zerofay32
Buckeye
August 20 2011
Discovery has lifted off from pad 39A and is on her way to the SSF. This mission is to resupply the station which has just gone through a crew exchange starting Freedom Expedition 4. The cargo is being delivered in an MPLM and a Spacehab single module. This mission will only be for logistics and will be a relativlely short flight. Discovery will dock with the SSF on FD3 and will start the transfer operations starting with SpaceHAB. During this time station crew members will perform the robotics work that involves the OBSS handoff and the MPLM unberth and install on Node 4. On FD4 the crews will be working on transfers from both the MPLM and Spacehab. FD5 will see a continuation of transfers with the movent of several racks from the MPLM to the lab and vice versa. FD6 will be a catch up day for the transfers and an off day for the crews. FD7 will be undocking and landing will be on FD8.
UPDATE August 21 FD2:
The crew of Discovery will be spending the day doing the OBSS and RMS surveys while the station crew continues their perparations for the shuttle crews' stay on the station. Later the crews will have a video conference with each other as a test of a new video and data link that is planed to be utilized on the shuttles, Dragons, Orion spacecraft, and stations. The new system will allow crews of all three stations (SSF, Skylab, and Helios) to visualy communicate with each other and log how the interactions improve or hinder life on orbit. The hope is that regular, face to face contact will improve mental state of long duration crews. The study will help to develope comm systems for Moon bases and long distance spacecraft where isolation will be much greater than in LEO.
UPDATE August 22 FD3:
STS-207-LF5 has docked with the SSF. Contact occured at 7:07 EDT. The shuttle crew will conclude the day with hatch opening and a briefing with the station crew before going to work in the spacehab transfers. After the briefing, the some of the station crew will remove the MPLM from Discovery and place it on Node 4.
UPDATE August 25 FD6:
The crew has completed transfers and is enjoying a needed day off. Station crew members will berth the MPLM back into Discovery later today and the OBSS handoff and berth will be the last thing on the schedule today. Docking is planed for around 12:00 pm on FD7.
UPDATE August 26 FD7:
Discovery has undocked from the SSF and is on her way back home to KSC. Landing is scheduled for around 9:00 am tomorrow on FD8.
UPDATE August 27 FD8:
Discovery and her crew are ready to come home today, but the weather is not ready for them. Controlers are watching the weather at KSC and have waved off the landing attempt that would get the crew home around 9:00. Because of the inclanation of the orbit Discovery will have four more opertunities today before the landing will be posponed until tomorrow.
UPDATE:
The weather has cleared up and Discovery will be comeing home on the last landing opertunity today. Landing is scheduled for 1:45 pm at the SLF.
UPDATE:
Discovery has landed at the SLF after a succesful supply run to the SSF. The station is now ready for the rest the FE4 and the visit from the first civilan Science crew that will be lanched on a Space X Dragon. The next launch will be the falcon 9 launch of SX-DM 002 targeted for September 10th. The next NASA launch will be the first unmanned test flight of the new Ares I/Orion capsule stack from LC-39C October 8th. That flight is designated Ares Orion System flight 1 (AOS-1). There isn't another planed shuttle launch from KSC until the new year.
Discovery has lifted off from pad 39A and is on her way to the SSF. This mission is to resupply the station which has just gone through a crew exchange starting Freedom Expedition 4. The cargo is being delivered in an MPLM and a Spacehab single module. This mission will only be for logistics and will be a relativlely short flight. Discovery will dock with the SSF on FD3 and will start the transfer operations starting with SpaceHAB. During this time station crew members will perform the robotics work that involves the OBSS handoff and the MPLM unberth and install on Node 4. On FD4 the crews will be working on transfers from both the MPLM and Spacehab. FD5 will see a continuation of transfers with the movent of several racks from the MPLM to the lab and vice versa. FD6 will be a catch up day for the transfers and an off day for the crews. FD7 will be undocking and landing will be on FD8.
UPDATE August 21 FD2:
The crew of Discovery will be spending the day doing the OBSS and RMS surveys while the station crew continues their perparations for the shuttle crews' stay on the station. Later the crews will have a video conference with each other as a test of a new video and data link that is planed to be utilized on the shuttles, Dragons, Orion spacecraft, and stations. The new system will allow crews of all three stations (SSF, Skylab, and Helios) to visualy communicate with each other and log how the interactions improve or hinder life on orbit. The hope is that regular, face to face contact will improve mental state of long duration crews. The study will help to develope comm systems for Moon bases and long distance spacecraft where isolation will be much greater than in LEO.
UPDATE August 22 FD3:
STS-207-LF5 has docked with the SSF. Contact occured at 7:07 EDT. The shuttle crew will conclude the day with hatch opening and a briefing with the station crew before going to work in the spacehab transfers. After the briefing, the some of the station crew will remove the MPLM from Discovery and place it on Node 4.
UPDATE August 25 FD6:
The crew has completed transfers and is enjoying a needed day off. Station crew members will berth the MPLM back into Discovery later today and the OBSS handoff and berth will be the last thing on the schedule today. Docking is planed for around 12:00 pm on FD7.
UPDATE August 26 FD7:
Discovery has undocked from the SSF and is on her way back home to KSC. Landing is scheduled for around 9:00 am tomorrow on FD8.
UPDATE August 27 FD8:
Discovery and her crew are ready to come home today, but the weather is not ready for them. Controlers are watching the weather at KSC and have waved off the landing attempt that would get the crew home around 9:00. Because of the inclanation of the orbit Discovery will have four more opertunities today before the landing will be posponed until tomorrow.
UPDATE:
The weather has cleared up and Discovery will be comeing home on the last landing opertunity today. Landing is scheduled for 1:45 pm at the SLF.
UPDATE:
Discovery has landed at the SLF after a succesful supply run to the SSF. The station is now ready for the rest the FE4 and the visit from the first civilan Science crew that will be lanched on a Space X Dragon. The next launch will be the falcon 9 launch of SX-DM 002 targeted for September 10th. The next NASA launch will be the first unmanned test flight of the new Ares I/Orion capsule stack from LC-39C October 8th. That flight is designated Ares Orion System flight 1 (AOS-1). There isn't another planed shuttle launch from KSC until the new year.
