LIVE: STS-133 Flight Days 8/9 - PMM Outfitting, Off Duty, President, Transfers

[Lee Jay]

I've written up an article to bring us up to date:

STS-133: Workhorse Discovery exemplifying routine orbiter excellence

http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2011/03/sts-133-workhorse-discovery-exemplifying-routine-orbiter-excellence/

Good article, Chris.  I'm in awe that any machine as complex as an orbiter could be working this well.  Let's hope it continues through wheel-stop.

[STS Tony]

I've written up an article to bring us up to date:

STS-133: Workhorse Discovery exemplifying routine orbiter excellence

http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2011/03/sts-133-workhorse-discovery-exemplifying-routine-orbiter-excellence/

When Discovery began suffering from launch delays, due to problems with her External Tank (ET-137), some people joked the orbiter had conspired with her problematic orange friend from New Orleans, in order to resist her impending retirement date. Ironically, Discovery’s superb performance on orbit has resulted in just that, with two additional docked days added by the Mission Management Team (MMT).

HA! That is a great paragraph in a technical article.

[Chris Bergin]

Thanks

Although it wasn't all that technical - compared to PRCB level content - lest we forget that troublesome ET-137. May its stringers rest in pieces at the bottom of the Indian Ocean.

Do you see what I did there?

[John44]

STS-133 - Mission Status Briefing FD 9
http://www.space-multimedia.nl.eu.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=6514

STS-133 - Flight Day 9 Highlights
http://www.space-multimedia.nl.eu.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=6516

STS-133 - ISS Flight Director Update FD 9-10
http://www.space-multimedia.nl.eu.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=6515

[robertross]

Thanks

Although it wasn't all that technical - compared to PRCB level content - lest we forget that troublesome ET-137. May its stringers rest in pieces at the bottom of the Indian Ocean.

Do you see what I did there?

Quality article Chris.

I echo your sentiments there, above, after meeting quite a number of people who had gone to see her in November and experienced the many long and painful delays. One ET tank I was glad to have burn up!  LOL

[Space Pete]

NASA TV Video: STS-133 Daily Mission Recap - Flight Day 9.


Some great shots of PMM outfitting - in HD!

[Space Pete]

Five images released for FD-9.

http://www.spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/images/shuttle/sts-133/flightday09/ndxpage1.html

Is this supposed to be some kind of joke?

[saturnapollo]

Is this supposed to be some kind of joke?

Unbelievable, isn't it!

Keith

[Space Pete]

It's a weekend in the US.

That's never been an issue on previous Shuttle missions.

I don't see how that's an issue anyway - if five images have been released, then it must mean that somebody is in the PAO office. So what's stopping them releasing more?

Discovery's final mission is going largely unseen by everyone who cares, and history is going unobserved.

[Chris Bergin]

Fear not, we've been kindly offered some help to at least make the situation better, per message in the other thread. Hopefully that will cause a chain reaction for additional help on that matter as we'd take whatever they have

[TexasRED]

I got impression that yesterday was kind of a slower day, or at least the evening. Still, I wouldn't argue with more pictures.

[arkaska]

I got impression that yesterday was kind of a slower day, or at least the evening. Still, I wouldn't argue with more pictures.

There was a lot of work going on in orbit in PMM but for us on the ground it might have seemed slow

[psloss]

Re: pictures again, what was the response when sending feedback to the email address provided at the bottom of the Photo Index pages?

And I'll note again there have been layoffs, so one shouldn't assume that staffing levels that applied in 2007, 2008, 2009, or 2010 still apply today.

[TexasRED]

I got impression that yesterday was kind of a slower day, or at least the evening. Still, I wouldn't argue with more pictures.

There was a lot of work going on in orbit in PMM but for us on the ground it might have seemed slow

Yeah, definitely speaking from a ground POV.

Re: pictures again, what was the response when sending feedback to the email address provided at the bottom of the Photo Index pages?

And I'll note again there have been layoffs, so one shouldn't assume that staffing levels that applied in 2007, 2008, 2009, or 2010 still apply today.

I know for a fact they are lower.

[Space Pete]

Re: pictures again, what was the response when sending feedback to the email address provided at the bottom of the Photo Index pages?

I haven't sent an E-mail yet, but I asked @BethBeck (SOMD Outreach Manager) about it via Twitter, and this was her response:

"Sometimes files are uploaded faster than others. Not sure why for this mission...."

You'd think the SOMD outreach manager would be more on the ball than that.

[psloss]

Re: pictures again, what was the response when sending feedback to the email address provided at the bottom of the Photo Index pages?

I haven't sent an E-mail yet, but I asked @BethBeck (SOMD Outreach Manager) about it via Twitter, and this was her response:

"Sometimes files are uploaded faster than others. Not sure why for this mission...."

Definitely follow up on open lines of communication.  If Beth can help you, great.  The email is provided -- or perhaps was provided by people that are no longer employed -- for feedback on that specific subject.  It doesn't guarantee a response, but the more people that ask, the better.

[Moonbase_Alphan]

Five images released for FD-9.
http://www.spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/images/shuttle/sts-133/flightday09/ndxpage1.html
Is this supposed to be some kind of joke?

yeah, that was a rather small set of images.
but to be fair, I don't believe there were even 2 dozen pics downlinked that day and those were the best of the lot. guess they were just too busy working to take any photos.

[saturnapollo]

Actually I have noticed that some missions are better than others when it comes to photography. I don't know if it is just that some missions have crew members who are more photographically minded or whether it comes down to who is on duty at the PAO.

Lay-offs at the Photographic Unit started a while ago, before NASA started using digital. I was in regular correspondence with Debbie Dodds who was one of the contractors at the time and who put me on a list to automatically receive the press release photos and I remember her telling me that budget clampdowns meant folk were leaving. Then I think she left too.

After that NASA went digital and the photos were available electronically.

Keith

[Chris Bergin]

BUMP for order realign, and LOCK in place