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Discovery Gets New Valves - Crew Practices Simulated Liftoff
Cape Canaveral FL (SPX) Feb 02, 2009 Space shuttle Discovery's gaseous hydrogen, or GH2, flow control valves have arrived at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Following management approval, technicians will install them on the shuttle. The GH2 valves are used to synchronize the gas pressure between the external fuel tank and the engines, creating an even flow. At NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, the STS-119 crew members wrap up their week reviewing flight plans and practicing liftoff maneuvers and abort techniques in a motion base simulator. The simulator is a mock-up of a shuttle cockpit, balanced on a hydraulic platform and equipped with the same instruments as a real shuttle. The hydraulics and flight scenario software provide the flight crew with a remarkably accurate simulated-liftoff session. On Feb. 3, NASA managers will meet at Kennedy for the executive-level Flight Readiness Review to evaluate whether Discovery's mission is prepared before launch. An announcement will be made and broadcast on NASA TV at the conclusion of the meeting to set the mission's official launch date. Discovery currently is targeted to launch on Feb. 12 at 7:32 a.m. EST.
related report The S6 truss, with its set of large U.S. solar arrays, will complete the backbone of the station and provide one-fourth of the total power needed to support a crew of six. The two solar array wings each have 115-foot-long arrays, for a total wing span of 240 feet. They will generate 66 kilowatts of electricity - enough to provide about 30 2,800-square-foot homes with power. Commander Lee Archambault will lead Discovery's crew of seven, along with Pilot Tony Antonelli, and Mission Specialists Joseph Acaba, John Phillips, Steve Swanson, Richard Arnold and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Koichi Wakata.
What is the Flight Readiness Review? The group conducts a comprehensive evaluation of all activities and elements necessary for the safe and successful performance of shuttle mission operations - from the prelaunch phase through post-landing. They also examine the readiness of the space shuttle, flight crew and payloads to determine if everything is set to proceed with launch. At the conclusion of the review, the chairman of the Mission Management Team conducts a poll of the team members. If there are no unresolved issues, the members then sign a "Certification of Flight Readiness" to verify that all flight preparation processes to that date have been successfully completed. The official launch date is then set and announced, and shuttle processing continues toward the projected liftoff date. Wakata will replace Expedition 18 Flight Engineer Sandra Magnus, who will return to Earth with the STS-119 crew. Wakata will serve as a flight engineer for Expeditions 18 and 19, and return to Earth with the STS-127 crew. Discovery's STS-119 mission to the International Space Station is targeted to lift off at 7:32 a.m. EST, Feb. 12. Related Links STS-119 Mission Summary Shuttle at NASA Watch NASA TV via Space.TV Space Shuttle News at Space-Travel.Com
Preparations Continue Toward Discovery's Liftoff
Cape Canaveral FL (SPX) Jan 28, 2009At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida ground crews are working on valve and aft skirt installations and performing several tests on space shuttle Discovery at Launch Pad 39A. |
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