As the clock winds down on NASA's space shuttle program, the countdown clock at Kennedy Space Center is ticking down to the launch of Atlantis on an eleven day mission to deliver critical spare parts and supplies to the International Space Station. Liftoff is scheduled for 2:28:08 p.m. EST from Launch Complex 39-B where workers have spent the last month preparing the shuttle for flight. The weather forecast is uncharacteristically favorable, with only a 10% chance of low clouds preventing an on-time launch.
>LAUNCH WEATHER FORECAST NASA TV SCHEDULE STS-129 MISSION SUMMARY STS-129 PRESS KIT WATCH FREE VIDEO: NOVEMBER 15, 2009 WATCH: COUNTDOWN STATUS BRIEFING WATCH: ISS SCIENCE BRIEFING WATCH: TIMELAPSE VIDEO OF RSS ROLLBACK ALL-ACCESS SUBSCRIBER VIDEO DOWNLOAD: NOVEMBER 14, 2009 DOWNLOAD VIDEO: COUNTDOWN STATUS BRIEFING DOWNLOAD VIDEO: ISS SCIENCE BRIEFING DOWNLOAD VIDEO: TIMELAPSE VIDEO OF RSS ROLLBACK DOWNLOAD VIDEO: NASA TV COVERAGE OF RSS ROLLBACK - 1.2 MBPS VIDEO DOWNLOAD VIDEO: NASA TV COVERAGE OF RSS ROLLBACK, PART 1 - 500 KBPS VIDEO DOWNLOAD VIDEO: NASA TV COVERAGE OF RSS ROLLBACK, PART 2 - 500 KBPS VIDEO DOWNLOAD VIDEO: OUR VIDEO OF RSS ROLLBACK IN FRONT OF THE LAUNCH PAD The crew of STS-129 is led by veteran shuttle astronaut Charlie Hobaugh. Assisting him on the flight deck will be pilot Barry Wilmore. The six-person crew is rounded out by mission specialists Leland Melvin (MS-1), Randy Bresnik (MS-2), Mike Foreman (MS-3) and Robert Satcher (MS-4). Current space station Expedition 21 flight engineer Nicole Stott (MS-5), who has been living aboard ISS since August, will return to Earth on Atlantis at the end of the mission as the seventh member of the STS-129 crew. This will be Atlantis' 31st flight, the 129th space shuttle mission in the 28 year history of the program and the 31st shuttle flight in support of assembly and maintenance of the International Space Station. Two days after launch, on Flight Day 3, Atlantis will dock with the forward Pressurized Mating adapter on the Harmony connecting node at 11:56 a.m. EST. A couple hours later, hatches between the orbiter and station will be opened and the station and shuttle crews will greet each other and conduct a short safety briefing. After the briefing, the astronauts will immediately get down to the business of STS-129 / ULF 3 when mission specialists Leland Melvin and Randy Bresnik will use the shuttle's robotic arm to grapple the first payload to be moved to the station, the ExPRESS Logistics Carrier 1 (ELC-1) and hand it off to the station's larger arm. Operating the station's arm will be mission specialist Barry Wilmore and ISS Expedition 21 flight engineer Jeff Williams. Together, they will install ELC-1 on the P3 truss segment on the port side of the station's backbone. The 13,850 pound ELC-1 platform houses several important spare Orbital Replacement Units that will be kept on standby in case of hardware failures on the space station after the shuttle retires next year. The spares are specifically designed to be launched on the space shuttle, so it's critical to deliver them to ISS while the shuttle is still flying. Orbital Replacement Units and Payloads Carried On ELC-1 Ammonia Tank Assembly (ATA) The primary function of the ATA is to store the ammonia used by the External Thermal Control System (ETCS). The major components in the ATA include two ammonia storage tanks, isolation valves, heaters, and various temperature, pressure, and quantity sensors. It is 57 inches long by 80 inches width with a height of 45 inches. A new ATA, with 600 pounds of Ammonia, weighs approximately 1,702 pounds. Battery Charger Discharge Unit (BCDU) The Battery Charge Discharge Unit (BCDU) is a bidirectional power converter that serves a dual function of charging the batteries during solar collection periods (isolation) and providing conditioned battery power to the primary power buses during eclipse periods. The station is outfitted with 24 BCDU's. Each BCDU has a battery charging capability of 8.4 kW and a continuous discharge capability of 6.6 kW (9.0 kW peak). The BCDU measures approximately 40 inches by 28 inches by 12 inches and weighs 235 pounds. Control Moment Gyroscope (CMG) Both the Russian and U.S. segments can maintain attitude control. When the Russian segment is in control, attitude is maintained by thrusters, which consume propellant. When the U.S. segment is in control, Control Moment Gyroscopes, manufactured by L3 Communications Space and Navigation, are used. The set of four CMGs balance the effects of gravity gradient, aerodynamic, and other disturbance torques, maintaining the station at an equilibrium attitude without using propellant. The CMGs can also be used to perform attitude maneuvers. The CMGs rely on electrical power provided by the solar powered electrical subsystem. A CMG consists of a single-piece 25-inch diameter, 220-pound stainless steel flywheel that rotates at a constant speed of 6,600 rpm and develops an angular momentum of 3,600 ft-lb-sec about its spin axis. Each CMG assembly weighs approximately 600 pounds and measures 45 inches wide, 48 inches high, and 54 inches in length. The CMGs have had some failures on board the ISS. Design improvements made to the spare CMGs, based on the findings from the two CMG failure investigations, include new bearing preload system materials, improvements to sliding fit lubrication, and modified covers and installation procedures to maintain bearing alignment. Canadarm2 Latching End Effector (LEE) The Canadian Mobile Servicing System (MSS) consists of the Canadian Space Station Remote Manipulator System (SSRMS), or Canadarm 2, the Mobile Base System (MBS) and the Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator (SPDM), or Dextre. The SSRMS has two identical grapple end points called Latching End Effectors that enable it to reattach either end to the station as its new base. It moves in inch worm fashion around the U.S. segment by placing one end on a mounting point and disengaging its other end and using it to grapple a payload or another mounting point. Each mounting point provides power and data to the SSRMS. The SSRMS can also be mounted on one of several mounting points on the MBS, a movable base that moves back and forth on the United States On-Orbit truss segments. The MBS itself has a LEE (called the Payload Orbital Replacement Unit (ORU) Accommodation (POA)) that is used for temporarily stowing and providing power to payloads. And the SPDM has a LEE that can be used for positioning the SPDM on the station or on the MBS or that can be used to grapple payloads when the SPDM itself is at the end of the SSRMS. The LEE measures about 42 inches in length and about 35 inches in height and 28 inches in width, and weighs about 415 pounds. Nitrogen Tank Assembly (NTA) The Nitrogen Tank Assembly provides a high-pressure gaseous nitrogen supply to control the flow of ammonia out of the ATA. The ATA contains two flexible, chambers incorporated into its ammonia tanks that expand as pressurized nitrogen expels liquid ammonia out of them. Mounted to both of the Boeing-built Starboard 1 (S1) and P1 truss segments, the NTA is equipped with a Gas Pressure Regulating Valve (GPRV) and isolation valves as well as survival heaters. The GPRV and isolation valves provide control function and over pressure protection of downstream components. The NTA ORU has a full tank with a weight of about 80 pounds of nitrogen at approximately 2,500 pounds per square inch (psi) of pressure and weighs, in total, approximately 550 pounds. Plasma Contactor Unit (PCU) As the International Space Station (ISS) travels through Low Earth Orbit (LEO), an electrical charge builds. This phenomenon can result in high voltages that may cause electrical discharges. These discharges, in turn, can damage precise electrical instruments and can also present a hazard to crew members performing EVA. The Plasma Contactor Unit (PCU) is used to disperse the electrical charge that builds up by providing an electrically conductive "ground path" to the plasma environment surrounding the ISS. This prevents the electrical discharges and provides a means of controlling crew shock hazard during EVA. There are two PCUs located on the ISS Zenith 1 Truss, both of which are operated during EVA. The PCU measures approximately 28 inches by 23 inches by 18 inches, and weighs approximately 350 pounds. Pump Module Assembly (PMA) The Pump Module Assembly is part of the station's complex Active Thermal Control System (ATCS), which provides vital cooling to internal and external avionics, crew members, and payloads. The station has two independent cooling loops. The external loops use an ammonia-based coolant and the internal loops use water cooling. At the heart of the ATCS is the pump module, which pumps the ammonia through the external system to provide cooling and eventually reject the residual heat into space via the radiators. The heat is generated by the electronic boxes throughout the station. Circulation, loop pressurization, and temperature control of the ammonia is provided by the Pump Module. The pump module weighs 780 pounds and measures approximately 5.5 feet (69 inches) long by 4 feet (50 inches) wide with a height of 3 feet (36 inches). Passive Flight Releasable Attachment Mechanism (PFRAM) ELC1 will contain two sites designated to accommodate payloads launched on other missions. NASA uses a system on the external carriers to attach to Orbital Replacement Units (ORUs) and payloads consisting of the Flight Releasable Attachment Mechanism. This mechanism has an active side with moving mechanical components, and a passive side that the active side engages with mechanically driven pins and latches. The active FRAM is driven by an EVA astronaut using a Pistol Grip Tool, or the station's robotic arm. These FRAM mechanisms are mounted to the ELC on Passive Flight Releasable Attachment Mechanism (PFRAM) Adapter Plate Assemblies (PFAPs) and also provide an electrical connection that can be used if needed by the ORU or payload being attached. Overnight on Flight Day 3, Satcher and Foreman will sleep in the Quest airlock as part of the "Campout" procedure to help rid the blood of nitrogen gas that could cause the bends when they're in the EVA suits at a lower atmospheric pressure than the station. Day four will be dedicated to the first of three spacewalks of the mission. While Wilmore and Melvin work the station's robot arm supporting the spacewalkers, Foreman and Satcher will start out by moving the SASA antenna to the station's truss and hooking it up to electrical power for its heaters. The two spacewalkers will then lubricate the Japanese Kibo laboratory's robot arm snares and on a Payload and ORU Accomodation along with several other maintenance tasks. Flight Day 5 is left open to conduct any focused inspection of Atlantis' heat shield in case the standard Flight Day 2 inspections reveal anything that mission controllers want to get a closer look at. The day will also be spent preparing for the second EVA, to be conducted by Foreman and Bresnik. Day 6 is another EVA day. Foreman and Bresnik will install a Grappling Adapter to On-orbit Railing assembly to the side of the European Columbus module. This is part of an exercise to demonstrate the ability of two different Automatic Identification System receivers to locate and identify ships in the ocean. They will relocate a device known as a Floating Potential Measurement Unit, which measures the electrical charge generated by the space station as it flies through the plasma that surrounds Earth. Foreman and Bresnik will also deploy a downward-facing Payload Adapter System and install Wireless Video System External Transceiver Assembly that is used to transmit video from the helmet-mounted cameras on the U.S. EVA suits. Also on day six, the ELC-2 pallet will be transferred to ISS and mounted on its truss. Like ELC-1, ELC-2 carries a number of important spare parts to help ensure the health os the space station in the coming years. Orbital Replacement Units And Payloads On ELC-2 Orbital Replacement Units on ELC2 include another CMG, Pump Module, NTA and one empty P/L PFRAM. Besides those items, it will also carry the following items: Cargo Transportation Container (CTC) ELC2 will carry a Cargo Transportation Container #1 that will contain 10 Remote Power Control Modules (like a large circuit breaker) and ORU Adapter Kits (OAKS) - basically brackets installed in the CTC to hold the ORUs. It will also carry an empty OAK. Orbital Sciences Corporation delivered five Cargo Transport Containers (CTCs) to NASA for use in conjunction with the resupply of the International Space Station (ISS). Each CTC measures about 4 feet by 3 feet by 3 feet, weighs about 680 pounds and is capable of carrying about 400 pounds of hardware to the ISS. The CTCs can be opened and their contents retrieved either through robotic methods or by astronauts performing extravehicular operations. High-Pressure Gas Tank (HPGT) High pressure oxygen onboard the ISS provides support for EVA and contingency metabolic support for the crew. This high pressure O2 is brought to the ISS by the High-Pressure Gas Tanks (HPGT) and is replenished by the Space Shuttle by using the Oxygen Recharge Compressor Assembly (ORCA). There are several drivers that must be considered in managing the available high pressure oxygen on the ISS. The amount of oxygen the space shuttle can fly up is driven by manifest mass limitations, launch slips; and on orbit shuttle power requirements. The amount of oxygen that is used from the ISS HPGTs is driven by the number of shuttle docked and undocked EVAs, the type of EVA prebreathe protocol that is used, contingency use of oxygen for metabolic support, and emergency oxygen. The HPGT will be transferred from ELC2 to the ISS Airlock. The HPGT measures 5 feet by 6.2 feet by 4.5 feet and weights approximately 1,240 pounds of which 220 pounds is gaseous oxygen at 2,450 pounds per square inch of pressure. The HPGT was provided by Boeing. Materials International Space Station Experiment 7 (MISSE-7) The Materials on International Space Station Experiment 7 (MISSE-7) is a test bed for advanced materials and electronics attached to the outside of the International Space Station (ISS). Results will provide a better understanding of the durability of advanced materials and electronics when they are exposed to vacuum, solar radiation, atomic oxygen, and extremes of heat and cold. These materials and electronics, including solar cells, coatings, thermal protection, optics, sensors, and computing elements, have the potential to increase the performance and useful life of the next generation of satellites and launch systems. The samples are installed in experiment trays within two Passive Experiment Containers (PECs), which are opened on-orbit. Astronauts will install the PECs, 7A and 7B, to the MISSE-7 support base during an EVA. Each PEC holds samples on both sides, with PEC 7A orientated zenith/nadir (space facing/Earth facing), and PEC 7B oriented ram/wake (forward/backward) relative to the ISS orbit. MISSE-7 also includes electronic experiments in boxes mounted directly to the MISSE-7 support base. The MISSE program has a rich history of testing advanced materials on ISS. MISSE-1 and 2 were delivered to ISS on STS-105 in August 2001 and returned on STS-114 in August 2005. MISSE-5 was deployed on STS-114 in July 2005 and returned on STS-115 in September 2006. MISSE-3 and 4 were delivered to ISS on STS-121 in July 2006 and returned on STS-118 in August 2007. MISSE-6A and 6B were delivered to the ISS on STS-123 in March 2008 and returned on STS-128 in September 2009. MISSE-7 is the latest and most advanced of the MISSE payloads, and will be the first to receive power directly from the ISS and use the ISS communication system to send commands and downlink real-time data. The Mobile Transporter (MT) is a cart-like assembly that moves up and down rails along the ISS integrated truss. It provides mobility and the structural load path for the Canadian Mobile Base System (MBS) and the Canadian robotic arm (Space Station Robotic Manipulator System). The power and data to operate the MT and the video and data provided to (and from) the MBS/SSRMS, routes through a set of redundant cables that are part of the Trailing Umbilical System (TUS). The TUS Reel Assembly (TUS-RA) is basically a large spool much like a garden hose reel that pays out cable when the MT moves away and rolls it back up as the MT returns to the center of the truss. The TUS system was equipped with blade cutter devices (one for each cable) that can remotely sever the cable. However, due to anomalous behavior with this feature of the TUS system, this capability was removed on Flight ULF1.1 (STS-121). The MT is used for assembly of large elements of the station. It must be latched down at various work sites before the robotic arm can operate. When the MT is latched down after translating, power is provided through the Umbilical Mechanism Assembly (UMA) system hardware to the SSRMS and several components on top of the MBS. At the worksites, the MT/MBS/SSRMS is much more structurally secure and the active half of the UMA on the MT mates with the passive half at the work site. NASA flight rules require both TUS cables to be intact before translating anything attached to the MT. The MBS is a base platform for the robotic arm. The platform rests atop the MT, which allows it to glide down rails on the station's trusses. When Canadarm2 is attached to the MBS, it has the ability to travel to work sites along the truss structure. The top speed of the Mobile Transporter is about 2.5 cm per second. The proper and complete name of the MBS is the "MRS Base System," where MRS stands for "Mobile Remote Servicer," It is made out of aluminum and is expected to last at least 15 years. Like Canadarm2, it was built by MacDonald Dettwiler and Associates Ltd. (MDA). The UMA (Active and Passive halves) and TUS subsystems (TUS RA, cable guide mechanisms and MT interface assemblies) was originally developed and built by the Huntington Beach (HB) division of Boeing (formerly McDonnell Douglas). Boeing HB also integrated the MT with TUS and UMA subsystems. Additionally, the MT and TUS Cables were subcontracted by Boeing HB to ASTRO, a subsidiary of Northrop Grumman and WL Gore Industries respectively. The TUS-RA weighs approximately 334 pounds and measures about 60 inches by 62 inches by 28 inches. The final spacewalk occurs on Flight Day 8, with Bresnik and Satcher venturing outside to transfer the High Pressure Gas Tank from ELC-2 to the outside of the Quest airlock. The tank, shaped somewhat like a doghouse, will join several other tanks already mounted to Quest. Atlantis will undock from the station at 4:57 a.m. EST on November 25. After undocking, Wilmore will fly Atlantis in a 360-degree maneuver below, then in front, above and behind ISS and finally to a point directly overhead before firing Atlantis' engines for a final separation burn as the shuttle begins a two-day trip back home. Returning with the six original crewmembers will be new STS-129 mission specialist Nicole Stott, returning from a 3 month stay aboard the space station. As is standard on shuttle flights, after Atlantis departs the space station, the crew will conduct one more inspection of its heat shield to make sure that any damage due to micrometeoroids or space junk will be discovered before the shuttle makes a fiery re-entry into the atmosphere. Atlantis is currently scheduled to land on November 27, the day after Thankgiving, at 9:57 a.m. EST at Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landing Facility. (The Spacearium / SpaceflightNews.net)
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