ISS Fan Club - Space Shuttle

NASA Announces News Conference on Status of Next Shuttle Launch

Tue, 13 May 2008 11:57:44 -0400

NASA managers have scheduled a news conference at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida for no earlier than 4 p.m. EDT on Monday, May 19, to discuss the status of the next space shuttle launch. The news conference will begin after the conclusion of the Flight Readiness Review, a meeting to assess preparations for shuttle Discovery's STS-124 mission to the International Space Station.

The review is expected to include the selection of an official launch date. Discovery is targeted to launch May 31 at 5:02 p.m.

The briefing participants are:
- Associate Administrator for Space Operations Bill Gerstenmaier

Shuttle Astronauts Rehearse Launch Day

Fri, 9 May 2008 23:38:16 -0400

The crew of the space shuttle Discovery successfully completed a dress rehearsal today for their upcoming launch. They capped off their practice run at Cape Canaveral with a simulated countdown to liftoff at 11:00 a.m. EDT.

The seven STS-124 astronauts are scheduled to launch May 31 at 5:02 p.m. EDT to deliver the International Space Station's largest room, the 32,500-pound Japanese Kibo Laboratory. Crewmembers are slated to perform three spacewalks during their planned 13-day mission.

Source http://www.space.com/missionlaunches/080509-sts124-launch-rehearsal.html

Space Shuttle Discovery Arrives at Launch Pad, Countdown Test Set

Tue, 6 May 2008 14:09:31 -0400

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- After safely reaching its launch pad at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, space shuttle Discovery now awaits its next major milestone for the upcoming STS-124 mission. A launch dress rehearsal, known as the terminal countdown demonstration test, is scheduled to take place at Kennedy from May 6 to 9.

Discovery arrived at the pad at 4:25 a.m. EDT Saturday on top of a giant crawler-transporter. The crawler-transporter left Kennedy's Vehicle Assembly Building at 11:47 p.m. Friday, traveling less than 1 mph during the 3.4-mile journey. The shuttle was secured on the launch pad at 6:06 a.m. Saturday.

NASA Delays Shuttle Flight to Hubble Space Telescope

Sat, 3 May 2008 17:21:21 -0400

HOUSTON - NASA has pushed back the planned launch of the final flight to overhaul the Hubble Space Telescope by up to five weeks due to external fuel tank delays, mission managers said Thursday.

Space shuttle program manager John Shannon said that the additional time required to include post-Columbia safety improvements in two shuttle fuel tanks supporting the Hubble servicing mission have delayed the spaceflight to no earlier than late September. A seven-astronaut crew was slated to launch toward Hubble aboard NASA's shuttle Atlantis on Aug. 28.

http://www.space.com/missionlaunches/08

Station's First Female Commander Confident of Soyuz Fix

Sat, 3 May 2008 17:20:00 -0400

HOUSTON — The first female commander of the International Space Station (ISS) said Friday that she is confident Russian engineers will find the source of a glitch that sent a Soyuz spacecraft off course during her April 19 landing with two crewmates.

U.S. astronaut Peggy Whitson, who commanded the station's six-month Expedition 16 mission, told reporters here at NASA's Johnson Space Center that Russia's Federal Space Agency and an independent group looking into her off-target landing and an earlier one from October should find the root cause.

http://www.space.com/missionlaunches/08050

Space Shuttle Discovery Moves Closer to Launch

Sat, 26 Apr 2008 22:43:30 -0400

The space shuttle Discovery moved a step closer to launch early Saturday as NASA engineers hauled the spacecraft into a massive hangar to join its fuel tank and twin rocket boosters.

Discovery made the short morning move from its processing building to the cavernous, 52-story Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., to prepare for its planned May 31 launch.

The shuttle's seven-astronaut crew, commanded by veteran spaceflyer Mark Kelly, will deliver Kibo - a massive Japanese laboratory the size of a tour bus - to the International Space Station during a planned 13-day mission.

Astronauts to Make Virtual Connection With Students

Fri, 25 Apr 2008 22:08:00 -0400

Astronauts flying on a space shuttle mission to service the Hubble Space Telescope for a final time will speak to middle school students across America simultaneously at 1:15 p.m. EDT, April 30, from NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.

Through NASA's Digital Learning Network (DLN), students at five middle schools and an invited student audience at Goddard will talk to the shuttle crew. Topics of discussion will include details about the upcoming STS-125 mission to service Hubble. Astronauts also will discuss career diversity among the crew. Each has a doctorate degree in a science, technology, engineering and mathematics discipline.

STS-124 Launch Preparations Continue

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 14:29:34 -0400

At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, space shuttle Discovery is being readied for its STS-124 mission, currently targeted for launch May 31.

Inside the orbiter processing facility, shuttle workers are preparing for the orbiter's April 26 move to the Vehicle Assembly Building, where it will be joined with its external tank and solid rocket boosters. Rollout of the entire space shuttle assembly to Launch Pad 39A is set for May 3.

STS-124 is the second of three flights to deliver the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Kibo laboratory to the International Space Station. At 37 feet long and 14 feet wide, the Japanese Pressurized Module will be the station's largest science laboratory. The shuttle also will deliver the lab's robotic arm system that supports operations outside of Kibo. The lab's logistics module, which was installed in a temporary location during STS-123 in March, will be attached to the new lab.

NASA Sets Briefings to Preview Next Space Shuttle Mission

Fri, 18 Apr 2008 12:53:27 -0400

NASA will hold a series of news media briefings May 1 to discuss the upcoming space shuttle Discovery mission, STS-124. NASA Television and the agency's Web site will provide live coverage of the briefings from the Johnson Space Center, beginning at 8 a.m. CDT. Questions also will be taken from participating NASA locations.

Discovery's 13-day mission is targeted for launch to the International Space Station on May 31. It is the second of three flights to launch components of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Kibo laboratory. The shuttle also will deliver the lab's robotic arm system that will support operations outside of Kibo.

STS-123 Crew To Head Home

Thu, 27 Mar 2008 13:29:38 -0400

After 16 days in space and 250 orbits of the Earth, space shuttle Endeavour touched down at 8:39 p.m. EDT Wednesday at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, bringing the STS-123 mission to a flawless end.

But for the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), whose Kibo laboratory module is finally taking shape aboard the International Space Station, this flight was merely the beginning.

"We are quite honored that Mr. Doi contributed to the construction of the space station," said JAXA vice president Kaoru Mamiya, referring to STS-123 Mission Specialist Takao Doi. "It's the first step for our Kibo construction, and we hope that next time, the main module will be added to the station."

NASA's Space Shuttle Endeavour to Land Wednesday

Tue, 25 Mar 2008 11:34:40 -0400

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - The space shuttle Endeavour crew is expected to complete its 16-day flight to the International Space Station with a landing at NASA's Kennedy Space Center on Wednesday, March 26.

The STS-123 mission began March 11 and delivered the first segment of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Kibo laboratory and the Canadian Space Agency's two-armed robotic system, known as Dextre. The flight also brought a new crew member to the station and will return an astronaut who has spent nearly seven weeks aboard the complex.

NASA managers will evaluate weather conditions at Kennedy before permitting Endeavour to return to Earth. Wednesday landing opportunities at Kennedy are at 7:05 p.m. EDT and 8:39 p.m. The shuttle's backup sites for landing, Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., and White Sands Space Harbor, N.M., will not be activated Wednesday.

Endeavour Crew to Prepare for Undocking

Sun, 23 Mar 2008 12:48:44 -0400

With the final STS-123 spacewalk complete, flight day 14 of the STS-123 mission will see the crew of space shuttle Endeavour prepare for the end of their visit to the station. The orbiter will undock Monday and return to Earth Wednesday.

Mission Specialists Robert L. Behnken and Mike Foreman completed the fifth spacewalk of STS-123 at 10:36 p.m. EDT Saturday. Rick Linnehan, also a mission specialist, coordinated their activities from inside the orbiting complex made up of space shuttle Endeavour and the International Space Station.

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

Fifth STS-123 Spacewalk Complete

Sat, 22 Mar 2008 22:44:55 -0400

Mission Specialists Robert L. Behnken and Mike Foreman completed the fifth spacewalk of STS-123 at 10:36 p.m. EDT. Rick Linnehan, also a mission specialist, coordinated their activities from inside the orbiting complex made up of space shuttle Endeavour and the International Space Station.

Robot arm operators grappled the Orbiter Boom Sensor System (OBSS), and the two spacewalkers assembled an umbilical designed to keep the boom safe during its time in the harsh space environment. Then, the robot arm handed the OBSS off to Behnken and Foreman, who stowed it on the station’s S1 Truss.

Astronauts Prepare for Fourth Spacewalk

Thu, 20 Mar 2008 08:45:53 -0400

The crews of space shuttle Endeavour and the International Space Station got some off-duty time at the beginning of their 10th day in orbit. They also spoke to Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda and participated in interviews with U.S. media.

The astronauts spent the remainder of their day configuring tools for the fourth STS-123 spacewalk and reviewing spacewalk procedures.

They also prepared for the primary task of that spacewalk, which is the test of a heat shield repair method. This technique uses a caulk-gun-like tool named the Tile Repair Ablator Dispenser to dispense a material called Shuttle Tile Ablator-54 into purposely damaged heat shield tiles. Once the test is complete, the sample tiles will be returned to Earth to undergo extensive testing on the ground.

Astronauts Outfit Japanese Module;Third Spacewalk Monday Night

Mon, 17 Mar 2008 12:32:11 -0400

The space shuttle Endeavour and International Space Station crews continued outfitting the Japanese Logistics Module - Pressurized Section (JLP), transferring supplies and equipment into it from Endeavour, as well as configuring racks inside the module.

The JLP is the first pressurized component of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s Kibo laboratory and the newest component of the station. Marking the beginning of Japan’s scientific work aboard the station, astronauts entered the new module Friday.

The crews tested the brakes in the Dextre robotic system’s arms. Dextre is the final element of the International Space Station’s Mobile Servicing System. Mission Specialists Rick Linnehan and Mike Foreman assembled Dextre Sunday during the second spacewalk of STS-123.