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In fact, Endeavour will remain on standby at launch pad 39B through the completion of the STS-125 flight crew\u2019s late-inspection operations. Furthermore, the Mission Management Team (MMT) will discuss the flight readiness of STS-400 during their daily MMT (Mission Management Team) meetings once Atlantis (STS-125) has reached orbit.<\/p>\n
Nevertheless, as the MOD \u2018Special Topics\u2019 presentation notes, discussion by the MMT on the readiness of STS-400 \u2018will not be LON Activation \u2013 rather, it will be continued processing toward T-0.\u2019<\/p>\n
In this manner, should a LON scenario be deemed necessary by the MMT and the NASA community, approval would be given to pick up pad processing on Endeavour at the L-3 day mark, with all departments having a clear understanding of the STS-400 readiness.<\/p>\n
Furthermore, Atlantis will have consumables to support a Contingency Shuttle Crew Support (CSCS) scenario \u2013 albeit without the \u2018safe haven\u2019 of the International Space Station, which results in consumables being limited and providing \u201clittle margin\u201d for STS-400 rescue operations.<\/p>\n
STS-400 Operations:<\/p>\n
In the unlikely event that the rescue mission was required, Endeavour would be capable of launching No Earlier Than seven days after the launch of Atlantis.<\/p>\n
![\"a225\"](\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/04\/a225.jpg\" "\\"a225\\"")
However, unlike almost all other rendezvous missions, Endeavour\u2019s capture of shuttle Atlantis would occur on Endeavour\u2019s FD-2 (Flight Day-2).<\/p>\nRocket building kits
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\u201cLaunch Window duration varies and is a function of Flight Day 2 rendezvous phasing,\u201d notes the MOD Mission Overview presentation, available for download on L2.<\/p>\n
While a FD-2 rendezvous is preferred for STS-400 operations \u2013 mainly because of limiting consumables (food, propellant, etc.) onboard Atlantis \u2013 the MOD and the Space Shuttle Program (SSP) have agreed to allow the Kennedy Space Center launch team the ability to extend the daily launch window for STS-400 into the FD-3 rendezvous timeframe, to allow additional time in the daily launch windows to get Endeavour off the ground.<\/p>\n
Also unlike previous flights, STS-400 will not require a TAL (Transoceanic Abort Landing) site. TAL sites are usually necessary to provide certified, intact abort modes for shuttle crews in the event of an engine\/engines or systems failure.<\/p>\n
![\"a319\"](\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/04\/a319.jpg\" "\\"a319\\"")
Nevertheless, because Endeavour does not require a payload for STS-400, the vehicle is light enough to ensure that the RTLS (Return To Launch Site), while the ATO (Abort To Orbit) abort mode boundaries overlap, thereby eliminating the need for a TAL abort site.<\/p>\nAs such, TAL support personnel will be released from their duties in Moron, Spain \u2013 the only viable TAL site for Atlantis on STS-125 \u2013 after the mission\u2019s successful launch.<\/p>\n
However, should an emergency during Endeavour\u2019s launch be declared, such as a decrease in cabin pressure or a systems malfunction, Endeavour\u2019s crew can still make use of the emergency landing fields on the island of Bermuda and in Banjul, The Gambia.<\/p>\n
Nevertheless, those emergency landings would only be considered if the particular failure was critical enough that aborting to orbit was deemed too great a risk for the flight crew.<\/p>\n
Furthermore, the STS-400 flight will not be granted any formal changes to its Operations and Maintenance Requirements and Specifications, Launch Commit Criteria, and\/or Flight Rules because of the special nature of the mission.<\/p>\n
Essentially, there will be no \u201crelaxation of requirements for launch\u201d just because STS-400 is the rescue mission for Atlantis\u2019 crew.<\/p>\n
Instead, any violations to the standard rules will be assessed by the launch team on a \u201ccase-by-case basis to ensure that critical capability exists to complete the STS-400 mission objectives.\u201d<\/p>\n
However, once Endeavour reaches orbit, rendezvous preparations with Atlantis will begin in earnest.<\/p>\n
Unlike all previous post-Return to Flight missions, should Endeavour actually be launched on STS-400, the four person crew \u2013 Commander Chris Ferguson, Pilot Eric Boe, and Missions Specialists Shane Kimbrough and Steve Bowen \u2013 and will not perform the standard Thermal Protection System (TPS) inspections on FD-2.<\/p>\n
Instead, all TPS inspection related operations will be differed until after the STS-125 flight crew rescue milestones are complete.<\/p>\n
![\"a414\"](\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/04\/a414.jpg\" "\\"a414\\"")
For rendezvous operations, Atlantis will be maneuvered to an orientation that places her Payload Bay toward Earth and her starboard side on the velocity bar (Vbar).<\/p>\nEndeavour will then approach Atlantis from the Rbar (from underneath), \u201cflying at a 90 degree angle to Atlantis to minimize RCS plume impingement effects during final braking\u201d to a grapple range of approximately 44ft.<\/p>\n
Once Endeavour reaches this position, both Orbiters will be placed in free drift to allow Endeavour\u2019s crew to use their Shuttle Remote Manipulator System (SRMS) to \u201cgrapple Atlantis using the forward grapple fixture on Atlantis\u2019 berthed Orbiter Boom Sensor System (OBSS),\u201d notes a MOD FRR presentation, also available for download on L2.<\/p>\n
After Endeavour successfully grapples Atlantis, Endeavour\u2019s crew will nullify any rotational rates between the two orbiters.<\/p>\n
Furthermore, the MOD presentation notes that \u201cWhile in free drift, (Endeavour\u2019s) SRMS maneuvers Atlantis to nose-to-nose relative position needed for vernier attitude control. Rescue Orbiter resumes control in ALT to maneuver stack to long-term mated gravity gradient\/Torque Equilibrium Attitude (TEA).\u201d<\/p>\n
Finally, after Atlantis\u2019 crew is safely aboard the rescue orbiter, Endeavour\u2019s crew will maneuver the two vehicles to the proper separation orientation. This orientation will see Atlantis flying belly-first along the Vbar with Endeavour right \u2018behind\u2019 her.<\/p>\n
![\"a57\"](\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/04\/a57.jpg\" "\\"a57\\"")
For separation, the MOD has approved an ungrapple time of sunrise +2minutes to ensure that the ungrapple and first part of separation occur in daylight.<\/p>\nShould the rescue mission be launched, the Ascent\/Entry Flight Control Team from STS-125 will move over to support the rescue mission while the STS-125 Orbit 1 and 2 Teams will undertake 13-hour days through the disposal reentry of Atlantis.<\/p>\n
Furthermore, the MOD presentation notes the various amounts of time Atlantis\u2019 crew could wait for rescue if unfavorable damage is detected.<\/p>\n
If un-repairable damage is detected during the FD-2 TPS inspections, and the decision is made to conduct an immediate Group C+ power-down, Atlantis could act as a life raft for her Flight Crew for just over 24 days if needed.<\/p>\n
Similarly, should un-repairable damage be detected on FD-10 during the late inspections, and the decision is made to move immediately into Group C+ power-down, Atlantis could act as a life raft for an additional 16.5 days, with the STS-400 rescue mission arriving No Earlier Than 15 days 16 hours after the damage was detected.<\/p>\n
Nevertheless, the likelihood of STS-400 actually flying is very slim. However, Endeavour will not be officially released for her Launch On Need duties until Atlantis and her crew are safely home.<\/p>\n
L2 members<\/em><\/em>: Documentation \u2013 from which the above article has quoted snippets \u2013 is available in full in the related L2 sections, now over 4000 gbs in size.<\/em><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
With Space Shuttle Atlantis officially set for an opening launch attempt on May 11, confirmed after today\u2019s Agency Flight Readiness Review (FRR), NASA managers are continuing their review of a host of \u2018special topics\u2019 for the mission\u2019s rescue flight, STS-400, which is enjoying a smooth processing flow on Launch Pad 39B. STS-400 Forward Strategy: As has […]<\/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":[8290,8291],"class_list":["post-41116","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","tag-sts-125","tag-sts-400"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41116"}],"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=41116"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41116\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=41116"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=41116"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=41116"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}