STS-132 (ULF4) Post Launch Mission Discussion (Atlantis)

[EarthlingX]

STS-132 MET = 11:14:53:00

Atlantis crew going through the landing preparation procedures, getting ready to close the payload bay doors.
Commander Ken Ham already in his suit and in his seat.
Weather currently 'go', showers from the North expected about an hour after landing.

STS-132 MET = 11:14:57:00
'Go' to close the payload bay doors.

STS-132 MET = 11:15:03:00
Doors closing.

STS-132 MET = 11:15:07:00
Doors are closed, weather closely watched, current orbit 185.

STS-132 MET = 11:15:12:00
'Go' for OPS-3 transition, switch of navigational computers.

STS-132 MET = 11:15:36:00
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/main/index.html

Atlantis' Payload Bay Doors Closed

Wed, 26 May 2010 09:56:36 GMT

At 5:30 a.m. EDT, the crew closed space shuttle Atlantis’ payload bay doors for this morning’s first landing opportunity. Mission Control Entry Flight Director Toni Ceccacci and the flight team will continue to monitor the weather, which is observed “go” but is forecast “no go” because of a slight chance of rain showers within 30 nautical miles of the shuttle’s runway. Ceccacci and his team are expected to make a “go/no go” decision for the deorbit burn at 7:21 a.m. The burn would occur at 7:41 a.m. with landing at 8:48 a.m.

STS-132 MET = 11:15:51:00
T-38 aircraft on the weather reconnaissance flight, flying through the path Shuttle will take on approach.

T-38 Supersonic Trainer Jet Gets New Home

The T-38 taxis past a 747 Shuttle Carrier aircraft at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center. NASA photo by Tony Landis.

STS-132 MET = 11:16:00:00
Crew getting in suits.

STS-132 MET = 11:16:19:00
'Go' for fluid loading.

STS-132 MET = 11:16:26:00
Entering the last orbit. Meteorology update favourable, conditions currently 'go'.

STS-132 MET = 11:16:35:00
Shuttle landing facility, view towards West.

STS-132 MET = 11:16:46:00
Gimbal check performed.
Starting APUs.

STS-132 MET = 11:16:50:00

 

[EarthlingX]

STS-132 MET = 11:16:53:00
(direct link to this post)
'Go' for de-orbit burn.

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shutt ... index.html

Atlantis Given "Go" for Deorbit Burn

Wed, 26 May 2010 11:15:57 GMT

Mission Control has given space shuttle Atlantis a "go" for the deorbit burn. The burn lasts three to four minutes, slowing the space shuttle by more than 200 miles per hour. The deorbit burn will occur at 7:41 a.m. EDT, leading to an 8:48 a.m. landing at NASA's Kennedy Space Center.

The weather forecast has improved and is both observed and forecast "go" for Atlantis' first landing opportunity.

STS-132 MET = 11:17:03:00

STS-132 MET = 11:17:17:00
Convoy on the way to welcome Atlantis.

STS-132 MET = 11:17:21:00
De-orbit burn.

STS-132 MET = 11:17:25:00
Burn finished, Atlantis on the way home.

STS-132 MET = 11:17:27:00
Convoy.

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/main/index.html

Deorbit Burn Complete

Wed, 26 May 2010 11:49:36 GMT

Space shuttle Atlantis has completed the deorbit burn, setting it on a course to return to Kennedy Space Center. The maneuver occurred while Atlantis was about 220 miles above Indonesia. Entry interface, the point at which Atlantis begins entering the Earth's atmosphere, will occur at 8:16 a.m. EDT. The first roll reversal to slow the spacecraft will take place at 8:34 a.m., and Merritt Island radar tracking systems will acquire the shuttle less than a minute later.

Atlantis will cross the Florida Everglades and head north, passing over Lake Okeechobee and triggering dual sonic booms as it slows to subsonic speeds. Commander Ken Ham will align Atlantis with Kennedy's southeast to northwest runway 33. Touchdown is expected at 8:48 a.m.

Ground tracks for the landing are posted at: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shutt ... nding.html

STS-132 MET = 11:17:36:00

 

[MeteorWayne]

Wed, 26 May 2010 07:49:36 AM EDT


Space shuttle Atlantis has completed the deorbit burn, setting it on a course to return to Kennedy Space Center. The maneuver occurred while Atlantis was about 220 miles above Indonesia. Entry interface, the point at which Atlantis begins entering the Earth's atmosphere, will occur at 8:16 a.m. EDT. The first roll reversal to slow the spacecraft will take place at 8:34 a.m., and Merritt Island radar tracking systems will acquire the shuttle less than a minute later.

Atlantis will cross the Florida Everglades and head north, passing over Lake Okeechobee and triggering dual sonic booms as it slows to subsonic speeds. Commander Ken Ham will align Atlantis with Kennedy's southeast to northwest runway 33. Touchdown is expected at 8:48 a.m.

Ground tracks for the landing are posted at: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shutt ... nding.html

 

[EarthlingX]

SDC Atlantis landing&entry team taking over

STS-132 MET = 11:17:46:00

STS-132 MET = 11:17:57:00
Entering atmosphere.

STS-132 MET = 11:18:01:00

( Photobucket Site Maintenance, no more images from me for a while )

STS-132 MET = 11:18:06:00
Landing in 20 min, runway 33.

STS-132 MET = 11:18:09:00
Approaching the coast of Central America, still performing banking manoeuvres.

STS-132 MET = 11:18:11:00
Above Central America.

STS-132 MET = 11:18:14:00
Coming over the West coast of Cuba.

 

[nhoss2]

mind if I add in some images and info?

this was taken at 20 minutes before touchdown
Atlantis was doing a bank maneuver to the left, to bleed off energy, at mach 20

view of runway at 16 minutes before touchdown

10 minutes till touchdown coming into florida

shuttle turning to the right to line up, 3 minutes till touchdown

 

[EarthlingX]

Good job

STS-132 MET = 11:18:16:00
Over Cuba.

STS-132 MET = 11:18:17:00
Coming over Florida.

STS-132 MET = 11:18:18:00

10 min to touchdown, over Florida.

STS-132 MET = 11:18:19:00
Over the Lake Okeechobee

STS-132 MET = 11:18:22:00

68 miles from runway.

Air probes deployed, all ok.

 

[EarthlingX]

Final approach.

 

[EarthlingX]

Touchdown.

 

[EarthlingX]

Wheel stop.

 

[EarthlingX]

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/main/index.html

Atlantis Lands in Florida

Wed, 26 May 2010 12:48:39 GMT

Space shuttle Atlantis descended to a smooth landing at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, concluding the successful STS-132 mission to the International Space Station.

 

[Zipi]

Landing was as beautiful as the weather.

 

[EarthlingX]

I'm still pressing screen shots

nhoss2, nice job with images

 

[EarthlingX]

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/main/index.html

Atlantis Lands in Florida

Wed, 26 May 2010 12:48:39 GMT

Space shuttle Atlantis and six astronauts ended a 12-day journey of more than 4.8 million miles with an 8:48 a.m. EDT landing Wednesday at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

The third of five shuttle missions planned for 2010, this was the last scheduled flight for Atlantis. The mission, designated STS-132, delivered the Russian-built Mini Research Module-1 to the International Space Station. Also known as Rassvet ("dawn" in Russian), the module provides additional storage space and a new docking port for Russian Soyuz and Progress spacecraft.

Ken Ham commanded the flight and was joined by Pilot Tony Antonelli and Mission Specialists Garrett Reisman, Michael Good, Steve Bowen and Piers Sellers.

The mission's three spacewalks focused on replacing and installing components outside the station, including replacing six batteries, installing a communications antenna and adding parts to the Canadian Dextre robotic arm. A welcome ceremony for the astronauts will be held Thursday, May 27, in Houston. The public is invited to attend the 4 p.m. CDT event at Ellington Field's NASA Hangar 990.

All APUs shut down.

 

[nhoss2]

that was awesome to be able to see Atlantis landing for the last time, live (as live as you can get from australia anyway..)

 

[nhoss2]

those APUs were making a really annoying noise, all three of them are now shutdown

 

[EarthlingX]

Replays are coming, from various cameras

 

[EarthlingX]

SDC : Space Shuttle Atlantis Lands Safely After Final Voyage

By Clara Moskowitz
SPACE.com Senior Writer
posted: 26 May 2010
08:48 am ET

This story was updated at 9:20 a.m. EDT.



CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The space shuttle Atlantis sailed back to Earth Wednesday to make a flawless landing in Florida, ending what is expected to be its final trip to space after 25 years of flight.

With two resounding sonic booms, Atlantis announced its arrival just minutes before landing at NASA's Kennedy Space Center with commander Kenneth Ham at the controls. Touchdown occurred at 8:48 a.m. EDT (1248 GMT) to cap the last scheduled mission for Atlantis.

"That was pretty sweet," Mission Control radioed Ham. "For you and your crew, that was a suiting end to an incredible mission."

 

[EarthlingX]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmDYSqjodEQ[/youtube]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMUxWcihwEE[/youtube]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BgM76yQrT8I[/youtube]

 

[EarthlingX]

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/main/index.html (Includes videos, not yet on YouTube.)

STS-132 Commander: Entry and Landing Were 'Smooth as Silk'

Wed, 26 May 2010 20:09:44 GMT

Space shuttle Atlantis and six astronauts ended a journey of more than 4.8 million miles with an 8:48 a.m. EDT landing Wednesday at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The flawless landing wrapped up a highly successful mission to deliver the Russian-built Mini Research Module-1, known as "Rassvet" ("dawn" in Russian), to the International Space Station.

"It was smooth as silk," STS-132 Commander Ken Ham said of Atlantis' entry and landing. "We were clearly riding in the middle of a fireball, and it was spectacular. The windows, all of them, were bright, brilliant orange. One of the neatest things was when we flew right into orbital sunrise."

This was the final scheduled flight for Atlantis, which has logged more than 120 million miles during its 25 years of service. The orbiter will go through standard prelaunch preparations as the "launch-on-need" vehicle for Endeavour's STS-134 mission. That flight currently is targeted for November.

"Atlantis treated us very well. She was just an incredible ship," Mission Specialist Michael Good said, citing the precision of the deorbit burn as an example of Atlantis' performance. "The engines had it trimmed out to within .01 of what the burn was supposed to be."

The all-veteran astronaut crew will head home to Houston on Thursday. The public is invited to attend the welcome ceremony for the crew Thursday at 4 p.m. CDT at Ellington Field's NASA Hangar 276.

"We're thrilled, because we accomplished the mission that was put in front of us," Ham said. He explained that in addition to the technical objectives of the 12-day mission, the astronauts also wanted to enjoy themselves and share their enthusiasm of spaceflight with the world.

"We've been hearing stories about how folks have been having fun and enjoyed watching us have fun, and that's really important to us."

Couple more shorter videos from ReelNASA

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ji-jSN402Qs[/youtube]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mitoR2I7P_o[/youtube]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5Cz7wpidPg[/youtube]

Atlantis was also on JAXA channel, probably others. There are some nice shots, and i can understand at least two more words, but i recognize faces

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qEhpF26wwyA[/youtube]

 

[EarthlingX]

SDC : Space Shuttle Atlantis By the Numbers: A 25-Year Legacy

By Tariq Malik
SPACE.com Managing Editor
posted: 26 May 2010
11:17 am ET



After 25 years and 120 million miles of spaceflight, NASA's space shuttle Atlantis has flown its final planned mission with life as a museum exhibit ahead in its future. But the space plane is leaving an impressive legacy in its wake.

Atlantis returned to Earth Wednesday with a smooth landing at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida that capped a 12-day trek to the International Space Station. NASA is retiring the space shuttles this year, with just two more flights remaining after this one.

"We're going to call it a mission. It was a lot of fun," Atlantis commander Kenneth Ham told Mission Control after landing.

Just hours before landing, the lifetime odometer on Atlantis passed the 120 million-mile (194 million-km) mark after 32 missions – a milestone that awed the shuttle's six-man crew.

Ham said that it was "pretty darn awesome."

http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/images/shuttle/sts-132/html/iss023e051112.html

ISS023-E-051112 (23 May 2010) --- NASA astronaut Ken Ham (left), STS-132 commander; and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Soichi Noguchi, Expedition 23 flight engineer, are pictured on the forward flight deck of space shuttle Atlantis while docked with the International Space Station.

http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/images/shuttle/sts-132/html/sts132-s-090.html

STS132-S-090 (26 May 2010) --- Space shuttle Atlantis' drag chute is deployed as the spacecraft rolls toward wheels stop on Runway 33 at the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Landing was at 8:48 a.m. (EDT) on May 26, 2010, completing the 12-day STS-132 mission to the International Space Station. Main gear touchdown was at 8:48:11 a.m., followed by nose gear touchdown at 8:48:21 a.m. and wheelstop at 8:49:18 a.m. Onboard are NASA astronauts Ken Ham, commander; Tony Antonelli, pilot; Garrett Reisman, Michael Good, Steve Bowen and Piers Sellers, all mission specialists. The six-member STS-132 crew carried the Russian-built Mini Research Module 1 (MRM1) to the orbital complex. STS-132 is the 34th shuttle mission to the station, the 132nd shuttle mission overall and the last planned flight for Atlantis.

SDC : Shuttle Atlantis Could Still Fly One More Mission Before Retiring

By Clara Moskowitz
SPACE.com Senior Writer
posted: 26 May 2010
02:26 pm ET

This story was updated at 3:25 p.m. EDT.



CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The Wednesday landing of NASA's space shuttle Atlantis may have capped a successful mission slated to be the spaceship's last trek to space, but the orbiter's immediate future is not yet set in stone. Debate is still underway to determine whether the shuttle should get one more flight or be sent straight to a museum.

As Atlantis' most recent mission demonstrated, the orbiter is in good shape, NASA shuttle officials said today just after the shuttle landed here at the agency's Kennedy Space Center.

"Not only is this mission fantastic, but the entire life of Atlantis, the folks who built it, all the missions it's flown over its career have been just amazing," shuttle launch integration manager Mike Moses said. "I can't even begin to talk about how proud I am of Atlantis and the whole team that put it together."

The shuttle finished a 12-day mission to the International Space Station to deliver a new Russian room and outfit the station with spare parts for the era after NASA's three-orbiter space shuttle fleet retires.

"She's a great ship and it was a real honor to be on the last flight, if this turns out to be the last flight," Atlantis mission specialist Michael Good said after landing. "Atlantis treated us very well. She was just an incredible ship, she just worked perfectly."

http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/images/shuttle/sts-132/html/s132e008900.html

S132-E-008900 (21 May 2010) --- NASA astronauts Michael Good (foreground) and Garrett Reisman, both STS-132 mission specialists, are surrounded by International Space Station hardware during the flight's final spacewalk. Photo credit: NASA or National Aeronautics and Space Administration

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i4VOUacqDFU[/youtube]

 

[EarthlingX]

http://www.youtube.com/user/NASAKennedy :

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FlGRaYZPBC8[/youtube]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1DiOocDlesE[/youtube]

 

[EarthlingX]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sSO5DDLHnhQ[/youtube]

 

[3488]

Hi everyone,

Need a favour.

For some reason, my computer will not play video, I can get NASA TV through REAL Player, but YouTube, etc will not work.

I would like if possible some screen dumps of the onboard SRB cameras & ET Separation from STS 132 Atlantis launch.

Thank you very much if possible. I hate asking, but cannot think of any way otherwise. I appear to have all of the software, but for some reason, despite a reload, it still does not work.

STS 132 Atlantis will always hold a very special place in my life & the circumstances surrounding watching the launch with shuttle_guy, a real privilidge getting to meet him & hopefully will do so again in the not too distant future.

I will say this, if anybody is considering witnessing a Shuttle launch before the program ends with STS 134 Endeavour, possibly in November, don't consider it any more, prepare your travel & hotel arrangements & just do it. You will not regret it.

Do not forget STS 133 Discovery in September. I am sure that preparations for both missions will go smoothly & delays if any will be weather related, beyond NASA's control.

I would love to see one of the remaining two, though I think they are too soon for me, however I hope to see the Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity launch on an Atlas 5 in November / December 2011.

This was a trip of a life time.

Andrew Brown.

 

[3488]

Thanks to some very kind & unexpected assistance from Zipi, it is now working fine.

Thank you very, very much Zipi.

Andrew Brown.

 

[EarthlingX]

http://www.space-travel.com : Tickling The Feet Of Astronauts

by Staff Writers

Waterloo, Canada (SPX) May 28, 2010

"One small step for mankind" will take on new meaning May 26 when Laurier professor Stephen Perry tickles the feet of astronauts returning from a space shuttle Atlantis mission. The research, designed to measure the influence of space travel on foot sensitivity, will provide important information about the links between hypersensitivity, balance control and the aging process.

During space travel, astronauts often experience the same physical changes that occur over time as people age, but at an accelerated pace. Skin sensitivity usually decreases with age, so when Bent heard evidence that the soles of astronaut's feet were more sensitive instead of less sensitive days after they returned to Earth, she initiated the Hypersole project to investigate. The research team hypothesized that to make up for the lack of vestibular (inner-ear) information while in space, select skin receptors in the soles of astronauts' feet become increasingly sensitive in order to "re-weight" the sensory system.

The Hypersole research team - consisting of Perry, principal investigator Leah Bent from the University of Guelph and four additional University of Guelph researchers - will tickle the soles of three astronauts returning to Earth from NASA's May 14 STS-132 mission.