STS-121 - Space Shuttle Discovery

[Tordal]

Sieht nicht gut aus. Wolken und einige Gewitter sind in der Nähe. Sind zwar alle wieder an Bord, aber ich glaube, dass es wieder abgesagt wird. Auf jeden Fall sind noch einige Conditions aufd "red".

Das befürchte ich auch. Allerdings ist es verständlich das die NASA bei dieser so wichtigen Mission absolut auf Nummer sicher gehen will.
Lieber noch ein paar Tage warten. Ach da fällt mir ein, weiss jemand wieviel Zeit im aktuellen Startfenster noch bleibt? Wenn es denn nicht klappen sollte, wann wäre das nächste?

[STS-Chris]

Das Startfenster erstreckt sich bis 19. Juli. Danach erst wieder Ende August, wenn ich mich jetzt nicht vertue.

[EREIGNISHORIZONT]

Und Abbruch

Nächster Versuch am Dienstag den 04.07. um 02.38 PM EST.

Schade!!!

Aber man konnte ja in der Totalen die Blitze sehen. Besser ist es so. Sicherheit geht vor.

[Tordal]

Das Startfenster erstreckt sich bis 19. Juli. Danach erst wieder Ende August, wenn ich mich jetzt nicht vertue.

Danke , naja dann gibt es ja doch noch eine gute Chance das der Start in diesem noch gelingt. Ich werde auf jeden Fall, wie bei der gesamten Mission, die Daumen drücken.

[STS-Chris]

Launch of STS-121:

T - --- d -- h -- m
T - --- d -- h -- m ---
Official NASA Countdown (built-in holds considered!)


Der Start wurde erneut wegen schlechten Wetters abgesagt.
Der neue Starttermin ist Dienstag um 20:38 Uhr MESZ.
Unglücklicherweise kurz vor dem Halbfinalspiel Deutschland gegen Italien (21 Uhr).
Die Startwahrscheinlichkeit für diesen Termin liegt zur Zeit bei 60% - im
Gegensatz dazu sind es für morgen nur 40%. Deshalb lässt man den
morgigen Tag gleich aus.


Start:
Dienstag, 4. Juli
20:38 Uhr MESZ


Click to enlarge
Webcam: Discovery auf Startrampe 39-B





STS-121 Mission Status



19:14 CEST (1:14 p.m. EDT)

SCRUB! The weather has won for the second day in a row. Launch
director Mike Leinbach just decided to stop the countdown for liftoff today
due to the miserable weather conditions here at Kennedy Space Center.

Management has decided to replenish the hydrogen supply in the shuttle's
electricity-producing fuel cells and make the next launch attempt on
Tuesday at 2:38 p.m. EDT (20:38 CEST).


Quelle: spaceflightnow.com




NASA TV

Wikipedia: STS-121

[Spocky]

Aha, diesmal legen sie den Start VOR ein Fußballspiel

Allerdings bin ich um die Zeit höchstwahrscheinlich zu sehr im Fußballfieber, um an den Start denken zu können

[EREIGNISHORIZONT]

60% Chance für Gewitter. Ich bin doch ziemlich skeptisch. Saisonal ist das doch die beginnende Zeit für starke Gewitter dort. Na ja, drücken wir mal die Daumen.
Das Zeitfenster ist ja doch relativ bequem. Allerdings beginnt ja auch so langsam die Hurricane Saison...

[STS-Chris]

60% Chance für Gewitter.

Ja, für heute, aber morgen sollen es 40% sein. Es sei denn du hast irgendwo was anderes gehört oder gesehen.

[EREIGNISHORIZONT]

Ja, für heute, aber morgen sollen es 40% sein. Es sei denn du hast irgendwo was anderes gehört oder gesehen.

Ups! Nee, ich hab da was verwechselt. Deine Version ist richtig! Na dann drehe ich meinen Optimismus-Regler ein wenig höher!!

[Tordal]

Aha, diesmal legen sie den Start VOR ein Fußballspiel

Allerdings bin ich um die Zeit höchstwahrscheinlich zu sehr im Fußballfieber, um an den Start denken zu können

Bin zwar auch total mit Fussballfieber infiziert, aber wenn der Start pünktlich durchgeführt werden sollte, schaue ich ihn mir an.
An diesem Abend muss ich mehr Daumen drücken, als ich habe (Fussball und Shuttle-Start).

[STS-Chris]

Start:
Dienstag, 4. Juli
20:38 Uhr MESZ


Click to enlarge
Webcam: Discovery auf Startrampe 39-B





STS-121 News !!!

15:15 CEST (9:15 a.m. EDT)

Engineers inspecting the shuttle Discovery's external tank following
Sunday's launch scrub found a crack in the tank's foam insulation near
a bracket holding a 17-inch oxygen feed line in place. Some engineers
believe the crack must be repaired but senior managers say a variety of
options are on the table, from fly as is to making repairs.


17:20 CEST (11:20 a.m. EDT)

NASA is planning a news conference as early as 12 noon EDT today,
following completion of the Mission Management Team meeting to brief
reporters on the external tank foam crack and what the plan will be going
forward.

The crack is located around a bracket near the top of the 17-inch
diameter feedline pipe that routes the liquid oxygen down to the main
engines on Discovery. The crack is four-to-five inches long and between
an eighth and a quarter of an inch wide.


17:58 CEST (11:58 a.m. EDT)

Briefing start time has moved to 12:30 p.m.


18:25 CEST (12:25 p.m. EDT)

The start time for the post-MMT meeting is now 1 p.m. (19:00 CEST)




NASA TV
Wikipedia: STS-121

[STS-Chris]

Photos of cracked foam

18:37 CEST (12:37 p.m. EDT)

Photos of the cracked foam are available:

[Spocky]

Hm, heißt das jetzt, dass sich der Start noch weiter verzögert?

Das geht aus dem Bericht nicht so ganz hervor...

[STS-Chris]

19:26 CEST (1:26 p.m. EDT)

In the news conference now underway, Mission Management Team chairman John Shannon says it is believed ice in the articulating joint on the feedline bracket caused the foam to crack and fall off the shuttle after yesterday's scrub. The bracket is one of several that holds the liquid oxygen feedline to the side of the fuel tank. The tank shrinks when loaded with supercold propellants during the countdown, then expands when the fuels are draining after a scrub, prompting the need for such a joint in the bracket. Ice created from yesterday's rainy weather was pinched in the joint just its movements when the tank expanded, causing the foam to pop off.

The foam shed is a three-inch piece, triangular in shape, and most importantly, less than half the weight NASA says could cause damage to the shuttle if it had come off during launch and hit the shuttle.

No decisions have been made about tomorrow's launch opportunity. Servicing of Discovery's fuel cell storage tanks is underway. Another management team meeting is planned for this evening to determine whether launch can occur tomorrow or if more time will be needed to resolve the foam issue.


19:34 CEST (1:34 p.m. EDT)

Launch director Mike Leinbach says topping of the hydrogen storage tanks for the shuttle's electricity-producing fuel cells beneath the payload is underway right now. Those activities are proceeding on schedule to support another launch attempt tomorrow.


19:37 GMT (1:37 p.m. EDT)

The weather outlook for tomorrow predicts a 40 percent chance of "no go" conditions. That percentage increased to 60 "no go" on Wednesday and Thursday.


19:43 CEST (1:43 p.m. EDT)

"No one has come to any conclusions," Shannon says about clearing this problem. Engineers are working this afternoon to determine whether the photographs taken of the shuttle after the foam loss is sufficient to clear any worries in launching Discovery as-is. The other option is putting hands on the bracket, but that would require putting up a platform to reach the area in question.

The 6:30 p.m. EDT (00:30 CEST) meeting tonight by the Mission Management Team will decide which course of action to take and when launch can occur.

Commander Steve Lindsey participated in this morning's management team meeting. The piece of foam that fell off is now at crew quarters for the astronauts to see, Shannon said.


19:49 CEST (1:49 p.m. EDT)

If a repair is deemed necessary, engineers would have to create a plan to do that work. Such a repair has not been performed on this area of the tank at the launch pad before. A team is looking at a scenario in case management orders a repair.


19:50 CEST (1:50 p.m. EDT)

Launch director Mike Leinbach says if a hands-on inspection of the foam on the bracket is required, liftoff of Discovery would have to slip to Wednesday to accommodate the work of getting an access platform set up in the area.


20:05 CEST (2:05 p.m. EDT)

The news conference here at Kennedy Space Center just wrapped up. The bottom line: managers will meet at 6:30 p.m. EDT tonight (00:30 CEST) to decide if Discovery can launch tomorrow as-is and if photos (taken with powerful optics from 25 feet away) are enough to alleviate any worries about the remaining foam on the bracket.

If hands-on inspection of the bracket is ordered, launch would slip to Wednesday because of the time needed for establishing work platforms to access this region of the fuel tank.

Should any repair be necessary, it is not clear what that would do to the schedule.

[STS-Chris]

Launch of STS-121:

T - 000 d 07 h 46 m
T - 000 d 04 h 01 m ... and counting!
Official NASA Countdown (built-in holds considered!)


Start:
Dienstag, 4. Juli
20:38 Uhr MESZ


Click to enlarge
Webcam: Discovery auf Startrampe 39-B





STS-121 Mission Status



TUESDAY, JULY 4, 2006
03:12 CEST (9:12 p.m. EDT Mon.)

NASA mission managers tonight deemed the foam on the external fuel
tank is acceptable for launch on Tuesday.

Three issues that need to be examined were aerodynamic heating on the
bracket during launch, ice formation where the piece of foam came off
and whether hands-on inspection was needed.

Bill Gerstenmaier, a NASA associate administrator from Washington, said
there is a safety factor of five for ascent aerodynamic heating, ice
formation should not be a concern because enough foam remains on the
structure and technicians were able to get a better look at the area late
today after constructing an 8-foot plastic pipe with a camera on the end to
get within a foot-to-six inches of the bracket for upclose inspection and to
confirm no further cracks.


07:00 CEST (1:00 a.m. EDT)

NASA managers Monday night decided to press ahead with a Fourth of
July launch of the shuttle Discovery, weather permitting, after engineers
concluded the loss of foam insulation from an external oxygen feedline
posed no threat to the orbiter or its crew.


10:20 CEST (4:20 a.m. EDT)

The Mission Management Team met for its standard pre-fueling meeting at
3:30 a.m. this morning (09:30 CEST) and gave the approval to begin
loading space shuttle Discovery's external tank as planned. The
three-hour fueling process is expected to begin in about 25 minutes.

The weather forecast has improved dramatically for today's 2:37:55 p.m.
EDT (20:37:55 CEST) launch opportunity. Meteorologists are predicting
an 80 percent chance of acceptable conditions. Rainshowers will be the
main area of concern.


10:38 CEST (4:38 a.m. EDT)

FUELING UNDERWAY. The filling of space shuttle Discovery's
external fuel tank with a half-million gallons of supercold propellants has
begun at launch pad 39B. The tanking operation commenced with the
chilldown thermal conditioning process. That will be followed by the
slow-fill mode to initially start loading the respective liquid oxygen and
liquid hydrogen tanks within the giant external tank. Fueling then
transitions to the fast-fill.


11:15 CEST (5:15 a.m. EDT)

The fueling activities are continuing as planned this morning. NASA is not
reporting any troubles in the countdown.

The cryogenics are pumped from storage spheres at the pad, through
feed lines to the mobile launcher platform, into Discovery's aft
compartment and finally into the external fuel tank.

The liquid oxygen tank fills the top third of the external tank. It will be
filled with 143,000 gallons of liquid oxygen chilled to minus 298 degrees
Fahrenheit (minus 183 degrees Celsius). The liquid hydrogen tank is
contained in the bottom two-thirds of the external tank. It holds 385,000
gallons of liquid hydrogen chilled to minus 423 degrees Fahrenheit (minus
253 degrees Celsius).





STS-121 Image Gallery


KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Cape Canaveral

For high resolution and more images go to KSC Multimedia Gallery
(Search for "STS-121", "Discovery" or the image number)



July 1, 2006



KSC-06PD-1383 (07/01/2006)
Space Shuttle Discovery remains on Launch Pad 39B after the countdown
was halted for the launch of mission STS-121. The launch was scrubbed
due to the presence of anvil clouds and thunderstorms within 20 miles of
the launch site and postponed for 24 hours.
Photo credit: Nikon/Scott Andrews


July 2, 2006



KSC-06PD-1362 (07/02/2006)
For the second morning in a row, the STS-121 crew sit for their traditional
breakfast before suiting up for launch. Seated from left are Mission
Specialists Piers Sellers and Michael Fossum, Pilot Mark Kelly,
Commander Steven Lindsey, and Mission Specialists Lisa Nowak,
Stephanie Wilson and Thomas Reiter, who represents the European Space
Agency. The first launch attempt July 1 was scrubbed due to weather
concerns and postponed 24 hours. The launch of Space Shuttle Discovery
on mission STS-121 is the 115th shuttle flight and the 18th U.S. flight to
the International Space Station. During the 12-day mission, the STS-121
crew will test new equipment and procedures to improve shuttle safety, as
well as deliver supplies and make repairs to the International Space
Station. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett



KSC-06PD-1363 (07/02/2006)
For the second time in two days, STS-121 Mission Specialist Stephanie
Wilson is donning her launch suit for another launch attempt on Space
Shuttle Discovery.



KSC-06PD-1365 (07/02/2006)
STS-121 Mission Specialist Thomas Reiter is suiting up for a second launch
attempt on Space Shuttle Discovery.


Quelle: nasa.gov




NASA TV
Wikipedia: STS-121