Author Topic: Discovery: Deservicing and Retirement Updates (Read 333357 times)

Chris Bergin · « **on:** 03/15/2011 03:15 am »

Very sad to start this thread, but has to be done. We'll be covering her all the way to her final place of honor.

Opening article is an overview of plan for her remaining time at KSC - along with notes for the other orbiters - and additional post mission praise all via L2.

http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2011/03/discoverys-deservicing-plan-work-amid-praise/

freeflyer54 · « **Reply #1 on:** 03/15/2011 06:42 am »

Can i just remind people of the proposal by USA to continue flying the shuttles till 2017?.As they say it aint over till the fat lady sings!!.Difficult to accept the retirement until the proposal has been officially turned down .

butters · « **Reply #2 on:** 03/15/2011 06:56 am »

Quote from: freeflyer54 on 03/15/2011 06:42 am

Can i just remind people of the proposal by USA to continue flying the shuttles till 2017?.As they say it aint over till the fat lady sings!!.Difficult to accept the retirement until the proposal has been officially turned down .

Not Discovery. USA is proposing to fly only Atlantis and Endeavour.

Chris Bergin · « **Reply #3 on:** 03/15/2011 10:30 am »

Yep. Really was Discovery's last mission

By the way, when she rolls from OPF-2 to the VAB, she's going to look in a poor way, with her OMS Pods, SSMEs and FRCS missing.

I think there's a picture of Columbia looking like that somewhere.

brettreds2k · « **Reply #4 on:** 03/15/2011 11:26 am »

Going to be a sad sight to see her town apart like that for storage in the VAB for that month, I bet it will be hard for those who cared for her all these years to start taking parts of her out/off and make it a non flight worthy vehicle.

Harold KSC · « **Reply #5 on:** 03/15/2011 11:58 am »

Very good article. This is what you are making reference too.

Terry Rocket · « **Reply #6 on:** 03/15/2011 12:02 pm »

Yeah, really interesting read Chris. I love the "Please Adopt Me!" sign on Enterprise

The links to the articles in that part are great!

Chris Bergin · « **Reply #7 on:** 03/15/2011 12:14 pm »

Thanks guys, and yes Harold, that is what I remember seeing. She looks very sorry for herself there, but at least Discovery will have her TPS mainly in place (wonder if they plan to scrub her up for the exhibition. I personally think the battle scars are part of their charms).

brettreds2k · « **Reply #8 on:** 03/15/2011 12:21 pm »

I hope they do not clean it up, I personally think her flight scars are what adds to the personality

Galactic Penguin SST · « **Reply #9 on:** 03/15/2011 01:37 pm »

Quote from: Chris Bergin on 03/15/2011 10:30 am

Yep. Really was Discovery's last mission

By the way, when she rolls from OPF-2 to the VAB, she's going to look in a poor way, with her OMS Pods, SSMEs and FRCS missing.

I think there's a picture of Columbia looking like that somewhere.

Well that wouldn't be the first time she's tried this...

psloss · « **Reply #10 on:** 03/15/2011 01:46 pm »

Quote from: Galactic Penguin SST on 03/15/2011 01:37 pm

Well that wouldn't be the first time she's tried this...

Yeah, there are pictures of all the flight orbiters like that, with perhaps the exception of Challenger.

Mark Dave · « **Reply #11 on:** 03/15/2011 02:08 pm »

Interesting article. Wouldn't it be easier to put all of the orbiters together in one place?

Robert Malison · « **Reply #12 on:** 03/15/2011 02:10 pm »

Looks like she's just come back from the orbiter hospital after getting into an argument with SCA

ChrisGebhardt · « **Reply #13 on:** 03/15/2011 02:17 pm »

Quote from: MarkD on 03/15/2011 02:08 pm

Interesting article. Wouldn't it be easier to put all of the orbiters together in one place?

What do you mean? Only one orbiter can fit in one OPF.

Namechange User · « **Reply #14 on:** 03/15/2011 02:31 pm »

Quote from: brettreds2k on 03/15/2011 12:21 pm

I hope they do not clean it up, I personally think her flight scars are what adds to the personality

No plan for that.

MarsMethanogen · « **Reply #15 on:** 03/15/2011 02:42 pm »

A while back, I thought I read somewhere that there were plans afoot to demolish the OPFs with the demise of the shuttle program (obviously after all orbiters have been T&R'd/deserviced and moved to their yet-to-be-determined display locations). But in today's article on Discovery, it was mentioned that one of the OPFs might be used for the USAF's X-37B. Does this imply that the OPFs are actually separate structures and it's not an all or nothing demolition, but rather one, two or all could be selectively demolished, or has what I understood was the planned demolition put on hold?

Namechange User · « **Reply #16 on:** 03/15/2011 02:52 pm »

That was the plan when FY2011 was first announced. It was a real push to destroy all remnants of what existed within the Shuttle Program minus some of the obvious ones like the VAB and LCC (instead these were proposed to get the "21st century launch complex" facelift).

Since then, somehow it has become a bit more tempered and gained some common sense to see if anyone else would be interested in leasing some of these facilities (but still not all as I understand it).

MarsMethanogen · « **Reply #17 on:** 03/15/2011 03:01 pm »

Thanks for the update. So they could conceivably demolish one or two, leaving the remainder of what I understand are three OPFs? In other words, are they separate buildings (obviously located close to each other and to the VAB)?

Namechange User · « **Reply #18 on:** 03/15/2011 03:08 pm »

OPF 1 and 2 are more or less joined. OPF 3 is more of a stand-alone but shares part of the overall building with the SSME processing area.

astrobrian · « **Reply #19 on:** 03/15/2011 03:26 pm »

I was under the impression OPF-3 has already been handed over to the X-37 program.