.3 million miles and 202 complete orbits since blastoff July 4.
"Wheels stopped, Houston," Lindsey radioed mission control.
"Roger wheels stopped. Welcome back, Discovery," astronaut Steve Frick replied from Houston. "Congratulations on a great mission expanding our knowledge and experience with orbiter repair and bringing the space station back to a full crew complement."
"Thanks. It was a great mission, a really great mission," Lindsey said. "Enjoyed the entry and the landing."
Unofficial mission duration was 12 days 18 hours 36 minutes and 48 seconds.
Lindsey, Kelly flight engineer Lisa Nowak, Piers Sellers, Mike Fossum and Stephanie Wilson plan to spend the night in Florida before flying back to Houston on Tuesday.
Discovery's descent began over the eastern Indian Ocean when Lindsey and Kelly fired the shuttle's twin braking rockets at 8:07 a.m. to drop the ship out of orbit. Five minutes before the "burn," Kelly started auxiliary power unit No. 1, a hydraulic powerplant with a small leak in its hydrazine fuel system.
Engineers concluded Sunday the leak was most likely nitrogen gas used to pressurize APU 1's hydrazine fuel tank and not an actual fuel leak. APU 1 appeared to run normally throughout Discovery's descent today as did the shuttle's other two redundant hydraulic power units.
The only technical issue occurred late in the descent when one of two air data probes failed to deploy. But it eventually slipped into place and in any case, the other probe deployed on time and was working properly.
The major concern all morning was the weather, with rain clouds popping up near the runway well after Discovery's braking rockets were fired. Flight director Steve Stich told Lindsey to switch from runway 33 to 15 to avoid possible showers toward the south end of the runway.
There were no obvious problems during final approach and landing and infrared views of the shuttle on the runway showed normal looking APU exhaust puffing from ports by the shuttle's tail fin.
"Houston, Discovery, looks like everybody's off and I'm about to go off comm," Lindsey radioed a few minutes past 10 a.m. "I just wanted to tell Steve (Stich) and Steve (Frick) and the entire entry team it was a pleasure working with you today. Really enjoyed it. It was a fun entry, it was beautiful!
"At the high mach numbers at night going towards dawn - I just wanted to describe the picture for you - we could see the bright orange glow above and I could see the Earth moving below and it was just spectacular. We actually also saw the moon through the plasma. So it was a great entry and a great landing. Appreciate working with you and training with you."
"Thanks very much for those words, Steve," Frick replied. "We appreciate it. It was an exciting entry for us, too, and we envy you the view. We look forward to seeing you when you get back to Houston."
"All right, I can't wait," Lindsey said. "Talk to you later."
The astronauts, wearing blue jump suits, were greeted on the runway by NASA Administrator Mike Griffin, Bill Gerstenmaier, director of spaceflight, shuttle launch director Mike Leinbach, space center Director Jim Kennedy and other senior managers.
Smiling and looking none the worse for two weeks in weightlessness, Lindsey and his crewmates took a moment to inspect the shuttle's heat shield, walking about under the orbiter, pointing up at Discovery's belly from time to time and discussing the flight with Griffin. There were no obvious signs of damage in wide-angle television views.
"I'd like to just thank the folks at Kennedy Space Center for a really, really clean vehicle," Lindsey said, standing with his crew mates in front of Discovery. "This is my fourth flight and I've done four walkarounds and I've never seen a vehicle as clean as this one is.
"We had two major objectives on this flight. The first one was to complete the return-to-flight test objectives and the second one was to get us ... back for space station assembly. And I think we accomplished both of those objectives and we're ready to go assemble station and we're ready to start flying shuttles on a more regular basis.
"And finally, I'd like to thank this crew standing here," Lindsey said. "They were absolutely superb the entire flight, I couldn't have asked more out of them, they were nearly perfect. They got everything done that we needed to get done. I actually had to throttle them back to give them a little bit of time off. They were all focused, they did a great job and it was a privilege for me to serve with them. Thanks a lot. We're going to go see our families now. Have a good day."
The 115th shuttle mission was a make or break flight for NASA, coming nearly a full year after Discovery's launch on the first post-Columbia mission. The unexpected loss of foam insulation from the ship's external fuel tank showed the space agency still had work to do.
After months of redesigns, computer modeling and exhaustive testing, Discovery was cleared for blastoff July 4 on a flight to pave the way for the resumption of space station assembly.
During their two weeks in space, Lindsey and company delivered fresh water and more than 3.2 tons of supplies and equipment to the international space station and carried out a successful spacewalk to fix a stalled robot arm transporter on the complex that had to be restored to normal operation before station assembly can proceed.
Discovery also ferried European Space Agency astronaut Thomas Reiter to the outpost, boosting crew size back the three for the first time since downsizing after the Columbia disaster. Reiter was launched aboard Discovery as part of a commercial contract between ESA and the Russian space agency, Roscosmos.
Spacewalkers Fossum and Sellers rode on the end of a long boom attached to the shuttle's robot arm, demonstrating its possible use as a shuttle repair platform. Thanks to a one-day mission extension, Sellers and Fossum also staged a third spacewalk to test wing leading edge repair techniques. The exercises may help pave the way for an eventual flight to service the Hubble Space Telescope.
In the near term, Discovery's flight was a critical milestone for NASA. Facing a Bush administration 2010 deadline for completing the space station and retiring the shuttle, NASA needs to ramp up station assembly as soon as possible to finish the lab complex before time runs out.
Discovery's flight doesn't guarantee success, but it at least clears the way for assembly flights to resume.
"I think we were all hoping for two things to come out of STS-121," Sellers said during an orbital interview. "The first thing is that the shuttle would fly with no problems, no big dings on ascent and we'd have a clean vehicle. We seem to have achieved that.
"The second thing is, that we would leave station in good shape and ready to pick up the assembly sequence and the line would be drawn where it was rubbed out before Columbia, we would start again with the next mission and continue the assembly. I think we're there now. We repaired the external equipment that will allow the assembly to continue. So, two for two!"
Said space station flight director Rick LaBrode: "All in all, it was just a great mission. This is just a roaring success for the station team and we're ready to proceed with assembly ops."
Throughout the mission - the day after launch, during docked operations at the station and even after their departure - the astronauts carried out time-consuming, inch-by-inch inspections of Discovery's fragile heat shield to make absolutely sure nothing was damaged during the climb to space or after reaching orbit.
As it turned out, Discovery's foam-covered external fuel tank performed well and the shuttle's heat shield tiles suffered only a few cases of very minor damage. NASA managers were elated at the performance of the tank after a frustrating year of redesigns and exhaustive testing.
"All the work that all the folks have done on the ET ... and how clean the 121 tank is kind of gives everybody a really good feeling that we're getting there, we're going in the right direction," said lead flight director Tony Ceccacci. "You've seen how clean the vehicle is and that's just a testament to all the work that everyone has done."
In an orbital interview, Nowak agreed, saying "we feel like we've done all the tests and met the objectives and we feel like the whole program is back on track to assemble the space station and move on back to the moon and to Mars. And we're looking forward to all of that."
With Discovery back on the ground in Florida, NASA engineers will now turn their attention to the shuttle Atlantis, scheduled to blast off around Aug. 27 or 28 on a mission to deliver a set of huge solar arrays to the space station.
Atlantis is expected to be hauled out to launch pad 39B on Aug. 2. A practice countdown is on tap Aug. 10 and NASA managers will meet Aug. 15 and 16 for a formal flight readiness review to assess Atlantis' processing and to set an official launch date. The launch window opens Aug. 27 or 28 - a final decision hasn't been made - and closes Sept. 7.
If all goes well, NASA will close out 2006 by launching Discovery in mid December on another station assembly flight.
Discovery is home
BY WILLIAM HARWOOD
STORY WRITTEN FOR CBS NEWS "SPACE PLACE" & USED WITH PERMISSION
Posted: July 17, 2006; Updated at 11:15 a.m.
http://www.spaceflightnow.com/shuttle/sts121/060717landing/landing.jpg
Discovery returns to Earth. Credit: Ben Cooper/Spaceflight Now
Under an overcast sky, the shuttle Discovery glided to a smooth touchdown on runway 15 at the Kennedy Space Center today, closing out a successful space station repair and resupply mission that appears to clear the way for resumption of station assembly in September.
With commander Steve Lindsey at the controls, Discovery settled to a tire-smoking, high-speed touchdown at 9:14:43 a.m. A few moments later, pilot Mark Kelly deployed the shuttle's braking parachute, the ship's nose gear dropped to the runway and Discovery rolled to a stop to close out a voyage spanning 5.3 million miles and 202 complete orbits since blastoff July 4.
"Wheels stopped, Houston," Lindsey radioed mission control.
"Roger wheels stopped. Welcome back, Discovery," astronaut Steve Frick replied from Houston. "Congratulations on a great mission expanding our knowledge and experience with orbiter repair and bringing the space station back to a full crew complement."
"Thanks. It was a great mission, a really great mission," Lindsey said. "Enjoyed the entry and the landing."
Unofficial mission duration was 12 days 18 hours 36 minutes and 48 seconds.
Lindsey, Kelly flight engineer Lisa Nowak, Piers Sellers, Mike Fossum and Stephanie Wilson plan to spend the night in Florida before flying back to Houston on Tuesday.
Discovery's descent began over the eastern Indian Ocean when Lindsey and Kelly fired the shuttle's twin braking rockets at 8:07 a.m. to drop the ship out of orbit. Five minutes before the "burn," Kelly started auxiliary power unit No. 1, a hydraulic powerplant with a small leak in its hydrazine fuel system.
Engineers concluded Sunday the leak was most likely nitrogen gas used to pressurize APU 1's hydrazine fuel tank and not an actual fuel leak. APU 1 appeared to run normally throughout Discovery's descent today as did the shuttle's other two redundant hydraulic power units.
The only technical issue occurred late in the descent when one of two air data probes failed to deploy. But it eventually slipped into place and in any case, the other probe deployed on time and was working properly.
The major concern all morning was the weather, with rain clouds popping up near the runway well after Discovery's braking rockets were fired. Flight director Steve Stich told Lindsey to switch from runway 33 to 15 to avoid possible showers toward the south end of the runway.
There were no obvious problems during final approach and landing and infrared views of the shuttle on the runway showed normal looking APU exhaust puffing from ports by the shuttle's tail fin.
"Houston, Discovery, looks like everybody's off and I'm about to go off comm," Lindsey radioed a few minutes past 10 a.m. "I just wanted to tell Steve (Stich) and Steve (Frick) and the entire entry team it was a pleasure working with you today. Really enjoyed it. It was a fun entry, it was beautiful!
"At the high mach numbers at night going towards dawn - I just wanted to describe the picture for you - we could see the bright orange glow above and I could see the Earth moving below and it was just spectacular. We actually also saw the moon through the plasma. So it was a great entry and a great landing. Appreciate working with you and training with you."
"Thanks very much for those words, Steve," Frick replied. "We appreciate it. It was an exciting entry for us, too, and we envy you the view. We look forward to seeing you when you get back to Houston."
"All right, I can't wait," Lindsey said. "Talk to you later."
The astronauts, wearing blue jump suits, were greeted on the runway by NASA Administrator Mike Griffin, Bill Gerstenmaier, director of spaceflight, shuttle launch director Mike Leinbach, space center Director Jim Kennedy and other senior managers.
Smiling and looking none the worse for two weeks in weightlessness, Lindsey and his crewmates took a moment to inspect the shuttle's heat shield, walking about under the orbiter, pointing up at Discovery's belly from time to time and discussing the flight with Griffin. There were no obvious signs of damage in wide-angle television views.
"I'd like to just thank the folks at Kennedy Space Center for a really, really clean vehicle," Lindsey said, standing with his crew mates in front of Discovery. "This is my fourth flight and I've done four walkarounds and I've never seen a vehicle as clean as this one is.
"We had two major objectives on this flight. The first one was to complete the return-to-flight test objectives and the second one was to get us ... back for space station assembly. And I think we accomplished both of those objectives and we're ready to go assemble station and we're ready to start flying shuttles on a more regular basis.
"And finally, I'd like to thank this crew standing here," Lindsey said. "They were absolutely superb the entire flight, I couldn't have asked more out of them, they were nearly perfect. They got everything done that we needed to get done. I actually had to throttle them back to give them a little bit of time off. They were all focused, they did a great job and it was a privilege for me to serve with them. Thanks a lot. We're going to go see our families now. Have a good day."
The 115th shuttle mission was a make or break flight for NASA, coming nearly a full year after Discovery's launch on the first post-Columbia mission. The unexpected loss of foam insulation from the ship's external fuel tank showed the space agency still had work to do.
After months of redesigns, computer modeling and exhaustive testing, Discovery was cleared for blastoff July 4 on a flight to pave the way for the resumption of space station assembly.
During their two weeks in space, Lindsey and company delivered fresh water and more than 3.2 tons of supplies and equipment to the international space station and carried out a successful spacewalk to fix a stalled robot arm transporter on the complex that had to be restored to normal operation before station assembly can proceed.
Discovery also ferried European Space Agency astronaut Thomas Reiter to the outpost, boosting crew size back the three for the first time since downsizing after the Columbia disaster. Reiter was launched aboard Discovery as part of a commercial contract between ESA and the Russian space agency, Roscosmos.
Spacewalkers Fossum and Sellers rode on the end of a long boom attached to the shuttle's robot arm, demonstrating its possible use as a shuttle repair platform. Thanks to a one-day mission extension, Sellers and Fossum also staged a third spacewalk to test wing leading edge repair techniques. The exercises may help pave the way for an eventual flight to service the Hubble Space Telescope.
In the near term, Discovery's flight was a critical milestone for NASA. Facing a Bush administration 2010 deadline for completing the space station and retiring the shuttle, NASA needs to ramp up station assembly as soon as possible to finish the lab complex before time runs out.
Discovery's flight doesn't guarantee success, but it at least clears the way for assembly flights to resume.
"I think we were all hoping for two things to come out of STS-121," Sellers said during an orbital interview. "The first thing is that the shuttle would fly with no problems, no big dings on ascent and we'd have a clean vehicle. We seem to have achieved that.
"The second thing is, that we would leave station in good shape and ready to pick up the assembly sequence and the line would be drawn where it was rubbed out before Columbia, we would start again with the next mission and continue the assembly. I think we're there now. We repaired the external equipment that will allow the assembly to continue. So, two for two!"
Said space station flight director Rick LaBrode: "All in all, it was just a great mission. This is just a roaring success for the station team and we're ready to proceed with assembly ops."
Throughout the mission - the day after launch, during docked operations at the station and even after their departure - the astronauts carried out time-consuming, inch-by-inch inspections of Discovery's fragile heat shield to make absolutely sure nothing was damaged during the climb to space or after reaching orbit.
As it turned out, Discovery's foam-covered external fuel tank performed well and the shuttle's heat shield tiles suffered only a few cases of very minor damage. NASA managers were elated at the performance of the tank after a frustrating year of redesigns and exhaustive testing.
"All the work that all the folks have done on the ET ... and how clean the 121 tank is kind of gives everybody a really good feeling that we're getting there, we're going in the right direction," said lead flight director Tony Ceccacci. "You've seen how clean the vehicle is and that's just a testament to all the work that everyone has done."
In an orbital interview, Nowak agreed, saying "we feel like we've done all the tests and met the objectives and we feel like the whole program is back on track to assemble the space station and move on back to the moon and to Mars. And we're looking forward to all of that."
With Discovery back on the ground in Florida, NASA engineers will now turn their attention to the shuttle Atlantis, scheduled to blast off around Aug. 27 or 28 on a mission to deliver a set of huge solar arrays to the space station.
Atlantis is expected to be hauled out to launch pad 39B on Aug. 2. A practice countdown is on tap Aug. 10 and NASA managers will meet Aug. 15 and 16 for a formal flight readiness review to assess Atlantis' processing and to set an official launch date. The launch window opens Aug. 27 or 28 - a final decision hasn't been made - and closes Sept. 7.
If all goes well, NASA will close out 2006 by launching Discovery in mid December on another station assembly flight.
GioFX
22-07-2006, 13:10
Qui potete trovare molte foto della missione STS-121:
http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/images/shuttle/sts-121/ndxpage1.html
http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/images/shuttle/sts-121/ndxpage1.html
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