With the clearance of the PV12 Inboard LH2 Fill and Drain Valve issue by the Mission Management Team (MMT) – which ironically performed as planned during tanking - Shuttle Discovery enjoyed a super smooth countdown and launch, as she takes aim on the International Space Station (ISS).
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Engineers still believe they only have an instrumentation problem with the LH2 PV12 Inboard Fill and Drain Valve on Discovery, but further data is required – resulting in a 24 hour hold to STS-128. Testing on Wednesday night – involving five cycles of the valve – has aided engineering confidence the valve is undamaged, but [...]
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The push to return Discovery back to launch operations has begun, with initial troubleshooting via five test cycles of the LH2 inboard fill and drain valve at the pad complete, following issues with the PV12 (pneumatic valve) during STS-128′s second launch attempt. The goal is to gain confidence the issue is instrumentation – as opposed [...]
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Discovery was undergoing S0007 Launch Countdown Scrub Turnaround procedures, with the goal to launch on Wednesday morning at 1:10am local time. However, during tanking, the PV12 (pneumatic valve) failed ‘stuck’ on the fill and drain system on Discovery, causing the scrub for “at least” 48 hours.
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Unacceptable weather over the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) has caused the scrub of STS-128 for 24 hours. NASA managers had worked through a few minor last-minute issues with Discovery and her systems in what has been an extremely interesting flow – one that has highlighted the pad teams’ ability to cope with unexpected work while still [...]
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With Discovery deep into S0007 (Launch Countdown) operations, the Mission Management Team (MMT) has passed STS-128 to proceed towards the business end of the count – with the aim to launch early Tuesday morning. Meanwhile, NASA managers conducted a systematic review of Discovery’s Cargo Integration Hardware (CIH) and CSCS (Contingency Shuttle Crew Support) calculations brought forth [...]
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STS-128 entered into S0007 (launch countdown) operations at 11pm on Friday evening, as engineers at Launch Pad 39A are nearly complete with both standard and non-standard pre-launch processing operations. Meanwhile, NASA managers continue to review past-vehicle and hardware performance ahead of Tuesday morning’s scheduled liftoff – with the L-2 Mission Management Team (MMT) set to [...]
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With STS-128 and Discovery officially cleared by the SOMD (Space Operations Mission Directorate) FRR for an opening launch attempt on Tuesday, August 25 at 1:36A.M. EDT, NASA’s ongoing effort to ensure that all aspects of the Space Shuttle system are safe to fly was not dedicated just to the External Tank, as managers thoroughly reviewed [...]
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The Agency Flight Readiness Review (FRR) is still expected to slip STS-128′s launch date by one day – to August 25 – due to additional pad flow work related to repairs on an ETVAS (External Tank Vent Arm System) ordnance cable. However, managers will meet again on Wednesday to set the launch date, as they [...]
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At last week’s Space Shuttle Program (SSP) FRR, program managers discussed a wide range of topics, including Weather Satellite limitations, the Boundary Layer Transition DTO (Detailed Test Objective), several new operations that will be a part of STS-128 – including Discovery’s debut of new flight software – as well as previous flight performance of the MPLM [...]
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As managers prepare their External Tank findings for the Agency Flight Readiness Review (FRR), engineers out at Pad 39A have through what is being described as a significant issue related to the Forward Power Control Assembly (FPCA) on Discovery. The troubleshooting took place through the weekend, with a 24 hour hit to the processing flow.
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As STS-128 tracks an August 24 launch date – pending final clearance of the Ice Frost Ramp foam liberation concern – the Space Shuttle Program Flight Readiness Review (SSP FRR) has conducted thorough review of Discovery’s mission/payload content and launch opportunities.
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The LO2 Ice Frost Ramps (IFRs) will be modified to mitigate against foam liberation – pending design verification – from ET-133 onwards. However, ET-132 has gained the opening round of “rationale for acceptance” via the Space Shuttle Program (SSP) Flight Readiness Review (FRR), which will be verified by a Safety Panel and up for approval [...]
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The Space Shuttle Program (SSP) Flight Readiness Review (FRR) heads into a two day meeting on Tuesday, with the focus on the status of ET-132′s Ice Frost Ramps (IFRs). STS-128 may have to rollback for modifications to the ramps – if managers fail to agree on risk acceptance. Interestingly, documentation on the ramp that has [...]
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Meetings are taking place through Friday to work on risk acceptance for two LO2 Ice Frost Ramps (IFRs) on Discovery’s External Tank (ET-132), following a full review of STS-127′s LO2 IFR liberation event during launch. If managers call for foam loss mitigation on the ramps, the STS-128 stack will rollback to the Vehicle Assembly Building [...]
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With Discovery deep in preparations for her STS-128 mission, shuttle managers are already mapping out the processing flow for her STS-131 flight – allowing for a smooth transition between the conclusion of STS-128 and her flow towards the 2010 mission. As with all flows, numerous modifications will be carried out on the veteran orbiter, as [...]
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Work has started on replacing the Check Valve Filter Assembly (CVFA) and associated hardware on Discovery’s left hand Solid Rocket Booster (SRB), as engineers continue to evaluation potential schedule impacts to STS-128′s pad flow. Meanwhile, shuttle manager John Shannon has told the workforce to keep their focus on the missions, pre-empting a forward plan for [...]
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With around three weeks until the launch of STS-128, Discovery has finally arrived at Pad 39A, following a dramatic 10 hour-plus rollout on Tuesday. Once at the pad, engineers will incorporate around a week’s worth of changeouts associated with the left Solid Rocket Booster (SRB), following issues with a Check Valve Filter Assembly (CVFA) – [...]
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Although no ill effects were suffered by Endeavour, the problems with her External Tank (ET-131) – both prior and during last month’s launch – called for investigations into the downstream tanks, the latest of which is due to fly with Discovery later this month. Thanks to those evaluations, additional confidence has been gained ahead of [...]
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STS-127 is coming to the end of another highly successful mission for the shuttle program, as the crew prepare for one of two attempts to land at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) on Friday – following the clearance of the vehicle’s Thermal Control System (TPS). With LiOH consumables limiting to a Sunday return deadline, Saturday [...]
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