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Spaceport News John F Feb. 11, 2011 Vol. 51, No. 3 Spaceport News John F. Kennedy Space Center - America’s gateway to the universe www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/news/snews/spnews_toc.html Tank fixed, Discovery rolls out for STS-133 launch By Frank Ochoa-Gonzales Spaceport News s New York Yankee great Yogi Berra once said: “It’s Adéjà vu all over again.” On the final night of January 2011, in front of Kennedy work- ers, their friends and family, space shuttle Discovery trekked its way from the Vehicle Assembly Building to Launch Pad 39A. It was the second time Dis- covery rolled out for its STS-133 mission to the International Space Station, which now is targeted to launch Feb. 24 at 4:50 p.m. EST “Anytime we have a long flow of challenges, which we’ve had for STS-133, that makes the final out- come even sweeter,” said Stephanie Stilson, Discovery’s NASA flow director for the past 11 missions. So when we finally get to the launch we really appreciate the work that NASA/Kim Shiflett has happened and all the long hours Xenon lights illuminate space shuttle Discovery as it makes its nighttime trek, known as “rollout,” from the Vehicle Assembly Building to Launch Pad 39A at our team has put in.” Kennedy Space Center on Jan. 31. The first rollout came last year For Discovery’s flow team, the in late September when Discovery xenon lights not only highlighted Follow along on launch day was supposed to make its last flight the STS-133 stack, but the many NASA’s Launch Blog is set to begin about five hours prior to liftoff, and will highlight to the space station in November. hours of work put in to allow the the countdown milestones from the Launch Control Center’s Firing Room 3 as the six “The entire team was anxious shuttle to make its final trip to the STS-133 astronauts prepare to embark on their 11-day journey to the International Space to get back to the launch pad and launch pad. Station. They’ll take with them the Permanent Multipurpose Module, filled with equipment and critical spare components, and Robonaut 2 (R2), the first humanlike robot in space. get the entire stack ready to launch,” But it hasn’t been easy. Stilson said. “It’s a good exciting On launch day Nov. 5, two http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/launch/launch_blog.html time and it’s been a long time waiting.” See ROLLOUT, Page 2 Inside this issue . Railroad on track Heritage: MPLMs arrive 10 years ago Day of Remembrance Glory ready to shine Page 2 Page 3 Page 6 Page 7 Page 2 SPACEPORT NEWS Feb. 11, 2011 Ceremony pays homage to Challenger crew By Linda Herridge astronaut crews of Apollo 1 is present every day in our Spaceport News and shuttles Challenger and work and inspires genera- Columbia. tions of new space explorers. n the eve of the Kennedy’s Center Di- Every day, with each new 25th anniversary rector Bob Cabana, Deputy challenge we overcome and of the space shuttle O Center Director Janet Petro, every discovery we make, Challenger accident, Ken- and United Space Alliance’s we honor these remarkable nedy Space Center observed Associate Program Manager men and women. Please join NASA’s Day of Remem- for Solid Rocket Boost- me in working to fulfill their brance, Jan. 27, with a ers Roger Elliott placed dreams for the future.” wreath-laying ceremony at the wreath, inscribed with Cabana shared similar the KSC Visitor Complex the words, “Remembering sentiments: “I think it’s Space Mirror Memorial. our Fallen Heroes,” at the really important that every The Day of Remem- memorial, and observed a year we take a few moments brance honors members of moment of silence. of our day, on this Day of NASA/Kim Shiflett the NASA family who lost A statement issued by Remembrance, to remember their lives while furthering Dr. June Scobee Rodgers, the founding chair of the Challenger Center for Space President Barack Obama those that paid the ultimate Science Education, honors her late-husband, space shuttle Challenger’s STS-51L the cause of exploration read in part, “Today, on this sacrifice in the quest to Commander Dick Scobee, on Jan. 28. Challenger broke apart over the Atlantic and discovery, including the Day of Remembrance when explore space,” Cabana Ocean 73 seconds into flight 25 years ago. NASA reflects on the mighty said. “The loss of their lives Challenger Center for Space later may have looked the Remembering sacrifices made to push would be meaningless if we Science Education; Cabana; same, but had hundreds of NASA’s pioneers those frontiers, America’s did not continue. I think it’s chairman of The Astronauts changes to make it safer and space agency is working extremely important to con- Memorial Foundation and Apollo 1 more reliable.” to achieve even greater tinue our quest to explore former astronaut Mike “It’s not easy to look Virgil “Gus” Grissom goals. Through triumph and expand our knowledge.” Edward White McCulley; and Rick Soria, back and reflect,” Gersten- and tragedy, each of us has On Jan. 28, The Astro- Roger Chaffee 2009 Alan Shepard Tech- maier said. “We learned benefited from their courage nauts Memorial Founda- nology in Education Award that little things that seem and devotion, and we honor tion’s remembrance service Challenger winner. harmless can become cata- their memory by dedicating at the Space Mirror Memo- Francis “Dick” Scobee Scobee Rodgers said, strophic events. The human Michael Smith ourselves to a better tomor- rial was attended by NASA “We’re not a nation of spaceflight team has learned Judith Resnik row. Despite the challenges officials, dignitaries, families naysayers, we’re a nation of tremendous lessons from Ellison Onizuka before us today, let us com- of the fallen, Kennedy work- believers. We’re innovators Ronald McNair these events. mit ourselves and continue ers and the general public. and problem solvers. We’re Gregory Jarvis “We will continue to S. Christa McAuliffe their valiant journey toward Moderated by the foun- risk-takers with a pioneering a more vibrant and secure dation’s President Stephen spirit. We as a nation are in- strive to be better. To ex- plore, to expand our knowl- Columbia future.” Feldman, the guest speakers debted to the space pioneers Rick Husband Before a wreath-laying included NASA Associate who blazed a trail of explo- edge of our universe and to William McCool ceremony at Arlington Na- Administrator for Space ration and discovery.” reach beyond,” Cabana said. Michael Anderson tional Cemetery, NASA Ad- Operations William Ger- Cabana said, “We At the conclusion of the Kalpana Chawla ministrator Charlie Bolden stenmaier; Dr. June Scobee learned many lessons from memorial, Scobee Rodgers David Brown also issued a statement that Rodgers, widow of STS-51L the loss of Challenger. And and Gerstenmaier placed a Laurel Clark Ilan Ramon read in part, “The legacy Commander Dick Scobee the vehicle that returned to wreath below the names of of those who have perished and founding chair of the flight two-and-a-half years the Challenger crew. back into the Vehicle Assembly the stringers with small metal strips, “The last three flights were sup- From ROLLOUT, Page 1 Building on Dec. 21. called radius blocks, to strengthen posed to be easy,” said Taylor. “But problems surfaced: A problem with Additional investigations were and fasten their tips during tanking we continue to learn about the ve- the ground umbilical carrier plate performed by utilizing an X-ray- and ultimately, the climb to orbit. hicle and ways to make it safe to the (GUCP) and a crack in the orange type machine, called a backscatter Engineers evaluated another end of the Space Shuttle Program.” foam near the top of the external device, showed small cracks on type X-ray scan called computed ra- According to Stilson, the team fuel tank’s midsection. Under the three stringers on the opposite side diography images of the 108 string- has remained very focused on foam, small cracks on the top of two of the external tank. Stringers are ers. Five cracked stringers were safety. stringers were found. support beams that make up the fixed with double-thick stringer tips “The team has been supportive “Anytime we have a vehicle tank’s corrugated intertank portion. and radius blocks; 94 more stringers of the decisions being made and safety issue, we always try to do “The program determined to were reinforced with radius blocks; have done everything they possibly everything we can do to make it as modify the tank stringers and make eight stringers were not modified could to ensure they completed all safe as possible,” said Wayne Bing- them more robust,” said Jim Taylor, because they were made of a differ- the work as quickly and as safely as ham, United Space Alliance (USA) integrated vehicle flow manager ent batch of aluminum-lithium alloy possible,” Stilson said. “We wanted Discovery flow manager. with USA. not susceptible to stress-relief frac- to make sure we did it right and After an instrumented tanking To fix the tank, technicians tures. One stringer was not modified that when we rolled back out to the test Dec. 17, the orbiter was rolled worked around the clock to bolster because of where it was located. launch pad we were good to go.” Feb. 11, 2011 SPACEPORT NEWS Page 3 Taurus XL ready to launch Glory climate spacecraft By Steven Siceloff aerosols are and how far their Spaceport News effects reach. The effects of some aerosols are he Glory spacecraft and its limited to those parts of the world Taurus XL launch vehicle are that generate them.
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