Countdown to Space Shuttle Discovery Launch
Space shuttle Discovery launch progress - a countdown from
DWS
Space Shuttle Discovery past launches
and images
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DISCOVERY SHUTTLE MISSION PHOTOS |
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Archived stories from the past below:
March 5, 2005
As Earth readies to send its denizens back to space again, inhabitants of the International Space Station can't wait to receive the visitors from Mother Earth. It has been over two years since the crew of the International Space Station saw a human-bearing
US ship dock by. The crash of Space Shuttle Columbia had grounded the entire space shuttle fleet.
Two years and a lot of hard work later, it seems like the shuttle is going to lift off again. As Nasa burns the midnight oil to send its people back to space, high up above the clouds, anticipation soars. Meanwhile, the robot spacecraft Progress
makes its way to the International Space Station, to deliver supplies to the astronauts on board and bring back trash.
The Columbia accident led to the CAIB - the Columbia Accident Investigation Board. The Board submitted its recommendations to make space travel safer. Nasa has completed several suggestions put out by the Board and have prepped up the launch vehicle - this time, Space Shuttle Discovery will lift off to space. It will meet up with the International Space Station, flying in low orbit in space above Earth. Nasa expects to see off its space travellers by Mid-May 2005 -- that is less than three months!
Scientists at Nasa are methodically going about their task of preparing the launch vehicle. There is little doubt at the Nasa headquarters: this time, the space shuttle round trip HAS to be a success. At
Dancewithshadows.com, we are excited too!
Here is the DWS tracker which will update you on the developments, right up to the launch and return of Space Shuttle Discovery. Spacewatchers, watch this space!!
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Space Station talks to Texas students, unloads
cargo from Progress craft
March 5, 2005
 This
week, the International Space Station crew
welcomed the Progress cargo spacecraft. Expedition
10 Commander Leroy Chiao and Flight Engineer
Salizhan Sharipov spent some of the early part of
the week preparing for the Wednesday docking of
the unpiloted Russian cargo carrier, and much of
yesterday and today unloading it. The Progress
docked at 3:10 p.m. EST, Wednesday with over 2.3
tonnes of equipment and supplies. This is the 17th
Progress to go to the Station.
Progress has brought 160-day supply of food,
plus spare parts and equipment for the Russian
environmental control system and toilet. Cameras
and telephoto lenses to photograph thermal
protection tiles on the Space Shuttle Discovery
during its Return to Flight mission in May were
also delivered. The cargo includes a new heat
exchanger for the U.S Quest airlock, which is
expected to faciliate resumption of US spacewalks.
Early-week preparations involved Sharipov
setting up and practicing with a manual docking
system for use in the unlikely event of a problem
with the automated docking system. But the
automated system functioned without a glitch.
Cheers!
Unloading activities included entering items of
the cargo into the Inventory Management System, a
computerized bar code system that keeps track of
items aboard the Station.
In preparation for Progress activities, crew
members shifted their sleep period later, getting
their wakeup tone at about 6:30 a.m. EST instead
of the standard 1 a.m. EST much of the week. They
will return gradually to their usual schedule.
Chiao and Sharipov continued daily exercise
sessions, did scheduled maintenance on Station
systems and participated in several medical and
other scientific experiments.
The crew talked with high school students in
the Levelland, Texas, area on Monday. Late
yesterday, Chiao radioed congratulations to Steve
Fossett, (await DWS report on Steve Fossett
soon!!) who completed a three-day, non-stop, solo
around-the-world flight without refueling. For
comparison, Chiao and Sharipov circle the Earth
more than 15 times a day, as they have for four
months.
Information about crew activities on the Space
Station, future launch dates and Station sighting
opportunities is available on the Internet at:
http://spaceflight.nasa.gov
Space shuttle processing status report
March 5, 2005
Technicians continue to process space shuttle
Discovery in preparation for the rollover to the
Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB). In Orbiter
Processing Facility bay 3, orbiter system testing
is almost complete on Discovery for its mission
(STS-114) to the International Space Station.
Preparing for payload bay door closure,
processing continues with work on the Boom
Manipulator Positioning Mechanism assembly
fasteners, installation and verification of the
Remote Manipulator System camera, and inspections
of the airlock wiring. Thermal Protection System
blanket bonding continues on the Rudder Speed
Brake. Main landing gear thermal barrier
installations are complete. On Monday, the
External Tank was mated to its twin Solid Rocket
Boosters in the VAB. (See details below)
Prior to orbiter Discovery joining the stack,
final closeouts on the External Tank will include
attaching the new bolt catcher and electrical
cable connections, as well as installing an
aerodynamic fairing and the bi-pod struts, which
are the attach points for the nose of the orbiter
to the tank.
Rack installation into the Multi-Purpose
Logistics Module Raffaello began today and is
scheduled to continue through mid-March. Raffaello
will deliver a variety of supplies, to include
clothing, food and spare parts. The Human Research
Facility-2 (HRF-2) science rack will be installed
at the beginning of next week. HRF-2 will deliver
additional biomedical instrumentation and research
capability to the Station. HRF-1 contains an
ultrasound unit and gas analyzer system and has
been operational in the U.S. Lab since May 2001.
Both racks provide structural, power, thermal,
command and data handling, and communication and
tracking interfaces between the HRF biomedical
instrumentation and the U.S. Lab, Destiny.
Atlantis
Location: Orbiter Processing Facility Bay 1
Launch Date: Launch Planning Window July 12 -
July 31, 2005
Launch Pad: 39B
Crew: Lindsey, Kelly, Sellers, Fossum, Nowak
and Wilson
Meanwhile, processing continues on Atlantis in
Orbiter Processing Facility (OPF) bay 1 for its
mission, (STS-121) to the Station. Water coolant
loop No. 2 was de-serviced in support of flex hose
work. Initial leak checks of the crew module were
completed and determined to be good. Rudder Speed
Brake work continues with seal installations, and
panel rigging is in work. On Atlantis' wing
leading edge, all Reinforced Carbon-Carbon panels
and components have been installed for flight.
Left-hand lower Leading Edge Sub System (LESS)
panels 1 through 22 have been installed, and
left-hand upper LESS panel installation is in
work.
Endeavour (OV-105)
Besides, Orbiter Endeavour remains in the
Florida Space Authority's Reusable Launch Vehicle
hangar at Kennedy Space Center. While in the
hangar, Endeavour is undergoing testing to see how
orbiters respond to a new radar system that will
be used to detect debris during launch. In the OPF,
work includes modifications to the bay and
platform validation. Endeavour will remain in the
hangar for approximately 30 days, then return to
the OPF.
Nasa conference on space shuttle and
international space station
March 5, 2005
Leaders of the aerospace community will be
putting their heads together to discuss the future
of the Space Shuttle and the International Space
Station. The Integrated Space Operations Summit (ISOS)
will be held on March 29, 30 and 31 in Nashville,
Tennessee.
The spaced-out media fraternity (language NOT
courtesy Nasa) is invited. Media personnel pls
contact Melissa Mathews (202/358-1272) by 4 p.m.
EST, March 16.
As a result of the Vision for Space
Exploration, NASA has altered its existing Space
Shuttle Service Life Extension Program summit to
address the new goals. The third gathering of its
kind, this year's meeting has been renamed the
Integrated Space Operations Summit.
The summit's aim is to ensure existing human
spaceflight programs, including the Space Shuttle
and International Space Station, remain focused on
meeting NASA's exploration goals, and to begin
planning for efficient transition of existing
space operations resources toward future
exploration needs.
Apart from NASA, there will be involvement from
the industry, academia, and others with a stake in
space operations. Panels have been working for
months on specific issues. They will use the
summit to discuss findings and make
recommendations to NASA leadership.
Returning the Space Shuttle to flight and
completing the International Space Station are
initial steps in the Vision for Space Exploration
program. Using the International Space Station to
study endurance in space and new technologies and
techniques, NASA readies for the longer journeys
to the moon, Mars and beyond.
NASA media accreditation to cover two
milestones:
March 3, 2005
NASA has started news media accreditation for
two of the most important milestones for the
Return to Flight of the Space Shuttle fleet, says
a NASA press release.
Media accreditation is under way for the Space
Shuttle Discovery's move to the Vehicle Assembly
Building; and roll out to Launch Pad 39B at NASA's
Kennedy Space Center (KSC). Both events are
planned for later in March. Media without KSC
credentials should submit their separate
accreditation requests for each event via the new
online accreditation Web site at:
https://media.ksc.nasa.gov/
Foreign nationals must submit requests no later
than two weeks prior to events. Access is granted
on a first-requested basis. Accreditation is also
underway for Discovery's Return to Flight,
targeted for launch on May 15, with a launch
window that extends to June 3.
Since dates and times of events are subject to
change, updates are available by calling:
321/867-2525.
For the latest information about NASA's Return
to Flight efforts on the Internet, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/returntoflight
Dancewithshadows.com wishes all the best to
NASA for its Return to Flight. Though we may not
be able to make it to KSC, we too eagerly await
the Discovery launch! To those of you who may be
there, we welcome a first-person account from you!
Progress Cargo Craft arrives International
space station
March 3, 2005
The Russian robot cargo craft with about 2.3
tons of supplies and equipment aboard docked
Wednesday with the International Space Station.
The ISS Progress 17 spacecraft docked at 3:10 p.m.
EST to the aft port of the Station’s Zvezda
Service Module. The docking, controlled by the
automated Kurs docking system, was problem-free.
The Station’s Flight Engineer Salizhan Sharipov,
assisted by Commander Leroy Chiao, was ready to
assume manual control of the docking had it been
necessary.
Among the spacecraft’s 4,631 pounds of cargo
are 386 pounds of propellant, 242 pounds of oxygen
and air, and 1,071 pounds of water.
Equipment aboard the new Progress includes
cameras and lenses to be used to photograph
thermal protection tiles of the Space Shuttle
Discovery as the return to flight mission
approaches the Station, and a new heat exchanger
for the U.S Quest airlock which should allow
resumption of U.S. spacewalks from the orbiting
laboratory.
Also aboard are 86 containers of food, an
additional 160-day supply for the Station. Spare
parts for the Russian Elektron oxygen producing
system and the Vozdukh carbon-dioxide removal
system are among cargo items, as are spare parts
and supplies for the Station’s toilet.
Progress 17 lifted off Monday at 2:09 p.m. EST
from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. It
reached orbit in less than 10 minutes. Moments
later, automatic commands deployed its solar
arrays and navigational antennas.
The Progress 16 cargo ship, which had been at
the Station since Christmas Day, was undocked on
Sunday, clearing the aft port of Zvezda for the
new Progress. Filled with trash and discarded
items, Progress 16 will be commanded to deorbit by
Russian flight controllers after about 10 days of
engineering tests. It will burn up in the Earth’s
atmosphere soon afterward. by Russian flight
controllers after about 10 days of engineering
tests. It will burn up in the Earth's atmosphere
soon afterward.
====================================
March 3, 2005
Space Shuttle Discovery: External tank mated to rocket boosters
NASA marked a major step in assembling Space Shuttle Discovery for its Return to Flight mission, as workers successfully mated the redesigned External Tank and twin Solid Rocket Boosters. The fuel tank and booster rockets will help launch Space Shuttle Discovery. The External Tank was lifted by a giant crane and joined to the already stacked boosters in the 52-story Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The external tank is the largest element of the Space Shuttle system, which also includes the orbiter, main engines and rocket boosters. It measures 27.6 feet wide and 154 feet tall. Despite the tank's size, the aluminum skin covering it is only one eighth of an inch thick in most areas. Yet it still withstands more than 6.5 million pounds of thrust during liftoff and ascent. The tank is the only Shuttle component that cannot be reused. Following integration and final checkout of the tank with the Solid Rocket Boosters, Discovery will join its propulsion components in the Vehicle Assembly Building. Discovery will roll over from the Orbiter Processing Facility later this month, marking the end of Return to Flight processing. The orbiter will be attached to the stack in the Vehicle Assembly Building . The external tank will fly with several modifications. They include two new forward bipod heaters at the forward attach fittings that connect the tank to the orbiter. NASA and Lockheed Martin Space Systems Co. spent nearly two years modifying the tank to make it safer. During the tank-booster mating, the left and right boosters are bolted to the tank at both the top and tail ends. At the forward end, a vertical bolt mechanism attaches each booster to the tank. After the Space Shuttle Discovery launch, approximately two minutes after lift-off, the boosters will separate from the external tank, when pyrotechnic devices fire to break the 25-inch, 62-pound steel bolts. One half of the bolt is caught in canister-like bolt catchers located on the tank; the other half remains with the boosters. Discovery will be the first flight with a modified bolt catcher. It was upgraded from a two-piece welded design to a one-piece, machine-made design. By eliminating the weld, the new bolt catcher is structurally stronger than the original. Prior to Discovery joining the stack, final closeouts on the external tank will include attaching the new bolt catcher and electrical cable connections. An aerodynamic fairing and the bi-pod struts, the attach points for the nose of the orbiter to the tank, will also be installed.
====================================
Progress on way to International Space Station
February 28, 2005
 The
unpiloted Russian cargo craft Progress lifted off
Monday from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan
with about 2.3 tons of supplies and equipment for
the International Space Station and its Expedition
10 crew. The ISS Progress 17 launched on time at
2:09 p.m. EST. It reached the orbit in less than
10 minutes. Moments later, automatic commands
deployed its solar arrays and navigational
antennas.
Engine firings are scheduled later Monday to
adjust the Progress' orbit for an automated
docking March 2 at 3:15 p.m. EST to the aft port
of the Station's Zvezda Service Module. Among the
spacecraft's 4,631 pounds of cargo are 386 pounds
of propellant, 242 pounds of oxygen and air, and
1,071 pounds of water.
The Progress 16 cargo ship, which had been at
the Station since Christmas Day, was undocked on
Sunday, clearing the aft port of Zvezda for the
new Progress. Filled with trash and discarded
items, Progress 16 will be commanded to deorbit by
Russian flight controllers after about 10 days of
engineering tests. It will burn up in the Earth's
atmosphere soon afterward.
====================================== Space
Shuttle Processing Status Report: S05-008
February 28, 2005 The Space Shuttle
fleet is housed and processed at NASA's Kennedy
Space Center (KSC), Florida. Mission: STS-114.
17th Flight to the International Space Station.
(LF1) - Multi-Purpose Logistics Module. Vehicle:
Discovery (OV-103). Location: Orbiter Processing
Facility Bay 3. Launch Date: Launch Planning
Window May 15 - June 3, 2005. Launch Pad: 39B.
Crew: Collins, Kelly, Noguchi, Robinson, Thomas,
Lawrence and Camarda. Inclination/Orbit Altitude:
51.6 degrees/122 nautical miles.
In Orbiter Processing Facility bay 3, the
orbiter system testing is 96% complete on
Discovery for its mission, designated STS-114, to
the International Space Station. Final work and
closeouts are progressing well in preparation for
Space Shuttle Discovery's roll over to the Vehicle
Assembly Building next month. The Space Shuttle
Discovery launch is likely in Mid-May. The
tentative launch date is May 17. The payload bay
doors are scheduled to be closed today for
installation of a few remaining door-hinge carrier
panels. The payload bay doors will then be opened
to verify correct placement of the carrier panels.
When completed, the payload bay doors will be
closed for the final time for space flight. Work
continues on seal installation on the main and
nose landing-gear doors; then followed by
functional tests to ensure the proper compression
of the doors.
In the Vehicle Assembly Building, paint and
cork repairs are complete on the Solid Rocket
Boosters' (SRBs) aft inactive stub ring, an attach
ring surrounding the booster located about 10 feet
below the External Tank (ET) attach point. The ET
is scheduled to be moved from the checkout cell to
the integration cell and mated to the twin SRBs on
Monday.
==================================== On
board the International Space Station
February 25, 2005, The crew of the
International Space Station are resting ahead of
the arrival of a new cargo spacecraft and helping
achieve a milestone in station robotics
operations. Expedition 10 Commander and NASA
Station Science Officer Leroy Chiao and Flight
Engineer Salizhan Sharipov spent part of the week
packing the Russian Progress supply spacecraft
with trash to be junked. They have closed the
hatch between Progress and the Zvezda Service
Module in advance of the ship's undocking. The
unpiloted spacecraft will be undocked Sunday at
11:06 a.m. EST. A pair of engine firings will
place the vehicle in an orbit a safe distance away
from the Station to allow Russian flight
controllers to conduct engineering tests before it
is commanded to reenter the Earth's atmosphere on
March 9 and burn up.
The next Progress to be sent to the Station
will be moved to its launch pad at the Baikonur
Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan for its liftoff, planned
for Monday at 2:09 p.m. EST. Docking is scheduled
on Wednesday, March 2, at 3:15 p.m. EST. NASA TV
will provide live coverage of the docking
beginning at 2:30 p.m. EST. This will be the 17th
Progress to dock with the Station. The new
Progress is loaded with more than two tons of
supplies and food, including spare parts,
equipment, experiment hardware and life-support
system gear, propellent, oxygen and air and water.
86 food containers are also loaded into the
Progress, good for more than 160 days of
additional provisions above what is on board the
International Space Station. New heat-exchanger
devices for the cooling spacesuits in the Quest
Airlock are also part of the luggage. It will
replace a heat exchanger that introduced rust in
the suits last year, canceling Station spacewalks.
Progress also brings digital cameras that the crew
can use to shoot the tiles of Space Shuttle
Discovery during its approach to the Station. This
will assist mission managers determine whether
Discovery's thermal protection system is intact
and able to support a safe return to Earth.
Engineers have successfully completed a test of
new software loaded into the Canadarm2 robotic arm
last month to allow remote control operation of
the space crane from Mission Control, rather than
by the crew on board.
CONTENT COURTESY
NASA
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