STS-127 Prelaunch Thread,July 11 7:39 PM EDT

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MeteorWayne

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Since we only had a topic about the launch window, figured I'd start this one for activities prior to launch.

NASA Gives 'Go' for June 13 Launch of Space Shuttle Endeavour CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA managers completed a review Wednesday of space shuttle Endeavour's readiness for flight and selected June 13 as the official launch date for the STS-127 mission to the International Space Station. Commander Mark Polansky and his six crewmates are scheduled to lift off at 7:17 a.m. EDT from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Endeavour's launch date was announced following a daylong Flight Readiness Review at Kennedy. During the meeting, top NASA and contractor managers assessed the risks associated with the mission and determined the shuttle's equipment, support systems and procedures are ready for flight.

The 16-day mission will feature five spacewalks and complete construction of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Kibo laboratory. Astronauts will attach a platform to the outside of the Japanese module that will allow experiments to be exposed to space.

The STS-127 crew members are Polansky, Pilot Doug Hurley and Mission Specialists Dave Wolf, Christopher Cassidy, Tom Marshburn, Tim Kopra and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Julie Payette. Kopra will join the space station crew and replace Japanese astronaut Koichi Wakata. Wakata will return to Earth on Endeavour to conclude a three-month stay at the station.

Polansky, who has a Twitter account named Astro_127, can be followed online at:


http://www.twitter.com/Astro_127
 
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MeteorWayne

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Re: STS-127 Pre Launch Thread -- June 13

Mission STS-127 is the 32nd flight dedicated to station construction, and the final of a series of three flights dedicated to the assembly of the Japanese Kibo laboratory complex.The STS-127 payload is the Kibo Japanese Experiment Module Exposed Facility and Experiment Logistics Module Exposed Section.


SPACE SHUTTLE ENDEAVOUR (STS-127)
Endeavour's flight will deliver the final components of the Japan Aerospace Exploration
Agency's (JAXA) Kibo laboratory to the International Space Station. The 16-day mission will
include five spacewalks and the installation of two platforms outside of the Japanese module.
One platform is permanent and will serve as a type of porch for experiments that require direct
exposure to space. The other is an experiment storage palette that will be detached and returned
with the shuttle. During the mission, Kibo's robotic arm will exchange three experiments
from the palette to the platform. Future experiments also can be transfer to the platform from
the inside using the laboratory’s airlock. Endeavour also will deliver a new crew member and
bring back another after more than three months aboard the station.

Patch description from the crew: Bathed in sunlight, the blue Earth is
represented without boundaries to remind us that we all share this
world. In the center, the golden flight path of the space shuttle turns into
the three distinctive rays of the astronaut symbol culminating in the starlike
emblem characteristic of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency,
yet soaring further into space as it paves the way for future voyages
and discoveries for all humankind.
 
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roocnu

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Re: STS-127 Pre Launch Thread -- June 13

Apparently there's rust on two of the SSME nozzles.
http://tinyurl.com/pdz2a8
Is this something that comes up from time to time, or this a concern? They mention in the article that it might be a "launch schedule impact" event.

Katrina
 
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yoghurt

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Re: STS-127 Pre Launch Thread -- June 13

This is a very interesting news. I just hope this will be successful when it happens. I always like to read about the new discoveries in outer space.
 
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MeteorWayne

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Re: STS-127 Pre Launch Thread -- June 13

Early weather forecast for the weekend looks very good with 80% chance of acceptable conditions for Saturday morning's 7:17 AM EDT launch as well as for a 24 hour and 48 hour delay. Those launch times would be 6:51 AM, and 6:29 AM respectively.

The ISS crew is heading to bed for an early morning (EDT) spacewalk tomorrow. NASA TV coverage begins at 2:15 AM EDT (0615 UT/GMT)

There is a Countdown Status Briefing (CSB) for STS-127 at 10 AM EDT tomorrow, about an hour after the countdown clock is started.
 
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MeteorWayne

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Re: STS-127 Pre Launch Thread -- June 13

Preparations to begin the STS-127 launch countdown are proceeding on schedule as NASA prepares for liftoff of space shuttle Endeavour on Saturday, June 13, at 7:17 a.m. EDT.

"I have no issues to report," said NASA Test Director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson during a prelaunch status briefing from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Tuesday. "The STS-127 flight crew, Endeavour and the launch team are all ready to proceed with their launch countdown call-to-stations tomorrow."

The seven STS-127 crew members arrived at Kennedy's Shuttle Landing Facility at 11:53 p.m. Monday. The countdown will begin Wednesday at 9 a.m. as clocks begin counting down from T-43 hours.
 
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emerrill

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Re: STS-127 Pre Launch Thread -- June 13

roocnu":3inq39i6 said:
Apparently there's rust on two of the SSME nozzles.
http://tinyurl.com/pdz2a8
Is this something that comes up from time to time, or this a concern? They mention in the article that it might be a "launch schedule impact" event.

Katrina


They cleaned the rust and inspected the area with a microscope. Pressure testing was done on the nozzle tubing and passed. This issue has been cleared.
 
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MeteorWayne

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Re: STS-127 Pre Launch Thread -- June 13

Thanx for that update emerril, I was curious as to the resolution

L-3 CSB just completed.

This is the 127th shuttle flight (The flight number and designation are finally sync'd up again :) )
23rd Endeavor flight, 29th ISS assembly flight

(All Times EDT...= UT/GMT-4h)
ET tank fill will begin just before 10 PM Friday.

Launch window opens just after 7:12 AM Saturday with nominal launch toime just after 7:17 AM.
16 day mission, with 2 weather contingency days.

Scheduled landing in June 29 at 18 minutes after midnight.

Weather tooks very good. 90% Go Saturday with 2 good CONUS sites, and 3 good TAL sites

Sunday 80% go at KSC, NOR good, Edwards chance of showers. 1 Good TAL site (Istrus), showers and TRW at the other 2

Monday 80% Go at KSC, 2 Good CONUS sites, TAL sites still as Sunday.

So the coundown clock has started, and all looks good for Saturday morning!
 
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rocketscientist327

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Re: STS-127 Pre Launch Thread -- June 13

Such an exciting time for the STS right now... Missions back to back like this remind me of the 90s when this would occasionally happen.

I am just taking this all in... the golden years...

VR
RS327
 
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MarkStanaway

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Re: STS-127 Pre Launch Thread -- June 13

Does anyone have the projected time that the shuttle will rendezvous with the ISS if it launches as scheduled?

We have a great viewing opportunity down here in South Western Australia of the ISS at 6:21 PM WST Monday June 15 (Local time) some 47 hr 56 min after liftoff I was thinking that we might catch a glimpse of the two flying in formation at that moment but I can't find the exact rendezvous time on the NASA website. The weather looks like it will co-operate with a fine cold night with clear skies forecast.
 
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bushuser

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Re: STS-127 Pre Launch Thread -- June 13

This is in eastern daylight time. Docking would be 7:51 GMT Monday.

Looks like they will already have docked at the time you will be looking. Undocking will be at 00:11 GMT Saturday June 27---maybe some viewing opportunity for Australia that weekend!

06/15
Mon 01:13 AM...01...17...56...TI burn
Mon 02:27 AM...01...19...10...Approach timeline begins
Mon 02:52 AM...01...19...35...Rendezvous pitch maneuver
Mon 03:51 AM...01...20...34...DOCKING
 
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MeteorWayne

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Re: STS-127 Pre Launch Thread -- June 13

Today's L-2 News conference continued good news.

No flight issues being worked, in fact there was so little to discuss they brought up some minor issues to be worked on for upcoming flights.

Now both Launch day (Saturday) and 24 hour delay (Sunday) weather are 90% go at KSC.

48 hour delay (which would most likely not be considered anyway, since it's been a long work period to get to here, and they generally don't consider launch attempts 3 days in a row) would possibly have some problems with a front crossing all 3 TAL sites. 80% go at KSC though...
 
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MarkStanaway

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Re: STS-127 Pre Launch Thread -- June 13

Thanks for that bushuser.
It looks might we might miss it by about two hours. However there is usually some flexibility in these timings so we may see something yet. We are exactly 12 hours ahead of Cape time so I will work on those timings. You quoted GMT. Is that the same as eastern daylight time?
Thanks
Mark
 
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MeteorWayne

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Re: STS-127 Pre Launch Thread -- June 13

The bottom of the post was EDT, that is 4 hours behind GMT.

So the docking would be 7:51 AM GMT (or UT as I prefer :) )
 
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halman

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Re: STS-127 Pre Launch Thread -- June 13

rocketscientist327":2oky9yqj said:
Such an exciting time for the STS right now... Missions back to back like this remind me of the 90s when this would occasionally happen.

I am just taking this all in... the golden years...

VR
RS327

These ARE the Good Old Days.
 
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MeteorWayne

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Re: STS-127 Pre Launch Thread -- June 13

The Rotating Service Structure has been retracted; tanking is scheduled to begin at 9:52 PM this evening (EDT)
 
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scottb50

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Re: STS-127 Pre Launch Thread -- June 13

MeteorWayne":3pg8hyyv said:
The Rotating Service Structure has been retracted; tanking is scheduled to begin at 9:52 PM this evening (EDT)


CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – NASA officials have canceled a planned Saturday launch of Space Shuttle Endeavour due to hydrogen leak.

The problem is similar to one the space agency faced in March during the launch countdown of Discovery.

The leak was discovered while the space shuttle was being fueled.

The astronauts had not yet suited up for the planned morning launch.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090613/ap_ ... shuttle_16

Maybe Sunday.
 
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bobble_bob

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Re: STS-127 Pre Launch Thread -- June 13

The gaseous hydrogen umbilical plate that leaked on STS119 and was fixed, is it the same plate used for tanking on this mission, or do they use a different one?
 
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MeteorWayne

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Re: STS-127 Pre Launch Thread -- June 13 ppd

Just to recap for thos just waking up; a hydrogen leak occurred as the hydrogen topped off and the vent cycling began exactly the same as the March shuttle launch.

Thay are draining, and will safe the vehicle, then work on a fix plan. SInce this is a reoccuence of the same problem, they will probably have to work harder to find the root cause. Earliest turnaround would be June 17th, but of course LRO/LCROSS is sceduled for the range that day. They will negotiate with the Atlas team on that but it seems unlikely that they will take that day from LRO. That would cause substantian downstream issues for LRO, since it only has a 4 day window then has to wait 2 weeks, and there are more launches on the range that ate backed up behind it.

This would leave only June 20, next Saturday for the shuttle launch attempt; after that due to power and thermal issues they have to wait until July 11th.

There tentatively will be a more detailed news conference tomorrow with the plan of action.

MW
 
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bobble_bob

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Re: STS-127 Pre Launch Thread -- June 13 ppd

Strange how the leak issue has only just appeared on the last few countdowns.

Its like the ECO sensors all over again :(
 
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MeteorWayne

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Re: STS-127 Pre Launch Thread -- June 13 ppd

Yeah, they never did get to a root cause the last time, they just replaced the seal, torqued it down, and it worked.

They mentione in the briefing that one problem is they no longer have a test fixture they used to use.

Something has changed for sure.
 
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3488

Guest
Re: STS-127 Pre Launch Thread -- June 13 ppd

A great shame that STS 127 Endeavour is delayed. Hopefully it is only a sensor problem.

NASA cannot be seen to be cavalier particularly with the post Challenger / Columbia findings, so it is right they scrubbed & that STS 127 Endeavour is temporarily delayed (NOT cancelled as some misleading articles else where have said).

IMHO it is correct that LRO / LCROSS takes priority at this time, that all vitally important scientific mission to the Moon must get underway.

But I am very sure though that STS 127 Endeavour will be a huge success when she does launch.

Andrew Brown.
 
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MeteorWayne

Guest
Re: STS-127 Pre Launch Thread -- June 13 ppd

No, Andrew, unfortunately it's not likely to be a sensor issue. It appears to be a reoccurence of the same leak that occurred on the last ISS flight in March.
 
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bobble_bob

Guest
Re: STS-127 Pre Launch Thread -- June 13 ppd

Do they use a new gaseous hydrogen umbilical plate every launch? If so maybe its a few fault ones, and the reason why replacing it last time fixed it
 
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