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 [...]

Clouds over the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) have scrubbed Endeavour’s launch by 24 hours. Earlier, tanking was delayed tanking by 30 minutes to allow engineers to clear the pad after working on a cabin pressure issue, prior to a smooth countdown. Meanwhile, External Tank (ET-134) – which will be flying with Endeavour on STS-130 – is sporting [...]

Endeavour is continuing to enjoy a smooth pad flow as she is prepared for Sunday morning’s STS-130 launch – a welcome switch of attention, as workforce opposition to President Obama’s proposed forward plan for NASA shows no signs of abating. The concerns have seen several managers address their teams, though none are as impressive as [...]

STS-130 has moved into S0007 (Launch Countdown) operations, ahead of Endeavour’s Sunday morning launch from the Kennedy Space Center (KSC). The mission comes shortly after NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden’s presentation of the FY2011 budget proposal, which has caused a large amount of unrest in the NASA and contractor workforce - leading to managers calling for the [...]

With the International Space Station (ISS) extended to at least 2020, its upmass and downmass lifelines have received a blow – following the decision to remove the possibility of using the Launch On Need (LON) vehicle, Atlantis, for supporting STS-133 as an additional logistics flight (STS-135). Meanwhile, nearly 2,600 kg are enroute to the Station, [...]

The Space Shuttle Program – in its near 29-years of service to the U.S. and world communities – has seen numerous successes: the Hubble Space Telescope repair missions, joint operations with the MIR space station, invaluable research in the scientific and medical fields, and the construction of the International Space Station.

With just under one week to go before the opening launch attempt for Space Shuttle Endeavour and the STS-130 crew, the Flight Readiness Reviews (FRR) have thoroughly reviewed all open and nonconformance outstanding issues with the Solid Rocket Boosters (SRBs) and Reusable Solid Rocket Motors (RSRMs) ahead of the first shuttle mission of the year.

A Problem Report (PR) has been cleared for what is being described as a “scratch” on Endeavour’s left Solid Rocket Booster (SRB) – following a Focused Inspection at Pad 39A. However, the Launch Control Center (LCC) has suffered from flooding after a pipe bust on the fourth floor. STS-130 remains in a good stance for launch at this time, [...]

The Agency Flight Readiness Review (FRR) has concluded with the approval for Endeavour to take an opening launch attempt on February 7. As part of the standard readiness review procedure, the Agency reviewed all contingency mission timelines for the flight, including the possibility of a Minimum Duration Flight (MDF) and the incorporation of the +1 [...]

As NASA managers prepare to meet on Wednesday for the final Flight Readiness Review (FRR) ahead of Endeavour’s penultimate mission, workers throughout the agency are hard at work performing final preparations for the youngest orbiter’s scheduled February 7 launch to the International Space Station (ISS).

With less than two weeks until STS-130’s launch with Endeavour, managers are already setting up the readiness meetings for STS-131 – which is scheduled to launch the following month with Discovery. With Flight Readiness Reviews (FRRs) overlapping the missions, engineers and managers will be working at full pace for several weeks.

With Endeavour enjoying a smooth flow on Pad 39A, preparations for Discovery’s STS-131 mission in March are picking up the pace – with the milestone of External Tank (ET-135) mating with the twin Solid Rocket Boosters (SRBs) set to take place next Monday. Meanwhile, the Michoud Assembly Facility (MAF) in New Orleans has been handed [...]

The STS-130 crew are undertaking the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (TCDT) this week, which will be used as the dress rehearsal launch countdown for the real thing on February 7. Endeavour will be the second orbiter to fly with a suite of sensors relating to Main Engine Ignition (MEI) Acoustic and SSME (Space Shuttle Main Engine) [...]

Following a few minor delays due to poor weather at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC), the arrival of STS-130’s payload to Pad 39A has taken place in the early hours of Monday. Meanwhile, engineers will have several days to play with, following the latest schedule for the arrival of backup NH3 lines to KSC, the [...]

A one-year long investigation into the liberation of part of a Flow Control Valve (FCV) poppet during Endeavour’s STS-126 launch in November 2008 has concluded with a recommendation to close the official investigation after findings revealed the most probable cause of the STS-126 liberation and subsequent eddy current reading increases following some of the Shuttle [...]

Hypergolic loading of the STS-130 stack has suffered a slight delay due to unacceptable temperatures at Pad 39A, allowing for troubleshooting to take place with the Hydraulic Power Unit (HPU) on the right boosters. Endeavour is still tracking a February 7 launch date, although the schedule is tight, due to two Node 3 ammonia line [...]

Managers have been evaluating options for STS-130’s launch and mission duration, following the test failures of ammonia lines that are related to Endeavour’s Node 3 payload. While options to keep Node 3 alive without the installation of the troublesome lines appear positive, the Tiger Team have a potential solution for beefing up the lines, or [...]

International Space Station (ISS) managers are conducting a series of meetings to discuss problems relating to Node 3’s associated ammonia lines, which have suffered from rupturing during proof testing. Options available to managers range from reducing STS-130 to a shortened, single EVA, mission, to potentially postponing the flight via swapping the order of the 2010 [...]

With Endeavour undergoing pad validation work – as engineers make the hundreds of connections to prepare her for launch in a month’s time – processing of her older sisters, Atlantis and Discovery, is pushing ahead. While STS-131’s boosters are being stacked inside the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB), work has been completed on repairs to Atlantis’ [...]