STS-124 Processing Latest

[jacqmans]

Mission: STS-124 - 26th International Space Station Flight - Kibo
Pressurized Module, Japanese Remote Manipulator System
Vehicle: Discovery (OV-103)
Location: Orbiter Processing Facility Bay 3
Launch Date: Targeting April 24
Launch Pad: 39A
Crew: Kelly, Ham, Nyberg, Garan, Fossum, Hoshide, Chamitoff
Inclination/Orbit Altitude: 51.6 degrees/122 nautical miles

Orbiter Processing Facility Bay No. 3
- Two reinforced carbon-carbon panels have been installed for flight
and two more are in the process of being installed
- Ku-band antenna was deployed Wednesday
- Drag chute flight door installation completed Jan. 28

Vehicle Assembly Building High Bay No. 3
- Solid rocket booster stacking begins Feb. 4

[faustod]

What about ET-128?

[Chris Bergin]

faustod - 3/2/2008  10:16 AM

What about ET-128?

From L2:

"Final assembly through weekend and prep to move tank to test and checkout building on Monday."

[Chris Bergin]

STS-124 latest - including quotes from L2 documentation - contained in this article:
http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/content/?cid=5348

[psloss]

Looks like a shot of the left aft segment on the MLP in High Bay 3:

[ChrisGebhardt]

Wow. So all three MLPs are servicing shuttle stacks today. When's the last time that happened?

[psloss]

Trekkie07 - 6/2/2008  3:52 PM

Wow. So all three MLPs are servicing shuttle stacks today. When's the last time that happened?

Probably around the time that STS-112 launched.  (Similar to today at least in terms of a delay "bunching" the missions together.)

[psloss]

Aft center segment now being positioned following lift...

[Chris Bergin]

Discovery gains LON role for STS-122's mission.
http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/content/?cid=5350

[violin1238]

I would not be surpriesed if Discovery is flown in March instead of April. She was reported to be very clean after landing of STS-120.

[psloss]

violin1238 - 7/2/2008  4:53 PM

I would not be surpriesed if Discovery is flown in March instead of April. She was reported to be very clean after landing of STS-120.

Can't make it; as Chris's story notes, the LON date Discovery can support is around April 10.

[violin1238]

Does this also mean Discovery will become the STS-125 rescue vehicle?

[psloss]

violin1238 - 7/2/2008  5:09 PM

Does this also mean Discovery will become the STS-125 rescue vehicle?

No.  Any other changes to come out of this are TBD, to-be-determined.

[shuttlefan]

Any latest news on the problem found with Endeavour and how long rollover might be delayed, and so-on-so-forth?

[Chris Bergin]

shuttlefan - 8/2/2008  4:23 PM

Any latest news on the problem found with Endeavour and how long rollover might be delayed, and so-on-so-forth?

Wrong section. Noted that it's still an ongoing discussion (attempt to allow Endeavour to roll and be LON vehicle vs yesterday's swap the LON orbiter).

[Chris Bergin]

ET-128 is really struggling. This mission has zero chance of launching in April, I'm sorry to say.

Will report it fully, likely tomorrow after the PRCB/Standups today.

If the launch does get pushed back to May, which looks like it will, will the launch time move foward or backward?  The launch time moves about 23 minutes with each delay right?

[sts1canada]

Well there is a "shuttle docked to ISS" beta cutout between May 8 and May 24 which means that the shuttle cannot remained docked to the ISS during that time due to shuttle temperature constraints. So if the launch of STS-124 is delayed into May, it probably won't be able to launch until May 25th at the earliest (this date is subject to change), the launch time estimate for that date is around 8 PM EDT. The launch time moves earlier 23 - 25 minutes every day the launch date is slipped.

Richard

[Lee Jay]

I'm still wondering if not having ET-128 for STS-124 available at KSC, or at least completed at MAF, could be a constraint to launching STS-123 due to required LON support, especially if the completion date is unknown.  Does someone know the LON LCC regarding tank availability?

[psloss]

Lee Jay - 14/2/2008  6:41 PM

I'm still wondering if not having ET-128 for STS-124 available at KSC, or at least completed at MAF, could be a constraint to launching STS-123 due to required LON support, especially if the completion date is unknown.  Does someone know the LON LCC regarding tank availability?

The CSCS estimates will be another one of the factors.  But the impacts are probably not going to be a focus until after the current mission is completed.