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Such work this month has including RSB (Rudder Speed Break) shaft installation with vertical closeouts, vernier heater test, MPS (Main Propulsion System) Scan retest, SSME (Space Shuttle Main Engines) carrier panel installations and APU (Auxiliary Power Unit) sampling with lube oil servicing.<\/p>\n
Also, a large amount of Thermal Protection System (TPS) work is being carried out at this stage of the flow \u2013 even though she returned from her STS-132 mission relatively unscathed from her trip to the ISS.<\/p>\n
Notably in the recent flow, it was around the time of dedicated hydraulic operations to retract the LMLG (Left Main Landing Gear) to support TPS work earlier this month when Atlantis had to be put through an emergency power down.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/A315.jpg\" "\\"A3\\"")
\u201cThe vehicle was powered up but then had to be powered back down for an evacuation of the bay due to a facility natural gas line break at the MFF Cafeteria. The OPF was in the downwind corridor of the gas leak,\u201d noted the NASA Test Director (NTD) report at the time (L2).<\/p>\n\u201c(Workers) were evacuated to Marshalling Area 1 for personnel accountability due to the smell of natural gas in those facilities. Personnel were instructed to shelter-in-place until the situation could be resolved. Security also established road blocks and control points in the surrounding area.<\/p>\n
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\u201cCity Gas representatives were on site and discovered a cut in a 2\u201d gas line located on the North side of the MFF cafeteria. City Gas isolated the leak and repaired the gas line. At 1045 EST the natural gas service was restored. The evacuation of OPF-1, however, did require the test team to perform an emergency power down on OV-104 (Atlantis). OV-105 (Endeavour) in OPF 2 was not powered up at the time of the incident.\u201d<\/p>\n
Atlantis has a low number of Interim Problem Reports (IPRs) to her name for the STS-135 flow, the latest of which \u201cRetract motion of LO2 ET (External Tank) actuator not verified: SCAN retest was completed with nominal results\u201d has been closed.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/A73.jpg\" "\\"A73\\"")
The latest item of interest impacted Discovery out at Pad 39A, as engineers noticed issues with the fasteners on Atlantis\u2019 SSME dome heat shield. Issues were also found on Discovery\u2019s fasteners upon inspections out at the pad and are currently under investigation for corrective work.<\/p>\n\u201cFasteners on all six SSME dome heat shield splice lines were discovered to be loose. Four of the six locations had soft goods in the load path. Nothing unusual was noted during installation and paper verification indicates torque was initially in spec,\u201d noted the NTD report on the observations made on Atlantis.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs a result, all of the splice plates will be checked for loss of torque using a dial type torque wrench. The splice line plates will then be removed and replaced taking extra care to not have any of the blanket or soft goods in the load path.\u201d<\/p>\n
Atlantis\u2019 tank \u2013 ET-138 \u2013 continues to be checked out in the VAB\u2019s High Bay 2E (HB-2E), ahead of what will likely be modifications via radius blocks of its stringers, a procedure which was completed on ET-137 and is currently in work on STS-134\u2019s ET-122.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/A362.jpg\" "\\"A36\\"")
With STS-135 now officially approved, the mission continues to receive program-level mission baselining, with Atlantis manifested as carrying a MPLM (Multi-Purpose Logistics Module) and LMC (Lightweight Multi-Purpose Carrier) on a 11+1+2 day mission.<\/p>\nNASA managers have made no secret about the challenges of finding the required funding to execute the mission, although the workforce were reassured that despite of the monetary uncertainty, STS-135 will have the money in place \u201cregardless\u201d of the continued political evaluations.<\/p>\n
\u201cRegardless of what happens with the budget Continuing Resolution (CR), STS-135 will be funded,\u201d noted a short note to the workforce last week. \u201cA letter to that effect is expected.\u201d<\/p>\n
From a payload refinement standpoint, managers are continuing to evaluate just how much they can add to Atlantis\u2019 upmass via trade offs, taking advantage of what is technically an additional mission on the manifest \u2013 one which will aid the ISS\u2019 short term and long term future.<\/p>\n
\u201cOn STS-135, at the (planning team meeting), two additional powered middeck payloads were added, bringing the total up to six powered payloads,\u201d noted Flight Operations & Integration on recent documentation (L2). \u201cOn the robotics refueling payload for STS-135, there was an issue with thermal vac. They are off assessing this. A two-week hit is estimated.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/A471.jpg\" "\\"A47\\"")
However, from a downmass standpoint, it appears the potential return of BRRM motor component of the 2A Beta Gimbal Assembly (BGA) is now off the cards for Atlantis.<\/p>\n\u201cThe 2A BGA BRRM R&R assessments going to the SSPCB (Space Station Program Control Board). The technical community plans to recommend not going it,\u201d noted MOD (Mission Operations Directorate) comments from the 8th Floor update (L2), which also added how the launch date remains fluid.<\/p>\n
\u201cCoordinated the MOD position, which is that if it is approved, it should be done at the end of June or in early July, meaning ULF7 (STS-135) should be pushed back at least a few days from the current 6\/28 launch date. \u201c<\/p>\n
The desire to return the hardware related to ISS managerial comments about the interest in \u201cgetting the unit home for analysis and refurbishment and installing a pristine unit with no liens on its performance.\u201d However, it appears the schedule does not match that of Atlantis\u2019 mission, nor has the hardware been showing signs of an imminent need for replacement.<\/p>\n
\u201cBMRRM refurbishment for a spare is estimated to be complete by March 2012, with some uncertainty in the schedule,\u201d added SSPCB notes (L2). \u201cThe Program would like to accelerate the schedule for a spare to November 2011.<\/p>\n
\u201cOver the last three years, since there has not been any change in performance and we know how to account for high Beta LS with array parking, the Program concurs that we can continue with our current mitigation strategy and a BMRRM R&R is not currently needed at this time.\u201d<\/p>\n
STS-135 Specific Articles: http:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/tag\/sts-135\/<\/p>\n
Other considerations for STS-135 include the emotional element, with an obvious need to cater for the increase in public interest during the last ever shuttle mission.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe STS-135 team is working hard on a couple of items, including timeline, power usage, and payload complement options and trades, and a request from Shuttle Program Management for additional PAO event time during the mission,\u201d added Flight Director Kwatsi Alibaruho.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe team has already incorporated the PAO event requests received from Rob Navias\/PAO, but will work to accommodate additional PAO events as-needed.\u201d<\/p>\n
(Further updates and articles will follow. Refer to live coverage threads linked above. L2 members refer to STS-135 live coverage sections for internal coverage, presentations, images and and updates from engineers and managers. Images used, Larry Sullivan MaxQ Entertainment\/NASASpaceflight.com and via L2 acquired PRCB presentations).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
As the future of NASA\u2019s budget finds itself under scrutiny again this week, managers have told their workforce that STS-135 will fly \u201cregardless\u201d of what happens with the funding situation via the Continuing Resolution (CR). Atlantis\u2019 preparations for the final flight of the Space Shuttle are continuing without issue, as managers debate the payloads which […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":29565,"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":[3659],"class_list":["post-40529","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-sts-135"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40529"}],"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=40529"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40529\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/29565"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=40529"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=40529"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=40529"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}