Da notare il passaggio sulle presunte anomale concentrazioni di ossigeno nell’aft compartment…
Dec. 9, 2005Katherine Trinidad
Headquarters, Washington
(202) 358-3749Jessica Rye
Kennedy Space Center, Fla.
(321) 867-2468STATUS REPORT: S05-035
NASA’S SPACE SHUTTLE PROCESSING STATUS REPORT: S05-035
NASA’s space shuttle fleet is housed and processed at Kennedy Space
Center, Fla.Mission: STS-121 - 18th ISS Flight (ULF1.1) - Multi-Purpose Logistics
Module
Vehicle: Discovery (OV-103)
Location: Orbiter Processing Facility Bay 3
Launch Date: No earlier than May 2006
Launch Pad: 39B
Crew: Lindsey, Kelly, Sellers, Fossum, Nowak, Wilson and Reiter
Inclination/Orbit Altitude: 51.6 degrees/122 nautical milesProcessing continues for the second space shuttle mission in the
Return to Flight sequence. Wire inspections and chafe protection
installation continue on the reaction jet driver. The nose landing
gear was cycled Thursday to support tile work on the shuttle’s heat
shield.The Orbiter Boom Sensor System is in the transfer aisle of the
processing facility awaiting installation. The boom installation was
moved to next week to allow for final work on the pedestals and
latches.Technicians are removing and replacing approximately 100 gap fillers
daily in a main priority area. This work is being performed due to
two gap fillers that were protruding from the underside of Discovery
during the last mission, STS-114. New installation procedures are
being developed to ensure gap fillers stay in place and do not pose
any hazard during the shuttle’s re-entry to the atmosphere.Engineers are evaluating data from two catch bottles that indicated
higher levels of oxygen than expected in the shuttle’s aft
compartment during the last mission. Six bottles automatically
capture samples for two seconds in pairs at precise times after
launch and through the first two minutes of flight.The higher readings have been categorized as a formal in-flight
anomaly, but they could be an analysis mistake. During Discovery’s
launch, all three main engines performed normally, which indicated
there wasn’t a significant oxygen leak in the aft compartment. Engine
performance and the catch bottles are the only way to detect
in-flight leaks.Mission: STS-115 - 19th ISS Flight (12A) - P3/P4 Solar Arrays
Vehicle: Atlantis (OV-104)
Location: Orbiter Processing Facility Bay 1
Launch Date: TBD
Launch Pad: 39B
Crew: Jett, Ferguson, Tanner, Burbank, MacLean and Stefanyshyn-Piper
Inclination/Orbit Altitude: 51.6 degrees/122 nautical milesTechnicians continue processing this mission to the International
Space Station. Preparations are under way to drain Freon coolant loop
No. 1 in support of a cold plate removal and replacement. The forward
reaction control system was installed on Tuesday. This control system
sits behind the nose cap and provides the thrust for rotational
maneuvers and small velocity changes along the orbiter axis.Endeavour (OV-105)
In Orbiter Processing Facility Bay 2, technicians continue processing
after a nearly two-year major modification period. Body flap
preparations are nearing completion, and installation is scheduled
for late next week. Installation of water spray boilers No. 1 and 2
continues; work is focused on the safety wiring.Wiring for the new external fuel tank digital camera continued. The
vehicle will remain powered down for work on a new modification
called the “station to shuttle power transfer system.” The new system
will allow the vehicle to stay docked to the International Space
Station longer than during previous missions.For previous space shuttle processing status reports on the Web,
visit:For information about NASA and agency programs on the Web, visit:
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