Shuttle and International Space Station (ISS) managers have been busy discussing the launch dates for what are currently the final flights of the manifest, although STS-131 remains on track for April 5. With STS-134’s Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS) issue now confirmed to be a thermal leak observed during ongoing testing in Holland, STS-132 and STS-133 have [...]
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No major topics are expected at next week’s Space Shuttle Program (SSP) Flight Readiness Review (FRR), as Discovery continues to push towards her April 5 launch date. Processing is also proceeding well for May’s STS-132 flight with Atlantis, although Endeavour’s STS-134 mission is subject to program level meetings – starting next Monday – due a [...]
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Following initially positive opening investigations into the possibility of allowing a Space Shuttle orbiter to be present (i.e. docked) to the International Space Station (ISS) during Russian Progress and/or Soyuz dockings and undockings, Space Shuttle Program and ISS Program officials have decided that more investigation and information is necessary before allowing this scenario to unfold.
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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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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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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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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’ [...]
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The 3,670kg module Mini Research Module-2 (MRM-2) has launched at 9:22 am Eastern on Tuesday from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on top of a Russian Soyuz-U launch vehicle. The module will become the latest addition to the Station - providing an additional docking port for Russian vehicles, an airlock for Russian-based spacewalks and a platform for external [...]
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The first of what is scheduled to be the final three Launch Site Requirements Reviews (LSRRs) for the Space Shuttle Program (SSP) has been completed by managers at the Program Requirements Control Board (PRCB) for the STS-132 mission - the 32nd and final “scheduled” flight of orbiter Atlantis, due to launch in May 2010.
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Engineers are pressing through the remaining minor issues – the latest being an obstructive Teflon tube in the Payload Bay – ahead of the start of STS-125’s three day countdown that opens on Friday. Meanwhile, a veteran six person crew has been assigned by NASA for the STS-132 mission to the International Space Station (ISS).
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Even though shuttle managers are preparing for two missions in the space of a month, efforts on the downstream flights are at various stages of processing and planning, all the way through to STS-135 – which is currently the LON (Launch On Need) placeholder for what is currently the last shuttle mission – STS-134 – [...]
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With Discovery safely back from STS-119, Atlantis undergoing pad processing for STS-125, and Endeavour ready to roll to the VAB on Friday ahead of STS-400/127, NASA is hard at work preparing for a busy summer launch schedule while planning continues for future flights. Of these future flights, the Program Requirements Control Board (PRCB) has officially [...]
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The Space Shuttle Program (SSP) have concluded their manifest meeting by realigning the 2009 shuttle schedule. The preliminary schedule changes – which calls for five shuttle missions – were called for after the delay to STS-125’s mission to Hubble. As a result of the meeting, Ares I-X is likely to be delayed until October, 09.
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