STS-126 mission update
OK, this thread has gone a bit quiet. But here's the latest on STS-126:
. EVA's 1, 2 & 3 are now complete, the only major event being that a tool bag worth $100,000 was lost. The NTA has been transferred to the LMC, & the FHRC is now on ESP-3. The CETA carts have now been relocated.
. EVA-4 is now underway, where astronauts will finish work on the Starboard SARJ, and do work on the Port SARJ. They will also install a new camera & GPS antenna on the JPM.
. Cargo transfers are now 76% complete. The new crew quarters have been installed. There is an issue with the UPA (Urine Processor Assembly) in the WRS, (Water Recovery System), which has been shutting down prematurely. On Sunday, the astronauts removed six bolts and grommets holding the distillation assembly portion of the UPA in place. They reinstalled four bolts without the grommets, and the UPA ran for two hours and 53 minutes before prematurely shutting down, as it has repeatedly during its checkout. The system is designed to run four hours to complete processing a sample. Previously, the system ran close to two hours before shutting down.
At about 12:50 p.m. EST, Expedition 18 Commander Mike Fincke will install the remaining two bolts to hard-mount the distillation assembly in place, which will better balance the assembly and further reduce vibrations that engineers believe have caused the centrifuge inside the assembly to contact a speed sensor and shut the UPA down.
. The STS-126 mission has now been extended by 1 day. Undocking will now occur Friday, with a landing on Sunday 30th @ 1.18pm EST (6.18pm GMT/UTC).
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And EVA-4 is now complete. All servicing work on the Port SARJ & starboard SARJ is now complete. All JPM installation work was done and a camera was relocated.
That's it for EVA's now, until STS-119
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Hi all.
An update on STS-126:
. The UPA now appears to be fixed thanks to some additional repair work...
And also...
I just watched a video of the STS-126 launch taken by the SRB camera. The SRB's seperated at
126 seconds into the flight
