**Over 2500mb of STS-116 onwards related presentions and mission documentation <\/em>available on L2<\/em> <\/em>** <\/em><\/p>\n Latest FAWG Manifest Presentation (Jan). New Launch Schedule Presentation \u2013 Jan 8. STS-125 NASA Memo updates. LON-325 Rescue Mission Outline and images \u2013 and more available on L2.<\/em><\/p>\n **LIVE news updates on Atlantis STS-117 Processsing Flow**<\/em><\/p>\n **LIVE news updates on Endeavour STS-118 (LON-318) Processing**<\/em><\/p>\n **LIVE news updates on Discovery STS-122 (LON-322) Processing**<\/em><\/p>\n NASA mission patches (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});<\/p>\n Moving to Atlantis was suggested around the time the confirmation of the servicing flight was given by NASA administrator Mike Griffin back in October. <\/font><\/p>\n Now NASA have decided to switch STS-125 with one of Atlantis\u2019 scheduled missions, STS-126. The rationale on this move has not yet been explained, although the upcoming PRCB (Program Requirements Control Board) meeting \u2013 the first of the new year \u2013 may shed some light on the decision. <\/font><\/p>\n With STS-126\u2019s switch, Discovery also becomes the rescue orbiter on LON-326 (Launch On Need), with a NET launch date requirement just one week after Atlantis is due to launch to Hubble. <\/font><\/p>\n This means Discovery will be sat on Launch Pad 39B at the time of Atlantis\u2019 launch from 39A. While that wouldn\u2019t be the first time two orbiters were out of adjacent pads, ironically it will be 39B\u2019s final shuttle act, prior to being handed over to Constellation immedialty after the rescue contingency is stood down.<\/font><\/p>\n<\/p>\n This, the fifth mission to Hubble, will also be the Atlantis\u2019 first \u2013 and last \u2013 visit to the space telescope, after Hubble was launched by Discovery. Previous HSMs have been carried out by Endeavour, December 1993, Discovery, February 1997, Discovery, December 1999 and Columbia, March 2002.<\/font><\/p>\n STS-125 \u2013 which will be commanded by Scott Altman \u2013 will be the highlight mission prior to the 2010 retirement of the fleet, with the mission to Hubble widely lobbied by the science community since Griffin intimated that he would reverse the previous cancellation by former administrator Sean O\u2019Keefe \u2013 if he was satisfied the safety of the crew was within strict requirements. <\/font><\/p>\n O\u2019Keefe\u2019s decision was understood at the time \u2013 if not criticized for being made by a still grieving agency post STS-107 \u2013 given the lack of a proven on-orbit repair capability. <\/font><\/p>\n At the time of the decision it was confirmed that a unique rescue requirement would be placed in support of the servicing, given the lack of the International Space Station (ISS) Safe Haven option. If it was required, Discovery would launch to the stricken Atlantis, for a series of EVAs that would transfer the crew of Atlantis on to Discovery for a return home.<\/font><\/p>\n For the mission, Atlantis will carry 22,000 pounds of hardware to the aging telescope, with four spacewalks (EVAs) required during the 11 day mission. One of the highlights of the mission will be an EVA that will replace an electronics board inside the Hubble\u2019s Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS), which requires 111 screws being removed in the space of 45 minutes.<\/font><\/p>\n STS-121 astronaut and EVA specialist Piers Sellars, speaking to the BBC\u2019s Sky at Night this week noted that the crew are already undergoing rigorous training in preparation for the mission.<\/p>\n In the payload bay will be primary elements SLIC (Super Lightweight Interchangeable Carrier), ORUC (Orbital Replacement Unit Carrier), FSS Flight Support System (Structure) and MULE (Multi-use Logistic Equipment Carrier) \u2013 that latter two elements swapping places since the previous mission to service Hubble. <\/p>\n Other moves noted in the brand new manifest include the next mission, STS-117, being evaluated for a one day advance of the current NET (No Earlier Than) launch date of March 16, STS-119 is being delayed from June 19 to July 7, and the post Hubble orbiter change seeing a number of missions switching between Discovery and Endeavour), with additional launch dates changes on those missions.<\/font> **INFINITY: 10 minute STS MUSIC VIDEO**<\/font><\/em><\/font> \u2013 **NASASpaceflight.com Job Opportunities**<\/em><\/font> <\/font><\/em><\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Shuttle Atlantis has been handed a flagship finale, following the confirmation that she will now be the orbiter that will now conduct the Hubble Space Telescope servicing mission, with the launch date slipping to September 11, 2008. The decision to swap STS-125 \u2013 known as HSM-04 \u2013 from Discovery to Atlantis was confirmed by the […]<\/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-41828","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41828"}],"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=41828"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41828\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=41828"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=41828"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=41828"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Initially called the Flight of Opportunity, NASA had continued to place STS-125 as part of Discovery\u2019s launch schedule. However, evaluations on swapping with Atlantis surrounding adding another flight to her final schedule, prior to 2008 retirement, had been bubbling under the surface of NASA\u2019s plans. <\/font><\/p>\n
**Click the image to view the camcorder video recording of HSM mission STS-109\u2019s 2002 launch (free to view for forum members)**<\/em><\/font> <\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.miomanager.com\/Mio_Files\/library\/1016\/hubble4.JPG\")
However, following the post return to flight successes in both reducing foam liberation, and a refined rescue mission contingency, Griffin was satisfied that the mission to Hubble was safe enough to fly. <\/font><\/p>\n<\/font>**Ride home through the fire and plasma of re-entry with Atlantis on STS_115 \u2013 Stunning 2hr, 355mb video \u2013 from deorbit burn to post landing**<\/font><\/p>\n
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<\/em>(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