Author Topic: Endeavour: Deservicing and Retirement Updates  (Read 306702 times)

Online Chris Bergin

And now we see Endeavour having her wings clipped. This thread will provide coverage of her safing and T&R deservicing.

There is still a lot to cover for STS-134 - the L2 STS-134 section is still getting heavy content - right through and past her IFA review on June 16, and we have a year of processing to follow as they are prepared for their retirement homes.

Here's an article I've just published to kick things off:

Endeavour into safing operations – Left gear brake fire investigated:
http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2011/06/endeavour-safing-operations-brake-fire-investigated/

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Offline Mark Max Q

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Re: Endeavour: Deservicing and Retirement Updates
« Reply #1 on: 06/04/2011 05:15 am »
Such a good article. Very respectful and positive on a sad subject.

Offline TerryNaylor

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Re: Endeavour: Deservicing and Retirement Updates
« Reply #2 on: 06/04/2011 05:16 am »
That is an awesome article! Great use of the amazingly cool animation from L2. It still looks great as that much smaller version.

I loved this part ;D
Quote
Any increased temperatures from the fire would have felt like a tickle to Endeavour, given she had just raced through the thousands of degrees of heat during re-entry.

And this

Quote
After coming to a stop, Endeavour – panting like a racehorse and breathing fire through her Auxiliary Power Unit (APU) vents near her Rudder Speed Brake (RSB) – was run through the post landing check-list by her crew.

This resulted in the sober sound of her three APUs being shutdown one by one, as the vehicle fell silent one final time.

Really wonderful writing.

Online Chris Bergin

Re: Endeavour: Deservicing and Retirement Updates
« Reply #3 on: 06/04/2011 05:16 pm »
Thanks very much! :)
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Offline Mark Dave

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Re: Endeavour: Deservicing and Retirement Updates
« Reply #4 on: 06/04/2011 05:30 pm »
Sad she isn't flying again, well being the youngest of the fleet, she has more potential to continue flying.

Online Chris Bergin

Re: Endeavour: Deservicing and Retirement Updates
« Reply #5 on: 06/06/2011 04:35 pm »
Sad she isn't flying again, well being the youngest of the fleet, she has more potential to continue flying.

Technically all three have more flights in them. Discovery would have needed some work, but Atlantis and Endeavour could have gone on for some years with mini-OMDPs on a stretched manifest.
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Offline vt_hokie

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Re: Endeavour: Deservicing and Retirement Updates
« Reply #6 on: 06/07/2011 02:19 am »
Sad she isn't flying again, well being the youngest of the fleet, she has more potential to continue flying.

Technically all three have more flights in them. Discovery would have needed some work, but Atlantis and Endeavour could have gone on for some years with mini-OMDPs on a stretched manifest.

Something we should not forget as the ISS faces likely utilization and maintenance support shortfalls in the coming years.  I am very disappointed in the Obama administration on this one (and yes, I voted for him, so I can share in the blame). 

Online Chris Bergin

Re: Endeavour: Deservicing and Retirement Updates
« Reply #7 on: 06/12/2011 01:09 am »
More on Endeavour's post mission safing and the investigation into the brake fire:

http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2011/06/sts-134-brake-fire-proving-mystery/
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Offline Lee Jay

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Re: Endeavour: Deservicing and Retirement Updates
« Reply #8 on: 06/12/2011 02:46 am »
More on Endeavour's post mission safing and the investigation into the brake fire:

http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2011/06/sts-134-brake-fire-proving-mystery/

Okay, I've looked at the fire from all the angles now, and it was definitely on the left main gear, but it doesn't show up *at all* on the infrared replay.  The APU exhaust shows up like crazy, so now I'm totally perplexed.  Looks like a fire on visual, no heat signature.  How is that possible?

Offline robertross

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Re: Endeavour: Deservicing and Retirement Updates
« Reply #9 on: 06/12/2011 03:09 am »
More on Endeavour's post mission safing and the investigation into the brake fire:

http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2011/06/sts-134-brake-fire-proving-mystery/

Okay, I've looked at the fire from all the angles now, and it was definitely on the left main gear, but it doesn't show up *at all* on the infrared replay.  The APU exhaust shows up like crazy, so now I'm totally perplexed.  Looks like a fire on visual, no heat signature.  How is that possible?

Well, the fire seems to come from inboard of the right tire on the main left gear. The tires are warm enough from touchdown that they could be masking the heat signature. You can make out heat waves from the landing replay videos in IR.

Offline Ronsmytheiii

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Re: Endeavour: Deservicing and Retirement Updates
« Reply #10 on: 06/16/2011 09:43 pm »
Endeavour's RMS has been removed, not sure if this one will be returned for display or not as have not seen the LA Science center's plans:

http://mediaarchive.ksc.nasa.gov/search.cfm?cat=4

Offline Ronsmytheiii

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Re: Endeavour: Deservicing and Retirement Updates
« Reply #11 on: 06/16/2011 09:48 pm »
From this article, the RMS used on this flight will be the one going back to Canada:

Quote
The Canadian robotic arm on one of NASA's space shuttles is heading back north after the shuttles retire, CBC News has learned.

The space shuttle Canadarms have been used to support astronauts on spacewalks, like this one to service the Hubble telescope in 1993.The space shuttle Canadarms have been used to support astronauts on spacewalks, like this one to service the Hubble telescope in 1993. (NASA)Each of NASA's three shuttles is equipped with a Canadarm, designed and built in Canada. After the shuttle program ends with the final flight of Atlantis in June, NASA plans to keep the robotic arms on Discovery and Atlantis for itself, but the Canadarm on the Endeavour has been earmarked for Canada.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/story/2011/04/12/technology-canadarm-endeavour-shuttle.html

Offline Ronsmytheiii

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Re: Endeavour: Deservicing and Retirement Updates
« Reply #12 on: 06/24/2011 02:30 pm »

Offline Ronsmytheiii

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Re: Endeavour: Deservicing and Retirement Updates
« Reply #13 on: 06/24/2011 02:32 pm »
NAd images of her last SSME being removed  :'(

http://mediaarchive.ksc.nasa.gov/search.cfm?cat=4

Offline Ronsmytheiii

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Re: Endeavour: Deservicing and Retirement Updates
« Reply #14 on: 06/24/2011 02:35 pm »
views of the sling that will be used once the orbiters have reached their offsite destinations, Which was tested at the SLF this week

Offline Namechange User

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Re: Endeavour: Deservicing and Retirement Updates
« Reply #15 on: 06/24/2011 02:40 pm »
The FRCS has also been removed and should head to the HMF today.
Enjoying viewing the forum a little better now by filtering certain users.

Online Chris Bergin

Re: Endeavour: Deservicing and Retirement Updates
« Reply #16 on: 06/27/2011 03:16 am »
STS-134 IFA Review: SRBs and RSRMs Perform Admirably - by Chris Gebhardt:

http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2011/06/sts-134-ifa-review-srbs-rsrms-perform-admirably/
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Offline Ronsmytheiii

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Re: Endeavour: Deservicing and Retirement Updates
« Reply #17 on: 06/30/2011 03:42 pm »
Per twitter feed, apparently John Shannon has stated that Endeavour currently is being saved for the potential USA commercial utilization:

http://twitter.com/#!/b0yle

Offline Bubbinski

Re: Endeavour: Deservicing and Retirement Updates
« Reply #18 on: 07/01/2011 04:50 am »
I thought that was dead in the water, does commercial shuttle actually still have a chance?
I'll even excitedly look forward to "flags and footprints" and suborbital missions. Just fly...somewhere.

Offline psloss

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Re: Endeavour: Deservicing and Retirement Updates
« Reply #19 on: 07/01/2011 11:03 am »
I thought that was dead in the water, does commercial shuttle actually still have a chance?
Like a lot of these things, it's complicated.  Maybe less than before, but still a little bit.  Anyone that is interested should go watch/listen to John Shannon's answer in the Program Overview briefing yesterday.  Mr. Shannon wasn't sure where the USA proposal was; the way I parsed his answer, he was addressing a NASA decision point for taking actions on Endeavour that would be "undoable."  (Edit: the word that Mr. Shannon used was "unrecoverable.")

They're certainly related issues, but at this point it only sounds like there's still an option out there to wait...that still seems a long way and a lot of subsequent decisions away from some kind of commitment.

Edit: OK, Mr. Shannon's answer is here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lSz0JifzWSU#t=4420s

The embedded link here eats the time jump (the #t= bit on the end of the link), so if using this, you'll need to jump to around 73:39 in the video:

« Last Edit: 07/01/2011 11:22 am by psloss »

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