December 2006 - Sarex (INACTIVE)

ISS amateur radio status (Dec 2006)
by Ransom, Kenneth G. (JSC-OC)[BAR] 09 Jan '07

09 Jan '07

The Phase I amateur radio gear in the FGB appears to have developed an intermittent audio issue that will require some crew time to be scheduled in order to try and determine the cause of the problem. This system has been used primarily for school contacts since the packet system associated with that radio began exhibiting problems during Expedition 6. The Phase II system in the ISS service module has not been operating properly since August 2006 when the default settings for the radio changed. The radio transmits and receives fine and continues to be used for school contacts but until the radio is reprogrammed, only intermittent operations will be possible. A computer designated for amateur radio operations that will allow reprogramming of the radio is planned to arrive on the next Progress vehicle in 2007. Until the radio is reprogrammed, it is unlikely that any of the automatic modes (Packet and APRS, SSTV or the Crossband Repeater) will be operating or will only operate for brief periods of time. Kenneth - N5VHO

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Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2006-12-31 23:45 UTC
by AJ9N＠aol.com 31 Dec '06

31 Dec '06

Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2006-12-31 23:45 UTC Quick list of scheduled contacts and events: Australian Jamboree 2007, Elmore, Victoria, Australia, telebridge via VK4KHZ Sun 2007-01-07 10:18 UTC 69 deg Sherman Elementary School, Henrietta, New York, direct via W2SKY Mon 2007-01-08 14:33 UTC Dilworth Elementary School, San Jose, CA, USA, direct via AA6W Mon 2007-01-08 17:34 UTC 41 deg (***) During Expedition 14, ARISS expects to have one ARISS school contact per month rather than approximately one per week. It is also anticipated that there many not be many general contacts. Total number of ARISS school contacts is 260. QSL information may be found at: http://www.arrl.org/ARISS/arissfaq.html http://www.rac.ca/ariss/oindex.htm#QSL's ISS callsigns: DP0ISS, NA1SS, RS0ISS ***************************************************************************** The schedule page has been updated as of 2006-12-31 23:45 UTC. Here you will find a listing of all scheduled school contacts, and questions, other ISS related websites, IRLP and Echolink websites, and instructions for any contact that may be streamed live. http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/arissnews.txt The successful school list has been updated as of 2006-12-28 09:00 UTC http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/Successful_ARISS_schools.rtf Frequency chart for packet, voice, and crossband repeater modes showing Doppler correction as of 2005-07-29 04:00 UTC http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/ISS_frequencies_and_Doppler_correctio… tf Listing of ARISS related magazine articles as of 2006-07-10 03:30 UTC: http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/ARISS_magazine_articles.rtf ***************************************************************************** There has been a rumor that the ISS was having direct contacts on the 40 meter band. There is no HF radio equipment on board and available yet. The HF antenna is mounted. Sometimes WA3NAN will retransmit shuttle audio. ***************************************************************************** Expedition 14 on orbit: Michael Lopez-Alegria KE5GTK Mikhail Tyurin, RZ3FT Expedition 14/15 on orbit: Sunita Williams, KD5PLB ***************************************************************************** 73, Charlie Sufana AJ9N One of the ARISS operation team mentors

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Sounds from Space
by Matthias Bopp 31 Dec '06

31 Dec '06

Hello dear ISS and satellite enthusiasts, I wish you and yours a Happy New Year ! If you have some free time during the vacation days I want to invite you to visit my collections of "Sounds from Space" which you can find on my homepage at www.dd1us.de <http://www.dd1us.de/> I appreciate your feedback and in case you have additional recordings of satellites or space-stations I would like to ask you for a copy. Many thanks in advance ! Kind regards 55 & 73 Matthias DD1US www.dd1us.de <http://www.dd1us.de/>

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ISS Status Report: SS06-053
by Arthur Rowe 29 Dec '06

29 Dec '06

SUBMITTED BY ARTHUR N1ORC - AMSAT A/C #31468 > Dec. 29, 2006 > > Grey Hautaluoma > Headquarters, Washington > 202-358-0668 > > James Hartsfield > Johnson Space Center, Houston > 281-483-5111 > STATUS REPORT: SS06-053 > > INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION STATUS REPORT: SS06-053 > > HOUSTON - The three residents of the International Space Station spent > a busy week unpacking, inventorying and stowing more than two tons of > equipment and supplies left by the Space Shuttle Discovery. > > The week began with Christmas, a day off for the crew except for > required maintenance and exercise. Commander Mike Lopez-Alegria and > flight engineers Mikhail Tyurin and Sunita Williams were back on > their regular schedule Tuesday, waking at midnight CST and going to > bed at 3:30 p.m. > > Unpacking items delivered by Discovery took up part of each day during > the week. Crew members entered the new supplies and equipment in the > Inventory Management System, a computerized, bar-coded tool to keep > track of the voluminous material aboard the orbiting laboratory. > > Lopez-Alegria and Tyurin passed a milestone of their stay on the > station on Tuesday -- it was their 100th day in space. Williams came > to the station aboard Discovery earlier this month. She had an hour > budgeted each day to familiarize herself with the station and adapt > to life on board. These unstructured hours are scheduled during new > crew members' first two weeks aboard to get them used to the station > and its activities. > > Scientific activities picked up again on the station since the > departure of the STS-116 crew. During the week, crew members worked > on experiments analyzing heart function during long-duration > spaceflight, measuring cosmic rays, and examining plant growth and > changes in blood of long-duration spacefarers. They also continued a > Nutritional Status Assessment. > > Crew members also performed required station maintenance and did their > daily 2.5 hours of exercise, designed to mitigate some of the > negative effects of lengthy space flights. > > The next station status report will be issued Jan. 5, or earlier if > events warrant. For more information about the crew's activities and > station sighting opportunities, visit: > > http://www.nasa.gov/station > > > -end- > > > > >

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ISS Status Report: SS06-053
by Arthur Rowe 29 Dec '06

29 Dec '06

SUBMITTED BY ARTHUR N1ORC - AMSAT A/C #31468 > Dec. 29, 2006 > > Grey Hautaluoma > Headquarters, Washington > 202-358-0668 > > James Hartsfield > Johnson Space Center, Houston > 281-483-5111 > STATUS REPORT: SS06-053 > > INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION STATUS REPORT: SS06-053 > > HOUSTON - The three residents of the International Space Station spent > a busy week unpacking, inventorying and stowing more than two tons of > equipment and supplies left by the Space Shuttle Discovery. > > The week began with Christmas, a day off for the crew except for > required maintenance and exercise. Commander Mike Lopez-Alegria and > flight engineers Mikhail Tyurin and Sunita Williams were back on > their regular schedule Tuesday, waking at midnight CST and going to > bed at 3:30 p.m. > > Unpacking items delivered by Discovery took up part of each day during > the week. Crew members entered the new supplies and equipment in the > Inventory Management System, a computerized, bar-coded tool to keep > track of the voluminous material aboard the orbiting laboratory. > > Lopez-Alegria and Tyurin passed a milestone of their stay on the > station on Tuesday -- it was their 100th day in space. Williams came > to the station aboard Discovery earlier this month. She had an hour > budgeted each day to familiarize herself with the station and adapt > to life on board. These unstructured hours are scheduled during new > crew members' first two weeks aboard to get them used to the station > and its activities. > > Scientific activities picked up again on the station since the > departure of the STS-116 crew. During the week, crew members worked > on experiments analyzing heart function during long-duration > spaceflight, measuring cosmic rays, and examining plant growth and > changes in blood of long-duration spacefarers. They also continued a > Nutritional Status Assessment. > > Crew members also performed required station maintenance and did their > daily 2.5 hours of exercise, designed to mitigate some of the > negative effects of lengthy space flights. > > The next station status report will be issued Jan. 5, or earlier if > events warrant. For more information about the crew's activities and > station sighting opportunities, visit: > > http://www.nasa.gov/station > > > -end- > > > > To subscribe to the list, send a message to: > hqnews-subscribe(a)mediaservices.nasa.gov > To remove your address from the list, send a message to: > hqnews-unsubscribe(a)mediaservices.nasa.gov > >

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Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2006-12-29 17:030 UTC
by AJ9N＠aol.com 29 Dec '06

29 Dec '06

Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2006-12-29 17:030 UTC Quick list of scheduled contacts and events: Australian Jamboree 2007, Elmore, Victoria, Australia, telebridge via VK4KHZ Sun 2007-01-07 10:18 UTC 69 deg Sherman Elementary School, Henrietta, New York, direct via W2SKY Mon 2007-01-08 14:33 UTC (***) Dilworth Elementary School, San Jose, CA, USA, direct via AA6W Tue 2007-01-09 16:23 UTC 42 deg During Expedition 14, ARISS expects to have one ARISS school contact per month rather than approximately one per week. It is also anticipated that there many not be many general contacts. Total number of ARISS school contacts is 260. QSL information may be found at: http://www.arrl.org/ARISS/arissfaq.html http://www.rac.ca/ariss/oindex.htm#QSL's ISS callsigns: DP0ISS, NA1SS, RS0ISS ***************************************************************************** The schedule page has been updated as of 2006-12-29 17:30 UTC. Here you will find a listing of all scheduled school contacts, and questions, other ISS related websites, IRLP and Echolink websites, and instructions for any contact that may be streamed live. http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/arissnews.txt The successful school list has been updated as of 2006-12-28 09:00 UTC http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/Successful_ARISS_schools.rtf Frequency chart for packet, voice, and crossband repeater modes showing Doppler correction as of 2005-07-29 04:00 UTC http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/ISS_frequencies_and_Doppler_correctio… tf Listing of ARISS related magazine articles as of 2006-07-10 03:30 UTC: http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/ARISS_magazine_articles.rtf ***************************************************************************** There has been a rumor that the ISS was having direct contacts on the 40 meter band. There is no HF radio equipment on board and available yet. The HF antenna is mounted. Sometimes WA3NAN will retransmit shuttle audio. ***************************************************************************** Expedition 14 on orbit: Michael Lopez-Alegria KE5GTK Mikhail Tyurin, RZ3FT Expedition 14/15 on orbit: Sunita Williams, KD5PLB ***************************************************************************** 73, Charlie Sufana AJ9N One of the ARISS operation team mentors

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Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2006-12-28 20:00 UTC
by AJ9N＠aol.com 28 Dec '06

28 Dec '06

Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2006-12-28 20:00 UTC Quick list of scheduled contacts and events: Australian Jamboree 2007, Elmore, Victoria, Australia, telebridge via VK4KHZ (***) Sun 2007-01-07 10:18 UTC 69 deg (***) Sherman Elementary School, Henrietta, New York, direct via W2SKY Mon 2007-01-08 09:33 UTC (***) Dilworth Elementary School, San Jose, CA, USA, direct via AA6W Tue 2007-01-09 16:23 UTC 42 deg (***) During Expedition 14, ARISS expects to have one ARISS school contact per month rather than approximately one per week. It is also anticipated that there many not be many general contacts. Total number of ARISS school contacts is 260. QSL information may be found at: http://www.arrl.org/ARISS/arissfaq.html http://www.rac.ca/ariss/oindex.htm#QSL's ISS callsigns: DP0ISS, NA1SS, RS0ISS ***************************************************************************** The schedule page has been updated as of 2006-12-28 20:00 UTC. Here you will find a listing of all scheduled school contacts, and questions, other ISS related websites, IRLP and Echolink websites, and instructions for any contact that may be streamed live. http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/arissnews.txt The successful school list has been updated as of 2006-12-28 09:00 UTC http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/Successful_ARISS_schools.rtf Frequency chart for packet, voice, and crossband repeater modes showing Doppler correction as of 2005-07-29 04:00 UTC http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/ISS_frequencies_and_Doppler_correctio… tf Listing of ARISS related magazine articles as of 2006-07-10 03:30 UTC: http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/ARISS_magazine_articles.rtf ***************************************************************************** There has been a rumor that the ISS was having direct contacts on the 40 meter band. There is no HF radio equipment on board and available yet. The HF antenna is mounted. Sometimes WA3NAN will retransmit shuttle audio. ***************************************************************************** Expedition 14 on orbit: Michael Lopez-Alegria KE5GTK Mikhail Tyurin, RZ3FT Expedition 14/15 on orbit: Sunita Williams, KD5PLB ***************************************************************************** 73, Charlie Sufana AJ9N One of the ARISS operation team mentors

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ISS LATEST NEWS 29 DEC 2006
by Arthur Rowe 28 Dec '06

28 Dec '06

SUBMITTED BY ARTHUR N1ORC - AMSAT A/C #31468 *Crew Prepares Experiments, Talks to Students* ISS014-E-08323 -- The Expedition 14 crew members share a meal Image above: Commander Mike Lopez-Alegria (left) and Flight Engineer Mikhail Tyurin share a meal at the galley in the Zvezda Service Module of the International Space Station. Image credit: NASA - TO VIEW PICTURE GO TO: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/main/index.html To continue studying the impact of countermeasures to the effects of living in space, Flight Engineer Sunita Williams unstowed and set up the blood and urine collection hardware. Her samples will be used to better understand the impact of countermeasures such as exercise and pharmaceuticals on nutritional status and nutrient requirements. Commander Mike Lopez-Alegria and Williams also spent several hours stowing away spacewalk tools used during STS-116 and preparing equipment and tools to be used for spacewalks in February. They also reserved some time for STS-116 cargo unpacking and stowage. Lopez-Alegria conducted a ham radio session with stdents at the Kashiwahara Community Center in Sayama, Japan. Some questions the students asked included what he does for fun in space and if his elementary school studies reflect his work in space. + Read more about Expedition 14 <http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/expeditions/expedition14/index.ht…> + Read more about Expedition 15 <http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/expeditions/expedition15/index.ht…> + View crew's daily timelines <http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/timelines/index.html>

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Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2006-12-28 09:00 UTC
by AJ9N＠aol.com 28 Dec '06

28 Dec '06

Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2006-12-28 09:00 UTC Quick list of scheduled contacts and events: Kashiwabara Community Center, Sayama, Japan, direct via 8J1K Contact was successful Wed 2006-12-27 12:22 UTC (***) During Expedition 14, ARISS expects to have one ARISS school contact per month rather than approximately one per week. It is also anticipated that there many not be many general contacts. Total number of ARISS school contacts is 260. (***) QSL information may be found at: http://www.arrl.org/ARISS/arissfaq.html http://www.rac.ca/ariss/oindex.htm#QSL's ISS callsigns: DP0ISS, NA1SS, RS0ISS ***************************************************************************** The schedule page has been updated as of 2006-12-28 09:00 UTC. Here you will find a listing of all scheduled school contacts, and questions, other ISS related websites, IRLP and Echolink websites, and instructions for any contact that may be streamed live. http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/arissnews.txt The successful school list has been updated as of 2006-12-28 09:00 UTC http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/Successful_ARISS_schools.rtf Frequency chart for packet, voice, and crossband repeater modes showing Doppler correction as of 2005-07-29 04:00 UTC http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/ISS_frequencies_and_Doppler_correctio… tf Listing of ARISS related magazine articles as of 2006-07-10 03:30 UTC: http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/ARISS_magazine_articles.rtf ***************************************************************************** There has been a rumor that the ISS was having direct contacts on the 40 meter band. There is no HF radio equipment on board and available yet. The HF antenna is mounted. Sometimes WA3NAN will retransmit shuttle audio. ***************************************************************************** Expedition 14 on orbit: Michael Lopez-Alegria KE5GTK Mikhail Tyurin, RZ3FT Expedition 14/15 on orbit: Sunita Williams, KD5PLB ***************************************************************************** 73, Charlie Sufana AJ9N One of the ARISS operation team mentors

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ARISS Event - Kashiwabara Community Center, Sayama, Japan contact, Wed (Dec 27) at 12:22 UTC
by Ransom, Kenneth G. (JSC-OC)[BAR] 26 Dec '06

26 Dec '06

An International Space Station Expedition 14 ARISS school contact has been planned with students at Kashiwabara Community Center, Sayama, Japan on Wednesday 27 Dec. The event is scheduled to begin at approximately 12:22 UTC. The contact will be a direct between stations NA1SS and 8J1K. The contact should be audible in most of Japan. Interested parties are invited to listen in on the 145.80 MHz downlink. The participants are expected to conduct the conversation in English. Kashiwabara is in Sayama city which is about 30Km from Tokyo. Kashiwabara Community Center has two schools. One is Kashiwabara Elementary school and another one is Kashiwabara Junior High school. The Community Center selected about 50 students from those schools. They studied about ISS and Space for 4 months. In addition, they learned English conversation and Amateur radio. Finally, the Community Center made 14 groups of students and each groups made two questions. Students will ask as many of the following questions as time allows: 1. What made you become an astronaut? 2. Did the subject you studied in elementary school reflect your work now? 3. As an astronaut what is important? 4. What kind of work do you do? 5. How long can you work in the space suits? 6. Can you watch every countries TV programs? 7. Is the DVD player and TV the same as it is on earth? 8. When you get home what will you do first? 9. Which is easier to live on earth or space? 10. What do you do when you are sick? 11. Can you see shooting stars? 12. What moved you the most about space? 13. When you went to space, did you feel scared? 14. How does non-gravity feel? 15. When you get to earth what do you want to eat? 16. How many kind of different food do you have? 17. When did you want to go to space? 18. How does the earth look from outer space? 19. In space, what do you have to be careful of? 20. How many rooms are there in the station? 21. Is space ship food delicious? 22. What is the difference between looking at the stars in space and earth? 23. What do you use the bathe? 24. Did you see a UFO? 25. Did you see any aliens? 26. How long does it take from the earth to the moon? 27. What kind of research do you do out there? 28. In the space station, what do you do for fun? Please note, the amateur equipment on the ISS is not functioning in the automatic modes properly and may be silent more than usual. Information about the next scheduled ARISS contact can be found at http://www.rac.ca/ariss/upcoming.htm#NextContact <http://www.rac.ca/ariss/upcoming.htm#NextContact> . Next planned event(s): Australian Jamboree 2007, Elmore, Victoria, Australia, Sun 2007-01-07 10:18 UTC via VK4KHZ ARISS is an international educational outreach program partnering the participating space agencies, NASA, Russian Space Agency, ESA, CNES, JAXA, and CSA, with the AMSAT and IARU organizations from participating countries. ARISS offers an opportunity for students to experience the excitement of Amateur Radio by talking directlywith crewmembers on-board the International Space Station. Teachers, parents and communities see, first hand, how Amateur Radio and crewmembers on ISS can energize youngsters' interest in science, technology, and learning. Further information on the ARISS program is available on the website http://www.rac.ca/ariss <http://www.rac.ca/ariss> (graciously hosted by the Radio Amateurs of Canada). Thank you & 73, Kenneth - N5VHO

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FINAL STS-116 REPORT
by Arthur Rowe 24 Dec '06

24 Dec '06

SUBMITTED BY ARTHUR N1ORC - AMSAT A/C #31468 5 p.m. CST Friday, Dec. 22, 2006 Mission Control Center, Houston, Texas 12.22.06 STATUS REPORT: STS-116-27 STS-116 MCC Status Report #27 The crew of Space Shuttle Discovery made it home in time for Christmas, gliding to a perfect landing as the sun set over NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Discovery touched down on Runway 15 of the Shuttle Landing Facility at 4:32 p.m. CST. The crew had spent 12 days, 20 hours and 44 minutes in flight. Discovery’s nose gear touched down at 4:32 p.m. exactly, and the shuttle's wheels came to a stop 52 seconds later. After an afternoon in limbo, weather conditions along Florida’s Space Coast took a dramatic turn for the better, giving flight controllers confidence that a band of approaching showers would dissipate before the orbiter’s arrival. The first opportunity for landing at Kennedy was waved off because of stormy weather, and first chance at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., passed due to gusty winds. The landing was the 63rd to touch down in Florida, but did not qualify as a night landing. Discovery crew members, Commander Mark Polansky, Pilot Bill Oefelein, and mission specialists Bob Curbeam, Nicholas Patrick, Christer Fuglesang, Joan Higginbotham and Thomas Reiter, who is returning home after about six months on the station, will return to Houston on Saturday. A welcoming ceremony for the crew's return to Houston is planned at 4:30 p.m. Saturday at NASA Hangar 276 at Ellington Field. During Discovery’s mission to the International Space Station, the crew continued construction of the outpost adding the P5 spacer truss segment during the first of four spacewalks. The next two spacewalks rewired the station’s power system, preparing it to support the station’s final configuration and the arrival of additional science modules. A fourth spacewalk was added to allow the crew to retract solar arrays that had folded improperly. Discovery also delivered a new crew member and more than two tons of equipment and supplies to the station, most of which were located in the SPACEHAB cargo module. Almost two tons of items no longer needed on the station returned to Earth with STS-116. The next shuttle mission, targeted for March, will deliver a second starboard truss segment and a third set of solar arrays and batteries during the Space Shuttle Program's 21st mission to the station. This is the final STS-116 mission status report. - end -

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NASA STS-116 MISSION
by Arthur Rowe 23 Dec '06

23 Dec '06

WE HAVE LIFTOFF - DISCOVERY ON THE WAY

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NASA WELCOMES DISCOVERY CREW HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS
by Arthur Rowe 23 Dec '06

23 Dec '06

SUBMITTED BY ARTHUR N1ORC - AMSAT A/C #31468 Dec. 22, 2006 Grey Hautaluoma Headquarters, Washington 202-358-0668 Jessica Rye/Katherine Trinidad Kennedy Space Center, Fla. 321-867-2468 RELEASE: 06-375 NASA WELCOMES DISCOVERY CREW HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- The Space Shuttle Discovery and its crew returned home Friday after a 13-day journey of more than 5.3 million miles in space. Discovery's STS-116 mission successfully reconfigured the International Space Station's power and cooling systems from a temporary setup to a permanent mode and added a new piece to the station's backbone. Discovery's Commander Mark Polansky, Pilot Bill Oefelein and mission specialists Nicholas Patrick, Bob Curbeam, Joan Higginbotham, Thomas Reiter and Christer Fuglesang landed Friday, Dec. 22, at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Fla., at 5:32 p.m. EST. Reiter and Fuglesang are European Space Agency astronauts. After landing, Polansky told Mission Control at NASA's Johnson Space Center, Houston, "Seven thrilled people right here. We're just really proud of the entire NASA team that put this together. Thank you, and I think it's going to be a great holiday." The flight was the second in a series of missions that are among the most complex in space history. Discovery's crew rewired the station's power system and delivered a key component of the station's structure. The segment will enable future missions to attach a new set of solar arrays. The mission involved intensive ground commands as the station's power was shut down and rerouted in stages on two spacewalks. As systems were then powered up for the first time on their new channels, the station's power system was in its final configuration, ready for further expansion with more solar arrays and laboratories to be launched in 2007. As part of the station power reconfiguration and assembly process, the station flight control team uplinked a total of 17,901 computer commands, averaging about 2,000 commands per day. During a typical day on the station, flight controllers give approximately 800 commands. The newest resident of the International Space Station also traveled aboard Discovery. Astronaut Sunita Williams joined the crew of Expedition 14. She is scheduled to spend six months on the station. Curbeam, Fuglesang and Williams, with the help of crewmates, made four spacewalks that completed the construction tasks, reconfigured power and cooling systems, and retracted a snagged solar array. The astronauts also replaced a failed camera, cleared a worksite essential to the next shuttle mission, reconfigured power to station's Russian segment and installed panels to provide additional protection from space debris. The fourth spacewalk was added to the mission to retract a solar array that only partially folded into its box on flight day 5. The solar wings were retracted far enough so that the new arrays installed in September could begin to fully rotate and track the sun to provide power. Mission managers decided, however, to address the problem of the partially retracted arrays while the shuttle crew was on the station. With only several days notice, mission engineers in both the shuttle and station programs developed a spacewalk plan for Curbeam and Fuglesang that resulted in the arrays' successful retraction on flight day 10. Discovery's launch was the first night liftoff of a shuttle since Nov. 2002. Several inspections in orbit revealed no critical damage, and Discovery's thermal protection system was declared safe for re-entry on the flight's thirteenth day. The day before landing, pilot Bill Oefelein, who was born in Alaska, and the rest of the Discovery crew talked to Alaskan school children from the shuttle's flight deck. With Discovery and its crew safely home, the stage is set for the next phase of International Space Station assembly. Preparations continue for Space Shuttle Atlantis' launch, targeted for March 2007, on the STS-117 mission to deliver to the station the S3/S4 truss segment and a third set of solar arrays. For more on the STS-116 mission and the upcoming STS-117 mission, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle -end-

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Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2006-12-23 00:00 UTC
by AJ9N＠aol.com 23 Dec '06

23 Dec '06

Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2006-12-23 00:00 UTC Quick list of scheduled contacts and events: Kashiwabara Community Center, Sayama, Japan, direct via 8J1K Contact is a go for Wed 2006-12-27 12:22 UTC During Expedition 14, ARISS expects to have one ARISS school contact per month rather than approximately one per week. It is also anticipated that there many not be many general contacts. STS-116 12A.1 (Polansky, Oefelein, Curbeam, Higginbotham, Patrick KD5PKY, Christer Fuglesang KE5CGR/SA0AFS, Suni Williams KD5PLB up) Back on earth. Congratulations to the STS-116 crew and to Thomas! (***) Total number of ARISS school contacts is 259. QSL information may be found at: http://www.arrl.org/ARISS/arissfaq.html http://www.rac.ca/ariss/oindex.htm#QSL's ISS callsigns: DP0ISS, NA1SS, RS0ISS ***************************************************************************** The schedule page has been updated as of 2006-12-23 00:00 UTC. Here you will find a listing of all scheduled school contacts, and questions, other ISS related websites, IRLP and Echolink websites, and instructions for any contact that may be streamed live. http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/arissnews.txt The successful school list has been updated as of 2006-11-20 22:00 UTC http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/Successful_ARISS_schools.rtf Frequency chart for packet, voice, and crossband repeater modes showing Doppler correction as of 2005-07-29 04:00 UTC http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/ISS_frequencies_and_Doppler_correctio… tf Listing of ARISS related magazine articles as of 2006-07-10 03:30 UTC: http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/ARISS_magazine_articles.rtf ***************************************************************************** There has been a rumor that the ISS was having direct contacts on the 40 meter band. There is no HF radio equipment on board and available yet. The HF antenna is mounted. Sometimes WA3NAN will retransmit shuttle audio. ***************************************************************************** Expedition 13/14 on orbit: Thomas Reiter DF4TR Expedition 14 on orbit: Michael Lopez-Alegria KE5GTK Mikhail Tyurin, RZ3FT Expedition 14/15 on orbit: Sunita Williams, KD5PLB ***************************************************************************** 73, Charlie Sufana AJ9N One of the ARISS operation team mentors

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Shuttle Payload Bay Doors Close for Landing
by Arthur Rowe 22 Dec '06

22 Dec '06

SUBMITTED BY ARTHUR N1ORC - AMSAT A/C 31468 *Shuttle Payload Bay Doors Close for Landing* Image above: The Aurora Borealis, also known as "northern lights", is featured in this photograph taken by a STS-116 crew member onboard Discovery during flight day 11 activities. Image Credit: NASA TO SEE PICTURE GO TO: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/main/index.html The STS-116 crew closed Space Shuttle Discovery’s payload bay doors about 12:13 p.m. EST in preparation for a 3:56 p.m. landing at Kennedy Space Center, Fla. If flight controllers elect to take this landing opportunity, Commander Mark Polansky will fire Discovery's jets to begin the descent to Kennedy at 2:49 p.m. All three landing sites have been activated today due to forecasts of questionable weather at Kennedy and Edwards Air Force Base in California. The forecast for the White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico is favorable. Six more opportunities are available today if flight controllers pass on the first. The last opportunity at Kennedy is at 5:32 p.m. Three exist at Edwards – 5:27 p.m., 7 p.m. and 8:36 p.m. Two are available at White Sands – 5:27 p.m. and 7:02 p.m. The STS-116 crew is returning home after a successful mission to the International Space Station. While at the station, the crew continued the construction of the outpost with the addition of the P5 spacer truss segment during the first of four spacewalks. The next two spacewalks rewired the station’s power system, leaving it in a permanent setup. A fourth spacewalk was added to allow the crew to retract solar arrays that had folded improperly. Discovery also delivered a new crew member and more than two tons of equipment and supplies to the station, most of which were located in the SPACEHAB cargo module. Almost two tons of items no longer needed on the station are returning to Earth with STS-116.

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STS-116 MCC Status Report #26
by Arthur Rowe 22 Dec '06

22 Dec '06

> SUBMITTED BY ARTHUR N1ORC - AMSAT A/C #31468 > > 9 a.m. CST Friday, Dec. 22, 2006 > Mission Control Center, Houston, Texas > > 12.22.06 > STATUS REPORT: STS-116-26 > > STS-116 MCC Status Report #26 > > Discovery’s wakeup call said it all. The song was “Home for the > Holidays,” sung by Perry Como for the crew, requested by the Mission > Control Center. > > That 6:18 a.m. CST call began a day that the crew and their support > teams on the ground hope will see Discovery return to Earth after a > successful flight to the International Space Station. After eight > docked days and four spacewalks, the shuttle left the station with a > new truss segment, a new crew member and a reconfigured power system. > > All three U.S. landing sites will be activated today. Kennedy Space > Center in Florida, the preferred shuttle landing site, will be the > first opportunity, which would see a landing at 2:56 p.m. On the > subsequent orbit the focus will be on Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., > and KSC. On the orbit after that Edwards and White Sands Space Harbor > in New Mexico would be the centers of attention. > > Weather at Kennedy and Edwards is questionable. If the crew does not > don its entry suits for the first Kennedy opportunity, a final landing > chance of the day at Edwards is available to Discovery. Here are > predicted CST times. > > Orbit Site Deorbit burn Landing > 202 Kennedy 1:49 p.m. 2:56 p.m. > 203 Edwards 3:19 p.m. 4:27 p.m. > > White Sands 3:20 p.m. 4:27 p.m. > > Kennedy 3:26 p.m. 4:32 p.m. > 204 Edwards 4:54 p.m. 6 p.m. > > White Sands 4:57 p.m. 6:02 p.m. > 205 Edwards 6:32 p.m. 7:36 p.m. > > > > A total of seven landing opportunities scattered among the three sites > are available Saturday if the shuttle is not able to land today. > > For today’s opportunities, Discovery crew members, Commander Mark > Polansky, Pilot Bill Oefelein, and mission specialists Bob Curbeam, > Nicholas Patrick, Christer Fuglesang, Joan Higginbotham and Thomas > Reiter, who is returning home after about six months on the station, > will begin deorbit preparations at 9:52 a.m. Payload bay door closing > would be at 11:13 a.m. for the first landing opportunity. > > Aboard the station, Expedition 14 Commander Mike Lopez-Alegria and > Flight Engineers Mikhail Tyurin and Sunita Williams, the new crew > member who came up on Discovery, are back to their regular schedule. > They got their wakeup tone today at midnight CST (6 a.m. in the GMT > kept aboard the orbiting laboratory) and will begin a sleep period at > 3:30 p.m. > > The next STS-116 status report will be issued Friday afternoon, or > earlier if events warrant. > > - end - > > >

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STS-116 MCC Status Report #25
by Arthur Rowe 22 Dec '06

22 Dec '06

> > NASA's Space Shuttle Discovery Set to Land Friday 6 p.m. CST Thursday, Dec. 21, 2006 > Mission Control Center, Houston, Texas > > 12.21.06 > STATUS REPORT: STS-116-25 > > STS-116 MCC Status Report #25 > > Discovery’s astronauts completed preparations for a planned return to > Earth on Friday and received word from Mission Control that their > final inspection showed the shuttle’s heat shield is in good shape. > > STS-116 Commander Mark Polansky, Pilot Bill Oefelein, and Flight > Engineer Bob Curbeam started checking out Discovery’s aerodynamic > control surfaces at 9:31 a.m. CST, and test firing the shuttle's > steering jets at 10:11 a.m. The commander and pilot also practiced > landings on a laptop computer trainer, and performed final checks of > the communications systems that will be used for landing. > > A little later in the day, Mission Specialists Christer Fuglesang and > Joan Higginbotham deployed a third small satellite from the shuttle’s > cargo bay. The Atmospheric Neutral Density Experiment (ANDE) > microsatellite, ejected at 12:23 p.m., will gather information on > atmospheric drag in low-Earth orbit. The first two microsatellites > were deployed Wednesday. > > Mission Specialists Nicholas Patrick joined the rest of the crew in > talking with reporters from CNN and ABC. Oefelein, who considers > Anchorage, Alaska, to be his hometown, was the main focus of questions > from students at the Challenger Learning Center of Alaska in Kenai. > > Throughout the day, the crew took turns securing their gear for > landing. The crew will awaken at 6:17 a.m. Friday, and begin final > deorbit preparations at 9:48 a.m. > > Entry Flight Director Norm Knight said landing sites at Kennedy Space > Center, Fla.; Edwards Air Force Base, Calif.; and White Sands Space > Harbor, N.M., all will be activated to support landing. The Friday > forecast calls for a chance of rain and low clouds at Kennedy; > potential strong crosswinds at Edwards; and acceptable landing > conditions at White Sands. > > Knight said the entry team’s strategy will be to watch weather > conditions carefully, focusing – in order – on the first landing > opportunity in Florida, the second opportunities in Florida and > California, and the third opportunities in California and New Mexico. > A fourth California opportunity is available, but may not be used. > Saturday landing opportunities are available at all three locations if > weather prohibits a Friday landing. > > Discovery’s first landing opportunity Friday is to Kennedy, beginning > with a deorbit engine firing at 1:49 p.m. CST with wheels touching > down at 2:56 p.m. CST. The next opportunity is to Edwards with an > engine firing at 3:19 p.m. CST leading to a 4:27 p.m. touchdown. The > first opportunity to land at White Sands begins with an engine firing > at 3:20 p.m. CST leading to a touchdown in New Mexico at 4:27 p.m. > > Opportunities also exist for Discovery to land at Edwards with an > engine firing at 4:54 p.m. CST leading to touchdown at 6 p.m. CST. A > second opportunity to land at White Sands begins with an engine firing > by the shuttle at 4:57 p.m. CST leading to a 6:02 p.m. > > touchdown. The final Friday landing opportunity is to Edwards, > beginning with an engine firing at 6:32 p.m. CST leading to a > touchdown at 7:36 p.m. CST. > > Meanwhile, the Expedition 14 crew aboard the International Space > Station, is settling back to normal operations with its new member, > Flight Engineer Sunita Williams. Commander Mike Lopez-Alegria and > Flight Engineer Mikhail Tyurin, are about halfway through their > six-month increment. Williams, who arrived aboard Discovery, is just > beginning her six months on the station. She’ll span the last half of > Expedition 14 and the first half of Expedition 15. > > The next STS-116 status report will be issued Friday morning or > earlier if events warrant. > > - end - > > >

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Management Team Clears Discovery for Re-Entry; Crew Prepares for Friday Landing
by Arthur Rowe 21 Dec '06

21 Dec '06

SUBMITTED BY ARTHUR N1ORC - AMSAT A/C #31468 *Management Team Clears Discovery for Re-Entry; Crew Prepares for Friday Landing* Image above: Space Shuttle Discovery is pictured from a miniature satellite that was released from Discovery's payload bay on Wednesday. Image Credit: DOD Space Test Program TO VIEW IMAGE GO TO: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/main/index.html About 3:35 p.m. EST, flight controllers at the Mission Control Center in Houston told Commander Mark Polansky that the Mission Management Team has cleared Space Shuttle Discovery for re-entry. The decision came after analysis of data collected during Wednesday’s inspection of Discovery’s heat shield. Discovery’s first landing opportunity is scheduled at 3:56 p.m. EST Friday at Kennedy Space Center, Fla. If weather does not cooperate, six more opportunities at three landing sites are available. The Friday weather forecast currently calls for a chance of rain and low clouds at Kennedy, potential strong crosswinds at Edwards Air Force Base in California and acceptable landing conditions at White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico. The last opportunity at Kennedy is at 5:32 p.m. Three exist at Edwards – 5:27 p.m., 7 p.m. and 8:36 p.m. Two are available at White Sands – 5:27 p.m. and 7:02 p.m. All three sites will be activated. Landing opportunities also are available Saturday at all three sites. In preparation for landing, Polansky and Pilot Bill Oefelein checked out Discovery’s systems and jets that will be used in the deorbit burn and landing. Also, crew members are busy stowing equipment and other items. Other preparations include a review of the landing procedure and stowage of the Ku-band antenna. The crew members took a break this afternoon to talk with reporters from CNN and ABC News and with students at the Kenai, Alaska, Challenger Center. In other activities, the Atmospheric Neutral Density Experiment (ANDE) was deployed from Discovery's payload bay at 1:23 p.m. ANDE will measure the density and composition of the low-Earth orbit atmosphere while being tracked from the ground. The data will be used to better predict the movement of objects in orbit. Two other small satellites were deployed Wednesday night. Discovery undocked from the station Tuesday, ending an eight-day stay at the orbital outpost. While there, the crew continued the construction of the station with the addition of the P5 spacer truss segment during the first of four spacewalks. The next two spacewalks rewired the station’s power system, leaving it in a permanent setup. A fourth spacewalk was added to allow the crew to retract solar arrays that had folded improperly. Discovery also delivered a new crew member and more than two tons of equipment and supplies to the station. Almost two tons of items no longer needed on the station will return to Earth with STS-116.

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STS-116 MCC Status Report #24
by Arthur Rowe 21 Dec '06

21 Dec '06

SUBMITTED BY ARTHUR N1ORC - AMSAT A/C #31468 11 a.m. CST Thursday, Dec. 21, 2006 Mission Control Center, Houston, Texas 12.21.06 STATUS REPORT: STS-116-24 STS-116 MCC Status Report #24 Discovery’s astronauts will spend today preparing to return to Earth. They will test flight control surfaces, steering jets and other entry and landing systems while they stow equipment in Discovery’s cabin. The crew, Commander Mark Polansky, Pilot Bill Oefelein, and mission specialists Bob Curbeam, Nicholas Patrick, Christer Fuglesang, Joan Higginbotham and Thomas Reiter, were awakened at 6:17 a.m. CST to the song “The Road Less Traveled,” performed by Joe Sample. It was played for Higginbotham. The crew began stowing gear away at 8:47 a.m., with all seven crew members participating off and on during the day. Polansky, Oefelein and Curbeam, who serves as flight engineer, checked out flight control surfaces – the wing and body flaps and the rudder – beginning at 9:17 a.m. CST. At 10:27 a.m., they began a test firing of the shuttle's steering jets used during the early portions of descent from orbit. Fuglesang and Higginbotham will deploy the third of three small satellites from Discovery's cargo bay today. The first two were successfully pushed into space Wednesday. The Atmospheric Neutral Density Experiment (ANDE) microsatellite will be deployed at 12:19 p.m. The satellite will gather information on atmospheric drag in low orbit. After lunch, all seven crewmembers will talk with reporters from CNN and ABC, and with students at the Challenger Learning Center of Alaska in Kenai, Alaska. The crew will review deorbit procedures at 2:32 p.m. CST. The KU-band antenna, used as the primary method to transmit television to the ground among other communications, will be stowed for landing at 7:17 p.m. CST. The crew begins a sleep period at 10:17 p.m. Shuttle landing sites at the Kennedy Space Center, Fla.; Edwards Air Force Base, Calif.; and at White Sands Space Harbor, N.M. all will be active for a landing on Friday. The weather forecast currently calls for a chance of rain and low clouds at Kennedy; potential strong crosswinds at Edwards; and acceptable landing conditions at White Sands. Discovery’s first landing opportunity Friday is to Kennedy, beginning with a deorbit engine firing at 1:49 p.m. CST with wheels touching down at 2:56 p.m. CST. The next opportunity is to Edwards with an engine firing to begin descent at 3:19 p.m. CST leading to a 4:27 p.m. touchdown. The first opportunity to land at White Sands begins with an engine firing at 3:20 p.m. CST leading to a touchdown in New Mexico at 4:32 p.m. Opportunities also exist for Discovery to land at Edwards with a descent beginning with an engine firing at 4:54 p.m. CST leading to touchdown at 6 p.m. CST. A second opportunity to land at White Sands begins with an engine firing by the shuttle at 4:57 p.m. CST leading to a 6:02 p.m. touchdown. The final landing opportunity available for Discovery on Friday is to Edwards, beginning with an engine firing at 6:32 p.m. CST leading to a touchdown at 7:36 p.m. CST. Discovery is now about 2,200 statute miles ahead of the International Space Station. The distance increases by about 92 miles with each orbit. Two station crew members, Commander Mike Lopez-Alegria and Flight Engineer Mikhail Tyurin, are about half way through their six-month increment. The third crewmember, Flight Engineer Sunita Williams, came to the station aboard Discovery and is just beginning her six months on the station with the last half of Expedition 14 and the first half of Expedition 15. The next STS-116 status report will be issued Thursday evening, or earlier, if events warrant. - end -

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Scientists Predict Big Solar Cycle
by Arthur Rowe 21 Dec '06

21 Dec '06

SUBMITTED BY ARTHUR N1ORC - AMSAT A/C #31468 > NASA Science News for December 21, 2006 > > Evidence is mounting: the next solar cycle is going to be a big one. > > FULL STORY at > > http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2006/21dec_cycle24.htm?list833780 > > >

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Crew Tests Jets, Stows Equipment for Landing
by Arthur Rowe 21 Dec '06

21 Dec '06

SUBMITTED BY ARTHUR N1ORC - AMSAT A/C #31468 LATEST NEWS *Crew Tests Jets, Stows Equipment for Landing* Image above: Space Shuttle Discovery is pictured from a miniature satellite that was released from Discovery's payload bay on Wednesday. Image Credit: DOD Space Test Program TO VIEW PICTURE GO TO: :http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/main/index.html Space Shuttle Discovery’s seven astronauts are preparing for Friday’s landing. Discovery is scheduled to touch down at 3:56 p.m. EST Friday at Kennedy Space Center, Fla. This morning, Commander Mark Polansky and Pilot Bill Oefelein checked out Discovery’s systems and jets that will be used in the deorbit burn and landing. Also, crew members are busy stowing equipment and other items. Later in the day, the crew will review landing procedures and stow the Ku-band antenna. At 2:57 p.m., crew members are scheduled to take a break to talk with reporters from CNN and ABC News and with students at the Kenai, Alaska, Challenger Center. In other activities, the Atmospheric Neutral Density Experiment (ANDE) was deployed from Discovery's payload bay at 1:23 p.m. ANDE will measure the density and composition of the low-Earth orbit atmosphere while being tracked from the ground. The data will be used to better predict the movement of objects in orbit. Two other small satellites were deployed Wednesday night. Discovery undocked from the station Tuesday, ending an eight-day stay at the orbital outpost. While there, the crew continued the construction of the station with the addition of the P5 spacer truss segment during the first of four spacewalks. The next two spacewalks rewired the station’s power system, leaving it in a permanent setup. A fourth spacewalk was added to allow the crew to retract solar arrays that had folded improperly. Discovery also delivered a new crew member and more than two tons of equipment and supplies to the station. Almost two tons of items no longer needed on the station will return to Earth with STS-116. In addition to Kennedy, landing opportunities are available at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., and at White Sands Space Harbor, N.M. For the latest news and information on the International Space Station and the Expedition 14 crew, please visit the main station page.

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NASA TV SCHEDULE
by Arthur Rowe 21 Dec '06

21 Dec '06

SUBMITTED BY ARTHUR N1ORC - AMSAT A/C #31468 *December 21, Thursday* *2:12 p.m.* - STS-116 Live Interviews with CNN, ABC News, Kenai, Alaska Challenger Center - JSC *(All Channels)* *5 p.m.* - STS-116 Post-MMT/Mission Status Briefing - JSC *(All Channels)* *December 22, Friday* *2:53 p.m.* - STS-116 Deorbit Burn - JSC *(All Channels)* *3:56 p.m.* - STS-116 Landing - KSC *(All Channels)* *TBD* - STS-116 Post - Landing News Conference - KSC *(All Channels)* *TBD* - STS-116 Crew News Conference - KSC *(All Channel*

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Crew Checks Out Heat Shield, Readies for Landing
by Arthur Rowe 21 Dec '06

21 Dec '06

SUBMITTED BY ARTHUR N1ORC - AMSAT A/C #31468 *Crew Checks Out Heat Shield, Readies for Landing* S116-E-06151 : Astronaut Joan Higginbotham( Image above: STS-116 Mission Specialist Joan Higginbotham retrieves items from a drawer on the middeck of the Space Shuttle Discovery during flight day six activities. Image Credit: NASA TV - GO TO: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/main/index.html ) On Wednesday, the STS-116 astronauts conducted a final inspection of Space Shuttle Discovery’s heat shield and began preparations for their return to Earth. STS-116 Commander Mark Polansky, Pilot Bill Oefelein and Mission Specialist Nicholas Patrick used the shuttle’s robotic arm and boom extension sensor system to check the heat shield for any micrometeoroid hits that may have occurred while the orbiter was docked to the International Space Station. Mission Specialists Bob Curbeam, Christer Fuglesang, Joan Higginbotham and Thomas Reiter stowed items in preparation for the return to Earth. Discovery is slated to touch down at 3:56 p.m. EST Friday. Small scientific satellites were deployed from the payload bay Wednesday night. The Microelectromechanical System-Based PICOSAT Inspector (MEPSI) will demonstrate the use of tiny, low-power satellites to observe larger spacecraft by testing the function of small camera systems and gyroscopes. The Radar Fence Transponder (RAFT) satellite is a student experiment from the United States Naval Academy that uses picosatellites to test the Space Surveillance Radar Fence. Discovery undocked from the station Tuesday, ending an eight-day stay at the orbital outpost. While there, the crew continued the on-orbit construction of the station with the addition of the P5 spacer truss segment during the first of four spacewalks. The next two spacewalks were devoted to the rewiring of the station’s power system, leaving it in a permanent setup. A fourth spacewalk was added to allow the crew to retract solar arrays that had folded improperly. Discovery also delivered a new crew member and more than two tons of equipment and supplies to the station. Almost two tons of items no longer needed on the station will return to Earth with STS-116. For the latest news and information on the International Space Station and the Expedition 14 crew, please visit the main station page. + Read more <http://www.nasa.gov/station>

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STS-116 MCC Status Report #23
by Arthur Rowe 21 Dec '06

21 Dec '06

SUBMITTED BY ARTHUR N1ORC - AMSAT A/C #31468 NASA NEWS 8:30 p.m. CST Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2006 Mission Control Center, Houston, Texas 12.20.06 STATUS REPORT: STS-116-23 STS-116 MCC Status Report #23 Inspection of Discovery’s heat shield was conducted today as the seven crewmembers began the task of preparing their ship for their high-speed return to Earth on Friday. One hour after removing the sensor-equipped 50-foot Orbiter Boom Sensor System from the payload bay with the shuttle’s robotic arm, Commander Mark Polansky, Pilot Bill Oefelein and Mission Specialist Nicholas Patrick began to scan the reinforced carbon-carbon surface of Discovery’s wings and its nose cap to ensure the shuttle incurred no micro-meteoroid debris damage during its time in space. The six-hour inspection was completed at 4:22 p.m. Imagery and damage assessment teams at the Johnson Space Center immediately began analyzing the data. A report will be offered to mission managers on Thursday. While the inspection was conducted, Mission Specialists Bob Curbeam, Joan Higginbotham and European Space Agency astronauts Christer Fuglesang and Thomas Reiter began to pack up equipment for Discovery’s scheduled landing Friday at the Kennedy Space Center. With only one wave-off day available on Saturday, backup landing sites at Edwards Air Force Base, CA and the White Sands Space Harbor, NM are being activated for landing support Friday in the event weather diverts the shuttle and its crew from the Florida spaceport. Discovery’s scheduled landing time at the Kennedy Space Center Friday is 2:56 p.m. CST.(3:56 PM EST- 2056 UTC) Late today, Discovery’s astronauts sent commands to deploy small technology demonstration satellites for the Department of Defense’s Space Test Program. The crew deployed a pair of coffee cup-sized satellites at 6:19 p.m. CST to demonstrate how a small, low-powered autonomous satellite can observe larger spacecraft. The Micro-Electromechanical System-Based PICOSAT Inspector, known as MEPSI, may one day use on-board imagery to assess spacecraft damage. The crew then released another pair of small scientific satellites as part of a student experiment sponsored by the United States Naval Academy at 7:58 p.m. CST. The Radar Fence Transponder, or RAFT, experiment is designed to test technology for new spacecraft design. The last satellite experiment, the Atmospheric Neutral Density Experiment, or ANDE, will be deployed from Discovery’s payload bay Thursday afternoon. ANDE consists of two spherical microsatellites that will measure the density and composition of the low Earth orbit atmosphere while being tracked from the ground. The data will be used to better predict the movement of objects in orbit. Aboard the International Space Station, the newly comprised Expedition 14 crew, Commander Mike Lopez-Alegria and Flight Engineers Mikhail Tyurin and Suni Williams, enjoyed their first full day together after Discovery’s departure yesterday. Discovery’s astronauts will begin its sleep period just after 10 p.m. CST and will be awakened Thursday at 6:17 p.m. for a day in which they will check out the shuttle’s aero surfaces and steering jets in preparation for Friday’s landing. The next STS-116 status report will be issued Thursday morning, or earlier, if events warrant. - end -

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STS-116 MCC Status Report #22
by Arthur Rowe 20 Dec '06

20 Dec '06

SUBMITTED BY ARTHUR N1OERC - AMSAT A/C #31468 NASA NEWS 7:30 a.m. CST Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2006 Mission Control Center, Houston, Texas 12.20.06 STATUS REPORT: STS-116-22 STS-116 MCC Status Report #22 Discovery crew members will make a final check of the shuttle’s heat shields today, using a sensor-equipped 50-foot extension of the shuttle’s robotic arm. After the inspection, Discovery will deploy two small scientific satellites. A third will be deployed Thursday. Discovery Commander Mark Polansky, Pilot Bill Oefelein and Mission Specialist Nicholas Patrick will use the boom and sensor to look at thermal tiles on the shuttle’s underside. They also will inspect the reinforced carbon-carbon that protects the leading edges of the wings and the nose. The heat shield inspection activities begin at 9:52 a.m. CST with the unberthing of the boom extension. Scanning of the heat shield with the sensor system begins at 10:52 a.m. and should take about five hours. The boom is to be reberthed into its cradle along the right side of the shuttle cargo bay at 4:22 p.m. During the inspection, other Discovery astronauts will stow equipment in preparation for landing. Mission Specialists Bob Curbeam, Christer Fuglesang, Joan Higginbotham and Thomas Reiter will begin packing up in the shuttle’s cabin and the Spacehab module in its cargo bay. At about 6:19 p.m. CST, the Microelectromechanical System-Based PICOSAT Inspector (MEPSI) mini-satellite will be released from Discovery's cargo bay. The coffee cup-sized satellite will demonstrate the use of tiny, low-power satellites to observe larger spacecraft. It will test the function of small camera systems and gyroscopes. At about 7:56 p.m. CST, the Radar Fence Transponder (RAFT) satellite will be released from the cargo bay. The satellite is a student experiment from the United States Naval Academy that uses picosatellites to test the Space Surveillance Radar Fence. All activities aboard Discovery are aimed toward a landing that would begin with a deorbit engine firing by the shuttle at 1:53 p.m. CST Friday that would lead to a touchdown at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Fla., at 2:56 p.m. CST Friday. Mission Control continues to monitor the weather in Florida, and shuttle landing opportunities at both Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., and at White Sands Space Harbor, N.M., also will be considered on Friday. Fuglesang and Reiter are European Space Agency astronauts. Fuglesang, from Sweden, participated in three of the four spacewalks during Discovery’s stay at the station. Curbeam set a record for spacewalks on a shuttle mission, performing four. Reiter, from Germany, is returning aboard Discovery after six months on the station. Discovery’s crew was awakened at 6:47 a.m. by “Say You’ll be Mine,” performed by Christopher Cross. It was for Reiter. On the orbiting laboratory, Expedition 14 Commander Mike Lopez-Alegria and flight engineers Mikhail Tyurin and Sunita Williams are beginning a light-duty day after eight days of joint operations with Discovery. At 6:30 a.m. CST they were trailing Discovery by about 730 statute miles. The gap was increasing by more than 80 miles with each 91-minute orbit of the Earth. The next STS-116 status report will be issued Wednesday afternoon, or earlier if events warrant. - end -

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