Jacques van Oene
July 30th 05, 08:42 PM
STS-114 MCC Status Report #07
Friday, July 29, 2005 - 6 p.m. CDT
Mission Control Center, Houston, Texas
Space Shuttle and International Space Station crewmembers installed the
Raffaello Multi-Purpose Logistics Module and began unloading the pressurized
cargo carrier Friday. They also carried out a survey of selected areas of
Discovery's thermal protection system and continued preparations for
Saturday's spacewalk.
Engineering analysis continues on the imagery collected so far, but no
apparently serious problems with Discovery's heat shield have been noted.
Mission Manager Wayne Hale said in a Friday afternoon press conference,
"We're feeling very good about Discovery coming home."
It was a very busy day for the crewmembers, Discovery Commander Eileen
Collins, Pilot Jim Kelly and Mission Specialists Soichi Noguchi (Japan
Aerospace Exploration Agency), Steve Robinson, Andy Thomas, Wendy Lawrence
and Charlie Camarda, and the Station's commander Sergei Krikalev and NASA
Science Officer John Phillips.
Raffaello was unberthed from Discovery's cargo bay just before 1 a.m. CDT
Friday by the Station's Canadarm2, operated by Lawrence and Kelly and
attached to the Station's Unity Node. Hatches were opened a little after 10
a.m. Transfer of its cargo to the Station began soon thereafter. Crewmembers
had begun transferring Station equipment and supplies from the Shuttle's
mid-deck earlier.
Preparations for the targeted survey of Discovery's thermal protection
system began with Kelly and Phillips attaching the end of Canadarm2 to the
Station's Mobile Base System. They subsequently detached the other end from
the Destiny Laboratory so the arm could be used in its new position to
provide situational awareness views of the survey with its cameras.
Camarda and Kelly used the Shuttle's robot arm and the 50-foot Orbiter Boom
Sensor System to look at six areas to determine if they had sustained
damage. Mission managers said there was no indication of serious damage in
early looks at downlink from that survey and earlier images. Detailed
analysis of images starting with Discovery's Tuesday launch and continuing
through Friday's survey was continuing.
Noguchi and Robinson will make three spacewalks at the Station, and today
they continued preparations for the first, scheduled to begin at 3:44 a.m.
Saturday. They reviewed spacewalk procedures and checked out the SAFER, or
Simplified Aid For EVA Rescue, a rescue device to help a spacewalker who
goes adrift return to the spacecraft.
Hatches between Discovery and Station were closed as the Shuttle's cabin
pressure was reduced to 10.2 psi for the pre-breathe period, during which
spacewalkers became gradually acclimated to the lower pressures of space
suits to avoid formation of nitrogen bubbles in the blood. The excess air
from the Shuttle was transferred to the Station to replenish its atmosphere.
Collins and Thomas talked with reporters from the Associated Press Radio
Network, National Public Radio and the CBS Radio Network beginning a little
after 5:20 a.m. CDT.
The next STS-114 mission status report will be issued Saturday morning, or
earlier if events warrant.
--end--
--
--------------
Jacques :-)
www.spacepatches.info
Friday, July 29, 2005 - 6 p.m. CDT
Mission Control Center, Houston, Texas
Space Shuttle and International Space Station crewmembers installed the
Raffaello Multi-Purpose Logistics Module and began unloading the pressurized
cargo carrier Friday. They also carried out a survey of selected areas of
Discovery's thermal protection system and continued preparations for
Saturday's spacewalk.
Engineering analysis continues on the imagery collected so far, but no
apparently serious problems with Discovery's heat shield have been noted.
Mission Manager Wayne Hale said in a Friday afternoon press conference,
"We're feeling very good about Discovery coming home."
It was a very busy day for the crewmembers, Discovery Commander Eileen
Collins, Pilot Jim Kelly and Mission Specialists Soichi Noguchi (Japan
Aerospace Exploration Agency), Steve Robinson, Andy Thomas, Wendy Lawrence
and Charlie Camarda, and the Station's commander Sergei Krikalev and NASA
Science Officer John Phillips.
Raffaello was unberthed from Discovery's cargo bay just before 1 a.m. CDT
Friday by the Station's Canadarm2, operated by Lawrence and Kelly and
attached to the Station's Unity Node. Hatches were opened a little after 10
a.m. Transfer of its cargo to the Station began soon thereafter. Crewmembers
had begun transferring Station equipment and supplies from the Shuttle's
mid-deck earlier.
Preparations for the targeted survey of Discovery's thermal protection
system began with Kelly and Phillips attaching the end of Canadarm2 to the
Station's Mobile Base System. They subsequently detached the other end from
the Destiny Laboratory so the arm could be used in its new position to
provide situational awareness views of the survey with its cameras.
Camarda and Kelly used the Shuttle's robot arm and the 50-foot Orbiter Boom
Sensor System to look at six areas to determine if they had sustained
damage. Mission managers said there was no indication of serious damage in
early looks at downlink from that survey and earlier images. Detailed
analysis of images starting with Discovery's Tuesday launch and continuing
through Friday's survey was continuing.
Noguchi and Robinson will make three spacewalks at the Station, and today
they continued preparations for the first, scheduled to begin at 3:44 a.m.
Saturday. They reviewed spacewalk procedures and checked out the SAFER, or
Simplified Aid For EVA Rescue, a rescue device to help a spacewalker who
goes adrift return to the spacecraft.
Hatches between Discovery and Station were closed as the Shuttle's cabin
pressure was reduced to 10.2 psi for the pre-breathe period, during which
spacewalkers became gradually acclimated to the lower pressures of space
suits to avoid formation of nitrogen bubbles in the blood. The excess air
from the Shuttle was transferred to the Station to replenish its atmosphere.
Collins and Thomas talked with reporters from the Associated Press Radio
Network, National Public Radio and the CBS Radio Network beginning a little
after 5:20 a.m. CDT.
The next STS-114 mission status report will be issued Saturday morning, or
earlier if events warrant.
--end--
--
--------------
Jacques :-)
www.spacepatches.info