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PART 1: I survived the Vomit Comet
I SURVIVED THE VOMIT COMET! http://http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/space/team/etheridge.html April 4, l997 I am a payload mission manager at the Kennedy Space Center. I manage a series of middeck experiments that research the effects of microgravity on plants and animals. One of the most exciting days of my career occurred on January 23. On that day I was able to perform testing of some experiments in a KC-135 airplane at the Johnson Space Center. This airplane flies on a "parabolic" path allowing us an opportunity to test experiments during brief periods of microgravity. The KC-135 flies between 26,000 feet and 36,000 feet in altitude. As the plane approaches its apogee and then starts its rapid descent, you become "weightless" for about 30 seconds. This is followed by about 60 seconds of feeling twice your body weight as the plane levels off at 26,000 feet and climbs very quickly back to 36,000 feet. The constant variation in perceived gravity as well as the usual disorientation one gets when first experiencing weightlessness tends to make one nauseous. Therefore, the KC-135 is affectionately nicknamed the "Vomit Comet," although luckily I survived. This experience actually started the day before my flight. I met three fellow engineers at Ellington Field in Houston, Texas, in the afternoon. We spent a couple of hours on the KC-135 installing our experiments. The first experiment was an engineering model of a liquid nutrient delivery system that is being developed to fly in an experiment that can grow plants from seed in space. This delivery system consists of a loop made of a see-through material. The loop is initially dry and is filled with a nutrient solution once in orbit. In order for the system to work correctly, a device had to be designed to remove air from the loop so that only liquid nutrient was in the loop. Our goal was to see how well this worked during microgravity conditions. We also set up equipment to conduct tests on two other experiments to see how well they could be used to deliver formaldehyde to various plant specimens. We planned to videotape this hardware as they were actuated during periods of microgravity. January 23, early morning, we arrived at Ellington Field and prepare for our flight. We watched a videotape describing what to expect during the flight and went over emergency procedures. We were supposed to take off at 9:30 but we were socked in with fog. At about 11:00 the fog finally cleared and we were ready for take-off. We entered the KC-135 and strapped ourselves in. About twenty minutes later we were in the air and ready to start preparing for the microgravity. We went to the location in the plane where we had set up our experiments. About ten minutes later I felt like I was getting real heavy as the plane started its initial climb. Then a few seconds later I was floating up to the ceiling, no longer constrained by gravity. Thirty seconds later I gently fell to the padded floor, and then I felt heavy again as the plane leveled off and began its next climb. I was instructed to take the first "parabolas" easy and not try to do anything, and I sure followed that advice. After about five I started on the bubble trap experiment. It seemed to work okay but I was having trouble timing the bubbles to be in the trap during the "weightless" portions of the flight. I solved this problem by turning off the pump just as a bubble was about to enter the bubble trap. As I felt we were going into another parabola I would turn on the pump and then videotape the bubble as it proceeded into the trap. After about 12 parabolas we started with our next experiment. It did not work as well. We discovered a design flaw that prevented it from working correctly. This device would not actuate completely so we gathered as much information as we could to assess the problem after the flight. This is why this type of testing is so important. It would be a very bad situation to have an experiment not function correctly on the Space Shuttle, so we test them all before they fly in space. After about 20 parabolas we started on the next experiment. This experiment worked great. I had some time to run some more tests on the bubble trap. Each flight of the KC-135 does 40 parabolas. During the last five on this flight I decided that I had better "test" the effects of being weightless had on my ability to rapidly spin myself about an axis. Boy, what a thrill. This flight lasted about 3 hours, and we only had about 90 minutes to prepare for the next flight. We had to reload several of our experiments and even took a minute to eat a quick snack. This barely gave us enough time to prepare our experiment, but we did get on the plane in time. The second flight was very similar to the first. We repeated much of the same testing that we had performed on the first flight. Once again, the bubble trap worked extremely well. We completed the other two experiments and learned enough about the failure of the one to be able to redesign it to work properly. We got in another forty parabolas on the second flight, so for the day, I got in about 40 minutes of weightlessness - all in a day's work! [Editor's note: George's main job is to maintain the health of the astronauts and the workers who support the astronauts. He also works to ensure that all employees at Kennedy Space Center, and all visitors who come to tour the Space Center or to watch a launch, enter into a safe healthy environment. George's team is also responsible for making sure that none of the work done at KSC damages the animals and plants and the rest of the natural environment.] MEDICAL DOCTOR TO THE ASTRONAUTS April 2, l997 2 March 1997: Received my Mission Information Package (MIP) today from Johnson Space Center for STS-83. The MIP is a Book which details the entire mission minute by minute, day by day. It explains in great detail each flight experiment, what the astronauts will be doing, what type of extra materials, medications, equipment or whatever, is flying on the Shuttle for this specific mission. 3 March 1997: We received the Flight Crew Physical Exams today. Each launch we get copies of the most recent physical exams, including blood types and current pictures so that we can disseminate to all of our medical forces. They need this information in order to be prepared in case there was an emergency which involved the astronauts. We have a large group of medical supporting staff in numerous hospitals including Air Force and Navy medical forces. These assets are pre-positioned prior to each launch. 6 March 1997: Initial Medical Operational Readiness Review or MORR. This is a teleconference with about 10 sites across the country to make sure that everyone is doing what is required for the upcoming launch. Johnson Space Center, Kennedy Space Center, Patrick AFB FL, Edwards AFB, CA, White Sands Space Harbor (WSSH) NM, Ames Research Center, CA. And NASA HQ in Washington D.C. are just a few of the organization represented at the MORR. 10-15 March 1997: I represented NASA in Germany at Ramstein AFB as part of the Space Shuttle Medical Operations Support Training Course. I gave a number of lectures on Space Medicine, Emergency Medical Services for Shuttle and Orbiter Toxicology. We also visited a few grade schools and showed the students one of the astronaut's space suits. The course is designed for the military physicians, nurses, and technicians who provide medical support for Space Shuttle launches and landings at the Emergency Landing Sites in Spain and Africa. For each launch, at least one of these Emergency Landing Sites must be available in case the Shuttle does not quite make it to orbit. 14 March 1997: Today was the final day of TCDT (Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test). This is the full dress rehearsal for launch that occurs a few weeks before each launch. The crew comes down as do the Flight Surgeons from Johnson Space Center. We have a physician in the Launch Control Center manning the Biomedical Console, for TCDT just as we do for a real launch and landing. 17 March 1997: Today was the Launch Readiness Review or LRR. This meeting occurs here at KSC before each launch to ensure that all is progressing well towards the scheduled launch date. Any problems which were or are being encountered are discussed at this meeting. 27 March 1997: Today was the Final MORR. It is the follow-up teleconference to the Initial MORR. During the Final MORR we make sure that all medical related issues are resolved. We also coordinate the times for the arrival of the astronaut flight crew and the JSC flight surgeons. 28 March 1997: Today I did a Prime Contact or PC physical exam for the wife of one of the flight crew. After having had a few problems during the Apollo missions with astronauts coming down with colds and other minor infections during space flights, NASA instituted the Health Stabilization Program or HSP. The HSP seeks to reduce the number of contacts to the flight crew in the week before the launch, and also to insure that anyone that does come in contact with the crew is free from infectious disease. So, anyone who is going to come in contact with the crew must be certified under HSP. This includes looking at a video, reading some brochures and getting a PC physical exam. 31 March 1997: Today was the Launch Medical Readiness Meeting. This is held here at KSC to insure that all of the medical, EMS, environmental, and occupational medical forces are ready for the upcoming launch. 31 March 1997: Today the astronaut flight crew of STS-83 arrived from Houston, as did the JSC flight surgeons. We also did the majority of the PC physical exams today. The astronauts are allowed a certain number of friends and family who can come and view the launch. If they are to come in contact with the flight crew before launch, we have to do a PC physical exam and certify them first. 2 April 1997: Today was the AIRDOC briefing at Patrick AFB. Before each launch and landing, we go to Patrick AFB, and give the military physicians and pararescue-jumpers (PJs) who are supporting the mission a briefing covering all of are Space Shuttle specific medical and communications equipment. There are 4 Department of Defense (DoD) doctors (flight surgeons) and eight PJs who will support this mission. They will be located in 4 different H-60 (Pavehawk) helicopters pre-positioned at the Shuttle Landing Facility before launch. [Editor's note: Phillip was a payload specialist recently at the California Space Camp. Over the next few weeks we'll share some experiences of various campers, to show that students can take on space roles now before they leave school.] The Bunks Here are Nice April 01, 1997 I learned about Space Camp from T.V. I became interested from looking at constellations. I also got good grades, like A's B's and C's. I had a nice graduation before going to sixth grade. We usually get up at 7:00 in the morning. We have an hour to get dressed. We draw circles or squares on the ground with chalk and meet at these at 8:00 a.m. The team talks about future mission or we have team talks at breakfast. After that we do about 5 or 6 activities, have lunch, do another 5 activities, eat dinner, and then go to bed. It's non-stop everyday, and no rest. But it's fun. We've done missions in space camp. We learn about the orbiters; space history; space food; and suits; how food is made for the space shuttle; and about oxygen. Each of the [student] teams constructs a space station from our imagination. We get to do the missions and other things, like build rockets. I was the payload specialist #1 on the mission, out of #2 and #3. Mission specialists 2 and 3 do the experiments [on the missions.] The pilot is the commander in charge of the trip, like the GCO for the ship Atlantis. There are plants on the shuttle with hydroponics in a zero gravity [environment]. They put astronauts on the multi-axis trainer in order for them to see what it's like to move around in different directions in space. The "1/6 Chair" teaches us about moon walks and gravity. What I Like About Space Camp: The bunks here are nice, and there are lots of NASA things. The other students are friendly. The gift shop has good stuff, too. It has a lot of the things I like and want. I like everything I've done and think everything is the most fun. I think Space Camp is helpful and I would recommend it to other kids. What I'd Like to Do in the Future I would like to be an astronaut, get a flying degree and get into the Air Force. If I'm not good enough to get into the Air Force, I would like to be in Mission Control. I'd like to go to Harvard, Notre Dame, or Stanford because I've heard they are pretty good. I think it would be neat to go to an Irish school like Notre Dame. [Editor's note: Chuck is in charge of having the necessary storable propellants at the launch pads. These chemicals must meet purity and quantity requirements they must be in the right container. Chuck has to know who wants what, when, where, how much, how much will it cost, what to do with leftovers, how to fix it if it doesn't work, etc.] PROPELLANTS - YOU CAN'T LEAVE THE EARTH WITHOUT US! April 4, l997 Greetings from KSC. It is launch day for STS-83 and a lot of things are going on in the propellants arena. "Propellants" is actually a generic term for fuels, oxidizers, pressurant gases, and other chemicals which are used by the Shuttle while in flight or in ground processes to ready it for flight. As a storable propellants engineer, I am in charge of ensuring we have all the propellants in the right place, at the right time, to the right purity, as required to support the mission. Propellant operations actually start four to six weeks before scheduled lift-off. First, the storable, hypergolic propellant storage vessels at the launch pad must be refilled, if required. If yes, we schedule the delivery of one or two tankers each of MonoMethylHydrazine (MMH) or Nitrogen Tetroxide (N2O4). These propellants are used on-board the Shuttle Orbiter for in-space orbit adjustment (e.g., higher or lower via the Orbital Maneuvering System (OMS) engines - two small nozzles on the back of the two OMS pods on each side of the tail) and attitude control (which way the orbiter is facing while in space). The liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen storage spheres are also refilled from 50 tanker loads of hydrogen and 60 tanker loads of oxygen over several weeks. Next, the ground service carts for the Auxiliary Power Units (APU) and Hydraulic Power Units (HPU) are filled with MonoPropellant-grade Hydrazine (MPH or N2H4) from a small tanker called a Generic Propellant Transfer Unit (GPTU - similar GPTUs are used for spacecraft fueling operations such as the upcoming Cassini Mission to Saturn - launch October 1997 on a Titan IV). About three weeks before scheduled liftoff, the Shuttle stack is transported to the pad, either Launch Complex 39A or 39B. Today, STS-83/Columbia is on LC39A. Soon after arrival at the pad, the Shuttle Team conducts a two-day hypergolic propellant operation to load the MMH, N2O4, and MPH into the orbiter and two solid rocket boosters from the storage tanks (MMH & N2O4) and carts (APU for orbiter, HPU for SRB). To enable these operations, generous quantities of nitrogen and helium pressurant gases are piped to the pad from other areas of KSC. Actual launch countdown starts three days before launch. On day two, the Power Reactant Supply and Distribution (PRSD - generates electricity via "fuel cells" with water as a byproduct) storage tanks for cryogenic liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen are loaded from KSC-based tankers. For STS-83, this had to be performed twice because the first load had to be dumped after an insulation problem was identified in the orbiter - hence the one-day delay for launch day. Anyway, during PRSD loading thousands of cubic feet of gaseous nitrogen and gaseous helium are used to purge the oxygen and hydrogen systems, respectively, so as to create an inert (nonflammable) atmosphere for the safety of the Shuttle and workers. About twelve hours before launch, the big orange External Tank (ET) loading operation begins. Thousands of gallons of liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen are transferred into the ET. During this period, the gaseous helium and nitrogen purge systems are turned on at about 500 scfm (Standard Cubic Feet per Minute) for helium and 16,000 scfm for nitrogen (imagine filling 500 helium balloons in one minute!!) at a pipeline pressure of 6000 psi (400 times normal atmospheric pressure). At KSC, we do everything big!! The nitrogen and helium systems are operated by the propellant team of NASA, EG&G Florida (our on-site operations contractor), and Air Liquide America Corp. (our nitrogen supplier which operates a 32-mile pipeline that snakes all around KSC and the Cape - which I am personally in charge of - so I DON'T want any problems with nitrogen!!). The big show everyone sees on TV is T-0 (about 1400 hr today) when the Shuttle's engines roar to life and hurtle it into space. At liftoff the ET has about 384,000 gallons of liquid hydrogen and 141,050 gallons of liquid oxygen. These propellants are burned by the three main engines in about eight minutes. The OMS pods and Forward Reaction Control System (FRCS - all the thrusters around the orbiter's nose) have 1200 to 1500 gallons of MMH and N2O4, and the APU/HPU systems have about 130 gallons MPH. If today's launch is successful, it will have used about 14-million scf of nitrogen and 700,000 scf of helium purge gases. If it scrubs (don't want that), then the purge gas use will be about 50% higher and we will lose about 100,000 gallons each of liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen due to boil-off losses. That's a lot of propellants!! Chuck STATUS OF STS-83 POST FLIGHT PROCESSING
Below and in the future, we'll provide some details about the post flight work being done after STS-83 and the and subsequent processing of Columbia as it gets ready to fly again. These reports will contain jargon and unfamiliar terms; our intent is not to confuse you, but to provide a glimpse at all the steps involved. Detailed daily reports about Columbia's processing can be found at the NASA Shuttle Status web site at http://www-pao.ksc.nasa.gov/kscpao/status/status.htm Fuel cell No. 1 leak checks will continue through Friday. Preparations continue for main engine removal on Friday and Saturday. Forward reaction control system functional tests were completed last night and FRCS removal is scheduled for Friday. Removal of the Spacelab tunnel is in work and Spacelab reservicing work will begin on Friday. In the VAB, the booster segments originally intended for use on STS-85 are being stacked for use on STS-83R. Work to mate the left forward center segment to the left aft center segment is scheduled for today and the left forward segment should arrive in the VAB today. Also, today NASA is scheduled to make a final decision on flying STS-83R in July. STS-83R is proposed as a reflight of the original STS-83 mission which was shortened by 12 days. NASA managers have spent the week obtaining further schedule assessments before they make their final decision.
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