SUBMITTED BY ARTHUR N1ORC - AMSAT A/C 331468
Orbiters on the Move: Atlantis Heads Home as Endeavour Prepares for
Mission STS-118
Space Shuttle Endeavour rolls to the Vehicle Assembly Building Image
above: After leaving the Orbiter Processing Facility Endeavour rolls to
the Vehicle Assembly Building. The mission will be Endeavour's first
flight in more than four years. Photo credit: NASA/George Shelton
+ View Larger Image
<http://www.nasa.gov/images/content/170421main_rollover.jpg>
07.02.07 12:00 p.m. EDT
Orbiter Atlantis is one step closer to Kennedy Space Center this morning
after a refueling stop at Fort Campbell, Ky. Mounted atop a modified 747
jetliner called the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, Atlantis is on its way
back to Florida after landing June 22 at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif.,
concluding the STS-117 mission.
At Fort Campbell, the ferry flight crew received a weather briefing and
a determination was made to remain there overnight. Atlantis could
arrive at the Florida spaceport on Tuesday if weather conditions permit.
Meanwhile, processing for the next mission, STS-118, continues at
Kennedy. Orbiter Endeavour arrived inside the Vehicle Assembly Building
this morning after a short roll from the nearby Orbiter Processing
Facility. In the assembly building's transfer aisle, Endeavour will be
lifted vertically, transferred to a high bay and attached to its
external tank and solid rocket boosters.
The STS-118 mission will deliver the S5 truss to the International Space
Station and will mark the first flight of an educator astronaut, Mission
Specialist Barbara Morgan. Launch is targeted for Aug. 7.
SUBMITTED BY ARTHUR N1ORC - AMSAT A/C #31468
*Space Shuttle Mission STS-117 *
**
*Atlantis on Its Way Back to Kennedy*
EXCELLENT PICTURE
Space Shuttle Atlantis' atop of NASA's 747 Shuttle Aircraft
Carrier.Image above: Space Shuttle Atlantis' atop of NASA's 747 Shuttle
Aircraft Carrier takes off from Edwards Air Force Base in California.
Image credit: NASA/Carla Thomas
+ View Larger Image
<http://www.nasa.gov/images/content/170897main_lift-off-lg.jpg>
After a short weather delay Sunday morning, Space Shuttle Atlantis atop
NASA's Shuttle Aircraft Carrier began its trip across the U.S.
Known as a ferry-flight, the orbiter will make the trip from Edwards Air
Force Base in California to Kennedy's Shuttle Landing Facility in one to
two days, depending on weather conditions.
SUBMITTED BY ARTHUR N1ORC - AMSAT A/c#31468
Atlantis Heads Home
Space Shuttle Atlantis atop NASA's 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft. Image
above: NASA's modified 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft with Atlantis on top
lift offs to begin its ferry-flight back to Kennedy Space Center in
Florida. Photo Credit: NASA/Carla Thomas
+ View Larger Image
<http://www.nasa.gov/images/content/170421main_piggy_back-lg.jpg>
07.01.07 12:30 p.m. EDT
Early Sunday morning, Space Shuttle Atlantis began its journey back to
Kennedy Space Center "piggy-backed" on top of a modified 747 jetliner
called the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft.
The enroute plan includes refueling stops and a stop overnight. The
anticipated arrival at the Kennedy Space Center will be no earlier than
Monday July 2 with a possibility of arriving Tuesday July 3 if weather
conditions are not favorable for a Monday landing.
Atlantis landed at Edwards concluding a successful assembly mission to
the International Space Station with Commander Rick Sturckow and Pilot
Lee Archambault at the controls. Atlantis landed at 3:49 p.m. EDT on
June 22.
The STS-117 mission astronauts returned to Johnson Space Center on
Saturday, June 23. Their return was marked by a traditional welcome home
ceremony at Ellington Field in Houston.
The STS-117 crew began its mission June 8 and arrived at the station
June 10. They quickly began work to install the Starboard 3 and 4
(S3/S4) truss structure to the outpost and retracted a set of arrays on
the Port 6 (P6) truss. The (S3/S4) contains a new set of solar arrays
that increases station power-generation capabilities. The P6 will be
relocated during a future assembly mission.
Mission Specialists Patrick Forrester, John "Danny" Olivas, Jim Reilly
and Steven Swanson conducted a total of four spacewalks to activate the
S3/S4 and to retract the P6 arrays. During the third spacewalk, Olivas
repaired an out of position thermal blanket on the left orbital
maneuvering system pod.
Landing also marked the end of a record-setting spaceflight by Mission
Specialist Suni Williams. She broke the record for the longest
spaceflight by a woman and she also became the record-holder for the
most hours outside a spacecraft by a female, completing four spacewalks
during Expedition 14.
Williams' journey began in December with the launch of STS-116. She
lived on the space station for six months before switching places on the
STS-117 crew with Clayton Anderson, who is now a flight engineer on the
station. When Atlantis landed, she had accumulated 194 days, 18 hours
and 58 minutes during her spaceflight.
STS-117 is the 118th shuttle mission and 21st mission to visit the space
station. The next mission, STS-118, is slated to launch in August.
SUBMITTED BY ARTHUR N1ORC - AMSAT A/C #31468
The World's Greatest Piggyback Ride
Imagine flying from California to Florida with nowhere to sit, no
air conditioning, no place to store your bags -- not even a
bathroom.http://www.nasa.gov/returntoflight/crew/ferryflight.html
The Shuttle Carrier Aircraft touches down at Kennedy Space Center with
Shuttle orbiter DiscoveryImage to left: Space Shuttle Discovery, atop
the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA), touches down at NASA Kennedy Space
Center's Shuttle Landing Facility on Aug. 21, 2005 after a ferry flight
from Edwards Air Force Base in California. Image credit: NASA/KSC
NASA keeps two 747s, known as the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA), set up
this way on purpose. The downstairs passenger area of these jetliners
are kept as hollow inside as possible in order to carry a special cargo:
a Space Shuttle orbiter.
One of these specially-modified SCAs brought the orbiter Discovery home
to Kennedy Space Center in Florida after completing the historic Return
to Flight mission. The SCA ferried the orbiter from Edwards Air Force
Base in California, where it landed Aug. 9.
Ferry flights are few and far between these days, but don't let the
light work schedule fool you: These aircraft have to work twice as hard
as a normal 747 to get the job done.
"It's brute force that keeps us flying," explains Larry LaRose, a flight
engineer on the SCA. "When we're carrying an orbiter, we have to use
twice the power and a lot more fuel to maintain flight."
The passenger area has been stripped of many creature comforts, such as
galleys, carpeting and even part of the inside temperature ductwork --
all for the sake of reducing weight. But the planes still weigh more
than 250,000 pounds, and the drag created by the shape and weight of the
orbiter -- 176,000 pounds or more, depending on any onboard payload --
negates the small amount of lift it adds.
The downstairs portion of the 747, stripped of seating and other
passener equipmentDuring a normal flight, the SCA might use 20,000
pounds of fuel an hour; with an orbiter on its back, that number doubles.
Image to right: The hollowed-out downstairs portion of the Shuttle
Carrier Aircraft used to hold passenger seating, galleys, luggage
compartments and more. It has been stripped of creature comforts to
reduce the plane's weight.
NASA/KSC image courtesy of Lynda Warnock
The piggyback arrangement might look cumbersome, but how does it fly
compared to a normal 747?
"It handles remarkably the same," says SCA pilot Gordon Fullerton. As
chief pilot at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center, his daily job
involves flying jets for high-performance aircraft research. But
Fullerton's experience with the orbiter and SCA dates back nearly three
decades. In addition to being a Space Shuttle commander and pilot, he
was one of four NASA astronauts to land the Enterprise during the Space
Shuttle Approach and Landing Test program in 1977.
"It's obvious [the orbiter] is up there, because there's a constant
rumble that you can feel because of the wake of the orbiter hitting the
vertical stabilizer of the 747," Fullerton says of ferry flights. But
other than long takeoff rolls and the need for some extra care in steep
turns, "it's pretty much the same."
Flight Engineer Larry LaRose inside the SCA cockpitImage to left: Inside
the cramped cockpit of the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, Flight Engineer
Larry LaRose sets up the pilot's seat for departure from Kennedy.
NASA/KSC image courtesy of Lynda Warnock
A small team of six specially-trained pilots and four flight engineers
has the critical task of making sure this precious cargo has a safe trip
from alternate landing sites.
Those who serve on SCA crews are former military aviators who are
qualified to fly several types of aircraft, such as the Shuttle Training
Aircraft, Super Guppy, zero-gravity aircraft and T-38 jets. Most are
based at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, although LaRose is
stationed in El Paso, Texas, and two are based at Dryden. Since ferry
flights are seldom required, crew members train twice a year using
simulators belonging to United Airlines.
Perhaps the biggest challenge the crew faces during a ferry flight is
the weather. The orbiter cannot be exposed to moisture, turbulence or
temperatures below -9 Centigrade and these restrictions determine the
flight path and altitude. To meet those conditions in the winter months,
they sometimes fly as low as 10,000 feet.
A "Pathfinder" aircraft, usually a U.S. Air Force cargo plane, flies 100
miles ahead of the SCA carrying weather officers and Space Shuttle
personnel from Kennedy. Also onboard is an experienced SCA pilot, whose
expertise helps the ferry flight crew keep to the safest route.
Sunrise at the Shuttle Landing Facility, where the SCA waits to
departAdverse weather came into play on Discovery's recent ferry flight.
Storms and hail at Edwards kept the piggybacked pair grounded for a few
extra days. But every step of the way, people gathered to catch a
glimpse of the odd-looking duo.
Image to right: Sunrise at Kennedy's Shuttle Landing Facility reveals
the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft preparing to depart on Aug. 24. The plane
carried the orbiter Discovery on a ferry flight to Kennedy from Edwards
Air Force Base in California, arriving Aug. 21, 2005. NASA/KSC image
courtesy of Lynda Warnock
"You don't sneak into town with an orbiter," LaRose says, grinning. "It
brings out a big crowd everywhere we go. It's a life experience for a
lot of folks who have never seen something like this before."
Anna Heiney
NASA's John F. Kennedy Space Center
SUBMITTED BY ARTHUR N1ORC - AMSAT A/C #31468
*Ferry-Flight Set for Sunday*
*06.30.07 12:45 p.m. EDT* (1645 UTC)
Early Sunday morning, Space Shuttle Atlantis will begin its journey back
to Kennedy Space Center "piggy-backed" on top of a modified 747 jetliner
called the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft
<http://www.nasa.gov/returntoflight/crew/ferryflight.html>.
Known as a ferry-flight, the orbiter will make the trip from Edwards Air
Force Base in California to Kennedy's Shuttle Landing Facility in one to
two days, depending on weather conditions.
Atlantis landed at Edwards concluding a successful assembly mission to
the International Space Station with Commander Rick Sturckow and Pilot
Lee Archambault at the controls. Atlantis landed at 3:49 p.m. EDT on
June 22.
The STS-117 mission astronauts returned to Johnson Space Center on
Saturday, June 23. Their return was marked by a traditional welcome home
ceremony at Ellington Field in Houston.
The STS-117 crew began its mission June 8 and arrived at the station
June 10. They quickly began work to install the Starboard 3 and 4
(S3/S4) truss structure to the outpost and retracted a set of arrays on
the Port 6 (P6) truss. The (S3/S4) contains a new set of solar arrays
that increases station power-generation capabilities. The P6 will be
relocated during a future assembly mission.
Mission Specialists Patrick Forrester, John "Danny" Olivas, Jim Reilly
and Steven Swanson conducted a total of four spacewalks to activate the
S3/S4 and to retract the P6 arrays. During the third spacewalk, Olivas
repaired an out of position thermal blanket on the left orbital
maneuvering system pod.
Landing also marked the end of a record-setting spaceflight by Mission
Specialist Suni Williams. She broke the record for the longest
spaceflight by a woman and she also became the record-holder for the
most hours outside a spacecraft by a female, completing four spacewalks
during Expedition 14.
Williams' journey began in December with the launch of STS-116. She
lived on the space station for six months before switching places on the
STS-117 crew with Clayton Anderson, who is now a flight engineer on the
station. When Atlantis landed, she had accumulated 194 days, 18 hours
and 58 minutes during her spaceflight.
STS-117 is the 118th shuttle mission and 21st mission to visit the space
station. The next mission, STS-118, is slated to launch in August.
Arthur Rowe wrote:
> SUBMITTED BY ARTHUR N1ORC - AMSAT A/C #31468
>
>
>> June 29, 2007
>>
>> John Yembrick
>> Headquarters, Washington 202-358-0602
>> John Ira Petty
>> Johnson Space Center, Houston
>> 281-483-5111
>> STATUS REPORT: SS07-32
>>
>> INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION STATUS REPORT: SS07-32
>>
>> HOUSTON -- After the departure of the space shuttle Atlantis,
>> Expedition 15 Commander Fyodor Yurchikhin and Flight Engineer Oleg
>> Kotov returned to their daily operations aboard the International
>> Space Station this week, while newly arrived Flight Engineer Clay
>> Anderson began conducting scientific experiments.
>> Atlantis landed in California June 22 after delivering a new
>> starboard truss segment and a set of solar arrays to the station.
>> Returning on the shuttle was Sunita Williams, who lived and worked
>> aboard the orbiting complex for six months. Anderson succeeded
>> Williams on the station and arrived with the Atlantis crew on June 10.
>> Anderson performed his first Saturday Science activity on June 23,
>> showing younger television viewers how Newton's laws apply to sports
>> activities, even in the microgravity of space.
>> On Monday, Anderson began work with a nutrition experiment. He
>> collected blood and urine samples and began logging all of the food
>> and drinks he consumed. The experiment tracks many vitamins and
>> minerals essential for good health. It is the most comprehensive
>> in-flight study to date of human physiological changes during
>> long-duration spaceflight. Also, Anderson and Kotov did a medical
>> emergency exercise, and Yurchikhin replaced one of three transmitters
>> on the Russian Regul communications system.
>> The crew inspected the lights and power systems and performed a
>> routine examination of the windows on the Russian Zvezda service
>> module on Tuesday.
>> Wednesday was filled with science. Each crew member completed medical
>> tests and periodic fitness evaluations, and worked with a variety of
>> Russian experiments. Kotov spent about two hours using a multimeter
>> to do resistance checks on the computer system in the Zvezda service
>> module. The two major computer systems there continue to function
>> well, with two of three "lanes," or data paths, of each system
>> operating.
>> Anderson wore an acoustic dosimeter on Thursday to check station
>> noise levels. He also worked with the Microgravity Science Glovebox
>> in an unsuccessful effort to complete a leak check. Troubleshooting
>> continues. Yurchikhin and Kotov spent more than two hours with the
>> Russian Profilaktika experiment, which looks at measures to
>> counteract the long-term effects of microgravity. Yurchikhin also
>> worked with the Matryoshka radiation detection experiment and Kotov
>> inventoried medical equipment inventory.
>> On Friday, Anderson did a routine cleaning of spacesuit cooling
>> loops. Yurchikhin and Kotov worked in the Russian segment, replacing
>> current converter units in the Zarya module.
>> For more about the crew's activities and station sighting
>> opportunities, visit:
>>
>> http://www.nasa.gov/station
>>
>>
>> -end-
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>
SUBMITTED BY ARTHUR N1ORC - AMSAT A/C #31468
> June 29, 2007
>
> Katherine Trinidad
> Headquarters, Washington
> 202-358-3749
>
> Leslie Williams
> Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, Calif.
> 661-276-3893
>
> George Diller
> Kennedy Space Center, Fla.
> 321-867-2468
>
>
> NASA'S SHUTTLE ATLANTIS SET FOR RETURN TO KENNEDY SPACE CENTER
>
> EDWARDS, Calif. - A week after landing at Edwards Air Force Base,
> Calif., NASA's space shuttle Atlantis is about to make its
> cross-country journey back to Kennedy Space Center, Fla.
>
> Mounted on a modified Boeing 747 shuttle carrier aircraft, Atlantis is
> expected to be flown back to Florida this weekend. Due to the fluid
> nature of preparing Atlantis for this ferry flight and changing
> weather conditions, the exact date and time of departure are still to
> be determined. However, the latest information about the flight will
> be available by telephone at 321-867-2525. Current flight information
> also will be posted on the space shuttle's main Web site at:
>
> http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle
>
> NASA Television will provide live coverage of Atlantis' departure and
> arrival. For NASA TV downlink, the schedule of ferry flight coverage
> and streaming video information, visit:
>
> http://www.nasa.gov/ntv
>
> Strict flight weather restrictions may cause unexpected changes to the
> flight path and arrival time of the shuttle in Florida. All media
> should be at the Kennedy News Center two hours ahead of the announced
> arrival time for transport to the Shuttle Landing Facility.
>
> Shuttle Atlantis and its seven astronauts landed in California on June
> 22 after completing a 14-day mission, designated STS-117, to the
> International Space Station. For more information about Atlantis'
> flight or crew, visit the shuttle's main Web site.
>
>
> -end-
>
>
>
>
SUBMITTED BY ARTHUR N1ORC - AMSAT A/C#31468
*Ferry-Flight Will Return Atlantis To Kennedy*
Image above: Space Shuttle Atlantis receives post-flight servicing in
the mate-demate device at Edwards Air Force Base in Calif. Photo Credit:
NASA/Carla Thomas
+ View Larger Image
<http://www.nasa.gov/images/content/170421main_demate.jpg>
*06.28.07*
This weekend, Space Shuttle Atlantis is scheduled to begin its journey
back to Kennedy Space Center "piggy-backed" on top of a modified 747
jetliner called the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft
<http://www.nasa.gov/returntoflight/crew/ferryflight.html>.
Known as a ferry-flight, the orbiter will make the trip from Edwards Air
Force Base in California to Kennedy's Shuttle Landing Facility in one to
two days, depending on weather conditions.
Atlantis landed at Edwards concluding a successful assembly mission to
the International Space Station with Commander Rick Sturckow and Pilot
Lee Archambault at the controls. Atlantis landed at 3:49 p.m. EDT on
June 22.
The STS-117 mission astronauts returned to Johnson Space Center on
Saturday, June 23. Their return was marked by a traditional welcome home
ceremony at Ellington Field in Houston.
The STS-117 crew began its mission June 8 and arrived at the station
June 10. They quickly began work to install the Starboard 3 and 4
(S3/S4) truss structure to the outpost and retracted a set of arrays on
the Port 6 (P6) truss. The (S3/S4) contains a new set of solar arrays
that increases station power-generation capabilities. The P6 will be
relocated during a future assembly mission.
Mission Specialists Patrick Forrester, John "Danny" Olivas, Jim Reilly
and Steven Swanson conducted a total of four spacewalks to activate the
S3/S4 and to retract the P6 arrays. During the third spacewalk, Olivas
repaired an out of position thermal blanket on the left orbital
maneuvering system pod.
Landing also marked the end of a record-setting spaceflight by Mission
Specialist Suni Williams. She broke the record for the longest
spaceflight by a woman and she also became the record-holder for the
most hours outside a spacecraft by a female, completing four spacewalks
during Expedition 14.
Williams' journey began in December with the launch of STS-116. She
lived on the space station for six months before switching places on the
STS-117 crew with Clayton Anderson, who is now a flight engineer on the
station. When Atlantis landed, she had accumulated 194 days, 18 hours
and 58 minutes during her spaceflight.
STS-117 is the 118th shuttle mission and 21st mission to visit the space
station. The next mission, STS-118, is slated to launch in August.
SUBMITTED BY ARTHUR N1ORC - AMSAT A/C #31468
Station Crew Back to Business
The space station’s newest member, Flight Engineer Clayton Anderson, is
busy at work with his Expedition 15 crewmates Commander Fyodor
Yurchikhin and Flight Engineer Oleg Kotov. Anderson replaced Suni
Williams who returned home Friday, June 22, aboard space shuttle
Atlantis after a 195-day stay in space.
Williams stayed in space longer than any woman before her. She and her
shuttle crewmates returned to Houston the day after Atlantis landed at
Edwards Air Force Base, Calif.
Meanwhile, science and maintenance continue aboard the International
Space Station. Anderson has been taking blood and urine samples to study
nutritional countermeasures to the effects of microgravity. Yurchikhin
and Kotov have been working on a communications system in the Zvezda
service module and reconfiguring a toilet in the docked Soyuz vehicle
among other tasks.
+ Read more about Expedition 15
<http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/expeditions/expedition15/index.ht…>
+ View crew daily timelines
<http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/timelines/index.html>
Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2007-06-27 22:30 UTC
Quick list of scheduled contacts and events:
Challenger Learning Center of Alaska, Kenai, Alaska, direct via KL7XJ (***)
Sat 2007-07-07 19:43:18 UTC 13 deg (***)
Total number of ARISS ISS to earth school contacts is 302.
Total number of ARISS supported terrestrial contacts is 1.
Thank you Suni KD5PLB for all of your ARISS contacts!
Welcome Home!
Total number of ARISS ISS to earth school contacts is 302.
Total number of ARISS supported terrestrial contacts is 1.
QSL information may be found at:
http://www.arrl.org/ARISS/arissfaq.htmlhttp://www.rac.ca/ariss/oindex.htm#QSL's
ISS callsigns: DP0ISS, NA1SS, RS0ISS
*****************************************************************************
The schedule page has been updated as of 2007-06-27 22:30 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 2007-06-15 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 have been rumors in the past indicating 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 15 on orbit:
Fyodor Yurchikhin RN3FI
Dr. Oleg Kotov
Clayton Anderson KD5PLA
Expedition 15 future:
Daniel Tani KD5DXE
*****************************************************************************
73,
Charlie Sufana AJ9N
One of the ARISS operation team mentors
************************************** See what's free at http://www.aol.com.
