International Space Station (ISS / Alpha)

cIclops · 2008-01-24 03:47:31

From the ISS status report for 23 Jan 2008

After printing out newly uplinked procedures for the US EVA-14 next week (1/30), the CDR & FE-2 conducted a two-hour review of the briefing package, covering topics like egress plan, timeline ordering of tasks, translation/fairleads/tether plan, hazards, and ingress plan. Later (~9:10am EST), Peggy and Dan tagged up with ground specialists to discuss particulars. Using the crew input, final procedures are now being prepared. [The spacewalk of ~6 hrs duration has one major objective, broken into several steps: (1) Set up BMRMM (Bearing Motor Roll Ring Module, “broom”) worksite; (2) Removed failed BMRRM (~35 min); (3) Install replacement BMRRM (~35 min); (4) Clean up worksite; and (5) Inspect STBD SARJ (Solar Alpha Rotary Joint).]

Looks like the EVA will go ahead.

cIclops · 2008-01-25 01:06:17

From Status report for 24 Jan 2008:

Robotics & SARJ Preview: Tomorrow, 1/25, the SSRMS (Space Station Remote Manipulator System), currently based on Node-2, will be “walked off” inchworm-style to the MT MBS (Mobile Transporter/Mobile Base System), detached from Node-2 and re-based on MBS PDGF-1 (Power & Data Grapple Fixture 1). On 1/26-27, the SSRMS will be maneuvered to the subsequently planned Stbd SARJ (Solar Alpha Rotary Joint) inspection via ground control. On Saturday, SSRMS will inspect the race ring's outer canted surface, while on Sunday the survey will focus on the Datum A surface. During each inspection, the SARJ will be rotated using 12 degree directed positioning moves every 5 minutes (requires 8 orbits for a full 360 degree inspection). Meanwhile, ground analysis of the root cause continues. Power analyses for upcoming missions are scheduled to be completed over the next month. SARJ cleaning and lubrication techniques are being evaluated. A grease gun will be added to 1E manifest. ULF-2 manifest will likely have 12 TBAs (Trundle Bearing Assemblies) and 1 DLA (Drive Lock Assembly). Increment 18 and ULF-2 crew will receive training on outboard mode R&R and SARJ cleaning operations.

A grease gun!

cIclops · 2008-01-27 04:37:28

From left are Russia's Federal Space Agency cosmonaut Sergei Volkov, Expedition 17 commander;
with flight engineers Greg Chamitoff and Garrett Reisman; South Korean spaceflight participant San Ko,
and flight engineers Sandy Magnus and Oleg Kononenko (Federal Space Agency).

- imaged 15 Jan 2008

cIclops · 2008-01-28 16:53:52

Latest timeline update

Over the weekend, the Expedition 16 crew members monitored the starboard Solar Alpha Rotary Joint (SARJ) as it rotated 360 degrees twice, once on Saturday and once on Sunday. This allowed video cameras on the station’s robotic arm, Canadarm2, to inspect the contaminated joint as it captured hours of imagery. The data is being analyzed for future repairs.
Further inspections of the SARJ will be made as a part of a spacewalk by station Commander Peggy Whitson and Flight Engineer Dan Tani scheduled for Wednesday, Jan. 30 at 5:20 a.m. EST.
The main objective of the spacewalk is the removal and replacement of the Bearing Motor Roll Ring Module (BMRRM). The BMRRM rotates one of the station's two starboard solar wings that track the sun and generate power. Whitson and Tani will maneuver along the station’s starboard truss to the 1A Solar Array Beta Gimbal Assembly to replace the BMRRM.
On Monday, Whitson and Tani gathered and configured tools and held a procedure review with flight controllers on the ground in preparation for the spacewalk.

cIclops · 2008-01-29 09:07:21

Spacewalk Preview Briefing - (video 55 mins) - 28 Jan 2008

cIclops · 2008-01-30 13:01:59

Spacewalkers Replace Solar Wing Motor - 30 Jan 2008

Expedition 16 Commander Peggy Whitson and Flight Engineer Dan Tani replaced a motor at the base of one of the International Space Station's solar wings during a 7-hour, 10-minute spacewalk that ended at 12:06 p.m. EST Wednesday.
Whitson and Tani also inspected a joint that helps rotate the starboard solar arrays during the spacewalk, done from the station's Quest airlock in U.S. spacesuits.
Most of the spacewalk focused on replacement of the motor, the Bearing Motor Roll Ring Module (BMRRM). Called the 'broom," the motor drives the starboard solar wings as they tilt along their axis to follow the sun for optimal power generation as the station orbits the Earth.
Mission Control reported good electrical continuity to the new BMRRM. While spacewalkers were still outside, flight controllers completed a planned 3-degree rotation and then did a 360-degree rotation of those solar wings.
Major activities of the BMRRM replacement took place during the night part of the orbit, when less voltage is generated by the solar wings than when they are exposed to the sun. The replacement BMRRM was retrieved from its stowage place in Pressurized Mating Adapter-3 early this month in preparation for the spacewalk.
The motor is part of the Beta Gimbal Assembly, which experienced electrical failures Dec. 8. The removal and replacement of the BMRRM took about 3 hours, including pauses during the daylight part of the orbit.
The second major task of the spacewalk was inspection of the starboard Solar Alpha Rotary Joint (SARJ). That device causes the starboard solar wings to rotate in a paddlewheel-like motion to keep the arrays pointed toward the sun.
Previous inspections revealed contamination and debris inside that joint. Eight SARJ covers were removed for Wednesday’s inspection.
Station Flight Engineer Yuri Malenchenko helped the crew with suiting up and provided other support. Astronaut Tom Marshburn was the ground intravehicular officer. He was in the station flight control room in Houston's Mission Control Center, acting as spacewalk choreographer.

Potentially bad news: debris was found on both the inboard and outboard race rings.

cIclops · 2008-02-06 06:55:35

Checkout this image from SpaceWeather.com - 5 Feb 2008 (4 frame sequence)

Last night, the International Space Station flew over the Netherlands where Ralf Vandebergh was waiting with his 10-inch telescope and a digital camera.
"The flyby was at a good angle to capture the station's robotic arm," he notes. It is the elbowed projection about halfway between the port and starboard solar arrays.

It's amazing how good the resolution is for a 10" scope (about 10cms?) - has anyone used a BIG telescope for this type of imaging?

Rxke · 2008-02-07 01:48:18

a 10" scope (about 10cms?) - has anyone used a BIG telescope for this type of imaging?

an inch is 2.54 cm, so it's 25.4 cm

cIclops · 2008-02-07 03:53:53

Sorry, that was badly written, the resolution of the image seems to be about 10 cms - that means a 20" scope should be capable of resolving 5cm on the ISS. Tracking would be difficult with a larger one, but not impossible - military systems should be capable of even finer resolution. Keck ought to be able to see Peggy smiling

Rxke · 2008-02-07 04:42:51

:oops:

or rather: laughing at myself for my poor reading

cIclops · 2008-02-07 14:41:36

Progress P28 Docks - 7 Feb 2008

A new Progress cargo carrier docked to the International Space Station's Pirs docking compartment at 9:30 a.m. EST Thursday with more than 2.5 tons of fuel, air, water, propellant and other supplies and equipment aboard.
The station's 28th Progress unpiloted spacecraft brings to the orbiting laboratory more than 1,165 pounds of propellant, more than 100 pounds of oxygen and air, about 925 pounds of water and 2,925 pounds of dry cargo. Total cargo weight is 5,129 pounds.
P28 launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Tuesday, Feb. 5, at 8:03 a.m. EST. It replaces the trash-filled P27 which was undocked from Pirs on Monday. P27 will be deorbited Feb. 15 and destroyed on re-entry.
P28 used the automated Kurs system to dock to the station. Expedition 16 Flight Engineer Yuri Malenchenko was at the manual TORU docking system controls, should his intervention have become necessary.
Once Expedition 16 crew members, Malenchenko, Commander Peggy Whitson and Flight Engineer Dan Tani, have unloaded the cargo, P28 will be filled with trash and station discards. It will be undocked from the station and like its predecessor deorbited to burn in the Earth's atmosphere.
The Progress is similar in appearance and some design elements to the Soyuz spacecraft, which brings crew members to the station, serves as a lifeboat while they are there and returns them to Earth. The aft module, the instrumentation and propulsion module, is nearly identical.
But the second of the three Progress sections is a refueling module, and the third, uppermost as the Progress sits on the launch pad, is a cargo module. On the Soyuz, the descent module, where the crew is seated on launch and which returns them to Earth, is the middle module and the third is called the orbital module.

cIclops · 2008-02-09 16:12:30

Shuttle Crew Enters Station, First Spacewalk Delayed - 9 Feb 2008

The STS-122 crew entered the International Space Station for the first time after the hatches between the station and space shuttle Atlantis opened at 1:40 p.m. EST today.
Space Shuttle Atlantis and the STS-122 crew arrived at the International Space Station at 12:17 p.m., delivering the European Space Agency's Columbus laboratory and a new crew member to the orbital outpost.
Mission Control informed the shuttle and space station crews that the first spacewalk will be delayed by one day and astronaut Stan Love will replace Hans Schlegel on that spacewalk.
STS-122 is the 24th shuttle mission to visit the station. Atlantis is scheduled to return to Earth Feb. 18.

cIclops · 2008-02-11 15:56:01

Columbus on its way from the payload bay to ISS - imaged 11 Feb 2008

cIclops · 2008-02-16 03:28:55

Columbus installed in new home - 11 Feb 2008

The European Columbus laboratory has completed its voyage to the International Space Station. Columbus was officially attached to the right side of the Harmony module at 22:44 CET this evening.
ESA astronaut Leopold Eyharts, who was at the controls of the Station's robotic arm for the final capture and initial berthing of Columbus, reported to Mission Control, "The European Columbus module is now part of the ISS."
Columbus was installed during the first spacewalk of the STS-122 mission. From outside the ISS, astronauts Rex Walheim and Stanley Love prepared the module for installation before the Station's robotic arm was used to lift Columbus into position.

cIclops · 2008-02-16 03:35:35

(13 Feb. 2008) --- European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Leopold Eyharts, Expedition 16 flight engineer, holds a panel in the newly attached Columbus laboratory of the International Space Station while Space Shuttle Atlantis (STS-122) is docked with the station. The panel bears the names of European engineers who built Columbus.

Update 16 Feb 2008:

Mission managers let the crew sleep in an extra 30 minutes today after a busy spacewalk. Friday's spacewalk by mission specialists Rex Walheim and Stanley Love lasted 7 hours and 25 minutes.
The space shuttle Atlantis and International Space Station crews are busy today transferring supplies and equipment into the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Columbus laboratory.
This morning, the station will get a reboost, a routine procedure to adjust its orbit. Also, the STS-122 and Expedition 16 crews will participate in a joint crew news conference at 8:40 a.m. EST.
In addition to delivering the Columbus laboratory to the orbital outpost, Atlantis’ astronauts performed three spacewalks to prepare the module for its scientific work and replaced an expended nitrogen tank on the station. Atlantis also transported ESA astronaut Leopold Eyharts to the station to take the place of Daniel Tani as Expedition 16 flight engineer. Tani is returning to Earth aboard the shuttle.

cIclops · 2008-02-18 04:09:36

Current configuration showing the new Columbus module - imaged 18 Feb 2008

Fly around video 2:25 mins

cIclops · 2008-02-19 08:43:03

Expedition 16 crew: Peggy Whitson, commander; Yuri Malenchenko (right), flight engineer and Soyuz
commander, and ESA's Leopold Eyharts who replaced Dan Tani during STS-122 docking.

Leo Eyharts is working on commissioning the Columbus science racks, starting with BLB (Biolab).

cIclops · 2008-02-23 06:28:29

Video tour of the station and docked shuttle - (video 9:43 mins) - 13 Feb 2008

Starting in Destiny, through Harmony into Atlantis then back again and through to the Russian segment, and back once again to Destiny.

Rxke · 2008-02-23 07:28:03

Wow that thing has grown quite big!

cIclops · 2008-02-27 09:07:42

Imaged from Atlantis during its fly around - 18 Feb 2008

Checkout the high resolution version!

cIclops · 2008-03-05 02:00:14

LEE = Latching End Effector
OTP = ORU Temporary Platform
OTCM = ORU Tool Changeout Mechanism
SPDM = Special Purpose Dextrous Manipulator

STS-123 will soon be delivering the astonishing Dextre robot "hands" for the SSRMS

SPDM animation - video 2:30 mins

SPDM Overview (PDF 2MB) - 2 May 2005

• Final component of the International Space Station’s (ISS) Mobile Servicing System (MSS).
• Advanced, two armed robot designed for dexterous robotic tasks that would otherwise require a two astronaut Extra Vehicular Activity(EVA).
• Primary mission is to support maintenance of the ISS through:
- Handling and changeout of robotically compatible On-orbit Replaceable Units (ORU’s)
- Temporary accommodation of payloads on SPDM body
- Inspection of ISS elements
- Miscellaneous robotic tasks, eg. actuation of MT stop, tether shuttle stop
• Nominally operated from the end of the Canadarm2 (SSRMS), but can also operate from any MBS or ISS Power Data Grapple Fixture (PDGF).

Yang Liwei Rocket · 2008-03-09 09:19:31

Successful launch of ESA's ATV today but nasaspaceflightdotcom is reporting "vehicle is suffering from a Propulsion Drive Electronics (PDE) 2 fault"

cIclops · 2008-03-11 17:45:32

Animations of the upcoming construction work

o JLM installation

o Dextre assembly sequences

cIclops · 2008-03-14 04:41:47

Another new module attached - imaged 13 Mar 2008

With the installation of the Japanese Logistics Module - Pressurized Section (JLP), the first component of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s Kibo laboratory, the International Space Station has grown yet again. Japan joined the station community when the JLP was connected to the orbital outpost at 4:06 a.m. EDT.
STS-123 Mission Specialist Rick Linnehan and Expedition 16 Flight Engineer Garrett Reisman completed the shuttle mission’s first spacewalk at 4:19 a.m. Friday. Their primary task was to prepare the JLP for its installation. The excursion lasted seven hours, one minute.
Commander Dom Gorie and Japanese astronaut Takao Doi used the shuttle’s robotic arm to move the JLP to its place on the orbital outpost.

SpaceNut · 2008-03-14 20:49:55

While that is good news the story about Dexter was one of those Dah,,, moments. I guess all that ends well is ok but still....
Robot rescued: Astronauts get power flowing; Orbital crew uses workaround to hook up powerless $200 million Dextre

A cable design flaw had prevented power from reaching Dextre, once the robot was hoisted onto the space station Thursday. Engineers on the ground put in the wrong circuitry before Endeavour's flight; that was enough to create a roadblock in power and data to Dextre.

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#126 2008-01-24 03:47:31

Re: International Space Station (ISS / Alpha)

#127 2008-01-25 01:06:17

Re: International Space Station (ISS / Alpha)

#128 2008-01-27 04:37:28

Re: International Space Station (ISS / Alpha)

#129 2008-01-28 16:53:52

Re: International Space Station (ISS / Alpha)

#130 2008-01-29 09:07:21

Re: International Space Station (ISS / Alpha)

#131 2008-01-30 13:01:59

Re: International Space Station (ISS / Alpha)

#132 2008-02-06 06:55:35

Re: International Space Station (ISS / Alpha)

#133 2008-02-07 01:48:18

Re: International Space Station (ISS / Alpha)

#134 2008-02-07 03:53:53

Re: International Space Station (ISS / Alpha)

#135 2008-02-07 04:42:51

Re: International Space Station (ISS / Alpha)

#136 2008-02-07 14:41:36

Re: International Space Station (ISS / Alpha)

#137 2008-02-09 16:12:30

Re: International Space Station (ISS / Alpha)

#138 2008-02-11 15:56:01

Re: International Space Station (ISS / Alpha)

#139 2008-02-16 03:28:55

Re: International Space Station (ISS / Alpha)

#140 2008-02-16 03:35:35

Re: International Space Station (ISS / Alpha)

#141 2008-02-18 04:09:36

Re: International Space Station (ISS / Alpha)

#142 2008-02-19 08:43:03

Re: International Space Station (ISS / Alpha)

#143 2008-02-23 06:28:29

Re: International Space Station (ISS / Alpha)

#144 2008-02-23 07:28:03

Re: International Space Station (ISS / Alpha)

#145 2008-02-27 09:07:42

Re: International Space Station (ISS / Alpha)

#146 2008-03-05 02:00:14

Re: International Space Station (ISS / Alpha)

#147 2008-03-09 09:19:31

Re: International Space Station (ISS / Alpha)

#148 2008-03-11 17:45:32

Re: International Space Station (ISS / Alpha)

#149 2008-03-14 04:41:47

Re: International Space Station (ISS / Alpha)

#150 2008-03-14 20:49:55

Re: International Space Station (ISS / Alpha)

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