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Anousheh Ansari and QSOs
by White, Rosalie, K1STO 15 Sep '06

15 Sep '06

US businesswoman Anousheh Ansari, will travel to the ISS on September 18 as part of the Russian Soyuz "taxi mission," and hopes to try ham QSOs from space. Ansari had decided originally, not to do ham contacts after realizing her heavy schedule didn't allow her to study for her ham exam. She was scheduled to fly in 2007, but when Daisuke Enomoto was grounded due to medical issues, her ETA was moved up. Ansari was trained on the ISS radios by the Russian ARISS Team quite a few months ago. Now, she has decided to go for a potential QSO with students at George Washington University, her alma mater, on September 22. "The ARISS AMSAT Washington DC Team was asked just recently to support this QSO, and have done an outstanding job pulling everything together quickly," says ARRL ARISS Program Manager Rosalie White, K1STO. "Mark Steiner, K3MS, is leading the effort. In addition, Anoushe hopes to talk with US-licensed school children, and take advantage of the astronauts as her Control Operator. She will be listening at various times on Thursday, September 21, through Tuesday, September 26, using RS0ISS." Because of third-party issues, Ansari may only speak to youths who have ham licenses. She is the fourth private citizen and the first female civilian, to fly to the ISS.

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Space-walkers Wrap Up Third Spacewalk
by Arthur Rowe 15 Sep '06

15 Sep '06

SUBMITTED BY ARTHUR N1ORC - AMSAT A/C #31468 *Spacewalkers Wrap Up Third Spacewalk* Astronauts Joe Tanner and Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper completed STS-115’s triple play by successfully conducting the mission’s third spacewalk at the International Space Station. During the 6-hour, 42-minute excursion, Tanner and Piper continued efforts to prepare the station’s newly installed P3/P4 truss segment for operation and also completed other tasks devoted to the assembly and maintenance of the station. The spacewalk came to a close at 12:42 p.m. EDT. Shortly after beginning the spacewalk at 6 a.m. EDT, Tanner and Piper retrieved a materials exposure experiment from the station’s exterior and performed maintenance on the P6 truss. The space-walkers then moved to the P3/P4 truss, where they prepared a radiator for deployment. Flight controllers unfurled the radiator, a device that will remove heat from the station, at 9:11. Tanner and Piper also installed a wireless TV antenna on the station and replaced a faulty antenna assembly on the S1 truss. Near the end of the spacewalk, Tanner and Piper conducted a test to evaluate infrared video of Space Shuttle Atlantis’ wing leading edge. They also performed get-ahead tasks that were slated to take place on future spacewalks. Mission Specialist Dan Burbank coordinated spacewalk activities, and Mission Specialist Steve MacLean oversaw station robotic arm operations. During this mission, MacLean became the first Canadian astronaut to operate the arm built by his home country. Later today, the station’s mobile transporter will be moved to a worksite on the P3 as part of checkout. The transporter is used move the station’s Integrated Truss Structure. **

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Re: STS-115 EVA LATEST NEWS
by Arthur Rowe 15 Sep '06

15 Sep '06

SUBMITTED BY ARTHUR N1ORC - AMSAT A/C #31468 > > LATEST NEWS > > > > *Spacewalkers Press Ahead; Controllers Deploy Radiator* > > Astronauts Joe Tanner and Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper are rolling > through STS-115’s third spacewalk. They are performing a wide-range of > activities during the excursion, which is slated to wrap up about > 12:20 p.m. EDT. > > As of 9:05 a.m., the duo retrieved a materials exposure experiment > from the exterior of the station and performed maintenance on the P6 > truss. > > The spacewalkers also performed tasks that allowed flight controllers > to deploy the radiator located on the newly installed P3/P4 truss. The > radiator will remove heat from the station. The P3/P4 was attached to > the station on Tuesday and its solar arrays were unfurled Thursday. > > Still on tap for the spacewalkers is the installation of a wireless TV > antenna and replacement of an antenna assembly on the S1 truss. Near > the end of the spacewalk, Tanner and Piper will conduct a test to > evaluate infrared video of Space Shuttle Atlantis’ wing leading edge. > > Mission Specialist Dan Burbank is coordinating the spacewalk’s > activities, and Mission Specialist Steve MacLean is overseeing station > robotic arm operations. During this mission, MacLean became the first > Canadian astronaut to operate the arm built by his home country. > > The start of the spacewalk was delayed due to a tripped circuit > breaker that caused an airlock depressurization pump to lose power. > After assessing the problem, flight controllers concluded that the > issue was caused by a momentary electrical spike and that the pump did > not have a short circuit. The spacewalk began at 6 a.m. > > *STS-115 Mission* > + Read about the crew > <http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts115/index.html> > + Read about the mission > <http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts115/mission_ov…> > + Read about the P3/P4 Truss > <http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/behindscenes/truss_segment.html> > + Read about the Integrated Truss Structure > <http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/structure/elements/its.html> >

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Expedition 14 to Launch Sunday; Station Grows in Size
by Arthur Rowe 15 Sep '06

15 Sep '06

SUBMITTED BY ARTHUR N1ORC - AMSAT A/C #31468 *Expedition 14 to Launch Sunday; Station Grows in Size* Preparations are continuing at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan for the launch of the Expedition 14 crew. Commander Michael Lopez-Alegria and Flight Engineer Mikhail Tyurin are scheduled to launch atop a Soyuz rocket on Sept. 18 at 12:09 a.m. EDT and arrive at the station at 1:24 a.m. Sept. 20. The duo will replace Expedition 13 Commander Pavel Vinogradov and NASA Science Officer Jeff Williams, who are wrapping up a six-month stay on the station. European Space Agency Astronaut Thomas Reiter will stay on the station and join Expedition 14. Flying to the station with Lopez-Alegria and Tyurin will be American Anousheh Ansari, the first female spaceflight participant to visit the orbiting laboratory. She is flying under contract with the Russian Federal Space Agency. Meanwhile in orbit, a new truss segment and solar arrays were added to Expedition 14’s future home. The visiting STS-115 crew attached the P3/P4 truss integrated truss segment on Tuesday and unfurled the solar arrays on Thursday. STS-115 is the first construction mission to visit the station since late 2002. STS-116 is the next construction mission and it is scheduled to visit the station and Expedition 14 as early as December. For the latest information on STS-115, please visit: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/main/index.html <http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/main/index.html> + Expedition 13 Briefing Materials, August 22, 2006 <http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/expeditions/expedition13/exp13_br…> + Expedition 14 Preflight Briefing Materials, August 22, 2006 <http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/expeditions/expedition14/exp14_pr…> + Next station assembly mission -- 12A <http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/structure/iss_assembly_12a.html> + Previous station assembly mission -- ULF 1.1 <http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/structure/iss_assembly_ulf1_1.html> + Read more about Expedition 13 <http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/expeditions/expedition13/index.ht…> + Read more about Expedition 14 <http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/expeditions/expedition14/index.ht…> + View crew's daily timelines <http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/timelines/index.html>

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Exp 14th Station Crew to Launch from Baikonur
by Arthur Rowe 15 Sep '06

15 Sep '06

SUBMITTED BY ARTHUR N1ORC - AMST A/C #31468 FEATURE 14th Station Crew to Launch from Baikonur 09.13.06 Commander Michael Lopez-Alegria and Cosmonaut Mikhail Tyurin of the 14th International Space Station crew are scheduled to launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan a few minutes after midnight EDT on Sept. 18 to begin a six-month stay in space. With them will be American Anousheh Ansari, the first female spaceflight participant to visit the orbiting laboratory. She is flying under contract with the Russian Federal Space Agency. She will return to Earth with the Expedition 13 crew, Commander Pavel Vinogradov and NASA Science Officer Jeff Williams, on Sept. 28. Expedition 13 launched to the station on March 30. After its 12:09 a.m. launch Sept. 18, Expedition 14's Soyuz TMA spacecraft is scheduled to dock at the station at 1:28 a.m. on Sept. 20. There they will be greeted by their third Expedition 14 crew member, European Space Agency astronaut Thomas Reiter of Germany. Reiter arrived at the station aboard Discovery on the STS-121 mission in July. He joined Expedition 13, bringing the number of station crew members to three for the first time since May 2003. Lopez-Alegria, 45, will be making his fourth flight into space. He flew three space shuttle missions. On Expedition 14, he also will serve as NASA science officer. Tyurin, 46, is making his second spaceflight. He served as a member of the station's Expedition 3 crew in 2001, which launched in August and landed in December. He is the second long-duration crew member to be assigned to a second expedition. Cosmonaut Sergei Krikalev was a member of the Expedition 1 and Expedition 11 station crews. Reiter is the first European Space Agency astronaut to server as a long-duration International Space Station crew member. His presence for the first part of Expedition 14 will be valuable for his new crewmates because of his knowledge of the station and its systems. Previous oncoming crews have relied on intense handovers of just over a week with the predecessor crew members before taking over station operations themselves. Reiter, who served as a crew member on the Russian space station Mir for six months in 1995, is scheduled to return to Earth aboard Discovery on STS-116 in December. Discovery will bring Astronaut Sunita Williams to the station to replace Reiter and join Expedition 14 in progress. Williams, 41, a Navy commander, will be making her first spaceflight. She is scheduled to remain on the station until next spring. Discovery also will bring the P5 truss to the station. While it is docked, station and shuttle crews will reconfigure the orbiting laboratory's electrical system and activate the new solar arrays brought up by Atlantis on STS-115. Expedition 14 will do as many as four spacewalks, perhaps three in January in U.S. spacesuits, to reconfigure the station's permanent cooling system. The other would be done earlier in Russian spacesuits to retrieve and install experiments. Two Expedition 15 crew members are expected to arrive next spring to replace Lopez-Alegria and Tyurin.

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STS-115 MCC Status Report #12
by Arthur Rowe 15 Sep '06

15 Sep '06

SUBMITTED BY ARTHUR N1ORC - AMSAT A/C #31468 Mission Control Center, Houston, Texas 09.15.06 STATUS REPORT: STS-115-12 STS-115 MCC Status Report #12 The Atlantis and International Space Station crews today will focus on the third and final spacewalk of the mission. The STS-115 crew, Commander Brent Jett, Pilot Chris Ferguson and Mission Specialists Dan Burbank, Joe Tanner, Heide Stefanyshyn-Piper and Steve MacLean, is in its fourth day of joint operations with the station crew. Their Expedition 13 counterparts, Commander Pavel Vinogradov and Flight Engineers Jeff Williams and Thomas Reiter, will support the spacewalk activities as well as continued space station operations and maintenance. Both crews awoke at 11:15 p.m. CDT to "Hotel California" performed by the Eagles and played for Tanner. Tanner and Stefanyshyn-Piper will team up again for the spacewalk. While they were in the Quest airlock preparing for the spacewalk, a circuit-breaker-like remote power controller (RPC) tripped, causing loss of power to the airlock's depressurization pump. While flight controllers and engineers assessed the cause of the problem, the spacewalkers moved to the adjacent Unity module, while continuing to breathe oxygen through masks per their pre-spacewalk protocol. The trip of the RPC was apparently due to a momentary spike in the electrical current of the depressurization pump. After assessing data to ensure the system had no short circuit, the breaker was reset and pump reactivated. Tanner and Stefanyshyn-Piper are scheduled to leave the Quest airlock at about 4:15 a.m. Once the spacewalk begins, the two will split up to perform the scheduled tasks for the spacewalk. Tanner will install bolt retainers on the P6 Beta Gimbal Assembly, which helps to orient the pitch of the solar array wings. He’ll also use a new technique to attempt to re-engage a four-bar hinge lock that did not properly engage during STS-97. Meanwhile, Stefanyshyn-Piper will retrieve the Materials on the International Space Station Experiment 5. The materials science experiment tests the effects of the space environment on prospective spacecraft materials. The two will then prepare the photovoltaic radiator for deployment by removing launch hardware that was in place to protect it during the shuttle launch. Once that is done, other crewmembers can deploy that heat-dissipating radiator. Next the spacewalkers will replace an S-band antenna support assembly (SASA) on the Starboard 1 (S1) truss. They’ll also install a shroud on the failed SASA, which will be returned to Earth on a later mission. Dividing again, Stefanyshyn-Piper will replace a baseband signal processor and transponder on S1 and Tanner will install a heat shield onto an antenna group interface tube to help overheating in this area during certain vehicle attitudes. They’ll wrap up the spacewalk with two new tasks, installing a new external wireless television antenna and performing a Detailed Test Objective to assess infrared video of the wing leading edge. The spacewalk is scheduled to last 6.5 hours. Once the spacewalk is completed, the mobile transporter, a movable platform that moves along the truss segments, will be relocated to a position on the newly arrived P3 truss to check out that worksite. The next STS-115 mission status report will be issued Friday afternoon, or earlier if events warrant.

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STS-115 MCC Status Report #11
by Arthur Rowe 14 Sep '06

14 Sep '06

SUBMITTED BY ARTHUR N1ORC - AMSAT A/C #31468 NASA NEWS 4 p.m. CDT, Thursday, Sept. 14 Mission Control Center, Houston, Texas 09.14.06 STATUS REPORT: STS-115-11 STS-115 MCC Status Report #11 The International Space Station today spread a second set of wings, giant solar panels that eventually will double the power generated aboard the orbiting science outpost. The solar arrays on the newly delivered 17.5 ton truss segment were fully unfolded at 7:44 a.m. CDT. The power generated by the arrays will not be used by the station until another shuttle flight in December. During that mission, STS-116, astronauts will rewire the complex and activate a cooling system. The arrays currently are powering their own system, including batteries and other electronics equipment. The solar panels have a wingspan of 240 feet attached on the port side of the station. They can generate 66 kilowatts of power. Flight controllers commanded the arrays to begin unfolding at 4 a.m. CDT. They were originally to begin unfolding Wednesday night. A software glitch during checkout of the Solar Alpha Rotary Joint (SARJ), which will rotate the wings, delayed the deployment. Unfurled one at a time, the wings were deployed halfway before being fully unfolded. During the unfurling, Atlantis' astronauts noted that some of the panels stuck. The phenomenon, called “stiction,” also occurred when the station's first set of solar panels was deployed during a shuttle mission in late 2000. The crew also maneuvered the Canadarm2 robotic arm in a "double walk off,” moving it from the Mobile Base System to the Destiny Lab in an inchworm-like procedure. Tomorrow, mission specialists Joe Tanner and Heide Stefanyshyn-Piper will conduct the third and final spacewalk of the mission to release restraints on the cooling radiator of the new truss section. The radiator will be unfolded later. They also will install an external wireless TV transmission antenna to improve TV transmission from cameras mounted on spacesuit helmets. Tanner and Piper expect to have time to remove a materials science experiment from the hull of the Quest airlock to return to Earth. The next STS-115 mission status report will be issued Friday morning, or earlier if events warrant.

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STS-115 Crew Unfurls Station Arrays
by Arthur Rowe 14 Sep '06

14 Sep '06

SUBMITTED BY ARTHUR N1ORC - AMSAT A/C #31468 The STS-115 crew successfully completed the full deployment of the International Space Station’s new set of solar arrays at 8:44 a.m. EDT. The new arrays span a total of 240 feet and have a width of 38 feet. They are attached to the station’s newest component, the P3/P4 integrated truss structure. The installation of the P3/P4, which occurred Tuesday, and the deployment of the arrays sets the stage for future expansion of the station. Today’s deployment occurred in stages to allow the arrays to warm up, which prevents them from sticking while being deployed. The first stage began about 6:27 a.m. EDT. The deployment activities started later than planned due to a software problem with the Solar Alpha Rotary Joint. The Mission Control Center team developed a workaround and proceeded with the checkout and deployment activities. In other activities today, STS-115 crewmembers will command the International Space Station’s robot arm to move from the Mobile Base System to the Destiny Laboratory Module. The STS-115 and the Expedition 13 crews will prepare for Friday’s spacewalk. The STS-115 crew has conducted two spacewalks to prepare the truss and the arrays for operation. Friday’s spacewalk will continue those efforts. Also, Space Shuttle Atlantis and station crewmembers will take time out of their busy schedules to talk with reporters and officials. Canadian Space Agency Astronaut Steve MacLean is scheduled to talk with Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper at 11:25 a.m. STS-115 Commander Brent Jett, Expedition 13 Commander Pavel Vinogradov and Expedition 13 Astronaut Thomas Reiter are scheduled to talk with National Public Radio and CNN at 11:50 a.m. These events will be aired on NASA TV.

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One Up, One to Go
by Arthur Rowe 14 Sep '06

14 Sep '06

SUBMITTED BY ARTHUR N1ORC - AMSAT A/C #31468 *One Up, One to Go* The deployment of the International Space Station’s new set of solar arrays reached the halfway point about 7:08 a.m. EDT today when the left wing was fully extended. The arrays will span 240 feet when the right wing is completely unfurled about 8:30 a.m. Full deployment is occurring in stages to allow the arrays to warm up, which prevents them from sticking while being deployed. The first stage began about 6:27 a.m. EDT. The arrays were installed on to the station Tuesday and will eventually double the orbital outpost’s power capabilities. Earlier this morning, flight controllers deployed only one bay mast on the right and left wings. This step was done to confirm a new procedure designed to avoid large motion that occurred during the P6 array deployment in 2000. The deployment activities started later than planned due to a software problem with the Solar Alpha Rotary Joint. The Mission Control Center team developed a workaround and proceeded with the checkout and deployment activities. In other activities today, STS-115 crewmembers will command the International Space Station’s robot arm to move from the Mobile Base System to the Destiny Laboratory Module. The STS-115 and the Expedition 13 crews will prepare for Friday’s spacewalk. Space Shuttle Atlantis and station crewmembers will take time out of their schedules to talk with reporters and officials. Canadian Space Agency Astronaut Steve MacLean is scheduled to talk with Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper at 11:25 a.m. STS-115 Commander Brent Jett, Expedition 13 Commander Pavel Vinogradov and Expedition Astronaut Thomas Reiter are scheduled to talk with National Public Radio and CNN at 11:50 a.m. These events will be aired on NASA T

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STS-115 MCC Status Report #10
by Arthur Rowe 14 Sep '06

14 Sep '06

SUBMITTED BY ARTHUR N1ORC - AMSAT A/C #31468 NASA NEWS 3 a.m. CDT, Thursday, Sept. 14 Mission Control Center, Houston, Texas 09.14.06 STATUS REPORT: STS-115-10 STS-115 MCC Status Report #10 With several busy days including two successful spacewalks behind them, the Atlantis and International Space Station crews were looking forward to deployment of new station solar arrays and preparing for the mission's third spacewalk. The ground teams completed the checkout of the Solar Alpha Rotary Joint (SARJ) early Thursday. The task had been interrupted Wednesday by a software glitch. Engineering teams developed a workaround, and flight controllers are working toward deployment of the 240-feet solar wings brought up with the P3/P4 truss. The issue did cause replanning of the crews' schedule. As a result, crew activities today are subject to change. Atlantis crewmembers were awakened at 11:15 p.m. CDT Wednesday by "Wipe Out," performed by the Surfaris. It was played for Pilot Chris Ferguson. Thursday's agenda for Atlantis crewmembers, Commander Brent Jett, Pilot Ferguson and Mission Specialists Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper, Joe Tanner, Dan Burbank and Steve MacLean, include executing a "double walk off” of the station's Canadarm 2 from the Mobile Base System to the Destiny Lab. MacLean is scheduled to talk with Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper at 10:25 a.m. Also, Jett, station Expedition 13 Commander Pavel Vinogradov and E13 European Space Agency Astronaut Thomas Reiter were scheduled to talk with National Public Radio and CNN at 10:50 a.m. While Ferguson does shuttle operations tasks, the rest of the crews, including station NASA Science Officer Jeff Williams, will review procedures for Friday's spacewalk, the third and final planned excursion outside during the STS-115 mission. Tanner and Piper will work on station truss segments to release the photovoltaic radiator restraints, deploy SARJ braces and install an external wireless TV transmission antenna. The next STS-115 mission status report will be issued Thursday afternoon, or earlier if events warrant.

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