When is it expected to get a final announcement on if STS-135 will fly or not?
There is no real set date that I am aware of, it really hinges on when Congress can agree on things and give the final nod before they end the session.
When is it expected to get a final announcement on if STS-135 will fly or not?
There is no real set date that I am aware of, it really hinges on when Congress can agree on things and give the final nod before they end the session.
Can't remember where I read it, but saw a recent interview with Bill Gerstenmier that stated that the Agency hoped to decided by January 2011 whether or not to fly Atlantis on STS-135.
So when is this expect to happen from the congress side ? Clearly at some point of the time, they will have to say yes or no. And has NASA request them to do so before the so called January 2011 deadline.
There is no real set date that I am aware of, it really hinges on when Congress can agree on things and give the final nod before they end the session.
So when is this expect to happen from the congress side ? Clearly at some point of the time, they will have to say yes or no. And has NASA request them to do so before the so called January 2011 deadline.
There is no real set date that I am aware of, it really hinges on when Congress can agree on things and give the final nod before they end the session.
According to the local news tonight here in Orlando, Congress has reached an impass on NASA's budget that is unlikely to be resolved before Congress recesses in two weeks. Exactly what this means is still unclear.
Thank you Chris
. I thought they already had a recess until September. Sadly, seems like it is dragging. Not to mention that the final approval has to come from president Obama. Seems like that the whole process will take a long time which could severely impact the chances of STS-135 flying.
So when is this expect to happen from the congress side ? Clearly at some point of the time, they will have to say yes or no. And has NASA request them to do so before the so called January 2011 deadline.
There is no real set date that I am aware of, it really hinges on when Congress can agree on things and give the final nod before they end the session.
According to the local news tonight here in Orlando, Congress has reached an impass on NASA's budget that is unlikely to be resolved before Congress recesses in two weeks. Exactly what this means is still unclear.
Thank you Chris . I thought they already had a recess until September. Sadly, seems like it is dragging. Not to mention that the final approval has to come from president Obama. Seems like that the whole process will take a long time which could severely impact the chances of STS-135 flying.
Congress is dragging its feet on the issue and I fear Obama will veto the bill that would approve STS-135 for no other reason than the fact it wasn't his plan. He will probably prove to be the biggest obstacle here.
(The situation has changed again since then, at least from the public perspective.)
That additional Shuttle mission (STS-134) was authorized in October, 2008. (In part due to support from both Presidential nominees.) That's where the authorization to proceed with the work on ET-122 came from.
I know, but STS-134 doesn't really score a tally in Obama's promises column. That was done while Bush was still in office. STS-135 is the one people think of when they listen to Obama's speech from August 2008. The differences between his promises and his actual plan are making people wonder just what he'll do when it comes to signing a bill that authorizes a plan that isn't his.
But my point is this - Why did he promise an extra shuttle mission when it was already in the works by the previous administration? We all knew that people in Congress were working to add STS-134. Obama had nothing to do with that. Many people I've spoken to believed that he was saying he'd add another mission beyond STS-134, in which case, was not true, as his plan said nothing about another flight.
Both candidates supported the Shuttle mission to deliver AMS because Dr. Griffin had testified to Congress that there wasn't sufficient funding to do so. Adding another flight beyond ULF-5 also greatly increased the risk that the last Shuttle flight might not be completed by the end of FY 2010 deadline.
There was no flight beyond ULF-5, so anything beyond that would have qualified as an extension -- something that Dr. Griffin reluctantly directed be studied in the fall of 2008, also in response to support for that from both candidates.
If people interpreted McCain and Obama's policy papers as referring to something beyond the AMS flight, then they were forgetting or ignoring Dr. Griffin's administration of policy at the time, which was to complete Shuttle flights by the end of FY 2010.
Both candidates supported the Shuttle mission to deliver AMS because Dr. Griffin had testified to Congress that there wasn't sufficient funding to do so. Adding another flight beyond ULF-5 also greatly increased the risk that the last Shuttle flight might not be completed by the end of FY 2010 deadline.
There was no flight beyond ULF-5, so anything beyond that would have qualified as an extension -- something that Dr. Griffin reluctantly directed be studied in the fall of 2008, also in response to support for that from both candidates.
If people interpreted McCain and Obama's policy papers as referring to something beyond the AMS flight, then they were forgetting or ignoring Dr. Griffin's administration of policy at the time, which was to complete Shuttle flights by the end of FY 2010.
I'm not talking about what Obama did as a candidate. I'm talking about what he promised to do if he were elected. One of those promises was adding an additional shuttle flight. Yes, it goes against Griffin. Yes, it would have required more money. But both of those can be done, as we've seen with STS-134. However, Obama was not responsible for STS-134. That was authorized before he took office.
I'm not talking about what Obama did as a candidate. I'm talking about what he promised to do if he were elected. One of those promises was adding an additional shuttle flight. Yes, it goes against Griffin. Yes, it would have required more money. But both of those can be done, as we've seen with STS-134. However, Obama was not responsible for STS-134. That was authorized before he took office.
In other words, the promise on the AMS flight that both Obama and McCain made was fulfilled
before the election. Pressure from both of them was a key to getting HR 6063 enacted.
Why would either of them be on the hook for another flight beyond AMS? The only context that flights beyond AMS was discussed was with respect to a possible Shuttle extension -- something that pressure from both candidates got Dr. Griffin to reluctantly study in late August 2008 -- again before either of them took office and had the official power to do so.
In other words, the promise on the AMS flight that both Obama and McCain made was fulfilled before the election. Pressure from both of them was a key to getting HR 6063 enacted.
Why would either of them be on the hook for another flight beyond AMS? The only context that flights beyond AMS was discussed was with respect to a possible Shuttle extension -- something that pressure from both candidates got Dr. Griffin to reluctantly study in late August 2008 -- again before either of them took office and had the official power to do so.
His exact words on August 2, 2008 (not 22nd like I thought, sorry) were "We're going to work with Bill Nelson to add at least one more flight beyond 2010." STS-134 was already in the works FOR 2010. That's why many people believed he was going to add one beyond STS-134. It's also why many called bs when he announced his plans for FY2011, as his plan did not include the additional shuttle flight.
NASA Engineering and Safety Center Technical Assessment Report:
Assessment of NASA’s Approach to STS-135 with Soyuz Crew Rescue
September 13, 2010
http://www.nasa.gov/pdf/482702main_NESC-RP-10-00640%20Assessment%20of%20the%20%20SSP%20Approach%20to%20STS-135%20with%20Soyuz%20Crew%20Rescue%20(9-13-10%20NRB)%20FINAL%20REPORT.pdf
Thank you for that link, that's really great reading.
I had never considered that STS-135 crewmembers would have to meet anthropometric requirements for the Soyuz.
There are many benefits of using long-duration crewmembers on 135, it seems - they have Russian skills, Soyuz skills, ISS exercise equipment skills, and general skills for living in space for extended periods. Plus, they would already have Sokol suits.
Given these facts, I'm surprised they didn't select two long-duration MSs, instead of just one (Sandy).
Interesting how the new Soyuz 700 series can be launched with just one crewmember.
I had another thought recently: Assume that CSCS is declared, what would happen to the MPLM? Would it be put back in the PLB and undocked with the Orbiter? Or would they leave it on ISS for the duration of CSCS as a storage room/living area for the 135 crew?
STS-134 was already in the works FOR 2010.
Not at that time; STS-134 didn't appear on FAWG manifests until later in August. At that time, it was only a LON for the last flight; AMS wasn't associated with STS-134 until after Congress authorized the flight.
But it's past obvious that we're going to have to agree to disagree on this.
. I thought they already had a recess until September. Sadly, seems like it is dragging. Not to mention that the final approval has to come from president Obama. Seems like that the whole process will take a long time which could severely impact the chances of STS-135 flying.