STS-126: Post Flight (Dryden, SCA Ferry to KSC) Coverage

[Chris Bergin]

Via L2 Post Flight Coverage:
http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2008/12/endeavour-deservicing-window-damage-failed-to-spread/

This thread will update her deservicing at Dryden/Edwards through to the SCA Ferry trip back to KSC. Once back in OPF-2, we'll move to the next update pages.

[rdale]

George Diller is quoted as saying the SCA leaves Edwards on Sunday morning and is expected at KSC late Tuesday morning.

[Kel]

EDWARDS, Calif. -- After landing at Edwards Air Force Base in
California on Nov. 30, space shuttle Endeavour is about to make its
cross-country journey back to NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.


Mounted on a modified Boeing 747 shuttle carrier aircraft, Endeavour
is expected to begin its journey to Florida as early as Sunday. The
exact date and time of departure have yet to be determined because of
changing weather conditions and the fluid nature of preparing
Endeavour for this ferry flight. However, the latest information
about the shuttle's ferry flight will be available by calling
321-867-2525.

[troy95843]

Some pics of Endeavour at the MDD on the Dryden website

http://www.nasa.gov/centers/dryden/multimedia/STS-126/index.html

[Ronsmytheiii]

Some pics of Endeavour at the MDD on the Dryden website

http://www.nasa.gov/centers/dryden/multimedia/STS-126/index.html

Wow, amazing!

[Hungry4info3]

So is it known yet if it will go to Dallas Fort-worth airport yet? Or will I have to call that number to find out?

[Chris Bergin]

So is it known yet if it will go to Dallas Fort-worth airport yet? Or will I have to call that number to find out?

No flight plan yet from what I have in front of me. Remember, they have to wait until they know what the weather situation will be for where they will stop off. I think they even changed it at the last minute with one of Discovery's returns.

[rdale]

So is it known yet if it will go to Dallas Fort-worth airport yet? Or will I have to call that number to find out?

Don't they use Air Force bases anyways? Or has DFW been utilized in the past? It just seems strange to think they would fly it in to regular airports...

[Hungry4info3]

DFW has been used in the past if I recall correctly. I heard someone in my family saw it there.

[psloss]

Don't they use Air Force bases anyways? Or has DFW been utilized in the past? It just seems strange to think they would fly it in to regular airports...

In only a cursory search I found mention of one case, during the ferry after STS-30.  That was a long time ago, but more importantly it was before 9/11.

[psloss]

In only a cursory search I found mention of one case, during the ferry after STS-30.

More in the severe trivia department: in addition to the stop at DFW after STS-30, Atlantis (and SCA escort) also stopped at Grand County Airport in Longview, Texas, (Space Day festivities) during ferry from KSC back to Palmdale for an OMDP (Oct. 1992).

[ChrisGebhardt]

I do believe they only use Air Force bases now. Obviously this is for security reasons. 


And it was during Atlantis' STS-117 ferry flight that they diverted the SCA/Atlantis duo to different Air Force installations because of incliment weather in the Gulf Coast region. The weather diversions actually delayed Atlantis' return to KSC by a day or two.

[Chris Bergin]

Latest round up of L2 processing info/SSP Standup etc:

http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2008/12/supporting-endeavour-equipment-and-personnel-edwards/

[Colds7ream]

Out of interest, if an Orbiter were ever to land at a TAL site in Europe or Africa, what would be the plan for returning her to KSC? Would the SCA have the range to fly across the Atlantic Ocean, or would it have to go the long way round the planet, East all the way?

[Chris Bergin]

Out of interest, if an Orbiter were ever to land at a TAL site in Europe or Africa, what would be the plan for returning her to KSC? Would the SCA have the range to fly across the Atlantic Ocean, or would it have to go the long way round the planet, East all the way?

Might have to copy this across to Shuttle Q&A as I've always wondered about that too. You'll of seen the emergancy landing site document on L2 with all the contingency landing sites and you have to wonder if they could even land the SCA on some of the "sporty" runways (wide enough?) - so maybe they'd have to lift her on to a barge?

[bobthemonkey]

We did talk about thing in the Q&A thread some time ago. The SCA-OV stack couldn't do the atlantic unrefuelled. Original thread: http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=8687.0

There was an early proposal to refuel the SCA in flight. In a normal setup flying boom setup, as used by the USAF, the tanker is the top aircraft, which deploys its flying boom, which in turn slots into a recepticle on the reciever aircraft.


This gets a little bit difficult when the reciever is the SCA and has a Shuttle on top, epecially due to turbulence. The plan was to reverse the positions, with the tanker and reciever swapping places. The SCA would have a refuelling boom fitted in its tail (Boeing has done this to other 747's) which would then pump fuel uphill from the tanker below.

[leetdan]

I thought the SCA was used to bring Enterprise to the Paris Air Show way back when.  Is it the added mass of an operational orbiter that breaks the camel's back?

[bobthemonkey]

Mass has nothing to do with it. The killer is that the SCA is restricted to low altitudes to prevent feezing of the orbiters fluids and hence its range drops rapidly.

I'm not sure about the Paris trip, but if it was part of the same tour that took it to the UK, then the SCA went the long way around; up throught the UK then Iceland, Greenland, Canada and down the east coast of the USA. Is the same route you take if doing the trip in any range limited aircraft.

[voyager]

Some additional information..........

SCA and Pathfinder:
They have parking areas for the SCA and Pathfinder at Istres, Moron, and Zaragoza along with fuel, etc.

Ferry Flight:
Ferry operations are much more difficult particularly during certain adverse climatic conditions that can be expected in high northern latitudes during considerable portions of the year. An attempt will be made to avoid the northern route through Scotland, Iceland, Greenland, and Canada during certain winter months when extremes of weather and very short daylight periods occur.

Orbiter Weight Reduction:
The distance between possible refueling stops dictate that the Orbiter weight be reduced to 154,000 pounds for a return from locations in the Pacific. Reduction to 217,000 may be required for a ferry flight from Spain or France.
To reduce weight, removal of detachable portions of the Orbiter, including landing gear and main engines, may be required. Hypergolic deservicing may also be accomplished for weight reduction. The removal of the main engines would require a special piece of GSE, called the Hyster, which is extremely large and heavy and would have to be airlifted by C-5 or transported by surface ship.

Payload:
If within the range, structural, and performance capabilities of the SCA, the payload will remain installed. Smaller payload elements may be removed individually. The Space Cargo Transportation System (SCTS) which is transported by C-5 may be available from the Air Force for certain payloads

[bobthemonkey]

So the procedure is flyback whereever possible, rather than just loading the orbiter as is onto a barge or other vessel, prehaps in a sealed tent to limit saltwater corrosion.