Topic: STS-134: Readying Endeavour for its final flight
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 42988 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted 02-28-2011 03:10 PM
Endeavour starts down path to its final flight
On Feb. 28, 2011, at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, space shuttle Endeavour was rolled over from Orbiter Processing Facility-2 (OPF-2) to the Vehicle Assembly Building to be mated with its final set of solid rocket boosters and external tank.
Endeavour and its STS-134 crew will deliver the Express Logistics Carrier-3, Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer, spare parts, a high-pressure gas tank, additional spare parts for Dextre and micrometeoroid debris shields to the International Space Station.
Launch is targeted for April 19 at 7:48 p.m. EDT.
Credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller
Credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller
Credit: NASA/Frankie Martin
Credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 42988 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted 03-02-2011 05:17 PM
Endeavour mated with its final boosters and tank
On March 1, Endeavour was lifted to the top of the 52-story Vehicle Assembly Building and mated with its final set of solid rocket boosters and external tank.
Credit: NASA/Frankie Martin
Credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann
Credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann
Credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 42988 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
Space shuttle Endeavour, NASA's fifth and final shuttle orbiter to enter service, arrived for the last time at its launch pad March 10, the morning after its older sibling, space shuttle Discovery, made its final return from space.
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 42988 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted 03-29-2011 05:44 PM
STS-134 payload loaded into Endeavour's cargo bay
The payload for Endeavour's 25th and final mission arrived at Pad 39A on March 21 and was installed into the orbiter's cargo bay four days later.
Technicians moved the payload, which includes the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS) and Express Logistics Carrier-3 (ELC-3), from the canister used to transport it to the pad into the payload ground handling mechanism. The rotating service structure was then rotated back around Endeavour to load the payload components into the bay.
Installation of the AMS was briefly delayed due to an alignment issue with its remotely operated electrical umbilical, which provides heating and avionics power to the experiment.
Credit: NASA/Cory Huston
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 42988 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted 03-29-2011 05:53 PM
STS-134 crew arrives for practice launch countdown
Endeavour's six astronauts arrived at NASA Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landing Facility in four T-38 jets between 5:07 p.m. and 5:24 p.m. EDT March 29. The crew is in Florida for their week-long launch dress rehearsal, called the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test, or TCDT.
The mock-countdown will offer the astronauts and ground crews an opportunity to participate in various simulated countdown activities, including equipment familiarization and emergency training.
Later on Tuesday, STS-134 commander Mark Kelly and pilot Greg H. Johnson will practice shuttle landings in shuttle training aircraft.
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 42988 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted 04-01-2011 10:17 AM
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 42988 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted 04-01-2011 05:32 PM
Endeavour's external tank sustains minor damage from severe storms
The severe weather that hit NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Fla., this week caused delays to shuttle Endeavour's launch dress rehearsal and left minor damage to the vehicle's external fuel tank.
Credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett
Strong wind, rain and lightning kept teams off of Pad 39A, prevented them from conducting a thorough survey of Endeavour and the pad following Wednesday's strong storm that passed through the region.
No one was injured and initial assessments indicate there was only some minor foam insulation damage to Endeavour's external tank. No other obvious damage has been seen, but the team's survey, which picked up again on Friday, will verify there is no additional damage.
The U.S. Air Force 45th Weather Squadron reported that during the storm the pad briefly saw sustained 57 mph wind (50 knots), with a peak gust of 90 mph (79 knots). Small hail was spotted near the pad, and there was a lightning strike recorded about a half mile from the pad's center.
Again, there was no indication of damage from the strike, but that will be assessed by the teams during their on-going pad walkdown.
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 42988 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted 04-04-2011 09:14 AM
NASA retargets Endeavour's launch for April 29
Following discussions among the International Space Station (ISS) partners on Sunday, NASA has retargeted the launch of space shuttle Endeavour's STS-134 mission from April 19 to to 3:47 p.m. EDT on Friday, April 29.
The delay removes a scheduling conflict with a Russian Progress supply vehicle scheduled to launch April 27 and arrive at the station April 29.
NASA managers will hold a Flight Readiness Review on Tuesday, April 19, to assess the team's readiness to support launch. An official launch date will be selected at the conclusion of the meeting.
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 42988 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted 04-13-2011 09:28 PM
Additional day added to STS-134 mission
Shuttle managers have officially added an additional day to space shuttle Endeavour's STS-134 mission making it a 15-day flight. With launch targeted on April 29, landing at Kennedy's Space Shuttle Landing Facility would be on Saturday, May 14 at 9:51 a.m. EDT.
The extra day will be put in after Flight Day 9 as a new Flight Day 10 to accommodate work on the U.S. carbon dioxide removal system and other International Space Station tasks.
The Flight Readiness Review for Endeavour's flight to the space station will be held on Tuesday, April 19. NASA managers will announce the official launch date during a briefing at the conclusion of the meeting.
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 42988 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted 04-19-2011 02:36 PM
NASA sets launch date for space shuttle Endeavour mission
Space shuttle commander Mark Kelly and his five crewmates are scheduled to begin a 14-day mission to the International Space Station with a launch at 3:47 p.m. EDT on Friday, April 29, from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The STS-134 mission is shuttle Endeavour's final scheduled flight.
The launch date was announced Tuesday at the conclusion of a flight readiness review at Kennedy. During the meeting, senior NASA and contractor managers assessed the risks associated with the mission and determined the shuttle and station's equipment, support systems and personnel are ready.