Author Topic: STS 129  (Read 30245 times)

bradleyjs

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Re: STS 129
« Reply #15 on: November 17, 2009, 02:56:56 AM »
Well, anyways, it was an absolutely beautiful launch today.. Mostly clear blue skies made it look better than normal.

Moonwalker

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Re: STS 129
« Reply #16 on: November 17, 2009, 03:52:15 AM »
Yes, it was a storybook launch. Can't wait to see the docking wednesday.

bradleyjs

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Re: STS 129
« Reply #17 on: November 18, 2009, 02:41:25 AM »
Yeah, I watched the un-eventful OBSS procedure today -- just to kill some time while at work...

Admin

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Re: STS 129
« Reply #18 on: November 18, 2009, 01:53:53 PM »
Yeah, I watched the un-eventful OBSS procedure today -- just to kill some time while at work...

You've killed a LOT of time  ;D

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Moonwalker

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Re: STS 129
« Reply #19 on: November 18, 2009, 08:44:09 PM »
We're currently about 1 hour and 15 minutes away from docking. For those who didn't come across it yet, here is the NASA TV high bitrate stream once again: http://playlist.yahoo.com/makeplaylist.dll?id=1368163

STS-129 CBS News flightplan: http://www.cbsnews.com/network/news/space/129/129flightplan.html




Moonwalker

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Re: STS 129
« Reply #20 on: November 18, 2009, 10:09:42 PM »
Backflip maneuver complete. Phantastic images on NASA TV:










Moonwalker

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Re: STS 129
« Reply #21 on: November 18, 2009, 10:13:07 PM »
Well, our updates here seem to be way faster than updates on the NASA web pages :)

Moonwalker

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Re: STS 129
« Reply #22 on: November 18, 2009, 10:20:19 PM »
And another phantastic image of Charlie Hobaugh (rear left), Leland Melvin (front) and Randy Bresnik (right) on the Shuttle's flight deck payload station during approach:


Moonwalker

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Re: STS 129
« Reply #23 on: November 18, 2009, 10:59:11 PM »
And together with my 300th post on this nice forum, we see a perfect docking of Atlantis to the International Space Station over Australia/Tasmania. Nicole Stott now officially becomes a member of STS-129.


ssjfb

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Re: STS 129
« Reply #24 on: November 19, 2009, 12:25:02 AM »
On backflip maneuver pictures, it seems that shuttle radiators are not deployed.

Moonwalker

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Re: STS 129
« Reply #25 on: November 19, 2009, 01:03:06 AM »
On backflip maneuver pictures, it seems that shuttle radiators are not deployed.

Yes. As far as I know, the radiators are never deployed prior to docking and during the Shuttle is docked to the ISS.

Admin

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Re: STS 129
« Reply #26 on: November 19, 2009, 07:23:15 PM »
Well, our updates here seem to be way faster than updates on the NASA web pages :)

And thank you for that!  :)

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MDBenson

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Re: STS 129
« Reply #27 on: November 19, 2009, 07:39:12 PM »
Is the radiator deployment still in the ISS (and Mir?) missions in SSM2007? If so it should maybe be removed? Good spot there ssjfb.

I believe (I will check though) that the rads work even if they are undeployed, but are way more efficient when deployed due to exposing both sides. Is that right?

Moonwalker

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Re: STS 129
« Reply #28 on: November 19, 2009, 09:28:34 PM »
Is the radiator deployment still in the ISS (and Mir?) missions in SSM2007? If so it should maybe be removed? Good spot there ssjfb.

For now simply stow them ;)

I believe (I will check though) that the rads work even if they are undeployed, but are way more efficient when deployed due to exposing both sides. Is that right?

Yes they work. The two aft radiator panels on each side also do work although they are not deployable. They are permanently connected to the payload bay doors structure.

But the radiator panels were modified by Lockheed Martin at the end of the 1990's in preparation for the ISS servicing missions. The modification basically was an incrase in thickness by adding aluminum doublers and silver-Teflon tape to protect the radiators against a substantial increase in particle dust, which the Shuttles are exposed to during ISS servicing missions.

I'm not sure but I think the modification also resulted in an increased effectiveness so that they don't have to be deployed all the time or not at all anymore. To not deploy them also increases the protection against particle dust I think.

The radiators also were not deployed during the last Hubble servicing mission obviously, STS-125, which was the first non-ISS servicing mission since STS-107:

http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/images/shuttle/sts-125/hires/s125e010049.jpg

http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/images/shuttle/sts-125/hires/s125e012372.jpg

Usually you could see the deployable radiators from the aft observation windows and CCTV cameras in earlier missions, once they were deployed.

The following is an image of STS-1. You can see a part of the aft port radiator panel on the lower right corner (also note the massive tile loss on the OMS pods by the way):

« Last Edit: November 19, 2009, 09:32:48 PM by Moonwalker »

Moonwalker

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Re: STS 129
« Reply #29 on: November 19, 2009, 09:43:37 PM »
EVA 1 is now underway.



During their 6.5 hour EVA, Mike Foreman and Robert Satcher will install a spare S-band antenna structural assembly to the Z1 segment of the ISS truss. They will also work on cables and install a new handrail to the Unity node on the ISS.

Once again, we can follow live at best using the high bitrate stream of NASA TV: http://playlist.yahoo.com/makeplaylist.dll?id=1368163

More information regarding the EVA's, starting on page 55: http://www.nasa.gov/pdf/398418main_sts129_press_kit.pdf