Posts Tagged ‘TPS’
STS-132: Atlantis docks with ISS – Extremely clean ET-136
NASA’s trusted mitigation approach to problems with their complex hardware has again paid dividends, with efforts to reduce foam liberation from their External Tanks (ETs) rewarded by photography…
STS-131: Discovery berths MPLM and completes DLI ahead of undocking
Discovery’s crew have raced through their Flight Day 12 tasks, completing the berthing of MPLM Leonardo and the Docked Late Inspections (DLI) over three hours ahead of schedule….
STS-131: NASA managers plan out extra docked day late inspections
With an additional docked day – already allowed for in the mission timeline options – now approved by the Mission Management Team (MMT), efforts on designing a preliminary…
STS-131 EVA-1 completed – No FI required for Discovery’s clean TPS
Flight Day 5 (FD-5) for STS-131 has seen the completion of the first of three scheduled EVAs (Spacewalks) of the mission. Astronauts Rick Mastracchio and Clay Anderson performed all…
STS-131: Discovery closing in on ISS docking – RSB liberation during ascent
Discovery is continuing to close the gap between herself and the International Space Station (ISS) for a Flight Day 3 rendezvous that will result in docking at 02:44am…
STS-131: FD2 inspections completed smoothly despite lack of KU capability
Veteran orbiter Discovery is closing in on the end of Flight Day 2 on orbit, following her launch at the first attempt on Monday morning, kicking off the…
Endeavour’s post-flight TPS – Protruding window insert remained in place
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…
STS-130 EOM-1: Endeavour carries out FCS checks; TPS Clearance Overview
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…
STS-130: Endeavour docks with ISS – Port Wing protrusion evaluated
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….
Atlantis undocks and conducts Late Inspections – DAT status
Atlantis has undocked from the International Space Station (ISS), as she prepares to target a landing on Friday. Late Inspections took place later on Flight Day 10, although…
STS-129: Atlantis in clean launch ahead of opening TPS inspections
Only three minor foam liberation events have been noted in initial ascent imagery evaluations, with External Tank ET-133 appearing to perform extremely well during launch. Further checks will…
STS-129: Special flight deck Minicam set to film ET ramps during ascent
Last week’s Space Shuttle Program (SSP) Flight Readiness Review (FRR) has approved the installation of a special minicam pointing out of window 4 on Atlantis’ flight deck. The…
STS-128: DAT working through RPM imagery – Discovery gains full FI clearance
The Damage Assessment Team (DAT) are working hundreds of images taken during the orbiter’s RPM (Rbar Pitch Maneuver) on Flight Day 3 – with full clearance from a…
STS-128: Flight Day 2 Inspections complete on Discovery’s TPS
The STS-128 crew have completed Flight Day 2′s activities, which focused on the opening inspections of Discovery’s Thermal Protection System (TPS), along with the checkouts of the orbiter’s…
STS-128: Managers head into FRR debate – Void in suspect IFR highlighted
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…
Understanding ET-131′s rogue foam liberations leads to ET-132 confidence
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…
Endeavour lands back in Florida – Ice noted during FCS checkout
Endeavour has concluded her STS-127 mission by returning to her home base at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida. She landed at 10:48am local time on Flight…
Endeavour tracking KSC return on Friday – TPS cleared for entry
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…
Endeavour completes Late Inspections – Candidate found for ET-131 foam loss
Following the conclusion of STS-127 docked phase of the mission, Flight Day 15 involved a Late Inspection survey on Endeavour’s Thermal Protection System (TPS). Meanwhile, an investigation into the…
STS-128: Discovery rolls to VAB on Sunday following ET-132 clearance
Shuttle engineers like to check, double check, and check again, whenever there’s a flight safety concern – and that was more than the case with the pull tests…
