Conference 7.286::space

 KSC SHUTTLE STATUS  -  TUESDAY, AUGUST 13, 1991  -- 11:00 a.m.
________________________________________________________________

 
         STS-44 - DSP/DOD  - ATLANTIS (OV 104) OPF BAY 2

WORK IN PROGRESS:
*  Main engine drying operations
*  Hypergolic fuel deservicing
*  Cryogenic fuel offload preparations

WORK COMPLETED:
*  Destow of crew module items

WORK SCHEDULED:
*  Cryogenic fuel offload

CONCERNS:
     Following power down procedures at about 4:00 a.m.
yesterday, fuel cells 2 and 3 were inadvertently left operating.
The error was not noticed until about 5:00 p.m. and may result in
replacement of the cells.

 

KSC Release No. 99-91 (8/14/91)

     Center Director Forrest McCartney has appointed a  board  to
investigate  the  circumstances  surrounding  the Aug.  12 mishap
which involved possible damage to two  of  Atlantis'  three  fuel
cells.  Atlantis  is  located  in bay 2 of the Orbiter Processing
Facility.  The orbiter just completed the nine-day STS-43 mission
with a landing at the Shuttle Landing Facility this past Sunday.

     Jack Smith,  Director of Safety and Reliability,  is  desig-
nated  as chairman of the board.  Other board members are: Harvey
Crawford,  Chief of Fuel Cell Systems Section in the Vehicle  En-
gineering Directorate; Stephen Francois, Deputy Director of Space
Shuttle Payload Operations;  Albert Sofge, Shuttle Test Director,
Shuttle  Operations;  and  Thomas  Williams,   Chief  of  Shuttle
Electrical and Telecommunications Systems Division in the Vehicle
Engineering Directorate.

     Advisors appointed to the board are: Alan Gettleman,  repre-
senting the Payload Safety Branch in the Safety  and  Reliability
Directorate;  Dudley Cannon from the Chief Counsel's office; Lisa
Malone from the Public Affairs Office;  and Michael Generale from
the  Engineering  Branch of the Shuttle Logistics Project Manage-
ment Directorate.

     Potential damage could have been  caused  to  the  two  fuel
cells  when  they  were inadvertently left connected to the power
buses following an emergency power down of the orbiter. Engineers
had noticed decreased voltage in the power plants and had ordered
the emergency power down.

     The two fuel cells will be removed from  their  location  in
the  midbody  of the orbiter next week and shipped to the vendor,
International Fuel Cells  Division,  United  Technologies  Corp.,
South Windsor,  Conn., where the extent of damage, if any, to the
units will be determined. Spare fuel cells are available.

     The three fuel cells operate as independent electrical power
sources fed by oxygen and hydrogen reactants. Power and water are
produced through the chemical reaction that takes place in  these
power plants.   Each cell measures 14 inches high, 15 inches wide
and 40 inches long and weighs 255 pounds. Each cell is capable of
supplying 12 kilowatts peak and 7 kilowatts of maximum continuous
power.

     Board functions include investigating the facts  surrounding
the  mishap,  determining its probable cause,  assessing the pos-
sibility of a recurrence and recommending corrective  actions.  A
final report is due by early October.



              

 KSC SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT FOR WEDNESDAY, AUG. 14, 1991 - 10 AM


 
          STS-44 - ATLANTIS (OV 104) - OPF BAY 2


WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Installation of strongbacks on the payload bay doors.
- Removal of the thermal protective chin panel for inspections.
- Post-flight inspections of vehicle systems.
_ Preparations to deservice the lube oil from the auxiliary power
units.

WORK COMPLETED:
- Manual power up of the vehicle.
- Offloaded residual cryogenic propellants early this morning.
- Tire pressure checks.
- Drying of main engine bearings.

WORK SCHEDULED:
- Removal of fuel cells no. 2 and 3 next week.


 

  KSC SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT FOR THURSDAY, AUG. 15, 1991 - 10 AM


 
           STS-44/DoD - ATLANTIS (OV 104) - OPF BAY 2

WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Post-flight inspections of the vehicle.
- Preparations to offload residual hypergolic propellant from the
orbiter's storage tanks.
- Opening the payload bay doors.
- Deploy Ku-band antenna.
- Inspections of the vent doors.
- Preparations to offload auxiliary power unit lube oil.
- Inspections of water spray boiler no. 2.

WORK COMPLETED:
- Chin panel removed.
- Removed thermal blankets from water spray boiler no. 2.

WORK SCHEDULED:
- Removal of payload items from the payload bay.
- Checks of the navigation aids.


 

  Will this be a secret defense mission or will the details of the flight
and payload be public?

  George

There are no more "closed" missions for the DOD anymore (on the shuttle that
is).

While I wouldn't expect tons of news coverage or video, the payload, etc. is
considered unclassified (while data obtained by the payload can still be
classified).   This policy was established for STS-38, and I believe it
is still in effect.


- dave

    FYI, DSP satellites are basically large IR telescopes in geosynchronous
    orbit, looking back at the earth for potential missile launches. The
    telescope optics are offset from center and the satellite spins slowly
    to give a wider coverage.
    
    DSPs also carry nuclear explosion monitoring instruments (taking over
    from the old Vela series) and some have carried lasers as experimental
    intersatellite comms links.
    
    gary

   KSC SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT FOR MONDAY, AUG. 19, 1991 - 10 AM


 
           STS-44/DoD - ATLANTIS (OV 104) - OPF BAY 2

WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Post-flight inspections of the vehicle.
- Preparations to offload residual hypergolic propellant from the
orbiter's storage tanks.
- Troubleshooting the cabin vent valve.
- Removal of fuel cells no. 2 and 3.
- Lower landing gear and remove tires.

WORK COMPLETED:
-  Removed the Space Station Heat Pipe Advanced Radiator Element-
II (SHARE) from the payload bay.
- Removed  the  Shuttle  Solar  Backscatter  Ultraviolet  (SSBUV)
payload  from the orbiter.
- Orbiter's potty was removed.

WORK SCHEDULED:
- Removal of carrier panels and heat shields this week.

 

  KSC SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT FOR TUESDAY, AUG. 20, 1991 - 10 AM


 
           STS-44/DoD - ATLANTIS (OV 104) - OPF BAY 2

WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Post-flight inspections of the vehicle.
- Preparations to offload residual hypergolic propellant from the
orbiter's storage tanks.
- Troubleshooting the cabin vent valve.
- Preparations to remove fuel cells no. 2 and 3.
-  Inspections  of  spare fuel cells in preparation for installa-
tion.
- Main propulsion system tests.
- Removal of heat shields.
- Shuttle main engine drying operations.
- Post-flight inspections of the thermal protection system.
- Removal of payload equipment from the 60 ft. long payload bay.

WORK COMPLETED:
- Removal of the tires.

WORK SCHEDULED:
- Removal of carrier panels and heat shields this week.


 

 KSC SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT FOR WEDNESDAY, AUG. 21, 1991 - 10 AM

 
           STS-44/DoD - ATLANTIS (OV 104) - OPF BAY 2

WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Post-flight inspections of the vehicle.
- Preparations to offload residual hypergolic propellant from the
orbiter's storage tanks.
- Troubleshooting the cabin vent valve.
- Electrically and mechanically disconnecting the fuel cells from
the orbiter.
- Deservicing of the freon system.
- Main propulsion system tests.
- Removal of heat shields.
- Shuttle main engine drying operations.
- Post-flight inspections of the thermal protection system.

WORK COMPLETED:
- Brakes have been removed.
- Removed payload equipment from the 60 ft. long payload bay.
-  Draining  residual  hypergolic  propellants  from  the orbital
maneuvering system.


 

  KSC SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT FOR THURSDAY, AUG. 22, 1991 - 11 AM
 
 
           STS-44/DoD - ATLANTIS (OV 104) - OPF BAY 2
 
WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Post-flight inspections of the vehicle.
- Removing and replacing fuel cells no.  2 and 3.  The old  units
will be shipped to the vendor for analysis.
- Main propulsion system tests.
- Removal of heat shields.
- Shuttle main engine drying operations.
- Post-flight inspections of the thermal protection system.
 
WORK COMPLETED:
- Deserviced freon from the orbiter's freon coolant loop.
- Tests of the radar altimeter and heads up display.
 
WORK SCHEDULED:
- Deservicing of the auxiliary power units this weekend.
 
 
 

   KSC SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT FOR FRIDAY, AUG. 23, 1991 - 11 AM
 
 
 
           STS-44/DoD - ATLANTIS (OV 104) - OPF BAY 2
 
WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Installation of equipment to remove the radiators.
- Post-flight inspections of the vehicle.
- Main propulsion system tests.
- Removal of heat shields.
- Shuttle main engine drying operations.
- Post-flight inspections of the thermal protection system.
 
WORK COMPLETED:
- Removed and replaced fuel cells no.  2 and 3. The units will be
shipped to the vendor for analysis and any work.
- Removed heat shields from around the shuttle's main engines.
 
WORK SCHEDULED:
- Deservicing of the auxiliary power units this weekend.
- Removal of the three main engines next week.
- Removal of the radiators next week.
 
 
 

   KSC SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT FOR MONDAY, AUG. 26, 1991 - 10 AM

 
           STS-44/DoD - ATLANTIS (OV 104) - OPF BAY 2

WORK IN PROGRESS:
-  Preparations  to  remove  the right hand radiators for inspec-
tions.
- Leak checks of the two newly installed fuel cells.
- Rigging and cycling of the main landing gear doors.
- Removal of auxiliary power unit (APU) no. 1 today.
- Post-flight inspections of the vehicle.
- Main propulsion system tests.
- Preparations to remove the three Shuttle main engines.
- Post-flight inspections of the thermal protection system.

WORK COMPLETED:
- Draining fluid from the APU catch bottles.

WORK SCHEDULED:
- Removal of the three main engines starting tomorrow.
- Leak and functional tests of the auxiliary power units.


   ###    STS-44 SOLID ROCKET BOOSTERS - VAB HB 3/MLP-1

WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Begin stacking solid rocket  boosters  for  the  STS-44  flight
today.
- Attaching the right aft booster to mobile launcher platform 1.

WORK SCHEDULED:
- Transfer of the right aft center segment to the VAB tomorrow.
- Stacking the right aft center segment Wednesday.
 

 

  KSC SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT FOR TUESDAY, AUG. 27, 1991 - 10 AM


 
           STS-44/DoD - ATLANTIS (OV 104) - OPF BAY 2

WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Removal of the three main engines.
- Functional testing of the forward reaction control system.
- Preparations to remove the right  hand  radiators  for  inspec-
tions.
- Inspections of the chin panel.
- Leak checks of the two newly installed fuel cells.
- Rigging and cycling of the main landing gear doors.
- Post-flight inspections of the vehicle.
- Post-flight inspections of the thermal protection system.

WORK COMPLETED:
- Deservicing of the freon system.

WORK SCHEDULED:
- Leak and functional tests of the auxiliary power units.


      ###    STS-44 SOLID ROCKET BOOSTERS - VAB HB 3/MLP-1

WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Calibrating instrumentation for the right aft booster on mobile
launcher platform 1.
- Transfer of the right aft center segment to the VAB.

WORK COMPLETED:
- Stacked right aft booster.

WORK SCHEDULED:
- Stacking the right aft center segment Wednesday.


 

 KSC SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT FOR WEDNESDAY, AUG. 28, 1991 - 10 AM


 
           STS-44/DoD - ATLANTIS (OV 104) - OPF BAY 2

WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Removal of the main engines.
- Functional testing of the forward reaction control system.
- Inspections of the chin panel.
- Tests of the fuel cells.
- Rigging and cycling of the main landing gear doors.
- Post-flight inspections of the vehicle.
- Post-flight inspections of the thermal protection system.
- Leak and functional tests of the auxiliary power units.

WORK COMPLETED:
- Removed main engine no. 2.
- Removal of the right hand radiators for structural inspections.

        ##  STS-44 SOLID ROCKET BOOSTERS - VAB HB 3/MLP-1

WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Preparations to mate  the  right  aft  center  segment  to  the
stacked aft booster.
-  Inspections  of  o-ring  sealing  surfaces  on  the  right aft
booster.

WORK COMPLETED:
- Calibrated instrumentation for the right aft booster on  mobile
launcher platform 1.
- Transferred  the right aft center segment to the VAB.

WORK SCHEDULED:
- Stacking the right forward center segment next week.


 

KSC SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT FOR FRIDAY, AUG. 30, 1991 -- 11 AM


 
           STS-44/DoD - ATLANTIS (OV 104) - OPF BAY 2

WORK IN PROGRESS:
-  Post-flight  inspections of the vehicle and thermal protection
system.
- Checkouts of the chin panel.

WORK COMPLETED:
- Leak and functional tests of the auxiliary power units.
- Forward Reaction Control System functional test completed.
- Checkouts of flutter buffers (accelerometers).

      ###    STS-44 SOLID ROCKET BOOSTERS - VAB HB 3/MLP-1

WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Preparations to mate the lefthand aft center segment.

WORK COMPLETED:
- Righthand aft center segment stacked and seated.

 

  KSC SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT FOR TUESDAY, SEPT. 3, 1991 - 10 AM

 
           STS-44/DoD - ATLANTIS (OV 104) - OPF BAY 2

WORK IN PROGRESS:
-  Preparations  to  replace  a  thruster  on  the  left  orbital
maneuvering system pod.
- Replacement of the auxiliary power unit water valve.
- Rigging the main landing gear doors.
- Required inspections of payload bay door nut plates.
- Functional testing of the payload bay doors.
- Inspections of the main propulsion system lines.
- Servicing of the ammonia boiler.

WORK COMPLETED:
- Functional tests of the forward reaction control system.

WORK SCHEDULED:
- Tests of the power reactant storage and distribution system.
- Installation of the three main engines next week.


 

 KSC SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT FOR WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 4, 1991 - 10 AM

 
           STS-44/DoD - ATLANTIS (OV 104) - OPF BAY 2

WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Functional tests of the power reactant storage and distribution
system.
- Replacement of the auxiliary power unit water valve.
- Rigging the main landing gear doors.
- Inspections of the main propulsion system lines.
- Repair of a crack in the chin panel at the vendor.
- Electrical checks of the main propulsion system.

WORK COMPLETED:
- Replaced a thruster on the left orbital maneuvering system pod.
- Opened payload bay doors.

WORK SCHEDULED:
- Installation of the three main engines next week.


     ##     STS-44 SOLID ROCKET BOOSTERS - VAB HB 3

WORK IN PROGRESS:
-  Mating  of  the  right  forward  center  segment  to the right
booster.
- Installation of the capture feature o-ring for the  right  for-
ward center segment.
- Closeouts of the field joints on the right booster.

WORK SCHEDULED:
-  Transfer  of the right forward segment to the VAB late tonight
and stacking of this segment before the weekend.


 

   KSC SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT FOR MONDAY, SEPT. 9, 1991 - 10 AM


 
           STS-44/DoD - ATLANTIS (OV 104) - OPF BAY 2

WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Installation of the Shuttle's main engines.
- Installation of the radiators.
-  Installation  of  the main landing gear brakes,  and wheel and
tire assemblies.
- Replacement of the water valves for the auxiliary power units.
- Functional tests of the power reactant storage and distribution
system.
- Repair of a crack in the chin panel at the vendor.
- Installation of thermal blankets in the orbiter.

WORK COMPLETED:
- Serviced the ammonia boiler.

      ##    STS-44 SOLID ROCKET BOOSTERS - VAB HB 3

WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Connecting the right forward assembly/nose cone to the booster.
- Closeouts of the field joints on the right booster.

WORK COMPLETED:
-  Right  forward segment was connected to the booster stack last
Friday.

WORK SCHEDULED:
- Transfer of the left aft booster to the Vehicle Assembly Build-
ing for stacking on the mobile launcher platform later today.
  

 

KSC SHUTTLE STATUS  -  FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 1991  -- 10:00 a.m.
_________________________________________________________________
 
 
 
        STS-44/DOD  --  ATLANTIS (OV 104)  --  OPF BAY 2
 
WORK IN PROGRESS:
*  Orbital Maneuvering System and Reaction Control System
   functional tests
*  Auxiliary Power Unit water valve installation
*  Shuttle main engine electrical mates
 
WORK COMPLETED:
*  Third Shuttle main engine installation
*  Installation of waste containment system
*  Main wheels and tire assembly installation
*  Left aft center solid rocket booster segment mate in the
   Vehicle Assembly Building
 
WORK SCHEDULED:
*  Chin panel due to arrive KSC tomorrow (Fit checks scheduled
   for this weekend)
*  Service freon coolant loop
*  Engine heat shield installation
*  Left forward center solid rocket booster segment mates
 
 

       KSC SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT - MONDAY, SEPT. 16, 1991


 
           STS-44/DoD - ATLANTIS (OV 104) - OPF BAY 2

WORK IN PROGRESS:
-  Functional test of the orbital maneuvering system and reaction
control system.
- Thermal protection system operations around the  external  tank
doors.
- Functional test of the air data probe.
- Retest of the newly replaced cabin fan.

WORK SCHEDULED:
- Servicing of the orbiter's cooling system with freon by the end
of the week.
- Functional test of the external tank doors.

WORK COMPLETED:
- Installation of the three main engines last week.
- Checks of the main engine pumps.
- Installation and leak checks of the radiators.
- Installed the main landing gear wheels.
-  Preliminary  fit  checks  of  the chin panel that was recently
repaired at the vendor in Dallas,  Tex.  The panel arrived at KSC
on  Saturday.  More  panel  work  is required in the KSC backshop
prior to its installation later this month.

    ###   STS-44 SOLID ROCKET BOOSTERS - VAB HIGH BAY 3

WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Preparing the left forward center segment for mate to the  left
booster.
- Closeouts of the right booster joints.

WORK SCHEDULED:
- Mating the left forward center segment early tomorrow morning.
   
 

       KSC SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT - FRIDAY, SEPT. 20, 1991


 
           STS-44/DoD - ATLANTIS (OV 104) - OPF BAY 2

WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Removing the brake module.
- Preparations to service the freon coolant loop system.
- Functional test of the orbital  maneuvering  system  (OMS)  and
reaction control system.
-  Thermal  protection system operations around the external tank
doors and nose landing gear doors.
- Installation of instrumentation and wiring on the chin panel.

WORK SCHEDULED:
- Functional test of the external tank doors.
- Servicing of the orbiter's cooling system with freon by the end
of the week.

WORK COMPLETED:
- Tests of the external tank door latches.
- Functional testing of the radiators.
- Removal of window no. 5.
- Functional tests of the waste containment system

    ###   STS-44 SOLID ROCKET BOOSTERS - VAB HIGH BAY 3

WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Mating the left  forward  assembly/nose  cone  to  the  booster
today.
- Closeouts of the left booster.
- Routing cables on the right booster.

WORK SCHEDULED:
- Mating the left forward segment to the booster.


 

 KSC SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT - MONDAY, SEPT. 23, 1991 -   10 A.M.

 
           STS-44/DoD - ATLANTIS (OV 104) - OPF BAY 2

WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Preparations to service the freon coolant loop system.
- Preparations to install the chin panel.
- Installation of window no. 5.
- Leak checks of helium tanks in the midbody.
-  Checks  of  reinforced  carbon carbon gap filler panels on the
wings.

WORK SCHEDULED:
- Leak and functional tests of the water spray boilers.

WORK COMPLETED:
- Functional tests of the external tank doors.
- Check out of the orbital maneuvering system.
- Functional tests of the waste containment system.


    ###   STS-44 SOLID ROCKET BOOSTERS - VAB HIGH BAY 3


WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Preparations to mate the external tank to the boosters.
- Closeouts of the boosters.

WORK COMPLETED:
- Mating the left forward assembly/nose cone to the booster.

WORK SCHEDULED:
- Mating the external tank to the solid rocket boosters scheduled
for Thursday.

 

 KSC SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT - TUESDAY, SEPT. 24, 1991 -   10 A.M.

 
           STS-44/DoD - ATLANTIS (OV 104) - OPF BAY 2

WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Installation of heat shields around the three main engines.
- Installation of the chin panel.
- Installation of window no. 5.
- Leak checks of helium tanks in the midbody.
- Checks of reinforced carbon carbon gap  filler  panels  on  the
wings.

WORK SCHEDULED:
-  Replacement  of  an  oxidizer  thruster  on  the  left orbital
maneuvering system pod.
- Leak and functional tests of the water spray boilers.

WORK COMPLETED:
- Servicing of freon coolant loop no. 2.
- Removed  a  leaking  oxidizer  thruster  on  the  left  orbital
maneuvering system pod.

     ###  STS-44 SOLID ROCKET BOOSTERS - VAB HIGH BAY 3


WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Preparations to mate the external tank to the boosters.
- Joint closeouts of the left booster.

WORK COMPLETED:
- Alignment measurements of the solid rocket boosters.

WORK SCHEDULED:
- Mating the external tank to the solid rocket boosters scheduled
for Thursday.
 

 

 KSC SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT - WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 25, 1991 - 3:30 PM

 
           STS-44/DoD - ATLANTIS (OV 104) - OPF BAY 2

WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Installation of heat shields around the three main engines.
- Installation of the chin panel.
- Installation of window no. 5.
- Leak checks of helium tanks in the midbody.
- Removing the reinforced carbon carbon gap T-seal panels on  the
wings. (See concerns).

WORK SCHEDULED:
-  Replacement  of  an  oxidizer  thruster  on  the  left orbital
maneuvering system pod.

CONCERNS:
- During structural inspections,  cracks were observed on the in-
side  of  several RCC T-seal panels on left and right wings.  The
T-seals prevent the direct flow of the hot gas on the wing  lead-
ing edge cavity during reentry.   There are 22 seals per wing and
plans are in work to remove all of them for inspection. Officials
are gathering information to indicate  the  kinds  of  loads  the
T-seals  are  under  during  ground  operations as well as during
launch, ascent, mission operations and reentry.  Measurements are
being made of the gap between the T-seals and the reinforced car-
bon  carbon panels.  Pre-launch and post-flight measurements will
be compared.  Installation procedures also  are  being  reviewed.
Once  the  data  is collected,  officials will determine the next
course of action.  Possible schedule impacts - if any - have  not
been determined.

      ###    STS-44 SOLID ROCKET BOOSTERS - VAB HIGH BAY 3


WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Preparations to mate the external tank to the boosters.
- Joint closeouts of the left booster.

WORK SCHEDULED:
- Mating the external tank to the solid rocket boosters scheduled
for Thursday.


 

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER -  SHUTTLE STATUS - THURSDAY, SEP. 26, 1991


 
             STS-44/ATLANTIS OV-104/OPF BAY 2

WORK IN PROGRESS:

-Removal and inspection of right and left wing T-Seal panels
-Realignment of #5 window
-Midbody closeouts
-Foaming of main propulsion system lines
-Retest of Inertial Measurement Unit #3
-Testing of orbiter hydraulics
-Mating of external tank to solid rocket boosters in VAB


WORK SCHEDULED:

-Crew Equipment Interface Test (CEIT) on Oct. 5-6.


WORK COMPLETE:

- Removal and replacement of Inertial Measurement Unit #3
- Retesting of oxidizer thruster on left OMS pod


 

From: [email protected] (WILLIAM HARWOOD, UPI Science Writer)
Newsgroups: clari.tw.space,clari.news.military,clari.news.aviation
Date: 25 Sep 91 20:09:16 GMT


	CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (UPI) -- NASA engineers are studying cracks in
seals used in the leading edges of the shuttle Atlantis's wings, but
officials said Wednesday it was too early to say what impact the problem
would have on the ship's November launch.
	Space agency officials who asked not to be named said launch of the
year's sixth shuttle flight, a 10-day military mission now scheduled for
takeoff around Nov. 19, could be delayed anywhere from a few days to a
week or more depending on what repairs, if any, are needed to correct
the problem.
	Because of overtime issues and holiday scheduling at the Kennedy
Space Center, NASA managers have said shuttles will not be launched
within about a week before or after Thanksgiving and Christmas.
	If that policy is enforced, Atlantis's launch could be delayed until
early December if the crack issue or other problems push takeoff much
beyond Nov. 21 or 22. But a NASA spokeswoman refused to speculate on
when Atlantis might get off the ground.
	``We don't know yet what this will do to the flight schedule,'' she
said.
	The crack issue cropped up after engineers removed a boomerang-shaped
``T-seal'' from the leading edge of one of Atlantis's broad delta wings
for a routine inspection. A small but visible crack was discovered.
	The forward edge of each wing is made up of 22 gray heat-resistant 
``reinforced carbon-carbon'' -- RCC -- panels that look like boomerangs
when viewed in cross section. The panels are used to protect the wing
structure beneath from the hellish heat of re-entry.
	Carbon-carbon T-seals are inserted between each panel to keep hot gas
from getting inside. They also allow for expansion and contraction of
the panels as they heat up and cool down during atmospheric flight.
	After the first crack was found, engineers removed seven more T-
seals. Six of those were found to be cracked and NASA managers Wednesday
ordered technicians to remove all of the seals from both wings for a
detailed inspection.
	``We're got to gather a lot of information to determine how many of
the (seals) have cracks in them,'' the spokeswoman said. ``We're looking
at our installation procedures ... what happens in flight and what
happens during re-entry.''
	The cracks were discovered on the inner edges of the seals and
engineers said it was possible Atlantis could be cleared for flight as
is.
	Others discounted that possibility, saying the cracked seals likely
would require repairs or replacement, delaying the flight at least a few
days and possibly more than a week.
	The goal of the 44th shuttle flight is the deployment of a Defense
Support Program missile early warning satellite. The rest of the 10-day
mission will be devoted to on-board medical, scientific and military
experiments.
	NASA managers earlier were concerned that work to fix problems with a
heat-shield panel near Atlantis's nose landing gear doors would delay
the flight up to five days, but that trouble was corrected with no
impact to the launch schedule.
	The T-seal cracks are another matter. But a spare ``flight set'' of
T-seals is available and engineers said Wednesday they were hopeful any
launch delay would be minimal.

 KSC SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT - FRIDAY, SEPT. 27, 1991 - 11:30 AM

 
           STS-44/DoD - ATLANTIS (OV 104) - OPF BAY 2

WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Installation of the chin panel.
- Removing the reinforced carbon carbon gap T-seal panels on  the
right wing and inspecting for cracks. (See concerns).
- Tests of payload equipment on the aft flight deck.
- Troubleshooting of the S-band antenna.
- Leak and functional tests of the water spray boilers.

WORK SCHEDULED:
- Hydraulic system activities next week.

WORK COMPLETED:
- Installed window no. 5.
-  Replaced  a  leaking  oxidizer  thruster  on  the left orbital
maneuvering system pod.

CONCERNS:
- All T-seals on the left wing have been removed,  inspected  and
measured.  Technicians  are removing and inspecting the remaining
T-seals on the right wing.  About half of the seals on the  right
wing have already been removed.  So far, a total of eight T-seals
out of the 44,  have cracks.  The cracked seals will  be  shipped
back  to  the  vendor.  Those  seals  without  cracks  are  being
reinstalled on the vehicle and spares are being  installed  where
the  cracked seals were located.  Data collection and analysis is
continuing  to  determine  the  cause  of  the  cracks.  Possible
schedule impacts - if any - have not been determined.


    ##      STS-44 SOLID ROCKET BOOSTERS - VAB HIGH BAY 3


WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Making connections between the tank and boosters and the launch
platform.

WORK COMPLETED:
- Mated the external tank to the solid rocket boosters  at  12:45
a.m. today.

 

   KSC SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT - MONDAY, SEPT. 30, 1991 - 10 AM


 
           STS-44/DoD - ATLANTIS (OV 104) - OPF BAY 2

WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Self test of the Ku-band antenna.
- Installation of thermal barriers around the chin panel.
- Reinstalling  the  reinforced  carbon  carbon  T-seals  on  the
orbiter's wings.
- Installation of carrier panels around the RCC leading edges.
- Tests of payload equipment on the aft flight deck.
- Troubleshooting of the S-band antenna.
- Servicing of the water spray boilers.

WORK SCHEDULED:
- Hydraulic system activities this week.
- Brake anti-skid test.

WORK COMPLETED:
-  Inspected all T-seals on both wings.  Eight of the T-seals had
cracks and will be shipped to the  vendor  in  Dallas,  Tex.  for
analysis.

   ###    STS-44 SOLID ROCKET BOOSTERS - VAB HIGH BAY 3


WORK IN PROGRESS:
-  Electrical  connections  between the tank and boosters and the
launch platform.

WORK COMPLETED:
- Mated the external tank to the solid rocket boosters Friday.



 

    KSC SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT - TUESDAY, OCT. 1, 1991 - 10 AM

 
           STS-44/DoD - ATLANTIS (OV 104) - OPF BAY 2

WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Brake anti-skid test.
- Functional tests of the inertial measurement units.
- Self test of the Ku-band antenna.
- Reinstalling  the  reinforced  carbon  carbon  T-seals  on  the
orbiter's wings.
- Installation of carrier panels around the RCC leading edges.
- Troubleshooting of the S-band antenna.
- Servicing of the water spray boilers.

WORK SCHEDULED:
-  Crew Equipment Interface Test this weekend with members of the
STS-44 flight crew.

WORK COMPLETED:
- The eight T-seals with cracks have been shipped to  the  vendor
in Dallas, Tex. for analysis.
- Installation of thermal barriers around the chin panel.

    ###   STS-44 SOLID ROCKET BOOSTERS - VAB HIGH BAY 3

WORK IN PROGRESS:
-  Electrical  connections  between  the  tank,  boosters and the
launch platform.

 

   KSC SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT - WEDNESDAY, OCT. 2, 1991 - 10 AM


 
           STS-44/DoD - ATLANTIS (OV 104) - OPF BAY 2

WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Brake anti-skid test.
- Functional tests of the inertial measurement units.
- Hot lube oil flush of auxiliary power unit system no. 2.
- Reinstalling  the  reinforced  carbon  carbon  T-seals  on  the
orbiter's wings.
- Installation of carrier panels around the RCC leading edges.

WORK SCHEDULED:
-  Crew Equipment Interface Test this weekend with members of the
STS-44 flight crew.
- The goal is to have all T-seals and  reinforced  carbon  carbon
panels installed on both wings by the end of this week.

WORK COMPLETED:
- Installation of thermal barriers around the chin panel.

   ###    STS-44 SOLID ROCKET BOOSTERS - VAB HIGH BAY 3

WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Electrical connections  between  the  tank,  boosters  and  the
launch platform.

 

   KSC SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT - THURSDAY, OCT. 3, 1991 - 10 AM


 
           STS-44/DoD - ATLANTIS (OV 104) - OPF BAY 2

WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Cycles of the nose landing gear doors.
- Potable water servicing.
- Inspections of the payload bay door hinges.
- Reinstalling  the  reinforced  carbon  carbon  T-seals  on  the
orbiter's wings.
- Installation of carrier panels around the RCC leading edges.

WORK SCHEDULED:
-  Crew Equipment Interface Test this weekend with members of the
STS-44 flight crew.
- The goal is to have all T-seals and  reinforced  carbon  carbon
panels installed on both wings by the end of this week.

WORK COMPLETED:
- Brake anti-skid test.
- Hot lube oil flush of auxiliary power unit no. 2.
- Functional tests of the inertial measurement units.

   ###    STS-44 SOLID ROCKET BOOSTERS - VAB HIGH BAY 3

WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Closeouts of the connections between the tank, boosters and the
launch platform.


 

    KSC SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT - MONDAY, OCT. 7, 1991 - 10 AM


 
           STS-44/DoD - ATLANTIS (OV 104) - OPF BAY 2

WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Positive pressure test of the orbiter's wings.
- Cleaning of the midbody.
- Reinstalling the reinforced carbon carbon T-seals and panels on
the orbiter's wings.
- Installation of carrier panels around the RCC leading edges.
- Repairs of minor dings in the radiators.
- Servicing the orbiter with potable water.

WORK COMPLETED:
- Crew Equipment Interface Test this past weekend with members of
the STS-44 flight crew.
- Auxiliary power unit  no.  3  was  installed  and  electrically
mated.
- Waterproofing the thermal protection system on the vehicle.
- Functional test of the crew module hatch.
-  Installation  and  testing of small pyrotechnic devices in the
orbiter.

WORK SCHEDULED:
- Transfer of Atlantis to the VAB is targeted for the end of next
week.

    ###    STS-44 SOLID ROCKET BOOSTERS - VAB HIGH BAY 3

WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Closeouts of the connections between the tank, boosters and the
launch platform.


 

   KSC SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT - TUESDAY, OCT. 8, 1991 - 10 AM


 
           STS-44/DoD - ATLANTIS (OV 104) - OPF BAY 2

WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Cleaning of the midbody.
- Reinstalling the reinforced carbon carbon T-seals and panels on
the orbiter's wings.
- Installation of carrier panels around the RCC leading edges.
- Repairs of minor dings in the radiators.
- Servicing the orbiter with potable water.
- Closing out the aft compartment.

WORK COMPLETED:
- Hooked up auxiliary power unit no. 1.
- Positive pressure test of the orbiter's wings.

WORK SCHEDULED:
- Functional test of the landing gear later this week.
- Transfer of Atlantis to the VAB is targeted for the end of next
week.

   ###   STS-44 SOLID ROCKET BOOSTERS - VAB HIGH BAY 3

WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Closeouts of the connections between the tank, boosters and the
launch platform.

 

   KSC SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT - WEDNESDAY, OCT. 9, 1991 - 10 AM


 
           STS-44/DoD - ATLANTIS (OV 104) - OPF BAY 2

WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Closeouts of the thermal  protection  system  around  the  chin
panel.
-  Replacement  and  retest  of  several check valves in the main
propulsion system.
- Cleaning of the payload bay area.
- Reinstalling the reinforced carbon carbon T-seals and panels on
the orbiter's wings.
- Installation of carrier panels around the RCC leading edges.
- Closing out the aft compartment.

WORK SCHEDULED:
- Functional test of the galley.
- Functional test of the landing gear later this week.
- Final payload bay door closure early next week.
- Determining the orbiter's weight and center of gravity.
- Transfer of Atlantis to the VAB is targeted for the end of next
week.


 

   KSC SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT - THURSDAY, OCT. 10, 1991 - 10 AM
 
 
 
           STS-44/DoD - ATLANTIS (OV 104) - OPF BAY 2
 
WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Closeouts of the thermal  protection  system  around  the  chin
panel.
- Closeouts of the payload bay area.
-  Reinstalling  the  reinforced  carbon carbon (RCC) T-seals and
panels on the orbiter's right wing.
- Installation of carrier panels around the RCC leading edges.
- Measurements of the T-seals and panels.
- Closing out the aft compartment.
 
WORK SCHEDULED:
- Functional test of the galley.
- Functional test of the landing gear tomorrow.
- Final payload bay door closure early next week.
- Determining the orbiter's weight and center of gravity.
- Transfer of Atlantis to the VAB is targeted for the end of next
week.
 
WORK COMPLETED:
- Installed all RCC T-seals and panels on the left wing.
 
 

    KSC SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT - FRIDAY, OCT. 11, 1991 - 10 AM
 
 
 
           STS-44/DoD - ATLANTIS (OV 104) - OPF BAY 2
 
WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Functional test of the main landing gear.
- Closeouts of the thermal  protection  system  around  the  chin
panel.
- Closeouts of the payload bay area.
-  Reinstalling  the  reinforced  carbon carbon (RCC) T-seals and
panels on the orbiter's right wing.
- Installation of carrier panels around the RCC leading edges.
- Measurements of the T-seals and panels.
- Closing out the aft compartment.
 
WORK SCHEDULED:
- Final payload bay door closure early next week.
- Determining the orbiter's weight and center of gravity.
- Transfer of Atlantis to the VAB is targeted for the end of next
week.
 
WORK COMPLETED:
- Functional test of the galley.
- Check out of auxiliary power unit no. 1.
 
 
 

     KSC SHUTTLE STATUS  -  TUESDAY, OCTOBER 15, 1991  -- 10:00 a.m.


 
        STS-44/DOD  --  ATLANTIS (OV 104)  --  OPF BAY 2

WORK IN PROGRESS:
*  Flipper door closeouts
*  Nose landing gear final functional test
*  Aft engine compartment closeouts
*  Last RCC panel installation today
*  Wing tile step and gap work

WORK COMPLETED:
*  Payload bay closeouts
*  Auxiliary Power Unit leak checks
*  Main landing gear functional tests
*
WORK SCHEDULED:
*  Final structural leak checks
*  Final cleaning of payload bay
*  Functional test of payload bay doors and close for rollout
*  Orbiter weight and center of gravity determinations
*  Rollover to Vehicle Assembly Building set for Friday afternoon


 

KSC SHUTTLE STATUS  -  WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 16, 1991  -- 10:00 a.m.
_________________________________________________________________

 
        STS-44/DOD  --  ATLANTIS (OV 104)  --  OPF BAY 2

WORK IN PROGRESS:
*  Payload bay door functional test and final closing
*  Landing gear final functional test
*  Aft engine compartment closeouts
*  Wing tile step and gap work
*  Forward compartment closeouts

WORK COMPLETED:
*  Payload bay closeouts and cleaning
*  Auxiliary Power Unit leak checks
*  Final installation of last wing carrier panels
*  Tire flight pressurization
*  Aft structural leakage test

WORK SCHEDULED:
*  Orbiter weight and center of gravity determinations
*  Rollover to Vehicle Assembly Building set for Friday afternoon

 

KSC SHUTTLE STATUS  -  THURSDAY, OCTOBER 17, 1991  -- 10:00 a.m.
_________________________________________________________________

 
        STS-44/DOD  --  ATLANTIS (OV 104)  --  OPF BAY 2


WORK IN PROGRESS:
*  Aft engine compartment closeouts
*  Tile step and gap work
*  Orbiter weight and center of gravity determinations
*  Retract work platforms in VAB for orbiter delivery tomorrow

WORK COMPLETED:
*  Functional test, cycling and final closing of payload bay doors
*  Payload bay door strongbacks removal
*  Landing gear final functional test
*  Installation and checks of all wing carrier panels
*  Carrier panel and tile work around payload bay door hinges
*  Aft structural leakage test

WORK SCHEDULED:
*  Position orbiter transporter in OPF tonight
*  Rollover to Vehicle Assembly Building set for Friday late morning
*  Payload transport to pad early next week (target Oct. 21)
*  Rollout of vehicle to pad 39-A targeted for 12:01 a.m.
   Thursday, Oct. 24


 

    KSC SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT - FRIDAY, OCT. 18, 1991 - 10 AM


 
           STS-44/DoD - ATLANTIS (OV 104) - OPF BAY 2

WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Final preparations to transfer the orbiter to the  Vehicle  As-
sembly Building between 12 noon and 1 p.m.

WORK SCHEDULED:
-  Mating  the  orbiter  to the external tank and launch platform
this weekend.
- Shuttle  Interface  Test  to  verify  connections  between  the
vehicle  elements and the launch platform scheduled to begin Mon-
day at 8 a.m.
- Rollout to Launch Pad 39-A at 12:01 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 24.
- Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test scheduled Oct. 31 -
Nov. 1.

WORK COMPLETED:
- Orbiter bolted to the transporter.
- Orbiter weight and center of gravity determinations.


 

    KSC SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT - MONDAY, OCT. 21, 1991 - 10 AM

 
              STS-44/DoD - ATLANTIS (OV 104) - VAB

WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Shuttle Interface Test to verify critical  connections  between
the vehicle elements and the launch platform.

WORK SCHEDULED:
- Rollout to Launch Pad 39-A begins at 8 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 23.
- Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test scheduled Oct. 31 -
Nov. 1.

WORK COMPLETED:
- Orbiter transferred to the VAB Friday at 12:05 p.m.
-  Mated  the  orbiter  to  the  external  tank  and solid rocket
boosters by 1:07 p.m. Saturday.
- Payload transferred to the launch pad early this morning.

 

   KSC SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT - TUESDAY, OCT. 22, 1991 - 10 AM

 
              STS-44/DoD - ATLANTIS (OV 104) - VAB

WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Shuttle Interface Test to verify critical  connections  between
the vehicle elements and the launch platform.
-  Checks  of the solid rocket booster thrust vector control sys-
tem.
- Leak tests of the T-zero umbilicals on the liquid  oxygen  tail
service mast.

WORK SCHEDULED:
- Rollout to Launch Pad 39-A begins at 8 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 23.
- Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test scheduled Oct. 31 -
Nov. 1.

WORK COMPLETED:
- Payload transferred into the payload changeout room yesterday.


 

Are there any guesses as to when Atlantis will go up?  How much of a schedule hit
have they taken with the wing T-seal repairs?  Since rollout is tonight what's a
good estimate of a possible launch date?  I know, I know, wait for the Flight
Readiness Review.  Well, I can't.  :-)  I'm gonna be in Florida the second week
of December, and was wondering if I might get to see this bird take off in person
rather than on CNN.

...Roger...

So far, it's targetted at mid-November.  I thought that the T-seals would
put it in December as well.   If they find anything wrong, you might luck
out.

Fortunately for *me*, I may be at a business meeting at KSC for the launch.

- dave

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER -  SHUTTLE STATUS - WEDNESDAY, OCT. 23, 1991

 
               STS-44/ATLANTIS OV-104/VAB High Bay 3

WORK IN PROGRESS:

- Positioning the crawler transporter beneath the mobile launcher
platform

- Removing access platforms from around the Space Shuttle vehicle

- Installation of IUS flight Redundant Intertial Measurement Unit
(RIMU) for DSP


WORK SCHEDULED:

- Rollout to Pad A at 8:00 p.m. tonight

- Arrival atop Pad A at 2:00 a.m. Thursday

- Establish mechanical and electrical connections with Pad A

- Auxiliary power unit hot fire scheduled for 5:00 p.m. Thursday

- Move the rotating service structure into position around the
vehicle to establish access and weather protection

- Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (TCDT) Oct. 31 - Nov. 1

- Flight Readiness Review at KSC on Nov. 7


WORK COMPLETE:

- Shuttle Interface Test completed at 1:00 a.m. this morning


 

RE: .46

Yeah, I suspected a mid-November launch if all goes well, given the recent status
reports.  Don't get me wrong, I don't *want* them to find anything else wrong
with Atlantis, but I can't say I'd be disappointed is they had to "delay" just a
couple of weeks.  :-)

If you are fortunate enough to be there when she goes up, give her a "Go baby,
go!" for me.

...Roger...

   KSC SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT - THURSDAY, OCT. 24, 1991 - 11 AM


 
        STS-44/DoD - ATLANTIS (OV 104) - LAUNCH PAD 39-A

WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Connections of launch pad swing arms,  power and  cooling  sys-
tems to the orbiter.
- Preparations to hot fire auxiliary power unit No.  1 tonight at
about 6:30 p.m.
- Rotation of the rotating service structure around  the  vehicle
between 8 and 9 p.m. tonight.

WORK SCHEDULED:
- Opening of the payload bay doors tomorrow.
-  Helium  signature  leak test of the main propulsion system and
main engines on Sunday.
- Loading of hypergolic propellants into the orbiter next week.
- Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test scheduled Oct. 31 -
Nov. 1.
- Installation of the Defense Support Satellite into the  payload
bay Oct. 31.

WORK COMPLETED:
- Transfer of the vehicle to the launch pad. First motion came at
7:48  p.m.  last  night and the shuttle was reported hard down on
the pad's pedestals at 2:05 this morning.


 

From: [email protected] (WILLIAM HARWOOD, UPI Science Writer)
Date: 24 Oct 91 13:06:21 GMT

	CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (UPI) -- The space shuttle Atlantis was mounted
on its seaside launch pad early Thursday for blastoff next month on a
10-day flight highlighted by the deployment of a missile early warning
satellite.
	Atlantis, carried by a powerful Apollo-era crawler-transporter,
completed the six-hour trip from NASA's Vehicle Assembly Building to
launch pad 39-A at 2:05 a.m. EDT Thursday. Liftoff is scheduled for 6:51
p.m. Nov. 19.
	Engineers spent Thursday hooking up fuel lines and electrical systems
and gearing up for an evening test of the ship's hydraulic power system.
A practice countdown is scheduled for late next week.
	Commander Frederick Gregory, 50, co-pilot Terence Henricks, 39, Story
Musgrave, 56, Mario Runco, 39, James Voss, 42, and Air Force guest
astronaut Thomas Hennen, 39, plan to strap in aboard Atlantis Nov. 1 for
the final hours of the ``terminal countdown demonstration test.''
	While an official launch date will not be set until after a formal
management review of flight processing Nov. 7, internal planning
documents show Nov. 19 as NASA's target date. If that schedule holds up,
landing would be set for 2:27 p.m. Nov. 29 at the Kennedy Space Center.
	The goal of the 10-day mission, the sixth this year, is the
deployment of a 5,200-pound Defense Support Program - DSP - early
warning satellite, a $180 million Air Force spacecraft equipped with a
heat-sensitive infrared telescope to detect enemy missile launches.
	The 33-foot-long satellite, built by TRW Space & Technology Group,
was mounted in a special ``clean room'' at the launch pad Monday.
Engineers plan to install the satellite in Atlantis's cargo bay Oct. 31,
the same day the two-day practice countdown is scheduled to begin.
	If all goes well, Voss will launch the satellite and its solid-fuel
booster at 1:10 a.m. Nov. 20. An hour later, the first stage of the
satellite's Boeing-built ``inertial upper stage'' booster is scheduled
to fire to boost the spacecraft toward its operational altitude of 22,
300 miles above the equator.
	The satellite's final destination is classified. But once on station,
its 12-foot-long infrared telescope will constantly scan the hemisphere
below, on the lookout for the tell-tale heat produced by rocket engines.
	Until recently, details about DSP satellites were classified. But it
is believed that at least 15 DSP satellites have been launched since
1971.
	The one scheduled for launch from Atlantis is thought to be the third
in a series of upgraded ``block 14'' DSP spacecraft equipped with more
sensitive detectors, improved anti-jamming equipment and better
communications gear.
	The first block 14 DSP reportedly was launched by an unmanned Titan 4
rocket during that program's maiden flight in 1989. Since then, at least
one other upgraded DSP is believed to have been launched by a Titan 4 in
1990.

    KSC SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT - FRIDAY, OCT. 25, 1991 - 10 AM


 
        STS-44/DoD - ATLANTIS (OV 104) - LAUNCH PAD 39-A

WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Validations of connections  between  the  launch  pad  and  the
vehicle.
- Opening the payload bay doors for cleaning operations.
- Preparations to load hypergolic propellants onboard the orbiter
next week.
-  Preparations  for  the helium signature leak test of the three
main engines and main propulsion system.

WORK COMPLETED:
- Successful hot fire of auxiliary power unit No. 1 last night.
- Rotated the rotating service structure around  the  vehicle  at
11:07 p.m. last night.

WORK SCHEDULED:
-  Helium  signature  leak  test  begins  tomorrow  and continues
through Sunday.
- Loading of hypergolic propellants into the orbiter next week.
- Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test scheduled Oct. 31 -
Nov. 1.
- Installation of the Defense Support Satellite into the  payload
bay Oct. 31.


 

A little lunchtime diversion...

The STS-44 Press Kit is ready.   I haven't had a chance to proof-read it, so
if you grab it today, it might be a little rough around the edges.

  pragma::public:[nasa]sts-44.ps


- dave

     KSC SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT - MONDAY, OCT. 28,1991  10 AM
 
 
 
        STS-44/ DoD - ATLANTIS (OV 104) - LAUNCH PAD 39-A
 
 
WORK IN PROGRESS:
-  Preparations  for  loading  hypergolic  propellants  into  the
orbiter's onboard storage tanks.  In addition,  hydrazine will be
loaded into the orbiter's auxiliary power units and the boosters'
hydraulic power units.  The pad will be closed at 8 p.m.  tonight
through Wednesday when this operation is scheduled to conclude.
-  Closure of the payload bay doors for the hypergolic propellant
loading activities.
 
WORK COMPLETED:
- Helium signature leak test of the shuttle's  main  engines  and
main propulsion system.
- Cleaning of the payload bay.
- Launch pad validations.
 
WORK SCHEDULED:
- STS-44 crew arrives tomorrow at 4:30 p.m.  at the Shuttle Land-
ing Facility to participate in the Terminal Countdown  Demonstra-
tion test.
-  Installation of the Defense Support Program satellite into the
payload bay on Thursday.
- Countdown demonstration test  begins  Thursday  and  will  cul-
minate Friday at 11 a.m. EST with a simulated engine cutoff.
 
 
 

     KSC SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT - TUESDAY, OCT. 29, 1991  10 AM

 
        STS-44/ DoD - ATLANTIS (OV 104) - LAUNCH PAD 39-A

WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Loading  hypergolic  propellants  into  the  orbiter's  onboard
storage  tanks.  In  addition,  hydrazine will be loaded into the
orbiter's auxiliary power units and the boosters' hydraulic power
units.  The pad will be closed  to  all  non-essential  personnel
through Wednesday when this operation is scheduled to conclude.

WORK COMPLETED:
-  Closure of the payload bay doors for the hypergolic propellant
loading activities.

WORK SCHEDULED:
- STS-44 crew arrives today at 4:30 p.m.  at the Shuttle  Landing
Facility  to  participate in the Terminal Countdown Demonstration
test.
- Installation of the Defense Support Program satellite into  the
payload bay on Thursday.
- Countdown Demonstration Test begins Thursday and will culminate
Friday at 11 a.m. EST with a simulated engine cutoff.


 

   KSC SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT - WEDNESDAY, OCT. 30, 1991  10 AM

 
        STS-44/ DoD - ATLANTIS (OV 104) - LAUNCH PAD 39-A

WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Loading monomethylhydrazine into the orbiter's onboard  storage
tanks.  Hydrazine  will  be  loaded  into the orbiter's auxiliary
power units and the boosters' hydraulic power units. The pad will
be closed to all non-essential  personnel  until  this  afternoon
at the conclusion of this operation.
- Hot fire of the right hand hydraulic power units later today.
-  STS-44 flight crew scheduled for emergency egress training and
M113 driver training.

WORK COMPLETED:
- Nitrogen tetroxide has been loaded into the  orbiter's  storage
tanks.
-  STS-44 crew arrived yesterday at about 3:45 p.m.  for the Ter-
minal Countdown Demonstration Test.

WORK SCHEDULED:
- Commander Fred Gregory and Pilot  Tom  Henricks  will  practice
flying in the Shuttle Training Aircraft tonight.
-  Installation of the Defense Support Program satellite into the
payload bay on Thursday.
- Countdown Demonstration Test begins tomorrow at 8 a.m. and will
culminate Friday at 11 a.m. EST with a simulated engine cutoff.

 

    KSC SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT - THURSDAY, OCT. 31, 1991  11 AM

 
        STS-44/ DoD - ATLANTIS (OV 104) - LAUNCH PAD 39-A

WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Installation of the Defense Support Program satellite into  the
payload bay.
- Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test began this morning.
-  Inspections  of the right hand solid rocket booster aft skirt.
(See concerns.)

WORK COMPLETED:
- Loading  of  monomethylhydrazine  into  the  orbiter's  onboard
storage tanks.  Hydrazine was loaded into the orbiter's auxiliary
power units and the boosters' hydraulic power units.
- Successful hot fire of the  right  hand  solid  rocket  booster
(SRB) hydraulic power units.
- STS-44 flight crew M113 driver training.

WORK SCHEDULED:
-  Flight  crew  will be briefed on the status of the vehicle and
the payload.  They also will receive training  in  the  emergency
egress procedures at the launch pad later today.
-  Countdown  Demonstration Test will culminate Friday at 11 a.m.
EST with a simulated engine cutoff.
- Flight Readiness Review on Nov. 7.

CONCERNS:
- After the hot fire,  hydraulic  fluid  was  circulated  in  the
hydraulic  power  unit  to get any air out of the system prior to
launch.  The hydraulic power units are located in the  aft  skirt
and  generate  power  for  the SRB hydraulic system.  During this
operation,  a ground support pressure relief line was not  hooked
up to vent the pressure.  Consequently,  pressure built up in the
system  causing  a  reservoir  to  rupture  which  released  some
hydraulic  fluid.  Work  is underway to replace the unit which is
about 2 feet tall and 12 inches in diameter.   Hydraulic fluid in
the area is being cleaned up.  The hydraulic pump, about the size
of a lunch box and eight inches in diameter,  also  will  be  re-
placed.  Spares are on site for both parts.  An inspection is un-
derway to determine  if  any  other  components  need  replacing.
Another  hot  fire is planned to retest the new components.  This
work is not expected to impact the launch schedule.


 

   KSC SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT - FRIDAY, NOV. 1, 1991  10 AM

 
        STS-44/ DoD - ATLANTIS (OV 104) - LAUNCH PAD 39-A

WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Terminal Countdown Test with a simulated T  minus  zero  at  11
a.m. EST.
- Electrical connections of the right solid rocket booster reser-
voir and pump.
- Calibrations of the three inertial measurement units.
- Purges tests of the main propulsion system.
- Connections between the payload and the orbiter.

WORK COMPLETED:
-  Installed  the  Defense  Support  Program  satellite  into the
payload bay yesterday.
- Replaced the right SRB pump and reservoir overnight.

WORK SCHEDULED:
- STS-44 flight crew will leave the Kennedy Space Center this af-
ternoon after the countdown test.  They will continue with flight
training at the Johnson Space Center the next few weeks.
-  A  20-30 second hot fire of the right SRB hydraulic power unit
tomorrow evening to verify the newly installed components.
- Flight Readiness Review on Nov. 7.


 

     KSC SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT - MONDAY, NOV. 4, 1991  10 AM


 
        STS-44/ DoD - ATLANTIS (OV 104) - LAUNCH PAD 39-A

WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Tests of connections between the orbiter and the payload  began
this morning.
-  Preparations  for  the main engine flight readiness test.  The
sensors will be calibrated and valves will be cycled and tested.

WORK COMPLETED:
- Hot fire and dry spin test of  the  newly  installed  hydraulic
pump and reservoir on the right solid rocket booster.
-  Terminal Countdown Test ended with a simulated T minus zero at
11 a.m. EST on Friday.
- Electrical connections of the right solid rocket booster reser-
voir and pump.
- Calibrated the three inertial measurement units.
- Purge tests of the main propulsion system.
- Connections between the payload and the orbiter.
- Installation of the payload.

WORK SCHEDULED:
- Launch Readiness Review today.
- Installation of ordnance devices on the vehicle this week.
- Pressurization of the hypergolic propellant system for flight.
- Flight Readiness Review on Nov. 7.
- Installation of two contingency space suits into the airlock.



 

      KSC SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT - TUESDAY, NOV. 5, 1991  10 AM


 
        STS-44/ DoD - ATLANTIS (OV 104) - LAUNCH PAD 39-A

WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Cycling of the aerosurfaces.
- Preparations for ordnance operations.
- Closing out the solid rocket booster thermal curtains.

WORK COMPLETED:
- Interface verification tests of connections between the orbiter
and the payload.
- Main engine flight readiness test completed early this morning.
The sensors were calibrated and valves were cycled and tested.
- Launch Readiness Review held yesterday.  No concerns or  issues
were raised.

WORK SCHEDULED:
- Payload end-to-end testing tomorrow.
- Installation of ordnance devices on the vehicle this week.
- Pressurization of the hypergolic propellant system for flight.
- Flight Readiness Review on Nov. 7.
- Installation of two contingency space suits into the airlock.


 

KSC SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT - WEDNESDAY, NOV. 6, 1991  10 AM

 
        STS-44/ DoD - ATLANTIS (OV 104) - LAUNCH PAD 39-A

WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Payload end-to-end testing.
- Preparations for ordnance operations.
- Closing out the solid rocket booster thermal curtains.
- Start of aft closeouts.

WORK COMPLETED:
- Cycling of the aerosurfaces.

WORK SCHEDULED:
- Installation of ordnance devices on the vehicle begins at  mid-
night.
- Pressurization of the hypergolic propellant system for flight.
- Flight Readiness Review tomorrow.
- Installation of two contingency space suits into the airlock on
Friday.

 

    Hello,
    
    I am absolutely new to this conference. My family vacation is planned
    for the WDW area. I just heard a few days ago about this launch and am
    trying to figure out if we can even see it with such limited time left
    now before scheduled liftoff.
    
    I called the NASA info # and got a post (11/7) review meeting confirmation
    that shuttle liftoff is still scheduled for 11/19 between 18:31 and 21:??
    that night. We will be in the area (Orlando that day). Can we do this
    or is it too late? I got the address for requesting a P.A. (public
    affairs) pass but I can't imagine that the bureaucracy would work fast
    enough to get one to us (even if I gave our hotel address).
    
    I read notes 2, 6, and this one. Much of the "tip" information there
    was old. Are there any pointers to newer tips or other suggestions that
    people can make to me? This kind of event coinciding with our trip
    (assuming it actually does take off then) is a pregnant thrill.
    
    Any help/suggestions is GREATLY appreciated.
    
    Thanks, Tim (@ guiduk::green or reply here)
    
    
    
    p.s. What is the probability (based on past experience) that the
    shuttle will actually go during the original window... within "N"
    hours?
    
    I'm just a goose bump waiting to happen 8-)

    I haven't been there since STS-1 (what a thrill!) so I have no new
    info.
    
    However, even if you can't get a pass, it is worth being in the area.
    If you just go down the BeeLine expressway from Orlando and keep going
    east, you will eventually find places where Merrit Island and the pad
    are visible.  DON'T go without a radio!
    
    Have fun!
    
    Burns
    

Jim Cast
Headquarters, Washington, D.C.                   November 7, 1991

Dick Young
Kennedy Space Center, Fla.

Capt. Dave Thurston
Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs

     At the conclusion of today's Flight Readiness Review at
NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Fla., Shuttle and payload managers
have targeted Nov. 19 as the official launch date for mission
STS-44 aboard the Space Shuttle Atlantis.  The 2-1/2 hour launch
window for this ninth Department of Defense Shuttle mission opens
at 6:51 p.m. EST.

     A full load of military and scientific experiments will be
carried out during the 10-day mission.  Of primary importance
will be the deployment of the latest in a series of Defense
Support Program reconnaissance satellites.

     Two of Atlantis' crew members are space veterans:  Commander
Fred Gregory will be making his third Shuttle flight;  Mission
Specialist Story Musgrave will be making his fourth.  The four
remaining crew members will be venturing into space for the first
time:  Pilot Tom Henricks, Mission Specialists Jim Voss and Mario
Runco and Payload Specialist Tom Hennen.  STS-44 represents the
44th Space Shuttle mission and the tenth flight for Atlantis.

KSC SHUTTLE STATUS  -  THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 1991  -- 10:00 a.m.
_________________________________________________________________



 
         STS-44/DOD  --  ATLANTIS (OV 104)  --  PAD 39-A

WORK IN PROGRESS:
*  Flight Readiness Review
*  Aft compartment closeouts
*  Auxiliary Power Unit # 1 heater tests
*  Ordnance installations
*  Air vent cleaning and sampling

WORK COMPLETED:
*  Payload end-to-end tests

WORK SCHEDULED:
*  Hypergolic fuel system pressurization
*  Installation of contingency space suits into airlock


 

KSC SHUTTLE STATUS  -  FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 1991  -- 10:00 a.m.
_________________________________________________________________

 
         STS-44/DOD  --  ATLANTIS (OV 104)  --  PAD 39-A

NOTE: Mission managers met yesterday at KSC for the STS-44 Flight
Readiness Review. At the conclusion of the meeting, managers
targeted November 19, 1991 as the official launch date for the 10
day mission of Space Shuttle Atlantis and the Department of
Defense payload, a Defense Support Program satellite. The 2-1/2
hour launch window opens at 6:51 p.m. EST, on the 19th.


WORK IN PROGRESS:
*  Aft compartment closeouts
*  Auxiliary Power Unit # 1 heater/thermostat tests
*  Air vent cleaning and sampling
*  Installation of contingency space suits into airlock
*  Payload/IUS flight readiness checks
*  External tank purge preparations

WORK COMPLETED:
*  Flight Readiness Review
*  Part one of ordnance installations

WORK SCHEDULED:
*  Hypergolic fuel system pressurization
*  Launch countdown preparations


 

STS-44
1 00044U          91324.36327161  .00038000  00000-0  27500-3 0    18
2 00044  28.4689 245.5204 0024211 196.5249 163.4609 15.62614298    75

Satellite: STS-44
Catalog number: 00044
Epoch time:      91324.36327161        (20 NOV 91   08:43:06.67 UTC)
Element set:     JSC-001
Inclination:       28.4689 deg
RA of node:       245.5204 deg          Space Shuttle Flight STS-44
Eccentricity:     .0024211             Pre-launch Keplerian Elements
Arg of perigee:   196.5249 deg         Launch:  19 NOV 91  23:51 UTC
Mean anomaly:     163.4609 deg
Mean motion:   15.62614298 rev/day               G. L. Carman
Decay rate:     3.8000e-04 rev/day^2      NASA Johnson Space Center
Epoch rev:               7

Re: .61?

   Concerning bringing  a  radio  -  if  you are a ham and can bring a 2mtr
   walkie,  I  believe that all the announcements that you hear from the PA
   system  (if  you  have  a pass to get in) are broadcast on some ham 2mtr
   frequency (if you aren't in range of the PA system.

     KSC SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT - TUESDAY, NOV. 13, 1991  11 AM

 
        STS-44/ DoD - ATLANTIS (OV 104) - LAUNCH PAD 39-A

WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Purges of the power reactant storage and distribution system.
- Simulated countdown test for the Inertial Upper Stage.
- Preparations for final ordnance operations.
- Closing out the solid rocket boosters.
- Aft closeouts.

WORK COMPLETED:
- Purges of the external tank.

WORK SCHEDULED:
- Installation of flight doors on the aft compartment tomorrow.
- Final ordnance operations Wednesday.
- Closure of the payload bay doors for flight on Saturday.
- Flight crew arrives at KSC 6:30 p.m. EST Saturday.
- Launch countdown begins at 12:01 a.m. EST Sunday, Nov. 17.
- Launch on Tuesday, Nov. 19 at 6:51 p.m. EST.

 

    KSC SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT - WEDNESDAY, NOV. 13, 1991  11 AM

 
        STS-44/ DoD - ATLANTIS (OV 104) - LAUNCH PAD 39-A

WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Preparations for final ordnance operations.  The  pad  will  be
cleared at midnight through tomorrow afternoon for this job.
- Payload closeouts and evaluation of data from yesterday's Iner-
tial Upper Stage simulated countdown.
-   Disconnecting  ground  support  quick  disconnects  from  the
orbiter's hypergolic propellant system.
- Lowering booster service platforms from the launch platform.
- Launch countdown preparations.
- Installation of the crew escape pole in the crew cabin.

WORK COMPLETED:
- Purges of the power reactant storage and distribution system.
- Simulated countdown test for the Inertial Upper Stage.
- Closing out the solid rocket boosters.
- Doors were installed on the aft compartment  at  10  p.m.  last
night.

WORK SCHEDULED:
- Closure of the payload bay doors for flight on Saturday.
- Flight crew arrives at KSC 6:30 p.m. EST Saturday.
- Launch countdown begins at 12:01 a.m. EST Sunday, Nov. 17.
- Launch on Tuesday, Nov. 19 at 6:51 p.m. EST.


 

Lisa Malone

KSC Release No. 130-91 (11/13/91)

     The countdown clock for the 10th flight of the  orbiter  At-
lantis is scheduled to begin Sunday, Nov. 17, at 12:01 a.m. (EST)
at  the  T-43  hour mark.  The countdown includes 23 hours and 51
minutes of built-in hold time leading up to the  opening  of  the
launch window at 6:51 p.m. (EST) on Tuesday, Nov. 19.  The launch
window extends until 9:21 p.m.

     At  the  start  of the countdown,  the launch team in firing
room 1 in the Launch Control Center verifies the Shuttle  vehicle
is  powered  up  and  that  the data processing system and backup
flight control system are operating.  Flight software  stored  in
the  orbiter's twin memory banks will be reviewed,  computer con-
trolled display systems will be activated,  and the backup flight
system general purpose computer will be loaded.

     Preparations  also  start  at  the  liquid oxygen and liquid
hydrogen storage farms for loading the external tank  with  super
cold,  or cryogenic,  propellants. The main propulsion system and
shuttle main engines are prepared for cryogenic loading,  orbiter
navigation  aids  are  turned  on  and  tested,  and the inertial
measurement units are activated.

     In parallel with these activities,  the launch team prepares
for loading Atlantis' onboard fuel cell storage tanks with liquid
oxygen and liquid hydrogen reactants. Also performed at the start
of  the  countdown  is the final stowage,  microbial sampling and
water level adjustment of the crew waste management system.

     At T-27 hours,  the countdown will enter its first  built-in
hold.  This is a four-hour hold from 4-8 p.m.  Sunday,  Nov.  17.
When the countdown resumes, the launch pad will be cleared of all
personnel in preparation for loading the fuel cell storage tanks.

     Servicing of the liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen fuel cell
supply tanks is scheduled to start at the T-25 hour mark. Servic-
ing activities take approximately five hours.

      When servicing of the fuel cell tanks has  been  completed,
the pad will be reopened for normal work,  and the countdown will
enter the second planned hold at the T-19 hour  mark.  This  hold
will  extend from 4-8 a.m.  Monday.   During this four-hour hold,
the orbiter mid-body umbilical unit used to load the  super  cold
fuel cell reactants into the orbiter will be demated.

     When the countdown resumes,  technicians will complete final
vehicle and facility closeouts and begin activating the orbiter's
communications systems  and  configuring  Atlantis'  cockpit  for
flight.   The orbiter's flight control system and navigation aids
will  be  activated.  The stowable mission specialist and payload
specialist seats will be installed in the flight and mid-decks.

     The countdown will enter a standard  built-in  hold  at  the
T-11 hour mark at 4 p.m. Monday. The 12-hour, 31-minute hold will
extend  to  4:31  a.m.  Tuesday.  During the hold,  time critical
equipment will be installed in the orbiter's cockpit and the  in-
ertial  measurement  units  will  be activated and warmed up.  At
about 7 p.m. Monday, the rotating service structure will be moved
away from the vehicle to the launch position.

     At T-9 hours, the onboard fuel cells will be activated,  and
the  launch  team  will begin evacuating the blast danger area at
T-8 hours, or about 7:31 a.m. Tuesday.  At T-7 hours, 45 minutes,
conditioned air that is flowing through the orbiter's payload bay
and other areas will be switched to gaseous nitrogen in  prepara-
tion for loading the external tank with super-cold liquid propel-
lants.  The  inertial  measurement units will transition from the
warm up stage to the operate/attitude determination mode  at  T-6
hours and 45 minutes.

     The  countdown  will  enter another planned built-in hold at
the T-6 hour mark at approximately 9:31 a.m. Tuesday. During this
one-hour hold,  final preparations for loading the external  tank
will be completed and a pre-tanking weather briefing will be con-
ducted.

     Chilldown  of the lines that carry the cryogenic propellants
to the external tank will begin at  the  T-6  hour  and  counting
mark,  at 10:31 a.m. Tuesday. Filling and topping of the external
tank should be complete at the beginning of the planned  hold  at
T-3 hours which will start at 1:31 p.m.

     During  the  two-hour  planned hold,  an ice inspection team
will perform a survey of the tank's  outer  insulation,  and  the
close  out  crew will begin configuring the crew module and white
room for the flight crew's arrival.   Liquid  oxygen  and  liquid
hydrogen  will  be in a stable replenish mode during this time to
replace the propellant that "boils" off.

     Also during that hold,  at about 1:56 p.m.,  the six  STS-44
crew members will be awakened.

     After eating breakfast,  the crew will receive a briefing on
weather conditions around the world via  satellite  from  Mission
Control-Houston.

     The  flight  crew  will  suit  up  in their partial pressure
suits,  then leave the Operations and Checkout Building at  about
3:36 p.m.,  at T-2 hours and 55 minutes.  They will arrive at the
pad white room at about 4:06 p.m.  where they will be assisted by
white room personnel in getting into the crew cabin.

     Just  prior  to  the  T-1  hour mark,  the test team and the
flight crew will get another weather update,  including  observa-
tions  from an astronaut flying in a Shuttle Training Aircraft in
the KSC area.

     The last two built-in holds will be 10 minutes in duration
and will occur at the T-20 minute mark or at 6:11 p.m. and at the
T-9 minute mark or at 6:32 p.m. During the final hold, the flight
crew and ground team receive the NASA Launch Director's  and  the
Mission Management Team's final "go" for launch.

     Milestones  after  the  T-9 minute mark include start of the
ground launch sequencer;  retraction of the orbiter access arm at
T-7 minutes,  30 seconds;  start of the orbiter's auxiliary power
units at T-5 minutes;  pressurization of the liquid  oxygen  tank
inside the external tank at T-2 minutes,  55 seconds; pressuriza-
tion of the liquid hydrogen tank at T-1 minute,  57 seconds;  and
the electronic "go" to Atlantis' onboard computers to start their
own  terminal  countdown sequence at T-31 seconds.  The orbiter's
three main engines will start at T-6.6 seconds.

                      COUNTDOWN MILESTONES

               Launch - 3 Days (Saturday, Nov. 16)

     Prepare for the start of the  STS-44  launch  countdown  and
perform  the call-to-stations at the T-43 hour mark.  All members
of the launch team will report to their  respective  consoles  in
Firing  Room  1 of the Launch Control Center for the start of the
countdown.

               Launch  - 2 Days (Sunday, Nov. 17)


     Launch countdown begins.  Check out backup flight system and
review  flight  software  stored in mass memory units and display
systems.  Load backup flight system software into Atlantis' fifth
general purpose computer.

     Begin   stowage  of  flight  crew  equipment.   Inspect  the
orbiter's mid and flight decks and remove crew module  platforms.
Start external tank loading preparations and prepare Shuttle main
engines for main propellant tanking and flight.

     Enter  first planned built-in hold at T-27 hours for a dura-
tion of four hours.

     Resume countdown. Start preparations for servicing fuel cell
storage tanks and begin final vehicle and facility closeouts  for
launch.

     Clear  launch  pad of all personnel and begin loading liquid
oxygen and liquid hydrogen reactants  into  Atlantis'  fuel  cell
storage tanks.

                Launch - 1 Day (Monday, Nov. 18)


     After  the  loading operation,  the pad will be reopened for
normal work and orbiter and ground  support  equipment  closeouts
will resume.

     Enter  planned built-in hold at T-19 hours for a duration of
four hours. Demate orbiter mid-body umbilical  unit  used  during
fuel cell loading. Resume countdown.

     Activate orbiter communications systems,  flight control and
navigation systems.  Install mission and payload specialist seats
in  crew  cabin.  The  tail  service masts on the mobile launcher
platform will be closed out for launch.

     Enter planned hold at T-11 hours for a duration of 12  hours
and 31 minutes.

     Perform  orbiter  ascent  switch list in crew cabin.  During
this hold,  the orbiter's inertial measurement units will be  ac-
tivated and kept in the "warm up" mode and film will be installed
in  the numerous cameras on the launch pad.  In addition,  safety
personnel will conduct a debris walkdown and the pad  sound  sup-
pression system water tank will be filled.

     The  rotating  service  structure  will be moved to the park
position during this hold.


                  Launch Day (Tuesday, Nov. 19)


     Resume Countdown.  Install time critical flight crew  equip-
ment  and  perform  the pre-ingress switch list.  Start fuel cell
flow-through purge.

     Activate orbiter fuel  cells.  Configure  communications  at
Mission  Control Houston for launch.  Clear the blast danger area
of all non-essential personnel and switch Atlantis' purge air  to
gaseous nitrogen.

     Enter one-hour planned built-in hold at T-6 hours.

     Resume  countdown.  Launch team verifies there are no viola-
tions of launch commit criteria prior to cryogenic  servicing  of
the external tank. Start loading the external tank with cryogenic
propellants.

     Complete  filling  the external tank with its flight load of
liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen propellants.  Perform open loop
test  with  Eastern  Space  and Missile Center and conduct gimbal
profile checks of orbital maneuvering system engines.

     Perform inertial measurement unit preflight calibration  and
align Merritt Island Launch Area tracking antennas.

     Enter  two  hour  hold  at  T-3  hours.    Wake flight crew.
Closeout crew and ice inspection team proceeds to launch pad  39-
A.

     Resume  countdown  at T-3 hours.  Complete closeout prepara-
tions in the white room and cockpit switch  configurations.  Crew
departs Operations and Checkout Building for the pad.

     Flight crew enters orbiter. Astronauts perform air-to-ground
voice  checks with Mission Control Houston.  Close Atlantis' crew
hatch.  Begin Eastern Space and Missile Center final network open
loop  command  check,  perform  hatch seal and cabin leak checks,
begin the inertial measurement unit preflight alignment and range
safety closed loop test.  The white room is closed  out  and  the
closeout  crew  moves  to fallback area.  Primary ascent guidance
data is transferred to the backup flight system.


     Enter planned 10-minute hold at T-20 minutes.

     Resume countdown.  Transition orbiter onboard  computers  to
launch  configuration  and  start fuel cell thermal conditioning.
Close orbiter cabin vent valves. Backup flight system transitions
to launch configuration.



     Enter planned 10 minute hold at T-9 minutes.

     Resume countdown.



Start automatic ground launch sequencer (T-9 minutes).
Retract orbiter crew access arm (T-7:30).
Start mission recorders (T-5:30).
Start APU's.  Arm SRB and ET range safety safe  and  arm  devices
(T-5).
Start liquid oxygen drainback (T-4:55).
Start orbiter aerosurface profile test (T-3:55).
Orbiter transfers to internal power (T-3:30).
Start MPS gimbal profile test (T-3:30).
Pressurize  liquid  oxygen (LO2) tank/retract gaseous oxygen vent
arm (T-2:55).
Fuel cells to internal reactants (T-2:35).
Pressurize liquid hydrogen (LH2) tank (T-1:57).
Deactivate SRB joint heaters (T-1:00).
LPS go for start of orbiter automatic sequence (T-0:31 seconds).
Start SRB gimbal profile test (T-0:6.6).
SRB ignition and liftoff (T-0).

     KSC SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT - FRIDAY, NOV. 15, 1991  10 AM


 
        STS-44/ DoD - ATLANTIS (OV 104) - LAUNCH PAD 39-A

WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Launch countdown preparations.  Removing non-flight items  such
as protective covers from the reaction control system thrusters.
- Stowing flight crew equipment in the crew cabin.
- Removing platforms from the crew cabin.
- Verification of the hazardous gas detection system at the pad.
- Payload closeouts.

WORK COMPLETED:
-  Final  ordnance operations including checks of the firing cir-
cuits.
- Resolution of a pressure measurement for a  hydraulic  actuator
on the right booster.
- Closed out the booster forward skirts and the external tank in-
tertank for launch.

WORK SCHEDULED:
- Closure of the payload bay doors for flight on Saturday.
- Flight crew arrives at KSC 6:30 p.m. EST Saturday.
- Launch countdown begins at 12:01 a.m. EST Sunday, Nov. 17.
- Launch on Tuesday, Nov. 19 at 6:51 p.m. EST.


 

KSC SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT - SUNDAY, NOV. 17, 1991 - 10 A.M.

                      LAUNCH MINUS TWO DAYS

        ATLANTIS (OV 103) - STS-44/DoD - LAUNCH PAD 39-A


     The STS-44 launch countdown began on time last night  at  12
midnight  EST  at the T-43 hour mark.  Managers have no issues or
concerns about the vehicle  at  this  time.  Launch  of  Atlantis
remains scheduled for the opening of a two and a half hour window
at 6:51 p.m. EST.

     Today,  the  launch  team  is preparing for loading the fuel
cell storage tanks, activating the navigation aids, and preparing
the main engines for launch.

     At 4 p.m. today,  the countdown will enter the first planned
built-in  hold  at  the  T-27 hour mark.  The hold will last four
hours.

     Later tonight the launch team will load  liquid  oxygen  and
liquid  hydrogen  reactants  into the orbiter's onboard fuel cell
storage tanks.  This operation is scheduled from 10 p.m.  tonight
to 4 a.m.  tomorrow.  The countdown will enter a second four-hour
planned hold at the T-19 hour mark which will extend from 4  -  8
a.m. Monday.

     Monday,  the  orbiter's  communications  systems will be ac-
tivated and the navigation aids  will  be  tested.  The  Rotating
Service  Structure  will be moved away from the vehicle at 5 p.m.
Monday night.

     Loading the external tank with a half a million  gallons  of
liquid  oxygen  and  liquid  hydrogen propellants is scheduled to
begin at 10:31 a.m. Tuesday.

     STS-44  crew  members  arrived  at  KSC's  Shuttle   Landing
Facility  yesterday  afternoon.  Today,  the  crew will receive a
brief medical exam,  perform fit checks of  equipment  they  will
take  onboard  with them and review flight data files.  Commander
Fred Gregory,  Pilot Tom Henricks and  Mission  Specialist  Story
Musgrave will fly in the Shuttle Training Aircraft later today.


     Weather  forecasts for the time of launch are favorable with
a 50 percent chance of having acceptable conditions at the  open-
ing of the launch window. There is a 60 percent chance of accept-
able  weather  for the duration of the launch window.   Scattered
showers,  the cloud thickness,  and some limited possibility  for
ceilings below 8,000 feet are the concerns.



                L-1 Day Weather Forecast for STS-44
                Conditions expected on Tuesday, 11/19/91

Synopsis:  An upper level trough of low pressure in the western
Gulf of Mexico will generate southwest winds aloft and create
some general instability.  High pressure will be located in the
Atlantic.  Concerns are scattered showers, possible ceilings
below 8,000 feet, and a lesser concern for thick, layered clouds.

At 6:51 p.m. on Tuesday:

Clouds: 3,000-6,000 scattered cumulus (50% sky coverage)
        8,000- 11,000 scattered altocumulus (40% sky coverage)
        20,000-28,000 broken cirrostratus  (60% sky coverage)

Visibility: 7 miles

Wind - Pad 39A: Southeast 10-15 knots

Temperature:  76 degrees

Dewpoint:     62 degrees

Humidity:     62%

Precipitation: chance of showers


Probability of launch weather criteria violation at the beginning
of the launch period: 50%

Probability of launch weather criteria violation over the
duration of the launch period: 40%

Probability of tanking constraint violation: 5%


Chance of violation at launch time on Wednesday: 50%
                                      overall window: 40%

Chance of violation at launch time on Thursday: 50%
                                      overall window: 40%


Developed by Cape Canaveral Forecast Facility
USAF 45th Air Weather Squadron
11/18/91

Rev. B

pragma::public:[nasa]sts-44.nasa_select

- dave

    Launch of STS-44 for today has been scrubbed. A problem was detected in
    the IUS IMU; turnaround time is approximately 1 week.
    
    One of this morning's activities was to power up the IUS and realign
    the IMU. Presumably that was when the fault was detected.
    
    gary

The launch of Atlantis for the STS-44 mission was scrubbed this
morning because of a problem which was discovered to exist on the DSP
satellite Inertial Upper Stage booster's inertial measurement system.

The orbiter's external tank will be drained later today and the rest
of the vehicle safed so payload and booster stage technicians can
gain access to Atlantis' payload bay.  The current plan calls for a
removal and analysis of the IUS inertial measurement system.

Following the analysis, a backup unit, which is presently being
prepared for flight, will be inserted into the IUS and checked out.

The launch will be rescheduled for sometime between five and seven
days hence, based on work to be performed to correct the IUS problem.

The flight crew is expected to return to Houston pending a
rescheduled launch date.  The KSC launch team will maintain a launch
count at T-27 hours while the IUS work is being performed.

                       STS-44 STATUS REPORT

                  4:30 P.M. TUESDAY, NOV. 19, 1991


     Space Shuttle program officials have worked out  a  schedule
to  remove and replace an Inertial Upper Stage (IUS) guidance and
navigation component which could lead to a launch of  the  STS-44
mission as early as Sunday, Nov. 24.

     Launch  had  been scheduled for this evening during a window
opening at 6:51 p.m.  EST.   The launch  was  postponed  in  mid-
morning  due  to  a malfunctioning Redundant Inertial Measurement
Unit (RIMU) aboard the IUS which would place a military satellite
in a higher orbit after deployment from the orbiter Atlantis.

     Work underway at Complex 39's Pad A now includes work  plat-
form  extension  and  offloading  of  fuel cell cryogenics.   Pad
workers should have access to the orbiter's payload bay  by  Wed-
nesday  morning,  allowing  removal  and  replacement of the mal-
functioning Inertial Measurement Unit aboard the IUS.

     If removal,  replacement and retest work  goes  as  planned,
and  the  new RIMU is cleared for flight,  the countdown could be
picked up at the T-43 hour mark at midnight on Thursday,  leading
to launch on Sunday at 6:31 p.m.  EST.  The Sunday window extends
through 9:01 p.m. EST.

     A crew statement issued through Commander Frederick  Gregory
said:

     "While  we're  anxious  to begin our mission as soon as pos-
sible,  we also recognize the importance of making sure that  our
flight is both safe and successful in completing its prime objec-
tive  - the deployment of the DSP satellite.   We look forward to
launching as soon as we are given the go ahead."


 

STS-44 LAUNCH TURNAROUND STATUS

Wednesday, November 20, 1991

Shuttle program officials have worked out a schedule for the
replacement of the faulty DSP satellite's Inertial Upper Stage
inertial measurement unit which caused yesterday's
postponement of Atlantis' STS-44 launch.  Technicians should be able
to enter Atlantis' payload bay around noon today to remove the faulty IUS
device and proceed with replacement of a flight-qualified backup unit.  If
the removal, replacement and retest of the replacement unit go as
planned, and the replacement unit is cleared for flight, the launch
countdown could be picked up again at midnight tomorrow.  That would
lead to a new launch time of 6:31 pm EST Sunday, Nov. 24.  The
Sunday launch window extends through 9:01 pm.  Crew commander Fred
Gregory remarked yesterday that, though the crew is "anxious to begin
the mission," they fully recognize the importance of ensuring the safety of
the mission and guaranteeing the success of its primary objective,
deploying the DSP satellite.

Kennedy Space Center and Air Force technicians yesterday
successfully removed the faulty inertial measurement device
from the Inertial Upper Stage inside of Atlantis' payload bay and
replaced it with a flight-qualified back-up unit.  That replacement unit
is presently undergoing extensive testing, which is expected to be
completed by mid-morning tomorrow.  The faulty unit is in
Connecticut at a Hamilton-Standard avionics facility for
analysis.  The flight crewmembers, who have remained at KSC so far,
will leave this afternoon heading back to Johnson Space Center where
they will perform one more simulation of the mission.  They are
expected back at the Cape tomorrow morning around 3:00 am EST.
The launch countdown will be picked up at midnight tonight at
the T-43 hour mark.  Atlantis' payload bay doors are expected to be
closed by noon tomorrow.  Weather predictions for a launch Sunday
evening at 6:31 pm EST call for only a 30 percent probability of a
violation at the opening of the window and only 20 percent later on.
The weather condition concerns remain a low ceiling at about 8,000
feet and the possibility of scattered rain showers.  The 24 and 48-hour
launch turnaround forecasts call for much the same.

   KSC SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT - FRIDAY, NOV. 22, 1991  10 AM
 
 
        STS-44/ DoD - ATLANTIS (OV 104) - LAUNCH PAD 39-A
 
WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Launch countdown resumed at 12 midnight at the T-43 hour mark.
- Preparing the shuttle main engines for launch.
- Preparations to load liquid oxygen and  liquid  hydrogen  reac-
tants into the orbiter's fuel cell storage tanks.
- Disconnecting payload ground support equipment.
- Stowing flight crew equipment into the orbiter.
 
WORK COMPLETED:
- Retest of the redundant inertial measurement unit (RIMU) on the
Inertial  Upper  Stage  (IUS).  This unit is the major navigation
component of the upper stage.
- Purges of the power reactant storage and distribution system.
- Closed the payload bay doors for  flight  at  about  7:30  a.m.
today.
 
WORK SCHEDULED:
- Built-in hold planned from 4 - 8 p.m. tonight.
-  Loading  reactants  into  Atlantis' storage tanks from 10 p.m.
tonight to 4 a.m. tomorrow.
- Second built-in hold from 4 - 8 a.m. tomorrow.
- Retract the rotating service structure away from the vehicle to
the launch position between 5 - 6 p.m. tomorrow.
- Launch on Sunday, Nov. 24 at 6:31 p.m. EST.
 
FLIGHT CREW:
- Yesterday, Commander Fred Gregory,  Pilot Tom Henricks and Mis-
sion  Specialists  Story  Musgrave,  Jim  Voss,  Mario  Runco and
Payload Specialist Tom Hennen took a brief  trip  to  Houston  to
practice  ascents  in the Shuttle simulator.  The crew is back at
KSC and will have a medical exam and an  opportunity  to  fly  in
T-38  aircraft  later today.  Gregory,  Henricks and Musgrave are
scheduled to fly in the Shuttle Training Aircraft today.
 
WEATHER FORECAST:
- Forecasters are predicting a 60 percent  chance  of  acceptable
weather  at  the opening of the window on Sunday and a 70 percent
chance of good weather for the duration of the launch period. The
concern is thunderstorm debris clouds and low level winds.
 
 
 

    Atlantis was successfully launched this evening -- a beautiful nightime
    launch with some great camera work.
    
    Here's the launch statement...
    
    STS-44 Launch 11/24/91
     
    The Space Shuttle Atlantis lifted-off at 5:44 p.m.  CST today, for the
    44th Space Shuttle Mission; this mission is dedicated to the Dept. of
    Defense. The Shuttle lifted off approx. 15 min. late because time was
    needed for fuel replenishing and a piece of spacecraft was in the
    launch path.

    	What piece of spacecraft was in the launch path?
    

At the post-launch press conference they didn't have many specifics.

There were 3 COLAs for the launch period - one of them was Mir -- Bob Sieck
didn't have the other two available (they probably had thier ID numbers but
not the public translation).

They knew that these objects would be alarms during the launch window
several days ago, but they have to wait until a few hours before launch
for NORAD to "tune up" the estimates.   A safe delay was estimated to be
between 10 and 15 minutes - they chose 13.


- dave

Please pardon my ignorance, but what's COLA stand for?  I assume we're not 
talking Pepsi or Coke here.  :-)

I'll take a guess: C<something> Orbital Launch Alarm?
                   ^            ^       ^      ^

...Roger...

Pardon me... COLlision Avoidance.

- dave

    During the ascent (watched it on CNN), I heard a UHF comm check which
    concerned me. I don't remember hearing one before and it made me think
    there was a comm problem. Anyone else either notice it or know more
    about it?
    
    Carl

    Yeah, I heard a call for a UHF only comm check. I hadn't heard it
    before either.
    
    Nice CNN coverage of SRB separation. It must have been spectacular
    watching the liftoff from the ground with it so clear. Those long range
    cameras sure do follow that bright dot for quite a while 8^)

        MISSION CONTROL STATUS REPORT #1
        November 25, 1991
        4:30 a.m. CST


The Defense Support Program satellite was deployed from Atlantis'
cargo bay on time at 12:03 this morning completing a busy and
successful first day on orbit for the six-member crew of STS-44.

The mission began with a normal ascent at 5:44 p.m. yesterday
after a 13 minute wait for orbiting spacecraft to clear the
skies.  The delay also was due to a sticking valve on the launch
pad Oxygen system that caused the launch team to stop replenish
flow to the external fuel tank.

Once the oxygen temperatures cooled down, Atlantis was cleared
for launch.

Following a spectacular night launch, the crew settled down to
perform the activities necessary for readying the satellite and
its booster upper stage for deploy.

Early in the pre-deploy checkout, a telemetry indication was
received indicating the satellite had transferred to its own
internal power.  Satellite controllers at the Sunnyvale facility
in California later determined that the data showed the solar
arrays on the satellite were actually generating electrical
impulses when the orbiter was on the sunlit side of the Earth.

Once that had been determined, deploy activities continued as
scheduled and the satellite was deployed on time six hours and 18
minutes into the mission.  The first stage burn of the Inertial
Upper Stage solid rocket motor also occurred on time and
performed as expected.

Following the deploy, the crew unstowed the Ku-band antenna and
sent footage of the deploy recorded on board to the ground.

The crew also fired the thruster rockets as Atlantis passed above
Hawaii in support of the Air Force Maui Optical Site
experiment.  This experiment helps to calibrate sensor equipment
on the island.

The Radiation Monitoring Equipment (RME-III) was activated.  This
instrument records any radiation activity present in the cabin of
the orbiter.

The first night of sleep on orbit for the crew officially begins
at 4:30 this morning.  They are scheduled to be awakened at 12:30
p.m. today to begin the second of 10 days in space.

        # # #

Jeffrey Carr                                November 25, 1991
RELEASE NO. 91-084


NOTE TO EDITORS:  INFLIGHT CREW PRESS CONFERENCE PLANNED


An inflight press conference with the STS-44 astronaut crew
aboard Atlantis is planned for Friday,, November 29, at 6:34 p.m.
central time (5 days 50 minutes, mission elapsed time).

News media may participate from press conference facilities at
the Kennedy Space Center and the Johnson Space Center.  A final
assessment will be made, one day prior, to determine whether
there will be sufficient participation to warrant the event.


        # # #


MISSION CONTROL CENTER   STS-44 Status Report #2

Monday, November 25, 1991, 11 a.m. CDT


The STS-44 crew aboard Space Shuttle Atlantis is scheduled to
awaken at 12:44 p.m. CST to begin their second work day in space.

The Dept. of Defense confirmed an on-time firing of the Inertial
Upper Stage rocket motor at 12 hours 32 minutes into the mission.
The Inertial Upper Stage propelled the Defense Support Program
satellite into geosynchronous orbit then separated from the
satellite as planned at 12 hours 55 minutes mission elapsed time.

Among the flight day 2 scheduled tasks, Payload Specialist Tom
Hennen will conduct Terra Scout experiment Earth observations.
Hennen will use the Spaceborne Direct-View Optical System
(SpaDVOS) to analyze the observed sites.  The Terra Scout
experiment investigates the man/machine interface between skilled
technicians and current and advanced sensors.

During their workday Monday, crewmembers will activate the Cosmic
Radiation Effects and Activation Monitor (CREAM) experiment and
the companion Shuttle Activation Monitor experiment.  The CREAM
experiment collects data on cosmic ray energy loss spectra,
neutron fluxes and induced radioactivity.  The SAM experiment
measures gamma ray data within the orbiter as a function of time
and location.  Data will be collected from identical locations
for both investigations in an attempt to correlate data between
the two.

The crew will also begin work with the Extended Duration Orbiter
Medical Project, a series of medical investigations to evaluate
countermeasures to combat the adverse effects of prolonged space
flight.

Atlantis is performing flawlessly in an orbit of 212 by 195
nautical miles.

Paula Cleggett-Haleim
Headquarters, Washington, D.C.

Kari Fluegel
Johnson Space Center, Houston

RELEASE:  91-195 (11/22/91)


     Technology improvements are making medical advances more and more
commonplace.  Still, research remains limited by the boundaries of Earth's
gravity.

     One boundary, that of tissue growth in the laboratory, is being pushed
farther out due to work in Johnson Space Cernter's (JSC) Biotechnology Program
with a system that promotes such cell culturing.

     The device, called the rotating wall vessel, cultures cells in an
environment that approximates how they might grow in space.  The rotating wall
vessel nurtures the cell cultures in a horizontal cylinder that slowly rotates,
bathing the cells in nutrients and oxygen and keeping them gently suspended in
the liquid medium.

     Tissues grown during the development and testing of the vessel already
have been put to work in attempts to create drugs, grow tissue for
transplantation and understand malignancies.  The rotating wall vessel,
developed as a cell culture growth tool for Space Station Freedom, has
pioneered research in lung tissue growth, skin growth, small intestines,
cartilage growth, colon cancer proliferation, brain tumor growth and
therapeutics.

     "The biggest problem with cell cultures grown in the laboratory is the
mechanical means used to suspend them," said Glenn Spaulding, Manager of JSC's
Space Biotechnology Program.

     In other culture devices, cells become damaged by the suspension vessel or
do not bond together to create tissues.  Consequently, scientists have not had
high- fidelity tissue models available for their research.

     Research done with NASA's rotating wall vessel over the past 2 years,
however, has produced cell cultures more like the human tissue.  The more
similar the cells are to the original tissue, the more applicable and
appropriate they are to the intended research.

     Research begins with a small seeding of starter cells from a donor or
patient.  Cell assemblies then begin to take form and resemble the original
tissue.


     The rotating wall vessel hardware will receive its first test and
equipment checkout in space during next week's Space Shuttle Atlantis (STS-44)
mission.  Flown as Detailed Supplementary Objective 316, the vessel hardware
will be used in a test that researchers hope will confirm their theories and
calculations about how the flow fields work in space, thus validating the fluid
dynamics of the device in the absence of living cells.

     Plastic beads of various sizes rather than cell cultures are being flown
in the vessel for the STS-44 test.  Video of bead movement will be collected
for postflight analysis to refine the system.  Plans are to fly cell cultures
on future shuttle flights and Space Station Freedom.

     By emulating the space environment, the rotating wall vessel allows tissue
cultures to grow for a longer time than previously was possible. "The longer
certain cells grow, the larger and more well-developed they become, the more
meaningful the medical application," Spaulding said.

     The rotating wall vessel, however, may not speed the growth process.  What
takes months to generate within the body would also take months within the
vessel.

     Spaulding attributes the development of the rotating wall vessel to
serendipity or to having the right people in the right place at the right time.

     About 2 years ago, researchers who were developing a plan to grow tissue
cultures in space were trying to solve the question of how to suspend the cells
for the experiment, he said.  The primary problem was stowing the suspension
vessel in a middeck locker that would shift its orientation during Shuttle
ascent, orbit and entry to the extent that the tissue would be damaged.

     Then, with the help of a power drill and a small jar of beads,
investigators Tinh Trinh and Dven though the rotating wall vessel greatly
improves upon the older classical methods of tissue culturing on Earth, gravity
still plays a role in the culture process.  As the tissue becomes larger, it
settles to the bottom of the growth chamber and is damaged.  Following that,
the cultures themselves settle too rapidly to stay suspended in the vessel.
Cells can be grown successfully on Earth in the rotating wall vessel for about
3 months.  They then drop to the bottom of the vessel and become damaged.

     In the future, cultures may be grown on the Earth for the first 3 months,
then flown in space where gravitational effects are miniscule for able to
re-create a three-dimensional culture that is very difficult to do in any other
tissue culture apparatus," he said. "Most tissue culture systems are
gravity-limited to two-dimensional cultures.  By lacking the third dimension of
vertical growth, it's very difficult to be able to study what happens when
cells are growing around one another."

     A research group at the University of Texas Medical School has
successfully grown a virus responsible for high infant mortality in Third World
countries and is now laying the foundation for paulding said. "Without space
station there would be no opportunity to exploit the potential of this
fascinating and important tool."
   

Article: 1753
From: [email protected] (WILLIAM HARWOOD, UPI Science Writer)
Newsgroups: clari.tw.space,clari.news.aviation,clari.news.bulletin
Subject: Shuttle Atlantis rockets into orbit
Date: 24 Nov 91 23:58:32 GMT
  
	CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (UPI) -- The shuttle Atlantis streaked
into orbit like a blazing meteor Sunday to launch a $300 million Air
Force satellite, the newest member of a globe-spanning network of
space sentinels on the lookout for enemy missile launches. 
	With its three main engines roaring with power, Atlantis's twin
solid-fuel boosters ignited with a burst of incandescent flame at 6:44
p.m. EST, five days late because of problems with the satellite's $50
million booster rocket.
	But it was clear sailing the second time around and the $2 billion
orbiter majestically thundered skyward, turning night into day for
thousands of spectators witnessing the seventh after dark launch in
shuttle history.
	``Three, two, one, liftoff of Atlantis and a six-man crew on a
Department of Defense flight,'' said NASA launch commentator Lisa Malone
as Atlantis roared away.
	Eight-and-a-half minutes later, Atlantis's main engines shut down on
schedule, putting the spaceplane in a planned preliminary orbit. The
shuttle was visible from the launch site for seven minutes, 20 seconds,
appearing as a flickering star in the evening sky.
	Liftoff came 13 minutes late because of problems earlier in the day
with launch pad fueling gear.
	Strapped in on the ship's flight deck were commander Frederick
Gregory, 50, co-pilot Terence Henricks, 39, flight engineer Story
Musgrave, 56, and James Voss, 42. Seated on the ship's lower deck were
Mario Runco, 39, and Army guest astronaut Thomas Hennen, 39.
	Nestled in the shuttle's 60-foot-long cargo bay was a $300 million
Defense Support Program -- DSP -- early warning satellite designed to spot
strategic and tactical missile launches as well as nuclear explosions.
	The flight plan called for Voss, working at a console on Atlantis's
aft flight deck, to launch the 2.5-ton, solar-powered satellite early
Monday to accomplish the primary goal of the 44th shuttle mission, the
sixth and final flight of 1991.
	One hour later, the DSP satellite's two-stage solid-fuel booster was
scheduled to fire, propelling the spacecraft from the shuttle's 224-
mile-high orbit to an operational altitude of 22,300 miles above the
equator where at least four such satellites are believed to be on guard
at all times.
	A problem with the navigation unit of the ``inertial upper stage''
booster grounded Atlantis Tuesday. A new unit was installed Wednesday
and despite an inability to duplicate the original glitch, engineers
cleared the booster for takeoff.
	Once on station, the DSP's orbital velocity will be synchronized with
Earth's rotation and the spacecraft will appear to hang stationary in the sky.
	In that manner, the satellite, spinning at 6 rpm, can monitor an
entire hemisphere around the clock, using a heat-sensitive 12-foot-long
infrared telescope to look for the fiery plumes of enemy missile launches.
	Until just a few years ago, DSP satellites, built by TRW Space &
Technology Group, were considered top secret. But the Air Force
declassified Atlantis's mission -- and its primary payload -- to reduce
costs. It is the second of nine Pentagon-chartered shuttle missions to
be conducted in the open.
	DSP satellites reportedly detected nearly 200 missile launches during
the Iran-Iraq war and all 88 Scud missiles launched by Iraq against
Israel and Saudi Arabia during the Persian Gulf War.
	TRW was awarded a $747 million contract in 1987 to build five
upgraded DSPs at an average cost of $150 million. But the DSP assigned
to Atlantis was ordered on a single-satellite basis before that contract
was awarded and as such, the price tag was $300 million.
	With the major goal of their mission accomplished, Atlantis's
astronauts plan to focus their attention on a variety of on-board medical 
and military experiments, including two space surveillance projects.
	Hennen, an Army chief warrant officer assigned to Atlantis's crew on
a one-flight-only basis because of his skill as an image analyst, plans
to conduct an experiment called Terra Scout that could lead to the
development of ``smarter'' spy satellites.
	``What we're trying to do is document the manner in which a human
observes and more specifically, analyzes seen data,'' said Hennen,
selected for the mission from a pool of 700 military image analysts. 
``What we want to do is translate that data into computer-assisted
sensing systems. What we want to do is make smart sensors.''
	Runco, a former New Jersey Highway Patrol officer, has primary
responsibility for a second military surveillance experiment, a project
known as M88-1.
	M88-1 is designed to help military analysts better understand what
the human eye can see from space and how astronauts aboard a shuttle or
NASA's planned space station might be of service in a time of national
crisis.
	If all goes well, the Atlantis's crew will close out the
year's final shuttle mission with an afternoon landing on the Kennedy
Space Center's 3-mile-long shuttle runway. 

Article: 1757
From: [email protected] (WILLIAM HARWOOD, UPI Science Writer)
Newsgroups: clari.tw.space,clari.news.military,clari.news.aviation
Subject: Shuttle crew launches $300 million satellite
Date: 25 Nov 91 13:11:45 GMT 
 
	CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (UPI) -- The shuttle Atlantis's crew launched a
$300 million Air Force early warning satellite Monday, the newest member
of a globe-spanning network of sentinels on the lookout for enemy
missile launches.
	Astronaut James Voss, working at a console on Atlantis's aft flight
deck, launched the 2 1/2-ton Defense Support Program satellite, known as a
DSP, from its cradle in Atlantis's 60-foot cargo bay at 1:03 a.m. EST,
six hours and 19 minutes after the shuttle's sky-lighting liftoff Sunday
night.
	``Good deploy, Houston, on time. DSP Liberty is on its way,'' Voss
radioed as the giant satellite, nicknamed Liberty, slowly floated away
into space.
	One hour later, the first stage of the DSP satellite's $50 million 
``inertial upper stage'' -- IUS -- solid-fuel booster ignited and fired
for two minutes and 28 seconds to put the spacecraft in an elliptical
orbit with a high point of about 22,300 miles and a low point of 224 miles.
	``Pass on our congratulations to the IUS and the DSP communities,''
Voss said after the first of two planned rocket firings. ``Tell them
great job on getting that new sentinel deployed to watch over the United
States.''
	The IUS second stage fired for one minute and 42 seconds starting at
7:18 a.m. Monday to raise the low point of the satellite's orbit,
putting the DSP spacecraft in a circular orbit some 22,300 miles above
the equator.
	The DSP deployment capped a busy first day in space for Voss, 42,
commander Frederick Gregory, 50, co-pilot Terence Henricks, 39, flight
engineer Story Musgrave, 56, Mario Runco, 39, and Army guest astronaut
Thomas Hennen, 39.
	With the primary goal of the mission accomplished, the six shuttle
fliers plan to devote the rest of the marathon 10-day mission to
carrying out a battey of on-board civilian and military research
projects, including two space surveillance experiments by Hennen and Runco.
	If all goes well, Gregory and Henricks will guide Atlantis to a
landing at 2:20 p.m. on Dec. 4 at the Kennedy Space Center, closing out
the 44th shuttle mission and along with it, NASA's 1991 shuttle flight
schedule.
	The year's sixth and final shuttle voyage began with a spectacular
liftoff at 6:44 p.m. Sunday, 13 minutes late because of minor problems
with a launch pad valve during fuel loading earlier in the day.
	Turning night into day, the shuttle's fiery ascent was visible for
hundreds of miles as the $2 billion spaceplane thundered away through a
clear night sky trailing a 600-foot tongue of flame from its twin solid-
fuel boosters.
	A faulty navigation unit on the Defense Support Program satellite's
inertial upper stage booster grounded Atlantis Tuesday, but its
replacement apparently worked as planned Monday, guiding the satellite
toward the proper orbit.
	Satellites at an altitude of about 22,300 miles take 24 hours to
complete one orbit and thus appear to hang stationary in the sky as
viewed from Earth.
	In that manner, DSP satellites, spinning at 6 rpm, can monitor an
entire hemisphere around the clock, using heat-sensitive infrared
telescopes to look for the fiery plumes of enemy missile launches.
	At least four such satellites are believed to be on station at all
times and the spacecraft carried aloft aboard Atlantis presumably will
replace an older model already in space.
	Until just a few years ago, DSP satellites, built by TRW Space &
Technology Group, were considered top secret. But the Air Force
declassified Atlantis's mission -- and its primary payload -- to reduce
costs. It is the second of nine Pentagon-chartered shuttle missions to
be conducted in the open.
	TRW was awarded a $747 million contract in 1987 to build five
upgraded DSPs at an average cost of $150 million. But the DSP assigned
to Atlantis was ordered on a single-satellite basis before that contract
was awarded and as such, the price tag was $300 million.
	DSP satellites reportedly detected nearly 200 missile launches during
the Iran-Iraq war and all 88 Scud missiles launched by Iraq against
Israel and Saudi Arabia during the Persian Gulf War.

Hi here is the latest for  anyone in the footprint of 
STS-44 that want to track it.  Don't forgot that this mission
will be link to Fleetsat and Night Mist (both UHF) satellites
today and tomorrow for a Navy war game.

cheers john


STS-44
1 21795U 91 80  A 91329.26257212  .00024749  00000-0  25599-3 0    38
2 21795  28.4687 249.3628 0024731 199.7683 340.2189 15.62779082    43


    STS-44                         (Launch 91-80-  A)   Set:    3, Obj:  21795
          Epoch Year: 1991  Day: 329.262572120    Orbit #       4
          Inclination  =  28.46870000     R.A.A.N      = 249.36280000
          Eccentricity =   0.00247310     Arg of Per   = 199.76830000
          Mean Anomaly = 340.21890000     Mean Motion  =  15.62779082
          Drag         =  0.24749E-03     Frequency    =        0.000
          S.M.A.       =    6757.7281     Anom Period  =      92.1435
          Apogee Ht    =     396.2806     Perigee Ht   =     362.8555

    

Re the UHF radio check:  The ground ask for it and got it immediately after.
Both sides reported "loud and clear", so I assume everything was ok.  Not clear
why they requested it.  Some telemetry dropouts?

    What was the date and time for the UHF radio check?
    This might not have been the normal NASA UHF radio system.
    It might have been the UHF NIGHT MIST satelite sytem that
    will be use in the Naval War games
    
    john
    

    Beside being a check of the UHF NIGHT MIST system 
    it is a NASA requirement that even on DOD mission
    that the UHF radio be turn on for both take off and landings.  
    
    I think this goes for the first two orbits and the lasts.  
    They might have forgot to turn it on, normally there is no 
    TLM on the UHF system,  just  voice.
    
    john
    

    The check was during ascent before SRB separation. My gut feel would
    put it at about +30 seconds

From:	DECWRL::"[email protected]" 26-NOV-1991 14:30:39.79
Subj:	See the Space Shuttle - Tuesday  Evening

There is an excellent chance for observes in the southern Half of
the  US to see the Space Shuttle ATLANTIS STS-44, TUESDAY EVENING
(  Today  - Nov 26 )   after sunset in your locality.      To see
the Shuttle, it must be after sunset at your location .. twilight
..  but yet at the Shuttle's altitude the Sun must illuminate it.
If it gets too late both you and the Shuttle will be in darkness.

If  the  sky is CLEAR tonight is perfect to give a shot at seeing
the  Shuttle  (and  your tax dollars). I think that you will find
seeing the Shuttle quit a thirll !

Do  not  get  to  hung  up  on the AZIMUTH AND ELEVATION and TIME
listed below. USE AZIMUTH AND ELEVATION to figure out the general
direction of  the  Shuttle's path accross the sky and search with
your  eyes  along  the arc the track will make accross the sky.
Get  out  at  least 5 minutes early to get your bearings. Even if
you  are not in Florida or Texas or California, the numbers below
will get you close ..... the Shuttle is very bright when properly
illuminated and will move very fast accross the sky.

I  have attached an article by Alan BOSE that tells a bit more on
how to get started.

If  you  can  get the NASA Select TV Channel directly or via your
local cable, watch it for the position of the Shuttle.

Good Luck....
John Williams     Internet    [email protected]

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

FOR EASTERN US --- two passes  5:39pm and 7:17pm  EST
observer(s): Kennedy Space Center . FLORIDA                  object(s): STS44 2

Florida and the Southeast US
Local (-4)   5:39pm EST
============================
Time                  elev  azim  range   lat    lon height  beacon
________ utc _______   deg   deg   km     deg    deg   km      Mhz    or/sq phi

Tue 26Nov91 21:39:00   9.5 257.3   1453  25.0  -93.7    393 142.4262     31  44
Tue 26Nov91 21:40:00  17.5 255.8   1056  25.9  -89.8    392 142.4261     31  46
Tue 26Nov91 21:41:00  32.3 251.8    686  26.7  -85.8    392 142.4257     31  49
Tue 26Nov91 21:42:00  66.7 226.7    423  27.4  -81.7    391 142.4241     31  52
Tue 26Nov91 21:43:00  50.9  99.2    494  27.9  -77.6    391 142.4211     31  55
Tue 26Nov91 21:44:00  25.4  88.9    815  28.3  -73.5    390 142.4201     31  58
Tue 26Nov91 21:45:00  13.9  86.3   1199  28.5  -69.3    389 142.4199     31  60
Tue 26Nov91 21:46:00   7.1  85.1   1601  28.6  -65.1    388 142.4198     31  63

 ---

Florida and the Southeast US
Local (-4)   7:17pm EST
============================
________ utc _______   deg   deg   km     deg    deg   km      Mhz    or/sq phi
Time                  elev  azim  range   lat    lon height  beacon

Tue 26Nov91 23:17:00  12.4 273.9   1277  28.5  -92.6    389 142.4262     32  61
Tue 26Nov91 23:18:00  22.5 274.2    885  28.6  -88.5    388 142.4260     32  63
Tue 26Nov91 23:19:00  44.3 275.0    538  28.6  -84.3    387 142.4253     32  66
Tue 26Nov91 23:20:00  82.6  84.7    389  28.4  -80.1    386 142.4226     32  69
Tue 26Nov91 23:21:00  37.3  93.0    608  28.0  -75.9    385 142.4204     32  72
Tue 26Nov91 23:22:00  19.4  93.6    971  27.6  -71.8    384 142.4199     32  74
Tue 26Nov91 23:23:00  10.5  93.9   1367  26.9  -67.7    383 142.4198     32  77

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

FOR TEXAS      --- two passes  6:13pm and 7:50pm  CST

observer(s): Richardson  TEXAS                               object(s): STS44 2

TEXAS  and the Mid South US
Local (-5)   6:13pm CST
============================

                      elev  azim  range   lat    lon height  beacon
________ utc _______   deg   deg   km     deg    deg   km      Mhz    or/sq phi


Tue 26Nov91 23:13:00   9.1 243.1   1474  26.7 -109.1    392 142.4260     32  49
Tue 26Nov91 23:14:00  15.9 234.4   1114  27.4 -105.1    391 142.4257     32  52
Tue 26Nov91 23:15:00  25.5 216.8    814  27.9 -101.0    391 142.4249     32  55
Tue 26Nov91 23:16:00  33.6 180.8    664  28.3  -96.8    390 142.4233     32  58
Tue 26Nov91 23:17:00  28.0 140.5    758  28.5  -92.6    389 142.4214     32  61
Tue 26Nov91 23:18:00  17.9 119.3   1031  28.6  -88.5    388 142.4204     32  63
Tue 26Nov91 23:19:00  10.4 109.0   1381  28.6  -84.3    387 142.4201     32  66
Tue 26Nov91 23:20:00   5.0 103.4   1761  28.4  -80.1    386 142.4199     32  69
Tue 26Nov91 23:21:00   0.9  99.9   2155  28.0  -75.9    385 142.4199     32  72

 ---

TEXAS  and the Mid South US
Local (-5)   7:50pm CST
============================

                      elev  azim  range   lat    lon height  beacon
________ utc _______   deg   deg   km     deg    deg   km      Mhz    or/sq phi

Wed 27Nov91 00:50:00   7.1 255.4   1607  28.6 -111.8    388 142.4260     33  63
Wed 27Nov91 00:51:00  12.9 247.6   1243  28.6 -107.6    387 142.4257     33  66
Wed 27Nov91 00:52:00  20.9 233.1    928  28.4 -103.4    386 142.4252     33  69
Wed 27Nov91 00:53:00  29.1 204.4    729  28.0  -99.3    385 142.4238     33  72
Wed 27Nov91 00:54:00  28.1 165.3    748  27.5  -95.1    384 142.4219     33  75
Wed 27Nov91 00:55:00  19.3 139.3    972  26.9  -91.1    383 142.4207     33  77
Wed 27Nov91 00:56:00  11.6 126.3   1298  26.2  -87.0    382 142.4202     33  80
Wed 27Nov91 00:57:00   6.0 119.1   1666  25.3  -83.0    381 142.4200     33  83
Wed 27Nov91 00:58:00   1.7 114.8   2054  24.3  -79.1    380 142.4199     33  86

End of Richardson, TX PASS

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

FOR CALIFORNIA --- two passes  5:45pm and 7:23pm  CST

observer(s): Edwards AFB / California                        object(s): STS44 2

California and the Southwest
Local (-7)   5:45pm PST
============================

                      elev  azim  range   lat    lon height  beacon
________ utc _______   deg   deg   km     deg    deg   km      Mhz    or/sq phi

Wed 27Nov91 00:45:00   5.4 241.0   1750  26.8 -132.5    392 142.4259     33  50
Wed 27Nov91 00:46:00  10.3 233.2   1396  27.4 -128.4    391 142.4257     33  52
Wed 27Nov91 00:47:00  16.5 219.9   1088  27.9 -124.3    391 142.4251     33  55
Wed 27Nov91 00:48:00  22.8 197.0    879  28.3 -120.1    390 142.4241     33  58
Wed 27Nov91 00:49:00  24.0 165.2    847  28.5 -116.0    389 142.4224     33  61
Wed 27Nov91 00:50:00  18.5 138.8   1009  28.6 -111.8    388 142.4211     33  63
Wed 27Nov91 00:51:00  11.9 123.1   1294  28.6 -107.6    387 142.4205     33  66
Wed 27Nov91 00:52:00   6.6 114.0   1638  28.4 -103.4    386 142.4201     33  69
Wed 27Nov91 00:53:00   2.3 108.3   2010  28.0  -99.3    385 142.4200     33  72

 ---
California and the Southwest
Local (-7)   7:23pm PST
============================

Wed 27Nov91 02:23:00   8.3 243.9   1512  28.6 -130.9    388 142.4256     34  66
Wed 27Nov91 02:24:00  13.6 231.6   1208  28.3 -126.7    387 142.4251     34  69
Wed 27Nov91 02:25:00  18.8 211.6    992  28.0 -122.6    386 142.4242     34  72
Wed 27Nov91 02:26:00  20.6 184.1    930  27.5 -118.5    384 142.4227     34  75
Wed 27Nov91 02:27:00  17.0 158.6   1050  26.9 -114.4    383 142.4214     34  77
Wed 27Nov91 02:28:00  11.5 141.5   1302  26.1 -110.4    382 142.4207     34  80
Wed 27Nov91 02:29:00   6.5 131.0   1625  25.2 -106.4    381 142.4203     34  83

End of California

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

                  There's a Satellite in your Backyard!
                  =====================================

                           Tips & Techniques
                                for the
                            Novice Naked-Eye
                           Satellite Spotter

                             by Alan Bose

   When the Space Age was young (and so was I), I can remember my father
   taking us out in the backyard to watch the Echo satellite fly over.
   It was a great event.  It was even covered "live" on the radio.  An
   entire city looking for a point of light racing across the sky.
   Today we take the marvels of space exploration for granted.  We
   forget that space is not something distant and remote.  It's as close
   as our own backyards.

   A satellite is visible from the ground because the sun has recently
   set and our sky is dark, but the satellite overhead is still in full
   sunlight.  On any clear night numerous satellites can be seen during
   the hours after sunset if you just sit back and watch.  Points of
   light racing across the sky that suddenly disappear as they fly into
   the earth's shadow.  Not to be confused with high-flying aircraft,
   satellites do not have visible navigation lights or strobes, nor do
   they change direction, make noise, or leave contrails.

   The "Satellite Spotters Guide" has become a recurring segment on the
   Spike O'Dell radio program, afternoons on WGN-AM 720 in Chicago.  The
   satellite predictions announced on the air are usually the biggest,
   brightest, easy-to-spot targets.  For your viewing enjoyment, here
   are some tips to successful satellite spotting.


   Satellite Spotters Tip #1 -- Time
   ---------------------------------
   Set your watch to the WGN time signal at the top of the hour, or use
   some other accurate time standard.  (Warning: some radio/TV time
   signals are not all that accurate.)  Since satellites in low-earth
   orbit move across the sky quickly, a minute or two can make a big
   difference.


   Satellite Spotters Tip #2 -- Eyes
   ---------------------------------
   Get outside a few minutes early and let your eyes become acclimated
   to the dark, especially if you're coming out of a brightly lit house.
   Choose the darkest location possible, shielded from bright light
   sources such as street lights or nearby windows.  Just turning off a
   few lights in the house can darken your own backyard considerably.
   In and near the city, "light pollution" overhead makes viewing
   especially difficult by washing out all but the brightest objects.

   Satellite Spotters Tip #3 -- Bearings
   -------------------------------------
   Get your bearings.  Know which way is north.  Know from which
   direction the satellite will rise and in which direction it will set.


   Satellite Spotters Tip #4 -- Zenith
   -----------------------------------
   Very  important.  Know  where  the  satellite's  zenith  will be (its
   highest point in the sky). It is not enough to know that it will rise
   in  the  west and set in the east, without knowing if it will pass to
   the  north  of you, to the south of you, or directly overhead. Yes, I
   have  stood  in  the  backyard  scanning the sky in vain to the south
   while the bird I was looking for passed quickly and quietly behind my
   head to the north!

   Unfortunately, the zenith calculated for Chicago may or may not apply
   for  Rockford,  Champaign  or Milwaukee, depending on the satellite's
   track.  The  satellite  will certainly be visible, but it may be in a
   totally  different  part  of the sky from your vantage point! Knowing
   the  satellite's  track  may  help you figure out the general area to
   look.


   Satellite Spotters Tip #5 -- Scan
   ---------------------------------
   When  waiting  for the satellite to rise, don't stare at the horizon.
   Even  the brightest satellite won't be visible until it gets at least
   20  degrees  or  so  above the horizon -- above the atmospheric haze.
   Instead,  scan the entire path across the sky. The satellite could be
   a  few  minutes early, and already at its zenith while you're staring
   at the horizon. (I've done that too.)


   Satellite Spotters Tip #6 -- Backlighting
   -----------------------------------------
   When  a  satellite rises in the west in the evening, the sun is below
   our  horizon,  but it is still behind the satellite from our point of
   view.  In  other  words,  as we look west we are looking at the unlit
   side  of  the satellite. For this reason a satellite low on the west-
   ern  horizon  in  the  evening  (or low on the eastern horizon in the
   morning)  can  be quite dim or impossible to see -- at least until it
   climbs higher in the sky, where we can see some of its sunlit side.


   Satellite Spotters Tip #7 -- Uncontrollables
   --------------------------------------------
   As  timely & accurate as we try to be with these satellite visibility
   forecasts,  there  are  several  variables  that  remain  beyond  our
   control.

   One  is  the  orientation  of  the  satellite  itself.  The Mir space
   station, for example, is more than 100 feet long with a vast array of
   solar  panels. It is currently the brightest artificial object in the
   sky. (Our Skylab was the brightest, I'm told.) What we see on the

   ground is sunlight reflecting off this large surface area -- assuming
   it  is  oriented  properly. As an experiment, have a friend hold up a
   pencil across a dimly-lit room. In most any orientation you will have
   little  trouble  seeing  the pencil. But if he holds it with only the
   end  facing  you, it will be quite difficult to tell if he is holding
   anything  between  his  fingers  or  not.  In the same manner, if the
   station  is  end-on  to either us or the sun, its apparent brightness
   can vary considerably, and on occasion it can be almost impossible to
   see.

   Another  uncontrollable  is when a satellite's orbit changes. The Mir
   is  an  active space station, and permanently manned, but each day it
   looses a few meters of altitude. If not corrected it would eventually
   re-enter  the  earth's  atmosphere.  To  prevent  this, it is given a
   slight  boost  every  couple months to kick it back up to the desired
   orbit,  but  in  the  process it throws our orbital forecasts out the
   window.  Since  the Russians don't announce the changes, we only find
   out  second  hand, after the fact. If the changes aren't too great it
   may  only mean that the it shows up a couple minutes earlier or later
   than  planned.  We  strive to use only the most current tracking data
   publicly  available.  Sometimes  it is just not soon enough. The best
   remedies  are  to  go  outside  a  few  minutes early (Tip #2) and to
   immediately scan the expected track (Tip #5).


   Satellite Spotters Tip #8 -- Serendipity
   ----------------------------------------
   How  do  you  spot a hardy satellite spotter? He's the one who leaves
   his  reclining  lawn  chair out in the back yard all winter! (He also
   sits  there on summer evenings and "feeds the mosquitoes".) You'll be
   amazed  how  many  satellites  you  can spot just by sitting back and
   looking  up.  Most  are quite dim and only visible for a brief moment
   directly  overhead  on  clear  nights. Some spent rocket boosters and
   decommissioned satellites tumble slowly and appear to wink on and off
   as they cross the sky (not to be confused with high-altitude aircraft
   which  can  be  identified by their navigation lights). Satellites in
   polar  orbit  (north/south directions) tend to be spy satellites with
   an  occasional  earth-resource satellite like the Landsats or Seasat.
   Spy  satellites  are  generally  in low orbits so they can get better
   detail  in  their  pictures. But their low orbits also make them good
   targets for satellite spotters.

   A  favorite  challenge for satellite spotters is the Lacrosse, a top-
   secret  U.S.  spy satellite deployed on a shuttle mission a few years
   back.  Its  not  hard  to  see  - it's unusually big and bright for a
   satellite  in  a near-polar orbit. It's just that you can't tell when
   or  where  it  will  show  up  since current tracking data isn't made
   public.  On  the  other  hand,  a global network of amateur satellite
   spotters  often  deduces the orbits of these 'secret' satellites from
   as little as two or three accurate naked-eye observations.

   Satellite Spotters Tip #9 -- 'Standard' Orbits
   ----------------------------------------------
   Is the Space Shuttle visible? Yes, the Hubble Space Telescope and the
   Space Shuttles are exceptionally bright objects -- if you live in the
   southern  tier  of states from Los Angeles to Atlanta. Unfortunately,
   most  Shuttle  missions  do  not venture as far north as Chicago. The
   Kennedy  Space  Center  is located at 28.4 degrees north latitude. As
   such,  the  most  energy efficient orbit (the greatest payload in the
   highest  orbit  on  the least fuel) is confined to 28.4 degrees north
   and  south  of  the  equator  -- far from Chicago at 42 degrees north
   latitude.  Most  Shuttle  missions pass just below our horizon to the
   south.  The  Hubble  Space Telescope follows the same orbit, but at a
   higher  altitude.  The  HST peeks above our southern horizon briefly,
   though  scarcely enough to be seen through the atmospheric haze under
   the  best  conditions.  The HST is in the highest orbit attainable by
   the present Shuttle system.

   Only large objects in low orbit stand a chance at being seen from the
   ground  with the naked eye. Higher orbits, such as the geosynchronous
   orbits,  are  simply  too high up for naked-eye observation. Numerous
   satellites  are  in  our  sky  constantly, but it is rare that we are
   aware  of them. Every once in a while we just need to sit still, look
   up and watch!


   Satellite Spotters Tip #10 -- How it's done.  You can do it too!
   ----------------------------------------------------------------
   The  question  that  has been asked over and over is, "How does he do
   that?"  How  is  it  possible  for  an average citizen like myself to
   calculate  and  predict  the passage of all these various satellites?
   The  personal  computer,  that's  how.  The average personal computer
   sitting  on  your  desk today has a couple hundred times the power of
   the  computers  sent aboard the Voyager spacecraft in 1977 to explore
   Jupiter,  Saturn,  Uranus,  Neptune and beyond. It is this power that
   can  be  applied  to the serious number crunching required to predict
   satellite movement and visibility. The second requirement is accurate
   tracking data with periodic updates to feed to your computer.

   First,  you  need  a personal computer. Either a Macintosh or an IBM-
   compatible.  Satellite  computations  are extremely math-intensive. A
   computer  with  math  co-processor  is  highly  recommended.  A lower
   powered  machine can do the computations just fine, as long as you're
   willing to walk away and let it work. Overnight, if need be.

   Tracking  data  is  publicly available in a computer-readable file
   called  the "NASA Prediction Bulletin". Of course data on certain spy
   satellites  is  withheld. The data is simply two lines of numbers for
   each  satellite (see Figure 1). The data is available for downloading
   from  a  variety  of  public  and  private  computer  bulletin  board
   services,  if  you  have a modem and suitable communications software
   and  are  willing  to  make a 3-4 minute long-distance call. Bulletin
   boards that cater to amateur astronomy and/or amateur radio generally
   carry  the  files on a regular basis. The BBS systems listed here all
   run 8 data bits, no parity, 1 stop bit. Each operates 24-hours a day.


     Celestial BBS, Fairborn, Ohio     Canadian Space Soc. BBS, Toronto
     513/427-0674 - 1200/2400 baud     416/458-5907 - 1200/2400 baud
     Good, but very, very busy         Specialty: spy satellites

     Dallas Remote Imaging Group       RPV BBS, Rancho Palos Verdes, CA
     214/394-7438 - 9600 and down      213/541-7299 - 1200/2400 baud
     Excellent satellite imaging!
     PO BOX 117088
     Carrollton, Texas 75011-7088

     DRIG  also  has  an excellent journal, Journal of the Environmental
     Satellite  Amateur  Users  Group  (JESAUG), covering all aspects of
     satellite  tracking,  imaging,  telemetry decoding, etc. for $30.00
     for  quarterly  issues. See address above for JESAUG. Sample issues
     are $5.00 each, refundable with subscription.

   Next  you  need a satellite tracking program that will take that data
   from  the Prediction Bulletin file and calculate where each satellite
   is  (or  will  be)  at  any  particular time. There are two excellent
   programs  that  I  use regularly: MacSat written by Bill Bard for the
   Macintosh, and TRAKSAT written by Paul Taufler for DOS compatibles.

      MacSat   $10 (disc & manual)        TRAKSAT  $10 (disc w/ docs)
      Bill Bard                                    $20 (disc & manual)
      BEK Developers                      Paul E. Traufler
      1732 74th Circle NE                 111 Emerald Drive
      St. Petersburg, FL  33702           Harvest, AL  35749


   Both  programs  are  well  documented.  You  will  need  to know your
   location,  in  terms  of  latitude  and  longitude. For anyone in the
   Chicago  area 42 degrees north latitude and 88 degrees west longitude
   will  work  fine.  TRAKSAT  comes  with  a long list of cites already
   entered.  For  other  areas,  just  stop by your nearest airport. Any
   private  pilot will be happy to tell you your latitude and longitude.
   Since satellites are visible over a wide, wide area you don't need to
   calculate  the  latitude  and  longitude for your own backyard! Close
   (within 10-20 miles) will do fine.

   However,  accurate  satellite  forecasts  do depend on supplying your
   program with the most current tracking data available. If a satellite
   doesn't  show up as predicted, it might be that your tracking data is
   old. If your data is more than a month old, you might want to call in
   again for fresh data. If you're a regular satellite spotter, updating
   your  data  every other week should generate forecasts that are quite
   reliable.

   Both  programs  will  calculate  when  a satellite will be above your
   horizon  (Figure  3).  They  will  also  calculate  when  it might be
   visible.  They  can  both  draw you a real-time map of the planet and
   show  you where a satellite is located, just like the big map you see
   on  the  wall  at  Mission  Control  in  Houston.  Other  than  minor
   differences,  both  programs  work very well and do everything needed
   for successful satellite spotting.

   Careful,  both  programs  use time in 24-hour format. 0700 is 7:00am.
   Twelve  hours  later,  7:00pm  is  1900  (7+12=19).  TRAKSAT is a bit
   trickier  still in that it uses UTC (what used to be called Greenwich
   Mean  Time)  which  is  6 hours ahead of Central Standard, or 5 hours
   ahead  of  Central  Daylight.  1900  Sunday  Central Standard Time in
   Chicago  is  0100 Monday UTC (1:00am of the following day in London).
   It can be a little confusing if you're not careful.

   So,  now  that  you can calculate where these satellites will be, can
   you  really  see  them? Well, there are only a few excellent targets.
   The  Russian  Mir, the American Hubble Space Telescope, or any of the
   Space  Shuttle flights are all easy naked-eye targets. Unfortunately,
   the  HST  and  most Shuttle missions don't come far enough north (see
   Tip  #9).  But  don't give up. There are plenty of sights to see. You
   just have to look a little more carefully.

   For  viewing  around  the  Chicago area, you should select satellites
   that  have  and  inclination  of at least 40 degrees, and have a mean
   motion  of  14.5 or more (which is the same as a period of 99 minutes
   or  less,  depending  on  how  your  program displays its data). This
   simply  means  that  the  orbit  is  tilted  at least 40 degrees with
   respect  to earth's equator, and as such will pass over points as far
   north  as  40  degrees  north  latitude and points as far south as 40
   degrees  south  latitude.  The  mean  motion  is simply the number of
   orbits per day a satellite makes. Period is how long one orbit takes.
   The  lower  the  orbit,  the more orbits per day, and the shorter the
   period.

   Even  then, the satellite you've selected might only be the size of a
   beach  ball.  Trying to see a beach ball 300 kilometers overhead with
   the  unaided eye just won't work. Binoculars and dark skies will help
   spot  dimmer  targets,  but  the  smallest  birds will still fly over
   unseen. A few you might want to try are:

    COBE - variable, spins once every 10 seconds.  Occasionally bright.
    Cosmos 604 & Cosmos 1689 - dim, but quite visible directly overhead.
    Cosmos 1689 r - rocket booster for Cosmos 1689, slow 90-second
                    tumble.  Bright for 5 seconds of the 90, but
                    otherwise dark & invisible.
    ERBS - Earth Radiation Budget Satellite.  Dim.
    Landsat 4 - tumbling every 15 seconds.  Visible, but mainly dark.
    Pegsat - pretty good target.

   Be  patient  and  trust your prediction program. Someone told me that
   for  satellite spotting, patience isn't a virtue, it's a requirement!
   The times may be off slightly, but the path across the sky is usually
   right on.

   For  $30  a  pair  of  binoculars  will  help  you  find  many dimmer
   satellites.  A  small  7x35  pair will do fine, though for $80-$100 a
   pair  of  7x50s  will collect even more light. (For dim objects it is
   light gathering power (the second number), not magnification, that is
   the  desired  feature.)  A telescope is far too cumbersome. A scope's
   high power and narrow field of view make it almost impossible to zero
   in  on  a fast moving satellite. And you're not going to see antennas
   hanging  out.  It's  just  too  small  and  too  far  away  for that.
   Binoculars are ideal.


   Get everything you need from CompuServe.
   ----------------------------------------
   Everything  you  need  to  get  started  with  satellite  spotting is
   available  in one place. It was on the CompuServe Information Service
   that  I  found,  and downloaded these programs that got me started. I
   also  found  other  satellite  spotters  all around the globe. If you
   already  subscribe  to  similar  services like Delphi, GEnie, America
   Online,  or  others,  check around for an astronomy or ham radio area
   with  files  available for downloading. Prodigy is not suitable since
   they  do  not  allow  you  to download programs and datafiles for use
   offline.

   I've  worked  out a method using CompuServe that will let you: 1) get
   all  the  programs  and  data  files at little or no cost, and 2) ask
   questions via electronic mail (my CompuServe ID is 76703,3044. MacSat
   author  Bill Bard is at 75366,2557). You'll also have the opportunity
   to  meet  a  wide variety of amateur and professional astronomers and
   space enthusiasts.

   The  only thing you'll need in addition to your computer and modem is
   a  CompuServe  User  ID  to get access to the system. Call CompuServe
   Customer  Service  toll-free at 1-800-848-8199. Ask for Operator 176.
   They  will  send  you  a free Starter Kit that includes a User ID and
   password,  and  comes with $15 of free connect time. If you also need
   communications  software  for  your  computer,  they  will  offer the
   CompuServe  Information  Manager  for  $25 (this also includes $25 of
   connect time, so your cost is a wash). When you get your kit, it will
   include  your  User ID, password, and a directory of telephone access
   numbers across the country.

   When  you  log  on,  you  will want to make your way to the Astronomy
   Forum. Depending on your software you'll probably type GO ASTROFORUM.
   If you're using the CompuServe Information Manager, use the GO option
   under the Services menu and type ASTROFORUM.

   Each  forum  maintains up to 18 libraries loaded with files available
   for downloading.

   In this case we are interested in:
      Library 7 "Astrocomputing"
         and the files MACSAT.DOC and MACSAT.SIT  (for Macintosh users)
          or the files TRKSAT.DOC and TRKSAT.EXE  (for DOS users)
      Library 17 "New Uploads"
         for datafiles KEPELE.NAS or SATLOW.DAT for all users.
         (Updated frequently.)

   The  file  TRKSAT.EXE  is the largest file at 329,000 bytes, and will
   take  about  48  minutes  to  download  with a 1200 baud modem, or 24
   minutes with a 2400 baud modem. MACSAT.SIT is only 105,000 bytes long
   (approx 14 minutes at 1200 baud, 7 minutes at 2400).


   So, now you know how the Satellite Spotters Guide is created. You can
   do  it  yourself  anytime  at all. While I can't answer all questions
   about  every  program on every machine, I do run both Macintoshes and
   DOS  clones.  Feel free to drop me a note via E-Mail on CompuServe at
   76703,3044.


   +--------------------------------------------------------------------+
   Mir
   1 16609U 86 17 A 90183.89213145  .00020188  00000-0  22865-3 0  7711
   2 16609 51.6127 251.5145 0010974 101.2360 258.9979 15.62331916250556
   +--------------------------------------------------------------------+

   Figure  1.  The  Keplerian  elements (named after Johannes Kepler who
   first  worked  out  the orbit of Mars and proved Copernican theory of
   the solar system correct) are a set of numbers that describe the path
   and  motion of an object in orbit. The data files you download are in
   "NASA  2-line  format"  shown  here. These numbers describe the exact
   position  and  motion  of  a  satellite  at  a  given time. With this
   information  we  can  calculate  its current (or future) position and
   motion.


   +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+
   |                                                                         |
   | Satellite          Mir           NORAD Number        16609              |
   | Int'l Designation  1986 017A     Epoch               90 183.89213145    |
   | Inclination        51.6127 Deg   RAAN                251.5145 Deg       |
   | Eccentricity       0.00109740    Argument of Perigee 101.2360 Deg       |
   | Mean Anomaly       258.9979 Deg  Mean Motion        15.62331916 Rev/Day |
   | Epoch Revolution   25055                                                |
   |                                                                         |
   | Semimajor Axis  6759.0 Km        Period                92.17 Min        |
   | Apogee          388.27 Km        Perigee               373.44 Km        |
   |                                                                         |
   +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+

   Figure  2.  The  NASA  2-line  format  is decoded showing Mir's orbit
   inclined  to  the  earth's  equator at an angle of 51.6 degrees. This
   means  it  will  pass  directly  over  points  as far as 51.6 degrees
   latitude  north  and  south  of  the  equator. (Chicago is 42 degrees
   north.)  It's  mean  motion  of  15.6  means it is low enough to be a
   candidate for visual observation. MacSat allows you choose satellites
   by  inclination or mean motion and display the data as shown here. On
   DOS  machines  a  separate  program  called EDSAT is needed. EDSAT is
   available  in  the  CompuServe  libraries,  but  is  not  required to
   generate satellite forecasts.

   +------------------------------------------------------------------------+
   |     Time  CDT     Az  El  Range Height  North  West    RA       Decl   |
   | MM DD YY HHMM:SS  Deg Deg   Km    Km     Lat   Long   Hr Min  Deg Min  |
   |                                                                        |
   | 07 10 90 2238:30  238  22  893   379.7  37.84  95.62  13 33.4  -6 38.1 |
   | 07 10 90 2239:00  239  31  706   379.4  39.04  93.77  13 52.7   0 32.7 |
   | 07 10 90 2239:30  241  44  540   379.2  40.19  91.85  14 23.5  11 55.8 |
   | 07 10 90 2240:00  248  66  421   378.9  41.31  89.86  15 21.3  30  9.8 |
   | 07 10 90 2240:30   23  80  394   378.7  42.39  87.79  17 27.6  51  3.3 |
   | 07 10 90 2241:00   48  54  475   378.4  43.43  85.66  20 35.1  56 29.2 |
   | 07 10 90 2241:30   51  36  623   378.2  44.42  83.44  22 26.2  50 23.3 |
   | 07 10 90 2242:00   53  26  801   378.0  45.36  81.15  23 17.5  44  8.6 |
   +------------------------------------------------------------------------+

   Figure  3.  Using the Keplerian elements, MacSat and TRAKSAT can then
   calculate  when  a  satellite  will  be  above your horizon, if it is
   illuminated  by  the  sun  at  the time, and if the sun is below your
   horizon,  making  a  visual  sighting theoretically possible. Here we
   show  a  passage  that  begins  with  the  satellite to our southwest
   (azimuth  238 degrees) at 10:38pm (2238) low in the sky (elevation 20
   degrees).  It  reaches its highest point in the sky at 10:40pm (2240)
   to  the  northeast  (azimuth  23  degrees)  almost  directly overhead
   (elevation 80 degrees).

   Azimuth  refers  to  the  direction to look, measured in degrees from
   north.  0/360  = north. 90 = east. 180 = south. 270 = west. Elevation
   is  the angle above the horizon. 0 degrees is the horizon, 90 degrees
   is directly overhead. The North Star is 42 degrees above our northern
   horizon, which corresponds to Chicago's latitude of 42 degrees.

   Today's  students  are  tomorrow's explorers. The "Satellite Spotters
   Guide" is dedicated to the proposition that the United States has the
   will,  the  determination  and  the  resources  to remain a leader in
   future space exploration.

   Please  pardon  the  fact  that  this  is a simple ASCII version of a
   typeset  flyer complete with illustrations. Recently we sent hundreds
   of flyers to interested Chicagoans who regularly catch the "Satellite
   Spotters Guide" on WGN-AM 720.

   If  you must have the finished, typeset, illustrated, printed version
   (for  your  astronomy  club  or  school?)  please  by  send $1 plus a
   stamped, self-addressed, #10 (business size) envelope to:

      Satellite Spotters Guide, P.O. Box 366, Itasca IL  60143.

   Please  mention  which BBS or service you found this file on. Yes, it
   does look a whole lot nicer.

   My  special thanks to John Williams [73615,1407] of the Dallas Remote
   Imaging  Group  for all of his help and suggestions in preparing this
   paper. My thanks also to T.S. Kelso of the Celestial BBS; Ted Molczan
   of  the  Canadian  Space  Society; Conrad Kirksey [71575,1677] of the
   CocoLoco  BBS;  and David Ransom of the RPV Astronomy BBS. These guys
   are  the  *real*  satellite  trackers  and  observers. And finally my
   thanks  to  Bill  Bard  [75366,2557] and Paul Traufler for their well
   written programs that make it all seem so easy.


   Alan  Bose  is  Manager of Information Services at a large commercial
   printer in the northwest suburbs of Chicago. He is also a speaker and
   author on the use of computers and barcodes in the printing and paper
   industries.  He  is  a  graduate  of  the  Institute of Design at the
   Illinois   Institute   of  Technology.  His  interest  in  computers,
   astronomy,  aviation  and  space  exploration dates back to the heady
   days  during  our race to the moon. As a private pilot he has written
   computer  software  for  aircraft  navigation  and  flown  the  North
   Atlantic in a light plane. Over the past ten years he has been one of
   the  system operators on AVSIG - the Aviation Forum on CompuServe. As
   an  amateur  astronomer,  he  is  a  member of the Northwest Suburban
   Astronomers,  and  has  been doing naked-eye satellite spotting since
   1989,  and  stirring  up  interest in Chicago by forecasting brighter
   objects  on  WGN  Radio  since  July  1990.  Skiing,  Cub  Scouts and
   classical music consume any remaining time.

   (c) Copyright 1991 Alan Bose
       All rights reserved.

   For quantity/educational reprints, please write:
   Satellite Spotters Guide, P.O. Box 366, Itasca IL 60143


---------------------------     jerw

----------------------------   [email protected]  -----------

The final version of the press kit is available.  This includes the mission
patch and a cargo bay layout diagram, plus a couple of tweaks (e.g., the page
title was screwed up).

No other content changes.

  pragma::public:[nasa]sts-44.ps

- dave

Article: 1759
From: [email protected] (WILLIAM HARWOOD, UPI Science Writer)
Newsgroups: clari.tw.space,clari.news.military,clari.news.aviation
Subject: Astronauts study surveillance techniques
Date: 26 Nov 91 23:02:41 GMT
 
	CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (UPI) -- The shuttle Atlantis's six-man crew
conducted military space surveillance experiments Tuesday and enjoyed a
coincidental close encounter with the Soviet Mir space station as it
streaked past a scant 26 miles away.

	After the rare flyby, cosmonauts Sergei Krikalev and Alexander
Volkov relayed greetings to Atlantis's crew through amateur radio
operators at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, saying they were
able to watch Atlantis's fiery nighttime climb to orbit Sunday. 

	``We were near the Kennedy Space Center at your launch time. We
listened to the countdown on amateur radio and we saw the whole launch
sequence,'' Krikalev said. ``It was a wonderful sight. We send our
congratulations for a successful start. We hope all goes well for you.''

	Atlantis astronaut Mario Runco knows Krikalev and when he was told of
the cosmonaut's message, he asked flight controllers to relay greetings
from the shuttle crew. Direct ship-to-ship communications were not attempted.

	``We hope their mission continues with great success and that it
comes to a successful conclusion when they finally get home,'' he said.

	After an overnight shift during the 44th shuttle mission, the
Atlantis astronauts were awakened at 12:44 p.m. Tuesday for a busy day
of on-board experiments, including two devoted to learning more about
the possible usefulness of military observers in space.

	Appropriately enough, the morning wakeup music radioed up to Atlantis
from mission control in Houston was Irving Berlin's ``This Is the Army.''

	Atlantis co-pilot Terence Henricks and Army guest astronaut Thomas
Hennen, one of the nation's leading image analysts, coaxed a balky
computerized television camera into action earlier in the day for an
experiment that could lead to more efficient spy satellites.

	The camera is critical to the Army's partially classified ``Terra
Scout'' experiment, which is designed to help engineers learn how to
build ``smart'' satellite sensors operated by computer programs that
mimic human observational techniques.

	After initial problems, the boxy camera system worked as planned
during passes over South Africa, the Indian Ocean and Malaysia. More of
the same was on tap Tuesday afternoon and evening.

	Hennen attempted to use the camera to look at special targets laid
out on a runway at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station near the Kennedy
Space Center, but cloudy weather prevented him from finding the landing
strip. Hazy weather also prevented a clear observation of Brisbane, Australia.

	Runco, meanwhile, planned to begin work with a second space
surveillance experiment called M88-1. Unlike Terra Scout, M88-1 is
concerned with determining the usefulness of military observers in space
during times of crisis.

	Other ongoing experiments include research on counteracting the
medical effects of weightlessness and understanding the amount of high-
energy radiation that penetrates the shuttle.

	Joining Runco, Hennen and Henricks, all 39, aboard Atlantis were
commander Frederick Gregory, 50, flight engineer Story Musgrave, 56, and
James Voss, 42.

	Shortly before turning in early Tuesday for an eight-hour sleep
period, the astronauts were able to film the Mir space station during a
pass over the South Atlantic Ocean. It was the first known sighting of
the Russian spacecraft by a shuttle crew.

	``We can see it and we saw them waving at you,'' astronaut Jeff
Wisoff joked from mission control during the 3:48 a.m. flyby.

	``And they were smiling,'' Voss replied.

	Videotape beamed down from Atlantis showed Mir as a very bright 
``star'' streaking through space some 26 miles away as the shuttle crew
sailed above their Soviet colleagues. Mir was visible to the shuttle
crew for three minutes and 20 seconds.

	The primary goal of Atlantis's marathon 10-day flight was
accomplished Monday when Voss, working at a console on Discovery's aft
flight deck, deployed the 2.5-ton Defense Support Program -- DSP --
missile early warning satellite from Atlantis's cargo bay.

	The satellite was successfully boosted from the shuttle's 224-mile-
high orbit to its operational altitude of 22,300 miles above the
equator, and officials said later in the day that initial checkout
operations were under way.

	Back on Earth, engineers said one of the two solid-fuel boosters used
to help boost Atlantis into orbit Sunday apparently was damaged when it
dropped by parachute into the Atlantic Ocean after being jettisoned from
the shuttle.

	Part of the forward section of the shuttle's left booster was
cracked, but officials said the damage probably was caused by impact in
rough seas and not by any problems during flight.

    KSC SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT - TUESDAY, NOV. 26, 1991  10 AM


 
         STS-44/ DoD - ATLANTIS (OV 104) - FLIGHT DAY 3

STS-44 solid rocket boosters are being towed by the  Liberty
and  Freedom  retrieval  ships.  The  ships  are expected to pass
through Port Canaveral at 12 noon and arrive at Hangar AF between
1 - 2:30 p.m.

Some damage was sustained by the left forward  skirt.  There
appears  to  be  a  crack half way around the forward section and
some creases in the left forward motor case.  A detailed  inspec-
tion  will  be  performed  once the boosters are on the stands at
Hangar AF to determine the cause of damage.  Sea state conditions
that  night  were  6-8  feet.  Booster  performance in flight was
nominal.


 

MCC Status Report #3
Nov. 25, 1991
7:30 p.m. Central


Atlantis crew members are busy with medical tests and
secondary payload activities as STS-44 enters its second day.

Mission Specialist Mario Runco kicked off the Extended
Duration Orbiter Medical Project activities on STS-44, taking
his first turn in the Lower Body Negative Pressure Unit. The
LBNP is being used to develop a countermeasure for
orthostatic intolerance -- the inability to stand upright
without dizziness -- upon return to Earth's gravity.
Later today Mission Specialist Jim Voss will take his first
turn in the LBNP.

Payload Specialist Tom Hennen began his work with the Terra
Scout secondary payload viewing targets at Learmouth,
Australia, and Ford Island, Hawaii. The first data take over
Learmouth was a characterization test of the capabilities of
the Spaceborne Direct View Optical System or SPADVOS.
During the pass over Ford Island, Hennen reported that the
SPADVOS lost its "cuing mode," an internal display that helps
the operator track its target.  The payload community is
currently assessing the error and any impacts it may have.
Four more Terra Scout targets are scheduled for today,
weather permitting.

Also today, Mission Specialist Story Musgrave completed the
first test sequence for the rotating wall bioreactor,
Detailed Supplementary Objective 316. The rotating wall
vessel is a tissue growth tool designed for Space Station
Freedom. The test on STS-44 is a fluid dynamics experiment to
verify the action of plastic beads in the flow medium.
Musgrave reported that in the first test, the beads collected
on the outside wall of the vessel cylinder.

Systems onboard Atlantis continue to perform without major
problems. Controllers, however, are troubleshooting a power
problem with one of two a Video Interface Units. This will not
have an impact to the Terra Scout activities since the SPADVOS
only requires use of the VIU's video function.

Atlantis is currently circling the Earth in a 212 x 195
nautical mile orbit.





        MISSION CONTROL CENTER
        STS-44 STATUS REPORT #4
        November 26, 1991, 4:30 a.m. CST


Atlantis' crew spent the last half of their second day on orbit
conducting a wide array of the experiments being flown on the
STS-44 mission.  They also were able to get a good view of the
Soviet space station Mir as it passed within 21 nautical miles of
the orbiter high above the South Atlantic on orbit 22.

While several members of the crew conducted medical tests,
Commander Fred Gregory and Pilot Tom Henricks maneuvered the
orbiter to a lower altitude.  The altitude adjustment followed
yesterday's raising of the orbit to ensure Atlantis was a safe
distance from the Defense Support Program satellite following
deploy on launch day.

Mission Specialists Jim Voss and Story Musgrave took turns in the
Lower Body Negative Pressure device to obtain further data on how
to counter the effects of weightlessness of space on the human
body over long periods of time.

The device is being used in hopes of developing a countermeasure
for the dizziness some crew members experience once they return
to the one gravity environment of Earth.

LBNP is one of the many medical experiments being flown aboard
Atlantis in support of the Extended Duration Orbiter Medical
Project.

Payload Specialist Tom Hennen continued his work with the Terra
Scout secondary payload viewing targets in South Africa, the
Indian Ocean and Malaysia.

An earlier problem using the cueing device in the Spaceborne
Direct View Optical System or SPaDVOS hardware was corrected when
the crew turned the power off and then back on clearing the
memory of the unit.  The cueing feature helps the crew track the
desired ground site either manually or automatically.

The orbiter continues to perform flawlessly with no problems
being tracked by the flight control team, thus allowing the crew
to devote full attention to the experiments on board.

The crew sleep period officially began at 4:44 this morning.
Scheduled wakeup is 12:44 this afternoon.

        *   *   *


        MISSION CONTROL CENTER
        STS-44 Status Report #5

Tuesday, November 26, 1991, 11:30 a.m. CST


Flight day three wakeup for the Atlantis crew is scheduled for
11:44 a.m. CST today. The astronaut crew and flight controllers
will follow the as-planned schedule.

Further work with the Lower Body Negative Pressure (LBNP)
investigation is slated for about 4:30 p.m. CST this afternoon.
The LBNP is part of the Extended Duration Orbiter medical
studies.  Mission Specialist Story Musgrave will be the test
subject, spending about 30 minutes in the LBNP device.  The 30-
minute "ramp" test decompresses the lower body through gradual
exposure to a peak simulated load of about 1-G.  The
decompression procedure pools blood in the veins of the legs and
abdomen much like standing up on Earth's surface.  Mission
commander Fred Gregory will assist Musgrave with set-up and
operation of the LBNP experiment.  Later in the crew's work day,
Mission pilot Tom Henricks will be the control subject, with
Musgrave assisting in the second "ramp" test.  These studies
measure the effectiveness of countermeasures to combat the
adverse physiological effects of prolonged stays in microgravity.

Terra Scout experiment observations and set-up for the M88-1
experiment will fill the work schedule of Payload Specialist Tom
Hennen.  Hennen will coordinate his observations of Dept. of
Defense exercises with tactical field users within seconds after
completing the observation pass to assess the military benefits
of a spaceborne observer.

Atlantis continues to operate normally in a 196-nautical mile
circular orbit.

        ####


MCC Status Report #6
Nov. 26, 1991
6 p.m. CST


All systems on Atlantis are performing well as the
STS-44 crew continues with its Earth observation
experiments and medical tests.

Following the normal housekeeping activities, the crew conducted
a Terra Scout observation of Brisbane, Australia. Payload
Specialist Tom Hennen described the data take as successful,
however, cloud cover at Cape Canaveral, Florida, prohibited
viewing of that target. There are three more Terra Scout targets
scheduled for Flight Day 3.

Also this afternoon, Mission Specialist Story Musgrave
completed his first 45-minute ramp test in the Lower Body
Negative Pressure Unit. Four crew members will have 16
exposures to the LBNP protocols during the mission. Musgrave
and Jim Voss will undergo the longer "soak" treaments later in
the mission.  Mission Specialist Mario Runco and Pilot Tom
Henricks are serving as control subjects.

Cosmonauts on the Soviet Space Station Mir sent greetings to
the Atlantis crew today via a ham radio operator. The message
from Sergei Krikalev said the cosmonauts were able to monitor
the launch of STS-44 and sent their congratuations. Atlantis
crew members responded with wishes for a successful
mission for the Mir crew.

Still scheduled for Flight Day three is the first of the M88-
1 activities. Target sites include Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, and
Midway Island in the Central Pacific.

Atlantis is currently circling the Earth in a 196 x 195
nautical mile orbit.


    ############



        MISSION CONTROL CENTER
        STS-44 STATUS REPORT #7
        November 27, 1991, 4:30 a.m. CST


The first scheduled visual and voice contact in support of the
M88-1 experiment were performed over Pearl Harbor and Midway
Island in the Pacific Ocean.

Mission Specialist Mario Runco reported good target acquisition
at both sites including distinguishing between the primary and
secondary runway at Midway along with fuel storage tanks, hangars
and old barracks facilities dating back to World War II.

Terra Scout observations were conducted on the third day of the
mission using the optical viewing hardware.  Some haziness
impaired the view, but the equipment is working well in acquiring
the targets.

Medical tests of Atlantis' crew continued with work on measuring
changes in heart rate while the crew exercised on the treadmill
as well as the everday work around the cabin.

About two hours before the sleep period began, Commander Fred
Gregory reported the treadmill had seized and quit working.
Video of Pilot Tom Henricks performing two alternate forms of
exercise, including deep knee bends and a makeshift rowing
device, was sent down for evaluation by the medical community.

Gregory reported that using the "rowing machine" achieved the
desired heart rate to support the medical experiment
requirements.

The last orbiter activity prior to sleep was to fire the thruster
jets as Atlantis flew over the island of Maui in Hawaii as part
of the Air Force Maui Optical Site (AMOS) experiment designed to
calibrate the infrared and optical sensors at the facility.

The crew went to bed a little before three this morning and are
scheduled be awakened at 10:44 a.m. to begin their fourth day in
space.

        *   *   *


Mission Control Status report #8

Wednesday, November 27, 1991, 10:30 a.m.


     The STS-44 astronauts will awaken at 10:44 a.m. today to
continue work with biomedical studies and Dept. of Defense ground
site observations.

     Toward the end of flight day three, the exercise treadmill
aboard Atlantis stopped working.  Flight controllers believe some
of the bearings failed.  The bearings allow the treadmill belt to
turn when an astronaut walks or runs on the treadmill.  Detailed
secondary objective (DSO) 608 measures changes in aerobic and
anaerobic metabolism while astronauts exercise in-flight.  Data
are compared with measurements taken during treadmill exercise
pre- and postflight.  Investigators for DSO 608 currently are
evaluating alternate forms of exercise the crew members could
perform to continue the experiment.  Flight controllers will
relay detailed information to the STS-44 crew before the
experiment activities scheduled for 3 p.m. CST today. Medical
scientists will use the information from this experiment to
develop nutrition, fluid and exercise countermeasures to the
adverse physiological effects of prolonged stays in space.

     The crew will follow the preplanned flight day four work
schedule.  Included in the day's tasks are observations for both
Terra Scout and M88-1 experiments for the Dept. of Defense.
Experiment managers want to determine whether trained human
observers in space would be of military value.

     Atlantis circles the Earth every 91 minutes in an orbit of
196 X 195 nautical miles.

From:	DECWRL::"[email protected]" 27-NOV-1991 14:59:49.24
Subj:	Shuttle - Wednesday Evening

There is an excellent chance for observes in the Southern Half of
the  US  to  see  the  Space  Shuttle  ATLANTIS STS-44, WEDNESDAY
EVENING  ( Today - Nov 27 ) after sunset in your locality. To see
the shuttle, it must be after sunset at your location .. twilight
..  but yet at the shuttle's altitude the sun must illuminate it.

If  the sky is CLEAR, tonight is perfect to give a shot at seeing
the  shuttle  (and  your tax dollars). I think that you will find
seeing the shuttle quit a thirll !

Do  not  get  to  hung  up  on the AZIMUTH AND ELEVATION and TIME
listed below. USE AZIMUTH AND ELEVATION to figure out the general
direction  of  the shuttle's path accross the sky and search with
your  eyes along the arc the track will make accross the sky. Get
out at least 5 minutes EARLY to get your bearings. The shuttle is
very  bright when  properly illuminated  and will move very fast
accross the sky.

If  you  can  get the NASA Select TV Channel directly or via your
local cable, watch it for the position of the shuttle.

Good Luck....
John Williams     Internet    [email protected]

-----------------------------------------------------------------

There  are  two orbits/passes of the shuttle tonight, Nov 27, that
present good opporutunities for visual observation:

For those of you located from Texas to Florida....

... utc time ...       local time
---------------------------------
   23:40 utc         5:40 pm CST (+6) Wednesday evening
                     6:40 pm EST (+5)

For  those  of  you located in California and the southwest US.
( this is the next orbit - an hour and a half later than above)

... utc time ...       local time
---------------------------------
   01:10 utc         5:10 pm PST (+8)

The  suttle  will  rise  in  the  west ( to soutwest) , be at its
highest  elevation  to  the  south  (  20 - 25 degrees for you in
California  and  Texas ... higher for those in Florida ) and then
set in the  southeast.

For  those  of you that caught my error yesterday .. utc time was
correct  ..  but  I converted utc to local time incorrectly ... I
hope  that  I cause no undue confusion ... or had anyone standing
out  in  the cold look at an empty sky. I decided to give general
times and directions today rather than exact AZMUTH and ELEVATION
and TIME.

Give  it a try. If you get hooked on this sort of thing there are
several  excellent  programs  that  give accurate predictions for
orbserving satellites on Internet and Compuserve or by mail for a
whole $10.

STS-44 MCC Status Report #9
Nov. 27, 1991
7 p.m. CST


Terra Scout and M88-1 activities are taking center stage today
as the STS-44 crew continues its fourth day in space.

Five Terra Scout opportunities were scheduled today, with crew
members completing passes over Brisbane,
Australia, Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean and Useless
Loop, Australia. Payload Specialist Tom Hennen reported that
Australia's weather conditions were hazy and that the Brisbane
target was blocked by clouds.

In addition, six M88-1 opportunities were included in the
flight plan. Three have been accomplished -- Honduras; Yucatan,
Mexico, and Chase Field, Texas. Observations at Darwin
International Airport in Australia, Hickam Air Force Base,
Hawaii, and the Strait of Malacca are still to come.  Crew
members also performed some troubleshooting on the receiver
used for M88-1. Mission Specialist Mario Runco reported that he
heard a high pitched squeal when using the transmit mode of the
unit.

Commander Fred Gregory tested a new exercise protocol in
support of the medical investigations being conducted during
the flight. The new protocol was necessary following a lock-up
of the treadmill last night. The new exercise, a modified
squat, emphasizes the exercise of the leg muscles rather than
the arm and back muscles.

Atlantis continues to perform very well leaving crew members
free to concentrate on the payload activities.

   ----


MISSION CONTROL CENTER
STS-44 STATUS REPORT #10
Thursday, November 28, 1991, 4:30 a.m. CST


Terra Scout and M88-1 activities continued aboard Atlantis
through flight day four with several M88 observations being
hampered by poor weather conditions below.

A problem with the M88 transmitter which provides direct UHF
communications with the military contacts below is still being
worked.  The DOD communications system is independent of the
Oribter's Air/Ground voice system.  The problem has not impaired
the crew's ability to observe ground sites and document them
onboard.

The crew reported seeing typhoon Yuri in the western Pacific
Ocean, saying it was the biggest storm any of them had ever
seen.  Yuri's diameter is about 1,200 miles with winds of 150 mph
gusting to 180.

Just before going to sleep at 1:44 this morning, the crew
performed a water dump while orbiting over the Hawaiian Islands,
using the onboard flash evaporator system in support of the Air
Force Maui Optical Site (AMOS) calibration test.  The crew will
be awakened at 9:44 a.m. to begin their Thanksgiving day in
space.


       ====



        MISSION CONTROL ROOM
        Status Report #11

Thursday, November 28, 1991, 10 a.m. CDT


The STS-44 crew woke up at 9:44 a.m. CST today to recorded turkey
gobbles followed by "Cheeseburger in Paradise" sung by Jimmy
Buffet.

The astronauts will follow the planned work schedule for flight
day five.  Payload Specialist Tom Hennen will operate the Terra
Scout and M88-1 observation experiments to view and communicate
with preselected ground sites.  These experiments evaluate the
military benefits of a human observer from space.

Two sessions are planned with the Lower Body Negative pressure
(LBNP) medical experiment.  The LBNP experiment involves
enclosing the legs and lower abdomen in an air-tight chamber
which seals at the waist, and then decompressing the chamber
gradually to an air pressure similar to that found about 2,000
feet above sea level.  The decompression pools blood in the leg
and abdominal veins much like standing up on Earth's surface.
The LBNP device is being evaluated as a way to counteract the
potential condition called orthostatic intolerance.  Orthostatic
intolerance can occur on long-duration missions when blood flow
to the brain is decreased and may result in light-headedness or
tunnel-vision during descent from orbit and landing.  The LBNP
investigation continues work begun on the U.S. Skylab program to
measure the loss of orthostatic tolerance.  This experiment
accompanies several other medical studies in the
Extended Duration Orbiter Medical Project.

Two troubleshooting procedures will be sent to the Atlantis
crew.  One procedure deals with checking out the source of
intermittent communications on the M88-1 experiment headset.
Another message will step through a checkout on the polarizing
filters for the Earth observation cameras.

Atlantis continues to perform well with all systems operating
normally.  Atlantis travels around the Earth at an altitude of
196 nautical miles every 92 minutes.

        ####

STS-44 MCC Status Report #12
Nov. 28, 1991
5:30 p.m. Central


The STS-44 crew took a moment to enjoy Thanksgiving lunch
together this afternoon as the six astronauts continue their
10-day stay in space.

Crew members continued their payload activities, completing
two Terra Scout observations and two M88-1 observations.
Mission Specialist Mario Runco completed a troubleshooting
procedure with the M88-1 radio, however, that procedure
apparently was not successful. Flight controllers are studying
further action.

Also today, crew members were required to clean up some loose
water from humidity separator B. About two cups of water were
emitted from the humidity separator and cleaned up using
towels. After reporting the problem crew members switched to
humidity separator A which has been working normally.

Commander Fred Gregory made a slight change in Atlantis orbit to avoid
a close encounter with a spent Soviet Cosmos rocket body.
Flight rules require a maneuver if other spacecraft or debris will pass
within 2.7 nautical miles (nm) ahead of the orbiter, 1.1 nm to the side
or 1.1 nm below.

Prior to the manuever, the closest approach with the Cosmos 851
rocket body would have occurred at 4/08:50:18 MET with
Atlantis passing 2.6 nm ahead, 1.3 nm below and 2 nm north
(3.6 nm) of the object. After the burn, the preliminary
assessment has closest approach at 4/08:50:13 with Atlantis 24.2
nm ahead, 2.4 nm below and 20.7 nm (32.7 nm) north of the
Cosmos 851.

Also today, Mario Runco completed a ramp test in the Lower
Body Negative pressure Unit. Jim Voss will perform the 45-
minute procedure later today.

Atlantis is performing well and flight controllers are not
tracking any systems problems at this time.

   ####


MISSION CONTROL CENTER  STS-44 STATUS REPORT #13
Friday, November 29, 1991, 4:30 a.m. CST


The crew concentrated on their medical and military experiments
yesterday and took time out to have a turkey dinner and to send
thanksgiving wishes to friends and family members.

Mission Specialist Jim Voss took his turn in the Lower Body
Negative Pressure device.  LBNP uses low pressure to pull body
fluids back to the lower extremities, counteracting the tendency
for those fluids to rise to the upper body in weightlessness.

Several observations were made in support of the Terra Scout and
M88-1 experiments by Payload Specialist Tom Hennen and Mission
Specialist Mario Runco.  Both experiments are designed to collect
data on the military benefits of an observer in space.

Humidity separator "A" continues to work fine with no water
noticed by the crew prior to going to sleep early this morning.
Yesterday the crew removed some water that had leaked from the
"B" unit and switched to the secondary unit.  The "hum sep"
removes humidity from the cabin atmosphere.

The crew sent down views of Typhoon Yuri in the Pacific Ocean
north of Guam.  The storm continues to pack winds in excess of
140 miles per hour with gusts up to 173.  While it is losing
strength, Yuri's size has not diminished from the previously
reported 1,200 mile diameter.

The crew sleep period began just before one this morning an will
end with wakeup at 8:44 a.m.

        *   *   *



Mission Control Status Report #14

Friday, November 29, 1991, 9:30 a.m. CST


Flight day six began at 8:44 a.m. CST Friday.  The Planning Team
played a recording of "Twist and Shout" from the movie "Ferris
Bueller's Day Out" to start off the STS-44 astronauts' day.

Astronauts and flight controllers will follow the activities as
planned for flight day six.  The crew's work day will include the
Dept. of Defense observation experiments and more work on the
Extended Duration Orbiter Medical Project studies.

Environmental Control Systems flight controllers believe the
water from humidity separator B was not leakage but a "slug" of
water caused by the cabin temperature controller going to the
full-heater position.  Yesterday, crew members cleaned up about
two cups of water from the cabin underfloor area around humidity
separator B.  Humidity separator A has been used overnight.  The
crew will conduct a visual inspection of both humidity separators
this morning. If no water is found, the flight control team plans
to switch back to humidity separator B.

Some additional troubleshooting on the M88-1 experiment also is
on tap for Mission Specialist Mario Runco and Payload Specialist
Tom Hennen.  Intermittent communications dropouts have not been
completely resolved.

A press conference with the Atlantis crew is slated for 6:24 p.m.
CST today.  News media representatives at the Johnson Space
Center in Houston and the Kennedy Space Center in Florida will
interview crew members about their mission activities.

Atlantis is in a 195 nautical mile circular orbit circling the
Earth every 92 minutes.

        ####



MCC Status Report #15
Nov. 29, 1991
4:30 p.m. CST


Payload activities are keeping the STS-44 crew busy as the
six astronauts spend another day in orbit.

Payload Specialist Tom Hennen is continuing his Terra Scout
activities today, completing an observation over Brisbane
Australia. Cloud cover over the area hampered viewing somewhat.
Hennen also performed a troubleshooting procedure with the
Spaceborne Direct-View Optical System equipment.  Earlier in
the flight, SpaDVOS would not accept and count down to
multiple targets, but after loading the equipment with two
test locations today, all seemed to be working as expected.

Mission Specialist Mario Runco completed observations over
the Guantanamo Bay area in Cuba. Weather conditions were
clear and Runco was able to detect several vessels and ground
features from his unique view 195 nm above the Earth.
Observations also were performed at the Patrick and MacDill
Air Force bases. Other M88-1 observations scheduled for today
are Hickam AFB, Hawaii; Anderson AFB, Guam; and Midway
Naval Air Field in the Central Pacific.

Mission Specialist Story Musgrave and Pilot Tom Henricks
completed Lower Body Negative Pressure ramp tests. The 45-
minute procedures are part of the ongoing investigation to
determine the effects of microgravity on the human body and
develop appropriate countermeasures. Jim Voss will perform a
4-hour LBNP soak test Saturday with Musgrave doing the same
Sunday.

Also today, crew members deactivated and stowed the
bioreactor Detailed Supplementary Objective. The test was a
fluid dynamics investigation of a tissue growth chamber
developed at the Johnson Space Center. Investigators must
wait until after the mission to retrieve the video tape of
the tests before determining the results, but indications
from short reports by crew members are that the rotating wall
vessel is performing as expected.

The crew will participate in an in-flight press conference at
about 6:31 p.m. CST today. Media participants will be
located at both JSC and the Kennedy Space Center.

   ####


        MISSION CONTROL CENTER
        STS-44 STATUS REPORT #16
        Saturday, November 30, 1991, 4:30 a.m. CST


Payload activities are keeping the STS-44 crew busy as the six
astronauts spend another day in orbit.

Payload Specialist Tom Hennen continued Terra Scout observations
with a look at the U.S. embassy in Manila.  An additional site
was added in the South China Sea, but clouds precluded the
observation.

Mission Specialist Mario Runco was able to identify targets near
Hawaii as small as a 16-foot boat and a 747 commercial airliner.

The hand-held transceiver used for direct communications with the
military ground sites has been put away for the remainder of the
flight due to problems with the unit.  All sites requiring
communications will be done on the Shuttle air-to-ground network.

Earlier today, crew members deactivated and stowed the bioreactor
Detailed Supplementary Objective. The test was a fluid dynamics
investigation of a tissue growth chamber.  Investigators must
wait until after the mission to retrieve the video tape of the
tests before determining the results, but indications from the
crew are that the rotating wall vessel is performing as expected.

The crew participated in a press conference, commenting on the
atmospheric conditions and haze.  They also discussed the value
of the observations being made in support of the military
payloads, Terra Scout and M88-1.

The crew sleep period began at 11:44 last night and is scheduled
to end at 7:44 this morning.



                        *   *   *


        Mission Control Center
        Status Report #17


Saturday, November 30, 1991, 8:30 a.m. CST

     Atlantis' astronauts began their seventh day in space
with a 7:44 a.m. CST wake-up call of a few bars of the
University of Alabama's fight song followed by Auburn
University's fight song in commemoration of today's football
game between the two schools.  Mission Specialist Jim Voss is
a 1972 graduate of Auburn University.  Orbit 1 Capcom Jan
Davis also graduated from Auburn.

     Some changes to the work plan for today include a two-
hour test and in-flight maintenance procedure on humidity
separator B.  On flight day 5, the crew cleaned up about two
cups of water from the cabin underfloor area.  Today, flight
controllers want to put the cabin temperature controller
valve in the full-cool position then run a "slug" of water
through the line to determine if water will escape under the
test conditions believed to emulate the system's operation
two days ago.  The test will allow engineers to determine if
the escaped water was caused by a small temporary blockage in
the humidity separator's water line or if the blockage is
still present.  Should blockage occur again, humidity
separator A can be used to remove moisture from the crew
cabin atmosphere.

     Since the M88-1 experiment radio is stowed, all
transmissions for the M88-1 Military Man in Space experiment
will be conducted on the air-to-ground voice network.  The
radio antenna frame will no longer need to be mounted in the
Orbiter window, allowing Payload Specialist Tom Hennen and
Mission Specialist Mario Runco to conduct M88-1 and Terra
Scout observations in close proximity.  Observations sites
are listed in the day's planning messages electronically sent
to the crew this morning.

     Flight planners added another bioreactor experiment data
take to the flight day seven work schedule.  Investigators
want to get some videotape of the hardware in operation to
better measure particle deceleration velocities and particle
deceleration vectors during the most turbulent sequence.
Tiny beads of varying sizes simulating cell cultures of
varying sizes are rotated in a solution of water and
nutrients.

     Atlantis' systems continue to operate normally at an
altitude of 195 miles with an orbital period of 92 minutes.

                             ####


        Mission Control Center
        Status Report #18


Saturday, Noon CST, November 30, 1991


STS-44 crew members will end their mission a few days early due
to the failure of Inertial Measurement Unit 2.

At about 9:30 a.m., a problem was detected on IMU 2 when the
instruments that measure velocity went out.  The IMU had been
running for about 12 hours, as it was powered off earlier in the
flight as part of the plan to conserve consumables for a 10-day
flight.  IMU 1 and 3 have performed well throughout the mission
and continue to do so, but flight rules mandate that the failure
of one IMU puts the mission in a minimum duration status.  Flight
rules also mandate that the landing be performed at Edwards Air
Force Base.

The decision to declare a minimum duration flight was made by
Orbit One Flight Director Phil Engelauf with concurence of
the mission management team.  The crew was notified at about
10:30 a.m.

Current plans are for Atlantis to return Sunday at 2:47 p.m. CST,
if weather conditions are favorable.  Deorbit burn could be at
1:55 p.m. CST.  Should weather not cooperate landing could be
postponed to Monday.

Meanwhile on Atlantis, crew members are continuing payload
activities. Several Terra Scout and M88-1 observations are
scheduled for the day and Jim Voss is undergoing a Lower Body
Negative Pressure soak treatment.  Later today the crew will
perform a reaction control system hot fire and flight control
system checkout.

Atlantis is currently orbiting 196 x 195 nm above the Earth.

        #####



        MISSION CONTROL CENTER
        STS-44 STATUS REPORT #19
        Sunday, December  1, 1991, 4:30 a.m. CST


Atlantis' crew wrapped up work with all of their experiments,
cramming as much medical experimentation into the final hours of
the timeline before going to bed at 11:00 last night.

The orbiter was checked out for the return home today making sure
that the flight control surfaces and reaction control system
thruster jets were working properly.

With that behind them, the crew began cleaning the crew
compartment and stowing all equipment that had been taken out for
the conduct of mission experiments.

Weather conditions at the landing site at Edwards AFB were the
concern for a Sunday landing with high winds predicted in the
area of the runways.

Winds are forecast to be 15 knots gusting to 25 at the time of
the first of three landing opportunities.  Conditions were
predicted to improve with winds dropping off slightly by the time
of the third landing opportunity.

Scheduled landing for Atlantis and crew is 2:58 p.m. CST on orbit
109.  The second opportunity is 4:31 and the third is 6:07.

Should weather preclude a landing today, three additional
opportunities exist for Monday.  The first is 1:51 p.m. CST, the
second is 3:27, and the third is 5:04.

The inertial measurement unit declared failed yesterday morning
is powered up and aligned with the remaining IMUs.  The unit is
providing good attitude data to supplement the other two units.
The velocity reference data is the portion of the unit that is
giving erroneous data.


       #####


STS-44 LANDING

SPACELINK NOTE:
4:45 p.m. CST
December 1, 1991

Atlantis has landed at Edwards Air Force Base on runway 05.  Unofficial times:
Main Gear Down       4:34:42  CST
Nose Gear Down       4:35:51  CST
Wheels Stopped       4:36:27  CST


A more complete note on the landing will be available tomorrow.

    I watched the landing on CNN and they made mention that they were not
    going to be using the shuttles brakes on landing. Instead they were
    going to role out because they were running some kind of test. Exactly
    what were they testing??? They never made mention what the experiment
    was that required no braking
    
    roger

re .103

>    I watched the landing on CNN and they made mention that they were not
>    going to be using the shuttles brakes on landing. Instead they were
>    going to roll out because they were running some kind of test. Exactly
>    what were they testing??? They never made mention what the experiment
>    was that required no braking
    
    Just a guess but...
    
    Looking ahead to the man-tended phase of Freedom (before it's
    permanently manned) they are considering leaving the Shuttle attached
    to the space station for months on end. In this situation they
    anticipate the pilot may be in poor shape after such a long time
    in space and hence their interest in fully automated landings. Perhaps
    they figure that the pilot might not be capable of braking.

     KSC SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT - MONDAY, DEC. 2, 1991  10 AM

 
            STS-44/ DoD - ATLANTIS (OV 104) - DRYDEN

     Mission STS-44 concluded  yesterday  at  Edwards  Air  Force
Base, Calif., when Atlantis landed at 5:34:42 p.m. EST on Lakebed
runway 05.  The mission was declared a minimum duration flight on
Saturday when inertial measurement unit no.  2 failed.  Main gear
touchdown  came at 6 days,  22 hours,  50 minutes and 42 seconds.
Atlantis landed on orbit 109.

     The orbiter was towed to the mate  demate  device  by  10:34
p.m.  EST yesterday.  Today the vehicle will be jacked an leveled
and access will be established to various areas.

     KSC recovery teams are in place at  Dryden  Flight  Research
Facility  to  prepare the orbiter Atlantis for the return trip to
Florida. A post-flight inspection is planned today.

     It is estimated that Alantis could  depart  from  Dryden  on
Saturday,  Dec.  7  to  begin  the  two-day  ferry flight back to
Florida. Pending the completion of planned work and good weather,
the vehicle could arrive at KSC on Sunday.

     Disassembly operations are continuing on  the  STS-44  solid
rocket boosters at Hangar AF at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Sta-
tion.
---------------------
Here's the STS-44 Landing Statement 12/2/91

Atlantis and the STS-44 six-member crew landed yesterday at
5:36 pm EST in the high desert at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif.  The
mission, originally scheduled to conclude Wednesday, was cut short
by the failure Saturday of one of three inertial measurement
units aboard Atlantis.  The IMU, which had been powered down as
part of the on-orbit consumables conservation program, was producing
erroneous velocity readings, though the unit's attitude data were good.
Mission rules call for a minimum mission should any of the three
IMUs fail.  Atlantis came in on the second de-orbit opportunity after a
wave-off due to unacceptably high winds at the Edwards runway.

This was only the second time that a shuttle orbiter mission has
been cut short due to equipment problems.  On STS-2, flight
controllers cut short a planned five-day mission after two days when
one of Columbia's three fuel cells failed.

Notwithstanding the early return, the STS-44 crew accomplished
nearly all of the mission's secondary scientific and engineering
objectives.  The crew reported that their observations of the rotating
wall bioreactor vessel indicated that the device worked well.  This,
however, will have to be confirmed by medical researchers using crew-
supplied videotape of the device's performance.  Military observer
experiments were continued through Saturday and the crew, in a press
conference held Friday, reported on the value of human observers in
space.  Crewmembers also commented on their observations of the
Earth as well, citing a general atmospheric haze which had been
reported by earlier shuttle crews.

The crew is expected to depart Edwards heading home to
Houston early this afternoon.  The orbiter is being prepared for its
ferry flight back to Kennedy, and is expected to be enroute by next
weekend.



 

VNS MAIN NEWS:                                     [Tom Povey, VNS UK News Desk]
==============                                     [Reading, England           ]

    Here is the News at 07:00 GMT on Friday 29-November-1991
    --------------------------------------------------------
        
    World News
    ----------

    The American Space Shuttle Atlantis had to change course yesterday to
    avoid a large chunk of an old Soviet rocket. 

    {News courtesy of the BBC}

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
        Please send subscription and backissue requests to CASEE::VNS

    Permission to copy material from this VNS is granted (per DIGITAL PP&P)
    provided that the message header for the issue and credit lines for the
    VNS correspondent and original source are retained in the copy.

<><><><><><><><>   VNS Edition : 2462      Friday 29-Nov-1991   <><><><><><><><>

From 708.102:

Commander Fred Gregory made a slight change in Atlantis orbit to avoid
a close encounter with a spent Soviet Cosmos rocket body.
Flight rules require a maneuver if other spacecraft or debris will pass
within 2.7 nautical miles (nm) ahead of the orbiter, 1.1 nm to the side
or 1.1 nm below.

Prior to the manuever, the closest approach with the Cosmos 851 <=========
rocket body would have occurred at 4/08:50:18 MET with
Atlantis passing 2.6 nm ahead, 1.3 nm below and 2 nm north
(3.6 nm) of the object. After the burn, the preliminary
assessment has closest approach at 4/08:50:13 with Atlantis 24.2
nm ahead, 2.4 nm below and 20.7 nm (32.7 nm) north of the
Cosmos 851.

    re .103 (why no brakes?) and further to my reply in .104
    
        See 677.*, in particular .1
        (I knew I'ld seen it somewhere.)
    
    re: MDF
    
    It seems kind of undesirable to have to shorten the mission just
    because an IMU failed. What other options are there assuming we accept
    the constraint that the mission doesn't continue without 3 working
    IMUs or equivalent? (And I'm sure there would be an outcry if they decided
    to relax the flight safety criteria.)
    
    I was wondering about on-orbit spares, both before the Space Station is
    up and after.
    
    Is an IMU 'field replaceable'? Presumably there would be difficulties in
    accessability (inside? outside? behind how many panels?) and training
    (does any member of the crew have the detailed technical knowledge or
    could be talked through the procedure?). If it would take longer to replace
    the part than the planned remainder of the mission then there isn't much
    point. Are any parts of the shuttle field replaceable or is this idea dead
    in the water?
    
    As an alternative, and borrowing slightly from 677, could GPS be used
    while in orbit as a backup to a failed IMU? Presumably this would
    require extra hardware and software on board but it looks from 677 as
    if this is being contemplated anyway.

    
    There is a backup, or there use to be, in their sleeve pocket
    there is an HP41 calculator with a rom program for landing.  
    So I dont think the issue is knowing their exact location, it must 
    have something to do with keeping the shuttle stable.  
    Does anyone have more infomation on this?
    
    

    While the 5 GPCs are "field replaceable", being located in the forward
    avionics bay in the mid-deck (in fact there has been on-orbit swaps
    done before), the IMUs are located in an unaccessable location (from the
    crew compartment during orbit) forward.  They are located just under the 
    nose mounted star tracker assembly.  One might think that this could be
    looked into for long duration flights.  I would imagine that the wiring
    harnesses must be rather complicated because the IMUs tie into the
    star trackers, GPCs, accelerometers located in different parts of the
    shuttle, and power buses.

Seemed strange to me that they would cut the mission off for just that
reason.  But they had accomplished their primary objective and the
only further gain was apparently medical data, which had stablilized
after the 4th day anyway.  At least that's how they explained it on
Select.

The third IMU was used as a cross-check on the other two. The software
examines the output of all three and picks the best two as its answer.  
Without the third unit this cross-check action is not possible.  That
is why they used the failed IMU during landing for, I believe, a
cross-check on the vertical rate data; it was ok in this axis.

Still, it didn't seem like reason enough, and I wonder why they
couldn't supplement the IMU data with ground tracking telemetery.

  KSC SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT - WEDNESDAY, DEC. 4, 1991  10:30 AM

 
            STS-44/DoD - ATLANTIS (OV 104) - DRYDEN

     Work continues to  prepare  the  orbiter  Atlantis  for  the
ferry  flight  which is scheduled to depart Edwards at sunrise on
Saturday.  A nominal two-day  ferry  flight  is  planned  with  a
refueling  and  overnight stopover in Texas.   Weather conditions
will dictate the flight path and duration  of  the  cross-country
piggyback flight.

     Hydrolasing  operations  are  continuing on the STS-44 solid
rocket boosters at Hangar AF to strip the cork and foam from  the
lower segments.

 

NASA Dryden Flight Research Facility
Edwards, California

Thursday, December 5, 1991


     Work to prepare Atlantis for the ferry flight from Dryden to KSC has
continued on schedule over the last few days.  With the exception of some
overnight sub-freezing temperatures, the weather has been generally good.

       Offloading PRSD residual cryogenics is complete.  Today draining
residual hypergolic propellants from the orbital maneuvering system and
reaction control system lines is underway.

       Tonight the flight control surfaces and three main engines will be
positioned for the ferry flight.  Then the ferry flight tail cone will be
installed over the main engines.  At this time the wind is forecast to be
acceptable for this activity.

       The ferry flight fittings have been installed.  Friday evening Atlantis
will be mated to NASA 911, the 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft. The orbiter-747
combination is expected to be backed out of the mate-demate device at about
midnight.

      Departure from Edwards is planned for Saturday morning.  The overnight
stop is tentatively planned for Kelly Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas.


      A cold front is approaching California from the northwest and a low is
approaching from the southwest.  It is too early at this time to determine what
effect, if any, these weather systems will have on departure and the ferry
flight activities.

       A ferry flight review is scheduled for 11:30 a.m.  PST on Friday.

KSC SHUTTLE STATUS  -  FRIDAY, DECEMBER 6, 1991  -- 10:00 A.M.
-----------------------------------------------------------------

 
           STS-44/DOD  --  ATLANTIS (OV 104) -- DRYDEN

     Work on the orbiter Atlantis continues on schedule for an
early Saturday morning departure from Edwards Air Force Base,
Calif. If weather conditions permit, Atlantis will be ferried to
Kelly Air Force Base, San Antonio, Tx. for refueling. If
possible, Atlantis may continue as far east as Eglin Air Force
Base in the Florida panhandle on the first day of ferry. A two
day ferry flight is planned with the earliest possible arrival
back at KSC judged to be mid-day Sunday.

     Last night, the main engine tail cone was installed on
Atlantis. Hydraulic operations to position the aerosurfaces and
raise the landing gear is in work. Mating to the 747 Shuttle
Carrier Aircraft is scheduled for tonight with back out of the
Mate-demate Device targeted for midnight PST.


 

OV-104/Atlantis Status Report
NASA Dryden Flight Research Facility
Edwards, California

Friday, December 6, 1991
9:00 a.m. PST

        Ferry flight preparations for Atlantis continue to go generally without
difficulty.  Work is behind about half a shift this morning due primarily to
cold overnight temperatures which were in the lower 20's.  Most activity is
expected to be on schedule by mid to late afternoon.

        The installation of the ferry flight tail cone last night went well.
This morning hydraulics were raised and the landing gear was lifted and stowed.
This afternoon the orbiter will be hoisted within the mate-demate device so
that the 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft can be taxied in beneath the orbiter and
the mating operations will begin.  The orbiter/747 combination remains
scheduled to be pushed back at about midnight.

        At this time there appear to be no obstacles to a deparature Saturday
morning.  A Ferry Flight Readiness Review is scheduled for 11:30 a.m.  PST to
discuss departure time, weather, and tomorrow's destinations.
 

        According to the 1987 book GUARDIANS: STRATEGIC RECONNAISSANCE 
    SATELLITES, by Curtis Peebles (Presidio Press, Novato, CA), the 
    satellite of the booster which this Space Shuttle mission had to
    avoid, COSMOS 851, was a member of the Heavy ELINT (ELectronic 
    INTelligence) class of Soviet satellites.  It was launched from
    Plesetsk on August 27, 1976.

        COSMOS 851 is apparently similar to COSMOS 955, whose booster
    the Space Shuttle DISCOVERY had to duck on September 15 during its 
    STS-48 mission to deploy the Upper Atmospheric Research Satellite 
    (UARS).  For more details on that event, see SPACE Note 709.102.

        Larry

From:	DECPA::"VOLCANO%[email protected]" "VOLCANO" 25-DEC-1991 
        22:25:31.51
Subj:	Photos of volcanoes from the Space Shuttle

----------------------------Original message----------------------------

Each mission of the U.S. Space Shuttle acquires a few thousand
photographs of the Earth. Among these few thousand frames (generally
taken on 70mm film format, including both color and color infrared
films) are photographs of volcanic provinces, individual volcanoes,
and volcanic plumes. 

On the most recent mission, STS-44 (24 Nov. 1991 to Dec 1, 1991), the
following signicant photographs of volcanoes were acquired. The
photographs were taken from roughly 350 km altitude, with various
lenses (40mm, 100mm, 250mm) and look angles. 

Photo no.		Subject

S44-82-33	Pinatubo
S44-82-90	Unzen with plume
S44-82-94	Unzen and Aso
S44-83-84	Bougainville (N. part of island)
S44-83-85	Bougainville (Bagana)
S44-83-86	Bougainville (S. half of island)
S44-76-98	Guadalupe I., off Baja CA

The photos can be purchased through EROS Data Center or Technology
Applications Center, (U. New Mexico). 

Also:  An electronic database of hand-held Earth photographs from 
the Space Shuttle is accessible through Internet.  It is very
user-friendly, and allows individuals to search the database for
photographs of specific areas.  The address: 

    telnet sseop.jsc.nasa.gov

    Type PHOTOS at the "username" and "password" queries.

Our office (NASA,Flight Science Support Office, Space Shuttle Earth
Observations at the Johnson Space Center) will try to keep you
informed about good volcano photos from each mission. 

Happy Holidays,

Cindy Evans
Space Shuttle Earth Observations Office

 KSC SHUTTLE STATUS  -  FRIDAY, DECEMBER 20, 1991  -- 10:00 A.M.
-----------------------------------------------------------------

 
     STS-44/ATLAS-1  --  ATLANTIS (OV 104) --OPF High Bay 2

WORK IN PROGRESS:
*  Fuel cell inspections and tests
*  Preparations for removal of APU 1 and 2
*  Closeouts of solid rocket booster joints in VAB
*  Preparations for holiday power down

WORK COMPLETED:
*  Orbital maneuvering system deservice
*  APU deservicing operations
*  Main propulsion system helium leak and functional tests

WORK SCHEDULED:
*  Power down scheduled for end of first shift today

PAYLOAD STATUS:
   Testing of NASA's Atmospheric Laboratory for Applications and
Sciences is complete and closeouts have begun.


 

  KSC SHUTTLE STATUS  -  THURSDAY, JANUARY 2, 1992  -- 10:00 A.M.
  -----------------------------------------------------------------

 
     STS-44/ATLAS-1  --  ATLANTIS (OV 104) --OPF High Bay 2

WORK IN PROGRESS:
*  Removal of Auxiliary Power Unit 1
*  Heat shield removal for inspection
*  Resume SRB stacking operations in VAB
*  Continue closeouts of solid rocket booster joints in VAB

WORK COMPLETED:
*  Removal of APU 2

WORK SCHEDULED:
*  Lower main landing gear
*  Open payload bay doors

PAYLOAD STATUS:
   Testing of NASA's Atmospheric Laboratory for Applications and
Sciences is complete and closeouts have begun.


 

  KSC SHUTTLE STATUS  -  FRIDAY, JANUARY 3, 1992  -- 10:00 A.M.
-----------------------------------------------------------------

 
     STS-44/ATLAS-1  --  ATLANTIS (OV 104) --OPF High Bay 2

WORK IN PROGRESS:
*  Auxiliary Power Unit 3 leak and functional test
*  Preparations for removal of main engines next week
*  Main engine heat shield removal
*  Preparations for installation of fuel cell 1
*  SRB stacking operations in Vehicle Assembly Building
*  Continue closeouts of solid rocket booster joints in VAB
*  Water spray boiler checkout and service
*  Forward reaction control system checkout and functional test

WORK COMPLETED:
*  Removal of Auxiliary Power Units 1 and 2
*  Hydraulic operations
*  Lower landing gear

WORK SCHEDULED:
*  Open payload bay doors

PAYLOAD STATUS:
   Testing of NASA's Atmospheric Laboratory for Applications and
Sciences is complete and closeouts have begun.