Discovery Milestones Set Stage for Return to Flight

Melissa Mathews
Headquarters, Washington
August 18, 2004
(Phone: 202/358-1272)

Jessica Rye
Kennedy Space Center, Fla.
(Phone: 321/867-2468)

Kyle Herring
Johnson Space Center, Houston
(Phone: 281/483-5111)

June Malone
Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala.
(Phone: 256/544-7061)

RELEASE: No. 62-04

DISCOVERY MILESTONES SET STAGE FOR RETURN TO FLIGHT

The pace of preparations for Return to Flight is picking up, with several
key milestones in recent weeks marking important progress in readying the
Space Shuttle Discovery for its next mission.

Discovery is progressing after the completion of extensive wiring for Return
to Flight, as well as the transition from its modification period to more
regular processing at Kennedy Space Center. Meanwhile, the first piece of
Discovery's twin Solid Rocket Boosters was moved to a processing facility on
site and workers are installing several important components.

Though Discovery appears unchanged from the outside, the orbiter is very
different on the inside. The power-up on July 27 follows safety improvements
and modifications to enhance vehicle monitoring during flight. Technicians
have installed cabling for wing leading edge sensors and to support a
digital camera to document the External Tank as it separates from Discovery.
Wiring also has been installed to support a boom extension for the Shuttle's
robotic arm, which will provide the ability to inspect nearly all of the
outside areas of the orbiter's Thermal Protection System in detail.

On August 9, the first segment of the Solid Rocket Boosters designated for
Discovery's flight was moved to the Rotation Processing and Surge Facility
at KSC. The aft skirt -- the bottom, skirt-shaped section of the boosters --
will have two other components installed: an aft motor segment and an
External Tank attach ring. Next month, the structure will move to the
Vehicle Assembly Building for stacking operations.

Engineers and technicians have applied many of the modifications laid out in
NASA's Implementation Plan for Space Shuttle Return to Flight and Beyond.

"The Vision for Space Exploration begins with safely returning the Shuttle
to flight and resuming assembly of the International Space Station," said
Michael Kostelnik, Deputy Associate Administrator for International Space
Station and Space Shuttle Programs. "These processing milestones show we're
moving toward that goal."

Eighty-eight sensors will be installed on each wing. Sixty-six will measure
acceleration and impact data and 22 will take temperature data during
Discovery's climb to orbit. Ongoing tests have demonstrated these sensors
can detect very small impacts.

Wiring has been added to the umbilical well under Discovery to accommodate a
digital camera, which will transmit External Tank photos to the ground
quickly. When the tank is separated from the Shuttle, an automatic sequence
will capture 24 images at one frame every 1.5 seconds. These images will be
downlinked to Mission Control at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston for
review and analysis.

"The Program's first line of defense was to redesign the External Tank so
that debris of a critical size never impacts the orbiters again," said Bill
Parsons, Space Shuttle Program Manager. "We have done that. Combined with
ground, airborne and onboard cameras and lasers, the addition of sensors
will provide more detection and inspection capability than the Program has
ever had."

The visible progress in Florida and other locations around the country
parallels work by the Space Shuttle Program and its many contractor and
subcontractor teams in response to the Columbia Accident Investigation
Board's recommendations. NASA's Space Flight Leadership Council is the
internal body reviewing the Shuttle Program's work, and the Stafford-Covey
Return to Flight Task Group provides independent, external oversight. NASA
is working toward a launch planning window for Discovery that opens in March
2005.

Since September 2002, Discovery has been in a regularly-scheduled Orbiter
Major Modification period for maintenance and upgrades. In addition to the
Return to Flight work, more than 100 modifications have been performed,
including the addition of the Multi-functional Electronic Display System, or
"glass cockpit."

"Along with the power up, we have passed several significant milestones
during the last few months with the installation of the Forward Reaction
Control System, the Reinforced Carbon-Carbon nose cap and wing leading edge
panels," Discovery Vehicle Manager Stephanie Stilson said. "I am very
optimistic we are moving toward a launch next spring."

-end-


--
---------------------------

Jacques :-)

www.spacepatches.info

WTG!


Yours,

Doug Goncz ( ftp://users.aol.com/DGoncz/incoming )
Student member SAE for one year.
I love: Dona, Jeff, Kim, Mom, Neelix, Tasha, and Teri, alphabetically.
I drive: A double-step Thunderbolt with 657% range.

"Jacques van Oene" wrote in message
...
Eighty-eight sensors will be installed on each wing. Sixty-six will
measure
acceleration and impact data and 22 will take temperature data during
Discovery's climb to orbit. Ongoing tests have demonstrated these sensors
can detect very small impacts.

Surely they will do this on re-entry as well as during ascent?

Bruce

"Bruce Sterling Woodcock" wrote in message
. ..
"Jacques van Oene" wrote in message
...
Eighty-eight sensors will be installed on each wing. Sixty-six will
measure
acceleration and impact data and 22 will take temperature data during
Discovery's climb to orbit. Ongoing tests have demonstrated these
sensors
can detect very small impacts.

Surely they will do this on re-entry as well as during ascent?

Maybe the idea's to take date to determine if it's _possible_ to re-enter.


--
Alan Erskine
We can get people to the Moon in five years,
not the fifteen GWB proposes.
Give NASA a real challenge

"Bruce Sterling Woodcock" wrote in message ...
"Jacques van Oene" wrote in message
...
Eighty-eight sensors will be installed on each wing. Sixty-six will
measure
acceleration and impact data and 22 will take temperature data during
Discovery's climb to orbit. Ongoing tests have demonstrated these sensors
can detect very small impacts.

Surely they will do this on re-entry as well as during ascent?

Bruce

blkhtrykey

i hope so

"Jacques van Oene" wrote in message
...
Melissa Mathews
Headquarters, Washington
August 18, 2004
(Phone: 202/358-1272)

Jessica Rye
Kennedy Space Center, Fla.
(Phone: 321/867-2468)

Kyle Herring
Johnson Space Center, Houston
(Phone: 281/483-5111)

June Malone
Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala.
(Phone: 256/544-7061)

RELEASE: No. 62-04

DISCOVERY MILESTONES SET STAGE FOR RETURN TO FLIGHT

The pace of preparations for Return to Flight is picking up, with several
key milestones in recent weeks marking important progress in readying the
Space Shuttle Discovery for its next mission.

Discovery is progressing after the completion of extensive wiring for
Return
to Flight, as well as the transition from its modification period to more
regular processing at Kennedy Space Center. Meanwhile, the first piece of
Discovery's twin Solid Rocket Boosters was moved to a processing facility
on
site and workers are installing several important components.

Though Discovery appears unchanged from the outside, the orbiter is very
different on the inside. The power-up on July 27 follows safety
improvements
and modifications to enhance vehicle monitoring during flight. Technicians
have installed cabling for wing leading edge sensors and to support a
digital camera to document the External Tank as it separates from
Discovery.
Wiring also has been installed to support a boom extension for the
Shuttle's
robotic arm, which will provide the ability to inspect nearly all of the
outside areas of the orbiter's Thermal Protection System in detail.

On August 9, the first segment of the Solid Rocket Boosters designated for
Discovery's flight was moved to the Rotation Processing and Surge Facility
at KSC. The aft skirt -- the bottom, skirt-shaped section of the
boosters --
will have two other components installed: an aft motor segment and an
External Tank attach ring. Next month, the structure will move to the
Vehicle Assembly Building for stacking operations.

Engineers and technicians have applied many of the modifications laid out
in
NASA's Implementation Plan for Space Shuttle Return to Flight and Beyond.

"The Vision for Space Exploration begins with safely returning the Shuttle
to flight and resuming assembly of the International Space Station," said
Michael Kostelnik, Deputy Associate Administrator for International Space
Station and Space Shuttle Programs. "These processing milestones show
we're
moving toward that goal."

Eighty-eight sensors will be installed on each wing. Sixty-six will
measure
acceleration and impact data and 22 will take temperature data during
Discovery's climb to orbit. Ongoing tests have demonstrated these sensors
can detect very small impacts.

Wiring has been added to the umbilical well under Discovery to accommodate
a
digital camera, which will transmit External Tank photos to the ground
quickly. When the tank is separated from the Shuttle, an automatic
sequence
will capture 24 images at one frame every 1.5 seconds. These images will
be
downlinked to Mission Control at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston
for
review and analysis.

"The Program's first line of defense was to redesign the External Tank so
that debris of a critical size never impacts the orbiters again," said
Bill
Parsons, Space Shuttle Program Manager. "We have done that. Combined with
ground, airborne and onboard cameras and lasers, the addition of sensors
will provide more detection and inspection capability than the Program has
ever had."

The visible progress in Florida and other locations around the country
parallels work by the Space Shuttle Program and its many contractor and
subcontractor teams in response to the Columbia Accident Investigation
Board's recommendations. NASA's Space Flight Leadership Council is the
internal body reviewing the Shuttle Program's work, and the Stafford-Covey
Return to Flight Task Group provides independent, external oversight. NASA
is working toward a launch planning window for Discovery that opens in
March
2005.

Since September 2002, Discovery has been in a regularly-scheduled Orbiter
Major Modification period for maintenance and upgrades. In addition to the
Return to Flight work, more than 100 modifications have been performed,
including the addition of the Multi-functional Electronic Display System,
or
"glass cockpit."

"Along with the power up, we have passed several significant milestones
during the last few months with the installation of the Forward Reaction
Control System, the Reinforced Carbon-Carbon nose cap and wing leading
edge
panels," Discovery Vehicle Manager Stephanie Stilson said. "I am very
optimistic we are moving toward a launch next spring."

-end-


--
---------------------------

Jacques :-)

www.spacepatches.info


What if Discovery were to be damaged in the exact same way as Columbia?
Would the changes put in place since Feb. 2003 allow it to survive?

"hunkahunkaburninluv" wrote in
:

What if Discovery were to be damaged in the exact same way as
Columbia? Would the changes put in place since Feb. 2003 allow it to
survive?

The crew would likely survive. The orbiter would not.


--
JRF

Reply-to address spam-proofed - to reply by E-mail,
check "Organization" (I am not assimilated) and
think one step ahead of IBM.

"Jorge R. Frank" wrote in message
...
"hunkahunkaburninluv" wrote in
:

What if Discovery were to be damaged in the exact same way as
Columbia? Would the changes put in place since Feb. 2003 allow it to
survive?

The crew would likely survive. The orbiter would not.


--
Could it be docked at the space station until a repair mission could be
made?

"hunkahunkaburninluv" wrote in news:2p4nlkFguisaU1@uni-
berlin.de:

"Jorge R. Frank" wrote in message
...
"hunkahunkaburninluv" wrote in
:

What if Discovery were to be damaged in the exact same way as
Columbia? Would the changes put in place since Feb. 2003 allow it to
survive?

The crew would likely survive. The orbiter would not.

Could it be docked at the space station

That's the plan.

until a repair mission could be
made?

No, a rescue mission. The crew will first attempt to repair the damage. But
with a Columbia-size hole, there will be almost zero confidence that the
repair will hold through entry. NASA would be very unlikely to risk the
crew on it. So the crew will remain on ISS, salvaging orbiter consumables
until depleted, to hang on until the rescue flight can be launched.
However, ISS can only accommodate one orbiter at a time. The damaged
orbiter will be undocked unmanned, then remotely commanded to a destructive
deorbit over the Pacific. The orbiter is not yet capable of landing
unmanned, and NASA considers it more important to protect innocent third
parties from debris risks than to attempt to recover the orbiter intact.
The rescue shuttle would be launched after the damaged orbiter is
destroyed, dock with ISS, and bring the stranded crew home.

This answer applies only to the early flights after return-to-flight. NASA
is developing an unmanned orbiter landing capability, but this will not be
ready for return-to-flight. Once this capability is available, NASA would
attempt to land a damaged orbiter at a site that does not pose significant
public overflight risk from debris.

--
JRF

Reply-to address spam-proofed - to reply by E-mail,
check "Organization" (I am not assimilated) and
think one step ahead of IBM.

"Jorge R. Frank" wrote in message
...
"hunkahunkaburninluv" wrote in news:2p4nlkFguisaU1@uni-
berlin.de:

"Jorge R. Frank" wrote in message
...
"hunkahunkaburninluv" wrote in
:

What if Discovery were to be damaged in the exact same way as
Columbia? Would the changes put in place since Feb. 2003 allow it to
survive?

The crew would likely survive. The orbiter would not.

Could it be docked at the space station

That's the plan.

until a repair mission could be
made?

No, a rescue mission. The crew will first attempt to repair the damage.
But
with a Columbia-size hole, there will be almost zero confidence that the
repair will hold through entry. NASA would be very unlikely to risk the
crew on it. So the crew will remain on ISS, salvaging orbiter consumables
until depleted, to hang on until the rescue flight can be launched.
However, ISS can only accommodate one orbiter at a time. The damaged
orbiter will be undocked unmanned, then remotely commanded to a
destructive
deorbit over the Pacific. The orbiter is not yet capable of landing
unmanned, and NASA considers it more important to protect innocent third
parties from debris risks than to attempt to recover the orbiter intact.
The rescue shuttle would be launched after the damaged orbiter is
destroyed, dock with ISS, and bring the stranded crew home.

This answer applies only to the early flights after return-to-flight. NASA
is developing an unmanned orbiter landing capability, but this will not be
ready for return-to-flight. Once this capability is available, NASA would
attempt to land a damaged orbiter at a site that does not pose significant
public overflight risk from debris.

Why couldn't a repair kit be sent in orbit?