A redesign to the Solid Rocket Booster (SRB) Thrust Vector Control (TVC) Auxiliary Power Unit (APU) fuel pump will be implemented on STS-134 and STS-133 – currently the final two “scheduled” shuttle flights. The redesign will eliminate the highest – although extremely unlikely to occur – “critical 1″ failure scenario, which holds the potential of [...]
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Discovery and External Tank ET-135 have completed mating operations with no issues reported, as STS-131 continues to enjoy a smooth flow towards rollout next week. Meanwhile, STS-132’s ET-136 is due to arrive at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) early next week, as managers discuss the “schedule crunch” of the final three “scheduled” shuttle missions.
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As the Heavy Lift Launch Team (HLV) transition from the Shuttle Derived vehicle to a Technology Development Activity (TDA) effort, led by engineers associated with the Space Shuttle Program (SSP), a passionate call to extend the shuttle manifest was made by an Orbiter Project manager a Senate hearing into NASA’s FY2011 budget proposal.
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Endeavour enjoyed an extremely clean flight, following a post-landing TPS (Thermal Protection System) report, which noted only a few dings and a breached thermal barrier on her Nose Landing Gear Doors (NLGD). The protruding ceramic insert on Window 2 also remained in place, which had become the main focus of the Damage Assessment Team (DAT) [...]
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Endeavour has safely returned to her Orbiter Processing Facility (OPF-2), following the highly successful STS-130 mission – which concluded on Sunday night with a safe landing at the Shuttle Landing Facility (SLF). Only hours after all three orbiters were reunited in the OPFs, Discovery bid her farewells and rolled over to the Vehicle Assembly Building [...]
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With the weather at both the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) and Edwards Air Force Base (Dryden Flight Research Facility) originally looking less than hopeful for all Sunday landing opportunities, improving conditions in Florida allowed Endeavour and her STS-130 crew can return home. Meanwhile, a third MMOD strike has been cleared, while engineers evaluated a liberation [...]
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As Endeavour sails into what is expected to be her final full day on orbit, the STS-130 crew spent the day testing and reconfiguring Endeavour ahead of the mission’s opening Deorbit, Entry, and Landing attempts Sunday evening. Meanwhile, Endeavour’s TPS (Thermal Protection System) has been cleared for reentry – with only three (3) areas of [...]
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Shuttle Endeavour has undocked from the International Space Station (ISS), marking the completion of a highly successful docked phase for STS-130. With Late Inspections also completed by the end of the Flight Day, only another Micro-Meteoroid Orbital Debris (MMOD) strike – this time on Window 2 of the orbiter flight deck – was added as [...]
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The crew of Endeavour have bid farewell to the International Space Station, following the closure of hatches between the two vehicles. No issues are being worked on the vehicle, although a late MMOD (Micro-Meteoroid Orbital Debris) impact to the crew hatch window as been evaluated and cleared for entry.
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Despite STS-131’s slip to April, managers are continuing to push forward with plans to launch Atlantis on STS-132 the following month, on May 14. Dependant on Discovery launching in early April, Atlantis will target two launch windows – with a Soyuz-related Dual Docked Operations (DDO) constraint sandwiched inbetween.
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International Space Station (ISS) crews have begun to enjoy a unique view of the planet below them, as STS-130’s spacewalkers removed the MLI blanket insulation blankets from the Cupola’s windows. The final spacewalk of the mission saw Bob Behnken and Nick Patrick perform a six hour EVA, as engineers on the ground review the cause of [...]
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Rollover of Discovery is still pending, due to temperature constraints relating to several systems on the orbiter, resulting in new rollover date of February 22. Meetings are also likely to recommend to delay the launch until early April, to allow the Russian Soyuz TMA-18 to dock at the ISS – pending evaluations on the constraint [...]
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The crew of the Space Shuttle Endeavour have been working through Flight Day 7, as mission managers took the expected step of extending STS-130 by an additional docked day. Meanwhile, Bob Behnken and Nick Patrick continued outfitting operations of the Node 3 “Tranquillity” module during the mission’s second EVA (Spacewalk), which including a bit of drama [...]
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With Endeavour continuing to enjoy a smooth stay on orbit, attentions turned to first of three EVAs for the STS-130 mission. Bob Behnken and Nick Patrick (EV-1 and EV-2, respectively) completed one of the final spacewalks dedicated to the construction efforts of the ISS – with the installation of the newly mated Node 3 conducted [...]
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International Launch Services (ILS) have launched the Intelsat 16 telecommunications satellite via their veteran Proton-M launch vehicle and Breeze-M upper stage on Thursday. Lift-off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan was on schedule at 7:39pm EST, ahead of over nine hours of flight until the spacecraft was successfully released into orbit.
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An Atlas V rocket has launched with NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station – a spacecraft intended to study variations in the sun and its magnetic field – at the start of a 60 minute launch window on Thursday (10:23 Local/15:23 GMT), after scrubbing Wednesday’s attempt due to high ground winds.
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One of the final tests of the now-cancelled Orion Program has ended in failure, when a parachute drop test of an Orion boilerplate resulted in the near-destruction of the vehicle. It marks what is likely to be a sad end for the vehicle that was set to take US astronauts to the International Space Station [...]
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An upper elevon “sliding seal” on one of Endeavour’s port wing flippers has protruded, although early Damage Assessment Team (DAT) reports claim only a low level of concern. As STS-130 moved through Flight Day 3, Endeavour and her External Tank appear to have enjoyed an extremely clean ascent, as the orbiter and her crew docking [...]
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Endeavour and her crew of six have enjoyed their first full day on orbit following a stunning night-time launch from the Kennedy Space Center at 04:14:08 EST on Monday, February 8. The launch of Endeavour followed two flawless countdowns, with the only real concern for both launch attempts being the weather. Endeavour’s crew spent the [...]
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Shuttle Endeavour has launched on the second launch to start STS-130, following a 24 hour scrub due to unacceptable cloud cover on Sunday morning. The youngest orbiter in the fleet behaved well on the pad with no issues ahead of her 4:14 Eastern liftoff. Meanwhile, another key element of the Flight Readiness Review (FRR) covered [...]
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