SPACE CENTER
March 9, 2001 Roundup VOL. 40, NO. 5 L YNDON B. JOHNSON SPACE CENTER, HOUSTON, TEXAS Atlantis crew delivers heart of the space station
pace Shuttle Atlantis glided to a people in MOD that provided the us because it’s really all about you. Our attach to the station berthing port. At belated but textbook touchdown at fabulous training that we’ve had for about nation’s space program is all about indi- 12:57 p.m. CST, the lab was latched into SEdwards Air Force Base, Calif., at two and one-half years now to get ready viduals like yourself who put in so many position on the station, and soon a set 2:33 p.m. CST Feb. 20, successfully for this flight.” hours of work so that we get to go up of automatic bolts tightened to hold it wrapping up a 5.3-million-mile mission to Cockrell took the opportunity to there and be on TV for a couple of permanently in place for years to come. deliver the U.S. Laboratory Destiny to the express greetings from the Expedition weeks doing things.” With Destiny secured to the station, International Space Station. One crew. “Bill Shepherd sends his Left on orbit is the U.S. Destiny Jones and Curbeam connected electrical, With STS-98 Commander Ken greetings to all of you. He’s having a Laboratory, which was installed onto the data and cooling lines. Cockrell at the controls, Atlantis darted great time up there. I can’t imagine a ISS Feb. 10 in a dazzling display of Jones and Curbeam breezed through through high clouds over the Mojave better crew to inaugurate the space robotics finesse and space-walking skill. the second space walk of the mission Desert test center to touch down on station era.” Ivins began the work of installing the on Feb. 12, attaching the PMA 2 to the concrete runway 22. The landing was the Polansky, completing his first flight in laboratory, using Atlantis’ robotic arm to end of the new Destiny module and 47th at Edwards and brought the 102nd space, had a few words to say about his remove Pressurized Mating Adapter 2 completing all of the space walk’s flight in program history to a close. commander: “He ran a great crew, and he (PMA 2), a station docking port, from the planned tasks and more. Cockrell and fellow crewmembersÐPilot really enabled us to do our jobs. He was Unity module to make room for Destiny. During the second space walk, Jones Mark Polansky and Mission Specialists there to provide oversight for the whole The adapter was removed from Unity and helped Ivins remove PMA 2 from the Z-1 Tom Jones, Marsha Ivins and Bob program. He did a remarkable job on the latched into a temporary position on the Truss by manually opening latches on the CurbeamÐreturned to Ellington Field at rendezvous and docking. And it was, station’s truss. Then Jones and Curbeam truss. Curbeam relocated himself to the about 3:30 p.m. CST the next day from my viewpoint, a fantastic landing. It began a space walk that continued end of the lab and provided clearance where they were greeted by a crowd of was for me a privilege to get to work with throughout the day, in tandem with Ivins’ cues to Ivins as she berthed PMA 2 to the well-wishers. a pro on my first flight.” robotic work. Jones provided Ivins visual end of the lab. Curbeam attached a vent “We had a wonderful flight,” Cockrell Polansky thanked all those who cues as she moved the adapter to its tem- to the lab’s pressure control system. told those in attendance. “I know it’s worked so hard to make the mission a porary position, and Curbeam removed Curbeam and Jones then moved pleased a lot of people, but it wasn’t all success. “The last two weeks have been a heater power connections from Atlantis to rapidly through a variety of tasks, includ- our doing. We did our part, I guess, but dream come true. It was just something the lab before unberth. ing attaching a vent to part of the lab’s air we’re here to say a really huge ‘thank that I’ve wanted to do my entire life and I Ivins then latched the robotic arm onto system and putting wires, handrails and you’ to all of you that put this flight just can’t believe that I finally got to do the Destiny lab and began lifting it from sockets on the exterior of Destiny as aids together and got us ready for it. it. As great an honor and a privilege as Atlantis’ payload bay. High above the for future space walkers. Ahead of “The reason a flight goes well is that was, I’m not naïve enough to think bay, Ivins deftly flipped the 16-ton lab schedule for the second space walk of the because things come together and things that flying in space is about me or about 180 degrees, moving it into position to mission, they connected several computer don’t go wrong, and very few things went and electrical cables between the docking wrong on this flight, which enabled the port and the lab and unveiled the lab’s big picture to come together so smoothly. large, high-quality window and attached It’s a testament to the hard work that’s an exterior shutter. gone into the Space Station Program, the Jones and Curbeam completed the third Space Shuttle ProgramÐgetting Atlantis space walk of the mission on Feb. 14. ready to carry the precious cargo up Space-walking tasks included going to to the stationÐto the people that are the top of the P6 Truss to inspect latches running station and running space shuttle on the solar array and testing the ability of operations here on the ground at MOD space walkers to carry an immobile [Mission Operations Directorate] and the crewmember back to the shuttle airlock. Ivins reflected on the successful work
STS98-E-5189 performed on orbit, calling it a “miracle.” Astronaut Robert L. Curbeam, “I just got to say that was a miracle,” STS-98 mission specialist, holds onto said Ivins, who also served as the flight handrail on Pressurized Mating engineer on STS-98. “We are asking for Adapter 3 during the second of three scheduled space walks on 5A. Please see Atlantis crew delivers Page 2
NASA names Estess acting JSC director ffective Feb. 23, Roy Estess, director of NASA’s Stennis Space Center NASA in a variety of increasingly senior positions. He was named JSC in Mississippi, was detailed to JSC as the acting center director. NASA director in 1996. As the focus of his new duties, Abbey will conduct, on a E Administrator Daniel S. Goldin appointed former JSC Director full-time basis, an assessment of the current International Space Station George W. S. Abbey as his senior assistant for international issues. partner contributions, providing the administrator with a report analyzing Estess has served as director of Stennis Space Center since 1989, and was its past and potential future contributions that will help increase the overall deputy director from 1980 to 1989. A native Mississippian and a graduate of effectiveness of the International Space Station Program. Mississippi State University, he began his career there in 1966 as a test engineer. Look for a tribute to former Center Director George W. S. Abbey Roy Estess Abbey’s appointment came after a highly decorated 40-year career with in the next issue.
Columbia returns New JSC archive Volunteers in time for its will provide expand their 20th birthday. easy access. horizons. Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 2 March 9, 2001 SPACE CENTER Roundup Improved Columbia returns to service by James Hartsfield of pounds. To save weight, almost 1,000 wiring will be used for testing to verify and begun in only a few months. Key to pounds of unused wireÐleftover from that predictions of the characteristics of the success of the quick work on wiring n the eve of the 20th anniversary of equipment and sensors that were used on aging on shuttle wiring are accurate. enhancements was Doug White, director its maiden voyage, Columbia is Columbia for only the first few space “The wiring work, the inspection and of operational requirements in the Oreturning to service fresh from a year shuttle test flightsÐwere removed. the removal of wiring was probably the United Space Alliance’s Orbiter and a half of maintenance and upgrades Due to multiple instances most significant thing done at Palmdale in Elements Office. that have made it better than ever. of wiring damage that were found in the terms of time and manpower required,” “The team did a great job quickly “As its 20th birthday approaches, shuttle fleet in 1999, comprehensive explained John Mulholland, deputy man- identifying and laying out what needed to Columbia is fit to fly for many more inspections of 95 percent of Columbia’s ager for operations in the Space Shuttle be done and getting it in work,” White said. years,” Space Shuttle Program Manager more than 200 miles of wire were Vehicle Engineering Office. “It may “The effort really stretched coast-to-coast. Ron Dittemore said. “It is safer and more performed at Palmdale. To prevent such also be one of the most significant People were involved from Houston, capable than it has ever been, a result of the damage from recurring, safety enhancements we have made.” Florida, Boeing in Huntington Beach, thorough maintenance and continuous technicians smoothed Normally, shuttle modifications are California, and Boeing in Palmdale.” improvements that have been incorporated rough edges throughout the planned out as much as a year in advance, Such inspections and protective regularly into the shuttle fleet.” shuttle and encased wiring in Mulholland added, but the wiring measures will be a regular feature of all More than 100 modifications and high-traffic work areas in work on Columbia was planned future shuttle maintenance periods. improvements have been made to protective tubing. Also, about Some work also was performed to better Columbia, highlighted by the 1,500 feet of wiring was separate duplicate wires that provide installation of a new “glass cockpit” removed and replaced power to critical shuttle systems, which replaced mechanical instruments with new wiring. ensuring that a problem in one area with nine full-color, flat-panel displays. The removed would not affect both sets of wires. The new cockpit is lighter, uses less The vast majority of such instances electricity and sets the stage for the next are avoided in the shuttle’s original generation of improvements, a “smart design, but work led by Frank cockpit” in Alanis of JSC Engineering’s ` development Energy Systems Division was a during the significant contribution next to identifying a few five years areas in need of that will make modification. the cockpit Also at Palmdale, more user-friendly. Columbia is the preliminary preparations were made that second of NASA’s four space shuttles to could allow Columbia to use a space be fitted with the new “glass cockpit.” station docking system, enabling it to The Space Shuttle Atlantis was the first to join the rest of the shuttle fleet as a fly in space with the “glass cockpit” on courier to the International Space Station mission STS-101 in May 2000. The work in the future if needed. In addition, on the “glass cockpit,” technically called As its 20th birthday approaches, Columbia is fit to fly for many Columbia’s crew cabin floor was the Multifunction Electronic Display strengthened, the heat protection on its Subsystem (MEDS), has been overseen more years . It is safer and more capable than it has ever been, a wings was enhanced and protection from in large part by Jim Newsome, subsystem result of the thorough maintenance and continuous improvements space debris was added to its cooling manager for MEDS in the Avionics system, making it a safer spacecraft. Systems Division at JSC. that have been incorporated regularly into the shuttle fleet. While Columbia was in California, Work at Palmdale on Columbia began technicians scoured the shuttle when it arrived there from Florida on during months of intensive structural Sept. 26, 1999. Other improvements that Ð Ron Dittemore inspections, using the latest technology were made include weight reductions that Space Shuttle Program Manager to check for even minute signs of have increased the amount of cargo fatigue, corrosion or broken rivets Columbia can carry to orbit by hundreds or welds.
Continued from Page 1 ATLANTIS CREW DELIVERS exponentially more from our systems, well for so long. I know you’re glad that undocking phase of STS-98. In addressing conduct to it. It’s a dream that 35 years from our hardware and from our crews it all came to fruitionÐbelieve me, we all the crowd at Ellington Field, he took a ago people would have just chalked up to with increasingly less time. And a large had big smiles on our faces when we step back from the flight and from the science fiction. Here it is coming true in part of our success in these missions has came back and landed at Edwards.” successful installation of the lab onto the our lifetime. And it’s just an example of to do with luck. But a larger part has to With the addition of Destiny, the sta- space station to ponder the future. what we can do when we put dreams into do with those of you who worked as hard tion’s mass is now 112 tons. It measures “This is the first shuttle mission in the reality and then put our efforts and our or harder than we did in making sure that 171 feet in length, 90 feet in height and new century. We have a crew aboard the determination and our courage we had hardware and systems and a crew 240 feet in width. It has a volume of space station that will be the forerunners collectively into an effort like this. that were ready to do this [mission]. And 13,000 cubic feet, already a larger volume for dozens of crews to come over the next “And because we can do things like so to my amazing crew ... and to all of than any space station in history. several decades. And when you think the space station and putting the Destiny you who stuck by us to make sure we Jones was the lead space walker on the about all of that, it’s science fiction come laboratory in place, we know together that were ready, I’d just like to thank you for flight and served as the flight engineer for true. We have an outpost in space that’s when we’re asked to go to farther places, to that miracle.” the rendezvous and docking phase and the expanding with every mission that we more distant places, to more During the mission, the STS-98 and challenging destinations, we’re Expedition One crews transferred 3,000 going to be able to put that into pounds of equipment and supplies to the reality as well. So we’re going to station from Atlantis, including water, leave Earth orbit behind once the food, spare parts, a spare Russian carbon station is complete and we’ll be dioxide removal system, a spare com- back on the Moon, and we’ll be puter, clothes, movies and other items. places like the asteroids and on About 850 pounds of material was moved Mars quicker than somebody can from the station to Atlantis. ask us to do it if we’re just given Outside the spacecraft, in addition to the license to do that.” the Destiny lab and its associated equip- ment, Jones and Curbeam attached about 350 pounds of equipment to the station during their three space walks, including the spare antenna and a mounting fixture STS98-E-5195 for the station’s Canadian robotic arm Astronaut Thomas D. Jones, that will be launched this spring. STS-98 mission specialist, Curbeam thanked all for their work in waves at crew mates inside Atlantis' crew cabin while making the mission a success. “The true working on the International Space measure of how much hard work you put Station (ISS) during the second of in was the success that we had on our three scheduled space walks mission. We had a couple of hiccups but involving himself and astronaut we got over all of them and that’s because Robert L. Curbeam and assisted by their STS-98 astronauts you all worked so hard and trained us so aboard Atlantis. SPACE CENTER Roundup March 9, 2001 3 Space archive to be established at UH-Clear Lake
he University of Houston-Clear station and the general history of JSC. be a secure, environmentally controlled electronically search the collection and Lake will receive and maintain Archives to house the records are facility that meets National Archives and retrieve digital scans of the documents TJohnson Space Center’s historical under construction in the library, and Records Administration standards. through the Internet. Plans call for this records under a memorandum of should be completed later this year. Researchers will have access to an database to be moved to a public Web understanding signed during a recent The archives will be open to students, electronic index for the entire collection. site, providing users with remote access. ceremony at UHCL. researchers and the public. Efforts are under way to digitize the Under the agreement, the transfer will The agreement is part of the continu- “Transfer of the center’s history collection, so the database can be linked be for an initial 10-year loan period, with ing effort by NASA and JSC to share collection to UHCL will allow easier to the documents, enabling researchers to options for possible extension. ■ historic information with the public. access to this material by scholars The ceremony formalizing the and the general pub- agreement, between JSC, UHCL and lic,” says JSC Historian the National Archives and Records Glen Swanson. Administration, was held in the Alfred A great deal of R. Neumann Library at UHCL. JSC unprocessed material officials and UHCL President Dr. in the center’s history William Staples joined in the signing collection needs of the agreement, which has been attention, Swanson approved and signed by the Archivist said. Those records of the United States. transferred to UHCL The center’s history collection will free up additional includes copies of correspondence, on-site space for pro- memos, reports, interviews and other cessing this backlog of materials documenting the history and material, which can role played by the center in NASA’s then be cataloged and human space flight program. indexed before joining The first series of documents to the rest of the collec- be moved are records of the Apollo tion at the university. Program, which had once been kept at The expanded the Woodson Research Center at Rice UHCL archives will University’s Fondren Library. More be staffed by a than 1,000 oral history interview tapes, full-time archivist and transcripts and videos documenting the other trained support men and women that worked on the personnel who will NASA JSC 2001e039002 Photo by Bill Stafford Mercury, Gemini and Apollo programs be able to assist Dr. William Staples, president, University of Houston-Clear Lake, and Vicki Pendergrass, director, NASA/Johnson Space will be included in the initial move. researchers in using Center Information Systems Directorate, sign a memorandum of understanding allowing UHCL to receive and maintain Records scheduled for later transfer JSC history archives. Also attending the signing ceremony, from left, are Dr. Joseph McCord, director, Alfred Neumann the collection. The Library, UHCL; Glen Swanson, JSC historian; Patti Stockman, JSC records manager; and Larry Sweet, chief, Information include material on the space shuttle, space UHCL archives will and Imaging Sciences Division, JSC.