Форум Новости Космонавтики

ЦитироватьMonday, January 05, 2009
Discovery Readied for Launch Platform
 The first of six planned space shuttle missions in 2009 kicks off in earnest this week with Discovery's placement on a launch platform.

Kennedy Space Center workers early Wednesday are scheduled to roll the orbiter a quarter mile from its processing hangar to the 52-story Vehicle Assembly Building.

During a weeklong stay there, the spaceship will be connected to an external tank and twin solid rocket boosters already stacked on a mobile launcher platform.

"This is the starting point for all of our shuttle launches," said KSC spokesman Allard Beutel. "That means the orbiter is a step away from the launch pad."

Discovery is slated to blast off Feb. 12 on a 14-day mission to install the International Space Station's final pair of power-generating solar wings.

The shuttle will haul the 11th and final piece of the station's central backbone, a 31,000-pound truss segment from which two 115-foot solar arrays will be unfurled.

In addition to the shuttle's move Wednesday, the truss is expected to be loaded in a canister for transportation to launch pad 39A on Sunday.

Discovery is expected to roll from the assembly building out to the seaside launch pad Jan. 14.

The shuttle will use the external tank and boosters from which Atlantis was removed after its mission to service the Hubble Space Telescope was postponed last fall.

That mission, the year's second, is tentatively targeted for mid-May.

Discovery's flight will be the orbiter's 36th, the 125th by a space shuttle and the 28th shuttle mission to the space station.

Discovery's last mission was STS-124, launching to the space station last May 31 and landing June 13.

posted by James Dean at 5:51 PM

ЦитироватьWednesday, January 07, 2009
Live at KSC: Discovery Rollover Complete
 After a delay of about eight hours because of technical issues and weather, space shuttle Discovery today was rolled from its processing hangar to the Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center.

The move sets up the spacecraft to be mated with an external tank and solid rocket boosters on Thursday.

Then, mounted on an mobile launcher platform, the shuttle is expected to ride to launch pad 39A next Wednesday in advance of a targeted Feb. 12 launch to the International Space Station.

 A 76-wheeled, 107-foot long transporter carried Discovery less than a quarter mile, a trip that began just before 2:30 p.m. and ended about 50 minutes later.

The move, which was originally scheduled to start at 6:30 a.m., was delayed first when workers overnight replaced Discovery's left outboard tire, which had lost some air pressure.

Later, technicians examined landing gear on the orbiter's right side to make sure a cable was positioned properly.

By early afternoon, rain showers swept over Cape Canaveral, preventing a move.

But after the rain stopped, workers rolled the 25-year-old spaceship into position.

Discovery's 14-day mission will carry the last pair of American solar wings to the space station.

Earlier today, workers in the Space Station Processing Facility loaded the truss segment holding the packed solar arrays into a canister for transportation to the launch pad, planned over the weekend.

IMAGE NOTES: Click on the images to enlarge them. The shuttle Discovery this afternoon was moved from Orbiter Processing Facility No. 3 to the Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center. Photo credit: Mike Brown, Florida Today.

posted by James Dean at 3:27 PM

Цитировать08.01.2008 / 00:05    "Дискавери" доставлен в здание вертикальной сборки
 
     Корабль многоразового использования Discovery, которому в феврале предстоит отправиться в полет по программе STS-119, перевезен из ангара в здание вертикальной сборки Космического центра имени Кеннеди. В здании корабль будет соединен с внешним топливным баком и твердотопливными ускорителями. Старт шаттла запланирован на 12 февраля 2009 года.

          - К.И.

ЦитироватьDiscovery is slated to blast off Feb. 12 on a 14-day mission to install the International Space Station's final pair of power-generating solar wings.

The shuttle will haul the 11th and final piece of the station's central backbone, a 31,000-pound truss segment from which two 115-foot solar arrays will be unfurled.

ЦитироватьА кто  летит?

ЦитироватьА сколько раз гулять будут?

Цитировать14 января шаттл "Дискавери" установлят на стартовом комплексе
 
(21:05) 08.01.2009
В пресс-службе НАСА сегодня сообщили, что шаттл "Дискавери", стартующий к МКС в рамках миссии STS-119, будет установлен на стартовом комплексе 39а космодрома им Кеннеди во Флориде 14 января. Традиционно, шаттлы устанавливают на стартовом столе примерно за две недели до старта, но сейчас было решено увеличить это окно.

Сейчас "Дискавери" находится в ангаре вертикальной сборки, откуда 14 января в 13 часов по московскому времени он начнет на специальной платформе движение к месту запуска. За 6 часов движения платформы шаттлу предстоит преодолеть около 7,5 км.

Основным заданием предстоящего полета станет продолжение сборки Международной космической станции, доставка и монтаж последней (четвёртой) секции S6 панелей солнечных батарей. В процессе полета астронавтам предстоит 4 раза выйти в открытый космос.

В рамках STS-119 на орбиту отправятся 7 человек, включая японского космонавта Коичи Вакату. После выполнения всех заданий вместе с командой "Дискавери" на Землю вернется Сандра Магнус, которая в данный момент находится на МКС в составе 18 основной экспедиции.

Первоначально старт миссии STS-119 планировался на 6 ноября 2008 года. Начало миссии переносилось на 4 декабря 2008 года, затем на 12 февраля 2009 года.

ЦитироватьThursday, January 08, 2009
Discovery Secured On Launch Platform
 Shuttle Discovery this morning is being attached to an external fuel tank, a day after rolling from a Kennedy Space Center processing hangar into the 52-story Vehicle Assembly Building.

In the assembly building's High Bay 3, the tank and twin solid rocket boosters are mounted on a mobile launcher platform that NASA plans to deliver to launch pad 39A on Wednesday, starting at 4 a.m.

It will be the second trip to the pad for the external tank and boosters, which were attached to Atlantis when it rolled out Sept. 4. Atlantis was rolled back Oct. 20 and disconnected from the stack after a technical problem with the Hubble Space Telescope forced the servicing mission's postponement.

The launch of Discovery's 14-day mission to the International Space Station is targeted for Feb. 12.

 Overnight, cranes hoisted the 100-ton orbiter from the VAB's transfer aisle over a 16th floor transom and lowered it toward the launcher platform.

Discovery is expected to be "soft" mated with three external tank attachment points by this afternoon. Mechanical and electrical connections will continue to be made and tested before the vehicle is ready to depart the assembly building next week.

The shuttle's payload, a 45-foot truss segment weighing 31,000 pounds, on Wednesday was loaded into a canister for transportation to the launch pad this weekend.

The canister today will be rotated into a vertical position for its ride to the launch complex.

The truss segment is the 11th and last piece of the station's backbone. It carries a final pair of American solar arrays that will boost the outpost's power supply by 25 percent.
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/60393.jpg)(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/80392.jpg)
Left: the orbiter Discovery on Wednesday rolled out of Orbiter Processing Facility 3 at Kennedy Space Center to head to the Vehicle Assembly Building. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann. Right: In the transfer aisle of the Vehicle Assembly Building on March 17, 2000, the orbiter Atlantis was suspended vertically from an overhead crane before being mated with its external tank and solid rocket boosters for the STS-101 mission. The 122-foot high orbiter is easily accommodated inside the 525-foot-tall, 518-foot-wide VAB.

posted by James Dean at 10:08 AM

ЦитироватьFriday, January 09, 2009
Watch STS-119 Mission Briefings Live
 Today space shuttle Discovery's crew of seven astronauts and NASA managers will participate a day of media briefings on the next shuttle mission, targeted for launch Feb. 12 from Kennedy Space Center.

You can watch the briefings live here on The Flame Trench starting at 9 a.m. Just click on the image at left to launch a NASA TV viewer.

The STS-119 mission will install the final piece of the International Space Station's skeletal backbone, a 31,000 pound girder that holds a final set of American solar wings.

Click "Read more" to see a full schedule of briefings, which will be hosted at Johnson Space Center in Houston.

8 a.m. - STS-119 Video B-Roll Feed
9 a.m. - STS-119 Program Overview Briefing
10:30 a.m. - STS-119 Mission Overview Briefing
12:30 p.m. - STS-119 Spacewalk Overview Briefing
2 p.m. - STS-119 Crew News Conference

Discovery's crew is led by mission commander Lee Archambault, who is making his second flight in less than two years after piloting Atlantis on STS-117 in June 2007.

Joining Archambault are pilot Tony Antonelli and mission specialists Richard Arnold, Joseph Acaba, John Phillips, Steve Swanson and Koichi Wakata of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency.

Wakata, the first Japanese astronaut to make an extended visit to the space station, will replace Sandra Magnus as a member of the outpost's Expedition 18 crew. Magnus will return home on Discovery.

Four spacewalks are planned during the 14-day mission.

posted by James Dean at 12:01 AM

ЦитироватьТретий выход выполнят Арнольд и Акаба-оба вроде астронавты-учителя...Вопрос, неужели в НАСА не нашлось для сложнейшей работы в открытом космосе профессиональных астронавтов. И зачем было назначать в экипаж сразу двух учителей???

ЦитироватьMonday, January 12, 2009
(http://www.floridatoday.com/content/blogs/space/uploaded_images/118089main_payload-lg-767536.jpg)(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/6868.jpg)
Discovery Payload at the Launch Pad
 Preparations continue to roll shuttle Discovery to Kennedy Space Center's launch pad 39A on Wednesday, where it will meet a payload delivered Sunday evening.

Space center workers are now loading a canister holding the 31,000-pound payload into the pad's changeout room, shown at left before Discovery's Return to Flight mission in 2005.

The 45-foot girder is the last piece of the International Space Station's central truss, and holds a final pair of Boeing Co.-built solar arrays.

It will take up most of Discovery's payload bay when it is installed, expected Jan. 17.

The payload left a processing facility at 5 p.m. Sunday and arrived at the pad three hours later.

A device called the payload ground handling mechanism lifted the canister from its 48-wheeled transporter in preparation for transfer into the changeout room, a secure, environmentally controlled facility at the launch pad.

Meanwhile, workers on Sunday finished attaching Discovery to its external fuel tank in the Vehicle Assembly Building.

The shuttle's 3.4-mile trip to the launch pad aboard a giant crawler-transporter is scheduled to begin at 4 a.m. Wednesday and take five to seven hours.

IMAGE NOTE: Click on the image to enlarge it. At launch pad 39B, the canister carrying payloads launched aboard space shuttle Discovery's Return to Flight mission STS-114 was lifted up to the Payload Changeout Room. Photo credit: NASA/KSC.

posted by James Dean at 10:01 AM

ЦитироватьWednesday, January 14, 2009
Live at KSC: Shuttle Heads To Launch Pad
 Shuttle Discovery is making its way to Kennedy Space Center's launch pad 39A today in advance of a planned Feb. 12 launch on an International Space Station construction mission.

With the shuttle mounted atop a mobile launcher platform, a giant tracked transporter is hauling the 11-million-pound load down the river-rock crawlerway that links the launch pad with the KSC Vehicle Assembly Building.

The 3.5-mile mile trip began with a first motion in the VAB at 5:17 a.m. EST -- about 77 minutes later than originally planned.

The slight delay was prompted by a little additional work with the purge on the shuttle solid rocket booster aft skirts and heaters on the launcher platform that must be operating if temperatures dip below 45 degrees Fahrenheit.

You can watch the rollout live here in The Flame Trench. Simply click the NASA TV box on the righthand side of the page to see live coverage or refresh this page for the latest still images from live video feeds in the Launch Complex 39 area.

The shuttle should be out to the pad around 11:15 a.m.

Discovery and seven astronauts are slated to fly a mission to deliver the last segment of the station's central truss to the outpost. The so-called S6 truss is equipped with the last of four massive American solar wings that will provide electrical power to the station.

The 31,000-pound truss will be moved from the Space Station Processing Facility to the launch pad later this week. The payload is to be installed in the orbiter's cargo bay over the weekend.

posted by Todd Halvorson at 7:52 AM

ЦитироватьLive at KSC: Crew Reviews Pad Escape
 Shuttle Discovery's seven astronauts this morning have braved blustery winds at Kennedy Space Center from the 195-foot level of launch pad 39A's Fixed Service Structure.

That's where the crew will enter the orbiter Wednesday morning during a countdown dress rehearsal for their targeted Feb. 12 launch to the International Space Station.

It's also where the astronauts would rush to a system of slide wire baskets that would hurtle them to the ground if they needed to escape a fire or other emergency.

The crew this morning learned how to use the basket system, which has never been needed during a mission.

The second of three days of training at KSC continues with briefings in the Launch Control Center.

Discovery's crew is led by mission commander Lee Archambault, and includes pilot Tony Antonelli and mission specialists Joe Acaba, Richard Arnold, John Phillips, Steve Swanson and Koichi Wakata.

Out at the launch pad today, the crew will also examine their mission's primary payload from the Payload Changeout Room.

Discovery's payload bay doors are scheduled to close at midnight around cargo, a nearly 31,000-pound, $300-million truss segment being delivered to the space station.

The truss segment is the 11th and final piece of the station's backbone, and will unfurl the final pair of power-generating solar arrays.

Also today, Archambault and Antonelli will continue practice landings in the Shuttle Training Aircraft, a jet modified to handle like an orbiter on descent.
 
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/80397.jpg)
IMAGE NOTE: Click to enlarge the image. Discovery mission specialist Steve Swanson is shown practicing a dismount from a slide wire basket at launch pad 39A during training in 2007 for the STS-117 mission. Mission specialist Danny Olivas assisted. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett.

posted by James Dean at 10:01 AM

ЦитироватьШаттл "Дискавери" стартует к МКС 22 февраля - НАСА

МОСКВА, 7 фев - РИА Новости. Запуск шаттла "Дискавери" к МКС вновь отложен, теперь на 22 февраля, сообщает в пятницу агентство Рейтер со ссылкой на представителей НАСА.

Предварительно запуск был запланирован на 12 февраля, но отложен в связи с проблемами в основной двигательной установке.

В пятницу представитель НАСА заявил, что инженерам нужно дополнительное время, чтобы закончить тестирование клапанов, которые уравнивают давление подачи топлива из внешнего топливного бака к двигателям шаттла.

Ранее сообщалось, что один из клапанов получил повреждения во время предыдущего полета в ноябре.

В настоящее время на пусковой площадке, куда был установлен шаттл, ведется заключительный этап работ по подготовке космического челнока к полету. Экипаж "Дискавери" проводит тренировки в космическом Центре НАСА имени Джонсона в Хьюстоне (штат Техас). Астронавты завершают изучение полетного плана и отрабатывают на тренажерах маневры по взлету и посадке шаттла.

Цитировать14.02.2009 / 11:35    Запуск "Дискавери" вновь перенесен

     Запуск шаттла Discovery к Международной космической станции (МКС) в очередной раз перенесен. Как сообщили в пятницу в NASA, он состоится не ранее 27 февраля.

     - К.И.

ЦитироватьИнтересно, кроме панелей СБ они хоть что-то для снабжения МКС возьмут ?

Цитировать6. Transfer mandatory quantities of water from Discovery to the space station
7. Transfer and stow critical cargo items to the space station
...
16. Prepare and install Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency Proximity Global Positioning System antenna B on Japanese  Experiment Logistics Module-Pressurized
Section

Цитировать

Цитировать14.02.2009 / 11:35    Запуск "Дискавери" вновь перенесен

     Запуск шаттла Discovery к Международной космической станции (МКС) в очередной раз перенесен. Как сообщили в пятницу в NASA, он состоится не ранее 27 февраля.

     - К.И.

ЦитироватьWASHINGTON (AFP) – The US space agency NASA has again postponed the launch of the space shuttle Discovery, saying it will not occur before February 27.

The launch, initially scheduled for February 12, had already been delayed until February 19.

NASA said Friday it will hold a news conference on February 20, following a review of space shuttle Discovery's readiness for flight and an assessment of shuttle flow control valve testing.

Цитировать21.02.2009 / 11:03    Старт "Дискавери" вновь отложен
     
После 13-часового обсуждения стартовой готовности менеджеры NASA приняли решение в очередной раз отложить запуск корабля многоразового использования Discovery по программе STS-119. Пуск шаттла теперь должен состояться в интервале между 14 марта и 6 апреля. Точная дата старта пока не опредлена.

     - К.И.

ЦитироватьFriday, February 20, 2009
Update: New Discovery Plan Next Week
 Space shuttle program managers will develop a plan by Wednesday that they hope allows them to fly Discovery - and later missions - while working to redesign valves in the shuttles' main propulsion system.

Once targeted for Feb. 12 and most recently Feb. 27, a Discovery launch may not be possible before a "cutout" for a Russian Soyuz mission to the International Space Station that runs from March 13 to April 6. The shuttle might not be able to launch during that window.

In a briefing late Friday at Kennedy Space Center, NASA managers said they wanted to do more work to understand the root cause behind the failure of a valve that maintains pressure in the shuttle's orange external tank, by allowing or restricting the flow of hydrogen gas to it.

They said they came close to a decision to launch Discovery, but some engineers questioned assumptions and data from the extensive valve tests conducted across the country in recent weeks, which produced a mountain of fresh data to digest.

"There was a just a sense of unease that we did not quite have the rigor that we typically expect for a question like this," said John Shannon, shuttle program manager.

 A small piece broke off a valve during Endeavour's launch last November without doing any damage.

But managers worried about a repeat of that event, possibly involving a bigger chunk of valve.

That could result in an explosion or main engine shutdown that could have disastrous consequences for the crew of seven astronauts.

Shannon said the weeks of testing and Friday's marathon flight readiness review, which began at 9 a.m. and concluded before a 10:30 p.m. press briefing, had the goal of making sure that "we didn't just get lucky" on that STS-126 mission.

 The area of most concern is within the orbiter's aft section, inches from where the three valves - one for each main engine - pop up and down to increase or decrease the flow of hydrogen gas.

Meanwhile, work to redesign the valves has already begun. The redesigns could be relatively minor tweaks to their shape or changes in materials that could take four to six months, or a more comprehensive change that could take a year or more.

But officials don't expect the issue to keep shuttles from flying.

"I think the overall philosophy is, while we're working this redesign, we'll have a strategy that allows us to continue to fly with the valves we've got, and we'll do that in parallel," said Bill Gerstenmaier, NASA's associate administrator for space operations.

Shannon said some additional tests and better explanation of their results would help present a convincing rationale for flying, showing a "statistically defensible set of data that tells the story" that probabilities of a valve failure are low and could be survived.

Gerstenmaier said the valve problem has essentially existed since the first shuttle flight in 1981, but modern imaging and computer modeling technology now enabled teams to do a more thorough inspection than ever of microscopic cracks.

And lessons learned from the loss of Columbia's crew in 2003 ensured that engineers didn't assume the problem was minor because of Endeavour's safe result.

The managers said there was no indication yet that later shuttle flights, including a Hubble Space Telescope servicing mission targeted to launch May 12, would need to be pushed back.

Nine shuttle missions remain to be flown before the fleet is retired next year, eight of them to the space station.

"This is just one of those things, in a very complicated vehicle, you're going to have issues like this," said Shannon. "We're gong to make sure we do it right."

Once it has launched, Discovery is scheduled to fly a two-week mission to install a final piece of the space station's central truss and deploy a last set of huge solar array wings.

posted by James Dean at 11:43 PM

ЦитироватьWednesday, February 25, 2009
NASA Hatching Go-Forward Plan For Discovery

 NASA managers could decide as early as today whether to try to launch Discovery in March or postpone its International Space Station assembly mission until April.

At issue: Whether it's safe to launch the shuttle with suspect main propulsion system valves whose failure - in a worse case scenario -- could trigger catastrophe in flight.

A go-ahead could lead to a launch attempt around March 7. A decision to redesign the valves could lead to a lengthy delay.

NASA must launch Discovery by March 13 to complete its station assembly mission before an already scheduled crew rotation at the outpost. Otherwise, the earliest launch date would be around April 7.

"They're going to finalize the plan," Kennedy Space Center spokeswoman Candrea Thomas said Tuesday.

In either case, NASA contractor technicians today will begin to replace three valves designed to control the flow of gaseous hydrogen from Discovery's three main engines to its 15-story external tank during flight.

About the size and shape of small, pop-up lawn sprinklers, the valves are key to keeping pressure within the tank at proper levels as propellant within it is exhausted at a rate that would empty a backyard swimming pool in 25 seconds.

Too much pressure could trigger a relief valve and dump combustable gaseous hydrogen overboard - a potentially explosive fire hazard. Too little pressure could lead to a premature engine shutdown.

One of the valves on Endeavour failed in flight last November. Extensive tests are being carried out at several NASA centers to determine whether the valves present an unacceptable risk to the shuttle and its crew.

NASA engineers think valves that have flown on fewer flights are less susceptible to failure. The valves being removed from Discovery each have flown 12 times. Two of the replacements have flown four times; the third has flown five times.

Seven Discovery astronauts aim to deliver a set of American solar wings to the station. Launch time on March 7 would be about 10 p.m.

ЦитироватьMarch launch of Discovery possible, but not certain
BY WILLIAM HARWOOD

Posted: February 24, 2009;
Updated with decision to swap out valves

NASA managers today ordered engineers to replace suspect hydrogen flow control valves aboard the shuttle Discovery with valves that have less flight time in a bid to reduce the chances of in-flight cracks that could lead to debris in a pressurization line. If ongoing tests and higher fidelity computer models continue to show positive results, Discovery could be cleared for a delayed launch attempt by around March 12, sources said today. That would give NASA just two or three launch opportunities before standing down until April 7 to avoid conflict with a Russian Soyuz mission to the international space station.

A decision to set a new target launch date could come as early as Wednesday, but sources said it was not a done deal because engineers are still debating the root cause of the valve problem that has grounded Discovery. The results of ongoing tests, however, along with the predictions of more realistic computer modeling, may convince skeptics the shuttle's internal plumbing can withstand impacts from valve debris should cracks develop in flight.

While that remains to be seen, a brief update on NASA's web site late today indicated a plan for moving forward could be in place by Wednesday.

"Though the plan has not yet been completed, technicians will install flow control valves that have flown fewer times than the ones currently in Discovery's main propulsion system," NASA said in a statement.

"The plan should be finalized by Wednesday and once senior managers are in agreement, a Flight Readiness Review will be rescheduled to assess the readiness for launch and to set a formal launch target date."

The Discovery astronauts were allowed to break quarantine Friday after mission managers put the flight on hold and ruled out a Feb. 27 launch date. At the time, Launch Director Mike Leinbach said Discovery could be launched five days or so after a decision was made to proceed, assuming the shuttle was cleared for flight as is.

But the valves are being replaced and the crew still must put in a full week of quarantine time. Several sources said today it was unlikely Discovery could be ready for launch before March 12, and that assumes engineers and managers can get comfortable enough with the test data to press ahead without any design changes for the valves in question.

To avoid conflict with the upcoming launch of a Russian Soyuz spacecraft carrying two fresh space station crew members and a tourist, Discovery cannot take off after around March 13 unless the Russians agree to delay their own launch. As of this writing, a shuttle launch on March 14 is possible, but it would require the crew to eliminate one of their four planned spacewalks and shorten the flight by a day.

The next available launch date after that would be April 7, the day the station's current commander, flight engineer and the tourist depart in an older Soyuz.

If Discovery launches in March, before the Soyuz "cutout," officials say the shuttle Atlantis will stay on schedule for launch May 12 on a long-awaited mission to service and upgrade the Hubble Space Telescope. If Discovery's flight slips to April, the Hubble mission likely would slip to around June 2.

Complicating the picture in the near term, United Launch Alliance plans to launch NASA's Kepler science mission aboard a Delta 2 rocket on March 5 and an Atlas 5 rocket carrying a military communications satellite on March 9. It does not appear the Kepler mission will be a factor in shuttle planning, but the Atlas flight is in direct conflict.

The Air Force Eastern Range, which provides radar tracking and other services for all rockets launched from Florida, supports one flight at a time and each mission gets at least two launch opportunities on successive days. As of this writing, there are indications the Atlas flight may slip a few days, but no such delay has yet been announced.

Even if the Eastern Range is clear for Discovery, a launch in March assumes no major repairs or redesign work are required to resolve concerns about the suspect hydrogen flow control valves. Originally scheduled for launch Feb. 12, the flight has been repeatedly delayed because of concern a valve could break in flight, sending metallic debris into a pressurization line.

The shuttle is equipped with three hydrogen flow control valves that work like pop-up sprinklers to route hydrogen gas to the external tank to keep the hydrogen section properly pressurized at 32 to 34 pounds per square inch during the climb to space.

During the most recent flight last November, a small piece of one valve poppet broke off in flight. It was the first such incident in the 124 shuttle flights to date, but testing and computer analysis indicates cracks in the valves have been a long-standing, but unknown, threat with at least one valve design.

Engineers are carrying out tests to determine what caused the valve to break; how cracks propagate and how large resulting debris might be; and to make sure the pressurization line is tough enough to withstand debris impacts from any future failures.

It's not yet clear whether cracks in the valves are the result of accumulated stress over multiple flights or the result of single-flight events related to unexpected harmonic and structural interactions between the pressurization lines in question and the orbiter.

Managers decided today to replace the current valves, which have flown 11 to 12 times each, with similar 1301-design units that have logged fewer flights. That will protect against multi-flight stress-related cracks and poppet failures. At the same time, older 1301 valves likely will be inspected to make sure there are no signs of cracks that could be age related. None are expected.

Engineers are hopeful more realistic computer models, based on actual impact tests, will show the odds of a catastrophic failure are remote, even in a worst-case scenario.

Testing to date seems to indicate a 90-degree bend in the external tank pressurization lines just five inches from the valves can withstand the sort of impacts one could expect in an actual failure. Earlier less positive assessments were based on knife-edge impacts from debris with worst-case velocities and unrealistically stable paths down the pipe. Using those assumptions, the pressurization line elbow bend could sustain impact velocities of around 560 feet per second.

It now appears the elbow bend may be able to withstand impact velocities higher than 900 feet per second - more than 600 mph - if the debris is relatively small and following a more realistic trajectory. But engineers do not yet know enough about how the valves can break to predict the maximum allowable size of any released debris.

Given the complexities involved, it is perhaps not surprising the issue is not yet clear cut and that additional time may be needed to resolve the matter one way or the other.

Цитировать25-02-2009 Специалисты НАСА снимают с «Дискавери» проблемные клапана
   Технические специалисты космического центра им. Кеннеди НАСА сегодня снимают три клапана контроля подачи газообразного водорода с линий в топливной системе КК "Дискавери". Из-за проблем с этими клапанами пуск шаттла, первоначально намеченный на 12 февраля, уже несколько раз переносился.
Клапана планируется заменить на менее "изношенные", те, которые совершили меньшее число космических полетов в составе системы "Шаттл".
Тем временем менеджеры программы продолжают анализировать данные тестов. По завершении анализа будет намечено очередное заседание комиссии по готовности к полету шаттла, а также определена новая дата старта "Дискавери" по программе STS-119 к Международной космической станции.

Пресс-служба Роскосмоса, по информации НАСА  

ЦитироватьWednesday, February 25, 2009
NASA Aims To Launch Discovery March 12

 NASA just set March 12 as a new tentative launch date for Discovery -- a target that provides time to replace suspect main propulsion system valves and complete engineering analyses aimed at making certain the shuttle is safe to fly.

Liftoff time would be around 8:54 p.m. EDT. The agency is leaving open an option to move the launch up to March 11 if work between now and then goes well.

NASA in any case would have a back-up launch day on March 13 before the agency stood down for an already scheduled crew rotation at International Space Station.

NASA established the tentative date after putting in place a safety plan that should enable the agency to launch Discovery and a crew of seven astronauts safely.

NASA is replacing three suspect valves that control the flow of gaseous hydrogen into the shuttle's external tank during flight. The valves are key to keeping pressure within the giant tank at proper levels as propellant is exhausted by the ship's three main engines in flight.

One of three valves failed during Endeavour's launch last November, routing gaseous hydrogen into its external tank at a higher than normal rate. Post-flight inspections showed a piece of the lip of the valve - which is the size and shape of a small pop-up lawn sprinkler - cracked off during flight.

Engineers fear a cracked valve could create shards that could rupture a gaseous hydrogen line, resulting in a loss of pressure to the external tank. That could trigger an engine shutdown in flight.

Too much pressure in the tank could force open a separate relief valve that would dump combustible gaseous hydrogen overboard - a potentially explosive fire hazard.

NASA engineers have determined that valves that have been used on fewer flights are less susceptible to failure, so managers ordered up the replacement of the three now on Discovery. Those valves each have flown 12 flights. Technicians are removing them tonight.

Two of the replacement valves have flown four missions; the third replacement has flown five times. They will be delivered to Kennedy Space Center next week and then installed in the orbiter.

If need be, engineers also could shore up gaseous hydrogen lines in places where bends make them more vulnerable and susceptible to damage.

Extensive testing, meanwhile, is continuing at several NASA centers around the country. The tests are aimed at determining how large a piece of debris might be created during a valve failure and how much damage that debris might do to gaseous hydrogen lines. Managers then must determine whether the valves present an unacceptable risk to Discovery and its astronaut crew.

Shuttle program managers will meet next Wednesday to gauge progress, and if all is going well, a formal flight readiness review would be held March 6.

As it stands, Discovery would have to launch by March 13 for its astronauts to complete a mission to deliver a new set of solar wings to the station and then depart the outpost before the March 28 arrival of a fresh resident crew.

Expedition 19 commander Gennady Padalka, flight engineer Michael Barratt and space tourist Charles Simonyi are slated to launch March 26 from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

Current station commander Mike Fincke, flight engineer Sandra Magnus and Simonyi then would return to Earth on April 7.

Should Discovery still be on the ground March 14 or later, NASA could negotiate with the Russian Federal Space Agency for a delay in a planned March 26 launch of Padalka and his crew. Or NASA could shorten the 14-day Discovery flight by scrapping one of four planned spacewalks. Either option might gain the agency an extra launch attempt.

ЦитироватьNASA engineers have determined that valves that have been used on fewer flights are less susceptible to failure, so managers ordered up the replacement of the three now on Discovery. Those valves each have flown 12 flights. Technicians are removing them tonight.

Two of the replacement valves have flown four missions; the third replacement has flown five times. They will be delivered to Kennedy Space Center next week and then installed in the orbiter.

ЦитироватьНАСА назначило на 12 марта запуск "Дискавери"

НАСА предварительно назначило на 12 марта несколько раз переносившуюся дату запуска шаттла "Дискавери" к Международной космической станции /МКС/. Об этом объявили в среду представители программы пилотируемых полетов в американским космическом ведомстве.

 Первоначально "Дискавери" планировалось отправить к МКС еще 12 февраля. Однако старт несколько раз откладывался из-за необходимости проверки трех клапанов системы подачи топлива - сжиженного водорода - на "Дискавери". Специалисты опасались того, что, если край такого клапана оторвется при старте, это может привести к серьезным разрушениям. Сейчас проводятся работы по установке новых клапанов, которые, как считают инженеры, будут более надежными. На будущей неделе предполагается провести экспертную проверку клапанов, после чего и будет приниматься окончательное решение о запуске корабля в марте.

Цитировать05.03.2009 / 09:31    "Дискавери" должен стартовать 11 марта

     Менеджеры NASA вновь изменили дату старта корабля многоразового использования Discovery по программе STS-119. Теперь шаттл должен отправиться в полет 11 марта, а не 12, как это было назначено ранее.
     
     - К.И.

ЦитироватьLiftoff time next Wednesday would be 9:20 p.m.

ЦитироватьПолучается 12 марта в 5:20 утра по Москве?

Цитировать

ЦитироватьNASA engineers have determined that valves that have been used on fewer flights are less susceptible to failure, so managers ordered up the replacement of the three now on Discovery. Those valves each have flown 12 flights. Technicians are removing them tonight.

Two of the replacement valves have flown four missions; the third replacement has flown five times. They will be delivered to Kennedy Space Center next week and then installed in the orbiter.

Объясните смысл этого действия ? Проверить насколько клапаны "многоразовые" ? Неужели нет новых клапанов ? За время, что известна проблема с клапанами, можно и новые было изготовить...

ЦитироватьГлавная новость: все системы "go", погода благоприятствует. Сейчас идёт заправка бака криогеникой.

P.S. Только сейчас рассмотрел патч миссии. М-да 8). Особенно чёрный шаттл слева...

ЦитироватьСтарт отложен из-за утечки жидкого водорода при заправке внешнего бака.

ЦитироватьБак дырявый сделали? ;)

ЦитироватьКстати, все дыры на их идиотском оборудовании можно найти часа за 2 и это с почёсыванием носа и трепотнёй как мол всё достало.

Цитировать

ЦитироватьКстати, все дыры на их идиотском оборудовании можно найти часа за 2 и это с почёсыванием носа и трепотнёй как мол всё достало.

Езжайте в Штаты, устраивайтесь на работу в United Space Alliance и находите. О результатах доложите на форуме. Еще одна реплика в этом духе -- бан.

Цитировать

ЦитироватьКстати, все дыры на их идиотском оборудовании можно найти часа за 2 и это с почёсыванием носа и трепотнёй как мол всё достало.

Езжайте в Штаты, устраивайтесь на работу в United Space Alliance и находите. О результатах доложите на форуме. Еще одна реплика в этом духе -- бан.

ЦитироватьLiss, во-первых, вы вроде бы администратор русского форума и ваша защита от выпадов в адрес NASA малопонятна. Если я оскорбил ваши личные чувства, прошу прощения.

ЦитироватьА что, Россия уже в состоянии войны с США? Или Вы, как барон Мюнхгаузен Англии, лично объявили войну Соединенным Штатам?  :wink:

ЦитироватьКстати, Liss, как гражданин России я требую ваших извинений за этот демарш в адрес США.

ЦитироватьOrbiter: Discovery
Mission: STS-119
Payload: S6 power truss
Launch: March 12, 2009
Time: 8:54 p.m. EDT
Site: Pad 39A, Kennedy Space Center, Florida
Landing: March 26 at approx. 3:01 p.m. EDT
Site: Shuttle Landing Facility, KSC

ЦитироватьДыры в заправочном оборудовании не проблема найти современными методами тепловизионной диагностики, достаточно прогнать через него хододный газ и будет видно все щели.
Я занимался такой работой и знаю о чём говорю.

ЦитироватьЗапуск "Дискавери" отложен из-за неисправной системы подачи топлива
 
Запуск шаттла "Дискавери" отложен в пятый раз, сообщает Agence France-Presse со ссылкой на представителя Национального аэрокосмического агентства США (NASA). За несколько часов до старта специалисты NASA обнаружили утечку топлива во время заправки корабля.
Согласно сообщению на сайте NASA, утечка произошла в дренажном трубопроводе при подаче топлива во внешний топливный бак корабля. Как передает Associated Press, представитель NASA заявил, что проблема никак не связана с клапанами, регулирующими давление во внешнем топливном баке.

Напомним, что именно тщательная проверка этих клапанов стала причиной того, что запуск шаттла "Дискавери" откладывался четыре раза: Изначально планировалось, что старт "Дискавери" к Международной космической станции состоится 12 февраля. В результате нескольких проверок часть клапанов была заменена.

Как сообщается на сайте NASA, в этот раз старт "Дискавери" будет перенесен на один день и состоится в 3:54 пятницы по московскому времени.

ЦитироватьSpace shuttle Discovery's launch to the International Space Station now is targeted for no earlier than March 15. NASA managers postponed Wednesday's planned liftoff due to a leak associated with the gaseous hydrogen venting system outside the external fuel tank. The system is used to carry excess hydrogen safely away from the launch pad.

Liftoff on March 15 would be at 7:43 p.m. EDT. The exact launch date is dependent on the work necessary to repair the problem. Managers will meet Thursday at 4 p.m. to further assess the troubleshooting plan.

ЦитироватьSunday, March 15, 2009
Live: Discovery Fueling Complete [/size]

Fueling of space shuttle Discovery is complete, putting seven astronauts on track for a 7:43 p.m. liftoff from Kennedy Space Center.

A problem during fueling of more than 500,000 gallons of super-cold liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen scrubbed a first launch attempt Wednesday.

But after replacing a valve that routes hydrogen gas from the shuttle's orange external tank to a flare stack on the ground, the process proceeded smoothly today.

A final inspection team is headed to Launch Pad 39A. Also called the "ice team," its job is to thoroughly examine the internal tank for ice build-up that could be dangerous during launch.

The countdown is in a standard hold at T minus three hours, scheduled to last until 3:48 p.m.

Upcoming activities include alignment of Merritt Islan Launch Area tracking antennas.

posted by James Dean at 1:22 PM

ЦитироватьЕсли бы и у наших были такие трансляции online то было бы здорово. Но что-то мне слабо верится в возможность оного.

Цитировать

ЦитироватьЕсли бы и у наших были такие трансляции online то было бы здорово. Но что-то мне слабо верится в возможность оного.

Завтра запуск "Рокота" обещают показывать с Плесецка в реальном времени.

ЦитироватьИ как им не страшно сидеть на этой бочке жидкого водорода, ожидая, когда вся эта хр(*/нь унесет тебя в неведомые е(*ня.
Я бы обо*?)лся.

ЦитироватьА Вы зарегистрировались на сайте Соорi?

ЦитироватьИ как им не страшно сидеть на этой бочке жидкого водорода, ожидая, когда вся эта хр(*/нь унесет тебя в неведомые е(*ня.
Я бы обо*?)лся.

ЦитироватьМожно тупой вопрос студента 1 курса? :) Что за башня рядом с Шаттлом, похожая на водонапорную вышку? Судя по непрерывному потоку "пара", она предназначена для подпитки каким-то криогенным компонентом...

ЦитироватьСпасибо. Я раньше тоже думал, что это бак с водой, но испарения меня смутили. А, с другой стороны, Флорида всё же, и вода должна испаряться...

ЦитироватьТопливный бак отделился.

ЦитироватьМожно спать.

Цитировать

ЦитироватьА Вы зарегистрировались на сайте Соорi?

Нет, пока. Надо обязательно?

ЦитироватьЁклмн, на улице что-то громыхнуло. Мог топливный бак упасть ко мне в огород (Рязанская область, Ряжский р-н)?

ЦитироватьНикто не встречал официального разъяснения относительно того, что в последних полётах шаттлов часто замечается именно Дискавери?

ЦитироватьЯ так нервничал, так нервничал, что даже насморк прошёл.

Цитировать

ЦитироватьНикто не встречал официального разъяснения относительно того, что в последних полётах шаттлов часто замечается именно Дискавери?

Оставшиеся 9 полетов челноков будут поровну распределены между 3-мя Шаттлами, по 3 на каждый.

Цитировать12.05.2009 Atlantis STS-125
13.06.2009 Endeavour STS-127
06.08.2009 Atlantis STS-128
12.11.2009 Discovery STS-129
10.12.2009 Endeavour STS-130
11.02.2010 Atlantis STS-131
08.04.2010 Discovery STS-132
31.05.2010 Endeavour STS-133
16.09.2010 Discovery STS-134

(даты стартов приблизительные)

ЦитироватьРебяты!
А стыковку с МКС будут "посмотреть"?

ЦитироватьА я второй раз не увидел вообще. Не туда смотрел, что ли. Но первый раз жену и внучку удалось  обрадовать зрелищем.
И выпили уже за стыковку!

ЦитироватьIva
Конечно будет.. всё там же.. ;)
http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/index.html

Цитировать

ЦитироватьА я второй раз не увидел вообще. Не туда смотрел, что ли. Но первый раз жену и внучку удалось  обрадовать зрелищем.
И выпили уже за стыковку!

Торопиться не надо...

Цитировать

ЦитироватьДля тех кому канал позволяет:
http://playlist.yahoo.com/makeplaylist.dll?id=1368162 - 300kbps
http://playlist.yahoo.com/makeplaylist.dll?id=1368570 - 500kbps
http://playlist.yahoo.com/makeplaylist.dll?id=1368163 - 1200kbps

А как выйти на эти ссылки? У меня по второй 260 кбит а по третьей 46 :? Какая нибуть заглавная страница для НАСА ТВ у яху есть?

ЦитироватьНу и конечно всяческие пожелания что-бы это когда-нибудь понадобилось...

ЦитироватьНу и конечно всяческие пожелания что-бы это когда-нибудь понадобилось...

Цитировать

ЦитироватьНу и конечно всяческие пожелания что-бы это когда-нибудь понадобилось...

Вроде Васимира завозить собрались.

Цитировать

ЦитироватьНу и конечно всяческие пожелания что-бы это когда-нибудь понадобилось...

Один сегмент стоит 800млн + доставка и сборка. Итого, если Шаттлом, то 2-3 гигабакса. Предлагаю вложить эти деньги в энергосберегающие технологии или реактор. Больше толку будет.

ЦитироватьLanista писал(а):

Вроде Васимира завозить собрались.

viktort:  А что опять сумку потеряли?

ЦитироватьНа видео, при монтаже улетела какая то сумка. Наверное с инструментами??? :D

ЦитироватьНа видео, при монтаже улетела какая то сумка. Наверное с инструментами??? :D

ЦитироватьЧехлы от панели выкидывали в космос. ...

Цитировать120 киловатт это только американский сегмент?

ЦитироватьЗадачи сегодняшнего выхода в открытый космос (планируемое начало в 19:43 ДМВ):

http://www.hq.nasa.gov/osf/iss_reports/index.htm

- Prepare six P6 Batteries, install gap spanner, break torque/retorque two bolts (H1 & H2) on each battery with ratchet wrench;
- Deploy P3 Nadir UCCAS (Unpressurized Cargo Carriers Attachment System);
- Install JLP (JEM Pressurized Logistics Segment) GPS Antenna B for JAXA;
- Perform infrared photo/video imagery on S1/P1 Thermal Radiators;
- Swap two connectors on CMG Patch Panel on Z1 truss;
- Deploy S3 Outboard/Zenith PAS (Payload Attach

Цитировать120 киловатт это только американский сегмент?

Да.

The station now has nearly an acre's worth of U.S. arrays producing 120 kilowatts of usable electricity – doubling the amount available for science operations to 30 kilowatts (http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts119/news/STS-119-11.html)

А у нас (http://www.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/content/numbers/212/03.shtml)... 9,8 кВт.

ЦитироватьА по Русски нельзя ли :?:

ЦитироватьИ как им не страшно сидеть на этой бочке жидкого водорода, ожидая, когда вся эта хр(*/нь унесет тебя в неведомые е(*ня.
Я бы обо*?)лся.

Цитировать

ЦитироватьДыры в заправочном оборудовании не проблема найти современными методами тепловизионной диагностики, достаточно прогнать через него хододный газ и будет видно все щели.
Я занимался такой работой и знаю о чём говорю.

Это еще не повод называть работающих там сегодня людей идиотами, тем более имея лишь слова девочки из пресс-службы. Не правда ли?

ЦитироватьКак-то всё рутинно очень на этот раз, теплозащиту хоть разбили где-нибудь? :)

Цитировать

ЦитироватьКак-то всё рутинно очень на этот раз, теплозащиту хоть разбили где-нибудь? :)

Вы никогда не забываете пожелать что-нибудь доброе...  :?

ЦитироватьIMHO - если разобьют этот шаттл, то шаттлы больше не полетят :roll:

ЦитироватьIMHO - если разобьют этот шаттл, то шаттлы больше не полетят :roll:

ЦитироватьКак-то всё рутинно очень на этот раз, теплозащиту хоть разбили где-нибудь? :)

ЦитироватьПосадка 1:39 p.m. EDT в субботу 28.03.2009.
По Москве, получается 20:39
Так??

ЦитироватьПриземление корабля «Дискавери» планируется  28 марта в 20 часов 43 минуты (17:43 GMT).

ЦитироватьAstronauts Prep Shuttle for Saturday Landing[/size]
Fri, 27 Mar 2009 03:49:09 PM GMT+0300

The crew's wakeup song, "Bright Side of the Road" by Van Morrison, was played at 5:13 a.m. EDT for Mission Specialist Richard Arnold.

The STS-119 crew is scheduled to stow items in the crew cabin this morning and complete a check out Discovery's flight control surfaces. These surfaces will guide the orbiter's unpowered flight through the atmosphere to a landing.

Landing is scheduled for 1:39 p.m. Saturday at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida with a second opportunity one orbit later at 3:14 p.m.

ЦитироватьThe weather forecast is "no go" today for the first landing opportunity at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The next Kennedy landing opportunity is at 3:13 p.m. EDT, with a deorbit burn of 2:08 p.m. EDT.

ЦитироватьПохоже летят дальше.
Теперь когда будут сажать? На следующем витке?

ЦитироватьКакое время посадки по МСК?

ЦитироватьКакое время посадки по МСК?

ЦитироватьКакое время посадки по МСК?

ЦитироватьА что к нему ни кто не подъезжает?

ЦитироватьНа подходе к Флориде какая у них высота?

Цитировать

ЦитироватьНа подходе к Флориде какая у них высота?

Километров 50.

ЦитироватьКакой классный репортаж!
Дождёмся ли мы у нас чего ни будь подобного?

ЦитироватьКакой классный репортаж!
Дождёмся ли мы у нас чего ни будь подобного?
Вот, только жаль перевода на русский небыло! :)

Цитировать

ЦитироватьКакой классный репортаж!
Дождёмся ли мы у нас чего ни будь подобного?
Вот, только жаль перевода на русский небыло! :)

Чего подобного? Шаттла?  :wink:  Уже делали...  :lol:  :(

Цитировать

Цитировать

ЦитироватьКакой классный репортаж!
Дождёмся ли мы у нас чего ни будь подобного?
Вот, только жаль перевода на русский небыло! :)

Чего подобного? Шаттла?  :wink:  Уже делали...  :lol:  :(

Зачем нам Шаттл? - Нам репортаж давай! :)

Цитироватьа ребята то не знают
что до сих пор они летают....