Updates STS-134 Updates

[orb]

NASASpaceflight: STS-134: Payload arrives at 39A – Managers aiming to avoid countdown drama:

Endeavour’s highly advanced payload arrived at Pad 39A on Monday evening, as STS-134 continues to track the April 19 launch date target with several contingency days to spare. Managers have also been discussing their Range Hold Coordination, following STS-133′s dramatic T-5 minute hold, which resulted in a restart with just two seconds to spare.

{...}

 

[orb]

Spaceflight Now:

• Endeavour payloads to put final touches on space station
• Payloads arrive at Endeavour's launch pad (PHOTO GALLERY)

There are a few photos from movement of payload canister in the KSC Media Gallery.

 

[IronRain]

 

[IronRain]

A bit off-topic but interesting to read:

Shuttle commander abruptly opts out of media interviews

Astronaut Mark Kelly, scheduled to command the shuttle Endeavour's 25th and final mission next month, abruptly removed himself from planned round-robin media interviews Thursday, citing a reluctance to discuss his personal life and that of his wife, Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, NASA officials announced Wednesday.

Go Mark! You've made the right decision in my opinion :thumbup:

 

[Orbinaut Pete]

A bit off-topic but interesting to read:

Shuttle commander abruptly opts out of media interviews



Go Mark! You've made the right decision in my opinion :thumbup:

Scott Kelly did the same thing in a live interview yesterday. Obviously the Kelly brothers are getting sick & tired of answering the same questions over & over again. I agree with the Kelly's. These interviews are about spaceflight. If media aren't interested in that, then they shouldn't be there.

 

[diogom]

Ever since that happened, every single media event that Scott had with the ground, there was a question about his brother, etc.
Sure, it's great that people care about Gabby, Mark and Scott, but it's starting to be more "newspaper" filling than that.

 

[C3PO]

Yeah. Good call!

 

[IronRain]

STS-134 payload overview:

The last 4 (planned) EVA's in the space shuttle era..

 

[orb]

Spaceflight Now: NASA considers Soyuz photo op during shuttle flight:

A few weeks after managers rejected a similar plan during the last shuttle flight, NASA officials hope extra lead time and better planning will permit a three-man Russian Soyuz capsule to undock from the space station and collect never-before-seen imagery of the shuttle Endeavour and orbiting lab linked together.

Derek Hassman, the lead International Space Station flight director for Endeavour's upcoming mission, told reporters Thursday NASA is again seeking Russian approval for the unique photo opportunity.

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NASASpaceflight: STS-134: NASA and Russia negotiating potential Progress conflict:

NASA and Roscosmos managers are understood to be negotiating the schedule of the upcoming Progress M-10M launch, due to a potential conflict with Endeavour’s STS-134 docked mission. Meanwhile, processing at Pad 39A is continuing to focus on the installation of the STS-134′s complex payload into Endeavour’s cargo bay.

STS-134 Latest:

Friday’s pad flow is being highlighted by the transfer of the STS-134 payload into Endeavour’s Payload Bay (PLB), following preparations in the Payload Checkout Room (PCR) which is located inside the Rotating Service Structure (RSS) at Pad 39A.

{...}

Progress M-10M Negotiations:

Options are being worked between NASA and Roscosmos managers on a possible conflict between Endeavour’s docked mission and the arrival of the Russian Progress M-10M ressuply vehicle.

As previously reported, Endeavour’s available launch window for the STS-134/ULF6 mission has been determined based on a complex ballet of schedules between Shuttle, Progress, Soyuz, and Solar Beta Angle cutouts.

Currently, the duration of Endeavour’s available launch window runs from April 19 – May 3. However, contained within that window is an April 23-29 cutout (or elimination of launch opportunities for Endeavour) due to the currently-scheduled rotation of Progress unmanned resupply vehicles at the International Space Station (ISS).

Endeavour currently remains on track for the opening launch target of April 19, while the Progress M-10M is set to launch on April 27 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The problem relates to a need for Endeavour to undock ahead of Progress M-10M’s arrival at the ISS, due to what is known as Dual Docked Operations (DDO) constraints.

It is understood the Russians may be willing to delay their Progress launch until May, should NASA managers opt against delaying Endeavour’s launch to April 29. However, that requires negotiations between the two agencies.

{...}

 

[IronRain]

From NASA spaceflight twitter:

STS-134 Mission: Techs at Launch Pad 39A installed Endeavour's International Space Station payload into the shuttle's cargo bay this morning

 

[orb]

Spaceflight Now: Endeavour's cargo bay loaded for space station run

 

[Capt_hensley]

Dual Docked Operations (DDO) constraints? What Huh!!?!???:huh:

What the hell does that mean, didn't seem to be a problem when everything was docked at the station for STS-133, the first and only time that will ever happen, what makes this situation so special?

 

[diogom]

I believe that nothing can dock to the ISS while the Shuttle is there. Though this is just a thought of mine, I'm not certain about this.

 

[orbitingpluto]

The shuttle does have a heck of a lot of mass. Complicates keepping the ISS in the correct attitude for docking a progress, and things could get out of control when the shuttle gets to moving after the progress snuggles up into it's port.

 

[Orbinaut Pete]

I believe that nothing can dock to the ISS while the Shuttle is there. Though this is just a thought of mine, I'm not certain about this.

That's correct. The main concerns with vehicles docking while Shuttles are present are thruster pluming of the Shuttle, and abort corridor interfearances by the Shuttle.

 

[Capt_hensley]

That's correct. The main concerns with vehicles docking while Shuttles are present are thruster pluming of the Shuttle, and abort corridor interfearances by the Shuttle.

So I am really confused now, the shuttle docks on the US side, Progress docks on the Russian side, escape/abort interference not a problem, approach would be if the Progress goes in from the US side then flys around to dock to Russian side. Then escape/abort interference becomes an issue. Proximity is the real issue right? Once docked no issue exists. Getting docked that's the argument right?

Thruster pluming? as in using thrusters to keep station. The ISS uses gyrodynes to keep station, not thrusters. Unless station keeping is employed by the shuttle while docked, in which case the gyrodynes would need to be shut down to prevent conflict(not going to be an easy job, and is very rare). Not to mention CG becomes an issue while anything is docked, but the nav computer aboard ISS keeps these things in mind right?

The gyrodynes use tiny adjustments to affect a big change on any axis of the station, mass of the station is "relatively" a non influence due to the location of the gyrodynes on the ISS(center of the truss). Rapid changes can cause saturation, but this has happened only once. The mass at the ends of the truss have the most balance influence over the attitude, and because the arrays change direction so many times a day, the gyrodynes are constantly correcting for the mass and drag of the orientation of the stations arrays more than the center of mass changes which is the modules, docked TVs and a docked Shuttle. The shuttle is the dragging force only when docked, and then only in the pitch axis. From what I gather in other news articles.

Just because I read this stuff doesn't make it right, but I need to know if these things will affect Gateway Station. I placed 8 gyrodynes away from the center to improve control, but I can move them inboard if I need to. I cannot place them in the center though. More discussion please.

 

[IronRain]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OXuwV-iLgWc&feature=feedrec_grec_index"]YouTube - STS-134 Endeavour Final Flight Overview[/ame]

 

[orb]

Spaceflight Now: STS-134 Launch Windows


Here's the Launch Windows Chart using UTC time:

[table="head;width=500"]

DATE​

|

WINDOW OPEN​

|

IN PLANE​

|

WINDOW CLOSE​

|

DOCKING​

2011-04-19​

|

23:43:56​

|

23:48:56​

|

23:53:56​

|FD 3

2011-04-20​

|

23:18:13​

|

23:23:13​

|

23:28:13

---

23:31:28​

|FD 3

---

FD 4

2011-04-21​

|

22:55:42​

|

23:00:42​

|

23:05:42​

|FD 3

2011-04-22​

|

22:29:59​

|

22:34:59​

|

22:39:59

---

22:43:14​

|FD 3

---

FD 4

2011-04-23​

|

22:07:28​

|

22:12:28​

|

22:17:28​

|FD 3

2011-04-24​

|

21:41:46​

|

21:46:46​

|

21:51:46

---

21:55:00​

|FD 3

---

FD 4

2011-04-25​

|

21:19:14​

|

21:24:14​

|

21:29:14​

|FD 3

2011-04-26​

|

20:53:32​

|

20:58:32​

|

21:03:32

---

21:06:46​

|FD 3

---

FD 4

2011-04-27​

|

20:31:01​

|

20:36:01​

|

20:41:01​

|FD 3

2011-04-28​

|

20:05:18​

|

20:10:18​

|

20:15:18

---

20:18:32​

|FD 3

---

FD 4

2011-04-29​

|

19:42:47​

|

19:47:47​

|

19:52:47​

|FD 3

2011-04-30​

|

19:17:23​

|

19:22:05​

|

19:27:05

---

19:30:18​

|FD 3

---

FD 4

2011-05-01​

|

18:54:33​

|

18:59:33​

|

19:04:33​

|FD 3

2011-05-02​

|

18:31:02​

|

18:33:51​

|

18:38:51

---

18:42:05​

|FD 3

---

FD 4

2011-05-03​

|

18:06:20​

|

18:11:20​

|

18:16:20​

|FD 3

2011-05-04​

|

17:44:28​

|

17:45:38​

|

17:50:38

---

17:53:51​

|FD 3

---

FD 4

2011-05-05​

|

17:18:06​

|

17:23:06​

|

17:28:06​

|FD 3

2011-05-06​

|

16:57:38​

|

16:57:24​

|

17:02:24

---

17:05:37​

|FD 3**

---

FD 4

2011-05-07​

|

16:29:53​

|

16:34:53​

|

16:39:53​

|FD 3

2011-05-08​

|

16:10:35​

|

16:09:11​

|

16:14:11

---

16:17:23​

|FD 3**

---

FD 4

2011-05-09​

|

15:41:39​

|

15:46:39​

|

15:51:39​

|FD 3[/table]
** The in-plane launch time occurs before the planar opening of the window​

 

[orb]

Spaceflight Now: Shuttle crew comes to town for practice countdown

NASASpaceflight: NASA Reviews New Procedures for STS-134/Endeavour Mission:

As engineers and flight planners around NASA narrow in on the final stretch of the launch campaign for the STS-134 mission, flight engineers are in the process of reviewing a series of special topics, new operations, and weather support issues. Among the various items currently under final review/assessment are the 5th flight of the Boundary Layer Transition Detailed Test Objective, weather support equipment for launch, and new ops on Shuttle and ISS.

{...}

 

[IronRain]