Jacques van Oene
July 31st 05, 07:52 AM
STS-114 MCC Status Report #09
Saturday, July 30, 2005 - 4 p.m. CDT
Mission Control Center, Houston, Texas
Space Shuttle Discovery's heat protective tiles and thermal blankets have
been pronounced fit for entry after engineers reviewed the imagery and other
data to judge their health. Analysis remains on the reinforced carbon-carbon
wing leading edges and the protruding gap fillers identified earlier.
Aerodynamics experts are evaluating the effect on surface heating that the
gap fillers may cause to decide whether any work is necessary to reduce
their size.
Mission managers today also decided to extend Discovery's mission by one day
to spend more time docked with the International Space Station. Astronauts
are busy transferring more water and supplies to the ISS in case the next
Shuttle mission is delayed. An additional 10 gallons of water was
transferred along with a pair of laptop computers and other supplies.
Astronauts Steve Robinson and Soichi Noguchi of the Japan Aerospace
Exploration Agency wrapped up a successful 6-hour, 50-minute spacewalk at
11:36 a.m. Saturday, completing a demonstration of Shuttle thermal
protection repair techniques and enhancements to the Station's attitude
control system.
For the repair demonstration, they worked with tiles and reinforced
carbon-carbon intentionally damaged on the ground and brought into space in
Discovery's cargo bay. They tested an Emittance Wash Applicator for tile
repair and Non-Oxide Adhesive eXperimental (NOAX) for the reinforced
carbon-carbon samples.
Helped by Astronaut Andy Thomas, who served as a coach and monitor from
Shuttle's aft flight deck, they also installed a base and cabling for a
stowage platform and rerouted power to Control Moment Gyroscope-2 (CMG-2),
one of four 600-pound gyroscopes that control the orientation of the Station
in orbit.
CMG-2 has been healthy, but a faulty circuit breaker interrupted its power
supply in March. Since that time the Station had operated successfully on
two CMGs. About 9:20 a.m. Mission Control told the astronauts they saw
power again flowing to CMG-2. Plans call for it to be spun up to its 6,600
rpm operating speed over the next several hours and subsequently put back
into the attitude control mix. Another gyroscope, CMG-1 which failed in
2002, is to be replaced Monday on the second of three spacewalks. They also
replaced a faulty global positioning system antenna on the Station.
The spacewalk began at 4:46 a.m., after deliberate preparations delayed the
planned start. The Station crew, Commander Sergei Krikalev and NASA Science
Officer John Phillips, had moved the orbiting laboratory's Canadarm2 into
position to help Noguchi and Robinson's work. Discovery Pilot Jim Kelly and
Mission Specialist Wendy Lawrence ran the arm, helping the spacewalkers
install the stowage platform base.
The spacewalkers had time for some get-ahead tasks near the end of their
spacewalk, bringing in two experiments that exposed a variety of materials
samples to the harsh vacuum and extreme temperatures of space. Noguchi also
photographed some insulation on the port side of Discovery's cabin.
Hatches between the Station and Discovery had been closed in preparation for
the spacewalk. Once hatches were reopened, remaining crewmembers, Eileen
Collins and Mission Specialist Charlie Camarda, went about other tasks,
including transfer of cargo from the Shuttle to the Station.
Among those tasks was another survey of parts of Discovery's thermal
protection system by the Shuttle's robotic arm and the Orbiter Boom Sensor
System. Kelly and Camarda, operating the arm, focused their attention on
seven areas of interest along the leading edge of Discovery's port wing.
After analysis of many images taken of Discovery during and after its
launch, including information from previous surveys like the one done
Saturday, no damage that would threaten a safe landing by the Shuttle has
been identified. About 25 dings have been seen on Discovery, compared to a
mission average of 145 in missions before Columbia's loss.
The next STS-114 mission status report will be issued after crew wakeup
Saturday night, or earlier if event warrant.
--
--------------
Jacques :-)
www.spacepatches.info
Saturday, July 30, 2005 - 4 p.m. CDT
Mission Control Center, Houston, Texas
Space Shuttle Discovery's heat protective tiles and thermal blankets have
been pronounced fit for entry after engineers reviewed the imagery and other
data to judge their health. Analysis remains on the reinforced carbon-carbon
wing leading edges and the protruding gap fillers identified earlier.
Aerodynamics experts are evaluating the effect on surface heating that the
gap fillers may cause to decide whether any work is necessary to reduce
their size.
Mission managers today also decided to extend Discovery's mission by one day
to spend more time docked with the International Space Station. Astronauts
are busy transferring more water and supplies to the ISS in case the next
Shuttle mission is delayed. An additional 10 gallons of water was
transferred along with a pair of laptop computers and other supplies.
Astronauts Steve Robinson and Soichi Noguchi of the Japan Aerospace
Exploration Agency wrapped up a successful 6-hour, 50-minute spacewalk at
11:36 a.m. Saturday, completing a demonstration of Shuttle thermal
protection repair techniques and enhancements to the Station's attitude
control system.
For the repair demonstration, they worked with tiles and reinforced
carbon-carbon intentionally damaged on the ground and brought into space in
Discovery's cargo bay. They tested an Emittance Wash Applicator for tile
repair and Non-Oxide Adhesive eXperimental (NOAX) for the reinforced
carbon-carbon samples.
Helped by Astronaut Andy Thomas, who served as a coach and monitor from
Shuttle's aft flight deck, they also installed a base and cabling for a
stowage platform and rerouted power to Control Moment Gyroscope-2 (CMG-2),
one of four 600-pound gyroscopes that control the orientation of the Station
in orbit.
CMG-2 has been healthy, but a faulty circuit breaker interrupted its power
supply in March. Since that time the Station had operated successfully on
two CMGs. About 9:20 a.m. Mission Control told the astronauts they saw
power again flowing to CMG-2. Plans call for it to be spun up to its 6,600
rpm operating speed over the next several hours and subsequently put back
into the attitude control mix. Another gyroscope, CMG-1 which failed in
2002, is to be replaced Monday on the second of three spacewalks. They also
replaced a faulty global positioning system antenna on the Station.
The spacewalk began at 4:46 a.m., after deliberate preparations delayed the
planned start. The Station crew, Commander Sergei Krikalev and NASA Science
Officer John Phillips, had moved the orbiting laboratory's Canadarm2 into
position to help Noguchi and Robinson's work. Discovery Pilot Jim Kelly and
Mission Specialist Wendy Lawrence ran the arm, helping the spacewalkers
install the stowage platform base.
The spacewalkers had time for some get-ahead tasks near the end of their
spacewalk, bringing in two experiments that exposed a variety of materials
samples to the harsh vacuum and extreme temperatures of space. Noguchi also
photographed some insulation on the port side of Discovery's cabin.
Hatches between the Station and Discovery had been closed in preparation for
the spacewalk. Once hatches were reopened, remaining crewmembers, Eileen
Collins and Mission Specialist Charlie Camarda, went about other tasks,
including transfer of cargo from the Shuttle to the Station.
Among those tasks was another survey of parts of Discovery's thermal
protection system by the Shuttle's robotic arm and the Orbiter Boom Sensor
System. Kelly and Camarda, operating the arm, focused their attention on
seven areas of interest along the leading edge of Discovery's port wing.
After analysis of many images taken of Discovery during and after its
launch, including information from previous surveys like the one done
Saturday, no damage that would threaten a safe landing by the Shuttle has
been identified. About 25 dings have been seen on Discovery, compared to a
mission average of 145 in missions before Columbia's loss.
The next STS-114 mission status report will be issued after crew wakeup
Saturday night, or earlier if event warrant.
--
--------------
Jacques :-)
www.spacepatches.info