|
   |
 |
                 
|
UPDATE # 61 - November 25, 1998 PART 1: Have a happy Thanksgiving! HAVE A HAPPY THANKSGIVING
This will be an abbreviated Update for an abbreviated week. I want to encourage you to take the day off Friday to digest turkey! Quest will be intermittently off-line that day as she is updated and refurbished. I did want to remind you of several things "in the works," but rather than repeat them in their entirety, I will merely mention them here. If you need to review any of the information, last week's Update can be found at: http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/space/updates/sto60.html There's the Puzzle Contest, review the Challenge Project themes as we try out a new tool. http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/space/events/puzzle Also, there's the CASE Project, a unique kid-driven project that follows the preparation for a scientific experiment to be flown on STS-93 in March 1999. Register your interest online at: http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/space/events/case To be sure to feature our live events, I've re-listed the schedule below. Be sure you don't miss the launch of STS-88, December 3rd from our LTC video stream of NASA TV. See information at: http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/ltc/sto/launch It's always amazing to me that our NASA volunteers are willing to share their busy schedules with us. Tim Terry writes in the journal included below, describing preparations for a flight that is less than two weeks away. I know when I count my reasons to be thankful this year, people like Tim will top my list. Best wishes for a Happy Thanksgiving, Linda UPCOMING LIVE EVENTS
QuestChats require pre-registration. To register go to: http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/space/chats ->QuestChat: Tuesday, Dec. 1 at 11 AM Pacific Time (2 PM Eastern): Diane McMahon, as experiment support scientist, works with a group that makes sure that all requirements are met for flying experiments so that a successful science mission will be flown. Additionally, Diane was involved in training U.S. astronauts for the Phase I program, a series of joint American and Russian missions to Mir. Read her profile at: http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/space/team/mcmahon.html ->QuestChat: Wednesday, Dec. 9 at 2 PM Pacific Time (5 PM Eastern): Luis Rodriguez's primary responsibility as a senior safety engineer is to make sure that design engineers and scientists use NASA-approved materials, chemicals, and electrical components when designing their experiments. Luis will accept questions in English and Spanish during this chat. His profile also exists in English: [Editor's note: Tim's responsibilities involve leading the efforts of the training team that prepares astronauts to react correctly, especially in the event of an emergency.] November 20, 1998 We are in the final stages of preparation for mission STS-88. Today, I look back on approximately 18 months that I've spent as Team Lead for this mission. We've been through many hours of simulations, and now the crew is ready to go. Launch is currently scheduled for December 3, 1998. If you'd like to know more specifics about my work, see my bio. It takes an enormous amount of effort to prepare the flight crew and flight controllers for a Shuttle mission. Now, with the International Space Station (ISS) beginning to take shape, the amount and complexity of training practically doubles. There is a training team for the Shuttle and a training team for the ISS. There are flight control teams for both Shuttle and ISS. Eventually, there will be two kinds of crews: one crew flying to and from the ISS and one living on the ISS. This thing is really growing. We call the series of simulations for a particular mission a "training flow." With all of the delays that the ISS Program has endured, the STS-88 crew has been in training for almost two years. Wow, that's a really long time to study for this final exam! The delays are now behind us, and it's time to go forward with this great adventure. The end of any crew training flow is both a happy and sad time for those that work closely with the astronauts. On one hand, it is very rewarding to see your crew go into space and accomplish the tasks that they were trained to perform. On the other hand, certain relationships are formed during the training that one hates to see end. I am truly honored to be associated with this flight crew and this mission. Several members of this crew have become my friends, and a few were already my friends from past working relationships. These relationships have encouraged me to work more diligently, to provide the best training possible. Several members of the training team and I are planning to attend Endeavour's launch December 3. You might wonder whether watching your friends blast off into space makes you nervous. You bet it does! We all know that the Shuttle is as safe as spaceflight can be. If something does happen during the mission, the crew is well trained to handle it. Once in orbit, Endeavour and crew will play catch up to the Russian-built FGB, which was launched early this morning from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakstan. FGB stands for Functional Cargo Block. I know, "G" doesn't come from "Cargo", it's just the way the Russian-English translation occurred. Once within range, the FGB will be grabbed with the Shuttle Remote Manipulator System (RMS) and connected to the 2A Launch Package. The 2A Launch Package is composed of the Node 1, Pressurized Mating Adapter No. 1 (PMA-1) and Pressurized Mating Adapter No. 2 (PMA-2). You might also hear Node 1 referred to as "Unity" and the FGB referred to as "Zarya". Once these elements are connected together, the crew will spend several days (and three trips outside) activating and checking out the new spacecraft before leaving it behind. That's enough for now. I have to get back to some important training activities. I hope all of you will watch Endeavour's launch with as much excitement and anticipation as I will. This is a great time for human space exploration. STATUS OF COLUMBIA PROCESSING
Below, we provide reports on the processing of Shuttle Columbia taken from the detailed daily reports found at the NASA Shuttle Status web site at http://www-pao.ksc.nasa.gov/kscpao/status/status.htm. At times 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. Columbia's orbiter maneuvering system and reaction control system electrical checks concluded last week. On Friday, the orbiter's payload bay doors were closed in preparation for Saturday's structural modal tests. Modal testing concluded Saturday evening. Tile work is under way on Columbia's external tank umbilical doors. Last week, the main engine carrier panels were installed, and main engine insulation foaming begins next Monday. Solid rocket booster stacking operations in the Vehicle Assembly Building are complete and close-outs continue. SUBSCRIBING & UNSUBSCRIBING: HOW TO DO IT!If this is your first message from the updates-sto list, welcome! To catch up on back issues, please visit the following Internet URL: http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/space/updates To subscribe to the updates-sto mailing list (where this message came from), send a message to: listmanager@quest.arc.nasa.gov In the message body, write these words: subscribe updates-sto CONVERSELY... To remove your name from the updates-sto mailing list, send a message to: listmanager@quest.arc.nasa.gov In the message body, write these words: unsubscribe updates-sto If you have Web access, please visit our "continuous construction" site at http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/space |
||
|
|
|
