- \n
- STS-133 FLIGHT DAY LIVE<\/li>\n
- L2 STS-133 Special Section<\/li>\n
- Click here to Join L2<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Having flown more times than any other Multi-Purpose Logistics Module, Leonardo\u2019s attachment to the ISS signals the completion of FD-6\u2019s primary events, with EVA-2 preparations and a PAO (Public Affairs Office) event still to come.<\/p>\n
Beginning their day just after 0550 EST, Discovery\u2019s crew got right to work two hours after waking up with the grappling of the PMM Leonardo with the SSRMS (Space Station Remote Manipulator System). <\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/03\/A3.jpg\" "\\"A3\\"")
PMM unberth from Discovery and relocation to the Nadir CBM (Common Berthing Mechanism) on Node-1 \u201cUnity\u201d followed. The installation was officially confirmed via second stage capture at 10:05 EST.<\/p>\nAs initially planned per the pre-mission timeline, the Discovery and ISS crews would have worked through PMM vestibule pressurization today before ingressing Leonardo for the first time on FD7. However, because of the elimination of a Focused Inspection for Discovery\u2019s mission timeline, ingress of Leonardo was carried out, well ahead of schedule, at 6:17pm EST.<\/p>\n
Moreover, according to the Flight Director\u2019s Update presentation, available for download on L2, installation of a 1553 Jumper to Node-1 \u201cUnity\u201d as well as Node-1 Nadir vestibule jumper installation will also be performed today since no Focused Inspection is required on Discovery\u2019s Thermal Protection System (TPS).<\/p>\n
NASA mission updates
<\/path>Spaceflight news subscription <\/path>Space Shuttle models <\/path>\n (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});<\/p>\n
Rounding out FD-6, the crew will conduct EVA-2 equipment lock preparations, reconfigure the tools needed for EVA-2, participate in a media event at 1523 EST, and conduct an EVA-2 procedures review.<\/p>\n
Steve Bowen and Al Drew then began EVA-2 mask pre-breathe at 1948 EST, and the airlock was depressurized to 10.2 psi for Bowen and Drew\u2019s overnight \u201ccampout\u201d in the Quest Airlock.<\/p>\n
Discovery\u2019s crew will then head to bed at 2133 EST in preparation of FD-7\u2019s EVA (spacewalk).<\/p>\n
STS-133 News Articles (over 110 articles): http:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/tag\/sts-133\/<\/p>\n
Soyuz Flyabout \u2013 Cancelled:<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/03\/A66.jpg\" "\\"A66\\"")
As had been expected since Monday\u2019s notes on L2 \u2013 which pre-empted a Russian decision not to approve the proposed flyabout of the Soyuz \u2013 the Integration Mission Management Team (IMMT) formally cancelled all options related to the gathering of what would have been historic images of the ISS, Discovery and an array of visiting vehicles.<\/p>\nThe Russian decision was based on the risk of undocking their new 700 series Soyuz from the Station \u2013 which is being classed as test vehicle \u2013 prior to the capturing of photography of the orbiting outpost, before redocking shortly after.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Soyuz flyaround has been cancelled; the Russians did not want to attempt it,\u201d noted Mission Evaluation Room (MER) status (L2), prior to the IMMT formally accepting the position of the Russian Space Agency (Roscosmos).<\/p>\n
Both parties have praised each other\u2019s approach to the proposals, which was evaluated in a tight timeframe. Several options were outlined, each of which were assessed by the Russian partners, who continued their evaluations until the deadline of presenting their official stance at the Flight Day 6 IMMT.<\/p>\n
More will follow in forthcoming articles. Click here: http:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/tag\/soyuz\/ for three previous articles on the proposal.<\/p>\n
Nose Cap RCC T-Seal Flaking:<\/p>\n
As part of the standard FD-2 inspections of Discovery\u2019s Wing Leading Edge and Nose Cap RCC (Reinforced Carbon-Carbon panels), the Damage Assessment Team has noted one Region Of Interest (ROI) on the veteran spaceship\u2019s RCC system \u2013 a T-seal on the lower portion of her nose cap.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/03\/A4.jpg\" "\\"A4\\"")
As defined by the FD-3 STS-133 Early Mission Nose Cap T-Seal ROI presentation, available for download on L2, \u201cROI is a dark feature that measures approximately 1.23 inches\u201d long.<\/p>\nThis is considered a \u201cType-A flaking\u201d condition and has been seen on numerous flights.<\/p>\n
This type of flaking is caused by excessive Type-A sealant \u2013 hence its name. The presentation notes that \u201cType-A adheres better to the SiC coating than to cured or pre-existing residual sealant. Repeated flight exposures can result in eventual flaking of excessive Type-A, but leaves a thin layer (as originally intended on the surface of the SiC).\u201d<\/p>\n
This type of flaking is generally considered acceptable for reentry as long as the following four criteria are met: \u201cThe base of flake area is a flat plateau with a continuous thin layer of Type A Sealant, there is no broken yarns along the cavity periphery, there are no broken fibers along the cavity periphery, there is no evidence of defect being caused by mechanical means.\u201d
\nAll four criteria are satisfied for STS-133.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/03\/A5.jpg\" "\\"A5\\"")
In fact, Discovery\u2019s processing teams have been following this particular area of the RCC nose cap T-seal since the STS-114 Return to Flight mission in July 2005. Progressive flaking of this particular location on this T-seal was noted during STS-114, STS-116, STS-119, and STS-131 as confirmed by the baseline RCC T-seal imagery for STS-121, STS-120, STS-128, and STS-133.<\/p>\nBased on OBSS (Orbiter Boom Sensor System) IDC imagery obtain of this area on FD-2, the Mission Evaluation Room presentation notes that \u201cGlossy Black Discoloration is common to OML areas, especially in regions with Type-A flaking\u201d and is not indicative of exposed Carbon substrate.<\/p>\n
Furthermore, the cause of this Glossary Black condition has previously been identified as oxidation of the Silicon Carbide content within the Type-A sealant. In turn, this causes the formation of carbon and a layer of silica glass as a direct \u201cfunction of temperature and partial pressure of oxygen.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe layer of Type-A sealant occurring between an outer layer of Type-A and the SiC surface results with Carbon becoming encapsulated in the clear silica glass that results from heating of the Type-A sealant.\u201d<\/p>\n
This glass actually helps protect the carbon from oxidation into gaseous CO or Carbon dioxide.<\/p>\n
The outer layer film of the Type-A sealant then \u201cacts as a barrier to the oxygen thereby allowing the reaction to proceed and mask the black layer until flaking occurs.\u201d<\/p>\n
By the time the Mission Management Team (MMT) met on Tuesday, the Damage Assessment Team (DAT) confirmed Discovery\u2019s entire TPS has been cleared for Entry, following their Level II and Peer Reviews.<\/p>\n
Discovery Trivia:<\/p>\n
After being carried to orbit last Thursday by Discovery, Al Drew became the 200th person to perform a spacewalk during yesterday\u2019s first of two planned spacewalks for the STS-133\/ULF5 mission.<\/p>\n
Additionally, Discovery is the only Space Shuttle orbiter to have her launch viewed in-person by a sitting President; President Bill Clinton watched Discovery\u2019s STS-95 launch on October 29, 1998. The only other U.S. Spacecraft to be viewed by a sitting President was Apollo 12 \u2013 which was watched by President Nixon.<\/p>\n
Moreover, Discovery is the only spacecraft to date to carry royalty into space. During her STS-51G mission in June 1985, she carried Sultan Salman Al Saud of Saudi Arabia as a Payload Specialist.<\/p>\n
Lastly, Discovery was the first Space Shuttle to carry a video game into Low Earth Orbit. During STS-96 in May\/June 1999, Mission Specialist Daniel T. Barry brought a copy of the game StarCraft with him to space.<\/p>\n
(Numerous articles will follow. L2 members refer to STS-133 live coverage sections for internal coverage, presentations, images and and updates from engineers and managers \u2013 which is now into full Flight Day coverage during the mission. Images used, all via L2 documentation \u2013 bar NASA TV screenshot of PMM installed).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
With the first spacewalk (EVA) of the mission behind them, Discovery\u2019s crew has further completed one of the mission\u2019s primary objectives: the installation of the PMM (Permanent Multipurpose Module) Leonardo, the final U.S. permanent pressurized module, to the International Space Station. Meanwhile, a proposed flyabout by a Russian Soyuz has been formally cancelled. PMM Leonardo \u2013 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[233,1302,9051],"class_list":["post-40515","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","tag-iss","tag-soyuz","tag-sts-133"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40515"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=40515"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40515\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=40515"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=40515"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=40515"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}