Jacques van Oene
August 13th 05, 12:04 PM
Space Shuttle Status Report
Friday August 12
Processing operations to prepare the Space Shuttle Discovery for its ferry
flight back to NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida are moving rapidly
ahead today at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center on Edwards Air Force
Base in Southern California.
Stephanie Stilson, Kennedy's vehicle manager for Discovery who is overseeing
the turnaround operation, advised that crews working 24 hours a day on three
shifts have made up some time lost early in the process and are now ahead of
schedule.
Leveling and jacking operations to allow technicians access to all areas of
the orbiter were completed yesterday, and Friday was devoted to drying the
main engines and their associated plumbing to purge them of all residual
liquids.
Inspections of Discovery's thermal protection system are ongoing, and will
continue until the orbiter is ready to be mounted on its modified 747
carrier aircraft for the flight back to KSC. Stilson advised that the narrow
section of thermal blanket that ballooned out under the left-side window
will be removed for laboratory failure analysis. A protective ramp will be
installed in its place to protect that portion of the orbiter for the ferry
flight.
Over the weekend, cryogenic fuels will be removed from the on-board tanks
for the power reactant supply and distribution system, and removal of other
hazardous substances from the Orbital Maneuvering System pods by technicians
wearing special protective gear is planned to begin late Saturday night or
early Sunday morning and conclude by late Sunday afternoon.
At this time, mating with the modified Boeing 7487 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft
is scheduled for no earlier than late Monday evening Aug. 15, with departure
no earlier than early in the morning of Tuesday, Aug. 16.
News media are advised to check their e-mail closely for the latest word on
the departure date of the Discovery - 747 combo from Edwards Air Force Base
on the ferry back to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
For more on the Space Shuttle's Return to Flight, visit:
www.nasa.gov/returntoflight on the Internet.
--
--------------
Jacques :-)
www.spacepatches.info
Friday August 12
Processing operations to prepare the Space Shuttle Discovery for its ferry
flight back to NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida are moving rapidly
ahead today at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center on Edwards Air Force
Base in Southern California.
Stephanie Stilson, Kennedy's vehicle manager for Discovery who is overseeing
the turnaround operation, advised that crews working 24 hours a day on three
shifts have made up some time lost early in the process and are now ahead of
schedule.
Leveling and jacking operations to allow technicians access to all areas of
the orbiter were completed yesterday, and Friday was devoted to drying the
main engines and their associated plumbing to purge them of all residual
liquids.
Inspections of Discovery's thermal protection system are ongoing, and will
continue until the orbiter is ready to be mounted on its modified 747
carrier aircraft for the flight back to KSC. Stilson advised that the narrow
section of thermal blanket that ballooned out under the left-side window
will be removed for laboratory failure analysis. A protective ramp will be
installed in its place to protect that portion of the orbiter for the ferry
flight.
Over the weekend, cryogenic fuels will be removed from the on-board tanks
for the power reactant supply and distribution system, and removal of other
hazardous substances from the Orbital Maneuvering System pods by technicians
wearing special protective gear is planned to begin late Saturday night or
early Sunday morning and conclude by late Sunday afternoon.
At this time, mating with the modified Boeing 7487 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft
is scheduled for no earlier than late Monday evening Aug. 15, with departure
no earlier than early in the morning of Tuesday, Aug. 16.
News media are advised to check their e-mail closely for the latest word on
the departure date of the Discovery - 747 combo from Edwards Air Force Base
on the ferry back to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
For more on the Space Shuttle's Return to Flight, visit:
www.nasa.gov/returntoflight on the Internet.
--
--------------
Jacques :-)
www.spacepatches.info