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Spaceport News John F Oct. 29, 2010 Vol. 50, No. 22 Spaceport News John F. Kennedy Space Center - America’s gateway to the universe www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/news/snews/spnews_toc.html Mock countdown marks Discovery’s final TCDT By Elaine M. Marconi Spaceport News Follow along from the firing room 3, 2, 1 and … and well, no launch. It’s not an aborted liftoff; Scheduled to launch Nov. 1 at it’s TCDT, the Terminal Countdown 4:40 p.m., Discovery and its STS- Demonstration Test. 133 crew will embark on an 11-day Prior to every launch, the current mission to deliver a new module, mission’s astronauts and ground critical spare parts and a humanoid crews participate in launch-related astronaut helper to the International activities at Kennedy Space Center Space Station. for their final on-site preparations before liftoff. The week of Oct. 11, Live countdown coverage from Firing space shuttle Discovery’s STS-133 Room 4 of Kennedy Space Center’s crew members were here prior to NASA/Jim Grossmann Launch Control Center will begin with their scheduled Nov. 1 launch to the Kevin Heard with NASA Quality Control, left, and Closeout Crew Lead Travis Tod Thompson assist fueling commentary International Space Station. STS-133 Mission Specialist Michael Barratt during a simulated launch countdown Oct. 15. at 7:10 a.m. on NASA TV or at During a few days at Kennedy, www.nasa.gov/ntv. Commander Steve Lindsey, Pilot TCDT frequently is the first time for them to get comfortable with us Continuous launch coverage will Eric Boe, and Mission Special- members of the crew have an op- and their surroundings -- it’s just a begin at 11:15 a.m. NASA’s Launch ists Alvin Drew, Michael Barratt, portunity to see the flight hardware big help. The dress rehearsal helps Blog begins simultaneously at www. Nicole Stott and Tim Kopra checked and launch pad. Until this time, to get rid of a lot of butterflies, plus nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/ the fit of their spacesuits, practiced training has been on simulators and gives us more time with them to launch/launch_blog.html. Follow emergency evacuation procedures with computer programs at their learn what they’re going to need on Kennedy on Twitter at at the launch pad, checked out their home base at NASA’s Johnson launch day,” said Thompson. “Any- www.twitter.com/nasakennedy mission’s cargo in the shuttle’s Space Center in Houston. thing we can do to make launch day or on facebook at payload bay, reviewed firefighting This training allows them to go smooth is well worth it.” www.facebook.com/nasakennedy. methods, and participated in brief- familiarize themselves with the The astronauts also received in- ings on security and range safety. spacecraft, become acclimated with struction on hopping into the launch Closeout Crew Lead Travis Tod the safety equipment and proce- pad’s slidewire baskets and drove used for an emergency. But if the Thompson, with United Space Al- dures and become comfortable with the M-113 armored personnel car- White Room had to be evacuated liance, has been assisting each mis- the White Room and the emergency riers as part of their emergency pad quickly, fire nozzles that spray sion’s crew for more than 27 years measures that may have to be put escape training. heavy amounts of water would during TCDT and on launch day. into action, if necessary, on launch According to Thompson, the activate and the teams would only Thompson’s first assignment was day. slidewire baskets have been part of be able to see their feet. Painted on supporting the crew of Challenger’s “It’s great for us to get comfort- the pad’s emergency egress system STS-8 mission in 1983. able with them during TCDT and since STS-1, but have never been See TCDT, Page 2 Inside this issue . Keeping time 2010 Tour de KSC a huge success Disability Mentoring Day Nobel laureate speaks Page 2 Page 3 Page 6 Page 7 Page 2 SPACEPORT NEWS Oct. 29, 2010 NASA/Jim Grossmann Mentors share expertise on Disability Mentoring Day More than 40 mentors shared information about their jobs with people with disabilities on Disability Mentoring Day around Kennedy Space Center. The event, on Oct. 20, is part of a nationwide effort to promote career development for students with disabilities through hands-on career exploration. Right: NASA Education Program Specialist Helen Kane, left, shows Melbourne High sophomore Autumn Tillis how to enter data setting up a meeting presentation at Headquarters. Above: Graphic Specialist Jerry Forney, with Abacus Technology Corp., right, introduces Adobe Photoshop to Palm Bay senior Zachery Page. Left: NASA Design Engineer Dr. Felix A. Soto-Toro, right, demonstrates to Eau Gallie High senior Anthony Pagan the ground support equipment fabricated by NASA Prototype Shop technicians. These prototype umbilical plates are constructed to prove the design concept for the flight-to-ground interface used during preflight processing and testing of a flight vehicle. NASA/Frankie Martin NASA/Jim Grossmann to simulate the orbiter’s unpow- From TCDT, Page 1 ered, high-speed glide -- at Ken- the open grating of the pad floor is nedy’s Shuttle Landing Facility. a bright-yellow path marked with TCDT has changed and evolved black chevrons, or arrows, which throughout the years, recalls point the way to the slidewire Thompson. “We’ve grown in crew baskets. Thompson mentioned that size, from two crew members on these path markings are commonly STS-1 through 5, and then it was referred to as “the yellow brick expanded to four, and then up to road.” seven.” Another aspect of TCDT, ex- Thompson’s crew shows up at plained Thompson, is the M-113 ar- the launch pad at about 5 a.m. for mored personnel carrier emergency the full launch dress rehearsal and egress vehicle driver training. In- prepares the White Room, lo- struction is provided by Kennedy’s cated in the pad’s rotating service fire chief and every crew member structure, for the astronauts’ arrival gets a chance to ride in and drive about three hours later. NASA/Kim Shiflett the M-113. Typically, Thompson That’s when the launch count- The STS-133 crew takes a break from a simulated launch countdown to ham it up on the 195-foot level joins the crew in the field, and this down moves into its final phase. of Launch Pad 39A at Kennedy Space Center. From left are, Pilot Eric Boe, Mission Specialist Michael Barratt, Commander Steve Lindsey, and Mission Specialists Tim Kopra, Nicole Stott, and Alvin Drew. is the first time he meets them. It takes about 50 minutes for the “This exercise gives me a good flight crew to board the shuttle and ning through it that frosts up and And it doesn’t happen every day. time to get to know the crew a little the hatch to be closed, Then, they develops an ice buildup. Before It only happens on launch day -- bit on a comfortable basis -- before run through all of the operations the flight crew arrives, Thompson it’s special.” we really have to do a lot of work. and communications checks of a scrapes the STS mission number in It’s evident how much satisfac- And it’s fun for them and they like real launch, right down to a mock the frost along with a “thumbs-up” tion Thompson and his team gets it,” Thompson said. engine start. print. out of the work they do keeping In addition to pad and field train- Thompson talked about a tradi- “It’s kind of our way of telling the astronauts safe and comfortable ing, Lindsey and Boe practiced tion he’s followed through the them we’re behind them . kind during training and on launch day. touch-and-go landings in NASA’s years at the pad on launch day. He of a personal note to them. It’s one “I take a lot of pride in that, and Shuttle Training Aircraft -- Gulf- tells of a large pipe on the 195th of the cool things about the pad that I’m happy that I can say that some stream jets that have been modified level that has liquid oxygen run- many people don’t know about. of them are my friends.” Oct. 29, 2010 SPACEPORT NEWS Page 3 Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer already collecting data By Steven Siceloff Spaceport News “Expert opinion is he Alpha Mag- based on existing netic Spectrometer-2 knowledge. T(AMS) destined for the International Space Discovery breaks Station already is collecting down existing cosmic ray signatures, even as it sits in a work stand at knowledge.” the Space Station Process- ing Facility at Kennedy Space Center, said Professor Professor Samuel Ting, the principal Samuel Ting, investigator for the program. Massachusetts It’s not making any Institute of Technology grand discoveries yet, since the particles it is picking up were stripped of some will pick up the ray’s move- of their qualities when they ments, in particular how passed through Earth’s at- their paths change as they mosphere. But once in place pass through the magnets. aboard the space station, Ting said different particles NASA/Jim Grossmann the 7 1/2-ton AMS will see leave unique signatures charged particles as they ex- Professor Samuel Ting talks to employees about the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer-2 (AMS) on Oct. 15 in the Training Audi- torium at Kennedy Space Center. Ting is the particle physics detector’s principal investigator at the Massachusetts Institute that researchers will comb ist in the vacuum of space.
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