Updates STS-135 Updates

[Kyle]

Still not official news on STS-135 unfortunately.

 

[Orbinaut Pete]

Still not official news on STS-135 unfortunately.

I think the NASA Administrator saying "We are currently planning to fly this additional flight, STS-135" is about as official as it's going to get.

 

[Orbinaut Pete]

And just when it looked like we were getting somewhere, more "words of wisdom" from Senator Bill Nelson:

WFTV: "Senator: NASA May Have To Consider Having Only 2 Launches".

Senator Bill Nelson admitted Monday there may only be two more shuttle missions instead of three.

Nelson says, if engineers can't fix Discovery's external tank they must cancel the Atlantis mission and use that tank, because they aren't making tanks anymore.

"If worst came to worse and they felt like this tank was not safe, they would stand down and at that point would only fly two more shuttle flights instead of the three that are authorized," Nelson said.

 

[Kyle]

They can't cancel the Atlantis mission and use that tank as STS-135's also a LON mission. AKA you'd have to reduce STS-134 to 4 people, not possible given the payload and high complexity of the mission.

Worse comes to worse LON-335 and STS-134 could be delayed but they cannot cancel the LON mission (as it currently stands) without reducing the STS-134 crew.

Don't worry Pete you'll get your mission.

 

[garyw]

They can't cancel the Atlantis mission and use that tank as STS-135's also a LON mission. AKA you'd have to reduce STS-134 to 4 people, not possible given the payload and high complexity of the mission.

There are two sides to the STS-135 tank/no tank story:

Bill Nelson who says scrap STS-135 and use it's tank -> http://www.wftv.com/news/26434686/detail.html

And Wayne Hale who says - be patient as other tanks may have the same issues -> http://nasawatch.com/archives/2011/01/sts-133-delayed.html#comments

I know whose advice I'd take.

 

[Kyle]

But if you scrap STS-135 your scrapping LON-335 too (same tank), not possible as LON-335 is needed for STS-134.

 

[Orbinaut Pete]

Per the just-aired Shuttle Status Briefing on NASA TV:

NASA are officially changing STS-335's designation to STS-135. NASA are now thinking of this flight as an actual mission. They are also talking about launching in August.

:woohoo:

 

[Kyle]

Awesome news -- out of tragedy after what happened in Arizona a phoenix rises from the ashes for NASA. Atlantis does indeed get a few more spins around the Earth in the summer. Now lets see a patch!

 

[garyw]

But if you scrap STS-135 your scrapping LON-335 too (same tank), not possible as LON-335 is needed for STS-134.

You'd swap tanks. Use STS-135's tank on STS-133 and use STS-133's tank as LON. More time to fix it and test it then and 133 can fly.

 

[Orbinaut Pete]

SPACE.com: "NASA's Chances for Extra Space Shuttle Flight in Doubt".

 

[Donamy]

hmmmm site not working for me.

 

[Orbinaut Pete]

hmmmm site not working for me.

Yes, SPACE.com is currently down for maintenance - they're upgrading to a new layout (finally)!

 

[IronRain]

So now she might not fly...?

 

[Orbinaut Pete]

So now she might not fly...?

I wouldn't take anything Bill Nelson says too seriously.

 

[Orbinaut Pete]

Woo-Hoo-Hoo-Hoo-Hoooooo!!!! :woohoo: :hotcool:

Space Shuttle Program baselines STS-135.

On Thursday, the Space Shuttle Program baselined the STS-135 mission for a target launch date of June 28. It is NASA’s intent to fly the mission with orbiter Atlantis carrying the Raffaello multipurpose logistics module to deliver supplies, logistics and spare parts to the International Space Station. The mission also will fly a system to investigate the potential for robotically refueling existing spacecraft and return a failed ammonia pump module to help NASA better understand the failure mechanism and improve pump designs for future systems.

In late December, the agency’s Space Operations Mission Directorate requested the shuttle and International Space Station programs take the necessary steps to maintain the capability to fly Atlantis on the STS-135 mission.

The Authorization Act of 2010 directs NASA to conduct the mission, and baselining the flight enables the program to begin preparations for the mission with a target launch date of June 28. The mission would be the 135th and final space shuttle flight.

 

[orb]

Florida Today - The Flame Trench: Atlantis officially named final shuttle mission:

{...} It is targeted for launch to the International Space Station at 3:48 p.m. EST June 28, though station managers would like to see the mission flown later in the summer to best serve the outpost's long-tern supply needs. {...}

 

[Orbinaut Pete]

The STS-135 patch is now being previewed on collectSPACE!

collectSPACE: "STS-135 / Atlantis mission patch"

I like this patch. The only thing missing is Atlantis' name on the Port wing of the Orbiter.

 

[orb]

Really nice patch. I like the omega letter symboling the last STS mission.

 

[Kyle]

Probably one of the best of the shuttle program. They didn't include Atlantis's name because its not just the last flight of Atlantis, its the last flight of the Space Shuttle.

 

[GoForPDI]

Very, very good, its almost as if they knew STS-135 would be the last flight all along.