Posted on by Nancy Atkinson

STS-131, the Mission in Pictures

Amazing image from Soichi Noguchi of the shuttle. "Midnight running! Galaxy Express 131, Discovery," he Tweeted. Credit: Soichi Noguchi

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Space shuttle Discovery’s landing was delayed a day because of uncooperative weather at Kennedy Space Center and the crew of STS-131 will try again on Tuesday to land. But in the meantime the delay provides a great opportunity to look back at the very successful mission with a set of amazing pictures from space. This beautiful image, top, shows the station’s robotic Canadarm2 grappling the Leonardo Multi-purpose Logistics Module (MPLM) from the payload bay of the docked Discovery for relocation to a port on the Harmony node of the International Space Station. The bright sun and Earth’s horizon provide the backdrop for the scene, while the Canadian-built Dextre robot looks on. Enjoy a gallery of images, below.

Clay Anderson during an EVA. Credit: NASA

Clay works outside the ISS during STS-131’s first EVA. During the six-hour, 27-minute spacewalk, Anderson and Rick Mastracchio (visible in the reflection of Anderson’s helmet visor), mission specialist, helped move a new 1,700-pound ammonia tank from space shuttle Discovery’s cargo bay to a temporary parking place on the station, retrieved an experiment from the Japanese Kibo Laboratory exposed facility and replaced a Rate Gyro Assembly on one of the truss segments.

Discovery during the rendezvous and docking with the ISS on April 7, 2010. Credit: NASA

Discovery and the International Space Station are in the midst of their rendezvous and docking activities in this image photographed by an Expedition 23 crew member aboard the ISS. Part of a docked Russian spacecraft can be seen in the foreground.

Rick Mastracchio during the first EVA of the mission. Credit: NASA
Amazing image from Soichi Noguchi of the shuttle. He tweeted: Midnight running! Galaxy Express 131, Discovery. Credit: Soichi Noguchi

Astronaut Soichi Noguchi has taken some of the most incredible images while on the ISS. Here’s one more awesome shot of Discovery while docked to the ISS during the STS-131 mission.

Naoko Yamazaki is pictured in a window of the Cupola. Credit: NASA
Commander Alan Poindexter and Pilot Jim Dutton in Discovery's cockpit. Credit: NASA

Compare this image, above, of Commander Alan Poindexter and Pilot Jim Dutton in the “real” shuttle cockpit, to below, the shuttle simulator.

Commander Alan Poindexter and pilot Jim Dutton in shuttle simulator. Credit: NASA
Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronauts Soichi Noguchi, Expedition 23 flight engineer; and Naoko Yamazaki (right), STS-131 mission specialist; along NASA astronaut Stephanie Wilson in the Destiny Lab. Credit: NASA.

This mission brought together two Japanese astronauts Soichi Noguchi, Expedition 23 flight engineer; and Naoko Yamazaki (right), STS-131 mission specialist; along NASA astronaut Stephanie Wilson,

A unique view of the ISS. Credit: NASA

A unique view of a part of the ISS, backdropped by the blackness of space and Earth’s horizon. Visible are the Japanese Kibo complex of and a set of solar arrays. This image was photographed by an STS-131 crew member while space shuttle Discovery was docked with the station.

Clay Anderson with a ball of water. Credit: NASA

The microgravity environment of space provides a great place to play — experimenting with a water is always fun and it likely happens every mission!

Four women in space at once for the first time. Credit: NASA

For the first time, four women were in space together during the STS-131 mission, with three from the shuttle crew and one from the ISS. Pictured clockwise (from the lower right) are NASA astronauts Dorothy Metcalf-Lindenburger, Stephanie Wilson, both STS-131 mission specialists; and Tracy Caldwell Dyson, Expedition 23 flight engineer; along with Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Naoko Yamazaki, STS-131 mission specialist.

The STS-131 crew in the ISS's Cupola. Credit: NASA

Love this image of the STS-131 crew in the Cupola. Pictured counter-clockwise (from top left) are NASA astronauts Alan Poindexter, commander; James P. Dutton Jr., pilot; Dorothy Metcalf-Lindenburger, Rick Mastracchio, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Naoko Yamazaki, NASA astronauts Clayton Anderson and Stephanie Wilson.

Time-lapse image of the launch of STS-131. Credit: NASA

Back to where the mission started, with a great time-lapse image of Discovery’s launch for STS-131. For more great launch images, see our launch gallery from Universe Today photographer Alan Walters and writer Ken Kremer, who were both at the launch.

Posted on by Nancy Atkinson

Shuttle Will Fly Over Heart of US for Monday Morning Landing Attempt

STS-131 flight path for landing attempt. Credit: NASA.

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If the weather cooperates, space shuttle Discovery will attempt to land in Florida Monday morning using a so-called “descending node” where the trajectory will take it across the heart of the continental US. “The neat thing about the descending opportunities is it’s going to come across the country and folks will get a good opportunity, hopefully, to see the orbiter as it goes overhead,” said NASA entry flight director Bryan Lunney. This flight trajectoray hasn’t been used since before the Columbia disaster in 2003, to avoid flying over densely populated areas of the US. This descending node trajectory is favorable for adding extra crew time to the mission. The plan is for Discovery’s braking rockets to fire for three minutes and 11 seconds starting at 7:43:20 a.m. EDT Monday. This will slow the shuttle by about 217 mph for a landing at the Shuttle Landing Facility at Kennedy Space Center at 8:48:36 a.m. The second opportunity would be at 10:23:30 a.m.

But rain is in the forecast for Florida in Monday morning, so time will tell if the view will be available. As the shuttle crosses the Canadian border it would be only 43 miles high, providing a good view for viewers below.

According to Bill Harwood at CBS news, here is the flight path and expected speeds over each location, as marked on the map, above.

1. South of the Queen Charlotte Islands (western Canada)
2. Over British Columbia, northeast of Vancouver
3. Over southern Alberta province
4. Over Montana, flying over Fort Peck Lake (Mach 22)
5. Across the western border of North Dakota, then over northern South Dakota tracking northwest to southeast, directly over the capital of Pierre
6. Across Iowa directly over Sioux City and southwest of Des Moines and Council Bluffs, Iowa (Mach 18)
7. Over the heart of Missouri, between Kansas City and St. Louis (Mach 16)
8. Over the eastern border of Arkansas and Tennessee, east of Memphis (Mach 14)
9. Over NE Mississippi, northeast of Tupelo (Mach 12)
10. Over Alabama tracking northwest to southeast from Birmingham to Columbus, Georgia (Mach 10)
11. Over southwest Georgia south of Americus
12. Over Florida, almost directly over Jacksonville (Mach 4)
13. West of St. Augustine and Daytona Beach, onto KSC

Source: CBS, NASA

Posted on by Ken Kremer

WORF and Klingons occupy ISS

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Naoko Yamazaki, STS-131 mission specialist, works inside the Window Observational Research Facility (WORF) in the Destiny laboratory of the International Space Station while shuttle Discovery was still docked. WORF is a platform for cameras, multispectral scanners, and other sensors to capture science imagery of Earth imagery through Destiny's earth facing window. WORF is named after the Klingon character Worf beloved in the Star Trek Universe (top left). The WORF patch (lower left) is inscribed with Commander Worf’s name in Klingon script and was created by Tony Boatright. Credit: NASA images. WORF Patch: NASA/Tony Boatright. Mosaic: Ken Kremer

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WORF has finally joined the crew aboard the International Space Station (ISS). That’s great news for NASA as well as members and fans of the Klingon High Council who are delighted to occupy a prime location for exquisite surveillance of the Earth and Federation activities.

WORF is the acronym for the Window Observational Research Facility, a new science imaging platform on the ISS, which is named after the popular Klingon character from the “Star Trek: The Next Generation” science fiction television series. The surface panel on WORF sports a beautiful patch with a Klingon language inscription – spelling out the name WORF in Klingon script (see photo). Although seemingly innocent, Universe Today has learned that the Klingon High Council may have more sinister plans afoot for WORF involving future imperial undertakings.

WORF was permanently installed inside the US Destiny Lab module over the labs optical quality glass window by the STS 131 crew. Credit: NASA
The WORF science rack was one of the major new pieces of scientific equipment delivered to the ISS by the seven person crew of Space Shuttle Discovery during the highly successful STS 131 mission which blasted to space on April 5, 2010. WORF was packed into the ‘Leonardo’ resupply module which was the primary payload inside Discovery’s cavernous cargo bay.

WORF was designed by Earthlings to function as a photographic darkroom for precision remote space sensing of the Earth. As such, it’s also the only rack on the station that ISS astronauts and cosmonauts can actually physically float into and then maneuver equipment around to conduct their science research. “The working volume to accommodate instruments is about 23 cubic ft (0.8 cubic m)”, according to Dennis Toney of Boeing, Huntsville, Al, who I interviewed at the Kennedy Space Center during the STS 131 launch.

Panels, shelving and brackets inside WORF provide numerous attach points for digital cameras, multispectral and hyperspectral scanners, camcorders, sensors and other instruments to capture Earth imagery through Destiny’s nadir – Earth facing – window.
The experiments will focus on studies of atmospheric and climate properties, land and sea formations, geology, agriculture, ranching, environmental and coastal changes, and also be linked to public outreach and education efforts.

“EarthKAM is an example of a remotely controlled digital camera system that will be commanded to take pictures by middle school students across the US using web based tools”, Toney explained to me. The kids will learn how to work as real scientists. See WORF graphics provided to the author by Boeing/Denis Toney.

Graphics show WORF ‘darkroom’ science rack loaded with cameras and spectral payloads (left) and after closing with hatch (right) to exclude stray light from entering the payload volume. Crewmembers control the experiments loaded inside WORF using a laptop computer mounted on the front of the rack. NASA will use WORF for high resolution Earth observation experiments. Middle school students will be able to remotely control the EarthKAM digital camera payload inside WORF to take photos of the earth and learn how to work as real scientists. Graphics courtesy of Boeing/Dennis Toney were specially provided to the author for this story.

Astronauts installed the WORF darkroom inside the US Destiny Laboratory module and purposely “placed it in a bay directly over the labs 20 inch (508 mm) diameter observation window to provide direct access to the window from inside WORF”, said Toney.

“WORF provides the infrastructure to maximize the usability of the window. Up to 5 science payloads can be accommodated at once”, explained Toney. Numerous instrument connector ports and jacks for Ethernet computer connections, power, video and cooling are built directly into the rack to transmit the multispectral and high resolution experimental imaging data to the ground.

The Destiny window is the highest quality optical glass science window ever flown on any manned spacecraft. The window is constructed from 4 panes of optical quality glass pressed together that permit greater than 95% transmission across most of the visible spectrum and 90% transmission in the near infrared.

Jeff Williams, Expedition 13 Science Officer, at the U.S. Destiny Laboratory Science Window on the ISS. Williams recently served as the ISS Expedition 22 Commander.WORF was mounted on top of the Destiny window by the STS 131 crew.

The photographic and spectral gear – up to 350 mm aperture – mounted inside WORF can be remotely operated from Earth or by astronauts on board, who may also work in a hand held mode as required by the particular piece of equipment to maximize the scientific return.

An external shutter protects the window from micrometeoroid and orbital debris floating outside the station. The hinged cover can be manually opened and closed by the crew inside the cabin with a hand crank.

The “Leonardo’ Multi-purpose Logistics Module (MPLM) weighs over 27,000 pounds and is one of three such modules built by the Italian Space Agency. The module serves as a space moving van and was loaded with 16 science and storage racks – including WORF – holding over 17,000 pounds of science supplies and experiments, crew life support provisions, spare parts, a new astronaut sleep quarter and a minus 80 degree freezer to stow science samples collected by the resident ISS crew.

The Leonardo resupply module and Ken Kremer inside the Space Station Processing Facility at the Kennedy Space Center as the module was being prepared for launch aboard shuttle Discovery on the STS 131 mission. WORF science rack and over 17,000 pounds of science equipment and supplies were loaded inside Leonardo. Credit: Ken Kremer

After Discovery docked to the ISS, Leonardo was hoisted out of Discovery’s cargo bay and berthed to the station for the duration of the flight. The massive orbiting outpost is 98% complete – by habitable volume – and weighs in at 800,000 pounds and spans the length of an American football field.

Space Shuttle Discovery undocked from the ISS on Saturday morning (April 17) in preparation for a Monday April 19 landing at 8:51 AM. Credit: NASA
The STS 131 mission of Space Shuttle Discovery is nearing a close. Discovery undocked from the ISS early this morning at 8:52 AM and about 213 miles above earth and is set to land at KSC on Monday morning at 8:51 AM, weather permitting.

Authors Note: This paragraph is just for fun excepting Federation Counterintelligence agents. Unbeknownst to the crew members and NASA, top secret Klingon military surveillance technology was embedded deep within the WORF unit, according to a source who requested anonymity. Whilst the STS 131 crew was innocently hooking up umbilical line connections to the ISS electrical and computer systems, they unwittingly activated the Klingon Empires cloaking chip previously hidden inside WORF by time traveling Klingon spies dispatched by the High Council. The chip instantaneously began transmitting encoded data via sub space frequencies to eagerly waiting intelligence operatives working for the Klingon Chancellor. Stay tuned for more on WORF and the Klingon infiltration of the ISS.

Earlier STS 131 related articles by Ken Kremer:

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

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

Read more about the WORF Facility and the WORF Patch here:

NASA WORF Website

collectSpace.com Forum discussion on WORF patch

Dennis Toney (Boeing) and Ken Kremer discuss the science goals of the WORF facility at the Kennedy Space Center Press Site during the STS 131 launch of shuttle Discovery on April 5, 2010. Discovery delivered WORF to the ISS. Credit: Ken Kremer
Posted on by Nancy Atkinson

Hitting Home That the Space Shuttle Program is Ending

Atlantis rolls to the VAB. Image credit: Alan Walters (awaltersphoto.com) for Universe Today

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As NASA’s space shuttles head towards retirement, events are starting to happen now that are “lasts” for the program. On April 13, 2010 Atlantis was rolled over to the Vehicle Assembly Building for what is likely the last time. The workers at Kennedy Space Center are preparing Atlantis for its final flight, STS-132, currently scheduled for launch in mid-May 2010, and in the VAB the orbiter will be mated to the External Tank and solid rocket boosters. Thanks to photographer Alan Walters, Universe Today hopes to be able to chronicle these final events as the storied space shuttle program comes to an end. Of course, with NASA’s future seemingly in a state of flux, there’s a small possibility additional shuttle flights will be added, but enjoy this gallery of Alan’s wonderful pictures showing what is scheduled to be Atlantis’ final rollover.

Atlantis just leaving the Orbiter Processing Facility. Image credit: Alan Walters (awaltersphoto.com) for Universe Today

Atlantis moving to the Vehicle Assembly Building. Image credit: Alan Walters (awaltersphoto.com) for Universe Today
Atlantis, head on! Image credit: Alan Walters (awaltersphoto.com) for Universe Today
Atlantis during the last rollover to the VAB. Image credit: Alan Walters (awaltersphoto.com) for Universe Today
The aft end of Atlantis, as seen during the rollover. Image credit: Alan Walters (awaltersphoto.com) for Universe Today
Atlantis during its likely last rollover to the VAB. Image credit: Alan Walters (awaltersphoto.com) for Universe Today
Atlantis entering the VAB for what is likely the last time. Image credit: Alan Walters (awaltersphoto.com) for Universe Today
Posted on by Ken Kremer

President Obama Visits Kennedy Space Center on April 15

What role will NASA play in the future of US manned space flight after the shuttle is retired at the height of its capability ?

[/caption]A few details have finally emerged about Presidents Obama’s short visit to the Kennedy Space Center on April 15 to discuss his new plans for NASA as part of his 2011 NASA Budget Request to Congress. Obama’s visit to KSC will begin at 1:30 PM and end at 3:45 PM, when he departs for a longer visit to a political fundraiser. Check this story from the Miami Herald about the fundraiser.

In February 2010 President Obama announced the complete termination of Project Constellation including the Ares 1 and Ares 5 booster rockets and the Orion Manned Capsule. Project Constellation was proposed by President Bush in 2004 with a new vision to return humans to the moon by 2020 and then Mars thereafter.

Instead, Obama proposes to rely on commercial providers to develop ‘space taxis’ to ferry US astronauts to low earth orbit and the International Space Station. No one can say with any certainty when these vehicles will be available.

President Obama has not announced any specific plans, targets, destinations or timelines for NASA to replace those cancelled as part of Constellation. There are no current plans to develop a Heavy Lift booster. there are only funds for technology development.

There has been harsh criticism of the Presidents new plans for NASA from both Democrats and Republicans who see a loss of US Leadership in Space. Even Sen. Bill Nelson (D) of Florida says “President Obama made a mistake [cancelling Constellation]. Because that is the perception. That he killed the space program.”

This visit was initially dubbed a “Space Summit” by the White House, but will now span barely 2 hours in length (including travel time between KSC venues) and apparently not involve significant interaction with or questions from the many thousands of space workers who are about to lose their jobs.

The format of the visit has also been changed from a sort of town hall meeting to a formal address by President Obama to a selected audience of about 200. His remarks will be followed by brief breakout sessions on a few space topics to implement the new directives given to NASA by the White House.

Here is a portion of the Statement from the White House dealing with the President’s Remarks:

THE WHITE HOUSE April 12, 2010

Office of Media Affairs MEDIA ADVISORY: M10-054

PRESIDENT OBAMA TO DELIVER REMARKS AT KENNEDY SPACE CENTER

WASHINGTON – On the afternoon of Thursday, April 15 President Barack Obama will visit Cape Canaveral, Florida and deliver remarks on the bold new course the Administration is charting for NASA and the future of U.S. leadership in human space flight.

Both the arrival and departure of Air Force One at the Shuttle Landing Facility and his remarks at the NASA Operations and Checkout Building are open to the media.

Air Force One Scheduled Arrival: 1:30 PM
Air Force One Scheduled Departure: 3:45 PM

President Obama Remarks at Kennedy Space Center
NASA Operations and Checkout Building

The opening session, including the President’s remarks, and the closing session of the conference are open to pre-credentialed media. The breakout sessions in between will be closed press and streamed at http://www.nasa.gov/ntv.

Posted on by Nancy Atkinson

Where Is NASA Going and How Are We Going to Get There?

Constellation Program. Image Credit: NASA

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Everyone seems to be a little confused and in the dark about the direction NASA will be headed if Obama’s proposed FY2011 budget passes. Yesterday’s hastily called press briefing answered a few question, but not the big issues of where we’ll be going and how we’re going to get beyond low Earth orbit. Yes, Bolden did say that Mars is the ultimate destination but everyone knows we can’t just pick and go to Mars. NASA needs a vehicle to get there, and getting there will require doing it in incremental steps, such as going to the Moon or asteroids first. There’s no plan (yet) for a vehicle and no plans for those incremental steps. Hopefully Obama’s “Space Summit” on April 15 will provide some answers.

I’m of two minds about this whole deal.

First, I love the space shuttle. I’ve just spent two months at Kennedy Space Center. I experienced the launch of Endeavour, got to see Endeavour and Discovery up closer than I ever imagined, saw behind the scenes processing, met people who work with the shuttles every day, and talked with people whose livelihood depends on NASA sending people to space.

And admittedly, any talk of extending the shuttle program makes my heart leap just a little. It’s a beautiful, marvelous, incredible machine – many say the most complex device ever invented by humans. And why shouldn’t we keep flying it? NASA managers like Mike Moses, Mike Leinbach and John Shannon say that since the Columbia accident we now know the shuttle and understand the risks better than ever. Right now, it definitely would be safer to fly on a shuttle than to fly on a new, untested commercial rocket.

And the jobs lost – not only at KSC but at Johnson Space Center, other NASA centers and contractors — by ending the shuttle and canceling Constellation means individuals who have these incredible skill sets for getting people to space may not be needed anymore. There are things they know that just can’t be replaced, replicated or restarted five or ten years down the road.

Bolden said yesterday that there should be new jobs under the new budget which provides more money for NASA, but nobody really knows yet how many and where.

One of the most poignant questions asked by a reporter at yesterday’s press briefing came at the very end: What’s to say that when a new administration enters the White House that we won’t come back to starting over again with a whole new program?

“If we execute the budget as proposed and prove that we are on a sustainable path, that is the best protection for a subsequent administration not having to change course,” said Lori Garver, Deputy NASA Administrator. “That’s the goal, to not be in this position every four years. These technologies we will be developing will allow us to leave low Earth orbit and go to interesting places. We’ll be able to determine the best places to go, and we should have the data to do it and the capabilities to do it that are more affordable, which has been the goal since the beginning to the space program.”

So this is where my other mind kicks in.

Change is hard. It’s really hard when people’s lives and livelihood are affected. But without change, we get comfortable and getting comfortable means we do the same things over and over.

Running NASA the same way ever since the end of Apollo, while giving us the amazing vehicle that is the space shuttle, has not gotten humans beyond low Earth Orbit, and I think everyone agrees we want to be able to go other places.

Last year NASA turned 50 and there were some comments about NASA reaching middle age and acting like it, too. Change is what keeps us young, and change keeps us on our toes. When you’re willing to change and get out of your comfort zone, you make a commitment to the unknown. And that’s what NASA should be all about. Our memories can’t be bigger than our dreams.

Perhaps the hardest thing about these proposed changes to NASA is that Obama and Bolden are asking for change without telling us exactly what the change is. Maybe they don’t know yet, but this is something we can’t just figure out along the way.

There’s the famous saying that life is not about the destination but the journey, or the other saying that the best thing about being in a race is competing in it. But most journeys have a map and most races have a finish line.

If the proposed budget and plan goes through, this will give us a shot at journeying beyond. Now we just need to know where we’re going and how we’re going to get there.

I started writing this to report on yesterday’s briefing by Charlie Bolden, Lori Garver and other NASA officials, but clearly it turned into something different. Here are a few links to articles by other journalists who wrote about the briefing and what might be coming next:

Reuters: NASA Maps Plan for Revamped Space Program

NASA Chief Maps Out Space Agency’s Future Beyond Shuttle by Tariq Malik at Space.com

NASA Chief Charts Agency’s Shuttle-Less Future by Seth Borenstein, AP

The Write Stuff Blog at the Orlando Sentinel quickly distills what the changes will mean for the different NASA Centers:

Plans for Kennedy Space Center under Obama 2011 budget

What JSC can Expect from the NASA Reshuffle

What Marshall Can Expect from the NASA Reshuffle

Houston Chronicle’s Eric Berger, The SciGuy: Job Cuts Worry Space Center Boss and Answers Coming Today on NASA’s Future

Congressional Reactions to NASA’s Work Assignments by Jeff Foust at Space Politics

NASA Announces Programs and Costs for the Next Five Years by Dennis Overbye, New York Times

And finally, this NASA budget page provides links to all the NASA documents published about the new budget

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 Nancy Atkinson

Double Spaceship Sighting Alert!

The ISS, as seen from space shuttle Endeavour on the STS-130 mission. Credit: NASA

Since this perhaps the fourth-to-the-last space shuttle flight, right now is a great opportunity to see the marvelous sights of International Space Station and space shuttle Discovery flying close in tandem. Depending on where you live, Tuesday evening or early Wednesday morning should provide a wonderful opportunity to see the two as the shuttle prepares to dock at 7:44 GMT (3:44 a.m EDT) on April 7, 2010.

Before docking, the two spacecraft will be seen as separate but closely-spaced points of light. The ISS is bigger, so will appear as the brighter object leading the smaller Discovery as they move across the sky. After docking, the ISS will be brighter yet with the additional surface area provided by the docked shuttle. Of course, your viewing ability will depend on cloud cover.

To find out if you’ll be able to see spaceships in your area, there are a few different sites to check out:
Continue reading “Double Spaceship Sighting Alert!”

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