Author Topic: STS-116 - Flight Day 13 - FCS, RCS checkouts (Read 37513 times)

psloss · « **Reply #80 on:** 12/21/2006 09:44 pm »

As noted yesterday by Phil Engelauf, John Shannon said that backup purge and power vehicles from KSC will be flown out to White Sands on C-17s. That should cover the freeze issues that have been enumerated here. (The C-17s are said to be leaving sometime today.)

Perhaps a better question later in the brief will cover this, but from listening to John Shannon, the long turnaround time is apparently to get a crane staged at White Sands to lift the orbiter onto a 747...

waf102 · « **Reply #81 on:** 12/21/2006 09:44 pm »

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STS-500Cmdr - 21/12/2006 3:12 PM

Jay Barbree has been covering this-NASA space program since Al Shepard--he seems to do his homework, seems to have a good understanding of how these things work--i give credit to him and Miles O'Brien at CNN--and of course the late John Holliman who i thought was awesome--

Well - This is only my opinion...but I've been thinking about it, so here goes:

Jay Barbree - I believe he knows his stuff, but has to alter his presentation (dumb down) because of what "sells" on cable news for news and he has the unenviable job of trying to share the screen with some tv "journalists" that are just complete airheads (man! some of the questions they ask....poor Jay...he must drink a lot to be able to put up with it...)

Miles O'Brien - He has done a good job at almost knowing what he's talking about. But listening to someone that ALMOST knows what they are talking about is more painful than listening to an idiot on a subject. He is a poor substitute for Holliman.

John Holliman - I was a bit younger, but my impression was that this guy was top notch. I don't think many tv journalists can hold a candle to him. And I'm not just saying this because the poor man is no longer with us. I think he is really missed. And it sure would have been great to see him get a chance to ride a rocket someday.

The news coverage of ANY technical/scientific story is so atrocious these days. Just poor. Where I live we have journalists writing about Jim Lovell speaking locally and we get to read in the article about how he flew his space shuttle to the moon and it blew up. Man...

There are good journalists. But there aren't many. Newsertainment rules the airwaves. Personality and ego sale. Critical thinking and being informed are for losers.

That's what we are being sold. My $0.02.

-B

psloss · « **Reply #82 on:** 12/21/2006 09:53 pm »

Rob Navias says there should be live TV of a White Sands landing, should it happen. A satellite truck is on its way from Austin...

Chris Bergin · « **Reply #83 on:** 12/21/2006 09:59 pm »

Not sure if we heard anything new at this presser. Will do my article mainly on the less fluffy MMT notes from L2.

psloss · « **Reply #84 on:** 12/21/2006 10:05 pm »

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Chris Bergin - 21/12/2006 5:42 PM

Not sure if we heard anything new at this presser. Will do my article mainly on the less fluffy MMT notes from L2.

Nothing new, just details on White Sands that don't get discussed outside the program much -- the C-17s will supposedly be en-route to WSSH tonight from KSC to address the freezing concerns, and could be as much as 60 days to be ready for ferry from there so they can "go slow."

Also interesting to me that the programs talked about trading the EVA-4 experience for 13A/STS-117 for a possible slip of the launch schedule towards the end of next year.

Edit: Well, and might get live TV from White Sands if they land out there.

gordo · « **Reply #85 on:** 12/21/2006 10:06 pm »

I think the new stuff is that if they land Friday they are happy the orbiter will be safe for the first night as they have got lucky with the temp. For night 2, the team at KSC have pulled some toys out of the bag and will be there to safe the orbiter. The other good news was they have complete confidence on the de-servicing area and its ability to protect from any Gypsum contamination.

Mark Nguyen · « **Reply #86 on:** 12/21/2006 10:11 pm »

NASA TV just showed a "sunrise" over the aft end of the orbiter. Did anyone happen to catch it? One of the coolest shots ever, I must say!

Mark

psloss · « **Reply #87 on:** 12/21/2006 10:15 pm »

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gordo - 21/12/2006 5:49 PM

I think the new stuff is that if they land Friday they are happy the orbiter will be safe for the first night as they have got lucky with the temp. For night 2, the team at KSC have pulled some toys out of the bag and will be there to safe the orbiter. The other good news was they have complete confidence on the de-servicing area and its ability to protect from any Gypsum contamination.

Good point about the first night, rest of the nights freezing issue, but the de-servicing area isn't really new and has been discussed in I think the last couple of press briefings.

Hopefully they'll get a break in the KSC weather tomorrow.

collectSPACE · « **Reply #88 on:** 12/21/2006 10:19 pm »

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DaveS - 21/12/2006 4:11 PM

Back in 1978, when Enterprise went to MSFC for vibration tests, they had to use a KSC-designed stiff-leg derrick system to de-mate Enterprise from the SCA. Have you thought about using it to speed up Discovery's transportation to KSC?

That particular derrick is now in Palmdale and before Return To Flight in 2005, the program looked at moving it to White Sands. It was deemed too expensive. According to John Shannon, you would need four landings at White Sands to justify the cost — though its obviously going to cost something to get the two cranes needed to lift Discovery out there as well.

psloss · « **Reply #89 on:** 12/21/2006 10:26 pm »

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collectspace - 21/12/2006 6:02 PM

That particular derrick is now in Palmdale and before Return To Flight in 2005, the program looked at moving it to White Sands. It was deemed too expensive. According to John Shannon, you would need four landings at White Sands to justify the cost — though its obviously going to cost something to get the two cranes needed to lift Discovery out there as well.

I believe that was at Vandenberg in the 80s...

Bill Hartenstein has a series of photos of it at Palmdale from OMDP days in the 90s:
http://www.ktb.net/~billmeco/atldemat1.html

DarthVader · « **Reply #90 on:** 12/21/2006 10:34 pm »

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ApolloLee - 21/12/2006 10:43 AM
If we're lucky, that bottom canister will be hit by Suni's camera, prying that object out :-)

Speaking of that camera, is the number of images that were in the camera's memory when it become the satellite "Nikon-1" known? Was there any valuable images taken prior to that event?

gordo · « **Reply #91 on:** 12/21/2006 10:42 pm »

Here are 2 pics of the derrick used at MSFC and at White Sands in 1982. An additional pic is he de-mate of Enterprise at Dulles. I'm sure there is modern crane technology out there that will do the required job at a fraction of the cost.

DarthVader · « **Reply #92 on:** 12/21/2006 10:44 pm »

Very nice pictures Gordo! Thanks for posting them.

rdale · « **Reply #93 on:** 12/21/2006 10:55 pm »

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DarthVader - 21/12/2006 6:17 PM
Speaking of that camera, is the number of images that were in the camera's memory when it become the satellite "Nikon-1" known? Was there any valuable images taken prior to that event?

Answered in the press briefing that day - they got enough pics and video from other cameras of closeout that it didn't require additional pics on the following EVAs.

psloss · « **Reply #94 on:** 12/21/2006 10:55 pm »

Thanks...that doesn't look like the same lifting set at Palmdale (or Vandenberg prior to that).

DarthVader · « **Reply #95 on:** 12/21/2006 10:58 pm »

rdale, thanks. I must have missed that briefing.

joncz · « **Reply #96 on:** 12/21/2006 11:05 pm »

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gordo - 21/12/2006 6:25 PM

Here are 2 pics of the derrick used at MSFC and at White Sands in 1982. An additional pic is he de-mate of Enterprise at Dulles. I'm sure there is modern crane technology out there that will do the required job at a fraction of the cost.

That's a nice photo at Redstone (dm1). I used to work about a mile straight off the nose of the 747 in that photo.

JimO · « **Reply #97 on:** 12/21/2006 11:19 pm »

Illustration challenge to somebody with good graphics skills and software -- draw the four orbital ground tracks for tomorrow as straight lines bottom-to-top of page [starting maybe a few thousand miles before CONUS, and ending at far end of CONUS], with geographical features to left and right of track line to limit of visibility/crossrange -- say 1500 miles -- and then draw the actual deorbit ground tracks in THAT frame of reference to each landing site for each pass. Mark point of EI [same for all different landing sites per pass]. Some passes will have one, others two or three routes to landing sites. It's a frame of reference more 'airplane-like' and would help TV viewers.

brodo · « **Reply #98 on:** 12/21/2006 11:48 pm »

Is a video of today's status briefing available somewhere?

triddirt · « **Reply #99 on:** 12/21/2006 11:48 pm »

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DarthVader - 21/12/2006 6:17 PM

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ApolloLee - 21/12/2006 10:43 AM
If we're lucky, that bottom canister will be hit by Suni's camera, prying that object out :-)

Speaking of that camera, is the number of images that were in the camera's memory when it become the satellite "Nikon-1" known? Was there any valuable images taken prior to that event?

Got to name that Satellite "Kodak-1". Per L2 documents the lost camera was a "Kodak DCS 760". I've got to stand up for my hometown of Rochester, NY!