Official Countdown Underway

Sun, 31 Oct 2010 14:30:01 -0500


The official countdown clock began ticking backward at 2 p.m. EDT Sunday. Launch is targeted for Wednesday, Nov. 3 at 3:52 p.m. NASA Test Director Steve Payne said this morning that the work to repair the leaks is complete, the system is repressurized and work is on schedule for Discovery’s launch.

The Mission Management Team plan to meet Monday morning with a Pre-launch News Conference scheduled to follow at 11 a.m. The new conference will be carried live on NASA Television and at www.nasa.gov/ntv.

The weather forecast remains at 70 percent chance of favorable conditions at launch time.

Countdown to Start Today for a Targeted Wednesday Launch

Sun, 31 Oct 2010 08:08:23 -0500


Overnight, work continued to prepare space shuttle Discovery for its targeted launch at 3:52 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, Nov. 3, and the launch countdown is scheduled to begin today at 2 p.m. The latest weather forecast remains 70 percent “go” for Discovery’s launch.

NASA Television will air a status briefing at 10 a.m. EDT with NASA Test Director Steve Payne and Shuttle Weather Officer Kathy Winters. To view the briefing online go to

www.nasa.gov/ntv.

NASA STS-132 Embroidered Space Shuttle Mission Patch

The STS-132 mission will be the 32nd flight of the space shuttle Atlantis. The primary STS-132 mission objective is to deliver the Russian-made MRM-1 (Mini Research Module) to the International Space Station (ISS). Atlantis will also deliver a new communications antenna and a new set of batteries for one of the ISS solar arrays. The STS-132 mission patch features Atlantis flying off into the sunset as the end of the Space Shuttle Program approaches. However the sun is also heralding the promise of a new day as it rises for the first time on a new ISS module, the MRM-1, which is also named “Rassvet,” the Russian word for dawn.

NASA STS-133 Space Shuttle Mission Insignia

The STS-133 mission patch is based upon sketches from the late artist Robert McCall; they were the final creations of his long and prodigious career. In the foreground, a solitary orbiter ascends into a dark blue sky above a roiling fiery plume. A spray of stars surrounds the orbiter and a top lit crescent forms the background behind the ascent. The mission number, STS-133, is emblazoned on the patch center, and crewmembers' names are listed on a sky-blue border around the scene. The Shuttle Discovery is depicted ascending on a plume of flame as if it is just beginning a mission. However it is just the orbiter, without boosters or an external tank, as it would be at mission's end. This is to signify Discovery's completion of its operational life and the beginning of its new role as a symbol of NASA's and the nation's proud legacy in human spaceflight.

STS-134 Mission Patch Insignia

The design of the STS-134 crew patch highlights research on the International Space Station (ISS) focusing on the fundamental physics of the universe. On this mission, the crew of Space Shuttle Endeavour will install the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS) experiment - a cosmic particle detector that utilizes the first ever superconducting magnet to be flown in space. By studying sub-atomic particles in the background cosmic radiation, and searching for anti-matter and dark-matter, it will help scientists better understand the evolution and properties of our universe. The shape of the patch is inspired by the international atomic symbol, and represents the atom with orbiting electrons around the nucleus. The burst near the center refers to the big-bang theory and the origin of the universe. The Space Shuttle Endeavour and ISS fly together into the sunrise over the limb of Earth, representing the dawn of a new age, understanding the nature of the universe.

Preparing for Flight STS-133

Attired in training versions of their shuttle launch and entry suits, STS-133 commander Steve Lindsey, pilot Eric Boe (background), and mission specialists Tim Kopra (right foreground) and Alvin Drew participate in a simulation exercise in the motion-base shuttle mission simulator in the Jake Garn Simulation and Training Facility at NASA's Johnson Space Center.

Image Credit: NASA/JSC James Blair

Launch Team Evaluating Discovery Leaks

Fri, 29 Oct 2010 07:58:54 -0500

Managers, engineers and technicians are evaluating helium and nitrogen leaks in the pressurization portion of space shuttle Discovery’s right-hand Orbital Maneuvering System (OMS) pod.

The leaks must be fixed before launch and the decision was made to delay picking up the launch countdown by at least a day. The countdown, which had been scheduled to begin at 3 p.m. EDT today, would begin at 2 p.m. Saturday. The next possible launch opportunity would be Tuesday, Nov. 2, at 4:17 p.m.

These leaking helium and nitrogen seals are unrelated to the fuel leak that was repaired last week, also related to Discovery’s right OMS pod.

NASA Test Director Jeff Spaulding will provide details at a 10 a.m. Precountdown Status Briefing on NASA Television.

STS-133 Astronauts to Come to Kennedy Today

Astronaut Steve Lindsey and his crew will fly to NASA's Kennedy Space Center this afternoon as the preparations for Monday's launch reach the home stretch. Flying from their training base at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, the crew will land on the three-mile-long runway at Kennedy's Shuttle Landing Facility. In medical quarantine to prevent getting sick right before the mission, the astronauts will spend the next several days going over mission details, enjoying some free time and keeping their skills sharp. For instance, Commander Lindsey and Pilot Eric Boe will make several simulated shuttle landings in the shuttle training aircraft, or STA.

The countdown for Monday's launch of space shuttle Discovery begins tomorrow at 3 p.m. EDT. Technicians will spend the weekend putting the finishing touches on Discovery. Liftoff is scheduled for 4:40 p.m. EDT, the precise time that the shuttle's launch pad will be in the same plane as the International Space Station it will chase and dock with during the flight.

Space Shuttle Commemorative Embroidered Patch 1981-2011

To celebrate the upcoming 30th anniversary and retirement of the Space Shuttle Program, the design of this patch aims to capture the visual essence and spirit of the program in an iconic and triumphant manner. As the Space Shuttle Program has been an innovative, iconic gem in the history of American spaceflight, the overall shape of the patch and its faceted panels are reminiscent of a diamond or other fine jewel. The shape of the patch fans out from a fine point at the bottom to a wide array across the top, to evoke the vastness of space and our aim to explore it, as the Shuttle has done successfully for decades. The outlined blue circle represents the Shuttle's exploration within low Earth orbit, but also creates a dynamic fluidity from the bottom right around to the top left to allude to the smoothness of the Shuttle orbiting the earth. The diagonal lines cascading down into the top right corner of the design form the American Flag as the Shuttle has been one of the most recognizable icons in American history over the last three decades. In the top left and right panels of the design, there are seven prominent stars on each side which represent the 14 crew members that were lost on shuttles Challenger and Columbia. Inside of the middle panel to the right of the Shuttle, there are five larger, more prominent stars that signify the five Space Shuttle vehicles NASA has had in its fleet throughout the program. Most importantly though, this patch is as an overall celebration of the much-beloved program and vehicle that so many people have dedicated themselves to in so many capacities over the years with a sense of vibrancy and mysticism that the Space Shuttle Program will always be remembered by. This patch was designed by Aerospace Engineer Blake Dumesnil, who has supported the Space Shuttle Program with his work in the Avionics and Energy Systems Divisions of the NASA Johnson Space Center Engineering Directorate. It is the winning entry in a commemorative patch design contest sponsored by the Space Shuttle Program. Photo credit: NASA or National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

Souvenir embroidered space shuttle commemorative patch from the official NASA contractor 

Ultraviolet Andromeda Galaxy

This mosaic of M31 merges 330 individual images taken by the Ultraviolet/Optical Telescope aboard NASA's Swift spacecraft. It is the highest-resolution image of the galaxy ever recorded in the ultraviolet. Also known as the Andromeda Galaxy, M31 is more than 220,000 light-years across and lies 2.5 million light-years away. On a clear, dark night, the galaxy is faintly visible as a misty patch to the naked eye.

The irregular shape of the image results when the more than 300 images were assembled to make the final image.

Image Credit: NASA/Swift/Stefan Immler (GSFC) and Erin Grand (UMCP)