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May 19, 2006
Let's get ready to rumble. . .
The Space Shuttle Discovery is currently making it's way out to Lauch Pad 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The shuttle makes the four mile journey from the Vechicle Assembly Building to the Pad at the snail's pace of less than one mile per hour. An similar journey has already been made by the STS-121 Payload Canister already where it will await the shuttle's arrival before it is loaded aboard.
Payload canister on it's way to Launchpad 39B.
Click here for high res image.
Nasa TV is currently streaming video of Discovery's journey to the pad. Click here to view.
Shuttle Mission STS-121 will launch a 7 member crew into orbit with Mission Commander Col. Steve Lindsay, USAF taking his second trip as commander (Lindsay has also been Mission Pilot on STS-87 and STS-95). STS-121 will be piloted by Navy Cmdr. Mark Kellly in his second shuttle mission. Other crew members on STS-121 include Mission Specialists Mike Fossum, Lisa Nowak, Stephanie Wilson, Piers Sellers and Thomas Reiter (representing the European Space Agency and who will remain aboard the International Space Station).
The primary mission tasks for STS-121 include testing a number of new safety measures integrated into the shuttle system after the failure of Columbia upon re-entry including redesigned components of the external rocket boosters and main fuel tank which shed insulating foam leading to the destruction of Columbia. Additional tasks include delivering a Leonardo logisitics module to the ISS which will carry equipment and supplies to the station, and two scheduled spacewalks with the possibility of a third.
The first of the two scheduled spacewalks will test a 50 ft. extension of the robotic arm system and it's suitability for a work platform, the spacewalk will also work to repair or replace a cable cutter unit which was damaged and is necessary for future space station construction.
The second spacewalk will continue the tasks of the first and reattach a cable on the stations exterior which was inadvertantly cut on a previous mission. This second spacewalk will also deliver and install spare parts for the International Space Stations thermal contol system so that they will be available if needed in the future.
A third spacewalk may be carried out if time permits which would be centered around in-space repair techniques for possible damaged carbon-fiber panels or heat shield elements. Should inspection with the new Orbital Boom Sensor System, OBSS (which looks for damaged elements of the heat shield) detect a problem, we can expect a restructuring of mission tasks to make this third spacewalk a priority over the two scheduled.
I'm sure I'll be posting more about STS-121 and the Shuttle Program in general over the coming weeks, as we get closer to launch which will occur sometime after July 1, 2006. (Exact dates for the launch window have yet to be announced.)
Images courtesy of NASA and you can visit the STS-121 mission website here.
--Jason
--Jason
Posted by JasonColeman at May 19, 2006 12:06 PM
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