Atlantis (STS-135) = 8.07.11 19:29:04 ЛМВ - Kennedy

[Блудный]

С белым баком было только первых два полёта?

[Salo]

http://www.spaceflightnow.com/shuttle/sts135/onthepad/index3.html

[Salo]

http://www.spaceflightnow.com/shuttle/sts135/onthepad/index2.html

[Salo]

http://www.spaceflightnow.com/shuttle/sts135/onthepad/index.html

[Salo]

http://cybersecurity.ru/space/125429.html

НАСА попытается провести операцию по космической дозаправке[/size]
(10:16) 15.06.2011
   
В рамках предстоящего в июле последнего полета американского космического челнока Атлантис, астронавтам предстоит среди прочих экспериментов провести опыт, который в будущем может помощь продлить жизнь многим спутникам на орбите, а также будущим межпланетным станциям. В ходе 12-дневного полета STS-135 будет проведен опыт по роботизированной заправке.

Опыт RRM или Robotic Refueling Mission предназначен для того, чтобы как астронавты, так и специалисты на Земле могли провести на практике провести операцию дозаправки спутника в условиях микрогравитации. Для проведения опыта НАСА ранее разместило на внешней стороне МКС специального робота-манипулятора Dextre, которому предстоит заправить спутник, изначально не предназначенный для дозаправки.

"В ходе миссии Dextre использует свои возможности для захвата аппарата, открутит служебные клапаны спутника, получит доступ к хранилищу топлива и заправит аппарат специальной жидкостью, попутно проведя мелкий ремонт аппарата", - заявили в НАСА.

Управлять роботом будет астронавт, находящийся в космическом пространстве, в сам робот разместит ремонтируемый аппарат на собственную платформу EOTP (Enhanced Orbital Replacement Unit Temporary Platform).

Ранее в этом году канадская компания MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates (MDA) объявила о планах по созданию "спутниковой заправочной станции". Запустить станцию планируется в 2015 году.  По словам специалистов, до сих пор время работы спутников на околоземной орбите ограничивалось тем временем, на которое хватало его топливных баков, соответственно, чем больший объем топлива спутник мог нести, тем дольше он мог проработать на орбите. После завершения топлива спутник начинает терять высоту, постепенно превращаясь в космический мусор и представляя угрозу для других космических аппаратов.

[Salo]

http://www.spaceflightnow.com/shuttle/sts135/110615tanking/

Shuttle fueling test to check Atlantis' external tank[/size]

BY WILLIAM HARWOOD
STORY WRITTEN FOR CBS NEWS "SPACE PLACE" & USED WITH PERMISSION
Posted: June 15, 2011

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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FL--Thunderstorms pounded the Kennedy Space Center overnight Tuesday and at least three lightning strikes were recorded near launch pad 39A where the shuttle Atlantis is poised for liftoff July 8. There were no obvious signs of trouble with the shuttle's electrical systems, but a planned fueling test to check the performance of structural stiffeners in Atlantis' external tank, originally scheduled to begin at 7 a.m. EDT (GMT-4), has been held up to give engineers time to complete storm-related troubleshooting.

An engineering review board was scheduled to meet at 8 a.m. to assess the troubleshooting and work to recover a launch pad power circuit that went offline during the storm. NASA managers will review progress at a 10 a.m. status meeting before deciding whether to press ahead with the tanking test or delay it to Thursday.

The fueling test was ordered to make sure vertical rib-like "stringers" in Atlantis' external tank are able to endure exposure to ultra-low temperatures before launch and during the climb to space without developing cracks like those blamed for delaying the shuttle Discovery's final launching late last year.

The lightweight aluminum-lithium alloy used to make the stringer's in Discovery's tank came from the same batch used in Atlantis' tank. It took engineers months to figure out what the problem was with Discovery's tank and to come up with a fix that eventually cleared the way for launch last Feb. 24.

For Atlantis' tank, ET-138, NASA managers opted to implement the same repair, installing so-called radius block doublers to the tops of the stringers making up the structural ribs of the intertank compartment that separates the huge tank's liquid oxygen and hydrogen sections. The doublers provide additional strength, resisting the contraction that tends to pull the tops of the stringers away from the bottom of the liquid oxygen tank.

Before Discovery's ultimately successful launch, NASA carried out a full-scale tanking test, installing scores of strain gauges to measure the actual stresses acting on the stringers as the components responded to the low-temperature rocket propellants. After the test, Discovery was hauled back to the Vehicle Assembly Building for X-ray inspections around the circumference of the intertank to make sure no new cracks formed and to install radius doublers all the way around the upper end of the intertank.

For Atlantis, NASA managers opted to forego the instrumentation. The tank will be loaded with a half-million gallons of liquid oxygen and hydrogen rocket fuel and then maintained in "stable replenish" mode for another two-and-a-half hours while the propellants are continuously topped off.

At the same time, engineers will make sure a 7-inch gaseous hydrogen vent line attached to the side of the tank is leak free. Trouble with internal seals, coupled with alignment issues, caused problems during Discovery's initial launch campaign last November. The vent line worked normally during Discovery's February launch and the shuttle Endeavour's two countdowns on April 29 and May 16.

If all goes well, Atlantis' tank will be drained and engineers will load a cargo module into the shuttle's payload bay before a protective gantry is rolled back in place to protect the shuttle from the elements. Starting this weekend, the upper sections of the stringers on the side of the tank facing the shuttle will be X-rayed to make sure no cracks developed during the fueling test. The work is expected to take about a week to complete.

Atlantis' crew -- commander Christopher Ferguson, pilot Douglas Hurley, Sandra Magnus and flight engineer Rex Walheim -- plans to fly to the Kennedy Space Center Monday for NASA's final "terminal countdown demonstration test," or TCDT. After reviewing emergency procedures at the launch pad, the astronauts will strap in Thursday for a dress-rehearsal countdown to clear the way for launch.

Shuttle program managers plan to review Atlantis' launch processing June 21, followed one week later by an executive-level flight readiness review to assess any unresolved problems and set an official launch date.

As of this writing, there are at least two "unexplained anomalies" from Endeavour's flight that have yet to be resolved, although neither is expected to result in a launch delay.

During Endeavour's climb to space, a camera on the shuttle caught a glimpse of a cylindrical piece of debris falling away around the time the shuttle's twin solid-fuel boosters separated. The debris has not yet been identified. The second issue is what triggered a brief landing gear brake fire that appeared to flare up shortly after touchdown. An inspection found no damage to the brakes or landing gear and engineers do not yet understand what happened.

Atlantis' external tank was beefed up in the wake of problems with Discovery's tank that were discovered after a Nov. 5 launch delay due to a hydrogen vent line leak. After the countdown was scrubbed, small cracks were found in two of the stringers used in the wall of the external tank's central intertank section.

The cracks were repaired, but work to understand what caused their formation required exhaustive tests and analyses. The analysis had to address two major questions: issues: the structural integrity of the tank and the likelihood of small cracks to cause foam insulation to pop off during ascent.

Engineers ultimately concluded the cracks were caused by temperature-induced stress near the tops of the stringers as the upper liquid oxygen tank, exposed to minus 297-degree propellant, contracted during fuel loading. That contraction causes the tops of the stringers to pull inward. The tank is designed to accommodate that contraction, but a manufacturing review found that the aluminum-lithium alloy used in the stringers was from a lot that was more brittle than usual and more susceptible to fractures.

To provide additional strength, radius-block doublers were riveted into place over the top few inches of 105 of the 108 stringers used in the intertank section to make them less susceptible to stress-relief fractures. There were no problems during Discovery's eventual launch.

The shuttle Endeavour's tank had a different heritage and while radius block doublers were installed as a precaution, engineers decided a tanking test was not necessary.

[Salo]

http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewnews.html?id=1539

Last Ever Shuttle to Haul Raffaello Logistics Module to the International Space Station[/size]

    By Ken Kremer
    Posted Wednesday, June 15, 2011


Shuttle Atlantis at Launch Pad 39A at sunrise waiting to liftoff for her final flight and the final flight of the space shuttle program.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER - The Space Shuttle Era will soon come to a bittersweet close with the final scheduled flight by the Space Shuttle Atlantis, dubbed the STS-135 mission. Atlantis is slated to blast off on July 8 from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida at about 11:38 a.m.

The veteran crew comprises just a quartet of astronauts led by Shuttle Commander Christopher Ferguson. Joining him are Pilot Doug Hurley and Mission Specialists Sandy Magnus and Rex Walheim.

The primary goal of the STS-135 flight is to haul the "Raffaello" multipurpose logistics module (MPLM) up to the International Space Station. The 21 foot long cylindrical module is mounted inside the shuttle cargo bay during launch and landing.

Raffaello is a space 'moving van' and loaded with some 12 tons of critical supplies, spare parts and science equipment to stock up the station before the shuttles are retired forever, despite the fact that they have many years of service life remaining.

I was given a close up tour of Raffaello inside the Space Station Processing Facility (SSPF) at KSC by Howard Smith, a NASA mission project engineer for the International Space Station (ISS), as the module was undergoing late stage preflight processing.

"We are holding Raffaello open until the last possible moment so that we get every possible final piece of station hardware and supplies shipped here and stowed inside before we close up the module and put it into the payload canister. We have no plans to get into the MPLM once it is out at the pad," Smith stated.

During the 12 day mission, the astronauts will pluck Raffaello out of Atlantis's cargo bay with the robotic arm and temporarily berth the module at a docking port on ISS Node 2 on Flight Day 4. The crew will then spend several days aggressively transferring the logistics supplies to storage spots aboard the orbiting complex.

"Because the shuttle crew on STS-135 is limited to only 4 astronauts there is a shortage of hands available for all the work and a real time crunch to get everything off the MPLM and onto the station and then off from the station and back to the MPLM in the right amount of time," Smith added.

"After loading unneeded supplies, equipment and trash and a failed heat exchanger back aboard the module," Raffaello will then be hoisted back into Atlantis cargo bay for her final return trip to Earth, explained Smith.

The fresh supplies are being brought aloft now by Raffaello to beef up the ISS with sufficient provisions to insure that the station can continue to fully function with a six person crew while NASA waits for the commercial space providers - SpaceX and Orbital Sciences - to successfully come online.

These new and privately developed rockets and cargo vehicles must take over the cargo delivery services formerly performed by NASA's three shuttle orbiters or the ISS will enter a dire situation. The smaller Russian Soyuz Progress resupply spacecraft will be the primary means of cargo resupply after the Shuttles.

If the cargo delivery flights of the commercial providers are delayed, the station partners could be forced to cut back on the ISS crew staffing or even abandon the ISS in a worst case scenario. That's why the STS-135 mission is so critical and was desperately sought for approval by NASA management.

STS-135 was only added to the shuttle flight manifest in January 2011 as Washington politicians wrangled tumultuously over the NASA budget and strategic priorities throughout the past year.

Raffaello is one of three MPLM's, all built by the Italian Space Agency and handed over to the US in exchange for flying Italian astronauts and experiments to the orbiting lab complex.

"The MPLM's were originally built to fly up and fly back on the same mission," said Smith. They could endure only short term shuttle stays at the ISS.

NASA recently decided to retrofit the 'Leonardo' MPLM with additional micrometeoroid protective shielding to enable it to be permanently attached to the ISS as a new habitable module and provide much needed additional storage space for the crew.

Leonardo was modified and then rechristened as a Permanent Multipurpose Module (PMM) and attached to the station by the final flight of Shuttle Discovery on the STS-133 mission as the last pressurized room contributed by the US, Smith elaborated.

"Leonardo will stay at the ISS forever, or at least for the life of the station."

"All the MPLM's are equipped with 16 storage racks; 4 locations deep on the top, bottom, left and right sides. We then place all the stowage items of crew food, water, clothing, experiments, repair parts and assorted gear into bags for the racks. It can carry up solids, liquids and assorted piece parts."

"The racks are installed into the MPLM through the aft access port using the Rack Insertion Device. That's the port facing space, not attached to the ISS."

"Like Leonardo, Raffaello has also been modified to reduce weight and loft a heavier cache of supplies to the ISS, Thanks to further engineering work by the Italians, Raffaello can now carry up an additional several thousand pounds of cargo, positioned especially around the aft access port."

"This is the last opportunity to use an MPLM to ship equipment to the ISS so we are closing Raffaello out at the last possible moment. Altogether, Raffaello is carrying up about 25,000 pounds of payloads when fully loaded," Smith explained.

All these logistics and crew provisions carried aloft by the STS-135 mission will supply the station residents for about 1 year. The Russians are providing about 50% of the food.

"Raffaello is the last train out of here!" Smith said, referring to the imminent retirement of the Space Shuttle program and the importance of the STS-135 flight to the stations future.

All images credit Ken Kremer (http://www.kenkremer.com).


Raffaello multipurpose logistics module (MPLM) inside the Space Station Processing Facility (SSPF). On the very last flight of the Space Shuttle program, Raffaello will be delivered to the ISS by Space Shuttle Atlantis on the STS-135 mission. Robotic arm grapple fixture at top, left. The cylindrical module is approximately 21 feet long and 15 feet in diameter, weighing almost 4.5 tons. It can carry up roughly 25,000 pounds of cargo to orbit.


View of multiple pressurized modules inside the Space Station Processing Facility (SSPF). Raffaello at right.


Raffaello housed in the element rotation stand inside the Space Station Processing Facility at the Kennedy Space Center.


SSPF Payload technicians at work installing storage racks and equipment into Raffaello.


SSPF Technician shows the packaged spare GPS Antenna for loading aboard Raffaello and bound for the ISS.

[Salo]

http://www.spaceflightnow.com/shuttle/sts135/110615tanking/index2.html

Test checks Atlantis' tank, uncovers possible valve leak[/size]
BY WILLIAM HARWOOD
STORY WRITTEN FOR CBS NEWS "SPACE PLACE" & USED WITH PERMISSION
Posted: June 15, 2011

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FL--After confirming no problems with the shuttle Atlantis in the wake of overnight thunderstorms, engineers pumped a half-million gallons of supercold rocket fuel into the orbiter's external tank Wednesday to verify the integrity of structural stiffeners intended to prevent cracks during the countdown and climb to space July 8.

The initial stages of the three-hour fueling procedure went smoothly but as liquid hydrogen and oxygen circulated through Atlantis' main propulsion system and into the external tank, engineers noticed lower-than-expected temperatures downstream of main engine No. 3's main fuel valve. Such temperature drops can indicate a leak and during a 1995 launch campaign, liftoff of the shuttle Columbia was delayed a week to replace a leaking main fuel valve.

Engineers do not yet know whether the temperature readings seen Wednesday indicate an actual leak or some other problem. In any case, there appears to be enough contingency time left in Atlantis' processing schedule to accommodate a replacement without impacting the July 8 target date, officials said, if engineers conclude the 75-pound valve is actually leaking.

But engineers will not gain access to the shuttle's engine compartment until Thursday and it's too early to say what, if anything, might need to be done. For the fueling test, the valve was isolated after the low temperatures were noticed, the engine hardware warmed to normal levels and the fueling test continued.

Originally scheduled to begin at 7 a.m. EDT (GMT-4), the start of the test was delayed to 12:15 p.m. because of work to check out the shuttle's electrical systems after three nearby lightning strikes and troubleshooting to determine the impact of a lost launch pad power circuit. The tank was topped off shortly after 3 p.m. and two hours later, engineers began draining operations.

The test was ordered to make sure vertical rib-like "stringers" in Atlantis' external tank are able to endure exposure to ultra-low temperatures before launch and during the climb to space without developing cracks like those blamed for delaying the shuttle Discovery's final launching late last year.

The lightweight aluminum-lithium alloy used to make the stringer's in Discovery's tank came from the same batch used in Atlantis' tank. It took engineers months to figure out what the problem was with Discovery's tank and to come up with a fix that eventually cleared the way for launch last Feb. 24.

For Atlantis' tank, ET-138, NASA managers opted to implement the same repair, installing so-called radius block doublers to the tops of the stringers making up the structural ribs of the intertank compartment that separates the huge tank's liquid oxygen and hydrogen sections. The doublers provide additional strength, resisting the contraction that tends to pull the tops of the stringers away from the bottom of the liquid oxygen tank.

Before Discovery's ultimately successful launch, NASA carried out a full-scale tanking test, installing scores of strain gauges to measure the actual stresses acting on the stringers as the components responded to the low-temperature rocket propellants. After the test, Discovery was hauled back to the Vehicle Assembly Building for X-ray inspections around the circumference of the intertank to make sure no new cracks formed and to install radius doublers all the way around the upper end of the intertank.

For Atlantis, NASA managers opted to forego the instrumentation. The tank was loaded with a half-million gallons of liquid oxygen and hydrogen rocket fuel and then maintained in "stable replenish" mode for another two hours while the propellants are continuously topped off.

At the same time, engineers made sure a 7-inch gaseous hydrogen vent line attached to the side of the tank was leak free. Trouble with internal seals, coupled with alignment issues, caused problems during Discovery's initial launch campaign last November. The vent line worked normally during Discovery's February launch and the shuttle Endeavour's two countdowns on April 29 and May 16.

After Atlantis' tank is drained overnight, engineers will load a cargo module into the shuttle's payload bay late Thursday before a protective gantry is rolled back in place Friday to protect the shuttle from the elements. Starting this weekend, the upper sections of the stringers on the side of the tank facing the shuttle will be X-rayed to make sure no cracks developed during the fueling test. The work is expected to take about a week to complete.

Atlantis' crew -- commander Christopher Ferguson, pilot Douglas Hurley, Sandra Magnus and flight engineer Rex Walheim -- plans to fly to the Kennedy Space Center Monday for NASA's final "terminal countdown demonstration test," or TCDT. After reviewing emergency procedures at the launch pad, the astronauts will strap in Thursday for a dress-rehearsal countdown to clear the way for launch.

Shuttle program managers plan to review Atlantis' launch processing June 21, followed one week later by an executive-level flight readiness review to assess any unresolved problems and set an official launch date.

As of this writing, there are at least two "unexplained anomalies" from Endeavour's flight that have yet to be resolved, although neither is expected to result in a launch delay.

During Endeavour's climb to space, a camera on the shuttle caught a glimpse of a cylindrical piece of debris falling away around the time the shuttle's twin solid-fuel boosters separated. The debris has not yet been identified. The second issue is what triggered a brief landing gear brake fire that appeared to flare up shortly after touchdown. An inspection found no damage to the brakes or landing gear and engineers do not yet understand what happened.

Atlantis' external tank was beefed up in the wake of problems with Discovery's tank that were discovered after a Nov. 5 launch delay due to a hydrogen vent line leak. After the countdown was scrubbed, small cracks were found in two of the stringers used in the wall of the external tank's central intertank section.

The cracks were repaired, but work to understand what caused their formation required exhaustive tests and analyses. The analysis had to address two major questions: issues: the structural integrity of the tank and the likelihood of small cracks to cause foam insulation to pop off during ascent.

Engineers ultimately concluded the cracks were caused by temperature-induced stress near the tops of the stringers as the upper liquid oxygen tank, exposed to minus 297-degree propellant, contracted during fuel loading. That contraction causes the tops of the stringers to pull inward. The tank is designed to accommodate that contraction, but a manufacturing review found that the aluminum-lithium alloy used in the stringers was from a lot that was more brittle than usual and more susceptible to fractures.

To provide additional strength, radius-block doublers were riveted into place over the top few inches of 105 of the 108 stringers used in the intertank section to make them less susceptible to stress-relief fractures. There were no problems during Discovery's eventual launch.

The shuttle Endeavour's tank had a different heritage and while radius block doublers were installed as a precaution, engineers decided a tanking test was not necessary.

[Salo]

http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story_channel.jsp?channel=space&id=news/asd/2011/06/17/09.xml&headline=Shuttle%20Engine%20Valve%20To%20Be%20Replaced

Shuttle Engine Valve To Be Replaced[/size]

Jun 17, 2011
By Irene Klotz

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — This week's test to verify a modification to space shuttle Atlantis' fuel tank ended up revealing a leaky valve in one of the shuttle's main engines, a problem that would have remained latent until launch day, prompting a scrub.

The main fuel line valve on Main Engine No. 3 will be replaced, work that NASA believes can be accomplished concurrently with routine prelaunch preparations, preserving a targeted launch date of July 8 (Aerospace DAILY, June 16). "If it had to happen, it's great that it happened now instead of on July 8," NASA spokesman Allard Beutel says. "It would have bumped us out a full week."

NASA ordered the tanking test to check that modifications to the tops of rib-like structural tank supports known as "stringers" properly withstood the cryogenic conditions of fueling. The stringers are being X-rayed following the June 15 test. They were reinforced because they were manufactured from the same batch of aluminum-lithium alloy that had produced faulty stringers in another tank.

After a launch scrub of shuttle Discovery last year, engineers discovered cracks in several of its tank's stringers. The flight was delayed for months while NASA scoped out the problem. Ultimately, engineers devised a repair to double the tops of the stringers and Discovery was successfully launched on Feb. 24. The same repair was used on the tank slated for Atlantis on the upcoming STS-135 flight, a cargo run to the International Space Station and the final mission of the space shuttle program.

Launch pad technicians have not yet been able to access the shuttle's main engines to assess the suspect fuel line valve, Beutel said late June 16.

Over the weekend, technicians will remove the main engine heat shield and make other preparations to gain access. Valve replacement is expected to begin on June 20. Including leak tests and closeouts, the repair should be complete by June 26, Beutel says.

"If the assessment turns up anything else, they'll adjust their plans accordingly. But right now, all that work would still support a launch on July 8," he says.

[Salo]

http://www.spaceflightnow.com/shuttle/sts135/110622status/

Shuttle tank inspections going well, valve replaced[/size]
BY WILLIAM HARWOOD
STORY WRITTEN FOR CBS NEWS "SPACE PLACE" & USED WITH PERMISSION
Posted: June 22, 2011

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FL--Engineers carrying out X-ray inspections of 50 rib-like "stringers" in the shuttle Atlantis' external tank are running ahead of schedule and so far, officials said Wednesday, there are no signs of any temperature-induced cracks in the wake of a fueling test last week.

Working in parallel, another team replaced a leaking hydrogen valve in main engine No. 3 on Tuesday. Reassembly and closeout should be complete by this weekend, clearing the way for tests to make sure the valve is leak free and working properly for launch July 8.


Credit: Justin Ray/Spaceflight Now
 
Atlantis crew, meanwhile -- commander Christopher Ferguson, pilot Douglas Hurley, flight engineer Rex Walheim and cargo loadmaster Sandra Magnus -- is at the Kennedy Space Center this week to review launch pad emergency procedures and to participate in a dress-rehearsal countdown Thursday, a major milestone on the road to launch.

"We're very honored to be in this position," Ferguson told reporters at the base of the launch pad Wednesday. "There are many people who could be here ... so we consider ourselves fortunate. I think each of us feels a little, perhaps, extra burden to make sure we put on the best possible face forward for the last go around of this, and the crew's very prepared."

Said Magnus: "We feel very honored to be on this flight and we've been very focused to make sure that we preform it well in honor of all the people who have been involved, not just in this mission but all the missions."

"We're just the tip of the iceberg of a huge group of people who plan, get the hardware ready and prepare our procedures and then watch over the vehicle while we're on board," she said. "And we feel very, very strongly that we have to be as prepared as possible to perform the mission to the extent that they're expecting of us. I think when it's all done, we can celebrate together, not only the mission, but the whole program."

The terminal countdown demonstration test, or TCDT, is valuable to the astronauts because "you're working with the whole team down here and actually going through a launch count right up to T-zero," Hurley said. "You've got your suit, you've got your suit techs, you're doing all the motions you go through on launch day, all the way out to the pad."

The astronauts have participated in fire training, inspected the launch pad's emergency slidewire escape system, inspected a safety bunker and practiced driving an armored personnel carrier stationed near the pad for an emergency evacuation.

The training is "invaluable," Hurley said. "You can do all the simulators in the world, but until you get in that real vehicle, touch the vehicle, see what you can reach, see the different switches, everything's just a little different when you're in the real vehicle. So it's a great way to get you ready for launch day, when it counts."

The primary goal of the 135th and final shuttle mission is to deliver cargo and supplies to the International Space Station to support a six-person crew through 2012 as hedge against problems that might delay commercial unmanned cargo ships being built to replace lost shuttle capability. Atlantis also will deliver experimental robotic satellite refueling gear and bring back to Earth an ammonia coolant system pump that failed last year.

NASA managers plan to meet at the Kennedy Space Center next Tuesday to review Atlantis' ground processing and to set an official launch date. As of this writing, the shuttle appears on track for liftoff at 11:26:46 a.m. EDT (GMT-4) on July 8. NASA will be able to make two launch attempts in three days before standing down for the launch of an unmanned Delta 4 rocket July 14. The next shuttle launch window opens July 16 and extends through the end of the month.

An on-time launch assumes the fuel valve replacement and retest go smoothly and that no problems are found with the stringers making up the external tank's central compartment. The ribbed intertank section separates the tank's liquid hydrogen and oxygen tanks, with the upper dome of the hydrogen tank fitting into the bottom of the intertank and the lower dome of the oxygen tank fitting in the top.

During an attempt to launch the shuttle Discovery on its final flight last year, engineers discovered stress-relief cracks in several of the stringers making up the intertank.

After an exhaustive investigation, NASA determined that the lightweight aluminum-lithium alloy used to make the stringers in question came from a lot that was more susceptible to fractures than normal. When the tank was loaded with propellants, and the contraction of the oxygen tank pulled the tops of the intertank stringers inward, cracks developed.

NASA installed structural stiffeners called radius block doublers on the top few inches of the stringers to add additional strength, preventing cracks that might compromise the tank's structural integrity or cause foam insulation to pop off during ascent. Discovery's tank performed normally during the shuttle's eventual launch last February.

Because the stringers in Atlantis' tank had a similar pedigree, NASA managers ordered installation of radius block doublers and ordered a fueling test last week to subject the system to cryogenic conditions. Engineers began X-ray inspections of the stringers facing Atlantis on Monday and by Wednesday, the upper sections of the 50 stringers on the side of the tank facing Atlantis had been inspected.

"So far, they've seen nothing amiss," said a NASA spokesman.

[Salo]

http://cybersecurity.ru/space/126235.html

Космический челнок Атлантис готовится к завершающему полету[/size]
(00:19) 24.06.2011


Космический челнок Атлантис готовится к полету, который запланирован на июль и станет последней миссией в рамках программы полетов шаттлов. Его экипаж поделился своими размышлениями о последней миссии. Экипаж Атлантиса во главе с командиром Кристофером Фергюсоном встретился с журналистами в Космическом центре имени Кеннеди во Флориде.

 Капитан ВМС США в отставке Фергюсон говорит, что он и его коллеги чувствуют, что они просто обязаны выполнить свою работу на высшем уровне: «Мы не обсуждали это, но я думаю, каждый из нас ощущает дополнительную ответственность за то, чтобы в этом последнем полете все было сделано наилучшим образом, и мы готовы к этому. Мы планируем провести потрясающие работы в открытом космосе».

 Фергюсон, пилот Дуглас Херли и два специалиста – Сэнди Магнус и Рекс Уолхайм доставят на Международную космическую станцию (МКС) запасные части и пополнят ее запасы. Во время 12-дневного полета экипаж Atlantis проведет эксперимент по роботизированной дозаправке топливом спутника, вращающегося на околоземной орбите. Шаттл вернет на землю вышедший из строя аммиачный насос, с тем, чтобы НАСА могло понять причину его поломки и учесть ее при разработке насосов для будущих космических систем.

 Старт миссии намечен на 8 июля. По словам Фергюсона, его посадка будет тягостным моментом для всех участников программы полетов шаттлов: «Только когда все закончится, мы осознаем величие этого момента. Услышать сигнал об остановке последнего колеса будет нелегко».

 Эта миссия завершает 30-летнюю программу полетов космических челноков. За эти годы флотилия шаттлов – Коламбия, Атлантис, Челленджер, Дискавери и Эндевор – налетала 825 миллионов километров. Первый шаттл, Энтерпрайз, так и не полетел в космос.

 Два челнока – Челленджер и Коламбия – были потеряны, а их экипажи погибли, Челленджер взорвался в январе 1986 года, шаттл Коламбия разрушился за несколько минут до приземления в феврале 2003 года.

 НАСА планирует начать в 2013 году пилотируемые испытания космического корабля Orion, который придет на смену шаттлам.

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http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story_channel.jsp?channel=space&id=news/asd/2011/06/30/11.xml&headline=NASA%20Clears%20Last%20Shuttle%20Flight%20For%20July%208%20Launch

NASA Clears Last Shuttle Flight For July 8 Launch[/size]

Jun 30, 2011
 
By Irene Klotz

CAPE CANAVERAL — NASA managers have cleared space shuttle Atlantis for launch on the 135th and final flight in the 30-year-old shuttle program, a 12-day cargo resupply mission considered critical to International Space Station operations.

Liftoff is targeted for 11:26 a.m. EDT July 8. If weather or technical issues prohibit launch, NASA could make a second attempt on July 9 or July 10, before having to stand down for a United Launch Alliance Delta 4 rocket carrying an Air Force Block IIF Global Positioning System satellite on July 14.

"That'll give us two attempts in three days, and hopefully that will be plenty," says Shuttle Launch Director Mike Leinbach.

A problem that would have stopped the launch – a leaking main engine fuel valve – was caught during a June 15 tanking test conducted to verify a tank structural modification.

"We were flowing the cold hydrogen through and we discovered a leaky valve on the main engine that on launch day would have caused us to scrub," says Mike Moses, launch integration manager. "It was really fortuitous to have that one identified ahead of time and screened out."

The faulty valve was removed and replaced as the tank's rib-like structural supports, known as "stringers," were being X-rayed after the fueling. The stringers were reinforced after cracks were found in the tank used for the STS-133 mission. Both tanks' stringers were made from a batch of metal found to be slightly defective. The X-rays showed Atlantis' tank to be in good condition.

Analysis of the valve revealed a small particle – 8 X 14 microns – in the valve seal that "could be a contributor to what we saw on the pad," says Bill Gerstenmaier, NASA's associate administrator for space operations.

"It's not uncommon to find small contamination in this fuel valve," Moses says. "It's not conclusive proof, but it is a good idea that that is the likely cause of the leak. The bottom line is the new valve should be just fine."

The shuttle will be delivering a year's worth of food, clothing, science equipment and supplies to the station as a contingency plan in case NASA's newly hired commercial cargo delivery firms, Space Exploration Technologies and Orbital Sciences Corp., encounter delays with their vehicles.

"This flight is incredibly important to [the] space station. The cargo that is coming up on this flight is really mandatory," Gerstenmaier says.

What Atlantis can offload from the station is equally important. If the shuttle's consumables can be stretched, NASA intends to add a 13th day to the mission, which would enable the crew to fully pack the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module with unneeded equipment and trash. Among the items slated to be returned to Earth is the station's failed ammonia coolant pump, which NASA wants to examine. It will be mounted on the Lightweight Multi-Purpose Equipment Support Structure Carrier in the shuttle's cargo bay.[/size]

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STS-135 Overview Animation (youtube)

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http://space.flatoday.net/2011/07/atlantis-one-week-from-final-shuttle.html

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http://www.spaceflightnow.com/

Shuttle Atlantis astronauts arrive for Friday's launch[/size]

This was it. The last time a space shuttle crew will jet into the Kennedy Space Center to begin their countdown. And no one knows when the next time astronauts will come to the Florida spaceport to be launched from the planet.[/size]

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http://space.flatoday.net/2011/07/ksc-readies-for-final-shuttle-countdown.html

KSC readies for final shuttle countdown[/size]
 After a long Independence Day weekend off, Kennedy Space Center teams are back at work preparing to start the final countdown to a shuttle launch at 1 p.m. today.

 Atlantis and its crew of four astronauts, who arrived at Kennedy Monday, are scheduled to blast off at 11:26 a.m. Friday.

 NASA will host a status briefing today at 10 a.m featuring Jeremy Graeber, NASA test director, Joe Delai, mission payload manager and Kathy Winters, shuttle weather officer. Click the NASA TV image at right to watch it live.

 A preliminary launch weather forecast hadn't been released by 7 a.m.

 Launch teams plan to report to their consoles in Firing Room 4 of the Launch Control Center at 12:30 p.m.

 After the three-day countdown begins, processing work today includes final vehicle and facility closeouts for launch, checkout of backup flight systems, avionics configuration, review of flight software and verification of flight system software in Atlantis' general purpose computers.

 Atlantis will fly a minimum 12-day mission to the International Space Station to keep it stocked with food and supplies through next year.
 Posted by James Dean  at 7:12 AM

ttp://space.flatoday.net/2011/07/friday-launch-forecast-looks-iffy.html

Tuesday, July 05, 2011
Friday launch forecast looks iffy[/size]
 
 The first official weather forecast for the last shuttle launch isn't great.

 There's a 60 percent chance of conditions that could prevent a launch during a 10-minute window, according to the Air Force's 45th Weather Squadron.

 Atlantis is targeted to launch in the middle of the window, at 11:26 a.m.

 There's concern about showers and thunderstorms within 20 nautical miles of the shuttle landing strip and clouds in the flight path.

 The forecast improves Saturday and Sunday, with 40-percent and 30-percent chances, respectively, of conditions that could prohibit a launch.
 Atlantis must launch on its first attempt to preserve the option of adding a day to the 12-day International Space Station resupply mission.[/size]

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Photo Gallery: Tribute to Atlantis' final journey[/size]

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http://www.roscosmos.ru/main.php?id=2&nid=17496

Начался предстартовый отсчет перед запуском шаттла «Атлантис»[/size]
:: 06.07.2011

На космодроме Космического центра им. Кеннеди НАСА на мысе Канаверал (США, штат Флорида) начался предстартовый отсчет перед последним запуском по программе «Спейс Шаттл».
Старт американского корабля многоразового использования "Атлантис" запланирован 8 июля в 11:26 по местному времени (19:26 мск). Возвращение шаттла на Землю намечено 20 июля в 15:06 мск.
Основная задача миссии «Атлантиса» STS-135 – дооснащение МКС. В ходе восьмисуточного совместного полёта корабля и станции планируется осуществить один выход в открытый космос.
Экипаж шаттла в составе командира Кристофера Фергюсона, пилота Дугласа Хёрли, специалистов полёта Сандры Магнус и Рекса Уолхейма в понедельник прибыл на космодром, где сейчас готовится к предстоящему полету.
8 июля на космодроме в штате Флорида ожидается от 750 тысяч до миллиона гостей.
По приглашению НАСА за последним запуском по программе «Спейс Шаттл» будет наблюдать делегация Федерального космического агентства и представители руководства предприятий российской ракетно-космической отрасли.
По информации американского космического ведомства, вероятность переноса запуска «Атлантиса» по погодным условиям в настоящее время составляет 60 процентов. «Стартовое окно» будет открыто до 10 июля. Для старта шаттла предусмотрены также два резервных «окна»: 16-31 июля и 16-30 августа.

Пресс-служба Роскосмоса[/size]

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http://ria.ru/science/20110707/398590040.html

Прогноз погоды на день старта "Атлантиса" остается плохим - НАСА[/size]

19:13 07/07/2011

МОСКВА, 7 июл - РИА Новости. Прогноз погоды на пятницу, день старта последнего в истории шаттла "Атлантис", остается неблагоприятным - вероятность плохих погодных условий сохраняется на уровне 70%, сообщила руководитель группы погоды Кэти Винтерс (Kathy Winters) в четверг на пресс-конференции, которую транслировал в прямом эфире сайт НАСА.

Как сообщалось ранее, в ближайшие дни в районе космического центра ожидается высокая влажность и облачность, возможны дожди и грозы. На пресс-конференции в среду Винтерс уже оценивала вероятность неблагоприятной погоды в районе космического центра имени Кеннеди на пятницу в 70%.

"Как вы можете видеть, небо уже затянули облака... Пока у нас все так же вероятность неблагоприятной погоды в районе космического центра имени Кеннеди на пятницу составляет 70%", - сказала Винтерс.

По ее словам, вероятность того, что погода помешает заправке топлива, запланированной на 02.00 по времени восточного побережья (10.00 мск) пятницы, пока оценивается в 20%.

Прогноз на запуск в субботу, по словам Винтерс, не изменился и составляет 60%-ный риск неблагоприятной погоды, в воскресенье - до 40%.

Директор миссии по подготовке запуска Джефф Сполдинг (Jeff Spaulding) отметил, что пока все системы шаттла и пускового комплекса работают нормально.

"Мы идем по графику, как и надеялись... Пока все, кроме погоды, выглядит нормально", - сообщил Сполдинг.

Он добавил, что если старт все же будет перенесен и это произойдет еще до заправки шаттла, то команда, скорее всего, сможет повторить попытку в субботу. Ранее руководитель группы управления миссии Майк Моузес (Mike Moses) сообщил, что из-за логистических сложностей старт шаттла может быть перенесен сразу на 48 часов, то есть на воскресенье.

Кроме того, специалисты в НАСА сейчас ведут переговоры с группой запуска ракеты Delta 4, которая должна стартовать с мыса Канаверал 14 июля и вывести на орбиту спутник системы GPS - в НАСА надеются, что им удастся договориться и сдвинуть запуск Delta 4 так, чтобы освободить понедельник для еще одной попытки запуска шаттла.

Последний запуск "Атлантиса" назначен на 11.26 по времени восточного побережья (19.26 мск) 8 июля. Для командира корабля астронавта Криса Фергюсона (Chris Ferguson) полет на шаттле станет третьим в карьере. Даг Херли (Doug Hurley) во второй раз станет пилотом шаттла. Специалистами полета станут астронавты Сэнди Магнус (Sandy Magnus) и Рекс Уолхейм (Rex Walheim).

В рамках миссии, которая продлится 12 дней, астронавты, в частности, проведут эксперимент по тестированию инструментов и технологий, необходимых для автоматизированной дозаправки спутников на орбите и доставят на станцию логистический модуль "Рафаэлло". Команда шаттла также заберет с МКС сломанный насос системы охлаждения - инженеры на Земле намерены установить причину его поломки.[/size]

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http://ria.ru/science/20110707/398675535.html

"Атлантис" продолжают готовить к старту 8 июля[/size]

23:32 07/07/2011

МОСКВА, 7 июл - РИА Новости. Специалисты Космического центра имени Кеннеди с опозданием начали убирать поворотную конструкцию обслуживания со стартовой платформы шаттла "Атлантис", запуск которого 8 июля все еще остается под вопросом из-за неблагоприятного прогноза погоды, сообщило американское космическое агентство НАСА.

Поворотную конструкцию обслуживания (rotating service structure, RSS) собирались убрать в 12.00 по времени восточного побережья (20.00 мск), на два часа раньше, чем предполагалось изначально, однако в районе стартовой площадки началась гроза. Инженерам НАСА также пришлось проверять состояние шаттла и пускового оборудования, поскольку возникли подозрения, что в радиусе 500 метров от площадки ударила молния.

Решение убрать поворотную конструкцию обслуживания со стартовой платформы означает, что подготовка к запуску, назначенному на 19.26 мск пятницы, продолжается, несмотря на то, что, по последним данным, вероятность неблагоприятной погоды на мысе Канаверал составляет 70%.

Как сообщил ранее руководитель группы управления миссии Майк Моузес (Mike Moses), следующей ключевой точкой для возможного принятия решения о переносе старта из-за погоды будет заправка топлива, запланированная на 02.00 по времени восточного побережья (10.00 мск) пятницы. По словам руководителя группы погоды Кэти Винтерс (Kathy Winters), вероятность того, что погодные условия помешают заправке, пока оценивается в 20%.[/size]