Posts: 1966 From: Atlanta, GA Registered: Feb 2007
posted 11-20-2009 01:33 PM
quote:Originally posted by issman1: I thought the Tom Joyner interview was flippant on the part of the radio presenter(s).
The presenter in the Joyner piece seems inept as well as uninformed.
On the causeway during the count for 129 there was a Shuttle astronaut interviewed on the PA system - I forget his name but he was very informative and appreciative of the close out crew. He mentioned each one by name and told of their special skills. Great inside stuff. NASA does a good job of this.
Mercury7 Member
Posts: 360 From: Greenville, SC, USA Registered: Aug 2006
posted 11-20-2009 10:05 PM
Here is a slideshow of some of the Langely Research Center VIP tour.
kr4mula Member
Posts: 642 From: Cinci, OH Registered: Mar 2006
posted 11-24-2009 11:20 AM
I'm going to be at the Cape over the Thanksgiving weekend when the shuttle is expected to land (Friday). Can anyone recommend a good place to view the landing?
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 42988 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted 11-24-2009 06:42 PM
Here is what NASA says about viewing the landing (or any shuttle landing):
No car passes or bus tickets are available for viewing space shuttle landings. Due to cloud cover in the area, shuttle landings are frequently more difficult to see than launches. In addition, there is no on-site viewing area large enough to accommodate the general public. However, any of the off-site viewing locations mentioned here can also be used to see a shuttle landing.
Mike Z Member
Posts: 451 From: Ellicott City, Maryland Registered: Dec 2005
posted 11-24-2009 10:17 PM
Did anyone hear Marcia Dunn ask Randy Bresnick about the "LAUNCH" of his baby during the joint press conference? I thought it deserved a laugh. I wonder if she realized what she said. World's youngest Astronaut!!
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 42988 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted 11-24-2009 10:19 PM
If you missed seeing the playback of the solid rocket booster cams from this mission, here are all 40 minutes...
Credit: NASA TV
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 42988 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted 11-25-2009 10:08 AM
Ascent video highlights from ground, air, SRB and external tank assets during the launch of STS-129...
dogcrew5369 Member
Posts: 750 From: Statesville, NC Registered: Mar 2009
posted 11-25-2009 11:26 PM
What a cool video. Hollywood, eat your heart out! Nicely done.
contra Member
Posts: 318 From: Kiel, Germany Registered: Mar 2005
posted 11-26-2009 07:05 AM
I found some time after my return to Germany after covering the launch of STS-129 for the Space Science Journal and would like to share some of my photos. Below you find only a small choice. For more photos please visit here.
I had a great time and it was the best launch I have seen so far. Can´t wait to go back.
drjeffbang Member
Posts: 110 From: Virginia Registered: Nov 2009
posted 11-26-2009 09:21 AM
quote:Originally posted by kr4mula: Can anyone recommend a good place to view the landing?
I think I would just go to Spaceview Park in Titusville and see who has gathered there to view the orbiter landing. I'm sure you'll be able to hear the sonic booms from that distance, right?
By the way, here in Virginia last evening, we had a gorgeous three minute view of the ISS being followed by Atlantis. Simply stunning.
garymilgrom Member
Posts: 1966 From: Atlanta, GA Registered: Feb 2007
posted 11-27-2009 10:41 AM
During the landing, flight controllers call "a little low" at two points - what does that mean?
What a beautiful machine - too bad it may only be used one more time.
Lunar_module_5 unregistered
posted 11-27-2009 07:20 PM
Did anyone watch the replays of the landing?
They showed a thermal imaging camera view; during the landing gear release there appeared to be something come away from the bottom of the orbiter. I was watching over the NET so quality isn't the best, but I have looked again and its definitely there... maybe it was a bird. Anyone see this event or have an idea what it was?
Lunar_module_5 unregistered
posted 11-27-2009 08:25 PM
quote:Originally posted by garymilgrom: During the landing, flight controllers call "a little low" at two points - what does that mean?
This usually means the orbiter is a little "low on energy" i.e. the calculated time between altitude/ speed/ distance/ weight/ attitude to the runway threshold is out of predicted parameters. Any one of which will throw the predicted approach to the runway out.
If the orbiter has too much energy on approach it will need to be slowed down aerodynamically (more speedbrakes/increasing the deflection of the aerosurfaces/changing the nose up/down attitude).
If the orbiter is low on energy the speed will need to be increased (opposite of above) while still taking into account distance to go, current altitude and the predicted touchdown /crosswind speed etc. Its not a matter of just pointing the nose down and increasing the speed!
The "low" comment could mean that the orbiter was lower in height than expected, but whatever the meaning, the solution involves very precise flying and calculation to get the orbiter to the runway without (1) overshooting or (2) falling short!
There are far more complicated ways to explain the energy of the orbiter on approach, and we could get into the fact that the shuttle computers take it all the way from EI down through the atmosphere, with pre programmed S turns to the HAC and an automatic guidence system that turns it precisely (notwithstanding the PLT and CDRs "stick" time!) onto the runway heading.
The automatic systems are capable of taking it all the way down at a predetermined speed and altitude before the CDR takes over and the gear is dropped, and in a perfect non-windy with no weather variations world all would be perfect!
However, variations in weather will make a huge difference in the approach profile. That's why they take air data and have a constant update on the winds aloft and at lower levels.
Is it any wonder that sometimes they turn out of 20,000 feet having dropped from 400,000 feet on the other side of the Earth and find themselves a few feet low!
Hope that helps! (It was a longer explanation that I thought it was going to be.)
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 42988 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted 11-27-2009 09:07 PM
quote:Originally posted by Lunar_module_5: Anyone see this event or have an idea what it was?
Here are four frames from the IR playback:
In the top two, you can see the object that falls away; in the bottom two, note that the right main gear is glowing before landing, while the left main gear is as usually seen.
Tom Member
Posts: 1597 From: New York Registered: Nov 2000
posted 11-27-2009 09:25 PM
In a previous post it was noted that Expedition 22 commander Jeff Williams presented Nicole Stott (who spent 91 days in space) with the "100 Days in Space" patch before departing ISS.
Just wondering, did Garrett Reisman receive the patch for spending 95 days aloft on Expedition 16/17?
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 42988 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted 11-27-2009 09:40 PM
Reisman was presented an amended "Almost 100 Days In Space" patch by Mark Kelly.
Tom Member
Posts: 1597 From: New York Registered: Nov 2000
posted 11-27-2009 10:45 PM
That's right...thanks for reminding me.
Lunar_module_5 unregistered
posted 11-27-2009 11:41 PM
quote:Originally posted by Robert Pearlman: In the top two, you can see the object that falls away; in the bottom two, note that the right main gear is glowing before landing, while the left main gear is as usually seen.
Thanks for posting the pictures Robert, thats what I saw!
It's conjecture of course but the only things I can think of the debris might be are;
Tile gap filler
A tile
Debris that was FOD left inside the wheel bay during processing
Wheelbay hardwear
Of course, someone at NASA must have spotted it too, so we might get an answer soon once Atlantis is inspected.
issman1 Member
Posts: 1042 From: UK Registered: Apr 2005
posted 11-28-2009 08:10 AM
I was intrigued by the comments of Commander Hobaugh at the post-landing press conference. Answering the final question, he said that he hopes to fly a long-duration mission (on ISS?) and eventually Orion. As far as I understand NASA astronauts have assigned to ISS flights upto 2012. So if Hobaugh or other STS-129 crewmembers wanted to fly on ISS, would they have to ask their managers today?
Delta7 Member
Posts: 1505 From: Bluffton IN USA Registered: Oct 2007
posted 11-28-2009 09:57 AM
My understanding is that Joe Acaba has the first 2012 launch seat, which leaves 3-4 for the remainder of the year, and 4-5 per year for the next several years. That adds up to 16-20 seats available through 2015. Being that the current astronaut office numbers roughly around 100, that's about 4-5 astronauts available for each seat (numerically speaking). Of course, this doesn't take into account those astronauts who plan on retiring soon, are too tall for the Soyuz spacecraft, or simply don't plan on vying for one of those seats. But I suspect there will be competition, and that not everyone who would like to fly one of these missions will actually wind up doing so.
gliderpilotuk Member
Posts: 3398 From: London, UK Registered: Feb 2002
posted 11-28-2009 12:45 PM
quote:Originally posted by Robert Pearlman: in the bottom two, note that the right main gear is glowing before landing, while the left main gear is as usually seen.
I presume these are head-on shots, so the "dark" gear is the nosegear, with the port gear marginally visible behind. Wouldn't you expect the nose-gear to retain marginally more heat from re-entry?
gliderpilotuk Member
Posts: 3398 From: London, UK Registered: Feb 2002
posted 11-28-2009 12:50 PM
quote: Originally posted by Lunar_module_5: There are far more complicated ways to explain the energy of the orbiter on approach, and we could get into the fact that the shuttle computers take it all the way from EI down through the atmosphere, with pre programmed S turns to the HAC and an automatic guidence system that turns it precisely (notwithstanding the PLT and CDRs "stick" time!) onto the runway heading.
Great explanation. With that knowledge of energy management you should be a glider pilot.
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 42988 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted 11-28-2009 01:01 PM
quote:Originally posted by gliderpilotuk: I presume these are head-on shots, so the "dark" gear is the nosegear, with the port gear marginally visible behind.
I thought that at first watching the video as well, but here is another frame from the moment of main gear touchdown. You can see the friction generated at the base of the all black left-hand gear while the right is already glowing. The video shows they touched down at the same time.
(You can also see the nose gear tire is black in this frame too.)
Lunar_module_5 unregistered
posted 11-28-2009 01:20 PM
quote:Originally posted by gliderpilotuk: Great explanation. With that knowledge of energy management you should be a glider pilot.
Thanks Paul - I fly the FSX glider sometimes - does that count?
Tom Member
Posts: 1597 From: New York Registered: Nov 2000
posted 11-29-2009 01:26 PM
Was the STS 129 video taken from the pilots' window during launch ever released?
NavySpaceFan Member
Posts: 655 From: Norfolk, VA Registered: May 2007
posted 11-29-2009 01:58 PM
quote:Originally posted by Tom: Was the STS 129 video taken from the pilots' window during launch ever released?
Try this: ignore the file name, this is what you are looking for.
Tom Member
Posts: 1597 From: New York Registered: Nov 2000
posted 11-29-2009 03:06 PM
Thanks, but I only get audio...with a green screen.
Blackarrow Member
Posts: 3120 From: Belfast, United Kingdom Registered: Feb 2002
posted 11-29-2009 03:07 PM
Hmmm...I tried to watch this, but all I could see were patches of crazy psychedelic colours (and to forestall any funny remarks: no, not a drop, and nothing else!)
NavySpaceFan Member
Posts: 655 From: Norfolk, VA Registered: May 2007
posted 11-29-2009 03:15 PM
Works okay for me, I'll keep looking.
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 42988 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted 11-29-2009 03:16 PM
I updated the link above, but you will still need the latest version of Windows Media.
posted 11-29-2009 03:51 PM
This video helped me answer my own question about the streaks seen in the exhaust plumes as the shuttle cleared the tower.
The pilot window cam clearly shows the RCS covers ripping off as the orbiter gained speed. When the view switched back to the external HD view, you can see these and some from the side thrusters fall back and burn up in the flames of the main engines.
I'm sure that has happened on almost all of the flights, but the new technology only now allows us to see it.
Tom Member
Posts: 1597 From: New York Registered: Nov 2000
posted 11-29-2009 04:45 PM
That video is amazing...love the way the shuttle accelerates into that first cloud!
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 42988 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted 12-02-2009 02:05 PM
The STS-129 crew's homecoming at Ellington Field, Houston:
DChudwin Member
Posts: 1096 From: Lincolnshire IL USA Registered: Aug 2000
posted 12-06-2009 06:09 PM
For a neat video about the behavior of liquids in microgravity, see the following from STS-129:
Lunar_module_5 unregistered
posted 12-15-2009 01:37 PM
Does anyone know if there is any news on what fell off Atlantis during the approach phase?
Mike Z Member
Posts: 451 From: Ellicott City, Maryland Registered: Dec 2005
posted 12-18-2009 08:39 AM
quote:Originally posted by Robert Pearlman: Ascent video highlights from ground, air, SRB and external tank assets during the launch of STS-129...
Does anyone have this video on DVD? I would be thrilled to get a copy on DVD! I have no way to burn one. I would be more than happy to pay for it including shipping!
Please contact me at: zolart1@aol.com
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 42988 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted 12-18-2009 08:46 AM
quote:Originally posted by Lunar_module_5: Does anyone know if there is any news on what fell off Atlantis during the approach phase?
I asked Charlie Hobaugh about this last night at his crew's post-flight briefing and he was not aware of it. I also haven't seen any further mention of it since landing day...
Lunar_module_5 unregistered
posted 12-20-2009 04:41 PM
Ok Robert - Thanks for asking!
posted 11-20-2009 01:33 PM
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