-
#260 by Chris Bergin on 18 Jul, 2011 12:04
-
Half lap flyaround.
-
#261 by Chris Bergin on 18 Jul, 2011 12:26
-
Robert on ISS visuals at flyaround.
Mr Alibaruho: Should get good photos from Station, from Nadir SM windows. Possibly the lab window, but that may be closed. ISS will be in a position never carried out before for flyaround.
Claire on how cramped is it on Atlantis?
A) Only four crew, so it's better than six or seven crew.
Others...
Mr Alibaruho notes they'll be looking for MMOD and compare over the years via the photos. Off axis of the main body will help overall evaluations of ISS health.
Could have done a full lap, but half lap is because of the timeline with the ISS yaw manueuver. Saving time.
Emotions: Intense pride and sometimes being a bit freaked out by the finality of the program. Feels more intense today than FD3. Will be very powerful tomorrow.
Personally a great sense of honor and pride for being a Shuttle FD. Very humbled. Proud of the team. When I remember it's my last shift coming I get freaked out and that sinking feeling before returning to being a steely eyed missile man.
Will be evaluating career opportunites after closing out this mission.
How many people are facing layoffs?
Mr Alibaruho: Some people have found roles with ISS. Some are moving outside. Better than three weeks ago. Still quite a number of them facing layoffs.
Mr Alibaruho notes cryo is 12-13 hours margin. All GPCs are in nominal condition. GPC-4 is being classed as a hardware failure. So no critical flight strings will be used on that computer.
Weather. TS being watched. Too early to know for the Cape. Prelim is favorable. Won't know for sure until game day.
Flyaround: Shuttle does what always happens for flyaround. ISS carries out a 90 degree Yaw via Russian G&N computers in tandem with US computers. Russian G&N computers will command the Russian SM thrusters.
Over.
-
#262 by racshot65 on 18 Jul, 2011 12:27
-
[ Got in late missed start ]
Ahead:
Finish middeck transfers
Egress the ISS, close the hatch say farewells
Checkout RNDZ tools
Tomorrow
Power up the computers needed for undocking
Manoeuvre ISS stack to undocking attitude
Undock
Half lap flyaround
Separate and conduct LI
Set up for picosat payload deploy
Questions
Q: What visuals should we expect the station to have of the shuttle tomorrow?
A: The station will have good line of sight to the shuttle as it flys around from the Copula. Should get good photography from the station of the shuttle as it passes underneath. Shuttle should take some interesting views of the ISS.
Q: How cramped is it on the flight deck?
A: With no crew on the middeck the amount of space for the crew is better than normal
Q: Anything specific your looking for in the photos ?
A: No particular expectations, looking for MMOD strikes. We compare photographs of the same area from different times.
Q: You couldn’t d do a complete lap?
A: We could, but we do half due to timeline constraints, the yaw manevour increases the time needed for the flyaround
Q: Thoughts on your last shift coming up
A: we experience vacillations between intense pride and being freaked out the finality of our service and the program hits you with greater force the closer you get to the end. The emotions feel more intense today than on FD2/ 3. I’m going to observe landing from MCC.
Q: Will the resolution of the images be the same?
A: Resolution is the same but were getting a different angle
Q: What will you do next?
A: I’m open to all opportunities I’ll be looking at post flight reviews after this mission
Q: How many people on your team are facing layoffs
A: Don’t have exact number a few more members have found new positions in the ISS program or others. A few have found employment outside, my team is better now than 3 weeks ago. A significant number are facing layoffs.
Q: FD 12 still the busiest?
A: Undocking will be busy, FD 13 will be busy, will be challenging to get through with a reduced crew still need to do the same number of activities with a smaller crew
Q: Cryo Margins and computers?
A: 12 – 14 hours above 12+0+2 will come in useful if theres bad weather for landing, this could let us extend the mission half a day if we had to. All computers are in nominal configuration. GPC 4 restart was successful its doing system management functions. GPC 2 is now asleep in GNC mode. Will bring up GPC 2 and 3 for undocking with GPC 1 to fly the ship. GPC 4 can’t control flight critical systems due to experiencing a transient failure.
Q: Weather for landing?
A: Tropical storm near Florida is being watched, its too early to know what the weather will do, preliminary indications are it will be favourable.
Q: What will manevour for the fly around?
A: Shuttle will do what it always does. Undock along v bar, back out to 600ft and the pilot will execute a flyaround, sweeping through a 600ft radius arc. When the shuttle is at 600ft the station will yaw 90 degrees. This will be executed by Russian GNC computers. Once the shuttle separates the computers will bring the station back to its normal orientation.
-
#263 by MATTBLAK on 18 Jul, 2011 12:29
-
'Big ULA announcement'?
-
#264 by psloss on 18 Jul, 2011 12:45
-
Landing ground tracks hopefully available tonight.
-
#265 by Rocket Science on 18 Jul, 2011 12:50
-
#266 by robertross on 18 Jul, 2011 12:57
-
Thanks Chris & Aaron for the coverage.
-
#267 by racshot65 on 18 Jul, 2011 13:08
-
Passing over Africa, crews preparing for the fairwell ceremony
-
#268 by racshot65 on 18 Jul, 2011 13:13
-
-
#269 by DwightM on 18 Jul, 2011 13:13
-
The final transfer briefing will be after the fairwell ceremony but before hatch closure.
-
#270 by lcs on 18 Jul, 2011 13:30
-
I hope someone onboard is taping this.
-
#271 by racshot65 on 18 Jul, 2011 13:31
-
We couldn't bring a big monument but we brought the best monument we could find its a space shuttle model signed by the modern day titans of the SSP John Shannon, LeRoy Cain, Mike Leinbach, Kwatsi Alibaruho and Chris Edelen
Its going to be kept next to the shuttle parking spot
The flag from STS 1 is going to stored by the node 2 forward hatch and be returned by an American astronaut launching on an American vehicle in the future
-
#272 by Hog on 18 Jul, 2011 13:32
-
I hope someone onboard is taping this.
Me too. I got no video. Boo. -
#273 by MadameConcorde on 18 Jul, 2011 13:34
-
What we are hearing now by the Astronauts live from the Space Station is so sad. So much history of Space Shuttle flights visiting the Space Station.
:-(
...
Flag put on the hatch station-side will be flown back to Earth by the first astronauts to come back on a US vehicle to the International Space Station hopefully in a few years. -
#274 by racshot65 on 18 Jul, 2011 13:36
-
The flag will fly again on NASA's HLV and leave earth
-
#275 by DwightM on 18 Jul, 2011 13:37
-
We couldn't bring a big monument but we brought the best monument we could find its a space shuttle model signed by the modern day titans of the SSP John Shannon, LeRoy Cain, Mike Leinbach and the lead FD.
Also signed by Kwatsi Alibaruho and Chris Edelen. -
#276 by racshot65 on 18 Jul, 2011 13:38
-
Thanks the ISS commander for the hospitality
"You have a fantastic home and your taking great care of it"
ISS commander wishes them a good landing
The mission was unique due to having a smaller crew and it forced us all to work as a tight team, we had a lot of help from our station counterparts.
-
#277 by psloss on 18 Jul, 2011 13:39
-
Timing didn't work out for full live Ku, but we'll get full and HD replays when time permits.
-
#278 by racshot65 on 18 Jul, 2011 13:39
-
We couldn't bring a big monument but we brought the best monument we could find its a space shuttle model signed by the modern day titans of the SSP John Shannon, LeRoy Cain, Mike Leinbach and the lead FD.
Also signed by Kwatsi Alibaruho and Chris Edelen.
Thanks, fixed
-
#279 by racshot65 on 18 Jul, 2011 13:40
-
Thanks Sandy for being amazing, they tried to trade Mike for her
