Shuttle Era: Imagery

Mike Curie, STS-133 Launch Commentator: 2, 1, booster ignition. And the final liftoff of Discovery!

Perhaps one of the most impressive images is that of a space shuttle lifting off the launch pad, riding plumes of bright orange flames.

But more than just providing an impressive sight, shuttle images play a critical role in launch safety.

Each successful launch depends heavily on still and video images that allow the launch team to closely scrutinize the spacecraft both before and during liftoff.

Long before the main engines fire and the solid rocket boosters ignite, the entire shuttle stack has been thoroughly photographed and continually monitored by TV cameras as the countdown clock ticks down.

Members of a group called the Final Inspection Team play a key role, providing the imagery directly from the launch pad and analysis from the Launch Control Center.

Tom Ford, NASA Team Lead: "The images we take on the Final Inspection Team are sent back to the LCC. When we give the report to the Mission Management Team, and to the launch director, to the SPE, they can look at our imagery, and in particular the ones we single out and tell them that we know there is a problem here, they can do analysis of their own on those images."

The team members can identify and photograph problems that might go undetected without their on-the-spot inspection.

But the launch director and his team aren't limited to just images from the inspection team.

Ivan Bush, Engineer United Space Alliance: "In the LCC we have the ice-frost console and we continuously monitor upward to 135 different camera locations. Those assets are controlled by NASA and other contractors, some as far as, I believe, close to 20 miles south and 20 miles north of the launch complex. Some of these assets are basically large telescopes and they are able to film the orbiter several minutes into its flight profile. We also have, I want to say, about 60 cameras within the actual perimeter of the launch pad. Some of the various assets some are infrared, some are HD, some are standard cameras, some are at higher and slower speed. A lot of them are at about 400 frames per second so we can catch a very, very slow behavioral aspect of each vehicle component, because some components we want to watch how they work the moment they are supposed to go to work. And we'll see them frame-by-frame we watch them frame-by-frame."

So as the final space shuttle pierces the sky over NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, both technology and trained eyes will once again be keenly focused to ensure a safe and successful mission.

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Payload Readied for Trip to the Pad

The STS-135 payload canister's move to Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida is expected to begin at 9 p.m. EDT tonight with the canister's lift up the pad structure set for early Friday morning.

On Saturday, technicians will follow up on yesterday's tanking test for Atlantis by taking high-tech X-ray scans of the external fuel tank's support beams, called stringers, on the shuttle-facing side of the tank. Earlier this year, teams made the same stringer reinforcement modifications to Atlantis' tank as they had to Discovery's after small cracks in the support beams were discovered prior to the STS-133 mission. Managers ordered the work since Atlantis' tank is similar to the one used for STS-133. Yesterday's tanking test was conducted to help verify there are no issues with the reinforced tank.

‪During the tanking test, the main fuel valve for Atlantis' No. 3 space shuttle main engine recorded temperatures below normal levels, indicating a possible liquid hydrogen leak. Teams isolated the engine and continued to fuel Atlantis with no issues and temperatures returned to normal readings. Technicians can gain access to the engine area once it is cleared from tanking test operations, and engineers will evaluate any necessary work on the fuel valve. If the valve needs to be replaced, managers expect that the work could be done early next week at the pad and still support Atlantis' July 8 target launch date. ‪

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NASA'S Shuttle Atlantis At Launch Pad, Liftoff Practice Set

Joshua Buck

Headquarters, Washington                                        

 

Candrea Thomas

Kennedy Space Center, Fla.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- After safely reaching its launch pad at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, space shuttle Atlantis awaits the next major milestone for its upcoming STS-135 mission to the International Space Station, the final flight of the Space Shuttle Program. The mission with four veteran astronauts is targeted to launch July 8.

Atlantis arrived at the pad early Wednesday morning on top of a giant crawler-transporter. The crawler-transporter left Kennedy's Vehicle Assembly Building at 8:42 p.m. EDT Tuesday, May 31, and travelled less than 1 mph during the 3.4-mile journey. The shuttle was secured on the launch pad at 3:29 a.m. Wednesday.

Reporters are invited to cover a launch dress rehearsal, known as the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (TCDT), scheduled at Kennedy from June 20 to 23. The TCDT provides Atlantis' astronauts and ground crews with an opportunity to participate in various simulated countdown activities, including equipment familiarization and emergency training.

During the TCDT, media will have the opportunity to tour shuttle Discovery and interview experts from inside the spacecraft on June 21. Discovery currently is being decommissioned and prepared for display at the National Air and Space Museum's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center.

The following media events are associated with the TCDT. All times are Eastern Daylight Time.

-- June 20: STS-135 crew arrival: The astronauts will arrive at approximately 4:45 p.m. at the Shuttle Landing Facility and make a statement. NASA Television will broadcast the arrival live.

-- June 21: Discovery Media Day: Interview and photo opportunities will be held throughout the day in Orbiter Processing Facility-2. Shuttle experts will be available for interviews from Discovery's crew compartment. Spaces are limited. To sign up for this opportunity, contact Candrea Thomas at candrea.k.thomas@nasa.gov.

-- June 22: STS-135 crew media availability: The crew will take media questions at Launch Pad 39A at 8:40 a.m. NASA TV will carry the session live.

-- June 23: STS-135 crew walkout photo opportunity: The astronauts will depart from the Operations and Checkout Building at 7:45 a.m. in their launch entry suits in preparation for the countdown demonstration test at the launch pad. The walkout will be part of the NASA TV Video File, but not covered live.

Updates for all events are available at 321-867-2525. To attend the TCDT, international journalists must apply by 5 p.m. on June 12, to allow time for processing. U.S. media representatives must apply by June 16. Reporters requesting accreditation must apply online at

https://media.ksc.nasa.gov.

To attend crew arrival, reporters must pick up badges between 6 a.m. and 3 p.m. on June 20, at the Kennedy Space Center Badging Office on State Road 405. For information about covering these events, including proper attire and meeting locations, credentialed media should visit http://www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/news/media.html.

During the 12-day flight, Atlantis and its crew will deliver the Raffaello multi-purpose logistics module filled with supplies and spare parts to sustain station operations once NASA's shuttle fleet is retired.

For NASA TV downlink information, schedules and links to streaming video, visit http://www.nasa.gov/ntv.

For more information about the STS-135 mission and crew, visit http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle.

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Lightning Over Brazil

The European Space Agency's Paolo Nespoli took this image of lightning over Brazil as seen from the International Space Station in January 2011. Nespoli, a member of the Expedition 27 crew, first visited the station in 2007 as a member of the STS-120 crew aboard space shuttle Discovery to deliver the Italian-built Harmony node.

Image Credit: ESA/NASA

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NASA Invites 150 Lucky Twitter Followers To Endeavour Launch

Stephanie L. Schierholz

Headquarters, Washington

WASHINGTON -- NASA invited 150 lucky people to a behind-the-scenes perspective from the press site at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida for the final launch of space shuttle Endeavour on Friday, April 29. The launch is scheduled for 3:47 p.m. EDT.

The participants were selected randomly from more than 4,100 online registrants during a 24-hour opportunity in mid-March. Attendees represent 43 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, New Zealand, Puerto Rico, Switzerland, Venezuela, and the U.K. Participants will share their experiences with their more than 3.7 million combined followers through the social networking site Twitter. On Sunday, the agency surpassed one million followers on its flagship Twitter account, @NASA.

Beginning at noon on April 28, NASA will broadcast a portion of the Tweetup when participants get to talk with NASA's Chief Scientist Waleed Abdalati; Endeavour's Flow Director Dana M. Hutcherson; International Space Station Associate Program Scientist Tara Ruttley; astronaut Clay Anderson; and Principal Investigator of the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer-2, Sam Ting. To watch the broadcast, visit

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/nasatelevision.

Participants also will tour Kennedy and get a spacesuit demonstration. The Tweetup culminates with the launch.

Reporters who are credentialed to cover the launch also may cover the NASA Tweetup at Kennedy's press site. Reporters interested in interviewing Tweetup attendees in advance should contact Stephanie Schierholz at 202-358-1100 or stephanie.schierholz@nasa.gov.

This is the fourth time NASA has invited its Twitter followers to experience a space shuttle launch. Previously, groups attended Atlantis' STS-129 and STS-132 missions and Discovery's STS-133 launch. NASA also hosts Tweetup events at other NASA centers.

Registration for an event June 6 at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., will open at 3 p.m. on Tuesday, April 26, for 24 hours at http://www.nasa.gov/tweetup.

To follow the Tweetup participants on Twitter as they experience the prelaunch events and shuttle liftoff, follow the #NASATweetup hashtag and the list of attendees at http://twitter.com/nasatweetup/sts-134-launch.

To connect with NASA on Twitter and other social networking sites, visit http://www.nasa.gov/connect.

For more information about space shuttle Endeavour's STS-134 mission, visit  http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle.

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NASA Announces New Homes For Shuttle Orbiters After Retirement

David Weaver

Headquarters, Washington     

 

WASHINGTON -- After 30 years of spaceflight, more than 130 missions, and numerous science and technology firsts, NASA's space shuttle fleet will retire and be on display at institutions across the country to inspire the next generation of explorers and engineers.

NASA Administrator Charles Bolden on Tuesday announced the facilities where four shuttle orbiters will be displayed permanently at the conclusion of the Space Shuttle Program. Shuttle Enterprise, the first orbiter built, will move from the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Virginia to the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in New York. The Udvar-Hazy Center will become the new home for shuttle Discovery, which retired after completing its 39th mission in March. Shuttle Endeavour, which is preparing for its final flight at the end of the month, will go to the California Science Center in Los Angeles. Atlantis, which will fly the last planned shuttle mission in June, will be displayed at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida.

"We want to thank all of the locations that expressed an interest in one of these national treasures," Bolden said. "This was a very difficult decision, but one that was made with the American public in mind. In the end, these choices provide the greatest number of people with the best opportunity to share in the history and accomplishments of NASA's remarkable Space Shuttle Program. These facilities we've chosen have a noteworthy legacy of preserving space artifacts and providing outstanding access to U.S. and international visitors."

NASA also announced that hundreds of shuttle artifacts have been allocated to museums and education institutions.

- Various shuttle simulators for the Adler Planetarium in Chicago, the Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum of McMinnville, Ore., and Texas A&M's Aerospace Engineering Department

- Full fuselage trainer for the Museum of Flight in Seattle

- Nose cap assembly and crew compartment trainer for the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio

- Flight deck pilot and commander seats for NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston

- Orbital maneuvering system engines for the U.S. Space and Rocket Center of Huntsville, Ala., National Air and Space Museum in Washington, and Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum

For more information about other shuttle program artifacts that are available to museums and libraries, visit http://gsaxcess.gov/htm/nasa/userguide/NASA_SSPA_Pamphlet.pdf.

NASA also is offering shuttle heat shield tiles to schools and universities that want to share technology and a piece of space history with their students. Schools can request a tile at http://gsaxcess.gov/NASAWel.htm.

For a map of the future locations for the orbiters and shuttle artifacts and for more information on visiting the facilities, visit http://www.nasa.gov/topics/shuttle_station/features/shuttle_map.html.

For more information about NASA's placement of the space shuttle orbiters, visit http://www.nasa.gov/transition.

For information about the Space Shuttle Program, visit http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle.

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NASA Administrator Announces Shuttle Distribution

At a ceremony held at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden announced that Atlantis would be placed on display at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, Discovery would be donated to the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum Udvar-Hazy Center near Dulles Airport near Washington, D.C., Endeavour would be displayed at the California Science Center in Los Angeles, and the Enterprise prototype would be transferred from the Udvar-Hazy Center to the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum in New York City.

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NASA To Hold 30th Anniversary Ceremony At Kennedy Space Center And Announce Permanent Space Shuttle Locations

Michael Curie

Headquarters, Washington                                        

 

Allard Beutel

Kennedy Space Center, Fla.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA Administrator Charles Bolden will participate in a ceremony at the Kennedy Space Center, Fla., on Tuesday, April 12 on the 30th anniversary of the first space shuttle launch. During the 1 p.m. EDT ceremony, Bolden and Kennedy Center Director Bob Cabana will honor the shuttle work force's dedication, which has made it possible for NASA to take the next steps in exploration and retire the shuttle fleet later this year.

During the ceremony, which will feature an astronaut from the first shuttle mission, Bolden also will name the four institutions that will receive a shuttle orbiter for permanent display. The announcement and ceremony will air live on NASA Television and the agency's website http://www.nasa.gov/ntv.

At 3 p.m. on April 12, NASA will hold a media teleconference to discuss the placement of the orbiters. Senior NASA officials will be available to answer questions. Journalists interested in participating in the teleconference should call 202-358-1100 prior to noon Tuesday to receive dial-in instructions. The teleconference will be streamed live at http://www.nasa.gov/newsaudio.

The 1 p.m. ceremony is open to Kennedy employees and will take place outside the hangar for shuttle Atlantis, known as Orbiter Processing Facility-1. Atlantis is being prepared for its upcoming STS-135 mission to the International Space Station, the final flight of the Space Shuttle Program.

U.S. journalists who want to cover the event must apply online for NASA media credentials by 5 p.m. on April 11 at https://media.ksc.nasa.gov.

International accreditation for this event is closed. Badged media need to arrive at Kennedy's Press Site Tuesday at 11:30 a.m. for transportation to the event.

For more information about NASA's placement of the space shuttle orbiters, visit http://www.nasa.gov/transition.

For information about the Space Shuttle Program, visit http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle.

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AMS Testing Completed, STS-134 Crew Continues Mission Training

Technicians at NASA Kennedy Space Center's Launch Pad 39A completed final testing of the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer-2 (AMS) Friday evening.

AMS and the Express Logistics Carrier-3 (ELC-3) will be delivered to the International Space Station on the STS-134 mission, space shuttle Endeavour's final scheduled flight.

At NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, the STS-134 crew will review flight data file material on various systems today.

NASA managers will hold a Flight Readiness Review on Tuesday, April 19, to assess the ground and flight team's readiness to support launch. An official launch date will be announced at the conclusion of the meeting.

Discovery is targeted to launch 3:47 p.m. EDT, April 29.

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