Author Topic: Last minute NASA shuttle news telecon  (Read 8051 times)

Offline kcowing

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Last minute NASA shuttle news telecon
« on: 12/15/2005 02:56 pm »
Last minute NASA shuttle news telecon was just announced - with Associate Administrator for Space Operations Bill Gerstenmaier from JSC. Audio of the teleconference will be carried live at www.nasa.gov/newsaudio - starts at 3pm EST

Offline STS Tony

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RE: Last minute NASA shuttle news telecon
« Reply #1 on: 12/15/2005 03:12 pm »
Thanks. Any idea what it could be about?

Offline Chris Bergin

RE: Last minute NASA shuttle news telecon
« Reply #2 on: 12/15/2005 03:16 pm »
External Tanks - that's my guess given it's Gerstenmaier. Thanks for the heads up, Keith.
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Offline kcowing

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RE: Last minute NASA shuttle news telecon
« Reply #3 on: 12/15/2005 03:20 pm »
Quote
STS Tony - 15/12/2005  10:12 AM

Thanks. Any idea what it could be about?

From PAO "Sorry for the late notice, but a lot of you have been calling the past couple of days looking for updates on the Space Shuttle Program for year-ender pieces and so on and today (December 15) is pretty much the last day we could do this before the holidays."

Offline UK Shuttle Clan

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RE: Last minute NASA shuttle news telecon
« Reply #4 on: 12/15/2005 03:20 pm »
He was the guy in charge of the foam loss and the PAL ramp, wasn't he!

Offline Chris Bergin

RE: Last minute NASA shuttle news telecon
« Reply #5 on: 12/15/2005 03:26 pm »
Quote
kcowing - 15/12/2005  4:20 PM

Quote
STS Tony - 15/12/2005  10:12 AM

Thanks. Any idea what it could be about?

From PAO "Sorry for the late notice, but a lot of you have been calling the past couple of days looking for updates on the Space Shuttle Program for year-ender pieces and so on and today (December 15) is pretty much the last day we could do this before the holidays."

That'll do me. 02 leak update, PAL Ramp update, Gap Filler update. Super.

8pm UK - for those on this side of the pond.
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Offline Mark Max Q

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RE: Last minute NASA shuttle news telecon
« Reply #6 on: 12/15/2005 04:45 pm »
Updates are good :)

Offline Super George

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RE: Last minute NASA shuttle news telecon
« Reply #7 on: 12/15/2005 05:02 pm »
Anyone care to hasten an educated view on if it would be ok to remove the PAL Ramp and fly before all the tests are completed in the wind tunnel?

Offline Flightstar

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RE: Last minute NASA shuttle news telecon
« Reply #8 on: 12/15/2005 05:10 pm »
Quote
Super George - 15/12/2005  12:02 PM

Anyone care to hasten an educated view on if it would be ok to remove the PAL Ramp and fly before all the tests are completed in the wind tunnel?

I'm not an ET guy, but the way it's being looked at is on the basis of better computing power to simulate aerodynamic forces on the ramp during ascent. That wasn't available at the time the decision was taken that the wires and pressure lines required the ramp to protect them from such forces.

Now that they've ran the simulations on the more advanced computer models, it appears we're fine without them. Of course, people like data, so they'll still do the other stages of testing, but the confidence is there to go ahead with 121 without the ramp on ET-119.

Offline Chris Bergin

RE: Last minute NASA shuttle news telecon
« Reply #9 on: 12/15/2005 07:23 pm »
The audio feed is nearly up to SpaceX standards ;)

Anyone else having little luck with it?
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Offline Chris Bergin

RE: Last minute NASA shuttle news telecon
« Reply #10 on: 12/15/2005 07:28 pm »
Ah, that's better.

"We understand the foam loss in the other areas (non PAL ramp), such as the bi-pod area."

Looks like they are indeed getting rid of the PAL ramp (missed the start with the crappy audio feed) but Bill just intimated.
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Offline Chris Bergin

RE: Last minute NASA shuttle news telecon
« Reply #11 on: 12/15/2005 07:31 pm »
On the retirement of Atlantis:

"It's all embargoed (Budget info)" - Oh well!

Ice Frost ramp needs looking at (paraphrase of Bill) - May looks doubtful (intimated by Harwood).
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Offline Chris Bergin

RE: Last minute NASA shuttle news telecon
« Reply #12 on: 12/15/2005 07:32 pm »
However,

"May is still very viable," Bill.
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Offline Chris Bergin

RE: Last minute NASA shuttle news telecon
« Reply #13 on: 12/15/2005 07:34 pm »
"We looking at a 19 flight - at four flights a year - we have some margin. We need to get this right (foam) so it doesn't affect us down the road - so we can get into a repeatable flight sequence." - Bill.
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Offline Chris Bergin

RE: Last minute NASA shuttle news telecon
« Reply #14 on: 12/15/2005 07:38 pm »
"We will not fly the PAL ramp" - Bill.

Looks like they can't start naming launch dates till Feb.
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Offline Chris Bergin

RE: Last minute NASA shuttle news telecon
« Reply #15 on: 12/15/2005 07:41 pm »
"We do not have an open budget on this (ET) activity" - Bill.

Bill likes saying "Complete the ISS" a lot.
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Offline Chris Bergin

RE: Last minute NASA shuttle news telecon
« Reply #16 on: 12/15/2005 07:48 pm »
"ET-118 looks to be the favourite to fly with Atlantis in the support STS-300" - Bill
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Offline Chris Bergin

RE: Last minute NASA shuttle news telecon
« Reply #17 on: 12/15/2005 07:52 pm »
ET-119 already has next to no PAL ramp (only one inch slice of foam left, which will be smoothed down).
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Offline Chris Bergin

RE: Last minute NASA shuttle news telecon
« Reply #18 on: 12/15/2005 07:54 pm »
Two or three weeks of wind tunnel testing in Feb. One or two weeks to confirm results.
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Offline Chris Bergin

RE: Last minute NASA shuttle news telecon
« Reply #19 on: 12/15/2005 07:58 pm »
"This has been a great 2004 for the Shuttle and Station. It was so important that we flew STS-114 and everything worked great. It showed me the teams are ready to get back to assembly (of the ISS). "

And then Bill went off on speech about how great everyone and everything is :)
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Offline Mark Max Q

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RE: Last minute NASA shuttle news telecon
« Reply #20 on: 12/15/2005 09:01 pm »
Nothing about the 02 problem?

Offline Chris Bergin

RE: Last minute NASA shuttle news telecon
« Reply #21 on: 12/15/2005 09:55 pm »
Quote
Mark Max Q - 15/12/2005  10:01 PM

Nothing about the 02 problem?

Nothing that I heard.
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Offline psloss

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RE: Last minute NASA shuttle news telecon
« Reply #22 on: 12/15/2005 10:09 pm »
Thanks for the updates, Chris...while waiting for a transcript from NASA, was there any information on the shipping schedules for ET-119 and 118 from MAF to KSC?  I didn't think there was enough time in the schedule to wait until after the testing was complete, ship 119 and still make May...

Offline psloss

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RE: Last minute NASA shuttle news telecon
« Reply #23 on: 12/15/2005 10:21 pm »

Offline DaveS

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RE: Last minute NASA shuttle news telecon
« Reply #24 on: 12/15/2005 10:48 pm »
Well, the last paragraph of that article explains why STS-115/300 will use ET-118 instead of ET-120. It has cracks that extend all the way down to the Al-Li skin of it!
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Offline Chris Bergin

RE: Last minute NASA shuttle news telecon
« Reply #25 on: 12/15/2005 11:33 pm »
Given the title of this thread, I'm moving this to a specific thread here http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=1040&posts=1

Working on the dates, Philip.
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