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  STS-124: Discovery carries Hope for a new era (Page 2)

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Author Topic:   STS-124: Discovery carries Hope for a new era
Robert Pearlman
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posted 06-02-2008 02:37 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Hatches between Discovery and the Harmony node on the International Space Station were opened at 2:36 p.m. CDT, one day, 22 hours and 34 minutes into the STS-124 mission.

Robert Pearlman
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posted 06-02-2008 02:51 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
With regards to the earlier discussion about damage to Pad 39A, Kennedy Space Center has released a few more photographs:

During the post-launch walk down of Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, the pad team noted severe launch damage on a 100’ X 20’ section of the east wall of the north flame trench (seen here). Broken sections of the flame trench wall were scattered from the flame trench to the pad perimeter fence.

NASA is forming an investigation board.

The flame trench transecting the pad's mound at ground level is 490 feet long, 58 feet wide and 40 feet high. It is made of concrete and refractory brick. The top of the solid rocket booster flame deflector abuts with that of the orbiter flame deflector to form a flattened, inverted V-shaped structure beneath the mobile launcher platform's three exhaust holes.

The orbiter flame deflector is fixed and is 38 feet high, 72 feet long and 57.6 feet wide. The deflector weighs 1.3 million pounds. The solid rocket booster deflector is 42.5 feet high, 42 feet long and 57 feet wide. The structure weighs 1.1 million pounds. The deflectors are built of steel and covered with a high-temperature concrete surface with an average thickness of 5 inches.

There are two movable solid rocket booster side flame deflectors, one located on each side of the flame trench. They are 19.5 feet high, 44 feet long and 17.5 feet wide.

The damaged area of the flame trench is believed to date back to the original pad build, thus it survived 12 Saturn V and 69 space shuttle launches before STS-124.

Jay Chladek
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posted 06-02-2008 06:17 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Jay Chladek   Click Here to Email Jay Chladek     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Wow, SRBs make pretty effective sand blasters (or should we say sonic blasters?) it seems. Looks like they got hit with a bit more acoustic energy then they should have.

BTW, I would like to give a special shout out to the STS-124 crew and NASA for transmitting the downloaded imagery captured by the crew with full audio. I am currently watching the video they shot of the docking activities on the flight deck. Yesterday's highlights included video shot from flight day one from launch to on-orbit activities. It was a bit cute seeing the discussions between the crew when in the background you also happen to hear the fan for the shuttle's WCS spooling up as somebody on the mid-deck was getting ready to use it.

It has been really cool to watch this coverage in realtime and highlighted without the dialog being muted. This more then anything makes you feel like you are onboard the orbiter as the eighth crewmember. Frankly, I hope NASA can do more coverage like this whenever possible (some crews tend to be more private then others and of course not everything can be shown as if it were an episode of "Big Brother") as it really helps people to comprehend what is going on during a mission.

I haven't seen anything this good since the PBS show "Astronauts" where they had mission coverage of STS-72 in orbit.

Mr Meek
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posted 06-02-2008 06:42 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Mr Meek     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Agreed, Jay. The handycam video is wonderful. Let's hope the footage continues to be more 'Big Brother' than 'Cloverfield'.

OV-105
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posted 06-02-2008 10:14 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for OV-105   Click Here to Email OV-105     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I love it too. When the crew went into the ISS it was like I was there. It was better than the IMAX movies. It was cool to hear the music playing on the flight deck just like someone going to work. I hope they keep it up makes for great mission day highlights, I bet the PAO likes it too for making the job easier with all the cool video.

cspg
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posted 06-02-2008 11:59 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for cspg   Click Here to Email cspg     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Ascent and flight day 1 video was really cool and I agree you really feel like being there (although a bit overcrowed for me!). It puts a nice "human touch" to the whole thing, as opposed to the usual obscure dialogs between mission control and the shuttle/station.

And watching the first two minutes of the launch with all the shaking going on, no wonder Ares I has some vibration/oscillation issues!

Chris.

Jay Chladek
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posted 06-03-2008 12:56 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Jay Chladek   Click Here to Email Jay Chladek     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Mark Kelly's first words when the hatch was opened:

"Anybody need a plumber?"

Heh heh, good one. The ISS initial briefing was very informative. And yes, Sergei wasn't kidding when he said the FGB was a mess with all the stuff they unloaded from the Progress.

BTW, wouldn't it be cool if some of those concrete slabs from 39A went up for sale? Talk about a piece of history, a slab of concrete that dates back to every Apollo Saturn V launch and Shuttle launch that ever went off of Pad 39A. There is a lot of history in that concrete.

Mr Meek
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posted 06-03-2008 07:25 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Mr Meek     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Jay Chladek:
Mark Kelly's first words when the hatch was opened:

"Anybody need a plumber?"


Was this from the Handycam? I couldn't find it.

Robert Pearlman
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posted 06-03-2008 07:40 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Flight Day 4

Discovery's astronauts woke this morning to a song played for JAXA mission specialist Aki Hoshide, chosen by his high school friends: "Hold Me With the Robot Arm" by Yosuke Hanama.

"We're looking forward to a great day, an exciting day for the Japanese Kibo module, and a great day of EVA and robotics," radioed Hoshide.

Mission specialists Mike Fossum and Ron Garan are scheduled to start STS-124’s first spacewalk at 10:32 a.m. CDT. During the 6.5 hour EVA, the pair will retrieve a shuttle inspection tool, service and inspect components of a solar alpha rotary joint and prepare the largest component of JAXA's Kibo laboratory for installation on the International Space Station.

The spacewalkers’ first task is to transfer the Orbiter Boom Sensor System (OBSS) from the station’s truss to space shuttle Discovery. The OBSS, which attaches to the shuttle’s robotic arm for detailed inspection of the shuttle’s heat shield, was left at the station for STS-124 during the previous shuttle mission to provide room for the giant Kibo module in Discovery’s payload bay.

Next, the spacewalkers will prepare Kibo’s Japanese Pressurized Module (JPM) for installation. After inspecting the common berthing mechanism on the Harmony Node’s left side and opening a window cover, Fossum and Garan will work together in the shuttle’s cargo bay to remove contamination covers from the JPM’s docking surfaces. Fossum will also disconnect heater cables and remove locking bolts from the shutters of the JPM’s forward window.

For their final tasks, Garan and Fossum will move to the station’s starboard solar alpha rotary joint (SARJ), which began experiencing increased vibration and power usage in the fall of 2007. Garan will install a replacement of one of the joint’s 12 trundle bearing assemblies. Meanwhile, Fossum will inspect a potentially damaged area on the joint and try out several techniques for cleaning debris from the surface of the joint’s race ring.

While Fossum and Garan work outside the orbital outpost, mission specialists Karen Nyberg and Aki Hoshide will use the station’s robotic arm to remove the JPM from the shuttle’s payload bay and install it on Harmony.

Today's EVA coincides with the anniversary of the first spacewalk by an American astronaut, Edward White aboard Gemini 4 on June 3, 1965.

Mr Meek
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posted 06-03-2008 08:33 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Mr Meek     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
By the way, Robert, good LON question yesterday. Quite a contrast from the "Would you say you were lucky?" question and similarly toned follow-up by the other reporter who shall remain nameless.

Robert Pearlman
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posted 06-03-2008 10:11 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Mr Meek:
By the way, Robert, good LON question yesterday.
Thanks, though the answer really didn't offer any further details as to the structural stability of Pad 39A (or NASA's confidence in using a damaged pad). For those who missed the press conference, Cain's reply was simply that it was too early to know but fortunately, were a launch on need (LON) flight needed to support STS-124, they would have time to find the answer (and at this time, it doesn't appear as the LON capability will be needed).

Robert Pearlman
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posted 06-03-2008 10:20 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Today's spacewalk start time has been slightly delayed due to an audio glitch with Mike Fossum's communications cap assembly. His snoopy cap now replaced, the EVA is now expected to start about 30 minutes late...

Robert Pearlman
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posted 06-03-2008 11:29 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Today's spacewalk, the first of three planned for the STS-124 mission, began with EV1 Mike Fossum (wearing an EMU with red stripes) and EV2 Ron Garan (with no stripes) switching their spacesuits to internal battery power at 11:22 a.m. CDT.

Their first major activity after a brief period working to configure Harmony to accept the Kibo module later today will be to work on transferring the orbiter's inspection boom (OBSS) from its stowed position on the ISS to Discovery with the assistance of the station's and shuttle's robotic arms. The transfer is expected to take about two hours.

Robert Pearlman
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posted 06-03-2008 11:58 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote

To help prevent the glove damage seen in recent missions from recurring, both spacewalkers will wear gloves with reinforced patches on the thumb and index finger for the first time. The patches are made of the same cut-resistant Vetran material already used in the palm of the gloves, but in a much tighter weave. TurtleSkin patches were sewn onto gloves below the tip of the thumb and index finger, and extra strip of the glove's rubbery outer layer was added over the TurtleSkin to provide grip.

Tests have shown that this TurtleSkin weave greatly increases the Vectran's strength. It is up to four times more resistant to being damaged than the normal weave.

Robert Pearlman
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posted 06-03-2008 01:17 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Fossum and Garan have successfully completed their tasks related to handing off the OBSS and will next work on configuring the Japanese Pressurized Module (JPM) for its unberthing from Discovery's payload bay and docking to the International Space Station. Their work will include removing a cable, protective covers and launch locks, as well as inspecting the module's common berthing mechanism for debris.

Jay Chladek
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posted 06-03-2008 01:25 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Jay Chladek   Click Here to Email Jay Chladek     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Mr Meek:
Was this from the Handycam? I couldn't find it.
Yes, it was one of the Handycam shots that was replayed during the flight day three highlights. Mike says it after Garrett pops his head through the hatch and says "Hi Guys!"

Robert Pearlman
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posted 06-03-2008 02:52 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
The spacewalkers have completed their work on the JPM. Karen Nyberg and Aki Hoshide will use the station's arm to move the Kibo module out of the payload bay to its permanent berth on the port side of the Harmony node.

Meanwhile, Fossum and Garan are making their way to the station's starboard solar alpha rotary joint to reinstall a trundle bearing and try cleaning its debris-ridden race ring. Though they began the spacewalk almost an hour late, the two have made up the time, now 3.5 hours into their 6.5 hour EVA.


Robert Pearlman
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posted 06-03-2008 06:05 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
JAXA's Kibo Japanese Pressurized Module was joined with the International Space Station at 6:01 p.m. CDT.

"Congratulations, especially to Tsukuba, we have a new 'Hope' on the International Space Station!" radioed JAXA mission specialist Aki Hoshide.

Robert Pearlman
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posted 06-03-2008 06:17 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Today's spacewalk came to an official end at 6:10 p.m. CDT for a duration of 6 hours and 48 minutes.

This was Mike Fossum's fourth career EVA and Ron Garan's first. This was the 110th spacewalk towards space station assembly and the 195th U.S. spacewalk in history.

divemaster
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posted 06-03-2008 11:04 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for divemaster   Click Here to Email divemaster     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Is it just me - or does it seem like the Quest airlock should have been made a wee bit larger? It seems that the astronauts always have comments that it's very tight coming back in after an EVA.

Robert Pearlman
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posted 06-03-2008 11:32 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
The larger the airlock, the more atmospheric gas needed to pressurize it and the more wasted gas each time it is purged. Thus the challenge was to create an airlock that was the smallest possible while still accommodating two U.S. spacesuited astronauts.

Jay Chladek
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posted 06-03-2008 11:44 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Jay Chladek   Click Here to Email Jay Chladek     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Besides, if it were bigger, somebody would find a way to fill it with MORE stuff and it would probably be just as crowded anyway. At least it is bigger then the STS airlock.

Robert Pearlman
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posted 06-04-2008 10:58 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Flight Day 5

Karen Nyberg and her crewmates awoke today to "Have You Ever" performed by Brandi Carlile.

The shuttle and station crews will open the newly installed Japanese laboratory Kibo today. Hatch opening is planned for 3:52 p.m. CDT.

After a leak check, mission specialists Akihiko Hoshide and Nyberg will prepare Kibo for activation before opening the hatches. Shortly after entering Kibo with Hoshide, Expedition 17 Commander Sergei Volkov will sample the air and test for contamination. They will wear protective goggles and masks until they are sure the Japanese lab's air is clean.

Mission Specialists Mike Fossum and Ron Garan will review procedures for their second spacewalk and sleep in the U.S. Quest airlock tonight to purge the nitrogen from their bodies. During Thursday’s spacewalk, the second of the mission, the spacewalkers will outfit the new lab and prepare the Japanese logistics module for relocation.

Robert Pearlman
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posted 06-04-2008 04:16 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Flying under a sign traditionally found at the entrance to Japanese homes, JAXA astronaut Aki Hoshide and NASA astronaut Karen Nyberg floated inside the open hatch to the Kibo pressurized module at 4:09 p.m. CDT. Once inside, Hoshide displayed a two-sided sign: on one side, the word "welcome" was printed in both English and Japanese; on the other appeared a Japanese promotion for the current JAXA recruitment of new astronauts.

The joint crews of STS-124 and ISS Expedition 17 were soon to follow, taking advantage of the large area to perform some zero-g acrobatics in celebration of the opening.

Just before opening the hatch, Hoshide took a moment to address the flight controllers in Houston and Japan:

This is a great moment for the Japanese folks. We have the JPM, the Kibo module, installed yesterday and now we have the hatch to be opened. I would just like to thank all the folks, all the Japanese folks that have been working very, very hard. I know it has been, like, 20 plus years to get this module up in space. It is a beautiful module and we have a new 'hope' on the space station. And looking on through the window here, we haven't been in yet, but the lights are on and we can look inside. It looks pretty empty cause we don't have a lot of racks inside. But one engineer said down on Earth, that it looks really empty but it is full of dreams. And I really think that that is what it is.
Kibo Mission Control in Tsukuba, Japan replied:
Aki, we appreciate your words and we also appreciate you, Karen, Mark and the whole crewmember on board for your hard work which led us to this historic moment. Welcome to JEM... enjoy your new module!

music_space
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posted 06-04-2008 05:04 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for music_space   Click Here to Email music_space     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
All clean and empty of racks, Kibo reminds me of Skylab's upper deck and the games they played up there.

Indeed, they did play and pirouette in Kibo for a bit at 5:20pm EDT before getting to work.

"It's all fun and games until someone loses an eye!", someone (Nyberg?) joked shortly after entering the ISS on June 3rd. That was after her loose hair flew in someone's face while she turned her hair.

I love a women's long hair, and in zero-g too!

------------------
François Guay
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Jay Chladek
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posted 06-04-2008 10:24 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Jay Chladek   Click Here to Email Jay Chladek     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
If they are following traditional Japanese customs, I hope they removed their shoes before entering Kibo. How do you bow in zero Gee anyway?

music_space
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posted 06-04-2008 10:45 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for music_space   Click Here to Email music_space     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Montreal-born ISS flight engineer brings 18 Montreal-made bagels.

I stop there for a bag of 6 every other week myself (alongside a serving of lox (smoked salmon, not oxygen...) A taste of home!

Montreal-local CTV news piece

Story in Montreal's The Gazette

------------------
François Guay
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bkeahl
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posted 06-04-2008 11:00 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for bkeahl   Click Here to Email bkeahl     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
quote:
Addendum: By coincidence, there were several members of ATK's management at the restaurant where we had dinner tonight. Among them was the ATK representative who was on console for the launch. He said definitively that the solid rocket boosters were intact.

Sorry about the confusion on this. I was listening to the recovery ships with my HF radio (I'm an amateur radio operator) and heard them radio in that the had the nose cones and three feet of the booster. A fellow operator called and asked me if I heard that - we both agreed it sounded like they were saying they had a part of the booster. I mentioned it to Ricky. I'm still not sure what they meant, but that's what prompted the question.

It made for an interesting few hours though .

Robert Pearlman
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posted 06-05-2008 06:41 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Flight Day 6

Flight controllers in Houston broadcasted "Fly Away" by Lenny Kravitz to wake up the crew of STS-124 and in particular one of today's two spacewalkers, Ron Garan.

Garan and Mike Fossum are stepping into the vacuum of space again today. Their second spacewalk this mission is slated to begin at 10:32 a.m. CDT.

The missions specialists will install two cameras on the Kibo laboratory and prepare it for the attachment of the logistics module that was delivered and temporarily docked atop Harmony during STS‐123.

In addition, Garan and Fossum will prepare for a nitrogen tank assembly swap that they will make on the mission’s third spacewalk.

For the final tasks of today's spacewalk, Garan will join Fossum on the left truss to remove an external television camera that has a failing power supply. They will bring the camera inside with them, where the power supply will be replaced, and then reinstall it during the third spacewalk.

Robert Pearlman
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posted 06-05-2008 07:57 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
quote:
Originally posted by music_space:
All clean and empty of racks, Kibo reminds me of Skylab's upper deck and the games they played up there.
François, it would appear that the flight controllers in Houston had the same thought. From today's (FD6) execute package uplinked to the crew:
Your downlink of yesterday’s Kibo opening is great! But it does lead to a question - were you in the JEM or the gym?

We have not seen that much space in space since Skylab!!!!

Robert Pearlman
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posted 06-05-2008 10:05 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Today's spacewalk, the second of three planned for the STS-124 mission, began approximately 30 minutes earlier than scheduled at 10:04 a.m. CDT. EV1 Mike Fossum, wearing an EMU with red stripes, and EV2 Ron Garan, with no stripes, switched their spacesuits to internal battery power while the space station flew over Barcelona, Spain.

music_space
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posted 06-05-2008 01:33 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for music_space   Click Here to Email music_space     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
quote:
...were you in the JEM or the gym?
A few of them even tried the 'round-the-wall jog alla "2001 space odyssey".

They were playing in there for at least 10 minutes, maybe 15. NASA TV showed it once from the camera in Harmony, and later from the one in Kibo itself. Too bad we had visuals but no sound!

Robert Pearlman
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posted 06-05-2008 05:23 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Today's spacewalk came to an end at 5:15 p.m. CDT for a duration of 7 hours and 11 minutes. During the EVA, Mike Fossum and Ron Garan:
  • ...installed two television cameras to the outside of the Kibo Japanese Pressurized Module. The cameras will assist Kibo robotic arm operators as they move payloads and other items from inside the Kibo module to an external "porch" that will be installed on the STS-127 mission.

  • ...removed thermal covers from the joints and the end effector of the Kibo robotic arm system. Aki Hoshide and Karen Nyberg will unfurl the 33-foot, six-jointed robotic arm for the first time Saturday at 11:17 a.m. CDT.

  • ...removed a large thermal cover from a common berthing mechanism, or attach point on Kibo. Friday, the space station robotic arm will move the Kibo logistics module from its temporary home on the Harmony module to it's new home atop of the Kibo JPM.

  • ...loosened the torque on bolts holding two nitrogen tank assemblies in place, preparing to swap the tanks during Sunday's third spacewalk. An expended Nitrogen Tank Assembly on the starboard S1 truss will be replaced by a new one, which has been temporarily housed on a port truss stowage platform. The Nitrogen Tank Assembly is used to pressurize the ammonia coolant lines on the station's truss.

  • ...removed a failed external television camera from the port truss and brought it inside the ISS. It's power supply will be replaced and it will be returned to its position during Sunday's spacewalk.

  • ...inspected the space station's port solar alpha rotary joint (SARJ). After removing a cover, Fossum described "features that run along the ring" as lines. "I do not see any sign of metal shavings like we had on the other side. This is a lot cleaner. This is not the kind of surface damage that we had on the other side." Fossum then took photographs of the area. Before closing the cover, he said "It's a smear. The inboard light gray line is grease."
This was Fossum's fifth career EVA and Garan's second. This was the 111th spacewalk towards space station assembly and the 196th U.S. spacewalk in history.

Jay Chladek
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posted 06-05-2008 06:51 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Jay Chladek   Click Here to Email Jay Chladek     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Too bad they are already loading JEM with racks as with 10 people in orbit, they could have had a somewhat decent game of zero G Volleyball in there (I don't know how you would score it though). That is one BIG module!

Robert Pearlman
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posted 06-05-2008 09:54 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
The ISS and shuttle crews gathered together this evening for a meal together. Among other items on their menu were green tea and salmon rice balls, courtesy JAXA.

The ten astronauts and cosmonauts were also joined by a certain space ranger...

Robert Pearlman
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posted 06-06-2008 07:32 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Flight Day 7

Fiftieth (50th) woman in space, Karen Nyberg started her and her crewmates day with music by the band Innocence Mission and their song "Bright as Yellow".

The assembly of JAXA's Kibo continues today as the shuttle and station crew members move the logistics module to its fixed position atop the newly installed lab.

Aki Hoshide and Garrett Reisman will prepare Kibo's Japanese Logistics Module (JLM) for removal from its interim location on the Harmony node by removing electrical jumper cables from the vestibule between the two modules and depressurizing the passageway.

Then, with Nyberg and Greg Chamitoff at the controls, the station's Canadarm2 will unberth the JLM from the top berthing port on the Harmony node and maneuver it for installation atop the Japanese Pressurized Module (JPM). Leak checks and pressurization of the JLM and vestibule will follow.

The crew also will activate the robotic arm located at the forward end of the JPM.

At about 11:30 a.m., ISS commander Sergei Volkov and STS-124 commander Mark Kelly will participate in media interviews with National Public Radio, Associated Press Television and KMSB-TV out of Tucson, Arizona.

Robert Pearlman
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posted 06-06-2008 03:07 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
The 9500-pound Kibo Japanese logistics module has been attached to the top of the 16-ton Kibo Japanese Pressurized Module, JPM.

Karen Nyberg and Greg Chamitoff unberthed it from Harmony at 2:16 p.m. CDT and moved it the 30 feet onto the JPM.

First contact occurred at 2:49 p.m., official installation occurred at 2:58 p.m. and the final bolts were driven in at 3:04 p.m.


Robert Pearlman
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posted 06-07-2008 09:27 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Flight Day 8

"Taking Off" by Godaigo was played for mission specialist Aki Hoshide, as today's wake-up music.

The STS-124 and Expedition 17 crew members will spend most of the day outfitting the Japanese Logistics Module (JLM) and preparing Kibo's robotic systems for initial deployment.

Hoshide and Karen Nyberg will test the Japanese robot arm, most notably its hold and release mechanism. This will set the stage for the arm's initial deployment.

Hoshide and Nyberg will also install additional equipment in the passageway between the JPM and the JLM.

The crew will take a break from their activities to participate in interviews with U.S. media organizations, including CNN, CBS and WDAY-TV out of Grand Forks, ND, at 1:02 p.m. and to speak with Japanese officials at 6:02 p.m. CDT.

Mission specialists Mike Fossum and Ron Garan will review procedures and prepare for their third and final EVA of the mission, to take place tomorrow. In addition to their other planned activities, the spacewalkers will revisit the port solar alpha array joint (SARJ) to collect samples of the minor debris Fossum observed during the second EVA.

Robert Pearlman
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Posts: 42988
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999

posted 06-07-2008 12:39 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote

Jay Chladek
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posted 06-07-2008 11:21 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Jay Chladek   Click Here to Email Jay Chladek     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I look at the science airlock in Kibo in the lower right picture and I am getting this weird flashback to 2001: A Space Odyssey inside Discovery's workpod bay with Dave Bowman and Frank Poole doing work in there. I guess it is because the viewport in the top makes the airlock sort of look like a workpod, and it has arms of sorts on the other side. Weird.


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