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Atlantis is at the pad. ;D At least for right now ;)

Yeah no kidding.  With Ike  looming, they might need to pull it back into the VAB.  That is looking like it will be a violent storm whereever it hits.

They wouldn't have decided to roll out the Shuttle if there was a high potential risk which would require to roll it back. Hanna is expected to remain off shore.

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/storm_graphics/AT08/refresh/AL0808W5+gif/211321W_sm.gif

I know It's Ike :o

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/graphics_at4.shtml?5day?large#contents (http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/graphics_at4.shtml?5day?large#contents)
I know about all of the hurricanes because when you live in Tampa you have to.

Back in 2005, we arrived in Miami just ahead of a 'Topical Storm'. From there onwards I have never seen a storm as bad as that UK weather, if fact i've never complained about UK storm since. A hurricane, well, glad I didn't experience one of those.

On the plus side, got to see STS-114. Stood 1/4 mile away from Discovery:)

In this case (IKE), they'll prep/train for as long as possible then roll STS-125 back before the winds pick-up. Second guessing NASA, I think a preliminary decision will be made Sun/Mon at the latest when the roll back will take place.

Anyone got Ike's current track across the Atlantic?

Good to hear Atlantis is at the pad, looking forward to the launch in a couple of months.

Didn't know about Ike. Anyway, it's too soon to say were the storm might go. Let's hope it doesn't hit KSC...

Here where I live you have to know where all of the storms are.
By the way if you need the most up to date maps go to
http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/ (http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/)

(http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk118/spaceboy7441/f50f9caf.gif)

(http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk118/spaceboy7441/3954b5b4.jpg)

Ike is a beast of a hurricane of which NASA does not have to worry about except I do as my other home is on the beach in Miami.

As for the UK weather-- I lived in Scotland not to long ago and talk about unpredictable.  Rain 5 minutes, sunny for 5 minutes, hail the next 5 minutes, etc...

I the UK we rarely have 'threatening' weather. However at the moment it hasn't stopped raining for the last 12-15hrs. Some localised flooding. South Wales I think has had the most rain fall.

I live in northern Illinois, USA and even up here we can feel the effects of tropical weather. We got deluged from what was left of Hurricane Gustav this last week. Gone of course was the killer effects but we got some serious rain. One thing of note was the awesome bands of clouds on display.

I realize were completely off topic here... Sorry 'Bout that ADMIN.

Moving back to on topic, looks there's going to be slippage on the launch dates. Oct 8th maybe a no-go, 10th hopeful.

http://uk.reuters.com/article/scienceNews/idUKN0435032520080905

Hi folks,

Last time we'll see this:

(http://news.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/spl/hi/pop_ups/08/sci_nat_enl_1221863729/img/1.jpg)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/pop_ups/08/sci_nat_enl_1221863729/html/1.stm

Hopefully Endeavour, won't be needed.

(http://www.nasa.gov/images/content/271559main_arco_at_pad.jpg)
Link to bigger picture
http://www.nasa.gov/images/content/271560main_08pd2730.jpg (http://www.nasa.gov/images/content/271560main_08pd2730.jpg)

does it the first time we shown two Shuttles on the pad on same time?

Quote from: Cthulhus on September 22, 2008, 07:39:52 AM
does it the first time we shown two Shuttles on the pad on same time?

nop.
during the "golden age" (84-86) this was quite common.
especially when Columbia was sitting on the pad for almost 180 days because of technical issues.

oki thanks ! do we have some good pictures of that?

There have been two shuttle on the pads 16 times before. NASA actually have this site showing when this has happened:
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/launch/bothpads.html

Nice blog/news site I found whilst looking for info on "Two Shuttles on Pad 39 A/B"
http://www.floridatoday.com/content/blogs/space/

 :D Thanks ! :) and it's great that Obama asks for shuttle options !

'asks' being the operative word. But I've read more into the 'issues' between the US-Russia Government and with recent events in the geo-political world, I think the shuttle will be run a few years longer. Also the staff NASA/United Space alliance will lose to other industries in the '5-year gap' will have an effect on the american space program. I'm actually amazed that NASA have so many astronauts currently in the space program with the gap approaching.

I was surprised to hear NASA reconsidering it's decision to retire the Shuttle after all the 'badmouthing' they've been engaged in. Also depending 100% on Russia for our ability to maintain a presence in space no matter how temporary was also 'a bit nearsighted' in hindsight even in the spirit of 'Multi-National participation.'

Ive heard NASA OFFICIALS quote statistics where they conclude another accident with STS is a mathematical certain-tee. Ive heard NASA OFFICALS publicly badmouth the whole OBSS process and seem totally put off by it. (Columbia) Even before 2003 they were having issues with thermal protection, They've dodged a couple bullets, Atlantis in particular, had an extremely close call.

Not sure how NASA goes on here using a system they appear to have little confidence in long-term. Seems they've jump the gun and have been caught a bit flatfooted on this one.  Another query, With ISS complete, What will the Shuttles' main role be and how many would we actually need? I haven't heard what happens if Aries is delayed. Which is sure to happen.  ???       

The Shuttle main use after ISS completion will be ferrying the MPLM, however, the Jules Verne has proven that the shuttle is redundant in this type of mission.

As for the tile damage, well its another redesign of the tank, and to have at least two shuttles running (one on mission the other as a rescue craft).

Pity that NASA have 'badmouthed' the Shuttle, I wonder if it political pressure rather than safety/financial reasons?

I could really go off on a rant here but I think I have made myself clear enough for the forum purposes. DsktpSimmer, We'll hook up on TS for an in-depth.

Bottom-lining it: NASA feels it's 'Jumped the shark' with STS (no matter what they're saying now) and the Russia option is looking more and more un-do-able. In the meantime, What to do in that 5(?) years without killing anybody. Thats harsh, I know, But thats keeping it real.

.....Trying to find that silver lining in a very dark cloud, Lots of people were gonna lose jobs in the transition phase. Maybe this will help that.   

Quote from: USA~Driver on September 24, 2008, 02:53:48 PM


Even before 2003 they were having issues with thermal protection, They've dodged a couple bullets, Atlantis in particular, had an extremely close call.

Can you recall which mission this was?

Peter H.

STS-27 was the one I was referring to although there have been more less serious.

Quote from: USA~Driver on September 24, 2008, 04:29:43 PM
STS-27 was the one I was referring to although there have been more less serious.

STS-27 had some severe tile damage due to the tip of the right side SRB. It broke off during ascent and damaged 700 (!) black tiles.

I think one was completely missing as well.

Back to topic :)
Oct 14th is the new date for STS-125

Update
Oct. 14 at 10:19 p.m. EDT. So for the UK that's Oct. 15 at 3:19 a.m. BST (uk summer time) or 2:19 am GMT.

Well, there was always issues concerning the Thermal Protection System which was already discovered during development. It is an unpreventable design flaw of the Space Transportation System because the TPS is not protected at all. During early tests of the Shuttle there was even massive tile loss which had to be fixed by using a different "glue". Also, during lift off of STS-1, the Columbia ironically got damage to its TPS for the first time on its first mission as it did on its final mission too. But the tile loss during the STS-1 lift off was caused by the sound of the SRB's. This was why the Water Sound Suppression System has been installed.

Note the missing tiles on the OMS pods of Columbia (STS-1):

(http://images.jsc.nasa.gov/lores/STS001-12-332.jpg)

Such a disaster happend to Columbia in 2003 was only a question of time. The External Tank foam loss and/or possible damage of the TPS was well known all the time but nobody really expected any serious problems. But as usual, we, humans, were wrong on that. A Columbia-like disaster already could have happened earlier or during these days or maybe never. It's just risk/luck. And the risk is still there as we can see by the current preparation of STS-400 and the Shuttle Boom Sensor System including the back flip maneuver. This is not really a solution for a manned space program on the long run. Without the requirement of assembling the ISS by using the Shuttle, the remaining fleet already would rest on museums for sure. The OBSS & back flip just is a kind of life-sustaining measures to meet contracts concerning the ISS assembling.

I forgot to mention that the Shuttle still has a high success rate of more than 98%, higher than the Apollo system had ;)

I bet Ares will have an even higher success rate since its TPS will be protected completely during launch. And NASA has learned its lessons from STS-51L too.

I want to respect the threads original topic and Desktopsimmer's attempt to steer us back on course but i would like to clarify my remarks and respond to Moonwalker all in one breathe then Ill leave it alone.

Hey man, your 'preachin to the choir' in all that you said and I agree with you. All I was asking originally was how was NASA was gonna justify some remarks they made earlier when they thought they didnt need STS, Now that is clear they may have to go on using it for some time. The points I brought up were from NASA personnel and not me up on a soapbox.  :)

Time to bump the thread...

Atlantis completed S0004 (ET/Shuttle mate) operations. However, during the final torquing of the ET umbillical connections, a socket from wrench fell from the top of the vehicle, hit the ET cross beam and impacted the TPS between the two umbillical doors. The area of damage is 1.25x1.25x0.25 inches. Because of it's location, NASA expects to be able to repair the shuttle in the VAB, without demating and rolling the Shuttle back to the OPF. This is not expected to impact the launch date.

http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2009/03/sts-125-atlantis-tile-damage-during-et-mating/

http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2009/mar/HQ_09-075_STS-125_Atlantis_at_Pad.html

Atlantis is now set to go on 39A at KSC. Looking forward to a new shuttle mission in a little over a month.

Don't forget STS-400 with Endeavour. She heads to Pad 39B on Friday.

Both vehicles are processing very well indeed, so all looks super duper for May 12 right now. STS-125 (and 400) Delta MOD FRRs had no issues today.

Ya most likely the last Space Shuttle to visit Pad 39B.

And since there is no thread for this I thought I would mention here that STS-119(Discovery) was the last Space Shuttle to use MLP1. It has been turned over to Constellation and moved from Pad 39B yesterday and and was moved to the VAB HB3 today.

Lastly the name of Node 3 will be announced tonight on the Colbert Report on comedy central. There is a possibility that it will be named Colbert after he beat Serenity in the naming contest at nasa.gov. Check out the thread at nasaspaceflight.com.

Thanks for the updates Chris!

As far as I know, it is named "Tranquility".

NASE is not willing to name components after living people.
It is not necessary to have Colbert's name an two parts of the ISS.

You want to know what is already named after this comedian?
The astronauts are kicking it with their feet. His name is an acronym for:

Combined Operational Load Bearing External Resistance Treadmill

STS-401/STS-127 (Endeavour) is set to roll out early Friday morning at around 12:00 AM EST.

First motion set for 0:01 EST tomorrow!

Endeavour (STS-127/LON-400) is on the way to LC-39B where she will wait for Atlantis to lift off.

Here is an interactive feature from NASA about the STS-125 Mission:

http://www.nasa.gov/externalflash/hubble_servicing/ (http://www.nasa.gov/externalflash/hubble_servicing/)

For those who haven't seen:

http://www.nasa.gov/images/content/331090main_2atpadair-lg_full.jpg

are those the new Ares lighting towers?

Quote from: uri_ba on April 24, 2009, 02:11:00 PM
are those the new Ares lighting towers?

In the background around LC-39B and Endeavour, yes.

Bump!  Atlantis is currently tanking for her mission to Hubble.  Launch is planned for 2:01 PM EDT later today.

Does anybody knows which SSM-2007-mission comes closest to the planned launch time and date May, 11 and 14:01 EDT?
Of course you all know what I am planning at that time?  ;)
By the way, who is planning the same?
We might as well meet on TS.

Well, yes. I also do the Ascent phase in real time on SSM2007  8)

/Admin

Launch is scheduled to the night between Today at 14:02 EST.

live online stream is available on NASA website
http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/index.html

also available in a direct link for Windows Media player
http://www.nasa.gov/55644main_NASATV_Windows.asx
320x240 100kb/s  http://playlist.yahoo.com/makeplaylist.dll?id=1368161
320x240 200kb/s  http://playlist.yahoo.com/makeplaylist.dll?id=1368162
640x480 1200kb/s  http://playlist.yahoo.com/makeplaylist.dll?id=1368163

broadcast schedule is available online and constantly updating at
http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/mission_schedule.html


as always, our TeamSpeak server will be available during the launch.
teamspeak://ts.ssm-fans.info:51107

connection instructions are available at
http://ts.ssm-fans.info

Join Us on TS!! :)

Godspeed Atlantis and her crew.

Astro van heading towards Pad 39A. I just hope it goes to the right one! There are stacks on both lol! ;)

Crew is in the white room getting ready! :)

Crew is inside Atlantis! Their home for 11 days!!!
Godspeed Atlantis!

Closeout crew is exiting the Shuttle. T-1:15:00 and counting! :)

Hatch has been closed and is being sealed! :)

Ice team is at the pad inspecting some ice but should not pose a threat for launch. We are at T-15:00 and counting. White room is being closed out. Let's light this candle!

T-00:09:00 Hold!!!!
Lets hope for a go for launch!

No constraints due to ice - it's a "GO"!

/Admin

T-00:09:00 and counting!!!!!
Light this candle!!
God Speed Endeavour!

Godspeed STS-125! Perfectly synchronized with SSM2007! WHAT A RIDE!

/Admin

bahhh,
I was watching the launch on my laptop, preparint to unpause the game at 15 seconds..

then 25 seconds to launch the feed went bad and I lost signal :(
I had to open up the feed on my desktop (instead of it running SSM). and opened up the secondary feed just as the SSMEs were igniting..

Great launch!!!!  Had it running on my desktop, laptop and tv in the living room.  Godspeed Atlantis!!!!

Admin,

I've been meaning to try that, I just get so caught up in watching the TV, I never think of it until its too late.

At what point do you try and sync the sim to the TV?  During the 9 minute hold?

I tried to sync it on the T-15 seconds..
didn't work that well :|

I saw STS-125 launch when I was at school, the teacher let us go after the test and a few other teachers took their kids too. Quite cloudy, but we got to see the flame trail and as soon as we got back to the classroom, Atlantis already seperated from the SRBs and left the atmosphere.

God speed Atlantis and her crew.

>crossed fingers<

Ryan,

I usually sync it at T-000:02:00:00 (T-two hours), then pause and re-sync it during hold times since they differ from mission to mission and it is impossible to know by how much in advance. It is cool to see that most of the SSM2007 ops are in sync with the real ones even that early in the countdown.

At the T-000:00:09:00 hold, I pause and wait until 10 sec before "resume countdown", unpause and press the 9-minutes counter start at the Huston "mark". After that, I'm too busy for watching the MET since there are several critical ops to perform - APS start, for example.

Basically, after the 9 minutes "resume countdown" it is all on auto - no sync needed.

/Admin

11May09

Space Shuttle Atlantis lifted off at 2:01 p.m. Eastern Time today for an 11-day mission. Atlantis' target is the Hubble Space Telescope, where the crew will conduct 5 spacewalks to restore and enhance the orbiting observatory.


I was at work and missed the festivities...  >:(

Sure was a beautiful launch today! Been super-hot here in Central FL (95+) over the last week and it almost got delayed due to a cloud boundary to the North-West... We haven't had any rain, until just now, in the last 35+ days... But, very nice to see it launch and go on a East-South-East trajectory (which they usually fly East-North-East for the ISS).

Uri_ba, I also have experienced problems with connection during launch, and many times my laptop screen showed a "beautiful" black... Although with low frames, I saw the lift off and part of ascent, until before MECO the screen was black and sound was out. Finish.   :-[

P.S.= Next mission, I also would try the synchrony between SSM 2007 and the real launch: ought to be very interesting (and exciting for the SSM 2007 team!).

(http://img21.imageshack.us/img21/5926/345520mainimage13499467.jpg) (http://img21.imageshack.us/my.php?image=345520mainimage13499467.jpg)

I am extremely jealous. I have wanted to see a launch in person for 40 years.

Hay guys, I just found out something interesting about commander Scott Altman, He was a one time stunt pilot for Tom Cruise when they were filming the 1986 film Top Gun. He use to be a Navy pilot flying an F-14 Tomcat at NAS (Naval Air Station) Miramar.

Quote from: JLM on May 12, 2009, 02:20:54 AM
Hay guys, I just found out something interesting about commander Scott Altman, He was a one time stunt pilot for Tom Cruise when they were filming the 1986 film Top Gun. He use to be a Navy pilot flying an F-14 Tomcat at NAS (Naval Air Station) Miramar.

Yep, and another one: in STS-93 (simulated by STS-2007) CDR Scott Altman was a CAPCOM during that mission. You can hear CDR Eileen Collins calling his callsign - "Scooter" - during the faults they had T+3 seconds into liftoff.

/Admin

Here is a small set of STS-125 liftoff pics taken by one of our NASA friends, Branch Manager Tracey K. at KSC. She took 70 shots with a 500mm lens without using a stand. This lady has a steady hand  :o

We received her kind permission to post these cool shots here for the SSM2007 community benefit.









Enjoy.

/Admin

This one keeps being the best IMHO :

(http://img12.imageshack.us/img12/3592/090511flagphoto.jpg)

These are mine I took. They are not very goo as it was very cloudy and smokey(Drought is causing a lot of fires) but you can see the trail and I am in Tampa so it is not bad considering the distance I am from Cape! I am potentially going to STS-127 launch so if I do I will be sure to post some pics.

(http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk118/spaceboy7441/IMG_0001.jpg)

(http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk118/spaceboy7441/IMG_0002.jpg)

(http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk118/spaceboy7441/IMG_0003.jpg)

12May09

An outer space inspection of the heat shield on the NASA space shuttle Atlantis has found multiple dings in critical outer tiles.

The scratches were found on the forward part of the shuttle's right wing close to where it connects to the fuselage, according to NASA spokeswoman Katherine Trinidad. The damage, found on four different heat shield tiles, looks minor, but NASA will continue to investigate it, while also looking for any other damage on the space shuttle which is orbiting about 350 miles above the Earth.

The damage seems to be related to a debris impact that occurred about 104 seconds after the Atlantis lifted off the ground yesterday afternoon.  :-\

Having a look at the launch vid its impossible to tell that anything impacted the shuttles wing at MET 1:04. The camera angle from NASA tv is an external shot not the usual ET feedline cam.

Hope this doesn't mean Endeavour's called up on STS-400

Hey spaceboy, I'm going to KSC to watch STS-127 too, that 'l be cool if we wound up bumping into each other LOL :D

5000 ft and closing :)
grapple in an hour.

(http://i88.servimg.com/u/f88/13/88/75/13/vlcsna17.png)

Go for Grapple, 150ft

We have grapple :
(http://i61.servimg.com/u/f61/11/81/22/82/vlcsna12.jpg)

13May09

Atlantis' astronauts grabbed the Hubble Space Telescope on Wednesday, then quickly set their sights on the difficult, dangerous and unprecedented spacewalking repairs they will attempt over the next five days. Good luck, gentlemen.

Glad to hear the rendevous went well and Hubble is now held by Atlantis. Good luck the crew on repairing our orbital telescope

From NASA's Image of the day:

(http://img246.imageshack.us/img246/3733/coolf.jpg) (http://img246.imageshack.us/my.php?image=coolf.jpg)

Can't wait to watch the EVAs!

Just in case some of you don't know, you can watch STS-125 video here. http://www.youtube.com/user/nasatelevision?blend=5&ob=4
:)

Trev thats a very useful link indeed. I watched the capture on it since I can't stream NASA tv live here at work.

14May09

A pair of spacewalking astronauts overpowered a stubborn bolt and successfully installed a new piano-sized camera in the Hubble Space Telescope on Thursday, the first step to making the observatory better than ever.

Today the space walkers finished the first of 5 spacewalks and it went very well. It lasted about 50 min over the scheduled amount planned but was do to minor problems. The crews of STS-125 are currently sleeping after making preparations for EVA 2 tomorrow which will be completed by "The Mikes".

15May09

Spacewalking astronauts had to put a refurbished pair of gyroscopes into the Hubble Space Telescope after a brand new set refused to go in Friday, but scientists were satisfied nonetheless and confident the observatory would point precisely to ever more distant objects in the cosmos.

Mike and "Bueno" (the other Mike, Mike good) are now holding the 8th place on the 10 longest EVAs. with 7 hours and 56 minutes (more or less).
No.1 is an STS-102 EVA
No. 2,3 & 4 are the three STS-103 EVAs

I like these type of missions..intresting to see them work...hummm hint hint nudge nudge what a great Mission for us to do here.. ::) ;D ;D

OT: I re-did STS-103 last night. I had forgotten how much fun the RMS and EVA work is!

Does anyone have any updates on what the warnings were about during the launch?

now that is the most impressive Shuttle Picture I've seen :)

http://www.spaceweather.com/swpod2009/14may09/Thierry-Legault2.jpg

and look closely on the "sunspot" on the bottom left of the sun in this image
http://www.spaceweather.com/swpod2009/14may09/Thierry-Legault1.jpg?PHPSESSID=mj5fpudmv0dtjghmmm3o0omn16

About the first image, I report that the photographer made this image using a solar-filtered Takahashi 5-inch refracting telescope and a Canon 5D Mark II digital camera. The telescope is very expensive...but look at the result!

About the second image, it was taken the day after, before the grapple of HST: yes, the small spot is HST! Exposition time was 1/8000, Thierry Legault shooted 16 consecutive images.

so did the second image...
when the second image was taken the shuttle crossed the sun in less then a second. it was definitely a lucky catch :)

and I don't know how expensive is the telescope, I'm more fond of the camera end of the thing, unfortunately it's too expensive and made by the wrong company :P

Not exactly a lucky catch, Uri, if you read my second post... About costs, Thierry is a professional photographer..

professional or not.. catching a shot of an event lasting only 0.8 seconds when your camera give you "only" 4FPS. that is a challenge :)
I guess he started the sequence two seconds before the crossing and held it for an extra 2 seconds.. question is how to sync yourself on the correct time.

Quote from: uri_ba on May 16, 2009, 09:41:21 PM
professional or not.. catching a shot of an event lasting only 0.8 seconds when your camera give you "only" 4FPS. that is a challenge :)
I guess he started the sequence two seconds before the crossing and held it for an extra 2 seconds.. question is how to sync yourself on the correct time.

I agree.  Quite an amazing feat (mixed in with a little luck).

question is how to sync yourself on the correct time.
[/quote]

Not a great question, after all. In astronomical observation of lunar occultations and solar eclipses a perfect timing is essential, but today there are many ways to obtain perfection.
Before GPS the true problem was to have geographical co-ordinates with an error +/- 10 meters, now is very simple, so ephemerides are ever reliable.

Great shots from STS 125.
(http://img297.imageshack.us/img297/9460/346721mainimage13539467.jpg) (http://img297.imageshack.us/my.php?image=346721mainimage13539467.jpg)

Feustel,on the RMS, and Grunsfeld durring 3rd EVA.
(http://img297.imageshack.us/img297/4159/347761mainimage13599467.jpg) (http://img297.imageshack.us/my.php?image=347761mainimage13599467.jpg)

Any reason why the solar panels are white covers?,don't remember noting about that

They replaced the solar panels with smaller, more efficient ones during STS-109.

Quote from: simking on May 17, 2009, 09:58:42 PM
Any reason why the solar panels are white covers?,don't remember noting about that

These are not covers. It's just the backside of the solar panels. The surface with the photovoltaic cells is on the other side, facing to the Shuttle's aft. (The panels can be rotated around one axis.)

Quote from: Spacewalker on May 18, 2009, 12:09:03 AM

Quote from: simking on May 17, 2009, 09:58:42 PM
Any reason why the solar panels are white covers?,don't remember noting about that

These are not covers. It's just the backside of the solar panels. The surface with the photovoltaic cells is on the other side, facing to the Shuttle's aft. (The panels can be rotated around one axis.)

Ahh I thought they were the same on both sides..thanks

18May09

Running ahead of schedule, shuttle astronauts John Grunsfeld and Andrew Feustel are suiting up for the Atlantis crew's fifth and final spacewalk today, a six-hour excursion to equip the Hubble Space Telescope with a second three-battery power pack, a refurbished fine guidance sensor and fresh equipment bay insulation panels. One panel was deferred from a spacewalk Sunday when the crew ran out of time.

Grunsfeld and Feustel are really the best. The Mikes yesterday were a little hectic.
(Wiggeling that power tool and almost dangling the tether fixation against the cards.)

well, Grunsfeld has done 5 EVA PRIOR to this mission, all of them on Hubble (STS-103 and STS-109). in addition this is his third spacewalk on THIS mission.. bringing him up to 8 EVAs on 3 missions (all HST).

both the Mikes together have (including this mission) - have 6 (four this mission, 2*2 + 2 from STS-109).

I guess Experience plays a part in all of this :)

But the Mikes did a great job, and they are sure fun to watch :)

19May09

The space shuttle Atlantis crew on Monday afternoon completed its final spacewalk to upgrade the Hubble Space Telescope.

Hubble has been released back into space and Atlantis is backing away.

20May09

The crew of the U.S. space shuttle Atlantis has said its final goodbye to the Hubble Telescope, after conducting days of complex repairs that are meant to give the aging camera at least five more years of clear vision.   :-*

20May09

Astronauts on Atlantis took a congratulatory phone call from President Barack Obama today the shuttle is in the home stretch of a successful mission to upgrade the Hubble telescope.

21May2009,

I've been watching just about everything (via NASA TV) that the crew has done. It's truly amazing how well things have gone overall.. The weather probably won't be very good on Friday for a good landing..curious to see what they decide to do.

21May09

Tests and testifying took up what NASA hopes is the last day in orbit for the space shuttle Atlantis.

With a landing scheduled for Friday, astronauts on the shuttle on Thursday conducted routine tests on landing systems needed before they return to Earth. The weather on Friday in Florida does not appear too welcoming. If needed, Atlantis conserved some power to continue landing attempts through Monday.

NASA will only try to land in Florida on Friday.

Also Thursday, astronauts testified briefly from orbit about NASA's budget before the Senate Commerce, Justice and Science Appropriations Subcommittee.

So we could see an Edwards landing? Just my preference but I prefer a landing at the cape to EDW.

Quote from: HMSEndeavorreborn on May 21, 2009, 11:22:36 PM
So we could see an Edwards landing?......

By Monday, The oxygen supply on Atlantis will be at critically low levels. If the weather in Florida isn't satisfactory by then, the 'California option' is a must.

(Stay tuned)  ;)

Just noticed this on the RSS feed from Astro Mike (Mission Specialist Mike Massimino)

From orbit: Watching our commander, Scott "Scooter" Altman, practice space shuttle landings using a laptop

Wonder if he's using SSM2k7 to simulate it or a NASA made program?

They are using a program similar to the "big" NASA sim. Go to the SSM2007 Wiki "Traning and Media" section here:

http://wiki.ssm-fans.info/tutorials

and check the NASA videos section ;)

/Admin

The first landing attempt for today has been waved off.

Quote from: spaceboy7441 on May 22, 2009, 11:22:31 AM
The first landing attempt for today has been waved off.

22May09

......The news came as no surprise to the seven astronauts, For days, the weather forecast has been grim.

I just hope they don't and at Edwards. That is another like $3 million added to the mission price which so far has been a huge success.

That's true.. and the weather here in Central FL is truly horrible.

The price isn't a big problem, it's the two week delay that it takes the Shuttle to get from Edwards to the Cape. That means it is two weeks late getting into post-flight processing, two weeks late going into pre-flight processing, etc... and it can be very hard to make up the lost time.

Ya, I am in the Tampa area and the weather is the same. She be lucky if they can get her down this weekend in Florida. It has been raining for like 10 days!

Quote from: spaceboy7441 on May 22, 2009, 08:14:28 PM
Ya, I am in the Tampa area and the weather is the same. She be lucky if they can get her down this weekend in Florida. It has been raining for like 10 days!

spaceboy7441,

Yeah, here in the Orlando area, we've had the same... And, it's been a very bad day as the weather goes today, Tornado Warnings+.. I seriously doubt that Atlantis will land tomorrow as we're expecting a @70% chance of bad storms tomorrow.. So, my guess is Edwards will be the choice landing location.

Either way, I'm sure the STS-125 crew will be glad to get "home" after a long (and sucecssful) mission; regardless of location.  8)

Sure beats the wild fires and drought we've had and now we've got serious flooding.. go figure... ;D

Ya I thought that was really great that we got this rain because we needed it badly. I just think it will be ashamed if this so far perfect mission (pretty much) had to and at Edwards. I was also hoping for a Florida landing because I will be at Disney for hockey so it would be coo to hear the boom. :)

Suffices to say, Florida looks to be a 'No-Go' this weekend...... lame.

And they it the "Sunshine State"    Phooey!


Golden State, Here we come!    8)

Quote from: spaceboy7441 on May 22, 2009, 10:45:53 PM
Ya I thought that was really great that we got this rain because we needed it badly. I just think it will be ashamed if this so far perfect mission (pretty much) had to and at Edwards. I was also hoping for a Florida landing because I will be at Disney for hockey so it would be coo to hear the boom. :)

spaceboy7441,

I totally agree with you!! I was part of a Space Shuttle software engienering (for Logistics Rockwell/USA) team from '93-'97 (at KSC) and can understand the extreme dollars that it takes to land at Edwards vs. KSC .. it sucks, but that's business....

On the positive side, if we hear the the double-sonic booms at @0916 AM, then all is good.  ::)

Ya I hope I do. The one positive way to look at it is to think that this just might be the last SCA flight from EDW to KSC. ;)

Roger that, Houston!!!

I know that this isn't the forum to discuss politics, but, we as a country should have come up with a plan to "truly" replace the the Space Shuttle (STS) system... The new moon (Orion/Aries) adventure is a good thing, but it doesn't "replace" the capability of carrying overly-large payloads into space and with the capability to service/repair them...or even the ISS servicing, in the near-term.......

However, I truly look foward to SSM2010.

BTW: Good luck on the Hockey game tomorrow!

22May09

The shuttle is now planned to return to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 9:16 am on Saturday. The crew has a second opportunity top land at 10:54 am. Alternatives are 10:46 am and 12:24 pm at Edwards Air Force Base in California, which NASA usually tries to avoid as the cost of transporting the shuttle back to Florida can approach $2 million.

If Saturday does not work out, NASA is already thinking about additional landing schedules at Kennedy, Edwards, or White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico on Sunday.

Quote from: USA~Driver on May 23, 2009, 02:01:53 AM
22May09

The shuttle is now planned to return to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 9:16 am on Saturday. The crew has a second opportunity top land at 10:54 am. Alternatives are 10:46 am and 12:24 pm at Edwards Air Force Base in California, which NASA usually tries to avoid as the cost of transporting the shuttle back to Florida can approach $2 million.

If Saturday does not work out, NASA is already thinking about additional landing schedules at Kennedy, Edwards, or White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico on Sunday.

Yes Sir, you are correct. So, let's wait snd see what happens... Hopefully, Sunday won't be an option -- fingers-crossed. :D

Well looks like another waveoff today. They have one more window attempt for KSC then officially waved off til tomorrow. Tomorrow will be KSC or Edwards one way or another.

..and they just got go for doffing suits. Better luck tomorrow Atlantis.  :-\

23May09

After yesterday's scrubbed landing, all Saturday morning attempts were abandoned due to Fla. offshore storms. The Atlantis crew has enough supplies to stay in orbit until Monday. The forecast tomorrow offers little chance for a recovery at the cape, so a west coast landing is the likely alternative.

Hope all ya'll in Florida are building arks....... ;D

23May09 - 2050hrs,

Just got heard the Central FL news report for tomorrow's weather: Looks like KSC will have a 30% chance of rain/cloud cover and they don't seem to think that it will be favorable for a landing at 1009 hrs.

FYI

Can almost guarantee they will get her down tomorrow, whether it's EDW or KSC.  That's just my gut speaking...  Don't kill me if it doesn't happen!

Honestly, my best guess will be an Edwards landing... the weather at KSC has been too unstable because of the severe low pressure we've had for the last 5 days... Nut let's keep our fingers crossed.

As I understand the situation, they only have enough "reserves" (oxygen, etc) to last them till tomorrow and will have to deorbit regardless.

LOL watching Nasa TV now The crew played their own wake up music to MC take me home by phil colins, their up early this AM,0115

24May09 - 0055hrs

Atlantis astronauts will try to land today at Kennedy Space Center or at a backup landing site in California after stormy weather in Central Florida prompted NASA to keep the crew in orbit Saturday.

NASA will have two chances to bring the shuttle down to KSC: at 10:09 a.m. and 11:48 a.m. But forecasters expect showers, thunderstorms, lightning and low cloud decks -- conditions similar to those that forced landing postponements Friday and Saturday. The weather at Edwards Air Force Base north of Los Angeles is expected to be nearly pristine. Landing opportunities there will come at 11:38 a.m. and 1:17 p.m.

NASA prefers to land at KSC because it costs $1.8 million to ferry an Shuttle from California to Florida.

Atlantis has enough electrical power to remain in space only until Monday, so NASA expects to send the shuttle and its crew to one site or the other today. A decision to keep the Shuttle in space another day would happen only if a major systems problem occurred today.

Very good update -- Thanks

Quote from: USA~Driver on May 24, 2009, 05:59:56 AM
24May09 - 0055hrs

Atlantis astronauts will try to land today at Kennedy Space Center or at a backup landing site in California after stormy weather in Central Florida prompted NASA to keep the crew in orbit Saturday.

NASA will have two chances to bring the shuttle down to KSC: at 10:09 a.m. and 11:48 a.m. But forecasters expect showers, thunderstorms, lightning and low cloud decks -- conditions similar to those that forced landing postponements Friday and Saturday. The weather at Edwards Air Force Base north of Los Angeles is expected to be nearly pristine. Landing opportunities there will come at 11:38 a.m. and 1:17 p.m.

NASA prefers to land at KSC because it costs $1.8 million to ferry an Shuttle from California to Florida.

Atlantis has enough electrical power to remain in space only until Monday, so NASA expects to send the shuttle and its crew to one site or the other today. A decision to keep the Shuttle in space another day would happen only if a major systems problem occurred today.

I keep thinking about drinking that recycled urine for two more days...

/Admin

Quote from: Admin on May 24, 2009, 10:53:57 AM

Quote from: USA~Driver on May 24, 2009, 05:59:56 AM
24May09 - 0055hrs

Atlantis astronauts will try to land today at Kennedy Space Center or at a backup landing site in California after stormy weather in Central Florida prompted NASA to keep the crew in orbit Saturday.

NASA will have two chances to bring the shuttle down to KSC: at 10:09 a.m. and 11:48 a.m. But forecasters expect showers, thunderstorms, lightning and low cloud decks -- conditions similar to those that forced landing postponements Friday and Saturday. The weather at Edwards Air Force Base north of Los Angeles is expected to be nearly pristine. Landing opportunities there will come at 11:38 a.m. and 1:17 p.m.

NASA prefers to land at KSC because it costs $1.8 million to ferry an Shuttle from California to Florida.

Atlantis has enough electrical power to remain in space only until Monday, so NASA expects to send the shuttle and its crew to one site or the other today. A decision to keep the Shuttle in space another day would happen only if a major systems problem occurred today.

I keep thinking about drinking that recycled urine for two more days...

/Admin

no those are the ISS  guys.

shuttle folks drink fuelcell water that has been sterilized with Chlorine..

yummy! :|

Go for deorbit burn, landing in Edwards !
Long wait but great weather in edwards in runway 22.

24May09 - 0917 hrs.

NASA on Sunday gave up waiting for weather to clear for space shuttle Atlantis to land in Florida, diverting it to Edwards instead as it wrapped an extended 13-day mission to refurbish the Hubble Telescope.

Touchdown is scheduled for 11:39 EDT (1539 GMT).   :P

De-orbit burn complete. Godspeed Atlantis.

Beautiful Landing Atlantis!!!!

Welcome home Atlantis and congratulations STS 125! Go Hubble!

I just noticed something, well actually a couple of days ago, I keep hearing MC say "Heading Alignment Circle" (HAC) and in the manual it's called "Heading Alignment Cone" -- is the manual incorrect?

Space Shuttle Atlantis safely touched down this morning at 11:39 a.m., Eastern Daylight Time, at Edwards Air Force Base in California.

13 days
197 orbits
5,276,000 miles
5 spacewalks for a record 37hrs.

Quote from: bradleyjs on May 24, 2009, 03:48:04 PM
I just noticed something, well actually a couple of days ago, I keep hearing MC say "Heading Alignment Circle" (HAC) and in the manual it's called "Heading Alignment Cone" -- is the manual incorrect?

Actually both are used indifferently : it's a cone if you look at it in 3D, but if you look at it on a ground track basis, it's a circle. You'll find both in different manuals.

Roger that and thanks for the clarification.

Counting peas here, but if you project the flight path along a cone to the earth you not get a circle, you get a spiral.
I guess original it was planned to be a cone and the paths like printed in the manual.
When you look at the horizontal situation display you see a circle.
The real flightpath might be something in between and the whole thing purely academic.

Yeah I undstand.. just wondering if the the terminology is incorrect between the  Cmdr's Reference and what NASA calls it. Personally, I prefer "Cone" vs "Circle" because it does seem to make more sense.

In fact it's even more complicated if we want to get deeper :
1) first Pocci's completely right about the projection : the ground track of a descending pattern alongside a cone would be a portion of a spiral

BUT... (because there's a but)

2) in fact there are not two but THREE origins : the first documents mentionning the HAC show for some of them the cone... but some of them show a cylinder... and the projection of a cylinder is indeed a circle !

So there are in fact THREE HACs : Heading Alignment Circle/Cone/Cylinder !

(although cylinder is not anymore in the official terminology of NASA)

3) and the HORIZ SIT display that we all know well shows a circle which has a changing radius, which is then a portion of a spiral.
(http://upload.ssm-fans.info/images/definitionspira.jpg)
If you have a look at the DPS dictionnary for example (go to page 3-66) they also mention a "Heading Alignment CIRCLE" there.

Very interesting... hope I didn't open a can of worms here  ;D

Gotta jist love the technical stuff don't we! So, why aren't we all astronauts? We should be  8)

Welcome home Atlantis. God speed Hubble. Was great to see Hubble back in a shuttle again.

Quote from: bradleyjs on May 24, 2009, 05:02:03 AM
Honestly, my best guess will be an Edwards landing... the weather at KSC has been too unstable because of the severe low pressure we've had for the last 5 days... Nut let's keep our fingers crossed.

As I understand the situation, they only have enough "reserves" (oxygen, etc) to last them till tomorrow and will have to deorbit regardless.

Question: what are the astronauts doing when there is a landing postponement for a day or two? Any scheduled event is unlikely, since if no weather problem, they should have landed without spending and extra day or two in space. I assume that there are no "backup scheduled events, if there is an extra day or two". Are they just sitting there, talking to each other, or play some games, or what? Anyone knows for a fact?

Besides being curious, there is a reason I am asking this question. Once I get an answer, I will reveal the reason.

I guess they unpack a deck of cards or something :)

BTW - considering Backgammon is a standard military passtime here.. has someone came up with a way to roll dice in space? :)

I know that at some point, Mass and Scooter were talking about poker but appart from that... 8)

Something I read on mass's twitter blog that gives a bit of an answer :
"Could not land for 2 days so spent most time looking out windows - this was a gift - listening to music looking at Earth and stars for hours"

Yeah, I was thinking the same thing the other day. And went and read up on  Astro_Mike's twitter and as Nephi said that apparently is what he/they were doing... just relaxing and taking it easy...

I did read or hear that Scooter was practicing his landings on a laptop -- I would have done the same.

Before they started their last sleep cycle, someone on NASA TV said thy were watching DVD.

I strongly encourage everyone to checkout this amazing video. It is even better than their last!

http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=17237.msg412128;boardseen#new

Quote from: spaceboy7441 on May 27, 2009, 02:09:22 AM
I strongly encourage everyone to checkout this amazing video. It is even better than their last!

http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=17237.msg412128;boardseen#new

Huzzah!! Thanks for the link!

I'm a big Iron Maiden fan. That was fantastic. Two of my favorite things all in one.

Atlantis is getting ready to be mated to shuttle carrier 747: this is a nice picture:

http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/imagegallery/image_feature_1375.html (http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/imagegallery/image_feature_1375.html)

Glad you guys like the video.  Feel free to follow the link to our site from that page and download it!

-Steven B,
Max-Q Entertainment

I don't know if it has already been posted, but here is a little reminder of the wonderful STS-125 mission :
http://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/spacesuits/simulation/index.html