NASA flight controllers are optimistic that the failure of space shuttle Discover's Ku-band communications system will not prevent NASA from accomplishing all the goals for STS-131, despite the fact that real-time video and high-speed data communication with the shuttle has been effectively crippled for the duration of the mission. The failure will force flight controllers to verbally relay information
br clear="all"> VIDEO FLIGHT DAY ONE HIGHLIGHTS WATCH | DOWNLOAD ORBIT 2 FLIGHT DIRECTOR KU ANTENNA UPDATE WATCH | DOWNLOAD ASCENT FLIGHT CONTROL TERAM REPLAY WATCH | DOWNLOAD POSTLAUNCH PRESS CONFERENCE WATCH | DOWNLOAD LAUNCH REPLAYS WATCH | DOWNLOAD OUR VIDEO OF LAUNCH FROM THE VAB ROOF WATCH | DOWNLOAD DISCOVERY LAUNCHES ON STS-131 WATCH | DOWNLOAD CREW DONS FLIGHT SUITS BEFORE LAUNCH WATCH | DOWNLOAD TRADITIONAL ASTRONAUT WALKOUT CEREMONY WATCH | DOWNLOAD ISS FLIES OVERHEAD AT KSC WATCH | DOWNLOAD RSS RETRACTION BEFORE LAUNCH WATCH | DOWNLOAD ALL-ACCESS MEMBERS ONLY VIDEO WATCH COMPLETE NASA TV LAUNCH COVERAGE, 1.2 MBPS VIDEO - PART 1 DOWNLOAD WATCH COMPLETE NASA TV LAUNCH COVERAGE, 1.2 MBPS VIDEO - PART 2 DOWNLOAD WATCH COMPLETE NASA TV LAUNCH COVERAGE, 1.2 MBPS VIDEO - PART 3 DOWNLOAD WATCH COMPLETE NASA TV LAUNCH COVERAGE, 1.2 MBPS VIDEO - PART 4 DOWNLOAD WATCH COMPLETE NASA TV LAUNCH COVERAGE, 1.2 MBPS VIDEO - PART 5 DOWNLOAD WATCH COMPLETE NASA TV LAUNCH COVERAGE, 1.2 MBPS VIDEO - PART 6 DOWNLOAD WATCH COMPLETE NASA TV LAUNCH COVERAGE, 1.2 MBPS VIDEO - PART 7 DOWNLOAD WATCH COMPLETE NASA TV LAUNCH COVERAGE, 1.2 MBPS VIDEO - PART 8 DOWNLOAD WATCH COMPLETE NASA TV LAUNCH COVERAGE, 1.2 MBPS VIDEO - PART 9 DOWNLOAD WATCH COMPLETE NASA TV LAUNCH COVERAGE, 1.2 MBPS VIDEO - PART 10 DOWNLOAD WATCH COMPLETE NASA TV LAUNCH COVERAGE, 1.2 MBPS VIDEO - PART 11 DOWNLOAD WATCH COMPLETE NASA TV LAUNCH COVERAGE, 1.2 MBPS VIDEO - PART 12 DOWNLOAD WATCH COMPLETE NASA TV LAUNCH COVERAGE, 1.2 MBPS VIDEO - PART 13 DOWNLOAD WATCH COMPLETE NASA TV LAUNCH COVERAGE, 1.2 MBPS VIDEO - PART 14 DOWNLOAD WATCH COMPLETE NASA TV LAUNCH COVERAGE, 1.2 MBPS VIDEO - PART 15 DOWNLOAD WATCH COMPLETE NASA TV LAUNCH COVERAGE, 1.2 MBPS VIDEO - PART 16 DOWNLOAD WATCH COMPLETE NASA TV LAUNCH COVERAGE, 1.2 MBPS VIDEO - PART 17 DOWNLOAD WATCH COMPLETE NASA TV LAUNCH COVERAGE, 1.2 MBPS VIDEO - PART 18 DOWNLOAD WATCH COMPLETE NASA TV LAUNCH COVERAGE, 1.2 MBPS VIDEO - PART 19 DOWNLOAD WATCH COMPLETE NASA TV LAUNCH COVERAGE, 1.2 MBPS VIDEO - PART 20 DOWNLOAD WATCH NASA TV LAUNCH COVERAGE, 500 KBPS VIDEO DOWNLOAD WATCH NASA TV FUELING COVERAGE, 500 KBPS VIDEO DOWNLOAD HI-DEFINITION VIDEO STS-131 LAUNCH 480p DOWNLOAD STS-131 LAUNCH 720p DOWNLOAD STS-131 LAUNCH 1080i DOWNLOAD EXTENDED STS-131 LAUNCH DOWNLOAD Discovery’s crew deployed the Ku-Band antenna shortly after reaching orbit and checked out its systems. The antenna did not successfully complete its standard initial activation sequence and is not operational at this time. The dish-shaped antenna is used for high data rate communications with the ground, including television, and for the shuttle's radar system that is used during rendezvous with the station. Loss of the antenna operations will not impact mission safety or success. Discovery can safely rendezvous and dock with the station and successfully complete all of its planned mission objectives without use of the Ku-Band antenna, if needed. "As far as the safety of the mission is concerned, we still have a lot of assets available at the International Space Station, so the safety of the mission in terms of making sure the heat shield on board Discovery and the overall health of the vehicle is fine," said space shuttle flight director Mike Sarafin in an interview aired on NASA TV late in the day. "We've seen pieces of this failure mode in the past, but we haven't seen this exact failure mode and we're still evaluating," Sarafin said. "But we've got rules and procedures and workarounds in place, not only to handle a no-radar rendezvous case but also to work around the loss of the imagery and other data that we would normally get down early in the mission. We'll get that down a little bit later using the station assets." The Ku-Band system is one of several shuttle communications systems that can be used for transmission of voice and data to and from the ground. Discovery also has multiple systems that provide backup capability for the rendezvous radar system. STS-131 flight controllers are continuing to troubleshoot the problem with Discovery's Ku-Band antenna while also formulating plans to conduct the mission without use of the shuttle Ku system if necessary. The crew began a sleep period at 11:21 a.m. and is scheduled to be awakened at 7:21 p.m. to begin the mission's first full day in orbit. The day will focus on using the robotic arm and the Orbital Boom Sensor System extension to inspect the reinforced carbon-carbon on the leading edges of the shuttle’s wings and nose cap. Video of that inspection will be recorded aboard Discovery and transmitted to the ground after the shuttle docks with the station. Mastracchio and Anderson will prepare the spacesuits they will wear for their three planned spacewalks. Docking preparations will occupy the remainder of the crew’s day. The astronauts and flight controllers will have to fidn workaround for other tasks as well. "Other information that goes up, like the timeline modifications we have every morning as part of the mission, those are going to have to be verbalized up to the crew, "said Sarafin. "It'll take a little bit longer in the morning to get the plan rolling as we've modified it overnight." "The team is very good at developing timelines that make the best use of the 13-day plan that we've got ahead of us and we just need to let them work through that," he said. "Should we need to do the late inspection for orbital debris risk mitigation late in the docked mission, we certainly have the capability to do that. The station team has already been made aware that's a possible outcome and they're working with the various users of the Ku equipment aboard the station to reserve a downlink channel should we not be able to recover the shuttle's Ku antenna." (The Spacearium / SpaceflightNews.net)
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