sts-122 Archives - Page 8 of 8

2007-11-16

Atlantis still set for December, 6th launch…

I just found this nice picture of the Columbus module being moved into Atlantis’ cargo bay on the NASA shuttle home page. It was taken some days ago. I thought it is worth sharing.
Processing flow on Atlantis is still going smooth, the launch is so far on-schedule for December, 6th. This is confirmed by NASA’s latest statement on the home page:

Space shuttle Atlantis will be the stage for the countdown dress rehearsal next week as preparations for mission STS-122 continue toward a targeted Dec. 6 launch. The rehearsal is known as the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test or TCDT.

The seven astronauts who will fly the mission are due to arrive at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center over the weekend for several days of in-depth training.

A practice countdown that includes all the normal launch day activities except the liftoff itself will be conducted on the last day of the crew’s visit. Afterward, the crew will return to Houston.

A program-level review of Atlantis and the European-built Columbus module it will carry was conducted Tuesday. A poll taken at the end of the session called for processing to continue. A second review will be held Nov. 30, and NASA will formally select a launch date.

Please note that “formal selection of the launch date” is NASA speak and in this case most probably means sticking with the originally scheduled December 6th date.

2007-11-15

STS-122 group on flickr…

Armando Perdomo, a friend of mine, has created a new STS-122 picture group on flickr. so if you go view the launch or have interesting STS-122 pictures from some other source, you are invited to post them there. And, of course, everyone is invited to view the pictures. Typically, content comes in shortly after launch.

Armando did a similar effort for STS-120, I recommend viewing that picture pool to everyone.

2007-11-14

Spacesuit problem is a problem for STS-122 launch, too …

As nasaspaceflight.com reports, NASA is evaluating spacesuit problems:

Cut gloves during STS-120 and a failed EMU (Extravehicular Mobility Unit) test are undergoing large scale evaluations by NASA engineers, with a resolution to the latter required before any further spacewalks will be allowed.

(read full article)

The problems must be resolved by November, 20th, otherwise it will affect the international space stations spacewalk schedule. There is an awful lot of preparation work to do at the ISS. If that can not be completed in time, Atlantis’ STS-122 can not be launched, because the station is not ready for the addition of the Columbus module. So we need to watch this issue closely.

2007-11-13

Columbus stowed in Atlantis!

As of NASA’s shuttle home page, the Columbus ISS module has been stowed inside Atlantis:

The European-built Columbus module has been loaded into the cargo bay of space shuttle Atlantis in preparation for the launch of STS-122 on Dec. 6. Columbus will be attached to the International Space Station and will serve as a laboratory and research center for station astronauts.

The Columbus segment was waiting at the launch pad Saturday when space shuttle Atlantis was rolled into place Saturday at Launch Pad 39A. Once Atlantis’ payload section was covered by the Rotating Service Structure, technicians and workers opened the cargo bay doors and carefully moved the cylindrical Columbus into the shuttle. The module has already been packed with four specialized racks outfitted for experiments. Each rack is about the size of a refrigerator. The segment can hold 10 racks.

Atlantis’ crew of seven includes two European Space Agency astronauts who will help install Columbus on the International Space Station and activate its intricate systems. One of the ESA crew members will remain on the station for a long-duration mission.

The launch milestones came less than a week after space shuttle Discovery returned to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida to complete mission STS-120. That mission delivered the Harmony module to the station and will be the connecting point at the station for Columbus.

This is good news, STS-122 is obviously still on track for its December, 6th launch.

A note on the picture above: I took that photo when I visited Kennedy Space Center (KSC) the day before Discovery’s STS-120 launch (October, 22nd 2007). In KSC, you get a bus tour with your “Max Access” admission (and also your launch viewing tickets, which I had). I can highly recommend that tour. It brings you close to real space hardware. Just imagine that I took the above picture of the actual Columbus module that will soon be attached to the ISS – cool … And if you watch closely, you’ll also notice part of the Kibo module (set to launch with STS-123 in February 2008) in the back (right to the middle).

2007-11-12

STS-122 Launch Window

Here is some information on the Atlantis’ STS-122 launch window:

The target launch date is December, 6th. The launch Window extends just one week, so everything must go smooth in order to have a launch. The launch time for December 6th is 4:31PM EST. On successive launch attempts, the launch will be roughly 20 minutes earlier (each time).

The daily launch window extends, as usual for international space station missions, for 10 minutes. Typically, the launch is scheduled for the middle of the launch window. A 10 minute window means little contingency for bad weather, so you should expect a launch slip by a day or two in most cases. If possible, plan to have some spare days left.

Updates:

2007-11-12

Launch viewing Tickets sold out for STS-122 …

Out of curiosity, I checked ticket availability for Atlantis’ STS-122 Decembe, 6th launch this morning. As usual, the launch transportation tickets are already sold out (I bet that happened again within a few minutes). However, there are still tickets available for viewing from the Kennedy Space Center main visitor complex. Depending on what is your main intension, this option may also be useful for you. You can read my previous post on launch viewing from the KSC main visitor complex to get an idea what awaits you.

I would also like to mention that there are still options to get launch viewing tickets for the NASA Causeway via third-party operators. Just be sure to use only NASA-appointed ones or you may run into trouble. I have written details in my post on “How to view the launch from closeby when no tickets are available?“.

Of course, you can also go to Titusville beaches. They are farther away from the launch site, but still offer a very unique view. If you would absolutely like to view the launch from the beginning, it is better to go to Titusville than to go to the main visitor complex (which, on the other hand, is better if you come with kids).

2007-11-11

Atlantis at the Pad; all good for December 6th launch

Quicker than I thought here comes the first real post:

Space Shuttle Atlantis was moved successfully to the launch pad. As with all future shuttle missions, pad 39A will be used for all launches. Next summer, after the Hubble service mission, pad 39B will be reconstructed to be used for the Ares launches.

With Atlantis being at the pad, everything is doing well. So the STS-122 mission is likely to be scheduled on time on December, 6th. But be careful, we need to watch work carried out at the international space station ISS closely — it will be required to support Atlantis’ launch.

Some more details on the current status can also be found in this NASA quote:

Space shuttle Atlantis made an important step toward space on Saturday morning when engineers and technicians rolled the launch-ready stack to Launch Pad 39A. Atlantis is scheduled to stay at the pad for about three weeks undergoing final preparations for its mission STS-122 targeted to begin Dec. 6.

The mammoth crawler-transporter began moving the stack to the pad at 4:43 a.m. EST. The 3-mile trip took approximately six hours and was hard down at 11:51 a.m.

The Columbus laboratory was waiting at the launch pad when Atlantis arrived and the module will soon be placed inside the shuttle’s cargo bay where it will undergo its own series of tests and preparations for launch.

Atlantis’ crew of seven includes two European Space Agency astronauts who will help install Columbus on the International Space Station and activate its intricate systems. One of the ESA crew members will remain on the station for a long-duration mission.

This launch milestone comes less than a week after space shuttle Discovery returned to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida to complete mission STS-120. That mission delivered the Harmony module to the station and will be the connecting point at the station for Columbus.

2007-11-08

NASA TV Schedule for ISS Work

There are a number of tasks left to do for the ISS crew, among them even some “first evers”. The schedule is pretty busy and all needs to be done in order to support Atlantis’ STS-122 flight.

Today I received the NASA TV schedule, just in case you’d like to watch the work:

HOUSTON – In the wake of space shuttle Discovery’s delivery of the Harmony connecting module to the International Space Station, the station crew will conduct three spacewalks and robotically move two components this month to prepare for delivery of a European laboratory. All of the spacewalks and major robotics work will be broadcast live on NASA Television.

The shuttle Atlantis is targeted to launch Dec. 6 to deliver the European Space Agency’s Columbus science module. Before Columbus can be added to the station, Harmony must be relocated to its permanent location at the front of the complex. The station crew’s spacewalks and robotics work this month will complete that task, allowing Atlantis to dock and Columbus to attach to Harmony.

The NASA Television schedule includes:

4 a.m. CST Friday, Nov. 9 – NASA TV live coverage will begin as Expedition 16 Commander Peggy Whitson and Flight Engineer Yuri Malenchenko don U.S. spacesuits to conduct a 6.5-hour spacewalk to prepare a docking port on the forward end of the Destiny Laboratory to be detached. A press conference will follow the spacewalk on NASA TV, originating from NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston with questions from reporters at participating NASA sites.

4 a.m. CST Monday, Nov. 12 – NASA TV will broadcast live coverage as Whitson and Flight Engineer Dan Tani use the station’s Canadarm2 robotic arm to detach the docking port, known as pressurized mating adapter-2, and relocate it to the forward end of the Harmony. No news conference is planned following the mating adapter relocation.

3:30 a.m. CST Wednesday, Nov. 14 – NASA TV will broadcast live coverage as Whitson and Tani use the Canadarm2 to detach Harmony and its new docking adapter from their current location attached to the Unity module. They will reposition Harmony to be attached to the forward end of the Destiny Lab, its permanent location. This will be the first time a major component of the station has been relocated without a shuttle present. No news conference is planned following Harmony’s relocation.

4 a.m. CST Tuesday, Nov. 20 – NASA TV will broadcast live coverage as Whitson and Tani conduct a 6.5-hour spacewalk to hook up fluid, electrical and data lines for the relocated mating adapter and Harmony module. A press conference will follow the spacewalk on NASA TV, originating from Johnson with questions from participating NASA sites.

4 a.m. CST Saturday, Nov. 24 – NASA TV will broadcast live coverage as Whitson and Tani conduct a final 6.5-hour spacewalk to complete the hook up of the mating adapter and Harmony module to the station and leave them ready for the docking of Atlantis and delivery of Columbus. No news conference is planned following the spacewalk.

For NASA TV downlink, schedule and streaming video information on the Web, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/ntv

2007-11-01

Intend to view Atlantis’ launch? View ISS Status!

If you intend to view Atlantis’ December, 6th STS-122 launch, be sure to follow international space station (IIS) and STS-120 status updates. While there is everything going very well with space shuttle processing at Kennedy Space Center, Constraints come in from the orbiting laboratory. Most importantly, the solar array rip could prevent enough electricity to be generated by the complex to add the Columbus module (the primary payload for STS-122). It there isn’t enough power for Columbus, there is no point in bringing it up. So NASA can only launch Atlantis if the station is ready.

This is also the reason why NASA has prioritized solar array repair over all other STS-120 tasks. Getting them in a stable condition is absolutely vital for the health of the whole station program.

2007-10-23

Tickets for December launch (STS-122) go on sale!

NASA seems to have just waited for the successful STS-120 launch. I just received notification that tickets for the STS-122 launch go on sale next Monday (October, 25th) at 9am EDT. If you’d like to see Atlantis launch, hurry up! Tickets typically sell out within minutes (really!). So be at your computer at 9a sharp and get those tickets as fast as you can.

After whitnessing the STS-120 launch, I can definitely say that it is a very good idea to get launch transportation passes!

Update: If you could not get launch transportation tickets, there is still a chance to go to the causeway. Read my article on using tour operators to view a launch from NASA causeway.