Iulie - Septembrie 2006 CURIERUL ROMÂNESC 5 ______But in order to do that, the Discovery astronauts and space station crew must first retract one wing of the older solar arrays providing interim electricity to the U.S. segment of the space station. If that goes well commands will be sent to begin slowly rotating the new set of solar arrays installed in September. The space station has relied primarily on a pair of solar arrays attached to its mast-like Port 6 (P6) truss, but the arrangement was always meant to be temporary since that segment must be moved in the future. STS-116 spacewalkers will shift the space station power systems from the P6 arrays to the solar panels on the space station’s recently installed Port 3/Port 4 (P3/P4) truss segments delivered in September. As part of the STS-116 rewiring process, one of the P6 solar arrays must be folded away to allow the newer solar panels to rotate and track the Sun. (3 Feb. 2005) - Astronauts Nicholas J.M. Patrick Flight controllers then will power down the orbital (20 September 2002) - Astronaut Christer (left) and astronaut Christer Fuglesang, both STS- laboratory's major circuits, two at a time, while Fuglesang, STS-116 mission specialist, floats in a 116 mission specialists, use virtual reality hardware spacewalking astronauts unplug and re-plug small life raft during an emergency bailout training in the Space Vehicle Mockup Facility at the Johnson electrical cables into different sockets. It will take session in the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL) Space Center to rehearse some of their duties on the two virtually identical spacewalks, one will be near the Johnson Space Center (JSC). Fuglesang, upcoming mission to the International Space Station. performed by Curbeam and Fuglesang and the other who represents the European Space Agency (ESA), This type of virtual reality training allows the by Curbeam and Williams, and hundreds of com- is attired in a training version of the shuttle launch astronauts to wear a helmet and special gloves while mands and cable switches to reconfigure the station's and entry suit. looking at computer displays simulating actual four major circuits. Photo and info: © NASA. movements around the various locations on the None of these tasks are overly complex or station hardware with which they will be working. challenging. But the sheer number of commands that The Columbia disaster put space station assembly on Photo and info: © NASA. must be sent, the complexity of the power system hold and that crew eventually was broken up. But hardware and the close coordination required the two spacewalkers and their incabin director - Launch of the 117th shuttle mission is targeted for between the astronauts on-orbit and flight controllers Oefelein - stayed together. Polansky, Higginbotham Dec. 7, around 9:38 p.m. It will be NASA's first night on the ground will make Space Shuttle mission STS- and Patrick were added in 2005 along with Williams, launch since 2002, the result of a recent decision to 116 the most complex station assembly flight yet who is hitching a ride to join the Expedition 14 crew waive a post-Columbia requirement to launch attempted. aboard the ISS. shuttles in daylight. Curbeam and Fuglesang will perform two of the The daylight constraint was put in place to ensure spacewalks to attach the P5 truss segment to the good photo documentation of the space shuttle's heat station's main solar power truss and to rewire one of shield and external tank foam insulation during the the orbital laboratory's two primary electrical first few post-Columbia missions. Problems seen circuits. Curbeam and Williams will re-wire the during the first such flight in July 2005 were other power channel during the third spacewalk. addressed and NASA's two most recent launches, in Polansky is a veteran of one previous spaceflight July and September, were relatively debris free. while Curbeam has two shuttle missions to his credit, Given the tank's recent performance, and including three spacewalks. The rest of the crew experience demonstrating that on-orbit inspections members are rookies. can spot any damage that does occur, NASA "It's kind of an unfair name, it has some managers cleared Discovery for launch at night. connotations," Polansky said. "The fact of the matter Discovery will be launched into the plane of the is Joannie, who has never flown before, has worked space station's orbit and Polansky will guide the here for 10 years. She showed up at the same time I space shuttle to a docking with pressurized mating did. Nick and Billy O, those two guys, they've been adapter No. 2 (PMA-2) on the forward end of the here for over eight years and they've got a lot of ISS Destiny laboratory module two days later. experience. Christer was in the same class that The same day Discovery docks with the space Joannie and I were in and he was an astronaut for station, the astronauts will use the space shuttle's ESA before we ever got selected. So these guys, robot arm to pull the P5 truss segment from the while not flown, have been working as astronauts orbiter's cargo bay. The 4110-pound truss segment for a minimum of eight years. So they've got a lot of will be handed off to the space station's robot arm knowledge. The only thing they don't have is and positioned near the left end of the main solar knowing exactly what it's going to be like to do this array truss. International Space Station. job on orbit." The next day, Curbeam and Fuglesang will carry out Photo: © NASA. the first spacewalk to connect P5 to the outboard side of the Port 4 (P4) solar array segment. ______Once the first spacewalk is out of the way, the * Marc Ciupitu is the Hydrolaboratory Operations astronauts and ground controllers will turn their Manager for the NASA-Johnson Space Center Extra attention to the heart of mission STS-116: electrical Vehicular Activities (EVA) Office. Marc manages bypass surgery to wire in the new solar arrays. NASA operations related to EVA conducted at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center (GCTC) Hydrolaboratory water immersion facility in Star City, Russia. Marc is responsible for ensuring suc- cessful completion of the Hydrolaboratory under- water testing and training performed by the Interna- tional Space Station (ISS) expedition astronauts in scuba and space suit systems. Marc’s activities include event planning, requirements verification, readiness preparation of required EVA testing and training hardware and personnel, ensuring real-time functionality of the EVA testing and training hard- ware and facility support systems during the Hydro- laboratory underwater events, and supporting the Hydrolaboratory underwater events as a suited test (7 January 2003) - Astronaut Christer Fuglesang, subject or scuba diver. STS-116 mission specialist, wearing Marc Ciupitu previously supported the NASA- a training version of the Extravehicular Mobility Johnson Space Center Crew and Thermal Systems Unit (EMU) spacesuit, participates in an underwater Division as a special projects engineer where he simulation of extravehicular activity (EVA) performed various design and project engineering scheduled for the 19th shuttle mission to the (27 July 2006) - European Space Agency (ESA) duties such as integration and testing of the NASA International Space Station (ISS). Fuglesang was astronaut Christer Fuglesang, STS-116 mission Extra-vehicular Mobility Units (EMU) – or space joined by astronaut Robert L. Curbeam, Jr. (out of specialist, participates in an Extravehicular Mobility suits – in the Russian Hydrolaboratory water frame), mission specialist, for the simulation, Unit (EMU) spacesuit fit check in the Space Station immersion facility, design of the EMU Secondary conducted in the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory Airlock Test Article (SSATA) in the Crew Systems Breathing Gas System, and computer modeling for (NBL) near the Johnson Space Center. Fuglesang Laboratory at the Johnson Space Center. Astronaut the NASA Advanced Space Suit and Primary Life represents the European Space Agency (ESA). William A. Oefelein, pilot, assisted Fuglesang. Support System concepts. Photo and info: © NASA. Photo and info: © NASA. ✯