Shuttle launch,

ThunderTT · Post by **ThunderTT** » Fri Jul 08, 2011 1:04 pm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7aKYeRSYLB0

Hog · Post by **Hog** » Sun Jul 10, 2011 5:46 am

Docking of Atlantis and ISS scheduled ofr this morning at 11:06 am EDT.

peace
Hog

Hog · Post by **Hog** » Sun Jul 10, 2011 7:15 am

RPM completed, docking in 50 minutes.

Docking may not be televised due to Ku band comms availability.

peace
Hog

Hog · Post by **Hog** » Sun Jul 10, 2011 8:13 am

Docking complete at 11:07 EDT.

peace
Hog

Hog · Post by **Hog** » Sun Jul 10, 2011 9:09 am

Hatches could open much earlier than expected. MAybe as quick as 30 minutes form now, so at 12:40 pm EDT.

peace
Hog

Hog · Post by **Hog** » Sun Jul 10, 2011 10:02 am

A Shuttle crew has boarded teh International PSace Station for the last time.

peace
Hog

Hog · Post by **Hog** » Mon Jul 11, 2011 8:25 am

Flight Day 4.
The space station Canadarm 2 reached into Atlantis' cargo bay and pulled ou the MPLM(Multi Purpose Logistics Module) and docked the MPLM to the Space Station. Leak checks are underway and the MPLM will be opened up today to begin off loading teh vast amount of cargo inside.
Preparations resume for tomorrows scheduled spacewalk being completed by space station based Astronoauts. This will be the last scheduled spacewalk to occur with a Space Shuttle in the vicinity. Space walkers will load up a failed ammonia pump and load it up for return to Earth for diagnosis.

Since the ISS is now orbiting at the highest altitude that it ever has, there was a report of a possible collision of the ISS and a piece of space debris WHILE the 2 astronouts were "outside", not a good thingh at all. This morning it was reported that the object will pass about 18km away, so the ISS/Shuttle will NOT have to commence with a DAM or Debris Avoidance Maneouver.

Due to Atlantis launching on schedule, cryogenics will allow for an extra day to be added to the mission. As of the Mission Management team's meeting yesterday, there was 1 day 4 hours of extra cryo. LAter today the decision to add a day will be announced.

Nasa TV's videos of rememberance have been excellent. Sad to see the Shuttle project end, but you must retire older projects to make funding available for new ones.

Mars missions by 2035 have been announced.

peace
Hog

Hog · Post by **Hog** » Mon Jul 11, 2011 9:33 am

Hog · Post by **Hog** » Mon Jul 11, 2011 10:09 am

time laps of the robotics involved in the MPLM installation.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qUP-5ehH ... r_embedded

The MPLM weighs 25,359 lbs

Total stack weight was 4 521 143 lbs
Atlantis weight at liftoff 266 090 lbs
Atlantis will weigh coming back down 226 375 lbs
Total upmass payload 28 418 lbs

It's amazing how much weight the SRB and SSEM's burns on its way up. Atlantis sheds roughly 4.5 million pounds during ascent. Obviusly includes the liquid and solid propelant as well as SRB case and external tank weight.

peace
Hog

Hog · Post by **Hog** » Tue Jul 12, 2011 11:56 am

The last space walk has about 1/2 hour to go.

peace
Hog

Hog · Post by **Hog** » Wed Jul 13, 2011 7:10 am

Today is flight day 6. The addition of teh extra 13th day has been approved.

Here is an awesome phot of Atlantis headon when travelling from teh Orbiter Processing Facility to the huge Vehicle Aseembly Building.

It's amazing these Shuttles even flew.

The extra docked day has been officially added to the mission. The crew continues to unload large quantities of food and supplies.

peace
Hog

z71gmc06 · Post by **z71gmc06** » Fri Jul 15, 2011 8:01 pm

there's a picture in here that's pretty cool. A dad and his son at the first and last shuttle launch.

http://www.318ti.org/forum/showthread.p ... 4&page=115

Hog · Post by **Hog** » Sun Jul 17, 2011 6:33 am

z71gmc06 wrote:there's a picture in here that's pretty cool. A dad and his son at the first and last shuttle launch.

http://www.318ti.org/forum/showthread.p ... 4&page=115

That was a cool pic, I would have loved to see STS-1 as well as STS-135, esp with my Dad.

Apparently their is an order by the high ups at NASA to not retire Endeavour and Atlantis beyond normal refitting for normal mission flow. USA(United SPace Alliance) the conttractor that processes and launches the Shuttles are looking at proposals to fly 2 missions per year from 2013-2017 to allows NASA and the commercials to get a United States human launch rated vehicle up and running.
USA wants 1.5 billion a year for 2 flights per year. There are currently 4 external tanks in process, 1 LWT(lightweight tank) that is in storage, and 3 other SLWT-super lighyt weight tank that are in various stages of manufacture. I am told it would take 18 months to get a hinished SLWT.
the standard weight tankused on STS-1 and STS-2 was painted white, thesame tank but unpainted saved 600lbs and weighed 77,000 lbs.

The new LWT debuted on STS-6 and weighed 66,000 lbs.

The SLWT debuted on STS-91 and weighs 58,500 lbs empty and 1,680,000 filled.

the chances of this commercial utilization of the 2 Shuttles is slim I am told, but is on the table non-the less.

peace
Hog

SikSilverado · Post by **SikSilverado** » Sun Jul 17, 2011 11:33 am

found this 'lil guy in McMinnville Oregon last week.. Scaled Composites made it. I can't remember the X number....

Not sure if it's this guy as they seem slightly different..but nothing else looks like it ??

lifting body return vehicle

Hog · Post by **Hog** » Mon Jul 18, 2011 6:31 am

The hatch between ISS and Atlantis is about to close for the last time.

peace
Hog

Hog · Post by **Hog** » Mon Jul 18, 2011 6:40 am

SikSilverado wrote:

found this 'lil guy in McMinnville Oregon last week.. Scaled Composites made it. I can't remember the X number....

Not sure if it's this guy as they seem slightly different..but nothing else looks like it ??

lifting body return vehicle

X-38 CEV(Crew Escape Video).

There is actually a future design that launches a shuttle looking vehicle on top of an Atlas V rocket. It's called Dreamchaser. And is one of the 4 designs that is competing under the COTS setup. Commercial Orbital Transportation Services is a setup where the US government is supplying money to commercial companies in order to develop vehicles that will deliver supplies to ISS npow that is schedules to stay up until after 20209. Under Constellation(now defunct) ISS was scheduled to be de-robited and burnup in the atmosphere in 2016. $100,000,000,000 (100 billion) to only fly fully completed for 5 years?? Many folks wanted to get more than 5 years of full utilization out of the ISS.

peace
Hog

Hog · Post by **Hog** » Mon Jul 18, 2011 11:28 pm

The Space Shuttle Atlantis has just undocked from the ISS for the last time ever.

peace
Hog

Hog · Post by **Hog** » Mon Jul 18, 2011 11:31 pm

12 1/2 years of Shuttle flights to construct the ISS are now complete.

Atlanstic will land at 5:56 EDT Thursday AM.

peace
Hog

Hog · Post by **Hog** » Mon Jul 18, 2011 11:34 pm

Atlantis's bell rang to signal it's departure from the ISS.

This is the end of an era.

peace
Hog

Hog · Post by **Hog** » Mon Jul 18, 2011 11:40 pm

Almost 40 weeks of hatch open time during the 37 missions that Space Shuttle has spent on the ISS. The ISS has a mass of 1,000,000 lbs.

peace
Hog