STS-119

[DaveS]

Are you sure its on an elevon? aren't the elevons on the back of the shuttle?

My fault for not checking the photo first, but there is one damaged tile on the left inboard elevon.

 

[tblaxland]

On the left wing you can see a white spot... it also appears on other RPM photos, so its not an artiffact from this picture....
what do you think it is?

Can you post an example of another shot of the same spot? TBH, the shape looks like lens dust.

BTW, the RCC has been cleared by NASA, so whatever it is it can't be too serious.

 

[Donamy]

There are 2 more spots on the clouds below the right wing.

 

[tblaxland]

There are 2 more spots on the clouds below the right wing.

They definitely don't look natural.

 

[ElPelado]

There it is in another photo, with the shuttle in a different attitude
http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/images/shuttle/sts-119/hires/iss018e040837.jpg

 

[tblaxland]

Looks like this:

Those pictures from the FD2 OBSS scan (http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=16208.90). A bird is responsible?

 

[DaveS]

There's no concern with the TPS. It has been declared healthy and no Focused Inspections are required.

 

[ElPelado]

I thought it may be some "birdy stuff", as it happened before (a similar white sport on the nose)....
Well, then indeed not further inspection needed. Maybe just some cleaning

 

[Orbinaut Pete]

--MISSION UPDATE--

The S6 truss in now bolted to the S5 truss, and all electrical connections have been made. The S6 radiator is now deployed, and both BGA's* have now been released. Also, both MCA's** have been released, and so the SABB's*** have been partially opened to reveal 1 bay of each of the new solar arrays. The below image is how the solar arrays look now - only slightly deployed.

The arrays will be fully deployed on later today (Friday).

*= Beta Gimbal Assembly
** = Mast Cannister Assembly
*** = Solar Array Blanket Box

 

[Orbinaut Pete]

And both the 1B and 3B arrays on the S6 are now fully deployed.

The ISS now has full power!:lol:

 

[Genius]

I thought it may be some "birdy stuff", as it happened before (a similar white sport on the nose)....
Well, then indeed not further inspection needed. Maybe just some cleaning

I understood that a Bat made a hitch hike with the Shuttle when it launhed. Maybe that was what's left of it.:rofl:

 

[T.Neo]

I understood that a Bat made a hitch hike with the Shuttle when it launhed. Maybe that was what's left of it.:rofl:

I'm sure there would be more of the bat- anyway, it was low down on the opposite side of the external tank- so it likely fell into the SRB exhaust plume and was vapourised, as there was no possibility of it impacting the orbiter.

Shame, poor little bat.

 

[RisingFury]

I'm sure there would be more of the bat- anyway, it was low down on the opposite side of the external tank- so it likely fell into the SRB exhaust plume and was vapourised, as there was no possibility of it impacting the orbiter.

Shame, poor little bat.

Well, maybe he made it all the way up and is now orbiting among the stars

 

[Donamy]

No ET photos, so no way to know.

 

[Jarvitä]

Well, maybe he made it all the way up and is now orbiting among the stars

If he was stuck on the ET, it's more logical to assume he deorbited along with it.

 

[Orbinaut Pete]

--MISSION UPDATE--

EVA-2 is now complete. EVA astronauts had trouble installing a UCCAS (Unpressurised Cargo Carrier Attachment System) on the P3 Truss - a faulty bolt prevented them from installing it. It has instead been tied in place for installation at a later date.

EVA astronauts also prepared a worksite on the P6 Truss, so that it will be easier for STS-127 astronauts to replace batteries on the P6 Truss (a task that was scheduled for STS-119, but was cancelled as the mission's fourth EVA was scrubbed).

The new UPA (Urine Processor Assembly) distillation assembly has now been installed. The work was briefly suspended as the flow of urine into the UPA was lower than expected. This is not a result of the new distillation assembly. Teams are still monitoring the issue.

Space Shuttle Discovery completed maneuvering the shuttle-station complex 180 degrees to the "undock attitude," placing Discovery in front of the space station. Discovery and the station will stay in this orientation long enough for the natural drag to slow the complex by about a foot per second, estimated to take three hours. This will lower the orbit enough to avoid a piece of orbital debris whose erratic orbit makes it a potential threat.
The debris is estimated to be about four inches in diameter, part of a spent Chinese satellite upper stage. It is in a similar altitude as Discovery and the station, but in a 98 degree inclination rather than 51.6 degrees. This would have allowed the debris to cross the shuttle-station orbit repeatedly for several days, and the maneuver eliminates that risk. Discovery performed the maneuver, as the ISS's CMG's (Control Movement Gyroscopes) are currently out of action, as the 4 CMG's are all spinning at different rates, when they need to be spinning at the same rate.

----------

Some beauty shots from STS-119 (photography isn't that great for this mission so far - I'm hoping the fly-around shots will make up for it)

Hi-res: http://www.spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/images/shuttle/sts-119/hires/s119e006672.jpg

Hi-res: http://www.spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/images/shuttle/sts-119/hires/iss018e040963.jpg

Hi-res: http://www.spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/images/shuttle/sts-119/hires/iss018e040792.jpg

Hi-res: http://www.spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/images/shuttle/sts-119/hires/iss018e041124.jpg

Hi-res: http://www.spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/images/shuttle/sts-119/hires/iss018e041104.jpg

 

[Arrowstar]

Is it just me, or is the number of debris avoidance maneuvers increasing as of late?

 

[ElPelado]

Space Shuttle Discovery completed maneuvering the shuttle-station complex 180 degrees to the "undock attitude," placing Discovery in front of the space station. Discovery and the station will stay in this orientation long enough for the natural drag to slow the complex by about a foot per second, estimated to take three hours. This will lower the orbit enough to avoid a piece of orbital debris whose erratic orbit makes it a potential threat.
The debris is estimated to be about four inches in diameter, part of a spent Chinese satellite upper stage. It is in a similar altitude as Discovery and the station, but in a 98 degree inclination rather than 51.6 degrees. This would have allowed the debris to cross the shuttle-station orbit repeatedly for several days, and the maneuver eliminates that risk. Discovery performed the maneuver, as the ISS's CMG's (Control Movement Gyroscopes) are currently out of action, as the 4 CMG's are all spinning at different rates, when they need to be spinning at the same rate.

Whats the attitude normaly during a mission? From what i remember, its similar to the "undock attitude" but with the shuttle behind the station, so how does puting the shuttle before the station rises the drag?
thanks

 

[synonys]

Simpsons audio in between TV interviews:rofl:

 

[Orbinaut Pete]

How does putting the shuttle before the station increase the drag?

Because the shuttle's heat shield faces the atmosphere in the direction the complex is travelling, causing drag.