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**Over 2100mb of STS-116 onwards related presentions and mission documentation <\/em>available on L2<\/em> **<\/em><\/p>\n **LIVE news updates on Discovery STS-116 \u2013 FOR EACH FLIGHT DAY**<\/em><\/p>\n **LIVE news updates on Atlantis STS-117 (STS-317) Processsing Flow**<\/em><\/p>\n The images taken by the OBSS were relayed live to the inspection team on the ground, while high resolution images will be evaluated over the coming couple of days, for the purpose of focused inspection. The OBSS is a key tool in checking the health of the TPS on orbit \u2013 and has already proven its usefulness on the three missions it has been involved on. Riding on the end of it\u2019s boom, the sensor package is capable of spotting even the slightest mark on the key areas of the TPS.<\/p>\n The three main areas of inspection on Flight Day 2 were both the starboard and port wings and the nose cap of the orbiter. Thousands of images were taken, with focused evaluations on any area of interest being sent to the MMT (Management Mission Team). **CLICK HERE FOR PANORAMIC IMAGES OF TODAY\u2019S INSPECTIONS**<\/p>\n Despite recent advances and modifications that have decreased the threat of critical damage to the orbiter during ascent \u2013 following the loss o Columbia on STS-107 \u2013 NASA are not taking any chances when it comes to missing any damage occurring on the orbiter during the ride uphill. <\/font><\/p>\n A recent Boeing presentation (available on L2) showed that the RCC panels still observed a number of \u2018strikes\u2019 on each of the previous three RTF (Return To Flight) launches, but importantly the mass of each strike are almost insignificant. Also, some of the \u2018strikes\u2019 can be caused by the shockwave that the Shuttle rides through, as noted by Boeing.<\/p>\n Those sensors \u2013 which is part of the \u2018early warning system\u2019 for debris concerns \u2013 contain immediate data that can help point to areas of interest for the OBSS to check in the event of a \u2018focused inspection\u2019 \u2013 which will take place on Flight Day 5, if required.<\/p>\n Following the conclusion to the inspections today, Deputy Shuttle manager John Shannon noted that only four \u2018strikes\u2019 were recorded by the RCC Panel sensors, all occurring after the key stage of ascent where debris can cause damage to the protective skin of Discovery.<\/p>\n \u2018Today we held our first MMT and the early indications are that everything on the Shuttle performed very well,\u2019 Shannon noted, before mentioning some minor issues with the Flash Evaporator System \u2013 which provides additional cooling to the orbiter radiators \u2013 and the loss of RMS (Remote Manipulator System) End Effector Auto Release capability.<\/p>\n \u2018The team sees nothing of concern at this time, but we did see four possible impacts (via the sensor readings), but of a very low momentum transfer (grms). The readings equate to one tenth of what we calculate to cause any damage and we\u2019ve seen this before on previous flights at about the same time.\u2019<\/p>\n Other areas that need to be checked include the belly of Discovery. This will be carried out during tomorrow\u2019s arrival at the ISS, with the highlighted RPM (Rendezvous Pitch Manoeuvre) rolling Discovery upside down, thus allowing photography to be taken by ISS crewmembers.<\/p>\n Discovery is due to dock with the ISS Tuesday afternoon.<\/font><\/p>\n Super high quality (450meg) Launch Videos of STS-116 is now available on L2. Several HQ Engineering Videos also available.<\/font><\/em> **INFINITY: 10 minute STS-115 MUSIC VIDEO**<\/font><\/em> \u2013 **NASASpaceflight.com Job Opportunities**<\/em><\/font> <\/p>\n <\/font> The crew of Shuttle Discovery have successfully carried out inspections of the orbiter\u2019s Thermal Protection System (TPS) \u2013 taking up the bulk of Flight Day 2 \u2013 ahead of tomorrow\u2019s docking with the International Space Station (ISS). Using the Orbiter Boom Sensor System (OBSS), inspections scanned for signs of damage on Discovery\u2019s RCC (Reinforced Carbon […]<\/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-41858","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41858"}],"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=41858"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41858\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=41858"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=41858"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=41858"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
<\/font><\/p>\nUnderstanding the debris environment an orbiter rides through on ascent has been aided by a series of sensors \u2013 or accelerometers \u2013 that are embedded under the 22 panels on each wing. <\/p>\n
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