Endeavour are into their first full day in space

HOUSTON – The astronauts onboard space shuttle Endeavour are into their first full day in space and on the way to install the final components of the U.S. segment of the International Space Station.


The wakeup call at 5:14 p.m. was “Give Me Your Eyes” by Brandon Heath, played for Pilot Terry Virts, the only first–time flyer on this crew of Endeavour. One of his first tasks is to assist Commander George Zamka with a firing of the shuttle’s jets to refine its approach to the International Space Station for the planned Tuesday night docking.

Mission Specialists Kay Hire and Nick Patrick will be at the controls of the shuttle robotic arm tonight to unberth the Orbiter Boom Sensor System from the starboard sill to begin the standard post-launch inspection of the thermal protection system tiles and reinforced carbon carbon panels on Endeavour’s nose cap and wing leading edges.

The inspection, commanded in shifts by Zamka, Virts, Hire, Patrick and Mission Specialist Steve Robinson, uses cameras and lasers at the end of the OBSS to provide 3-D views of the orbiter. That data will be reviewed by experts on the ground looking for any evidence of damage sustained during launch.

Later in their day spacewalkers Patrick and Bob Behnken conduct a checkout of the spacesuits they will wear during three spacewalks to complete installation of the Tranquility node and cupola module to the station. Then they’ll install the centerline camera in Endeavour’s Orbiter Docking System while Hire and Robinson complete a check out of the rendezvous tools the crew members will use during Tuesday night’s approach to the station.

On the station, Expedition 22 Commander Jeff Williams and Flight Engineers Max Suraev, Oleg Kotov, Soichi Noguchi and T.J. Creamer are wrapping up preparations of the station and its systems for almost nine days of joint docked operations with the shuttle crew.

The next shuttle status report will be issued at the end of the crew’s work day, or earlier if warranted.

Endeavour Launch Rescheduled

Endeavour Launch Rescheduled

Sun, 07 Feb 2010 04:45:38 -0600
Managers officially have scheduled space shuttle Endeavour's next launch attempt for Monday, Feb. 8 at 4:14 a.m. EST.

The Mission Management Team will meet at 6:15 p.m. Sunday to give the "go" to fill Endeavour's external fuel tank with propellants. Tank loading would begin at 6:45 p.m.

"No-go" for Endeavour's Launch

"No-go" for Endeavour's Launch

Sun, 07 Feb 2010 03:30:56 -0600

Space shuttle Endeavour's launch attempt has been scrubbed due to a low cloud ceiling over Kennedy Space Center.

Managers initially plan for a 24-hour turnaround, but will evaluate tomorrow's weather before making a final decision. Next possible launch attempt is Monday, Feb. 8 at 4:14 a.m. EST.

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Moonwalker Ed Mitchell U.S Astronaut Visit to the U.K.

Ed Mitchell U.S Astronaut Visit to the U.K.

Just a reminder from event organiser Ken Willoughby that tickets are still available.

Details below.

A Truly Amazing Event

Meet a Moon Walker

Only 12 men have ever left planet Earth and walked on another heavenly body

Only 9 of them are left alive today!

Only one of them will be in Yorkshire on:-

THEY MAY NEVER GO BACK TO THE MOON AGAIN IN OUR LIFETIME!

Friday 16th April 2010

7:30pm

A fantastic evening with Dr. Edgar Mitchell.

Apollo 14 Lunar Module Pilot and 6th Man to set foot on the Moon.

@

St. Wilfrid's Catholic High School

Cutsyke Road

Featherstone

WF7 6BD.

Tickets are only £30 each!!!

Tickets are limited and on a first come first serve basis

Please make cheques payable to “Apollo 13”. SAE to: Ken Willoughby, 11 Hardistry Drive, Pontefract WF8 4BU. 01977 795535. e-mail: ken.willoughby@btinternet.com

Please include your e-mail/telephone number.

Also:- Dinner with Dr Mitchell at Wentbridge House Hotel, Thursday April 15th @ 7:30pm is £60. Group photo's will be taken with Dr. Mitchell by Proffoto at each table and will be available for purchase following dinner at £10. These will be signed after the meal. Visit St. Wilfrid's Catholic High School web site and click on info for directions. St-wilfrids.wakefield.sch.uk

These amazing events are brought to you by Ken Willoughby together with St. Wilfrid's Catholic High School & Carleton Community High School.

Please support the event!

Highlight of International Space Station Science Briefing

Glow-in-the-Dark Plants are Highlight of International Space Station Science Briefing

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA will shed light on plant investigations aboard the International Space Station in a briefing at noon EST, Friday, Feb. 5. The briefing from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida will be broadcast live on NASA Television.

The upcoming shuttle mission, planned to launch Feb. 7, will continue assembling the space station so it can be used for continuous scientific research as a national and multinational laboratory.

Microgravity plant growth experiments conducted aboard the station will help prepare for long-duration spaceflights of the future. The use of miniaturized green fluorescent proteins, that glow in the dark, and associated compact imaging systems, may be used to help monitor crop conditions on Earth.

 

The briefing participants are:

-- Julie Robinson, International Space Station Program scientist, NASA's Johnson Space Center, Houston

-- Robert Ferl, principal investigator of Transgenic Arabidopsis Gene Expression System at the University of Florida, Gainesville

-- Wagner Vendrame, International Space Station National Laboratory investigator for National Lab Pathfinder-Cells at the University of Florida, Homestead

-- Perry Johnson-Green, senior program scientist, Life and Physical Sciences, Canadian Space Agency

 

NASA has published a new Web feature that provides examples of space station research dividends such as those related to cancer treatment delivery, food poisoning vaccine development, air purification, remote ultrasound tests and more.

For more information about space station science payoffs, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/science/coolstation.html

For NASA TV streaming video, downlink and schedule information, visit:

 

http://www.nasa.gov/ntv

For more information about the upcoming shuttle mission, designated STS-130, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle

Mystery of the Fading Star

Using NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope, astronomers have found a likely solution to a centuries-old riddle of the night sky.

Every 27 years, a bright star called Epsilon Aurigae fades over period of two years, then brightens. Although amateur and professional astronomers have observed the system extensively, the nature of both the bright star and the companion object that periodically eclipses it have remained unclear. The companion is known to be surrounded by a dusty disk, as illustrated in this artist's concept.

Data from Spitzer finally seems to have solved the riddle. Spitzer's infrared vision revealed the size of the dusty disk that swirls around the companion object. When astronomers plugged this data into a model of the system, they were able to rule out the theory that the main bright star is a supergiant. Instead, it is a bright star with a lot less mass. The new model also holds that the companion object is a so-called "B star" circled by a dusty disk.

Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Payload and Weather "Go" for Launch

Wed, 03 Feb 2010 09:26:36 -0600

At today's prelaunch briefing held at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, managers reported space shuttle Endeavour, its payload and crew are ready for launch at 4:39 a.m. EST on Sunday for its 13-day STS-130 mission.

NASA Test Director Jeremy Graeber reported everything is progressing on schedule for Endeavour's flight to the Italian-built Tranquility node and cupola to the International Space Station. "There are no issues and preps are going well," said Graeber.

In response to the water leak that occurred in the Launch Control Center last week Graber reported that the leak was confined to a south stairwell and cleanup was successfully accomplished.

"To summarize, Endeavour and the launch team are all ready to proceed and we're all very excited to pickup with the countdown leading up to Sunday's early morning's launch," said Graeber.

Joe Delai, the STS-130 payload manager who leads the team of engineers and technicians who assemble and test the payloads flying on the STS-130 mission said, "This is one the most complex modules I've seen in awhile -- (but) we're ready for flight."

Shuttle Weather Officer Kathy Winters reported the forecast is looking good for launch day and for the loading of propellants into Endeavour's external fuel tank. Winds may be a little breezy but at this time there is only a 30-percent chance of weather hindering a successful launch on Sunday.

At 2 a.m. Thursday NASA's official launch countdown clock begins counting backward toward Sunday's liftoff.

Tune into the STS-130 mission's prelaunch news conference that will be aired tomorrow at 10 a.m. on NASA TV at www.nasa.gov/ntv.

 

For STS-130 Collectables visit the SPACEBOOSTERS Online Store

STS-130 Crew Arrives at Kennedy

STS-130 Crew Arrives at Kennedy

Tue, 02 Feb 2010 21:33:14 -0600

The STS-130 crew arrived in a modified Gulfstream II jet at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida at approximately 10:10 p.m. EST, Tuesday.

Commander George Zamka made a brief statement: “It’s great to be here at the Cape. We just did our final ascent sim last night. Everything with Endeavour is going very well. We’re going to be reviewing our procedures and will be looking at flight equipment. We talked to the station crew last night. They’re doing great, and we’re looking forward to seeing them and getting started on bringing the Tranquility module to life. Go Endeavour!”

Wednesday, there will be a Countdown Preview Briefing at 10 a.m. live on NASA TV at www.nasa.gov/ntv. The participants are Jeremy Graeber, NASA test director; Joe Delai, STS-130 payload manager; and Kathy Winters, shuttle weather officer.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, STS-130 Commander George Zamka welcomes the media and employees on hand for the arrival of his crew to the STS-130 "night shift." The astronauts arrived at Kennedy about 10:10 p.m. EST aboard the Shuttle Training Aircraft, in the background, to make final preparations for launch, many of which will take place overnight rather than during daylight hours. From left are Mission Specialists Robert Behnken, Nicholas Patrick, Stephen Robinson and Kathryn Hire; Zamka, at microphone; and Pilot Terry Virts.

Countdown to Launch, Astros Fly to Kennedy

Countdown to Launch, Astros Fly to Kennedy

Tue, 02 Feb 2010 08:53:54 -0600

At NASA Kennedy Space Center in Florida crews at Launch Pad 39A continue preparing space shuttle Endeavour and the pad for launch. Primary activity for this afternoon is the pressurization of the shuttle's main propulsion system.

The STS-130 astronauts will fly to Kennedy tonight in modified Gulfstream II jet Shuttle Training Aircrafts. Landing at the Shuttle Landing Facility is expected around 10:30 p.m. EST. NASA TV will air the crew's arrival live on the Web at www.nasa.gov/ntv.

Liftoff of Endeavour's flight to the International Space Station is set for 4:39 a.m. Feb. 7. The countdown to launch begins 2 a.m. Thursday.

NASA Fiscal Year (2011) Budget

NASA Announces Innovation Initiatives With Fiscal Year 2011 Budget

WASHINGTON -- NASA Administrator Charles Bolden will brief reporters about the agency's fiscal year 2011 budget at 3 p.m. EST on Monday, Feb. 1. The news conference will take place in the James E. Webb Memorial Auditorium at NASA Headquarters, located at 300 E St. S.W., in Washington.

NASA Chief Financial Officer Beth Robinson will join Bolden. The news conference will be broadcast live on NASA Television and the agency's Web site. Questions will be taken from media representatives at headquarters and participating field centers.

To watch the budget news conference online, visit:  http://www.nasa.gov/ntv

NASA budget and supporting information will be available at 12:30 p.m., Feb. 1, at:  http://www.nasa.gov/budget

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