Posted on by Ken Kremer

Clock Ticking for Shuttle Atlantis on Critical Resupply Mission

Editor’s Note: Ken Kremer is in Florida for Universe Today covering the upcoming Atlantis launch attempt.
As the shuttle enters its final year of operation, the countdown clock is ticking towards blast-off of Space Shuttle Atlantis and her six man crew at 2:28 PM EST on 16 November 2009 towards the International Space Station (ISS) I am reporting from the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) Press site to witness the STS 129 launch and provide on-site coverage for readers of Universe Today. The weather is gorgeous here at KSC with clear blue skies and moderate temperatures.

NASA managers unanimously declare Atlantis is “Go” for launch after reviewing all flight and hardware issues according to Mike Moses (left), director of Shuttle integration at a KSC press briefing. Shuttle Launch director Mike Leinbach (center) said “We are right on the money with the launch countdown. Cryogenics are being loaded into the shuttle fuel cells”. Weather officer Kathy Winters (right) predicted a 90 percent chance of favorable weather at launch time on November 16. Credit: Ken Kremer
NASA managers unanimously declare Atlantis is “Go” for launch after reviewing all flight and hardware issues according to Mike Moses (left), director of Shuttle integration at a KSC press briefing. Shuttle Launch director Mike Leinbach (center) said “We are right on the money with the launch countdown. Cryogenics are being loaded into the shuttle fuel cells”. Weather officer Kathy Winters (right) predicted a 90 percent chance of favorable weather at launch time on November 16. Credit: Ken Kremer

Shuttle weather officer Kathy Winters forecasts a 90 percent chance of favorable weather conditions at launch time on Monday. That drops to 70 percent favorable in the event of a one day scrub to Tuesday November 17 and just 40 percent “Go” on Wednesday. Two days after launch, Atlantis will rendezvous with the ISS and link up with the stations six person crew.

“Atlantis is ready to go. There was a unanimous vote to proceed with the launch countdown” declared Mike Moses, Shuttle Launch integration manager at a KSC press briefing. The primary goal is to deliver nearly 30,000 pounds (15 tons) of critical spare parts and cargo to the International Space Station (ISS) which cannot be transported by any other existing launch system besides the Space Shuttle. This third Utilization and Logistics shuttle flight for the ISS is designated as ULF-3.

Another top objective for Atlantis is to bring home ISS Expedition 20 and 21 crew member Nicole Stott after three months stay in space. Stott is the final astronaut scheduled to use a space shuttle as a taxi to and from the ISS and thereby will increase Atlantis crew size to seven during reentry.

The path forward was cleared when the launch of an Atlas 5 rocket was scrubbed in its final stages in the early morning hours of November 14 and subsequently delayed until after the STS 129 launch. This avoided a potential conflict on the Air Force Eastern Range which requires a 48 hour turnaround to reconfigure tracking and support systems between launches.

My view of the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) adjacent to the Kennedy Space Center Press Center. Shuttles are prepped for flight inside the rectangular box shaped buildings at left (near water tower) known as the Orbiter Processing Facility (OPF). At right see the Launch Control Center (LCC). Ares 1 rocket gantry under construction with tall crane to right of VAB. Credit: Ken Kremer
My view of the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) adjacent to the Kennedy Space Center Press Center. Shuttles are prepped for flight inside the rectangular box shaped buildings at left (near water tower) known as the Orbiter Processing Facility (OPF). At right see the Launch Control Center (LCC). Ares 1 rocket gantry under construction with tall crane to right of VAB. Credit: Ken Kremer

The cargo bay is loaded with two spare gyroscopes, two nitrogen tank assemblies, two pump modules, an ammonia tank assembly and a spare latching end effector for the station’s Canadian built robotic arm. Atlantis’s crew will conduct three spacewalks during the nominal 11 day flight to transfer the spare parts from the payload bay and install them onto the station’s external structures.

Since my last trip here for the STS 125 Hubble repair mission in May 2009, (also conducted by Atlantis) historic changes are rapidly unfolding at the launch pads and environs of the Kennedy Space Center. Launch Pad 39 B has been transferred to the Ares rocket program and been structurally transformed in such a manner that it can no longer support shuttle flights. STS 129 is only the 6th remaining shuttle flight before marking the end of the space shuttle era.

The entire future of US human space flight hangs in the balance as NASA awaits a decision by President Obama which will determine the US destiny in space for decades to come. Following the issuance of the Augustine commissions blue ribbon report outlining a range of future exploration options for NASA, the continuation of the Ares 1 rocket program and NASA goals to return human footsteps to the moon are in serious doubt as the out year NASA budgets have been significantly cut.

Posted on by Nancy Atkinson

Video Preview of Next Shuttle Mission

The next space shuttle mission STS-129, slated to launch next Monday Nov. 16, is a “spare parts and stock-up” mission. And the needed extra parts and supplies delivered to the International Space Station by Atlantis will mean spare years on the station’s life once the space shuttle fleet is retired. The mission is a landmark of sorts — not sure if it is a good landmark or bad — but STS-129 is scheduled to be the last space shuttle crew rotation flight. From here on out, crew rotation will be done by the Soyuz and any future commercial vehicle that may come online. Besides the crew, a payload of spiders and butterfly larvae will be on board Atlantis for an experiment that will be monitored by thousands of K-12 students across US. Find out more about the flight with a video preview of the mission, below.

STS-129 will be commanded by Charlie Hobaugh and piloted by Barry Wilmore. Mission Specialists are Robert Satcher Jr., Mike Foreman, Randy Bresnik and Leland Melvin. Wilmore, Satcher and Bresnik will be making their first trips to space. The mission will return station crew member Nicole Stott to Earth.

The crew will deliver two control moment gyroscopes and other equipment, plus the EXPRESS Logistics Carrier 1 and 2 to the station. The mission will feature three spacewalks.

Posted on by Nancy Atkinson

STS-129 Behind the Scenes: How to Put on the “Pumpkin Suit”

NASA has been creating some behind-the-scenes videos as the STS-129 crew prepares for their upcoming mission to the International Space Station. Astronaut Mike Massimino, of the HST servicing mission fame, hosts and records the videos, and this one is pretty interesting: what it takes to put on the orange launch and entry suits, also known as the Pumpkin Suits. It’s not just the suit itself, but several layers of necessary garments underneath that make suiting up a chore, especially in the microgravity environment of space. Here, commander of STS-129, Charlie Hobaugh (a.k.a. “Scorch”) practices putting on the Pumpkin Suit. You’ll also get to see how the astronauts make their drinks on the space shuttle. Check out the other “behind-the-scenes” videos on the NASATelevision You Tube site; they’ll be adding more as preparations for the flight continues. Launch is currently scheduled for Nov. 16 at 2:28 p.m. EST.

Posted on by Nancy Atkinson

Space Shuttle Loses Battle of Launch Dates

Space shuttle Atlantis on top of one of the mobile launcher platforms at Launch Pad 39A. Credit: NASA

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It’s the old shuttle shuffle. The launch of Atlantis for the STS-129 mission has been pushed back by four days to November 16 (at 2:28 pm EDT) to accommodate two unmanned rocket launches from Cape Canaveral, as well as the inaugural launch of the Ares I-X, scheduled for October 27. Right now the shuttle launch window lasts one day – the 16th. A second launch attempt on November 17 is being negotiated with a Delta IV launch, but NASA will stand down the 18th for the Leonid Meteor Shower (NASA won’t launch the shuttle into a shooting gallery), so if weather or technical issues don’t allow liftoff then, the next window opens from December 6-14. But there are issues with that time frame, too.

Atlantis would need to launch by Dec. 13 to finish its mission before a Russian Soyuz arrives on Dec. 23 (joint safety guidelines say the shuttle can’t be docked when an another ship arrives). Additionally, the Geminid Meteor Shower is scheduled for Dec. 13-14, so NASA would likely try to launch by the 12th.

The shuttle can’t be at the International Space Station from Nov. 21 through Dec. 5 because the angle of the sun will be such that the solar arrays could not generate enough electricity to support a docked shuttle.
The way it looks now, if Atlantis hasn’t launched by Dec. 13, it will stay on the ground until January 7. As antiquated as it sounds, NASA tries to avoid flying during the New Year’s holiday because the shuttle’s computers are not designed to handle the year-end rollover.

NASA said today the main reason for delaying Atlantis’ launch from the originally scheduled date of Nov. 12 is because of Tuesday morning’s rollout of the Ares 1-X out to launch pad 39-B, and subsequent personnel issues with preparations for the Ares flight and STS-129 at the same time . In a case of bad management, the STS-129 crew flew to Florida Monday morning to begin a training and a Terminal Countdown Test, but after they arrived, they were notified that NASA managers scrubbed the two days of training sessions by the crew out at the adjacent pad 39-A. The crew will return to the to Kennedy Space Center in early November to perform the practice countdown simulation in which they suit up and board the shuttle.

Stay tuned for launch updates.

Posted on by Nancy Atkinson

Tweet Your Way to the Next Space Shuttle Launch

Space shuttle Atlantis on top of one of the mobile launcher platforms at Launch Pad 39A. Credit: NASA

Space shuttle Atlantis rolled out to Launch Pad 39A on Wednesday in preparation for the next shuttle flight, STS-129, currently scheduled for liftoff on Nov. 12, 2009 at 4:04 p.m. EST. And in case you haven’t heard, for the first time, NASA is inviting those who use Twitter to view a space shuttle launch in person. The first 100 people who sign up on NASA’s website will be granted access to Kennedy Space Center on Nov. 11 and 12 for the opportunity to take a tour of the facilities, view the space shuttle launch and speak with shuttle technicians, engineers, astronauts and managers. The Tweetup will include a “meet and greet” session to allow participants to mingle with fellow Tweeps and the staff behind the tweets on @NASA. An additional 50 registrants will be added to a waitlist. Registration opens at noon EDT on Friday, Oct. 16. To sign up and for more information click here.

Those chosen are responsible for their own transportation, lodging and food. To be eligible, you must have a Twitter account.

“This will be NASA’s fifth Tweetup for our Twitter community,” said NASA spokesman Michael Cabbage. “Each event has provided our followers with inside access to NASA personnel, including astronauts. The goal of this particular Tweetup is to share the excitement of a shuttle launch with a new audience.”

The STS-129 mission will be heading to the International Space Station to deliver two control moment gyroscopes and other equipment, plus the EXPRESS Logistics Carrier 1 and 2 to the station. The mission will feature three spacewalks.

This is also scheduled to be the last space shuttle crew rotation flight, and will return station crew member Nicole Stott to Earth.

STS-129 will be commanded by Charlie Hobaugh and piloted by Barry Wilmore. Mission Specialists are Robert Satcher Jr., Mike Foreman, Randy Bresnik and Leland Melvin. Wilmore, Satcher and Bresnik will be making their first trips to space.

Posted on by Nancy Atkinson

Spectacular Soyuz Rollout Images

Russian security officers walk along the railroad tracks as the Soyuz rocket is rolled out to the launch pad Monday, Sept. 28, 2009 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The Soyuz is scheduled to launch the crew of Expedition 21 and a spaceflight participant on Sept. 30, 2009. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

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NASA photographer Bill Ingalls is in Russia at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, capturing the rollout of the Soyuz TMA-16 rocket today, scheduled to launch on Sept. 30 to the International Space Station. Of course the Soyuz rollout and launch is a whole different experience from the shuttle rollout, and these pictures tell the story. Additionally, this launch has a bit more “festive” feel to it: spaceflight participant Guy Laliberte, founder of Cirque du Soleil, is part of the crew. Also on board, Soyuz Commander Max Suraev, and NASA Flight Engineer Jeff Williams are scheduled to launch at 2:14 a.m. CDT on Wednesday, Sept. 30.

Above, a Russian security officers walk along the railroad tracks as the Soyuz rocket is rolled out to the launch pad.

The Soyuz rocket is seen shortly after arrival to the launch pad Monday, Sept. 28, 2009. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
The Soyuz rocket is seen shortly after arrival to the launch pad Monday, Sept. 28, 2009. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

The Soyuz rocket being hoisted to its launch position shortly after arrival to the launch pad Monday.

Laliberte is paying some $35 million for a seat on the Soyuz and 12 days aboard the ISS. He’s likely to be the last paying private citizen to the station for the next few years. Because of the retirement of the space shuttle, the Soyuz will be the only way to get astronauts and cosmonauts to and from the ISS.

Launch scaffolding is raised into place around the Soyuz rocket. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
Launch scaffolding is raised into place around the Soyuz rocket. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
It will take the Soyuz two days to reach the ISS. Docking is scheduled for 3:36 a.m. CDT on Friday, Oct. 2. Waiting on board the orbiting laboratory are commander Gennady Padalka, NASA’s Mike Barratt and Nicole Stott, the European Space Agency’s Frank De Winne, Russian cosmonaut Roman Romanenko and the Canadian Space Agency’s Bob Thirsk. After Padalka and Barratt depart the station, De Winne will become commander of the next station mission, designated Expedition 21.

The sun rises behind the Soyuz launch pad shortly before the Soyuz rocket is rolled out. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
The sun rises behind the Soyuz launch pad shortly before the Soyuz rocket is rolled out. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Padalka, Barratt and Laliberte will return to Earth on Saturday, Oct. 10, in the Soyuz TMA-14 spacecraft currently docked to the station. Padalka and Barratt have been on the ISS since March 2009.

To see more images from the Soyuz rollout, check out NASA’s Flickr page.

Posted on by Nancy Atkinson

Russian Space Official: Shuttles Could Fly Beyond 2011

Space shuttle Discovery lifts off into the night sky on a mission to the International Space Station. Launch was on-time at 11:59 p.m. EDT. Photo credit: NASA TV

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Russian Federal Space Agency Roscosmos head Anatoly Perminov said earlier today in Moscow that he hopes that the US space shuttle program will be prolonged, adding he has been informed of the possibility of shuttles flying beyond 2011. “We have received information from certain sources that the use of space shuttles could be extended beyond 2011,” Perminov was quoted in Interfax, adding that this information arrived through unofficial channels.

As of now, NASA plans only six more shuttle missions, with the program ending by late 2010 or early 2011 after the construction of the International Space Station (ISS) is complete.

But Perminov said he would prefer to see additional shuttle missions to the ISS.

“Then the situation would change substantially and it would be possible to work jointly with the Americans, unlike now, when the main burden (for the ISS) lies with the Russian side,” he said.

He added that NASA’s new chief and former astronaut Charles Bolden would visit Russia’s Baikonur cosmodrome on September 30 in his first foreign trip.

While the Augustine Commission review NASA’s future has only outlined a preliminary report, no strategy has been announced by NASA or the Obama administration.

Source: Interfax

Posted on by Nancy Atkinson

Spectacular Videos of Shuttle Piggyback Flight


With the shuttle retirement looming, you never know if or how often you’re going to see this sight again. So enjoy these two videos of the shuttle hitching a piggyback ride back to Kennedy Space Center atop a modified 747. Space shuttle Discovery left Edwards Air Force Base in California on Sunday, Sept. 20 and arrived at KSC today, the 21st. Top, is the 747/shuttle landing at KSC (it gets good about 1:20 in) and below is really pretty footage of the duo getting ready to leave Edwards just at dawn, and the lighting is just plain gorgeous.
Continue reading “Spectacular Videos of Shuttle Piggyback Flight”

Posted on by Nancy Atkinson

Space Shuttle Flushes the Toilet for All the World To See

Shuttle with water dump. Copyright Clair Perry

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This picture is from last week; September 9, 2009 to be exact, but I still wanted to share it. I just got in touch with photographer Clair Perry from Prince Edward Island, Canada to get his permission to post the image. No, this is not a comet. Pictured is space shuttle Discovery executing a water dump. The shuttle needed to get rid of excess waste water before landing the next day, and jettisoned it overboard via the waste water dump line, creating a spectacular visual effect as sunlight hit the spraying water. This dump occurred just as the shuttle was flying over North America last week, and lots of people witnessed this “toilet flush.” Some reports indicated it was “pristine” water (the shuttle fuel cells’ by-product is water) and other reports said it was “waste water and urine” (the Bad Astronomer called it Constellation Urion). Whatever, it was pretty. NASA said this was an unusually large dump, about 150 pounds (68 kg), because new regulations say no shuttle water dumps can take place while docked to the ISS, so as not to contaminate the outdoor experiments on the Kibo lab.

See below for the spectacular entire image, which also includes the nearby ISS creating a streak in the sky. Thanks to Clair Perry for sharing his images.

Shuttle and ISS on 9/9/09. Copyright Clair-Perry
Shuttle and ISS on 9/9/09. Copyright Clair-Perry

And if you’re worried about the water ice freezing and becoming projectiles in orbit, NASA says that while waste water usually freezes upon jettison into a cloud of tiny ice droplets, when the sun hits, the ice sublimates directly into water vapor and disperses in space.

I remember the first time I saw a shuttle water dump. It was back in 2000, and I had gotten up early, about 4:45 am, to watch the shuttle pass over. But I saw this strange sight, like something was coming off of the shuttle. I ran inside and turned on NASA TV, just in time to see a view of a golden spray shooting out of the shuttle — the sunlight hitting the water at just the right angle made it look like a shimmering gold spray. Gold, not yellow.

Posted on by Nancy Atkinson

Son of Israeli Astronaut Killed in Plane Crash

The crew of STS-107, which included Ilan Ramon from Israel. Credit: NASA

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Sad news to report: The son of Israeli astronaut Ilan Ramon was killed Sunday when his F-16 warplane crashed on a routine training flight, the Israeli military said. Lt. Asaf Ramon was the son of Ilan Ramon, Israel’s first and only astronaut, who was one of the seven crew members killed when the Columbia broke apart as it re-entered the atmosphere in 2003, as the crew was returning home after the STS-107 mission.

Lt. Ramon, 21, was the eldest of Ilan Ramon’s four children, and was just 15 when his father died. According to Avi Blozovsky, editor of Hayadan, the only dedicated science news site in Hebrew, after the death of his father, the young Ramon said he hoped to be an astronaut and continue the legacy of his father.

Assaf Ramon being awarded a medal. Image courtesy Avi Blozovsky, editor of Hayadan, the only dedicated science news site in Hebrew.
Assaf Ramon being awarded a medal. Image courtesy Avi Blozovsky, editor of Hayadan, the only dedicated science news site in Hebrew.

The younger Ramon excelled in his pilot training and in June received a presidential honor.

Ramon’s fighter jet crashed south of the West Bank city of Hebron. An eyewitness said the plane flew over the southern West Bank at low altitude before crashing, and that there was a huge fire.

The Israeli air force has called an official inquiry and halted training in Israel’s F-16 squadrons until further notice.

Source: AP/Yahoo News, Hayadan,