**The most comprehensive collection of STS-117 onwards related presentions and mission documentation, plus expansive daily processing documentation and updates are <\/em>available to download on L2<\/em><\/font> **<\/em><\/font><\/p>\n L2 Members can follow live evaluations with memos and presentations as they are produced via our special STS-117 Special Section. Live as-it-happens NASA information.<\/font><\/em><\/p>\n STS-117: LIVE LAUNCH DAY AND FLIGHT DAY 1<\/font><\/em> \u2013 FLIGHT DAY 2 \u2013 LIVE<\/font> \u2013 <\/em>FLIGHT DAY 3 \u2013 LIVE<\/font><\/em> \u2013 FLIGHT DAY 4 \u2013 LIVE<\/font><\/em> \u2013 FLIGHT DAY 5 \u2013 LIVE<\/font><\/em><\/p>\n Article:<\/u><\/em><\/p>\n<\/p>\n SpaceX (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});<\/p>\n NASA used their \u2018Team 4\u2019 engineers and technicians to look at the options open to them in regards to either repairing the area of the blanket, or if to leave the blanket \u2018as-is.\u2019 <\/p>\n Engineers are currently looking at testing the methods that will be carried out, in order to create a timeline and plan the procedure. <\/p>\n The area where the pod is damaged can be reached by the Atlantis\u2019 robotic arm with a work platform attached, mirroring the EVA carried out by STS-114 astronaut Steve Robinson<\/font>, who removed two protruding gap fillers from Discovery\u2019s belly via the ISS\u2019 robotic arm.<\/p>\n This time the spacewalker will be transport to the top aft area of Atlantis, where he will fold the blanket back down by hand, before being held in place by \u2013 to be decided \u2013 pins, ties, tape or other available techniques. <\/p>\n \u2018OMS Pod Blanket has memory \u2013 can push back to original position; leave blanket in place,\u2019 noted Team 4 to the all-powerful Mission Management Team (MMT) meeting. <\/p>\n \u2018Assuming aero loads are too high, fasten or sew to an adjacent blanket using stuff from parachute repair kit onboard \u2013 use needle and stainless steel wire (22 gauge); or use a medical stapler (per Flight Surgeon) \u2013 will go look at these.\u2019<\/p>\n Earlier in the day it started to look likely that the decision would be to go ahead with the repair of the blanket, classing it as \u2018highly likely.\u2019<\/p>\n \u2018Several repair options are still being evaluated,\u2019 noted NASA information acquired by NASASpaceflight.com. \u2018Most likely method right now is tucking the blanket down, plus some kind of stitching\/attachment method <\/b>(likely using wire or pins<\/b>). Testing of various methods planned for 3 p.m. today (8pm GMT).\u2019<\/p>\n \u2018Cutting off and replacing blankets, or drilling into structure, have been pretty much ruled out. <\/p>\n \u2018No earlier than EVA 3. may insert a 4th EVA.\u2019<\/p>\n The EVA will also have the positive learning curve of new spacewalk repair techniques, especially ahead of the flagship STS-125 mission to service the Hubble Space Telescope. This mission will not have the \u2018safe haven\u2019 of the International Space Station (ISS).<\/p>\n Latest news from the MMT meeting notes that four EVAs now appear to be the thinking at NASA, with the repair being carried out on EVA 3, with the previously scheduled tasks on EVA 3 being moved to an EVA 4.<\/p>\n \u2018There was a great deal of discussion about the blanket at the blanket,\u2019 added NASA information. \u2018The general conclusion was that the blanket needs to be fixed before re-entry and another EVA to repair the problem will most likely be needed. That EVA will probably be EVA 3 and EVA 3 will be moved to 4.\u2019<\/p>\n This decision \u2013 on which EVA they will use to carry out the repair \u2013 will be decided tomorrow. However, the MMT has already decided to extend Atlantis\u2019 mission by two days as a result.<\/p>\n \u2018The MMT has just extended the STS-117 mission by two days to affect EVA repair to the OMS pod thermal blanket,\u2019 added a memo. \u2018The repair will occur on either EVA 3 or 4. That decision will be made tomorrow. The crew will be contacted at the end of their day today.\u2019<\/p>\n NASA are also investigating a hit registered on Atlantis\u2019 Wing Leading Edge. Classed as a MMOD event (the first of the mission), it wasn\u2019t stated which wing registered the hit.<\/p>\n \u2018There was also a 0.5g hit on the WLE sensor last night at around 2:41am. This may come during FI (Focused Inspection) since it occurred after the flight day 2 checkout.<\/p>\n \u2018Attempting to determine the time of MMOD Case 01.\u2019 For L2 members, follow NASA\u2019s evaluations on the L2 Flight Day specific pages (which contain 100s and same day documentation and presentations \u2013 15 presentations alone on Flight Day 2, 10 presentations on Flight Day 3 and 14 on Flight Day 4).<\/p>\n **INFINITY: 10 minute STS MUSIC VIDEO**<\/font><\/em><\/font> \u2013 COMING SOON: Atlantis\/Starlight. **NASASpaceflight.com Job Opportunities**<\/em><\/font> <\/font><\/em><\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" NASA managers have decided that they will repair the protruding piece of blanket on Atlantis\u2019 port OMS (Orbital Maneuvering System) Pod, following a meeting today, extending STS-117 by two days. The repair will be carried out no earlier than EVA 3, and may involve a fourth EVA during STS-117. The repair will involve the blanket […]<\/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":[],"class_list":["post-41694","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41694"}],"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=41694"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41694\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=41694"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=41694"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=41694"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}<\/font>**Ride home through the fire and plasma of re-entry with Atlantis on STS-115 \u2013 And now also with Discovery on STS-116 \u2013 TWO Stunning high quality 2hr, 355mb videos \u2013 from deorbit burn to post landing**<\/font><\/p>\n
<\/font>Follow Atlantis\u2019 mission with live updates on our <\/font>Flight Day specific interactive live event pages<\/font> \u2013 open to all. <\/font><\/em><\/p>\n<\/font><\/p>\n
<\/em><\/font>(Video section is FREE, but you need to sign up as a member of the forum to enter the video section of the site. We only use your e-mail to send you your password. It will not be used for spam etc.)<\/em><\/font><\/em><\/p>\n