astronomy & space stuff

[linuxgeek]

Mission audio is available during the mission on AMC-6, Transponder 13, with a frequency of 3960 Mhz.

 

[linuxgeek]

NASA TV via the Internet

For the STS-114 mission, NASA has signed partnership agreements with Akamai and Yahoo! to provide webcasting of NASA Television well beyond the agency's normal capacity. Yahoo! Inc., of Sunnyvale, Calif., will provide live streaming of NASA TV mission coverage in Windows Media format and be the only other official online host of NASA TV footage beyond the NASA website. Akamai, of Cambridge, Mass., will stream NASA TV for RealPlayer and deliver all other Web content during the mission.

With a 12-day mission that includes three spacewalks, NASA expects to deliver more data to users than it has for anything but the Mars Exploration Rovers, which are still going strong after 18 months on the mysterious red planet.


http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/index.html

 

[linuxgeek]

SOLAR BLASTS: No fewer than eight coronal mass ejections (CMEs) have exploded away from the sun since July 22nd: http://sohowww.nascom.nasa.gov/data/LATEST/current_c3small.gif 4.8 MB movie. This high level of activity is not producing auroras on Earth, however, because none of the CMEs is heading our way. All of the blasts have been on the farside of the sun.

Using a technique called helioseismic holography, astronomers can "see" the sun's farside. Recent maps reveal two or more sunspots there:

http://www.spaceweather.com/images2005/22jul05/midi_farside_strip.gif

These 'spots could be the source of the blasts. If so, a new batch of CMEs could soon be heading toward Earth. Because the sun spins, sunspots on the farside now will be rotating around to face Earth later this week and next.

 

[linuxgeek]

Real time orbital tracking of ISS & Shuttle:

http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/realdata/tracking/index.html

 

[linuxgeek]

T - 23m

think the roll program has it heading northward for orbit insertion... They expect the shuttle to be visible up to at least Jacksonville.

 

[Lost Cause]

http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/index.html


Go baby, go!

 

[Lost Cause]

*holding breath*

Here we go!!!!

 

[linuxgeek]

That was pretty.....


I still get choked up when I hear "you are go for throttle up"

 

[Lost Cause]

A neat link...http://science.nasa.gov/Realtime/JTrack/3D/JTrack3D.html

 

[linuxgeek]

Launch blog from www.wesh.com

1:20 p.m.: F-16s Scramble After Security Breach
Some F-16s were used Tuesday morning after a small Cessna plane violated restricted airspace near the launch pad. The pilot of the Cessna was apparently not paying attention, and the F-16s fired warning flares to get the pilot's attention. The F-16s used a push maneuver to get the plane away from the pad. The small plane landed in Lake County, and reports indicate the pilot may have tried to hide the aircraft. A viewer submitted an image of the F-16s over their Deltona home. Click here to see the photo. -- Marc Middleton

1:04 p.m.: Video Shows Possible Launch Debris
Two pieces of possible debris were seen falling from space shuttle Discovery following Tuesday morning's launch. The debris was seen just after when the solid rocket boosters are jettisoned from the external fuel tank. One of the pieces of debris may have come from the external fuel tank. The second item was seen above the shuttle. -- Dan Billow

11:47 a.m.: NASA Reports No Problems
So far, no word of problems after a nervous liftoff this morning for space program workers and the families of the shuttle Discovery astronauts. -- Associated Press

11:21 a.m.: Families Anxiously Watch Launch
As the shuttle lifted off today for the first mission since the Columbia disaster, the families may have been especially jittery. They included four wives, one husband and 13 children of the shuttle's seven crew members. In advance of the launch, the astronauts explained the shuttle's safety measures to their children, and tried to reassure their spouses and their parents. -- Associated Press

11:00 a.m.: Planes, Cameras Record Launch
Two chase planes and more than 100 cameras recorded the launch from every possible angle to catch any sign of flying debris. Cameras aboard the external fuel tank this morning caught the shuttle pulling away from the jettisoned tank, high over the Earth. Officials plan to carefully examine all the recordings for any hint of danger for the shuttle. -- Associated Press

10:39 a.m.: Discovery Launch

The space shuttle Discovery has blasted off the launch pad at Kennedy Space Center. -- Dan Billow

10:32 a.m.: Access Arm Moves From Shuttle

The orbiter access arm has been retracted from Discovery in preparation for liftoff. -- Dan Billow

10:30 a.m.: Countdown Resumes

The countdown clock at Kennedy Space Center has resumed, and launch is less than 9 minutes away. -- WESH.com Web Staff

10:26 a.m.: NASA Gives Go For Launch

Flight controllers at Kennedy Space Center have given the go-ahead for the launch of space shuttle Discovery at 10:39 a.m. -- Dan Billow

9:45 a.m.: Countdown Holds At 9 Minutes

The countdown clock has entered another built-in hold at T-minus 9 minutes. The hold lasts for 40 minutes. -- WESH.com Web Staff

9:35 a.m.: Countdown Resumesp /> The countdown clock has resumed toward launch. -- WESH.com Web Staff

9:31 a.m.: 90 Percent Chance Of Launch
NASA meteorologists have increased the chance of launch to 90 percent. -- Tony Mainolfi

9:24 a.m.: Countdown Holding At 20 Minutes
The countdown clock at the launch site has entered a built-in hold at T-minus 20 minutes. -- WESH.com Web Staff

9:16 a.m.: Minor Hatch Issue Reported
The closeout crew is having some problems securing Discovery's hatch. It's taking longer than normal to get it closed, but it doesn't appear to be a major issue. We'll let you know when it's resolved. -- Dan Billow

8:59 a.m.: Discovery Hatch Closes
NASA officials are reporting that the crew module of space shuttle Discovery is ready for flight, and the hatch is being closed by the closeout crew at the launch pad. NASA is now checking the hatch for leaks. -- WESH.com Web Staff

8:41 a.m.: Heavy Traffic On State Road 528
More and more people are heading toward Brevard County as the launch of space shuttle Discovery nears. A 7-mile backup is reported on state Road 528 just east of state Road 417. Bring your patience if you're heading toward the coast. -- Danielle Bellini

8:23 a.m.: Crew Strapped In Shuttle Discovery
The entire crew aboard the space shuttle Discovery is now strapped in, and they shook hands with the support crew before a final check of seatbelts commenced. They're all smiles as liftoff is planned in just over two hours. -- WESH.com Web Staff

8:11 a.m.: Tickets Still Available At Hall Of Fame
We've just learned some tickets are still available for people who wish to watch the launch from the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame at Kennedy Space Center. -- Sally Schulze

8:04 a.m.: Shuttle Will Parallel Coastline
Following liftoff, the space shuttle Discovery will travel up the Florida coast. Anyone who wants to watch the launch can head to any beach north of Cape Canaveral and look from right to left. The shuttle should be visible for hundreds of miles, even north of Jacksonville. -- Dan Billow

8:01 a.m.: Last Discovery Crew Member Boards
The last member of the Discovery crew has climbed aboard the orbiter. Steve Robinson is now being fastened into his seat in preparation for launch. The crew hatch will be closed soon. -- Dan Billow

7:25 a.m.: Crew Boards Space Shuttle Discovery
The seven-member crew is now boarding space shuttle Discovery in preparation for launch later this morning. The hatch will be closed in less than an hour, and there are no problems being reported at this time. -- WESH.com Web Staff

6:47 a.m.: Astronauts Head For Launch Pad
The countdown clock has started counting again after a hold at T-minus 3 hours. With the hold over, the astronauts who will fly aboard Discovery have boarded a bus and headed for the launch pad. Weather continues to look good for launch, with only a 20 percent chance of a weather-related scrub. -- WESH.com Web Staff

6:17 a.m.: Astronauts Suit Up For Flight
The crew that will fly aboard space shuttle Discovery are putting on their flight suits as the countdown clock holds at T-minus 3 hours. -- WESH.com Web Staff

6:00 a.m.: No Problems Reported
NASA is reporting no problems with just over 4½ hours to go before liftoff. The fuel sensors and heaters on the external tank are all working properly. More media is arriving at the Kennedy Space Center and the public is arriving to stake out the prime viewing locations for today's historic liftoff. -- WESH.com Web Staff

5:38 a.m.: KSC Visitor Center Expects Crowd
The gates at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Center will open in about an hour. The place was packed for the launch attempt two weeks ago, and everyone who attended then got a voucher to come back this morning. However, officials made an educated guess and made about 3,000 tickets available that were sold quickly on Sunday. That means a crowd of about 10,000 is expected for this morning's launch. -- Sally Schulze

5:31 a.m.: No Issues With Fuel Sensors
All four fuel sensors are working this morning. NASA crews rewired the pesky sensor over the past two weeks. While the fact that all the sensors are working sounds good, it makes NASA nervous because they theorized the same problem could recur. Now, NASA officials still aren't sure what caused the problem. Meanwhile, no new problems have surfaced at the launch pad, and the countdown continues. -- Dan Billow

5:19 a.m.: Final Inspection Team At Pad
The final inspection team is at the launch pad to make sure everything looks good for flight. They'll be there for about an hour going over the shuttle from top to bottom. They're looking very closely at the external tank that was redesigned after the Columbia disaster. -- Dan Billow

5:06 a.m.: Traffic Looks Good In Brevard
We think traffic will be heavier early on this morning as people head to the coast to watch the launch. Traffic on Interstate 95 looks good just after 5 a.m., but that probably won't last too long. To check out the traffic cameras in Brevard County, click here. -- Danielle Bellini

5:02 a.m.: Weather Looks Good For Liftoff
NASA has revised the odds to only a 20 percent of bad weather at 10:39 a.m. The temperature should be between 84 and 87 degrees, and the relative humidity should be around 70 percent. It's another good sign for the astronauts. -- Tony Mainolfi

5:00 a.m.: All Fuel Sensors Working
During the filling of the external fuel tank overnight, all of the fuel sensors worked without any problems. NASA officials almost expected that the sensor the prompted a scrub earlier this month would malfunction, but there were no issues. -- Dan Billow

4:01 a.m.: External Tank Fueling Completed
Fueling of the external tank on space shuttle Discovery is complete and that pesky fuel sensor seems to be working properly. Forecasters also say the weather looks good for this morning's launch. -- Associated Press

 

[linuxgeek]

src

Historic Apollo-Soyuz Flight Recalled

MOSCOW -- Veteran U.S. and Russian space pilots recalled the historic 1975 Apollo-Soyuz space mission Tuesday, sharing memories about the landmark docking that helped ease tensions between the two superpowers in the midst of the Cold War.

Speaking at a news conference in Moscow, the cosmonauts and astronauts also sent along their best wishes for the space shuttle Discovery, which was successfully launched later in the day.

"As we say in America, 'Break a leg,'" Vance Brand said before trying to pronounce the Russian equivalent. Sitting next to him, Alexei Leonov, who captained the Soyuz capsule during the 1975 rendezvous, knocked on the wooden table for luck.

The July 17-19, 1975, docking of the Apollo and Soyuz spacecraft -- the first international space mission -- was intended to test a new docking system that would allow U.S. and Soviet space vehicles to link up to provide rescue in case of emergency.

Brand, who manned the Apollo capsule along with Thomas Stafford and the late Donald K. "Deke" Slayton, said that along with the technical goals, their flight had a sizable political task: "To open the door a little bit between East and West, to draw two space programs together."

He said the International Space Station was a good example of the cooperation since the 1975 mission.

Asked to remember lighter moments of the mission, Leonov said that after the docking, they welcomed their American counterparts with canned borscht that bore Stolichnaya vodka labels.

"When we sat at the table, they said, 'Why, that's not possible,'" Leonov said. "We insisted, saying that according to our tradition we must drink before work. That worked, they opened it, and drank (the borscht) and were caught by surprise."

Since the grounding of the space shuttle fleet following the February 2003 Columbia disaster, Russian spacecraft have been the only way to ferry crew and supplies to the station.

"During these 2 1/2 years that the shuttle has been on the ground ... the Russian space agency has done a wonderful job providing the Soyuzes and Progresses to keep the station going," Stafford said.

 

[Fagin]

Also, Shannon disclosed that the nose cone of the fuel tank hit a bird during a liftoff.

Bummer, bird.

 

[linuxgeek]

STS-114 Crew

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/bb/STS-114_crew.jpg

 

[linuxgeek]

SpaceFlightNow.com STS-114 mission web log:

http://www.spaceflightnow.com/shuttle/sts114/status.html

 

[Lost Cause]

A Ship Full Of Dreamers.....

http://www.nasa.gov/vision/space/preparingtravel/eileen_collins_profile.html

http://www.nasa.gov/vision/space/preparingtravel/james_kelly_profile.html

http://www.nasa.gov/vision/space/preparingtravel/charles_camarda_profile.html

http://www.nasa.gov/vision/space/preparingtravel/wendy_lawrence_profile.html

http://www.nasa.gov/vision/space/preparingtravel/soichi_noguchi_profile.html

http://www.nasa.gov/vision/space/preparingtravel/steve_robinson_profile.html

http://www.nasa.gov/vision/space/preparingtravel/andrew_thomas_profile.html

 

[linuxgeek]

src

Tenth Planet Detected in Solar System

Astronomers say they've discovered a new planet in orbit around the sun. The planet is larger than Pluto, whose rank as a planet has sometimes been debated. The announcement was made Friday evening at the California Institute of Technology.

The planet, as yet unnamed, has been designated as 2003UB313 by astronomers. It is three times farther away from the sun than Pluto -- and nearly 100 times as far as the Earth -- rendering it dark and very cold. Astronomers working at the the Samuel Oschin Telescope at the Palomar Observatory near San Diego, Calif., first detected the planet on Jan. 8, 2005.

Caltech scientist Mike Brown announced the discovery along with colleagues Chad Trujillo of the Gemini Observatory and David Rabinowitz of Yale University.

 

[linuxgeek]

src

Another shuttle launch possible this year, NASA chief says

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - (KRT) - NASA chief Michael Griffin reaffirmed his commitment to the shuttle program Friday and took personal responsibility for the foam problems that have a put a damper on the Discovery mission.

"I think we're going to fix it in short order and we're going to get back flying," Griffin said, reacting to the loss of foam from the shuttle's external fuel tank during launch Tuesday. "We don't expect this to be a long drawn-out affair, to be honest with you."

The administrator also defended the agency's efforts during the past 2 1/2 years to improve the shuttle tank, saying the work was not a failure. He said Discovery has suffered less damage to its fragile heat-protective tiles than most shuttles.

"Discovery is the cleanest bird we've seen," said Griffin in a conference call from Washington.

Aboard the Discovery, astronaut Andy Thomas called the foam problem a "huge engineering disappointment."

Thomas was also disappointed "because we know it will now be necessary to keep the shuttles on the ground for a while longer while this problem gets the appropriate attention."

Shuttle commander Eileen Collins said she hadn't expected "any large pieces of foam to fall off the external tank. We thought we had that problem licked."

Griffin said inspections have pinpointed about 25 dings on Discovery's tile-covered belly - that's down from the typical 145 that are found on most shuttles after landing, he said.

The damage is caused by pieces of insulating foam that come loose from the outside of the shuttle's external tank and ping the orbiter.

It was a large piece of insulation that doomed shuttle Columbia in 2003, after striking the ship on launch and punching a hole in its right wing. Seven astronauts were killed when the shuttle broke apart over Texas after hot gases got inside the wing as it headed for a Florida landing.

For Discovery's launch a camera on the shuttle tank captured mostly small segments of foam breaking free, but one 0.9-pound chunk also came loose from a section called a PAL ramp.

The cameras show that the debris did not hit the shuttle, and Collins said Friday that the crew is not deterred by the problem or concerned about the flight home.

"We are staying focused on the mission, and we know that we are in good hands with the people on the ground," the shuttle commander said.

But she agreed with NASA's decision not to launch additional shuttle missions until the problem is corrected.

In the years since Columbia, NASA redesigned parts of the tank and changed how foam is applied to reduce the risk of debris coming loose in flight.

It's not clear how long it might take to launch again. NASA deputy shuttle program manager Wayne Hale said NASA has canceled overtime work this weekend on shuttle Atlantis, which was supposed to be ready to fly in September.

But Griffin isn't ruling out the chance for another launch in 2005, saying that he expected NASA to resolve the new foam issues. Griffin said NASA already has formed a team to investigate the loss of foam from the PAL ramp and find a solution.

He also brushed aside questions about an early demise of the shuttle program, now slated to fly until 2010 so NASA can work on a replacement vehicle that is capable of going beyond Earth's orbit to the moon and, possibly, Mars. President Bush outlined the plan for NASA earlier this year.

"Regarding the shuttle retirement date, that is a written piece of policy from the White House," Griffin said. "I report to the president. If he wants me to do something else, I am sure he knows my phone number. Until I hear from him, we know what our direction is."

Discovery docked Thursday at the international space station for the first shuttle visit to the outpost since 2002.

On Friday, Mission Control awoke the crew with the U2 song "Vertigo," a favorite of astronaut Jim Kelly's son.

In their first major task of the day, the crew used the station's robot arm to hoist a large container from Discovery's cargo bay and place it on the international space station for unloading. In addition, Kelly and astronaut Charlie Camarda spent several hours overseeing additional laser sweeps of six areas on the shuttle's belly. The laser is mounted on a boom attached to Discovery's robot arm.

The sites of interest included a chipped tile on the door of the nose-wheel landing gear and several scuffed panels on the wings.

Hale said none of the areas appear to be troubling, though engineers are investigating every potential effect. In addition to dinged tiles, they are looking at a region where a so-called "gap filler" between tiles appears to be sticking out a bit.

Such a protrusion might cause additional heating when Discovery plunges back into the atmosphere. But Hale said engineers are not overly worried about this or any of the identified dings. NASA could ask spacewalking astronauts to attempt repairs in coming days if it was deemed necessary.

"The damage (is) minor and not a significant concern," Hale said. "I think we will likely come to the conclusion that nothing has to be done about it; but we have a process that is very thorough ... so I cannot rule out the potential for a repair. Based on what the experts are passing along to us, however, it looks very much like these are not areas to be concerned about."

Saturday, astronauts Soichi Noguchi and Steve Robinson are slated to make the first of three spacewalks. The men plan to emerge from the shuttle shortly before 5 a.m. and spend at least six hours testing techniques to repair tiles and doing other handiwork on the station itself.

 

[Cleopatra]

Interesting.

"Astronomers have discovered a large new Kuiper Belt object, tentatively named 2003 EL61. New observations reveal 2003 EL61 is about 70% the diameter of Pluto. The object is also orbited by a tiny moon. In addition, astronomers have discovered a trans-Neptunian object 2003 UB313 larger than Pluto."

 

[linuxgeek]

src

http://www.nasa.gov/images/content/123932main_newplanet-516.jpg

Image above: These time-lapse images of a newfound planet in our solar system, called 2003UB313, were taken on Oct. 21, 2003, using the Samuel Oschin Telescope at the Palomar Observatory near San Diego, Calif. The planet, circled in white, is seen moving across a field of stars. The three images were taken about 90 minutes apart.

Scientists did not discover that the object in these pictures was a planet until Jan. 8, 2005. Image credit: Samuel Oschin Telescope, Palomar Observatory

 

[linuxgeek]

AURORA ALERT: A coronal mass ejection (CME) is heading toward Earth following an X-class explosion from sunspot 792 on July 30th: (http://www.spaceweather.com/images2005/30jul05/cme_c3_big.gif). Sky watchers should be alert for auroras when the CME arrives on July 31st or August 1st. The display, if there is one, shouldn't be intense; the CME was not squarely Earth-directed, which reduces its likely impact.

SUNSPOTS: Sunspot 792, which rounded the sun's eastern limb yesterday, poses a growing threat for Earth-directed explosions--and that's not all. At least one more active region could emerge in the days ahead. Towering magnetic fields jutting over the sun's eastern limb--the same place sunspot 792 came from--signal a new batch of sunspots approaching.

http://www.spaceweather.com/swpod2005/30jul05/favre_strip.jpg
Sunspot 792 erupts on July 29th. Earth is shown for comparison.

http://www.spaceweather.com/images2005/30jul05/midi140.gif

 

[linuxgeek]

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NASA Considering Repairs To Discovery Damage

Dangling Strips Could Make Trip Home Dangerous

POSTED: 7:14 am EDT July 30, 2005
UPDATED: 6:40 pm EDT July 31, 2005

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- NASA engineers are grappling with a new problem that could make the shuttle Discovery's trip back home risky.

Engineers are examining precision photographs of potential damage areas on the shuttle.

Experts will continue studying the locations, apparently damaged during launch. No final decisions have been made on the risk they pose or whether repairs will be attempted during a space walk.

It's believed there are protrusions in gap filler used to hold ceramic tiles in place. The tiles are used to deflect heat during re-entry.

The damage areas were photographed with laser, three-dimensional cameras.

Flight director Paul Hill said engineers will decide Monday if the astronauts should be sent on a spacewalk to try to fix the problem. They could try to cut or pull out the hanging material or shove it back into the area between the thermal tiles.

Anything hanging from the shuttle will overheat upon re-entry, so engineers need to determine if the level of overheating would be within safety limits.

The Discovery astronauts have spent their day prepping for Monday's space walk and taking out the trash.

Hill said this has really been the first normal "nuts and bolts" day for the crew and the support teams on the ground.

Successful Space Walk

After playing handymen, "cable guys" and photographers, Discovery astronauts Soichi Noguchi and Stephen Robinson returned Saturday to Discovery, following a space walk which lasted nearly seven hours.

The spacewalk began at 5:44 a.m. EDT, more than an hour later than scheduled. NASA said the delay wasn't caused by equipment malfunctions -- the astronauts simply wanted to take their time preparing for their time in space.

During the spacewalk, Noguchi and Robinson tested experimental adhesives that NASA believes may be of use to repair spacecraft in the future.

They mounted a global positioning system antenna and they swapped out cables on one of the space station's gyroscopes in hopes of getting it running again. They also mounted a "tool shed" on the International Space Station which will be used during maintenance work they will perform on their two remaining spacewalks.

Fuel Tank Problems

Griffin joined other NASA officials in saying it was a mistake to not solve the fuel tank problem before Discovery took off.

NASA's John Shannon said a detailed study of the shuttle's hull has turned up "25 small dings." The flight operations official said that compares to 150 dings on a typical mission. He said Discovery is "extremely clean."

Earlier, the spacecraft's commander said she isn't ready to give up on the space program.

Commander Eileen Collins said from orbit Friday she was surprised that a piece of foam broke off the shuttle's external tank during Tuesday's liftoff.

Collins said she thought "we had that licked."

 

[linuxgeek]

src

Second spacewalk under way

NASA evaluating threat from protrusions

(CNN) -- Discovery astronauts Steve Robinson and Soichi Noguchi floated out of the international space station Monday on the second spacewalk of the shuttle mission, as NASA officials on Earth debated what to do about two pieces of gap-filling material protruding from the craft's underside.

During Monday's 6 1/2 hour spacewalk, Robinson and Noguchi replaced a faulty gyroscope on the station.

A gyroscope or Control Moment Gyro (CMG) provides steering control to the station. The space station has four such mechanisms.

"Is it day or night out there?" Robinson asked as he prepared to leave the shuttle, the Associated Press reported.

"You are going to be going out into the bright sun," astronaut Andrew Thomas replied.

"I will just push on your toes a little bit here," Robinson told Noguchi as they headed into space. "Out you go."

It took the astronauts two hours to remove the old gyroscope, AP reported, after which Noguchi took it to Discovery's cargo bay with an assist from the station's robotic arm. Robinson helped him stow the old controller and prepare the replacement for installation, AP said.

Robinson and Noguchi installed the new gyroscope, but flight controllers could not get a good reading. So Noguchi fiddled with the connectors, and much to mission control's delight, the gyroscope began working.

"We have a healthy CMG" flight controllers radioed the astronauts at 9:55 a.m. ET.

NASA mulls fixing protrusions

On the protrusions' issue, NASA officials say they will likely decide Monday what -- if anything -- to do about them.

The belly of the shuttle is lined with thousands of ceramic tiles separated by thousands of ceramic-coated, fabric gap fillers. Their uneven placement can lead to temperature increases upon re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere.

A number of prior flights were found, after they landed, to have had such protrusions.

But this marked the first time engineers have discovered the anomalies during flight -- and the first time they have had an opportunity to consider doing something about it, said Wayne Hale, deputy program manager for the mission.

"They're working to compress a decade's worth of study into two days," Hale told a news conference Sunday.

One possibility would be for astronauts to attempt to repair the gap fillers during a spacewalk, referred to in NASA jargon as an EVA, for extravehicular activity.

"Every EVA is risky business," Hale said. "You need to have a good reason to do it."

It may be best to do nothing, said Steve Poulos, manager of the orbiter project office.

Laser measurements taken Sunday of the affected areas indicate "sufficient safety margins" -- both thermally and structurally -- for the craft to return home unharmed, Poulos said.

The crew members, who trained on Earth to repair the gap fillers and who packed the necessary tools, could simply pull out the gap fillers, he said, since their absence would not appreciably affect the heat shield's thermal characteristics or the integrity of its structure.

It would mark the first in-flight repair of a vehicle in the history of the program, Poulos said.

As NASA aerodynamics experts were crunching the data, Hale outlined the pluses and minuses.

"My immediate, knee-jerk reaction was that we can live with this," Hale said. "On the other hand, this is bigger than we've seen before."

"If it's relatively simple, why worry? Why would you not just go take care of it [with a spacewalk] if you had a simple plan to deal with it?"

He continued, "If aerodynamicists say, 'Lots of margin, don't worry,' I think we're done."

But, he said, if they say "we really don't know ... we really can't guarantee it," then the repairs would be considered.

"Our EVA team, they love a challenge like this," he said. "That's their bread and butter."

The lessons of Columbia

In the prior re-entries of a shuttle where a gap filler was found to be protruding, temperature sensors measured a 15 percent to 25 percent increase above what had been expected, Poulos said.

Hovering over the discussion of the gap fillers was awareness that apparently minor problems can sometimes become major ones.

In February 2003, the shuttle Columbia broke up over Texas upon re-entry into the atmosphere, killing all seven astronauts aboard.

The craft's loss was blamed on a piece of foam debris that had struck it shortly after its launch, punching a hole in its left wing.

"The Columbia accident made us realize that we had been playing Russian roulette with the shuttle crews -- that we had been very, very fortunate in the past that the foam did not cause critical damage," Hale said.

About this latest concern, Hale added, "The difference between before Columbia and today is night and day."

On this flight and all future shuttle missions, he said, the entire orbiter heat shield would be inspected, something never done before on any flight.

Commander says shuttle safe

Earlier Sunday, the seven-person crew aboard the Discovery, which has been linked up with the international space station since Thursday, did not seem particularly concerned about the dangling filler material.

"I believe the gap fillers are similar to what we had seen in previous flights," Discovery commander Eileen Collins said in a news conference from orbit.

"It's definitely not a big concern for me now. What we looked at during the inspection looked pretty good to us through the camera lenses," she said.

NASA managers on Saturday extended the Discovery's mission by one day, pushing the 21-year-old shuttle's landing to August 8, so astronauts can do more work. (Full story)

Hale also said Saturday that engineers had determined the two dozen dings incurred by the shuttle's thermal tiles during launch don't pose a safety hazard.

NASA has set the possible landing times as 4:37 a.m. ET or at 6:12 a.m. ET.

Having spent more than two years and hundreds of millions of dollars since the Columbia disaster, engineers thought they had solved the problem of falling debris. Its recurrence led NASA last week to ground other planned flights until it is resolved. (Full story)

 

[linuxgeek]

SOLAR ACTIVITY: Sunspot 792 poses a continuing threat for X-class solar flares. Because the sun's rotation is turning the 'spot more and more toward Earth, any explosions in the days ahead should be Earth-directed. Prospects for auroras are improving.

http://www.spaceweather.com/images2005/02aug05/midi140.gif

 

[Cathleen]

I heard astronaut Steve Robinson will have a camera on his head so we can watch his spacewalk live. This sure has been a tough return to flight.

 

[Lost Cause]

"My tether?"

http://www.georgeglazer.com/archives/prints/aviation/mccandless.jpg