Discovery shuttle poised for historic final launch
February 25, 2011 by Trend PK
Filed under Technology
CAPE CANAVERAL: Discovery, NASA’s oldest and most journeyed space shuttle, is poised to launch Thursday on its final mission, wrapping up a near three-decade legacy of orbital travel.
When the storied spacecraft lifts off at 2150 GMT, it will mark the beginning of the end of the US space shuttle program, with Discovery the first of the remaining three shuttles headed for retirement this year.
The closure of the US shuttle program will leave a gaping hole in the American space mission, and leaves astronauts to rely on the Russian Soyuz space capsule for transport to the orbiting International Space Station.
But concerns for the future were brushed aside as excitement mounted at Kennedy Space Center for Discovery”s mission, with technical checks moving along smoothly and no hint of the fuel tank woes that delayed the launch in November.
“Everything is on track and going beautifully with the countdown,” said mission management team director Mike Moses. “We’re really looking forward to a very action-packed, successful mission.”
Cracks on Discovery”s external fuel tank emerged just before launch more than three months ago, causing engineers to puzzle for many weeks over the cause and how to fix it.
In January, engineers agreed that installing small metal strips, called radius blocks, on the 6.7 meter- (22-foot-) long U-shaped aluminum brackets, called stringers, would reinforce their strength.
Shuttle launch director Mike Leinbach said the teams preparing Discovery this time had found “no problems at all” as they count down toward lift-off.
“We’re not tracking any issues and it looks like Discovery will fly this time,” said Leinbach.
The rotating service structure around Discovery was rolled away on Wednesday evening, revealing the shuttle on the launch-pad for the first time.
The six-member crew of astronauts headed to bed at 0400 GMT and were to awaken at 1200 GMT for the launch Thursday, NASA said.
The loading of the external fuel tank was to begin at 1225 GMT. The astronauts were expected to board the shuttle at around 1835 GMT.
The mission will be led by commander Steven Lindsey, pilot Eric Boe and astronauts Alvin Drew, Michael Barratt, Steve Bowen and Nicole Stott.
Astronaut Tim Kopra was scratched from the crew list after a bicycle accident in January. He was replaced by Bowen.
The crew plans to deliver the Permanent Multipurpose Module, with extra storage space and an area for experiments, as well as some spare parts and the Express Logistic Carrier, an external platform for large equipment.
The shuttle is also to bring the first humanoid robot to the ISS. The Robonaut 2, or R2, is a joint project of General Motors and NASA and will stay behind when Discovery leaves as a permanent resident of the ISS.
The weather forecast – clear skies, sunshine and a mild breeze – was considered exceptionally good with only a 20-percent chance of conditions that could delay the launch, NASA weather officer Kathy Winters said.
Discovery first flew in 1984. Final flights for the other two remaining in the fleet, Atlantis and Endeavour, are scheduled for later this year.
Endeavour is set for its final takeoff on April 19 and a last mission for Atlantis is scheduled for June 28, though funding for Atlantis remains in question.
There were initially five space shuttles in the fleet — Challenger exploded shortly after liftoff in 1986 and Columbia disintegrated on its way back to Earth in 2003.
The sixth shuttle, Enterprise, did test flights in the atmosphere but was never flown into space. It is already on display at a museum outside Washington.
NASA finds faulty seal after delayed shuttle launch
November 11, 2010 by Trend PK
Filed under World News
CAPE CANAVERAL: A potentially dangerous hydrogen leak that forced NASA to cancel last week’s launch of space shuttle Discovery may have been due to a misaligned seal, a NASA spokesman said on Thursday.
“They’re analyzing the flight seal, which they found wasn’t properly aligned,” NASA spokesman Allard Beutel wrote in an e-mail to Reuters.
NASA called off its planned Nov. 5 launch of Discovery on a mission to deliver a storage room, spare parts and a prototype humanoid robot to the International Space Station when gaseous hydrogen began leaking from a vent line as the spaceship was being fueled for flight.
After the scrub, NASA discovered a large crack in the insulating foam on the shuttle’s fuel tank, which likely would have canceled the launch if the leak had not been discovered.
The crack, initially believed to be about 7 inches long, turned out to
Discovery to start space mission on Nov 1
NASA made it official that Shuttle Discovery will launch on an 11-day mission to the International Space Station next Monday. If all goes according to plan, it will be Discoverys last scheduled flight before becoming a museum piece.
Discoverys launch date was announced at the end of a flight readiness review at Kennedy Space Center. During the meeting, senior NASA and contractor managers assessed the risks associated with the mission and determined the shuttle and the necessary equipment, support systems and personnel were ready. Over the weekend, engineers successfully replaced suspect seals in the orbital maneuvering system the twin engines in the shuttles tail that are used to steer the ship on orbit. Workers noticed an on-again, off-again fuel leak in the engines last week but believe they have fixed it. Discoverys flight will include two spacewalks and delivery of a cylindrical module that will help create more storage on the station.
Shuttle Atlantis undocks from space station
May 24, 2010 by Trend PK
Filed under World News
CAPE CANAVERAL: After a week of flying together, shuttle Atlantis undocked from a larger and virtually completed International Space Station on Sunday and headed for home on its final voyage.
“Have a safe trip back and godspeed to you,” radioed the space station”s skipper, Oleg Kotov.
Atlantis isn”t due to land until Wednesday. On Monday, the six crewmen will conduct one last safety inspection of their ship.
“We”ll see you all on the surface of planet Earth again soon,” Atlantis” commander, Kenneth Ham, called out.
The two spacecraft parted company 220 miles above the Indian Ocean. Before the hatches closed between them, the commanding officers shook hands twice and laughed, then embraced. Their crewmates — representing the United States, Russia and Japan — followed suit.
Earlier in the day, Ham told reporters that both crews had fun. All 12 space fliers bonded through hard work and performed as a single team, he said. Mission Control reveled in the camaraderie as well, and lead flight director Emily Nelson relayed her appreciation as Atlantis sailed away from the orbiting outpost.
The space station is bigger and packs more power, thanks to Atlantis and its crewmen. They left behind a new Russian compartment packed with supplies, as well as six fresh batteries and other equipment that was hooked up during a series of spacewalks.
Its total mass exceeds 816,000 pounds, and it”s 98 percent complete in terms of living space.
“This place is now a palace. It”s huge, and I”ve had great fun exploring it,” said shuttle astronaut Piers Sellers. “We”re seeing station in pretty much its final form, and it”s really magnificent.”
Two shuttle missions remain to wrap up NASA”s share of construction. Discovery is scheduled to fly in September, followed by Endeavour in November.
As it currently stands, once Atlantis lands, it will never fly in space again.
NASA and some politicians are pushing hard for another mission, however, so Atlantis can haul up a final load of supplies in June 2011. The White House — which wants NASA concentrated on getting astronauts to asteroids and Mars in the coming decades — would need to approve any extra flights.
Already, NASA is going through the list of museums interested in Atlantis and Endeavour. Discovery is promised to the Smithsonian Institution.
During a news conference Sunday morning, the Atlantis astronauts were asked where they would like to see their ship wind up. Pilot, Dominic “Tony” Antonelli pointed out that none of them gets to decide. But if he got to pick, Atlantis would retire to his backyard in Houston.
“I get plenty of letters from my home owners” association about leaving my garbage can out and not keeping my grass trimmed, but if I got Atlantis parked in my back yard, that would make all those letters just kind of disappear,” Antonelli said with a smile.
As for Atlantis” more immediate future, the astronauts still need to survey its wings and nose in search of any damage. They”ll perform the job Monday using the newly repaired inspection boom. A spacewalking crewman untangled a cable on the boom last week, allowing the TV camera on the end to tilt properly.
Over at the space station, meanwhile, three of the six residents soon will be checking out. Russia”s Kotov, NASA”s Timothy (TJ) Creamer and Japan”s Soichi Noguchi will depart June 2 in a Soyuz capsule and aim for Kazakhstan.
After more than five months in orbit, Creamer said Sunday he can”t wait to drink something without sipping through a straw and to eat food that stays on the plate. Noguchi yearns for a hot springs bath.
Atlantis heads back to Earth on final mission
May 24, 2010 by Trend PK
Filed under World News
WASHINGTON: The space shuttle Atlantis undocked Sunday from the International Space Station (ISS) and headed back to Earth to complete its final mission after successfully delivering tons of supplies.
The shuttle uncoupled from the orbiting space laboratory at 11:22 am (1522 GMT) after its six-member crew unloaded the last equipment, which included a crucial communications antenna, power storage batteries and a radiator.
The biggest single element was the five-ton Rassvet research module, or MRM-1, which will provide additional storage space and a new docking port for Russian Soyuz and Progress spacecraft.
The Rassvet — “Dawn” in Russian was permanently attached to the bottom of the space station”s Zarya module. It carries important hardware on its exterior including a radiator, airlock and a European robotic arm. Astronauts completed the 12-day mission”s final spacewalk on Friday, plugging a new ammonia jumper cable into the station, transferring a grapple fixture from the shuttle to the station and reconfiguring some tools.
kennedy space center
April 22, 2010 by Trend PK
Filed under World News
Kennedy Space Center:Discovery makes successful landing at the Kennedy Space Center: CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Space shuttle Discovery glided to a landing at 9:08 am at Kennedy Space Center on Tuesday, ending its mission to supply the International Space Station.
The crew returned to Earth on a track that led to the shuttle in much of central United States for only the second time since the Columbia disaster in 2003.
“Stop Wheels, Discovery, Rick Sturckow in Mission Control by radio from Houston. “Welcome home, Dex. Congratulations to you and the crew on a mission exceptional.”
“It was a great mission,” said Discovery commander, Alan Poindexter. “We are pleased that the International Space Station is replenished.”
Discovery also brought home two tons of scientific equipment and consumables used in the supply module Leonardo.
Fort clouds blocked Discovery’s planned return Monday and forced a wave-off of its first landing attempt Tuesday. But the clouds parted and the discovery on Tuesday gave the green light to start over one hour that broke the speed of 17.500 mph to 225 mph at the time of landing at KSC runway 33.
Yesterday morning the shuttle was landing more than Vancouver, northeastern Washington, across northeast Kansas Tulsa, Oklahoma, and finally, along the Florida east of Gainesville and west of Jacksonville.
Discovery shuttle makes safe return to Earth
April 20, 2010 by Trend PK
Filed under World News
HOUSTON: Shuttle Discovery touched down Tuesday at NASA”s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, making a safe return to Earth after a two-week resupply mission to the International Space Station.
NASA”s Mission Control gave Discovery”s astronauts approval for the landing at 9:08 am (1308 GMT) after repeated delays on Monday and earlier Tuesday due to rain and fog.
Quake hits central Afghanistan
April 19, 2010 by Trend PK
Filed under World News
KABUL: A 5.3-magnitude earthquake hit central Afghanistan early Monday, the US Geological Survey said.
The quake, which struck at 00:58 (2028 GMT Sunday), was centered 191 kilometers (119 miles) northwest of Kabul at a relatively shallow depth of 10 kilometers, USGS said.
Discovery readies return to Earth unhampered by ash cloud
April 19, 2010 by Trend PK
Filed under World News
HOUSTON: Discovery astronauts prepare to return to Earth Monday ending a successful supply mission to the International Space Station that leaves NASA”s soon-to-retire shuttle program with just three more flights.
The crew aims for touchdown at NASA”s Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 1248 GMT with no threat from the huge ash cloud from an erupting Icelandic volcano that has shut down air traffic over Europe, the US space agency said.
“Iceland”s erupting volcano won”t affect Discovery”s landing Mon (Monday). Reentry course isn”t near ash cloud,” read a message from the Kennedy Space Center on micro-blogging service Twitter.
Over a 14-day mission, Discovery”s seven-member crew delivered nearly eight tons of scientific equipment and other supplies intended to fortify the orbiting science laboratory for operations beyond NASA”s final shuttle launch.
If scheduling holds, Discovery will lift off for the space station on September 16 for the final flight of the remaining three shuttles.
The United States will then rely on Russia for transportation of astronauts to the station until a new fleet of commercial space taxis is operating, a controversial policy that President Barack Obama re-enforced during a visit to the shuttle”s Florida landing site last week.
Monday”s forecast at Cape Canaveral includes overcast skies and a chance of showers, but shuttle commander Alan Poindexter and his crew have a backup landing opportunity in Florida later in the morning at 1423 GMT.
The astronauts took power conservation measures Sunday in case Mother Nature delays their return by a day.
“The weather situation is always fluid, and we will keep watching it,” Mission Control in Houston told Discovery.
The shuttle is provisioned to remain in orbit until Wednesday if necessary, said Bryan Lunney, NASA”s supervising flight director.
Monday”s descent will follow a rare northwest to southeast course over the United States, leaving a glowing contrail visible to observers across several states should skies remain clear.
Discovery lifted off on April 5. The astronauts docked with the space station two days later, overcoming a communications antenna failure that crippled their rendezvous radar.
The linkup united 13 US, Russian and Japanese astronauts from the two craft for 10 days. Four were females, the most women in space at one time.
Over the course of three spacewalks, astronauts replaced a bulky external coolant tank. The ammonia reservoir circulates a coolant through outstretched radiators to disperse the heat generated by the station”s internal electronics, including the life-support systems.
The science hardware delivered by Discovery included an Earth observations rack to hold cameras and spectral scanners for studies of the atmosphere, land forms, coastal areas as well as weather-induced crop damage. Another new experiment will measure changes in muscle and joint health of astronauts during their long exposures to weightlessness.
A new freezer will hold blood and other specimens collected for experiments.
During his April 15 visit to Kennedy, Obama made no mention of a shuttle program extension, disappointing some in Congress and those employed by the multi-billion-dollar space flight program.
At NASA, the looming reality that the United States will soon be unable to launch its own astronauts for the first time in three decades has begun to sink in.
“I”m sure that it”s running through people”s minds, but we are professionals and we are working really hard on the missions in front of us,” said Richard Jones, lead NASA flight director for the Discovery mission.
“As we get closer, that will be forefront on people”s minds.”
Discovery”s pilot Jim Dutton, who was making his first and possibly last space flight, echoed the sentiments.
“I think everyone feels a little bittersweet,” Dutton said. “We love the shuttle, but we have to press on into the future.”
shuttle launch
April 5, 2010 by Trend PK
Filed under World News
Space shuttle Discovery and a crew of seven astronauts headed to space in the predawn darkness of April 5, beginning a 13-day mission to the International Space Station. Discovery’s two solid rocket boosters ignited right on schedule at 6:21 a.m. EDT, sending the shuttle soaring past the launch tower at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
At the postlaunch news conference, Mike Moses, chair of the Mission Management Team, called it, “a spectacular launch and picture-perfect countdown.”
