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UPDATE # 98 - November 1, 1999 PART 1: Watch for Coming Competitions and
Chats WATCH FOR COMING COMPETITION AND CHATS
Heads up: Starting next week we will initiate a new puzzle competition! Students will be challenged to answer the questions by the deadline. Participants with correct answers will be sent a password that uncovers a section of the picture. There are nine questions total. With the ninth answer, the entire picture will be exposed, and students will be provided the Final Challenge. A tally of all scores will determine the winner! Participation in the Space Shuttle Countdown: Landing to Launch is helpful, but not required. If you'd like a head start, the beginning question may be found at: http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/space/events/ksc99/puzzle The puzzle is based on a Java applet, so most participants can expect a slight delay as it loads. Where were you? We've had two chats that were cancelled due to non-attendance. I am really surprised, since live chats loomed high on the list of "best part of Space Team Online" on the survey. So here are some questions: Did you know that you can place questions in a chat room early and then return to see the answer in the archive if the time of the chat is not convenient for you? Did you know that, even if you are registered for the Question Forum (chat room) that supports the WebCasts for the Landing to Launch series, that you need to register for the supporting chats? We have a chat coming up with Jenny Lyons this coming Wednesday, and at this point no one is registered. Are we having these chats too frequently? Can you help us to understand why, given Jenny's background there is no one planning the join that chat? See schedule below. Do join us for these events, Linda Conrad UPCOMING EVENTS
Please be sure to visit each site before the scheduled time. Usually these events require pre-registration and some include preparation. Remember you can get help if you've never chatted online before. Join your chat host, Oran Cox during one of his weekly practice sessions. http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/qchats/practice/ Wednesday, November 3, 1999 10-11a.m. PST(1-2p.m.EST, 6-7p.m. GMT) QuestChat with Jenny Lyons Jenny follows the Space Shuttle Orbiter Discovery through all of its ground testing and check out procedures. She also directs all the people, vehicles and activities on the runway after the Orbiter lands. See Jenny's profile at: http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/space/team/lyons.html This is a part of the Landing to Launch Series. To register and see the whole schedule go to: http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/space/events/ksc99 Wednesday, November 10, 1999 10-11a.m.PST(1-2p.m.EST, 6-7p.m. GMT) QuestChat with Doug Lyons Doug is responsible for ensuring procedures and schedules are followed to produce a safe and successful shuttle launch. See Doug's profile at: http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/space/team/dlyons.html This is a part of the Landing to Launch Series. To register and see the whole schedule go to: http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/space/events/ksc99 Wednesday, November 17, 1999: 1p.m. PST (4pm EST, 8pm GMT) QuestChat with STO and Women of NASA participant Lisa Shore. See her profile at: http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/space/team/shore.html For more information, see schedule at: http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/common/events.cgi?Shore Thursday, November 18, 1999: 10:00 a.m. PST(1-2p.m.EST, 6-7p.m. GMT) Women of NASA QuestChat with Joyce Dever. See her profile at: http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/women/bios/jd.html Joyce will chat about STS-103, scheduled to launch December 2, 1999. For more information see the schedule at: http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/common/events.cgi?Dever Thursday, November 18, 1999 11-12noon PDT(2-3p.m.EDT, 7-8p.m. GMT) QuestChat with Steven Daugherty Steven leads a group of designers working on the integrated active thermal control (ATC) system for the International Space Station (ISS). See his profile at: http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/space/team/daugherty.html For more information see the schedule at: http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/space/events/iss99/ To see a complete listing of NASA Quest's offerings, see the schedule of events at: http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/common/events SURVEY FEEDBACK - ALL ABOUT THE SHUTTLES I will continue to respond to notes received in response to our survey's: What needs were not met that you would like to see addressed in the future? *Short description of all the Shuttle flights with mission details. Perhaps you have not yet seen the page devoted to launches: http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/ltc/sto/launch More information may be had by following the links at KSC's Upcoming Shuttle Launches page: http://www-pao.ksc.nasa.gov/kscpao/schedule/schedule.htm *More about the other shuttles There was another question asking why we focus on Columbia and do not cover the status of the other shuttles. This is a good issue to deal with right now. Columbia is in California undergoing a major overhaul while three orbiters are in the Orbiter Processing Facility. This week you'll see below the status of Endeavour, Discovery and Atlantis as they are being prepared for their respective missions. The short answer to the focus on Columbia is that, being the oldest, it is a favorite. The reason we don't include all of the orbiters in each report is that, not only would that make for a very long Updates each week, but it's already being done well online. We typically have the link posted each week so you can visit the site from which I get my information: http://www-pao.ksc.nasa.gov/kscpao/status/stsstat/1999/months.htm [Editor's note: Since writing his bio, Tim has been promoted to simulation supervisor. His job has changed from working directly with the crews to oversee the simulations to ensure that crews and flight control teams are well prepared for spaceflight. Here he helps us understand by laying out the organization and responsibilities involved in training. ] SPACEFLIGHT TRAINING IN A NUTSHELL by Tim Terry http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/space/team/terry.html October 31, 1999 In Spaceflight Training and Facility Operations, we train the crew and the flight controllers. The following is a brief overview. Simulations involving the flight crew and the flight controllers are called Integrated Simulations. The crew works in the cockpit simulator and the Shuttle/Station/Payload data generated by the simulation is routed to the Mission Control Center (MCC) for the flight control teams. The flight controllers see the data on their MCC workstations, just as they would do during flight. The flight controllers must react to the data as they would during the actual mission. This training concentrates on both systems expertise and the communication and coordination between the flight controllers on the ground and the crew in space. During these simulations, two or three teams of instructors are involved. I'll describe the team's leader and team responsibilities: Team Lead -- leads a team of instructors (usually four to seven people) who work in a room near the Shuttle Mission Simulator (SMS). The SMS team monitors the crew's actions and introduces the Shuttle malfunctions during a given scenario. Simulation Supervisor -- leads a team of instructors (usually five to seven people) who work in the Simulation Control Area (SCA) within the Mission Control Center. The SCA team generates the scenarios, works with the SMS team to make sure the scenarios are introduced correctly, and monitors the Shuttle flight control team's decisions and actions. Station Training Lead (simulations involving the Space Station) -- leads a team of instructors (not sure of the number, but larger than the other teams) who work in an Instructor Station near the Space Station Training Facility (SSTF). The SSTF team generates the scenarios and monitors both the crew and Space Station fight controller actions and introduces the Space Station malfunctions during a given scenario. The Team Lead, Simulation Supervisor, and Station Training Lead all communicate over voice loops during the simulation. That communication helps ensure that we're all aware of the situations and keeps the teams focused on the overall objectives. The Simulation Supervisor (Sim Sup) and Station Training Lead (STL) share the overall responsibility for the success of the Integrated Simulation when the Space Station is involved. We also have simulations involving international partners such as the Russian Space Agency, the European Space Agency, and many other customers, both in the U.S. and abroad. As you can see, the scale of these simulations can be quite large and expensive. Since my bio, I have moved from the Team Lead position to that of Simulation Supervisor. Although I miss working directly with the crews, it's a great challenge to steer the course of these simulations and ensure that the crews and flight control teams are well prepared for spaceflight. [Editor's note: Melvin builds trainers or mock-ups that are used to train astronauts. The parts he builds are used to practice in constructing the International Space Station.] U. S. LAB TRAINER READY TO GO
by Melvin Crocker http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/space/team/crocker.html October 27, 1999 Interviewer: Lori Keith Since the last time I wrote, I've built several trainers, including the Z-1 Truss. The last trainer I built was of the U.S. Lab. It is 27 feet long and 175 inches in diameter. I just finished my Quality Assurance Division class (QAD), which allows me to do inspection work in the fabrication shop. Everything must be inspected to ensure that all tolerances are met and are within guidelines, as stated in the blueprints. In December, it looks like I will be taking a three-day welding class. This class will help me to further my knowledge in different welding applications as they apply to different materials. Welding, in a way, can be considered an art form. I will begin working on the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module for ISS Assembly Flight 5A.1, which is also STS-102, soon. This trainer is built like the others, using the same materials -- one-inch diameter/.030 wall thickness aluminum tubing. This is comparative in size to the diameter of a quarter. The wall thickness is comparative to the thickness of a credit card, maybe even a bit thinner. The boys and I have been busy with baseball and football. Josh is playing both, and Justin just finished up with baseball for the season. Of course, both are staying busy with schoolwork. STATUS OF ORBITER PROCESSING - IN THE ORBITER PROCESSING FACILITY Typically this area is devoted to processing of the Columbia Orbiter. At this time Columbia is in California and, in keeping with our Landing to Launch sequence scheduled for November 17, below you will find that as of this morning, three orbiters were in OPF simultaneously: Orbiter Processing Facility - Bay 1 *Discovery: preparing for STS-103 - Hubble Servicing Mission - Scheduled to move to the Vehicle Assembly Building today. This move was postponed due to unplanned work to repair a temperature sensor on Discovery's No. 2 nitrogen tank, in the orbiter's midbody. Hopefully it will move this evening, November 1, 1999. Recently completed wiring inspections revealed 57 incidents of exposed conductors. These damaged areas have been repaired and wiring protection methods have been implemented. Retests of Discovery's repaired and protected wiring will continue through the vertical processing flow. Several standard prelaunch tests will accommodate necessary functional and redundancy checks of the wiring. Once the orbiter, external tank and booster mating operations are complete, Space Shuttle Discovery will roll out to Launch Pad 39B. Rollout to the pad is currently slated for Sunday, Nov. 7. Orbiter Processing Facility - Bay 2 * Endeavour: preparing for STS-99 - Shuttle Radar Topography Mission Target Launch date: January 13, 2000 Endeavour's wiring inspections, repair and protection installation continue. The orbiter payload premate test was completed Thursday. Tests on the auxiliary power unit wiring are in progress, as are Shuttle main engine controller verifications. Work on Endeavour's nose and main landing gear continues. Orbiter Processing Facility - Bay 3 * Atlantis: preparing for STS-101 - 3rd ISS flight Shuttle managers announced Friday that the launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis on mission STS-101 will occur no earlier than March 16. The wiring inspections and repair efforts that remaining on the orbiter, along with the unplanned replacement of the ammonia boiler will require time to accommodate the Shuttle's processing needs. Inspections of Atlantis' ammonia boiler this week revealed corrosion, which lead to the replacement decision. Evaluation of the orbiter's damaged elevons continues. The damaged parts will be replaced over the next several days with no additional impact to the schedule. Installation of the right hand orbital maneuvering system pod occurs this week.
SUBSCRIBING & UNSUBSCRIBING: HOW TO DO IT!
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