| T.R | Title | User | Personal
Name | Date | Lines |
|---|
| 943.1 | Hardware for flight arrives in florida | TROOA::SKLEIN | Nulli Secundus | Thu Jun 22 1995 00:16 | 91 |
|
Ray Castillo
Headquarters, Washington, DC June 8, 1995
(Phone: 202/358-4555)
Kari Fluegel
Johnson Space Center, Houston
(Phone: 713/483-8649)
George Diller
Kennedy Space Center, FL
(Phone: 407/867-2468)
RELEASE: 95-86
RUSSIAN DOCKING MODULE, SOLAR ARRAYS ARRIVE IN FLORIDA
A Russian cargo plane has delivered equipment for the
second Shuttle/Mir docking mission -- a major exchange of
space flight components between the United States and Russia.
During assembly of the international Space Station, this type
of cooperative exchange will take place frequently.
An Antonov An-124 cargo plane, the equivalent of a U.S.
C-5 cargo plane, landed at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, FL at
10:40 a.m. EDT yesterday. The delivered cargo included a
Shuttle-to-Mir docking module, the moduleUs ground support
equipment, a portion of the docking module training mockup
for use in crew contingency spacewalk training, and two solar
arrays for the Russian Mir space station.
"This is a major operational hardware exchange between
the United States and Russia," said Tommy Holloway, manager
of NASA's international Space Station Phase One Program
Office. "As we move into the Space Station era, these
equipment exchanges will become almost commonplace. This
particular hardware also is very important to the
reconfiguration of Mir for future joint operations."
The docking module, which will be carried to space
aboard the Space Shuttle Atlantis on the STS-74 mission later
this year, is designed to improve the clearances for the
Shuttle during future docking operations with the Russian
space station Mir.
During STS-74, Atlantis astronauts will use the
Orbiter's robotic arm to place the docking module onto the
Orbiter Docking System. On the third day of that flight,
Mission Commander Ken Cameron will ease the Orbiter up to Mir
so that a link-up occurs with the docking module serving as a
bridge between the two space vehicles. When Atlantis leaves
Mir after three days of joint operations, the undocking
procedures will disconnect the Orbiter Docking System from
the docking module, leaving it attached to the station for
use on future missions.
Before the docking module is loaded onto Atlantis, it
will be prepared for flight in the Space Station Processing
Facility (SSPF) at the Kennedy Space Center; it is the first
piece of hardware to be processed in the SSPF. The docking
module will undergo a complete systems checkout and the two
solar arrays and a trunnion assembly will be attached to the
module. The activity will be monitored by a team from the
Russian organization RSC Energia.
The two solar arrays will be used to extend Mir's
lifetime and support U.S. science and technology research.
One of the arrays was built as a cooperative project between
the U.S. and Russia, combining proven Russian structures and
mechanisms with advanced U.S. solar array modules. The second
array is composed of all Russian components. The solar
arrays will be stowed on the side of the docking module for
transport to Mir and will be installed some time after the
completion of STS-74.
After SSPF processing, the docking module and solar
arrays will be transferred to the Operations and Checkout
Building. The module will then undergo a series of tests to
verify electrical and mechanical compatibility with the Orbiter.
The docking module training mockup will be shipped to
the Johnson Space Center. Astronauts will use it for
extravehicular activity training in the Neutral Buoyancy
Tank. No spacewalk is planned for the STS-74 mission, but
crew members will practice several backup procedures that
will be employed if problems occur with the module during the
flight. The remaining sections of the training mockup will be
shipped from Russia later this year to support spacewalk
training for STS-76, the third docking mission.
-end-
|
| 943.2 | Launch Date Set | TROOA::SKLEIN | Nulli Secundus | Mon Oct 30 1995 15:56 | 36 |
| Ed Campion
Headquarters, Washington, DC October 26, 1995
(Phone: 202/358-1780)
Bruce Buckingham
Kennedy Space Center, FL
(Phone: 407/867-2468)
NOTE TO EDITORS: N95-71
LAUNCH DATE SET FOR SECOND SHUTTLE-MIR DOCKING MISSION
NASA managers have set Nov. 11, 1995, as the official launch date for the
STS-74 mission -- the second in a series of missions between the U.S. Space
Shuttle and the Russian Space Station Mir.
The primary purpose of the Space Shuttle Atlantis STS-74 mission is the
installation of a docking module that will improve clearance between the
Shuttle and Mir's solar arrays during subsequent dockings. Atlantis' crew
also will return to Earth experiment samples, equipment for repair and
analysis and products manufactured on the station.
The Nov. 11 launch of Atlantis is planned for approximately 7:56 a.m. EST
from Kennedy Space Center's Launch Complex 39-A. The actual launch time may
vary by a few minutes based on calculations of Mir's precise location in space
at the time of liftoff. The available launch period, or "window" to launch
Atlantis, is approximately seven minutes each day.
The STS-74 mission is scheduled to last approximately eight days. Docking
with Mir will occur on the fourth day of the flight. An on-time launch and
nominal mission duration would have Atlantis and her crew returning to Earth
on Nov. 19 with a landing at Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landing Facility,
FL, at approximately 1:28 p.m. EST.
The STS-74 mission will be the 15th mission for Atlantis and the 73rd for
the Space Shuttle system.
|
| 943.3 | | ERMTRD::CLIFFE | I'll warp my own space-time ... | Wed Nov 08 1995 03:13 | 15 |
| Launch:
Launch November 11, 1995 at 7:56am EST. Launch Window is 6 min 57 sec.
(Reference KSC Shuttle Status 11/01/1995). This will lead to an
estimated MIR docking on 11/14/95 at about 2:20am.
On 11/07/95, Engineers have determined no additional work is required
to verify the readiness for flight of the STS-74 solid rocket boosters
in light of extremely small cracks found on hold-down posts attached to
other boosters that flew earlier this year. Previous inspections on the
boosters at the pad indicate no cracking is present. Mission managers
will be fully briefed on the matter at the scheduled management team
meeting to be held at KSC on Thursday. (Reference KSC Shuttle Status
11/07/1995).
|
| 943.4 | Should make for excellent AM viewing of both MIR & STS-74 :) | NETCAD::BATTERSBY | | Wed Nov 08 1995 13:18 | 7 |
| Ahhhhhh a morning launch shortly after civil sunrise means morning
MIR-Shuttle viewing! :-) Hopefully we'll have some clear skies hovering
over my 1� acres to see both as the Shuttle catches up to MIR prior to
the 14th. The ground track should regress nicely westward for some
nice SW-NE passes in the now-becoming chilly dawn hours.
Bob
|
| 943.5 | Flight Control Team | TROOA::SKLEIN | Nulli Secundus | Thu Nov 09 1995 13:59 | 207 |
| Rob Navias November 6, 1995
RELEASE: 95-069
FLIGHT CONTROL OF STS-74
Flight and payload controllers will operate out of two Control Centers halfway
around the world during the next Space Shuttle mission, STS-74, the second
flight to linkup a Space Shuttle with the Russian Space Station Mir.
The prime objective of STS-74 is the delivery of a Russian-built Docking
Module to the Mir, which will be permanently attached to the Station�s
Kristall science module. The Docking Module will be mounted onto Atlantis'
Orbiter Docking System on the day before Atlantis' scheduled docking to the
Mir.
The flight control team at the Johnson Space Center will monitor the
performance of Atlantis during the planned eight-day mission while a team of
NASA flight controllers works in concert with Russian flight controllers at
the Russian Mission Control Center in Kaliningrad, outside Moscow to monitor
the progress of three days of joint operations once Atlantis links up to Mir.
The responsibility for Shuttle operations during Atlantis� fifteenth flight
will revert to Houston once the two solid rocket boosters ignite. Mission
support in the control center will begin five hours prior to launch and
continue through landing.
The teams of MCC 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 MCC flight control teams for this mission will be referred to as the
Ascent/Entry Team, the Orbit 1 Team, Orbit 2 Team and the Planning Team to
accomodate operations aboard Atlantis. The Ascent/Entry Team will be led by
Flight Director Wayne Hale. The Orbit 1 Team will be led by Lead Flight
Director Bill Reeves. The Orbit 2 shift will be conducted by Flight Director
Paul Dye. The Planning Team will be led by Flight Director Phil Engelauf.
The Lead Flight Director for the first Shuttle-Mir docking mission, Bob
Castle, will serve as Mission Operations Director for STS-74.
###
MCC POSITIONS AND CALL SIGNS FOR STS-74
The flight control positions in the MCC, and their 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 a specialist who monitors onboard navigation of the
Orbiter during rendezvous and proximity operations.
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)
Monitors auxiliary power units and hydraulic systems; manages payload bay
and vent door operations; handles in-flight maintenance planning; oversees
orbiter structure, tiles, blankets, etc.
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 when applicable.
Russian Interface Officer (RIO)
A specialist who acts as the communicator between the NASA Flight Director
in Mission Control in Houston and the Russian Flight Director at the
Russian Mission Control Center in Kaliningrad. Responsibilities include
the coordination of joint activities between the Shuttle and the Mir and
the implementation of joint decisions made by the two flight directors.
Payload Deployment & Retrieval Systems (PDRS)
A specialist responsible for monitoring and coordinating the operation of
the remote manipulator system when it is carried aboard the Orbiter.
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-74 FLIGHT CONTROL TEAM STAFFING
POSITION ASCENT/ENTRY ORBIT 1 ORBIT 2 PLANNING
FLIGHT Wayne Hale Bill Reeves Paul Dye Phil Engelauf
M. Kirasich (Russia)
CAPCOM Blaine Hammond Story Musgrave David Wolf Tom Jones
PAO James Hartsfield Kyle Herring Eileen Hawley Kelly Humphries
Kari Fluegel (Russia)
FAO Gail Schneider Gail Schneider John Curry Roger Smith
J. Price (Russia)
INCO Farlane McFarlane E.G. Slusser Rick LaBrode Joe Fanelli
FDO Carson Sparks (A) Steve Stich Roger Balettie William Britz
Keith Fletcher (E)
TRAJ Ed Gonzalez (A) Robert Stein James Edelen Eric Hammer
Steve Stich (E)
GPO Kelly Beck (A) Todd Miller Lynda Gavin Joseph Williams
Ken Patterson (E)
GNC David Gruber David Gruber Leroy Cain S.J. Schaefer
EECOM Leonard Riche Leonard Riche J.L. Spivey Nadine Papaila
EGIL Ben Pawlik Ben Pawlik J.A. Asbell D.L. Randall
PAYLOADS Tim Baum Tim Baum Rebecca Swanson Jean Haensly
DPS R.J. Walton R.J. Walton M. MacFayden J.B. Hill
PROP Bryan Lunney Bryan Lunney C.A. Larson Nantel Suzuki
BOOSTER Jon Reding N/A N/A N/A
GC Ed Klein Bob Reynolds Mike Marsh Melissa Blizzard
[?] Chuck Capps John Wells George Egan Henry Allen
MMACS Karl Pohl Jon Olansen William Anderson Alan Simon
SURGEON Michael Barrett Phil Stepaniak Joe Ortega N/A
PDRS Alberto Magh Alberto Magh Gary Pollock Dave Meyer
RIO Joe Cavallero Joe Cavallero Rob Banfield Charlie Armstrong
[?] Sally Davis
|
| 943.6 | Countdown briefings | TROOA::SKLEIN | Nulli Secundus | Fri Nov 10 1995 13:13 | 87 |
| Ed Campion
Headquarters, Washington, DC November 7, 1995
(Phone: 202/358-1778)
Lisa Malone
Kennedy Space Center, FL
(Phone: 407/867-2468)
NOTE TO EDITORS: N95-75
STS-74 COUNTDOWN BRIEFINGS/LAUNCH COVERAGE SET FOR NOV. 8-11
A series of briefings will begin tomorrow from NASA's
Kennedy Space Center, FL, in connection with the scheduled
Saturday launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis on mission STS-74.
On Nov. 10 at 9 a.m. EST, NASA managers will conduct a
briefing on how STS-74 mission activities relate to ongoing
work with the international Space Station. A pre-launch
news conference will be held at 10 a.m. EST, to discuss STS-
74 mission readiness and objectives. Also, NASA Televison
will replay pre-flight briefings held last month at NASA's
Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX.
Daily countdown status briefings also will be held to
update news media on final processing activities prior to
launch. Atlantis is scheduled to liftoff at 7:56 a.m. EST, Nov. 11.
Attached is a listing of times, subjects and
participants for each briefing. Also noted are key STS-74
pre-launch activities and NASA Television replays.
-end-
STS-74 MISSION PRE-FLIGHT BRIEFINGS & KEY EVENTS
LAUNCH - 3 DAYS (Wednesday, November 8, 1995)
7:00 a.m. STS-74 Countdown Begins
9:00 a.m. Countdown Status Briefing
Moderator: KSC Public Information Officer (PIO)
Briefers: Bill Dowdell, Shuttle Test Director
Lesa Roe, Kennedy Space Center (KSC) STS-74 Payloads Manager
Ed Priselac, Shuttle Weather Officer
11:00 a.m STS-74 Crew Arrives at KSC Shuttle Landing Facility
LAUNCH - 2 DAYS (Thursday, November 9, 1995)
9:00 a.m. Countdown Status Briefing
Moderator: KSC PIO
Briefers: John Stealey, NASA Test Director
Lesa Roe, KSC STS-74 Payloads Manager
Ed Priselac, Shuttle Weather Officer
LAUNCH - 1 DAY (Friday, November 10, 1995)
9:00 a.m. Space Station Program Briefing
Moderator: HQ Public Affairs Officer
Briefers: Wil Trafton, Director, International Space Station, NASA Headquarters
Doug Stone, Vice President of international Space Station, Boeing
10:00 a.m. STS-74 Pre-Launch Press Conference
Moderator: KSC News Chief
Briefers: Tommy Holloway, NASA Shuttle Program Manager,
Johnson Space Center (JSC)
Dr. Harry Holloway, Assoc. Admin, Office of Life
& Microgravity Sciences, NASA Headquarters
Frank Culbertson, Acting Director, Phase One Program, JSC
Yuriy P. Semenov, President, RSC Energia
Valeriy V. Ryumin, RSC Energia
Dr. Steve MacLean, Director-General, Astronaut Program, CSA
Bob Sieck, Director of Shuttle Opertations, KSC
Capt. Scot Heckman, KSC Staff Weather Liaison
LAUNCH DAY (Saturday, November 11, 1995)
2:30 a.m. Begin NASA TV Coverage of STS-74 Launch Day Activities
7:56 a.m. LAUNCH OF SPACE SHUTTLE ATLANTIS ON MISSION STS-74
9:00 a.m. Post-Launch Press Conference Moderator: KSC Launch Commentator
Briefers: Loren Shriver, Mgr., Launch Integration for the
Shuttle Program Jim Harrington, KSC Launch Director
All times listed are Eastern
|
| 943.7 | Mission Control Status Report #1 | ERMTRD::CLIFFE | I'll warp my own space-time ... | Mon Nov 13 1995 03:26 | 36 |
| Mission Control Status Report #1
STS-74
Sunday, November 12, 1995 11 a.m. CST
The Space Shuttle Atlantis launched on time at 6:31 a.m. CST Sunday
marking the beginning of a mission in which the shuttle will rendezvous
with Russia's Space Station Mir and deliver a permanent docking port
that will be used during future shuttle flights to Mir.
About 43 minutes after launch, a two minute and 13 second engine firing
changed the shuttle's path into a 162 nautical mile circular orbit.
Once on orbit, the five crew members began configuring Atlantis for
on-orbit operations. Atlantis' payload bay doors were opened about 90
minutes into the flight, followed by a "go" for on-orbit operations.
STS-74 Commander Ken Cameron and Pilot Jim Halsell, about three hours
into the last flight of the year, fired the orbiter's reaction control
jets in the first of a series of rendezvous burns that refined
Atlantis' path to Mir. Shortly after that jet firing, the first
Canadian mission specialist, Chris Hadfield, activated the Russian
built docking module and its systems. The docking module is housed in
Atlantis' payload bay. Hadfield will use the orbiter's robot arm early
Tuesday to mate the docking module with the Atlantis' Orbiter Docking
System prior to the orbiter's link-up with Mir early Wednesday. The
docking is scheduled for 12:28 a.m. CST Wednesday.
All systems aboard Atlantis are performing well.
Crew members - Cameron, Halsell, and mission specialists Chris
Hadfield, Jerry Ross and Bill McArthur - will begin their sleep period
at 12:31 p.m. CST today and awaken at 8:31 p.m. CST today.
The JSC Newsroom will close at noon CST today and reopen at 12:30 a.m.
Monday.
|
| 943.8 | Mission Control Status Report #2 | ERMTRD::CLIFFE | I'll warp my own space-time ... | Mon Nov 13 1995 03:28 | 38 |
| Mission Control Status Report #2 STS-74
Sunday, November 12, 1995 5 p.m. CST
Five astronauts continue to rest aboard the Space Shuttle Atlantis,
awaiting an 8:31 p.m. CST wake-up call that will start their first full
day of work delivering a permanent shuttle docking port to the Russian
Mir Space Station.
Activities for the coming day will focus on preparing to connect the
Russian Docking Module to the shuttle airlock and getting Mission
Specialists Jerry Ross and Bill McArthur ready for a contingency space
walk should anything unexpected happen during Tuesday's move of the
docking module.
Maneuvers continuing the process of the shuttle rendezvous with
Russia's Space Station Mir will resume at 10:11 p.m. CST when Commander
Ken Cameron and Pilot Jim Halsell kick off the NC 2 burn. The NC 3 burn
will occur at 10:09 a.m. CST Monday. Docking is scheduled for 12:28
a.m. CST Wednesday.
Mission Specialist Chris Hadfield will test the robot arm that will
lift the module out of its payload bay moorings. With the help of
Mission Specialist Bill McArthur, Hadfield also will power up and check
the Orbiter Space Vision system that will be used to precisely align
the robot arm. Cameron will set up the VHF radio gear that will be used
for shuttle/Mir communications during the rendezvous.
Ross and McArthur will inspect their space suits and pre-breath pure
oxygen for an hour and a half to purge nitrogen bubbles from their
bodies and prevent a condition known as "the bends" should a space walk
be necessary. The pair is not expected to don the space suits unless a
space walk is required.
The STS-74 crew also is scheduled to be interviewed by the Canadian
news media beginning at 6:31 a.m. CST.
|
| 943.9 | Launch was delayed 24 hrs | ERMTRD::CLIFFE | I'll warp my own space-time ... | Mon Nov 13 1995 03:54 | 25 |
| Launch:
Launch November 12, 1995 at 7:30:43.071 A.M. EST. Launch Window was 10
min 09 sec but Atlantis lifted off at the begining of the window. White
Room close out completed at 6:18am EST. At 7:12am EST the mission
management team was polled and all stations were "go for launch" except
SRO. Weather constraint, cloud ceiling below 6000ft for RTLS abort.
Range cleared for launch at 7:20am EST. Main Engines cutoff at 7:39am
EST .
Launch attempt on November 11, 1995 at 7:56am EST was scrubbed due to
poor weather at the Transatlantic Abort (TAL) Site. A scrub due to a
TAL site has only occured once before on 1/9/86 for Columbia's launch
attempt on mission STS-61C. The mission management team decided to
enter a 24 hour scrub turnaround and attempt a launch on 11/12/95.
Launch Window was 6 min 57 and the countdown had begun on schedule. The
crew was onboard when the scrub was called at the T-minus 5 minute mark
at approximately 7:52am EST. On 11/09/95, Pad 39-A was cleared to load
the onboard cryogenic tanks with liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen
reactants. Reactant loading has been completed. The reactants will
provide electricity for the orbiter and crew while in space and
drinking water as a by-product during their 8-day mission. ( Reference
KSC Shuttle Status 11/09/1995).
|
| 943.10 | Mission Objectives: | ERMTRD::CLIFFE | I'll warp my own space-time ... | Mon Nov 13 1995 03:57 | 56 |
| Mission Objectives:
The STS-74 mission is the second of seven planned Space Shuttle-Mir
link-ups between 1995 and 1997, including rendezvous and docking and
crew transfers, which will pave the way toward assembly of the
international Space Station beginning in November 1997. Major
objectives include docking with the Mir space station and delivery of a
Russian docking module and 2 solar arrays.
This mission marks the first time astronauts from the European Space
Agency, Canada, Russia and the U.S will be in space on the same complex
at one time -- a prime example of nations that will be represented on
the international Space Station.
Atlantis will carry the Russian-built Docking Module, which has
multi-mission androgynous docking mechanisms at top and bottom. During
the flight to Mir, the crew will use the Orbiter's Remote Manipulator
System robot arm to hoist the Docking Module from the payload bay and
berth its bottom androgynous unit atop Atlantis' Orbiter Docking
System. Atlantis will then dock to Kristall using the Docking Module's
top androgynous unit. After three days, Atlantis will undock from the
Docking Module's bottom androgynous unit and leave the Docking Module
permanently docked to Kristall, where it will provide clearance between
the Shuttle and Mir's solar arrays during subsequent dockings.
Atlantis will deliver water, supplies, and equipment, including two new
solar arrays -- one Russian and one jointly-developed -- to upgrade the
Mir. It will return to Earth experiment samples, equipment for repair
and analysis and products manufactured on the station.
Also flying aboard Atlantis is the GPP payload consisting of two
experiments -- the GPP experiment and the Photogrammetric Appendage
Structural Dynamics Experiment (). The payload is managed by Goddard
Space Flight Center's Special Payloads Division.
The GPP will study the Earth's thermosphere, ionosphere and mesosphere
energetics and dynamics using broadband spectroscopy. GPP also will
study spacecraft interactions with the atmosphere by observing Shuttle
and Mir glow, Shuttle engine firings, water dumps and fuel cell purges.
Three cannisters, located throughout the cargo bay, will
photogrammetrically record structural response data of the Mir solar
arrays during the docked phase of the mission. These data will be
analyzed on the ground to verify the use of photogrammetric techniques
to characterize the structural dynamics of the array, thus
demonstrating that this technology can result in cost and risk
reduction for the international Space Station on-orbit structural
verification.
Atlantis will also carry back to earth the University of California at
Berkeley Trek Experiment which has been in orbit onboard Mir for the
past four years.
|
| 943.11 | | skylab.zko.dec.com::FISHER | I've advocated term limits for 19 years! - Rep Bob Dornan | Mon Nov 13 1995 12:00 | 7 |
| BTW, the shuttle web site says that if the government shuts down tomorrow,
that the web site may not be available, and if it is, it may not have
up-to-date info.
I don't know about other info sources (NASA TV, etc).
Burns
|
| 943.12 | Preliminary NASA TV schedule | TROOA::SKLEIN | Nulli Secundus | Mon Nov 13 1995 13:17 | 331 |
|
In the Toronto area, our local cable company is carrying NASA select
so if they go off the air tonight, I'll know.
***********************************************************************
NASA TV SCHEDULE
STS-74/SHUTTLE-MIR 2
11/07/95
***********************************************************************
NASA TV programming can be accessed through GTE Spacenet 2,
transponder 5. The frequency is 3880 MHz with an orbital position
of 69 degrees West Longitude, with audio at 6.8 MHz. This is a full
transponder service and will be operational 24 hours a day.
This NASA Television schedule of mission coverage is available
on Comstore, the mission TV schedule computer bulletin board service.
Call 713/483-5817 and follow the prompts to access this service.
The schedule is also available via the Internet. The address is
FTP.HQ.NASA.GOV. Change directories to /PUB/PAO/STATRPT/JSC/TVSKED.
A two-hour package of daily highlights will be played for Alaska and
Hawaii each Flight Day at 11:00 p.m. Central time. The highlights will
begin on launch day and continue through landing. The satellite
carrier information can be found in this schedule after launch.
-------------------------Wednesday, November 8 ------------------------
Launch -3 Days
SUBJECT SITE CST
-------- ---- ---
COUNTDOWN STATUS BRIEFING KSC 8:00 AM
CREW ARRIVAL KSC 10:00 AM
NASA TV VIDEO FILE HQ 11:00 AM
-------------------------Thursday, November 9 -------------------------
Launch -2 Days
COUNTDOWN STATUS BRIEFING KSC 8:00 AM
NASA TV VIDEO FILE HQ 11:00 AM
GALILEO PRE-ARRIVAL NEWS JPL 12:00 PM
CONFERENCE
------------------------- Friday, November 10 -------------------------
Launch -1 Day
SPACE STATION PROGRAM NEWS KSC 8:00 AM
CONFERENCE
STS-74 PRELAUNCH NEWS CONFERENCE KSC 9:00 AM
(subject to change)
NASA TV VIDEO FILE HQ 11:00 AM
-------------------------- Saturday, November 11 ----------------------
FD 1
ORBIT SUBJECT SITE MET CST
----- ------- ---- --- ---
STS-74 MISSION COVERAGE BEGINS KSC 01:30 AM
LAUNCH KSC 00/00:00 06:56 AM
NASA TELEVISION ORIGINATION JSC 00/00:06 07:02 AM
SWITCHED TO JSC
MECO 00/00:08 07:04 AM
1 NASA TELEVISION ORIGINATION KSC 00/00:13 07:09 AM
SWITCHED TO KSC
1 LAUNCH REPLAYS KSC 00/00:13 07:09 AM
(APPROX. 5 MINUTES AFTER MECO)
T=30:00
1 NASA TELEVISION ORIGINATION JSC 00/00:43 07:39 AM
SWITCHED TO JSC
2 NASA TELEVISION ORIGINATION KSC 00/01:04 08:00 AM
SWITCHED TO KSC
2 POST-LAUNCH PRESS CONFERENCE KSC 00/01:04 08:00 AM
2 NASA TELEVISION ORIGINATION JSC 00/02:04 09:00 AM
SWITCHED TO JSC
2 Ku BAND ANTENNA DEPLOY 00/02:30 09:26 AM
(NOT TELEVISED)
3 "MISSION UPDATE" JSC 00/03:34 10:30 AM
4 LAUNCH ENGINEERING REPLAYS JSC 00/05:04 12:00 PM
T=30:00
5 CREW SLEEP 00/06:00 12:56 PM
5 NASA TELEVISION ORIGINATION KSC 00/06:04 01:00 PM
SWITCHED TO KSC
5 FLIGHT DAY VIDEO FILE KSC 00/06:04 01:00 PM
5 NASA TELEVISION ORIGINATION JSC 00/06:34 01:30 PM
SWITCHED TO JSC
6 FLIGHT DAY VIDEO FILE REPLAY JSC 00/08:04 03:00 PM
9 FLIGHT DAY VIDEO FILE REPLAY JSC 00/12:34 07:30 PM
10 CREW WAKE UP 00/14:00 08:56 PM
-------------------------- Sunday, November 12 ------------------------
FD 2
18 MISSION STATUS BRIEFING JSC 01/02:04 09:00 AM
(subject to change)
19 "MISSION UPDATE" JSC 01/04:04 11:00 AM
21 CREW SLEEP 01/06:00 12:56 PM
21 FLIGHT DAY VIDEO FILE JSC 01/06:04 01:00 PM
22 FLIGHT DAY VIDEO FILE REPLAY JSC 01/07:34 02:30 PM
25 FLIGHT DAY VIDEO FILE REPLAY JSC 01/12:34 07:30 PM
26 CREW WAKE UP 01/14:00 08:56 PM
------------------------- Monday, November 13 -------------------------
FD 3
29 DOCKING MODULE UNBERTH 01/17:40 12:36 AM
(may not be televised live)
29 DOCKING MODULE/ODS INSTALLATION 01/18:25 01:21 AM
(may not be televised live)
34 MISSION STATUS BRIEFING JSC 02/02:04 09:00 AM
(subject to change)
35 "MISSION UPDATE" JSC 02/04:04 11:00 AM
37 CREW SLEEP (6 hours) 02/06:00 12:56 PM
37 FLIGHT DAY VIDEO FILE JSC 02/06:04 01:00 PM
38 FLIGHT DAY VIDEO FILE REPLAY JSC 02/07:34 02:30 PM
40 FLIGHT DAY VIDEO FILE REPLAY JSC 02/11:04 06:00 PM
41 CREW WAKE UP 02/12:00 06:56 PM
41 MIR RENDEZVOUS OPERATIONS BEGIN 02/13:00 07:56 PM
43 TI BURN 02/15:20 10:16 PM
44 R-BAR ARRIVAL 02/16:30 11:26 PM
------------------------- Tuesday, November 14 ------------------------
FD 4
RENDEZVOUS AND DOCKING TELEVISION FROM ATLANTIS AND MIR WILL
BE SEEN AS AVAILABLE THROUGH SATELLITES OR TRACKING STATIONS
44 R-BAR 170 FT STATIONKEEPING 02/17:15 12:11 AM
44 RESUME APPROACH TO MIR 02/17:42 12:38 AM
45 R-BAR 30 FT STATIONKEEPING 02/18:12 01:08 AM
45 BEGIN FINAL APPROACH 02/18:17 01:13 AM
45 ATLANTIS/MIR DOCKING 02/18:24 01:20 AM
(may not be televised live)
45 ATLANTIS/MIR HARD MATE 02/18:45 01:41 AM
45 VTR PLAYBACK OF ATLANTIS/MIR 02/19:19 02:15 AM
DOCKING
46 HATCH OPENING AND WELCOMING TDRW 02/20:39 03:35 AM
CEREMONY
50 MISSION STATUS BRIEFING JSC 03/02:04 09:00 AM
(subject to change)
51 "MISSION UPDATE" JSC 03/04:04 11:00 AM
52 FLIGHT DAY VIDEO FILE JSC 03/06:04 01:00 PM
53 FLIGHT DAY VIDEO FILE REPLAY JSC 03/07:34 02:30 PM
54 CREW SLEEP 03/08:00 02:56 PM
57 FLIGHT DAY VIDEO FILE REPLAY JSC 03/13:04 08:00 PM
59 CREW WAKE UP 03/16:00 10:56 PM
------------------------ Wednesday, November 15 -----------------------
FD 5
64 GIFT EXCHANGE TDRE 03/23:25 06:21 AM
T=20:00
65 MISSION STATUS BRIEFING JSC 04/01:49 08:45 AM
(subject to change)
67 CANADIAN VIP CALL TDRE 04/04:10 11:06 AM
67 "MISSION UPDATE" JSC 04/05:04 12:00 PM
68 GALILEO PROBE NEWS CONFERENCE AMES 04/05:34 12:30 PM
69 FLIGHT DAY VIDEO FILE JSC 04/07:34 02:30 PM
69 CREW SLEEP 04/08:00 02:56 PM
71 FLIGHT DAY VIDEO FILE REPLAY JSC 04/11:04 06:00 PM
73 FLIGHT DAY VIDEO FILE REPLAY JSC 04/13:04 08:00 PM
74 CREW WAKE UP 04/16:00 10:56 PM
------------------------ Thursday, November 16 ------------------------
FD 6
81 JOINT CREW NEWS CONFERENCE TDRE 05/01:30 08:26 AM
T=30:00
82 FAREWELL CEREMONY TDRE 05/03:10 10:06 AM
T=15:00
83 "MISSION UPDATE" JSC 05/05:04 12:00 PM
83 MISSION STATUS BRIEFING JSC 05/05:34 12:30 PM
(subject to change)
84 FLIGHT DAY VIDEO FILE JSC 05/06:34 01:30 PM
85 CREW SLEEP 05/08:00 02:56 PM
87 FLIGHT DAY VIDEO FILE REPLAY JSC 05/11:04 06:00 PM
88 FLIGHT DAY VIDEO FILE REPLAY JSC 05/13:04 08:00 PM
90 CREW WAKE UP 05/16:00 10:56 PM
------------------------- Friday, November 17 -------------------------
FD 7
ATLANTIS UNDOCKING AND FLY-AROUND TELEVISION WILL BE
SEEN AS AVAILABLE THROUGH SATELLITES AND TRACKING STATIONS
92 ATLANTIS/MIR UNDOCKING 05/18:38 01:34 AM
(may not be televised live)
93 SEPERATION BURN 05/20:23 03:19 AM
98 MISSION STATUS BRIEFING JSC 06/03:34 10:30 AM
(subject to change)
99 "MISSION UPDATE" JSC 06/05:04 12:00 PM
98 FLIGHT DAY VIDEO FILE JSC 06/06:04 01:00 PM
101 CREW SLEEP 06/09:00 03:56 PM
102 FLIGHT DAY VIDEO FILE REPLAY JSC 06/11:04 06:00 PM
104 FLIGHT DAY VIDEO FILE REPLAY JSC 06/13:04 08:00 PM
106 CREW WAKE UP 06/17:00 11:56 PM
------------------------ Saturday, November 18 ------------------------
FD 8
113 "MISSION UPDATE" JSC 07/04:04 11:00 AM
111 MISSION STATUS BRIEFING JSC 07/05:34 12:30 PM
(subject to change)
114 Ku BAND ANTENNA STOW 07/05:35 12:31 PM
(not televised)
113 FLIGHT DAY VIDEO FILE JSC 07/06:34 01:30 PM
117 CREW SLEEP 07/09:00 03:56 PM
118 FLIGHT DAY VIDEO FILE REPLAY JSC 07/11:04 06:00 PM
119 FLIGHT DAY VIDEO FILE REPLAY JSC 07/13:04 08:00 PM
122 CREW WAKE UP 07/17:00 11:56 PM
------------------------- Sunday, November 19--------------------------
FD 9
129 DEORBIT BURN 08/04:29 11:25 AM
(NOT TELEVISED)
130 KSC LANDING KSC 08/05:29 12:25 PM
LANDING REPLAYS KSC L + 20 minutes
POST-LANDING PRESS CONFERENCE JSC L + 60 minutes
ASTRONAUT POST-LANDING PRESS
CONFERENCE (COMMANDER AND OTHER
AVAILABLE CREW MEMBERS) KSC L + 6 hours
***********************************************************************
DEFINITION OF TERMS
***********************************************************************
CST: Central Standard Time
FD: Flight Day
HQ: NASA Headquarters
JSC: Johnson Space Center
KSC: Kennedy Space Center
MECO: Main Engine Cut Off
MET: Mission Elapsed Time: the time which begins at the moment
of launch and is read: days/hours:minutes. Launch=00/00:00
MIR: Russian Space Station
STS: Space Transportation System
T=: Time equivalent: used for duration of event
TBD: To be determined
TDRE,W: Tracking and Data Relay Satellite, East and West longitudes
TX: Transponder
|
| 943.13 | | ERMTRD::CLIFFE | I'll warp my own space-time ... | Tue Nov 14 1995 03:25 | 6 |
|
There is no update on the WWW sites -looks like it could be off-line.
( Heard this morning [UK] that there could be 800,000
people layed off as the budget did not go through congress? last
night )
|
| 943.14 | They'll be back, eventually | 19472::petert | rigidly defined areas of doubt and uncertainty | Tue Nov 14 1995 11:13 | 7 |
| Not layed off. Sent home till the budget gets worked out and there
is money to pay them again. Of course, that is not to say that
eventually a portion of them will NOT get laid off. But that's
a topic for another notes file.
PeterT
|
| 943.15 | Docking Module successfully docked to Atlantis | TROOA::SKLEIN | Nulli Secundus | Tue Nov 14 1995 18:10 | 14 |
|
They did successfully dock the Russian Docking Module with the
Orbital Docking System on the shuttle. That took place about
2:30 am EST this morning. They checked out the docking module
and held a news conference with CNN in the docking module.
It has what looks like a lot of cabinets on either side and a lot of
extra room.
The docking should take place tomorrow morning again in the wee hours.
I am watchng NASA select so I'll try to provide updates.
Susan
|
| 943.16 | | ERMTRD::CLIFFE | I'll warp my own space-time ... | Wed Nov 15 1995 03:15 | 20 |
| From the WWW...
NASA Kennedy Space Center Home Page - Offline
The Kennedy Space Center World Wide Web server which is usually at this
address is temporarily offline. It has been replaced with a small
battery backed up computer bearing this message. The US Government has
shutdown all non-critical services and the NASA Civil Service employees
which normally run the server have been sent home on indefinite
furlough. We hope to resume this service to you in the very near
future.
Until it's not there - you don't realise how much you miss it !
Could someone keep us posted on what's going on with this mission as
news over here in the UK is scarce - to say the least.
As an aside question - who runs the NASA select channel ??
|
| 943.17 | Shuttle Docked to Mir | LHOTSE::DAHL | | Wed Nov 15 1995 08:37 | 2 |
| I heard on the radio this morming that the shuttle bas docked with Mir.
-- Tom
|
| 943.18 | Motha-Nature seems to have kept me from viewing it... :( | NETCAD::BATTERSBY | | Wed Nov 15 1995 11:34 | 28 |
| I had planned to stayed up to watch it on our town's public Educational
access channel but late in the evening we must have lost power in the
part of town where the cable head-end is. When the cable channels came
back on, the NASA Select coverage was not on (dish receiver at the high
school probably defaults to off when power is interrupted). Later, before
retiring to bed, I checked again, and there was a snowy signal, that
seemed to suggest that the satellite dish direction had been moved
slightly from the high winds experienced last night.
This morning, before leaving the house for work, NASA Select was on
again. So either, the combination of winds, & loss of power kept me
from seeing the docking, or NASA Select shut down transmission
overnight of coverage. While watching, I only saw views of the control
room, no tv from the shuttle.
Given the vagaries and lack of day-time coverage of NASA Select by our
cable company (legitimately because the channel is used for
pre-contracted educational purposes), I'm tempted again to have to
consider the option of buying a satellite dish. I'd really like to have
un-interrupted access to NASA Select, and the only way I see this
happening is to get my own dish. I already know I have line-of-sight
access to the bird NASA Select broadcasts from. So it's just a case of
whether I want to plunk down the cash to buy used or new dish/receiver
components. I recall in here or in some other notes file that someone
was looking into requesting DSS Direct-TV folks to add NASA Select to their
channel selection. I know I would also have line-of-sight access to the
Direct-TV bird too. I haven't heard if this developed any further
momentum.
Bob
|
| 943.19 | Update | TROOA::SKLEIN | Nulli Secundus | Wed Nov 15 1995 13:47 | 44 |
|
Well the docking was successful. There was no live video feed of the
docking, just a computer display of the shuttle coming up thru
a cone up to the MIR space station. The computer display at times
made it look like the shuttle was out of alignment, but I realize
that was just the realtime update lag. Cameron flew the docking
perfectly, stationkeeping at 170 ft, and then at 30 ft. There was
some video from MIR at the 30 foot distance in black and white, but
the shuttle was clearly visable. Then the final docking took place
as I said you could watch the computer display and see the distance
numbers winding down to 0 ft. They replayed video of the docking
after the event and it was real smooth. The contact between the
2 vehicles was a small bump in one camera angle only. After, the
docking and the pressurization checks, video in the docking module
was live. This should Hadfield removing the bracket for the centre
line camera that was used for docking. There is a small port window
in the docking module hatch. Thru it could be seen the cosmonauts.
When the hatch opening ceremony was to begin, Cameron unwound the
latch mechanism and pulled on the hatch, but it didn't budge. So
he braced himself by putting his feet on the bottom of the module
and pulled hard. The hatch popped open and then he and Gidzenko
shook hands. Cameron presented fresh flowers (looked like pink
carnations) and a box of chocolates to Gidzenko. Then the other
cosmonauts moved into the docking module to greet the rest of the
astronauts.
Later both crews moved thru MIR to the core module for congratulations
from NASA chief (forget his name) in Kaliningrad and Yuri Koptev head
of Russian space agency. While floating thru MIR, I was amazed at how
crowded it seemed with all the equipment stowed everywhere.
Of some interest, Sergei Krikalev (STS 60) was in Houston as an
assistant CAPCOM to Story Musgrave handling the Russian with the MIR
crew and with Moscow. As well, Hoot Gibson (flew the first MIR docking)
and Bill Readdy (will fly a future MIR docking) were in Mission
Control as well watching the docking live.
Watching Mission control, it is very quiet now, the crews are about
ready to go to sleep.
Due to the US government shutdown, interviews with the crews are
not being done. I'm sure the crew appreciates the spare time, they
looked very busy.
|
| 943.20 | | ERMTRD::CLIFFE | I'll warp my own space-time ... | Thu Nov 16 1995 03:17 | 9 |
|
Managed to see a 120 second(!) clip on SKY news last night.
Just showed MIR, shaking hands all round and a group shot in MIR.
Also showed how empty the control centre is, saying something like
they are running this on a skeleton crew.
|
| 943.21 | Saw docking on daily video highlights replay.... | NETCAD::BATTERSBY | | Thu Nov 16 1995 12:03 | 12 |
| They played the daily video highlights last evening, and I got to
see (in edited form), the docking. I noticed that the "docking twang"
was evident more so than I think I remember on the first docking mission
last summer. Perhaps with the addition of the special docking module
added, I'm sure there were some new motions added to the whole complex
when mated. What I mean by "docking twang" is immediately after the
docking leafs capture each other, there is some damping out motions
that occur. It didn't last for more than 5-6 seconds. Then they started
closing the collars to their final resting position to seal the
tunnel air-tight.
Bob
|
| 943.22 | | skylab.zko.dec.com::FISHER | Minister of Acronyms, Holder of Past Knowledge, DNRC | Thu Nov 16 1995 12:27 | 4 |
| Is Atlantis doing the attitude control for the whole station as it did the
last time?
Burns
|
| 943.23 | MSFC Launch Summary | TROOA::SKLEIN | Nulli Secundus | Thu Nov 16 1995 16:56 | 205 |
| GEORGE C. MARSHALL SPACE FLIGHT CENTER
STS-74
November 12, 1995
______________________
George Harsh
Chairman, MSFC Space Shuttle
Flight Evaluation Team
STS-74
MISSION DATA SUMMARY
PAYLOAD MANIFEST:
PAYLOAD BAY Russian Docking Module
Orbiter Docking System
IMAX Cargo Bay Camera
GLO
MID-DECK Shuttle Amateur Radio Experiment-II
(SAREX-II)
INSTRUMENTATION: None Assigned
LAUNCH DATE: November 12, 1995
LAUNCH WINDOW: 6:30 am - 6:37 am CST
LAUNCH TIME: 95:316:12:30:43.013 GMT
6:30 am CST
SSME#3 START TIME: 95:316:12:30:36.459
SSME#2 START TIME: 95:316:12:30:36.586
SSME#1 START TIME: 95:316:12:30:36.699
LAUNCH SITE: KSC Pad 39A
MOBILE LAUNCH PLATFORM: MLP-2
ORBITAL INCLINATION: 51.6 degrees
ORBITAL ALTITUDE: 160 nautical miles
INSERTION MODE: Direct
MISSION DURATION: 8 + (1) days nominal
PRIMARY LANDING SITE: Kennedy Space Center, FL
ABORT LANDING SITES: TAL (Prime) - Zaragoza, Spain
TAL Alternates - Moron, Spain
Ben Guerir, Morocco
VEHICLE DATA
ORBITER: Atlantis OV-104 (15th Flight)
EXTERNAL TANK: ET-74
MAIN ENGINES: 2012, 2026, 2032 (All are Phase II)
POWER LEVEL: Nominal...........104/67/104%
Abort....................104%
To Avoid Ditching........109%
SRBs: BI-076
SRM Set Nr.: Left - 360T051A
Right - 360T051B
SRM Burnrate (Delivered): LH - 0.371 IPS at 60 deg F
RH - 0.371 IPS at 60 deg F
CREW
COMMANDER: Ken Cameron
SHUTTLE PILOT: Jim Halsell
MISSION SPECIALIST: Chris Hadfield
MISSION SPECIALIST: Jerry Ross
MISSION SPECIALIST: William McArthur
1.0 STS-74 FLIGHT SUMMARY
The STS-74 mission was successfully flown from Launch Pad 39A (MLP-2) at
the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) on November 12, 1995. This is a civilian
mission of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) with
the primary objective of the second rendezvous and docking with the
Russian Space Station MIR, along with delivery of the Russian-built
Docking Module. Several other payloads will also fly on the Orbiter in the
payload bay and on the middeck.
This was the seventy third (73rd) flight of the Space Shuttle program.
RSRM ignition occurred at approximately 6:30 A.M. Central Daylight Time
(CDT) (95:316:12:30:43.013 GMT). There were no unscheduled holds. Winds
at liftoff were from approximately 289 degrees at 6.7 knots; the ambient
temperature was 50 B0 F; the barometric pressure was 30.06 in. Hg; and the
relative humidity was 82%.
2.0 FLIGHT RESULTS
2.1 SOLID ROCKET BOOSTERS - SRBs BI-076,
RSRMs 360T051A, 360T051B
All Solid Rocket Booster (SRB) systems performed as expected. The SRB
prelaunch countdown was normal, and no SRB or RSRM Launch Commit Criteria
(LCC) or Operational Maintenance Requirements Specification Document
(OMRSD) violations occurred. Power up and operation of all igniter, and
field joint heaters was accomplished routinely. All RSRM temperatures
were maintained within acceptable limits throughout the countdown. For
this flight, the low pressure heated ground purge in the SRB aft skirt was
used to maintain the case/nozzle joint temperatures within the required
LCC ranges. At T- 15 minutes, the purge was changed to high pressure to
inert the SRB aft skirt.
Preliminary data indicates that the flight performance of both RSRMs was
well within the allowable performance envelopes, and was typical of the
performance observed on previous flights. The RSRM propellant mean bulk
temperature (PMBT) was 74 =B0 F at liftoff. Both SRBs were successfully
separated from the External Tank (ET) at T + 123.004 seconds, and reports
from the recovery area, based on visual sightings, indicate that the
deceleration subsystems performed as designed. Both SRBs were observed
during descent, and are currently floating near the retrieval ships.
2.2 EXTERNAL TANK - ET-74
All objectives and requirements associated with External Tank (ET)
propellant loading and flight operations were met. All ET electrical
equipment and instrumentation operated satisfactorily. ET purge and
heater operations were monitored and all performed properly. No ET LCC or
OMRSD violations were identified.
Typical ice/frost formations were observed on the ET during the countdown 2E
There was no observed ice or frost on the acreage areas of the ET. Normal
quantities of ice or frost were present on the LO2 and LH2 feedlines and
on the pressurization line brackets, and some frost or ice was present
along the LH2 PAL ramps. These observations are acceptable per NSTS
08303. The Ice/Frost "Red Team" reported that there were no anomalous TPS
conditions.
The ET pressurization system functioned properly throughout engine start
and flight. The minimum LO2 ullage pressure experienced during the ullage
pressure slump was 13.4 psid. ET separation was confirmed, and since Main
Engine Cutoff (MECO) occurred within expected tolerances, ET reentry and
breakup is expected to be within the predicted footprint.
2.3 SPACE SHUTTLE MAIN ENGINE - SSMEs 2012, 2026, 2032
All SSME parameters appeared to be normal throughout the prelaunch
countdown and were typical of prelaunch parameters observed on previous
flights. Engine "Ready" was achieved at the proper time; all LCC were
met; and engine start and thrust buildup were normal.
Preliminary flight data indicate that SSME performance during mainstage,
throttling, shutdown and propellant dump operations was normal. HPOTP and
HPFTP temperatures appeared to be well within specification throughout
engine operation. Space Shuttle Main Engine Cutoff (MECO) occurred at T +
512.6 seconds. There were no Failure IDs (FIDs), and no significant SSME
problems have been identified.
2.4 MAIN PROPULSION SYSTEM - MPS OV-104
The overall performance of the Main Propulsion System (MPS) was as
expected. LH2 loading was performed as planned with no stop flows or
reverts. LOX loading experienced a stop flow due to the failure of the
primary facility LOX pump. The failure was caused by an overvoltage and
was for 7 minutes until the backup pump was brought on-line. There were no
OMRSD or LCC violations.
Throughout the period of preflight operations, no significant hazardous
gas concentrations were detected. The maximum hydrogen concentration level
in the Orbiter aft compartment (which occurred shortly after the start of
fastfill) was approximately 160 ppm, which compares favorably with
previous data for this vehicle.
A comparison of the calculated propellant loads at the end of replenish,
versus the inventory loads, results in a loading accuracy of 0.0095
percent for LH2, and 0.00072 percent for LO2. Ascent MPS performance
appeared to be completely normal. Preliminary data indicate that the LO2
and LH2 pressurization systems performed as planned, and that all NPSP
requirements were met throughout the flight.
2.5 SHUTTLE RANGE SAFETY SYSTEM - SRSS
Shuttle Range Safety System (SRSS) closed loop testing was completed as
scheduled during the launch countdown. All SRSS Safe and Arm (S&A)
devices were armed and system inhibits turned off at the appropriate
times. All SRSS measurements indicated that the system operated as
expected throughout the countdown and flight.
As planned, the SRB S&A devices were safed, and SRB system power was
turned off prior to SRB separation. The ET system remained active until ET
separation from the Orbiter.
2.6 VEHICLE PERFORMANCE
A quick-look determination of vehicle performance was made using vehicle
acceleration and preflight propulsion prediction data. From these data,
the average flight derived engine Isp determined for the time period
between SRB separation and start of 3-G throttling was 452.29 seconds as
compared to an MPS tag value of 452.70 seconds.
3.0 CANDIDATE IN-FLIGHT ANOMALIES AND SIGNIFICANT PROBLEMS
No In-Flight Anomalies or significant problems associated with the MSFC
elements have been identified at this time.
|
| 943.24 | Saw them! | skylab.zko.dec.com::FISHER | Minister of Acronyms, Holder of Past Knowledge, DNRC | Fri Nov 17 1995 08:51 | 27 |
| I set the alarm and got out this morning to see the Mir/Atlantis combo
flying over (well, south of) Nashua. I spotted it about two minutes after
the predicted time, but almost exactly in the predicted location. However,
I think the predictions from STS-Plus are for line-of-sight and don't take
the sun into account, so I may have seen it as soon as it emerged into the
Sun.
I was a nice long pass even though it did not get very high. It appeared
to cruise along the treetops in the park across from my house. It was not
as bright as I had expected--perhaps the same brightness as the stars in
Ursa Major (I don't know magnitudes very well). However, it also did not
change brightness very much as it went along.
Incidentally, I got the TLEs for Mir from Kelso's ftp site, but they were
dated Nov 9th. There are no new updates coming because of the govt
shutdown. However, I as I was running the STS program with them I also
went to the NASA site and watched the "real-time data" page. The altitude
and lat/lon were very consistent (within one degree and one km).
Fun!
Tomorrow there will be a very high pass, but it is a bit past 6AM, so there
will likely be too much sun, plus the weather prediction is not so good.
Too bad, because it would be a good time to see Atlantis and Mir following
one another.
Burns
|
| 943.25 | Saw it too from the warmth of my living room bay window | NETCAD::BATTERSBY | | Fri Nov 17 1995 11:45 | 16 |
| Yup, I got up to check it out too. I've got a grove of trees along
my property line from about 225� azimuth to about 265� which block
up to about 50� elevation. More towards the south, there's a lower
line of trees in the neighbors yard that rise up to an elevation
of about 18�-25�. More towards the Southeast, I have a clear shot
down to about 10� view. So I had to wait until the shuttle-MIR
combo got over to about 160� azimuth before I saw it. It too appeared
to me to be about mag 0-1, but when it got over to about azimuth 115�
it seemed to brighten to -2 mag very briefly from a solar array glint.
I was able to pull some recent tle's from a couple of different places
off the web with a Julian epoch of 95320.XXXXXX for a date. Feeding
these into Stsplus seemed to be right on time. Maybe we'll get some
clear skies for Sunday morning, and depending on when they are landing
on Monday, we might get to see it early Monday am too.
Bob
|
| 943.26 | Mission Control Status Report #1 | ERMTRD::CLIFFE | I'll warp my own space-time ... | Wed Nov 22 1995 03:07 | 36 |
| Mission Control Status Report #1
STS-74
Sunday, November 12, 1995 11 a.m. CST
The Space Shuttle Atlantis launched on time at 6:31 a.m. CST Sunday
marking the beginning of a mission in which the shuttle will rendezvous
with Russia's Space Station Mir and deliver a permanent docking port
that will be used during future shuttle flights to Mir.
About 43 minutes after launch, a two minute and 13 second engine firing
changed the shuttle's path into a 162 nautical mile circular orbit.
Once on orbit, the five crew members began configuring Atlantis for
on-orbit operations. Atlantis' payload bay doors were opened about 90
minutes into the flight, followed by a "go" for on-orbit operations.
STS-74 Commander Ken Cameron and Pilot Jim Halsell, about three hours
into the last flight of the year, fired the orbiter's reaction control
jets in the first of a series of rendezvous burns that refined
Atlantis' path to Mir. Shortly after that jet firing, the first
Canadian mission specialist, Chris Hadfield, activated the Russian
built docking module and its systems. The docking module is housed in
Atlantis' payload bay. Hadfield will use the orbiter's robot arm early
Tuesday to mate the docking module with the Atlantis' Orbiter Docking
System prior to the orbiter's link-up with Mir early Wednesday. The
docking is scheduled for 12:28 a.m. CST Wednesday.
All systems aboard Atlantis are performing well.
Crew members - Cameron, Halsell, and mission specialists Chris
Hadfield, Jerry Ross and Bill McArthur - will begin their sleep period
at 12:31 p.m. CST today and awaken at 8:31 p.m. CST today.
The JSC Newsroom will close at noon CST today and reopen at 12:30 a.m.
Monday.
|
| 943.27 | Mission Control Status Report #2 | ERMTRD::CLIFFE | I'll warp my own space-time ... | Wed Nov 22 1995 03:08 | 39 |
| Mission Control Status Report #2
STS-74
Sunday, November 12, 1995 5 p.m. CST
Five astronauts continue to rest aboard the Space Shuttle Atlantis,
awaiting an 8:31 p.m. CST wake-up call that will start their first full
day of work delivering a permanent shuttle docking port to the Russian
Mir Space Station.
Activities for the coming day will focus on preparing to connect the
Russian Docking Module to the shuttle airlock and getting Mission
Specialists Jerry Ross and Bill McArthur ready for a contingency space
walk should anything unexpected happen during Tuesday's move of the
docking module.
Maneuvers continuing the process of the shuttle rendezvous with
Russia's Space Station Mir will resume at 10:11 p.m. CST when Commander
Ken Cameron and Pilot Jim Halsell kick off the NC 2 burn. The NC 3 burn
will occur at 10:09 a.m. CST Monday. Docking is scheduled for 12:28
a.m. CST Wednesday.
Mission Specialist Chris Hadfield will test the robot arm that will
lift the module out of its payload bay moorings. With the help of
Mission Specialist Bill McArthur, Hadfield also will power up and check
the Orbiter Space Vision system that will be used to precisely align
the robot arm. Cameron will set up the VHF radio gear that will be used
for shuttle/Mir communications during the rendezvous.
Ross and McArthur will inspect their space suits and pre-breath pure
oxygen for an hour and a half to purge nitrogen bubbles from their
bodies and prevent a condition known as "the bends" should a space walk
be necessary. The pair is not expected to don the space suits unless a
space walk is required.
The STS-74 crew also is scheduled to be interviewed by the Canadian
news media beginning at 6:31 a.m. CST.
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| 943.28 | Mission Control Status Report #3 | ERMTRD::CLIFFE | I'll warp my own space-time ... | Wed Nov 22 1995 03:10 | 50 |
| Mission Control Status Report #3
STS-74
Monday, November 12, 1995 5a.m. CST
The five member crew aboard the Space Shuttle Atlantis spent the bulk
of its second day in space readying the orbiter and its payloads for
Tuesday's mating of the Russian Docking Module to the Orbiter Docking
System in advance of Wednesday's docking to Russia's Space Station Mir.
Both the module and the docking system are located in Atlantis' payload
bay.
Mission specialists Jerry Ross and Bill McArthur early Monday inspected
the space suits they would don should a space walk become necessary
during Tuesday's mating operation or the actual linkup of Atlantis to
Mir at 12:28 a.m. Wednesday.
Following the space suit inspection, Mission Specialist Chris Hadfield
powered up the orbiter's robot arm which he will use Tuesday to move
the docking module over to the docking system. All systems affiliated
with the robot arm operated as expected and are ready to support
Tuesday's activities.
Crew members also checked out the Orbiter Space Vision System, a
precise alignment system for the robot arm that is being tested on
STS-74. The OSVS, which will be used during Tuesday's mating
operation, consists of a series of large dots placed on the exterior of
the docking module and the docking system.
Today's schedule also included the installation and alignment of the
centerline camera in the center of the Orbiter Docking System. The
camera will assist Commander Ken Cameron in final piloting tasks as
Atlantis moves into and docks with Russia's Space Station Mir.
Additionally, Atlantis' jets will be fired to further refine the
closing rate between the orbiter and Mir. At 5 a.m. CST, Atlantis was
about 4,000 statute miles behind Mir, and was closing in to the space
station at a rate of about 380 statute miles per orbit.
This morning, Cameron, Hadfield and other available crew members
answered questions posed by Canadian reporters who are in Montreal and
Toronto. Hadfield is a Canadian Space Agency astronaut and the fourth
Canadian astronaut to fly on the shuttle.
NASA Television programming today includes the mission status briefing
at 9 a.m. CST and Mission Update at 11 a.m. Crew members will begin
their sleep period at 12:31 p.m. They will awaken at 8:31 p.m. today
to begin a busy day of mating operations between the docking module
and the Orbiter Docking System.
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| 943.29 | Mission Control Status Report #4 | ERMTRD::CLIFFE | I'll warp my own space-time ... | Wed Nov 22 1995 03:11 | 46 |
| Mission Control Status Report #4
STS-74
Monday, November 13, 1995 6 p.m. CST
With all of the systems that will be used to put the Russian Docking
Module in place for a Wednesday link-up with the Mir Space Station
checked out and ready to go, the STS-74 crew settled down for 8 hours
of sleep Monday afternoon.
Atlantis, orbiting flawlessly 238 miles above the Earth, is about 2,000
miles away from Mir and catching up at 135 miles per orbit.
Earlier in the day, Commander Ken Cameron, Pilot Jim Halsell and
Mission Specialists Chris Hadfield, Jerry Ross and Bill McArthur
checked out the docking module, the Orbiter Docking System, the
shuttle's robot arm and the Orbiter Space Vision System and found all
to be in good working order. Ross and McArthur also inspected the
space suits they will don should a space walk become necessary during
Tuesday's mating operation or the actual linkup of Atlantis to Mir.
After an 8:31 p.m. CST wake-up call, Atlantis' astronauts will begin
the process of moving the docking module. At 11:31 p.m., Hadfield
will power up the Orbiter Space Visions System. At 11:46 p.m.,
Hadfield and McArthur will grapple the module with the robot arm. At
12:21 a.m. Tuesday, the pair will remove the module from its payload
bay moorings and Cameron and Halsell will prepare the Orbiter Docking
System for connection to the docking module. At 12:56 a.m., Hadfield
and McArthur will use the robot arm to move the docking module over
the Orbiter Docking System, then place the arm in a "limp" mode with
the docking module and Orbiter Docking System just four inches apart.
Cameron will fire Atlantis' steering jets, forcing the hooks and
latches to engage and locking the Russian Docking Module in place.
Hadfield and Ross will then test the mated Russian docking module's
systems.
After a rendezvous burn of the shuttle's steering jets at 2:16 a.m.,
the crew will continue work to configure the docking module systems
for Wednesday's docking with the Russian space station. Another
firing of the shuttle's thrusters is scheduled for 10:20 a.m.
The astronauts will end their day at 12:31 p.m. Tuesday, beginning a
six-hour sleep shift that will synchronize their sleep cycle with that
of the Mir 20 cosmonauts.
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| 943.30 | Mission Control Status Report #5 | ERMTRD::CLIFFE | I'll warp my own space-time ... | Wed Nov 22 1995 03:13 | 52 |
| Mission Control Status Report #5
STS-74
Tuesday, November 14, 1 995 5 a.m. CST
STS-74 crew members early Tuesday successfully mated a 15-foot, Russian
built docking module from the Space Shuttle AtlantisU payload bay to
the shuttleUs Orbiter Docking System. The mating operation went by
the book with no problems reported.
Chris Hadfield, a Canadian Space Agency astronaut and STS-74 mission
specialist, used the shuttleUs robot arm to hoist the docking module
out of the aft portion of the payload bay, rotated it to a vertical
position, and moved it to within five inches of the Orbiter Docking
System. At that point, the shuttle fired its downward steering jets
and moved the shuttle toward the docking module. Once the two
spacecraft were locked together, the docking ring on the Orbiter
Docking System retracted, and a series of hooks and latches were
engaged insuring an airtight seal between the two spacecraft.
The mating was confirmed at 1:17 a.m. CST with Atlantis was over the
eastern portion of Europe on its 30th orbit. Shortly after the
capture, Commander Ken Cameron expressed the crews appreciation for
the training that prepared them for the docking module installation.
At about 3 a.m. CST, the crew received a go from ground flight
controllers to ungrapple the robot arm from the docking module.
Shortly after that, crew members raised the orbiterUs cabin pressure
from 10.2 pounds per square inch to 14.7 psi. The cabinUs pressure
was lowered in the event that a problem during the mating process
neccessitated an emergency spacewalk.
Crew members also mounted a centerline camera into the top hatch of the
docking module. The camera will provide the primary visual cue for
Cameron as he maneuvers Atlantis to its docking with RussiaUs Space
Station Mir early Wednesday.
Atlantis is trailing Mir by about 1450 statute miles and is closing at
a rate of about 180 statute miles every orbit. A series of rendezvous
jet firings will further refine the closing rate, leading up to a
docking with Mir at 12:27 a.m. CST Wednesday.
The crew is scheduled to begin a shortened sleep period at 12:31 p.m.
today and will be awakened at 6:31 p.m. today. Flight controllers are
working toward an earlier start to the crews sleep period to enable the
astronauts to get additional rest time in advance of tomorrowUs
docking.
Because of the federal government furlough situation, it is likely that
the JSC Newsroom will close about 10 a.m. CST today and reopen when the
furlough is lifted.
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| 943.31 | Mission Control Status Report #6 | ERMTRD::CLIFFE | I'll warp my own space-time ... | Wed Nov 22 1995 03:14 | 43 |
| Mission Control Status Report #6
STS-74
Monday, November 20, 1 995 5 a.m. CST
Fresh from a successful docking with the Russian Mir Space Station,
the Space Shuttle Atlantis and its crew are primed for landing today
at Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Commander Ken Cameron, Pilot Jim Halsell and Mission Specialists Chris
Hadfield, Jerry Ross and Bill McArthur are conducting the final checks
of the shuttle's steering systems this morning and watching Florida
weather, which is forecast to be favorable. Today's first landing
opportunity begins with a deorbit burn at 9:58 a.m. JSC time and
concludes with landing at 11:02 a.m. The second opportunity involves a
deorbit burn at 11:33 a.m. and landing at 12:37 p.m.
Although weather is expected to be good at Edwards Air Force Base in
California, landing support teams have not been activated there. If
landing does not occur at KSC today, there are opportunities at both
sites Tuesday.
Because the astronauts awakened about 12:30 a.m. today and will land
around midday, they are expected to remain in Florida overnight. A
welcome home ceremony is being planned for 11 a.m. Tuesday at
Ellington Field's Hangar 990.
Atlantis' return to Earth follows a successful docking with Mir and
delivery of the Russian Docking Module that now becomes a permanent
docking port for future Phase 1 missions to the space station. The
STS-74 crew also participated in a number of joint medical and
environmental investigations with the Mir crew -- Commander Yuri
Gidzenko, Flight Engineer Sergei Avdeyev and Cosmonaut Researcher
Thomas Reiter of Germany. Atlantis delivered water, supplies and
equipment--including two new solar arrays--to Mir and is returning
with U.S., Russian and ESA experiment equipment and samples.
The astronauts of the second shuttle-Mir docking flight also studied
the Earth's thermosphere, ionosphere and mesosphere with the GLO-4
experiment, and evaluated Mir's solar array structures remotely
through three Photogrammetric Appendage Structural Dynamics Experiment
canisters in the payload bay.
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