STS-134 Endeavour

Beeker

Beeker

Beeker

Beeker

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RqksBepilVs

MayoForSam

Press association news release:


Thursday May 19 2011

Endeavour's astronauts have installed a two billion US dollar (£1.23bn) cosmic ray detector on the International Space Station to scan the invisible universe for years to come.

They used a pair of robot arms to remove the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer from the shuttle, then hoist it onto the sprawling framework on the right side of the station.

The instrument, which has a three-foot magnet at its core, is the most expensive piece of equipment at the orbiting lab and certainly the most prominent scientific device.

It will search for antimatter and dark matter for the rest of the life of the space station, and hopefully help explain how the cosmos originated.

Nobel Laureate Samuel Ting, the principal investigator, personally relayed his thanks from Mission Control. He has worked on the project for 17 years and fought to have it placed back on the shuttle when its flight was suspended several years ago.

"This has been a very difficult experiment, and I think in the next 20 to 30 years, nobody will be able to do such a thing again," Dr Ting told the astronauts. "I hope together with you, we will try to make a contribution to a better understanding of our universe."

Back at Mission Control, meanwhile, engineers continued to analyse several areas of damage on Endeavour. Thermal tiles were gouged and nicked during Monday's lift-off, the penultimate one for the shuttle programme. Some of the slashes are six inches long and two inches wide.

Nasa wants to make certain the shuttle is safe to come home in two weeks. The damage was spotted in photographs taken by the space station crew just before Endeavour docked on Wednesday.

The shuttle performed a slow backflip for the cameras, a customary procedure put in place after shuttle Columbia disintegrated as it re-entered Earth's atmosphere in 2003.

Mission Control may ask shuttle commander Mark Kelly and his five crewmates to take a closer look at the gouges this weekend, using a laser-tipped inspection boom.

Hmm, looks like the lift-off wasn't as smooth as it looked. What's the worst case scenario if it was deemed to be significant damage - can they do repairs in orbit?

It would be ironic if the risk was too high to return from orbit and they had to launch a back-up rescue mission at this very late stage in the career of the shuttle. Don't they have to have one on stand-by in case of emergencies?

lord lucan

MayoForSam wrote: »

Hmm, looks like the lift-off wasn't as smooth as it looked. What's the worst case scenario if it was deemed to be significant damage - can they do repairs in orbit?

It would be ironic if the risk was too high to return from orbit and they had to launch a back-up rescue mission at this very late stage in the career of the shuttle. Don't they have to have one on stand-by in case of emergencies?

I wouldn't be too concerned. The DAT team will be puring over the images with a fine toothcomb. There's always a few nicks and scrapes following ascent but the margins of toleration are reasonably high.

If worst came to the worst and Endeavour was deemed critically damaged they could try a temporary fix of the TPS in order to have her safe enough for re-entry. They spent a lot of time and money on a putty-like fix for the TPS post-Columbia but it's no guarantee of success or an exact science.

Failing that they'd have to hold out on the ISS until Atlantis could be readied for launch. You'd be looking at nearly a month at least though before she would be ready to fly. NASA wouldn't rush her to the pad and send her up straight away. No point in risking another Orbiter facing a potential problem.

lord lucan

Sweet Jesus!!!!!!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3RwCZxraOeU

clln

lord lucan wrote: »

Sweet Jesus!!!!!!!

You sure 'lose it' on occasions now don't You LL?

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=63038958&postcount=336

lord lucan

clln wrote: »

You sure 'lose it' on occasions now don't You LL?

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=63038958&postcount=336

LOL,what can i say,i get carried away when i see something Shuttlerific!:D

clln

lord lucan wrote: »

LOL,what can i say,i get carried away when i see something Shuttlerific!:D

Well a bit like myself and others sometime You say it best

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AuJrEBtmM1Q

:D

Catherine Coleman(who seems to have been onboard the Space Station forever and played a tin whistle and Flute beloning to the Chieftains on Patricks day,in honor of her Irish roots,would have been Stage Oirish only she can play them so well) and Mark Kelly answer reporters questions earlier today:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VhbqrZOYGUg&feature=channel_video_title

One of the better interviews from the ISS so far.Especially the NPR part where the reporter (Scott Simon?) gave them time and space to elaborate a little bit further. More of that in the future please..... and less of that fox rudeness.

JustAddWater

clln

Leroy Cain has been giving a very long press conference on NASA TV.
people will know him as the man who ordered doors to be closed and all computer data left as it was when it became apparent Columbia was lost.



He says they are fairly sure that only one area of tile damage that might need a focused inspection will take place over the weekend.

impact(s) happened at the 70 second mark.
if the focussed inspection is deemed needed it will not mean any loss of other planned activities during the mission assuming it does not need a repair.promised video of the strikes tomorrow.

it will only be the fifth focussed inspection since Discovery returned the Shuttle fleet to flight after Columbia,most of which were planned to take place to test area's of the orbiters that were considered extra vunerable by the hard work of data gathering by the commision that investigated Columbia.

These are the area's that suffered debris strikes(they identified them from pics taken during the RPM),only the two in yellow were of any concen whatsoever,the one below that is the one they are still not confident about as of yet.

Turtwig

Oh God, that doesn't look too good.:(

eilejh

lord lucan wrote: »

Sweet Jesus!!!!!!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3RwCZxraOeU

I wish that was my alarm clock sound.................

clln

Malty_T wrote: »

Oh God, that doesn't look too good.:(

As Lord Lucan cautioned no need for panic just yet,he is an old hand on these matters,apart from a few personal IPR's panics he had on 129:).

from Spaceflight now;

Cain says the team is not worried about the tile damage and there's no reason for alarm. The damage doesn't look significant. But if analysts need more imagery, there's a placeholder in the flight plan on Saturday to go get that data with the "focused inspection" time.

Engineers have eliminated one of three damage sites on the shuttle Endeavour's heat shield tiles as an area of concern and a second may be dismissed and deemed safe for re-entry as is by Friday, a senior manager said Thursday. But one damage site on the shuttle's belly may require an additional, "focused," inspection Saturday to make sure repairs are not needed

Fabulous pics by Brian Cooper of Liberty Bell and Liberty Star recovering Endeavours Solid Rocked Boosters and brought back to port .the plan is to store them for possible use for NASA's planned heavy launch rocket or for use by the private companies working on new launchers.

clln

The two Astronauts to carry out the first of four Spacewalks on this packed mission are 'camping out' ready to begin it just after 08.00 if all the preps go well.best of luck to them!:)

Tasks include retrieval of long-duration materials exposure experiments and installation of another, installation of a light on one of the station’s rail line handcarts, preparation for adding ammonia to a cooling loop and installation of an antenna.

Nice touch!

To begin Flight Day 5, the crew woke at 10:30 p.m. EDT to the song “We All Do What We Can Do” by Dan Keenan, a thermal protection system engineer, and Kenny McLaughlin, a launch pad engineer, for Mission Specialist Mike Fincke. The two shuttle workers created the song to honor those who have helped make the space program a success. In their note to Fincke they said, “Together as dedicated individuals we did what we could do to help.”

Beeker

lord lucan wrote: »

Sweet Jesus!!!!!!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3RwCZxraOeU

Sweet Zeus!!!!:D

Beeker

First spacewalk has just begun

Beeker

Looks like they are having some problems with one of the suits. Nothing serious but the spacewalk will be cut short as a result.

Beeker

Its a sensor problem with Greg Chamitoff's suit. They can't check his consumables so better safe than sorry to bring them in early:)

Beeker

I see the Pope will be calling the Station on saturday for a chat:)The call is due at 12:11 Irish time.
Saturday will probally also see a Focusted inspection of the tile damage on Endeavours underside to help them understand the extent of the damage and decide if any action is required. At this stage they dont think it is anything to worry about. Most of the damage has already been passed for re-entry as it is only superfisicial marks.

clln

Beeker wrote: »

I see the Pope will be calling the Station on saturday for a chat:)

Urbi Et Orbit?

thanks for the coverage who needs the other websites when Beekers about!

lord lucan

Soyuz flyaround of Endeavour docked to the ISS has been given the green light. Soyuz is due to undock on Monday night at 22.35 Irish time and will stop to take pictures of whole assembly once the station has been maneuvered to an optimum angle.

Pictures expected to be released within 24 hours of flyaround,can't wait to see the spectacular sight.:)

eilejh

Beeker wrote: »

Looks like they are having some problems with one of the suits. Nothing serious but the spacewalk will be cut short as a result.

He looks like an ant.........and to think he has a brain and a Soul....

lord lucan

Animation of how the Soyuz flyaround will look.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nrGNiK3vEfI

Beeker

Beeker wrote: »

I see the Pope will be calling the Station on saturday for a chat:)The call is due at 12:11 Irish time.


The Conspiracy theorists are going banans over this, as apparently it 11.11!!!! UTC time LOL

Something to do with day of rapture

CO19

Is that website that showed the rocket boosters falling back to earth showing it for this launches boosters ?

Beeker

Focused inspection went well this morning and decision on the tile damage will be made within 24 hours.

Beeker

Pope gave them a call:)
Beeker not saying anything about religion:rolleyes:

Beeker

CO19 wrote: »

Is that website that showed the rocket boosters falling back to earth showing it for this launches boosters ?

Have not seen any yet but there will be!