+ STS-125 Press Kit (PDF 4.8
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CONTENTS Section Page STS-125 MISSION OVERVIEW................................................................................................ 1 SPACE SHUTTLE ENDEAVOUR (STS-400) TO THE RESCUE – IF REQUIRED ........................... 11 STS-125 TIMELINE OVERVIEW............................................................................................... 17 MISSION PROFILE................................................................................................................... 19 HST SERVICING MISSION PRIORITIES.................................................................................. 21 HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE HISTORY .................................................................................... 23 FLIGHT CONTROL.................................................................................................................... 33 STS-125 ATLANTIS CREW...................................................................................................... 35 PAYLOAD OVERVIEW .............................................................................................................. 45 HUBBLE SERVICING MISSION PAYLOAD BAY HARDWARE ................................................................... 45 FLIGHT SUPPORT SYSTEM (FSS)......................................................................................................... 45 SOFT CAPTURE AND RENDEZVOUS SYSTEM (SCRS) ............................................................................ 45 SUPER LIGHTWEIGHT INTERCHANGEABLE CARRIER (SLIC) ................................................................ 47 ORBITAL REPLACEMENT UNIT CARRIER .............................................................................................. 48 MULTI-USE LIGHTWEIGHT EQUIPMENT CARRIER ................................................................................ 49 RENDEZVOUS & DOCKING....................................................................................................... 69 SPACEWALKS ......................................................................................................................... 73 SM4 FACILITIES ..................................................................................................................... 83 SHUTTLE REFERENCE DATA .................................................................................................... 87 MAY 2009 CONTENTS i Section Page LAUNCH AND LANDING ........................................................................................................... 105 LAUNCH............................................................................................................................................... 105 ABORT-TO-ORBIT................................................................................................................................ 105 TRANSATLANTIC ABORT LANDING ...................................................................................................... 105 RETURN-TO-LAUNCH-SITE................................................................................................................... 105 ABORT ONCE AROUND......................................................................................................................... 105 LANDING ............................................................................................................................................. 105 MEDIA ASSISTANCE ............................................................................................................... 113 PUBLIC AFFAIRS CONTACTS.................................................................................................. 115 ii CONTENTS MAY2009 STS-125 MISSION OVERVIEW From the left are astronauts Mike Massimino, Michael Good, both mission specialists; Gregory C. Johnson, pilot; Scott Altman, commander; Megan McArthur, John Grunsfeld and Andrew Feustel, all mission specialists. The STS‐125 mission of space shuttle Atlantis is that will extend the telescope’s life into the next scheduled for launch at 2:01 p.m. EDT on decade. Monday, May 11, from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, Fla. The mission will be commanded by retired Atlantis’ crew will service the Hubble Space Navy Capt. Scott Altman with retired Navy Telescope for the fifth and final time. Capt. Gregory C. Johnson serving as pilot. Megan McArthur is the flight engineer. The Nineteen years since its launch in April 1990, remaining four mission specialists will pair off Hubble’s view of the universe again will be in teams for the five spacewalks. They are dramatically improved with the addition of two Andrew Feustel, Air Force Col. Michael Good, new science instruments, the repair of two John Grunsfeld, and Mike Massimino. others, and the replacement of other hardware MAY 2009 MISSION OVERVIEW 1 Altman will make his fourth flight, Grunsfeld After launch, the crew will oversee the his fifth and Massimino his second. Their last checkout of the robotic arm, which will see mission was together on the fourth Hubble extensive action throughout the mission to servicing mission, STS‐109, in March 2002. The position spacewalkers in close proximity to other four crew members are rookies. worksites. The arm also will be used to survey Grunsfeld will make his third consecutive visit the outside surfaces of Atlantis’ crew cabin. to Hubble, having performed five spacewalks on his previous missions. Additionally, the robotic arm will be used on the second day of the flight to inspect the On STS‐125, Grunsfeld and Feustel will team shuttle’s sensitive thermal protection system on the odd‐numbered spacewalks, while using the Orbiter Boom Sensor System. The Massimino and Good are paired on spacewalks boom includes sensors that can detect any two and four. significant damage that may have occurred during the launch and climb to orbit. Imagery Identifying the Spacewalkers: experts in Mission Control, Houston, will evaluate that data in near real‐time, to John Grunsfeld – Solid red stripes determine the health of the orbiter’s thermal Drew Feustel – No markings (solid white suit) protection system. The boom is tucked along Mike Massimino – Broken horizontal red stripes the right sill of the payload bay, which also Michael Good – Diagonal red stripes (barber pole) houses the rest of the mission’s science instruments, protective canisters and hardware. This graphic depicts the location of the STS‐125 payload hardware. 2 MISSION OVERVIEW MAY 2009 On Flight Day Three Atlantis will arrive within With Atlantis’ payload bay essentially serving 35 feet of the telescope, at an altitude of about as a giant tool box, the stage is set for the first 350 statute miles. McArthur will carefully of five spacewalks, known as Extravehicular extend the robotic arm to capture a grapple Activity, or EVA, on consecutive days fixture on the telescope. She then will carefully beginning on Flight Day Four. Each spacewalk place Hubble atop its Flight Support System, or is scheduled to last about 6 1/2 hours. FSS, in the back end of the shuttle’s payload bay. Since almost every part of Hubble was designed to be repaired and upgraded by The FSS serves as a high‐tech “lazy Susan” that astronauts, training has focused on actual can be rotated and tilted to present the desired hardware at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight part of the telescope forward for easy access by Center, Greenbelt, Md., and underwater spacewalkers, and to offer the best viewing mockups at the Johnson Space Center in angles for cameras and crew members inside Houston, where timelines have been refined for Atlantis. It also provides all electrical and each day’s scheduled work. mechanical interfaces between the shuttle and the telescope. Astronaut John Grunsfeld, STS‐125 mission specialist, dons a training version of the Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) spacesuit before being submerged in the waters of the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL) near the Johnson Space Center. Astronauts Gregory C. Johnson (left) and Mike Massimino assist Grunsfeld. MAY 2009 MISSION OVERVIEW 3 The actual servicing of Hubble will begin on RNS, the SCRS will mount underneath the Flight Day Four with the first EVA. Grunsfeld, telescope, using a Low Impact Docking System, joined by Feustel initially, will focus on or LIDS, interface. LIDS is designed to be swapping the current Wide Field Planetary compatible with the rendezvous and docking Camera 2 with the like-sized Wide Field systems that will be used on the next- Camera 3, which will extend Hubble’s generation space transportation vehicle. capability not only by seeing deeper into the universe, but also by providing wide-field The SCM is about 72 inches in diameter and imagery in all three regions of the spectrum – 24 inches high and will be attached to the ultraviolet, visible and near infrared. It is this telescope by three sets of jaws that clamp onto wide-field “panchromatic” coverage that makes the existing berthing pins on Hubble’s aft WFC3 so unique. The new instrument has a bulkhead. mass of 900 pounds and measures 26 inches Alternating EVA days, Massimino and Good high, 74 inches wide, and 87 inches long. will take their turn on Flight Day Five, focusing The next task has Grunsfeld and Feustel on the removal and replacement of three pairs swapping the Science Instrument Command of gyroscopes known as Rate Sensor Units, or and Data Handling (SI C&DH) system in RSUs. In concert with star trackers and Fine Bay 10 with a ground spare called into service Guidance Sensors (FGS), the RSUs help point