Author Topic: LIVE: STS-116 - Flight Day 12 - Late Inspections (Read 39632 times)

Chris Bergin · « **Reply #100 on:** 12/21/2006 12:37 am »

Article for the day, on White Sands and threw a load of L2 info into it:

http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/content/?cid=4966

A big thanks to the reporters on the briefing, as they are asking some good questions, which always equates to good quote stock.

nathan.moeller · « **Reply #101 on:** 12/21/2006 12:38 am »

Yet another great article up from Chris!

http://nasaspaceflight.com/content/?cid=4966

We just might see a WSSH landing guys!

EDIT: Got beat by the head man himself. D'oh!

psloss · « **Reply #102 on:** 12/21/2006 12:59 am »

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Chris Bergin - 20/12/2006 8:20 PM

Article for the day, on White Sands and threw a load of L2 info into it:

http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/content/?cid=4966

A big thanks to the reporters on the briefing, as they are asking some good questions, which always equates to good quote stock.

Thanks, Chris...this just made me wonder about what, if anything, would be done differently at White Sands for Thomas Reiter than would be done at KSC or Edwards. He has to be able to do an emergency egress, but I don't suppose they have a people mover at White Sands.

Chris Bergin · « **Reply #103 on:** 12/21/2006 01:02 am »

Good point! Also, didn't Jeff Williams say yesterday that he's promised Thomas to be at the landing site to help him egress?

Can't imagine what it'll be like for him after six months in micro G.

psloss · « **Reply #104 on:** 12/21/2006 01:10 am »

The landing forecast isn't changing much (at least not yet)...if it looks like this during FCS checkout (I believe the entry team will get a weather briefing while they're on-shift), we'll hear a lot of White Sands questions in tomorrow evening's briefing. Probably another one for Rob Navias about TV coverage, too...

DaveS · « **Reply #105 on:** 12/21/2006 01:18 am »

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psloss - 21/12/2006 2:53 AM

The landing forecast isn't changing much (at least not yet)...if it looks like this during FCS checkout (I believe the entry team will get a weather briefing while they're on-shift), we'll hear a lot of White Sands questions in tomorrow evening's briefing. Probably another one for Rob Navias about TV coverage, too...

Didn't Bill Harwood ask Navias about that in the FD10(?) Mission Status Briefing? Didn't catch the answer on that though.

Stardust9906 · « **Reply #106 on:** 12/21/2006 01:20 am »

RAFT Deploy.

Chris Bergin · « **Reply #107 on:** 12/21/2006 01:21 am »

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DaveS - 21/12/2006 2:01 AM

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psloss - 21/12/2006 2:53 AM

The landing forecast isn't changing much (at least not yet)...if it looks like this during FCS checkout (I believe the entry team will get a weather briefing while they're on-shift), we'll hear a lot of White Sands questions in tomorrow evening's briefing. Probably another one for Rob Navias about TV coverage, too...
Didn't Bill Harwood ask Navias about that in the FD10(?) Mission Status Briefing? Didn't catch the answer on that though.

Yeah, that was when Bill asked if they had a camera out there and everyone laughed.

Rob said that he was "not being idle" during the MMT that day (more laughs) and that he was actioning the relevant people to get some sort of facility at WS for live TV.

nathan.moeller · « **Reply #108 on:** 12/21/2006 01:22 am »

What's that flashing dot on NTV? Discovery as seen from ISS? Change in attitude coming up.

psloss · « **Reply #109 on:** 12/21/2006 01:22 am »

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DaveS - 20/12/2006 9:01 PM

Didn't Bill Harwood ask Navias about that in the FD10(?) Mission Status Briefing? Didn't catch the answer on that though.

Yeah, he did. I believe the answer was essentially "they're looking into it." Seemed to leave the question open to me.

nathan.moeller · « **Reply #110 on:** 12/21/2006 01:27 am »

Some replays just aired on NTV of the deploy. That was fast!! Neato!

Chris Bergin · « **Reply #111 on:** 12/21/2006 01:30 am »

All deploys successful, as per MER notes.

MEPSI Deploy (two tethered satellites)

RaFT Deploy (2 untethered satellites)

Jorge · « **Reply #112 on:** 12/21/2006 03:48 am »

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northanger - 20/12/2006 5:13 PM

Thanks, jmjawors. That's what I wanted to know.

What's a doug's machine? They were just talking about something being open?

DOUG (Dynamic Onboard Ubiquitous Graphics) is an application that runs on both the shuttle and station laptops, and provides 3D views of the shuttle and station. It is a product of the Virtual Reality Lab at NASA/JSC. It can receive realtime telemetry from the orbiter and ISS to depict the current position of both the RMS and SSRMS. It is intended to supplement out-the-window views and onboard cameras for situational awareness of the RMS/SSRMS operators. It is not intended (and is in fact disallowed) for real-time structural clearance monitoring; that *must* be done out-the-window or with cameras. The laptop running DOUG is commonly referred to as the DOUG Machine.

As legend has it, DOUG got its name during the filming of "Space Cowboys", which made extensive use of the VR lab. The director never really learned the name of the VR lab manager and kept calling him "Doug". This became a VR lab in-joke and they named the application after him. And in true NASA fashion, they later retconned the acronym to the name.
--
JRF

STSFan10 · « **Reply #113 on:** 12/21/2006 04:42 am »

Nice story Jorge!

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Chris Bergin - 20/12/2006 8:13 PM

All deploys successful, as per MER notes.

MEPSI Deploy (two tethered satellites)

RaFT Deploy (2 untethered satellites)

So this will mean both Primary and Secondary mission objectives are complete!? Great mission.

Launch Fan · « **Reply #114 on:** 12/21/2006 04:55 am »

If they did have to go back to the ISS, of course let's hope there's no way that happens, then even an unmanned return for Discovery is out of the equation? She won't have any props for the deorbit etc.? So the unmanned capability they apparently have to a level would be useless. They'd have to undock her.

But could they even do anything there? No props, so how would they kill her with the move to flip over and head in tail first?

As much as I hate the idea of killing an orbiter, what would happen in this scenario?

MKremer · « **Reply #115 on:** 12/21/2006 05:47 am »

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Launch Fan - 20/12/2006 11:38 PM

As much as I hate the idea of killing an orbiter, what would happen in this scenario?

A good (albeit heartrending) question.
My guess (and it's just a guess) would be there would still be a residual bit of RCS propellent left, in which case they would do a manual -Vbar undocking at the precise orbital-mechanics/orbital-decay predicted time to allow a safe oceanic reentry (with the residual RCS used for early undock fine-tuning and to create a slow tumble or orientation to permit the max amount of aero/heating destruction).
Any kind of undocking like that will still require orbiter power, and if there are only a limited number of fuel cell hours left any undocking and pre-reentry configuration would have to be done quickly before the orbiter is 'dead'.

northanger · « **Reply #116 on:** 12/21/2006 06:33 am »

Jorge

Thanks for taking the time to write that. I'm going to have to watch Space Cowboys now. OT: Anybody know how many movies have the shuttle in it?

northanger · « **Reply #117 on:** 12/21/2006 06:35 am »

Crikey! guys. Do we really have to talk about (gulp) killing orbiters at a time like this? Can we do this when everyone's safely back on the ground?

MKremer · « **Reply #118 on:** 12/21/2006 07:23 am »

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northanger - 21/12/2006 1:18 AM

Crikey! guys. Do we really have to talk about (gulp) killing orbiters at a time like this? Can we do this when everyone's safely back on the ground?

Merely a hypothetical challenge - I guarantee NASA will do all that they can do to get any crew and their orbiter back to Earth safely.
(One does still have to consider and plan for worst cases, however.)

Stardust9906 · « **Reply #119 on:** 12/21/2006 10:30 am »

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STSFan10 - 21/12/2006 5:25 AM

Nice story Jorge!

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Chris Bergin - 20/12/2006 8:13 PM

All deploys successful, as per MER notes.

MEPSI Deploy (two tethered satellites)

RaFT Deploy (2 untethered satellites)

So this will mean both Primary and Secondary mission objectives are complete!? Great mission.

Not quite yet. There is the ANDE deployemnt due today after the RCS hotfire.