February 2007 - Sarex (INACTIVE)

ISS Status Report: SS07-08
by Arthur Rowe 14 Feb '07

14 Feb '07

SUBMITTED BY ARTHUR N1ORC - AMSAT A/C #31468 > Feb. 12, 2007 > > Allard Beutel > Headquarters, Washington > 202-358-4769 > > Kyle Herring > Johnson Space Center, Houston > 281-483-5111 > STATUS REPORT: SS07-08 > > INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION STATUS REPORT: SS07-08 > > HOUSTON - An unexpected circuit breaker trip early Sunday caused a > power outage on the International Space Station. All systems were > back up by Monday morning with no impact to operations on board. The > safety of the Expedition 14 crew and the complex was never an issue. > > The first indications of a problem came with the loss of > communications between the station and mission control just after > 12:00 a.m. CST Sunday when an electrical switching unit experienced a > brief malfunction that appropriately caused a breaker to trip, > protecting the electrical system of the station much like a circuit > breaker protects electrical systems and equipment in a home. > > Expedition 14 Commander Mike Lopez-Alegria and Flight Engineers > Mikhail Tyurin and Suni Williams - awake since mid-evening Saturday - > took immediate action and followed procedures on board to recover the > communications link with mission control, Houston, at about 1:35 a.m. > > > During the remainder of Sunday and through early Monday, restoration > of systems continued. The systems affected included: > > > > One of two redundant communications systems > > One of four gyroscopes used to maintain the station's position, or > orientation > > Several scientific facilities, including the freezer containing > experiment samples > > The Ku Band high data rate and television system > > Several smoke detectors and various heaters that maintain a thermal > balance of external components, including the robotic arm and its > mobile base > > > > None of these systems was permanently affected, and the equipment's > temporary shut down did not impact research work or upcoming planned > activities. > > In addition to the recovery from the power outage, the crew also began > early preparations for the next spacewalk by Tyurin and > Lopez-Alegria. During that spacewalk scheduled for Feb. 22, the two > will free a stuck antenna on the ISS Progress 23 supply craft and > survey navigation systems for the European Automated Transfer > Vehicle's docking capability to the Zvezda Service Module. They will > try to secure or remove the antenna to preclude any interference > during undocking in April. The spacewalk will be the 10th for > Lopez-Alegria, which will be a U.S. astronaut record. The two will > wear Russian Orlan suits for the excursion out of the Pirs docking > compartment. > > > > For more 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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Columbus
by Thomas Frey 14 Feb '07

14 Feb '07

Columbus -------- ESA astronaut Leopold Eyharts of France has today been assigned to fly onboard the International Space Station for the delivery and commissioning of the European Columbus laboratory currently planned for this autumn. Read more: http://www.esa.int/esaHS/SEM4F8O2UXE_index_0.html Also online, an interview - Leopold Eyharts, the man who will bring Columbus to life: http://www.esa.int/esaHS/SEMFG9O2UXE_astronauts_0.html Mit freundlichen Grüssen, Regards, 73 Thomas Frey, HB9SKA ______________________________________________________________________ Thomas Frey, Holzgasse 2, CH-5242 Birr, Tel. + Fax: 056 444 93 41 http://home.datacomm.ch/th.frey/ Packet Radio (AX.25): HB9SKA @ HB9PD.CHE.EU

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ISS Status Report: SS07-08
by Arthur Rowe 13 Feb '07

13 Feb '07

SUBMITTED BY ARTHUR N1ORC - AMSAT A/C #31468 > Feb. 12, 2007 > > Allard Beutel > Headquarters, Washington > 202-358-4769 > > Kyle Herring > Johnson Space Center, Houston > 281-483-5111 > STATUS REPORT: SS07-08 > > INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION STATUS REPORT: SS07-08 > > HOUSTON - An unexpected circuit breaker trip early Sunday caused a > power outage on the International Space Station. All systems were > back up by Monday morning with no impact to operations on board. The > safety of the Expedition 14 crew and the complex was never an issue. > > The first indications of a problem came with the loss of > communications between the station and mission control just after > 12:00 a.m. CST Sunday when an electrical switching unit experienced a > brief malfunction that appropriately caused a breaker to trip, > protecting the electrical system of the station much like a circuit > breaker protects electrical systems and equipment in a home. > > Expedition 14 Commander Mike Lopez-Alegria and Flight Engineers > Mikhail Tyurin and Suni Williams - awake since mid-evening Saturday - > took immediate action and followed procedures on board to recover the > communications link with mission control, Houston, at about 1:35 a.m. > > > During the remainder of Sunday and through early Monday, restoration > of systems continued. The systems affected included: > > > > One of two redundant communications systems > > One of four gyroscopes used to maintain the station's position, or > orientation > > Several scientific facilities, including the freezer containing > experiment samples > > The Ku Band high data rate and television system > > Several smoke detectors and various heaters that maintain a thermal > balance of external components, including the robotic arm and its > mobile base > > > > None of these systems was permanently affected, and the equipment's > temporary shut down did not impact research work or upcoming planned > activities. > > In addition to the recovery from the power outage, the crew also began > early preparations for the next spacewalk by Tyurin and > Lopez-Alegria. During that spacewalk scheduled for Feb. 22, the two > will free a stuck antenna on the ISS Progress 23 supply craft and > survey navigation systems for the European Automated Transfer > Vehicle's docking capability to the Zvezda Service Module. They will > try to secure or remove the antenna to preclude any interference > during undocking in April. The spacewalk will be the 10th for > Lopez-Alegria, which will be a U.S. astronaut record. The two will > wear Russian Orlan suits for the excursion out of the Pirs docking > compartment. > > > > For more about the crew's activities and station sighting > opportunities, visit: > > http://www.nasa.gov/station > > > -end- > > > > > >

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NASA Announces Three ISS Crews
by Arthur Rowe 13 Feb '07

13 Feb '07

SUBMITTED BY ARTHUR - N1ORC - AMSAT A/C #31468 > Feb. 12, 2007 > > Katherine Trinidad > Headquarters, Washington > 202-358-3749 > > Nicole Cloutier-Lemasters > Johnson Space Center, Houston > 281-483-5111 > > > > NASA ANNOUNCES THREE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION CREWS > > WASHINGTON - NASA and its international partners have named the crews > that will live and work aboard the International Space Station for > the next two years. The crew members make up three expeditions to the > station and represent four space agencies. > > The assignments include the first long-duration station flight for a > Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut and the second > long-duration station flight for an astronaut from the European Space > Agency (ESA). The JAXA and ESA astronauts will work on the > installation and checkout of the Japanese Experiment Module Kibo and > European Columbus laboratories on the station. > > NASA astronaut and veteran station crew member Peggy A. Whitson will > command Expedition 16, set to begin in fall 2007. The flight > engineers for the mission include cosmonaut and Russian Air Force > Col. Yuri I. Malenchenko, ESA astronaut and French Air Force Brig. > Gen. Leopold Eyharts and NASA astronaut Garrett E. Reisman. > > Malenchenko will command the Russian Soyuz spacecraft that will carry > him and Whitson to the station and return them to Earth in spring > 2008. They will join NASA astronaut Daniel M. Tani aboard the > station. > Eyharts will fly to the station on space shuttle mission STS-122, > which is expected to deliver the Columbus lab this fall. Eyharts will > remain on the station to oversee activation and checkout of the > laboratory, while Tani takes the shuttle home. > Reisman will fly on shuttle Endeavour's STS-123 mission to replace > Eyharts. Reisman will remain on the station for about six months and > return on shuttle mission STS-119, targeted for summer 2008. > Russian Air Force Lt. Col. Sergei Volkov will command Expedition 17. > Expedition 17 flight engineers include cosmonaut Oleg D. Kononenko > and NASA astronaut Sandra H. Magnus. > > Kononenko will command the Soyuz spacecraft that will carry him and > Volkov to the station in spring 2008 and bring them home in fall > 2008. > Magnus will arrive on STS-119 and remain aboard the station. Magnus > will return on the STS-126 mission targeted for summer 2008. > NASA astronaut and station veteran Air Force Lt. Col. E. Michael > Fincke will command Expedition 18. Expedition 18 flight engineers > include cosmonaut and veteran station crew member Russian Air Force > Col. Salizhan S. Sharipov, JAXA astronaut Koichi Wakata and NASA > astronaut Gregory E. Chamitoff. > > Sharipov will command the Soyuz that will carry him and Fincke to the > station in fall 2008 and back to Earth in spring 2009. > Wakata will fly to the station on STS-126 to replace Magnus. Magnus > will return to Earth on STS-126. > Chamitoff will fly to the station on the STS-127 mission, targeted for > winter 2008, the third and final flight for assembly of the Japanese > Kibo lab. Wakata will return to Earth on STS-127. Chamitoff will > return home on a later shuttle or Soyuz mission. > Expedition 16 backup crew members: > > Fincke for Whitson > Sharipov for Malenchenko > ESA astronaut Frank DeWinne for Eyharts > NASA astronaut Army Lt. Col. Timothy L. Kopra for Reisman. > Expedition 17 backup crew members: > > Cosmonaut and veteran station crew member Sergei Krikalev for Volkov > Cosmonaut Russian Air Force Col. Maxim V. Suraev for Kononenko > NASA astronaut Nicole P. Stott for Magnus. > Expedition 18 backup crew members: > > NASA astronaut Dr. Michael R. Barratt for Fincke > Cosmonaut Russian Air Force Lt. Col. Yuri V. Lonchakov for Sharipov > JAXA astronaut Soichi Noguchi for Wakata > NASA astronaut Army Col. Timothy J. Creamer for Chamitoff. > Video of the prime crew members will air on NASA TV's Video File. For > NASA TV downlink, streaming video and scheduling information, visit: > > http://www.nasa.gov/ntv For complete crew biographies, visit: > > http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/astrobio.html > > For more about upcoming space shuttle missions, visit: > > http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle > > > -end- > > >

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Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2007-02-12 19:00 UTC
by AJ9N＠aol.com 12 Feb '07

12 Feb '07

Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2007-02-12 19:00 UTC Quick list of scheduled contacts and events: Hanazono Elementary School, Akashi-city, Hyogo-pref, Japan, direct via 8N3F Successful Mon 2007-02-12 09:05 UTC 35 deg(***) Vasant Valley School, Vasant Kunj, New Delhi, India, telebridge via WH6PN Sat 2007-02-24 08:50 UTC 82 deg via WH6PN Total number of ARISS school contacts is 268. (***) 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 2007-02-12 19:00 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 2007-02-12 19:00 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 Recovers From Power Loss
by Arthur Rowe 12 Feb '07

12 Feb '07

SUBMITTED BY ARTHUR N1ORC - AMSAT A/C #31468 *Station Recovers From Power Loss* Mission control teams are working to assess systems affected by a power loss aboard the International Space Station early Sunday morning. The station's three crew members were not in any danger, but it did turn an off-duty day into a full work shift. About 1 a.m. EST, one of the power channels of the P4 solar array electrical system went down because of a glitch with a device known as a direct current switching unit. It controls power distribution from the solar array to the battery systems and other hardware. The glitch resulted in a temporary loss of communications, and shut down some equipment, including a few science facilities and heating units and control moment gyroscope #2. The station never lost orientation control, but it operated most of the day with two of four gyros. Control moment gyroscope #3 previously had been powered down. Flight controllers restored power to nearly all affected systems and equipment by Monday morning. They are still investigating what caused the glitch, but they believe it was an isolated event.

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EXP 14 - Record Setting Spacewalks
by Arthur Rowe 11 Feb '07

11 Feb '07

SUBMITTED BY ARTHUR N1ORC - AMSAT A/C #31468 *Record Setting Spacewalks* ISS014-E-13326 --- Sunita Williams during a session of extravehicular activity Image above: Astronaut Sunita L. Williams, Expedition 14 flight engineer, uses a digital still camera to expose a photo of her helmet visor. Also visible in the reflections in the visor is a solar array wing. Image credit: NASA TO VIEW IMAGE GO TO: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/main/index.html With all scheduled tasks accomplished, Commander Mike Lopez-Alegria and Flight Engineer Suni Williams finished a 6-hour, 40-minute spacewalk Thursday. Their completed tasks will allow for the attachment of a cargo platform during the STS-118 mission this summer and relocation of the P6 truss during STS-120 later this year. Connection of remaining cables to the Destiny laboratory will allow future visiting shuttles to derive power from the station to extend their missions. The crew now begins to review Russian procedures for the next spacewalk on Feb. 22. Lopez-Alegria and Flight Engineer Mikhail Tyurin will work on an antenna on the Progress 23 cargo ship docked at the aft port of the Zvezda service module. The antenna did not properly retract when that spacecraft docked in October. They will try to secure or remove the antenna to avoid any interference when the Progress 23 undocks in April. The spacewalk will be the 10th for Lopez-Alegria, a new record for a U.S. astronaut. The three spacewalks from the Quest airlock in U.S. spacesuits and a Russian spacewalk on Feb. 22 will be the most ever done by station crew members during such a short period and will mark five spacewalks in all for Expedition 14, a record for any expedition. + Read more about the spacewalks <http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/expeditions/expedition14/exp14_ev…>

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Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2007-02-10 23:45 UTC
by AJ9N＠aol.com 10 Feb '07

10 Feb '07

Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2007-02-10 23:45 UTC Quick list of scheduled contacts and events: Hanazono Elementary School, Akashi-city, Hyogo-pref, Japan, direct via 8N3F Mon 2007-02-12 09:05 UTC 35 deg Vasant Valley School, Vasant Kunj, New Delhi, India, telebridge via WH6PN (***) Sat 2007-02-24 08:50 UTC 82 deg via WH6PN (***) Total number of ARISS school contacts is 267. 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 2007-02-10 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 2007-01-26 04:00 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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STS-117 - Mating to Begin
by Arthur Rowe 10 Feb '07

10 Feb '07

SUBMITTED BY ARTHUR N1ORC - AMSAT A/C #31468 *Mating to Begin * Atlantis is suspended vertically in the Vehicle Assembly Building. Photo credit: NASA/Amanda Diller + View High-res Image <http://www.nasa.gov/images/content/169070main_shuttle_vertical.jpg> TO VIEW IMAGE GO TO www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/main/index.html Space Shuttle Atlantis hangs suspended in its sling in the transfer aisle of the Vehicle Assembly Building. Preparations are underway to lift the vehicle up into high bay 1, where it will be lowered onto the mobile launcher platform for mating to the external tank and solid rocket boosters. The orbiter was transported to the Vehicle Assembly Building on Wednesday. First motion was at 6:19 a.m. EST. The rollover marks a milestone in the start of the vehicle's journey to Launch Pad 39A, scheduled for Feb. 14. Mission STS-117 will be the first launch at Pad 39A in four years. The flight of Space Shuttle Atlantis to the International Space Station on mission STS-117 has been targeted for March 15, a day earlier than originally planned. On the next space shuttle flight to continue constructing the station, the Atlantis crew will install a new truss segment, retract a set of solar arrays and unfold a new set on the starboard side of the station. Lessons learned from two previous missions will provide the astronauts with new techniques and tools to perform their duties. Commanding the Atlantis team is Frederick Sturckow, a veteran of two shuttle missions (STS-88, STS-105), while Lee Archambault will be making his first flight as the shuttle's pilot. Mission Specialists James Reilly (STS-89, STS-104) and Patrick Forrester (STS-105) will be returning to the station. Steven Swanson and John Olivas, both mission specialists, join the crew for their first flight into space. The mission astronauts will return to Kennedy a few weeks before liftoff to participate in the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test. During this time they will practice launch activities, safety exercises, inspect the payload and conclude with a simulated main engine cut-off exercise. *STS-117 Mission* + The Crew <http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts117/index.html> + The Mission <http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts117/mission_ov…> + The Integrated Truss Structure <http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/structure/elements/its.html> *Podcasts* + View All Podcasts <http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/podcasting/index.html> + How to Subscribe <http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/podcasting/help.html>

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AMSAT-DC Seminar Coming Soon
by Pat Kilroy 09 Feb '07

09 Feb '07

Interested in cultivating future engineers and scientists? Interested in involving students in amateur satellites as a training ground? Or just happy to promote awareness of and appreciation for technical excellence? Well, if you, or someone you know, is near Washington, D.C. then ... YOU ARE HEREBY INVITED to the next AMSAT-DC Meeting and Space Seminar. The day long event will be held on Saturday, March 24, in the same hall as last year, near BWI airport. Get the meeting announcement at http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/fieldops/eventDetail.php?eID=259 and share it with others. Today. Tomorrow too. In building our agenda, we are lining up one or two presentations from local folks who are building a CubeSat of all things! Check out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cubesat before coming. We'll take a close look at the brand new AMSAT lab on our eastern shore. Get news on a new S-Band beacon. High-altitude balloons? Yep, we've got that! Lots more will be offered too. OUR NUMBER ONE NEED for success: Publicity ... Please forward the event announcement to one who might like to know about it. Take it to a club meeting. Announce it on a net. Gosh, tell a high school or college student -- and an instructor too. All are invited. Thank you! And see you then! Sincerely, Pat Kilroy N8PK AMSAT-DC Co-host ================================================================= Patrick L. Kilroy WK Integration & Test (I&T) 301-286-1984 Voice NASA Goddard Space Flight Center 301-286-1673 Fax Building 5, Mail Code 568 Patrick.L.Kilroy(a)nasa.gov Greenbelt, Maryland 20771 http://lro.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ================================================================= "Imagination is more important than knowledge." - Albert Einstein

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