Two opportunities to land at Edwards are available today. For the first, the deorbit burn would occur at 10:03 a.m. central time with landing at 11:11 a.m. The second would see a deorbit burn at 11:39 a.m. and touchdown at 12:47 p.m. Forecasters said weather at Edwards is ideal.

Endeavour, which was launched April 19, brought an advanced and more powerful robotic arm, Canadarm2, to the International Space Station. The shuttle also delivered to the station more than 6,000 pounds of equipment and supplies, much of it transported in the Italian-built Multipurpose Logistics Module named Raffaello. Among equipment aboard Raffaello were two new scientific experiment racks for the space station’s U.S. laboratory Destiny.

Endeavour’s crew, Commander Kent Rominger, Pilot Jeff Ashby and Mission Specialists Chris Hadfield of the Canadian Space Agency, John Phillips, Scott Parazynski, Umberto Guidoni of the European Space Agency and Cosmonaut Yuri Lonchakov, were awakened at 11:48 p.m. by “Truth,” performed by Spandau Ballet. The wakeup music was for Rominger, requested by his family.

First Landing Attempt Waved Off
With the Kennedy Space Center reporting cloud cover, showers and gusty winds and with forecasters calling for more of the same today and tomorrow, flight controllers began focusing on bringing Endeavour home to a landing at Edwards Air Force Base later today.

The first opportunity of the day to land Endeavour at the Florida spaceport has already been passed up and flight controllers continue to plan for a landing on the second and final opportunity at Kennedy today.

But spacecraft communicators told Endeavour’s crewmembers that if a second Florida waveoff occurs, they likely would land at Edwards later today. Two opportunities to land at Edwards are available today. For the first, the deorbit burn would occur at 10:03 a.m. central time with landing at 11:11 a.m. The second would see a deorbit burn at 11:39 a.m. and touchdown at 12:47 p.m. Forecasters said weather at Edwards is ideal.

Endeavour, which was launched April 19, brought an advanced and more powereful robotic arm, Canadarm2, to the International Space Station. The shuttle also delivered to the station more than 6,000 pounds of equipment and supplies, much of it transported in the Italian-built Multipurpose Logistics Module named Raffaello. Among equipment aboard Raffaello were two new scientific experiment racks for the space station’s U.S. laboratory Destiny.

Endeavour’s crew, Commander Kent Rominger, Pilot Jeff Ashby and Mission Specialists Chris Hadfield of the Canadian Space Agency, John Phillips, Scott Parazynski, Umberto Guidoni of the European Space Agency and Cosmonaut Yuri Lonchakov, were awakened at 11:48 p.m. by “Truth,” performed by Spandau Ballet. The wakeup music was for Rominger, requested by his family.

The station arm will be used to lift STS-104’s primary cargo, the Joint Airlock, out of Atlantis’s payload bay and attach it to the station. Managers will meet in mid-June to evaluate a new launch date for STS-104. Meanwhile, Atlantis transferred from the Orbiter Processing Facility to the Vehicle Assembly Building, or VAB, Tuesday night. It will be attached to the External Tank in the VAB’s High Bay 1. Atlantis will remain there until a new rollout date is selected.

Engineers Replace Alignment Part on Atlantis’ Docking Mechanism
Preparations continue at Kennedy Space Center, Fla., for the launch of STS-104, a mission to deliver the Joint Airlock to the International Space Station. Engineers replaced an alignment component on Space Shuttle Atlantis’ docking mechanism. Due to additional work required to repair Atlantis’ Heads-Up Display unit in the crew module, the orbiter’s transfer to the Vehicle Assembly Building is now slated for May 20. The transfer was originally slated for May 16. The Heads-Up Display unit assists the shuttle commanders and pilots during approach and landing by providing visual cues.

Meanwhile, Space Shuttle Endeavour returned to Kennedy atop the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft about 1:09 p.m. CDT (18:09 GMT) Wednesday. Endeavour returned home from Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., where it landed on May 1 to end STS-100.

Preparations Continue for June Launch of Atlantis
Kennedy Space Center workers continue prelaunch processing for Space Shuttle mission STS-104. Its five astronauts will deliver the Joint Airlock to the International Space Station. The airlock provides station-based Extravehicular Activity, or space walking, capability for astronauts and cosmonauts in both U.S. and Russian spacesuits. Workers have completed the installation of Space Shuttle Atlantis’ main engine heat shields and NASA and Russian engineers are working on a small problem with Atlantis’ docking system. Liftoff is scheduled for no earlier than June 14.

Workers Install Engine Heat Shields
Kennedy Space Center workers continue prelaunch processing for STS-104, a mission that will deliver the Joint Airlock to the International Space Station. They have completed the installation of Space Shuttle Atlantis’ main engine heat shields. Currently, NASA and Russian engineers are working on a small problem with Atlantis’ docking system, and work continues on the heads-up display in the orbiter’s crew module. Atlantis and its five-member crew are slated to launch no earlier than June 14.

STS-104 to Debut New, Safer Space Shuttle Main Engine
When Space Shuttle Atlantis blasts off to begin STS-104, it will be the first shuttle to go to orbit with new Main Engines. The new engines, the Block II configuration, will give the crew a safer ride to orbit due to a new high-pressure fuel turbopump. The modifications’ results are a more reliable and safer engine because of increased pump robustness. Also, the time between engine overhauls should increase. The three-engine complement contains a Block II main engine and two Block IIA main engines.

]]> http://spacepragmatism.net/2010/08/managers-delay-sts-104-launch.html/feed http://spacepragmatism.net/2010/08/nasa-is-considering-third-outdoor-use-to-repair-the-iss-cooling-system.html http://spacepragmatism.net/2010/08/nasa-is-considering-third-outdoor-use-to-repair-the-iss-cooling-system.html#comments Tue, 10 Aug 2010 08:40:22 +0000 admin http://spacepragmatism.net/?p=4735 “The questions for the day tasks were only partially fulfilled,” said NASA is using on its website. According to ISS Manager Michael Suffredini expected a third deployment in space is necessary. Doug Wheelock and Tracy Caldwell Dyson began their spacewalk at 13.19 BST clock. They spent eight hours and three minutes outside the space station. They succeeded this does not remove a faulty pump. According to NASA, it was not to solve the pump of the ammonia lines. When a valve came out of toxic ammonia, then had the repair work will be interrupted. According to the U.S. space agency experts to advise the mission control on Sunday in Houston (Texas) on the next steps.

The space station has two cooling systems designed to prevent overheating of the electronics. One of them had turned out a week ago. The NASA crew is loud but not in danger. The temperatures on the main control center are due to the cooling system failed a little higher than normal, but within limits. The U.S. astronaut could also change at any time in the Russian part of ISS, which has its own cooling system. On board the ISS are currently three astronauts from the U.S. and Russia.

The original intention was to expand Wheelock and Caldwell Dyson during the initial use of the defective pump. After that a 355-pound spare parts are transported over a distance to get it installed then of about ten meters. This should be done at the second operation on Wednesday. ISS Manager Suffredini does not believe that all tasks can be fulfilled at the second outdoor use. For this we needed even a “good dose of luck,” he said.

With other demonstrators under study, it will allow Europe to master atmospheric re-entry - which is vital for future programs. The acquisition of competence in atmospheric re-entry is a necessary objective for applications such as planetary exploration, the return to Earth of sample-bearing vehicles, and the servicing of orbital stations. Demonstrating the design expertise and techniques for re-entry vehicle systems.

By parachuting to splashdown less than 3 km from the pre-ordained spot, the ARD gave a first-time demonstration of Europe’s ability in the field of guided and flight controlled atmospheric re-entry. After a phase of ballistic flight, this vehicle, built by EADS LAUNCH VEHICLES began its re-entry of the Earth’s atmosphere at over 27,000 km/h. The heat shield, made of silica and phenol resin tiles, kept the inside temperature down to less than 50°C with an external temperature of 2000°C.

The automatic pilot, assisted by GPS, another EADS LAUNCH VEHICLES innovation, also provided an extremely precise landing. ARES and THEMIS: learning about, and validating the development of a re-usable launcher. A demonstrator like the ARD is a necessary first step to ensure that predictions obtained from computation and simulation concord with reality.

Other European demonstrators will in turn help us to explore, in successive stages, the flight domains of totally or partially reusable launchers, which could play a role in reducing the cost of space access in the future. EADS LAUNCH VEHICLES is proposing such a systematic approach within the framework of Sea’s European FLTP research program (Future Launcher Technology Program).

Two vehicles should make it possible to acquire the techniques that are essential to the development of reusable vehicles: ARES and THEMIS.

In 1973, eleven countries grouped within the European Space Agency (ESA) opted for European independence in space by approving Ariane 1. France provided 63% of the total funding.

The Ariane 5 programmed was originally approved during a Rome meeting of European space ministers in January 1985, followed by the development green light at a ministerial-level Council meeting in The Hague in November 1987. As for the previous Ariane programmers, the European Space Agency (ESA) is in charge of the programmed and designated French space agency CNES (Centre National detrudes Spatulas) as prime contractor. CNES relies on EADS LAUNCH VEHICLES as industrial architect, systems manager and stages prime contractor…

This entry was posted on Wednesday, August 12th, 2009 at 15:34 and is filed under Articles .

Spanish researchers track the movement of asteroids, determined that 1999 RQ36 may meet with the Earth with the probability of one chance in a thousand, with approximately half of all likely accounts for 2182. In their calculations, researchers have used probabilistic models, which are traditionally used to determine the chances of meeting the Earth to other celestial objects.

The diameter of the asteroid 1999 RQ36 is about 560 meters - for comparison, the diameter of the famous-99942 Apophis is only 270 meters. 1999 RQ36 was first discovered in 1999, but then it was not considered dangerous to the Earth. Later calculations have shown that there is one chance in 1400, that 1999 RQ36 meet with the Earth between 2169 and 2199 years.

Helicopter Sikorsky Firefly is based on the model S-300C, the first production models of which appeared in 1961. Dvuhsotsilnaya electric propulsion system mounted on the frame time-tested model of Hughes 269. Three set of lithium-ion batteries can give up to 135 ampere-hours - that is enough to ensure that Firefox could survive in the air up to 15 minutes. This time would be enough for designers and engineers to study the characteristics of the power unit, after a detailed study of which will be begin to address other equally important issues.

This forest of instruments take place on two large lots that the town makes available rappers (So called does it there) with areas for cars, tents and motor homes and health infrastructure accordingly. If the weather does not always go to the bridge of the Ascension, the participants remain faithful to a formula that has proven itself. The perfect organization is ensured by a team of volunteers working all year to make this gathering a success for everyone pitches, managements of individual arrivals, provision of tents for conferences, exhibitions and treatment computer images, link Internet, Excellent meals provided by a caterer … nothing is left to chance.

If the weather is part of, all material is prepared the day to make the most of three nights offered by RAP in a beautiful black sky at 900 meters. The only danger for Astronomers distracted, the profusion of extensions … Credit Feldman J-B

Observation … but not only

If the RAP are so popular, it is also and especially because they allow fans to share their passion. Discover all equipment, whether purchased or constructed out specific changes that improve the usability of an instrument, legally copy plans for a new boat built by a more precise engineering handyman…. these are some of the wealth of those meetings.

Other time strong, conferences and exhibitions. This year’s themes will be the Light Pollution still relevant, despite some tentative progress, interpretation of weather data to prepare its comments and various imaging techniques. Enthusiasts will present their designs and astronomical images taken over the last solar eclipses.

We bet that once again the RAP will be a highlight of the year for amateur astronomers. After 2009 Year of Astronomy, 2010, offers two rallies: the HBP, and in a few months Encounters of Sky and Space coming back every two years.