Author Topic: Re: STS-120 Rollout and Pad Processing Latest (Read 134438 times)

ckiki lwai · « **Reply #280 on:** 10/10/2007 08:43 pm »

Why didn't they discover this problem 2 weeks earlier?

nathan.moeller · « **Reply #281 on:** 10/10/2007 08:47 pm »

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DaveS - 10/10/2007 2:37 PM

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Bejowawo - 10/10/2007 9:31 PM
In case of a delay with STS-120, wouldn't it be possible to launch STS-122 before and temporarily attach the Columbus module somewhere on the station (if there is any room with free berthing mechanisms)?
No. The there isn't any place to temp install Node 2. Remember, an orbiter can only dock at PMA-2 where currently resides on Harmony's permanent location(Lab FWD).

Dave is right. If Columbus is berthed to Node 1, there is no place for Harmony to go once it arrives. The Nadir port on Node 1 is occupied by PMA-3. I guess if you wanted to rework the entire flight plan for both missions, it could be done with a lot of crazy robotic operations on STS-120 (assuming it followed STS-122). But that would take months to rework the plans and retrain the shuttle and station crews, at which point the point will have been lost, as Discovery will already be set again to go fly STS-120 long before things are redone.

psloss · « **Reply #282 on:** 10/10/2007 09:04 pm »

The details are all on L2, but Bill Harwood posted a good overview of the RCC concerns:
http://www.cbsnews.com/network/news/space/current.html

"SR-09 (10/10/07): Shuttle flight readiness review; wing leading edge coating assessed"

redgryphon · « **Reply #283 on:** 10/10/2007 09:06 pm »

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Chris Bergin - 10/10/2007 4:16 PM
It's a really tough call and all the people I know, who are in the know, say this is 50/50 on rollback.

Are you expecting the call to be made today, Chris?

Chandonn · « **Reply #284 on:** 10/10/2007 10:00 pm »

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psloss - 10/10/2007 5:04 PM

The details are all on L2, but Bill Harwood posted a good overview of the RCC concerns:
http://www.cbsnews.com/network/news/space/current.html

"SR-09 (10/10/07): Shuttle flight readiness review; wing leading edge coating assessed"

That makes it sound more like a maintenance issue after flight. According to the article, it seems the degradation has been the same for the last few flights with nothing expected to change on this flight. I expect they'll go ahead with the flight and perhaps replace the panels after landing. If the article is correct (and I see no reason to question it, based on Harwood's previous articles) it sounds to me like the issue is being overblown, like the tile gouge on STS-118.

EDIT: I really need to check these things for typos before I hit the "submit" button...

Andy L · « **Reply #285 on:** 10/10/2007 10:30 pm »

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psloss - 10/10/2007 4:04 PM

The details are all on L2, but Bill Harwood posted a good overview of the RCC concerns:
http://www.cbsnews.com/network/news/space/current.html

"SR-09 (10/10/07): Shuttle flight readiness review; wing leading edge coating assessed"

Thought this article had more detail, http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/content/?cid=5249 and that was yesterday.

psloss · « **Reply #286 on:** 10/10/2007 10:41 pm »

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Andy L - 10/10/2007 6:30 PM

Thought this article had more detail, http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/content/?cid=5249 and that was yesterday.

That's Chris' article, and it came first; however, Harwood's post provides a different point of view and that has some value -- not that I would jump to any conclusions based on either story. (If anything, I just have a bunch of questions.)

Ford Mustang · « **Reply #287 on:** 10/10/2007 10:53 pm »

More pictures of activities during today's second part of the TCDT now on the KSC Hot Pics gallery:

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

Chris Bergin · « **Reply #288 on:** 10/10/2007 11:40 pm »

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redgryphon - 10/10/2007 10:06 PM

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Chris Bergin - 10/10/2007 4:16 PM
It's a really tough call and all the people I know, who are in the know, say this is 50/50 on rollback.
Are you expecting the call to be made today, Chris?

No. we're hearing next week, with the full Agency FRR.

Chandonn · « **Reply #289 on:** 10/11/2007 12:37 am »

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psloss - 10/10/2007 6:41 PM

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Andy L - 10/10/2007 6:30 PM

Thought this article had more detail, http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/content/?cid=5249 and that was yesterday.
That's Chris' article, and it came first; however, Harwood's post provides a different point of view and that has some value -- not that I would jump to any conclusions based on either story. (If anything, I just have a bunch of questions.)

Quite honestly, both articles lead me to believe this isn't a serious enough issue to call for a rollback. This is not a deteriorating situation: rather, it is a phenomenon that is occurring, yet has not gotten worse over the last few flights of Discovery. Looks more like a post-flight maintenance issue, as I stated before.

psloss · « **Reply #290 on:** 10/11/2007 01:00 am »

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Chandonn - 10/10/2007 8:37 PM

Quite honestly, both articles lead me to believe this isn't a serious enough issue to call for a rollback.

"To each his own," but my experience has been that "handicapping" decisions like this from the outside without much to go on is a fruitless exercise.

BTW, Bill Harwood has updated his earlier post with some additional information and history:
"SR-10 (10/10/07): Shuttle leading edge problem resolution deferred to management review next week"
http://www.cbsnews.com/network/news/space/current.html

Excerpt:

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Going into Discovery's launch campaign, the leading theory for the cause of the degradation was a slow process of oxidation. Using a technique known as thermography, engineers showed that the areas of concern were stable and had not worsened over the two most recent flights. Based on that, along with past experience with the panels and other test data, the orbiter project and wing leading edge subsystem engineers concluded in August that Discovery could safely be launched as is. The groups repeated that recommendation today.

shuttlefan · « **Reply #291 on:** 10/11/2007 01:10 am »

Are they planning on retracting the RSS tonight for the APU hotfire tomorrow?

Launch Fan · « **Reply #292 on:** 10/11/2007 01:23 am »

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psloss - 10/10/2007 8:00 PM

BTW, Bill Harwood has updated his earlier post with some additional information and history:
"SR-10 (10/10/07): Shuttle leading edge problem resolution deferred to management review next week"

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Chris Bergin - 10/10/2007 6:40 PM

....we're hearing next week, with the full Agency FRR.

Chandonn · « **Reply #293 on:** 10/11/2007 02:02 am »

According to the ISS/Shuttle Manifest Calendar on Bill Harwood's site ( http://www.cbsnews.com/network/news/space/spacesked.html ) the payload bay doors were to be closed (presumably for flight) today. I was wondering if this has occurred?

Pete at Edwards · « **Reply #294 on:** 10/11/2007 02:23 am »

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Davie OPF - 10/10/2007 7:53 AM

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Chris Bergin - 9/10/2007 4:40 PM

A round up of where things stand.

http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/content/?cid=5249

Will expand with some processing info, but that's obviously the lead part of the news.

This is a big time showstopper if NESC get their way

That's turned out to be another big time exclusive for this site. Everyone's running with the news now, a day later, including the infamous Marcia Dunn.
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/sns-ap-space-shuttle,0,5081782.story

Nickers · « **Reply #295 on:** 10/11/2007 06:13 am »

Found this late on Wednesday

Wayne Hale will recommend to his NASA bosses that Discovery go ahead with its planned October 23 liftoff to haul a key connection node to the International Space Station so additional science laboratories can be joined to the complex, Kennedy Space Center spokesman Allard Beutel said

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20071011/sc_nm/space_shuttle_dc_2;_ylt=AmXmsK6681LrNlsi7ZJe_V2zvtEF

Ford Mustang · « **Reply #296 on:** 10/11/2007 12:23 pm »

Still have to wait for a final decision, last minute evidence and whatnot..

Flightstar · « **Reply #297 on:** 10/11/2007 12:40 pm »

You can be sure that the first status update will be here, well on L2, which is live, but I'm sure Chris will write up status and get it out a day or so before anywhere else, like on this orginal story. All depends on next week's FRR now.

DaveS · « **Reply #298 on:** 10/11/2007 12:43 pm »

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Flightstar - 11/10/2007 2:40 PM

You can be sure that the first status update will be here, well on L2, which is live, but I'm sure Chris will write up status and get it out a day or so before anywhere else, like on this orginal story. All depends on next week's FRR now.

Meanwhile the RSS is being rolled away from Discovery for today's short APU hotfire test:

Chris Bergin · « **Reply #299 on:** 10/11/2007 12:46 pm »

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Nickers - 11/10/2007 7:13 AM

Found this late on Wednesday

Wayne Hale will recommend to his NASA bosses that Discovery go ahead with its planned October 23

Wrote a few days ago in my article.

"However, given the data appears to point to worst case scenarios, and that flight experience has seen such issues before, shuttle managers may decide that the risk is no greater than they've previously flown with, allowing the launch to proceed on track.

"This would appear to be good rationale, as NESC are noting that once the suspect panels have been removed, a variety of tests would be required to back up their claims, and even then the results may not provide conclusive data to justify a decrease in risk - by their own admission."

Now that's documentation on the second para (as opposed to paraphrased PAO).

Still, it all depends on the next, final, FRR.