LIVE: STS-116 - Flight Day 14 - Landing and post flight info

[nathan.moeller]

When can we expect the B-Roll of Reiter?  Next run of the video file tonight?

[northanger]

martynwilliams - 22/12/2006  12:55 PM

chksix - 22/12/2006  6:51 PM

Is there a layout map of the MCC somewhere where the console functions are shown? I think the girl is moving around to avoid back pains. She might be supervising a non critical system also....

http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/shuttle/reference/mcc/mcc.html

wow martyn. That's really helpful to understand how the team is structured.
thanx

[nathan.moeller]

Nevermind.  Here comes the B-Roll of Reiter on NTV right now

[jmjawors]

nathan.moeller - 22/12/2006  11:04 PM

Nevermind.  Here comes the B-Roll of Reiter on NTV right now

I caught that at the end.... "No comparison to the Soyuz."

Well, that's probably true.  Based on Jeff Williams' description of his landing, smelling the earth, seeing daylight through the windows.  Probably not the same.

Probably not as violent as that landing either.  

But either way, welcome home Thomas!  Glad to see you back, healthy and looking good.  

[nathan.moeller]

Here's my own personal "blog-article."  Hope you enjoy it

http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=13792219&blogID=208783937&MyToken=03683f11-f42f-4670-8872-5db4f2779a61

[Chris Bergin]

And here's another one from us.

Was going to wait till Saturday, then the source quote came in and I thought that was too good to hold and wrote the whole thing up

http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/content/?cid=4970

[Jim]

nathan.moeller - 22/12/2006  8:22 PM

jcopella - 22/12/2006  7:18 PM

Best. Administrator. Ever.

"...and happiness is not a requirement."

Griffin is very professional.  He's there to get the job done and he doesn't care whether he makes the media happy or not because he understands that NASA isn't about pleasing people.  It's about exploration.  He believes in the direction NASA is headed and will not be deterred by public opinion in the form of various mainstream news media who wish to make the programs look bad.  I can't help but have a huge amount of respect for him.  I can't see anyone else in his position at this point.

This is only one point of view.   Most in the non manned space part of NASA (aeronautics and science) don't have the same opinion.

I can go either way, having worked both shuttle and science missions.  But I see the  NASA of the late 70's, where the manned program (STS) sucking up all the money and yet not flying anything for years.  It is starting to show up in 'Announcements of Opportunities" AO's.

Not all congress people are aligned with him neither.

[nathan.moeller]

Jim - 23/12/2006  12:08 AM

This is only one point of view.   Most in the non manned space part of NASA (aeronautics and science) don't have the same opinion.

I can go either way, having worked both shuttle and science missions.  But I see the  NASA of the late 70's, where the manned program (STS) sucking up all the money and yet not flying anything for years.  It is starting to show up in 'Announcements of Opportunities" AO's.

Not all congress people are aligned with him neither.

I know.  My focus in that statement was his professionalism, not his direction.  I know he's not perfect, but then again no one is.  But you're right...they're heading down that same long road without flight for a while it seems.

[John44]

STS-116 - Landing Replays - video 300Kbps
http://www.space-multimedia.nl.eu.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1272&Itemid=2

POST-LANDING NEWS CONFERENCE
http://www.space-multimedia.nl.eu.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1271&Itemid=2

sts-116 crew after landing at Kennedy Space Center - video 300Kbps
http://www.space-multimedia.nl.eu.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1265

LANDING DISCOVERY
http://www.space-multimedia.nl.eu.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1270

[jacqmans]

N° 49-2006 - Paris, 22 December 2006

ESA's pair of astronauts back on earth

Space Shuttle Discovery landed in Cape Canaveral, Florida tonight at 23:32 CET (22:32/GMT), completing one of the most complex assembly missions to the International Space Station to date, and bringing back ESA's two astronauts, Christer Fuglesang and Thomas Reiter.

Discovery's return marks the end of NASA's STS-116 mission, which delivered a new truss segment to the ISS as well as goods and equipment. For ESA, it also marks the completion of two manned missions: Astrolab with Thomas Reiter and Celsius with Christer Fuglesang.

After landing, the astronauts will undergo medical examination as part of the science experiments they were involved in conducting and the crew will return to NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston/Texas for debriefing.

Astrolab's achievements

The Astrolab mission began on 4 July with the dispatch of ESA astronaut Thomas Reiter of Germany on the preceding Discovery flight. Two days later, he reported for duty onboard the ISS as flight engineer, thereby reopening the third permanent crew member slot which had had to be discontinued 38 months earlier, following the Shuttle's grounding in the wake of the tragic loss of Columbia in February 2003.
A highly experienced specialist in the deployment of space stations, Thomas Reiter carried out numerous operational and maintenance activities for both the US and Russian segments of the ISS. He also operated research facilities in support of international science experiments. Reiter conducted a programme of European experiments in the fields of human physiology and psychology, microbiology, plasma physics and dosimetry. He also performed technological demonstrations as well as industrial and educational experiments for universities and primary/ secondary schools.

On 3 August, he left the ISS for 5 hours and 54 minutes with NASA astronaut Jeffrey Williams to install new equipment in preparation for future assembly work and to mount a number of instruments and experiments on the Station's exterior.

During his stay onboard, Thomas Reiter tested a 3D camera and an HD camera, vividly capturing on film life inside the Station. In future, such cameras will be used to share with earth-based audiences the unique feel of living and working in space.

For Astrolab, Thomas Reiter spent over 171 days in space. Added to the previous 179 days  he had already logged on the Euromir 95 mission from September 1995 to February 1996, this makes him the new European record-holder for the longest cumulative time spent in space.

Celsius prepares for ISS growth

ESA astronaut Christer Fuglesang, the first Swede to go into space, was shuttled there on Discovery's 10 December launch. He spent 13 days in space and filled them with a very dense schedule.

His role as mission specialist among the NASA crew included securing the Shuttle's docking with the ISS, assisting the retraction of one of the Station's 34-metre-long solar arrays, transferring goods and equipment between the Shuttle and the Station, and releasing three tiny microsatellites from the Shuttle's cargo bay after the undocking manoeuvre.

His most important role was actually to perform three highly-demanding spacewalks. The first two, during the nights of 12/13 and 14/15 December, were part of the original schedule.  They enabled Fuglesang and NASA astronaut Robert Curbeam to carry out several tasks: attach a new segment to the ISS truss; rewire power lines and thermal control loops so as to plug in a new set of solar arrays and enable the future transfer of the original set from their temporary to their permanent location; and lastly transfer tool-carrying trailers and replace a camera to prepare for the arrival and assembly of new truss segment.

The third spacewalk, during the night of 18/19 December, was a bonus. It was decided on after the crew encountered difficulties in retracting one of the Station's original solar arrays. Fuglesang and Curbeam successfully freed up the jammed array.


Health and morale for future long-duration flights

During their flight, both Thomas Reiter and Christer Fuglesang collected data on the amount of radiation they were exposed to while working inside and outside the ISS. Thanks to experiments conducted onboard with the ALTEA equipment to monitor high-energy particles crossing the skull of astronauts in low-earth orbit, and after the return to earth to check how such radiation would affect their chromosomes, these data will help scientific and medical experts to assess the radiation-related risks for future long-duration missions and notably flights beyond low earth orbit.

The Astrolab and Celsius missions also provided an opportunity to diversify the food supply onboard the orbital facility. In late November, Thomas Reiter and ISS crewmates Michael Lopez-Alegria and Mikhail Tyurin tasted and tested a special space feast prepared by the team of famous French chef Alain Ducasse as part of a programme designed to improve the quality of life on long-duration crewed space missions. Later, Christer Fuglesang brought with him some traditional Swedish food, including elk sausages and toffees, to add a Scandinavian flavour to his stay.

Europe on the ISS to stay

Astrolab and Celsius were the first in a series of ESA missions to the International Space Station, as Europe fulfils its duty as a fully-fledged ISS partner, contributing to maintenance and assembly tasks, with European modules set to be delivered.

"Thomas and Christer have demonstrated that Europe now plays a major role in the ISS operations and assembly", said Daniel Sacotte, ESA's Director for Human Spaceflight. "This is the dawn of a new era for ESA's manned space missions. We are no longer visitors in orbit; we are now among the proprietors, which means we take on our responsibilities and benefit from the advantages".

"Celsius marks a further step forward in the development of our international infrastructure in orbit",  continued Sacotte. "Thanks to Christer and all the crewmembers of STS-116, the ISS is now ready to receive the new solar wings that will power the new modules, including ESA's own Columbus laboratory and the Automated Transfer Vehicle, two of ESA's highlights for next year".

In 2007, ESA plans to fly at least two more astronauts to the Station on assembly missions. It  is also negotiating a flight opportunity for a third with a view to a second European astronaut being assigned a permanent crew member slot.

Already-approved contributions include the flights of Paolo Nespoli of Italy on the STS-120 mission to deliver the Node 2 module during the summer and Hans Schlegel of Germany on STS-122 to accompany ESA's Columbus laboratory in the autumn. The long-duration flight of Leopold  Eyharts of France is under discussion with NASA.

In the meantime, Thomas Reiter and Christer Fuglesang will have returned to Europe by early next year. Reiter will be back in Germany in mid-January. The first opportunity for media representatives to meet and interview him and Christer Fuglesang  is being arranged by ESA to go ahead on Thursday 18 January  at the European Astronaut Centre (EAC) in Cologne. ESA will issue further details about this media event by early January.

For further information, please contact :
ESA Media Relations Office
Tel: +33(0)1 53 69 7155
Fax: +33(0)1 53 69 7690

[jacqmans]

RELEASE: 06-375

NASA WELCOMES DISCOVERY CREW HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- The Space Shuttle Discovery and its crew
returned home Friday after a 13-day journey of more than 5.3 million
miles in space. Discovery's STS-116 mission successfully reconfigured
the International Space Station's power and cooling systems from a
temporary setup to a permanent mode and added a new piece to the
station's backbone.

Discovery's Commander Mark Polansky, Pilot Bill Oefelein and Mission
Specialists Nicholas Patrick, Bob Curbeam, Joan Higginbotham, Thomas
Reiter and Christer Fuglesang landed Friday, Dec. 22, at NASA's
Kennedy Space Center, Fla., at 5:32 p.m. EST. Reiter and Fuglesang
are European Space Agency astronauts.

After landing, Polansky told Mission Control at NASA's Johnson Space
Center, Houston, "Seven thrilled people right here. We're just really
proud of the entire NASA team that put this together. Thank you, and
I think it's going to be a great holiday."

The flight was the second in a series of missions that are among the
most complex in space history. Discovery's crew rewired the station's
power system and delivered a key component of the station's
structure. The segment will enable future missions to attach a new
set of solar arrays.

The mission involved intensive ground commands as the station's power
was shut down and rerouted in stages on two spacewalks. As systems
were then powered up for the first time on their new channels, the
station's power system was in its final configuration, ready for
further expansion with more solar arrays and laboratories to be
launched in 2007. As part of the station power reconfiguration and
assembly process, the station flight control team uplinked a total of
17,901 computer commands, averaging about 2,000 commands per day.
During a typical day on the station, flight controllers give
approximately 800 commands.

The newest resident of the International Space Station also traveled
aboard Discovery. Astronaut Sunita Williams joined the crew of
Expedition 14. She is scheduled to spend six months on the station.

Curbeam, Fuglesang and Williams, with the help of crewmates, made four
spacewalks that completed the construction tasks, reconfigured power
and cooling systems, and retracted a snagged solar array. The
astronauts also replaced a failed camera, cleared a worksite
essential to the next shuttle mission, reconfigured power to the
station's Russian segment and installed panels to provide additional
protection from space debris.

The fourth spacewalk was added to the mission to retract a solar array
that only partially folded into its box on flight day 5. The solar
wings were retracted far enough so that the new arrays installed in
September could begin to fully rotate and track the sun to provide
power. Mission managers decided, however, to address the problem of
the partially retracted arrays while the shuttle crew was on the
station. With only several days notice, mission engineers in both the
shuttle and station programs developed a spacewalk plan for Curbeam
and Fuglesang that resulted in the arrays' successful retraction on
flight day 10.

Discovery's launch was the first night liftoff of a shuttle since Nov.
2002. Several inspections in orbit revealed no critical damage, and
Discovery's thermal protection system was declared safe for re-entry
on the flight's thirteenth day.

The day before landing, pilot Bill Oefelein, who was born in Alaska,
and the rest of the Discovery crew talked to Alaskan schoolchildren
from the shuttle's flight deck.

With Discovery and its crew safely home, the stage is set for the next
phase of International Space Station assembly. Preparations continue
for Space Shuttle Atlantis' launch, targeted for March 2007, on the
STS-117 mission to deliver to the station the S3/S4 truss segment and
a third set of solar arrays.

[John44]

STS-116 - REITER IN CREW QUARTERS
http://www.space-multimedia.nl.eu.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1274

[DanME]

So where was Wayne Hale during the whole mission?  I haven't seen him since launch day. Many of the news conferences were handled by MOD.

[paulhbell07]

Another good clean mission. well done NASA. So the shuttle is to be retired in 2010, can somebody please tell me why. Nasa has spent a lot of money make the shuttle safer. It is like you spending money to buy a new engine for your car then scraping it. I know the shuttle is getting old and needs replaced, but how is Nasa going to launch people into space between 2010 and the first launch of aries. Yes I would like man on the moon again but do it from the ISS using the shuttle to lift the 'moon parts' into orbit. Nasa(or if you want, UNITED STATES) is going to have to use other countries launchers. As for a new heavy lifter, United States have 2 other capable launchers (delta and atlas). Those 2 launchers and the shuttle can handle the heavy loads needed for moon missions. Nasa should not abandon the space sation in 2016, this would be another waste of time spent building it now and a waste of todays money. It will need updating and the only launcher capable off lifting new modules into space is the shuttle. I only hope the new president and new administration that is elected have a better look at the shuttle and keep it flying after 2010.

[marsavian]

Jim - 23/12/2006  12:08 AM

nathan.moeller - 22/12/2006  8:22 PM

jcopella - 22/12/2006  7:18 PM

Best. Administrator. Ever.

"...and happiness is not a requirement."

Griffin is very professional.  He's there to get the job done and he doesn't care whether he makes the media happy or not because he understands that NASA isn't about pleasing people.  It's about exploration.  He believes in the direction NASA is headed and will not be deterred by public opinion in the form of various mainstream news media who wish to make the programs look bad.  I can't help but have a huge amount of respect for him.  I can't see anyone else in his position at this point.

This is only one point of view.   Most in the non manned space part of NASA (aeronautics and science) don't have the same opinion.

I can go either way, having worked both shuttle and science missions.  But I see the  NASA of the late 70's, where the manned program (STS) sucking up all the money and yet not flying anything for years.  It is starting to show up in 'Announcements of Opportunities" AO's.

Not all congress people are aligned with him neither.

DIRECT offers him the opportunity to be truly seen as great if he has the humility and strength of will to change course now given the obvious fact that Ares I no longer offers the original high LOC factor or original start date. He could use some of the money saved to appease the science community more and please everyone more. Ideally I would like to see the Shuttle flown until DIRECT can take over seamlessly the ISS duties within six months, how feasible is that financially considering DIRECT uses so much of the same infrastructure i.e. fuel tank, SSMEs etc ? This will also ensure unemployment of skilled personnel is kept to a minimum with such a smooth transition of space vehicles  

[Chris Bergin]

http://www.lcsun-news.com/news/ci_4890187 - White Sands crowd misses out on shuttle landing

[elmarko]

I was just wondering, do NASA give out execute packages for the final day of a mission? Perhaps with last minute landing info, etc? They only go up to FD13 on nasa.gov

Also, why are they called execute packages? Is it simply because they are full of procedures to execute?

[gordo]

The FD14(+15) info was in the FD13 package.  The final days are all targeted towards entry and landing, so no need to create extra paperwork

[collectSPACE]

On Saturday afternoon, the crew of STS-116 and ISS Expedition 13/14 flight engineer Thomas Reiter returned to Houston from the Kennedy Space Center. Awaiting them at Ellington Field was a hangar full of family, friends, NASA co-workers and the public to cheer their return.



NASA TV taped the event and I believe it aired on Saturday evening. If you missed it (and until it becomes available as a video download from this site), collectSPACE has transcribed some of the crew's comments at their homecoming.

[northanger]

Thanks Robert. Especially transcribing the comments.

Merry Christmas.