Conference 7.286::space

[Via Larry Klaes... -dg]
    
VNS COMPUTER NEWS:                            [Tracy Talcott, VNS Computer Desk]
==================                            [Nashua, NH, USA                 ]

 Digital - VAX 9000 systems support study of atmosphere, ozone depletion

	 {Livewire, 14-Feb-91}

   Science Systems and Applications, Inc. (SSAI), in support of NASA's Upper 
 Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS) project, has delivered and installed two
 VAX 9000 mainframes at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.
 The VAX 9000 systems will receive and process data from UARS to study 
 environmental changes affecting Earth's upper atmosphere.

   Scheduled for launch by Space Shuttle in August 1991, UARS will measure the 
 chemical composition, temperature, winds, and energy inputs of Earth's 
 upper atmosphere. The UARS mission is the most complex space investigation of
 the upper atmosphere ever attempted. Data collected by the ten on-board 
 instruments will be transmitted back to the Central Data Handling Facility
 (CDHF) at the Goddard Space Flight Center, which will in turn transform the 
 raw telemetry data into usable atmospheric measurements, maintain a database 
 on a mass storage subsystem, and communicate the resulting information to 
 scientists located at numerous research institutions in the U.S., Canada 
 and Europe.

   Scientists want to know more about atmospheric changes linked to human 
 activities. The introduction into the upper atmosphere of chemicals and gases
 -- including chlorofluorocarbons and nitrous oxide -- may lead to serious and
 irreversible effects. By understanding processes such as the ozone depletion,
 more informed policy decisions can be made to protect Earth's atmosphere.

   An important aspect of the UARS mission is its coordination among 
 investigating scientists. In other missions, NASA provided each laboratory
 with "raw" data from its particular instruments; this time NASA is taking a
 more centralized processing and data access approach toward pooling of data.
 NASA has supplied each research site with a compatible Digital system and
 connected all remote analysis sites to the CDHF via dedicated and shared lines
 using a DECnet wide area network. This will allow scientific data to be 
 accessible immediately to all investigator groups at their home institutions.

   To support centralized scientific processing at the CDHF, SSAI is also 
 integrating a VAX 9000 system Model 210, and a VAX 9000 system Model 410, into
 a VAXcluster System linking a VAX 6440 system, a VAX 8800 system, and a VAX
 6310 system. A Digital jukebox-type optical mass storage device is also
 included on the VAXcluster system.

   SSAI, located in Seabrook, Md., is a Digital OEM specializing in scientific 
 modeling, data processing and hardware and software integrations.

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    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
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<><><><><><><><>   VNS Edition : 2261      Friday 15-Feb-1991   <><><><><><><><>

                  
 +---------------------------+ TM
 |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |       Digital Equipment Corporation
 | d | i | g | i | t | a | l |       Maynard, Massachusetts 01754-2571
 |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |
 +---------------------------+ 

Editorial Contact:

David Lynch
(508) 467-7724
  
          DIGITAL VAX 9000 SYSTEMS SUPPORT STUDY OF EARTH'S

                UPPER ATMOSPHERE AND OZONE DEPLETION

MAYNARD, Mass. -- February 14, 1991 -- Digital Equipment Corporation 
today announced that Science Systems and Applications, Inc. (SSAI), 
in support of NASA's Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS) 
project, has delivered and installed two VAX 9000 mainframes at 
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center.  The VAX 9000 systems will 
receive and process data from UARS to study environmental changes 
affecting the Earth's upper atmosphere.

     Scheduled for launch by space shuttle in August 1991, UARS will 
measure the chemical composition, temperature, winds, and energy 
inputs of the Earth's upper atmosphere.  The UARS mission is the 
most complex space investigation of the upper atmosphere ever attempted.

     Data collected by the ten on-board instruments will be 
transmitted back to the Central Data Handling Facility (CDHF), which 
is located at the Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), Greenbelt, 
Maryland.  The CDHF will transform the raw telemetry data into 
usable atmospheric measurements, maintain a database on a mass 
storage subsystem, and communicate the resulting information to 
scientists located at numerous research institutions in the United 
States, Canada and Europe.

     Some atmospheric changes are natural, but scientists want to 
know more about those linked to human activities.  The introduction 
into the upper atmosphere of chemicals and gases -- including 
chlorofluorocarbons and nitrous oxide -- may lead to serious and 
irreversible effects.  By understanding processes such as the ozone 
depletion, more informed policy decisions can be made to protect the 
Earth's atmosphere.

     "We chose Digital for the project because of its scientific 
processing capability, networking strengths and wide range of 
compatible computers for both the CDHF and research sites," said 
Andrew Germain, SSAI senior engineer. "And we chose the VAX 9000 
system because its vector processing capability will handle the 
massive amounts of data we must process and because it is compatible 
with our installed hardware and software. The VAX 9000 system's 
growth potential means we can meet the current and projected 
processing demands without continually adding new systems.  That's 
one of Digital's key strengths," added Germain.

     According to Rich Whitman, Digital systems marketing manager, 
Digital developed the broad-based VAX 9000 system to meet the 
high-internal computing speed and data transfer capability 
requirements of both the commercial marketplace and scientific 
projects like UARS. "We are pleased that Digital is part of UARS.  
This project addresses an important and timely issue with wide-
ranging implications.  The research data processed and analyzed by 
the UARS may actually allow all of us on Earth to live longer, 
healthier and more productive lives," said Whitman.

     An important aspect of the UARS mission is its coordination 
among investigating scientists.  In other missions, NASA provided 
each laboratory with "raw" data from its particular instruments; 
this time NASA is taking a more centralized processing and data 
access approach toward pooling of data.  NASA has supplied each 
research site with a compatible Digital system and connected all 
remote analysis sites to the CDHF via dedicated and shared lines 
using a DECnet wide area network. This will allow scientific data to 
be accessible immediately to all investigator groups at their home 
institutions.

     To support centralized scientific processing at the CDHF, SSAI 
is also integrating a VAX 9000 system Model 210, and a VAX 9000 
system Model 410, into a VAXcluster System linking a VAX 6440 
system, a VAX 8800 system, and a VAX 6310 system.  A Digital 
jukebox-type optical mass storage device is also included on the 
VAXcluster system.

     Announced in October 1989 as Digital's first mainframe-
supercomputer, the VAX 9000 series offers full compatibility with 
the rest of the VAX system family and its extensive library of 
application software, along with easy integration into distributed 
and multivendor environments.  VAX 9000 systems can be configured 
with vector processors to deliver balanced, supercomputer 
performance.  The VAX 9000 series provides current VAX system 
owners with the ability to handle demanding applications such as 
numerically intensive computing and large-scale transaction 
processing, and to extend existing applications to the highest 
levels of computing without changing system architecture, 
recompiling source code or retraining staffs.

     Digital Equipment Corporation, headquartered in Maynard, 
Massachusetts, is the leading worldwide supplier of networked 
computer systems and services.  Digital offers a full range of 
computing solutions and systems integration for the entire 
enterprise -- from the desktop to the data center.

     SSAI, located in Seabrook, Maryland, is an original equipment 
manufacturer for Digital Equipment Corporation specializes in 
scientific modeling, data processing and hardware and software 
integrations.
                                ####

Note to Editors:  VAX, VAX 9000, VAX 8800, VAX 6310, VAXcluster, 
     		  VAX 6440 and DECnet are trademarks of Digital 
                  Equipment Corporation.

CORP/91/061
===========================================

This news about Digital Equipment Corp. is emailed as a courtesy to
members of the press. If you want other editors added to the
distribution or if you want your name removed please contact:

     David Price
     USS Press Relations
     Digital Equipment Corporation
     Voice:  603-884-3467
     Email:  [email protected]

From: [email protected] (Peter E. Yee)
Organization: NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA


          KSC SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT - FRIDAY, MAY 10, 1991 - 10:30 AM

 
                    STS-48/UARS - DISCOVERY (OV 103) - OPF BAY 1

          WORK IN PROGRESS:
          - Opening of the payload bay doors.
          - Post flight inspections.
          - Thermal protection system operations.

          WORK COMPLETED:
          - Offloaded residual propellant from the fuel cell storage tanks.
          - Installed access platforms in the aft compartment.
          - Main engine drying operations.
          - Removal of all tires.  They will be  sent  to  the  vendor  for
          evaluation.

          WORK SCHEDULED:
          - Main propulsion system tests next week.


                    STS- 49 - ENDEAVOUR (OV 105) - VAB High Bay 2

               Endeavour  was  transferred to the Vehicle Assembly Building
          high bay 2 this morning where work will be performed for the next
          few weeks. The orbiter will be jacked and leveled and access will
          be established.

               Next week,  the orbiter's weight and center of gravity  will
          be  determined.  Tail cone removal operations are planned the end
          of next week.

From: [email protected] (Peter E. Yee)
Organization: NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA


          KSC SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT - MONDAY, MAY 13, 1991 -- 10 a.m.

 
                    STS-48/UARS - DISCOVERY (OV 103) - OPF BAY 1

          WORK IN PROGRESS:
          - Removal of primary STS-39 payloads from orbiter's payload bay.

          WORK SCHEDULED:
          - Removal of main engine heat shields.
          - STS-48 payload, Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite, is set for
          mid-morning arrival at KSC.

          WORK COMPLETED:
          -  STS-39 brakes and tires were removed and shipped back to their
          respective vendors for analyses.
          - Removal of sleep stations and waste containment system.



 

From: [email protected] (Peter E. Yee)
Organization: NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA


          KSC SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT - TUESDAY, MAY 14, 1991 - 10:30 AM

 
                    STS-48/UARS - DISCOVERY (OV 103) - OPF BAY 1

          WORK IN PROGRESS:
          - Removal of heat shields.
          -  Checks  of the orbital maneuvering system and reaction control
          system motor valves.
          - Preparations to deservice lube oil  from  the  auxiliary  power
          units.
          - Main propulsion system leak and functional tests.
          - Post flight inspections.
          - Thermal protection system operations.

          WORK COMPLETED:
          - Removal of STS-39 payloads.

5/10/91: UPPER ATMOSPHERE RESEARCH SATELLITE COMPLETES OCEAN TRIP

Release No. 91-88

        NASA's Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS), scheduled
to be launched aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery this fall, is
scheduled to arrive at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC), FL, of May
12.  UARS was shipped by barge down the Atlantic coast from
Salem, NJ, on May 7, by the spacecraft designer and builder,
General Electric's Astro-Space Division, East Windsor, NJ and
Valley Forge, PA.
        At KSC, UARS will arrive at the barge turn basin adjacent to
the Vehicle Assembly Building.  The spacecraft will be offloaded
and taken to the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility (PHSF)
located in the KSC Industrial Area where it will undergo final
preparation and testing.
        On approximately July 24, UARS will be taken to the Vertical
Processing Facility (VPF) for the start of the integrated tests
to verify its compatibility with the Space Shuttle.  Three months
after its arrival at KSC, on approximately August 13, UARS will
be transported to Pad A on Launch Complex 39.  A few days later,
it will be installed into the payload bay of the Space Shuttle
Discovery.  A final set of tests will be run to verify the
connections with the orbiter and the spacecraft's readiness for
launch.  Liftoff for UARS is planned for this fall.
        UARS is the spearhead of a long-term, national program of
space research into global atmospheric change and a leading
element of NASA's Mission To Planet Earth.   UARS will provide
the comprehensive data base needed for an understanding of
changes in the upper atmosphere and for informed policy decisions
to address the human role in such changes.
        UARS is managed by Goddard for NASA's Office of Space
Science and Applications.
 

From: NASA Spacelink
Organization: NASA

           KSC SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT - THURSDAY, MAY 16, 1991 - 10 AM


 
              STS-48/UARS - DISCOVERY (OV 103) - OPF BAY 1

    WORK IN PROGRESS:
    - Replacement of a seal saver for a thruster on the right orbital
    maneuvering system pod.  Thruster was leaking yesterday.  The bay
    is cleared for this operation.
    - Removal of heat shields.
    - Checks of the orbital maneuvering system and  reaction  control
    system motor valves.
    -  Preparations  to  deservice  lube oil from the auxiliary power
    units.
    - Main propulsion system leak and functional tests.
    - Post flight inspections.
    - Thermal protection system operations.
    - Preparations to offload residual hypergolic propellants.
    - Shuttle main engine drying operations.


     

From: NASA Spacelink
Organization: NASA

KSC SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT - FRIDAY, MAY 17, 1991 - 10 AM


 
                 STS-48/UARS - DISCOVERY (OV 103) - OPF BAY 1

WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Preparations to deservice lube oil  from  the  auxiliary  power
units.
- Main propulsion system post-flight tests.
- Post flight inspections.
- Thermal protection system operations.
- Preparations to offload residual hypergolic propellants.
- Shuttle main engine drying operations.

WORK SCHEDULED:
-  Offloading  hypergolic  propellants from the orbiter's onboard
storage tanks.

From: NASA Spacelink
Organization: NASA

 KSC SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT - WEDNESDAY, MAY 22, 1991 - 11:30 AM

 
                  STS-48/UARS - DISCOVERY (OV 103) - OPF BAY 1

 WORK IN PROGRESS:
 - Work in the midbody.
 - Preparations to remove the three shuttle main engines.
 - Thermal protection system operations.
 - Inspections of the orbiter's hydraulic system.
 - Tests of the Ku-band antenna.

 WORK COMPLETED:
 - Removal of auxiliary power unit no. 3.
 - Removed nine main propulsion system temperature transducers for
 x-rays.

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


 

From: NASA Spacelink
Organization: NASA

    KSC SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT - FRIDAY, MAY 24, 1991 - 10 AM

     
              STS-48/UARS - DISCOVERY (OV 103) - OPF BAY 1

    WORK IN PROGRESS:
    - Window polishing.
    - Preparations to remove the three shuttle main engines.
    - Thermal protection system operations.
    - Inspections of the orbiter's hydraulic system.

    WORK COMPLETED:
    - Main engine flight readiness test.
    - Flow checks of the main propulsion system helium regulators.

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

From: NASA Spacelink
Organization: NASA

    KSC SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT - TUESDAY, MAY 28, 1991 - 10 AM

     
                   STS-48/UARS - DISCOVERY (OV 103) - OPF BAY 1

    WORK IN PROGRESS:
    - Work in the midbody.
    - Preparations to remove the three shuttle main engines.
    - Thermal protection system operations.
    - Main engine flight readiness test.
    - Preparations to check the forward reaction control system.


     

From: NASA
Organization: NASA

KSC SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT - THURSDAY, MAY 30, 1991 - 1:30 PM

 
                      STS-48/UARS - DISCOVERY (OV 103) - OPF BAY 1

WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Tests of the fuel cells.
- Functional tests of the forward reaction control system.
- Thermal protection system operations.
- Deconfiguration of the payload bay.

WORK COMPLETED:
- Removal of all three shuttle main engines.
- Validation of the orbiter's power system.

From: NASA Spacelink
Organization: NASA

    KSC SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT - FRIDAY, MAY 31, 1991 - 10  AM

     
              STS-48/UARS - DISCOVERY (OV 103) - OPF BAY 1

    WORK IN PROGRESS:
    - Inspections of the star tracker.
    - Tests of the fuel cells.
    - Functional tests of the forward reaction control system.
    - Thermal protection system operations.
    - Deconfiguration of the payload bay.
    - Checks of the main propulsion system.

     

KSC SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT - MONDAY, JUNE 3, 1991 - 11  AM

 
          STS-48/UARS - DISCOVERY (OV 103) - OPF BAY 1

WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Pull test of the external tank umbilical door latch.
- Tests of the fuel cells.
- Leak and functional tests of the water spray boilers.
- Main propulsion system tests.
- Thermal protection system operations.
- Deconfiguration of the payload bay.

WORK COMPLETED:
- Replacement of several multiplexer demultiplexers.
- Inspection of the star tracker.

KSC SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT - TUESDAY, JUNE 4, 1991 - 11  AM

 
          STS-48/UARS - DISCOVERY (OV 103) - OPF BAY 1

WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Tests of the fuel cells.
- Leak and functional tests of the water spray boilers.
- Main propulsion system tests.
- Thermal protection system operations.
- Deconfiguration of the payload bay.

WORK SCHEDULED:
- Replacement of the nose landing gear axle.


 

  KSC SHUTTLE STATUS  -  THURSDAY, JUNE 6, 1991  -- 10:00 a.m.
_________________________________________________________________
 
 
        STS-48/UARS  --  DISCOVERY (OV 103)  -  OPF BAY 1
 
WORK IN PROGRESS:
*  Auxiliary Power Unit lube oil servicing
*  Water Spray Boiler leak and functional tests
*  Main propulsion system and OMS pod system checks
 
WORK SCHEDULED:
*  TACAN system checks
*  Main engine controller checkouts
 
 

        KSC SHUTTLE STATUS  -  MONDAY, JUNE 10, 1991  -- 10:00 a.m.
    _________________________________________________________________


     
            STS-48/UARS  --  DISCOVERY (OV 103)  -  OPF BAY 1
                        LAUNCH SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER

    WORK IN PROGRESS:
    *  Water Spray Boiler leak and functional tests
    *  Main propulsion system and OMS pod system checks
    *  S-Band antenna systems checks

    WORK SCHEDULED:
    *  Main engine controller checkouts
    *  Fuel cell systems checks (6/12)

    WORK COMPLETED:
    *  Payload bay door and door seal tests to support possible EVA
       on Columbia.
    *  TACAN system checks

     

  KSC SHUTTLE STATUS  -  TUESDAY, JUNE 11, 1991  -- 10:00 a.m.
_________________________________________________________________


 
        STS-48/UARS  --  DISCOVERY (OV 103)  -  OPF BAY 1
                    LAUNCH SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER

WORK IN PROGRESS:
*  Main propulsion system checks
*  OMS system functional checks
*  S-Band antenna systems checks
*  Water Spray Boiler leak and functional tests
*  Landing gear functional tests

WORK SCHEDULED:
*  Main engine controller checkouts
*  Fuel cell systems checks

WORK COMPLETED:
*  Helium leak checks


 

  KSC SHUTTLE STATUS  -  WEDNESDAY, JUNE 12, 1991  -- 9:00 a.m.
_________________________________________________________________


 
        STS-48/UARS  --  DISCOVERY (OV 103)  -  OPF BAY 1
                    LAUNCH SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER

WORK IN PROGRESS:
*  OMS system functional checks
*  On board fuel cell tests
*  Water Spray Boiler 48 hour decay checks
*  Landing gear functional tests

WORK COMPLETED:
*  Main propulsion system checks
*  S-Band antenna systems checks
*  Deployment of remote manipulator system to vertical

WORK SCHEDULED:
*  Main engine controller checkouts
*  Hydraulic and flight control checkouts
*  Auxiliary Power Unit leak and functional tests


 

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER -  SHUTTLE STATUS - MONDAY, JUNE 17, 1991

 
            STS-48/Discovery OV-103/UARS  OPF Bay 1


WORK IN PROGRESS

     Payload bay reconfiguration
     Orbiter midbody reconfiguration
     Closeout work for payload bay door radiators
     Installation of brakes
     Auxliary power unit leak and functional check
     Powered down electrical work
     Fuel cell system testing
     OMS pod check out
     OMS system leak checks

WORK SCHEDULED

     Checkout of waste water nozzle and dump system
     PRSD system closeouts

WORK COMPLETED

     Auxiliary power unit leak and functional checks
     Hydraulic system inspections
     Waste containment system installed


 

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER -  SHUTTLE STATUS - WEDNESDAY, JUNE 19, 1991
 
 
           STS-48/Discovery OV-103/UARS  OPF Bay 1
 
 
WORK IN PROGRESS
 
     Payload bay reconfiguration.
     Orbiter midbody reconfiguration.
     Powered-up electrical testing.
     Fuel cell system testing.
     OMS pod check out.
     OMS system leak checks.
     Ammonia boiler servicing.
     Installation of Digital Display Unit #2.
     Thermal Protection System repair and removal/replacement.
 
 
WORK SCHEDULED
 
     PRSD system closeouts.

 
WORK COMPLETED
 
     Auxiliary power unit leak and functional checks complete.
     Hydraulic system inspections complete.
     Waste management system functional check.
     Brake installation complete.
     Payload bay door radiator closeouts complete.
     Fuel cell system leak and decay check complete.
     Radiator door stowage complete.
     PRSD system leak checks are complete.
     RMS deployment check complete.
 
  
 

              KSC SHUTTLE STATUS  -  THURSDAY, JUNE 20, 1991  -- 10:30 a.m.
          _________________________________________________________________


 
                  STS-48/UARS  --  DISCOVERY (OV 103)  -  OPF BAY 1
                              LAUNCH SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER

          WORK IN PROGRESS:
          *  Auxiliary Power Unit leak and functional tests
          *  On board fuel cell system tests

          WORK COMPLETED:
          *  Ammonia boiler servicing
          *  OMS system functional checks
          *  Main propulsion system checks
          *  Hydraulic and flight control inspections in aft compartment

          WORK SCHEDULED:
          *  Robot arm tests
          *  Payload bay door functional tests

 

   KSC SHUTTLE STATUS  -  FRIDAY, JUNE 21, 1991  -- 9:00 a.m.
_________________________________________________________________


 
        STS-48/UARS  --  DISCOVERY (OV 103)  -  OPF BAY 1
                    LAUNCH SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER

WORK IN PROGRESS:
*  Auxiliary Power Unit leak and functional tests
*  Ammonia boiler servicing
*  Bulb seal repair work
*  Payload bay reconfiguration
*  Helium tank leak checks
*  Radiator inspections
*  Hydraulic system fill and bleed decay test

WORK COMPLETED:
*  On board fuel cell system tests
*  OMS system functional checks
*  Hydraulic and flight control inspections in aft compartment
*  APU relief valve replacement

WORK SCHEDULED:
*  Robot arm tests
*  Payload bay door functional tests

 

   KSC SHUTTLE STATUS  -  MONDAY, JUNE 24, 1991  -- 11:00 a.m.
_________________________________________________________________



 
        STS-48/UARS  --  DISCOVERY (OV 103)  -  OPF BAY 1
                    LAUNCH SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER

WORK IN PROGRESS:
*  Bulb seal repair work
*  Payload bay reconfiguration
*  Helium tank leak checks
*  Radiator inspections
*  Robot arm tests
*  Auxiliary Power Unit leak and functional tests

WORK COMPLETED:
*  Ammonia boiler servicing
*  On board fuel cell system tests
*  OMS system functional checks
*  Flight control inspections
*  Nose wheel steering checkouts

WORK SCHEDULED:
*  Payload bay door functional tests


 

  KSC SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT FOR TUESDAY, JUNE 25, 1991 - 10 AM


 
          STS-48/UARS - DISCOVERY (OV 103) - OPF BAY 1

WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Verification  of  the  orbital  maneuvering  system  electrical
  redundancy capability.
- Servicing of the potable water.
- Repair of the payload bay bulb seal.
- Leak and functional tests of the auxiliary power units.
- Thermal protection system operations.
- Evaluation of the Tacan antennas.

WORK SCHEDULED:
- Installation  of  the  three  Shuttle  main engines Friday and
  Saturday.

 

 KSC SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT FOR WEDNESDAY, JUNE 26, 1991 - 10 AM


 
          STS-48/UARS - DISCOVERY (OV 103) - OPF BAY 1

WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Verification  of  the  orbital  maneuvering  system electrical
  redundancy capability.
- Servicing of the potable water.
- Repair of the payload bay bulb seal.
- Leak and functional tests of the auxiliary power units.
- Thermal protection system operations.
- Replacement of the no. 3 Tacan antenna.

WORK SCHEDULED:
- Installation of the  three  Shuttle  main  engines  Friday  and
  Saturday.

 

From: [email protected] (Peter E. Yee)
Date: 26 Jun 91 19:50:00 GMT
Organization: NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA

                              PAYLOAD TEST AND ACTIVITY SHEET
                              KENNEDY SPACE CENTER
                              UARS STS-48/DISCOVERY

                              6/26/91

          George H. Diller
          407/867-2468
          FTS 823-2468

          Upcoming Activity          * denotes change since last schedule

          Solar array dark testing 6/26 *
          UASE Interface Test  6/26 - 6/27
          ISAMS testing 6/27-6/28 *
          Remove ISAMS for repair 6/29 *
          Remove PEM Detector for repair 6/29 *
          POCC Test   6/27 - 29 *
          Reinstall flight SPRU  6/30 *
          Second CLAES Recool 7/1 - 7/4 *
          All Systems Test (health check) 7/1 *
          Reinstall PEM Detector 7/2 *
          Reinstall ISAMS 7/5 *
          Start spacecraft final checks  7/8
          Crew Equipment Interface Test (CEIT)  7/8 *
          Payload thermal closeouts  7/8 - 7/12
          Cleanliness Inspection  7/16
          Install into payload canister 7/18 - 7/19
          Move to VAB  7/22
          Rotate Canister to Vertical 7/23


          Move to VPF 7/24
          Install in test cell 7/24
          Establish CITE connections 7/29
          UARS Interace Verification Test (IVT) 7/30-31
          UARS End-to-End Test (ETE)  8/2
          UARS State of Health check 8/5
          Flight Battery Reconditioning 8/6-8/8
          UARS Closeouts and cleanliness inspection  8/9
          Install in Payload Canister 8/12


          Transport to Pad A  8/13
          Install in Discovery  8/17
          Establish UARS electrical connections with UASE 8/18-8/20
          CLAES Recool 8/18
          UARS/Discovery IVT 8/21
          UARS End to End (ETE) Test 8/26
          UARS Launch Readiness Test 8/27
          Flight Battery Reconditioning 8/28-9/1
          Close payload bay doors 9/10


          Activity Completed

          Instrument Module arrived PHSF  5/13
          Install Instrument Module into test fixture  5/14
          Remove Zenith Energetic Particle System (ZEPS) for rework  5/18
          Initial Power-up  5/21
          Install Solar Stellar Pointing Platform (SSPP)  5/21
          Attitude Control System (ACS) test complete  5/22
          Install High Gain Antenna  5/22
          CLAES first recool complete  5/29
          UARS Airborne Support Equipment (UASE) arrival at PHSF  6/1
          Conclude battery "wake-up" cycle #1  6/3
          UARS Airborne Support Equipment Receiving Inspection complete 6/4
          Spacecraft Hydrazine Fueling  6/5
          Fuel tank pressurization  6/6
          Zenith Energetic Particle System (ZEPS) reassembly completed 6/10
          Installed ISAMS Scan Mirror  6/10
          Installed ZEPS  6/11
          Flight Batteries installed  6/11
          Zenith Energetic Particle System (ZEPS) reinstalled  6/11
          Standard Power Regulator Unit (SPRU) temporary changeout 6/12
          Modular Power System (MPS) reinstalled  6/12
          Flight Batteries charged  6/12
          MACS Sunshade Installation completed  6/15
          UARS Airborne Support Equipment Standalone testing completed 6/15
          Mate MMS to Instrument Module 6/17
          UASE mechanical operations completed 6/21
          UASE contingency EVA tool fit checks 6/25
          High Gain boom gimbal check and antenna dish installation 6/20
          High Gain Antenna POCC Test 6/21
          Baseline Testing (partial functional) completed 6/25



          Undefined Payload Acronymns

          CLAES  Cryogenic Limb Array Etalon Spectrometer
          ISAMS  Improved Stratospheric and Mesopheric Sounder
          MMS    Multimission Modular Spacecraft
          MACS   Modular Attitude Control Subsystem
          PEM    Particle Environment Monitor

  KSC SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT FOR THURSDAY, JUNE 27, 1991 - 10 AM


 
          STS-48/UARS - DISCOVERY (OV 103) - OPF BAY 1

WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Leak checks of the gaseous oxygen flow control valves.
- Servicing of the potable water.
- Repair of the payload bay bulb seal.
- Leak and functional tests of the auxiliary power units.
- Thermal protection system operations.

WORK COMPLETED:
- Verification  of  the  orbital  maneuvering  system  electrical
  redundancy capability.
- Installation of the gaseous oxygen flow control valves.

WORK SCHEDULED:
- Installation  of  the  three  Shuttle  main engines Friday and
  Saturday.


 

   KSC SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT FOR MONDAY, JULY 1, 1991 - 10 AM

 
          STS-48/UARS - DISCOVERY (OV 103) - OPF BAY 1

WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Installation of the last shuttle main engine.
- Servicing the potable water system.
- Repair of the payload bay bulb seal.
- Leak and functional tests of the auxiliary power units.
- Thermal protection system operations.

WORK COMPLETED:
- Installation of two of the three shuttle main engines.
- External tank door functional test.

     ##  STS-48 SOLID ROCKET BOOSTERS - VAB HIGH BAY 3

WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Mating the left aft booster to the mobile launcher platform.

WORK COMPLETED:
-  Right  aft  center  segment  mated  yesterday to the right aft
   booster.

 

   KSC SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT FOR TUESDAY, JULY 2, 1991 - 10 AM


 
          STS-48/UARS - DISCOVERY (OV 103) - OPF BAY 1

WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Connections of the three shuttle main engines.
- Filling and bleeding the hydraulics for the brakes.
- Servicing the potable water system.
- Repair of the payload bay bulb seal.
- Leak and functional tests of the auxiliary power units.
- Thermal protection system operations.

WORK COMPLETED:
- Installation of two of the three shuttle main engines.
- External tank door functional test.

WORK SCHEDULED:
- Brake anti-skid test.

       ## STS-48 SOLID ROCKET BOOSTERS - VAB HIGH BAY 3


WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Mating the left aft booster to the mobile launcher platform.

WORK SCHEDULED:
- Mating the right aft center segment next Monday.

 

  KSC SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT FOR WEDNESDAY, JULY 3, 1991 - 10 AM


 
          STS-48/UARS - DISCOVERY (OV 103) - OPF BAY 1

WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Installation of the galley.
- Connections of the three shuttle main engines.
- Filling and bleeding the hydraulics for the brakes.
- Servicing the potable water system.
- Repair of the payload bay bulb seal.
- Leak and functional tests of the auxiliary power units.
- Thermal protection system operations.

WORK COMPLETED:
- Installation of the right main landing gear brakes.

WORK SCHEDULED:
- Brake anti-skid test.
- Crew Equipment Interface Test with flight crew on Tuesday.
- Installation of the main and nose landing gear tires.

    ##   STS-48 SOLID ROCKET BOOSTERS - VAB HIGH BAY 3

WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Connections between the left aft booster and the  launch  plat-
form.

WORK SCHEDULED:
- Mating the right aft center segment next Monday.

 

   KSC SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT FOR MONDAY, JULY 8, 1991 - 10 AM


 
          STS-48/UARS - DISCOVERY (OV 103) - OPF BAY 1

WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Installation of ordnance devices in various areas  of  the  or-
biter.
- Connections of the main engine interfaces.
- Closeouts of the aft compartment.
- Installation of the tires.
- Repair of the payload bay bulb seal.
- Thermal protection system operations.

WORK COMPLETED:
- Installation of the galley.
- Installation of auxiliary power unit no. 3.

WORK SCHEDULED:
- Brake anti-skid test.
- Crew Equipment Interface Test with flight crew on Tuesday.
- Rollover to the Vehicle Assembly Building in about two weeks.

       ##  STS-48 SOLID ROCKET BOOSTERS - VAB HB 3

WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Mating the right aft center segment.
- Preparing the right forward center segment for mate.

WORK SCHEDULED:
- Mating the right forward center,  right forward and right  for-
ward assembly  segments this week.
-  Stacking  of  the  motor  segments  for  the  left  booster is
scheduled next week.


 

   KSC SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT FOR TUESDAY, JULY 9, 1991 - 10 AM


 
          STS-48/UARS - DISCOVERY (OV 103) - OPF BAY 1

WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Crew Equipment Interface Test with STS-48 flight crew.
- Installation of heat shields around the main engines.
- Tests of the Ku-band antenna.
- Closeouts of the aft compartment.
- Installation of the tires.
- Repair of the payload bay bulb seal.
- Thermal protection system operations.

WORK COMPLETED:
- Connections of the main engine interfaces.

WORK SCHEDULED:
- Functional test of the galley.
- Payload bay inspections and cleaning.
- Rollover to the Vehicle Assembly Building in about two weeks.

      ##   STS-48 SOLID ROCKET BOOSTERS - VAB HB 3


WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Mating the right aft center segment.
- Preparing the right forward center segment for mate.

WORK SCHEDULED:
- Mating the right forward center,  right forward and right for-
  ward assembly  segments this week.
- Stacking  of  the  motor  segments  for  the  left  booster  is
  scheduled next week.

 
 

KSC SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT FOR WEDNESDAY, JULY 10, 1991 - 10 AM

 
          STS-48/UARS - DISCOVERY (OV 103) - OPF BAY 1

WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Preparations for a functional test of the galley.
- Tests of the close circuit television communications system.
- Installation of heat shields around the main engines.
- Tests of the Ku-band antenna.
- Closeouts of the aft compartment.
- Installation of the tires.
- Repair of the payload bay bulb seal.
- Thermal protection system operations.

WORK COMPLETED:
- Crew Equipment Interface Test.

WORK SCHEDULED:
- Payload bay inspections and cleaning.
- Rollover to the Vehicle Assembly Building targeted for July 22.

        ##  STS-48 SOLID ROCKET BOOSTERS - VAB HB 3


WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Preparing the right forward center segment for mate.

WORK COMPLETED:
- Mated the right aft center segment.

WORK SCHEDULED:
-  Mating  the right forward and right forward assembly  segments
   this week.
- Stacking  of  the  motor  segments  for  the  left  booster  is
  scheduled next week.

 

   KSC SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT FOR FRIDAY, JULY 12, 1991 - 10 AM

 
          STS-48/UARS - DISCOVERY (OV 103) - OPF BAY 1

WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Integrated testing between the main engines and main propulsion
system.
- Tests of the closed circuit television communications system.
- Installation of heat shields around the main engines.
- Closeouts of the aft compartment and avionics bays.
- Thermal protection system operations.

WORK COMPLETED:
- Installation of tires.
- Tests of the Ku-band antenna.

WORK SCHEDULED:
- Cycle payload bay doors.
- Payload bay inspections and cleaning.
- Rollover to the Vehicle Assembly Building targeted for July 22.


    ##         STS-48 SOLID ROCKET BOOSTERS - VAB HB 3

WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Stacking of the right forward assembly.
- Joint closeouts.

WORK COMPLETED:
- Mated the right forward segment.

WORK SCHEDULED:
- Transfer of the left aft center segment to the Vehicle Assembly
Building tomorrow.
-  Stacking  of  the  motor  segments  for  the  left  booster is
scheduled next week.
 
 

  KSC SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT FOR TUESDAY, JULY 16, 1991 - 10 AM

 
          STS-48/UARS - DISCOVERY (OV 103) - OPF BAY 1

WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Troubleshooting of a cabin pressure transducer.
- Inspections of main propulsion system screens.
- Cleaning the payload bay.
- Installation of ordnance devices.
- Leak checks of auxiliary power unit no. 3.
- Closeouts of the aft compartment and avionics bays.
- Thermal protection system operations.

WORK SCHEDULED:
- Orbiter positive pressure leak checks.
- Cycle payload bay doors.
- Payload bay inspections and cleaning.
- Determine orbiter weight and center of gravity.
- Rollover to the Vehicle Assembly Building targeted for July 22.


  ##      STS-48 SOLID ROCKET BOOSTERS - VAB HB 3

WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Stacking of the left forward center segment.
- Joint closeouts.

WORK COMPLETED:
- Mated the left aft center segment to the left booster.

 

 KSC SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT FOR WEDNESDAY, JULY 17, 1991 - 10 AM

 
          STS-48/UARS - DISCOVERY (OV 103) - OPF BAY 1

WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Inspections of main propulsion system screens.
- Cleaning the payload bay.
- Leak checks of auxiliary power unit no. 3.
- Closeouts of the aft compartment and avionics bays.
- Thermal protection system operations.
- Positioning of the main landing gear strut.

WORK COMPLETED:
-  Removal  of  a  panel  in the middeck associated with a failed
cabin pressure transducer.

WORK SCHEDULED:
- Orbiter positive pressure leak checks.
- Cycle payload bay doors.
- Payload bay inspections and cleaning.
- Determine orbiter weight and center of gravity.
- Rollover to the Vehicle Assembly Building targeted for July 24.

    ##    STS-48 SOLID ROCKET BOOSTERS - VAB HB 3

WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Stacking of the left forward center segment.
- Joint closeouts.
- Transfer the left forward segment to the transfer aisle today.
WORK COMPLETED:
- Mated the left aft center segment to the left booster.

 

  KSC SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT FOR THURSDAY, JULY 18, 1991 - 10 AM

 
          STS-48/UARS - DISCOVERY (OV 103) - OPF BAY 1

WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Replacement of the liquid hydrogen recirculation pump package.
- Inspections of main propulsion system.
- Tests of the orbiter's flight control system.
- Reconnection of a control panel in the middeck.
- Tests of newly installed Tacan no. 2.
- Cleaning the payload bay.
- Closeouts of the midbody and aft compartment.
- Thermal protection system operations.

WORK COMPLETED:
- Positive pressure test of the orbiter's wing.

WORK SCHEDULED:
- Orbiter positive pressure leak checks.
- Cycle payload bay doors.
- Payload bay inspections and cleaning.
- Determine orbiter weight and center of gravity.
- Rollover to the Vehicle Assembly Building targeted for July 24.


   ###   STS-48 SOLID ROCKET BOOSTERS - VAB HB 3

WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Stacking of the left forward segment.
- Joint closeouts.
- Routing booster cables.
- Preparations to install booster ordnance devices.

WORK COMPLETED:
- Mated the left forward center segment to the left booster.
 
 

    KSC SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT FOR FRIDAY, JULY 19, 1991 - 10 AM

 
        STS-48/UARS - DISCOVERY (OV 103) - OPF BAY 1

WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Installation of the liquid hydrogen recirculation pump package.
- Inspections of main propulsion system.
- Retest of a control panel in the middeck.
- Tests of newly installed Tacan no. 2.
- Cleaning the payload bay.
- Closeouts of the midbody and aft compartment.
- Thermal protection system operations.

WORK COMPLETED:
- Vacuumed particles from the main propulsion system.

WORK SCHEDULED:
- Orbiter positive pressure leak checks.
- Cycle payload bay doors.
- Payload bay inspections and cleaning.
- Determine orbiter weight and center of gravity.
- Rollover to the Vehicle Assembly Building targeted for July 24.

    ##   STS-48 SOLID ROCKET BOOSTERS - VAB HB 3

WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Mating the left forward segment.
- Joint closeouts.
- Routing booster cables around the external tank attach ring.
- Preparations to install booster ordnance devices.

WORK SCHEDULED:
- Mate of the left forward assembly/nose cone this weekend.
- Booster alignment measurements Sunday.


 

   KSC SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT FOR MONDAY, JULY 22, 1991 - 11 AM

 
          STS-48/UARS - DISCOVERY (OV 103) - OPF BAY 1

WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Tests of newly installed Tacan no. 2.
- Cleaning the payload bay.
- Closeouts of the midbody and aft compartment.
- Thermal protection system operations.
- Positive pressure leak test of the aft compartment.
- Inspections of the radiators.

WORK COMPLETED:
- Installed the liquid hydrogen recirculation pump package.
-  Retest of a control panel in the middeck.

WORK SCHEDULED:
- Orbiter positive pressure leak checks.
- Cycle payload bay doors.
- Payload bay inspections and cleaning.
- Determine orbiter weight and center of gravity.
- Rollover to the Vehicle Assembly Building  targeted  for  early
  morning July 25.



        ##  STS-48 SOLID ROCKET BOOSTERS - VAB HB 3

WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Joint closeouts.
- Routing booster cables.
- Preparations to install booster ordnance devices.

WORK COMPLETED:
- Mate of the left forward assembly/nose cone.
- Booster alignment measurements.

WORK SCHEDULED:
- Mate the external tank to the solid rocket boosters July 24.

 
 

  KSC SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT FOR TUESDAY, JULY 23, 1991 - 11 AM

 
          STS-48/UARS - DISCOVERY (OV 103) - OPF BAY 1

WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Leak checks of the hydraulic system.
- Cycles of the nose landing gear.
- Preparations to close the payload bay doors.
- Cleaning the payload bay.
- Closeouts of the midbody and aft compartment.
- Thermal protection system operations.
- Positive pressure leak test of the vehicle.
- Inspections of the radiators.

WORK COMPLETED:
- Tests of the Tacan antennas.

WORK SCHEDULED:
- Orbiter positive pressure leak checks.
- Cycle payload bay doors.
- Payload bay inspections and cleaning.
- Determine orbiter weight and center of gravity.
- Rollover to the Vehicle Assembly  Building  targeted  for  late
night on July 25.


      ## STS-48 SOLID ROCKET BOOSTERS - VAB HB 3
 

WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Preparations to mate the external  tank  to  the  solid  rocket
boosters.
- Joint closeouts.
- Routing booster cables.

WORK COMPLETED:
- Installation of ordnance devices for the boosters.

WORK SCHEDULED:
- Retract platforms away from boosters for tank mate operations.
- Mate the external tank to the solid rocket boosters July 24.


 

  KSC SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT FOR THURSDAY, JULY 25, 1991 - 10 AM

 
          STS-48/UARS - DISCOVERY (OV 103) - OPF BAY 1

WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Preparations to transfer the vehicle to  the  Vehicle  Assembly
Building high bay 2 this afternoon.
- Retraction of the landing gears.

WORK COMPLETED:
- Orbiter is bolted to the transporter.
- Weight and center of gravity operations.


   ##      STS-48 SOLID ROCKET BOOSTERS - VAB HB 3

WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Routing cables between the external tank and the  solid  rocket
boosters.

WORK COMPLETED:
-  Mating  the external tank to the solid rocket boosters earlier
this morning.


 

   KSC SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT FOR FRIDAY, JULY 26, 1991 - 10 AM

 
           STS-48/UARS - DISCOVERY (OV 103) - VAB HB 2

WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Monitoring systems on the vehicle.
- Tile work around the nose landing gear.

WORK COMPLETED:
- Orbiter transferred to the VAB at 11:55 p.m. last night.

WORK SCHEDULED:
- Mating to the external tank and solid rocket boosters  no  ear-
lier than Aug. 1.
- Rollout to Launch Pad 39-A targeted Aug. 12.

         ##  STS-48 SOLID ROCKET BOOSTERS - VAB HB 3

WORK IN PROGRESS:
-  Routing  cables between the external tank and the solid rocket
boosters.


 

   KSC SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT FOR MONDAY, JULY 29, 1991 - 11 AM

 
           STS-48/UARS - DISCOVERY (OV 103) - VAB HB 2

WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Monitoring systems on the vehicle.
- Tile work around the nose landing gear.

WORK SCHEDULED:
-  Mating  to the external tank and solid rocket boosters no ear-
lier than Aug. 1.
- Rollout to Launch Pad 39-A targeted Aug. 12.

    ##   STS-48 SOLID ROCKET BOOSTERS - VAB HB 3

WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Preparations for orbiter mate operations.

WORK SCHEDULED:
-  Mate  orbiter  to  the external tank and solid rocket boosters
Thursday.
 

 

   KSC SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT FOR MONDAY, AUG. 5, 1991 - 10 AM

 
           STS-48/UARS - DISCOVERY (OV 103) - VAB HB 3

WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Making electrical connections between the external tank and or-
biter.
- Preparations to power up the vehicle at midnight tonight.

WORK COMPLETED:
-  Transfer  of the vehicle from high bay 2 to the transfer aisle
last Thursday morning.
- Hard mated to the external tank and solid  rocket  boosters  at
1:27 p.m. last Friday.

WORK SCHEDULED:
- Rollout to Launch Pad 39-A targeted 12:01 a.m. Monday, Aug. 12.

            STS-XX   COLUMBIA (OV 102) - OPF BAY 2

WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Installation of the tail cone.
- Final power up work.

WORK SCHEDULED:
-  Transfer  to  OPF  bay 3 on Aug.  7 for a one-day facility fit
check.
- Tow to the Mate Demate Device Thursday for mate  with  the  747
Shuttle Carrier Aircraft.
- Ferry flight to Palmdale, Calif. targeted  Aug. 9.

WORK COMPLETED:
- Final payload bay door closure for the ferry flight.
-  Installation  of  the  left and right mock orbital maneuvering
system pods.


 

   KSC SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT FOR TUESDAY, AUG. 6, 1991 - 11 AM

 
           STS-48/UARS - DISCOVERY (OV 103) - VAB HB 3

WORK IN PROGRESS:
-  Shuttle Interface Test which validates connections between the
vehicle elements and the launch platform.

WORK COMPLETED:
- Electrical connections between the external tank and orbiter.
- Powered up the vehicle at 1:23 a.m. today.

WORK SCHEDULED:
- Retraction of platforms away from the vehicle late Friday.
- Rollout to Launch Pad 39-A targeted 12:01 a.m. Monday, Aug. 12.

 

  KSC SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT FOR WEDNESDAY, AUG. 7, 1991 - 10 AM

 
           STS-48/UARS - DISCOVERY (OV 103) - VAB HB 3

WORK IN PROGRESS:
-  Shuttle Interface Test which validates connections between the
vehicle elements and the launch platform.
- Leak checks of the cavities between the external  tank  to  or-
biter disconnects.
- Tests of the solid rocket boosters' hydraulic system.

WORK SCHEDULED:
- Retraction of platforms away from the vehicle late Friday.
- Rollout to Launch Pad 39-A targeted 12:01 a.m. Monday, Aug. 12.

 

 KSC SHUTTLE STATUS  -  THURSDAY, AUGUST 8, 1991  -- 11:00 a.m.
_________________________________________________________________


 
         STS-48/UARS  --  DISCOVERY (OV 103)  - VAB HB 3

WORK IN PROGRESS:
*  Shuttle interface test
*  Final orbiter/external tank mate and umbilical closeouts
*  Liquid hydrogen recirculation pump leak checks
*  Main Propulsion System checks

WORK COMPLETED:
*  Liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen fill and drain leak checks
*  Orbiter/external tank electrical mates

WORK SCHEDULED:
*  Platform retractions
*  Rollout to pad 39-A set for Monday, Aug. 12 at 12:01 a.m.

 

  KSC SHUTTLE STATUS  -  FRIDAY, AUGUST 9, 1991  -- 11:00 a.m.
_________________________________________________________________


 
         STS-48/UARS  --  DISCOVERY (OV 103)  - VAB HB 3

WORK IN PROGRESS:
*  Shuttle interface test
*  Final orbiter/external tank mate and umbilical closeouts
*  Retest of the Master Events Controller
*  Liquid hydrogen recirculation pump leak checks
WORK COMPLETED:
*  Main Propulsion System checks
*  Liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen fill and drain leak checks
*  Orbiter/external tank electrical mates
WORK SCHEDULED:
*  Platform retractions scheduled to begin tonight
*  Rollout to pad 39-A set for Monday, Aug. 12, at 12:01 a.m.


 

       KSC SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT FOR MONDAY, AUG. 12, 1991 - 11 AM


 
             STS-48/UARS - DISCOVERY (OV 103) - PAD 39-A

  WORK IN PROGRESS:
  - Making connections between the vehicle, launch platform and the
  launch pad.
  - Hot fire of auxiliary power unit no. 3 tonight.
  - Preparations to install the Upper Atmospheric  Research  Satel-
  lite (UARS) payload this week.

  WORK SCHEDULED:
  -  Rotation  of  the  service  structure around the vehicle early
  tomorrow.
  - Installation of the UARS payload on Wednesday.
  - Helium signature leak test of the main  propulsion  system  and
  three shuttle main engines Thursday.
  - Countdown Demonstration Test set for Aug. 19-20.

  WORK COMPLETED:
  - Roll out to Launch Pad 39-A began at 1:37 a.m.  and the vehicle
  was harddown at 9:19 a.m.



 

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

 
         STS-48/UARS  --  DISCOVERY (OV 103)  - PAD 39-A

WORK IN PROGRESS:
*  Launch pad validations
*  Rotate service structure around vehicle

WORK COMPLETED:
*  Rollout to pad 39-A
*  Vehicle power up at pad
*  Auxiliary Power Unit hot fire

WORK SCHEDULED:
*  Open payload bay doors
*  Install payload tomorrow
*  Helium signature test of main propulsion system

 

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


 
           STS-48/UARS - DISCOVERY (OV 103) - PAD 39-A

WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Validating connections between the vehicle, launch platform and
the launch pad.
- Installation of the Upper Atmospheric Research Satellite (UARS)
into the orbiter's payload bay.
- Preparations to perform the helium signature leak test  of  the
three main engines and main propulsion system.

WORK SCHEDULED:
-  Helium  signature  leak test of the main propulsion system and
three shuttle main engines planned tomorrow.
- Countdown Demonstration Test set for Aug. 19-20.

WORK COMPLETED:
- Payload bay doors were opened yesterday.
- Hot fire of auxiliary power unit no. 3.


 

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


 
           STS-48/UARS - DISCOVERY (OV 103) - PAD 39-A

WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Helium signature leak test of the three main engines  and  main
propulsion system.
-  Connections  between  the Upper Atmospheric Research Satellite
(UARS) and the orbiter.
- Preparations to service the  vehicle  with  hypergolic  propel-
lants.

WORK SCHEDULED:
- Payload interface verification tests on Saturday.
- STS-48 flight crew arrives at KSC on Sunday at 11:30 a.m. EDT.
-  Countdown Demonstration Test set for Aug.  19-20.  Simulated T
minus zero scheduled at 11 a.m. Tuesday.
- Loading hypergolic propellants into the orbiter's storage tanks
next week.

WORK COMPLETED:
- Installed the UARS spacecraft yesterday.
- Validating connections between the launch pad and the vehicle.


 

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


 
           STS-48/UARS - DISCOVERY (OV 103) - PAD 39-A

WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Countdown Demonstration Test began  at  8:30  a.m.  today.  The
simulated main engine cutoff is scheduled at 11 a.m. tomorrow.
-  Flight  crew  will receive training in emergency escape proce-
dures at the launch pad.
- Test team will brief astronauts on the status  of  the  shuttle
and payload.
-  Preparations  to  service  the vehicle with hypergolic propel-
lants.

WORK COMPLETED:
- Interface  verification  test  between  the  Upper  Atmospheric
Research Satellite and the orbiter was successful.
- STS-48 crew arrived at KSC yesterday for countdown test.

WORK SCHEDULED:
- Loading hypergolic propellants into the orbiter's storage tanks
the end of the week.


 

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


 
           STS-48/UARS - DISCOVERY (OV 103) - PAD 39-A

WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Countdown Demonstration Test will culminate  with  a  simulated
main engine cutoff at 11 a.m.
-  Flight  crew will depart from the Shuttle Landing Facility en-
route to Houston.
- Preparations to service the  vehicle  with  hypergolic  propel-
lants.
- Calibration of the inertial measurement units.

WORK COMPLETED:
-  Flight  crew  made  a sharp edge inspection of the payload bay
yesterday.
- Astronauts briefed on emergency escape procedures at the launch
pad, slidewire and bunker area.

WORK SCHEDULED:
- Close payload bay doors tonight in preparation  for  hypergolic
loading operations.
- Loading hypergolic propellants into the orbiter's storage tanks
starting tomorrow.


 

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

 
           STS-48/UARS - DISCOVERY (OV 103) - PAD 39-A

WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Loading hypergolic propellants in the orbiter's onboard storage
tanks.  Monomethylhydrazine and nitrogen tetroxide will be loaded
into  tanks  for  the  reaction  control  system  and the orbital
maneuvering system.  Hydrazine will be loaded into tanks for  the
orbiter's   auxiliary  power  units  and  for  the  solid  rocket
boosters' hydraulic power units.
- Closing of the pad later today to all  non-essential  personnel
for  this  operation scheduled to be completed early Friday morn-
ing.

WORK COMPLETED:
- Countdown Demonstration Test culminated with a  simulated  main
engine cutoff at 11 a.m.
-  Flight crew departed from the Shuttle Landing Facility enroute
to Houston yesterday.
- Calibration of the inertial measurement units.
- Closed payload bay doors for hypergolic loading operations.
- Replaced the master timing unit last night because of  a  drift
in  its  frequency.  This unit provides precise frequency outputs
for various timing and synchronization purposes  to  the  general
purpose computers and many other orbiter subsystems.

WORK SCHEDULED:
- Launch Readiness Review scheduled Aug. 26.
- Flight Readiness Review scheduled Aug. 28-29.

 

  KSC SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT FOR THURSDAY, AUG. 22, 1991 - 11 AM
 
 
           STS-48/UARS - DISCOVERY (OV 103) - PAD 39-A
 
WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Loading monomethylhydrazine into the orbiter's onboard  storage
tanks for the reaction control system and the orbital maneuvering
system.  Hydrazine  will  be  loaded into tanks for the orbiter's
auxiliary  power  units  and  for  the  solid  rocket   boosters'
hydraulic power units.
-  Launch  pad  is closed to all non-essential personnel for this
operation and will reopen early tomorrow morning at  the  conclu-
sion of the loading activity.
 
WORK COMPLETED:
- Closed payload bay doors yesterday at 10:10 a.m.
-  Loaded  oxidizer into the orbiter's orbital maneuvering system
storage tanks.
 
WORK SCHEDULED:
- Launch Readiness Review scheduled Aug. 26.
- Flight Readiness Review scheduled Aug. 28-29.
 
 
 

   KSC SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT FOR FRIDAY, AUG. 23, 1991 - 11 AM
 
 
 
           STS-48/UARS - DISCOVERY (OV 103) - PAD 39-A
 
WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Launch pad was reopened this morning at 6 a.m.
- Preparations for installing ordnance.
 
WORK COMPLETED:
-  Loaded  hypergolic  propellants  into  the  orbiter's  onboard
storage  tanks  for  the  reaction control system and the orbital
maneuvering system.  Hydrazine was  loaded  into  tanks  for  the
orbiter's   auxiliary  power  units  and  for  the  solid  rocket
boosters' hydraulic power units.
 
WORK SCHEDULED:
- Installation of ordnance devices tomorrow morning.
- End-to-end testing of the Upper Atmosphere  Research  Satellite
Monday.
- Launch Readiness Review scheduled Aug. 26.
- Flight readiness test to cycle the shuttle's main engine valves
and calibrate engine sensors scheduled Tuesday.
- Flight Readiness Review scheduled Aug. 28-29.
- Start of aft closeouts for flight next week.
 
 
 

The STS-48 Press Kit is available from:

   pragma::public:[nasa]sts-48.ps

14 pages; no mission logo yet.

- dave

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

 
           STS-48/UARS - DISCOVERY (OV 103) - PAD 39-A

WORK IN PROGRESS:
- End-to-end tests of the  Upper  Atmosphere  Research  Satellite
(UARS).
- Circulating hydraulic fluid in the orbiter.
- Tests of the orbiter's communications systems.
- Launch Readiness Review this afternoon.

WORK COMPLETED:
-  Troubleshooting of software used to check ordnance firing cir-
cuits for the solid rocket boosters.  Late Friday night,  testing
failed  for  the right booster's forward frustum parachute deploy
firing circuit.  A change has been made to the software  and  the
test  has  been rescheduled this week.  No schedule impact is ex-
pected.  Ordnance installation and tests of the  firing  circuits
had been planned for late Friday night and early Saturday.

WORK SCHEDULED:
- UARS launch readiness test tomorrow.
- Flight readiness test to cycle the shuttle's main engine valves
and calibrate engine sensors scheduled tomorrow.
- Installation of ordnance devices late Wednesday.
- Flight Readiness Review scheduled Wednesday and Thursday.
- Start of aft closeouts for flight on Wednesday.

 

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


 
           STS-48/UARS - DISCOVERY (OV 103) - PAD 39-A

WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Flight readiness  test  of  Discovery's  main  engines.  Engine
valves will be cycled and the sensors will be calibrated.
- Tests of the orbiter's flight control system. Aerosurfaces will
be positioned for launch.
- UARS launch readiness test.

WORK COMPLETED:
-  End-to-end  tests  of  the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite
(UARS).
- Tests of the orbiter's communications systems.
- Launch Readiness Review held yesterday.  Management has no sig-
nificant issues or concerns.

WORK SCHEDULED:
- Installation of ordnance devices late Wednesday.
- Start of aft closeouts for flight tomorrow.
-  Installation and testing of the contingency space suits in the
orbiter's airlock Friday.
- Flight Readiness Review begins tomorrow.


 

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


 
           STS-48/UARS - DISCOVERY (OV 103) - PAD 39-A

WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Replacement of the main oxidizer valve and its actuator on main
engine no. 2.
- Flight Readiness Review began at 8  a.m.  NASA  and  contractor
shuttle  managers  are  meeting to review the readiness to launch
STS-48,  and will select the official launch date at the  conclu-
sion of the review.
- Preparations to install ordnance devices in the orbiter, exter-
nal  tank  and  in  the tail service masts on the mobile launcher
platform.  This job requires that the launch pad  be  closed  and
will be performed overnight.
- Charging batteries for the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite.

WORK COMPLETED:
-  Flight readiness test of Discovery's main engines.  During the
test,  the main oxidizer valve and  its  actuator  for  engine  2
failed.  The  valve was removed overnight.  No schedule impact is
expected.
- Tests of the orbiter's flight control system. Aerosurfaces were
positioned for launch.
- UARS launch readiness test.

WORK SCHEDULED:
- Retest of the main oxidizer valve tomorrow.
- Start of aft closeouts for flight.
- Installation and testing of the contingency space suits in  the
orbiter's airlock Friday.


 

        NASA managers have targeted Sept. 12, 1991, for
launch of the Space Shuttle Discovery and its primary
payload, the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS).
The announcement came at the conclusion of today's Flight
Readiness Review for mission STS-48 at the Kennedy Space
Center, Florida (KSC).

        The launch window on the 12th opens at 6:57 p.m.,
EDT, and can be extended for approximately 2-1/2 hours.
If the launch is postponed the window will open
approximately 20 minutes earlier each day.  A nighttime
landing is expected at KSC which has been designated as
the primary landing site for this 5 day 7 hour flight.

        UARS is the first major flight element of NASA's
Mission to Planet Earth.  UARS will study winters in the
northern hemisphere and the Antarctic ozone hole during
the satellite's planned 20-month life.

        The 5-man crew for Discovery's 13th mission, the
43rd Space Shuttle flight, will be commanded by 48-year-
old Navy Capt. John Creighton.  He and Pilot Kenneth
Reightler, 40, a Navy Cmdr., will be joined by three
Mission Specialists:  Charles (Sam) Gemar, 36, an Army
Lt. Col.; James Buchli, 46, Col. USMC; and Mark Brown,
40, a USAF Col.
  

pragma::public:[nasa]sts-48.nasa_select

- dave

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


 
          STS-48/UARS -- DISCOVERY (OV 103) - PAD 39-A

WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Removal and replacement of the main oxidizer  valve  on  engine
no. 2.
-  Battery  conditioning  of the Upper Atmosphere Research Satel-
lite.
- Loading of computer mass memory units.
- Closeouts of the aft compartment.

WORK COMPLETED:
- The replaced actuator valve on engine no.  2  failed  three  of
five  retests.   The valve exceeded specification margins in each
case, and a decision was made to replace this unit.

WORK SCHEDULED:
- Retests of the newly installed actuator valve on engine no. 2
- Final tile inspections
- The majority of work will be suspended for the three-day  Labor
Day weekend.
- Launch remains targeted for Sept. 12 at 6:57 p.m. EDT.

 

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

 
           STS-48/UARS - DISCOVERY (OV 103) - PAD 39-A

WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Helium signature leak test of the no. 2 main engine.
- Launch countdown preparations.
- Closeouts of the aft compartment.
- Preparing the payload for flight.
- Stowing equipment in the crew cabin.
- Cleaning and inspecting the radiators.
- Final thermal protection system inspections.

WORK COMPLETED:
- Replacement of the second main oxidizer valve on the no. 2 main
engine.
- Flight readiness test of the no. 2 main engine was successful.
- Installed and tested the two contingency space suits last week.

WORK SCHEDULED:
- Purges of the external tank planned tomorrow.
- Pressurization  of  the  hypergolic  propellant  storage  tanks
Thursday.
-  Purging  of the power reactant storage and distribution system
tanks set for Friday.
- Launch countdown begins at 5 p.m. EDT Monday, Sept. 9.
- STS-48 flight crew arrives at KSC at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 9.
- Launch scheduled Thursday, Sept. 12 at 6:57 p.m. EDT.


 

STS-48
1 00048U          91256.01871775  .00025000  00000-0  25600-3 0    18
2 00048  57.0028 235.6208 0009777 274.2670  85.7272 15.08500193    25

Satellite: STS-48
Catalog number: 00048
Epoch time:      91256.01871775        (13 SEP 91   00:26:57.21 UTC)
Element set:     JSC-001
Inclination:       57.0028 deg
RA of node:       235.6208 deg          Space Shuttle Flight STS-48
Eccentricity:     .0009777                  Keplerian Elements
Arg of perigee:   274.2670 deg        Pre-launch nominal Day 1 vector
Mean anomaly:      85.7272 deg
Mean motion:   15.08500193 rev/day               G. L. Carman
Decay rate:     2.5000e-04 rev/day^2      NASA Johnson Space Center
Epoch rev:               2


[This flight should be visible over the north-east.  Can anyone out there
 run some visibility predictions after the launch?  -dg]

RELEASE: 91-170  (9/3/91)

Flight control for STS-48, the thirteenth flight of Discovery,
will follow the procedures and traditions common to U.S. manned
space flights since 1965, when the Mission Control Center was
first used.

Responsibility for conduct of the mission will revert to the
Mission Control Center (MCC) in Houston once Discovery's two
solid rocket boosters ignite.  Mission support in the MCC will
begin five hours prior to launch and continue through landing.

The primary objective of mission STS-48 is the deployment of the
Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS).  Once Discovery and
crew are cleared for orbital operations, preparation and
deployment of the UARS will be coordinated between flight
controllers in Houston and payload controllers at the Payload
Operations Control Center (POCC), located at the Goddard Space
Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.  UARS activation is
scheduled for flight day one, with the deployment set for flight
day three.

The mission will be conducted from Flight Control Room One (FCR-
1) on the second floor of the MCC located in Bldg. 30 at the
Johnson Space Center.  The teams of flight controllers will
alternate shifts in the control center and in nearby analysis and
support facilities.

The handover between each team takes about an hour and allows
each flight controller to brief his or her replacement on
developments during the previous two shifts.

The four flight control teams for this mission will be referred
to as the Ascent/Entry, Orbit 1, Orbit 2, and Planning teams.
The ascent and entry phases will be conducted by Flight Director
Jeffrey W. Bantle.  The Orbit 1 team will be headed by Lead
Flight Director Granvil A. (Al) Pennington.  The Orbit 2 team
will be led by Robert M. Kelso.  The planning team will be
directed by Philip L. Engelauf.


        MCC POSITIONS AND CALL SIGNS FOR STS-48



The flight control positions in the MCC, their call signs and
responsibilities, are:


Flight Director (FLIGHT)

Has overall responsibility for the conduct of the mission.


Spacecraft Communicator (CAPCOM)

By tradition an astronaut; responsible for all voice contact with
the flight crew.


Flight Activities Officer (FAO)

Responsible for procedures and crew timelines; provides expertise
on flight documentation and checklists; prepares messages and
maintains all teleprinter and/or Text and Graphics System traffic
to the vehicle.


Integrated Communications Officer (INCO)

Responsible for all Orbiter data, voice and video communications
systems; monitors the telemetry link between the vehicle and the
ground; oversees the uplink command and control processes.


Flight Dynamics Officer (FDO)

Responsible for monitoring vehicle performance during the powered
flight phase and assessing abort modes; calculating orbital
maneuvers and resulting trajectories; and monitoring vehicle
flight profile and energy levels during reentry.


Trajectory Officer (TRAJECTORY)

Also known as "TRAJ," this operator aids the FDO during dynamic
flight phases and is responsible for maintaining the trajectory
processors in the MCC and for trajectory inputs made to the
Mission Operations Computer.


Guidance, Navigation & Control Systems Engineer (GNC)

Responsible for all inertial navigational systems hardware such
as star trackers, radar altimeters and the inertial measurement
units; monitors radio navigation and digital autopilot hardware
systems.


Guidance & Procedures Officer (GPO)

Responsible for the onboard navigation software and for
maintenance of the Orbiter's navigation state, known as the state
vector.  Also responsible for monitoring crew vehicle control
during ascent, entry, or rendezvous.


Rendezvous Guidance and Procedures Officer (RENDEZVOUS)

The RENDEZVOUS GPO is the specialist who monitors onboard
navigation of the Orbiter during rendezvous and proximity
operations.  The UARS deploy maneuver involves an active
separation, using rendezvous radar to verify separation rates,
requiring the support of this specialist


Environmental Engineer & Consumables Manager (EECOM)

Responsible for all life support systems, cabin pressure, thermal
control and supply and waste water management; manages
consumables such as oxygen and hydrogen.


Electrical Generation and Illumination Officer (EGIL)

Responsible for power management, fuel cell operation, vehicle
lighting and the master caution and warning system.


Payloads Officer (PAYLOADS)

Coordinates all payload activities; serves as principal interface
with remote payload operations facilities.


Data Processing Systems Engineer (DPS)

Responsible for all onboard mass memory and data processing
hardware; monitors primary and backup flight software systems;
manages operating routines and multi-computer configurations.


Propulsion Engineer (PROP)

Manages the reaction control and orbital maneuvering thrusters
during all phases of flight; monitors fuel usage and storage tank
status; calculates optimal sequences for thruster firings.


Booster Systems Engineer (BOOSTER)

Monitors main engine and solid rocket booster performance during
ascent phase.


Ground Controller (GC)

Coordinates operation of ground stations and other elements of
worldwide space tracking and data network; responsible for MCC
computer support and displays.


Maintenance, Mechanical, Arm & Crew Systems (MMACS)

Formerly known as RMU; responsible for remote manipulator system;
monitors auxilliary power units and hydraulic systems; manages
payload bay and vent door operations.


Extravehicular Activities (EVA)

A specialist responsible for monitoring and coordinating
preparations for and execution of space walks.  Responsibilities
include monitoring suit and EVA hardware performance.


Payload Data & Retrieval System (PDRS)

A specialist responsible for monitoring and coordinating the
operation of the remote manipulator system.


Flight Surgeon (SURGEON)

Monitors health of flight crew; provides procedures and guidance
on all health-related matters.


Public Affairs Officer (PAO)

Provides real-time explanation of mission events during all
phases of flight.

        # # #


STS-48 FLIGHT CONTROL TEAM STAFFING


POSITION Ascent/Entry       Orbit 1        Orbit 2          Orbit 3


FLIGHT   Jeff Bantle        Al Pennington  Rob Kelso        Phil Engelauf

CAPCOM   Bob Cabana (A)     Jan Davis      Marsha Ivins     Bill Shepherd
         John Casper(E)

FAO      Gail Schneider     Gail Schneider Fisher Reynolds  Mary Ann Plaza

INCO     Chris Counts       Chris Counts    Richard LaBrode Roberto Moolchan

FDO      Ed Gonzalez (A)    Steve Stich     Richard Theis   Phil Burley
         Bruce Hilty (E)

TRAJ     Matt Abbott (A)    Dan Adamo       Lisa Shore      Mark Riggio
         Keith Fletcher (E)

GNC      David Miller       David Miller    Phillip Perkins Charles Alford

GPO      John Turner (A)    Lynda Slifer    John Malarkey   Jim Oberg
         Matt Glenn (E)     (RNDZ GPO)       (RNDZ GPO)     (RNDZ GPO)

EECOM    Pete Cerna         Pete Cerna      Quinn Carelock  Leonard Riche

EGIL     Robt. Armstrong   Robt. Armstrong  Brian Anderson  Ray Miessler

PAYLOADS Cheryl Molnar     Cheryl Molnar    Jeff Hanley     Susan Beisert



POSITION ASCENT/ENTRY      Orbit 1          Orbit 2         Planning


DPS     David Tee          David Tee        Gary Sham       James Hill

PROP    Karen Jackson      Carlyle Lowe     William Powers  Lonnie Schmitt

PDRS   Gary Pollock        Gary Pollock     Don Palleson    Albert Lee

BOOSTER Mark Jenkins       /////            /////           Terri Stowe
        Terri Stowe

GC      John Wells         Larry Foy        Mike Marsh        Al Davis
        Lynn Vernon        Johnnie Brothers Melissa Blizzard  Terry Quick

MMACS   Robert Doremus     Robert Doremus   Ladessa Hicks     William Anderson

EVA     Robert Adams       Gerald Miller    Wayne Wedlake     James Thornton

SURGEON Phil Stepaniak     Denise Baisden   Brad Beck         Phil Stepaniak

Public Affairs Officer (PAO)

Provides real-time explanation of mission events during all
phases of flight.

        # # #


STS-48 FLIGHT CONTROL TEAM STAFFING


POSITION Ascent/Entry       Orbit 1        Orbit 2          Orbit 3


FLIGHT   Jeff Bantle        Al Pennington  Rob Kelso        Phil Engelauf

CAPCOM   Bob Cabana (A)     Jan Davis      Marsha Ivins     Bill Shepherd
         John Casper(E)

FAO      Gail Schneider     Gail Schneider Fisher Reynolds  Mary Ann Plaza

INCO     Chris Counts       Chris Counts    Richard LaBrode Roberto Moolchan

FDO      Ed Gonzalez (A)    Steve Stich     Richard Theis   Phil Burley
         Bruce Hilty (E)

TRAJ     Matt Abbott (A)    Dan Adamo       Lisa Shore      Mark Riggio
         Keith Fletcher (E)

GNC      David Miller       David Miller    Phillip Perkins Charles Alford

GPO      John Turner (A)    Lynda Slifer    John Malarkey   Jim Oberg
         Matt Glenn (E)     (RNDZ GPO)       (RNDZ GPO)     (RNDZ GPO)

EECOM    Pete Cerna         Pete Cerna      Quinn Carelock  Leonard Riche

EGIL     Robt. Armstrong   Robt. Armstrong  Brian Anderson  Ray Miessler

PAYLOADS Cheryl Molnar     Cheryl Molnar    Jeff Hanley     Susan Beisert



POSITION ASCENT/ENTRY      Orbit 1          Orbit 2         Planning


DPS     David Tee          David Tee        Gary Sham       James Hill

PROP    Karen Jackson      Carlyle Lowe     William Powers  Lonnie Schmitt

PDRS   Gary Pollock        Gary Pollock     Don Palleson    Albert Lee

BOOSTER Mark Jenkins       /////            /////           Terri Stowe
        Terri Stowe

GC      John Wells         Larry Foy        Mike Marsh        Al Davis
        Lynn Vernon        Johnnie Brothers Melissa Blizzard  Terry Quick

MMACS   Robert Doremus     Robert Doremus   Ladessa Hicks     William Anderson

EVA     Robert Adams       Gerald Miller    Wayne Wedlake     James Thornton

SURGEON Phil Stepaniak     Denise Baisden   Brad Beck         Phil Stepaniak

PAO     Kyle Herring (A)   Jeff Carr        Billie Deason     Pam Alloway
        Kyle Herring (E)

(A) = Ascent; (E) = Entry

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

 
           STS-48/UARS - DISCOVERY (OV 103) - PAD 39-A

WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Preparations to pressurize  the  hypergolic  propellant  system
storage tanks for flight.
-  Purges  of the external tank as a conditioner prior to loading
during the countdown.
- Launch countdown preparations.
- Closeouts of the aft compartment.
- Preparing the payload for flight.
- Stowing equipment in the crew cabin.
- Cleaning and inspecting the radiators.
- Final thermal protection system inspections.

WORK COMPLETED:
- Helium signature leak test of the three main engines.
- Leak checks of the main engine valve seals.

WORK SCHEDULED:
- Final installation and connection of ordnance devices scheduled
overnight.
- Pressurization  of  the  hypergolic  propellant  storage  tanks
tomorrow.
-  Purging  of the power reactant storage and distribution system
tanks on Friday.
- Launch countdown begins at 5 p.m. EDT Monday, Sept. 9.
- STS-48 flight crew arrives at KSC at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 9.
- Launch scheduled Thursday, Sept. 12 at 6:57 p.m. EDT.


 

   KSC SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT FOR FRIDAY, SEPT. 6, 1991 - 11:30 AM


 
           STS-48/UARS - DISCOVERY (OV 103) - PAD 39-A

WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Purges of the power reactant storage  and  distribution  system
tanks.
- Checks of a helium regulator on the right reaction control sys-
tem.
-  Flush  and  sampling  of  the potable water supply used by the
crew.
- Launch countdown preparations.
- Closeouts of the aft compartment.
- Circulating liquid helium  through  the  Cryogenic  Limb  Array
Etalon  Spectrometer  (CLAES)  on  the  Upper Atmosphere Research
Satellite.  This process,  which began last night,  will cool the
instrument  down  for  launch.  Helium  circulation will continue
through Sunday.

WORK COMPLETED:
- Pressurized hypergolic  propellant  system  storage  tanks  for
flight.
- Installation of ordnance devices.
- Testing of ordnance firing circuits.
- Closed out the solid rocket booster forward skirts for flight.

WORK SCHEDULED:
- Closeouts of the aft compartment for flight on Sunday.
- Launch countdown begins at 5 p.m. EDT Monday, Sept. 9.
- STS-48 flight crew arrives at KSC at 9:30 p.m. Sept. 9.
- Launch scheduled Thursday, Sept. 12 at 6:57 p.m. EDT.


 

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


 
           STS-48/UARS - DISCOVERY (OV 103) - PAD 39-A
                       LAUNCH MINUS 3 DAYS


WORK IN PROGRESS:
- Preparations to start the launch countdown at 5 p.m.  today  at
the T-43 hour mark.
-  Testing  and  calibrating  leak detectors in the hazardous gas
detection system in the mobile launcher platform.
- Routine pre-countdown inspections of the orbiter  performed  by
safety and engineering personnel.
-  Right  hand  reaction  control system is being pressurized for
flight. (See concerns).
- Payload closeouts.

WORK COMPLETED:
- Purges of the power reactant storage  and  distribution  system
tanks.
- Checks of a helium regulator on the right reaction control sys-
tem.
-  Flush  and  sampling  of  the potable water supply used by the
crew.
- Closed out the aft compartment late Saturday night.
- Liquid helium was circulated through the Cryogenic  Limb  Array
Etalon  Spectrometer  (CLAES)  on  the  Upper Atmosphere Research
Satellite to cool the instrument down for launch.

WORK SCHEDULED:
- STS-48 flight crew arrives at KSC tonight at 9:30 p.m.
- Closure of the payload bay doors  early  tomorrow  morning  for
flight.
- Launch scheduled Thursday,  Sept.  12, at 6:57 p.m. EDT. Window
extends until 9:54 p.m.

WEATHER FORECAST:
- The overall probability of having acceptable weather conditions
at T minus zero is 60 percent.  For the duration of  the  window,
the chance of having acceptable weather is 70 percent.

CONCERNS:
-  This  past  weekend,  data was collected on the right reaction
control system to quantify the helium  leakage  from  the  helium
supply tank. Officials determined that there is a small amount of
helium leaking past the regulators which can be managed by valves
in the system. This condition is acceptable for flight.


 

[Note: Rev B of the NASA Select schedule for STS-48 is available.  -dg]

  LAUNCH MINUS ONE DAY SHUTTLE STATUS - DISCOVERY STS-48/UARS

     Operations at Kennedy Space Center continue on schedule to
prepare the Space Shuttle Discovery for launch tomorrow on
mission STS-48. Launch remains set for Thursday, September 12, at
6:57 p.m. The launch window extends until 9:54 p.m.

     The countdown clock will continue counting until 3:00 p.m.
today at which time it will hold at the T-11 hour mark for 13
hours, 37 minutes. Following this planned built-in hold, the
clock will pick up the count again at 4:37 a.m. Thursday.

     Work at pad 39-A today includes final Power Reactant and
Storage Distribution (PRSD) operations. These PRSD tanks were
last night filled with the cyrogenic propellants liquid oxygen
and liquid hydrogen. These propellants in combination are used to
create electricity necessary for on orbit operations, the by-
product of which is the drinking water the crew will need in
flight. Workers today are completing the off load procedure which
will leave about 55 percent of the liquid oxygen in cryogenic
tanks 1 and 2. The full complement of reactants is not needed for
this flight and the savings in weight is about 500 to 700 pounds.
Liquid oxygen weighs about 10 pounds per gallon.

     Following this procedure, the orbiter mid-body umbilical
unit (OMBUU) will be retracted. The schedule calls for the
Rotating Service Structure (RSS) to be retracted at about 5:00
p.m. today. This operation may be delayed due to OMBUU retraction
delays and possible weather threats this afternoon.

     Tomorrow, operations to fill the external tank with
cryogenic fuels will begin at 10:37 a.m. This is about a three
hour procedure.

     The crew of mission STS-48 consists of Commander John
Creighton; Pilot Kenneth Reightler; and Mission Specialist Mark
Brown, James Buchli, and Charles (Sam) Gemar.

     Today, the crew will be awakened at 2:00 p.m. Following
breakfast, they will partake in orbiter, payload and weather
briefings. At 6:00 p.m., the commander and two mission
specialists will depart for the shuttle landing facility and fly
in their T-38 training aircraft. The crew is scheduled for bed at
6:00 a.m. Thursday.

     On Thursday, the crew will again be awakened at about 2:02
p.m. to have breakfast (2:32 p.m.), begin suiting (3:02 p.m.),
and depart for the pad (5:42 p.m.).

     Weather at the time of T-0 is predicted to be favorable with
a 70 percent chance of not violating launch constraints. The
primary concern is the slight possibility of thunderstorm debris
clouds within 30 miles of the shuttle landing facility.

    What?  Nobody crowing?
    
    Discovery "climbed uphill" about 30 minutes behind schedule into an
    early evening sky.  The footage was quite good considering the late-ish
    hour.  Much to my surprise, the 11PM news here in the Boston area had
    footage of what was probably MECO as the orbiter sailed over Boston
    (I was glued to the set, and didn't even think of looking outside).
    
    The delay was caused by some noise in the S-band communications - not
    with the orbiter directly, but between KSC and JSC.  They held at
    T-9:00:00 until they felt comfortable with the problem (which went
    away almost as fast as it arrived).
    
    The payload bay doors opened about an hour later and UARS is now ready
    for deployment in a couple of days.
    
    Only one problem noted during ascent - the primary flash evaporator
    system (FES-A) logged a transient and FES-B was pressed into service,
    with very little fanfare.  FES-A was put back on-line after achieving
    orbit, and they don't anticipate any problems during descent.
    
    Can someone do visibility predictions for this flight (I should have
    the elements tomorrow)?   The pilot of STS-48 spoke at our local
    school, so it would be a real kick to be able to point at the sky and
    see him fly by.
    
    - dave

Article         1664
From: [email protected] (WILLIAM HARWOOD, UPI Science Writer)
Newsgroups: clari.tw.space,clari.news.aviation,clari.tw.environment
Subject: Shuttle astronauts settle down to business
Date: 13 Sep 91 07:40:43 GMT
 
	CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (UPI) -- The Discovery astronauts tested an
experimental digital camera Friday, activated on-board experiments, and
checked out a $633 million satellite that will be launched Saturday to
study Earth's atmosphere.

	Working the graveyard shift, the five-man crew rocketed into orbit
Thursday evening after a near flawless countdown, blasting off from the
Kennedy Space Center at 7:11 p.m. EDT, a scant 14 minutes late because
of minor communications problems.

	On board are commander John Creighton, 48, co-pilot Kenneth
Reightler, 40, flight engineer James Buchli, 46, Charles ``Sam'' Gemar,
36, Mark Brown, 39, and eight lab rats that will be killed after the
five-day flight to learn more about how certain muscles are affected by
the absence of gravity.

	After a picture-perfect flight up the East Coast, Discovery slipped
into a 334-mile-high orbit.  Creighton and Reightler were scheduled to
fire small maneuvering jets Friday night to raise the shuttle's altitude
to a near-record 350 miles for Saturday's satellite deployment.

	``We are way up here!'' Buchli radioed mission control in Houston. 
``You can look out the overhead windows and see coast to coast all the
way across Australia.''

	The shuttle fliers spent the morning Friday activating experiments
and testing a Nikon camera equipped with digital sensors instead of
film.  After initial problems, the crew successfully radioed high-
resolution photographs to mission control.

	Brown, operating Discovery's Canadian-built robot arm, plans to
release the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite, or UARS, about 11:51 p.m. 
Saturday.  He tested the arm late Thursday and then used television cameras 
on its tip to give the solar-powered satellite a detailed inspection.

	No problems were apparent and data from the spacecraft indicated UARS
-- pronounced YOU'-ars -- came through the rigors of launch in good condition.

	Equipped with 10 sensitive instruments, the Upper Atmosphere Research
Satellite is the most sophisticated and expensive spacecraft ever built
to study Earth's atmosphere and the ozone layer that protects the
surface from cancer-causing ultraviolet radiation.

	It is the first in a battery of advanced satellites being built for
NASA's ``Mission to Planet Earth,'' an ambitious program to study the
global environment in unprecedented detail to help scientists and policy
makers decide what must be done to prevent permanent damage.

	``We've seen the environmental pollution picture change from one
where you've got short-term effects, like L.A. smog, regional effects
like acid rain and now global effects,'' said program scientist Joe
McNeal. ``The consequences of these global effects can be almost science
fiction-like disaster levels.

	``Nature's given us warning.  We can impact things; we can change 
the planet, and we must begin to collect the global data sets we need to
deal with these problems.  The stress on the environment is increasing.
We really have to think of the Earth as our spaceship and take care of
it.  Because it's the only one we've got.''

	A major topic of study for UARS is the depletion of Earth's ozone
layer 15 to 30 miles up, a dangerous trend blamed on the release of man-
made chemicals called chlorofluorocarbons, or CFCs, used in refrigerants, 
foam products and various solvents.

	High-altitude ozone molecules shield Earth from the ultraviolet
radiation emitted by the Sun.  But UV radiation causes CFC's to break
down in the atmosphere, freeing chlorine atoms that, in turn, break up
ozone molecules, allowing more ultraviolet light to reach the surface.

	Other man-made industrial chemicals, such as carbon dioxide, trap
heat in the atmosphere, possibly creating a ``greenhouse effect'' that
eventually may cause the polar ice caps to partially melt, triggering
widespread changes in global weather patterns and crop production.

	Data from UARS is expected to help scientists determine precisely 
how industrial pollution is affecting the atmosphere and what might be
necessary to prevent irreversable damage.

	The project was budgeted for $740 million, but NASA officials said
the program was running some $30 million under budget.  The satellite, built 
by GE Astro-Space Division, accounts for $633 million of that total.

	With UARS safely on its way, the Discovery astronauts plan to glide
to a 2:09 a.m. landing Wednesday at the Kennedy Space Center.  Touchdown
will mark the first nighttime Florida shuttle landing in the 10-year
history of the program.

STS-48  MISSION CONTROL STATUS REPORT 1
September 13, 1991 Friday, 2:30 a.m. CDT
 
Space Shuttle Discovery lifted off on STS-48 at 6:11 p.m. CDT
Thursday after a 14-minute hold to resolve a minor communications
problem.
 
About two and a half hours into the mission, Discovery's crew
members began the Flight Day 1 checkout of the Upper Atmosphere
Research Satellite.  Several communications checks were completed
between the satellite and the Payload Operations Control Center
located at the Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt,
Maryland.  Mission Specialist Mark Brown, who will deploy the
UARS on Saturday, using the robot arm to lift the satellite out
of Discovery's payload bay, worked through a checkout of that
Payload Deployment and Retrieval System.  The UARS checkout
procedures completed thus far show all the satellite's
instruments functioning well.  A complete dump of UARS' onboard
computer memory verified the computer's memory contained the
correct software programming for its 10-month mission to study
the Earth's atmosphere.  The UARS satellite spearheads a long-
term, national program of space research into global atmospheric
change.
 
Mission Specialist Sam Gemar set up the Cosmic Radiation Effects
and Activation Monitor mid-deck experiment which collects data on
cosmic ray energy loss spectra, neutron fluxes and induced
radioactivity through passive and active monitors placed at
specific locations throughout the orbiter's cabin.  This
experiment is sponsored by the Department of Defense.
 
Gemar also activated the Shuttle Activation Monitor, another mid-
deck experiment which measures gamma ray data within the orbiter
as a function of time and location.  Foil packets are installed
at four locations onboard Discovery.  A tape recorder and two
detector assembles will record the information.  SAM is sponsored
by the Air Force Space Systems Division, Los Angeles, Calif.
 
During ascent, the flash evaporator system primary A side shut
down.  The flash evaporator is used during the ascent and entry
phases of a shuttle mission to reject heat built up by the
orbiter's mechanical and electronic equipment.  Discovery's crew
switched over to the backup flash evaporator system B which
operated normally.  Flight controllers believe the side A
shutdown was caused by a transparent signal.  Fifty-three minutes
after liftoff, flight controllers asked the crew to switch back
to the A side of the flash evaporator system and it worked
properly.
 
Discovery now is performing flawlessly with no system problems
being worked.  The orbiter circles the Earth every 95 minutes at
an altitude of 292 nautical miles at an orbital inclination of 57
degrees.
 
The crew is scheduled to go to sleep at 5:11 a.m. CDT and will
awaken for their second work day in space at 1:11 p.m. CDT on
Friday.



====================================================================

UPPER ATMOSPHERE RESEARCH SATELLITE (UARS) STATUS REPORT # 01
4:00 a.m. EDT September 13, 1991
 
 
CURRENT STATUS OF OBSERVATORY: In-bay check-out completed
successfully, No problems or anomalies to report.
 
SUBSYSTEMS/INSTRUMENT STATUS:
 
     COMMUNICATIONS AND DATA HANDLING: Check-out complete, nominal.
 
     POWER:   Spacecraft on shuttle power through remotely operated
electrical umbilical.
 
     ATTITUDE AND CONTROL DETERMINATION:   Checked-out, nominal.
 
     THERMAL:   Both passive and active checked, performing well.
 
     PROPULSION:   Checked-out, nominal
 
     ON-BOARD COMPUTER: Initiated, performing well
 
     INSTRUMENTS:
 
     The Cryogenic Limb Array Etalon Spectrometer (CLAES) was the
only instrument to be checked during this phase of UARS operations.
The instrument temperatures all are within limits.
 
     UPCOMING EVENTS: Controllers are looking forward to deploy
activities during flight day three.

KSC SHUTTLE STATUS  -  FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 1991  -- 10:00 a.m.
_________________________________________________________________
 
 
 
       STS-48/UARS  --  DISCOVERY (OV 103)  - FLIGHT DAY 1
 
     Discovery was launched yesterday at 7:11.04 p.m. Eastern
Time from KSC's launch pad 39-A. Launch was delayed for 14
minutes at the T-5 minute mark while engineers discussed a minor
communications issue. Discovery's mission is scheduled for five
days, seven hours. Deployment of the Upper Atmosphere Research
Satellite is scheduled for late Saturday night. The first night
time landing of an orbiter at KSC's shuttle landing facility
remains targeted for about 2:09 a.m. Wednesday.
 
     The solid rocket boosters are being recovered this morning.
Chutes and frustums are aboard the recovery ships. The boosters
are scheduled to arrive Hanger AF at about noon tomorrow.
 
     Pad A post launch assessments indicated the structure is in
good shape with no abnormal damage following liftoff.
 
 

STS-48 KEPLERIAN ORBITAL ELEMENTS 2-LINE FORMAT
 
STS-48
1 00048U          91256.55854420  .00025000  00000-0  25600-3 0    37
2 00048  56.9848 236.9652 0009262 261.4348  98.5663 15.08735718   107
 
Satellite: STS-48
Catalog number: 00048
Epoch time:      91256.55854420        (13 SEP 91   13:24:18.22 UTC)
Element set:     JSC-003
Inclination:       56.9848 deg
RA of node:       236.9652 deg          Space Shuttle Flight STS-48
Eccentricity:     .0009262                  Keplerian Elements
Arg of perigee:   261.4348 deg         from NASA flight Day 1 vector
Mean anomaly:      98.5663 deg
Mean motion:   15.08735718 rev/day               G. L. Carman
Decay rate:     2.5000e-04 rev/day^2      NASA Johnson Space Center
Epoch rev:              10
 
 
                                 STS-48
                      FLIGHT DAY ONE STATE VECTOR
                          ON ORBIT OPERATIONS
                  (Posted 09/13/91 by Roger Simpson)
 
 The following vector for the flight of STS-48 is provided by NASA
 Johnson Space Center Flight Design and Dynamics Division for use in
 ground track plotting programs.  The vector is valid for flight day
 one.  This first vector represents the trajectory of Discovery
 during on orbit operations, after the OMS-2 maneuver.  The second
 vector represents the predicted trajectory of Discovery after the
 orbit adjust maneuvers that are scheduled to be performed on flight
 day 2.  Questions regarding these postings may be addressed to Roger
 Simpson, Mail Code DM4, L. B. J.  Space Center, Houston, Texas
 77058, Telephone (713) 483-1928.
 
 Lift off Time: 1991:255:23:11:03.970
 Lift off Date: 09/12/91
 
                        VECTOR ONE (POST OMS-2)
 
 Vector Time (GMT) : 256:12:36:03.97
 Vector Time (MET) : 000:13:25:00.00
 Orbit Count :  009
 Weight : 223772.0 LBS
 Drag Coefficient : 2.0
 Drag Area: 1208.5 SQ FT
 
      M50 Elements                           Keplerian Elements
 -----------------------                 --------------------------
 X    =  12862053.5    FT                A          = 3738.8939 NM
 Y    =  18692720.2    FT                E          = 0.000851
 Z    =    614207.7    FT                I  (M50)   =  56.80716 DEG
 Xdot = -10920.710702  FT/S              Wp (M50)   = 179.32535 DEG
 Ydot =   8198.451471  FT/S              RAAN (M50) = 236.48368 DEG
 Zdot = -20837.384836  FT/S            / N (True)   = 358.82165 DEG
                            Anomalies  \ M (Mean)   = 358.82366 DEG
 
                                         Ha         = 292.6670  NM
                                         Hp         = 291.7800  NM
 
               VECTOR TWO (PREDICTED POST ORBIT RAISING)
 
 Vector Time (GMT) : 257:00:11:30.37
 Vector Time (MET) : 001:01:00:26.40
 Orbit Count :  016
 Weight : 222315.0 LBS
 Drag Coefficient : 2.0
 Drag Area: 1208.5 SQ FT
 
      M50 Elements                           Keplerian Elements
 -----------------------                 --------------------------
 X    = -12610600.3    FT                A          = 3747.9305 NM
 Y    =   3388980.5    FT                E          = 0.000821
 Z    = -18679995.8    FT                I  (M50)   =  56.77725 DEG
 Xdot = -11915.162224  FT/S              Wp (M50)   = 104.05323 DEG
 Ydot = -21396.891547  FT/S              RAAN (M50) = 234.49958 DEG
 Zdot =   4160.781694  FT/S            / N (True)   = 177.49854 DEG
                            Anomalies  \ M (Mean)   = 177.49442 DEG
 
                                         Ha         = 307.1620  NM
                                         Hp         = 306.8620  NM
 
 Mean of 1950 (M50)   : Inertial, right-handed Cartesian system whose
 Coordinate System      origin is the center of the earth.  The epoch
                        is the beginning of the Besselian year 1950.
                        X axis: Mean vernal equinox of epoch
                        Z axis: Earth's mean rotational axis of epoch
                        Y axis: Completes right-hand system
 A:    Semi-major axis
 E:    Eccentricity                         N:    True anomaly
 I:    Inclination                          M:    Mean anomaly
 Wp:   Argument of perigee                  Ha:   Height of apogee
 RAAN: Right ascension of ascending node    Hp:   Height of perigee

STS-48 MISSION CONTROL STATUS REPORT 2
        September 13, 1991
        Friday, 1:30 p.m. CDT
 
STS-48 planning shift flight controllers have spent a quiet shift
working on minor updates to the flight day 2 activity plan.
 
On their second day in space, crew members will work with
secondary payloads and ready themselves for Saturday's deployment
of the prime payload the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite.
UARS deploy remains scheduled for orbit 34, at 10:47 p.m. CDT
Saturday.
 
The crew is scheduled to begin depressurizing the shuttle's cabin
shortly after 5 p.m. CDT today. They'll reduce the cabin pressure
from 14.7 psi to 10.2 psi to allow Mission Specialists Sam Gemar
and Jim Buchli to exit the spacecraft more quickly should a
spacewalk be needed to assist with the UARS deployment. Gemar and
Buchli also will begin checking out their space suits.
 
Two orbit-raising jet firings or burns are scheduled today in
preparation for Saturday's UARS deployment. The first jet firing
is scheduled to occur about 6:21 p.m. CDT today. During the burn,
Discovery's forward reaction control system jets will fire and
raise the orbiter's altitude at a rate of 27.3 feet per second
until it reaches a 307 nm by 291 nm orbit.
 
The second burn is scheduled to occur about half an orbit later
about 7:10 p.m. CDT. During this burn, the shuttle's aft RCS jets
will fire and circularize the orbit at a rate of 26.2 feet per
second until it reaches a 308 nm x 308 nm orbit. Originally
Discovery was to climb to a 305 nm altitude but controllers
believe it will reach a 308 nm altitude which will enable the
UARS to save fuel and give it a slightly longer lifetime.
 
The Protein Crystal Growth experiment was activated yesterday.
After completing the initial droplet activity, crew members
noticed that the syringes' plugs had not completely retracted and
droplets had not deployed.  Investigators believe some science
was lost but cannot ascertain the full impact until after
landing. Any information gathered from this experiment is an
important addition to the growing data base on protein crystal
growth in space. The plug situation might cause a change to the
experiment's deactivation procedures that will occur the day
before landing.
 
The Electronic Still Camera (DTO 648) performed well during a
test run yesterday. Electronic still photography is a new
technology that allows astronauts to electronically capture and
digitize hand-held camera images with resolution approaching film
quality. Crew members successfully relayed 10 images to the
ground.
 
Crew members were awakened at 1:11 p.m. CDT to the music of
"Hound Dog" performed by Elvis Presley.

Article         1670
From: [email protected] (WILLIAM HARWOOD, UPI Science Writer)
Newsgroups: clari.tw.space,clari.news.aviation,clari.news.urgent
Subject: A 'river of lights' from 354 miles up
Date: 14 Sep 91 01:40:28 GMT
 
	CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (UPI) -- Discovery co-pilot Kenneth Reightler
took time Friday night to describe the view from 354 miles up, marveling
at the Nile River and the lights of cities along its banks that glowed
in the night like ``a river of lights.''
	Reightler, making his first space flight, told astronaut Jan
Davis in mission control at the Johnson Space Center in Houston that
``spectacular really doesn't quite fit the bill here'' when it comes
to describing the blue-and-white planet below. 
	``I just wanted to tell you a little bit about what we're (seeing)
out the window,'' he said during Discovery's 17th orbit. ``We just made
a pass from north to south right down the west coast of Italy, right
across Rome and Naples and the tip of Italy and across the island of
Sicily.
	``We crossed the (Mediterranean) and are now directly abeam Egypt,
looking at the lights of Alexandria and Cairo. Following the Nile River
all the way down, everything is black on either side of it but the Nile
itself and the Suez Canal is like a river of lights.
	``A little bit farther out, I can see the coast of Israel and the
cities of Haifa and Tel Aviv and then the cities stretching up to the
north in Lebanon and Syria,'' Reightler said.
	``That sounds great,'' replied Davis.
	``As we make our way back (south), I can see off in the distance all
the fires still burning there in the oil fields of Kuwait.''
	Discovery was launched Thursday into a 334-mile-high orbit. Two
rocket firings Friday evening boosted the shuttle to an altitude of 354
miles for the planned deployment Saturday of an environmental satellite.
	The only civilian shuttle mission conducted at a higher altitude
occurred in 1990 when the Hubble Space Telescope was launched from
Discovery into a 380-mile-high orbit.
	``Looking out my window, I can see Baja California and the Gulf of
California,'' Reightler said at one point Friday. ``It's nice and pretty
today down there.''
	``I'm sure you've got a good view that high up,'' said Davis.


Article         1671
From: [email protected] (WILLIAM HARWOOD, UPI Science Writer)
Newsgroups: clari.tw.space,clari.news.aviation,clari.news.bulletin
Subject: Shuttle satellite set for evening launch
Date: 14 Sep 91 04:59:29 GMT
 
	CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (UPI) -- Mixing science with sightseeing, the
Discovery astronauts marveled at the sky-high view from 354 miles up and
prepared to launch a $633 million satellite late Saturday to map the
depletion of Earth's critical ozone layer.
	Discovery co-pilot Kenneth Reightler, making his first space flight,
told astronaut Jan Davis in mission control late Friday that 
``'spectacular' really doesn't quite fit the bill here'' when it came to
describing the blue-and-white planet below.
	``We crossed the (Mediterranean) and are now directly abeam Egypt,
looking at the lights of Alexandria and Cairo,'' he radioed at one
point. ``Following the Nile River all the way down, everything is black
on either side of it, but the Nile itself, and the Suez Canal, is like a
river of lights.''
	But as if to drive home the environmental aspect of the 43rd shuttle
mission, he added that off in the distance, ``I can see ... all the
fires still burning there in the oil fields of Kuwait.''
	Reightler, 40, commander John Creighton, 48, flight engineer James
Buchli, 46, Charles ``Sam'' Gemar, 36, and Mark Brown, 39, planned to
accomplish the primary goal of the flight late Saturday by launching the
Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite from Discovery's cargo bay.
	Brown, operating the shuttle's 50-foot-long robot arm, was scheduled
to lift the 14,400-pound ``UARS'' out of the spaceplane's cargo bay at
7:31 p.m. EDT as the shuttle sailed over northeastern Canada during its
31st orbit.
	With Buchli and Gemar standing by in case of problems that might
require an emergency spacewalk repair job, the massive satellite's
single solar panel was scheduled to unfold for battery charging about an
hour later.
	After the release of a dish-shaped radio antenna and a battery of
final tests, Brown planned to deploy UARS into open space over the
Pacific Ocean southwest of Hawaii around 11:51 p.m.
	Operating in a high orbit tilted 57 degrees to the equator, the
satellite's electronic eyes will be able to probe virtually the entire
atmosphere, including the polar regions where chlorine from man-made
chemicals called chlorofluorocarbons, or CFCs, cause ``ozone holes'' to
develop.
	``We're very lucky that the 50 percent or more depletions of ozone
that came about because of chlorine compounds occurred over an
unpopulated region of the world,'' UARS program scientist Joe McNeal
said shortly after Discovery's launch Thursday.
	``Nature's given us warning. We can impact things, we can change the
planet and we must begin to collect the global data sets we need to deal
with these problems.''
	Ozone molecules, made up of three atoms of oxygen, block cancer-
causing ultraviolet radiation from the sun. But UV rays break down CFCs,
freeing chlorine atoms that, in turn, break up ozone molecules,
diminishing the ozone layer's ability to shield the surface from
dangerous radiation.
	UARS is the first in a series of spacecraft being launched by NASA as
part of Mission to Planet Earth, a long-term program to study Earth's
environment in unprecedented detail to find out what impact humanity is
having on the planet and what can be done to prevent permanent damage.
	With UARS safely on its way, the Discovery astronauts plan to
complete a variety of on-board experiments before gliding to a 2:09 a.m.
Wednesday landing at the Kennedy Space Center. Touchdown will mark the first 
night landing in Florida in the 10-year history of the shuttle program.

        MCC STATUS REPORT #3
        FLIGHT DAY 2
        11:00 PM CDT


The astronauts aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery successfully
raised their orbit today to 308 nautical miles, a move which will
substantially enhance the operating life of the Upper Atmosphere
Research Satellite, or UARS, set for release on Saturday night.


Mission specialists Sam Gemar and Jim Buchli also took special
measures to assure their readiness to assist the release with a
spacewalk, if necessary.


By breathing pure oxygen from their launch and entry helmets, and
by lowering the Orbiter's cabin pressure to 10.2 pound per square
inch, they were able to reduce the time required to prebreathe
prior to a space walk to as low as 40 minutes.


Such quick response would be necessary to restore power to the
UARS should it's batteries begin to run down prior to deploying
it's solar power array.


In addition, the crew will spend some time tonight setting up
their space suits and checking them out, in preparation for the
possibility of their use on Saturday.


The current plan is to release UARS on the first of three release
opportunities -- orbits 34, 35, 36.  The release window for orbit
34 opens at 10:38 pm central time.


Discovery continues to work extremely well with no real system
anomalies reported.  An earlier indication of a fuel cell
reactant failure proved to be an instrumentation error.


        *   *   *

        MISSION CONTROL STATUS REPORT 4
        Sept. 14, 4 a.m.


The STS-48 crew completed checkout of the two spacesuits that
will be standing by during deploy preparations for the Upper
Atmosphere Research Satellite.  Although a spacewalk is not
planned as part of the deploy procedures, Mission Specialist Jim
Buchli and Sam Gemar will be ready to suit up and go out into the
payload bay to manually crank out the satellite's solar array
should it not deploy mechanically.  Checkouts of the satellite
have been flawless and payload controllers report all its systems
and instruments are in good working order.

During checkout of the two spacesuits, also called extravehicular
mobility units or EMU's, the oxygen tank for EMU 2 showed a loss
of about 169 pounds per square inch (psi) pressure since the
suits were loaded onto Discovery 13 days ago.  However, during
the preflight processing of EMU 2, that tank registered a higher
rate of pressure loss than did EMU 1 oxygen tank.  The onboard
suit checkout used the same valve set-up as the ground-based
preflight testing.  Since the pressure reduction occurred at a
lowerr rate and amount during today's checkout, flight
controllers do not consider the small pressure loss a significant
impact to the satellite deployment plans for Saturday.

The engineering specifications for the spacesuits allow a leak
rate of 4.5 psi per hour.  As part of the standard, preliminary
preparations for spacewalks, both spacesuits' oxygen tanks are
replenished through an umbilical connected to Discovery's life
support system.  While the crew sleeps, the spacecraft umbilical
feeding both EMU's will be shut off to allow flight controllers
to gather accurate information about the oxygen tank leak rate.
Flight controllers will continue to monitor both EMU oxygen tanks
and will compare pressure readings taken about 1:30 a.m. CDT with
readings to be taken after crew wakeup early Saturday afternoon.

Also today, STS-48 Commander J. O. Creighton operated the
Investigation into Polymer Membrane Processing.  The IPMP
experiment makes porous membranes that are used to separate
fluids and gases.  Such membrane-type filters can be used in
desalinization systems, for transdermal dispensing
of prescription drugs, cleanup of oil and sludge contamination
and in processing cheese products.  The IPMP experiment was
developed by the Battelle Advanced Materials Center in Columbus,
Ohio.  The project is sponsored in part by NASA's Office of
Commercial Programs through its Centers for the Commercial
Development of Space program.

Discovery continues to perform well with no problems being
worked.  Discovery is in a 57-degree inclination, orbiting the
Earth every one hour and 35 minutes at an altitude of 307
nautical miles.


The Discovery crew will begin its sleep period at 6:11 a.m. CDT
with flight day three wakeup set for 2:11 p.m. CDT.

        # # #


        MISSION CONTROL CENTER
        STS-48 Status Report #5

Saturday, September 14, 1991, 2:30 p.m. CDT

STS-48 crew members were roused from sleep to the music of Elvis
Presley performing "Release Me" courtesy of the payload team and
in anticipation of today's deployment of the Upper Atmosphere
Research Satellite now stowed in the Space Shuttle Discovery's
payload bay.

The UARS is an ozone mapping satellite that will give scientists
their first complete data set on the upper atmosphere's
chemistry, winds and energy.

Following routine post-sleep activities, crew members will begin
working on a series of steps in the pre-deploy sequence that will
culminate in the expected deployment of UARS on orbit 34 at a MET
of 2/04:37 or about 10:48 p.m. CDT.

Although no space walk is scheduled, mission specialists Sam
Gemar and Jim Buchli have completed preparatory steps that would
enable them to don Extravehicular Mobility Units (also referred
to as spacesuits) and go out into the payload bay quickly to
manually crank out the satellite's solar array if it was unable
to deploy mechanically. Yesterday the orbiter's cabin pressure
was reduced from 14.7 pounds per square inch to 10.2 psi, and
crew members checked out their spacesuits in anticipation of an
unscheduled space walk.  Flight controllers are continuing to
carefully watch EMU 2's primary oxygen pressure which has shown
some slow decay. Additional checks will be conducted prior to the
UARS deploy.

Flight controllers also have added a modified group B powerdown
procedure to the list of today's activities. This is a
conservation procedure in which equipment and instruments on
board which are not being used - such as extra lights, the
galley's water heaters and oven fans - are shut off to minimize
heat generation. Electronics on board a shuttle generate heat and
flight controllersHwant to keep the crew cabin at a temperature
of no higher than 80 degrees.  Flight controllers would like to
keep the orbiter's flash evaporator systems, which provides
supplementary heat rejection during orbital flight, turned off
during the deploy activities, but payload investigators have
given their approval to the FES being turned back on if necessary
to reduce cabin temperature or dump excess supply water.

Following the deploy, flight controllers also will attempt to
collect new rendezvous radar data.

    * * * * *

STS-48 MCC STATUS REPORT 6
        FLIGHT DAY THREE
        1:00 AM CDT


The Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite, carried to it's 308
nautical mile high orbit aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery, was
placed on station at 11:23 pm central time yesterday to begin
NASA's "Mission to Planet Earth".

Discovery astronaut Mark Brown, operating the remote manipulator
system from the aft flight deck, plucked the environmental
research satellite from the payload bay just after 6 pm, well
ahead of schedule, and turned control over the payload
controllers at the Goddard Space Flight Center to command the
single solar array and high gain antenna to deploy.

The appendage deployments went without a hitch, and the solar
arrays began charging spacecraft batteries just after 7 pm.
Efforts to establish communications between satellite controllers
and the UARS through the Tracking and Data Relay System were
slowed considerably due to procedural problems, which resulted in
a nighttime release of the satellite on orbit 34, just about
thirty minutes after the initial release opportunity.

The UARS attitude control system has been activated, and the
spacecraft is working extremely well.  Satellite controllers are
confident they will resolve the procedural errors and establish a
reliable link with the TDRS system over the next few hours.

Discovery continues to work very well, with no system anomalies
reported so far.  The remainder of the flight day will consist of
restowing the EVA hardware, repressurizing the crew cabin to 14.7
psi, and maintenance of a variety of secondary experiments.

        # # #


        MISSION CONTROL CENTER
        STS-48 Status Report #7


Sunday, September 15, 1991, 3:30 p.m. CDT

The STS-48 crew was awakened at 3:11 p.m. CDT to the song "Bare
Necessities" from the Walt Disney cartoon Jungle Book. The song
is a favorite of Pilot Ken Reightler's daughters, Katie and
Emily, who were in the Mission Control Center viewing room for
the wake up call.

Today's activities include work with the Electronic Still Camera,
a high resolution digital camera. Mission Specialist Mark Brown
will use the camera to photograph the Earth and crew activities.
At designated times, the digital images are down-linked to
Mission Control. The images also are stored on board the shuttle.

Mission specialists Jim Buchli and Mark Brown will work with the
Middeck 0-Gravity Dynamics Experiment (MODE) which will study the
mechanical and fluid behavior of future spacecraft components.
Specifically, MODE will study the sloshing of fluids in partially
filled containers and how vibration affects jointed truss
structures.

Discovery is about 76 nm in front of the Upper Atmosphere
Research Satellite. The two spacecraft are separating at a rate
of about 8.6 nm per orbit, faster than the predicted 6.8 nm per
orbit. Payload researchers used the orbiter's payload
interrogator (PI) to supplement communications while Discovery
was within range of the UARS. The orbiter stayed within range of
the satellite longer than expected, moving out of the satellite's
range about 10 a.m. CDT. The usual communications range limit
with a payload from the orbiter is about 40 nm, but Discovery
stayed in communication with UARS until it was about 48 nm away.
UARS' first orbit raising burn is scheduled to occur at a MET of
3/11:25 or about 5:36 a.m. CDT Monday and will last about three-
and-a-half minutes.

Payload researchers commented that the use of the orbiter's PI
was an asset in allowing them to catch up to their timeline. The
UARS will rely on its internal transmitters and high gain antenna
to communicate with ground controllers.

========================================================================


UARS STATUS REPORT #2


Randee Exler
Office of Public Affairs
Goddard Space Flight Center
Greenbelt, MD 20771


UPPER ATMOSPHERE RESEARCH SATELLITE (UARS) STATUS REPORT #2
            9:00 a.m. September 14, 1991


CURRENT STATUS OF OBSERVATORY:  No problems or anomalies to report;
everything is nominal.

DEVELOPMENTS SINCE STATUS REPORT #1:  Controllers continued
checking subsystems and instrument temperatures.

SUBSYSTEMS / INSTRUMENT STATUS:

     COMMUNICATIONS AND DATA HANDLING: Nominal.

     POWER: Spacecraft on shuttle power through remotely operated
electrical umbilical.

     ATTITUDE AND CONTROL DETERMINATION:  Nominal.

     THERMAL:  System continuously monitored and adjusted.
Requirements being met.  Nominal.

     PROPULSION:  Nominal.

     INSTRUMENTS:  During this phase, spacecraft controllers have
been looking at the temperatures of the Microwave Limb Sounder
(MLS) and Halogen Occultation Experiment (HALOE).  Both instrument
temperatures are within limits.

     UPCOMING EVENTS: Controllers plan to conduct a high gain
antenna motion test prior to deployment this evening.


   *  *  *


Office of Public Affairs
Goddard Space Flight Center
Greenbelt, MD 20771


UPPER ATMOSPHERE RESEARCH SATELLITE (UARS) STATUS REPORT # 03
1:00 a.m. EDT September 15, 1991


CURRENT STATUS OF OBSERVATORY: The Upper Atmosphere Research
Satellite (UARS) is now a free-flyer having been released from the
remote manipulator arm of the Space Shuttle Discovery at a mission
elapsed time of 2 days 05:12:02, or 12:23:02 Eastern Daylight Time.
Indications are that all spacecraft systems are operating well with
instrument turn-on to follow in the coming days.

DEVELOPMENTS SINCE STATUS REPORT # 2: UARS was configured for
release, however, the first release opportunity was waived off by
mission management because of difficulties in establishing a
communications lock through the high-gain antenna with the Tracking
and Data Relay Satellite System. It was determined that this
anomaly was more likely due to a misconfiguration and not
associated with any hardware problems.


SUBSYSTEMS / INSTRUMENT STATUS:

     COMMUNICATIONS AND DATA HANDLING: Operating nominally through
Discovery's payload interrogator.

     POWER:   Spacecraft on internal power through the solar arrays
and spacecraft batteries.


     ATTITUDE AND CONTROL DETERMINATION:   Operating nominally.


     THERMAL:   Both passive and active  performing well.


     PROPULSION:   Checked-out, nominal.


     UPCOMING EVENTS: The next major milestone for UARS will occur
when the payload interrogator is deactivated. This system is the
link through the high-gain system on Discovery and the ground for
UARS. Once this system is deactivated UARS will rely strictly on
its internal transmitters and high-gain antenna to communicate with
controllers on the ground..


============================================
STS-48 Flight Day 3 Vectors


STS-48
1 21700U 91 63 A  91258.62261167  .00003800  00000-0  25600-3 0    50
2 21700  56.9860 228.6334 0007729 306.8504  53.1840 14.99785683   411

Satellite: STS-48
Catalog number: 21700
Epoch time:      91258.62261167        (15 SEP 91   14:56:33.65 UTC)
Element set:     JSC-005
Inclination:       56.9860 deg
RA of node:       228.6334 deg          Space Shuttle Flight STS-48
Eccentricity:     .0007729                  Keplerian Elements
Arg of perigee:   306.8504 deg         from NASA flight Day 3 vector
Mean anomaly:      53.1840 deg
Mean motion:   14.99785683 rev/day               G. L. Carman
Decay rate:      3.800e-05 rev/day^2      NASA Johnson Space Center
Epoch rev:              41


                                STS-48
                    FLIGHT DAY THREE STATE VECTORS
                          ON ORBIT OPERATIONS
                  (Posted 09/15/91 by Roger Simpson)

 The following vector for the flight of STS-48 is provided by NASA
 Johnson Space Center Flight Design and Dynamics Division for use in
 ground track plotting programs.  The vector is valid for flight day
 three.  This first vector represents the trajectory of Discovery
 during on orbit operations after the deploy of the Upper Atmosphere
 Research Satellite (UARS).  The second vector represents the
 trajectory of UARS which was deployed around 2:04:00:00 MET.
 Questions regarding these postings may be addressed to Roger
 Simpson, Mail Code DM4, L. B. J.  Space Center, Houston, Texas
 77058, Telephone (713) 483-1928.

 Lift off Time: 1991:255:23:11:03.970
 Lift off Date: 09/12/91

                  VECTOR ONE (Discovery Post Deploy)

 Vector Time (GMT) : 258:14:39:07.50
 Vector Time (MET) : 002:15:28:03.53
 Orbit Count :  040
 Weight : 206419.0 LBS
 Drag Coefficient : 2.0
 Drag Area: 1208.5 SQ FT

      M50 Elements                           Keplerian Elements
 -----------------------                 --------------------------
 X    = -14807834.8    FT                A          = 3747.7441 NM
 Y    =    478790.5    FT                E          = 0.000740
 Z    = -17313676.6    FT                I  (M50)   =  56.79958 DEG
 Xdot = -10844.622936  FT/S              Wp (M50)   =  93.13515 DEG
 Ydot = -20585.269476  FT/S              RAAN (M50) = 228.03116 DEG
 Zdot =   8714.717812  FT/S            / N (True)   = 201.63214 DEG
                            Anomalies  \ M (Mean)   = 201.66340 DEG

                                         Ha         = 307.1070  NM
                                         Hp         = 304.9310  NM

                     VECTOR TWO (UARS Post Deploy)

 Vector Time (GMT) : 258:14:39:21.20
 Vector Time (MET) : 002:15:28:17.23
 Orbit Count :  040
 Weight :  14388.0 LBS
 Drag Coefficient : 2.0
 Drag Area:  293.0 SQ FT

      M50 Elements                           Keplerian Elements
 -----------------------                 --------------------------
 X    = -14838338.3    FT                A          = 3748.5926 NM
 Y    =    424196.6    FT                E          = 0.000584
 Z    = -17292647.2    FT                I  (M50)   =  56.79986 DEG
 Xdot = -10802.474896  FT/S              Wp (M50)   = 116.14942 DEG
 Ydot = -20586.269875  FT/S              RAAN (M50) = 228.03085 DEG
 Zdot =   8763.905915  FT/S            / N (True)   = 178.78378 DEG
                            Anomalies  \ M (Mean)   = 178.78236 DEG

                                         Ha         = 306.9000  NM
                                         Hp         = 306.8070  NM

 Mean of 1950 (M50)   : Inertial, right-handed Cartesian system whose
 Coordinate System      origin is the center of the earth.  The epoch
                        is the beginning of the Besselian year 1950.
                        X axis: Mean vernal equinox of epoch
                        Z axis: Earth's mean rotational axis of epoch
                        Y axis: Completes right-hand system
 A:    Semi-major axis
 E:    Eccentricity                         N:    True anomaly
 I:    Inclination                          M:    Mean anomaly
 Wp:   Argument of perigee                  Ha:   Height of apogee
 RAAN: Right ascension of ascending node    Hp:   Height of perigee

UARS STATUS REPORT #4

Randee Exler
Office of Public Affairs
Goddard Space Flight Center
Greenbelt, MD 20771

UPPER ATMOSPHERE RESEARCH SATELLITE (UARS) STATUS REPORT #4
         11:30 a.m. EDT September 12, 1991

CURRENT STATUS OF OBSERVATORY:  The Upper Atmosphere Research
Satellite (UARS) was successfully released from the Space Shuttle
Discovery at a mission elapsed time of two days 05:12:02, or
12:23:02 EDT.  Goddard controllers report that they are
successfully using Transponder B to communicate with the spacecraft
through the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System  (TDRSS)
following a Transponder A anomaly.  In addition, controllers are
using shuttle communications in between TDRS passes to catch up on
their activity time line.  The UARS deployment was delayed by one-
orbit following difficulties locking the UARS communications system
with either TDRS West or East.

DEVELOPMENTS SINCE STATUS REPORT #3: Goddard Controllers report
that they are achieving full communications with UARS through TDRSS
using UARS Transponder B, a redundant communications system on the
high-gain antenna.  Transponder A is currently not operating in the
TDRS receive mode.

SUBSYSTEMS / INSTRUMENT STATUS:

     COMMUNICATIONS AND DATA HANDLING:  Operations are progressing
nominally through the UARS Transponder B and Discovery's payload
interrogator, a system that links communications with UARS,
Discovery, and the ground.

     POWER: Spacecraft on internal power through the solar array s
and spacecraft batteries.

     ATTITUDE AND CONTROL DETERMINATION: Operating nominally.
Controllers continue calibrating attitude control system.

     THERMAL: Both passive and active performing well.

     PROPULSION: Operating nominally.

UPCOMING EVENTS: Controllers report that they are activating two
instruments today: the Cryogenic Limb Array Etalon Spectrometer
(CLES) and the Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS).  In addition they will
power up the Active Cavity Radiometer Irradiance Monitor (ACRIM II)
and deploy the Particle Environment Monitor/Zenith Energy Particle
System (PEM/ZEPS) boom.  The controllers look forward to completely
catching up in their sequence later today and will begin
investigating the Transponder A anomaly tomorrow.


============================================================================


        MCC STATUS REPORT #8
        FLIGHT DAY FOUR
        11:00 PM CDT


The space shuttle astronauts are midway through their third full
day in orbit and are busy conducting fluid and structural physics
studies that may assist in the design and development of future
space systems.

The middeck zero-gravity dynamics evaluation experiment, or MODE,
involves the study of fluids in containers and structural arrays
under the influence of dynamic disturbances.  The first fluid
dynamics investigation was curtailed a few minutes early,
however, in order for the crew to maneuver Discovery away from a
predicted conjunction with a spent upper stage rocket body.

Based on information from multiple tracking sources around the
world, it was determined that the body of a Soviet Cosmos 955
upper stage booster would pass within a distance from Discovery
which would violate NASA flight rules, and the decision was made
to conduct the avoidance maneuver.  The maneuver was conducted
successfully, about 8:30 pm central time, and the closest point
of approach is now expected to be about 8.7 nautical miles, well
beyond the acceptable boundaries, at about 11:06 pm central time
tonight.

Following the brief interruption, the crew placed Discovery back
in free drift, and continued the series of fluid dynamics
demonstrations, which continue to go extremely well.

The crew has re-converged on the flight day four timeline, and,
later tonight, the crew will conduct similar oscillation tests
with four structural truss assemblies.

Discovery continues to perform without significant flaw.  Orbiter
consumables are predicted to support 3 extension days, if
necessary, beyond the normal five day mission duration.  However,
preliminary weather forecasts show favorable weather at the
Kennedy Space Center for a Tuesday night landing.


=============================================================================


        MCC STATUS REPORT #9
        FLIGHT DAY FOUR
        5:00 A.M. CDT


The STS-48 crew completed 11 hours of experiments in fluid and
structural dynamics.  Mission Specialists Mark Brown, Jim Buchli
and Sam Gemar first set up a series of Lexan cylinders--two
containing silicon oil and two containing water--attached to a
shaker device mounted in Discovery's mid-deck.  A computer sent
precisely controlled forces to the shaker device, then measured
the fluid's movements.  Experiment investigators hope to learn
more about the impact of moving liquids, such as fuel, in future
spacecraft.

The astronauts then set up a series of four different models of
truss structure being studied for Space Station Freedom.  The
computer also sent programmed vibrations to the truss structure
and recorded responses.  Engineers expect to gather additional
knowledge to help develop more sophisticated computer models for
accurately predicting the performance of future large space
structures.

The Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite controllers reported
about 1 a.m. CDT that they were able to send computer commands to
the observatory through the "A" receiver which had not accepted a
transmission through the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite system
since shortly before the observatory was deployed from the
Shuttle late Saturday night.  Payload controllers had been
communicating with the observatory through the "B" receiver, a
backup system.  Engineers at the Goddard Payload Operations
Control Center now believe both receivers are working properly.
Because Discovery carried the UARS to an altitude of 308 nautical
miles, the first of four planned altitude-raising burns is not
needed. The first burn, set for early Monday morning, will not be
performed.  The other three burns are scheduled for Tuesday,
Wednesday and Thursday.

Discovery continues to perform well.  No problems are being
worked this morning. The apogee, or high point, of Discovery's
orbit is 308 nautical miles and the perigee, or low point, is 303
nautical miles.

The astronaut crew will go to sleep at 8:11 a.m. CDT and will
wake up at 4:11 p.m. CDT to begin their last full day in space.
STS-48 landing is scheduled for 1:09 a.m. CDT on Wednesday,
September 18, at Kennedy Space Center, Florida.

Article         1680
From: [email protected] (WILLIAM HARWOOD, UPI Science Writer)
Newsgroups: clari.tw.space,clari.news.aviation,clari.news.urgent
Subject: Satellite problem termed 'minor'
Date: 16 Sep 91 03:07:11 GMT
 
	CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (UPI) -- The Discovery astronauts lowered
the shuttle's orbit late Sunday to avoid any chance of a collision
with an old Soviet rocket amid ongoing work to activate an
environmental satellite launched earlier in the day. 

	A short rocket firing shortly after 9:30 p.m. EDT Sunday put
Discovery in a slightly lower orbit, causing it to move ahead and safely
away from a derelict rocket stage U.S. Space Command identified as part
of a Soviet booster launched Sept. 20, 1977.

	Officials said the shuttle crew was never in any danger and once the
maneuver was complete, the astronauts got back to work conducting tests
to learn more about how fluids behave in weightlessness.

	The shuttle fliers accomplished the primary goal of the 43rd shuttle
mission at 12:23 a.m. Sunday when astronaut Mark Brown launched the $633
million Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite to study the impact of
pollution on Earth's atmosphere and the depletion of the planet's
protective ozone layer.

	While one of the satellite's two main radio receivers has failed to
work properly, backup systems are available in the unlikely event the other 
receiver malfunctions and both of the spacecraft's critical transmitters, 
needed to beam science data to Earth, are working flawlessly.

	Commander John ``J.O.'' Creighton, 48, co-pilot Kenneth Reightler,
40, flight engineer James Buchli, 46, Charles Gemar, 36, and Brown, 39,
concentrated on a variety of minor on-board experiments Sunday with more
of the same on tap for the remainder of their flight.

	The astronauts beamed down spectacular television shots late Sunday
showing the glittering lights of cities in Europe, Africa and the Middle
East glowing in the night like diamonds on black velvet.

	``Right now, looking right down the boot of Italy, there are
enough cities positioned along the coast all the way down the
peninsula that you can clearly make out the definition of where the
land is,'' Reightler said. ``The cities of Venice, Rome, Naples and
Genoa are all clearly visible.'' 

	Off in the distance, the oil well fires of Kuwait were equally
clear, shining brighter than many nearby towns and cities. 

	If all goes well, Creighton and Reightler will guide Discovery
to a landing around 2:09 a.m. Wednesday on the Kennedy Space Center's
3-mile-long runway, chalking up the first nighttime Florida touchdown
in the 10-year history of the shuttle program. 

	Forecasters called for scattered clouds at 2,500 and 30,000 feet, 7-
mile visibility, variable winds at 4 knots and a chance of ground fog.

	``But they don't feel that will affect visibility for landing,'' said
NASA spokesman Edward Campion. ``Everything's looking good for landing.''

	With Discovery's mission winding down, engineers at the Goddard Space
Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., pressed ahead with a complex series of
tests to activate UARS and to make sure its 10 science instruments and
other critical systems are working properly.

	Early Sunday, an instrument boom was extended from the satellite as
planned and on Monday, the first of three rocket firings was scheduled
to begin raising the spacecraft's altitude to 373 miles.

	Deployment of the school bus-sized spacecraft from Discovery was
delayed 35 minutes because of an inability to consistently relay
commands between UARS, circling the globe with the shuttle at some 17,
000 mph, and two NASA communications satellites in orbits more than 22,
000 miles overhead.

	Engineers initially suspected a procedural problem on the ground
rather than trouble with the spacecraft itself, and within a few hours
of launch they were able to reliably send commands to the spacecraft
through one of its two primary radio links.

	UARS is equipped with two such systems, each one capable of
transmitting science data and receiving commands from ground controllers.

	Engineers now believe the receiving section of one radio system aboad
UARS is faulty. But the other receiver is working properly as are both
transmitters, which are needed to relay science data to the ground.

	Project officials said even if the second receiver failed, commands
could be sent to the spacecraft from ground stations using a lower data
rate ``omni'' antenna system.

	``They've got full communications capability,'' said NASA spokesman
Brian Welch. ``They feel real confident they've got defense in depth on
receiving science data from UARS and also commanding to the satellite.''

	Data from UARS is expected to help scientists determine exactly what
impact pollution is having on the atmosphere and what might be needed to
prevent permanent damage. The depletion of the ozone layer is one of the
satellite's major areas of study.

Article         1681
From: [email protected] (United Press International)
Newsgroups: clari.tw.space,clari.news.aviation
Subject: Quote of the Day
Date: 16 Sep 91 03:59:26 GMT
 
	Discovery astronaut John ``J.O.'' Creighton, commenting on the view
from more than 300 miles above Earth:

	``Lots of islands in the Aegean are visible and Athens is shining
like a bright star there on the coast.''

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


 
       STS-48 DISCOVERY (OV 103) - ON ORBIT - FLIGHT DAY 5

     Discovery is scheduled to  land  at  KSC's  Shuttle  Landing
Facility at 2:06 a.m.  EDT Wednesday.  Weather forecasts are good
for the first KSC night landing with scattered  clouds  at  2,500
feet  and  at  25,000  feet.  Winds  will  be light and variable.
Forecasters are calling for seven miles of visibility.

     Initial reports indicate the solid rocket  boosters  are  in
good shape. Work to disassemble the two boosters is continuing at
Hangar  AF  at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.  Hydrolasing
activities are scheduled to begin today.  This operation involves
the use of spraying high pressure water on the boosters to remove
the exterior foam and cork.

 

MISSION CONTROL STATUS REPORT #10
4:30 p.m. CDT ---- Mon., Sept. 16, 1991

Today's wake-up music featured Elvis Presley singing "Are You
Lonesome Tonight?" The song was selected because of its phrase
"are you sorry we drifted apart?" in honor of the Space Shuttle
Discovery's increasing separation from its prime payload the
Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite which was deployed Sept. 14.

As of 4:30 p.m. CDT today, Discovery was about 284 nm in front of
UARS and the distance between the two spacecraft was increasing
at a rate of about 12 nm per orbit.

UARS continues to operate smoothly. All major subsystems have
been checked out and instruments are being turned on.

Today's activities onboard Discovery will include a checkout of
orbiter systems used during entry.  This checkout usually is
performed the day before deorbit and includes cycling the
orbiter's aerosurfaces and hydraulic systems, checking switch
throws and speed brake systems.

Following their post-sleep activities, STS-48 crew members will
perform an inflight maintenance task involving the supply water
dump line. Flight controllers believe the supply water dump
nozzle has experienced a small leak that could allow ice to form
at the nozzle's valve. To eliminate any chance of the supply
water dump line from freezing, the crew will perform a purge of
the dump line by forcing air through it, removing any water that
might be in the line and thus preventing any possible freezing in
the line.

Once the line is purged, the crew then will use the flash
evaporator system to dump excess potable supply water from the
orbiter's potable water storage tanks.

Crew members will wrap up work with middeck experiments before
deactivating and stowing most of them. The crew will continue
operation of the Middeck 0-Gravity Dynamics Experiment which
studies mechanical and fluid behavior of components for Space
Station Freedom and other future spacecraft. Crew members today
will work on one portion of the experiment, the Structural Test
Article, in which the vibration characteristics of jointed truss
structures will be studied. Yesterday's operation of the other
portion of the experiment, the Fluid Test Article which studied
the sloshing of fluids in partially filled containers, was
successful.

The crew also will participate in a special event today when they
talk to radio talk show host Larry King on tonight's Larry King
Show. That event is scheduled to begin at a MET of 4/04:21 or
10:32 p.m. CDT on orbit 64.

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

MISSION CONTROL STATUS REPORT #11
12:30 A.M. CDT TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 1991

The first half of the crew day consisted of checking out the
flight control surfaces aboard the vehicle making sure they are
ready to support tomorrow's landing at the Kennedy Space Center.

All went smoothly with the FCS checkout using the number two
auxiliary power unit supplying the hydraulic power needed to move
the orbiter's aerosurfaces.

The crew also performed a test of the reaction control system
thrusters verifying that they are ready for tomorrow's return
home.

Landing remains scheduled for 2:06 a.m. EDT Wednesday on the
concrete runway at KSC's Shuttle Landing Facility.  The weather
forecast is expected to be favorable for the first night landing
in Florida in the Shuttle program.

The reentry groundtrack will bring Discovery over the upper
Pacific Northwest near Juno, Alaska, crossing the middle of
Canada before starting across the U.S. above North Dakota.

With clear skies, Discovery will be clearly visible as it enters
the atmosphere creating a plasma tail behind the orbiter.

Early in the crew day, Mission Specialist Sam Gemar performed a
procedure to clear the supply water dump line of any liquid that
could freeze in the line and dump water for the remainder of the
mission through the flash evaporator system.

Crew members wrapped up work with most of the middeck experiments
before deactivating and stowing most of them.  They continued
operation with the Middeck 0-Gravity Dynamics Experiment which
studies mechanical and fluid behavior of components for Space
Station Freedom and other future spacecraft.

Crew members today worked on one portion of the experiment, the
Structural Test Article, in which the vibration characteristics
of jointed truss structures was studied.

The crew participated in Larry King's radio show taking questions
from around the country on the space program and the STS-48
mission specifically.

The remainder of the day will consist of stowing experiments and
equipment in preparation for tomorrow morning's return.

KSC RELEASE NO. 113 - 91 (9/16/91)


     The orbiter Discovery is scheduled to make the first planned
nighttime landing at Kennedy Space Center at the conclusion of
its current STS-48 mission, which began Sept. 12.

     Landing of Discovery at KSC's Shuttle Landing Facility (SLF)
is slated for 2:06 a.m. Eastern Time, Wednesday, Sept. 18, on
orbit 80.

     During descent, Discovery will enter Florida airspace north
of Jacksonville, Fla. over the Florida/Georgia border town of
Folkston, Ga. Discovery will then follow Florida's east coast to
land at KSC.

     The orbiter will pass near Jacksonville about 8 minutes, 42
seconds before touchdown, at an altitude of about 119,000 feet
and traveling at a speed of Mach 4.7. The orbiter will then pass
over St. Augustine, Daytona Beach and Titusville before landing
at KSC.

     If there is a landing delay during the first opportunity on
Wednesday, a second KSC landing opportunity occurs at 3:38 a.m.
Wednesday. Additional landing opportunities at KSC are also
available on Thursday and Friday, at 2:06 a.m. and 2:01 a.m.
respectively.

     This mission marks only the second time since January 1986
that NASA managers determined normal end-of-mission (EOM) Shuttle
landings could be scheduled for KSC. It marks the first nighttime
EOM landing at KSC's Shuttle Landing Facility.

     The SLF was built in 1975. It is 300 feet wide and 15,000
feet long with 1,000 foot overruns at each end. The strip runs
northwest to southeast. It is located about 3 miles northwest of
the Vehicle Assembly Building.


     Prior to last month's landing of the Space Shuttle Atlantis
at KSC, Edwards Air Force Base, Ca. had been listed as the prime
landing site for Shuttle orbiters since the Challenger accident.

     The up-coming landing of Discovery, if weather permits, will
be the ninth landing at KSC in the 10 year history of Space
Shuttle flight. Three landings have occurred at KSC since return-
to-flight in Sept. 1988. The first two were originally scheduled
for Edwards Air Force Base, but were diverted to KSC due to poor
weather conditions at Edwards. The third landing, which occurred
last month, was the first planned end-of-mission landing since
Discovery touched down here on April 19, 1985.

     Previous landings at KSC were:

     41-B - Challenger, Feb. 11, 1984

     41-G - Challenger, Oct. 13, 1984

     51-A - Discovery, Nov. 16, 1984

     51-C - Discovery, Jan. 27, 1985

     51-D - Discovery, April 19, 1985

     STS-38 - Atlantis, Nov. 20, 1990

     STS-39 - Discovery, May 6, 1991

     STS-43 -  Atlantis, Aug. 11, 1991

     General weather restrictions for a KSC landing are specified
in part as:

*    Surface winds must be less than 20 knots in any direction,
and less than 12 knots for crosswinds;

*    The ceiling must be greater than 10,000 feet. For scattered
clouds below 10,000 feet, cloud cover must be observed to be less
than 20 percent at the deorbit burn go/no go decision time;

*    Visibility must be seven miles or greater;

*    There can be no precipitation at the surface or aloft in the
proximity of the orbiter;

*    Thunderstorms, rain or the potential for lightning cannot be
within 30 nautical miles of the landing site;

*    Vertical cloud clearance at the 30 nautical mile range, must
be greater than 2 nautical miles.

     Once the orbiter is on the ground, safing operations will
commence and the flight crew will prepare the vehicle for post-
landing operations. For this mission and all following missions,
a new transport vehicle will be used to assist the crew, allowing
them to egress the vehicle and doff their launch and re-entry
suits easier and quicker. This vehicle, called the Crew Transport
Vehicle, or CTV, was purchased from Continental Airlines at
Denver for use at KSC. A similar CTV was used to assist crew
egress at the conclusion of mission STS-40 which landed at
Edwards Air Force Base on June 14, 1991.

     The CTV and other KSC landing convoy operations have been in
an "on-call" status since the launch of Discovery September 12.
The primary functions of the Space Shuttle recovery convoy are to
provide immediate service to the orbiter after landing, prepare
the orbiter for towing to the Orbiter Processing Facility and
assist crew egress.

     Convoy vehicles are stationed at the SLF's mid-point. About
two hours prior to landing, convoy personnel don SCAPE suits, or
Self Contained Atmospheric Protective Ensemble, and
communications checks are made.

     A warming up of coolant and purge equipment is conducted and
nearly two dozen convoy vehicles are positioned to move onto the
runway as quickly and as safely as possible once the orbiter
coasts to a stop. When the vehicle is deemed safe of all
potential explosive hazards and toxic gases, the purge and
coolant Umbilical Access Vehicles move into position at the rear
of the orbiter.

     Following purge and coolant operations, flight crew egress
preparations will begin and the CTV will be moved into position
at the crew access hatch located on the orbiter's port side.

     Once access to the vehicle is gained, a physician will board
the shuttle and conduct a brief preliminary examination of the
astronauts. The crew will then make preparations to leave the
vehicle.

     Additional preparations to accommodate a nighttime landing
were made by the KSC convoy team and landing recovery personnel.
Because the orbiter has no lights of its own, a special bank of
xenon lights will be stationed near each end of the runway to
provide illumination of the projected touchdown zone and rollout
path. Only the xenon lights at the end of the runway upon which
the orbiter will land will be turned on. Care will be taken not
to direct these portable, high intensity lights near the orbiter
as it makes its approach.

     Also, convoy personnel have been directed to take extra
precaution when traveling in the darkness. Convoy participants
will tape high-intensity chem-lights to their legs and arms while
working on the runway. Different colored lights will distinguish
the personnel. The call-to-stations for all convoy personnel is
set for 11:45 p.m. on the night of landing.

     About 2 hours, 40 minutes after landing, the orbiter will be
towed to Orbiter Processing Facility bay 3 for post-flight
deservicing. This will be the first use of this upgraded
processing facility for post flight operations. Discovery will
remain in OPF Bay 3 as preparations begin for its next scheduled
mission, STS-42, in January 1992.

     Following their departure from the SLF, the crew will be
taken to their quarters in the O&C, meet with their families,
undergo a physical examination and depart for the skid strip at
Cape Canaveral Air Force Station for their flight back to JSC. A
departure ceremony and photo opportunity is scheduled for about
11 hours after landing. The exact time will be determined
following landing.

     In the event a landing at KSC is not feasible and Discovery
lands at Edwards, an augmented KSC convoy team will be on-site to
safe the vehicle, disembark the crew and move the orbiter to the
Mate/Demate Device. The turn around team will be deployed to
Edwards by charter aircraft on landing day.
 

Article         8998
From: [email protected] (Bev Freed)
Newsgroups: sci.space.shuttle
Subject: Re: RCS Burn for Collision Avoidance
Date: 16 Sep 91 16:47:35 GMT
Organization: The NSS BBS, Pittsburgh PA (412) 366-5208
 
 > All I cought on NASA Select, post maneuver,
 > was that there was a rocket body in orbit that would have
 > violated the protection margines for Discovery.
 > Does anyone have more info on this? I am curious as to
 > the exact body in question.
 
 A Soviet Kosmos 955, second or third stage, in an elliptical orbit
 308x280 nm.  As the object approached Discovery, it was at 57 deg, 
 and at an altitude of 300 nm, an "uncomfortable distance," Pennington 
 described it.  The protective envelope around the orbiter is a "box" 
 2x2x5 km.  Had the COLA not been undertaken, the rocket body would 
 have been in conjunction with Discovery about 350 m below and 1.9 
 km ahead in the path.  As it was, the evasive maneuvers placed the 
 orbiter at a distance so that the debris was about 8 nm north above
 and behind Discovery, traveling at about 24,000 fps.
 
 Notification of the crossing came at MET 2/23:48.  Discovery began 
 maneuvers at 3/01:54.  In retrograde attitude, the aft RCS jets were
 fired for seven sec, with a delta v of 2 fps.  That burn was at MET
 3/02:20.  The actual crossing occurred at 3/04:55:45.  The crew was
 told to look for the rocket body at about 3/04:57:30, but they never
 spotted it.
 
 No mention was made of when the Kosmos had been launched, just that 
 there were quite a number of spent Soviet rocket bodies in that 
 orbital path.
 
 I gathered this information from the press conference following 
 the change of shift, and from the chatter centered around the event. 
 I believe my notes are fairly accurate.  Hope so.
 
 It was interesting to note that Pennington stated that to his knowledge 
 (and he goes back to Apollo), this event was the first on-orbit collision 
 avoidance maneuver.  All other COLAs have been while still on the 
 pad, generally delaying launch a few minutes.  I love his one remark: 
 "Well, we were bound to find one sooner or later.  We found one tonight."
 
--- Opus-CBCS 1.72a
 * Origin: NSS BBS - Ad Astra! (412)366-5208 *HST* (1:129/104.0)
--  
Bev Freed - via FidoNet node 1:129/104
UUCP: ...!pitt!nss!freed
INTERNET: [email protected]

    So, how far east of the Dakotas will the shuttle be visible during
    re-entry?
    
    jeff
    

    
    AND - Can it be seen from Colo Sprgs and at what time??
    

    Heard on the news this am that Discovery landed at 0330 this morning
    at Edwards AFB; the landing field at Kennedy Space Center was below
    the weather minimums.
    
    						--Eric--
    
    P.S. Welcome home, Discovery!

Good to hear that.  I stayed up to watch the KSC landing, but
when they elected to go another orbit I went to bed.  Kennedy was
mostly clear but there were some light clouds that could obscure
the runway.  The extra orbit was meant to see if the clouds would
endanger the runway visiblilty, and apparently this was what
happened. 

Article         9027
From: [email protected] (John Theus)
Newsgroups: pnw.general,sci.space.shuttle
Subject: STS-48 Reentry Sighting Report From Oregon
Date: 18 Sep 91 09:19:55 GMT
Sender: [email protected] (John Theus)
Organization: The Theus Group; Your Futurebus+ Hired Gun
 
At about 0020 PDT, STS-48 was sighted just south of  where is crossed
the latitude of the US-Canada border on its reentry into Edwards. 
From this viewers position on a hill 10 miles SW of Portland, the
vehicle was first seen 5 degrees above the NW horizon and it was
followed to 15 degrees above the SSE horizon where clouds obscured
further viewing.  Total transit time was about 4 minutes. 
 
On each of the previous evenings I had sighted the sun-illuminated
shuttle during its 2100 and 2230 passes.  The best of these occurred
early in the mission and was about magnitude -1.  Typically the
magnitude was more like 3 or 4.  The UARS was also sighted during
these passes following its deploy. The most interesting sighting was
shortly after the second deploy burn when Discovery and UARS were
about one-half degree apart as they raced across the sky.  The shuttle
had a slightly yellow appearance and the UARS had an orange-yellow
color that closely matched the foil insulation color coming across
NASA Select. 
 
Since the vehicle would be in darkness during it reentry pass I didn't
know if I would be able to sight it or not, but I figured there was a
good chance. Little did I know.  Discovery came screaming out of the
night sky at about magnitude -4 leaving a tail that was about a degree
wide that stretched from horizon to horizon and persisted for about 5
minutes.  The tail was illuminated by the moon that was located behind
most of the flight path from my perspective.  The tail's magnitude was
very close to that of the moon. Inspection of the tail with a
telescope revealed very complex cloud patterns. When I was able to
keep the telescope tracking the vehicle, its shape was clearly
visible.  Overall, a truly amazing sight. 
 
An hour and a half later as I write this I'm still excited and it's
clear this will be a sight I never forget. 
 
As we watched Discovery make its approach to Edwards on NASA Select, a
muted double sonic boom rolled through our area.  A minute later the
double crack came from the TV. 
 
John Theus

Article         1694
From: [email protected]
Newsgroups: clari.tw.space,clari.news.aviation,clari.news.bulletin
Subject: Discovery glides to smooth touchdown
Date: 18 Sep 91 09:35:04 GMT
 
	EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. (UPI) -- The Discovery astronauts,
diverted from a Florida landing by cloudy weather, glided instead to a
ghostly predawn touchdown in California Wednesday to close out a 
``super'' five-day flight.

	Foiled in an attempt to make the shuttle program's first nighttime
Florida landing, Discovery streaked across the coast of Oregon and down
the length of California's San Joaquim Valley before swooping to a high-
speed landing on concrete runway 22 at 12:39 a.m. PDT.

	Barreling down the brightly lighted runway at more than 200 mph,
commander John ``J.O.'' Creighton pumped Discovery brakes and brought
the $2 billion spaceplane to a stop, closing out an 81-orbit flight
spanning 2.1 million miles since blastoff last Thursday from the Kennedy
Space Center in Florida.

	``Wheels stopped, Houston,'' Creighton radioed as Discovery rolled to
a halt.

	``We're glad to have you back, Discovery. Your mission will pave the
way for a better understanding of our planet Earth,'' replied astronaut
John Casper from mission control in Houston. ``Congratulations on a job
well done, J.O.''

	Left behind in orbit was the primary payload of the 43rd shuttle
mission, the $633 million Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite, the most
sophisticated spacecraft ever built to study the impact of pollution on
Earth's atmosphere and the depletion of the planet's protective ozone layer.

	``I think it was a super mission. The Upper Atmosphere Research
Satellite is deployed and appears to be working well,'' said shuttle
program director Robert Crippen. ``(Discovery) had as few anomalies as
you could possibly get on a flight, it was really smooth all the way.
All in all it was a super flight.''

	Discovery's waveoff to California was a disappointment to Kennedy
Space Center workers and spectators across the heartland of America who
had hoped to witness Discovery's meteoric descent along a path
stretching from North Dakota to the Southeast.

	But NASA safety rules require virtually perfect weather for
shuttle landings and low clouds over the Kennedy Space Center left
flight controllers little choice but to order Discovery to Edwards. 

	``The weather was dynamic enough such that we couldn't assure
ourselves that we wouldn't have showers sitting over the runway or on
part of the glide path when we actually executed the landing,'' Crippen
said. ``And there were showers at the time the landing would have occurred.''

	Creighton, 48, copilot Kenneth Reightler, 40, flight engineer James
Buchli, 46, Charles ``Sam'' Gemar, 36, and Mark Brown, 39, climbed out
of the orbiter about an hour after touchdown.  All five planned to fly
back to their homes in Houston later in the day.

	But for eight female lab rats on board it was the end of the line.
The rodents were to be killed shortly after landing for medical research
on the effects of weightlessness.

	Eight of the previous 42 shuttle flights ended with Florida landings,
but Discovery's was the first scheduled to conclude with a nighttime
touchdown at the Kennedy Space Center. Citizens of nearby Titusville,
Fla., planned to leave their house lights on in a show of support.

	But it was not to be.

	Discovery originally was scheduled to land at 2:06 a.m. EDT Tuesday,
but clouds moved into the area and just five minutes before Creighton
planned to fire the shuttle's braking rockets, flight director Jeff
Bantle ordered the astronauts to delay re-entry by one 96-minute orbit.

	As Discovery sailed toward a second re-entry attempt, the weather
continued to deteriorate and shortly before 11 a.m. EDT, NASA managers
decided to divert the ship to Edwards.

	Discovery's blazing descent to a Florida touchdown had been expected
to be visible to spectators along a path stretching from North Dakota to
the Tennessee-Georgia state line. But for the Edwards re-entry, the
high-temperature portion of the shuttle's descent was expected to occur
primarily over the Pacific Ocean.

	Fifteen of the 17 previous post-Challenger shuttle flights ended at
Edwards, where multiple runways are available in case of wind shifts
that might otherwise force a crew to land in a dangerous crosswind.

	Only one runway is available at the Florida spaceport and during 
a landing by Discovery in April 1985, one of the ship's tires blew out
when a brake overheated and locked up during touchdown in a stiff
crosswind blowing from the left to the right.

	But in the wake of the 1986 Challenger disaster, NASA equipped its
shuttle fleet with beefed up, more heat-resistant carbon brakes, stiffer
main landing gear axles and an improved nosewheel steering system.

	After thoroughly testing the new hardware during 15 landings at
Edwards and two touchdowns at KSC because of bad weather, NASA managers
decided earlier this summer to resume routine Florida landings.

	The first such touchdown occurred in daylight on Aug. 11. But
NASA's plans for the first nighttime landing were scotched by a
familiar nemesis: Florida's mercurial weather. 

        Mission Control Status Report #12
        Sept. 16, 1991, 7 a.m. CDT

The STS-48 astronauts wrapped up their last full day in space
this morning.  The crew goes to sleep at 8:11 a.m. CDT and is
scheduled to wake up at 4:11 p.m. CDT to prepare for a Wednesday
landing.

In the final hours of their last work day on orbit, crew members
turned off the Protein Crystal Growth experiment and downlinked
videotape of the experiment samples.  When the experiment was
turned on early Friday morning, the crew noticed plugs had not
been successfully retracted and droplets had not been deployed
successfully. At deactivation, Ken Reightler reported they saw
several crystals growing on the plugs and syringe tips.
Experiment managers decided to leave the plugs out of the
syringes when PCG was turned off.  On a previous flight of PCG,
syringes were left unplugged, and the crystals inside them were
not damaged during re-entry and landing.  It is not yet known how
much the incompletely formed droplets affected the science
data.  Crystals grown in microgravity form more perfectly and
allow investigators to determine a crystal's structure.  These
experiments could lead to new drugs to combat numerous serious
diseases.

The final data gathering on the structural test assemblies of the
Mid-deck 0-Gravity Dynamics Experiment (MODE) was also completed
this morning.  Models of truss structures designed for Space
Station Freedom were assembled in the middeck, then energized by
computer commands with precisely controlled forces.  Strain
gauges and sensors measured the responses of the truss model and
the computer recorded the information for later analysis.
Experiment results should lead to more sophisticated computer
models that more accurately predict the performance of future
large space structures.

Payload managers for the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite
report the observatory is in good health.  The first in a series
of three orbit-raising burns occurred at 5:35 a.m. CDT. Lasting
for 7 minutes, 44 seconds, and a change in velocity of 5.3 feet
per second, the raising burn propelled the UARS observatory to an
orbit of 305.2 by 310.5 nautical miles.

Discovery continues to perform well with no significant problems
while circling the Earth every 95 minutes at an altitude of 308
nautical miles and an orbital inclination of 57 degrees.

        # # #


MISSION CONTROL STATUS REPORT #13
5:30 p.m. CDT ---- Tuesday, Sept. 17, 1991

STS-48 crew members were awakened at 4:11 p.m. CDT today to
the song "Return to Sender" performed by Elvis Presley in
honor of their expected landing early tomorrow morning.

The crew is expected to perform a four-and-a-half minute
deorbit burn on orbit 79 at a MET of 5/05:44 or 11:55 p.m.
CDT today.  Landing is scheduled to occur on orbit 80 at a
MET of 5/06:55 or 1:06 a.m. Wednesday. The weather forecast
is expected to be favorable for the first night landing at
Kennedy Space Center in Florida in the Space Shuttle program.
Scattered clouds are expected at 25,000 feet and 2,500 feet
with some patchy ground fog.

Reentry ground track will bring Discovery over the upper
Pacific Northwest near Juno, Alaska, crossing the middle of
Canada before starting across the U.S.  above North Dakota.

Crew members this evening will deactivate and stow the
Radiation Monitoring Equipment experiment before beginning
deorbit preparations. The RME was designed to measure and
record ionizing radiation exposure to the crew in the orbiter
cabin and time tag the exposure with mission elapsed times.

Shortly after the crew began their sleep period today about
9:55 a.m., they were awakened when an above normal nitrogen
flow rate of more than five pounds per hour triggered a
master alarm aboard Discovery. Flight controllers believe
that the cabin regulator was near its high flow setting and
when the system switched from its oxygen to its nitrogen
cycle, the pressure may have triggered the regulator to the
high setting which in turn triggered the alarm. Flight
controllers assured the crew that this cycling was normal and
the system would be reset so the alarm would not be triggered
and awaken them again.

There are no orbiter or other system problems which are of
concern in anticipation of tomorrow morning's landing.

   #  #  #


9/18/91: STS-48 Landing Statement

Discovery and the five-member STS-48 crew landed this morning in
California's Mojave Desert at 3:38 am EDT.  The West Coast landing, on
Edwards Air Force Base Runway 22, was called by flight controllers after
Discovery had been waived off once because of unacceptable weather at the
planned end-of-mission Kennedy Space Center runway.  The landing was
flawless.  Mission primary and secondary goals were all accomplished with
very few anomalies.  The test of the electronic still camera appears to be a
success, though it did involve some realtime manipulating by Houston
engineers due to an apparent incompatibility in the camera's data format and
the TDRS relay system's ability to interpret the data stream.  The camera was
able to capture very high quality images of Earth scenes, some of which were
downlinked by the crew in realtime.

UARS Status Report #5

Jessie Katz
Office of Public Affairs
Goddard Space Flight Center
Greenbelt, MD 20771

UPPER ATMOSPHERE RESEARCH SATELLITE (UARS) STATUS REPORT #5
     8:45 a.m.  September 16, 1991



CURRENT STATUS OF OBSERVATORY:  The Upper Atmosphere Research
Satellite (UARS) successfully released from the Space Shuttle
Discovery September 15, 1991 is doing well with all systems
operating nominally.  The Active Cavity Radiometer Irradiance
Monitor (ACRIM II), Cryogenic Limb Array Etalon Spectrometer
(CLES), Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) and part of the Particle
Environment Monitor (PEM) have been turned on for engineering
evaluation.  The Solar Stellar Irradiance Comparison Experiment
(SOLSTICE) was turned on and then turned off as planned.


DEVELOPMENTS SINCE STATUS REPORT #4:  On September 15, Goddard
controllers successfully deployed the Zenith Energetic Particle
System (ZEPS) boom.  This system is part of the Particle
Environment Monitor Instrument Package (PEM).  In addition, the
Solar Stellar Pointing Platform was successfully deployed yesterday
evening.


SUBSYSTEMS / INSTRUMENT STATUS:

     COMMUNICATIONS AND DATA HANDLING:  Transponder A, which failed
to receive commands during the UARS deploy sequence from Discovery,
is now locked to the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System
(TDRSS) command link.  Goddard controllers are investigating the
anomoly but indications are at this time that there does not appear
to be hardware-related problem.  Both Transponders A and B are
activated at this time.

     POWER:   Spacecraft on internal power through the solar arrays
and spacecraft batteries.


     ATTITUDE AND CONTROL DETERMINATION:   Operating nominally.
Controllers continue calibrating attitude control system.


     THERMAL:   Both passive and active performing well.


     PROPULSION:   The first of three burns to ultimately boost
UARS into a 585 km circular orbit is scheduled for September 17.


     UPCOMING EVENTS:    Activities for September 17 include the
first of three orbital adjustment burns tentatively scheduled to
take place tomorrow morning along with continued activation of the
satellite's instrument systems.  This first burn had been planned
for today but is being delayed until tomorrow to distribute more
evenly the level of activity in the Goddard Project Operations
Control Center.  Also on tomorrow's schedule is activation of the
Halogen Occultation Experiment for engineering check.


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

UARS Status Report #6

Jessie Katz
Office of Public Affairs
Goddard Space Flight Center
Greenbelt, MD 20771

   UPPER ATMOSPHERE RESEARCH SATELLITE (UARS) STATUS REPORT #6
                 4:00 p.m. September 16, 1991


The Goddard-managed Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS) is
fully functional, sending and receiving transmissions through the
Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System (TDRSS).  The UARS project
continues to use Transponder B as the primary communications link.
Transponder A has successfully sent and received transmissions
through TDRSS and will continue to be used as a back-up.  The
previously experienced problem with the Transponder A receiver is
still under investigation.

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

UARS Status Report #7


Jessie Katz
Office of Public Affairs
Goddard Space Flight Center
Greenbelt, MD 20771



   UPPER ATMOSPHERE RESEARCH SATELLITE (UARS) STATUS REPORT #7
   2:00 p.m. September 17, 1991



CURRENT STATUS OF OBSERVATORY:  Activation of instruments and
spacecraft systems continues successfully on the Goddard-managed
Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS).  All activities
continue to progress extremely well according to Goddard project
officials.

DEVELOPMENTS SINCE STATUS REPORT #6:  The process of the
engineering check out of the UARS instruments continues.

The following activities were successfully completed for the
Halogen Occultation Experiment (HALOE) instrument:  firing of the
azimuth and elevation gimbal pyros, applying power to the
instrument, completing the telescope movement test, and placing the
telescope in the stow position.  HALOE activation activities will
continue on flight day 20 with the opening of the telescope door.

The Improved Stratospheric and Mesospheric Sounder (ISAMS)
instrument was turned on.  Instrument status was nominal.  The Y-
aperture and space radiator doors were deployed successfully.  The
scan mechanism was uncaged and ISAMS remains in an outgas mode.

The Wind Imaging Interferometer (WINDII) instrument was powered and
a minimal functional check performed.  Further activation and
engineering checks will be conducted during the next ten days,
before the WINDII baffle door is opened.

The Solar/Stellar Irradiance Comparison Experiment (SOLSTICE)
remains off as planned after an initial short on/off operation.

The first calibration/ascent orbit adjustment burn to raise the
altitude of UARS towards its nominal altitude of 585 km was
performed.  The orbit adjust was performed at 06:35:00 AM EDT on
September 17, 1991.  This burn operation lasted 5 minutes and 06
seconds for an effective or net burn time of 210 seconds on each of
two thrusters.  This first burn was nominal, performed as expected
and raised the altitude from 569 km to just over 572 km.
Subsequent burns scheduled this week will raise the altitude.

SUBSYSTEMS/INSTRUMENT STATUS:

     COMMUNICATIONS AND DATA HANDLING:  An investigative team is
looking into the cause of the previously experienced problem with
the Transponder A receiver.  Although Transponder A can
successfully send and receive transmissions through the Tracking
and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS), the UARS project controllers at
the Goddard Space Flight Center continue to use Transponder B as
the primary communications link.

      POWER:  Spacecraft on internal power through the solar arrays
and spacecraft batteries as planned.

      ATTITUDE AND CONTROL DETERMINATION:  Operating nominally.
Controllers continue calibrating attitude control system.

      THERMAL:  Both passive and active performing well.

      PROPULSION:  The second of three orbital adjustment burns
to boost UARS into a 585 km circular orbit is scheduled for the
mornining of September 18.

       UPCOMING EVENTS:  Second orbital adjustment burn scheduled
for the morning of September 18.  Also on September 18, the initial
phases of the Cryogenic Limb Array Etalon Spectrometer (CLAES) will
be completed and the Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) will become
operational.

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

UARS Status Report #8

John J. Loughlin II
Office of Public Affairs
Goddard Space Flight Center
Greenbelt, MD 20771


UPPER ATMOSPHERE RESEARCH SATELLITE (UARS) STATUS REPORT #8
12:00 p.m. September 18, 1991



CURRENT STATUS OF OBSERVATORY:  Activation of instruments and
spacecraft systems continues successfully on the Goddard-managed
Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS).  All activities
continue to progress extremely well according to Goddard project
officials.

DEVELOPMENTS SINCE STATUS REPORT #6:  The process of the
engineering check out of the UARS instruments continues.

The following activities were successfully completed for the
Cryogenic Limb Array Etalon Spectrometer (CLAES):  CLAES was
configured for normal operations and loaded with a set of operating
modes  used during integration and test.  Several of the loaded
operating modes were successfully executed.  All mechanisms
performed nominally.  Future operations will include a cycle
(open/close) of the aperture door, and a full calibration.

Activation of the Wind Imaging Interferometer (WINDII) continued
with the turn-on to a low current setting. Over the next couple of
days, the current level will be increased to improve instrument
cooling.

All Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) subsystems that have been
activated continue to operate nominally.  All remaining subsystems
were successfully  activated.  MLS continues to thermally
stabilize.  Atmosphere spectra of oxygen, ozone, and water vapor
have been plotted.

The second ascent/trim orbit adjust burn to raise the altitude of
UARS towards its nominal altitude of 585 km was performed.  The
orbit adjust was performed at 06:36:00 AM EDT on  September 18,
1991. This burn operation lasted 5 minutes and 37 seconds for an
effective or net burn time of 220 seconds on each of two thrusters.
This second burn was nominal, performed as expected, and raised the
altitude from 572 km to 582 km.  A final burn is scheduled for
tomorrow and will put the UARS into orbit at a mission altitude of
585 km.


SUBSYSTEMS/INSTRUMENT STATUS:

     COMMUNICATIONS AND DATA HANDLING:  An investigative team is
looking into the cause of the previously experienced problem with
the Transponder A receiver.  Although Transponder A can
successfully send and receive transmissions through the Tracking
and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS), the UARS project controllers at
the Goddard Space Flight Center continue to use Transponder B as
the primary communications link.

      POWER:  Spacecraft on internal power through the solar arrays
and spacecraft batteries as planned.

      ATTITUDE AND CONTROL DETERMINATION:  Operating nominally.

      THERMAL:  Both passive and active performing well.

      PROPULSION:  The last of three orbital adjustment burns
to boost UARS into a 585 km circular orbit is scheduled for the
morning of September 19.

       UPCOMING EVENTS:  A final orbit adjust burn is scheduled for
tomorrow and will put the UARS into orbit at a mission altitude of
585 km.

A friend at Goddard gave me a little good/interesting news on UARS.

The UARS Central Data Handling Facility is located at GSFC (it's a 
9420/9410/6440/8800/6310 cluster with 57 gigabytes of RA series disks and
200 gigabytes of optical) has a "quick look" ability. Quick look gets
instrument data and observatory status/attitude etc within about 30-60
seconds, it goes into the CDHF and scientists can send a response, and
thru a round-about process get new commands back up to the satellite within 10
minutes to catch and correct problems on the same orbit.

The data so far has been pretty good.

The CDHF is a scientific control facility - not a mission control center.
Apparently there have been some minor screwups in the real mission critical
department and the Flight Ops folks are camping on the CDHF doorsteps to get
the quick look data to actually command the spacecraft! 

Nice redundancy, eh?

Its nice to know that Digital's contribution to this mission appears to be
working well.


- dave

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


 
               STS-48 DISCOVERY (OV 103) - DRYDEN

     KSC's shuttle recovery teams  in  California  are  preparing
Discovery for the return trip to Florida. The cross-country ferry
flight  is scheduled to begin early Tuesday,  Sept.  24.  Pending
favorable weather conditions, a one-day ferry flight is possible.

     The orbiter has been transferred to  ground  power  and  the
fuel  cells  are  in the cool down process.  Residual propellants
will be offloaded tomorrow.  The external tank ferry flight doors
are being rigged. Bearings in the main engine high pressure pumps
have been dried.  Post-flight inspections of the tiles  are  con-
tinuing.   Engineers  report  that  Discovery's  tiles  sustained
average damage during its flight.

     Post-flight work on the two boosters is continuing at Hangar
AF at the Cape  Canaveral  Air  Force  Station.  Technicians  are
scheduled to remove the right forward skirt today.   Both nozzles
have been removed.  The external tank attach ring  and  stiffener
rings  on the left booster have been removed.  Disassembly of the
boosters is scheduled to begin this weekend.

     Mobile launcher platform no.  3 was brought  back  from  the
launch  pad  to the VAB yesterday.  The platform will be prepared
for booster stacking.

 

UARS Status Report #9

Jessie Katz
Office of Public Affairs
Goddard Space Flight Center
Greenbelt, MD 20771

UPPER ATMOSPHERE RESEARCH SATELLITE (UARS) STATUS REPORT #9
12:00 p.m. September 19, 1991

CURRENT STATUS OF OBSERVATORY:  Activation of instruments and
spacecraft systems on the Goddard-managed Upper Atmosphere Research
Satellite (UARS) continues nominally with no known problems.

DEVELOPMENTS SINCE STATUS REPORT #8:  The third ascent/trim orbit
adjust burn to raise the orbit of UARS towards its final altitude
was performed September 19, 1991.  This burn lasted 5 minutes and
40 seconds for a net burn time of 220 seconds on each of two
thrusters.  This third planned burn was nominal and raised the
altitude of the satellite by 3.0 km into a final planned mission
altitude of 585 km.

INSTRUMENT STATUS:

Cryogenic Limb Array Etalon Spectrometer (CLES):  Instrument
activation continues.  Several additional observing sequences were
turned on.  The aperture door will be opened in approximately 10
days.

Wind Imaging Interferometer (WINDII):  Instrument activation
continued with the first in a series of engineering checkouts
underway.  System noise checks, optical checks, Charged Coupled
Detector (CCD) camera checks, checks of the instrument's internal
temperature stability,   microprocessor memory verification checks,
and a sample orbit operating sequence to verify Central Data
Handling Facility science data production processing software were
completed.

Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS):  All MLS instrument subsystems are
now activated and operating in their planned modes.  Engineering
telemetry is within predicted limits and preliminary evaluation of
raw science data indicates that performance will exceed
expectations, according to project officials.  All detection bands
are functioning, including those for pointing and for measurement
of ozone, water vapor, and chlorine monoxide.  Spectra of all of
these atmospheric constituents have been produced from today's
data.  The early observation of chlorine monoxide is particularly
noteworthy and satisfying due to the difficulty of measuring its
weak emission signature, project officials indicate.

       UPCOMING EVENTS:  During the next few weeks the following
events will occur:

  *Observatory will execute its first yaw maneuver.

  *Observatory will perform a roll maneuver to calibrate the
attitude determination system.

  *The last two of the ten UARS instruments to be activated, the
Solar Ultraviolet Spectral Irradiance Monitor (SUSIM) and the High
Resolution Doppler Imager (HRDI), will be turned on for engineering
checks.

  *The Solar/Stellar Irradiance Comparison Experiment (SOLSTICE)
which had been turned off as planned after an initial short on/off
operation, will be turned on again.
    

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

 
               STS-48 DISCOVERY (OV 103) - DRYDEN

     Turnaround operations are continuing  to  prepare  Discovery
for the return trip to Florida. The cross-country ferry flight is
scheduled  to  begin  early  tomorrow morning.  Pending favorable
weather conditions, a one-day ferry flight is possible.  However,
officials are concerned about a low pressure system in the south-
west  and a cold front in the southeast.  Weather forecasters are
assessing the possibility of thunderstorms,  rain and  turbulence
in the orbiter's flight path.

     The tail cone has been installed over the three main engines
and the orbiter is mounted atop the 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft.

     Meanwhile back in Florida,  the STS-48 solid rocket boosters
have been disassembled at Hangar AF at  the  Cape  Canaveral  Air
Force Station.  Technicians are scheduled to install end rings on
the  segments  and  prepare  them for shipment back to Thiokol in
Utah for refurbishment.  The nose cones and aft  skirts  will  be
refurbished locally by USBI.


 

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

 
               STS-48 DISCOVERY (OV 103) - DRYDEN

     Discovery is scheduled  to  begin  its  cross-country  ferry
flight today with a departure from Edwards Air Force Base, Calif.
at about 12:30 p.m. EDT. Weather officials will assess conditions
in  the  flight  path today.  Based on unfavorable weather in the
flight path to Texas, an overnight stay at Tinker Air Force Base,
Oklahoma City, Okla. is planned.  Discovery is expected to return
to  KSC  tomorrow about 12 noon.  Once here,  the shuttle will be
towed to the Mate Demate Device and removed from the 747  Shuttle
Carrier  Aircraft.  The  orbiter  will  be towed to OPF bay 3 for
post-flight inspections.


 

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

 
       STS-48 DISCOVERY (OV 103) - FERRY FLIGHT IN PROGRESS

     Discovery departed Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma City at 1
p.m.  EDT enroute to Columbus Air Force Base in  Columbus,  Miss.
where  the  vehicle  will  remain  overnight  because  of adverse
weather in the flight path to Florida.  Weather will be  assessed
once  at  Columbus to determine weather conditions tomorrow and a
departure times.

     Discovery departed Edwards Air Force Base,  Calif.  at about
12:39 p.m. EDT yesterday and landed at Biggs Army Air Field in El
Paso,  Texas  for a brief refueling stop for the 747 Shuttle Car-
rier Aircraft.  The 747 and shuttle departed Biggs at  4:41  p.m.
EDT  yesterday and remained overnight at Tinker Air Force Base in
Oklahoma City, Okla.

 

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


 
          STS-48/Discovery OV-103/IML

WORK IN PROGRESS

-Ferry flight.  Possible arrival at KSC this afternoon, weather
permitting.


WORK SCHEDULED

-Orbiter removal from Shuttle Carrier Aircraft after KSC arrival
-Tow to OPF Bay 3


WORK COMPLETED

-Discovery atop the SCA arrived at Columbus Air Force Base in
Columbus, Missippi at 2:32 p.m. Eastern time yesterday.

 

Article         1701
From: [email protected] (WILLIAM HARWOOD, UPI Science Writer)
Newsgroups: clari.tw.space,clari.news.military,clari.news.aviation
Subject: An increasingly cloudy view
Date: 27 Sep 91 17:17:35 GMT
 
	CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (UPI) -- Earth's atmosphere looks
increasingly polluted and hazy when viewed from space because of
volcanic ash and the ever-increasing effects of human activity, the
crew of a just-completed shuttle flight said Friday. 

	``Of all the flights I've been on, this is by far the worst
the atmosphere has looked during this time of the season,'' astronaut
James Buchli, a veteran of four space missions, said at a news
conference in Houston. 

	``It gives you a concern in that we need to understand as best
we can where all these products that are going into the atmosphere
come from and what can be done to manage those. As to whether or not
that is a long-term, irreversible effect ... I think that question is
still open.'' 

	Buchli, commander John ``J.O.'' Creighton, co-pilot Kenneth
Reightler, Charles ``Sam'' Gemar and Mark Brown blasted off from the
Kennedy Space Center on Sept. 12 and spent six days in orbit before
gliding to a touchdown at Edwards Air Force Base in California's
Mojave Desert. 

	The goal of the flight was accomplished on the third day of
the mission with the successful launch of the $633 million Upper
Atmosphere Research Satellite, known as UARS, the most sophisticated
spacecraft ever built to study Earth's atmosphere and the depletion of
the planet's protective ozone layer. 

	The 10 instruments aboard UARS currently are being tested and
calibrated before the start of round-the-clock science activities next
month. 

	But NASA officials said Thursday that initial results appear
to confirm theories that man-made chemicals called chlorofluorocarbons, 
or CFCs, are destroying the ozone layer. 

	Ozone molecules, made up of three oxygen atoms, prevent
cancer-causing ultraviolet radiation from reaching Earth's surface.
But chlorine atoms in CFCs break up ozone molecules, allowing more
dangerous radiation to get through. 

	UARS was launched into a lofty 354-mile-high orbit tilted 57
degrees to the equator, allowing its instruments -- and Discovery's
crew -- to observe most of the planet's atmosphere. 

	While data from UARS will help scientists understand the
subtle chemistry and dynamics of the atmosphere, the effects of
pollution are becoming increasingly apparent to shuttle crews. 

	Buchli said volcanic ash from Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines 
may have contributed to the overall haziness of the atmosphere, but human 
activity such as deforestation in the Amazon rain forest and out-of-control 
oil well fires in Kuwait are all too clear. 

	``Between 30 north and 30 south latitude a lot of pollutants
are in the air, due primarily to volcanos and the southern burning
season,'' Buchli said. 

	``In the Mideast, the problems with the Kuwaiti oil fires are
still very evident. You can see burn scars ... where the fires have
been put out. There are still some 200 to 300 active fires still
burning with smoke plumes moving to the south about 1,000 kilometers.
You could actually see the fires with binoculars.'' 

	During his first flight in 1985, Buchli said the atmosphere
was ``fairly clean.'' 

	``This year, perhaps because of Mount Pinatubo which has put a
considerable amount of ash into the atmosphere ... the air that we
were looking through was extremely hazy,'' he said. ``In fact, as you
looked at sunrise you could see the Sun come up and disappear behind a
haze band and then come up again.'' 

	UARS is the first in a series of spacecraft being built for
NASA's planned ``Mission to Planet Earth'' program, an ambitious
attempt to study the planet's environment in unprecedented detail. 

        Remember that Soviet booster which the Space Shuttle DISCOVERY 
    had to avoid on September 15 during its STS-48 mission to deploy 
    the Upper Atmospheric Research Satellite (UARS)?  I did a little
    reading on the satellite this rocket placed in Earth orbit, COSMOS
    955, and found out that this Soviet mission has been making the
    news since its launch in 1977.

        In the 1987 book GUARDIANS: STRATEGIC RECONNAISSANCE SATELLITES,
    by Curtis Peebles (Presidio Press, Novato, CA), on pages 227-229,
    the author details what happened when COSMOS 955 lifted off into 
    the predawn sky from the Soviet Union's "secret" military space 
    center, Plesetsk, on September 20, 1977:

        "As the A-1 booster climbed, it left...Earth's shadow.  The
    exhaust plume from the twenty engines was backlit by the Sun.  From 
    the ground, which was still in darkness, the now-illuminated exhaust 
    plume looked like a huge, jellyfish-shaped apparition slowly moving 
    through the night sky.  The weather over northern Russia was clear, 
    so early risers in Leningrad, Estonia, and as far west as Finland 
    saw the plume (Moscow was clouded over).  Nikolay Milov, a local Tass 
    correspondent in the city of Petrozavodsk, wrote up a brief account
    of an 'unusual natural phenomenon observed in Karelia.'  Two days
    later, the report was sent out over the international wires.  Soon,
    American newspapers were filled with accounts of the 'jellyfish UFO'    
    seen over Russia."

        Some Western Soviet space experts, such as James Oberg, were quick 
    to make the connection between the UFO and the September 20 launch.
    Unfortunately, his reports did not reach the general populace of the 
    Soviet Union, where its UFO buffs blew the incident all out of propor-
    tion.  Soviet officials were stuck between denouncing the UFO reports
    and trying not to admit to the existence of Plesetsk, even though it
    was known to most of the West since 1966.

        Several other launches after COSMOS 955 also made similar UFOs
    in the sky, increasing the UFO stories and further frustrating the
    government.  For a while Soviet authorities even tried to pass off 
    the rocket exhaust plumes as natural phenomenon.  Finally, to stop 
    the erroneous reports, the Soviets admitted to the Plesetsk space 
    facility in 1983 in their PRAVDA newspaper, while avoiding any 
    mention of its military aspects.

        COSMOS 955 was a member of the Heavy ELINT (ELectronic INTelli-
    gence) class of Soviet satellites.  As an interesting side note, its
    immediate predecessor, COSMOS 954 (launched September 18, 1977),
    became infamous for entering Earth's atmosphere on January 24, 1978,
    and spreading debris from its nuclear reactor across Canada.  Had
    COSMOS 954 lasted one more orbit, it would have entered over New York
    City.  The satellite was a member of the Soviet nuclear-powered ocean
    surveillance program. 

        Larry

Space Shuttle Discovery
September 12-18, 1991

Commander:
John O. Creighton, Capt., USN
Pilot:
Kenneth S. Reightler, Cmdr., USN
Mission Specialists:
James F. Buchli, Col., USMC
Mark N. Brown, Col., USAF
Charles D. Gemar, LTC., USA

Major Mission Accomplishments

% Successfully deployed the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite into a
570-kilometer-high orbit.  The launch of this satellite signals the start of a
multiyear research mission to understand the environment of planet Earth.

% Conducted 11 hours of tests for the Middeck 0-Gravity Dynamics Experiment
(Massachusetts Institute of Technology Space Engineering Research Center). Data
for this experiment will permit space station designers to develop accurate
computer models of space station structures and fluid transfer dynamics.

% Conducted a variety of scientific and technologic experiments including
Investigations into Polymer Membrane Processing (Batelle Advanced Materials
Center, Columbus, Ohio), Protein Crystal Growth II (Marshall Space Flight
Center), and the Cosmic Radiation Effects and Activation Monitor (Department of
Defense).

% Collected more than 240 digital images with an electronic still camera and
transmitted 200 of those images to Earth.

% Collected many Earth resources photographs of the Southern Hemisphere
including photos of the Ross Ice Shelf on the continent of Antarctica.

% Performed orbital maneuvers to avoid a possible collision with a Soviet
rocket booster in orbit.

The thirteenth flight of the Space Shuttle Discovery marked the beginning of a
new mission for NASA that may prove essential to the future well-being of
Earth's environment.  The successful deployment, by the STS-48 crew, of the
Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS) is the beginning of the much
anticipated Mission to Planet Earth. Mission to Planet Earth is a
multisatellite program to study our planet from space.  Monitoring and
understanding environmental problems, such as global warming and ozone
depletion, will require coordinated data-gathering by ground laboratories,
instrumented balloons, aircraft, and Earth satellites.  UARS is the beginning
of that effort.

        Discovery's crew of five deployed UARS during their third day in orbit.
The 6,554-kilogram spacecraft, filling over one-half of Discovery's payload
bay, was lifted out of the bay by the orbiter's remote manipulator system arm.
The satellite's single solar array, a panel covered with solar cells that
convert sunlight into electrical power, was extended while still attached to
the arm.  After establishing a communications link between UARS and its ground
controllers through the Tracking Data and Relay Satellite, the spacecraft was
released into a 570-kilometer-high orbit inclined 57 degrees to Earth's
equator.

        From its high vantage, UARS began transmitting important data, even as
it underwent its month-long checkout period.  One of the main purposes of UARS
is to map and monitor global ozone in the upper atmosphere.  Ozone molecules
consisting of three atoms of oxygen each, block much of the Sun's harmful
ultraviolet radiation.  Without ozone, radiation would be free to reach Earth's
surface, constituting a significant health risk to humans and endangering food
crops.

        Recent aircraft and satellite studies have indicated that human-made
chemicals can migrate into the upper atmosphere and destroy ozone.  Early
results from UARS's microwave limb sounder instrument, one of 10 instruments on
the satellite, appear to confirm existing research.  The instrument is
providing scientists with a three-dimensional global map of ozone in the upper
atmosphere and of the ozone-destroying chemical chlorine monoxide.

        One of the major investigations of the STS-48 flight was the Middeck
0-Gravity Dynamics Experiment (MODE).  The purpose of the experiment was to
study the behavior of space structures and fluids in the microgravity
environment of Earth orbit.  In one phase of the experiment, crew members
constructed four different models, each up to two meters in length, of truss
beams similar in design to those that are being developed for Space Station
Freedom. Beam sections were instrumented with strain gauges and other sensors
so that precisely controlled stresses applied to the structure could be
measured.  The stresses were applied by a vibrator motor mounted on the truss
structure.  Data gathered on the dynamics and harmonics of the structure will
enable space station designers to construct accurate computer models of how
large-scale space station structures will respond to forces experienced in
Earth orbit.

        The other phase of MODE involved the dynamics of fluids in plastic
cylinders about the size of soft drink cans.  Two cylinders were used, one
containing water and the other silicon oil.  Using a vibrator device,
investigators hope to improve understanding of the frequency and amplitude
dynamics that take place when liquids, such as fuel, are moved within
spacecraft.

        On flight day four, mission controllers determined, from data gathered
by spacecraft-tracking stations around the world, that the body of a Soviet
Cosmos 955 upper stage booster would pass Discovery within a distance of 2.2
kilometers.  This unplanned passage would violate NASA safety criteria for
orbital operations.  Discovery's crew fired its engines to increase the passage
distance to just over 16 kilometers.  The orbital adjustment is believed to be
the first time a manned spacecraft has been moved to avoid a potential
collision.

        As with all Space Shuttle missions, crew members of STS-48 took
whatever opportunities their schedule permitted to observe and photograph Earth
from space.  The high inclination of their orbit, 57 degrees with respect to
the equator, permitted them to fly over much of Earth's surface, both land and
oceans.  Using standard color and color infrared films, the crew took excellent
photographs of urban, rural, and agricultural land- use patterns.  Dramatic
views of the Ross Ice Shelf of Antarctica, showing ice movements and pressure
ridge patterns, were collected, along with pictures of a tabular iceberg
(broad, flat top) over 2,100 square kilometers in area.

        Spaceflight veterans on the STS-48 crew reported that the middle
latitudes of Earth (30 degrees north to 30 degrees south) were hazier than they
had been on their previous flights at the same time of the year.  The STS-48
mission flew during the prime slash-and- burn agricultural season in the Amazon
basin.  Visibility in this region was greatly restricted by smoke.  Oil well
fires in Kuwait and ash discharges from Mt. Pinatubo in the Philippines also
contributed to visibility problems.

        In addition to the regular photographic activities conducted by the
STS-48 crew, an electronic still camera was tested.  This new photographic
technology captured and digitized black-and-white images with a resolution
approaching film quality.  Crew members took 240 images with the system, 200 of
which were transmitted via radio directly to mission control.  The electronic
still camera permitted electronic cropping and digital enhancement of images to
improve their quality.

        Other activities of the STS-48 crew included follow-up experiments,
from previous Shuttle missions, including protein crystal-growth,
polymer-membrane processing, and radiation monitoring.

Mission Facts

Orbiter: Discovery
Mission Dates: September 12-18, 1991
Commander: John O. Creighton, Capt., USN
Pilot: Kenneth S. Reightler, Cmdr., USN
Mission Specialist: James F. Buchli, Col., USMC
Mission Specialist: Mark N. Brown, Col., USAF
Mission Specialist: Charles D. Gemar, LTC., USA
Mission Duration: 5 days, 8 hours, 27 minutes
Kilometers Traveled: 3,530,273
Orbital Inclination: 57 degrees
Orbits of Earth: 81
Orbital Altitude: 570 km
Payload Weight Up: 7,882 kg
Orbiter Landing Weight: 87,503 kg
Landed: Runway 22, Edwards AFB
Payloads and Experiments:
Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite
Ascent Particle Monitor
Radiation Monitoring Experiment III
Protein Crystal Growth II Block 1
Middeck O-Gravity Dynamics Experiment
Investigations into Polymer Membrane Processing
Physiological and Anatomical Rodent Experiment
Shuttle Activation Monitor
Cosmic Radiation Effects and Activation Monitor


Crew Biographies

John O. Creighton (Capt., USN). John Creighton, from Seattle, Washington,
earned a Bachelor of Science from the United States Naval Academy and a Master
of Science in administration of science and technology from George Washington
University. Creighton has been a naval carrier pilot and a test pilot.  He was
the project development officer for the F-14 engine and a member of the first
F-14 squadron.  He has flown in space twice previously, on the STS-51G mission
(pilot) and on the STS-36 mission (commander).

Kenneth S. Reightler, Jr. (Cmdr., USN). Kenneth Reightler was born in Patuxent
River, Maryland but considers Virginia Beach, Virginia his home.  He earned a
Bachelor of Science in aerospace engineering from the United States Naval
Academy, a Master of Science in aeronautical engineering from the Naval
Postgraduate School, and a master's in systems management from the University
of Southern California. Reightler is a naval aviator and test pilot, and before
being selected as an astronaut, served as the Chief Flight Systems Instructor
at the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School. This was his first spaceflight.

Charles D. Gemar (LTC, USA). Charles Gemar was born in Yankton, South Dakota
but considers Scotland, South Dakota his hometown.  He received a Bachelor of
Science in engineering from the United States Military Academy. Upon
graduation, he attended both the Army rotary wing and multi-engine fixed wing
aviation course.  Before joining NASA, Gemar served in a number of aviation
assignments with the 24th Infantry Division and Hunter Army Airfield. Gemar
flew as a mission specialist on the STS-38 mission.

James F. Buchli (Col., USMC). James Buchli was born in New Rockford, North
Dakota. He earned a Bachelor of Science in aeronautical engineering from the
Naval Academy and a Master of Science in aeronautical engineering systems from
the University of West Florida. Buchli has served as a platoon commander,
company commander, and executive officer in Vietnam before earning his wings as
a naval fight officer.  He flew in space as a mission specialist three other
times, on the STS-51C, STS-61A, and STS-29 missions.

Mark N. Brown (Col., USAF). Mark Brown was born in Valparaiso, Indiana. He
earned a Bachelor of Science in aeronautical and astronautical engineering from
Purdue University and a Master of Science in astronautical engineering from the
Air Force Institute of Technology. Before joining NASA, Brown served in a
fighter interceptor squadron and at the Air Force Institute of Technology. At
NASA, Brown worked as a flight activities officer in Mission Control. He flew
in space as a mission specialist on the STS-28 mission.

Article: 29219
Newsgroups: sci.skeptic,sci.astro,sci.space,alt.alien.visitors
From: [email protected] (Robert Sheaffer)
Subject: STS-48 and "SDI": Oberg vs. Hoagland 
Organization: Netcom - Online Communication Services (408 241-9760 guest)
Date: Wed, 2 Dec 1992 06:12:12 GMT
 
I am posting the following file that I received from James Oberg, a
well-known writer on the space program. He is discussing the same
videotaped footage from NASA's STS-48 mission that has been endlessly
showen as a supposed "UFO." Richard Hoagland, a major promoter of the
"Face On Mars," claims that NASA cameras accidentally caught a secret
"star wars test". Here is Oberg's rebuttal. 
 
        James Oberg, Rt 2 Box 350, Dickinson, TX 77539
        Re: Did STS-48 view a "Star Wars" test?
 
        The  STS-48 mission was the 43rd shuttle launch, the 13th  flight
        of OV-103 Discovery, with the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite
        (UARS).  The crew was John Creighton, Ken Reightler, Jim  Buchli,
        Mark  Brown,  and Sam Gemar. It was launched from KSC  Pad  A  at
        2311GMT Sep 12, 1991 (twilight),landed at EAFB on Sep 18, 0738GMT
        (night), duration 5d08h27m. The orbit was inclined 57 degrees  to
        the  equator at an altitude of about 570 km, second only  to  the
        616  km altitude of the Hubble deploy mission a year and  a  half
        earlier.  Due  to  radar  experiments  with  the  deployed   UARS
        satellite,  I  was present in the control room for  two  planning
        shifts  (my  job  was as "Guidance and  Procedures  Officer"  for
        actions  related  to  orbital rendezvous,  such  as  the  planned
        checkout  of the radar which had shown performance  anomalies  on
        several earlier missions).
 
        I  have reviewed the videotape by Richard Hoagland alleging  that
        the  notorious STS-48 videotape shows a "Star Wars" weapons  test
        against  a  target  drone  with  astounding  propulsion.  In   my
        judgment,  the facts, analysis, and conclusions presented by  Mr.
        Hoagland are entirely wrong.
 
        Is  the object really very far away? Hoagland's argument  depends
        on proving that the object is at or beyond the physical  horizon,
        "1713  miles away". Proving this depends on optical  analysis  of
        the  image  and  of its motion. All  of  Hoagland's  analysis  is
        invalid.
 
        First,  Hoagland  alleges  that the videotape  shows  the  object
        suddenly appearing at the edge of the Earth, as if it had  popped
        up  from behind the horizon. But a more cautious viewing  of  the
        tape shows this is not accurate.
 
        The  object does NOT rise from "behind the horizon".  It  appears
        (arguably,  it  becomes  sunlit) at a point  below  the  physical
        horizon,  just slightly below, to be sure, but  measurably  below
        the edge of the Earth (the "limb").
 
        It  has  been  suggested  (Dipietro)  that  the  object's  sudden
        appearance  is  due to sunrise. This is plausible.  I  suggest  a
        variation  on this, that the object became visible when it  moved
        up  out  of the shuttle's shadow just after  sunrise.  Since  the
        video  was taken near sunrise, the shuttle's shadow was  pointing
        back nearly parallel to Earth's horizon, and the ground was still
        dark  (bright  ground reflection later lights up debris  even  if
        they are in the shuttle's sun shadow). This would require that it
        be close to the shuttle. The proximity to the horizon line  would
        be coincidental.
 
        Note  that the bright light in upper left is some sort of  camera
        anomaly  and  is not an electronic horizon marker as  alleged  by
        Hoagland. There is no such thing as an electronic horizon marker.
        Is  the  object  behind  the  atmosphere?  Hoagland  argues  that
        analysis of the imagery shows the object is physically behind the
        atmosphere.   But  I  disagree.  It  is  NOT  seen  through   the
        atmosphere:
 
        First,  consider  the brightening effect.  Computer  analysis  is
        shown  which  alleges that the brightening of  the  object  while
        below the airglow layer is analogous to the brightening of  stars
        setting behind the airglow layer. This allegedly implies that the
        object, like the stars, is behind the airglow layer.
 
        This argumentation is false because it posits the wrong causation
        mechanism   for  brightening  ("passage  of  the  light   through
        atmosphere").  This  should  be  obvious  since  at  the  airglow
        altitude  (40-60 miles) the atmosphere is already extremely  thin
        and the lapse rate (the drop in pressure per rise in altitude) is
        already much reduced over the value at lower altitudes (that  is,
        crossing the "airglow boundary" does NOT significantly change the
        atmospheric density the light ray is passing through). If density
        WERE  the  true cause of brightening, the effect  would  markedly
        peak  at a lower altitude (as soon as the beam rose  above  total
        obscuration),  then drop rapidly as atmospheric density  dropped,
        and  show NO NOTICEABLE CHANGE in dimunition rate as  it  crossed
        the  airglow layer because the density of traversed air  wouldn't
        change much either at that region.
 
        The  actual  connection  for  the  object's  brightening  is  the
        absolute  brightness of the airglow layer in the background.  The
        object  is brighter when it is against a bright background,  just
        as  stars  are  brighter. This is not an effect of  a  light  ray
        transiting  the  airglow region and somehow  being  strengthened.
        Instead,  I believe it is an effect on the camera optics  of  the
        summing,  pixel by pixel, of all brightness within the  field  of
        view.  A bright object with a dark background will not  throw  as
        many  photons on the individual pixels of the camera as  would  a
        bright object with a half-bright background. The camera's vidicon
        system will respond to light in the background by brightening the
        small point-source objects observed in that region, either  lying
        behind or crossing in front of that background. Repeat:  crossing
        in front of that airglow.
 
        This is confirmed by other checks. Observers can note that  other
        drifting  point-source objects, clearly starting well  below  the
        horizon line, also brighten as they traverse the airglow region.
        NOTE:  Hoagland's  argument that the dimming beyond  the  airglow
        disproves NASA's contention that the object is nearby and sunlit,
        since  as it gradually rose "higher into the sunlight" it  should
        brighten,  not dim, is false. Once in full sunlight,  no  further
        brightening  occurs. Sunrise only lasts as long as it  takes  for
        the  sun  (0.5 degrees wide) to rise above the  horizon,  at  the
        orbital  angular  rate  of 4 degrees per  minute  (that  is,  360
        degrees  in a 90-minute orbit), which comes to just 7-8  seconds,
        which anybody should have been able to figure out. Of course this
        is  different  from  ground rates, which depends  for  the  sun's
        angular motion on earth's rotation rate (4 minutes per degree, 16
        times slower than spaceship orbital rate). This argument  reveals
        Hoagland's unfamiliarity with basic orbital flight conditions and
        implications.
 
        Notice  that no mention is made by Hoagland of the clear  absence
        of expected refractive effects of being behind the atmosphere. As
        is  known  by  anybody who's watched  sunset/moonset  at  a  flat
        horizon,  the  atmosphere creates significant distortion  in  the
        bottom .2-.4 degrees of the image. The lowest layers  demonstrate
        a  vertical compression of 2:1 or greater. This is also shown  on
        pictures  of  "moonset"  from orbit. If the  STS-48  object  were
        really  travelling nearly parallel to the horizon  but  somewhere
        behind  the  atmosphere, this would be visible by  analyzing  its
        flight path. As it rose its line of travel would markedly  change
        as  atmospheric  refractive effects disappeared.  This  does  not
        happen, which strongly suggests that the object is NOT behind the
        atmosphere.
 
        Since  the arguments for great range to the object all fail,  the
        conclusions based on angular motion converted to physical  motion
        also fail.
 
        What  is  the "flare" in the camera that precedes the  change  in
        motion of all the objects? I believe the flare in the lower  left
        camera   FOV  is  an  RCS  jet  firing,  not  per   Hoagland   an
        electromagnetic pulse effect. There are several reasons: it  does
        not  look like any known electromagnetic video  interference;  it
        looks  just  like previously seen RCS flares;  and  the  Hoagland
        counterargument  about an alleged need for pointing  changing  is
        not valid.
 
        First, while it is true that EMI can affect electrical equipment,
        such pulses would not lie in any localized region of a television
        screen but would blitz the whole image. Anybody whose TV has ever
        been blitzed by lightning knows that the effect does not  confine
        itself  to  the  corner nearest the  lightning.  Also,  far  more
        sensitive  electronic  equipment aboard  the  shuttle,  including
        computers  which  were counting the pulses of  individual  cosmic
        rays  striking  their circuits, were not affected  by  the  event
        (otherwise,  the entire television transmission would  have  been
        knocked   out).   So  Hoagland's  explanation  is   magical   and
        unrealistic.
 
        Second,  the optical appearance of RCS jet firings is well  known
        and  familiar to experienced observers, and they look  just  like
        the flash in question. These have been observed and videotaped on
        every shuttle mission, from the crew cabin, from payload bay  and
        RMS  cameras, and from cameras on nearby free-flying  satellites,
        and from ground optical tracking cameras as well.
 
        Third, Hoagland's argument that the line of travel of stars  down
        to the horizon should have been kinked by the jet firing is plain
        ignorant.  During  attitude  hold  coast  periods,  the   shuttle
        autopilot  maintains  a  "deadband" of  several  degrees,  slowly
        drifting  back  and  forth and, when  the  attitude  exceeds  the
        deadband  limit,  a  jet is pulsed to  nudge  (NOT  "shove")  the
        spaceship  back  toward the center of the deadband.  The  angular
        rates induced by these 80-msec pulses are as follows:
 
             ROLL               .07 deg/sec
             PITCH              .10 deg/sec
             YAW                .05 deg/sec
 
        Note  that the star motion would have changed direction  ONLY  IF
        the orbiter's pointing attitude was shifted to the right or left.
        If  shifted up or down, only a slight change in star motion  rate
        would occur (this appears to be the way the jet plume is actually
        directed)  but  so  would horizon motion, so  it  would  have  to
        measured  as absolute screen position. If shifted in or  out,  no
        change  at  all would be observable. This is all  based  on  pure
        geometric considerations overlooked by Hoagland.
 
        After ten seconds, even in the worst case (pitch motion  inducing
        pure  crossways angular motion), the star track would  only  have
        diverged  a single degree from the former straight line. This  is
        visually undetectable on the images shown by Hoagland.
 
        So the fact that he sees no change in the star motion tracks does
        not disprove that the pulse was an RCS jet.
 
        Video  Encryption:  Hoagland  alleges  that  since  STS-48,   all
        external  STS  video has been encrypted and will be  viewed  only
        after NASA review and approval. I have checked with a NASA Public
        Affairs  official, and have personally verified, that things  (as
        usual)  are not quite what Richard Hoagland alleges.  On  STS-42,
        the  second  flight  after STS-48 (the STS-44  DoD  mission  went
        between   them),   the  International   Microgravity   Laboratory
        (Spacelab)  science  group requested that medical  video  imagery
        from  the cardiological studies (sonogram images) be  treated  as
        privileged   medical   information,   as   all   previous   audio
        conversations with doctors had been. NASA discovered that  having
        to  continuously reconfigure the White Sands TDRSS site  and  the
        TDRSS satellites back and forth for encrypted video  transmission
        was  a laborous process. Rather than spend all that time, it  was
        decided  to go into encrypted mode continuously and  decrypt  the
        raw  video at NASA Goddard for immediate release over  the  "NASA
        Select"  circuit.  Normally, when there was  shuttle  video,  the
        White  Sands to Goddard raw video link had been unencrypted,  and
        the   Goddard  relay  to  "NASA  Select"  required   no   further
        processing;  but  when  medically-privileged  video  was  to   be
        transmitted  (a  new innovation on STS-42,  planned  for  years),
        complex encryption processes had to be initiated on the  shuttle,
        on  the  TDRS  satellites, at White Sands, and  at  Goddard.  The
        procedure  for constant encryption was implemented to  avoid  the
        cost of many switchovers between modes. But the NASA Select video
        from  Goddard  was  to continue to be decrypted  except  for  the
        medical  transmissions, which were to be openly announced on  the
        audio  feed,  just  not piped into a million  homes  and  schools
        nationwide.  Since  then, the NASA Select video  (originating  at
        NASA  Goddard,  and containing other sources of video,  too)  has
        continued to be transmitted as before, with the only change  that
        the  White Sands to Goddard link (which viewers could  previously
        observe  when it was active) is now encrypted. There is  no  hint
        from air-to-ground conversations that anything other than the new
        (and long scheduled) medical video imagery is being  interrupted.
        And  although  it is encrypted, the White Sands raw feed  can  be
        observed  to tell if there is a video signal or not on the  feed,
        so I am told.
 
        Conclusion:  The standing explanation, that the objects are  near
        the  shuttle, are sunlit, and are affected by the plume field  of
        an RCS jet firing, remains valid.
 
        P.S. Hoagland made a number of other factually erroneous comments
        about  live  planetary  image transmissions.  He  says  that  all
        previously  NASA  planetary  probes  transmitted  live   imagery.
        Actually,  only fly-by probes did that, particularly  the  fly-by
        probes which had slow transmission rates which took many  minutes
        to build up each image. Probes orbiting other planets (Venus  and
        Mars,   for  example),  do  not  (and  I  believe,  never   HAVE)
        transmitted  live imagery, since they are frequently occulted  by
        the planet's mass. Each orbit's imagery is stored and dumped over
        a short portion of each orbit, and the imagery data is  initially
        decoded over the next hours and days. Live coverage of the actual
        image transmission would usually be blank, but for a few  minutes
        every few hours would show images flipping across the screen at a
        very fast rate, if there was enough computer power to decode them
        in  this  "real  time" speed. There is no  practical  reason  why
        computers have to be built so powerful to keep up with the  high-
        speed  dump rate for a few minutes, then rest idle for  the  next
        several  hours.  Outside  of avoiding  whines  about  censorship,
        there's no reason to do so.
--   
        Robert Sheaffer - Scepticus Maximus - [email protected]
  
 Past Chairman, The Bay Area Skeptics - for whom I speak only when authorized!
 
     "Mystical explanations are considered deep.  The truth is that
      they are not even superficial."
 
                   - Friedrich Nietzsche (The Gay Science: 126)