Endeavour Ready for Holidays
Mon, 21 Dec 2009 12:32:32 -0600
Space shuttle Endeavour's hatch has been closed and purging systems are set up to blow warm air into the shuttle and critical systems during the holiday break. Standing inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Endeavour has been bolted onto its external tank and twin solid rocket boosters. The temperature inside the shuttle will be kept at about 70 degrees with about 50 percent humidity. Blowers are positioned to protect the main engines and orbital maneuvering system thrusters. They will come on when the forecast calls for temperatures of 45 degrees or lower for four hours. Endeavour's next major milestone is scheduled for Jan. 6, 2010, when it is rolled out to Launch Pad 39A. Liftoff of the spacecraft on the STS-130 mission is targeted for Feb. 7 at 4:39 a.m. EST.
Tuesday, 22 December 2009
Crew Lifts Off From Kazakhstan
Crew Lifts Off From Kazakhstan to Begin Science and Construction Work Aboard the International Space Station
HOUSTON -- NASA astronaut T.J. Creamer, Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kotov and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Soichi Noguchi safely launched aboard a Soyuz spacecraft to the International Space Station on Sunday. Liftoff occurred at 3:52 p.m. CST from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
The three Soyuz crew members are scheduled to dock with their new home at 4:58 p.m., Tuesday. They will join Expedition 22 crew members Jeff Williams, a NASA astronaut and the station commander, and Max Suraev, a Russian cosmonaut and station flight engineer, aboard the orbiting laboratory.
The station's five residents have some busy months ahead. Kotov and Suraev will conduct a planned spacewalk in January from the Pirs airlock, part of the station's Russian segment. Less than a week later, Williams and Suraev will fly the Soyuz spacecraft that brought them to the station from its current location on the end of the outpost's Zvezda service module to the new Poisk module. In February, the crew will welcome a Progress unmanned resupply ship and space shuttle Endeavour's STS-130 mission. Endeavour and its crew will deliver the new Tranquility node and its cupola, one of the last major portions of the station to be installed.
Coverage of the docking of Creamer, Kotov and Noguchi will begin on NASA Television at 4:30 p.m. NASA TV will return at 6 p.m. for coverage of the hatches opening and the welcoming ceremony between the two crews, which will take place at about 6:29 p.m. For NASA TV streaming video, schedule and downlink information, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/ntv
For more information about the space station, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/station
For expedition 22 mission pins, patches and crew photographs visit the Spaceboosters Online Store!.
HOUSTON -- NASA astronaut T.J. Creamer, Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kotov and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Soichi Noguchi safely launched aboard a Soyuz spacecraft to the International Space Station on Sunday. Liftoff occurred at 3:52 p.m. CST from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
The three Soyuz crew members are scheduled to dock with their new home at 4:58 p.m., Tuesday. They will join Expedition 22 crew members Jeff Williams, a NASA astronaut and the station commander, and Max Suraev, a Russian cosmonaut and station flight engineer, aboard the orbiting laboratory.
The station's five residents have some busy months ahead. Kotov and Suraev will conduct a planned spacewalk in January from the Pirs airlock, part of the station's Russian segment. Less than a week later, Williams and Suraev will fly the Soyuz spacecraft that brought them to the station from its current location on the end of the outpost's Zvezda service module to the new Poisk module. In February, the crew will welcome a Progress unmanned resupply ship and space shuttle Endeavour's STS-130 mission. Endeavour and its crew will deliver the new Tranquility node and its cupola, one of the last major portions of the station to be installed.
Coverage of the docking of Creamer, Kotov and Noguchi will begin on NASA Television at 4:30 p.m. NASA TV will return at 6 p.m. for coverage of the hatches opening and the welcoming ceremony between the two crews, which will take place at about 6:29 p.m. For NASA TV streaming video, schedule and downlink information, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/ntv
For more information about the space station, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/station
For expedition 22 mission pins, patches and crew photographs visit the Spaceboosters Online Store!.
Expedition 22 Lifts Off
Expedition 22 Lifts Off
The Soyuz TMA-17 rocket launches from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 4:52 p.m. EST on Sunday, Dec. 20, carrying Expedition 22 NASA Flight Engineer Timothy J. Creamer of the U.S., Soyuz Commander Oleg Kotov of Russia and Flight Engineer Soichi Noguchi of Japan to the International Space Station.
Photo Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls
The Soyuz TMA-17 rocket launches from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 4:52 p.m. EST on Sunday, Dec. 20, carrying Expedition 22 NASA Flight Engineer Timothy J. Creamer of the U.S., Soyuz Commander Oleg Kotov of Russia and Flight Engineer Soichi Noguchi of Japan to the International Space Station.
Photo Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls
Thursday, 3 December 2009
Endeavour Readied for VAB Trip
Endeavour Readied for VAB Trip
Thu, 03 Dec 2009 08:28:17 -0600
In Orbiter Processing Facility-2 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians are halfway complete with a three-day leak test on space shuttle Endeavour's environmental control and life support system, as well as structural leak tests.
The shuttle's move, also known as rollover, to the Vehicle Assembly Building is scheduled for Dec. 12. Once inside, the Endeavour will be hoisted and then lowered onto the waiting mobile launcher platform where the massive external fuel tank and solid rocket boosters stand ready.
Today, the six STS-130 astronauts are studying flight procedures at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston.
Shuttle Endeavour, with its payload of the Tranquility node and the seven-windowed Cupola module, is targeted to launch Feb. 4, 2010.
Thu, 03 Dec 2009 08:28:17 -0600
In Orbiter Processing Facility-2 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians are halfway complete with a three-day leak test on space shuttle Endeavour's environmental control and life support system, as well as structural leak tests.
The shuttle's move, also known as rollover, to the Vehicle Assembly Building is scheduled for Dec. 12. Once inside, the Endeavour will be hoisted and then lowered onto the waiting mobile launcher platform where the massive external fuel tank and solid rocket boosters stand ready.
Today, the six STS-130 astronauts are studying flight procedures at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston.
Shuttle Endeavour, with its payload of the Tranquility node and the seven-windowed Cupola module, is targeted to launch Feb. 4, 2010.
Endeavour, Crew Prep for STS-130 On-going
Endeavour, Crew Prep for STS-130 On-going
Wed, 02 Dec 2009 09:52:58 -0600
Technicians in Orbiter Processing Facility-2 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida are preparing space shuttle Endeavour for its move to the Vehicle Assembly Building on Dec. 12.
Throughout the next three days, they'll leak test Endeavour's environmental control and life support system. Techs also are testing the space shuttle main engine and aerosurface hydraulics, as well as testing and calibrating the Inertial Measurement Units, or IMUs, which provide navigational information for the shuttle while it's in orbit.
Meanwhile, Endeavour's STS-130 astronauts are practicing an integrated launch simulation today at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston.
Wed, 02 Dec 2009 09:52:58 -0600
Technicians in Orbiter Processing Facility-2 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida are preparing space shuttle Endeavour for its move to the Vehicle Assembly Building on Dec. 12.
Throughout the next three days, they'll leak test Endeavour's environmental control and life support system. Techs also are testing the space shuttle main engine and aerosurface hydraulics, as well as testing and calibrating the Inertial Measurement Units, or IMUs, which provide navigational information for the shuttle while it's in orbit.
Meanwhile, Endeavour's STS-130 astronauts are practicing an integrated launch simulation today at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston.
Monday, 30 November 2009
Former NASA Astronaut Charles Duke U.K Visit 2010
Former NASA Astronaut Charles Duke U.K Visit 2010
September 9, 2010 Glasgow, Scotland (United Kingdom) 7:00pm - Charles Duke (Apollo 16)
Walk With Destiny gala dinner, Glasgow Marriott Hotel
September 10, 2010 Glasgow, Scotland (United Kingdom) 6:30pm - Charles Duke (Apollo 16)
Walk With Destiny public lecture. Carnegie Lecture Theatre, Glasgow Caledonian University
Apollo 16 Mission Photo Pack
Charles Duke Portrait
Apollo 16 Crew Photo
Apollo 16 Mission Embroidered Patch
September 9, 2010 Glasgow, Scotland (United Kingdom) 7:00pm - Charles Duke (Apollo 16)
Walk With Destiny gala dinner, Glasgow Marriott Hotel
September 10, 2010 Glasgow, Scotland (United Kingdom) 6:30pm - Charles Duke (Apollo 16)
Walk With Destiny public lecture. Carnegie Lecture Theatre, Glasgow Caledonian University
Apollo 16 Mission Photo Pack
Charles Duke Portrait
Apollo 16 Crew Photo
Apollo 16 Mission Embroidered Patch
Endeavour Crew Rehearses for STS-130
STS-129 Astronauts Feted Today; Endeavour Crew Rehearses for STS-130
Mon, 30 Nov 2009 10:07:42 -0600
After a flawless mission to resupply the International Space Station, the STS-129 crew members now are back at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. They will be honored with a homecoming ceremony at nearby Ellington Field today.
Meanwhile, preparations for space shuttle Endeavour and its crew are ramping up for the STS-130 mission targeted to launch Feb. 4, 2010.
Endeavour is scheduled to roll over from the orbiter processing facility to the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in late December. There, it will be lifted and attached to the waiting external tank and twin solid rocket boosters.
The STS-130 crew members, Commander George Zamka, Pilot Terry Virts Jr., Mission Specialists Nicholas Patrick, Robert Behnken, Stephen Robinson and Kathryn Hire, are rehearsing deorbit procedures today at Johnson.
Endeavour will deliver a third connecting module, the Tranquility node, to the station in addition to the seven-windowed Cupola module, which will be used as a control room for robotics.
STS 130 Souvenirs
Mon, 30 Nov 2009 10:07:42 -0600
After a flawless mission to resupply the International Space Station, the STS-129 crew members now are back at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. They will be honored with a homecoming ceremony at nearby Ellington Field today.
Meanwhile, preparations for space shuttle Endeavour and its crew are ramping up for the STS-130 mission targeted to launch Feb. 4, 2010.
Endeavour is scheduled to roll over from the orbiter processing facility to the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in late December. There, it will be lifted and attached to the waiting external tank and twin solid rocket boosters.
The STS-130 crew members, Commander George Zamka, Pilot Terry Virts Jr., Mission Specialists Nicholas Patrick, Robert Behnken, Stephen Robinson and Kathryn Hire, are rehearsing deorbit procedures today at Johnson.
Endeavour will deliver a third connecting module, the Tranquility node, to the station in addition to the seven-windowed Cupola module, which will be used as a control room for robotics.
STS 130 Souvenirs
Monday, 23 November 2009
Cosmonaut Konstantin Feoktistov Dies Aged 83
Cosmonaut Konstantin Feoktistov Dies Aged 83
Konstantin Feoktistov, 83, Russian spaceship designer and Cosmonaut, died of unspecified causes Saturday in Moscow. In 1964, he traveled aboard the Voskhod spaceship as part of the first group space flight in history. Approval of his flight met resistance from the Politburo since Feoktistov was not a Communist Party member. Feoktistov helped design the Soyuz, Progress and Mir.
Konstantin Feoktistov, 83, Russian spaceship designer and Cosmonaut, died of unspecified causes Saturday in Moscow. In 1964, he traveled aboard the Voskhod spaceship as part of the first group space flight in history. Approval of his flight met resistance from the Politburo since Feoktistov was not a Communist Party member. Feoktistov helped design the Soyuz, Progress and Mir.
Sunday, 22 November 2009
Congratulations Mom and Dad - Abigail Mae Bresnik is Born
Abigail Mae Bresnik is Born
Sun, 22 Nov 2009 07:21:00 -0600
Space shuttle Atlantis Mission Specialist Randy Bresnik is a new father.
At 6:14 a.m. EST, Bresnik called Mission Control and announced the birth of his daughter. Abigail Mae Bresnik arrived at 12:04 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 22. He reported his wife, Rebecca, and baby are doing well. He also thanked the flight control team and flight surgeon for their support and assistance.
This is the second time a baby has been born to an American astronaut during his spaceflight. Mike Fincke’s daughter was born in June 2004 while he was aboard the International Space Station.
Sun, 22 Nov 2009 07:21:00 -0600
Space shuttle Atlantis Mission Specialist Randy Bresnik is a new father.
At 6:14 a.m. EST, Bresnik called Mission Control and announced the birth of his daughter. Abigail Mae Bresnik arrived at 12:04 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 22. He reported his wife, Rebecca, and baby are doing well. He also thanked the flight control team and flight surgeon for their support and assistance.
This is the second time a baby has been born to an American astronaut during his spaceflight. Mike Fincke’s daughter was born in June 2004 while he was aboard the International Space Station.
Crews Enjoy Off-Duty Time
Crews Enjoy Off-Duty Time
Sun, 22 Nov 2009 02:41:49 -0600
Today's wake-up music was "Butterfly Kisses" by Bob Carlisle, played at 2:58 a.m. EST for Atlantis Mission Specialist Randy Bresnik.
Today is an off-duty day for the International Space Station crew. The shuttle crew will enjoy half the day off, answer media questions, participate in an education event and prepare for Monday's spacewalk.
Sun, 22 Nov 2009 02:41:49 -0600
Today's wake-up music was "Butterfly Kisses" by Bob Carlisle, played at 2:58 a.m. EST for Atlantis Mission Specialist Randy Bresnik.
Today is an off-duty day for the International Space Station crew. The shuttle crew will enjoy half the day off, answer media questions, participate in an education event and prepare for Monday's spacewalk.
Friday, 20 November 2009
STATUS REPORT : STS-129- #07
3:30 p.m. CST Thursday, Nov. 19, 2009
Mission Control Center, Houston, Texas
11.19.09 STATUS REPORT : STS-129-07
HOUSTON – Spacewalking Atlantis astronauts completed their planned work ahead of schedule Thursday and did a major additional task.
Mission Specialists Mike Foreman and Robert Satcher wound up the six-hour, 37-minute spacewalk at 3:01 p.m. CST. It was the first of three spacewalks scheduled for Atlantis’ mission to the International Space Station, a flight devoted largely to bringing sizeable spare parts to the station to be attached to its exterior.
The focus of other Atlantis crew members, Commander Charles Hobaugh, Pilot Barry Wilmore and Mission Specialists Leland Melvin and Randy Bresnik, was mostly on supporting the spacewalk or related activities.
Bresnik served as the intravehicular officer for the spacewalk, choreographing activities of his crewmates outside, while Melvin and Wilmore operated the station’s robotic arm. Hobaugh helped provide photo and television coverage of the spacewalk.
The spacewalk officially began at 8:24 a.m. when Foreman and Satcher switched their suits to internal power. Their first task was to install a spare S-band antenna structural assembly on the station’s Z1 truss. That was completed about an hour ahead of schedule.
The spacewalkers then separated. Foreman installed cables for a space-to-ground antenna on the Destiny laboratory and replaced a handrail on the Unity node with one having a bracket to route an ammonia cable for the Tranquility Node to be delivered next year. He also successfully connected a cable on the Unity Node, which in September had defied efforts by STS-128 astronauts.
Satcher lubricated the latching end effector on the Japanese robotic arm and a similar attachment device on the station’s mobile base system. They were almost two hours ahead when the last scheduled task was completed.
The get-ahead task, completed after spacewalkers visited the airlock to pick up required tools and recharge Foreman’s oxygen, involved installation of a Payload Attach System (PAS). It was one of three such jobs planned for the second spacewalk. Installation of this PAS, on the Earth-facing side of the Starboard 3 truss, had been scheduled as a 1.5-hour job on the Saturday spacewalk.
Foreman and Bresnik are scheduled for that second spacewalk on Saturday while Satcher is to do the third spacewalk on Monday with Bresnik.
Inside the station, Commander Frank De Winne and Flight Engineer Jeff Williams started work in the Harmony Node on data, power and cooling lines and air flow connections for Tranquility. That work is expected to continue for several days.
The next shuttle status report will be issued after crew wake-up, or earlier if events warrant.
Mission Control Center, Houston, Texas
11.19.09 STATUS REPORT : STS-129-07
HOUSTON – Spacewalking Atlantis astronauts completed their planned work ahead of schedule Thursday and did a major additional task.
Mission Specialists Mike Foreman and Robert Satcher wound up the six-hour, 37-minute spacewalk at 3:01 p.m. CST. It was the first of three spacewalks scheduled for Atlantis’ mission to the International Space Station, a flight devoted largely to bringing sizeable spare parts to the station to be attached to its exterior.
The focus of other Atlantis crew members, Commander Charles Hobaugh, Pilot Barry Wilmore and Mission Specialists Leland Melvin and Randy Bresnik, was mostly on supporting the spacewalk or related activities.
Bresnik served as the intravehicular officer for the spacewalk, choreographing activities of his crewmates outside, while Melvin and Wilmore operated the station’s robotic arm. Hobaugh helped provide photo and television coverage of the spacewalk.
The spacewalk officially began at 8:24 a.m. when Foreman and Satcher switched their suits to internal power. Their first task was to install a spare S-band antenna structural assembly on the station’s Z1 truss. That was completed about an hour ahead of schedule.
The spacewalkers then separated. Foreman installed cables for a space-to-ground antenna on the Destiny laboratory and replaced a handrail on the Unity node with one having a bracket to route an ammonia cable for the Tranquility Node to be delivered next year. He also successfully connected a cable on the Unity Node, which in September had defied efforts by STS-128 astronauts.
Satcher lubricated the latching end effector on the Japanese robotic arm and a similar attachment device on the station’s mobile base system. They were almost two hours ahead when the last scheduled task was completed.
The get-ahead task, completed after spacewalkers visited the airlock to pick up required tools and recharge Foreman’s oxygen, involved installation of a Payload Attach System (PAS). It was one of three such jobs planned for the second spacewalk. Installation of this PAS, on the Earth-facing side of the Starboard 3 truss, had been scheduled as a 1.5-hour job on the Saturday spacewalk.
Foreman and Bresnik are scheduled for that second spacewalk on Saturday while Satcher is to do the third spacewalk on Monday with Bresnik.
Inside the station, Commander Frank De Winne and Flight Engineer Jeff Williams started work in the Harmony Node on data, power and cooling lines and air flow connections for Tranquility. That work is expected to continue for several days.
The next shuttle status report will be issued after crew wake-up, or earlier if events warrant.
Thursday, 19 November 2009
STS-129 Mission Status Report #06
3:30 a.m. CST Thursday, Nov. 18, 2009
Mission Control Center, Houston, Texas
11.19.09 STATUS REPORT : STS-129-06 STS-129 MCC Status Report #06 HOUSTON – After a night spent camping out in the Quest airlock, Mission Specialists Mike Foreman and Robert Satcher are awake and into the final preparations for the first spacewalk of the STS-129 mission.
Foreman, Satcher and the rest of Atlantis’ crew were awakened at 3:28 a.m. to the sound of The Newsboys’ song “In Wonder.” It was played for Mission Specialist Randy Bresnik, who will be choreographing today’s spacewalk from inside the station.
The spacewalk is scheduled to begin at 8:18 a.m. and last 6.5 hours. During that time, Foreman and Satcher will be installing a spare S-band antenna structural assembly brought up in Atlantis’ cargo bay. The equipment will be stored on the Z1 segment of the station’s truss system, and to get it there Satcher will be riding the station’s robotic arm, driven by Mission Specialist Leland Melvin, Commander Charles Hobaugh and Pilot Barry Wilmore.
Other tasks on the spacewalkers’ agenda include the installation of a set of cables for a future space-to-ground antenna on the Destiny laboratory and the replacement of a handrail on the Unity node with a bracket that will be used to route an ammonia cable required for the Tranquility node when it is delivered next year. Foreman and Satcher will also reposition a cable connector on the Unity node, troubleshoot a cable connection and lubricate two latching end effectors – one on the Japanese robotic arm and one on the mobile base that allows the station’s main robotic arm to travel to different worksites.
Meanwhile, inside the station, further work will be going on to prepare the station for the arrival of the Tranquility node. While Satcher and Foreman are making adjustments on the exterior of the station, station Commander Frank De Winne and Flight Engineer Jeff Williams will be working at the port hatch of the Harmony node to rewire data, power and cooling lines and air flow connections that will be connected to Tranquility. Their task is also scheduled to take about 6.5 hours today, however that won’t be the end of it; De Winne and Williams will continue working on the project over several days during the STS-129 mission.
The next shuttle status report will be issued at the end of the crew’s workday or earlier if events warrant.
Visit the SPACEBOOSTERS Online Store for mission collectables
Mission Control Center, Houston, Texas
11.19.09 STATUS REPORT : STS-129-06 STS-129 MCC Status Report #06 HOUSTON – After a night spent camping out in the Quest airlock, Mission Specialists Mike Foreman and Robert Satcher are awake and into the final preparations for the first spacewalk of the STS-129 mission.
Foreman, Satcher and the rest of Atlantis’ crew were awakened at 3:28 a.m. to the sound of The Newsboys’ song “In Wonder.” It was played for Mission Specialist Randy Bresnik, who will be choreographing today’s spacewalk from inside the station.
The spacewalk is scheduled to begin at 8:18 a.m. and last 6.5 hours. During that time, Foreman and Satcher will be installing a spare S-band antenna structural assembly brought up in Atlantis’ cargo bay. The equipment will be stored on the Z1 segment of the station’s truss system, and to get it there Satcher will be riding the station’s robotic arm, driven by Mission Specialist Leland Melvin, Commander Charles Hobaugh and Pilot Barry Wilmore.
Other tasks on the spacewalkers’ agenda include the installation of a set of cables for a future space-to-ground antenna on the Destiny laboratory and the replacement of a handrail on the Unity node with a bracket that will be used to route an ammonia cable required for the Tranquility node when it is delivered next year. Foreman and Satcher will also reposition a cable connector on the Unity node, troubleshoot a cable connection and lubricate two latching end effectors – one on the Japanese robotic arm and one on the mobile base that allows the station’s main robotic arm to travel to different worksites.
Meanwhile, inside the station, further work will be going on to prepare the station for the arrival of the Tranquility node. While Satcher and Foreman are making adjustments on the exterior of the station, station Commander Frank De Winne and Flight Engineer Jeff Williams will be working at the port hatch of the Harmony node to rewire data, power and cooling lines and air flow connections that will be connected to Tranquility. Their task is also scheduled to take about 6.5 hours today, however that won’t be the end of it; De Winne and Williams will continue working on the project over several days during the STS-129 mission.
The next shuttle status report will be issued at the end of the crew’s workday or earlier if events warrant.
Visit the SPACEBOOSTERS Online Store for mission collectables
STS-129 Mission Status Report #05
4:30 p.m. CST Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2009
Mission Control Center, Houston, Texas
11.18.09 STATUS REPORT : STS-129-05
HOUSTON – The space shuttle Atlantis docked with the International Space Station at 10:51 a.m. CST to deliver 14 tons of cargo that is essential for the continued operations of the orbiting laboratory.
Atlantis Commander Charles Hobaugh guided the orbiter to a docking with a pressurized mating adaptor located on the station’s Harmony node as the two spacecraft were flying 220 miles above Earth between Australia and Tasmania.
Prior to docking, when the orbiter reached a range of 600 feet from the station, Atlantis performed the nine minute Rendezvous Pitch Maneuver, or “backflip.” Hobaugh rotated the orbiter backwards, enabling space station astronauts Jeffrey Williams and Nicole Stott to take high resolution pictures of the shuttle heat shield. The images will be analyzed by experts and managers on the ground to assess the health of Atlantis’ thermal protection system tiles.
The shuttle and station crews opened hatches and the Atlantis crew was welcomed onboard the space station at 12:28 p.m. The hatch opening signifies the end of Stott’s tenure as an Expedition 21 flight engineer. Now an STS-129 mission specialist, Stott will have spent a total of 91 days in space if Atlantis lands, as planned, on Nov. 27. She is the last station crew member to return to Earth on the space shuttle. Russian Soyuz spacecraft will be used for future station crew launches and landings.
At 1:52 p.m. shuttle Mission Specialists Leland Melvin and Randy Bresnik removed the Express Logistics Carrier 1 from Atlantis’ payload bay and at 2:25 p.m. handed it off from the shuttle robotic arm to the station robotic arm controlled by shuttle Pilot Barry Wilmore and station Flight Engineer Jeff Williams. They installed the carrier on the station’s Port 3 truss at 3:27 p.m.
Before the shuttle crew’s scheduled sleep at 7:28 p.m., transfer of shuttle middeck supplies to the station will begin along with relocation of spacesuits that will be used for the three planned spacewalks. The crews will review the plan for tomorrow’s spacewalk, scheduled to be completed by Mission Specialists Mike Foreman and Robert Satcher.
The next shuttle status report will be issued after crew wake or earlier if warranted.
Mission Control Center, Houston, Texas
11.18.09 STATUS REPORT : STS-129-05
HOUSTON – The space shuttle Atlantis docked with the International Space Station at 10:51 a.m. CST to deliver 14 tons of cargo that is essential for the continued operations of the orbiting laboratory.
Atlantis Commander Charles Hobaugh guided the orbiter to a docking with a pressurized mating adaptor located on the station’s Harmony node as the two spacecraft were flying 220 miles above Earth between Australia and Tasmania.
Prior to docking, when the orbiter reached a range of 600 feet from the station, Atlantis performed the nine minute Rendezvous Pitch Maneuver, or “backflip.” Hobaugh rotated the orbiter backwards, enabling space station astronauts Jeffrey Williams and Nicole Stott to take high resolution pictures of the shuttle heat shield. The images will be analyzed by experts and managers on the ground to assess the health of Atlantis’ thermal protection system tiles.
The shuttle and station crews opened hatches and the Atlantis crew was welcomed onboard the space station at 12:28 p.m. The hatch opening signifies the end of Stott’s tenure as an Expedition 21 flight engineer. Now an STS-129 mission specialist, Stott will have spent a total of 91 days in space if Atlantis lands, as planned, on Nov. 27. She is the last station crew member to return to Earth on the space shuttle. Russian Soyuz spacecraft will be used for future station crew launches and landings.
At 1:52 p.m. shuttle Mission Specialists Leland Melvin and Randy Bresnik removed the Express Logistics Carrier 1 from Atlantis’ payload bay and at 2:25 p.m. handed it off from the shuttle robotic arm to the station robotic arm controlled by shuttle Pilot Barry Wilmore and station Flight Engineer Jeff Williams. They installed the carrier on the station’s Port 3 truss at 3:27 p.m.
Before the shuttle crew’s scheduled sleep at 7:28 p.m., transfer of shuttle middeck supplies to the station will begin along with relocation of spacesuits that will be used for the three planned spacewalks. The crews will review the plan for tomorrow’s spacewalk, scheduled to be completed by Mission Specialists Mike Foreman and Robert Satcher.
The next shuttle status report will be issued after crew wake or earlier if warranted.
"Get Ahead" Task Added to Spacewalk
"Get Ahead" Task Added to Spacewalk
Thu, 19 Nov 2009 12:39:58 -0600
Spacewalk planners have decided to add a “get ahead” task to today’s excursion, since the crew has completed its planned work and is nearly two hours ahead of schedule. Robert Satcher lubricated the Kibo robotic arm snares while Michael Foreman routed a LAN cable on Zarya and mated power cables on a patch panel at the S0 truss.
Now the spacewalkers will deploy the outboard Payload Attach System (PAS) on the Earth-facing side of the Starboard 3 truss. The PAS will allow future missions to store spare parts to the station’s truss segment for future use.
Thu, 19 Nov 2009 12:39:58 -0600
Spacewalk planners have decided to add a “get ahead” task to today’s excursion, since the crew has completed its planned work and is nearly two hours ahead of schedule. Robert Satcher lubricated the Kibo robotic arm snares while Michael Foreman routed a LAN cable on Zarya and mated power cables on a patch panel at the S0 truss.
Now the spacewalkers will deploy the outboard Payload Attach System (PAS) on the Earth-facing side of the Starboard 3 truss. The PAS will allow future missions to store spare parts to the station’s truss segment for future use.
S-band Antenna Structural Assembly Installed
S-band Antenna Structural Assembly Installed
Thu, 19 Nov 2009 10:28:01 -0600
With a spare S-band antenna structural assembly (SASA) in his hands, Robert L. Satcher, Jr. rode the station's robotic arm from Atlantis' payload bay to the station's Earth-facing Z1 truss segment. There, he and Mike Foreman connected two cables and bolted the SASA in place. The spacewalkers are about an hour and 20 minutes ahead of schedule and will split up to tackle a variety of maintenance tasks. The spacewalk started at 9:24 a.m. EST and is expected to last 6.5 hours.
Thu, 19 Nov 2009 10:28:01 -0600
With a spare S-band antenna structural assembly (SASA) in his hands, Robert L. Satcher, Jr. rode the station's robotic arm from Atlantis' payload bay to the station's Earth-facing Z1 truss segment. There, he and Mike Foreman connected two cables and bolted the SASA in place. The spacewalkers are about an hour and 20 minutes ahead of schedule and will split up to tackle a variety of maintenance tasks. The spacewalk started at 9:24 a.m. EST and is expected to last 6.5 hours.
A Partial View
A Partial View
Backdropped by the blackness of space, a partial view of Space Shuttle Atlantis' payload bay, vertical stabilizer, orbital maneuvering system pods and docking mechanism are featured in this image photographed by the STS-129 crew from an aft flight deck window.
Image Credit: NASA
Foreman and Satcher Performing First STS-129 Spacewalk
Foreman and Satcher Performing First STS-129 Spacewalk
Thu, 19 Nov 2009 08:24:33 -0600
At 9:24 a.m. EST, STS-129 spacewalkers Mike Foreman and Robert L. Satcher, Jr. switched their suits to battery power, signifying the start of today’s 6.5-hour excursion. Atlantis Mission Specialist Randy Bresnik will be inside the International Space Station, choreographing the activities and coordinating communications between the spacewalkers and Mission Control in Houston.
This is the 228th spacewalk conducted by U.S. astronauts, the 134th in support of space station assembly and maintenance, the fourth for Foreman and the first for Satcher. Foreman is the lead spacewalker and wears a suit with solid red stripes. His helmet cam displays number 16. Satcher is wearing an all-white spacesuit and his helmet cam displays number 18.
Once they get outside, Foreman and Satcher will install a spare S-band antenna structural assembly to the Z1 segment of the station’s truss, or backbone. To get there, Satcher will ride the station’s robotic arm, driven by Atlantis crew mates Charles Hobaugh, Leland Melvin and Barry Wilmore.
Foreman and Satcher also will install a set of cables for a future space-to-ground antenna on the Destiny laboratory. They will replace a handrail on the Unity node with a new bracket used to route an ammonia cable that will be needed for the Tranquility node when it is delivered next year. The two spacewalkers also will reposition a cable connector on Unity, troubleshoot S0 truss cable connections, and lubricate latching snares on the Kibo robotic arm and the station’s mobile base system.
While the spacewalk is underway, station Commander Frank De Winne and Flight Engineer Jeff Williams will work inside the station to prepare for the arrival of Tranquility, rewiring data, power and cooling lines and air flow connections at the port hatch of Harmony, where Tranquility will connect.
Meanwhile, Nicole Stott is celebrating her 47th birthday in space.
Thu, 19 Nov 2009 08:24:33 -0600
At 9:24 a.m. EST, STS-129 spacewalkers Mike Foreman and Robert L. Satcher, Jr. switched their suits to battery power, signifying the start of today’s 6.5-hour excursion. Atlantis Mission Specialist Randy Bresnik will be inside the International Space Station, choreographing the activities and coordinating communications between the spacewalkers and Mission Control in Houston.
This is the 228th spacewalk conducted by U.S. astronauts, the 134th in support of space station assembly and maintenance, the fourth for Foreman and the first for Satcher. Foreman is the lead spacewalker and wears a suit with solid red stripes. His helmet cam displays number 16. Satcher is wearing an all-white spacesuit and his helmet cam displays number 18.
Once they get outside, Foreman and Satcher will install a spare S-band antenna structural assembly to the Z1 segment of the station’s truss, or backbone. To get there, Satcher will ride the station’s robotic arm, driven by Atlantis crew mates Charles Hobaugh, Leland Melvin and Barry Wilmore.
Foreman and Satcher also will install a set of cables for a future space-to-ground antenna on the Destiny laboratory. They will replace a handrail on the Unity node with a new bracket used to route an ammonia cable that will be needed for the Tranquility node when it is delivered next year. The two spacewalkers also will reposition a cable connector on Unity, troubleshoot S0 truss cable connections, and lubricate latching snares on the Kibo robotic arm and the station’s mobile base system.
While the spacewalk is underway, station Commander Frank De Winne and Flight Engineer Jeff Williams will work inside the station to prepare for the arrival of Tranquility, rewiring data, power and cooling lines and air flow connections at the port hatch of Harmony, where Tranquility will connect.
Meanwhile, Nicole Stott is celebrating her 47th birthday in space.
STS-129 Mission Status Report #05
4:30 p.m. CST Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2009
Mission Control Center, Houston, Texas
11.18.09 STATUS REPORT : STS-129-05
HOUSTON – The space shuttle Atlantis docked with the International Space Station at 10:51 a.m. CST to deliver 14 tons of cargo that is essential for the continued operations of the orbiting laboratory.
Atlantis Commander Charles Hobaugh guided the orbiter to a docking with a pressurized mating adaptor located on the station’s Harmony node as the two spacecraft were flying 220 miles above Earth between Australia and Tasmania.
Prior to docking, when the orbiter reached a range of 600 feet from the station, Atlantis performed the nine minute Rendezvous Pitch Maneuver, or “backflip.” Hobaugh rotated the orbiter backwards, enabling space station astronauts Jeffrey Williams and Nicole Stott to take high resolution pictures of the shuttle heat shield. The images will be analyzed by experts and managers on the ground to assess the health of Atlantis’ thermal protection system tiles.
The shuttle and station crews opened hatches and the Atlantis crew was welcomed onboard the space station at 12:28 p.m. The hatch opening signifies the end of Stott’s tenure as an Expedition 21 flight engineer. Now an STS-129 mission specialist, Stott will have spent a total of 91 days in space if Atlantis lands, as planned, on Nov. 27. She is the last station crew member to return to Earth on the space shuttle. Russian Soyuz spacecraft will be used for future station crew launches and landings.
At 1:52 p.m. shuttle Mission Specialists Leland Melvin and Randy Bresnik removed the Express Logistics Carrier 1 from Atlantis’ payload bay and at 2:25 p.m. handed it off from the shuttle robotic arm to the station robotic arm controlled by shuttle Pilot Barry Wilmore and station Flight Engineer Jeff Williams. They installed the carrier on the station’s Port 3 truss at 3:27 p.m.
Before the shuttle crew’s scheduled sleep at 7:28 p.m., transfer of shuttle middeck supplies to the station will begin along with relocation of spacesuits that will be used for the three planned spacewalks. The crews will review the plan for tomorrow’s spacewalk, scheduled to be completed by Mission Specialists Mike Foreman and Robert Satcher.
The next shuttle status report will be issued after crew wake or earlier if warranted.
Mission Control Center, Houston, Texas
11.18.09 STATUS REPORT : STS-129-05
HOUSTON – The space shuttle Atlantis docked with the International Space Station at 10:51 a.m. CST to deliver 14 tons of cargo that is essential for the continued operations of the orbiting laboratory.
Atlantis Commander Charles Hobaugh guided the orbiter to a docking with a pressurized mating adaptor located on the station’s Harmony node as the two spacecraft were flying 220 miles above Earth between Australia and Tasmania.
Prior to docking, when the orbiter reached a range of 600 feet from the station, Atlantis performed the nine minute Rendezvous Pitch Maneuver, or “backflip.” Hobaugh rotated the orbiter backwards, enabling space station astronauts Jeffrey Williams and Nicole Stott to take high resolution pictures of the shuttle heat shield. The images will be analyzed by experts and managers on the ground to assess the health of Atlantis’ thermal protection system tiles.
The shuttle and station crews opened hatches and the Atlantis crew was welcomed onboard the space station at 12:28 p.m. The hatch opening signifies the end of Stott’s tenure as an Expedition 21 flight engineer. Now an STS-129 mission specialist, Stott will have spent a total of 91 days in space if Atlantis lands, as planned, on Nov. 27. She is the last station crew member to return to Earth on the space shuttle. Russian Soyuz spacecraft will be used for future station crew launches and landings.
At 1:52 p.m. shuttle Mission Specialists Leland Melvin and Randy Bresnik removed the Express Logistics Carrier 1 from Atlantis’ payload bay and at 2:25 p.m. handed it off from the shuttle robotic arm to the station robotic arm controlled by shuttle Pilot Barry Wilmore and station Flight Engineer Jeff Williams. They installed the carrier on the station’s Port 3 truss at 3:27 p.m.
Before the shuttle crew’s scheduled sleep at 7:28 p.m., transfer of shuttle middeck supplies to the station will begin along with relocation of spacesuits that will be used for the three planned spacewalks. The crews will review the plan for tomorrow’s spacewalk, scheduled to be completed by Mission Specialists Mike Foreman and Robert Satcher.
The next shuttle status report will be issued after crew wake or earlier if warranted.
STS-129 Mission Status Report #04
4 a.m. CST Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2009
Mission Control Center, Houston, Texas
11.18.09 STATUS REPORT : 04
HOUSTON – The International Space Station is just a few hours away from receiving a shipment of spares that should help keep it going well into the future.
Space shuttle Atlantis is scheduled to dock to the station at 10:53 a.m. and deliver two pallets carrying more than 20,000 pounds worth of spare equipment too large to be launched into space aboard any other vehicle.
Atlantis’ six-man crew received their wake-up call at 3:28 a.m. Stevie Wonder’s “Higher Ground” was played for Mission Specialist Robert Satcher as the day’s wake-up song.
The morning will focus on preparations for the rendezvous and docking to the station. Commander Charles Hobaugh and Pilot Barry Wilmore will perform a few final corrective jet firings to refine the orbiter’s path to the station and position the vehicle for its rendezvous pitch maneuver 600 feet beneath the station at 9:52 a.m. While Hobaugh performs the “backflip” Expedition 21 Flight Engineers Jeffrey Williams and Nicole Stott will take photos from the station. Their photos will be sent to the ground for review by experts to ensure that the shuttle’s heat shield did not sustain any damage during Monday’s launch.
Once the maneuver is complete, Hobaugh will fly Atlantis ahead of the space station and slowly back it in for the docking to the station’s Harmony node. After a series of leak checks that should take about two hours, the hatches between the two vehicles will be opened and the two crews will start their joint operations.
Hatch opening will mark the end of Flight Engineer Nicole Stott’s two-and-a-half-month stint with the space station’s crew. She’ll officially become a member of the STS-129 crew, and the station will be manned by a five-person crew until Dec. 1, when Commander Frank De Winne and Flight Engineers Roman Romanenko and Robert Thirsk will depart the station in their Soyuz vehicle. Williams and Flight Engineer Maxim Suraev will be left behind to man the station alone until the rest of the Expedition 22 crew arrives on Dec. 23.
Atlantis’ crew is scheduled to go to sleep just before 7:30 p.m. The next shuttle status report will be issued at the end of the crew’s workday or earlier if events warrant.
Mission Control Center, Houston, Texas
11.18.09 STATUS REPORT : 04
HOUSTON – The International Space Station is just a few hours away from receiving a shipment of spares that should help keep it going well into the future.
Space shuttle Atlantis is scheduled to dock to the station at 10:53 a.m. and deliver two pallets carrying more than 20,000 pounds worth of spare equipment too large to be launched into space aboard any other vehicle.
Atlantis’ six-man crew received their wake-up call at 3:28 a.m. Stevie Wonder’s “Higher Ground” was played for Mission Specialist Robert Satcher as the day’s wake-up song.
The morning will focus on preparations for the rendezvous and docking to the station. Commander Charles Hobaugh and Pilot Barry Wilmore will perform a few final corrective jet firings to refine the orbiter’s path to the station and position the vehicle for its rendezvous pitch maneuver 600 feet beneath the station at 9:52 a.m. While Hobaugh performs the “backflip” Expedition 21 Flight Engineers Jeffrey Williams and Nicole Stott will take photos from the station. Their photos will be sent to the ground for review by experts to ensure that the shuttle’s heat shield did not sustain any damage during Monday’s launch.
Once the maneuver is complete, Hobaugh will fly Atlantis ahead of the space station and slowly back it in for the docking to the station’s Harmony node. After a series of leak checks that should take about two hours, the hatches between the two vehicles will be opened and the two crews will start their joint operations.
Hatch opening will mark the end of Flight Engineer Nicole Stott’s two-and-a-half-month stint with the space station’s crew. She’ll officially become a member of the STS-129 crew, and the station will be manned by a five-person crew until Dec. 1, when Commander Frank De Winne and Flight Engineers Roman Romanenko and Robert Thirsk will depart the station in their Soyuz vehicle. Williams and Flight Engineer Maxim Suraev will be left behind to man the station alone until the rest of the Expedition 22 crew arrives on Dec. 23.
Atlantis’ crew is scheduled to go to sleep just before 7:30 p.m. The next shuttle status report will be issued at the end of the crew’s workday or earlier if events warrant.
Wednesday, 18 November 2009
Logistics Carrier Installed on Station Backbone
Logistics Carrier Installed on Station Backbone
Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:32:21 -0600
At 4:27 p.m. EST, shuttle Atlantis and space station astronauts attached the Express Logistics Carrier -1 (ELC) to the Earth-facing side of the station’s left truss, or backbone. This is the first of two ELCs that will be installed on the station’s exterior during STS-129, providing easily-accessible spares to increase the longevity of the station.
The spare hardware stored on ELC-1 includes an Ammonia Tank Assembly, a Battery Charger Discharge Unit, a Control Moment Gyroscope, a station robotic arm Latching End Effector Unit, a Nitrogen Tank Assembly, a Plasma Contactor Unit, a Pump Module Assembly and a Passive Flight Releasable Attachment Mechanism.
Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:32:21 -0600
At 4:27 p.m. EST, shuttle Atlantis and space station astronauts attached the Express Logistics Carrier -1 (ELC) to the Earth-facing side of the station’s left truss, or backbone. This is the first of two ELCs that will be installed on the station’s exterior during STS-129, providing easily-accessible spares to increase the longevity of the station.
The spare hardware stored on ELC-1 includes an Ammonia Tank Assembly, a Battery Charger Discharge Unit, a Control Moment Gyroscope, a station robotic arm Latching End Effector Unit, a Nitrogen Tank Assembly, a Plasma Contactor Unit, a Pump Module Assembly and a Passive Flight Releasable Attachment Mechanism.
Hatches Open, Stott Becomes STS-129 Crew Member
Hatches Open, Stott Becomes STS-129 Crew Member
Wed, 18 Nov 2009 12:45:39 -0600
Hatches between space shuttle Atlantis and the International Space Station were opened at 1:28 p.m. EST, signifying an end after 80 days to Nicole Stott’s time as an Expedition 20/21 flight engineer. Now an STS-129 mission specialist, Stott will have spent a total of 91 days in space if Atlantis lands, as planned, on Nov. 27. She is the last station crew member to return to Earth on the space shuttle; Soyuz spacecraft will be used for future station crew launches and landings.
At 2:28 p.m. the crews will remove the Express Logistics Carrier 1 from Atlantis’ payload bay and at 3:08 p.m., hand if off from the shuttle robotic arm to the station robotic arm.
Two news briefings will be held today on NASA Television. STS-129 Lead Shuttle Flight Director Mike Sarafin will brief reporters on the status of the mission at 2:30 p.m. and Space Shuttle Program deputy manager and Mission Management Team (MMT) chairman LeRoy Cain will hold a post-MMT briefing at 5 p.m.
Wed, 18 Nov 2009 12:45:39 -0600
Hatches between space shuttle Atlantis and the International Space Station were opened at 1:28 p.m. EST, signifying an end after 80 days to Nicole Stott’s time as an Expedition 20/21 flight engineer. Now an STS-129 mission specialist, Stott will have spent a total of 91 days in space if Atlantis lands, as planned, on Nov. 27. She is the last station crew member to return to Earth on the space shuttle; Soyuz spacecraft will be used for future station crew launches and landings.
At 2:28 p.m. the crews will remove the Express Logistics Carrier 1 from Atlantis’ payload bay and at 3:08 p.m., hand if off from the shuttle robotic arm to the station robotic arm.
Two news briefings will be held today on NASA Television. STS-129 Lead Shuttle Flight Director Mike Sarafin will brief reporters on the status of the mission at 2:30 p.m. and Space Shuttle Program deputy manager and Mission Management Team (MMT) chairman LeRoy Cain will hold a post-MMT briefing at 5 p.m.
Atlantis Docked to Station
Atlantis Docked to Station
Wed, 18 Nov 2009 10:58:23 -0600
At 11:51 a.m. EST, Commander Charlie Hobaugh backed space shuttle Atlantis into pressurized mating adapter #2 on the International Space Station’s Harmony node. The two spacecraft were flying 220 miles above Earth between Australia and Tasmania at the time they docked.
The shuttle and station crews will open hatches and hold the traditional welcome ceremony at 1:48 p.m. When hatches open, astronaut Nicole Stott’s tenure as a station Expedition 21 flight engineer will come to an end as she joins the Atlantis crew.
Wed, 18 Nov 2009 10:58:23 -0600
At 11:51 a.m. EST, Commander Charlie Hobaugh backed space shuttle Atlantis into pressurized mating adapter #2 on the International Space Station’s Harmony node. The two spacecraft were flying 220 miles above Earth between Australia and Tasmania at the time they docked.
The shuttle and station crews will open hatches and hold the traditional welcome ceremony at 1:48 p.m. When hatches open, astronaut Nicole Stott’s tenure as a station Expedition 21 flight engineer will come to an end as she joins the Atlantis crew.
STATUS REPORT : STS-129-03
4 p.m. CST Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2009
Mission Control Center, Houston, Texas
11.17.09 STATUS REPORT : STS-129-03
HOUSTON – Atlantis astronauts Tuesday inspected the space shuttle’s thermal protection system, checked out spacesuits and prepared to dock with the International Space Station.
Much of the day for Commander Charles Hobaugh, Pilot Barry Wilmore and Mission Specialists Leland Melvin, Randy Bresnik, Mike Foreman and Robert Satcher Jr. was devoted to inspection of the shuttle’s heat-resistant tiles and reinforced carbon-carbon surfaces on the wing leading edges and the nose.
Hobaugh, Wilmore and Melvin used the shuttle’s arm and its Orbital Boom Sensor System extension to survey Atlantis’ right wing. Bresnik, Foreman and Satcher checked out spacesuits.
After the right wing scan Bresnik replaced Hobaugh on the survey team for detailed looks at the nose cap, the left wing and other areas while Foreman and Satcher kept working with the space-suits.
After the inspections were complete and the boom was berthed, Melvin and Bresnik grappled the Express Logistics Carrier 1 in Atlantis’ cargo bay with the shuttle’s robotic arm to get ready for the ELC’s transfer to the station.
Toward the end of their day, crew members extended the Orbital Docking System Ring and checked out rendezvous tools. Atlantis is scheduled to dock with the station a little before 11 a.m. CST on Wednesday.
The Atlantis crew is scheduled to begin its sleep period at 7:28 p.m. Its docking day wakeup call is scheduled for 3:28 a.m.
On the station the Expedition 21 crew, Commander Frank De Winne and Flight Engineers Jeffrey Williams, Nicole Stott, Maxim Suraev, Roman Romanenko and Robert Thirsk, was getting ready for Atlantis’ arrival. They will photograph the shuttle’s heat shield during its back flip on its approach. Stott will return to Earth aboard Atlantis.
The next shuttle status report will be issued after Atlantis crew wakeup or earlier if warranted.
- end -
Mission Control Center, Houston, Texas
11.17.09 STATUS REPORT : STS-129-03
HOUSTON – Atlantis astronauts Tuesday inspected the space shuttle’s thermal protection system, checked out spacesuits and prepared to dock with the International Space Station.
Much of the day for Commander Charles Hobaugh, Pilot Barry Wilmore and Mission Specialists Leland Melvin, Randy Bresnik, Mike Foreman and Robert Satcher Jr. was devoted to inspection of the shuttle’s heat-resistant tiles and reinforced carbon-carbon surfaces on the wing leading edges and the nose.
Hobaugh, Wilmore and Melvin used the shuttle’s arm and its Orbital Boom Sensor System extension to survey Atlantis’ right wing. Bresnik, Foreman and Satcher checked out spacesuits.
After the right wing scan Bresnik replaced Hobaugh on the survey team for detailed looks at the nose cap, the left wing and other areas while Foreman and Satcher kept working with the space-suits.
After the inspections were complete and the boom was berthed, Melvin and Bresnik grappled the Express Logistics Carrier 1 in Atlantis’ cargo bay with the shuttle’s robotic arm to get ready for the ELC’s transfer to the station.
Toward the end of their day, crew members extended the Orbital Docking System Ring and checked out rendezvous tools. Atlantis is scheduled to dock with the station a little before 11 a.m. CST on Wednesday.
The Atlantis crew is scheduled to begin its sleep period at 7:28 p.m. Its docking day wakeup call is scheduled for 3:28 a.m.
On the station the Expedition 21 crew, Commander Frank De Winne and Flight Engineers Jeffrey Williams, Nicole Stott, Maxim Suraev, Roman Romanenko and Robert Thirsk, was getting ready for Atlantis’ arrival. They will photograph the shuttle’s heat shield during its back flip on its approach. Stott will return to Earth aboard Atlantis.
The next shuttle status report will be issued after Atlantis crew wakeup or earlier if warranted.
- end -
4:30 a.m. CST Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2009
Mission Control Center, Houston, Texas
11.17.09 STATUS REPORT : STS-129 #02
HOUSTON – With a picture-perfect launch day under their belts, Atlantis’ crew members will spend their first full day in space taking pictures of what they hope will be a perfect heat shield.
Today’s STS-129 wakeup call came at 3:28 a.m. in the form of MercyMe’s “I Can Only Imagine.” The song was played for Pilot Barry E. Wilmore, who will spend his day at the controls of the shuttle’s robotic arm. Wilmore, along with Commander Charles O. Hobaugh and Mission Specialists Leland Melvin and Randy Bresnik, will be using the 50-foot-long arm and its 50-foot-long orbiter boom sensor system to get an up close look at the tiles of Atlantis’ wing leading edges and nose cap.
The inspection will make use of a suite of cameras and lasers on the end of the boom and give experts on the ground 3-D views of the shuttle’s heat shield. Those photos, as well as others taken during various points in the mission, will be used to ensure that the shuttle did not sustain any damage during its launch on Monday.
This inspection will begin just before 7:15 a.m. and will take about five hours. While it is going on, the crew’s spacewalkers – Mike Foreman and Robert L. Satcher Jr., with help from Bresnik when he’s not working on the inspection – will perform a checkout of the two spacesuits to be worn on the first of the mission’s three spacewalks and prepare the suits for transfer to the International Space Station.
In preparation for docking with the station on Wednesday, the crew will also set up the centerline camera, extend the Orbiter Docking System ring and check out other equipment that will be used during the rendezvous.
Aboard the station, Expedition 21 Commander Frank De Winne and Flight Engineers Jeffrey Williams, Nicole Stott, Maxim Suraev, Roman Romanenko and Robert Thirsk will prepare for the shuttle’s arrival by reviewing photography procedures for their part in documenting the condition of the shuttle’s heat shield as it completes a rendezvous pitch maneuver during its approach to the station. Williams will also get a jump start on one of the STS-129 tasks, the preparation of the Harmony node for the arrival of the Tranquility node next year.
Atlantis’ crew will go to bed just before 7:30 p.m. The next shuttle status report will be issued at the end of the crew’s workday or earlier if events warrant.
Mission Control Center, Houston, Texas
11.17.09 STATUS REPORT : STS-129 #02
HOUSTON – With a picture-perfect launch day under their belts, Atlantis’ crew members will spend their first full day in space taking pictures of what they hope will be a perfect heat shield.
Today’s STS-129 wakeup call came at 3:28 a.m. in the form of MercyMe’s “I Can Only Imagine.” The song was played for Pilot Barry E. Wilmore, who will spend his day at the controls of the shuttle’s robotic arm. Wilmore, along with Commander Charles O. Hobaugh and Mission Specialists Leland Melvin and Randy Bresnik, will be using the 50-foot-long arm and its 50-foot-long orbiter boom sensor system to get an up close look at the tiles of Atlantis’ wing leading edges and nose cap.
The inspection will make use of a suite of cameras and lasers on the end of the boom and give experts on the ground 3-D views of the shuttle’s heat shield. Those photos, as well as others taken during various points in the mission, will be used to ensure that the shuttle did not sustain any damage during its launch on Monday.
This inspection will begin just before 7:15 a.m. and will take about five hours. While it is going on, the crew’s spacewalkers – Mike Foreman and Robert L. Satcher Jr., with help from Bresnik when he’s not working on the inspection – will perform a checkout of the two spacesuits to be worn on the first of the mission’s three spacewalks and prepare the suits for transfer to the International Space Station.
In preparation for docking with the station on Wednesday, the crew will also set up the centerline camera, extend the Orbiter Docking System ring and check out other equipment that will be used during the rendezvous.
Aboard the station, Expedition 21 Commander Frank De Winne and Flight Engineers Jeffrey Williams, Nicole Stott, Maxim Suraev, Roman Romanenko and Robert Thirsk will prepare for the shuttle’s arrival by reviewing photography procedures for their part in documenting the condition of the shuttle’s heat shield as it completes a rendezvous pitch maneuver during its approach to the station. Williams will also get a jump start on one of the STS-129 tasks, the preparation of the Harmony node for the arrival of the Tranquility node next year.
Atlantis’ crew will go to bed just before 7:30 p.m. The next shuttle status report will be issued at the end of the crew’s workday or earlier if events warrant.
Tuesday, 17 November 2009
STS-129 Crew Begins Busy Day
STS-129 Crew Begins Busy Day
Tue, 17 Nov 2009 03:37:21 -0600
The six crew members aboard space shuttle Atlantis began the second day of their mission Tuesday at 4:28 a.m. EST. Activities for the STS-129 crew include surveying the shuttle's thermal protection system, checking out spacesuits and grappling the Express Logistics Carrier 1. The crew also will install a camera inside the Orbiter Docking System and checkout rendezvous tools in preparation for docking to the International Space Station on Wednesday.
STS-129 Collectables
Tue, 17 Nov 2009 03:37:21 -0600
The six crew members aboard space shuttle Atlantis began the second day of their mission Tuesday at 4:28 a.m. EST. Activities for the STS-129 crew include surveying the shuttle's thermal protection system, checking out spacesuits and grappling the Express Logistics Carrier 1. The crew also will install a camera inside the Orbiter Docking System and checkout rendezvous tools in preparation for docking to the International Space Station on Wednesday.
STS-129 Collectables
Monday, 16 November 2009
11.16.09 STATUS REPORT : STS-129-01
2 p.m. CST Monday, Nov. 16, 2009
Mission Control Center, Houston, Texas
11.16.09 STATUS REPORT : STS-129-01
HOUSTON – Space shuttle Atlantis launched at 1:28 p.m. CST on its way to store supplies onboard the International Space Station.
Commander Charles Hobaugh, Pilot Barry Wilmore and Mission Specialists Mike Foreman, Robert Satcher Jr., Randy Bresnik and Leland Melvin reached orbit eight and a half minutes later as the space station flew 220 miles over the South Pacific Ocean.
Aboard the station watching Atlantis’ launch on a live feed from Mission Control were Commander Frank De Winne of the European Space Agency and Flight Engineers Jeffrey Williams, Nicole Stott, Roman Romanenko, Maxim Suraev and Robert Thirsk of the Canadian Space Agency.
Following Atlantis’ docking and hatch opening Wednesday, Stott officially becomes a shuttle crew member to return home aboard Atlantis after nearly three months aboard the station.
Shortly after reaching orbit, Atlantis’ crew began procedures to ensure the spaceship is healthy for on-orbit operations and is scheduled to open the payload bay doors at about 2:53 p.m.
The crew’s launch day ends with a thorough checkout of the robotic arm and survey of the payload bay before heading to bed about 7:28 p.m.
Following wakeup at 3:28 a.m. Tuesday, the crew will spend the majority of the day assessing the health of Atlantis' wing leading edge panels and nosecap using the boom/sensor extension and checking out the spacesuits to be worn during three planned spacewalks later in the mission. The crew also will test rendezvous tools and prepare the docking system ahead of arrival at the station.
Atlantis’ mission is the 129th in shuttle program history and the 31st dedicated to station assembly, resupply and maintenance. The mission is focused on storing supplies on the exterior of the station to sustain operations after the space shuttle is retired.
The next shuttle status report will be issued after crew wakeup or earlier if warranted.
Mission Control Center, Houston, Texas
11.16.09 STATUS REPORT : STS-129-01
HOUSTON – Space shuttle Atlantis launched at 1:28 p.m. CST on its way to store supplies onboard the International Space Station.
Commander Charles Hobaugh, Pilot Barry Wilmore and Mission Specialists Mike Foreman, Robert Satcher Jr., Randy Bresnik and Leland Melvin reached orbit eight and a half minutes later as the space station flew 220 miles over the South Pacific Ocean.
Aboard the station watching Atlantis’ launch on a live feed from Mission Control were Commander Frank De Winne of the European Space Agency and Flight Engineers Jeffrey Williams, Nicole Stott, Roman Romanenko, Maxim Suraev and Robert Thirsk of the Canadian Space Agency.
Following Atlantis’ docking and hatch opening Wednesday, Stott officially becomes a shuttle crew member to return home aboard Atlantis after nearly three months aboard the station.
Shortly after reaching orbit, Atlantis’ crew began procedures to ensure the spaceship is healthy for on-orbit operations and is scheduled to open the payload bay doors at about 2:53 p.m.
The crew’s launch day ends with a thorough checkout of the robotic arm and survey of the payload bay before heading to bed about 7:28 p.m.
Following wakeup at 3:28 a.m. Tuesday, the crew will spend the majority of the day assessing the health of Atlantis' wing leading edge panels and nosecap using the boom/sensor extension and checking out the spacesuits to be worn during three planned spacewalks later in the mission. The crew also will test rendezvous tools and prepare the docking system ahead of arrival at the station.
Atlantis’ mission is the 129th in shuttle program history and the 31st dedicated to station assembly, resupply and maintenance. The mission is focused on storing supplies on the exterior of the station to sustain operations after the space shuttle is retired.
The next shuttle status report will be issued after crew wakeup or earlier if warranted.
STS-129: Atlantis Lifts Off
STS-129: Atlantis Lifts Off
11.16.09 › View Now
George Diller/STS-129 Launch Commentator: T-10... nine... eight... seven... six... five... four... three... two... one... zero... and liftoff of space shuttle Atlantis, on a mission to build, re-supply and to do research on the International Space Station.
Rob Navias/Ascent Commentator: Houston now controlling. Atlantis begins its penultimate journey to shore up the International Space Station. Atlantis now in the proper alignment for its 8 1/2-minute ride to orbit. Four-and-a-half million pounds of hardware and humans taking aim on the international outpost. Thirty seconds into the flight. Atlantis almost 2 miles in altitude, almost 6 miles downrange from the Kennedy Space Center, already traveling 500 miles an hour. The three liquid fuel main engines now throttling back to 72 percent of rated performance, going into the bucket, reducing the stress on the shuttle as it breaks through the sound barrier. Fifty-five seconds into the flight, all systems operating normally. Nine-hundred miles an hour, the speed of Atlantis right now, 6 miles in altitude, 9 miles downrange.
Chris Ferguson/CAPCOM: Atlantis, go at throttle up.
Charlie Hobaugh/STS-129 Commander: Copy. Go at throttle up.
Rob Navias/Ascent Commentator: The throttle-up call acknowledged by Commander Charlie Hobaugh, joined on the flight deck by Pilot Butch Wilmore, Flight Engineer Randy Bresnik and Leland Melvin. Seated down on the middeck are Mike Foreman and Bobby Satcher, kicking off their workweek with a Monday commute to orbit. One minute, 30 seconds into the flight, Atlantis 13 miles in altitude, 15 miles downrange, traveling almost 2,000 miles an hour. Three good auxiliary power units, three good fuel cells, three good main engines. One minute, 50 seconds into the flight, 10 seconds away from solid rocket booster separation. Booster officer confirms staging, a good solid rocket booster separation. Guidance now converging, Atlantis steering into the center lane of highway 129, en route to the International Space Station.
› View Now
STS-129 Souvenirs from the SPACEBOOSTERS Online Store
11.16.09 › View Now
George Diller/STS-129 Launch Commentator: T-10... nine... eight... seven... six... five... four... three... two... one... zero... and liftoff of space shuttle Atlantis, on a mission to build, re-supply and to do research on the International Space Station.
Rob Navias/Ascent Commentator: Houston now controlling. Atlantis begins its penultimate journey to shore up the International Space Station. Atlantis now in the proper alignment for its 8 1/2-minute ride to orbit. Four-and-a-half million pounds of hardware and humans taking aim on the international outpost. Thirty seconds into the flight. Atlantis almost 2 miles in altitude, almost 6 miles downrange from the Kennedy Space Center, already traveling 500 miles an hour. The three liquid fuel main engines now throttling back to 72 percent of rated performance, going into the bucket, reducing the stress on the shuttle as it breaks through the sound barrier. Fifty-five seconds into the flight, all systems operating normally. Nine-hundred miles an hour, the speed of Atlantis right now, 6 miles in altitude, 9 miles downrange.
Chris Ferguson/CAPCOM: Atlantis, go at throttle up.
Charlie Hobaugh/STS-129 Commander: Copy. Go at throttle up.
Rob Navias/Ascent Commentator: The throttle-up call acknowledged by Commander Charlie Hobaugh, joined on the flight deck by Pilot Butch Wilmore, Flight Engineer Randy Bresnik and Leland Melvin. Seated down on the middeck are Mike Foreman and Bobby Satcher, kicking off their workweek with a Monday commute to orbit. One minute, 30 seconds into the flight, Atlantis 13 miles in altitude, 15 miles downrange, traveling almost 2,000 miles an hour. Three good auxiliary power units, three good fuel cells, three good main engines. One minute, 50 seconds into the flight, 10 seconds away from solid rocket booster separation. Booster officer confirms staging, a good solid rocket booster separation. Guidance now converging, Atlantis steering into the center lane of highway 129, en route to the International Space Station.
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Mission Management Team Gives "Go" for Liftoff
Mission Management Team Gives "Go" for Liftoff
Mon, 16 Nov 2009 13:15:42 -0600
Space shuttle Atlantis has been cleared for launch this afternoon at 2:28 EST. The mission management team, mission control and the launch team have given a unanimous "go" for launch.
The team is not working any technical issues and the weather has cooperated with clear skies over NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
The last minutes of Atlantis' countdown to launch include several steps; the retraction of the orbiter access arm with the White Room at the end, and the gaseous oxygen vent arm, which holds the "beanie cap," or cover, over the external tank.
Mon, 16 Nov 2009 13:15:42 -0600
Space shuttle Atlantis has been cleared for launch this afternoon at 2:28 EST. The mission management team, mission control and the launch team have given a unanimous "go" for launch.
The team is not working any technical issues and the weather has cooperated with clear skies over NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
The last minutes of Atlantis' countdown to launch include several steps; the retraction of the orbiter access arm with the White Room at the end, and the gaseous oxygen vent arm, which holds the "beanie cap," or cover, over the external tank.
Atlantis' Hatch is Closed and Latched
Atlantis' Hatch is Closed and Latched
Mon, 16 Nov 2009 11:52:17 -0600
At NASA Kennedy Space Center's Launch Pad 39A, space shuttle Atlantis' crew access hatch has been closed and locked for flight.
All six STS-129 astronauts are safely strapped into their seats and are awaiting liftoff at 2:28 p.m. EST.
The Closeout Crew will pressurize the crew cabin, check for leaks and then finish up remaining work inside the pad's White Room before leaving the area.
The weather forecast remains "go" at the launch site and the Transoceanic Abort Landing, or TAL, sites where the shuttle could land in the unlikely event of an emergency.
NASA's recovery ships, Liberty Star and Freedom Star are stationed in the Atlantic Ocean, ready to gather up the solid rocket boosters after they fall into the sea.
Mon, 16 Nov 2009 11:52:17 -0600
At NASA Kennedy Space Center's Launch Pad 39A, space shuttle Atlantis' crew access hatch has been closed and locked for flight.
All six STS-129 astronauts are safely strapped into their seats and are awaiting liftoff at 2:28 p.m. EST.
The Closeout Crew will pressurize the crew cabin, check for leaks and then finish up remaining work inside the pad's White Room before leaving the area.
The weather forecast remains "go" at the launch site and the Transoceanic Abort Landing, or TAL, sites where the shuttle could land in the unlikely event of an emergency.
NASA's recovery ships, Liberty Star and Freedom Star are stationed in the Atlantic Ocean, ready to gather up the solid rocket boosters after they fall into the sea.
STS-129 Crew Heads for Launch Pad 39A
STS-129 Crew Heads for Launch Pad 39A
Mon, 16 Nov 2009 09:42:01 -0600
The astronauts' trip to space begins with an short drive to the launch pad. After spending the morning at the Astronaut Crew Quarters in the Operations and Checkout Building, the crew is now riding inside NASA's silver Astrovan, which is a modified Airstream motor coach. The vehicle is big enough on the inside to accommodate the crew members and their bulky pressure suits. It will take less than half an hour to reach Atlantis.
Shuttle Weather Officer Kathy Winters advised the launch team that the weather conditions at Kennedy are improving. She said the cloud cover now in the area should move away by launch time and leave the sky clear for Atlantis' flight.
The shuttle is showing no technical issues and launch is on schedule for 2:28 p.m. EST.
Mon, 16 Nov 2009 09:42:01 -0600
The astronauts' trip to space begins with an short drive to the launch pad. After spending the morning at the Astronaut Crew Quarters in the Operations and Checkout Building, the crew is now riding inside NASA's silver Astrovan, which is a modified Airstream motor coach. The vehicle is big enough on the inside to accommodate the crew members and their bulky pressure suits. It will take less than half an hour to reach Atlantis.
Shuttle Weather Officer Kathy Winters advised the launch team that the weather conditions at Kennedy are improving. She said the cloud cover now in the area should move away by launch time and leave the sky clear for Atlantis' flight.
The shuttle is showing no technical issues and launch is on schedule for 2:28 p.m. EST.
Teams at Launch Pad 39A
Teams at Launch Pad 39A
Mon, 16 Nov 2009 09:00:55 -0600
The Closeout Crew and Final Inspection Team are working through their highly specialized routines at Launch Pad 39A in preparation for liftoff this afternoon.
The Final Inspection Team will check the outside of the shuttle. They are studying Atlantis, the solid rocket boosters and external tank for large chunks of ice or other debris on or near the shuttle.
The Closeout Crew is dressed in white coveralls, while the Final Inspection Team wears orange coveralls. The coveralls for both teams are numbered so the technicians can be accounted for during their time at the pad.
The Closeout Crew will help the astronauts climb aboard Atlantis and get situated for launch. They also will close the hatch later and conduct leak checks before departing the pad.
There is a 70-percent chance of favorable weather for launch -- the primary concern at this time is for low cloud ceilings.
Mon, 16 Nov 2009 09:00:55 -0600
The Closeout Crew and Final Inspection Team are working through their highly specialized routines at Launch Pad 39A in preparation for liftoff this afternoon.
The Final Inspection Team will check the outside of the shuttle. They are studying Atlantis, the solid rocket boosters and external tank for large chunks of ice or other debris on or near the shuttle.
The Closeout Crew is dressed in white coveralls, while the Final Inspection Team wears orange coveralls. The coveralls for both teams are numbered so the technicians can be accounted for during their time at the pad.
The Closeout Crew will help the astronauts climb aboard Atlantis and get situated for launch. They also will close the hatch later and conduct leak checks before departing the pad.
There is a 70-percent chance of favorable weather for launch -- the primary concern at this time is for low cloud ceilings.
Sunday, 15 November 2009
Atlantis Launch - One Day Away
Atlantis Launch - One Day Away
Sun, 15 Nov 2009 09:56:58 -0600
At the L-1 Atlantis launch countdown status briefing, NASA Test Director Steve Payne reported that all systems are "go" for liftoff and there are no issues being reported to hamper an on-time launch to the International Space Station at 2:28 p.m. EST Monday.
"After many, many months of hard work, STS-129 Atlantis and her crew are nearly ready to fly," said Payne. "We've had a clean countdown to date and are currently on schedule with no problems to report."
Main avionics check outs are still being performed and orbiter to ground communication tests will be completed this afternoon.
The flight crew's personal items also will be stowed this afternoon along with the recumbent seat that will accommodate the return of Nicole Stott, who has been serving as Flight Engineer at the station.
Shuttle Weather Officer Kathy Winters of the 45th weather squadron was pleased to announce that the forecast for launch day remains at 90-percent both for fueling of the external tank and for liftoff.
Weather continues to look good for the transatlantic abort, or TAL, sites where the shuttle could land in the unlikely event of an emergency although there still is a possibility of high seas where the solid rocket booster recovery ships are stationed.
If there is a 24-hour turnaround, Winters said the forecast increases to 30-percent probability that weather will violate weather constraints.
Today at about 5:30 p.m., the Rotating Service Structure that protects the shuttle from inclement weather will be rolled away.
Loading of propellants into the external tank is scheduled to begin at around 5 a.m. Monday.
Sun, 15 Nov 2009 09:56:58 -0600
At the L-1 Atlantis launch countdown status briefing, NASA Test Director Steve Payne reported that all systems are "go" for liftoff and there are no issues being reported to hamper an on-time launch to the International Space Station at 2:28 p.m. EST Monday.
"After many, many months of hard work, STS-129 Atlantis and her crew are nearly ready to fly," said Payne. "We've had a clean countdown to date and are currently on schedule with no problems to report."
Main avionics check outs are still being performed and orbiter to ground communication tests will be completed this afternoon.
The flight crew's personal items also will be stowed this afternoon along with the recumbent seat that will accommodate the return of Nicole Stott, who has been serving as Flight Engineer at the station.
Shuttle Weather Officer Kathy Winters of the 45th weather squadron was pleased to announce that the forecast for launch day remains at 90-percent both for fueling of the external tank and for liftoff.
Weather continues to look good for the transatlantic abort, or TAL, sites where the shuttle could land in the unlikely event of an emergency although there still is a possibility of high seas where the solid rocket booster recovery ships are stationed.
If there is a 24-hour turnaround, Winters said the forecast increases to 30-percent probability that weather will violate weather constraints.
Today at about 5:30 p.m., the Rotating Service Structure that protects the shuttle from inclement weather will be rolled away.
Loading of propellants into the external tank is scheduled to begin at around 5 a.m. Monday.
Management Team Gives "Go" for Atlantis Launch
Management Team Gives "Go" for Atlantis Launch
Sat, 14 Nov 2009 11:07:26 -0600
Launch countdown operations are on schedule with no issues to report, according to officials at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida during the STS-129 prelaunch briefing. With the unfortunate scrub of the Atlas rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station today, space shuttle Atlantis is cleared for launch at 2:28 p.m. EST Monday.
"It was a really smooth meeting … Atlantis is ready to go," Mike Moses, space shuttle launch integration manager said. (There was) "a unanimous vote to proceed with the launch countdown."
Mike Leinbach, space shuttle launch director said, "… We're right on the money. We're not tracking any issues with the vehicle, flight elements or ground systems. I'm happy to report we're ready to go."
Shuttle Weather Officer Kathy Winters reported that the forecast continues to be very favorable for launch day with only a 10-percent chance that weather will be a concern for liftoff and the fueling of Atlantis' external tank.
Weather also is looking good for the transatlantic abort, or TAL, sites where the shuttle could land in the unlikely event of an emergency. The only issue Winters mentioned was the possibility of some high seas where the solid rocket booster recovery ships are stationed.
On Sunday at about 5:30 p.m., the Rotating Service Structure that protects the shuttle from inclement weather will be rolled away. Loading of propellants into the external tank is scheduled to begin at around 5 a.m. on Monday.
Tune in tomorrow for the L-1 countdown status briefing at no earlier than 10 a.m. which will be aired on NASA TV and found on the Web at www.nasa.gov/ntv.
For mission souvenirs and collectables that include photos, patches,pins, T-shirts and more visit the SPACEBOOSTERS Online Store.
Sat, 14 Nov 2009 11:07:26 -0600
Launch countdown operations are on schedule with no issues to report, according to officials at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida during the STS-129 prelaunch briefing. With the unfortunate scrub of the Atlas rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station today, space shuttle Atlantis is cleared for launch at 2:28 p.m. EST Monday.
"It was a really smooth meeting … Atlantis is ready to go," Mike Moses, space shuttle launch integration manager said. (There was) "a unanimous vote to proceed with the launch countdown."
Mike Leinbach, space shuttle launch director said, "… We're right on the money. We're not tracking any issues with the vehicle, flight elements or ground systems. I'm happy to report we're ready to go."
Shuttle Weather Officer Kathy Winters reported that the forecast continues to be very favorable for launch day with only a 10-percent chance that weather will be a concern for liftoff and the fueling of Atlantis' external tank.
Weather also is looking good for the transatlantic abort, or TAL, sites where the shuttle could land in the unlikely event of an emergency. The only issue Winters mentioned was the possibility of some high seas where the solid rocket booster recovery ships are stationed.
On Sunday at about 5:30 p.m., the Rotating Service Structure that protects the shuttle from inclement weather will be rolled away. Loading of propellants into the external tank is scheduled to begin at around 5 a.m. on Monday.
Tune in tomorrow for the L-1 countdown status briefing at no earlier than 10 a.m. which will be aired on NASA TV and found on the Web at www.nasa.gov/ntv.
For mission souvenirs and collectables that include photos, patches,pins, T-shirts and more visit the SPACEBOOSTERS Online Store.
Saturday, 14 November 2009
STS-129 Prelaunch Update
STS-129 Prelaunch Update
Sat, 14 Nov 2009 09:50:44 -0600
NASA Television will air a Prelaunch News Conference no earlier than 11 a.m. EST, at the conclusion of the L-2 Mission Management Team meeting. The briefing also will be available on the Web at www.nasa.gov/ntv.
The weather forecast for launch day, according the shuttle weather officer Kathy Winters, is looking very favorable for both launch and fueling of the shuttle's external tank.
There is only a 10-percent chance that weather will hinder any launch-related activities for Atlantis' Monday's 2:28 p.m. liftoff to the International Space Station.
Sat, 14 Nov 2009 09:50:44 -0600
NASA Television will air a Prelaunch News Conference no earlier than 11 a.m. EST, at the conclusion of the L-2 Mission Management Team meeting. The briefing also will be available on the Web at www.nasa.gov/ntv.
The weather forecast for launch day, according the shuttle weather officer Kathy Winters, is looking very favorable for both launch and fueling of the shuttle's external tank.
There is only a 10-percent chance that weather will hinder any launch-related activities for Atlantis' Monday's 2:28 p.m. liftoff to the International Space Station.
Friday, 13 November 2009
360 Degree Panorama of Ares 1-X on Pad B
360 Degree Panorama of Ares 1-X on Pad B
- Level 300 -
Towering over the Fixed Service Structure (FSS), the Ares 1-X test vehicle awaits its October 27, 2009 launch. Kennedy Space Center. Florida October 23, 2009
Follow this link: http://nasatech.net/Ares1-XPadBlvl300_091023/
- Level 300 -
Towering over the Fixed Service Structure (FSS), the Ares 1-X test vehicle awaits its October 27, 2009 launch. Kennedy Space Center. Florida October 23, 2009
Follow this link: http://nasatech.net/Ares1-XPadBlvl300_091023/
Preps for STS-129 Launch Continue
Preps for Launch Continue, Status Briefing This Morning
Fri, 13 Nov 2009 07:16:50 -0600
NASA officials will hold the STS-129 mission launch countdown status briefing this morning a 10 a.m. EST. It will be broadcast on NASA TV and online at www.nasa.gov/ntv.
Final launch preparations continue at Launch Pad 39A with technicians closing space shuttle Atlantis' payload bay doors this morning.
Meanwhile, the STS-129 astronauts continue their prelaunch activities at Kennedy today. Commander Charles O. Hobaugh and Pilot Barry E. Wilmore practiced landings at the Shuttle Landing Facility this morning in NASA's Shuttle Training Aircraft -- a Gulfstream II jet modified to simulate the shuttle controls and handling.
Techs also performed a final fit-check as Hobaugh and Wilmore donned their orange launch-and-landing gear.
NASA's official launch countdown clock begins counting backward at 1 p.m. EST today toward Monday's 2:28 p.m. liftoff.
Fri, 13 Nov 2009 07:16:50 -0600
NASA officials will hold the STS-129 mission launch countdown status briefing this morning a 10 a.m. EST. It will be broadcast on NASA TV and online at www.nasa.gov/ntv.
Final launch preparations continue at Launch Pad 39A with technicians closing space shuttle Atlantis' payload bay doors this morning.
Meanwhile, the STS-129 astronauts continue their prelaunch activities at Kennedy today. Commander Charles O. Hobaugh and Pilot Barry E. Wilmore practiced landings at the Shuttle Landing Facility this morning in NASA's Shuttle Training Aircraft -- a Gulfstream II jet modified to simulate the shuttle controls and handling.
Techs also performed a final fit-check as Hobaugh and Wilmore donned their orange launch-and-landing gear.
NASA's official launch countdown clock begins counting backward at 1 p.m. EST today toward Monday's 2:28 p.m. liftoff.
Ares 1-X 360 Degree View inside the VAB
Ares 1-X Prior to Launch
360 degree VR image of the Ares 1-x inside the VAB: Final preparations are made to the Ares 1-X stack as rollout to Pad B nears for the October 27, 2009 mission.
Follow this link for a fantastic 360 degree view of the Ares 1-X inside the VAB
http://nasatech.net/Ares1-Xmid091015/
360 degree VR image of the Ares 1-x inside the VAB: Final preparations are made to the Ares 1-X stack as rollout to Pad B nears for the October 27, 2009 mission.
Follow this link for a fantastic 360 degree view of the Ares 1-X inside the VAB
http://nasatech.net/Ares1-Xmid091015/
LCROSS Impacts Confirm Water in Lunar Crater
NASA's LCROSS Impacts Confirm Water in Lunar Crater
MOFFETT FIELD, Calif.
Preliminary data from NASA's Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite, or LCROSS, indicates the mission successfully uncovered water in a permanently shadowed lunar crater. The discovery opens a new chapter in our understanding of the moon.
The LCROSS spacecraft and a companion rocket stage made twin impacts in the Cabeus crater Oct. 9 that created a plume of material from the bottom of a crater that has not seen sunlight in billions of years. The plume traveled at a high angle beyond the rim of Cabeus and into sunlight, while an additional curtain of debris was ejected more laterally.
"We're unlocking the mysteries of our nearest neighbor and, by extension, the solar system," said Michael Wargo, chief lunar scientist at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "The moon harbors many secrets, and LCROSS has added a new layer to our understanding."
Scientists long have speculated about the source of significant quantities of hydrogen that have been observed at the lunar poles. The LCROSS findings are shedding new light on the question with the discovery of water, which could be more widespread and in greater quantity than previously suspected. If the water that was formed or deposited is billions of years old, these polar cold traps could hold a key to the history and evolution of the solar system, much as an ice core sample taken on Earth reveals ancient data. In addition, water and other compounds represent potential resources that could sustain future lunar exploration.
Since the impacts, the LCROSS science team has been analyzing the huge amount of data the spacecraft collected. The team concentrated on data from the satellite's spectrometers, which provide the most definitive information about the presence of water. A spectrometer helps identify the composition of materials by examining light they emit or absorb.
"We are ecstatic," said Anthony Colaprete, LCROSS project scientist and principal investigator at NASA's Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, Calif. "Multiple lines of evidence show water was present in both the high angle vapor plume and the ejecta curtain created by the LCROSS Centaur impact. The concentration and distribution of water and other substances requires further analysis, but it is safe to say Cabeus holds water."
The team took the known near-infrared spectral signatures of water and other materials and compared them to the impact spectra the LCROSS near infrared spectrometer collected.
"We were able to match the spectra from LCROSS data only when we inserted the spectra for water," Colaprete said. "No other reasonable combination of other compounds that we tried matched the observations. The possibility of contamination from the Centaur also was ruled out."
Additional confirmation came from an emission in the ultraviolet spectrum that was attributed to hydroxyl, one product from the break-up of water by sunlight. When atoms and molecules are excited, they release energy at specific wavelengths that can be detected by the spectrometers. A similar process is used in neon signs. When electrified, a specific gas will produce a distinct color. Just after impact, the LCROSS ultraviolet visible spectrometer detected hydroxyl signatures that are consistent with a water vapor cloud in sunlight.
Data from the other LCROSS instruments are being analyzed for additional clues about the state and distribution of the material at the impact site. The LCROSS science team and colleagues are poring over the data to understand the entire impact event, from flash to crater. The goal is to understand the distribution of all materials within the soil at the impact site.
"The full understanding of the LCROSS data may take some time. The data is that rich," Colaprete said. "Along with the water in Cabeus, there are hints of other intriguing substances. The permanently shadowed regions of the moon are truly cold traps, collecting and preserving material over billions of years."
LCROSS was launched June 18 from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida as a companion mission to the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, or LRO. Moving at a speed of more than 1.5 miles per second, the spent upper stage of its launch vehicle hit the lunar surface shortly after 4:31 a.m. PDT Oct. 9, creating an impact that instruments aboard LCROSS observed for approximately four minutes. LCROSS then impacted the surface at approximately 4:36 a.m.
LRO observed the impact and continues to pass over the site to give the LCROSS team additional insight into the mechanics of the impact and its resulting craters. The LCROSS science team is working closely with scientists from LRO and other observatories that viewed the impact to analyze and understand the full scope of the LCROSS data.
For information about LCROSS, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/lcross
MOFFETT FIELD, Calif.
Preliminary data from NASA's Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite, or LCROSS, indicates the mission successfully uncovered water in a permanently shadowed lunar crater. The discovery opens a new chapter in our understanding of the moon.
The LCROSS spacecraft and a companion rocket stage made twin impacts in the Cabeus crater Oct. 9 that created a plume of material from the bottom of a crater that has not seen sunlight in billions of years. The plume traveled at a high angle beyond the rim of Cabeus and into sunlight, while an additional curtain of debris was ejected more laterally.
"We're unlocking the mysteries of our nearest neighbor and, by extension, the solar system," said Michael Wargo, chief lunar scientist at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "The moon harbors many secrets, and LCROSS has added a new layer to our understanding."
Scientists long have speculated about the source of significant quantities of hydrogen that have been observed at the lunar poles. The LCROSS findings are shedding new light on the question with the discovery of water, which could be more widespread and in greater quantity than previously suspected. If the water that was formed or deposited is billions of years old, these polar cold traps could hold a key to the history and evolution of the solar system, much as an ice core sample taken on Earth reveals ancient data. In addition, water and other compounds represent potential resources that could sustain future lunar exploration.
Since the impacts, the LCROSS science team has been analyzing the huge amount of data the spacecraft collected. The team concentrated on data from the satellite's spectrometers, which provide the most definitive information about the presence of water. A spectrometer helps identify the composition of materials by examining light they emit or absorb.
"We are ecstatic," said Anthony Colaprete, LCROSS project scientist and principal investigator at NASA's Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, Calif. "Multiple lines of evidence show water was present in both the high angle vapor plume and the ejecta curtain created by the LCROSS Centaur impact. The concentration and distribution of water and other substances requires further analysis, but it is safe to say Cabeus holds water."
The team took the known near-infrared spectral signatures of water and other materials and compared them to the impact spectra the LCROSS near infrared spectrometer collected.
"We were able to match the spectra from LCROSS data only when we inserted the spectra for water," Colaprete said. "No other reasonable combination of other compounds that we tried matched the observations. The possibility of contamination from the Centaur also was ruled out."
Additional confirmation came from an emission in the ultraviolet spectrum that was attributed to hydroxyl, one product from the break-up of water by sunlight. When atoms and molecules are excited, they release energy at specific wavelengths that can be detected by the spectrometers. A similar process is used in neon signs. When electrified, a specific gas will produce a distinct color. Just after impact, the LCROSS ultraviolet visible spectrometer detected hydroxyl signatures that are consistent with a water vapor cloud in sunlight.
Data from the other LCROSS instruments are being analyzed for additional clues about the state and distribution of the material at the impact site. The LCROSS science team and colleagues are poring over the data to understand the entire impact event, from flash to crater. The goal is to understand the distribution of all materials within the soil at the impact site.
"The full understanding of the LCROSS data may take some time. The data is that rich," Colaprete said. "Along with the water in Cabeus, there are hints of other intriguing substances. The permanently shadowed regions of the moon are truly cold traps, collecting and preserving material over billions of years."
LCROSS was launched June 18 from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida as a companion mission to the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, or LRO. Moving at a speed of more than 1.5 miles per second, the spent upper stage of its launch vehicle hit the lunar surface shortly after 4:31 a.m. PDT Oct. 9, creating an impact that instruments aboard LCROSS observed for approximately four minutes. LCROSS then impacted the surface at approximately 4:36 a.m.
LRO observed the impact and continues to pass over the site to give the LCROSS team additional insight into the mechanics of the impact and its resulting craters. The LCROSS science team is working closely with scientists from LRO and other observatories that viewed the impact to analyze and understand the full scope of the LCROSS data.
For information about LCROSS, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/lcross
STS-129 Launch Countdown Begins Today
STS-129 Launch Countdown Begins Today
Fri, 13 Nov 2009 09:48:48 -0600
At today's launch countdown status briefing held at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, managers reported space shuttle Atlantis, its payload and crew are ready for launch at 2:28 p.m. EST on Monday.
NASA Test Director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson reported everything is progressing on schedule for Atlantis' 31st flight to deliver the crew, two Express Logistic Carriers and other necessary parts to the International Space Station.
"Our teams here at Kennedy Space Center, as well as all the NASA centers around the country, have worked very hard preparing this hardware for flight," said Blackwell-Thompson. "We're all looking forward to the mission that lies ahead."
Scott Higginbotham, the STS-129 payload manager, said the processing of the payload for this mission has been a difficult and challenging race for his team. "But we're smiling today," Higginbotham said. "Because we crossed the finish line and we survived." Final inspections were completed and the payload bay doors were closed for flight this morning.
Shuttle Weather Officer Kathy Winters reported weather is looking very good for launch day and for the loading of propellants into Atlantis' external fuel tank. At this time there's only a 10 percent chance of weather hindering a successful launch on Monday.
At 1 p.m. today, NASA's official launch countdown clock begins counting backward toward Monday's liftoff.
STS-129 Crew Photo
STS-129 Crew Members: Charlie Hobaugh, commander; Barry Wilmore, pilot. Leland Melvin, Mike Foreman, Robert Satcher and Randy Bresnik, all mission specialists.
STS-129 Crew Patch
Fri, 13 Nov 2009 09:48:48 -0600
At today's launch countdown status briefing held at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, managers reported space shuttle Atlantis, its payload and crew are ready for launch at 2:28 p.m. EST on Monday.
NASA Test Director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson reported everything is progressing on schedule for Atlantis' 31st flight to deliver the crew, two Express Logistic Carriers and other necessary parts to the International Space Station.
"Our teams here at Kennedy Space Center, as well as all the NASA centers around the country, have worked very hard preparing this hardware for flight," said Blackwell-Thompson. "We're all looking forward to the mission that lies ahead."
Scott Higginbotham, the STS-129 payload manager, said the processing of the payload for this mission has been a difficult and challenging race for his team. "But we're smiling today," Higginbotham said. "Because we crossed the finish line and we survived." Final inspections were completed and the payload bay doors were closed for flight this morning.
Shuttle Weather Officer Kathy Winters reported weather is looking very good for launch day and for the loading of propellants into Atlantis' external fuel tank. At this time there's only a 10 percent chance of weather hindering a successful launch on Monday.
At 1 p.m. today, NASA's official launch countdown clock begins counting backward toward Monday's liftoff.
STS-129 Crew Photo
STS-129 Crew Members: Charlie Hobaugh, commander; Barry Wilmore, pilot. Leland Melvin, Mike Foreman, Robert Satcher and Randy Bresnik, all mission specialists.
STS-129 Crew Patch
Thursday, 12 November 2009
Students Send Microbe Experiment on Space Shuttle Atlantis
Students Send Microbe Experiment on Space Shuttle Atlantis
HOUSTON -- An experiment by college students that will study how microbes grow in microgravity is heading to orbit aboard space shuttle Atlantis.
Undergraduate and graduate students at Texas Southern University in Houston developed the experiment that will fly as part of the STS-129 mission. The mission is scheduled to launch at 2:28 p.m. EST on Nov. 16 from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
"I'm thrilled that giving students the chance to design and research an experiment to fly in space is one of the tools we have at NASA to engage them in science, technology, engineering and mathematics," NASA Deputy Administrator Lori B. Garver said." These young people are our future, and providing an opportunity to inspire them is a major part of our mission at NASA."
NASA's Office of Education selected Texas Southern University as a 2008 University Research Center. Texas Southern established a Center for Bio-nanotechnology and Environmental Research. Students at the center developed the Microbial-1 experiment to evaluate the morphological and molecular changes in E. coli and B. subtilis bacteria.
"The University Research Center Project is designed to enhance the research infrastructure and capacity at minority institutions," said Katrina Emery, NASA's University Research Center project manager at the agency's Dryden Flight Research Center in Edwards, Calif. "By engaging in participatory learning opportunities like this experiment, students can see themselves as researchers, now and in the future."
This space shuttle flight experiment is a proof-of-concept model for the URC project to give students hands-on experience. The experiment provides the university students the opportunity to design, monitor and execute the study in laboratories, as well as near real-time on the space shuttle. Each component of the experiment is designed for easy reproduction in the classroom, providing a valuable experience to students.
"This is an amazing opportunity for our students, and it reflects the growing quality of our research programs at Texas Southern," said John M. Rudley, president of Texas Southern University. "We are excited our students have the opportunity to participate in such relevant research. We are also pleased that with our partnerships with area school districts, we are able to take these projects beyond the university to the school classrooms to encourage more students to study science, math, and technology."
The unique experimental data will be used to develop grade-appropriate microbiology modules for students in kindergarten through twelfth grade. Data downloaded from NASA's Payload Operations and Control Center will be available on the research center's Web site. In addition, educators will receive a teacher's guidebook featuring background information, lesson plans and student activities for conducting this project in their classrooms. BioServe Space Technologies at the University of Colorado is providing management support and hardware for the experiment.
Texas Southern University is one of 13 universities to receive grant funding from NASA's University Research Center project. The project is designed to enhance the research capabilities of minority-serving institutions and increase the production of underrepresented and underserved students majoring in science, technology, engineering and mathematics disciplines.
For information about NASA education programs, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/education
HOUSTON -- An experiment by college students that will study how microbes grow in microgravity is heading to orbit aboard space shuttle Atlantis.
Undergraduate and graduate students at Texas Southern University in Houston developed the experiment that will fly as part of the STS-129 mission. The mission is scheduled to launch at 2:28 p.m. EST on Nov. 16 from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
"I'm thrilled that giving students the chance to design and research an experiment to fly in space is one of the tools we have at NASA to engage them in science, technology, engineering and mathematics," NASA Deputy Administrator Lori B. Garver said." These young people are our future, and providing an opportunity to inspire them is a major part of our mission at NASA."
NASA's Office of Education selected Texas Southern University as a 2008 University Research Center. Texas Southern established a Center for Bio-nanotechnology and Environmental Research. Students at the center developed the Microbial-1 experiment to evaluate the morphological and molecular changes in E. coli and B. subtilis bacteria.
"The University Research Center Project is designed to enhance the research infrastructure and capacity at minority institutions," said Katrina Emery, NASA's University Research Center project manager at the agency's Dryden Flight Research Center in Edwards, Calif. "By engaging in participatory learning opportunities like this experiment, students can see themselves as researchers, now and in the future."
This space shuttle flight experiment is a proof-of-concept model for the URC project to give students hands-on experience. The experiment provides the university students the opportunity to design, monitor and execute the study in laboratories, as well as near real-time on the space shuttle. Each component of the experiment is designed for easy reproduction in the classroom, providing a valuable experience to students.
"This is an amazing opportunity for our students, and it reflects the growing quality of our research programs at Texas Southern," said John M. Rudley, president of Texas Southern University. "We are excited our students have the opportunity to participate in such relevant research. We are also pleased that with our partnerships with area school districts, we are able to take these projects beyond the university to the school classrooms to encourage more students to study science, math, and technology."
The unique experimental data will be used to develop grade-appropriate microbiology modules for students in kindergarten through twelfth grade. Data downloaded from NASA's Payload Operations and Control Center will be available on the research center's Web site. In addition, educators will receive a teacher's guidebook featuring background information, lesson plans and student activities for conducting this project in their classrooms. BioServe Space Technologies at the University of Colorado is providing management support and hardware for the experiment.
Texas Southern University is one of 13 universities to receive grant funding from NASA's University Research Center project. The project is designed to enhance the research capabilities of minority-serving institutions and increase the production of underrepresented and underserved students majoring in science, technology, engineering and mathematics disciplines.
For information about NASA education programs, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/education
NASA to Begin Attempts to Free Sand-Trapped Mars Rover
NASA to Begin Attempts to Free Sand-Trapped Mars Rover
PASADENA, Calif. --
NASA will begin transmitting commands to its Mars exploration rover Spirit on Monday as part of an escape plan to free the venerable robot from its Martian sand trap.
Spirit has been lodged at a site scientists call "Troy" since April 23. Researchers expect the extraction process to be long and the outcome uncertain based on tests here on Earth this spring that simulated conditions at the Martian site.
"This is going to be a lengthy process, and there's a high probability attempts to free Spirit will not be successful," said Doug McCuistion, director of the Mars Exploration Program at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "After the first few weeks of attempts, we're not likely to know whether Spirit will be able to free itself."
Spirit has six wheels for roving the Red Planet. The first commands will tell the rover to rotate its five working wheels forward approximately six turns. Engineers anticipate severe wheel slippage, with barely perceptible forward progress in this initial attempt. Since 2006, Spirit's right-front wheel has been inoperable, possibly because of wear and tear on a motor as a result of the rover's longevity.
Spirit will return data the next day from its first drive attempt. The results will be assessed before engineers develop and send commands for a second attempt. Using results from previous commands, engineers plan to continue escape efforts until early 2010.
"Mobility on Mars is challenging, and whatever the outcome, lessons from the work to free Spirit will enhance our knowledge about how to analyze Martian terrain and drive future Mars rovers," McCuistion said. "Spirit has provided outstanding scientific discoveries and shown us astounding vistas during its long life on Mars, which is more than 22 times longer than its designed life."
In the spring, Spirit was driving backward and dragging the inoperable right front wheel. While driving in April, the rover's other wheels broke through a crust on the surface that was covering a bright-toned, slippery sand underneath. After a few drive attempts to get Spirit out in the subsequent days, it began sinking deeper in the sand trap. Driving was suspended to allow time for tests and reviews of possible escape strategies.
"The investigations of the rover embedding and our preparations to resume driving have been extensive and thorough," said John Callas, project manager for Spirit and Opportunity at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. "We've used two different test rovers here on Earth in conditions designed to simulate as best as possible Spirit's predicament. However, Earth-based tests cannot exactly replicate the conditions at Troy."
Data show Spirit is straddling the edge of a 26-foot-wide crater that had been filled long ago with sulfate-bearing sands produced in a hot water or steam environment. The deposits in the crater formed distinct layers with different compositions and tints, and they are capped by a crusty soil. It is that soil that Spirit's wheels broke through. The buried crater lies mainly to Spirit's left. Engineers have plotted an escape route from Troy that heads up a mild slope away from the crater.
"We'll start by steering the wheels straight and driving, though we may have to steer the wheels to the right to counter any downhill slip to the left," said Ashley Stroupe, a JPL rover driver and Spirit extraction testing coordinator. "Straight-ahead driving is intended to get the rover's center of gravity past a rock that lies underneath Spirit. Gaining horizontal distance without losing too much vertical clearance will be a key to success. The right front wheel's inability to rotate greatly increases the challenge."
Spirit has been examining its Martian surroundings with tools on its robotic arm and its camera mast. The rover's work at Troy has augmented earlier discoveries it made indicating ancient Mars had hot springs or steam vents, possible habitats for life. If escape attempts fail, the rover's stationary location may result in new science findings.
"The soft materials churned up by Spirit's wheels have the highest sulfur content measured on Mars,” said Ray Arvidson a scientist at Washington University in St. Louis and deputy principal investigator for the science payloads on Spirit and Opportunity. “We're taking advantage of its fixed location to conduct detailed measurements of these interesting materials."
Spirit and its twin rover landed on Mars in January 2004. They have explored Mars for five years, far surpassing their original 90-day mission. Opportunity currently is driving toward a large crater called Endeavor.
NASA's JPL manages the rovers for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington.
For updates about Spirit's progress, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/rovers
PASADENA, Calif. --
NASA will begin transmitting commands to its Mars exploration rover Spirit on Monday as part of an escape plan to free the venerable robot from its Martian sand trap.
Spirit has been lodged at a site scientists call "Troy" since April 23. Researchers expect the extraction process to be long and the outcome uncertain based on tests here on Earth this spring that simulated conditions at the Martian site.
"This is going to be a lengthy process, and there's a high probability attempts to free Spirit will not be successful," said Doug McCuistion, director of the Mars Exploration Program at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "After the first few weeks of attempts, we're not likely to know whether Spirit will be able to free itself."
Spirit has six wheels for roving the Red Planet. The first commands will tell the rover to rotate its five working wheels forward approximately six turns. Engineers anticipate severe wheel slippage, with barely perceptible forward progress in this initial attempt. Since 2006, Spirit's right-front wheel has been inoperable, possibly because of wear and tear on a motor as a result of the rover's longevity.
Spirit will return data the next day from its first drive attempt. The results will be assessed before engineers develop and send commands for a second attempt. Using results from previous commands, engineers plan to continue escape efforts until early 2010.
"Mobility on Mars is challenging, and whatever the outcome, lessons from the work to free Spirit will enhance our knowledge about how to analyze Martian terrain and drive future Mars rovers," McCuistion said. "Spirit has provided outstanding scientific discoveries and shown us astounding vistas during its long life on Mars, which is more than 22 times longer than its designed life."
In the spring, Spirit was driving backward and dragging the inoperable right front wheel. While driving in April, the rover's other wheels broke through a crust on the surface that was covering a bright-toned, slippery sand underneath. After a few drive attempts to get Spirit out in the subsequent days, it began sinking deeper in the sand trap. Driving was suspended to allow time for tests and reviews of possible escape strategies.
"The investigations of the rover embedding and our preparations to resume driving have been extensive and thorough," said John Callas, project manager for Spirit and Opportunity at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. "We've used two different test rovers here on Earth in conditions designed to simulate as best as possible Spirit's predicament. However, Earth-based tests cannot exactly replicate the conditions at Troy."
Data show Spirit is straddling the edge of a 26-foot-wide crater that had been filled long ago with sulfate-bearing sands produced in a hot water or steam environment. The deposits in the crater formed distinct layers with different compositions and tints, and they are capped by a crusty soil. It is that soil that Spirit's wheels broke through. The buried crater lies mainly to Spirit's left. Engineers have plotted an escape route from Troy that heads up a mild slope away from the crater.
"We'll start by steering the wheels straight and driving, though we may have to steer the wheels to the right to counter any downhill slip to the left," said Ashley Stroupe, a JPL rover driver and Spirit extraction testing coordinator. "Straight-ahead driving is intended to get the rover's center of gravity past a rock that lies underneath Spirit. Gaining horizontal distance without losing too much vertical clearance will be a key to success. The right front wheel's inability to rotate greatly increases the challenge."
Spirit has been examining its Martian surroundings with tools on its robotic arm and its camera mast. The rover's work at Troy has augmented earlier discoveries it made indicating ancient Mars had hot springs or steam vents, possible habitats for life. If escape attempts fail, the rover's stationary location may result in new science findings.
"The soft materials churned up by Spirit's wheels have the highest sulfur content measured on Mars,” said Ray Arvidson a scientist at Washington University in St. Louis and deputy principal investigator for the science payloads on Spirit and Opportunity. “We're taking advantage of its fixed location to conduct detailed measurements of these interesting materials."
Spirit and its twin rover landed on Mars in January 2004. They have explored Mars for five years, far surpassing their original 90-day mission. Opportunity currently is driving toward a large crater called Endeavor.
NASA's JPL manages the rovers for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington.
For updates about Spirit's progress, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/rovers
STS-129 Astronauts Arrive at Kennedy
STS-129 Astronauts Arrive at Kennedy
Thu, 12 Nov 2009 12:00:24 -0600
The six astronauts for space shuttle Atlantis's STS-129 mission to the International Space Station are now at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The crew arrived at Kennedy's Shuttle Landing Facility in a Shuttle Training Aircraft Gulfstream II jet at 12:35 p.m. EST.
After arriving, STS-129 Commander Charles O. Hobaugh and his crew made brief statements to the media who were gathered at the shuttle runway.
"It's a real honor and pleasure to be here," said Hobaugh. "This has been the culmination of at least nine months of us being together as a crew … we've been deeply entrenched in our training, getting to develop all of our individual requirements for accomplishing our objectives for this mission."
The astronauts departed the landing strip and headed for the crew quarters of Kennedy's Operations and Checkout Building to begin final preparations for liftoff.
The official countdown clock begins counting backwards at 1 p.m. EST tomorrow towards Monday's 2:28 p.m. to the International Space Station.
Thu, 12 Nov 2009 12:00:24 -0600
The six astronauts for space shuttle Atlantis's STS-129 mission to the International Space Station are now at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The crew arrived at Kennedy's Shuttle Landing Facility in a Shuttle Training Aircraft Gulfstream II jet at 12:35 p.m. EST.
After arriving, STS-129 Commander Charles O. Hobaugh and his crew made brief statements to the media who were gathered at the shuttle runway.
"It's a real honor and pleasure to be here," said Hobaugh. "This has been the culmination of at least nine months of us being together as a crew … we've been deeply entrenched in our training, getting to develop all of our individual requirements for accomplishing our objectives for this mission."
The astronauts departed the landing strip and headed for the crew quarters of Kennedy's Operations and Checkout Building to begin final preparations for liftoff.
The official countdown clock begins counting backwards at 1 p.m. EST tomorrow towards Monday's 2:28 p.m. to the International Space Station.
STS-129 Crew Due in to Kennedy Today
STS-129 Crew Due in to Kennedy Today
Thu, 12 Nov 2009 07:08:13 -0600
Space shuttle Atlantis' six astronauts are expected to arrive at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida today for their prelaunch activities. Arrival in a Shuttle Training Aircraft is scheduled for about 12 p.m. EST and will be carried live on NASA TV and also can be found online at www.nasa.gov/ntv
The crew is scheduled to make a brief statement to media who are gathered at Kennedy's Shuttle Landing Facility to cover the arrival before departing to their quarters in the Operations and Checkout Building.
Technicians on Launch Pad 39A completed pressurizing tanks inside Atlantis' engine and steering jet systems, which are the main propulsion system and orbital maneuvering system, and the reaction control system early this morning.
Countdown officially begins tomorrow afternoon at 1 p.m. for Monday's 2:28 p.m. launch.
STS-129 Souvenirs available from Spaceboosters
Thu, 12 Nov 2009 07:08:13 -0600
Space shuttle Atlantis' six astronauts are expected to arrive at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida today for their prelaunch activities. Arrival in a Shuttle Training Aircraft is scheduled for about 12 p.m. EST and will be carried live on NASA TV and also can be found online at www.nasa.gov/ntv
The crew is scheduled to make a brief statement to media who are gathered at Kennedy's Shuttle Landing Facility to cover the arrival before departing to their quarters in the Operations and Checkout Building.
Technicians on Launch Pad 39A completed pressurizing tanks inside Atlantis' engine and steering jet systems, which are the main propulsion system and orbital maneuvering system, and the reaction control system early this morning.
Countdown officially begins tomorrow afternoon at 1 p.m. for Monday's 2:28 p.m. launch.
STS-129 Souvenirs available from Spaceboosters
Wednesday, 11 November 2009
Five Days to Launch
Five Days to Launch
Wed, 11 Nov 2009 09:26:05 -0600
At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians at Launch Pad 39A begin work today to get space shuttle Atlantis' propulsion systems ready for flight to the International Space Station.
The shuttle's three main engines, as well as the orbital maneuvering system and reaction control system, which will be used to steer Atlantis in space, will start being pressurized for flight.
Techs also will complete installation of sensors and microphones in Atlantis' aft section today for the acoustic environment testing. Final systems checks in the shuttle's aft section are complete.
The STS-129 astronauts will fly to Kennedy tomorrow in NASA's Shuttle Training Aircraft. Landing at the Shuttle Landing Facility is expected around 12 p.m. EST. NASA TV will air the crew's arrival live on the Web at www.nasa.gov/ntv.
The countdown to launch begins 1 p.m. Friday.
Liftoff of Atlantis' 11-day cargo mission to the space station is set for 2:28 p.m. EST Nov. 16.
STS-129 Souvenirs from the Spaceboosters Online Store!
Wed, 11 Nov 2009 09:26:05 -0600
At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians at Launch Pad 39A begin work today to get space shuttle Atlantis' propulsion systems ready for flight to the International Space Station.
The shuttle's three main engines, as well as the orbital maneuvering system and reaction control system, which will be used to steer Atlantis in space, will start being pressurized for flight.
Techs also will complete installation of sensors and microphones in Atlantis' aft section today for the acoustic environment testing. Final systems checks in the shuttle's aft section are complete.
The STS-129 astronauts will fly to Kennedy tomorrow in NASA's Shuttle Training Aircraft. Landing at the Shuttle Landing Facility is expected around 12 p.m. EST. NASA TV will air the crew's arrival live on the Web at www.nasa.gov/ntv.
The countdown to launch begins 1 p.m. Friday.
Liftoff of Atlantis' 11-day cargo mission to the space station is set for 2:28 p.m. EST Nov. 16.
STS-129 Souvenirs from the Spaceboosters Online Store!
Monday, 9 November 2009
Sky At Night 3D Magazine
This message from the BBC Sky At Night Magazine Team
We're extremely pleased to announce the release of a brand new collector's edition of the Sky At Night Magazine called SPACE 3D
Here's a little more info:
This incredible new special issue from Sky At Night Magazine showcases 100 pages of spectacular 3D images of the Universe and comes with a foreword by none other than the legendary astronomer Brian May. From eye-popping images of Apollo astronauts exploring the Moon to deep canyons and craters on Mars, you’ll be amazed at how the cosmos leaps out in 3D. Using the special 3D glasses supplied with each book you’ll be able to see spacecraft, Mars, the Moon, galaxies and nebulae in amazing 3D detail. It’s the perfect present for young and old alike, with easy to understand captions to explain what you're looking at.
Here are some sample pages:
Sky at Night Magazine’s latest collector’s edition, Space 3D, is available exclusively from WH Smith. You can also order directly by calling 0844 844 0254, or by visiting BBC magazine subscriptions.
All the best,
The Sky At Night Magazine team
We're extremely pleased to announce the release of a brand new collector's edition of the Sky At Night Magazine called SPACE 3D
This incredible new special issue from Sky At Night Magazine showcases 100 pages of spectacular 3D images of the Universe and comes with a foreword by none other than the legendary astronomer Brian May. From eye-popping images of Apollo astronauts exploring the Moon to deep canyons and craters on Mars, you’ll be amazed at how the cosmos leaps out in 3D. Using the special 3D glasses supplied with each book you’ll be able to see spacecraft, Mars, the Moon, galaxies and nebulae in amazing 3D detail. It’s the perfect present for young and old alike, with easy to understand captions to explain what you're looking at.
Here are some sample pages:
Sky at Night Magazine’s latest collector’s edition, Space 3D, is available exclusively from WH Smith. You can also order directly by calling 0844 844 0254, or by visiting BBC magazine subscriptions.
All the best,
The Sky At Night Magazine team
Wednesday, 4 November 2009
ISS Expedition 24 Mission Emblem Preview
ISS Expedition 24 Mission Emblem Preview
Details Courtesy of Collectspace
Credit: NASA & Collectspace.
Expedition 24 will be the 24th long duration mission on-board the International Space Station (ISS).
Expedition 24 begins with the Soyuz TMA-17 undocking in May 2010. Three new crew members will arrive shortly thereafter on TMA-19.
Roscosmos cosmonauts Aleksandr Skvortsov, station commander, and Mikhail Korniyenko
NASA astronaut Tracy Caldwell
Roscosmos cosmonaut Fyodor Yurchikhin, as well as NASA astronauts Shannon Walker and Doug Wheelock, who will launch in May 2010 on Soyuz TMA-19 and return in November 2010 on the same vehicle.
International Space Station Souvenirs and Collectables
Space news, photos and updates
Details Courtesy of Collectspace
Expedition 24 will be the 24th long duration mission on-board the International Space Station (ISS).
Expedition 24 begins with the Soyuz TMA-17 undocking in May 2010. Three new crew members will arrive shortly thereafter on TMA-19.
Roscosmos cosmonauts Aleksandr Skvortsov, station commander, and Mikhail Korniyenko
NASA astronaut Tracy Caldwell
Roscosmos cosmonaut Fyodor Yurchikhin, as well as NASA astronauts Shannon Walker and Doug Wheelock, who will launch in May 2010 on Soyuz TMA-19 and return in November 2010 on the same vehicle.
International Space Station Souvenirs and Collectables
Space news, photos and updates
NASA Sets STS-129 Prelaunch Events and Countdown Details
NASA Sets STS-129 Prelaunch Events and Countdown Details
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- News conferences, events and operating hours for the news center at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Fla., are set for the upcoming launch of space shuttle Atlantis. The shuttle's STS-129 mission to the International Space Station is scheduled to lift off at 2:28 p.m. EST on Monday, Nov. 16.
A NASA blog will update the countdown beginning Nov. 16 at 9:30 a.m. Originating from Kennedy, the blog is the definitive Internet source for information leading up to launch. During the mission, visitors to NASA's shuttle Web site can read about the crew's progress and watch the mission's three spacewalks live. As Atlantis' flight concludes, the NASA blog will detail the spacecraft's return to Earth. For NASA's launch blog and continuous mission updates, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle
The NASA News Twitter feed will be updated throughout the shuttle launch countdown, mission and landing. To follow, visit:
http://www.twitter.com/nasa
Two STS-129 astronauts are tweeting about their pre-launch preparation and are expected to provide updates to their Twitter accounts during the shuttle mission. Bobby Satcher, an orthopedic surgeon, can be followed at: http://www.twitter.com/Astro_Bones and http://www.twitter.com/ZeroG_MD. The latter account focuses on a discussion of medical issues for space exploration.
His crewmate Leland Melvin can be followed at:
http://www.twitter.com/Astro_Flow
Detailed lists of countdown milestones, news briefing times and participants, and hours of operation for Kennedy's news center and media credentialing office are available at:
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/news
For NASA TV streaming video, scheduling and downlink information, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/ntv
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- News conferences, events and operating hours for the news center at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Fla., are set for the upcoming launch of space shuttle Atlantis. The shuttle's STS-129 mission to the International Space Station is scheduled to lift off at 2:28 p.m. EST on Monday, Nov. 16.
A NASA blog will update the countdown beginning Nov. 16 at 9:30 a.m. Originating from Kennedy, the blog is the definitive Internet source for information leading up to launch. During the mission, visitors to NASA's shuttle Web site can read about the crew's progress and watch the mission's three spacewalks live. As Atlantis' flight concludes, the NASA blog will detail the spacecraft's return to Earth. For NASA's launch blog and continuous mission updates, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle
The NASA News Twitter feed will be updated throughout the shuttle launch countdown, mission and landing. To follow, visit:
http://www.twitter.com/nasa
Two STS-129 astronauts are tweeting about their pre-launch preparation and are expected to provide updates to their Twitter accounts during the shuttle mission. Bobby Satcher, an orthopedic surgeon, can be followed at: http://www.twitter.com/Astro_Bones and http://www.twitter.com/ZeroG_MD. The latter account focuses on a discussion of medical issues for space exploration.
His crewmate Leland Melvin can be followed at:
http://www.twitter.com/Astro_Flow
Detailed lists of countdown milestones, news briefing times and participants, and hours of operation for Kennedy's news center and media credentialing office are available at:
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/news
For NASA TV streaming video, scheduling and downlink information, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/ntv
X-38 Crew Return Vehicle
X-38 Crew Return Vehicle Finds New Home
One of NASA's three X-38 Crew Return Vehicle technology demonstrators that flew at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., a decade ago has found a new home in America's heartland.
In this image from test flights in 1999, the X-38 research vehicle drops away from NASA's B-52 mothership immediately after being released from the B-52's wing pylon. More than 30 years earlier, this same B-52 launched the original lifting-body vehicles flight tested by NASA and the Air Force at what is now called the Dryden Flight Research Center and the Air Force Flight Test Center.
The wingless lifting body craft was transferred this past weekend from NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston to the Strategic Air and Space Museum, located just off Interstate 80 at Ashland, Neb., about 20 miles southeast of Omaha. The X-38 adds to the museum's growing collection of aerospace vehicles and other historical artifacts.
The move of the second X-38 built to the museum has a fitting connection, as the X-38 vehicles were air-launched from NASA's famous B-52B 008 mothership. The B-52 bomber served as the backbone of the Air Force's Strategic Air Command during the command's history.
Prior to cancellation, the X-38 program was developing the technology for proposed vehicles that could return up to seven International Space Station crewmembers to Earth in case of an emergency. These vehicles would have been carried to the space station in the cargo bay of a space shuttle and attached to station docking ports. If an emergency arose that forced the ISS crew to leave the space station, a Crew Return Vehicle would have undocked and returned them to Earth much like the space shuttle, although the vehicle would have deployed a parafoil for the final descent and landing.
Photo Credit: NASA/Carla Thomas
One of NASA's three X-38 Crew Return Vehicle technology demonstrators that flew at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., a decade ago has found a new home in America's heartland.
In this image from test flights in 1999, the X-38 research vehicle drops away from NASA's B-52 mothership immediately after being released from the B-52's wing pylon. More than 30 years earlier, this same B-52 launched the original lifting-body vehicles flight tested by NASA and the Air Force at what is now called the Dryden Flight Research Center and the Air Force Flight Test Center.
The wingless lifting body craft was transferred this past weekend from NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston to the Strategic Air and Space Museum, located just off Interstate 80 at Ashland, Neb., about 20 miles southeast of Omaha. The X-38 adds to the museum's growing collection of aerospace vehicles and other historical artifacts.
The move of the second X-38 built to the museum has a fitting connection, as the X-38 vehicles were air-launched from NASA's famous B-52B 008 mothership. The B-52 bomber served as the backbone of the Air Force's Strategic Air Command during the command's history.
Prior to cancellation, the X-38 program was developing the technology for proposed vehicles that could return up to seven International Space Station crewmembers to Earth in case of an emergency. These vehicles would have been carried to the space station in the cargo bay of a space shuttle and attached to station docking ports. If an emergency arose that forced the ISS crew to leave the space station, a Crew Return Vehicle would have undocked and returned them to Earth much like the space shuttle, although the vehicle would have deployed a parafoil for the final descent and landing.
Photo Credit: NASA/Carla Thomas
Pad Preps Continue; Crew Returns to JSC
Wed, 04 Nov 2009
Launch Pad 39A technicians at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida will install the cargo for the STS-129 mission into space shuttle Atlantis' payload bay today.
The payload consists of Express Logistics Carrier 1 and 2, holding about 28,000 pounds of supplies and spare parts for the International Space Station.
Workers also will attach the orbiter midbody umbilical unit from the pad's rotating service structure to the shuttle today. The unit provides access to and permits servicing of Atlantis' mid-fuselage area. Liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen for the fuel cells and gases, such as nitrogen and helium, are provided through the unit.
The six Atlantis astronauts returned to NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston yesterday after completing the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test, or TCDT, training. They'll conduct final launch preparations at Johnson before flying back to Kennedy for the anticipated launch to the space station at 2:28 p.m. EST on Nov. 16.
STS-129 Crew Photo from the SPACEBOOSTERS Online Store
Wed, 04 Nov 2009
Launch Pad 39A technicians at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida will install the cargo for the STS-129 mission into space shuttle Atlantis' payload bay today.
The payload consists of Express Logistics Carrier 1 and 2, holding about 28,000 pounds of supplies and spare parts for the International Space Station.
Workers also will attach the orbiter midbody umbilical unit from the pad's rotating service structure to the shuttle today. The unit provides access to and permits servicing of Atlantis' mid-fuselage area. Liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen for the fuel cells and gases, such as nitrogen and helium, are provided through the unit.
The six Atlantis astronauts returned to NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston yesterday after completing the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test, or TCDT, training. They'll conduct final launch preparations at Johnson before flying back to Kennedy for the anticipated launch to the space station at 2:28 p.m. EST on Nov. 16.
STS-129 Crew Photo from the SPACEBOOSTERS Online Store
Hidden Territory on Mercury
MESSENGER Spacecraft Reveals More Hidden Territory on Mercury
WASHINGTON -- A NASA spacecraft's third and final flyby of Mercury gives scientists, for the first time, an almost complete view of the planet's surface and provides new scientific findings about this relatively unknown world.
The Mercury Surface, Space Environment, Geochemistry and Ranging spacecraft, known as MESSENGER, flew by Mercury on Sept. 29. The probe completed a critical gravity assist to remain on course to enter into orbit around Mercury in 2011. Despite shutting down temporarily because of a power system switchover during a solar eclipse, the spacecraft's cameras and instruments collected high-resolution and color images unveiling another 6 percent of the planet's surface never before seen at close range.
Approximately 98 percent of Mercury's surface now has been imaged by NASA spacecraft. After MESSENGER goes into orbit around Mercury, it will see the polar regions, which are the only unobserved areas of the planet.
"Although the area viewed for the first time by spacecraft was less than 350 miles across at the equator, the new images reminded us that Mercury continues to hold surprises," said Sean Solomon, principal investigator for the mission and director of the Department of Terrestrial Magnetism at the Carnegie Institution of Washington.
Many new features were revealed during the third flyby, including a region with a bright area surrounding an irregular depression, suspected to be volcanic in origin. Other images revealed a double-ring impact basin approximately 180 miles across. The basin is similar to a feature scientists call the Raditladi basin, which was viewed during the probe's first flyby of Mercury in January 2008.
"This double-ring basin, seen in detail for the first time, is remarkably well preserved," said Brett Denevi, a member of the probe's imaging team and a postdoctoral researcher at Arizona State University in Tempe. "One similarity to Raditladi is its age, which has been estimated to be approximately one billion years old. Such an age is quite young for an impact basin, because most basins are about four times older. The inner floor of this basin is even younger than the basin itself and differs in color from its surroundings. We may have found the youngest volcanic material on Mercury."
One of the spacecraft's instruments conducted its most extensive observations to date of Mercury's exosphere, or thin atmosphere, during this encounter. The flyby allowed for the first detailed scans over Mercury's north and south poles. The probe also has begun to reveal how Mercury's atmosphere varies with its distance from the sun.
"A striking illustration of what we call 'seasonal' effects in Mercury's exosphere is that the neutral sodium tail, so prominent in the first two flybys, is 10 to 20 times less intense in emission and significantly reduced in extent," says participating scientist Ron Vervack, of the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, or APL, in Laurel, Md. "This difference is related to expected variations in solar radiation pressure as Mercury moves in its orbit and demonstrates why Mercury's exosphere is one of the most dynamic in the solar system."
The observations also show that calcium and magnesium exhibit different seasonal changes than sodium. Studying the seasonal changes in all exospheric constituents during the mission orbital phase will provide key information on the relative importance of the processes that generate, sustain, and modify Mercury's atmosphere.
The third flyby also revealed new information on the abundances of iron and titanium in Mercury's surface materials. Earlier Earth and spacecraft-based observations showed that Mercury's surface has a very low concentration of iron in silicate minerals, a result that led to the view that the planet's crust is generally low in iron.
"Now we know Mercury's surface has an average iron and titanium abundance that is higher than most of us expected, similar to some lunar mare basalts," says David Lawrence, an APL participating mission scientist.
The spacecraft has completed nearly three-quarters of its 4.9-billion-mile journey to enter orbit around Mercury. The full trip will include more than 15 trips around the sun. In addition to flying by Mercury, the spacecraft flew past Earth in August 2005 and Venus in October 2006 and June 2007.
The spacecraft was designed and built by APL. The mission is managed and operated by APL for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington.
For more information about the mission, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/messenger
WASHINGTON -- A NASA spacecraft's third and final flyby of Mercury gives scientists, for the first time, an almost complete view of the planet's surface and provides new scientific findings about this relatively unknown world.
The Mercury Surface, Space Environment, Geochemistry and Ranging spacecraft, known as MESSENGER, flew by Mercury on Sept. 29. The probe completed a critical gravity assist to remain on course to enter into orbit around Mercury in 2011. Despite shutting down temporarily because of a power system switchover during a solar eclipse, the spacecraft's cameras and instruments collected high-resolution and color images unveiling another 6 percent of the planet's surface never before seen at close range.
Approximately 98 percent of Mercury's surface now has been imaged by NASA spacecraft. After MESSENGER goes into orbit around Mercury, it will see the polar regions, which are the only unobserved areas of the planet.
"Although the area viewed for the first time by spacecraft was less than 350 miles across at the equator, the new images reminded us that Mercury continues to hold surprises," said Sean Solomon, principal investigator for the mission and director of the Department of Terrestrial Magnetism at the Carnegie Institution of Washington.
Many new features were revealed during the third flyby, including a region with a bright area surrounding an irregular depression, suspected to be volcanic in origin. Other images revealed a double-ring impact basin approximately 180 miles across. The basin is similar to a feature scientists call the Raditladi basin, which was viewed during the probe's first flyby of Mercury in January 2008.
"This double-ring basin, seen in detail for the first time, is remarkably well preserved," said Brett Denevi, a member of the probe's imaging team and a postdoctoral researcher at Arizona State University in Tempe. "One similarity to Raditladi is its age, which has been estimated to be approximately one billion years old. Such an age is quite young for an impact basin, because most basins are about four times older. The inner floor of this basin is even younger than the basin itself and differs in color from its surroundings. We may have found the youngest volcanic material on Mercury."
One of the spacecraft's instruments conducted its most extensive observations to date of Mercury's exosphere, or thin atmosphere, during this encounter. The flyby allowed for the first detailed scans over Mercury's north and south poles. The probe also has begun to reveal how Mercury's atmosphere varies with its distance from the sun.
"A striking illustration of what we call 'seasonal' effects in Mercury's exosphere is that the neutral sodium tail, so prominent in the first two flybys, is 10 to 20 times less intense in emission and significantly reduced in extent," says participating scientist Ron Vervack, of the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, or APL, in Laurel, Md. "This difference is related to expected variations in solar radiation pressure as Mercury moves in its orbit and demonstrates why Mercury's exosphere is one of the most dynamic in the solar system."
The observations also show that calcium and magnesium exhibit different seasonal changes than sodium. Studying the seasonal changes in all exospheric constituents during the mission orbital phase will provide key information on the relative importance of the processes that generate, sustain, and modify Mercury's atmosphere.
The third flyby also revealed new information on the abundances of iron and titanium in Mercury's surface materials. Earlier Earth and spacecraft-based observations showed that Mercury's surface has a very low concentration of iron in silicate minerals, a result that led to the view that the planet's crust is generally low in iron.
"Now we know Mercury's surface has an average iron and titanium abundance that is higher than most of us expected, similar to some lunar mare basalts," says David Lawrence, an APL participating mission scientist.
The spacecraft has completed nearly three-quarters of its 4.9-billion-mile journey to enter orbit around Mercury. The full trip will include more than 15 trips around the sun. In addition to flying by Mercury, the spacecraft flew past Earth in August 2005 and Venus in October 2006 and June 2007.
The spacecraft was designed and built by APL. The mission is managed and operated by APL for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington.
For more information about the mission, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/messenger
Astronauts Wrap Up Countdown Rehearsal
Astronauts Wrap Up Countdown Rehearsal
The STS-129 astronauts concluded their countdown dress rehearsal Tuesday at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida and headed back to Johnson Space Center in Houston aboard NASA aircraft. The crew will return to Kennedy when the real countdown begins in about two weeks to launch space shuttle Atlantis on a mission to the International Space Station. Tuesday's dress rehearsal is a standard procedure for shuttle crews known as the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test. It gives the launch team a chance to practice the intricacies of launch day and affords the astronauts an opportunity to run through their escape process in the unlikely event that an emergency develops in the last moments before a real launch.
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The STS-129 astronauts concluded their countdown dress rehearsal Tuesday at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida and headed back to Johnson Space Center in Houston aboard NASA aircraft. The crew will return to Kennedy when the real countdown begins in about two weeks to launch space shuttle Atlantis on a mission to the International Space Station. Tuesday's dress rehearsal is a standard procedure for shuttle crews known as the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test. It gives the launch team a chance to practice the intricacies of launch day and affords the astronauts an opportunity to run through their escape process in the unlikely event that an emergency develops in the last moments before a real launch.
For STS-129 Souvenirs visit the Spaceboosters Online Store - Out of this world collectables, at down to Earth prices!
Hubble Finds 'Tenth Planet'
Hubble Finds 'Tenth Planet' Slightly Larger Than Pluto
For the first time, NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has seen distinctly the "tenth planet," currently nicknamed "Xena," and found that it's only slightly larger than Pluto.
Though previous ground-based observations suggested that Xena's diameter was about 30 percent greater than Pluto, Hubble observations taken Dec. 9 and 10, 2005, showed Xena's diameter as 1,490 miles (with an uncertainty of 60 miles).
Pluto's diameter, as measured by Hubble, is 1,422 miles.
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For the first time, NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has seen distinctly the "tenth planet," currently nicknamed "Xena," and found that it's only slightly larger than Pluto.
Though previous ground-based observations suggested that Xena's diameter was about 30 percent greater than Pluto, Hubble observations taken Dec. 9 and 10, 2005, showed Xena's diameter as 1,490 miles (with an uncertainty of 60 miles).
Pluto's diameter, as measured by Hubble, is 1,422 miles.
Image above: An artist's concept of the Kuiper Belt Object nicknamed "Xena," with its moon dubbed "Gabrielle" just above. The sun can be seen in the upper left corner. Credit: NASA, ESA, and A. Schaller (for STScI)
"Hubble is the only telescope capable of getting a clean visible-light measurement of the actual diameter of Xena," said Mike Brown, planetary scientist at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, Calif. Brown's research team discovered Xena, officially cataloged as 2003 UB313, and its results have been accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal.
Only a handful of images were required to determine Xena's diameter. Located 10 billion miles from Earth with a diameter a little more than half the width of the United States, the object is 1.5 pixels across in Hubble's view. That's enough to make a precise size measurement.
Image above: Located 10 billion miles away, but with a diameter that is a little more than half the width of the United States, Xena is only 1.5 picture elements across in Hubble's Advanced Camera for Surveys' view. Credit: NASA, ESA, and M. Brown (CalTech)
Because Xena is smaller than previously thought, but comparatively bright, it must be one of the most reflective objects in the solar system. The only object more reflective is Enceladus, a geologically active moon of Saturn whose surface is continuously recoated with highly reflective ice by active geysers.
Xena's bright reflectivity is possibly due to fresh methane frost on its surface. The object may have had an atmosphere when it was closer to the sun, but as it moved to its current location farther away this atmosphere would have "frozen out," settling on the surface as frost.
Another possibility is that Xena leaks methane gas continuously from its warmer interior. When this methane reaches the cold surface, it immediately freezes solid, covering craters and other features to make it uniformly bright to Hubble's telescopic eye.
Image above: This illustration of the largest known Kuiper Belt Objects shows Xena slightly larger than Pluto. Credit: NASA, ESA, and A. Feild (STScI)
Xena's takes about 560 years to orbit the sun, and it is now very close to aphelion (the point on its orbit that is farthest from the sun). Brown next plans to use Hubble and other telescopes to study other recently discovered Kuiper Belt objects that are almost as large as Pluto and Xena. The Kuiper Belt is a vast ring of primordial icy comets and larger bodies encircling Neptune's orbit.
Finding that the largest known Kuiper Belt object is a virtual twin to Pluto may only further complicate the debate about whether to categorize the large icy worlds that populate the belt as planets. If Pluto were considered to be the minimum size for a planet, then Xena would fulfill this criterion, too. In time, the International Astronomical Union will designate the official name.
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