Orbinaut Pete
ISSU Project Manager
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--MISSION UPDATE--
EVA-3 has been successfully completed. Astronauts replaced the COSTAR instrument with COS. COSTAR was then returned to it's protective enclosure for return to Earth after 16 years in space. Astronauts then successfully repaired the ACS instrument. The FCP worked perfectly. Astronauts actually finished ahead of schedule, and went on the repair the second part of the instrument, originally scheduled for another EVA. ACS is now fully repaired. ACS has been out of power since Jan 2007, but initial aliveness tests show both ACS and COS to be working correctly.
Tomorrow, astronauts Massimino and Good will start EVA-4, scheduled to begin @ 12.16pm GMT/UTC. The first task for EVA-4 is to repair the STIS instrument, which involves a similar procedure as the ACS repair. Astronauts will use a FCP again, except there are 111 screws to capture for STIS, instead of the 32 for ACS. The STIS FCP is pictured below:
Hi-res: http://www.spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/images/shuttle/sts-125/hires/jsc2008e097094.jpg
Task 2 for EVA-4 is to install a NOBL (New Outer Blanket Layer - basically a solid sheet of insulation) on Bay 8 of the HST.
---------- Post added at 23:28 ---------- Previous post was Yesterday at 23:56 ----------
EVA-4 is now complete. Spacewalkers encountered extreme difficulty in removing a bolt from a handrail that needed to be removed in order to gain access to a panel on STIS. 3 of the 4 bolts were removed successfully, but the final bolt was stuck. After trying many different methods to remove it for over an hour, ground teams came up with a plan to remove it. The plan called for Massimino to pull the handrail off using his hands - and brute strength! The plan worked, and the astronauts went on the successfully repair STIS. As the issue with the handrail took so much time to resolve, the NOBL installation was cancelled from this EVA. Ground teams are looking at possibly adding it to EVA-5 tomorrow. SITS had a good aliveness test, however, during further testing, the instrument "safed itself". Ground teams believe the instrument is still OK, and further testing is ongoing. STIS has been in safe mode since Aug 2004.
The total EVA time was 8h 2m. It was the 6th longest EVA in history. Massimino & Good are now 2 of the 10 longest spacewalkers in US history. It was the 22nd EVA to service the HST, and the 81st EVA from the Space Shuttle.
Tomorrow is EVA-5, the final EVA of STS-125, and the last ever EVA to service the Hubble Space Telescope. It will be the final time humans will ever touch Hubble.
EVA-5 is scheduled to begin @ 12.16pm GMT/UTC, and will be by astronauts Grunsfeld & Feustel, and the tasks for EVA-5 are:
. Removal & replacement of the 3 Bay 3 batteries
. Removal & replacement of FGS-2 (Fine Guidance Sensor)
. Installation of a NOBL on Bay 5
* The Bay 8 NOBL installation originally scheduled for EVA-4 may also now be conducted during EVA-5.
Atlantis is also slated to reboost Hubble tomorrow using it's thrusters.
Here is a cool pic of Atlantis's flight deck:
More can be found here:
http://www.spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/images/shuttle/sts-125/ndxpage1.html
EVA-3 has been successfully completed. Astronauts replaced the COSTAR instrument with COS. COSTAR was then returned to it's protective enclosure for return to Earth after 16 years in space. Astronauts then successfully repaired the ACS instrument. The FCP worked perfectly. Astronauts actually finished ahead of schedule, and went on the repair the second part of the instrument, originally scheduled for another EVA. ACS is now fully repaired. ACS has been out of power since Jan 2007, but initial aliveness tests show both ACS and COS to be working correctly.
Tomorrow, astronauts Massimino and Good will start EVA-4, scheduled to begin @ 12.16pm GMT/UTC. The first task for EVA-4 is to repair the STIS instrument, which involves a similar procedure as the ACS repair. Astronauts will use a FCP again, except there are 111 screws to capture for STIS, instead of the 32 for ACS. The STIS FCP is pictured below:
Hi-res: http://www.spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/images/shuttle/sts-125/hires/jsc2008e097094.jpg
Task 2 for EVA-4 is to install a NOBL (New Outer Blanket Layer - basically a solid sheet of insulation) on Bay 8 of the HST.
---------- Post added at 23:28 ---------- Previous post was Yesterday at 23:56 ----------
EVA-4 is now complete. Spacewalkers encountered extreme difficulty in removing a bolt from a handrail that needed to be removed in order to gain access to a panel on STIS. 3 of the 4 bolts were removed successfully, but the final bolt was stuck. After trying many different methods to remove it for over an hour, ground teams came up with a plan to remove it. The plan called for Massimino to pull the handrail off using his hands - and brute strength! The plan worked, and the astronauts went on the successfully repair STIS. As the issue with the handrail took so much time to resolve, the NOBL installation was cancelled from this EVA. Ground teams are looking at possibly adding it to EVA-5 tomorrow. SITS had a good aliveness test, however, during further testing, the instrument "safed itself". Ground teams believe the instrument is still OK, and further testing is ongoing. STIS has been in safe mode since Aug 2004.
The total EVA time was 8h 2m. It was the 6th longest EVA in history. Massimino & Good are now 2 of the 10 longest spacewalkers in US history. It was the 22nd EVA to service the HST, and the 81st EVA from the Space Shuttle.
Tomorrow is EVA-5, the final EVA of STS-125, and the last ever EVA to service the Hubble Space Telescope. It will be the final time humans will ever touch Hubble.
EVA-5 is scheduled to begin @ 12.16pm GMT/UTC, and will be by astronauts Grunsfeld & Feustel, and the tasks for EVA-5 are:
. Removal & replacement of the 3 Bay 3 batteries
. Removal & replacement of FGS-2 (Fine Guidance Sensor)
. Installation of a NOBL on Bay 5
* The Bay 8 NOBL installation originally scheduled for EVA-4 may also now be conducted during EVA-5.
Atlantis is also slated to reboost Hubble tomorrow using it's thrusters.
Here is a cool pic of Atlantis's flight deck:
More can be found here:
http://www.spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/images/shuttle/sts-125/ndxpage1.html
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