Category: Space Station

With all that fancy camera equipment, the NASA astronauts took more detailed images of the damaged solar panels on the International Space Station. These are the images NASA engineers will use to figure out what kind of risk the panel faces if it’s fully deployed, and what kinds of repairs could be done to minimize the damage. Oh, and the next spacewalk has been delayed to Friday.

Because of the damaged panel, managers at NASA decided to change up their plans for the next few days. Instead of their originally scheduled spacewalk, to demonstrate tile repair techniques, the astronauts will now be focusing on damage assessment and repair.

They’ve got to have another look at the malfunctioning rotary joint on the right-hand side of the station. The joint is currently parked because the mechanism was vibrating too much, and consuming energy. When astronaut Daniel Tani looked inside, he found evidence that the mechanism was grinding together, shedding tiny metal shavings. During the latest spacewalk, the astronauts looked at the right-hand side and found that it was working fine.

The tear in the solar array happened during the latest spacewalk on Tuesday. The astronauts had just completed the redeployment of the solar array to its new home, and were extending the panels. A portion of the panels were invisible in the glare of the Sun, so the astronauts didn’t notice its damage until it was too late.

The 80 cm tear in the array was probably caused when a guide wire snagged one of the hinges that allow the panels to fold up tight. As the panel was extended, one flap hooked onto this guide wire and tore along the fold.

NASA is now in a bit of a bind. Although they’re generating power now, they’ll work best when fully extended. There are also structural problems with having the array not fully extended. For the time being, both rotary joints have been locked shut, protecting the panels, but reducing the station’s ability to generate power.

Original Source: NASA News Release

The third spacewalk of STS-120 involved moving a large solar array panel to a new position on the International Space Station. Just as the supposedly successful spacewalk was coming to a close, the astronauts noticed that at least one panel on the array has torn. The astronauts halted extending the array, took a bunch of photographs, and now NASA engineers are working to figure out what to do next.

They were so close. Astronauts Scott Parazynski and Doug Wheelock had just finished installing the P6 truss with the help of the station and shuttle’s robotic arms. Completing this task had been done over the course of three different spacewalks – over 7 hours of work on today’s walk alone.

As the solar array was almost completely unfurled, the astronauts noticed that a section about 80 cm (2.5 feet) in length had torn. They didn’t notice the damage earlier, because sunlight was obscuring the view to the torn section.

Once they noticed the damage, the astronauts halted the operation, and reported the problem to NASA. Then they took a series of photographs so that engineers can study the damage and determine what will happen if they try to continue opening up the panels.

NASA has already decided to add an extra day to Discovery’s mission, giving the astronauts an extra spacewalk can be performed on Thursday. During this trip outside the station, the astronauts will study the troublesome joint that was found damaged during the second spacewalk of the mission.

Mike Suffredini, NASA’s International Space Station, isn’t worried about the power generating capacity of the panels, “if we get the array down and we cut the snag and we figure out how to reinforce it, we’ll redeploy the array. It’s giving all the power we need. It doesn’t have to look good; it’s not about style points.”

During today’s spacewalk, the astronauts also examined the port rotary joint, and didn’t find the same evidence of metal filings that were discovered in the starboard joint. Scott Parazynski described the joint’s race rings as “nice and clean.”

Discovery is now due to undock from the space station on Monday, and return to Earth on November 7th.

Original Source: NASA News Release

NASA astronauts added the newest module to the International Space Station on Friday morning, clearing the way for several new laboratory modules and increasing the sleeping capacity. Astronauts Scott E. Parazynski and Col. Douglas H. Wheelock spent their morning on Friday, suspended above the planet, attaching the newly delivered Harmony module to the station. During the second spacewalk on Sunday, the astronauts discovered damage to one of the joints that orient the station’s solar arrays.

First Spacewalk – Friday
Once the shuttle docked on Thursday, the first scheduled spacewalk began early the next day. Parazynski and Wheelock went outside the station at 6 a.m. EDT, and prepared Harmony for its removal from the shuttle’s payload bay.

Inside the station, Stephanie D. Wilson and Daniel M. Tani operated the station’s robotic arm, to help remove the module from the shuttle’s cargo bay and transfer it over to the station.

The spacewalk itself went quickly, and mostly without incident. The astronauts struggled briefly to remove some of holding bolts and hose connectors. And there were a few situations where frozen ammonia drifted away from some of the hoses. This ammonia could contaminate the station’s atmosphere if it got back inside, so the astronauts carefully avoided coming into contact with any of the substance.

Second Spacewalk – Sunday
For the second spacewalk on Sunday, Scott Parazynski was joined by Daniel M. Tani. Their task was to unbuckle a solar array atop the station so that it can be relocated. They also began outfitting the exterior of the newly attached Harmony module.

After removing a protective cover, Tani discovered what appeared to be metallic shavings in one of the station’s rotating joint assemblies. He collected up some samples with tape so that engineers can study it, and figure out what could be going on. Station controllers had noticed that a joint on the right-hand side of the station was experiencing unusual vibrations as it rotated, so these two events could be connected.

The best theory right now is that the foil backing on an aluminum cover is rubbing against the mechanism that turns the station’s solar arrays to orient towards the Sun. This material is shredding off the cover and getting into the mechanism.

NASA is considering whether they’ll have the astronauts open up all 21 covers to see if any are the source of the damage. This could be done during a currently planned spacewalk, or it could become another spacewalk all on its own. Even if the source of the metal is discovered, it might be impossible to clean.

Original Source: NASA Station Coverage

NASA’s space shuttle Discovery blasted off from Florida’s Cape Canaveral today, beginning the next construction mission to the International Space Station: STS-120. This time around, the 7-astronaut crew will deliver and help install the new Italian-made Harmony module, which will serve as a sleeping area and provides connections to upcoming European and Japanese science laboratories.

Although today’s launch was on schedule – Discovery lifted off at 11:38 a.m. EDT – there were a few nagging concerns. A worrying amount of ice built up on the orange external fuel tank as it was being filled with liquid oxygen and hydrogen. Safety officials were worried that it could shed ice during the launch and hit the shuttle, but engineers eventually ruled it out as a risk.

There was also a concern about the shuttle’s heat shields. Once again, safety officials were worried that heat tiles on the shuttle’s wings were getting a little worn, and could pose a risk during re-entry. Engineers met and decided that it wouldn’t be a risk to shuttle or crew safety.

If all goes well, Discovery will spend a total of 14 days in space. The 7 astronauts on board the shuttle will meet up with the crew of the International Space Station. Over the course of the mission, they’ll perform 5 spacewalks. And installing the Harmony module is probably one of the easier tasks. The more complex task will be shuffling around the station’s P6 solar panel array.

Discovery is expected to reach the station on Thursday at 8:35 a.m. EDT.

Original Source: NASA Shuttle Site

NASA announced today that the space shuttle Discovery has been officially targeted for an October 23rd launch. If all goes well, the shuttle will blast off from Florida’s Cape Canaveral at 11:38 a.m. EDT, carrying 7 astronauts into space to meet up with the International Space Station – mission STS-120 will be on its way.

There was a slight safety concern that might have held back the launch. NASA’s Engineering and Safety Center had raised awareness that there might be a problem with the reinforced carbon on three of Discovery’s wing leading edge panels. Agency officials met to discuss the situation, and decided that the panels didn’t need to be replaced before the mission.

During their 14 days in space, the shuttle crew will install the new Harmony module onto the International Space Station. This will serve as a hub for future international laboratories.

The crew will have their work cut out for them, though. They’re scheduled to make 4 spacewalks, and the station crew will complete one as well.

Discovery is expected to return back to Earth on November 6th.

Original Source: NASA Shuttle News

I know it feels like it was just yesterday that Endeavour returned from its mission to the International Space Station. With the new compressed space shuttle schedule, get used to it – NASA’s got a lot of missions to schedule if they’re going to hit their 2010 completion date of the International Space Station. Next up, Discovery. The shuttle was moved out to the launch pad on Sunday, and now awaits its October 23rd launch.

The shuttle made the 5.5 km (3.4 mile) journey from the Vehicle Assembly Building to its launch pad at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. It started out at 6:47 am EDT, and was firmly down at the launch pad at 1:15 pm. The huge crawler transporter only moves about 1.6 kph (1 mph), so it’s really slow going.

With the shuttle on the pad, everyone still has a series of activities to complete before the beginning of mission STS-120. The crew will arrive on October 7th, and perform a dress rehearsal on October 10th.

If all goes well, Discovery will blast off on October 23rd, once again bound for the International Space Station. The shuttle will be carrying the US-built Harmony module. This six-hatched cylinder will serve as a pressurized gateway to attach future science laboratories to the station.

The STS-120 crew is led by Pam Melroy, only the second woman ever to command a space shuttle mission.

Original Source: NASA News Release

After 13 days in space, the space shuttle Endeavour touched down safely in Florida today. NASA managers actually decided to bring the shuttle home a day early, to beat Hurricane Dean, currently ravaging the East Coast of Mexico. Despite the nearby stormy weather, conditions at Cape Canaveral were perfect for landing.

NASA managers gave the Endeavour crew instructions to begin their de-orbit burn at 11:05 am EDT. 30 minutes later they fired their retro rockets for 3.5 minutes, slowing their orbital speed enough to get caught by the Earth’s atmosphere. The shuttle descended through breezy, blue skies across Costa Rica, Cuba, and then onto the 3-mile (4.8 km) landing strip in Florida. It rolled to a stop at 12:32 pm EDT.

The reason for the early return was Hurricane Dean, which had recently passed through Jamaica, and is now tearing up the coastal resorts in Mexico. The category 5 hurricane ended up turning south, but had it continued north, it could have forced an evacuation of the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Engineers were a little concerned about the landing, because of the small chunk taken out of the shuttle’s protective heat tiles on its underside. A small piece of foam fell off the shuttle’s insulated external fuel tank and gouged out a hole across two tiles. NASA analyzed the damage and calculated that it wouldn’t pose a risk to the shuttle or the crew. They were certain that it wouldn’t even damage the shuttle’s aluminum frame, requiring extensive repairs. They landed safely, but what kind of damage the shuttle took still remains to be seen.

During their time in space, the crew of STS-118 installed a new truss element onto the station, transfered cargo, and reorganized some communications equipment.

Original Source: NASA News Release