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kl90

Preps On Track For June 13 Launch
BLOGGER UPDATE, 4:29 P.M.: NASA engineers and contractor technicians have completed clean-up of minor corrosion in nozzle coolant tubing on two of Endeavour's three liquid-fueled main engines. The tubing subsequently passed leak tests and NASA now is pressing ahead with normal prelaunch engine processing and testing.

NASA engineers spotted minor corrosion in engine nozzle cooling tubes on shuttle Endeavour this week, but a clean-up effort is under way at Kennedy Space Center and the problem is not expected to delay a planned June 13 launch.

"We have a high degree of confidence that this is not going to impact the schedule," said Steve Roy, a spokesman for NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala.

Endeavour and seven astronauts remain scheduled to blast off a week from Saturday on a complex mission to deliver and install the third and final segment of the Japanese Kibo science research facility at the International Space Station.

You can check out all the details on the mission in this Official NASA Press Kit, just released by the agency. http://www.floridatoday.com/cont ... /STS127PressKit.pdf

NASA engineers and contractor technicians are gearing up for a three-day countdown that will pick up at 9 a.m. Wednesday, leading to a 7:17 a.m. liftoff a week from Saturday.

Minor corrosion was spotted by inspectors in cooling tubes that ring the nozzles of two of the shuttle's three main engines earlier this week, Roy said.

Supercold liquid hydrogen -- which is Minus 423 degrees Fahrenheit -- flows through 1,080 of the brazed, stainless-steel tubes to keep the nozzles from overheating during the shuttle's nine-minute climb into orbit.

A clean-up effort is under way and leak tests will be performed to make certain the corrosion has not compromised the structural integrity of the tubes.

"We want to make sure the integrity of those tubes is good," Roy said.

A liquid hydrogen leak from tiny breaches in an engine bell cooling tube left shuttle Columbia seven miles short of its intended orbit during a 1999 mission to deploy the Chandra X-Ray Observatory.

NASA contractor technicians also are taking steps to make certain the type of black box short-circuit experienced during the May 11 launch of Atlantis would not jeopardize the Endeavour astronauts.

One of three electronics boxes that route commands to the shuttle's flight control system failed during launch of NASA's fifth and final Hubble Space Telescope mission. Engineers think the short-circuit was caused by faulty wiring.

Consequently, technicians are separating wiring leading to the three Endeavour boxes. Two are being clamped together in a single wiring bundle. The third is being separated and clamped into another bundle.

"Basically, it's a safety precaution to keep from one from shorting out all of them if there were to be a short," KSC spokeswoman Candrea Thomas said.

Technicians over the weekend will rig up the small pyrotechnic that will be used to separate Endeavour from its mobile launcher platform, twin solid rocket boosters and external tank in flight.

That work must be completed to stay on track for a June 13 launch, so NASA will be keeping close tabs on the weather to make certain the job can be done safely.

kl90

White House NASA Review Panel Seeks Public Input
This just in from NASA:

NASA LAUNCHES HUMAN SPACE FLIGHT REVIEW WEB SITE FOR PUBLIC USE

WASHINGTON -- NASA is inviting the public to make its voice heard as a panel of experts undertakes an independent review of planned U.S. human space flight activities.

NASA has created a Web site for the Review of U.S. Human Space Flight Plans Committee to facilitate a two-way conversation with the public about the future direction of the agency's space flight programs.

In addition to providing documents and information, the site will allow the public to track committee activities, receive regular updates and provide input through Web 2.0 tools such as Twitter, Flickr, user-submitted questions, polls and RSS feeds. Additional features and content may be added as the committee's activities continue.

"The human space flight program belongs to everyone," committee chairman Norman Augustine said. "Our committee would hope to benefit from the views of all who would care to contact us."

Anyone may use the Web site to submit questions, upload documents or comment about topics relevant to the committee's operations.

The committee will conduct public meetings during the course of the review. The first will be held June 17 in Washington, D.C. An agenda for this meeting will be announced soon. Time will be set aside for public questions and comments to the committee members. No registration is required to attend.

To learn more, visit the committee's Web site: http://hsf.nasa.gov.

kl90

Preps On Track For June 13 Launch
BLOGGER UPDATE, 4:29 P.M.: NASA engineers and contractor technicians have completed clean-up of minor corrosion in nozzle coolant tubing on two of Endeavour's three liquid-fueled main engines. The tubing subsequently passed leak tests and NASA now is pressing ahead with normal prelaunch engine processing and testing.

NASA engineers spotted minor corrosion in engine nozzle cooling tubes on shuttle Endeavour this week, but a clean-up effort is under way at Kennedy Space Center and the problem is not expected to delay a planned June 13 launch.

"We have a high degree of confidence that this is not going to impact the schedule," said Steve Roy, a spokesman for NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala.

Endeavour and seven astronauts remain scheduled to blast off a week from Saturday on a complex mission to deliver and install the third and final segment of the Japanese Kibo science research facility at the International Space Station.

You can check out all the details on the mission in this Official NASA Press Kit, just released by the agency.http://www.floridatoday.com/cont ... /STS127PressKit.pdf

NASA engineers and contractor technicians are gearing up for a three-day countdown that will pick up at 9 a.m. Wednesday, leading to a 7:17 a.m. liftoff a week from Saturday.

Minor corrosion was spotted by inspectors in cooling tubes that ring the nozzles of two of the shuttle's three main engines earlier this week, Roy said.

Supercold liquid hydrogen -- which is Minus 423 degrees Fahrenheit -- flows through 1,080 of the brazed, stainless-steel tubes to keep the nozzles from overheating during the shuttle's nine-minute climb into orbit.

A clean-up effort is under way and leak tests will be performed to make certain the corrosion has not compromised the structural integrity of the tubes.

"We want to make sure the integrity of those tubes is good," Roy said.

A liquid hydrogen leak from tiny breaches in an engine bell cooling tube left shuttle Columbia seven miles short of its intended orbit during a 1999 mission to deploy the Chandra X-Ray Observatory.

NASA contractor technicians also are taking steps to make certain the type of black box short-circuit experienced during the May 11 launch of Atlantis would not jeopardize the Endeavour astronauts.

One of three electronics boxes that route commands to the shuttle's flight control system failed during launch of NASA's fifth and final Hubble Space Telescope mission. Engineers think the short-circuit was caused by faulty wiring.

Consequently, technicians are separating wiring leading to the three Endeavour boxes. Two are being clamped together in a single wiring bundle. The third is being separated and clamped into another bundle.

"Basically, it's a safety precaution to keep from one from shorting out all of them if there were to be a short," KSC spokeswoman Candrea Thomas said.

Technicians over the weekend will rig up the small pyrotechnic that will be used to separate Endeavour from its mobile launcher platform, twin solid rocket boosters and external tank in flight.

That work must be completed to stay on track for a June 13 launch, so NASA will be keeping close tabs on the weather to make certain the job can be done safely.

kl90

White House NASA Review Panel Seeks Public Input
This just in from NASA:

NASA LAUNCHES HUMAN SPACE FLIGHT REVIEW WEB SITE FOR PUBLIC USE

WASHINGTON -- NASA is inviting the public to make its voice heard as a panel of experts undertakes an independent review of planned U.S. human space flight activities.

NASA has created a Web site for the Review of U.S. Human Space Flight Plans Committee to facilitate a two-way conversation with the public about the future direction of the agency's space flight programs.

In addition to providing documents and information, the site will allow the public to track committee activities, receive regular updates and provide input through Web 2.0 tools such as Twitter, Flickr, user-submitted questions, polls and RSS feeds. Additional features and content may be added as the committee's activities continue.

"The human space flight program belongs to everyone," committee chairman Norman Augustine said. "Our committee would hope to benefit from the views of all who would care to contact us."

Anyone may use the Web site to submit questions, upload documents or comment about topics relevant to the committee's operations.

The committee will conduct public meetings during the course of the review. The first will be held June 17 in Washington, D.C. An agenda for this meeting will be announced soon. Time will be set aside for public questions and comments to the committee members. No registration is required to attend.

kl90

U.S. House Urged To Restore NASA Funding
This just in from Eun Kyung Kim of Gannett News Service in Washington, D.C.:

WASHINGTON - Brevard County's congressional representatives are urging budget leaders in the U.S. House to restore funding for NASA's proposed budget for next year.

Last week, the congressional panel that oversees NASAâ

kl90

Live At KSC: Preps On Track For June 13 Launch
BLOGGER UPDATE, 4:29 P.M.: NASA engineers and contractor technicians have completed clean-up of minor corrosion in nozzle coolant tubing on two of Endeavour's three liquid-fueled main engines. The tubing subsequently passed leak tests and NASA now is pressing ahead with normal prelaunch engine processing and testing.

NASA engineers spotted minor corrosion in engine nozzle cooling tubes on shuttle Endeavour this week, but a clean-up effort is under way at Kennedy Space Center and the problem is not expected to delay a planned June 13 launch.

"We have a high degree of confidence that this is not going to impact the schedule," said Steve Roy, a spokesman for NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala.

Endeavour and seven astronauts remain scheduled to blast off a week from Saturday on a complex mission to deliver and install the third and final segment of the Japanese Kibo science research facility at the International Space Station.

You can check out all the details on the mission in this Official NASA Press Kit, just released by the agency.http://www.floridatoday.com/cont ... /STS127PressKit.pdf

NASA engineers and contractor technicians are gearing up for a three-day countdown that will pick up at 9 a.m. Wednesday, leading to a 7:17 a.m. liftoff a week from Saturday.

Minor corrosion was spotted by inspectors in cooling tubes that ring the nozzles of two of the shuttle's three main engines earlier this week, Roy said.

Supercold liquid hydrogen -- which is Minus 423 degrees Fahrenheit -- flows through 1,080 of the brazed, stainless-steel tubes to keep the nozzles from overheating during the shuttle's nine-minute climb into orbit.

A clean-up effort is under way and leak tests will be performed to make certain the corrosion has not compromised the structural integrity of the tubes.

"We want to make sure the integrity of those tubes is good," Roy said.

A liquid hydrogen leak from tiny breaches in an engine bell cooling tube left shuttle Columbia seven miles short of its intended orbit during a 1999 mission to deploy the Chandra X-Ray Observatory.

kl90

White House NASA Review Panel Seeks Public Input                                          This just in from NASA:

NASA LAUNCHES HUMAN SPACE FLIGHT REVIEW WEB SITE FOR PUBLIC USE

WASHINGTON-- NASA is inviting the public to make its voice heard as a panel ofexperts undertakes an independent review of planned U.S. human spaceflight activities.

NASA has created a Web site for the Review ofU.S. Human Space Flight Plans Committee to facilitate a two-wayconversation with the public about the future direction of the agency'sspace flight programs.

In addition to providing documents andinformation, the site will allow the public to track committeeactivities, receive regular updates and provide input through Web 2.0tools such as Twitter, Flickr, user-submitted questions, polls and RSSfeeds. Additional features and content may be added as the committee'sactivities continue.

"The human space flight program belongs toeveryone," committee chairman Norman Augustine said. "Our committeewould hope to benefit from the views of all who would care to contactus."

Anyone may use the Web site tosubmit questions, upload documents or comment about topics relevant tothe committee's operations.

The committee will conduct publicmeetings during the course of the review. The first will be held June17 in Washington, D.C. An agenda for this meeting will be announcedsoon. Time will be set aside for public questions and comments to thecommittee members. No registration is required to attend.

To learn more, visit the committee's Web site: http://hsf.nasa.gov.

kl90

Launch No Earlier Than Wednesday
Shuttle Endeavour won't be launched  before Wednesday and a conflict with a moon mission and a looming launch deadline could push the agency's next International Space Station assembly mission to mid-July.

That was the word at a news conference about 90 minutes after a hydrogen gas leak near the end of an external tank fuel-loading operation prompted NASA to scrub a planned 7:17 a.m. launch.

The leak was near identical to one that caused a four-day delay in the launch of shuttle Discovery back in May -- a failure whose root cause NASA never has been able to pinpoint.

NASA Shuttle Launch Director Mike Leinbach called the leak "significant" -- well above launch commit criteria -- and said the decision to stand down was a no-brainer.

"Hydrogen is a commodity you just don't mess with," he said.

A very volatile substance, hydrogen is highly flammable and a leak could cause a catastrophe during launch.

The scrub and subsequent delay raises questions about whether the agency will be able to launch Endeavour's International Space Station assembly mission before mid-July.

NASA would have had just two more days -- Sunday and Monday -- to launch Endeavour before the agency would have to stand down for the planned launch Wednesday of an Atlas V rocket and NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter at nearby complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.

The Air Force Eastern Range provides launch vehicle tracking, range safety and weather forecasting services for all launches from Florida's Space Coast, and Tuesday would be a turn-around day. The range would need at least 24 hours to prepare radars to track different flight trajectories.

The moon-mapping mission must be launched during short, four-day windows that only occur every other week, so NASA officials have said they would delay the shuttle mission if it was not off the ground by Monday.

The lunar mission is set for a late-afternoon launch, which could be a challenge because of seasonal thunderstorms. If it launched as scheduled next Wednesday, then NASA would have a single launch opportunity of June 20. The agency had previously said June 19 would be an opportunity, but due to the timing of the shuttle and Atlas launches -- one early morning, the other late afternoon -- the range would not be able to support a June 19 shuttle launch attempt.

NASA also faces a three-week period from June 21 through July 10 when it could not launch the Endeavour mission. The sun angle on the station would be such that the outpost would be unable to generate enough power or dispel enough heat to support a docked shuttle mission. The next launch opportunity would be July 11.

Mike Moses, manager of shuttle launch integration at KSC, said he would negotiate with lunar mission counterparts to see if they might give up their spot Wednesday on the range. But he noted both the short lunar launch windows and the fact that other Atlas V customers are waiting launch opportunities.

The hydrogen leak cropped up as engineers were almost done with a three-hour operation aimed at loading supercold liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen into the shuttle's external tank.

Engineers spotted it near a pipe that routes gaseous hydrogen out of the external tank, helping to keep pressure inside the tank at proper levels. The excess hydrogen is vented through a line to a flare stack at the launch complex that is designed to burn it off.

The leak was detected near a plate that basically serves as a connecting point between pipes from ground equipment on the pad and the external tank. It was the exact same type of leak that caused a delay from March 11 to March 15 in the launch of Discovery earlier this year. Moses said NASA has been working to determine root cause but has been so far unsuccessful.

"Obviously, something is going on -- second time in three flights," he said.

The line leakage did not crop up before the May 11 Atlantis launch on NASA's third and final Hubble Space Telescope servicing flight.

Endeavour's external tank was drained early today and now must be cleansed of all hazardous gasses -- an operation that will take at least 24 hours.

Leinbach said it would be Sunday before technicians can put their hands on what most likely is a leaky seal in a vent valve. The preliminary plan is to remove and replace the seal and make sure no vent line misalignment might be causing the leak. Then an abbreviated countdown could be picked up for a launch attempt on Wednesday.

Endeavour's astronauts plan to deliver the third and final segment of the Japanese Kibo science research facility to the International Space Station. They plan five spacewalks during what promises to be the longest station assembly mission to date.

kl90

Endeavour Countdown, Fueling to Resume Tuesday
NASA on Tuesday plans to finish up repairs to a leaking launch pad vent line and resume a countdown to the launch of space shuttle Endeavour, now set for 5:40 a.m. Wednesday.

Mission managers are confident a replaced quick disconnect valve and seals will prevent the vent line from leaking hydrogen gas during fueling of the external tank, a problem that scrubbed Saturday's launch attempt.

"The repair is work is going well," Steve Payne, NASA test director, said Monday afternoon at Kennedy Space Center. "Our teams have been working very hard over the last couple of days to get this piece of equipment fixed."

KSC workers on Monday reattached the vent line to Endeavour's external tank. The line routes excess gas to a flare stack to be burned off safely.

Leak checks and tests of electrical connections are scheduled to take place overnight, with final prelaunch closeouts not until 3 p.m.

Earlier, at 10:15 a.m., the shuttle will be revealed again on launch pad 39A when the pad's rotating service tower is opened to its launch position.

The countdown clock should start ticking at 1:15 p.m. at T minus 11 hours, a total that includes several built in pauses before liftoff.

The ultimate test of the repair's success will come with the loading of 500,000 gallons of liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen, scheduled to begin at 8:15 p.m. and take about three hours.

NASA TV will provide live commentary of the fueling process, which you can watch here - just click on the NASA TV still image on the right side of the page.

If fueling is successful, the seven-person Endeavour crew led by mission commander Mark Polansky would climb into the shuttle's crew cabin at 2:20 a.m. Wednesday.

Wednesday is probably Endeavour's only chance to launch a 16-day mission to the International Space Station before July.

A NASA mission to send two satellites to the moon hopes to lift off on an Atlas V rocket as early as Thursday afternoon from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.

The shuttle could consider launching Sunday, a plan that would require shortening the mission by a day and eliminating the last of five planned spacewalks.

After that, for a period of several weeks, the sun's angle to the space station will be too weak to provide enough power and dispel enough heat to support the shuttle mission.

The weather forecast Wednesday morning is good, with an 80 percent chance of favorable conditions for the launch at KSC and good conditions at U.S. and overseas emergency landing sites, according to Patrick Air Force Base's 45th Weather Squadron.

Click here for the official forecast.

The percentage chance of good weather is the same for Tuesday evening's external tank fueling operations.

The forecast for the Atlas V launch is a bit worse. From Thursday through Saturday, there is a 60 percent chance of good enough weather, with concern about afternoon thundershowers developing.

An Atlas V launch as early as Thursday is probably only possible if Endeavour's launch srubs before midnight Tuesday, because of another gas leak or some new problem. The first of three opportunities on Thursday, each 10 minutes apart, would be at 5:12 p.m.

On Friday, the first opportunity would be 6:41 p.m., followed by 6:51 p.m. and 7:01 p.m.

kl90

好久没来这了。。。

kl90

long time didn't come here...