Community

Shuttle: Atlantis (OV-104)
Launch time (as of May 9, 2010): May 14, 2010, 2:20:07PM ET
Primary payload: Russian Mini-Research Module (MRM1) "Rassvet" (Translation: Dawn), Integrated Cargo Carrier

CDR: Ken Ham
PLT: Tony Antonelli
MS1: Garrett Reisman
MS2: Michael Good
MS3: Steve Bowen
MS4: Piers Sellers

-The following is from page 1 of the STS-132 press kit available here: http://www.nasa.gov/pdf/451029main_sts132_press_kit.pdf (http://www.nasa.gov/pdf/451029main_sts132_press_kit.pdf) -

"The final planned mission of space shuttle Atlantis is scheduled for 12 days and begins at 2:20 p.m. EDT on Friday, May 14, with launch from the Kennedy Space Center. Its prime payloads destined for the International Space Station are the second of two Russian Mini-Research Modules and additional spare parts, including a set of batteries for the station's truss and a high-powered dish antenna assembly.

After launch on its 32nd mission, Atlantis will follow the standard two-day rendezvous profile leading to docking Sunday morning, May 16. On the way, the six-member crew will power up the Russian module and devote time inspecting the shuttle's Thermal Protection System for any damage that may have occurred during launch; check out spacesuits that will be used during three spacewalks; and test hardware used to assist with the rendezvous and docking."

The STS-132 crew is due at KSC's Shuttle Landing Facility on Monday, May 10, 2010, at 7PM Eastern Time. You can watch it live on NASA TV or your favorite space news source, if their live feed is available at that point. Links to follow for easy access:

http://www.nasa.gov/ntv (http://www.nasa.gov/ntv)
http://www.spacevidcast.com/live (http://www.spacevidcast.com/live)
http://www.spaceflightnow.com/shuttle/sts132/status.html (http://www.spaceflightnow.com/shuttle/sts132/status.html)

The traditional "Call to Stations" is scheduled for tomorrow Tuesday, May 11, 2010 at 3:30PM ET, with the start of the countdown from T-43 hours just half an hour later. Everything looks good so far. Launch is scheduled for Friday, May 14, 2010 at 2:20:07PM ET as set by the agency-level Flight Readiness Review, and could change by a few seconds as the date nears and tracking data for the ISS is updated and is revealed to have impacted the launch window by said few seconds. As experience serves me, this will not affect scheduled times for pre-launch procedures. It will only affect the duration of the final T-9 minute hold, which will be adjusted to accommodate the new T-0 time as needed.

In other news unrelated to STS-132, Discovery's external tank for the STS-133 mission targeted for September has arrived at KSC this morning, and is now at the Vehicle Assembly Building.

The STS-132 crew (quite a lively bunch) has arrived at Kennedy Space Center slightly earlier than anticipated. Atlantis's processing at the pad is going well. There was an issue reported at the FRR, but it was an issue that could be worked at the pad during normal launch preparations. No word yet on this issue actually impacting launch time, or if it's been nailed. Tomorrow is Call To Stations and Countdown Start day. Launch in 4 days!

And the clock is running. Less than 2 days and 20 hours to go. I will follow almost any second of the mission, as it's the last flight of Atlantis very likely.

I'm curious if there will be emotional interviews after the mission. NASA admin Charles Bolden already had a hard time during an interview. It's very hard for those who work on the program for decades.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8599671.stm

Spectacular launch! Godspeed the crew of Atlantis!

Godspeed Atlantis! Make the most of this historic mission! :(

Atlantis safely in orbit and in the in-orbit ops phase. Currently playing catchup with the ISS. Tomorrow is OBSS survey day!

this is the last time I see you in orbit...
may your last mission be successful, and not tragic.
I think I speak for all of us, shuttle lovers, that in NASA.gov, or Airliners.com we will never see a scraped Space shuttle.
God Speed Atlantis!!!

and to honor Atlantis, I call everyone to retake the Atlantis missions on the Sim!!!

I was just at this launch, Could not have had more beautiful weather. I will be uploading video of the launch view from the visitors center to youtube as soon as I get back to Louisiana which will be on monday.

Execute Packages for STS-132 (updated as Flight Days go)
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts132/news/execute_packages.html (http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts132/news/execute_packages.html)

The comedy on the covers is gold.

Well, Flight Day 2 is over, OBSS survey was slightly problematic due to a snagged cable on the primary sensor package's camera, so they used the secondary sensor package, which had limitations, namely, only being useable in daylight, so they could only do it for every other 45 minutes. This caused MCC to decide to skip non-critical areas. OBSS survey was otherwise completed. All checkouts (and NC engine firing) leading to docking support were done as well.

Tomorrow is docking day!

CONTACT AND CAPTURE!

MRM-1 being pressurized in anticipation of the hatch opening ceremony.

Oh, how ISS has grown since STS-88!

/Admin

Yesterday, whilst watching the highlights, they again mentioned the ozonic "smell of space" when they opened the hatch and welcomed the two EVA heroes back. I would be very interested how it actually smells. Curious.

I think that is nothing more than "extreme cleanliness". IMO all residual material vapors which still exude from the space suit, is cleansed in space for about 8 hours. Maybe that's exactly what they smell.

Or, maybe it's a residual result of the interaction between space, radiation, temperature, etc. with the suit.

Or both.

Or somebody just happened to use the space toilet just before ingress - LOL!

/Admin

Quote from: Admin on May 20, 2010, 01:16:58 PM
Or somebody just happened to use the space toilet just before ingress - LOL!

LOL ;D

They also make jokes on it occasionally, like Robert Behnken on STS-130 for example (it's the first question already):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPA4OEsUCPk

Another short smell of space description:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KtUNUdO2_1k

Maybe something that could be implemented in SSM2010? ;D ;)

No, seriously, that smell of space thing makes me really curious. I also wonder if the Apollo guys did actually smell the Moon dust after their EVAs. When they ingressed the Lunar Module again their space suits were literally filthy by Moon dust.

Quote from: Moonwalker on May 20, 2010, 10:00:39 PM
No, seriously, that smell of space thing makes me really curious. I also wonder if the Apollo guys did actually smell the Moon dust after their EVAs. When they ingressed the Lunar Module again their space suits were literally filthy by Moon dust.

They did. It smells like gunpowder.

QuoteThey did. It smells like gunpowder.

I'm guessing that the lunar regolith is rich in magnesium (or is it silica)?

Atlantis about to undock for the last time in about 20 minutes!

Let's bid her good luck and a safe (last) return home.

What a momentuous and sad moment  :'(

/Admin

And a few seconds ago, Atlantis left the ISS for the last time.

/Admin

Quote from: Admin on May 23, 2010, 03:02:30 PM
What a momentuous and sad moment  :'(

Yes. It was already a sad moment when Mir was deorbited back then. After Shuttle retirement, the ISS remains a big and exciting consolation at least.

I see it from this point: I'm glad that I've got the opportunity to witness one of the greatest eras of manned space flight for now, after I've missed the Apollo era. And I'm sure that, no matter what happens within the next very few years, we'll see something bigger and more exciting in the future ;)

Hear, hear +1 -- I hope so...

Hey they are conducting SURF DRV tests! Perhaps this will be in a future upgrade? The elevons just finished getting tested. Shutting down APU as I type.

Ok, here we go!

Anyone else plugged in? It's 0240CDT(0740z) and Atlantis is getting ready for her final deorbit...  :(

Flying STS-93 for simultaneous re-entry.

Touchdown! Welcome home Atlantis! A flawless landing and perfect career ending moment! We thank you Atlantis!

"No Deltas" pretty much summes up this landing! A befitting landing to a great lady!

Sad and inspirational moment - I hope that there will be somebody at NASA and in the US Gov to take the cue and elevate the manned Space Exploration to its next natural evolution - to the Moon and beyond.

/Admin

Don't hold your breath. That yahoo in the White House cant even tell BP where to stick it. Perhaps in 2012 we will get a space centered administration.

Rest Well Atlantis, your work is finished.

Quote from: Admin on May 26, 2010, 01:17:13 PM
"No Deltas" pretty much summes up this landing! A befitting landing to a great lady!

Sad and inspirational moment - I hope that there will be somebody at NASA and in the US Gov to take the cue and elevate the manned Space Exploration to its next natural evolution - to the Moon and beyond.

/Admin

I disagree slightly. The next frontier in human spaceflight is certainly the Moon, NEOs, Mars, and beyond, but I don't view as the next natural evolution.

In my opinion, the next natural evolution for human space exploration will be the expansion of commercial spaceflight in Earth orbit. Tourism, of course, suborbital to start, but rather swiftly moving onto Earth orbital tourism, plus with the space stations and spacecraft used for that purpose also being involved and supporting research and other commercial endeavours in low Earth orbit.

Who knows? Possibly the rise of the suborbital tourism market might also spawn the rise of rapid point to point transport, using the same technologies that support suborbital and orbital tourism.

To me, the expansion of commercial spaceflight over the next 10-20 years is far more exciting than the human exploration of the Moon, NEOs, or beyond. It reminds me of the early days of commercial aviation in the 1920s and 1930s. It's incredibly exciting; spaceflight will be gradually opened up to more and more people, rather than just the lucky chosen few and the even fewer that can afford the current tourist visits to the ISS.

Huron, are you holding a spot on Virgin Galactic? ;D

Seriously, the next logical step is construction of a vehicle in orbit, with simultaneous commercial development and continuous orbital operations.   

The hoops the USAF is putting SpaceX though will have to be streamlined. Just because Boeing or Lockheed didn't build the rocket is no reason to think another company cant do it too.

There is no natural evolution in space flight. There is human decisions based on ideas and opinions. Administrations, agencies and companies decide what's next and what's not next.

As for my opinion: I agree to a lot of space people and former astronauts, especially Buzz Aldrin, that manned space flight should be available for literally everybody. Manned space flight currently is not that much contributing to the wide public, and the science also is quite minor than lobbyists try to make it look like (most of the time of the ISS program is spend for construction and to keep everything up and running fine).

However, there is a huge problem a lot of people ignore: we still do not have the technology to make space flight easy and cheap in a way commercial aviation is available for almost everybody. Space flight does happen in a different, extreme physical environment. You need a certain technology to be able to travel within that environment. And you need even more certain technology to do it cheaper and less elaborate than NASA and all the others do at the moment. Even SpaceX will be more expensive than projected. Not to talk about Virgin Galactic. Their estimated ticket prices are more than optimistic. It already begins with supersonic commercial aviation: too fuel-hungry, too expensive and especially too noisy. We don't even have the technology to make a second Concorde economical and ecological reasonable. And there is only one reason for commercial aviation: airlines that buy aircraft they can use to make profit with. Boeing and all the others are only able to produce their aircraft because they get orders, otherwise they don't produce. And for space flight, well, there is not even a market.

We are still very far away from commercialization of space flight in a scale it happened with aviation. And I do not talk just about 1 or 2 decades. It's way longer into the future until it "might" happen. The dream of commercial space travel existed already before there was any sign of something like NASA...