Space Shuttle Atlantis mission

[dizzyfish]

That is not good news. Do they have room on the shuttle to bring everyone back if they have to?

[Shelby6977]

I believe so, but there is talk that if needed the Souz can go up. I know that Atlantis has had to fire up her engines to keep the ISS in orbit but Atlantis cant stay up there past Wednesday. Fingers are crossed at KSC!!! In the meantime you can read this link.....
[web]http://www.abcnews.com[/web]

[x-y-no]

:uarrow: That is not good news. Do they have room on the shuttle to bring everyone back if they have to?

No, but there's a Russian escape module docked at the station.

[Canelaw99]

It really bugs me to read that the Russians are "pointing their fingers" at the Americans. As I understand it, all of the countries that have a stake in the ISS have a part in the testing, planning, etc. of the different components. If there were concerns over what the arrays were going to do to computers, it's the Russian Space Agency's responsibility to voice the concerns...but, that's just my opinion.

I hope all goes well with this...this is definitely not good news for NASA, the astronauts, or the cosmonauts....

[JonathanBelles]

The Latest From NASA:

Early this morning, Mission Specialist Suni Williams set the record for the longest-duration single spaceflight by a woman. The workday schedule for Williams and her crewmates is filled with cargo transfers, spacewalk preparations and the Joint Crew News Conference.

Williams passed the previous record of 188 days, 4 hours at 1:47 a.m. EDT as the STS-117 and Expedition 15 crew members slept aboard space shuttle Atlantis and the International Space Station. Williams began her spaceflight in December when she traveled to the station with STS-116. She served six months as a space station crew member. The previous record was set by Shannon Lucid on a mission to the Russian Mir space station and had stood since 1996.

The crews will get ready for STS-117’s fourth spacewalk by preparing tools and spacesuits that will be used by Mission Specialists Patrick Forrester and Steven Swanson. They will also review procedures for the spacewalk, which was added to the schedule after the STS-117 crew arrived at the station. The excursion is set to begin at 12:53 p.m. Sunday.

The crews will transfer cargo between Atlantis and the station before holding the news conference at 7:43 tonight. The conference will be aired live on NASA TV.

Russian Flight Controllers Send Commands to Computers

Efforts to bring the Russian navigation computers back to full operation will continue today. Friday, Russian flight controllers and the station crew were able to power-up two lanes of the Russian Central Computer and two lanes of the Terminal Computer by using a jumper cable to bypass a faulty secondary power switch.

Flight controllers began sending commands overnight to restart some systems. The Central Computer is now communicating with the U.S. command and control computer, and the Terminal Computer is communicating with U.S. navigation computers. The plan calls for more system restarts today.

The Russian navigation computers provide backup attitude control and orbital altitude adjustments. For now, the station’s control moment gyroscopes are handling attitude control, with the shuttle’s propulsion system providing backup.

[JonathanBelles]

the latest......

Russian and U.S. flight controllers this morning tested the ability of Russian navigation computers to handle attitude control of the International Space Station. If the flight controllers and mission managers like what they saw, space shuttle Atlantis and the STS-117 crew will undock from the International Space Station and begin the journey home on Tuesday.

The STS-117 Mission Management Team is scheduled to meet at 2 p.m. EDT to discuss the results of the test and an announcement of the decision about undocking is expected shortly after the meeting concludes.

The STS-117 crew is scheduled to bid farewell today to the Expedition 15 crew before the hatches close at 6:23 p.m. between Atlantis and the station. Atlantis is slated to undock at 10:42 a.m. Tuesday.

STS-117 arrived at the station June 10, delivering the Starboard 3 and 4 truss segment to the station. The crew installed the truss June 11 and conducted four spacewalks to activate the S3/S4 and assist in the retraction of a solar array on the Port 6 truss. During the third spacewalk, the crew repaired an out of position thermal blanket on the left orbital maneuvering system pod.

Atlantis also delivered a new station crew member, Flight Engineer Clayton Anderson. He replaced astronaut Suni Williams, who is the new record holder for a long-duration single spaceflight for a woman. She arrived at the station in December with STS-116.

[JonathanBelles]

The latest.....

STS-117’s constructive stay at the International Space Station came to a close today when space shuttle Atlantis undocked. The two spacecraft parted ways at 10:42 a.m. EDT as they flew over the Coral Sea northeast of Australia.

After Pilot Lee Archambault backs the orbiter 450 feet from the station, he will perform a full fly-around to allow crew members to collect video and imagery of the station and its newly expanded solar wings. He will perform the final separation engine burn at 12:25 p.m.

Later in the day, Archambault and Mission Specialists Patrick Forrester and Steven Swanson will use the shuttle robot arm and the 50-foot long Orbiter Boom Sensor System to conduct a late inspection of the thermal protection system.

The crew will spend Wednesday preparing for landing. Atlantis’ first landing opportunity is at 1:54 p.m. Thursday at Kennedy Space Center, Fla.

During its stay at the station, which began June 10, the STS-117 crew continued the on-orbit construction of the station with the installation of the Starboard 3 and 4 (S3/S4) truss segment.

The crew installed the truss June 11 and conducted four spacewalks to activate the S3/S4 and assist in the retraction of solar array on the Port 6 truss. During the third spacewalk, the crew repaired an out of position thermal blanket on the left orbital maneuvering system pod.

Atlantis also delivered a new station crew member, Flight Engineer Clayton Anderson. He replaced astronaut Suni Williams, who is the new record holder for a long-duration single spaceflight for a woman. She arrived at the station in December with STS-116.


Gotta love the hair in this pic... http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shutt ... index.html

[JonathanBelles]

The ground tracks are out: (I really hope they dont choose the first one)

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shutt ... nding.html

[O Town]

Yeah if they pick the second one I will get to hear the boom. Yay.

[JonathanBelles]

They have passed the first landing opportunity!!

Poor weather is the cause. That weather needs to get out of there for the 3:30 landing.

[Shelby6977]

We will know by 1:30 today whether they will land or not. I will try and get back on when we find out if she can come home today or not!!

[dizzyfish]

Yeah if they pick the second one I will get to hear the boom. Yay.

I might even get to hear that one! I wonder how far away from the track you can hear the boom????

[JonathanBelles]

Yeah if they pick the second one I will get to hear the boom. Yay.

I might even get to hear that one! I wonder how far away from the track you can hear the boom????

I'm hoping I can hear it here. Its mostly cloudy here so, I probably wont be able to see it

[JonathanBelles]

Waiting now for the go/no go for fluid loading.

[JonathanBelles]

1:45 p.m. - Flight controllers have waved off landing Space Shuttle Atlantis for a second time today. Poor weather over Kennedy Space Center has delayed landing the orbiter until Friday afternoon. Tomorrow's landing opportunities will be at 2:16 p.m. and 3:51 p.m. EDT at Kennedy with two additional landing opportunities at Edwards Air Force Base in California.

[MiamiensisWx]

Personally, I have never witnessed a night launch (or daytime liftoff) from a location north of Palm Beach County. I have always desired to get a very close view for those beautiful night events! It is a shame that I went to Cape Canaveral as a launch was canceled. One of my top wishes requests that I get a close view (from central Florida) of at least one night and day launch. Since the shuttle is returning to Earth, I hope that my view of the landing will not be obscured (if the shuttle makes a Florida return). I want to hear the effects of the sonic boom, although I may be located too far south.

[dizzyfish]

Landing possibilities for today per NASA.

Five landing opportunities are available today for space shuttle Atlantis and the STS-117 crew. Flight controllers and forecasters continue to monitor the weather at Kennedy Space Center, Fla., and Edwards Air Force Base, Calif.

Atlantis’ first landing opportunity is at 2:18 p.m. EDT on orbit 218. If controllers elect to take it, Commander Rick Sturckow will perform the deorbit burn at 1:12 p.m. to begin the descent to Kennedy. Orbit 219 provides opportunities at both landing sites – a 3:49 p.m. landing at Edwards and a 3:55 p.m. landing at Kennedy.

The second opportunity for the California base is on Orbit 220. The deorbit burn would occur at 4:18 p.m. with the landing at 5:23 p.m. The final opportunity is on Orbit 221 and it calls for the deorbit burn to occur at 5:56 p.m. with the landing at 6:59 p.m.

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shutt ... index.html" target="_blank

[JonathanBelles]

Plan C has now been scrubed.

[JonathanBelles]

Flight controllers decided to try landing at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., after weather failed to improve at Kennedy Space Center, Fla.

STS-117 Commander Rick Sturckow and Pilot Lee Archambault are scheduled to perform the deorbit engine burn at 2:43 p.m. to begin the descent for a 3:49 p.m. landing at Edwards.

Rain showers were the reason for the wave off of the first landing attempt at Kennedy. Flight controllers and forecasters with the Spaceflight Meteorology Group continue to monitor the weather at both landing facilities. Two more opportunities – 5:23 p.m. and 6:59 p.m. -- are available to today at Edwards.

[JonathanBelles]

De-Orbit occuring momentarily.