S P A C E   T E A M   O N L I N E

UPDATE # 86 - June 23, 1999

PART 1: Happy Summer!
PART 2: Volunteer to help STO
PART 3: Elsewhere on NASA Quest - Mars Millenium
PART 4: Working tight with 30/1000 of an inch tolerance
PART 5: Status of Columbia processing
PART 6: Subscribing & unsubscribing: how to do it

HAPPY SUMMER!

The solstice has come and gone, and we are officially in summer, and some
of our teachers are spending those typical first days of summer vacation
trying to convince their bodies that this is NOT really an opportunity to
finally get the illness they've been holding at bay throughout the last
months of school. Some are already back and teaching summer school. Where
did that myth of a teacher having a 3-month vacation come from? 

We have also been busy in a not-so-typical way here at NASA Quest:

News Flash! Oran, our NASA Quest Chat manager, is offering a new service
to novice chatters. If you're feeling uncomfortable about joining a chat
because you've not done it before, this is your chance to practice with a
pro. If you're a veteran chatter, take this opportunity to share your
thoughts and suggestions to the guy who can make a difference happen. A
schedule of practice sessions and other helpful tips may be found at:
http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/qchats/http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/qchats/
 
We've gotten some great response to our invitation for you to determine
when and with whom you would like to chat. Oran is busily chasing down the
team members to accommodate these requests. We will, of course, post these
so that others may join us as well. It's not too late to request chats if
you have a group that promises to be present, live for the chat. E-mail me
directly with your requests at the address below.

We're also gearing back up for the launch of STS-93, anticipated for July
20 (or actually just after midnight July 19.) Our Student Ambassadors are
standing by to finalize travel arrangements and preparing to attend this
historic launch as your representatives. Keep checking the Female
Frontiers featured event for any late breaking news:
http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/space/frontiers

If all goes as planned, expect some changes to Space Team Online's face on
the web during the summer. We are trying very hard to respond to some of
your suggestions and requests for making the site easier to navigate. It's
not too late to be heard. All reasonable suggestions are very welcome!

Linda Conrad
Space Team Online project manager
NASA Quest Team

VOLUNTEER TO HELP STO

Have you ever wanted to be a behind-the-scenes kind of team member with
Space Team Online? We need Smart Filter Volunteers for the Question and
Answer section of this project. 

Smart Filters receive e-mail questions and forward them on to the
appropriate expert. It is a tremendously important part of our project,
because Smart Filters protect our Space team from e-mail overload while
still satisfying the inquiring minds of our students.

If you want to volunteer, you qualify if you:
- are willing and able to read, understand, and follow detailed and 
   picky instructions.
- have access to the web.
- are able to spend at least fifteen minutes every other day 
   (possibly more during the school year) working on questions.

If this sounds interesting, e-mail our Smart Filter Manager, Chris
Tanski   He'll accept the first five qualified
responses.

ELSEWHERE ON NASA QUEST

A nine-week series of Mars Millenium QuestChats began June
17 and will run through September 30, 1999. The chat series features nine
Mars experts from a variety of current and upcoming projects. For a full
schedule see:
	http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/sso/chats/sched.html

The next chat is:
->Monday, June 28, 1999, 10 a.m. PDT (1 p.m. EDT; 5 p.m. GMT): 
Rich Hogen, Mission Operations Design Engineer, Mars Surveyor 2001
Go to: http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/sso/chats/sched2.html
for more information and to register for this chat.

WORKING TIGHT WITH 30/1000 OF AN INCH TOLERANCE
By Melvin Crocker

http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/space/team/crocker.html

June 10, 1999
Interviewer: Lori Keith
Working at United Space Alliance, as a sub-contractor, I
make parts for NASA. I have been building mockups for
the astronauts to train with. To do this you must know a lot
of math. All our parts must be within very close tolerances,
like within 30/1000 of an inch. The tolerances are so close,
and the work so exacting, that it can be tough. Skill and
patience are a big part of my job. When doing my
calculations for cutting and bending, I must take into
account the wall thickness of the tubing and the type of
metal that it is made of. 

I take .030 wall aluminum tubing that varies from 1/4 to 1
inch in diameter size. A tubing bender is used to bend this
tubing to the precise dimension that is given in the
blueprints. The blueprints provide all the information I will
need -- the exact dimensions for each piece and the
materials to use. Many mathematical formulas are used to
figure bend deductions. Bend deductions are calculations
about how the metal will stretch when it is bent. These
factors have to be known to ensure enough material is used
in the bend, otherwise the piece could be off and not fit
properly. Then I cut all the pieces to their desired
dimensions. 

Once all the pieces are cut, I start fitting them together and
welding them up. I use a type of welding called "TIG" to
do this. Tungsten Inert Gas welding process (TIG)
produces extremely high temperatures that permit exacting
control of heat over a small area. TIG welding is widely
used when fine, high quality welding is required,
particularly when welding metals such as aluminum and
stainless steel. Piecing together takes a great deal of time
and effort. Many times I have to make templates to hold the
tolerances of the tubing while I weld them up. The
templates keep the tubing from moving. If any piece is
more than 30/1000 of an inch off, that part is not used and
becomes waste. Of course, waste is something we don't
want. When this process is finished, the structure
(mockup) is the same size as a piece of the space station. 

The piece then goes over to Building 9. Building 9 is
where the actual training is done, and where many
mockups are housed at JSC. This is where they wrap the
outside of the mockup. It's wrapped with a special cover
that makes it look just like the piece it is a replica of. The
finished product needs to weigh less than 50 pounds.
Weight is very important because the robotic arm the
astronauts use is 60 feet long, making the torque (twist) on
the arm when extended immense. 

The astronauts practice which flight they are about to
perform in the simulator and watch a television monitor
just like they'll use in space. They practice using a control
panel exactly like the one they will use on the Space Station
-- down to the same color, size, and lettering. Then they
practice lifting the part, manipulating it around, fitting it
precisely in place, and securing. They do this so many
times that for the real thing it's simple and anything that
might go wrong hopefully already has in simulation. 

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.

Shuttle managers approved a plan that will have Columbia ready for launch
no earlier than July 20. As always, an official launch date will be
announced at the STS-93 Flight Readiness Review scheduled for July 8. 

Launch pad validations are complete at Pad 39B. Columbia's auxiliary power
units (APU) No. 1 and No. 3 have completed hotfire. Main engine flight
readiness testing concluded. Planned cycling of the orbiter's payload bay
doors also concluded. 

Monday, June 14, Columbia's Helium Signature Test and hypergolic system
pressurization were completed. Prelaunch propellant loading is in work
today. The orbiter's payload bay has been cleaned and preparations are in
work at the pad to support the Chandra payload arrival. Columbia's payload
bay doors will be reopened on Wednesday.

Workers completed hydraulic close-outs on Columbia's solid rocket boosters
on June 16. Following June 17's observance of Super Safety and Health Day,
workers today resumed normal launch preparation activities at Launch Pad
39B. 

Repair work on the payload ground handling mechanism at Launch Pad 39B was
successfully completed over the weekend (June 19, 20)
and that system is ready to support payload operations at the pad.

Chandra Payload:
On June 9, the Chandra/Inertial Upper Stage end-to-end test was
successfully completed in the Vertical Processing Facility. Workers
encountered problems with the Rotating Service Structure (RSS) the 21st
and were unable to move it away from the vehicle. The Chandra/IUS payload
was not transferred to the launch pad the 22nd as planned and remains in
the transportation canister at KSC's Vertical Processing Facility.
Following successful RSS troubleshooting the 22nd and 23rd, the payload
will be delivered to the pad early Thursday morning (6/24) 

STS-93 SCHEDULED OPERATIONAL MILESTONES (target dates): 
           Chandra payload arrives at Pad 39B (NET June 24) 
           Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test complete (June 24) 
           Auxiliary Power Unit No. 2 hot fire test (June 24) 
           Payload installed inside payload bay (NET June 27) 
           Flight Readiness Review (July 8) 

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