[Space] NASA - STS-131 - ISS-19A (Discovery)

[GioFX]

1030 GMT (6:30 a.m. EDT)
T+plus 9 minutes, 30 seconds. It was a nominal MECO. A quick boost from the Orbital Maneuvering System engines is not required to reach the planned preliminary sub-orbital trajectory.

[GioFX]

SFN:

Space shuttle Discovery soars into predawn sky



Shuttle Discovery's mission to deliver critical resupply items and new science hardware to the International Space Station began as scheduled at 6:21 a.m. EDT (1021 GMT) today.
Join us in the Mission Status Center for live play-by-play updates, a video webcast anchored by Miles O'Brien and an interactive chat during the countdown.


http://spaceflightnow.com/shuttle/sts131/100405launch/

[NandoPC]

Troppo bello Ho trovato un video del lancio sul tubo http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wAoKeuoTYlE godetevelo

[Octane]

Oggi non ero connesso...mi guardo i replays

[GioFX]

Purtroppo un problema non da poco... antenna Ku indisponibile per questa missione.

In ogni caso la perdita dell'antenna in banda Ku non pregiudica la sicurezza o gli obbiettivi di missione, in quanto ci sono molteplici ridondanze. Per effettuare la scansione delle superfici dell'orbiter con l'OBSS le riprese video verranno "salvate" nei computer dell'orbiter e spedite poi a terra in donwnlink con l'antenna Ku della ISS. Allo stesso modo per il randeveuz e l'attracco sarà utilizzata l'antenna della stazione.

SFN:

Discovery's Ku-band antenna likely lost for the mission



The shuttle Discovery's Ku-band antenna system, used as a radar dish during rendezvous operations and to transmit video and data to and from the ground through NASA communications satellites, suffered a malfunction of some sort after the shuttle reached orbit Monday.

http://spaceflightnow.com/shuttle/st...ch/index3.html

[GioFX]

SFN:

Astronauts prepared for no radar during rendezvous

BY WILLIAM HARWOOD
STORY WRITTEN FOR CBS NEWS "SPACE PLACE" & USED WITH PERMISSION
Posted: April 6, 2010

The shuttle Discovery's crew will attempt to activate the ship's suspect Ku-band radar during the final stages of rendezvous with the International Space Station early Wednesday. But if it doesn't work - and engineers don't believe it will - the astronauts will use other sensors to update the shuttle's navigation systems.



"We will execute the rendezvous and docking operations per the crew's radar-failed procedures," said LeRoy Cain, chairman of NASA's Mission Management Team. "Those procedures ... are practiced and trained as part of their normal training template."

Other than the post-launch loss of the shuttle's Ku-band communications system due to an unknown failure, Cain said Discovery appeared to come through its climb to space Monday in generally good condition. But engineers are studying photographs that appear to show a tile, or some similar-sized object, separating from the left side of the shuttle's vertical tail fin 42.2 seconds after liftoff as the ship was accelerating through Mach 1.

Cain wouldn't speculate on what the object might have been, although the imagery suggests it likely was a heat shield tile from the left side of the rudder-speedbrake's trailing edge.

"Preliminarily, I don't believe this will be any impact to us," he said. "Those tiles are in place primarily for ascent heating, the thermal environment back there with the engines running. For entry, the speedbrake is, of course, clamped closed like it is for ascent through the entire max heating portion of the entry profile and it's in the aerodynamic shadow during that entire time. Then the speedbrake opens at Mach 10.

"This is going to turn out to be a non issue for us, is what I expect," he said. "But we want the team to go off and do their normal, rigorous analysis and assessment of it."



[...]

Here is an updated timeline of today's activity (in EDT and mission elapsed time; includes revision A of the NASA television schedule):


EDT........DD...HH...MM...SS...EVENT

04/06
08:21 PM...01...14...00...00...STS/ISS crew wakeup (begin flight day 3)
09:16 PM...01...14...55...00...ISS daily planning conference
09:51 PM...01...15...30...00...Group B computer powerup
10:06 PM...01...15...45...00...Rendezvous timeline begins
11:31 PM...01...17...10...00...Spacesuit removal from airlock
11:34 PM...01...17...13...26...NC-4 rendezvous rocket firing

04/07
01:06 AM...01...18...45...19...Ti burn; range = 9.2 miles
01:45 AM...01...19...23...54...Sunset
02:05 AM...01...19...43...55...Range = 10,000 ft
02:14 AM...01...19...52...35...Range = 5,000 ft
02:19 AM...01...19...58...04...Range = 3,000 ft
02:20 AM...01...19...59...09...Sunrise
02:23 AM...01...20...02...13...MC4
02:27 AM...01...20...06...13...Range = 1,500 ft
02:32 AM...01...20...11...13...Range = 1,000 ft
02:32 AM...01...20...11...18...RPM Start Window Open
02:35 AM...01...20...14...13...KU to LO (800 ft)
02:36 AM...01...20...15...13...Shuttle below ISS (725 ft)
02:41 AM...01...20...20...25...Range = 600 ft
02:43 AM...01...20...22...19...Start Pitch Maneuver
02:48 AM...01...20...27...16...Noon
02:51 AM...01...20...30...19...End Pitch Maneuver
02:54 AM...01...20...32...55...Initiate TORVA (575 ft)
02:56 AM...01...20...35...14...RPM Full Photo Window Close
03:05 AM...01...20...43...39...RPM Start Window Close
03:05 AM...01...20...44...25...Shuttle in front of ISS (310 ft)
03:06 AM...01...20...45...15...Range = 300 ft
03:10 AM...01...20...49...25...Range = 250 ft
03:15 AM...01...20...53...35...Range = 200 ft
03:16 AM...01...20...55...23...Sunset
03:17 AM...01...20...56...05...Range = 170 ft
12:19 PM...01...29...57...45...Range = 150 ft
03:23 AM...01...21...01...55...Range = 100 ft
03:26 AM...01...21...04...55...Range = 75 ft
03:30 AM...01...21...09...05...Range = 50 ft
03:33 AM...01...21...12...25...Range (30 ft) Station Keeping Start
03:38 AM...01...21...17...25...Push to Dock
03:43 AM...01...21...21...45...Range = 10 ft

03:44 AM...01...21...23...26...DOCKING

03:52 AM...01...21...30...40...Sunrise
04:11 AM...01...21...50...00...Leak checks
04:46 AM...01...22...25...00...Orbiter docking system prepped for ingress
04:41 AM...01...22...20...00...Group B computer powerdown
05:11 AM...01...22...50...00...Hatch open
05:41 AM...01...23...20...00...Welcome aboard!
05:56 AM...01...23...35...00...Safety briefing
06:31 AM...02...00...10...00...Spacesuits moved to Quest
06:31 AM...02...00...10...00...SRMS OBSS handoff
08:01 AM...02...01...40...00...REBA checkout
09:36 AM...02...03...15...00...ISS evening planning conference
11:51 AM...02...05...30...00...ISS crew sleep begins
12:21 PM...02...06...00...00...STS crew sleep begins


http://spaceflightnow.com/shuttle/st...fd3/index.html

[Octane]

il timone si sblocca a mach 10 ? pensavo a velocità molto più bassa

[zulutown]

cioè mi state dicendo che saranno delle donne a dover parcheggiare manualmente lo shuttle alla stazione spaziale?

[GioFX]

Originariamente inviato da Octane

il timone si sblocca a mach 10 ? pensavo a velocità molto più bassa

E' preferibile utilizzare le superfici aerodinamiche direzionali non appena possibile, e cmq gli attuatori del timone di coda son abbastanza forti...

[GioFX]

Attraccati!

SFN:

Shuttle Discovery docks to space station right on time

BY WILLIAM HARWOOD
STORY WRITTEN FOR CBS NEWS "SPACE PLACE" & USED WITH PERMISSION
Posted: April 7, 2010

Commander Alan Poindexter, manually flying Discovery from the shuttle's aft flight deck, guided the spaceplane to a precision docking with the International Space Station early Wednesday after performing a flawless, "radar failed" rendezvous.



Approaching from directly in front of the space station, Discovery's payload bay docking mechanism engaged its counterpart on the front end of the forward Harmony module at 3:44 a.m. EDT as the two spacecraft sailed 220 miles above the Caribbean at 5 miles per second.

"Houston and station, capture confirmed," pilot James Dutton radioed.


http://spaceflightnow.com/shuttle/st...d3/index2.html

[Octane]

Originariamente inviato da GioFX

E' preferibile utilizzare le superfici aerodinamiche direzionali non appena possibile, e cmq gli attuatori del timone di coda son abbastanza forti...

Ok, non pensavo che gli attuatori del timone (benchè idraulici e non elettromeccanici) fossero così forti. A questo punto la domanda è: a che punto della fase di rientro smettono di usare l'RCS?

[GioFX]

Originariamente inviato da Octane

Ok, non pensavo che gli attuatori del timone (benchè idraulici e non elettromeccanici) fossero così forti. A questo punto la domanda è: a che punto della fase di rientro smettono di usare l'RCS?

L'RCS è disattivato prima dell'Entry Interface, dopo che l'orbiter ha raggiunto l'esatto orientamento di ingresso nell'atmosfera. Subito dopo il propellente residuo viene scaricato. Da quel momento in poi rimangono attivi (e carichi) fino all'atterraggio solo i motori dell'OMS.

Se non sbaglio esiste un sistema per alimentare i motori RCS di coda con il propellente dell'OMS nel caso sia necessario correggere l'assetto (in particolare l'inclinazione verticale) durante l'ingresso in atmosfera e prima dell'attivazione delle superfici aerodinamiche.

[GioFX]

MPLM Leonardo attraccato al modulo Harmony!

SFN:

Delivery van pulls up to the International Space Station

BY WILLIAM HARWOOD
STORY WRITTEN FOR CBS NEWS "SPACE PLACE" & USED WITH PERMISSION
Posted: April 8, 2010



The Italian-made Leonardo module rose from shuttle Discovery's payload bay and merged with the International Space Station today, kicking off the hectic work to unload tons of new equipment, science gear and provisions out of the cargo-delivery vessel.

http://spaceflightnow.com/shuttle/st...d4/index3.html

[GioFX]

SFN:

Station glitch could prompt spacewalk this week



NASA's mission planners are considering adding an unplanned fourth spacewalk to shuttle Discovery's mission to replace a nitrogen tank assembly that has a stuck valve impeding the International Space Station's critical cooling system.

http://spaceflightnow.com/shuttle/st...d10/index.html

[GioFX]

Ci si prepara a tornare...

SFN:

Leonardo module leaves station after day-long wait

BY WILLIAM HARWOOD
STORY WRITTEN FOR CBS NEWS "SPACE PLACE" & USED WITH PERMISSION
Posted: April 15, 2010



The Leonardo cargo module was detached from the International Space Station late Thursday after a lengthy delay due to problems with a berthing mechanism controller.

Because the move came late in the crew's day, the module, attached to the station's robot arm, was parked overnight in a "low hover" position just above the shuttle's payload bay. The astronauts plan to complete the installation early Friday, after enjoying an extra hour of sleep.

http://spaceflightnow.com/shuttle/st...11/index2.html

[GioFX]

Partiti dopo un'altra missione di successo. La ISS è piena di scorte per i mesi avvenire.

L'atterraggio è previsto per lunedì 19 alle 08:51 AM EST (14:51 CEST).

SFN:

Departing Discovery leaves station stocked with supplies
BY WILLIAM HARWOOD
STORY WRITTEN FOR CBS NEWS "SPACE PLACE" & USED WITH PERMISSION
Posted: April 17, 2010

The Discovery astronauts bid their station counterparts farewell early Saturday, sharing a final round of hugs and handshakes before moving back aboard the shuttle to prepare the ship for undocking.



Gathered in the International Space Station's forward Harmony module, the combined 13-member crew congratulated each other on a successful three-spacewalk resupply mission.

http://spaceflightnow.com/shuttle/st...d13/index.html

[GioFX]

Primo tentativo andato causa maltempo al KSC. Si ritenta domani!

SFN:

Weather prevents shuttle's return to Earth today



Weather conditions simply not suitable for landing the powerless space shuttle precluded Discovery's voyage home to the Kennedy Space Center this morning. The spacecraft will remain in orbit for an additional day and try again Tuesday.


http://spaceflightnow.com/news/image...eck_400264.jpg

[frankytop]

Procedura di atterraggio in corso,Landing alle ore 15:08 (ora italiana ) al KSC.

Tra mezzoretta a partire da ora...

[Octane]

Entry Interface!

1236 GMT (8:36 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 Pacific Ocean.

Touchdown remains set for 9:08 a.m. EDT in Florida.

[frankytop]

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