LIVE: STS-120 Flight Day 2 - Inspection Day

[Joffan]

Felix - 24/10/2007  7:42 AM

JimO - 24/10/2007  2:58 PM  Can anybody run a quick where-were-they-then? on ISS and Discovery at the time of the Chinese moon probe launch from Xichang, 10:05 GMT this morning? Any chance the crews might have had a chance to see anything?

Nice map Felix... are the regions marked, around STS120 and ISS, the horizon from each? If so, it looks like the ISS could have a viewline to the lauch and the orbiter might have been able to glimpse the LV halfway through ascent; depending on whether the exhaust plume is bright enough to be spotted from such a distance.

[Felix]

Mission Status Briefing

"Everything is going extremely well"

[Chris Bergin]

Chris Bergin - 24/10/2007  4:04 PM

As per L2: They'll likely show the gap filler. The debris strike about 150 seconds into ascent. ET photography (tank looks reasonably clean, bar one area of big interest). The ice that did fall off at SSME ignition. Off Scale High SSME 1 during ascent (3 mins in) came back later, SSME was fine throughout. Same with an MPS sensor.

Not sure they'll say anything about the plume seen during first stage that appears to be venting from the tank (but likely isn't), and could be nothing, thus won't be mentioned.

I think that's everything on current status.

Bit of a round up:
http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/content/?cid=5263

[ApolloLee]

DaveS - 24/10/2007  6:01 AM

Weird black dot in lower center of images. Edit: Seems like it is a speck of dust on the LDRI lens.

I'm ready for the Ivins question during the press conference on whether the speck of dust on the lens threatens the safety of the astronauts and whether they will need an emergency spacewalk to remove it.....

[Launch Fan]

Chris Bergin - 24/10/2007  10:04 AM

MSB in 30 minutes.

As per L2: They'll likely show the gap filler. The debris strike about 150 seconds into ascent. ET photography (tank looks reasonably clean, bar one area of big interest). The ice that did fall off at SSME ignition. Off Scale High SSME 1 during ascent (3 mins in) came back later, SSME was fine throughout. Same with an MPS sensor.

Not sure they'll say anything about the plume seen during first stage that appears to be venting from the tank (but likely isn't), and could be nothing, thus won't be mentioned.

I think that's everything on current status.

Or maybe they won't!  

[Paul Adams]

Thanks R Dale. It's been very intersting being at Ellington again after a couple of years. The Super-Guppy is here and several T38's have come and gone. On appraoch into the field (we fly a course staying clear of the approaches) I flew slowly over the actual space center and noted a lifting body and several mock-up sections of a shuttle payload bay stored in the open outside. I will post photos in a different thread later.

Paul

[Felix]

Joffan - 24/10/2007  5:22 PM

are the regions marked, around STS120 and ISS, the horizon from each?

Yes...and the marks on the tracks are the predicted positions (in minutes)

 

 

[Chris Bergin]

Launch Fan - 24/10/2007  4:43 PM

Or maybe they won't!  

He did kinda mention that debris strike, but like I've written, it was well after SRB sep, so it wouldn't have the dangerous velocity (no air).

[Felix]

[Felix]

[Felix]

[Felix]

Clay Anderson

[triddirt]

Aww... Missed the end of the Worm Update from ISS...      

[Rob in KC]

Whoa, what happened with NASA TV then. Went all freaky with green and blue flashing lines!

[Chris Bergin]

Rob in KC - 24/10/2007  5:24 PM

Whoa, what happened with NASA TV then. Went all freaky with green and blue flashing lines!

Not sure! I thought I had a Commodore 64 waiting to load. Almost went looking for shift+run stop (Showing my age there!).

Not sure if it was anything to do with the earlier OCA Troubleshooting.

[Chris Bergin]

Discovery 1,400 miles behind the ISS.

[Zachstar]

Fixture on the side of the payload bay.

[Zachstar]

OBSS being moved into position.

[Zachstar]

Berthing.

[Zachstar]

Y error they are gonna get it out and try again.