Posted on by Nancy Atkinson

13 Things that Saved Apollo 13

The crew of Apollo 13 after landing safely. Credit: NASA.

On the night of April 13th, 1970, when the oxygen tank in Apollo 13’s Command and Service Module exploded, a 27-year-old engineer named Jerry Woodfill sat at his console in the Mission Evaluation Room at Johnson Space Center, monitoring the caution and warning system he helped create for the Apollo spacecraft.

“It was 9:08 pm, and I looked at the console because it flickered a few times and then I saw a master alarm come on,” Woodfill said, talking from his office at JSC where he has worked for almost 45 years. “Initially I thought something was wrong with the alarm system or the instrumentation, but then I heard Jack Swigert in my headset: “Houston, we’ve had a problem,” and then a few moments later, Jim Lovell said the same thing.”

And so began the most perilous but eventually triumphant situation ever encountered in human spaceflight.

2010 is the 40th anniversary of Apollo 13, and Universe Today had the chance to talk with Woodfill about his role in Apollo 13, a mission which many believe should have ended fatally for astronauts Jim Lovell, Fred Haise, and Jack Swigert. But it didn’t, and the mission has come to be called a “successful failure.”

What things were responsible for that success – the overcoming of odds – to rescue of the crew?

Since Woodfill was there in the thick of the action, he has some ideas on how to answer that question. But also, for the past 40 years he has studied the Apollo13 mission in intricate detail, examining all the various facets of the rescue by going through flight transcripts, debriefs, and other documents, plus he’s talked to many other people who worked during the mission. Fascinated by the turn of events and individuals involved who turned failure into success, Woodfill has come up with what he calls “13 Things That Saved Apollo 13.”

Over the next few weeks, we’ll share Woodfill’s insights and discuss each of those 13 turning points. What better way to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Apollo 13!

But for today, besides giving our readers a preview of what is to come the next 13 days, we’ll take this opportunity introduce you to Jerry Woodfill.

Jerry Woodfill working in the Apollo Mission Evaluation Room. Credit: Jerry Woodfill.

While attending Rice University on a basketball scholarship, Woodfill was inspired by President John F. Kennedy’s famous “We Choose to go to the Moon” speech delivered at Rice. Woodfill turned in his basketball shoes and focused on his studies of electrical engineering, hoping to become part of the space program.

He came on board at NASA just in time to work on helping to build the Apollo spacecraft.

“I spent years working with contractors, engineers, flight controllers and astronauts on the caution and warning system, or the alarm systems for both the lunar lander as well as the command ship,” Woodfill said.

He compared the alarm system to the lights that come on in an automobile when the battery is low or the generator isn’t working. “We had to come up with the best means of telling the astronauts they had a problem. We had to make sure the alarm system worked right. ”

Woodfill said that like most of the NASA team, he knew the workings of the command ship and lander more intimately than any of his college courses would have required, but that prepared him for any problems that might arise.

The Mission Evaluation Room. Credit: Jerry Woodfill.

During the Apollo missions Woodfill worked in the Mission Evaluation Room, which is NOT the Mission Operations Control Room (MOCR) or “Mission Control” as it is known. MER was in a building adjacent to the Mission Control building. Woodfill has written a webpage detailing the difference between the MER and MOCR.

“We were an unsung group,” Woodfill said. “We were there for mission support. We weren’t flight controllers, but we were experts. For other missions that were routine we didn’t play that big of a role, but for the Apollo 13 mission, we did play a role.”

Woodfill tends to downplay both his role and the importance of the MER. “Comparing the 1970s era MER to the Mission Operations Control Room would be akin to comparing the Queen Mary to a weekend boater’s cabin cruiser,” he said. “Likewise, comparing my role in the rescue to Gene Kranz and Glen Lunney’s would be more incomparable.”

For a truly unbiased opinion, however, Chapter 11 of Jim Lovell’s book “Lost Moon” (renamed Apollo 13 after the movie of the same name came out in 1995) details how important the people in the Mission Evaluation Room were. Yes, the “MER-men” were important!

While many may say the way Apollo 13 turned out was luck or a fortuitous turn of events, Woodfill said he tends to lean towards providence.

Over the next 13 days, perhaps we’ll find out!

And if Woodfill’s name is familiar to Universe Today readers, you may recall how he found the “lost” lesson plans of the teacher in space, Christa McAuliffe, and brought them “back to life” so to speak, as they are now being used by many teachers and Challenger Learning Centers.

Listen to an interview of Jerry Woodfill that I did for the 365 Days of Astronomy podcast.

Additional Articles in the “13 Things That Saved Apollo 13” that have now been posted:

Part 1: Timing

Part 2: The Hatch That Wouldn’t Close

Part 3: Charlie Duke’s Measles

Part 4: Using the LM for Propulsion

Part 5: Unexplained Shutdown of the Saturn V Center Engine

Part 6: Navigating by Earth’s Terminator

Part 7: The Apollo 1 Fire

Part 8: The Command Module Wasn’t Severed

Part 9: Position of the Tanks

Part 10: Duct Tape

Part 11: A Hollywood Movie

Part 12: Lunar Orbit Rendezvous

Part 13: The Mission Operations Team

Also:

Your Questions about Apollo 13 Answered by Jerry Woodfill (Part 1)

More Reader Questions about Apollo 13 Answered by Jerry Woodfill (part 2)

Final Round of Apollo 13 Questions Answered by Jerry Woodfill (part 3)

Never Before Published Images of Apollo 13’s Recovery

Posted on by Ken Kremer

Mother of Pearl Colored Clouds form above Kennedy after Discovery Blast Off

‘Mother of Pearl’ Colored Clouds form above the Countdown clock at the Kennedy Space Center Press Site about 23 minutes after the April 5, 2010 launch of Space Shuttle Discovery, as 3 excited Science Journalists point out (from left, Rob van Mackelenbergh, Jacob Kuiper and Ken Kremer). Credit: Jacob Kuiper

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(Editor’s Note: Ken Kremer is at the Kennedy Space Center for Universe Today covering the flight of Discovery)

Beautiful billowing clouds of all shapes, sizes and appearance always form from rocket exhaust plumes following a mighty rocket launch, whether it’s from the Space Shuttle or an unmanned rocket like the Atlas for the SDO launch (see my exhaust plume photo).

Well I’ve never witnessed anything like the magnificently colored clouds following Monday’s (April 5) predawn launch of Shuttle Discovery. They are known as “Mother of Pearl” clouds – according to Jacob Kuiper, Senior Meteorologist with the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute (KNMI).

Kuiper and myself observed the launch together with journalist Rob van Mackelenbergh (Dutch Society for Spaceflight, NVR) at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) Press Site, located across the street from the iconic Vehicle Assembly Building where Shuttle’s are prepared for launch. See our STS 131 Launch day photo mosaic below of the day’s thrilling events.

At first the wispy clouds were nearly all white and set against the still dark sky. Then the sky overhead was suddenly lit on fire with a growing multitude of these pastel colored “Mother of Pearl” clouds – also called “Nacreous” clouds.

“The Mother of Pearl Clouds began turning from white to hues of pink and yellow. Starting about 10 minutes after the launch of Space Shuttle Discovery, its exhaust plume turned into a magnificently colorful panorama. Generally, this continues until about 40 minutes or more after blast off”, Kuiper told me as we stood next to the world famous Countdown clock and gazed in awe at the colored clouds above.

STS 131 Launch Day Mosaic: Crew walkout to Astro Van and ride to launch pad; Discovery Blast off and Countdown Clock at KSC Press site at T Plus 4 Seconds; Pastel Colored ‘Mother of Pearl’ Clouds which formed above the Countdown Clock at T Plus 23 Minutes as three science journalists are in awe. Click to Enlarge. Credit: Rob van Mackelenbergh, Ken Kremer and Jacob Kuiper

“Launching northeast in the predawn sky here on the ground means as the shuttle and its exhaust plumes head to orbit they’re going to catch the rising sunlight and that’s what creates the spectacular clouds we saw on launch morning !” KSC spokesman Allard Beutel explained to me.

Mother of Pearl Clouds form above US Flag at Kennedy Space Center from STS 131 Launch Exhaust Plume. Credit: Ken Kremer
The wispy clouds are transient events – constantly evolving in mere seconds as they are blown in a multitude of directions. Indeed it’s quite easy to let your imagination run wild and dream all sorts of fantastical things ranging from mythical creatures to assorted life forms and even people. Certainly someone has sighted Elvis in the rocket plumes.

“Atmospheric layers between 15 and 85 kilometers height normally contain very low quantities of water vapor. But the final exhaust product of the Shuttle’s external tank (hydrogen and oxygen) provides an enormous amount of water vapor”, Kuiper said.

“In the very cold atmosphere layers, the vapor turned into a tremendous mass of ice crystals and tiny super cooled water droplets. These crystals reflect and bend the solar rays very efficiently and create a nice spectrum of colors”.

“The lowest clouds, turned pink and orange, because at that height the sun just rises and most rays are a bit more reddish due to a certain extinction of the atmosphere. The higher portions of the exhaust plume hardly experience any extinction,” Kuiper explained.

Graphic of Nacreous clouds over Antartica. Atmospheric layers in the Antarctic winter. Nacreous clouds show colours similar to those on the inside of a Mother-of-Pearl shell. The clouds only occur at high polar latitudes in winter, requiring temperatures less than approximately -80ºC to form. Nacreous clouds also known as Mother-of-Pearl clouds, are rare cloud formations which are composed of ice crystals and form when temperatures are well below the ice frost point which is typically below -83C. The only place where these temperatures exist is in the stratosphere, some 20km (6 miles) above the surface. © Dr. Andrew Klekociuk, Australian Antarctic Division

“The yellow/white light of the sun – there a few more degrees above the horizon – is reflected immediately and causes the yellow and white, sometimes blueish colors. In the lowest segment of the atmospheric layers starting around 15 kilometers height, nature is able to form these clouds under very special circumstances. There they are called ‘Mother of Pearl’ clouds”.

“In layers around the Mesopause (about 85 km), clouds sometimes appear in the weeks around June 21 (northerly latitudes). These clouds are called Noctilucent clouds – or NLC. Both types can be produced due to the exhaust plumes from a Space Shuttle launch”, said Kuiper.

By far the largest and most long lasting rocket exhaust clouds derive from the Space Shuttle because it’s the most powerful rocket in the US Fleet – although not for much longer after the shuttle is retired and the US completely loses its Heavy Lift boost capability.

Internet sources: www.knmi.nl, www.weerboek.nl

Earlier STS 131 related articles by Ken Kremer:

Spectacular Radar Failed Belly Flip (Video) and Docking links Discovery to ISS

Antenna Glitch hinders Data Flow from Inspection of Discovery

Discovery Dazzles with Two Dawns in One Day

Discovery Unveiled on Easter Sunday to the Heavens Above

Countdown Clock Ticking for Discovery Blast off on April 5

Soyuz Blasts off with Russian American Crew for Easter ISS arrival

STS 131 Launch Contrails over the Kennedy Space Center on 5 April 2010. Credit: John O’Connor

Flock of Birds fly in front of Pastel colored clouds which formed above Kennedy Space Center from STS 131 Launch Exhaust Plume. Credit: Ken Kremer

Wispy contrails from the launch of space shuttle Discovery on the STS-131 mission glow in rainbow colors in the early morning hours as the sun rises over the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Shuttle Discovery lifted off at 6:21 a.m. EDT on April 5, 2010. Credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

Posted on by Ken Kremer

Spectacular Radar Failed Belly Flip (Video) and Docking links Discovery to ISS

Space shuttle Discovery comes out of its 8 minute long back flip maneuver underneath the International Space Station as ISS astronauts collect high resolution photos of the heat shield for analysis to confirm it is intact and safe to land. Credit: NASA TV

Space Shuttle Discovery performed a spectacular “Radar Failed” rendezvous and docking at the International Space Station this morning (April 7) at 3:44 AM as the two massive ships were flying in formation some 225 miles over the Caribbean Sea near Caracas, Venezuela. Discovery’s blast off on April 5 began a two day pursuit of the station.

Hatches between Discovery and the ISS were opened at 5:11 AM EDT this morning, bringing together the seven-person shuttle crew and the six-person space station crew, to begin nine days of joint work and operations. The primary goal of the STS 131 mission is to outfit the station with numerous new science experiments, install a new crew sleeping quarter and to resupply stocks of essential parts and provisions.

[/caption]Discovery’s cargo bay is packed with the 27,000 pound Leonardo Multi Purpose Logistics module built by the Italian Space Agency and a nearly 4,000 pound ammonia cooling tank.

The joint crew of 13 people marks several notable historic firsts in space exploration, including the largest ever gathering of female astronauts and Japanese astronauts in space.

For the first time in history there are four female astronauts simultaneously working together in space. Discovery Mission Specialists Dottie Metcalf-Lindenburger, Stephanie Wilson and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Naoko Yamazaki join ISS Expedition 23 Flight Engineer Tracy Caldwell Dyson who rocketed to orbit just days ago on April 3 and arrived at the ISS on Easter Sunday.

This NASA image was taken by the centerline camera inside Discovery’s docking port as she initiates final approach to the International Space Station shortly before docking at 3:44 AM on April 7, 2010 during the STS-131 mission. Credit: NASA TV

Expedition 23 Flight Engineer Soichi Noguchi and Mission Specialist Yamazaki are the first JAXA Astronauts to fly in space at the same time. A horde of Japanese media and officials were on hand at KSC to witness the launch of Discovery. This space first is a source of great pride in Japan.

The flawless maneuvers linking the two giant ships together were conducted with “no radar” because of the failure of the high speed Ku-Band communications antenna normally used shortly after blast off on April 5.

The STS 131 astronaut crew led by Shuttle Commander Alan Poindexter had to rely on back up navigation systems to precisely track the station and guide Discovery to a position in front of the ISS and then gently dock at the Harmony module (Node 2). The crew are trained to rendezvous and dock without radar.

Station Commander Oleg Kotev and NASA astronaut TJ Creamer took high resolution images of Discovery’s heat shield during the 8 minute back flip maneuver to document the condition and integrity of the many thousands of critical thermal protection tiles fastened to the belly, wing leading edges and nose cap of Discovery.

The pair snapped hundreds of photos using 400 mm and 800 mm cameras through portholes from their location inside the Russian Zvezda Service Module. These photos will be thoroughly scrutinized by imagery experts back at Mission Control in Houston to look for any signs of damage to the heat shield before NASA commits Discovery to the scorching heat of reentry and a return landing back on Earth.

Earlier STS 131 related articles by Ken Kremer:

Antenna Glitch hinders Data Flow from Inspection of Discovery

Discovery Dazzles with Two Dawns in One Day

Discovery Unveiled on Easter Sunday to the Heavens Above

Countdown Clock Ticking for Discovery Blast off on April 5

Soyuz Blasts off with Russian American Crew for Easter ISS arrival

Posted on by Ken Kremer

Antenna Glitch hinders Data Flow from Inspection of Discovery

Spectacular Predawn Liftoff of Space Shuttle Discovery this morning (April 5) at 6:21 AM EDT from Launch Pad 39 A at the Kennedy Space Center on the STS 131 mission bound for the International Space Station with crew of 7 astronauts. My view with other onlookers from the famous Countdown Clock at the Press Site at KSC about 3 miles away from the pad at T Plus 4 Seconds ! Credit: Ken Kremer

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(Editor’s Note: Ken Kremer is at the Kennedy Space Center for Universe Today covering the flight of Discovery)

Following their spectacular predawn blastoff on Monday April 5, the crew of seven astronauts aboard Space Shuttle Discovery is busy with many important chores in preparing for their scheduled link up with the International Space Station on Wednesday (April 7).

Today the astronauts completed the crucial inspection of the orbiters heat shield but cannot beam the video views back to analysts waiting in Houston because of a communications glitch.

Shortly after achieving orbit, the crew discovered a significant malfunction with the orbiters Ku-Band Antenna which the crew uses to transmit and receive information at high speed back and forth with the ground through the orbiting Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRSS) system.

The dish shaped antenna failed to complete its standard activation sequence. Troubleshooting and power cycling efforts by the astronauts and engineers on the ground have been unsuccessful thus far in resolving the problem.

In the Orbiter Processing Facility, the Ku-band communications antenna is stowed in the payload bay of Discovery before the bay's doors are closed. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann

The antenna is used for high data rate communications with the ground such as transmission of voice and video data and files including television. The shuttle’s radar system also uses the dish antenna during rendezvous operations with the station.

Loss of the antenna is not expected to affect the objectives or safety of the 13 day flight of STS 131. Discovery can safely rendezvous and dock with the ISS using several alternate communications systems – such as the S-band and UHF – and back up capabilities for the radar, all of which are functioning normally. The ISS is also equipped with a Ku-Band antenna that can transmit video of the docking including the belly flop on final approach.

NASA Kennedy Space Center spokesman Allard Beutel told me that, “We’re going to pretty much work with the idea that we will not get the Ku antenna back for this mission so teams are working plans accordingly.”

Inside the Orbiter Processing Facility Bay 3 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, space shuttle Discovery's payload bay doors are closing. Seen at center is the Ku-band antenna which is used on orbit to transmit and receive information from the ground through the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite system. The Ku-Band antenna has failed initial activation tests on the STS 131 mission. Voice and data can be transmitted by multiple alternate communications systems. Credit: NASA/Chris Rhodes

Today (April 6), the astronauts completed the now standard inspection of Discovery’s heat shield with the Orbiter Boom Sensing System (OBSS) on the shuttles robotic arm to carefully scrutinize the thermal protection system for any signs of damage. This critical task is essential to confirm the complete integrity of the heat shield which protects the orbiter and human crew from the scorching heat generated during re-entry through the Earth’s atmosphere and ensures a safe landing back at KSC at the conclusion of the flight.

Normally, the video of the heat shield inspection data is quickly beamed back to the ground via the Ku-Band antenna for a rapid analysis by imagery experts at Mission Control in Houston. Due to the malfunctioning antenna, the crew recorded the data on five or six 40-minute tapes that will be down linked after docking on Wednesday, using the stations Ku-Band system. The Damage Assessment Team review will be delayed, but this issue will not affect the quality of data it reviews.

According to Flight Director Richard Jones the detailed examination of Discovery’s heat shield and nose cap went well and a preliminary review found no problems or areas for concern.

Docking to the ISS is set for Wednesday, April 7 at 3:44 AM

Earlier STS 131 articles by Ken Kremer:

Discovery Dazzles with Two Dawns in One Day

Discovery Unveiled on Easter Sunday to the Heavens Above

Countdown Clock Ticking for Discovery Blast off on April 5

Posted on by Ken Kremer

Discovery Dazzles with Two Dawns in One Day

Predawn Liftoff of Space Shuttle Discovery this morning (April 5) at 6:21 AM EDT at the Kennedy Space Center. Credit: Alan Walters for Universe Today. See awaltersphoto.com

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(Editor’s Note: Ken Kremer and Alan Walters are at the Kennedy Space Center for Universe Today covering the flight of Discovery)

Space Shuttle Discovery blasted to orbit this morning (April 5) precisely on time at 6:21 AM EDT in the predawn skies at the Kennedy Space Center. Hints of sunlight cracking through the horizon were discernible in the last minutes before liftoff.

The rumbling thunder from the spectacular liftoff was felt for miles around. Folks in the surrounding counties of Florida reported experiencing shockwaves.

Personally, I can say it was the loudest and most magnificent Shuttle liftoff I have witnessed from the Press Site at KSC which is located about 3 miles away from the launch pad. Many members of the media and NASA officials I spoke with said it was one of the best ever.

Liftoff of Space Shuttle Discovery on April 5 at 6:21 AM EDT for the 8 ½ minute climb to orbit. Credit: Alan Walters for Universe Today. See awaltersphoto.com

The blazing fire from 7 million pounds of thrust created by the twin shuttle solid rocket boosters (SRB’s) and three main engines turned night into day for the days first dawn. Eventually our sun rose about 45 minutes later just as expected, for this days second incredible dawn and thus exposing clear blue skies. I clearly saw the SRB’s being jettisoned after burnout about 2 minutes into the flight.

Fifteen minutes before blast off, everyone was treated to fabulously bright overhead view of the ISS that coincidentally passed directly in front of the moon in a north easterly pass that lasted over 3 minutes

Bill Gerstenmaier, NASAs Associate Administrator for Space Operations, hailed the launch of Discovery on the STS 131 mission as a “Great success and a great start to a great mission” and was a tribute to the team at Kennedy that got the vehicle ready to fly. This is the second of the final five planned flights until the space shuttle program is retired at the end of 2010. Only 3 more launches remain on the manifest.

The crew of seven astronauts aboard are in for the ride of a lifetime on the 13 day flight to the International Space Station which will include three spacewalks. Discoveries cargo bay is packed with the Leonardo resupply module that is loaded with numerous science experiments and instrument racks, spare parts, food and sleeping quarters.

Discovery is set to dock to the orbiting outpost at 3:44 a.m. on Wednesday, April 7 after a two day pursuit.

Earlier STS 131 articles by Ken Kremer:

Discovery Unveiled on Easter Sunday to the Heavens Above

Countdown Clock Ticking for Discovery Blast off on April 5

Credit: Alan Walters for Universe Today. See awaltersphoto.com
Credit: Alan Walters for Universe Today. See awaltersphoto.com
Credit: Alan Walters for Universe Today. See awaltersphoto.com
STS-131 crew heads out to the launchpad. Image: Alan Walters (awaltersphoto.com) for Universe Today.
Posted on by Ken Kremer

Discovery Unveiled on Easter Sunday to the Heavens Above

At NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the rotating service structure, or RSS, rolled back Sunday morning revealing space shuttle Discovery ready for launch. The rollback is in final preparation for Discovery’s scheduled 6:21 a.m. EDT liftoff Monday, Apr. 5 on the STS-131 mission.

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(Editor’s Note: Ken Kremer is at the Kennedy Space Center for Universe Today covering the launch of Discovery)

It was a glorious Easter Sunday morning here at the Kennedy Space Center as Space Shuttle Discovery was unveiled to the clear blue skies of the heavens above. The Rotating Service Structure (RSS) was rolled back this Sunday morning at 9:30 AM to reveal Discovery in anticipation of launch on Monday morning, Apr. 5 at 6:21 AM EDT The rollback of the giant cocoon like structure takes about 25 minutes.

This evening the Shuttle Mission management team gave the “GO” to begin the fueling of the cryogenic propellants. Over a half million pounds of liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen is being loaded into the shuttle’s huge orange colored External Tank as of 9:28 PM tonight !

The loading of fuel takes about three hours.

Final preparations are underway for the STS 131 mission which is scheduled to last 13 days and includes 3 spacewalks. The crew of 7 astronauts will deliver the Leonardo re-supply module loaded with tons of food, spare parts and science equipment.

Live launch coverage will kick off on NASA TV and on NASA’s Launch Blog at 1:15 a.m. Monday. The Launch Blog can be found at www.nasa.gov/launch and NASA TV at www.nasa.gov/ntv.

Credit: Alan Walters for Universe Today. See awaltersphoto.com
Credit: Alan Walters for Universe Today. See awaltersphoto.com
Lone bird stands guard protecting Discovery from the media horde of a few hundred photo journalists today at Launch Pad 39 A at KSC. Credit: Ken Kremer
Ken Kremer and Shuttle Discovery on April 4 at the Kennedy Space Center. Credit: Alan Walters for Universe Today. See awaltersphoto.com
Alan Walters and Shuttle Discovery on April 4 at the Kennedy Space Center. Credit: Alan Walters for Universe Today. See awaltersphoto.com
Posted on by Ken Kremer

Countdown Clock Ticking for Discovery Blast off on April 5

In an extremely rare media photo opportunity with Discovery poised at the top of Pad 39 A, the massive Rotating Service Structure (RSS, at left) had been retracted the day before my visit on March 19. I stood in absolute awe right beneath Discovery and the RSS and the just delivered payload canister. The enormous canister containing ‘Leonardo’ resupply module had just been hoisted by crane and attached to the RSS. Credit: Ken Kremer

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(Editor’s Note: Ken Kremer is at the Kennedy Space Center for Universe Today covering the flight of Discovery)
At the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida, the countdown clock is ticking towards blast off for the STS 131 assembly mission of Space Shuttle Discovery to the International Space Station. Discovery is slated to lift off on Monday, April 5 at 6:21 AM.

Mike Moses, chairman of NASA’s Mission Management Team at KSC announced a “Unanimous Go for Launch” at the KSC pre-launch news briefing today, April 3. “This is one of the most heavily packed shuttle missions with science equipment and will position the ISS very well for science in the future”

The weather forecast is 80 % Favorable.

The international crew of seven astronauts arrived at the Shuttle landing strip at KSC on a Gulfstream II jet at 7 AM on Thursday morning (April 1). They were greeted by KSC Director Bob Cabana and the media including myself.

“The crew’s ready to go and we’re looking forward to our mission to the International Space Station. It’s a complex 13-day mission. It’s main mission is resupply. We also have three very challenging EVAs,” said Shuttle Commander Alan Poindexter.

Discovery crew arrives at the Shuttle Landing Strip at the Kennedy Space Center on April 1. The 7 person crew is led by Commander Alan Poindexter (at right). Jim Dutton (at mic) will serve as the pilot. Mission Specialists (from left) are Clay Anderson, Naoko Yamazaki of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, Stephanie Wilson, Dorothy Metcalf-Lindenburger and Rick Mastracchio. Credit: Ken Kremer

Pre-launch operations have been on-going for several months. I had the opportunity to participate in media tours to inspect her primary cargo, the Leonardo resupply module, inside the Space Station Processing Facility at KSC and take a quite rare and absolutely thrilling visit to witness Discovery close up from directly on top of Launch Pad 39A as her giant payload canister was delivered to the massive pad structure on March 19, 2010.

Nestled inside Discovery’s cargo bay is the ‘Leonardo’ Multi-purpose logistics module (MPLM) and a 3800 lb Ammonia cooling tank. Leonardo weighs over 27,000 pounds and is jam packed with16 science and stowage racks including the 3rd MELFI low temperature science freezer, the 4th crew personal quarters and the WORF space science imagery experiment which features Klingon inscriptions for future visitors.

STS-131 will be the 33rd shuttle mission to the station and the 131st shuttle mission overall. This will be the penultimate voyage for Discovery.

Posted on by Steve Nerlich

Astronomy Without A Telescope – Is An Anomalous Anomaly A Normality?

The lack of any flyby anomaly effect when the Rosetta spacecraft passed Earth in November 2009 is what, an anomaly? No. Anomalies arise when there is a mismatch between a predicted and an observed value. When it happens our first thought shouldn’t be that OMG there’s something wrong with physics! We should probably start by reviewing whether we really got the math right.

The flyby anomaly story starts with the Galileo spacecraft‘s flyby of Earth in December 1990 – where it was measured to have gained a speed increase (at least, an increase over the predicted value) of 2.5 millimeters per second at perigee. In its second pass in December 1992, the predicted value was the same as the observed value, although it has been suggested that atmospheric drag effects confound any analysis of this particular flyby.

The next, and biggest anomaly so far detected, was the NEAR spacecraft‘s flyby in 1998 (a whopping 7.2 millimeters per second at perigee increase over the predicted value). After that you have Rosetta showing an anomaly on its first flyby in 2005. Then a quantitative formula which aimed to model the various flybys to date was developed by Anderson et al in 2007 – predicting a small but detectable speed increase would be found in Rosetta’s second fly-by of 13 November 2007. However (or should I say anomalously), no such increase was detected in this, or in Rosetta’s third (2009), pass.

So, on balance, our spacecraft (and often the same spacecraft) are more likely to behave as predicted than to behave anomalously. This reduces (though not negates) the likelihood of the anomaly being anything of substance. One might sagely state that the intermittent absence of an anomaly is not in itself anomalous.

More recently, Mbelek in 2009 has proposed that the anomalous flyby data (including Anderson et al’s formula) can be explained by a more rigorous application of special relativity principles, concluding that ‘spacecraft flybys of heavenly bodies may be viewed as a new test of SR which has proven to be successful near the Earth’. If such recalculated predicted values match observed values in future flybys, that would seem to be that.

Pioneer 10 - launched in 1972 and now making its way out towards the star Aldebaran, which it should pass in about 2 million years. Credit: NASA

Then there’s the Pioneer anomaly. This has no obvious connection with the flyby anomaly, apart from a common use of the word anomaly, which gives us another epistemological maxim – two unrelated anomalies do not one bigger anomaly make.

Between around 20 and 70 AU out from Earth, Pioneer 10 and 11 both showed tiny but unexpected decelerations of around 0.8 nanometers per second2 – although again we are just talking about an observed value that differed from a predicted value.

Some key variables not considered in calculating the original predicted value are radiation pressure from sunlight-heated surfaces, as well as internal radiation generated from the spacecrafts’ own (RTG) power source. A Planetary Society update of an ongoing review of the Pioneer data indicated that revised predicted values now show less discrepancy from the observed values. Again, this doesn’t yet negate the anomaly – but given the trend for more scrutiny equals less discrepancy, it’s fair to say that this anomaly is also becoming less substantial.

Don’t get me wrong, this is all very useful science, teaching us more about how our spacecraft operate out there in the field. I am just suggesting that when faced with a data anomaly perhaps our first reaction should be Doh! rather than OMG!

Posted on by Nancy Atkinson

Skydiver Hopes to Break the Speed of Sound in Freefall

Felix Baumgartner during a test flight. Credit: Red Bull Stratos

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The speed of sound — historically called the ‘sound barrier’ – has been broken by rockets, various jet-powered aircraft and rocket-boosted land vehicles. Felix Baumgartner wants to break the sound barrier with his body, in freefall from the edge of space. He will travel inside a capsule with a stratospheric balloon to 36,500 meters (120,000 feet) step out and attempt a freefall jump targeted to reach – for the first time in history – supersonic speeds.

“After years of training with my team of dedicated Red Bull Stratos experts, I’ll be going on a journey that no one has ever done,” Baumgartner told Universe Today in an email message. “If I succeed, I will be the first person to break the sound barrier, alone. That will be a record for all eternity. As such, a piece of me will become immortal. That excites me.”

Baumgartner, left with Joe Kittinger. Credit: Red Bull Stratos

Back in 1960, a US Air Force captain named Joe Kittinger made aerospace history by making a jump from 31,000 meters (102,800 feet). His jump contributed valuable data that provided ground work for spacesuit technology and knowledge about human physiology for the US space program. There have been several attempts to surpass Kittinger’s record, but none have succeeded, and people have given their lives for the quest.

Sometime during 2010, Baumgartner will make an attempt in his “Red Bull Stratos” mission — named after the energy drink company that co-created the program with the Austrian skydiver. Red Bull Stratos team members say the mission will explore the limits of the human body in one of the most hostile environments known to humankind, in the attempt to deliver valuable lessons in human endurance and high-altitude technology.

“This is the biggest goal I can dream of,” Baumgartner said. “If we can prove that you can break the speed of sound and stay alive I think that is a benefit for future space exploration.”

If Baumgartner is successful, the Red Bull Stratos mission will break four world records: the altitude record for freefall, the distance record for longest freefall, the speed record for fastest freefall by breaking the speed of sound with the human body, and the altitude record for the highest manned balloon flight.

Baumgartner during a test flight. Credit: Red Bull Stratos

How fast will Baumgarter need to go to beat the speed of sound? Sound travels at different speeds through the atmosphere (as well as through different mediums), depending on atmospheric density and temperature. For example, at sea level, in average conditions of about 15 degrees C (59 degrees F), sound travels at around 1,223 kph (760 mph). But at higher altitudes, where the air is colder, sound travels more slowly.

Researchers with the Red Bull Stratos mission anticipate Baumgartner could break the sound barrier at about 30,480 meters (100,000 feet) above sea level, in temperatures of -23 to -40 C (-10 to -40 F) where sound travels at about 1,110 kph (690 mph) or roughly 304 meters per second (1,000 feet per second).

So, he’ll have to go faster than those speeds – or Mach 1 — to be supersonic.

While there is no literal “barrier,”the transition to supersonic speeds can cause problems for aircraft as transonic air movement creates disruptive shock waves and turbulence. Data obtained from Chuck Yeager’s first supersonic flight in 1947 allowed for changes in design of supersonic aircraft to avoid problems. Still, some aircraft still experience problems, and going supersonic has been attributed to some air disasters.

And the human body isn’t designed for supersonic speeds.

“Our biggest concern is that we don’t know how a human unencumbered by aircraft is going to transition through this,” said the project’s Medical Director Dr. Jonathan Clark, a flight surgeon for six space shuttle missions (and husband of astronaut Laurel Clark who died in the Columbia disaster in 2003), who has researched numerous aerospace disasters. “But it’s also exactly what we’re hoping to learn, for the benefit of future space flights.”

Documents provided by the Red Bull Stratos mission say that the data obtained from the mission will be shared with the scientific community, and Clark notes that he expects long-awaited medical protocols to be established as a result.

At the low temperatures and tenuous atmospheric conditions that Baumgartner will experience, he could suffer from hypothermia, the bends –if he gains altitude too fast during ascent –, or he could experience ebullism – the infamous condition where gas bubbles can form in the blood, and the blood basically “boils.”

Baumgartner wearing the David Clark Company suit. Credit: Red Bull Statos

That’s why his spacesuit is so important.

“I have absolute confidence the suit is going to work,” said Daniel McCarter, Program Manager for the David Clark Company, the same company that made Kittinger’s suit back in 1960, as well as full pressure suits for NASA astronauts and military pilots flying in aircraft that can reach the edge of the atmosphere. “Every time someone jumps a suit system like this there is something to learn. We learn knowledge for future systems.”

Art Thompson, the mission’s Technical Project Director, added, “We are ultimately risking life. Felix realizes that his life is on the line. Our job is to do everything we can from an engineering and technical point of view to keep him safe.”

The suit Baumgartner will use is custom-made for him, so there should be no pressure points caused by the suit that would make him uncomfortable, but any pressure suit restricts mobility and dexterity. He will have to avoid movements that could cause him to go into an uncontrollable spin.

Baumgartner is not new to jumping. He owns several world records for B.A.S.E. jumping and is well known for skydiving across the English Channel in 2003. He is also a parachutist, stunt coordinator and a commercial helicopter pilot.

“I think I’ve always been one of those guys who wanted to be in the places where no one has been before. It’s inside your body or brain,” Baumgartner said in a video on the Red Bull Stratos website. “When I was a kid, I liked to climb up trees –I always wanted to be on top of something.”

This will definitely be an attempt to go where no one has gone before.

For more information on the mission, visit the Red Bull Stratos website, or Felix Baumgartner’s website.