STS-125 Hubble Repair Mission (Atlantis) [May 2009?]

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rocketwatcher2001

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<p><BR/>Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>&nbsp;BTW: when are you moving your airplane to DunnAirpark? <br />Posted by shuttle_guy</DIV><br /><br />It will be after I get it painted, but first I still have to blast it, and that's why I need my buddy's hanger, he's got a big compressor, and I've already built my monster blasting/painting booth in it.&nbsp; The booth is 16 feet long, 8 feet wide, and 7 feet 8 inches tall, with airtight walls and cieling, and a lanolium floor and a nice floor drain.&nbsp; I've been stripping it chemically and catching the stripped paint in a mesh bag for easy clean up.&nbsp; </p><p>I'm please with how it is working, but it's happening very slowly.</p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>
 
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Testing

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Aviation week says that the spare SIC&DH box goes to vibration screening next week at Goddard followed by a 28 day thermal vacuum test leaving about a month of padding to meet the April 8 deadline to get it to KSC. The start up problem with the A side has gone away and the people at Goddard are confident that it is acceptable to fly.<br /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>
 
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shuttle_guy

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<p><BR/>Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>Aviation week says that the spare SIC&DH box goes to vibration screening next week at Goddard followed by a 28 day thermal vacuum test leaving about a month of padding to meet the April 8 deadline to get it to KSC. The start up problem with the A side has gone away and the people at Goddard are confident that it is acceptable to fly. <br />Posted by Testing</DIV></p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Great news, thanks<br /></p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>
 
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shuttle_guy

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<p>The opening of the launch window for May 12th is 1311 hrs EDT. The window is approx 1 hr. long.</p><p>This T-0 time will change if the launch moves to around May 26th This 2 week shift is necessary if the same pad will be used for the Hubble repair&nbsp;launch as well as the potential&nbsp;rescue launch.</p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>
 
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MeteorWayne

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Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>The opening of the launch window for May 12th is 1311 hrs EDT. The window is approx 1 hr. long.This T-0 time will change if the launch moves to around May 26th This 2 week shift is necessary if the same pad will be used for the Hubble repair&nbsp;launch as well as the potential&nbsp;rescue launch. <br />Posted by shuttle_guy</DIV><br /><br />Great to hear good news on all fronts. This is a tough mission, which will provide so much science when sucessful. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#000080"><em><font color="#000000">But the Krell forgot one thing John. Monsters. Monsters from the Id.</font></em> </font></p><p><font color="#000080">I really, really, really, really miss the "first unread post" function</font><font color="#000080"> </font></p> </div>
 
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MeteorWayne

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<p>The flight spare Science Instrument/Command & Data Handling (SI/C&DH) unit is currently completing ground tests at NASA&rsquo;s Goddard Space Flight Center. A thorough environmental testing program, comprised of electromagnetic interference/electromagnetic compatibility (EMI/EMC), vibration, and thermal vacuum testing was initiated in mid-December for the SI/C&DH. The unit has successfully completed EMI/EMC and vibration testing late last week. The flight spare is ready for a month-long thermal vacuum test. <br /><br />A final set of tests on the SI/C&DH will be conducted using an electrical replica of Hubble called the Vehicle Electrical System Test (VEST) facility to ensure total compatibility with Hubble&rsquo;s space and ground systems prior to shipment to KSC in early April. According to HST program manager Preston Burch, the current SI/C&DH test schedule contains more than one month of schedule reserve, which gives high confidence that the SM4 flight hardware will be ready for the planned May 12 launch.<br /><br />The six replacement batteries to be installed during SM4 remain in cold storage at Goddard and will be shipped to KSC in late March, where they will undergo final testing and charging before installation into the payload bay of the space shuttle Atlantis. <br /><br />All other SM4 flight hardware remains in a cleanroom at the Kennedy Space Center, awaiting the arrival of the SI/C&DH unit and batteries. Preparations remain on track to launch the Hubble Space Telescope Servicing Mission 4 (SM4) on May 12. <br /><br /><br /><img src="http://sitelife.space.com/ver1.0/Content/images/store/3/0/5375b5f0-5705-43b6-90d7-4b83fd787572.Medium.jpg" alt="" /></p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#000080"><em><font color="#000000">But the Krell forgot one thing John. Monsters. Monsters from the Id.</font></em> </font></p><p><font color="#000080">I really, really, really, really miss the "first unread post" function</font><font color="#000080"> </font></p> </div>
 
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montmein69

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<p><BR/>Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>The opening of the launch window for May 12th is 1311 hrs EDT. The window is approx 1 hr. long.This T-0 time will change if the launch moves to around May 26th This 2 week shift is necessary if the same pad will be used for the Hubble repair&nbsp;launch as well as the potential&nbsp;rescue launch. <br /> Posted by shuttle_guy</DIV></p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Are there other new technical strains if the "single pad" option is choosen (as the delay between the STS 125 launch and the potential rescue launch must be very short) ?</p><p>It seems that keeping the Ares 1-X launch date is the priority ? And as a result the deadline to modify the 39-B pad -and unable a shuttle launch- can't be moved ?</p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>
 
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silylene

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<p><BR/>Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>Assuming this article from Discover is correct, it is possible that servicing mission could be cancelled. It seems the the collision between Iridium 33 and Kosmos-2251 may have put the odds of a debris impact at 1 to 185, below the 1 to 200 'boundary'.http://blogs.discovery.com/news_space/2009/02/debris-field-danger-could-nix-hubble-fix.html <br />Posted by emerrill</DIV><br /><br />And another article.&nbsp; Sorry, I couldn't log on earlier to post this:</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><br />http://blog.wired.com/wiredscience/2009/02...hubblegone.html<br /><br /><span style="font-size:14pt;line-height:100%"><strong>Oh, Hubble, Can This Really Be the End?</strong></span><br />By Alexis Madrigal February 18, 2009 | 1:06:55 PMCategories: Space <br /><br /><br /><strong>The spectacular collision between two satellites on Feb. 10 could make the shuttle mission to fix the Hubble Space Telescope too risky to attempt. </strong><br /><br />Before the collision, space junk problems had already upped the Hubble mission's risk of a "catastrophic impact" beyond NASA's usual limits, Nature's Geoff Brumfiel reported today, and now the problem will be worse. <br /><br />Mark Matney, an orbital debris specialist at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas told the publication that <strong>even before the collision, the risk of an impact was 1 in 185, which was "uncomfortably close to unacceptable levels" and the satellite collision "is only going to add on to that." </strong><br /><br />Matney said that it could be one or two weeks before NASA knows if the mission will go ahead. If it does, the shuttle Atlantis is expected to reach the telescope in mid-May. <br /><br />The Hubble experienced a major malfunction of a scientific data router back in September, mere weeks before a mission intended to service it was scheduled to fly. A backup system was switched on and the Shuttle mission was postponed so that a spare part could be tested and flown up. Now, however, that backup system could be all that the Hubble's got. If it fails, the telescope's brilliant run could be over. <br /><br />NASA spokeswoman, Beth Dickey, would not specifically comment on whether or not the collision had created elevated risk for the Hubble repair mission.<br /><br />"What we've told everyone is that there is an elevated risk to virtually any satellite in low-earth orbit," Dickey said. "As far as NASA's assets are concerned, that risk is considered to be very small. I have not seen or heard anything that would lead me to think differently."<br /><br />Dickey noted, however, that the mission would receive a full check out in the weeks between now and the scheduled launch. <br /><br />"From a standpoint of space operations and the space shuttle program, NASA is going to treat the Hubble mission like any other Shuttle flight," Dickey said. "It's going to get a thorough risk assessment as time passes. The readiness for flight will be determined as we get closer to the [launch] date."<br /><br />The Hubble mission has experienced its share of ups and downs. In 1990, weeks after it launched, astronomers discovered a major error in the scope's optics and pronounced it stillborn. A heroic engineering effort fixed the problem and led to a string of discoveries based on some of the most-beautiful, highest-resolution images of space ever seen. Hubble, initially deemed a failure, has turned into one of the most successful NASA missions in the post-Apollo age.</p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p align="center"><font size="1">petet = <font color="#800000"><strong>silylene</strong></font></font></p><p align="center"><font size="1">Please, please give me my handle back !</font></p> </div>
 
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earth_bound_misfit

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Just great <img src="http://sitelife.space.com/ver1.0/content/scripts/tinymce/plugins/emotions/images/smiley-frown.gif" border="0" alt="Frown" title="Frown" /> Soon we (humans) wouldn't be able to leave this Planet even if we wanted to, or had the means. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p> </p><p> </p><p>----------------------------------------------------------------- </p><p>Wanna see this site looking like the old SDC uplink?</p><p>Go here to see how: <strong>SDC Eye saver </strong>  </p> </div>
 
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MeteorWayne

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<p><BR/>Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>Just great Soon we (humans) wouldn't be able to leave this Planet even if we wanted to, or had the means. <br />Posted by earth_bound_misfit</DIV><br /><br />Today's update on the collision debris from speceweather.com:</p><p>"The Kosmos debris ranges in altitude from 260 to 1450 km, so some of the pieces now reach lower than the orbit of the ISS," points out Deak. "For the Iridium debris, the fragments are confined to orbits between 687 and 1127 km."</p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#000080"><em><font color="#000000">But the Krell forgot one thing John. Monsters. Monsters from the Id.</font></em> </font></p><p><font color="#000080">I really, really, really, really miss the "first unread post" function</font><font color="#000080"> </font></p> </div>
 
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silylene

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<p><BR/>Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>Today's update on the collision debris from speceweather.com:"The Kosmos debris ranges in altitude from 260 to 1450 km, so some of the pieces now reach lower than the orbit of the ISS," points out Deak. "For the Iridium debris, the fragments are confined to orbits between 687 and 1127 km." <br />Posted by MeteorWayne</DIV><br /><br />Youch!</p><p>I guess my list that I posted originally of 150 operational satellites at the about same altitude was overly conservative.</p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p align="center"><font size="1">petet = <font color="#800000"><strong>silylene</strong></font></font></p><p align="center"><font size="1">Please, please give me my handle back !</font></p> </div>
 
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MeteorWayne

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The first week of March was a busy and productive one for the Hubble Program. Hubble engineers from the Goddard Space Flight Center have been participating in the next-to-last spacewalking training activity at the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL) at Johnson Space Center in Houston. During this underwater training, astronauts and engineers fine-tune and practice procedures for the upcoming servicing mission scheduled to launch on May 12th.

At NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., environmental testing of the replacement Science Instrument Command and Data Handling Unit (SI C&DH) continues to go well as the unit enters into its final vibration and thermal vacuum tests. The replacement SI C&DH will be shipped to the Kennedy Space Center in early April where it will be loaded on board Atlantis along with the entire servicing mission payload. Engineers from Goddard also participated in a final review of the flight procedure changes that were made as a result of adding the SI C&DH to the manifest. Spacewalking astronaut Michael Good uses an underwater version of the Pistol Grip Tool during this week's NBL activity to practice opening Hubble's aft shroud doors. Image Credit: NASA/Chris Gunn > View larger image
 
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emerrill

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Has anybody heard more rumblings about single vs dual pad?

Thanks
 
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astronaut23

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So they are still going through with this mission I hope? It'd be nice to see 1 more non-ISS flight before the things are retired.
 
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emerrill

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astronaut23":10jde8cf said:
So they are still going through with this mission I hope? It'd be nice to see 1 more non-ISS flight before the things are retired.

There is no doubt that it is still going (unless something happens between now and launch that would delay/stop it). Atlantis rolls out to the pad for the mission on Tuesday
http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2009/ma ... llout.html

The only thing I havent heard yet is if there has been a decision single vs dual pad ops (if it's dual, then it would delay ~2 weeks from the current may 12 date, if my understanding is correct).
 
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astronaut23

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I was under the impression that they were worrying about space debris and possibly shutting down the whole mission.
 
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MeteorWayne

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Considering what a disaster monger you are, I'm surprised you are supporting this most risky of all missions.
 
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astronaut23

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What do you mean by that? I'm a supporter of manned flight in general. I wished we were doing more risky things in space like going to the moon.

And I'd definitely jump on board Soyuz and take off in a heartbeat. The thing has show ability to survive on re-entry even when things aren't normal. I believe once they even came in with the service module attached it eventually came off and the capsule got oriented back in the right direction before the hatch was burned through. They also have had a manned test of the launch escape system in which it lifted the crew to saftey. So they have show they can survive emergencies with Soyuz. I'd say its durable. It can take a bigger beating than Shuttle and survive.

I'd still fly up on Shuttle and land on Shuttle too. I'd just like to go period. But I do believe Soyuz is safer. I believe the track record proves it and I'm saying that as an American.
 
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MeteorWayne

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What I mean is that the Hubble repair mission if far riskier than any ISS flight. First, the rescue capability is no better than the original launch. Second, the risk of a serious impact from orbital debris is much higher on the Hubble mission. It's a testament to the value of the mission that the astronauts are willing to make the trip considering the higher MMOID risk.
 
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astronaut23

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If NASA had been using the boom sensor sytem pre-Columbia what could they have done to save the crew? They had no chance of getting to ISS did they? It didn't even have a docking adapter did it?
 
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Zipi

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astronaut23":2cfcw1cs said:
If NASA had been using the boom sensor sytem pre-Columbia what could they have done to save the crew? They had no chance of getting to ISS did they? It didn't even have a docking adapter did it?

If you are talking about Hubble missions, there are no way for the shuttle to seek a safe from the ISS. The orbits are too far from each other. Hubble's orbit is at the outer limit of space shuttle's capatibility and it don't have enough fuel to change it's orbit to match with the ISS.

But what comes to saving the crew at Hubble mission if the orbiter is damaged beoynd repair it is possible if an another shuttle is ready for the launch. See Columbia disaster from Wikipedia there are "Possible emergency procedures" chapter in the middle of the article:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Shut ... a_disaster

Columbia crew could have been saved even it's mission was not to visit ISS. If the damage would have been noticed Nasa could have launched Atlantis for a rescue mission since it was that far in the processing. See more from the Wikipedia article above.
 
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tronchaser

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Each time a rocket/Shuttle Vehicle goes away for the pad there is risk that the vehicle will be damaged. There risk that lightning will affect the vehicle performance in flight. We at NASA accept these risk to persue space flight. The thought of space flight is so complex and convoluted, there is no way one single person can come up with a successful solution for all situations. That is way hine-site is 20-20. As long one can learn from one and others mistakes. I believe that space flight is a continually evolving event. In building a spacecraft comes down to mass/thrust ratios and gravity. For a given vehicle, more thrust the vehicle's motors/engines can deliver more payload the vehicle can deliver. For the size of Soyuze, the vehicle can not deliver the size and weight of the payload package compared to the Shuttle Vehicle System. Soyuze is a good vehicle for what it is designed for.

So far, there is no word on using a single pad for STS-125/STS-400 launches. The probability of a rescue mission being delayed is less when we use both Pads, if a rescue mission is needed. There is no telling what may happen. Will have to repair something on Pad A? I am quite encouraged that the STS-125 mission will be successful and the astronaunts will return home safely. Fairwinds...
 
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MeteorWayne

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The spare Science Instrument /Command and Data Handling (SI/C&DH) module, slated for installation on the Hubble Space Telescope during Servicing Mission 4 in May, arrived safely at Kennedy Space Center on March 30 aboard a specially outfitted truck.

Over the next few weeks, Hubble engineers will check out the new payload before integrating it onto the Multi-Use Logistics Equipment (MULE) Carrier. Astronauts will install the replacement SI/C&DH during their 11-day mission to Hubble aboard the Space Shuttle Atlantis, which is currently scheduled to lift off May 12.

The SI/C&DH works with Hubble’s Data Management Unit (DMU) to send instructions to Hubble’s science instruments, and to process and format science and engineering data from the science instruments for temporary storage on the telescope’s digital recorders for subsequent transmission to the ground.
 
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