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Author
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Topic: STS-135: Shuttle program baselines mission
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Robert Pearlman
Editor Posts: 42988
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 01-21-2011 06:55 AM
   
NASA update Space Shuttle Program baselines STS-135On Thursday, the Space Shuttle Program baselined the STS-135 mission for a target launch date of June 28. It is NASA's intent to fly the mission with orbiter Atlantis carrying the Raffaello multipurpose logistics module to deliver supplies, logistics and spare parts to the International Space Station. 
Space shuttle Atlantis inside Orbiter Processing Facility-1. Credit: NASAThe mission will also fly a system to investigate the potential for robotically refueling existing spacecraft and return a failed ammonia pump module to help NASA better understand the failure mechanism and improve pump designs for future systems. In late December, the agency's Space Operations Mission Directorate requested the shuttle and International Space Station programs take the necessary steps to maintain the capability to fly Atlantis on the STS-135 mission. The Authorization Act of 2010 directs NASA to conduct the mission, and baselining the flight enables the program to begin preparations for the mission with a target launch date of June 28. The mission would be the 135th and final space shuttle flight.
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Hart Sastrowardoyo
Member Posts: 3445
From: Toms River, NJ
Registered: Aug 2000
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posted 01-21-2011 08:47 AM
Does this mean STS-135 is funded or not? |
Robert Pearlman
Editor Posts: 42988
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 01-21-2011 09:13 AM
Congress has yet to appropriate the funds for this mission, but in order to protect the option to fly STS-135, NASA needed to begin its normal pre-flight preparations. |
ASCAN1984
Member Posts: 1049
From: County Down, Nothern Ireland
Registered: Feb 2002
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posted 01-21-2011 04:28 PM
Who do you think the crew could be? Will Tim Kopra be in with a good chance? |
Delta7
Member Posts: 1505
From: Bluffton IN USA
Registered: Oct 2007
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posted 01-21-2011 04:42 PM
The crew has already been announced. - CDR Chris Ferguson
- PLT Doug Hurley
- MS Sandra Magnus
- MS Rex Walheim
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Henry Heatherbank
Member Posts: 244
From: Adelaide, South Australia
Registered: Apr 2005
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posted 01-21-2011 05:03 PM
Kopra has no chance of being added, by way of "consolation prize", as a fifth crew member. As I understand it, crew is limited to four to maximise up-lift of payload to ISS, and also because of Soyuz rescue considerations. I assume, however, that Kopra is of the right ergonomic size that he could fit in a Soyuz, given his prior stint onboard ISS, its just the end-of-program considerations mean there can and will be no fifth crew member on this last shuttle mission should it be funded and fly. |
Delta7
Member Posts: 1505
From: Bluffton IN USA
Registered: Oct 2007
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posted 01-31-2011 07:45 PM
NASA has now posted pictures of the STS-135 crew training, in it's gallery. |
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