STS- 116 Discovery to be a night launch

SpaceNut · 2006-12-20 09:52:05

Astronaut cuts her hair in space for charity

Williams, who arrived at the outpost last week with long flowing — and floating — hair, arranged to have her locks cut last Sunday and the clippings stowed on Discovery for a future hairpiece to be donated to a patient suffering from long-term medical hair loss

Shuttle Crew to Scan Heat Shield, Deploy Satellites

Known as MEPSI and RAFT (Radar Fence Transponder ), the small satellites are part of Discovery’s Space Test Program-H2 a pair of spring-loaded microsatellites.
MEPSI, which carries the bulky name of Microelectromechanical System-Based (MEMS) PICOSAT Inspector, is a coffee-cup sized machine designed to demonstrate the capability of a low-power spacecraft for inspecting larger vehicles.
The RAFT satellite is an experimental payload built by students at the U.S. Naval Academy aimed at testing space surveillance and communications protocols.
A third microsatellite mission, known as ANDE, is due to be deployed on Thursday.

C M Edwards · 2006-12-22 16:02:11

As of 4:30pm EST, Discovery is slated to land at White Sands, New Mexico.

C M Edwards · 2006-12-23 21:10:47

... which is why they landed in Florida. Stupid Reuters news wire...

SpaceNut · 2006-12-23 22:03:14

The ranking of where Nasa wanted the shuttle to land was always the strip in Florida with Edwards being second with NM being last only because it lacks the infrastructure to get the shuttle back home.
Even if the strip in florida got a last minut wave off but shuttle was already in route there are only a few other locations with a long enough runway that could have been used to land on.
I am glad that they are back home safe and can continue to finish the ISS.

Next shuttle flight is due sometime in March as it was delayed from its schedueled Feb 2007 date.

dicktice · 2006-12-24 16:46:13

So far, so good, with the current procedure involving in-orbit inspection of the reentry surfaces. If we had adopted this from the beginning think what might have been accomplished by now. I just mention this 20/20 view after the fact as a stimulus to future space programme planning for more in-orbit and beyond crew self-help capabilities.

SpaceNut · 2006-12-29 09:00:49

The crane at NM is now gone that would have been used to hoist the shuttle to the cargo return plane. It was first shipped to California's Vandenberg Air Force Base in the mid-1980s to support space shuttle launchings from the West Coast, and the shuttle Enterprise used the crane when it was sent there for fit checks at the launch pad.

Following cancellation of California launch plans, the crane wound up at the Palmdale, Calif., plant where orbiters are manufactured and it remains there to this day, too big and too expensive for ready transport.

SpaceNut · 2007-01-01 21:09:42

Shuttle upgrade for the future Israeli software firm cuts deal with NASA

Program developed by ALD locating, preventing hitches to be installed in NASA's space shuttles; USD 5 million deal for 3 year contract.

The program is supposed to be capable of locating and collecting malfunctions and contributes to the industries in which security and maintenance in the stages of development, production, operation and maintenance are critical.

SpaceNut · 2007-02-10 11:37:06

Space Shuttle Discovery when the shuttle docked with the International Space Station in December 2006
New space technology provides less shake, rattle, roll

Air Force Materiel Command's Space Vehicles Directorate and Composite Technology Development, Inc., have developed an Elastic Memory Composite Hinge, which is comprised of a mixture of carbon fiber strands and an epoxy resin.[/url]

NASA diapers become topic No. 1 Comedians and bloggers can't get enough of the topic.
The aerospace undies, which come in several styles, are worn when astronauts don't have access to the spaceship toilet, Neal said.
In the early 1980s, female astronauts relied on zipper-fastened "disposable absorption containment trunks." Men wore "urine collection devices," which featured a condom-like sheath connected to a tube and pouch.
In the 1990s, these orbiting bedpans were exchanged for adult diapers laced with a liquid-absorbing chemical called sodium polyacrylate. A NASA spokeswoman said the official brand used now is Absorbencies, manufactured by a company that has folded.
Fortunately, NASA owns a huge stockpile. The agency snapped up 3,200 of the diapers about 15 years ago, the spokeswoman said, and "we still have about a third of the supply left."

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#26 2006-12-20 09:52:05

Re: STS- 116 Discovery to be a night launch

#27 2006-12-22 16:02:11

Re: STS- 116 Discovery to be a night launch

#28 2006-12-23 21:10:47

Re: STS- 116 Discovery to be a night launch

#29 2006-12-23 22:03:14

Re: STS- 116 Discovery to be a night launch

#30 2006-12-24 16:46:13

Re: STS- 116 Discovery to be a night launch

#31 2006-12-29 09:00:49

Re: STS- 116 Discovery to be a night launch

#32 2007-01-01 21:09:42

Re: STS- 116 Discovery to be a night launch

#33 2007-02-10 11:37:06

Re: STS- 116 Discovery to be a night launch

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