STS-117 Press Kit

STS-117 Press Kit

CONTENTS
Section Page

STS-117 MISSION OVERVIEW................................................................................................. STS-117 TIMELINE OVERVIEW ................................................................................................ MISSION PRIORITIES ............................................................................................................. LAUNCH AND LANDING ...........................................................................................................
L A U N CH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A B OR T- T O- OR B IT ( AT O ) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . T RA N SA TLA NT I C A B OR T L A N D I NG ( TAL) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . R E T UR N -T O -L A U N CH - SI T E ( R TL S ) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . A B OR T O N C E A RO U N D (A OA ) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . L A N D I NG . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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15 15 15 15 15 15

MISSION PROFILE................................................................................................................... STS-117 ATLANTIS CREW ....................................................................................................... MISSION PERSONNEL .............................................................................................................

K E Y CO N S OLE P O S IT IO N S F O R S TS -1 1 7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..

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RENDEZVOUS AND DOCKING ..................................................................................................

U N D O CK I NG , S E PA RA TI O N A N D D EPA RTU R E . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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SPACEWALKS ......................................................................................................................... PAYLOAD OVERVIEW ..............................................................................................................

I N T E GRA T ED T R U SS S E GME NT S S3 A N D S 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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EXPERIMENTS .........................................................................................................................
D E TA IL E D T ES T OBJECT I VE S . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . S H OR T- D UR AT I O N BI OA S TR O NA U TI C S INVESTIG AT ION ( S D B I ) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . S H OR T- D UR AT I O N R E S EA RC H A N D S TATI O N EX P ER IMEN T S . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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SPACE SHUTTLE MAIN ENGINE ADVANCED HEALTH MANAGEMENT SYSTEM ........................

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MARCH 2007

CONTENTS

 Section Page

SHUTTLE REFERENCE DATA .................................................................................................... ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS ......................................................................................... MEDIA ASSISTANCE ............................................................................................................... PUBLIC AFFAIRS CONTACTS ..................................................................................................

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CONTENTS

MARCH 2007

STS-117 MISSION OVERVIEW

AcomputergeneratedartistsrenderingoftheInternationalSpaceStationafterflight STS117/13A,followingthedeliveryandinstallationofthesecondstarboardtruss segment(S3/S4),thedeploymentofthethirdsetofsolararrays,andtheretraction oftheP6starboardsolararraywingandoneradiatorareretracted TheSTS117missioncontinuesconstructionof theInternationalSpaceStationandincorporates lessonsfromthetwomostrecentshuttle missions,STS115andSTS116.STS117will completesimilartaskssuchasinstallingnew solararraysandretractinganexistingarray. Thegroundcontrolteamsandspaceflight crewshaveusedthepastmissionsexperiences, bothchallengesandsuccesses,asaguidefor thisnextstepinspacestationassembly. SpaceShuttleAtlantiswilllaunchsixastronauts forits28thflightandthe118thshuttlemission. RickSturckow(STURkow),aMarinecolonel, willcommandtheflight.PilotLee Archambault(ARSHumboh),anAirForce colonel,joinsSturckowintheshuttlescockpit. MissionspecialistsPatrickForrester,Steven Swanson,JohnDannyOlivas(OhLEEvuhs) andJimReillywillconductthemissionsthree scheduledspacewalks.

MARCH 2007

MISSION OVERVIEW

Whileseatedatthecommandersstation,astronautRickSturckow,STS117 commander,participatesinatrainingsessioninthecrewcompartmenttrainer (CCT2)intheSpaceVehicleMockupFacilityatJohnsonSpaceCenter. Themissionwilldeliverandinstallthe17.5ton S3/S4trusssegmenttothestarboardsideofthe integratedtrusssystemoftheorbitaloutpost. Thetruss,partofthestationsgirderlike backbone,isamirrorimageoftheP3/P4truss installedduringSTS115inSeptember2006. Thenewtrusssegmentincludesasetof photovoltaicsolararrays.Whenunfurled,the 240footarraysprovideadditionalpowerfor thestationinpreparationforthedeliveryof internationalsciencemodulesduringthenext twoyears.Eachofthe82activearrayblankets thataregroupedinto31.5bayscontains 16,400siliconphotovoltaiccellstoconvert sunlightintoelectricity.Thetrussalsocontains aSolarAlphaRotaryJoint(SARJ),whichwill rotate360degrees,clockwiseor counterclockwise,topositiontheS4andS6 solararraystotrackthesun.

Thisgraphicdepictsthekeyelementsin AtlantispayloadbayforSTS117.

MISSION OVERVIEW

MARCH 2007

AstronautLeeArchambault,STS117pilot,participatesinatrainingsession inthecrewcompartmenttrainer. ProcessestoactivatetheSARJweremodified afterSTS115.Duringthatmission,difficulties wereencounteredwithsoftwareassociated withthegearswithinthejoint,and spacewalkingastronautshadtroubleloosening boltsduringitsstructuralpreparation. SoftwaretocontroltheSARJwasupdated,and thespacewalkersnowwillcarryanothertool, calledatorquemultiplier,tohelpremoveany balkylaunchrestraints. Themissionincludestheretractionofthe starboardsolararray,knownas2B,ontheP6 trussatopthestation,whichwouldotherwise interferewiththerotationofthenewstarboard arrays.TheretractionalsopreparestheP6 trussforitsrelocationtotheoutboardportside ofthestationlaterthisyear.Retractionwill beginadayearlierthanoriginallyplanned becauseofthetrickyretractionoftheP6port sidesolararrayduringtheSTS116missionin December. AtlantisistargetedtoliftofffromLaunchPad 39AatNASAsKennedySpaceCenterin FloridaonMarch15atapproximately6:43a.m. EDT,about40minutesbeforesunrise.

MARCH 2007

MISSION OVERVIEW

TherotatingservicestructureonLaunchPad39Ahasbeenfullyopenedforthefirsttime inmorethanayearduetomaintenanceandupgradesonthepad.Pad39Aisbeingmade readyforitsfirstlaunchinfouryears,theupcomingSTS117targetedforMarch15. Therestrictionfordaylightonlylauncheswas liftedduetotheexcellentperformanceofthe shuttlesexternaltankinminimizingfoam sheddingduringascentandtheabilityto completelyinspecttheshuttlesheatshieldfor damage. Atlantislaunchwindowwillremainopenuntil aroundMarch25sotheshuttlecanundock fromthestationbeforetheApril7launchofthe Expedition15crewaboardaSoyuzspacecraft. STS117isexpectedtolastatleast11dayswith thescheduledspacewalksonflightdays4,6 and8. Thefirstthreedaysofthemissionclosely mirrorthoseofrecentshuttleflightswith inspectionofthermalprotectionsystemtiles Onflightday2,aninspectionofthe thermal protection systemwill beperformed. andwingleadingedgereinforcedcarbon carbonpanels,andrendezvousanddocking withthestation.

MISSION OVERVIEW

MARCH 2007

AstronautsStevenSwanson(center)andLeeArchambault(right),STS117missionspecialist andpilot,respectively,participateinanexerciseinthesystemsengineeringsimulatorinthe JakeGarnSimulationandTrainingFacilityatJohnsonSpaceCenter.Thefacilityincludes movingscenesoffullsizedInternationalSpaceStationcomponentsoverasimulatedEarth.

MARCH 2007

MISSION OVERVIEW

 Forresteristheprimeshuttleroboticarm operator,workingwithArchambaultand OlivastoinspectAtlantisusingthearm extension,knownastheOrbiterBoomSensor System.Thesameinspectionsofthewingsand otherorbitersurfaceswilltakeplaceafter undockingfromthestationtocheckforany damageincurredduringthemission. WhenAtlantisarrivesatthestationtwodays afterlaunch,theExpedition14Commander MichaelLopezAlegria,FlightEngineerMikhail TyurinandFlightEngineerSunitaWilliams willgreetthesixpersonshuttlecrew. LopezAlegriaandTyurinhavebeenaboard thecomplexsinceSeptember,followingtheir launchontheRussianSoyuzspacecraftfrom theBaikonurCosmodromeinKazakhstan. TheyarescheduledtoreturntoEarthinApril afterthearrivalofthenextstationcrew. WilliamscametothestationonDiscoverys STS116flightinDecember.Shewillreturn duringtheSTS118missionthatistargetedfor launchinJune.

Expedition14crewmemberscosmonautMikhailTyurin(left),astronaut MichaelE.LopezAlegria,commander,andastronautSunitaL.Williams.

MISSION OVERVIEW

MARCH 2007

 Oncehatchesareopen,Forresterand Archambaultwillusetheshuttlesroboticarm tograppletheS3/S4truss.Theywillhanditoff tothestationsroboticarmbeingoperatedby WilliamsfromthestationsDestinylab.The trusswillremaingrappledtothestations Canadarm2overnight. ReillyandOlivaswillbeginspacewalk preparationspromptly.Spacewalkerswilluse thecampoutprotocol,andstayingovernight intheQuestairlocktoremovenitrogenfrom theirbloodstreams.Thatwillpreventa conditionknownasdecompressionsickness, commonlycalledthebends. Thenextmorning,asReillyandOlivasprepare toleavetheQuestairlockfortheirfirst spacewalkofthemission,Archambaultand Williamsslowlyandcarefullywillpositionthe S3/S4trussattheedgeoftheS1trussfor installationusingtheCanadarm2.Oncethe trussissecuredinplace,thespacewalkerswill makethewiringconnectionsandpreparethe newsolararraysandthermalradiatorfor deployment.Theradiatorwillbedeployedat theendofthespacewalk. Onflightday5,thecrewandgroundcontrol teamswillworktogethertodeploythenew solararraysandtransferequipmentand suppliesbetweentheshuttleandstation.At theendoftheday,thestationsroboticarmwill bemaneuveredintopositionforthesecond spacewalk.Whilethecrewsleeps,theground controlteamwillmovethearmanditsmobile workplatformfromworksiteNo.2towork siteNo.3onthestationstruss.

AstronautsJohn(Danny)OlivasandJimReilly,bothSTS117missionspecialists,areabouttobe submergedinthewatersoftheNeutralBuoyancyLaboratory(NBL)nearJohnsonSpaceCenter.

MARCH 2007

MISSION OVERVIEW

AstronautsPatrickForresterandStevenSwanson(partiallyobscured),bothSTS117 missionspecialists,areabouttobeginaspacewalksimulationintheNBL. Beforethesecondspacewalkonflightday6,the crewwillbeginretractingtheP6starboardsolar arrayfrominsidetheshuttle.Theywill commandittoretractonebayatatime,starting withlessthanonebayatfirst,tobringthe panelsintotheirstorageboxes.Theywill continueuntilonly19ofthe31.5baysare extended.ThatwillcleartheareafortheSARJ rotation,oruntilthecrewneedstoturnits focustothespacewalkpreparations. Ifthesolararraypanelsbegintohangupor foldincorrectly,astheydidonSTS116, ForresterandSwansoncouldtrytocorrectthe issueatthebeginningofthespacewalk.They willcarrythesametoolswrappedwith insulatingtapeandusethesametechniques developedduringSTS116. Thegroundcontrolteamalsocantrytofree guidewiresstuckongrommetsonthepanels beforethespacewalkbycommandingthe arraysBetaGimbalAssembly(BGA)torotate inonedirectionandthentheother. Afterspendingsomespacewalktimewiththe solararrayretraction,ifneeded,the spacewalkerswillcontinuereleasinglocksand restraintsontheSARJtoallowitsactivation.

MISSION OVERVIEW

MARCH 2007

ThisdigitalstillimagewastakenbyanSTS116crewmemberaboardtheSpaceShuttleDiscovery ofakinkthatoccurredintheportsideP6solararrayduringthefirstattempttoretractthatarrayon Dec.13.Thecrewlaterextendedthearrayandclearedthiskink.Theslowretractionofthearray wasthenbegunagainwithsimilarretractionandextensioncyclesrepeatedasthedayprogressed. Ifnecessary,thecrewwillresumeretractionof theP6solararrayonflightday7.Thefinal bayswillberetractedcarefullyinastepped fashion,stoppingatonehalfbayandone quarterbaybeforefullyretracting.Ifthe retractioncannotbecompletedonthatday frominsidethevehicles,thethirdspacewalk willbededicatedtofixingissueswiththearray retraction. IfafocusedinspectionofAtlantisheatshieldis requestedoncetheshuttleisatthestation,time wouldbemadeavailableforitonflightday7. Inthiscase,additionalsolararrayretractions wouldbeconductedduringspacewalk preparationsonflightday8insteadofflight day7. ReillyandOlivasthirdspacewalkonflightday 8isdedicatedtomaintenanceandassembly tasks,unlesstheyneedtohelpwithretracting theP6solararray. Flightday9includesoffdutytimeforthe shuttleastronautsandfinaltransferofcargo betweenthetwovehicles.

MARCH 2007

MISSION OVERVIEW

TheInternationalSpaceStationasitwillappearfollowingtheSTS117/ISS13Amission. Onflightday10,theshuttlecrewwillsay farewelltotheExpedition14crewandclose hatches.Undockingfromthestationis expectedearlyinthecrewsworkdaytoallow foraflyaroundofthecomplextodocumentthe stationsnewconfiguration.Theflyaroundalso providestimetocompleteafinalinspectionof Atlantisheatshieldusingtheorbiterboom sensorsystem. Theastronautswillstowtheirgear,test Atlantisflightcontrolsurfacesandsteeringjets andreviewtheirentryandlandingprocedures onflightday11.Atlantisisscheduledtoland onthemorningofflightday12,bringingthe firstshuttlemissionof2007toaclose.

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MISSION OVERVIEW

MARCH 2007

STS-117 TIMELINE OVERVIEW

FLIGHT DAY 1
Launch PayloadBayDoorOpening KuBandAntennaDeployment ShuttleRobotArmPowerUp ExternalTankHandheldVideo,Umbilical WellImageryandWingLeadingEdge SensorDataDownlink

DockingtotheInternationalSpaceStation HatchOpeningandWelcomingby Expedition14Crew ShuttlerobotarmgrappleofS3/S4trussand handofftostationrobotarmforovernight parking ReillyandOlivassleepinQuestAirlockfor spacewalkprebreathecampoutprotocol

FLIGHT DAY 4
StationrobotarminstallsS3/S4trussonthe S1truss ReillyandOlivasEVANo.1toconnect S1/S3powercables,releaselaunch restraints,releasesolararrayblanketbox restraintsandinstallSolarAlphaRotary JointDriveLockAssemblies S3trussandS4electricalchannel3Aand1A activation

FLIGHT DAY 2
ShuttleRobotArmCheckout ShuttleRobotArmGrappleofOrbiter BoomSensorSystem(OBSS) InspectionofShuttleThermalProtection SystemandWingLeadingEdgeReinforced CarbonCarbon(RCC) OBSSBerthing SpacesuitCheckout OrbiterDockingSystemOuterRing Extension AirlockPreparations RendezvousToolCheckout

FLIGHT DAY 5
S4solararraydeployment SolarAlphaRotaryJointunlocking ForresterandSwansonsleepinQuest Airlockforspacewalkprebreathecampout protocol

FLIGHT DAY 3
RendezvousOperations TerminalInitiationEngineFiring RendezvousPitchManeuverandISSDigital PhotographyfromAtlantis

FLIGHT DAY 6
InitialattempttoretractP6starboardarray duringEVANo.2preparations ForresterandSwansonEVANo.2torelease SolarAlphaRotaryJointlocksanddeploy bracesinpreparationforitsinitialrotation

MARCH 2007

TIMELINE OVERVIEW

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FLIGHT DAY 7
PossibleadditionalretractionofP6 starboardarraytoitsfullretractedposition forblanketboxlatching Placeholderforfocusedinspectionof Atlantisthermalheatshield,ifrequired Crewoffdutyperiod ReillyandOlivassleepinQuestAirlockfor spacewalkprebreathecampoutprotocol

FLIGHT DAY 10
UndockingandISSflyaround FinalseparationfromISS LateinspectionofAtlantisthermalheat shield

FLIGHT DAY 11
FlightControlSystemCheckout ReactionControlSystemHotFireTest CabinStowage DeorbitTimelineReview KuBandAntennaStowage

FLIGHT DAY 8
ISSpowerdownofelectricalchannels1 and4 ReillyandOlivasEVANo.3toinstallan externalhydrogenventvalveonthe DestinyLaboratoryforthenewOxygen GenerationSystemandTBDtasks SpaceStationRemoteManipulatorSystem movesfromtheMobileBaseSystemto DestinyLaboratory.Therelocationisalso knownasawalkoff

FLIGHT DAY 12
DeorbitPreparations PayloadBayDoorClosing DeorbitBurn KSCLanding

FLIGHT DAY 9
ShuttletoISStransferwork Crewoffdutyperiod CrewNewsConference FarewellsandHatchClosing Rendezvoustoolcheckout

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TIMELINE OVERVIEW

MARCH 2007

MISSION PRIORITIES
1. Performflightday2inspection, RendezvousPitchManeuverThermal ProtectionSystem(TPS)tileinspection duringrendezvousanddockingusing InternationalSpaceStation(ISS)imagery, includingfocusedandlateinspectionas required,anddownlinkallinspectiondata 2. InstallIntegratedTrussSystem(ITS) Starboard3/Starboard4(S3/S4)ontoITS S1andactivateITSS3/S4systemstoreceive survivalpowerfromS1 3. CompleteS3/S4installationandactivation 4. Transfermandatoryquantitiesofwater fromshuttletothestation 5. Transfercriticalitems 6. ConfigureanddeploytheS4Photovoltaic Radiator(PVR)andactivatetheActive ThermalSystem(ATS)thermalcondition andboostchargetheS4Channel1Aand3A batteries 7. ReconfigureP6forsurvivalpowerand retractP6starboard(Channel2B)Solar ArrayWing 8. ConfigureandactivatethestarboardSolar AlphaRotaryJoint(SARJ) 9. Verify1Aand3ASAWpositioningto supportdockingandundockingoperations forvisitingvehicles(AlphaorBetaJoint) 10. PerformfullrotationcheckoutofSARJ 11. ConfigurestationforpostS3/S4installation 12. Transferremainingitems 13. CompleteExtravehicularActivity(EVA) taskstoenablethemobiletransporter(MT) tobemovedtoworkstationNo.1onthe stationstruss 14. PerformEVAtasktomodifyexistinglab condensatewaterventtoahydrogenvent 15. PerformfullfunctionalcheckoutofS3/Bay2 MTworkstationNo.1 16. Performdockedaudiotroubleshooting 17. PerformthefollowingEVAtasks: (a) EngageS4S5softdockmechanism (b) PerformRocketdyneTrussAttachment System(RTAS)visualinspectionand ForeignObjectDebris(FOD)check (c) PositionEVAaidsandtoolstosupport flight13A.1 (d) InstallVideoStanchionSupport AssemblyonCameraPort7 (e) InstallExternalWireless InstrumentationSystem(EWIS) antenna (f) InstallSASAlaunchlocks. (g) ReleaseS4IEAMicrometeoroid (MMOD)debrisshieldfasteners (h) RouteandinstallNode1/PMA1LAN cable.

MARCH 2007

MISSION PRIORITIES

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 (i) InstallS1S3ammoniafluidlines (j) RemoveandreturnGPSAntennaNo.4 (k) DeployS3LOPayloadAttachmentSite (PAS) (l) RemovehandrailNo.120 18. Transferoxygenfromtheshuttletothe stationshighpressuregastankifshuttle marginspermit 19. PerformU.S.andRussiansegmentdaily activitiestosupportISSpoweredpayload dailystatuschecks 20. Performdailyactivitiestosupportpayload researchoperationstasks 21. Performthefollowingutilizationactivities: (a) PerceptualMotorDeficitsInSpaceon ISSifcrewtimeavailable (b) ShortDurationBioastronautics Investigations(SDBI)1503S, Midodrine (c) MauiAnalysisofUpperAtmospheric Injections(MAUI)operationspayload ofopportunityifpropellantand timelineareavailable (d) RamBurnObservation(RAMBO) payloadoperations(payloadof opportunitywithnohardwareor dedicatedOMSburns) (e) Performimagerysurveyofthestations exteriorduringshuttleflyaroundafter undock,ifpropellantavailable (f) PerformStationDetailedTestObjective (SDTO)12004U(ShuttleBoosterFan BypassforShuttleDocked)operations (g) PerformDevelopmentTestObjective 257,StructuralDynamicsModel Validation (h) PerformSDTO15003U,Microgravity EnvironmentDefinition,forSARJ checkout

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MISSION PRIORITIES

MARCH 2007

LAUNCH AND LANDING

LAUNCH
Aswithallpreviousspaceshuttlelaunches, Atlantishasseveraloptionstoabortitsascentif neededduetoenginefailuresorothersystems problems.Shuttlelaunchabortphilosophy aimstowardsaferecoveryoftheflightcrew andintactrecoveryoftheorbiterandits payload. Abortmodesinclude:

RETURN-TO-LAUNCH-SITE (RTLS)
Ifoneormoreenginesshutsdownearlyandif thereisnotenoughenergytoreachZaragoza, theshuttlewouldpitcharoundtowardKSC untilwithinglidingdistanceoftheShuttle LandingFacility.Forlaunchtoproceed, weatherconditionsmustbeforecasttobe acceptableforapossibleRTLSlandingatKSC about20minutesafterliftoff.

ABORT-TO-ORBIT (ATO)
Thismodeisusedifthereispartiallossofmain enginethrustlateenoughtopermitreachinga minimal105by85nauticalmileorbitwiththe orbitalmaneuveringsystemengines.The enginesboosttheshuttletoasafeorbital altitudewhenitisimpossibletoreachthe plannedorbitalaltitude.

ABORT ONCE AROUND (AOA)

AnAOAisselectedifthevehiclecannot achieveaviableorbitorwillnothaveenough propellanttoperformadeorbitburnbuthas enoughenergytocircletheEarthonceandland about90minutesafterliftoff.

LANDING
TheprimarylandingsiteforAtlantison STS117istheKennedySpaceCentersShuttle LandingFacility.Alternatelandingsitesthat couldbeusedifneededduetoweather conditionsorsystemsfailuresareatEdwards AirForceBase,Calif.,andWhiteSandsSpace Harbor,N.M.

TRANSATLANTIC ABORT LANDING (TAL)

Thelossofoneormoremainenginesmidway throughpoweredflightwouldforcealanding ateitherZaragoza,Spain;Moron,Spain;or Istres,France.Forlaunchtoproceed,weather conditionsmustbeacceptableatoneofthese TALsites.

MARCH 2007

LAUNCH & LANDING

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LAUNCH & LANDING

MARCH 2007

MISSION PROFILE

CREW
Commander: Pilot: MissionSpecialist1: MissionSpecialist2: MissionSpecialist3: MissionSpecialist4: RickSturckow LeeArchambault PatrickForrester StevenSwanson JohnDannyOlivas JimReilly

Space Shuttle Main Engines:

SSME1: SSME2: SSME3: ExternalTank: SRBSet: RSRMSet: 2059 2052 2057 ET124 BI129 96

LAUNCH
Orbiter: LaunchSite: LaunchDate: LaunchTime: Atlantis(OV104) KennedySpaceCenter LaunchPad39A Targetedfor March15,2007 6:43a.m.EDT(Preferred InPlanelaunchtimefor 3/15) 5Minutes 122NauticalMiles(140 Miles)OrbitalInsertion; 181NM(208Miles) Rendezvous 51.6Degrees 10Days,19Hours, 12Minutes

SHUTTLE ABORTS
Abort Landing Sites
RTLS: TAL: KennedySpaceCenterShuttle LandingFacility PrimaryZaragoza,Spain. AlternatesMoron,Spainand Istres,France PrimaryKennedySpaceCenter ShuttleLandingFacility; AlternateWhiteSandsSpace Harbor

AOA:

LaunchWindow: Altitude:

Landing
Targetedfor March26,2007 LandingTime: 1:55a.m.EDT PrimarylandingSite: KennedySpaceCenter ShuttleLandingFacility LandingDate:

Inclination: Duration:

VEHICLE DATA
ShuttleLiftoffWeight: Orbiter/PayloadLiftoffWeight: 4,525,101 pounds 270,099 pounds

PAYLOADS
IntegratedTrussSegment(ITS) Starboard3/Starboard4(S3/S4)

Orbiter/PayloadLandingWeight: 199,016 pounds SoftwareVersion: OI30

MARCH 2007

MISSION PROFILE

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MISSION PROFILE

MARCH 2007

STS-117 ATLANTIS CREW

TheSTS117crewpatchsymbolizesthe continuedconstructionoftheInternational SpaceStation(ISS)andourongoinghuman presenceinspace.TheISSisshownorbiting highabovetheEarth.Thecrewwillinstallthe portionofthestationthatishighlightedingold. Itconsistsofthesecondandthirdstarboard trusssections,S3/S4,andasetofsolararrays. ThenamesoftheSTS117crewareaboveand belowtheorbitingoutpost.Thetwogold astronautofficesymbols,emanatingfromthe 117atthebottomofthepatch,representthe concertedeffortsoftheshuttleandstation programstocompletethestation.Theshuttle andunfurledbannerofred,whiteandblue representournationsrenewedpatriotismas NASAcontinuestoexploretheuniverse.

MARCH 2007

CREW

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Thesesixastronautstakeabreakfromtraining toposefortheSTS117crewportrait. ScheduledtolaunchaboardtheSpaceShuttle Atlantisare(fromtheleft)JimReilly,Steven Swanson,missionspecialists;RickSturckow, commander;LeeArchambault,pilot;Patrick ForresterandJohnDannyOlivas,mission specialists.Thecrewmembersareattiredin trainingversionsoftheirshuttlelaunchand entrysuits. Shortbiographicalsketchesofthecrewfollow withdetailedbackgroundavailableat:

http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/

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CREW

MARCH 2007

RickSturckow AMarinecolonel,RickSturckowwillleadthe crewofSTS117onthe21stshuttlemissionto thespacestation.Sturckowservedasthepilot ofSTS88in1998andSTS105in2001.Making histhirdspaceflight,hehasloggedmorethan 568hoursinspace.Hehasoverall responsibilityfortheexecutionofthemission, orbitersystemsoperationsandflight operations,includinglanding.Inaddition, Sturckowwillflytheshuttleinaprocedure calledtherendezvouspitchmaneuverwhile Atlantisis600feetbelowthestationtoenable thestationcrewtophotographtheshuttles heatshield.HewillthendockAtlantistothe station.Sturckowalsowillbeinvolvedin photodocumentationofvariousactivities includingthespacewalks.

MARCH 2007

CREW

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LeeArchambault AnAirForcecolonel,LeeArchambaulthas loggedmorethan4,000hoursflyingmorethan 30aircraft.Hewillmakehisfirstjourneyinto spaceasthepilotfortheSTS117mission. SelectedbyNASAinJune1998,Archambault reportedtotheJohnsonSpaceCenterin HoustoninAugust1998.Hehassupported launchandlandingoperationsattheKennedy SpaceCenterandservedasaCAPCOM (capsulecommunicator)duringtheSTS121 shuttlemission.Hewillberesponsiblefor orbitersystemsoperationsandwillhelp Sturckowintherendezvousanddockingwith thestation.Archambaultwillbeheavily involvedinroboticarmoperationsduring inspectionofAtlantisheatshieldandwillbe theleadstationroboticarmoperatorduringthe trussinstallationandspacewalks.Hewill undockAtlantisfromthestationattheendof themission.

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CREW

MARCH 2007

PatrickForrester AretiredArmycolonel,MissionSpecialist1 PatrickForrester,ismakinghissecond spaceflightonSTS117.HeflewonSTS105in 2001andcompletedtwospacewalkstotaling11 hoursand45minutes.Forresterwillconduct thesecondofthreespacewalksduringthe missiontopreparethetrussandsolararraysfor trackingthesuntogeneratepower.Hewill serveastheintravehicularcoordinatorofthe othertwospacewalks.Forresteristheprime shuttleroboticarmoperatorandwillleadthe inspectioneffortusingitsextensionknownas theOrbiterBoomSensorSystem.

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StevenSwanson Amemberofthe1998astronautclass,Mission Specialist2StevenSwansonwillbemakinghis firsttripintospace.Hewilldothesecondof threespacewalksduringSTS117andwillbea roboticarmoperator.Hewillbeontheflight deckduringlaunchandlanding,servingasthe flightengineertoassistSturckowand Archambault.Swansonreceivedabachelors fromtheUniversityofColorado,amasters fromFloridaAtlanticUniversityanda doctoratefromTexasA&MUniversity.He joinedNASAasasystemsengineerworkingon theshuttletrainingaircraftin1987.Hebegan trainingasanastronautinAugust1998,has workedintheAstronautOfficeSpaceStation OperationsandRoboticsBranchesandserved asaCAPCOM.

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JohnOlivas MissionSpecialist3JohnDannyOlivaswill bemakinghisfirstflightintospaceandwill conductthefirstandthirdspacewalksofSTS 117topreparethetrussandsolararraysfor trackingthesuntogeneratepower.Hewill operatetheshuttleroboticarmanditsextended sensorboomtoinspectAtlantisheatshield. OlivaswasaprogrammanagerattheJet PropulsionLaboratorybeforebeingselectedas anastronautin1998.Hehasworkedinthe AstronautOfficeRoboticsandExtravehicular Activity,orspacewalk,Branches.Hereceiveda bachelorsfromtheUniversityofTexasElPaso, amastersfromtheUniversityofHoustonand adoctoratefromRiceUniversity.

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JimReilly Aveteranoftwospaceflights,Mission Specialist4JimReillywillconducttwoofthe threespacewalksduringSTS117.Healsowill serveastheintravehicularcoordinatorofthe secondspacewalk.Reillywasselectedasan astronautin1994.HeflewonSTS89tothe RussianMirSpaceStationin1998andSTS104 totheInternationalSpaceStationin2001. Reillyhasloggedmorethan517hoursinspace, includingthreespacewalkstotaling16hours and30minutes.

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MISSION PERSONNEL
KEY CONSOLE POSITIONS FOR STS-117
Ascent

Flt.Director
NormKnight

CAPCOM
TonyAntonelli TerryVirts(Weather) TerryVirts KevinFord ShaneKimbrough TonyAntonelli TerryVirts(Weather) N/A SteveBowen MeganMcArthur RickDavis N/A

PAO
KyleHerring

Orbit1(Lead) Orbit2 Planning Entry

CathyKoerner BryanLunney RichardJones NormKnight

KylieClem(Lead) KellyHumphries PatRyan KylieClem

ShuttleTeam4 ISSOrbit1 ISSOrbit2(Lead) ISSOrbit3 StationTeam4

MikeSarafin AnnetteHasbrook KellyBeck HollyRidings SallyDavis

N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A

JSCPAORepresentativeatKSCforLaunchNicoleCloutierLemasters KSCLaunchCommentatorJessicaRye KSCLaunchDirectorMikeLeinbach NASALaunchTestDirectorStevePayne

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RENDEZVOUS AND DOCKING

ThisviewofthenoseandpartofthecrewcabinofSpaceShuttleDiscoverywasprovided byanExpedition14crewmemberduringabackflipperformedbytheapproaching STS116crewtotheInternationalSpaceStation. Theshuttlelaunchistimedpreciselytoplace theorbiteronthecorrecttrajectoryandcourse foritstwodaychaseofthestation.Periodic enginefiringswillgraduallybringAtlantisto about50,000feetbehindthestationthe startingpointforafinalapproach. About2.5hoursbeforedocking,Atlantisjets willbefiredduringwhatiscalledtheTerminal Initiationburntobeginthefinalphaseofthe rendezvous.Atlantiswillclosethefinalmiles tothestationduringthenextorbit. AsAtlantismovesclosertothestation,the shuttlesrendezvousradarsystemand trajectorycontrolsensorwilltrackthecomplex andproviderangeandclosingratedatatothe crew.Duringthefinalapproach,Atlantiswill executeseveralsmallmidcoursecorrection burnsthatwillplaceAtlantisabout1,000feet directlybelowthestation.STS117 CommanderRickSturckowthenwillmanually controltheshuttlefortheremainderofthe approachanddocking.

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 Rendezvous Approach Profile

Space Shuttle Rendezvous Maneuvers

OMS-1 (Orbit insertion) - Rarely used ascent burn. OMS-2 (Orbit insertion) - Typically used to circularize the initial orbit following ascent, completing orbital insertion. For ground-up rendezvous flights, also considered a rendezvous phasing burn. NC (Rendezvous phasing) - Performed to hit a range relative to the target at a future time. NH (Rendezvous height adjust) - Performed to hit a delta-height relative to the target at a future time. NPC (Rendezvous plane change) - Performed to remove planar errors relative to the target at a future time. NCC (Rendezvous corrective combination) First on-board targeted burn in the rendezvous sequence. Using star tracker data, it is performed to remove phasing and height errors relative to the target at Ti. Ti (Rendezvous terminal intercept) - Second on-board targeted burn in the rendezvous sequence. Using primarily rendezvous radar data, it places the orbiter on a trajectory to intercept the target in one orbit. MC-1, MC-2, MC-3, MC-4 (Rendezvous midcourse burns) - These on-board targeted burns use star tracker and rendezvous radar data to correct the post Ti trajectory in preparation for the final, manual proximity operations phase.

Imageryusing400and800mmdigitalcamera lenseswillphotographAtlantisduringthe RendezvousPitchManeuver. Hewillstoptheapproach600feetbeneaththe stationtoensureproperlightingforimagery priortoinitiatingthestandardRendezvous PitchManeuver(RPM),orbackflip. SturckowwillmaneuverAtlantisthrougha9 minute,360degreebackflipthatallowsthe stationcrewtotakeasmanyas300digital picturesoftheshuttlesheatshield. OnverbalcuefromPilotLeeArchambaultto thestationcrew,Sturckowwillcommand Atlantistobeginanoseforward,threequarter ofadegreepersecondrotationalbackflip. Thephotoswillbetakenoutofwindowsinthe ZvezdaServiceModulewithKodakDCS760 digitalcamerasoutfittedwith400mmand 800mmlenses.Theimageryisoneofseveral inspectiontechniquestodeterminethehealthof theshuttlesthermalprotectionsystem, includingthetilesandreinforcedcarbon carbonwingleadingedgesandnosecap. Thephotoswillbedownlinkedthroughthe stationsKubandcommunicationssystemfor analysisbysystemsengineersandmission managers.

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 WhenAtlantiscompletesitsrotation,its payloadbaywillbefacingthestation. SturckowthenwillmoveAtlantistoaposition about400feetdirectlyinfrontofthestationin preparationforthefinalapproachtodockingto theDestinydockingport. Theshuttlescrewmembersoperatelaptop computersprocessingthenavigationaldata,the laserrangesystemsandAtlantisdocking mechanism. Usingaviewfromacameramountedinthe centeroftheOrbiterDockingSystem,Sturckow willpreciselymatchupthedockingportsofthe twospacecraft.Ifnecessary,hewill temporarilypause30feetfromthestationto ensureproperalignmentofthedocking mechanisms. ForAtlantisdocking,Sturckowwillmaintain theshuttlesspeedrelativetothestationat aboutonetenthofafootpersecond(whileboth Atlantisandthestationaretravelingatabout 17,500mph),andkeepthedockingmechanisms alignedtowithinatoleranceofthreeinches. WhenAtlantismakescontactwiththestation, preliminarylatcheswillautomaticallyattach thetwospacecraft.ImmediatelyafterAtlantis docks,theshuttlessteeringjetswillbe deactivatedtoreducetheforcesactingatthe dockinginterface.Shockabsorberspringsin thedockingmechanismwilldampenany relativemotionbetweentheshuttleandthe station. Oncethemotionbetweenthespacecrafthas beenstopped,thedockingringwillberetracted tocloseafinalsetoflatchesbetweenthetwo vehicles.

UNDOCKING, SEPARATION AND DEPARTURE

Atundockingtime,thehooksandlatcheswill beopened,andspringswillpushtheshuttle awayfromthestation.Atlantissteeringjets willbeshutofftoavoidanyinadvertentfirings duringtheinitialseparation. OnceAtlantisisabouttwofeetfromthestation andthedockingdevicesareclearofone another,Archambaultwillturnthesteeringjets backonandwillmanuallycontrolAtlantis withinatightcorridorastheshuttleseparates fromthestation. Atlantiswillmovetoadistanceofabout450 feet,whereArchambaultwillbegintofly aroundthestationinitsnewconfiguration. Thismaneuverwilloccuronlyifpropellant marginsandmissiontimelineactivitiespermit. OnceAtlantiscompletes1.5revolutionsofthe complex,ArchambaultwillfireAtlantisjetsto leavethearea.Theshuttlewillmoveabout46 milesfromthestationandremaintherewhile groundteamsanalyzedatafromthelate inspectionoftheshuttlesheatshield.The distanceiscloseenoughtoallowtheshuttleto returntothestationintheunlikelyeventthat theheatshieldisdamaged,preventingthe shuttlesreentry.

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Backdroppedbytheblacknessofspace,cloudsandEarthshorizon,theInternationalSpaceStation isseenasitandSpaceShuttleDiscoverybegintheirrelativeseparationonDec.19,2006.

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SPACEWALKS
TheprimaryfocusforSTS117sspacewalks,or extravehicularactivities(EVAs),istoinstallthe S3/S4trusssegmenttothestarboardsideofthe integratedtrusssystem.Thetaskissimilarto thatoftheSTS115mission,wherethesister P3/P4segmentwasinstalled. Thespacewalksalsoincludeassemblyand maintenancetasksandcouldinvolvehelping withtheretractionoftheP6starboardsolar array.Threespacewalksareplannedonflight days4,6and8.Eachspacewalkisestimatedto last6.5hours. MissionspecialistsJimReillyandDannyOlivas willconductthefirstandthirdspacewalks. MissionspecialistsPatrickForresterandSteven Swansonwillconductthesecond.Thiswillbe ReillysthirdspacewalkandForresterssecond. OlivasandSwansonwillbeconductingtheir firstspacewalks. Thespacewalkerswillbeidentifiableby variousmarkingsontheirspacesuits.Reilly willwearonewithsolidredstripes,while Olivasssuitwillbesolidwhite.Forresterwill wearasuitwithred,brokenstripes,and Swansonwillhaveasuitwithdiagonal,or candycanelike,redstripes. Thespacewalkswillstartfromthestations Questairlock.Beforeeachspacewalk,the astronautswillusethecampoutprebreathe protocol,wheretheywillspendthenightinthe airlock.Thisreducestheamountoftime typicallyrequiredfortheprebreatheexercise and,insomecases,thecomplexityofthenext morningsspacewalkpreparations.

AstronautJimReilly,STS117missionspecialist,attiredinatrainingversionofthe ExtravehicularMobilityUnit(EMU)spacesuit,isabouttobeginatrainingsessionin thewatersoftheNeutralBuoyancyLaboratory(NBL)neartheJohnsonSpaceCenter.

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 Asaresult,thecrewcangetoutsideearlierto performthedaystasks. Thecrewmembersisolatethemselvesinthe airlock.Theairlocksairpressureisloweredto 10.2psi,whilethestationiskeptat14.7psi,or nearsealevelpressure.Astronautsaboardthe shuttleperformasimilarprocedureforthe shuttlebasedspacewalks,loweringtheentire spacecraftsairpressureadayorsobeforehand. Themorningofthefirstspacewalk,the IntegratedTrussSegment(ITS)S3/S4willbe attachedtotheStarboard1(S1)segment.The S3segmentconsistsoftheS3trussandSolar AlphaRotaryJoint(SARJ),adevicethatwill rotate360degreesclockwiseand counterclockwisetopositionthesolararraysto trackthesunforelectricalpower.TheS4 segmentprovidesthestationwithathirdsetof photovoltaicSolarArrayWings(SAWs)that willprovideadditionalpowerforthestation onceunfurledtotheirfulllengthof240feet. Thestationeventuallywillhave11integrated trusssegmentsthatstretch356feetfromendto end.Theywillsupportfourvirtuallyidentical solararrayassembliesthatprovideelectrical power.Theyalsowillsupportradiatorsthat willcoolthestation. MajorS3subsystemsincludethe SegmenttoSegmentAttachSystem,SARJand UnpressurizedCargoCarrierAttachSystem. MajorS4subsystemsincludethePhotovoltaic Module,PhotovoltaicRadiator(PVR)and ModifiedRocketdyneTrussAttachment System. Themaintenanceandassemblytasksinclude installingaventontheDestinylabforthe futureoxygengenerationsystem,anExternal WirelessInstrumentationSystem(EWIS) antenna and routing cables on the Unity Node and Zvezda Service Module.

EVA 1
TheS3/S4activationiscomplexandchallenging forboththecrewandthegroundteams.It involvesdetailedsequentialtaskchoreography, cooperationbetweentheintravehicularand extravehicularcrewmembersandmultiple MissionControlsystemsdisciplines.During thefirstspacewalk,thecrewwillpreparethe trussforactivationandthesolararraysfor deployment. AsReillyandOlivasprepareforthespacewalk, LeeArchambaultandstationresidentSunita Williamswillusethestationsroboticarmto slowlymovethe17.5tonS3/S4trusstothe starboardsideoftheintegratedtrusssystem, aligningitusingatelevisioncamera,then matingittoS1. OnceReillyandOlivasleavetheairlock,they willmovetothenewlyinstalledtruss.Ona gofromMissionControloncetheproper electricalinhibitsareinplace,Reillywill connectpowercablesintheS1toS3lower utilitytray,wheretheelectricalconnectionsare housed.ThenReillywillgivetheground controlteamthecleartobeginactivationofthe S3/S4truss.

The S3/S4 truss is positioned for installation.

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STS117missionspecialistJohnDannyOlivaspreparestotrainforhisspacewalksattheNBL. Hewillthenrelocateafootrestraint,configure atoolandhardwarebagforalatertruss preparationtaskandremoveathermalshroud fromacomputerintheS3truss.Afterward, Reillywillmovetotheupperutilitytrayon S3/S4andrepeatthechoreographywith MissionControltocontinuetheconnections andactivationofthetruss. Reillywillcontinueworkonthetruss.Hewill rotateakeelpinthatheldtheS4trusssegment inplaceforlaunchandreleaselaunchrestraints fortheBetaGimbalAssemblies(BGAs).The BGAsarethestructurallinkbetweenthetruss integratedelectronicsandtheSAWs.Reilly willreleaseboththeforwardandaftwing BGAs. OlivasalsowillbeworkingontheS3/S4truss. Hisfirsttaskwillbetoreleasetheaftand forwardSolarArrayBlanketBox(SABB)launch restraints,unboltingtheSABBsfromthe IntegratedEquipmentAssembly.TheSABBs holdthefoldedsolararrays. OlivaswillpreparetheS4PVRfordeployment byremovingcinchesandwinchesonit.These mustbereleasedbeforethecrewinsidethe stationcandeploytheradiator.Thecinchesare wirebraidedcableswithnutassembliesonthe endthatserveaslaunchrestraintsforthePVR. Olivaswilluseapistolgriptool(PGT)onthe nutstoreleasethetensioninthecable,remove thecablenutassemblyfromitsreceptacleon thePVRandattachthecinchtoacliponthe PVRbaseplate.

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 Thenexttaskwillbetoreleasethewinchbar, whichsecuresthePVRduringlaunch,fromthe PVR.Apippinsecuresthewinchbartothe outermostPVRpanel.Afterthewinchbaris released,thepippinwillbereinstalledintothe winchbar.Theradiatorwillthenbereadyfor deploymentattheendofthespacewalk. OlivasnextwillbeginpreparingtheSARJfor activation.Hewilldeployandrigidizethefour AlphaJointInterfaceStructure(AJIS)struts. TheAJISstrutsmustberigidizedforpurposes ofstructuralloadingpriortoremovinganyof thelaunchlockslaterinthespacewalk. Thetwospacewalkersthenwillworkneareach otherwhileReillyunstowstheforwardSABB andOlivasunstowstheaftSABB,thefinalstep inpreparingthesolararraysfordeployment thenextday. Reillythenmovestoanothertasktopreparethe SARJforactivation.Hewillinstalltwooffour drivelockassemblies(DLAs).Theothertwo DLAswillbeinstalledonthesecond spacewalk.Thedrivelockassembliesmustbe deployedtoprovideamethodofcontrolling theSARJrotation. Atthistime,Olivaswillberemovingthermal shroudsfromforwardandaftSequentialShunt Units(SSU)andElectronics/environmental ControlUnits(ECU).Olivaswillcontinue workingwiththeAJISstrutinstallationaswell.

STS117underwatertrainingactivitiesarevisibleonthemonitorsinthesimulation controlareaintheNBL.TheSTS117crewusestheNBLtorehearsebothassigned andcontingencyspacewalksforitsmission.

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 Thetwospacewalkerswilljoineachotheragain toremovelaunchlockssimultaneouslyfrom theSARJforthefinaltaskofthespacewalk. Mostofthelockandrestraintremovalwillbe completedonthesecondspacewalk.Reillyand Olivashavetimetobegintheworkby removingthreelaunchlockseach.Thereare16 launchlocksand10outerlaunchrestraints. Thelaunchlocksandlaunchrestraints constraintheSARJandhandleloadsduring ascent.Allofthelaunchlocksmustbe removedbeforeanyofthelaunchrestraintscan beremoved. Eachlaunchlockisunderaseparateinsulation coverthatisinturnconnectedtotheSARJ inboardbulkheadbyfourtosixboltsand connectedtotheoutboardbulkheadbyoneto threespringloadedclampbolts.After removingthecover,thelaunchlockisremoved byreleasingfourbolts.Oncethelaunchlockis removed,thecoverisreplacedandreattached totheSARJinboardbulkhead.Theoutboard springclampboltsareleftopentoallowfor SARJrotation. Asthespacewalkerscleanupandprepareto comebackinside,ArchambaultandSwanson willcommandtheradiatortodeployfrom insidethespacecraft.Afterthespacewalk, MissionControlHoustonwillcommandthe activationoftheS4trusstocheckoutits systemsandthestillfoldedsolararrays. extended,whichclearstheareafortheSARJ rotation,oruntilthecrewneedstoturnits focustothespacewalkpreparations. Ifthesolararraypanelsbegintohangupor foldincorrectly,aswasseenonSTS116, ForresterandSwanson,alreadypreparingto leavetheairlock,wouldbeavailabletomake initialattemptstocorrecttheissue.Theywill carrythesamesuiteoftoolswrappedwith insulatingtapeandusethesametechniques developedduringSTS116. Thegroundcontrolteamalsocantrytofree guidewiresstuckongrommetsonthepanels beforethespacewalkbeginsbycommanding thearraysBetaGimbalAssembly(BGA)to rotateinonedirectionandthentheother. Afterspendingalittlespacewalktimewiththe solararrayretraction,ifneeded,the spacewalkerswillcontinuereleasinglaunch locksandrestraintsontheSARJtoallowits activation. Thefirsttaskonthetrusswillbethe deploymentoftheSARJbracebeams.These beamsareontheS3inboardsideoftheSARJ. TheyhelprigidizetheSARJinterface.Forrester andSwansoneachwilldeploytwobraces. Forresterthenwillcompletetheinstallationof theDLAsthatwasstartedbyReillyonthefirst spacewalk.NexthewilljoinSwansonin removingtheSARJlaunchlocksandrestraints simultaneouslythroughouttherestofthe spacewalk. Removalofthelaunchrestraintsproved difficultduringtheSTS115missions installationoftheP3/P4trusssegment.The STS117spacewalkerswillbecarryingwith themanadditionaltool,calledatorque multiplier,tomakethetaskeasier.

EVA 2
Beforethesecondspacewalkbeginsonflight day6,theshuttleandstationcrewmembers willbeginretractingtheP6starboardsolar array.Theywillcommandittoretractonebay atatime,startingwithlessthanonebayto bringthepanelsintotheirstorageboxes.They willcontinueuntilonly19ofthe31.5baysare

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PatrickForrester,STS117missionspecialist,donsatrainingversionoftheEMUspacesuit priortorehearsingaspacewalkattheNBL. Iftimeallows,thereareadditionaltasksfor ForresterandSwanson.Thesegetaheadtasks includeclearingtheMobileTransporterrailway ontopofthenewtrussbyremovingor relocatingvarioushardware. panelstofoldcorrectly,flufforspreadthe panelsequallyapartandgentlyshakethe panelsfromthebase. Getaheadtasksincludeclearingtherailwayon thetrussfortheMobileTransporter,installinga watertohydrogenventontheoutsideofthe Destinylabforthefutureactivationofthe OxygenGenerationSystem,installinganEWIS antennaandroutinglocalareanetwork(LAN) cablesaroundtheUnityNodeandZvezda ServiceModule. Additionalgetaheadtasksincludeinstallinga VideoStanchionSupportAssembly,working onSbandAntennaStructuralAssemblygimbal locksandretrievingtheGlobalPositioning SystemantennaNo.4.

EVA 3
IftheP6starboardsolararrayhasnotbeen retractedbeforethethirdspacewalk,Reillyand Olivaswillworkonit.Theywillbeprepared toworkonproblemsseenduringtheSTS116 mission,suchasguidewiresonthesolararrays gettingstuckingrommetsalongthewayand thepanelsfoldingbackwardsduringthe retraction. Thespacewalkerscanusethesametoolsas STS116toresetthegrommets,pushonthe

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STS117missionspecialistStevenSwansonadjustshiscommunications equipmentonhisEMUbeforeengaginginspacewalktraining.

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PAYLOAD OVERVIEW

INTEGRATED TRUSS SEGMENTS S3 AND S4

TheStarboardThree(S3)andStarboardFour (S4)integratedtrusssegmentsaretheprimary payloaddeliveredontheSTS117missionand theheaviestspacestationpayloadtodate.The principalfunctionsoftheS3andS4truss segmentsaretoprovideelectricalpowerand datainterfacesforfuturemissionpayloadsand convertsunlighttoelectricity.Thesegments willincludeanothersetofSolarArrayWings (SAWs)andasecondSolarAlphaRotaryJoint (SARJ). DesignedbyTheBoeingCompany,theS3/S4 trusssegmentswillbethesecondstarboard

additiontothe11segmentintegratedtruss structurethatwilleventuallyspanmorethan 300feettocarrypower,dataandtemperature controlfortheorbitaloutpostselectronics.

MIDDECK PAYLOAD
InadditiontoS3/S4,SpaceShuttleAtlantiswill carryinitsmiddeckaHydrogen(H)Vent Valvethatwillbeinstalledduringthemissions thirdspacewalk.TheHydrogenVentValveis partoftheOxygenGenerationSystem(OGS) andwillbeusedtoventHydrogenoverboard. TheOGSwillhelpproduceoxygenforthecrew toreplaceoxygenlostduetoexperimentuse, airlockdepressurizationandventing.

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 S3/S4 Specifications Dimensions: 44 ft., 9.6 inches long (13.656 m) by 16 ft., 3.4 inches wide (4.965 m) by 15 ft., 2.3 inches high (4.631 m) 35,678 lbs

PAYLOAD STRUCTURE
TheS3/S4segmentswillberemovedfromthe spaceshuttlepayloadbayusingtheshuttles roboticarmandhandedofftothespacestation roboticarm,whereitwillbemaneuveredand attachedtoS1. BesidetwoSAWsandaSARJ,theS3/S4 structurehasseveraldistinctelements:the IntegratedEquipmentAssembly(IEA),two BetaGimbalAssemblies(BGA)andthe PhotovoltaicThermalControlSubsystem (PVTCS).

Weight:

Otheritemsbeingcarriedinthemiddeck includeacontingencywatercontainerfor transferringwatertothestation,atool modifiedtorquemultiplierforremovingS3 launchrestraintsandaudiointerfacehardware totroubleshootshuttletostation communicationdifficultiesexperiencedduring thelasttwomissions.Thepayloadweightfor themiddeckduringthismissionislessthan 1,000pounds.

Starboard 3 (S3)
TheS3primarystructureismadeofa hexagonalshapedaluminumstructureand includesfourbulkheadsandsixlongerons, beamsthatconnectthebulkheads.The secondarystructureincludesbrackets,fittings, attachplatforms,extravehicularactivity equipmentandmiscellaneousmechanisms. ThemajorS3subsystemsincludetheSARJ, SegmenttoSegmentAttachSystem(SSAS)and PayloadAttachSystem(PAS).TheS3truss segmentwillprovidemechanical,powerand datainterfacestopayloadsattachedtothefour PASplatforms;axialindexingforsolartracking viatheSARJ;translationandworksite accommodationsfortheMobileTransporter; accommodationsforammoniaservicingofthe outboardPVmodulesandtwo Multiplexer/Demultiplexers(MDMs).The MDMsarebasicallycomputersthattellother electricalcomponentswhentoturnonandoff andmonitorhardware.TheS3alsoprovidesa passiveattachmentpointtotheS1segmentvia theSSASandpassthroughofpoweranddata toandfromtheoutboardsegments.

INTEGRATED TRUSS SEGMENTS

Theintegratedtrusssegmentsstartedwith Starboardzero(S0)asthecenterassignment andwerenumberedinascendingorder outwardtotheportandstarboardsides. Starboardistherightsideandportistheleft sideofthetrussstructure.Ziszenithandisup. FromS0,thetrusssegmentsareP1,P3,P4,P5 andP6andS1,S3,S4,S5andS6.P6isonorbit andattachedtosegmentZ1(zenith).The zenithisaspaceraddedtoprovideadequate spacebetweenthepressurizedmodulesandP6. P6eventuallywillberelocatedandattachedto P5.PlansforS2andP2segmentswere eliminatedwhenthestationdesignwasscaled back. AlongwiththeSAWsandtheSARJ,theS3/S4 segmentsalsosupportutilityrouting,power distributionandatranslationpathforthe MobileRemoteServiceBaseSystem(MBS).

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 RocketdyneTrussAttachmentSystem (MRTAS). TheS4PVMincludesallequipmentoutboard oftheSARJoutboardbulkhead,namelythetwo PhotovoltaicArrayAssemblies(PVAAs)and theIntegratedEquipmentAssembly(IEA).The PVRprovidesthermalcoolingfortheIEA.The AJISprovidesthestructuraltransitionbetween S3andS4.EachPVAAconsistsofaSAWand BGA.S4alsocontainsthepassivesideofthe MRTASthatwillprovidethestructural attachmentfortheS5truss.

S3/S4isshownontheleftat Stage13Acomplete. TheSARJcontinuouslyrotatestokeeptheSAW onS4andS6(S6isscheduledforlaunchon shuttlemissionSTS119,targetedfornoearlier thanJune2008)orientedtowardthesunasthe stationorbitstheEarth.EachSAWisalso orientedbytheBGA,whichcanchangethe pitchofthewing.Eachwingmeasures115feet by38feetandextendsouttoeachsideofthe IntegratedEquipmentAssembly.Thereare twowingsonS4. ThePASwillallowplatformstobeattachedto S3forthestorageofadditionalsciencepayloads orspareOrbitalReplacementUnits(ORUs). ORUsarespacestationcomponentsthatcanbe removedandreplacedformaintenanceand storedonthestationforfutureneeds.ThePAS hasacapturelatchtogripandsecurea payload,aberthingtargettoalignpayloadsto themechanismandanUmbilicalMechanism Assemblythathasaconnectorforproviding poweranddatatothepayload.

MAJOR ELEMENTS
Photovoltaic Module (PVMs)
S4willhousethethirdoffourPVMsthatwill eventuallybebroughtuptothestation, convertingsunlighttoelectricity.Theprimary functionsofthepowermodulearetocollect, convert,storeanddistributeelectricalpowerto loadswithinthesegmentandtootherstation segments.Electricalpoweristhemostcritical resourceforthestationbecauseitallows astronautstolivecomfortably,safelyoperate thestationandperformcomplexscientific experiments.Sincetheonlyreadilyavailable sourceofenergyforspacecraftissunlight, technologiesweredevelopedtoefficiently convertsolarenergytoelectricalpower.

Starboard 4 (S4)
MajorsubsystemsoftheS4trussaretheport inboardPhotovoltaicModule(PVM),the PhotovoltaicRadiator(PVR),theAlphaJoint InterfaceStructure(AJIS)andtheModified

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 ThePVMsuselargenumbersofsolarcells assembledontosolararraystoproducehigh powerlevels.NASAandLockheedMartin developedamethodofmountingthesolar arraysonablanketthatcanbefoldedlikean accordionfordeliverytospaceandthen deployedtotheirfullsizeonceinorbit.The cellsaremadefrompurifiedcrystalingotsof siliconthatdirectlyconvertlighttoelectricity forimmediateusethroughaprocesscalled photovoltaics. Gimbalsareusedtorotatethearraystofacethe suntoprovidemaximumpowerforthespace station.Aftertheconversionprocess,thePVMs alsousetheelectricitytorechargeonboard batteriesforcontinuoussourcesofelectricity whilethestationisintheEarthsshadow.The completepowersystem,consistingofU.S.and Russianhardware,willgenerate2,000kWh (kilowatthours)oftotalenergy,aboutasmuch as422,800squarefoothouseswouldtypically useinaday. PVMcomponentswereassembledbyThe BoeingCompanyinTulsa,Okla.,andLockheed MartininSunnyvale,Calif.,beforefinal assemblyandtestingbyBoeingatKennedy SpaceCenter,Fla. forlaunchinsideaMastCanisterAssembly (MCA)designed,builtandtestedbyATKAble. Whendeployedbytheastronauts,theSAW deployslikeanerectorsetasitunfolds.Likea humantorso,ithastwoarmswhenmounted onS4,andtheyarerotatedoutwardby astronautsduringaspacewalksotheycanbe fullydeployed.Becausetheseblanketswere storedforsuchalongtime,NASA,Boeingand LockheedMartinconductedextensivetestingto ensuretheywouldunfoldproperlyonceon orbitsotheblanketswouldnotsticktogether. ThistestingwascompletedinJuly2003and provedtobesuccessfulwhentheP4solararray wassuccessfullydeployedonSTS115in September. Whenfullydeployed,theSAWextends115feet andspans38feetacrossandextendstoeach sideoftheIntegratedEquipmentAssembly. SincethesecondSAWisdeployedinthe oppositedirection,thetotalwingspanismore than240feet. EachSAWweighsmorethan2,400poundsand uses32,800solararraycellsperwing,each measuring8cmsquarewith4,100diodes.The individualcellsweremadebyBoeings SpectrolabandASEC.Thereare400solararray cellstoastringandthereare82stringsperwing.

Solar Array Wings (SAW)

TherearetwoSAWsdesigned,builtandtested byLockheedMartininSunnyvale,Calif.,onthe S4module,eachdeployedintheopposite directionfromeachother.EachSAWismade upoftwosolarblanketsmountedtoacommon mast.Beforedeployment,eachpanelisfolded accordionstyleintoaSolarArrayBlanketBox (SABB)measuring20incheshighand15feetin length.Eachblanketisonlyabout20inches thickwhileinthisstoredposition.Themast consistsofinterlockingbattensthatarestowed

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 EachSAWiscapableofgeneratingnearly32.8 kilowatts(kW)ofdirectcurrentpower.There aretwoSAWsontheS4module,yieldinga totalpowergenerationcapabilityapproaching 66kW,enoughpowertomeettheelectrical needsofabout302,800squarefoothouses, consumingabout2kWofpowereach.

Beta Gimbal Assembly (BGA)

Thesolararraywingsalsoareorientedbythe BGA,whichcanchangethepitchofthewings byspinningthesolararray.TheBGAmeasures 3cubicfeetandprovidesastructurallink betweentheIntegratedEquipmentAssembly (IEA.)TheBGAsmostvisualfunctionsareto deployandretracttheSAWandrotateitabout itslongitudinalaxis.TheBGAconsistsofthree majorcomponentsmountedontheBGA Platform:theBearing,MotorandRollRing Module(BMRRM),theElectronicControlUnit (ECU)andtheBetaGimbalTransition Structure.TheBGAwasdesignedbyBoeing RocketdyneinCanogaPark,Calif.,whichhas sincebeenacquiredbyPrattandWhitney.The SequentialShuntUnit(SSU)thatservesto manageanddistributethepowergenerated fromthearraysalsoismountedoneachBGA platform.TheSSUwasdesignedbySpace Systems/Loral. BoththeSARJandBGAarepointing mechanismsandmechanicaldevicesusedto pointthearraystowardthesun.Theycan followanangletargetandrotatetothattarget inthedirectiontowardthesun.Onorbit controllerscontinuouslyupdatethosetargetsso itkeepsmovingasthestationorbitstheEarth every90minutes,maintainingcontactwiththe sunatthesameorbitalrate.TheSARJ mechanismwillmovemuchmorethanthe BGA,whichmovesaboutfourorfivedegrees perday.TheSARJwillrotate360degrees everyorbit,orabout4degreesperminute.

Solar Alpha Rotary Joint (SARJ)

S3consistsoftheSARJ,whichcontinuously rotatestokeepthesolararraywingsonS4and S6orientedtowardthesunasthestationorbits theEarth.LocatedbetweenS3andS4,theSARJ isa10.5footdiameterrotaryjointthattracks thesuninthealphaaxisthatturnstheentireS4 module.TheSARJweighsapproximately2,500 pounds.TheSARJcanspin360degreesusing bearingassembliesandaservocontrolsystem toturn.Allofthepowerwillflowthroughthe UtilityTransferAssembly(UTA)intheSARJ. Rollringassembliesallowtransmissionofdata andpoweracrosstherotatinginterfacesoit neverhastounwind.UndercontracttoBoeing, theSARJwasdesigned,builtandtestedby LockheedMartininSunnyvale,Calif.

S4 Integrated Equipment Assembly (IEA)

TheIEAhasmanycomponents:12battery subassemblyOrbitalReplacementUnits (ORUs),sixBatteryCharge/DischargeUnits

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 (BCDU)ORUs,twoDirectCurrentSwitching Units(DCSUs),twoDirectCurrenttoDirect CurrentConverterUnits(DDCUs),andtwo PhotovoltaicControllerUnits(PVCUs).The IEAintegratestheThermalControlSubsystem thatconsistsofonePhotovoltaicRadiator(PVR) ORUandtwoPumpFlowControlSubassembly (PFCS)ORUsusedtotransferanddissipate heatgeneratedbytheIEAORUboxes.In addition,theIEAprovidesaccommodationfor ammoniaservicingoftheoutboardPV modules,aswellaspassthroughofpowerand datatoandfromtheoutboardtrusselements. ThestructuraltransitionbetweentheS3andS4 segmentsisprovidedbytheAlphaJoint InterfaceStructure(AJIS). TheIEAmeasures16cubicfeet,weighsnearly 17,000poundsandisdesignedtoconditionand storetheelectricalpowercollectedbythe photovoltaicarraysforuseonboardthestation. TheIEAintegratestheenergystorage subsystem,theelectricaldistribution equipment,thethermalcontrolsystemand structuralframework.TheIEAconsistsofthree majorelements: 1. Thepowersystemelectronicsconsistingof theDirectCurrentSwitchingUnit(DCSU) usedforprimarypowerdistribution;the DirectCurrenttoDirectCurrentConverter Unit(DDCU)usedtoproduceregulated secondarypower;theBattery Charge/DischargeUnit(BCDU)usedto controlthecharginganddischargingofthe storagebatteries;andthebatteriesusedto storepower. 2. ThePhotovoltaicThermalControlSystem (PVTCS)consistingof:thecoldplate subassemblyusedtotransferheatfroman electronicboxtothecoolant;thePump FlowControlSubassembly(PFCS)usedto pumpandcontroltheflowofammonia coolant;andthePhotovoltaicRadiator (PVR)usedtodissipatetheheatintodeep space.Ammonia,unlikeotherchemical coolants,hassignificantlygreaterheat transferproperties. 3. ThecomputersusedtocontroltheS4 moduleORUsconsistingoftwo PhotovoltaicControllerUnit(PVCU) Multiplexer/Demultiplexers(MDMs). TheIEApowersystemisdividedintotwo independentandnearlyidenticalchannels. Eachchanneliscapableofcontrol(fine regulation),storageanddistributionofpower tothestation.ThetwoPVAAsareattachedto theoutboardendoftheIEAandtheAJIStothe inboardend.

Direct Current Switching Unit (DCSU)

PowerreceivedfromeachPVAAisfeddirectly intotheappropriateDCSU,ahighpower, multipathremotelycontrolledunitusedfor primaryandsecondarypowerdistribution, protectionandfaultisolationwithintheIEA. TheDCSUalsodistributesprimarypowerto thestation.Duringperiodsofisolation (sunlight),theDCSUroutesprimarypower directlytothestationfromitsPVAAandalso routespowertothepowerstoragesystemfor batterycharging.Duringperiodsofeclipse,the DCSUroutespowerfromthepowerstorage systemtothestation.TheDCSUmeasures28 inchesby40inchesby12inchesandweighs238 pounds.

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Direct Current to Direct Current Converter Unit (DDCU)

PrimarypowerfromtheDCSUalsois distributedtotheDDCU,apowerprocessing systemthatconditionsthecoarselyregulated powerfromthePVAAto123+/2VDC.Ithas amaximumpoweroutputof6.25kW.This powerisusedforallS4operationsemploying secondarypower.Bytransmittingpowerat highervoltagesandsteppingitdowntolower voltageswherethepoweristobeused,much likemunicipalpowersystems,thestationcan usesmallerwirestotransmitthiselectrical powerandthusreducelaunchloads.The convertersalsoisolatethesecondarysystem fromtheprimarysystemandmaintainuniform powerqualitythroughoutthestation.The DDCUmeasures27.25inchesby23inchesby 12inchesandweighs129pounds. PrimarypowerfromtheDCSUalsois distributedtothethreepowerstoragesystems withineachchanneloftheIEA.Thepower storagesystemconsistsofaBattery Charge/DischargeUnit(BCDU)andtwo batterysubassemblyORUs.TheBCDUserves adualfunctionofchargingthebatteriesduring solarcollectionperiodsandproviding conditionedbatterypowertotheprimary powerbusses(viatheDCSU)duringeclipse periods.TheBCDUhasabatterycharging capabilityof8.4kWandadischargecapability of6.6kW.TheBCDUalsoincludesprovisions forbatterystatusmonitoringandprotection frompowercircuitfaults.Commandingofthe BCDUisfromthePVCU.TheBCDUmeasures 28inchesby40inchesby12inchesandweighs 235pounds. EachbatterysubassemblyORUconsistsof38 lightweightnickelhydrogencellsand associatedelectricalandmechanicalequipment.

TwobatterysubassemblyORUsconnectedin seriesarecapableofstoring8kWofelectrical power.Thispowerisfedtothestationviathe BCDUandDCSU,respectively.Thebatteries haveadesignlifeof6.5yearsandcanexceed 38,000charge/dischargecyclesat35percent depthofdischarge.Eachbatterymeasures41 inchesby37inchesby19inchesandweighs 372pounds.Becauseofdelaysinlaunchingthe S3/S4elements,thelowerdeckbatterieswere replacedonSept.16,2006.

Photovoltaic Thermal Control System (PVTCS)

TomaintaintheIEAelectronicsatsafe operatingtemperaturesintheharshspace environments,theyareconditionedbythe PVTCS.ThePVTCSconsistofammonia coolant,11coldplates,twoPumpFlowControl Subassemblies(PFCS)andonePhotovoltaic Radiator(PVR). Thecoldplatesubassembliesareanintegral partoftheIEAstructuralframework.Heatis transferredfromtheIEAorbitalreplacement unit(ORU)electronicboxestothecoldplates viafineinterweavingfinslocatedonboththe coldplateandtheelectronicboxes.Thefinsadd lateralstructuralstiffnesstothecoldplatesin additiontoincreasingtheavailableheat transferarea.

Pump Flow Control Subassemblies (PFCS)

ThePFCSistheheartofthethermalsystem, consistingofallthepumpingcapacity,valves andcontrolsrequiredtopumptheheattransfer fluidtotheheatexchangesandradiator,and regulatethetemperatureofthethermalcontrol systemammoniacoolant.ThePVTCSis designedtodissipate6,000Wattsofheatper orbitonaverageandiscommandedbytheIEA

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 computer.EachPFCSconsumes275Watts duringnormaloperationsandmeasures approximately40by29by19inches,weighing 235pounds. longerons.Thesecondarystructureincludes brackets,fittings,attachplatforms,EVA equipmentandmiscellaneousmechanisms. TheS4Photovoltaicmoduleincludesall equipmentoutboardoftheSolarAlphaRotary Joint(SARJ)outboardbulkhead,namelythe twoPhotovoltaicArrayassembliesandthe IntegratedEquipmentAssembly(IEA). Purpose:TheS3andS4carrypower,dataand environmentalservicesalongtheintegrated trussstructure.Also,theyprovideactive thermalprotectiontoelectricalcomponents throughoutthestationandallowthe connectionofplatformstostorespareparts. Construction:S3wasdesignedbytheBoeing designteamatHuntingtonBeach,Calif.Boeing (nowPrattandWhitney)RocketdynePower andPropulsioninCanogaPark,Calif.designed S4.AssemblyofS3andS4wasinTulsa,Okla. S3wasdeliveredtotheSpaceStation ProcessingFacilityatKennedySpaceCenteron Dec.7,2000,andS4wasdeliveredonJan.15, 2001.S3andS4werehandedofftoNASAin September2002. MajorSubcontractors:LockheedMartin, Honeywell,HamiltonSundstrand,Prattand WhitneyRocketdyne

Photovoltaic Radiator (PVR)

ThePVRtheradiatorisdeployableonorbit andcomprisedoftwoseparateflowpaths throughsevenpanels.Eachflowpathis independentandisconnectedtooneofthetwo PFCSsontheIEA.Intotal,thePVRcanreject upto14kWofheatintodeepspace.ThePVR weighs1,633poundsandwhendeployed measures44by12by7feet.

S3/S4 Facts in Brief

Manufacturer:TheBoeingCompany Dimensions:44feet9.6incheslongby16feet 3.4incheswideby15feet2.3incheshigh Weight:35,678lbs Cost:$367,337,000 Structure:Primarilyaluminum Majorcomponents:TheS3primarystructure ismadeofahexagonalshapedaluminum structureandincludesfourbulkheadsandsix

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Unberthing and Installation

S3/S4SRMSunberthduringSTS117andSSRMShandoffoperationsareshownabove.

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S3/4SSRMSmaneuverandinstallationisshownabove.

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EXPERIMENTS

DETAILED TEST OBJECTIVES

DetailedTestObjectives(DTOs)areaimedat testing,evaluatingordocumentingspace shuttlesystemsorhardware,orproposed improvementstothespaceshuttleorspace stationhardware,systemsandoperations. SuchexperimentsassignedtoSTS117arelisted below.

SHORT-DURATION BIOASTRONAUTICS INVESTIGATION (SDBI)

ShortDurationBioastronauticsInvestigations (SDBIs)areshuttlebased,lifesciencepayloads, experimentsandtechnologydemonstrations.

SDBI 1503S Test of Midodrine as a Countermeasure against Postflight Orthostatic Hypotension

Presently,therearenomedicationsortreatment toeliminateorthostatichypotension,a conditionthatoftenaffectsastronautsfollowing spaceflight.Orthostatichypotensionisa suddendropinbloodpressurethatoccurs whenapersonassumesastandingposition. Symptoms,whichgenerallyoccuraftersudden standing,includedizziness,lightheadedness, blurredvisionandatemporarylossof consciousness.Spacealterscardiovascular function,andorthostatichypotensionisoneof thealterationsthatnegativelyimpactscrew safety.Susceptibilitytoorthostatichypotension isindividual,withsomeastronauts experiencingseveresymptoms,whileothersare lessaffected.Thiscountermeasureevaluation proposal,sponsoredbytheCountermeasures EvaluationandValidationProject,isinits secondphaseoftheevaluationofmidodrine.It isdesignedtogivethegreatestopportunityof measuringthemaximumefficacyofthedrug. Thisexperimentwillmeasuretheeffectiveness ofmidodrineinreducingtheincidenceand,or, theseverityoforthostatichypotensionin returningastronauts.Itseffectivenesswillbe evaluatedwithanexpandedtilttest.

DTO 805 Crosswind Landing Performance (If Opportunity)

ThepurposeofthisDTOistodemonstratethe capabilitytoperformamanuallycontrolled landinginthepresenceofacrosswind.The testingisdoneintwosteps. 1. Prelaunch:Ensureplanningwillallow selectionofarunwaywithMicrowave ScanningBeamLandingSystemsupport, whichisasetofdualtransmitterslocated besidetherunwayprovidingprecision navigationvertically,horizontallyand longitudinallywithrespecttotherunway. Thisprecisionnavigationsubsystemhelps provideahigherprobabilityofamore preciselandingwithacrosswindof10to15 knotsaslateintheflightaspossible. 2. Entry:Thistestrequiresthatthecrew performamanuallycontrolledlandingin thepresenceofa90 degreecrosswind componentof10to15knotssteadystate. Duringacrosswindlanding,thedragchute willbedeployedafternosegeartouchdown whenthevehicleisstableandtrackingthe runwaycenterline.

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SHORT-DURATION RESEARCH AND STATION EXPERIMENTS

Short-duration Research to Be Completed during STS-117/13A
ThespaceshuttleandInternationalSpace Stationhaveanintegratedresearchprogram thatoptimizesuseofshuttlecrewmembersand longdurationstationcrewmembersin addressingresearchquestionsinavarietyof disciplines. MauiAnalysisofUpperAtmospheric Injections(MAUI)willobservetheexhaust plumeofthespaceshuttlethatwillleadto assessmentofspacecraftplumeinteractions withtheupperatmosphere. TestofMidodrineasaCountermeasure AgainstPostFlightOrthostaticHypotension (Midodrine)isatestoftheabilityofthedrug midodrinetoreducetheincidenceorseverityof orthostatichypotension.Ifsuccessful,itwillbe employedasacountermeasuretothedizziness causedbythebloodpressuredecreasethat manyastronautsexperienceuponreturningto theEarthsgravity. PerceptualMotorDeficitsinSpace(PMDIS) willinvestigatewhyastronautsexperience difficultywithhandeyecoordinationwhileon orbit.Thesemeasurementswillbeusedto distinguishbetweenthreepossible explanations:thebrainnotadaptingtothenear weightlessnessofspace;thedifficultyof performingfinemovementswhenfloatingin space;andstressduetofactorssuchasspace sicknessandsleepdeprivation. RamBurnObservations(RAMBO)isan experimentinwhichtheDepartmentof Defenseusesasatellitetoobservespaceshuttle

orbitalmaneuveringsystemengineburns.Its purposeistoimproveplumemodels,which predictthedirectiontheplume,orrising columnofexhaust,willmoveastheshuttle maneuversonorbit.Understandingthe directioninwhichthespacecraftengineplume, orexhaustflowscouldbesignificanttothesafe arrivalanddepartureofspacecraftoncurrent andfutureexplorationmissions.

Space Station Research Samples Returned on STS-117/13A

TheRenalStoneexperimentteststhe effectivenessofpotassiumcitrateinpreventing renalstoneformationduringlongduration spaceflight.Kidneystoneformation,a significantriskduringlongmissions,could impairastronautfunctionality. StabilityofPharmacotherapeuticand NutritionalCompounds(Stability)willstudy theeffectsofradiationinspaceoncomplex organicmolecules,suchasvitaminsandother compoundsinfoodandmedicine.Thiswill helpindevelopingmorestableandreliable pharmaceuticalandnutritional countermeasuressuitableforfuturelong durationmissionstothemoonandMars.A packageoffoodanddrugskeptonorbitforsix monthswillbereturnedonthisshuttleflight. AComprehensiveCharacterizationof MicroorganismsandAllergensinSpacecraft (SWAB)willuseadvancedmolecular techniquestocomprehensivelyevaluate microbesonboardthespacestation,including pathogensorganismsthatmaycausedisease. Italsowilltrackchangesinthemicrobial communityasspacecraftvisitthestationand newstationmodulesareadded.Thisstudy willallowanassessmentoftheriskofmicrobes tothecrewandthespacecraft.

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Additional Space Station Research From Now Until the End of Expedition 14
AnomalousLongTermEffectsinAstronauts CentralNervousSystem(ALTEA)integrates severaldiagnostictechnologiestomeasurethe exposureofcrewmemberstocosmicradiation. Itwillfurtherourunderstandingofradiations impactonthehumancentralnervousand visualsystems,especiallythephenomenonof crewmembersseeingphosphenes,orflashesof light,whileinorbit. CrewEarthObservations(CEO)takes advantageofthecrewinspacetoobserveand photographnaturalandhumanmadechanges onEarth.ThephotographsrecordtheEarths surfacechangesovertime,alongwithmore fleetingeventssuchasstorms,floods,firesand volcaniceruptions. CrewEarthObservationsInternationalPolar Year(CEOIPY)isaninternational collaborationofscientistsfortheobservation andexplorationofEarthsPolarRegionsfrom 2007to2009.InternationalSpaceStationcrew memberswillphotographpolarphenomena includingaurorasandmesosphericcloudsin responsetoadailymessagefromthescientists ontheground. CommercialGenericBioprocessingApparatus ScienceInsert01(CSI01)iscomprisedoftwo educationalexperimentsthatwillbeutilizedby middleschoolstudentsintheUnitesStatesand Malaysia.Oneexperimentisexaminingseed germinationinmicrogravityincluding gravitropism(plantgrowthtowardgravity) andphototropism(plantgrowthtowardlight). Thesecondexperimentisexamininghow microgravityaffectsthemodelorganism, Caenorhabditiselegans,asmallnematode worm.Thousandsofstudentsbegan

participatingintheexperimentsinFebruary 2007. SpaceFlightInducedReactivationofLatent EpsteinBarrVirus(EpsteinBarr)performs teststostudychangesinthehumanimmune function.Usingbloodandurinesamples collectedfromcrewmembersbeforeandafter spaceflight,thestudywillprovideinsightfor possiblecountermeasurestopreventthe potentialdevelopmentofinfectiousillnessin crewmembersduringflight. BehavioralIssuesAssociatedwithIsolation andConfinement:ReviewandAnalysisof AstronautJournals(Journals)studiestheeffect ofisolationtoobtainquantitativedataonthe importanceofdifferentbehavioralissuesin longdurationcrews.Theastronautswillkeep journalsandfilloutsurveystoprovidedata. ResultswillhelpNASAdesignequipmentand procedurestoallowastronautstobestcope withisolationandlongdurationspaceflight. MicrogravityAccelerationMeasurement System(MAMS)andSpaceAcceleration MeasurementSystem(SAMSII)measure vibrationandquasisteadyaccelerationsthat resultfromvehiclecontrolburns,dockingand undockingactivities.Thetwodifferent equipmentpackagesmeasurevibrationsat differentfrequencies. MaterialsontheInternationalSpaceStation Experiment3and4(MISSE3and4)arethe thirdandfourthinaseriesoffivesuitcasesized testbedsattachedtotheoutsideofthespace station.Thebedsweredeployedduringa spacewalkonSTS121inJuly2006.Theywill exposehundredsofpotentialspace constructionmaterialsanddifferenttypesof solarcellstotheharshenvironmentofspace. Afterbeingmountedtothespacestationabout ayear,theequipmentwillbereturnedtoEarth

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 forstudy.Investigatorswillusetheresulting datatodesignstronger,moredurable spacecraft. NutritionalStatusAssessment(Nutrition)is themostcomprehensiveinflightstudydoneby NASAtodateofhumanphysiologicchanges duringlongdurationspaceflight;thisincludes measuresofbonemetabolism,oxidative damage,nutritionalassessments,andhormonal changes.Thisstudywillimpactboththe definitionofnutritionalrequirementsand developmentoffoodsystemsforfuturespace explorationmissionstothemoonandMars. Thisexperimentalsowillhelptounderstand theimpactofcountermeasures(exerciseand pharmaceuticals)onnutritionalstatusand nutrientrequirementsforastronauts. SleepWakeActigraphyandLightExposure DuringSpaceflightLong(SleepLong)will examinetheeffectsofspaceflightandambient lightexposureonthesleepwakecyclesofthe crewmembersduringlongdurationstayson thespacestation. TestofReactionandAdaptationCapabilities (TRAC)willtestthetheoryofbrainadaptation duringspaceflightbytestinghandeye coordinationbefore,duringandafteralong durationmissiontothespacestation.

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SPACE SHUTTLE MAIN ENGINE ADVANCED HEALTH MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

DuringtheSTS117mission,theAdvanced HealthManagementSystem(AHMS)an engineimprovementsystemthatshutsdown anengineifanomaliesaredetectedwillbe activelyoperatingononeengineforthefirst time.TheAHMScollectsandprocesses turbopumpaccelerometerdata,ameasureof turbopumpvibration,andcontinuously monitorsturbopumphealth.Ifvibration anomaliesaredetected,thesystemshutsdown theengine.TheAHMSwillbeinmonitoronly modeforAtlantistwootherengines,meaning thatalthoughdataisbeingcollected,thesystem cannotshutdowntheengines. TheAHMSwasinmonitoronlymodeonone engineduringtheSTS116missioninDecember 2006.Datafromthatmissionindicatedthe AHMSoperatedasintended.Thesystemwill befullyoperationalandinactivemodeonall enginesduringshuttleEndeavoursnext mission,STS118. Whenashuttleliftsoffthelaunchpad,itdoes sowiththehelpofthreereusable,high performancerocketengines.Eachmainengine is14feetlongand7.5feetindiameteratthe nozzleexit.Oneengineweighsapproximately 7,750poundsandgeneratesmorethan12 millionhorsepower,equivalenttomorethan seventimestheoutputoftheHooverDam. Theenginesoperateforabout8.5minutes duringliftoffandascentlongenoughtoburn morethan500,000gallonsofsupercoldliquid hydrogenandliquidoxygenpropellantsstored intheexternalfueltank,whichisattachedto theshuttlesunderside.Liquidoxygenisstored at298degreesFahrenheit,andliquidhydrogen isstoredat423degreesFahrenheit.The enginesshutdownjustbeforetheshuttle, travelingatabout17,000mph,reachesorbit. Thisengineupgradesignificantlyimproves spaceshuttleflightsafetyandreliability.The upgrade,developedbyNASAsMarshallSpace FlightCenterinHuntsville,Ala.,isa modificationoftheexistingmainengine controller,whichistheonenginecomputer thatmonitorsandcontrolsallmainengine operations.

ThreeSpaceShuttleMainEnginesprotrude fromtheaftsectionofthespaceshuttle, consumingliquidhydrogenandliquid oxygentohelppowertheshuttleintoorbit.

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 Themodificationsincludetheadditionof advanceddigitalsignalprocessors,radiation hardenedmemoryandnewsoftware.These changestothemainenginecontrollerprovide thecapabilityforcompletelynewmonitoring andinsightintothehealthofthetwomostrisky componentsofthespaceshuttlesmain enginethehighpressurefuelturbopumpand thehighpressureoxidizerturbopump. Thefuelandoxidizerturbopumpsrotateat approximately35,000and28,000revolutions perminute,respectively.Tooperateatsuch extremespeeds,thehighpressureturbopumps usehighlyspecializedbearingsandprecisely balancedcomponents.TheAHMSupgrade

utilizesdatafromthreeexistingsensors (accelerometers)mountedoneachofthehigh pressureturbopumpstomeasurehowmuch eachpumpisvibrating.Theoutputdatafrom theaccelerometersisroutedtothenewAHMS digitalsignalprocessorsinstalledinthemain enginecontroller.Theseprocessorsanalyzethe sensorreadings20timespersecond,looking forvibrationanomaliesthatareindicativeof impendingfailureofrotatingturbopump componentssuchasblades,impellers,inducers andbearings.Ifthemagnitudeofanyvibration anomalyexceedssafelimits,theupgraded mainenginecontrollerimmediatelyshuts downtheunhealthyengine.

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SHUTTLE REFERENCE DATA

SHUTTLE ABORT MODES

RSLS Aborts
Theseoccurwhentheonboardshuttle computersdetectaproblemandcommanda haltinthelaunchsequenceaftertakingover fromthegroundlaunchsequencerandbefore solidrocketboosterignition.

Ascent Aborts
Selectionofanascentabortmodemaybecome necessaryifthereisafailurethataffectsvehicle performance,suchasthefailureofaspace shuttlemainengineoranorbitalmaneuvering systemengine.Otherfailuresrequiringearly terminationofaflight,suchasacabinleak, mightalsorequiretheselectionofanabort mode.Therearetwobasictypesofascentabort modesforspaceshuttlemissions:intactaborts andcontingencyaborts.Intactabortsare designedtoprovideasafereturnoftheorbiter toaplannedlandingsite.Contingencyaborts aredesignedtopermitflightcrewsurvival followingmoreseverefailureswhenanintact abortisnotpossible.Acontingencyabort wouldgenerallyresultinaditchoperation.

TheRTLSprofileisdesignedtoaccommodate thelossofthrustfromonespaceshuttlemain enginebetweenliftoffandapproximatelyfour minutes20seconds,atwhichtimenotenough mainpropulsionsystempropellantremainsto returntothelaunchsite.AnRTLScanbe consideredtoconsistofthreestagesa poweredstage,duringwhichthespaceshuttle mainenginesarestillthrusting;anexternal tankseparationphase;andtheglidephase, duringwhichtheorbiterglidestoalandingat theKennedySpaceCenter.ThepoweredRTLS phasebeginswiththecrewselectionofthe RTLSabort,aftersolidrocketbooster separation.Thecrewselectstheabortmodeby positioningtheabortrotaryswitchtoRTLSand depressingtheabortpushbutton.Thetimeat whichtheRTLSisselecteddependsonthe reasonfortheabort.Forexample,athree engineRTLSisselectedatthelastmoment, about3minutes,34secondsintothemission; whereasanRTLSchosenduetoanengineout atliftoffisselectedattheearliesttime,about2 minutes,20secondsintothemission(aftersolid rocketboosterseparation). AfterRTLSisselected,thevehiclecontinues downrangetodissipateexcessmainpropulsion systempropellant.Thegoalistoleaveonly enoughmainpropulsionsystempropellantto beabletoturnthevehiclearound,flyback towardtheKennedySpaceCenterandachieve thepropermainenginecutoffconditionssothe vehiclecanglidetotheKennedySpaceCenter afterexternaltankseparation.Duringthe downrangephase,apitcharoundmaneuveris initiated(thetimedependsinpartonthetime ofaspaceshuttlemainenginefailure)toorient theorbiter/externaltankconfigurationtoa

Intact Aborts
Therearefourtypesofintactaborts:abortto orbit(ATO),abortoncearound(AOA), transoceanicabortlanding(TAL)andreturnto launchsite(RTLS).

Return to Launch Site

TheRTLSabortmodeisdesignedtoallowthe returnoftheorbiter,crewandpayloadtothe launchsite,KennedySpaceCenter, approximately25minutesafterliftoff.

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 headsupattitude,pointingtowardthelaunch site.Atthistime,thevehicleisstillmoving awayfromthelaunchsite,butthespaceshuttle mainenginesarenowthrustingtonullthe downrangevelocity.Inaddition,excessorbital maneuveringsystemandreactioncontrol systempropellantsaredumpedbycontinuous orbitalmaneuveringsystemandreaction controlsystemenginethrustingstoimprovethe orbiterweightandcenterofgravityforthe glidephaseandlanding. Thevehiclewillreachthedesiredmainengine cutoffpointwithlessthan2percentexcess propellantremainingintheexternaltank.At mainenginecutoffminus20seconds,apitch downmaneuver(calledpoweredpitchdown) takesthematedvehicletotherequiredexternal tankseparationattitudeandpitchrate.After mainenginecutoffhasbeencommanded,the externaltankseparationsequencebegins, includingareactioncontrolsystemmaneuver thatensuresthattheorbiterdoesnotrecontact theexternaltankandthattheorbiterhas achievedthenecessarypitchattitudetobegin theglidephaseoftheRTLS. Afterthereactioncontrolsystemmaneuverhas beencompleted,theglidephaseoftheRTLS begins.Fromthenon,theRTLSishandled similarlytoanormalentry. InaTALabort,thevehiclecontinuesona ballistictrajectoryacrosstheAtlanticOceanto landatapredeterminedrunway.Landing occursabout45minutesafterlaunch.The landingsiteisselectednearthenormalascent groundtrackoftheorbitertomakethemost efficientuseofspaceshuttlemainengine propellant.Thelandingsitealsomusthavethe necessaryrunwaylength,weatherconditions andU.S.StateDepartmentapproval.Thethree landingsitesthathavebeenidentifiedfora launchareZaragoza,Spain;Moron,Spain;and Istres,France. ToselecttheTALabortmode,thecrewmust placetheabortrotaryswitchintheTAL/AOA positionanddepresstheabortpushbutton beforemainenginecutoff(Depressingitafter mainenginecutoffselectstheAOAabort mode).TheTALabortmodebeginssending commandstosteerthevehicletowardtheplane ofthelandingsite.Italsorollsthevehicle headsupbeforemainenginecutoffandsends commandstobeginanorbitalmaneuvering systempropellantdump(byburningthe propellantsthroughtheorbitalmaneuvering systemenginesandthereactioncontrolsystem engines).Thisdumpisnecessarytoincrease vehicleperformance(bydecreasingweight),to placethecenterofgravityintheproperplace forvehiclecontrolandtodecreasethevehicles landingweight.TALishandledlikeanormal entry.

Transoceanic Abort Landing

TheTALabortmodewasdevelopedto improvetheoptionsavailablewhenaspace shuttlemainenginefailsafterthelastRTLS opportunitybutbeforethefirsttimethatan AOAcanbeaccomplishedwithonlytwospace shuttlemainenginesorwhenamajororbiter systemfailure,forexample,alargecabin pressureleakorcoolingsystemfailure,occurs afterthelastRTLSopportunity,makingit imperativetolandasquicklyaspossible.

Abort to Orbit
AnATOisanabortmodeusedtoboostthe orbitertoasafeorbitalaltitudewhen performancehasbeenlostanditisimpossible toreachtheplannedorbitalaltitude.Ifaspace shuttlemainenginefailsinaregionthatresults inamainenginecutoffunderspeed,the MissionControlCenterwilldeterminethatan

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 abortmodeisnecessaryandwillinformthe crew.Theorbitalmaneuveringsystemengines wouldbeusedtoplacetheorbiterinacircular orbit. Contingencyabortsduetosystemfailuresother thanthoseinvolvingthemainengineswould normallyresultinanintactrecoveryofvehicle andcrew.Lossofmorethanonemainengine may,dependingonenginefailuretimes,result inasaferunwaylanding.However,inmost threeengineoutcasesduringascent,the orbiterwouldhavetobeditched.Theinflight crewescapesystemwouldbeusedbefore ditchingtheorbiter.

Abort Once Around

TheAOAabortmodeisusedincasesinwhich vehicleperformancehasbeenlosttosuchan extentthateitheritisimpossibletoachievea viableorbitornotenoughorbitalmaneuvering systempropellantisavailabletoaccomplishthe orbitalmaneuveringsystemthrusting maneuvertoplacetheorbiteronorbitandthe deorbitthrustingmaneuver.Inaddition,an AOAisusedincasesinwhichamajorsystems problem(cabinleak,lossofcooling)makesit necessarytolandquickly.IntheAOAabort mode,oneorbitalmaneuveringsystem thrustingsequenceismadetoadjustthe postmainenginecutofforbitsoasecond orbitalmaneuveringsystemthrustingsequence willresultinthevehicledeorbitingandlanding attheAOAlandingsite(WhiteSands,N.M.; EdwardsAirForceBase,Calif.;ortheKennedy SpaceCenter,Fla).Thus,anAOAresultsinthe orbitercirclingtheEarthonceandlanding about90minutesafterliftoff. Afterthedeorbitthrustingsequencehasbeen executed,theflightcrewfliestoalandingatthe plannedsitemuchasitwouldforanominal entry.

Abort Decisions
Thereisadefiniteorderofpreferenceforthe variousabortmodes.Thetypeoffailureand thetimeofthefailuredeterminewhichtypeof abortisselected.Incaseswhereperformance lossistheonlyfactor,thepreferredmodesare ATO,AOA,TALandRTLS,inthatorder.The modechosenisthehighestonethatcanbe completedwiththeremainingvehicle performance. Inthecaseofsomesupportsystemfailures, suchascabinleaksorvehiclecoolingproblems, thepreferredmodemightbetheonethatwill endthemissionmostquickly.Inthesecases, TALorRTLSmightbepreferabletoAOAor ATO.Acontingencyabortisneverchosenif anotherabortoptionexists. MissionControlHoustonisprimeforcalling theseabortsbecauseithasamoreprecise knowledgeoftheorbiterspositionthanthe crewcanobtainfromonboardsystems.Before mainenginecutoff,MissionControlmakes periodiccallstothecrewtotellthemwhich abortmodeis(orisnot)available.Ifground communicationsarelost,theflightcrewhas onboardmethods,suchascuecards,dedicated displaysanddisplayinformation,todetermine theabortregion.

Contingency Aborts
Contingencyabortsarecausedbylossofmore thanonemainengineorfailuresinother systems.Lossofonemainenginewhile anotherisstuckatalowthrustsettingalsomay necessitateacontingencyabort.Suchanabort wouldmaintainorbiterintegrityforinflight crewescapeifalandingcannotbeachievedata suitablelandingfield.

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 Whichabortmodeisselecteddependsonthe causeandtimingofthefailurecausingthe abortandwhichmodeissafestorimproves missionsuccess.Iftheproblemisaspace shuttlemainenginefailure,theflightcrewand MissionControlCenterselectthebestoption availableatthetimeamainenginefails. Iftheproblemisasystemfailurethat jeopardizesthevehicle,thefastestabortmode thatresultsintheearliestvehiclelandingis chosen.RTLSandTALarethequickestoptions (35minutes),whereasanAOArequiresabout 90minutes.Whichoftheseisselecteddepends onthetimeofthefailurewiththreegoodspace shuttlemainengines. Theflightcrewselectstheabortmodeby positioninganabortmodeswitchand depressinganabortpushbutton.

(STS-55) March 22, 1993

ThecountdownforColumbiaslaunchwas haltedbyonboardcomputersatT3seconds followingaproblemwithpurgepressure readingsintheoxidizerpreburneronmain engineNo.2.Columbiasthreemainengines werereplacedonthelaunchpad,andtheflight wasrescheduledbehindDiscoveryslaunchon STS56.Columbiafinallylaunchedon April26,1993.

(STS-51) Aug. 12, 1993

ThecountdownforDiscoverysthirdlaunch attemptendedattheT3secondmarkwhen onboardcomputersdetectedthefailureofone offoursensorsinmainengineNo.2which monitortheflowofhydrogenfueltothe engine.AllofDiscoverysmainengineswere orderedreplacedonthelaunchpad,delaying theshuttlesfourthlaunchattemptuntil Sept.12,1993.

SHUTTLE ABORT HISTORY

RSLS Abort History (STS-41 D) June 26, 1984
Thecountdownforthesecondlaunchattempt forDiscoverysmaidenflightendedatT4 secondswhentheorbiterscomputersdetected asluggishvalveinmainengineNo.3.Themain enginewasreplacedandDiscoverywasfinally launchedonAug.30,1984.

(STS-68) Aug. 18, 1994

ThecountdownforEndeavoursfirstlaunch attemptended1.9secondsbeforeliftoffwhen onboardcomputersdetectedhigherthan acceptablereadingsinonechannelofasensor monitoringthedischargetemperatureofthe highpressureoxidizerturbopumpinmain engineNo.3.Atestfiringoftheengineatthe StennisSpaceCenterinMississippion September2ndconfirmedthataslightdriftina fuelflowmeterintheenginecausedaslight increaseintheturbopumpstemperature.The testfiringalsoconfirmedaslightlyslowerstart formainengineNo.3duringthepadabort, whichcouldhavecontributedtothehigher temperatures.AfterEndeavourwasbrought backtotheVehicleAssemblyBuildingtobe outfittedwiththreereplacementengines, NASAmanagerssetOct.2asthedatefor Endeavourssecondlaunchattempt.

(STS-51 F) July 12, 1985

ThecountdownforChallengerslaunchwas haltedatT3secondswhenonboard computersdetectedaproblemwithacoolant valveonmainengineNo.2.Thevalvewas replacedandChallengerwaslaunchedon July29,1985.

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Abort to Orbit History (STS-51 F) July 29, 1985

AfteranRSLSabortonJuly12,1985, ChallengerwaslaunchedonJuly29,1985.Five minutesand45secondsafterlaunch,asensor problemresultedintheshutdownofcenter engineNo.1,resultinginasafeaborttoorbit andsuccessfulcompletionofthemission.

17,000mph(28,000kilometersperhour), reachesorbit. Themainengineoperatesatgreater temperatureextremesthananymechanical systemincommonusetoday.Thefuel, liquefiedhydrogenat423degreesFahrenheit (253degreesCelsius),isthesecondcoldest liquidonEarth.Whenitandtheliquidoxygen arecombusted,thetemperatureinthemain combustionchamberis6,000degrees Fahrenheit(3,316degreesCelsius),hotterthan theboilingpointofiron. Themainenginesuseastagedcombustion cyclesothatallpropellantsenteringtheengines areusedtoproducethrustorpowermore efficientlythananypreviousrocketengine.In astagedcombustioncycle,propellantsarefirst burnedpartiallyathighpressureandrelatively lowtemperaturethenburnedcompletelyat hightemperatureandpressureinthemain combustionchamber.Therapidmixingofthe propellantsundertheseconditionsisso completethat99percentofthefuelisburned. Atnormaloperatinglevel,theenginesgenerate 490,847poundsofthrust(measuredina vacuum).Fullpoweris512,900poundsof thrust;minimumpoweris316,100poundsof thrust. Theenginecanbethrottledbyvaryingthe outputofthepreburners,thusvaryingthe speedofthehighpressureturbopumpsand, therefore,theflowofthepropellant. Atabout26secondsintolaunch,themain enginesarethrottleddownto316,000pounds ofthrusttokeepthedynamicpressureonthe vehiclebelowaspecifiedlevelabout 580poundspersquarefootormaxq.Then,the enginesarethrottledbackuptonormal operatinglevelatabout60seconds.

SPACE SHUTTLE MAIN ENGINES

Developedinthe1970sbyNASAsMarshall SpaceFlightCenterinHuntsville,Ala.,the spaceshuttlemainengineisthemostadvanced liquidfueledrocketengineeverbuilt.Every spaceshuttlemainengineistestedandproven flightworthyatNASAsStennisSpaceCenter insouthMississippi,beforeinstallationonan orbiter.Itsmainfeaturesincludevariable thrust,highperformancereusability,high redundancyandafullyintegratedengine controller. Theshuttlesthreemainenginesaremounted ontheorbiteraftfuselageinatriangular pattern.Spacedsothattheyaremovable duringlaunch,theenginesareusedin conjunctionwiththesolidrocketboostersto steertheshuttlevehicle. Eachofthesepowerfulmainenginesis14feet (4.2meters)long,weighsabout7,000pounds (3,150kilograms)andis7.5feet(2.25meters)in diameterattheendofitsnozzle. Theenginesoperateforabout8minutes duringliftoffandascentburningmorethan 500,000gallons(1.9millionliters)ofsupercold liquidhydrogenandliquidoxygenpropellants storedinthehugeexternaltankattachedtothe undersideoftheshuttle.Theenginesshut downjustbeforetheshuttle,travelingatabout

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 Thisreducesstressonthevehicle.Themain enginesarethrottleddownagainatabout sevenminutes,40secondsintothemissionto maintainthreegsthreetimestheEarths gravitationalpullagainreducingstressonthe crewandthevehicle.Thisaccelerationlevelis aboutonethirdtheaccelerationexperiencedon previouscrewedspacevehicles. About10secondsbeforemainenginecutoffor MECO,thecutoffsequencebegins;aboutthree secondslaterthemainenginesarecommanded tobeginthrottlingat10percentthrustper secondto65percentthrust.Thisisheldfor about6.7seconds,andtheenginesareshut down. Theengineperformancehasthehighestthrust foritsweightofanyengineyetdeveloped.In fact,onespaceshuttlemainenginegenerates sufficientthrusttomaintaintheflightof2 747airplanes. Thespaceshuttlemainengineisalsothefirst rocketenginetouseabuiltinelectronicdigital controller,orcomputer.Thecontrollerwill acceptcommandsfromtheorbiterforengine start,changeinthrottle,shutdown,and monitorengineoperation.Intheeventofa failure,thecontrollerautomaticallycorrectsthe problemorsafelyshutsdowntheengine. NASAcontinuestoincreasethereliabilityand safetyofshuttleflightsthroughaseriesof enhancementstothespaceshuttlemain engines.Theenginesweremodifiedin1988, 1995,1998and2001.Modificationsincludenew highpressurefuelandoxidizerturbopumps thatreducemaintenanceandoperatingcostsof theengine,atwoductpowerheadthatreduces pressureandturbulenceintheengine,anda singlecoilheatexchangerthatlowersthe numberofpostflightinspectionsrequired. Anothermodificationincorporatesalarge throatmaincombustionchamberthatimproves theenginesreliabilitybyreducingpressure andtemperatureinthechamber. Aftertheorbiterlands,theenginesareremoved andreturnedtoaprocessingfacilityat KennedySpaceCenter,Fla.,wheretheyare recheckedandreadiedforthenextflight.Some componentsarereturnedtothemainengines primecontractor,Pratt&WhitneyRocketDyne, WestPalmBeach,Fla.,forregularmaintenance. Themainenginesaredesignedtooperatefor 7.5accumulatedhours.

SPACE SHUTTLE SOLID ROCKET BOOSTERS

ThetwoSRBsprovidethemainthrusttoliftthe spaceshuttleoffthepadanduptoanaltitude ofabout150,000feet,or24nauticalmiles (28statutemiles).Inaddition,thetwoSRBs carrytheentireweightoftheexternaltankand orbiterandtransmittheweightloadthrough theirstructuretothemobilelauncherplatform. Eachboosterhasathrust(sealevel)ofabout 3,300,000poundsatlaunch.Theyareignited afterthethreespaceshuttlemainengines thrustlevelisverified.ThetwoSRBsprovide 71.4percentofthethrustatliftoffandduring firststageascent.Seventyfivesecondsafter SRBseparation,SRBapogeeoccursatan altitudeofabout220,000feet,or35nautical miles(40statutemiles).SRBimpactoccursin theoceanabout122nauticalmiles(140statute miles)downrange. TheSRBsarethelargestsolidpropellant motorseverflownandthefirstdesignedfor reuse.Eachis149.16feetlongand12.17feetin diameter.

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 EachSRBweighsabout1,300,000poundsat launch.Thepropellantforeachsolidrocket motorweighsabout1,100,000pounds.The inertweightofeachSRBisabout 192,000pounds. Primaryelementsofeachboosterarethemotor (includingcase,propellant,igniterandnozzle), structure,separationsystems,operationalflight instrumentation,recoveryavionics, pyrotechnics,decelerationsystem,thrustvector controlsystemandrangesafetydestruct system. Eachboosterisattachedtotheexternaltankat theSRBsaftframebytwolateralswaybraces andadiagonalattachment.Theforwardendof eachSRBisattachedtotheexternaltankatthe forwardendoftheSRBsforwardskirt.Onthe launchpad,eachboosteralsoisattachedtothe mobilelauncherplatformattheaftskirtbyfour boltsandnutsthatareseveredbysmall explosivesatliftoff. DuringthedowntimefollowingtheChallenger accident,detailedstructuralanalyseswere performedoncriticalstructuralelementsofthe SRB.Analyseswereprimarilyfocusedinareas whereanomalieshadbeennotedduring postflightinspectionofrecoveredhardware. Oneoftheareaswastheattachringwherethe SRBsareconnectedtotheexternaltank.Areas ofdistresswerenotedinsomeofthefasteners wheretheringattachestotheSRBmotorcase. Thissituationwasattributedtothehighloads encounteredduringwaterimpact.Tocorrect thesituationandensurehigherstrength marginsduringascent,theattachringwas redesignedtoencirclethemotorcase completely(360degrees). Previously,theattachringformedaCand encircledthemotorcase270degrees. Additionally,specialstructuraltestsweredone ontheaftskirt.Duringthistestprogram,an anomalyoccurredinacriticalweldbetweenthe holddownpostandskinoftheskirt.A redesignwasimplementedtoadd reinforcementbracketsandfittingsintheaft ringoftheskirt. Thesetwomodificationsaddedabout 450poundstotheweightofeachSRB. ThepropellantmixtureineachSRBmotor consistsofanammoniumperchlorate(oxidizer, 69.6percentbyweight),aluminum(fuel, 16percent),ironoxide(acatalyst,0.4percent),a polymer(abinderthatholdsthemixture together,12.04percent),andanepoxycuring agent(1.96percent).Thepropellantisan 11pointstarshapedperforationintheforward motorsegmentandadoubletruncatedcone perforationineachoftheaftsegmentsandaft closure.Thisconfigurationprovideshigh thrustatignitionandthenreducesthethrustby aboutathird50secondsafterliftofftoprevent overstressingthevehicleduringmaximum dynamicpressure. TheSRBsareusedasmatchedpairsandeachis madeupoffoursolidrocketmotorsegments. Thepairsarematchedbyloadingeachofthe fourmotorsegmentsinpairsfromthesame batchesofpropellantingredientstominimize anythrustimbalance.Thesegmentedcasing designassuresmaximumflexibilityin fabricationandeaseoftransportationand handling.Eachsegmentisshippedtothe launchsiteonaheavydutyrailcarwitha speciallybuiltcover. Thenozzleexpansionratioofeachbooster beginningwiththeSTS8missionis7to79. Thenozzleisgimbaledforthrustvector (direction)control.EachSRBhasitsown

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 redundantauxiliarypowerunitsandhydraulic pumps.Theallaxisgimbalingcapabilityis 8degrees.Eachnozzlehasacarbonclothliner thaterodesandcharsduringfiring.Thenozzle isaconvergentdivergent,movabledesignin whichanaftpivotpointflexiblebearingisthe gimbalmechanism. Theconeshapedaftskirtreactstheaftloads betweentheSRBandthemobilelauncher platform.Thefouraftseparationmotorsare mountedontheskirt.Theaftsectioncontains avionics,athrustvectorcontrolsystemthat consistsoftwoauxiliarypowerunitsand hydraulicpumps,hydraulicsystemsanda nozzleextensionjettisonsystem. Theforwardsectionofeachboostercontains avionics,asequencer,forwardseparation motors,anoseconeseparationsystem,drogue andmainparachutes,arecoverybeacon,a recoverylight,aparachutecameraonselected flightsandarangesafetysystem. EachSRBhastwointegratedelectronic assemblies,oneforwardandoneaft.After burnout,theforwardassemblyinitiatesthe releaseofthenosecapandfrustum,atransition piecebetweenthenoseconeandsolidrocket motor,andturnsontherecoveryaids.Theaft assembly,mountedintheexternaltank/SRB attachring,connectswiththeforwardassembly andtheorbiteravionicssystemsforSRB ignitioncommandsandnozzlethrustvector control.Eachintegratedelectronicassembly hasamultiplexer/demultiplexer,whichsends orreceivesmorethanonemessage,signalor unitofinformationonasinglecommunication channel. Eightboosterseparationmotors(fourinthe nosefrustumandfourintheaftskirt)ofeach SRBthrustfor1.02secondsatSRBseparation fromtheexternaltank.Eachsolidrocket separationmotoris31.1incheslongand 12.8inchesindiameter. LocationaidsareprovidedforeachSRB, frustum/droguechutesandmainparachutes. Theseincludeatransmitter,antenna, strobe/converter,batteryandsaltwaterswitch electronics.Thelocationaidsaredesignedfora minimumoperatinglifeof72hoursandwhen refurbishedareconsideredusableupto 20times.Theflashinglightisanexception.It hasanoperatinglifeof280hours.Thebattery isusedonlyonce. TheSRBnosecapsandnozzleextensionsare notrecovered. TherecoverycrewretrievestheSRBs, frustum/droguechutes,andmainparachutes. Thenozzlesareplugged,thesolidrocket motorsaredewatered,andtheSRBsaretowed backtothelaunchsite.Eachboosteris removedfromthewater,anditscomponents aredisassembledandwashedwithfreshand deionizedwatertolimitsaltwatercorrosion. Themotorsegments,igniterandnozzleare shippedbacktoATKThiokolfor refurbishment. EachSRBincorporatesarangesafetysystem thatincludesabatterypowersource, receiver/decoder,antennasandordnance.

Hold-Down Posts
Eachsolidrocketboosterhasfourholddown poststhatfitintocorrespondingsupportposts onthemobilelauncherplatform.Holddown boltsholdtheSRBandlauncherplatformposts together.Eachbolthasanutateachend,but onlythetopnutisfrangible.Thetopnut containstwoNASAstandarddetonators (NSDs),whichareignitedatsolidrocketmotor ignitioncommands.

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 WhenthetwoNSDsareignitedateachhold down,theholddownbolttravelsdownward becauseofthereleaseoftensioninthebolt (pretensionedbeforelaunch),NSDgaspressure andgravity.Theboltisstoppedbythestud decelerationstand,whichcontainssand.The SRBboltis28incheslongand3.5inchesin diameter.Thefrangiblenutiscapturedina blastcontainer. Thesolidrocketmotorignitioncommandsare issuedbytheorbiterscomputersthroughthe mastereventscontrollerstotheholddown pyrotechnicinitiatorcontrollersonthemobile launcherplatform.Theyprovidetheignitionto theholddownNSDs.Thelaunchprocessing systemmonitorstheSRBholddownPICsfor lowvoltageduringthelast16secondsbefore launch.PIClowvoltagewillinitiatealaunch hold. fire2originateintheorbitergeneralpurpose computersandaretransmittedtotheMECs. TheMECsreformatthemto28voltdcsignals forthePICs.ThearmsignalchargesthePIC capacitorto40voltsdc(minimumof20volts dc). Thefire2commandscausetheredundant NSDstofirethroughathinbarriersealdowna flametunnel.Thisignitesapyrobooster charge,whichisretainedinthesafeandarm devicebehindaperforatedplate.Thebooster chargeignitesthepropellantintheigniter initiator;andcombustionproductsofthis propellantignitethesolidrocketmotor initiator,whichfiresdownthelengthofthe solidrocketmotorignitingthesolidrocket motorpropellant. TheGPClaunchsequencealsocontrolscertain criticalmainpropulsionsystemvalvesand monitorstheenginereadyindicationsfromthe SSMEs.TheMPSstartcommandsareissuedby theonboardcomputersatTminus6.6seconds (staggeredstartenginethree,enginetwo, engineoneallaboutwithin0.25ofasecond), andthesequencemonitorsthethrustbuildup ofeachengine.AllthreeSSMEsmustreachthe required90percentthrustwithinthreeseconds; otherwise,anorderlyshutdowniscommanded andsafingfunctionsareinitiated. Normalthrustbuilduptotherequired90 percentthrustlevelwillresultintheSSMEs beingcommandedtotheliftoffpositionat Tminusthreesecondsaswellasthefire1 commandbeingissuedtoarmtheSRBs.At Tminusthreeseconds,thevehiclebase bendingloadmodesareallowedtoinitialize (movementof25.5inchesmeasuredatthetipof theexternaltank,withmovementtowardsthe externaltank).

SRB Ignition
SRBignitioncanoccuronlywhenamanual lockpinfromeachSRBsafeandarmdevicehas beenremoved.Thegroundcrewremovesthe pinduringprelaunchactivities.AtTminus fiveminutes,theSRBsafeandarmdeviceis rotatedtothearmposition.Thesolidrocket motorignitioncommandsareissuedwhenthe threeSSMEsareatorabove90percentrated thrust,noSSMEfailand/orSRBignitionPIC lowvoltageisindicatedandtherearenoholds fromtheLPS. Thesolidrocketmotorignitioncommandsare sentbytheorbitercomputersthroughthe MECstothesafeandarmdeviceNSDsineach SRB.APICsinglechannelcapacitordischarge devicecontrolsthefiringofeachpyrotechnic device.Threesignalsmustbepresent simultaneouslyforthePICtogeneratethepyro firingoutput.Thesesignalsarm,fire1and

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 AtTminuszero,thetwoSRBsareignited undercommandofthefouronboard computers;separationofthefourexplosive boltsoneachSRBisinitiated(eachboltis28 incheslongand3.5inchesindiameter);thetwo T0umbilicals(oneoneachsideofthe spacecraft)areretracted;theonboardmaster timingunit,eventtimerandmissionevent timersarestarted;thethreeSSMEsareat 100percent;andthegroundlaunchsequenceis terminated. Thesolidrocketmotorthrustprofileistailored toreducethrustduringthemaximumdynamic pressureregion. twohydraulicsystemsarelocatedontheaft endofeachSRBbetweentheSRBnozzleand aftskirt.TheHPUcomponentsaremountedon theaftskirtbetweentherockandtiltactuators. ThetwosystemsoperatefromTminus 28secondsuntilSRBseparationfromthe orbiterandexternaltank.Thetwoindependent hydraulicsystemsareconnectedtotherock andtiltservoactuators. TheAPUcontrollerelectronicsarelocatedin theSRBaftintegratedelectronicassemblieson theaftexternaltankattachrings. TheAPUsandtheirfuelsystemsareisolated fromeachother.Eachfuelsupplymodule (tank)contains22poundsofhydrazine.The fueltankispressurizedwithgaseousnitrogen at400psi,whichprovidestheforcetoexpel (positiveexpulsion)thefuelfromthetankto thefueldistributionline,maintainingapositive fuelsupplytotheAPUthroughoutits operation. ThefuelisolationvalveisopenedatAPU startuptoallowfueltoflowtotheAPUfuel pumpandcontrolvalvesandthentothegas generator.Thegasgeneratorscatalyticaction decomposesthefuelandcreatesahotgas.It feedsthehotgasexhaustproducttotheAPU twostagegasturbine.Fuelflowsprimarily throughthestartupbypasslineuntiltheAPU speedissuchthatthefuelpumpoutletpressure isgreaterthanthebypasslines.Thenallthe fuelissuppliedtothefuelpump. TheAPUturbineassemblyprovides mechanicalpowertotheAPUgearbox.The gearboxdrivestheAPUfuelpump,hydraulic pumpandlubeoilpump.TheAPUlubeoil pumplubricatesthegearbox.Theturbine exhaustofeachAPUflowsovertheexteriorof thegasgenerator,coolingit,andisthen directedoverboardthroughanexhaustduct.

Electrical Power Distribution

ElectricalpowerdistributionineachSRB consistsoforbitersuppliedmaindcbuspower toeachSRBviaSRBbusesA,BandC.Orbiter maindcbusesA,BandCsupplymaindcbus powertocorrespondingSRBbusesA,BandC. Inaddition,orbitermaindcbusCsupplies backuppowertoSRBbusesAandB,and orbiterbusBsuppliesbackuppowertoSRBbus C.Thiselectricalpowerdistribution arrangementallowsallSRBbusestoremain poweredintheeventoneorbitermainbusfails. Thenominaldcvoltageis28voltsdc,withan upperlimitof32voltsdcandalowerlimitof 24voltsdc.

Hydraulic Power Units

Therearetwoselfcontained,independent HPUsoneachSRB.EachHPUconsistsofan auxiliarypowerunit,fuelsupplymodule, hydraulicpump,hydraulicreservoirand hydraulicfluidmanifoldassembly.TheAPUs arefueledbyhydrazineandgenerate mechanicalshaftpowertoahydraulicpump thatproduceshydraulicpressurefortheSRB hydraulicsystem.ThetwoseparateHPUsand

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 WhentheAPUspeedreaches100percent,the APUprimarycontrolvalvecloses,andtheAPU speediscontrolledbytheAPUcontroller electronics.Iftheprimarycontrolvalvelogic failstotheopenstate,thesecondarycontrol valveassumescontroloftheAPUat112 percentspeed. EachHPUonanSRBisconnectedtoboth servoactuatorsonthatSRB.OneHPUservesas theprimaryhydraulicsourceforthe servoactuator,andtheotherHPUservesasthe secondaryhydraulicsfortheservoactuator. Eachservoactuatorhasaswitchingvalvethat allowsthesecondaryhydraulicstopowerthe actuatoriftheprimaryhydraulicpressure dropsbelow2,050psi.Aswitchcontactonthe switchingvalvewillclosewhenthevalveisin thesecondaryposition.Whenthevalveis closed,asignalissenttotheAPUcontroller thatinhibitsthe100percentAPUspeedcontrol logicandenablesthe112percentAPUspeed controllogic.The100percentAPUspeed enablesoneAPU/HPUtosupplysufficient operatinghydraulicpressuretoboth servoactuatorsofthatSRB. TheAPU100percentspeedcorrespondsto 72,000rpm,110percentto79,200rpm,and 112percentto80,640rpm. Thehydraulicpumpspeedis3,600rpmand supplieshydraulicpressureof3,050,plusor minus50,psi.Ahighpressurereliefvalve providesoverpressureprotectiontothe hydraulicsystemandrelievesat3,750psi. TheAPUs/HPUsandhydraulicsystemsare reusablefor20missions. controltogimbalthenozzleforthrustvector control. Thespaceshuttleascentthrustvectorcontrol portionoftheflightcontrolsystemdirectsthe thrustofthethreeshuttlemainenginesandthe twoSRBnozzlestocontrolshuttleattitudeand trajectoryduringliftoffandascent.Commands fromtheguidancesystemaretransmittedtothe ATVCdrivers,whichtransmitsignals proportionaltothecommandstoeach servoactuatorofthemainenginesandSRBs. Fourindependentflightcontrolsystem channelsandfourATVCchannelscontrolsix mainengineandfourSRBATVCdrivers,with eachdrivercontrollingonehydraulicporton eachmainandSRBservoactuator. EachSRBservoactuatorconsistsoffour independent,twostageservovalvesthat receivesignalsfromthedrivers.Each servovalvecontrolsonepowerspoolineach actuator,whichpositionsanactuatorramand thenozzletocontrolthedirectionofthrust. Thefourservovalvesineachactuatorprovidea forcesummedmajorityvotingarrangementto positionthepowerspool.Withfouridentical commandstothefourservovalves,theactuator forcesumactionpreventsasingleerroneous commandfromaffectingpowerrammotion.If theerroneouscommandpersistsformorethan apredeterminedtime,differentialpressure sensingactivatesaselectorvalvetoisolateand removethedefectiveservovalvehydraulic pressure,permittingtheremainingchannels andservovalvestocontroltheactuatorram spool. Failuremonitorsareprovidedforeachchannel toindicatewhichchannelhasbeenbypassed. Anisolationvalveoneachchannelprovidesthe capabilityofresettingafailedorbypassed channel.

Thrust Vector Control

EachSRBhastwohydraulicgimbal servoactuators:oneforrockandonefortilt. Theservoactuatorsprovidetheforceand

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 Eachactuatorramisequippedwithtransducers forpositionfeedbacktothethrustvector controlsystem.Withineachservoactuatorram isasplashdownloadreliefassemblytocushion thenozzleatwatersplashdownandprevent damagetothenozzleflexiblebearing. attitudeisheldforfourseconds,andSRBthrust dropstolessthan60,000pounds. TheSRBsseparatefromtheexternaltank within30millisecondsoftheordnancefiring command. Theforwardattachmentpointconsistsofaball (SRB)andsocket(ET)heldtogetherbyonebolt. TheboltcontainsoneNSDpressurecartridgeat eachend.Theforwardattachmentpointalso carriestherangesafetysystemcrossstrap wiringconnectingeachSRBRSSandtheET RSSwitheachother. Theaftattachmentpointsconsistofthree separatestruts:upper,diagonalandlower. EachstrutcontainsoneboltwithanNSD pressurecartridgeateachend.Theupperstrut alsocarriestheumbilicalinterfacebetweenits SRBandtheexternaltankandontotheorbiter. Therearefourboosterseparationmotorson eachendofeachSRB.TheBSMsseparatethe SRBsfromtheexternaltank.Thesolidrocket motorsineachclusteroffourareignitedby firingredundantNSDpressurecartridgesinto redundantconfineddetonatingfusemanifolds. Theseparationcommandsissuedfromthe orbiterbytheSRBseparationsequenceinitiate theredundantNSDpressurecartridgeineach boltandignitetheBSMstoeffectaclean separation.

SRB Rate Gyro Assemblies

EachSRBcontainstwoRGAs,witheachRGA containingonepitchandoneyawgyro.These provideanoutputproportionaltoangularrates aboutthepitchandyawaxestotheorbiter computersandguidance,navigationand controlsystemduringfirststageascentflightin conjunctionwiththeorbiterrollrategyrosuntil SRBseparation.AtSRBseparation,a switchoverismadefromtheSRBRGAstothe orbiterRGAs. TheSRBRGAratespassthroughtheorbiter flightaftmultiplexers/demultiplexerstothe orbiterGPCs.TheRGAratesarethen midvalueselectedinredundancy managementtoprovideSRBpitchandyaw ratestotheusersoftware.TheRGAsare designedfor20missions.

SRB Separation
SRBseparationisinitiatedwhenthethreesolid rocketmotorchamberpressuretransducersare processedintheredundancymanagement middlevalueselectandtheheadendchamber pressureofbothSRBsislessthanorequalto 50psi.Abackupcueisthetimeelapsedfrom boosterignition. Theseparationsequenceisinitiated, commandingthethrustvectorcontrolactuators tothenullpositionandputtingthemain propulsionsystemintoasecondstage configuration(0.8secondfromsequence initialization),whichensuresthethrustofeach SRBislessthan100,000pounds.Orbiteryaw

SPACE SHUTTLE SUPER LIGHT WEIGHT TANK (SLWT)

Thesuperlightweightexternaltank(SLWT) madeitsfirstshuttleflightJune2,1998,on missionSTS91.TheSLWTis7,500pounds lighterthanthestandardexternaltank.The lighterweighttankallowstheshuttletodeliver InternationalSpaceStationelements(suchas theservicemodule)intotheproperorbit.

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 TheSLWTisthesamesizeastheprevious design.Buttheliquidhydrogentankandthe liquidoxygentankaremadeofaluminum lithium,alighter,strongermaterialthanthe metalalloyusedfortheshuttlescurrenttank. Thetanksstructuraldesignhasalsobeen improved,makingit30percentstrongerand 5percentlessdense. TheSLWT,likethestandardtank,is manufacturedatMichoudAssembly,near NewOrleans,byLockheedMartin. The154footlongexternaltankisthelargest singlecomponentofthespaceshuttle.Itstands tallerthana15storybuildingandhasa diameterofabout27feet.Theexternaltank holdsover530,000gallonsofliquidhydrogen andliquidoxygenintwoseparatetanks.The hydrogen(fuel)andliquidoxygen(oxidizer) areusedaspropellantsfortheshuttlesthree mainengines.

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ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS

AA AAA ABC AC ACBM ACO ACS ACSM ACU ADO ADSEP ADVASC ADVASCGC AEA AFD AJIS AKA APAS APCU APDS APFR APM APPCM APS AR ARCU ARIS ARS ASCR ATA ATCS ATU AUAI AVU AVV BA BBC AntennaAssembly AvionicsAirAssembly AudioBusCoupler AssemblyComplete ActiveCommonBerthingMechanism AssemblyandCheckoutOfficer AtmosphereControlandSupply AttitudeControlSystemModing ArmComputerUnit AdaptationDataOverlay AdvancedSeparation AdvancedAstroculture AdvancedAstrocultureGrowthChamber AntennaElectronicsAssembly AftFlightDeck AlphaJointInterfaceStructure ActiveKeelAssembly AndrogynousPeripheralAttachmentSystem AssemblyPowerConverterUnit AndrogynousPeripheralDockingSystem ArticulatingPortableFootRestraint AttachedPressurizedModule ArmPitchPlaneChangeMode AutomatedPayloadSwitch AtmosphereRevitalization AmericantoRussianConverterUnit ActiveRackIsolationSystem AirRevitalizationSystem AssuredSafeCrewReturn AmmoniaTankAssembly ActiveThermalControlSystem AudioTerminalUnit AssembleContingencySystem/UHFAudioInterface ArtificialVisionUnit AccumulatorVentValve BearingAssembly BusBoltController

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ACRONYMS/ABBREVIATIONS

71

 BC BCDU BCU BDU BG BGA BGDTS BGHS BIT BITE BMRRM BONEMAC BPSMU BRS BSP BTS C&C C&DH C&M C&T C&W C/Acode C/L CA CAS CBM CBOSS CCAA CCASE CCD CCMS CCS CCTV CDDT CDRA CDS CETA CEU CFA CGBA CHeCS BusController BatteryCharge/DischargeUnit BackupControllerUnit BackupDriveUnit BetaGimbal BetaGimbalAssembly BetaGimbalDeploymentTransitionStructure BetaGimbalHousingSubassembly BuiltInTest BuiltInTestEquipment BearingMotorandRollRingModule BoneMarrowMacrophagesinSpace BatteryPoweredSpeakerMicrophoneUnit BottomRightSide BasebandSignalProcessor BoltTightSwitch CommandandControl CommandandDataHandling ControlandMonitor CommunicationandTracking CautionandWarning Coarse/Acquisitioncode CrewLock ControlAttitude CommonAttachSystem CommonBerthingMechanism CellularBiotechnologyOperatingScienceSystem CommonCabinAirAssembly CommercialCassetteExperiment CursorControlDevice ConcentricCableManagementSystem CommunicationandControlSystem ClosedCircuitTelevision CommonDisplayDevelopmentTeam CarbonDioxideRemovalAssembly CommandandDataSoftware CrewandEquipmentTranslationAid ControlElectronicsUnit CircularFanAssembly CommercialGenericBioprocessingApparatus CrewHealthCareSystem

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 CHX CID CIOB CLA CLPA CMG CMGTA CO2 COAS COR COTS CP CPCGH CR CRES CRIM CRIMM CRPCM CSA CSACP CSCI CSM CTB CVIU CVT CVV CWC DAA DAG1 DAIU DAP DC dc DCP DCSU DDCU DDCUCP DDCUE DDCUHP DDCUI DFL CondensingHeatExchanger CircuitInterruptDevice CargoIntegrationandOperationsBranch CameraandLightAssembly CameraLightandPan/TiltAssembly ControlMomentGyroscope ControlMomentGyroscopeThrusterAssist CarbonDioxide CrewOpticalAlignmentSight CommunicationOutageRecorder CommercialOffTheShelf ColdPlate CommercialProteinCrystalGrowthHigh ChangeRequest CorrosionResistantSteel CommercialRefrigeratorIncubatorModule CommercialRefrigeratorIncubatorModuleModified CanadianRemotePowerControllerModule ComputerSystemsArchitecture CompoundSpecificAnalyzerCombustionProducts ComputerSoftwareConfigurationItem CargoSystemsManual CargoTransferBag CommonVideoInterfaceUnit CurrentValueTable CarbonDioxideVentValve ContingencyWaterCollection DockedAirtoAir DockedA/G1 DockedAudioInterfaceUnit DigitalAutopilot DockingCompartment directcurrent DisplayandControlPanel DirectCurrentSwitchingUnit DCtoDCConverterUnit DCtoDCConverterUnitColdPlate ExternalDDCU DCtoDCConverterUnitHeatPipe InternalDDCU DataFormatLoad

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ACRONYMS/ABBREVIATIONS

73

 DLA DMCU DMSR dp/dt DPA DPS DTO DTV E/L EStop EACP EAIU EAS EATCS ECLSS ECU ED EDDA EE EEATCS EET EETCS EFGF EGIL EIA EMPEV EMU EOA EPCE EPG EPS ER ESA ESP ESSMDM ESU ETCS ETI ETRS ETSD ETVCG DriveLockingAssembly DockingMechanismControlUnit DataManagementSystemRussian deltapressure/deltatime DigitalPreassembly DataProcessingSystem DevelopmentTestObjective DigitalTelevision EquipmentLock EmergencyStop EMUAudioControlPanel EMUAudioInterfaceUnit EarlyAmmoniaServicer ExternalActiveThermalControlSubsystem EnvironmentalControlandLifeSupportSystem ElectronicsControlUnit EngagementDrive ExternalManeuveringUnitDon/DoffAssembly EndEffector EarlyExternalActiveThermalControlSystem ExperimentElapsedTime EarlyExternalThermalControlSystem ElectricalFlightreleasableGrappleFixture ElectricalGenerationandIntegratedLightingSystemsEngineer ElectricalInterfaceAssembly EmergencyManualPressureEqualizationValue ExtravehicularMobilityUnit EVAOhmmeterAssembly ElectricalPowerConsumingEquipment ElectricalPowerGenerator ElectricalPowerSystem EdgeRouter ExternalSamplingAdapter ExternalStowagePlatform EnhancedSpaceStationMultiplexer/Demultiplexer EndStopUnit ExternalThermalControlSystem ElapsedTimeIndicator EVATemporaryRailStop EVAToolStorageDevice ExternalTelevisionCamerasGroup

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 EUE EV EVCPDS EVA EVR EVSU EXPRESS EXT EWIS FAWG FC FCC FCT FCV FD FDA FDIR FDS FET FGB FHRC FI FPU FQDC FRD FRGF FSE FSS FWCI GAS GC GCA GFE GFI GJOP GLONASS GN&C GNC GPC GPRV ExperimentUniqueEquipment Extravehicular ExtravehicularChargedParticleDirectionalSpectrometer ExtravehicularActivity ExtravehicularRobotics ExternalVideoSwitchingUnit EXpeditethePRocessingofExperimentstotheSpaceStation ExperimentalTerminal ExternalWirelessInstrumentationSystem FlightAssignmentWorkingGroup FirmwareController FlatControllerCircuit FlightControlTeam FlowControlValve FlightDay FaultDetectionAnnunciation Failure,Detection,IsolationandRecovery FireDetectionandSuppression FieldEffectTransistor FunctionalCargoBlock FlexHoseRotaryCoupler FaultIsolator FluidPumpingUnit FluidQuickDisconnectCoupling FlightRequirementsDocument FlightReleasableGrappleFixture FlightSupportEquipment FluidSystemServicer FirmwareConfigurationItem GetAwaySpecial GrowthCell GrowthCellAssembly GovernmentFurnishedEquipment GroundFaultInterrupter GenericJointOperationsPanel GLObalNavigationalSatelliteSystem Guidance,NavigationandControl GuidanceNavigationComputer GeneralPurposeComputer GasPressureregulatingValve

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75

 GPS GUI H2 HAB HC HCA HCOR HDR HDRL HEPA HGA HHL HP HPGT HRF HRFPUFDK HRFRes HRFM HRM HRS I/F I/O IAC IAS IATCS ICC ICOM IDA IDRD IEA IFHX IFI IFM IMCA IMCS IMU IMV INCO INSTM INT GlobalPositioningSystem GraphicalUserInterface Hydrogen HabitatModule HandController HollowCathodeAssembly HighRateCommunicationOutageRecorder HighDataRate HighDateRateLink HighEfficiencyParticulateAir HighGainAntenna HandheldLidar HeatPipe HighPressureGasTank HumanResearchFacility HumanResearchFacilityPuffDataKit HumanResearchFacilityResupply HighRateFrameMultiplexer HighRateModem HandReactionSwitch Interface Input/Output InternalAudioController InternalAudioSubsystem InternalActiveThermalControlSystem IntegratedCargoCarrier Intercom IntegratedDiodeAssembly IncrementDefinitionRequirementsDocument IntegratedEquipmentAssembly InterfaceHeatExchanger ItemforInvestigation InflightMaintenance IntegratedMotorControlAssembly IntegratedMissionControlSystem ImpedanceMatchingUnit IntermoduleVentilation InstrumentationandCommunicationOfficer Instrumentation Internal

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 INTSYS IOC IOCU IP IRU ISA ISIS ISL ISO ISPR ISS ISSPO ISSSH IT ITCS ITS IUA IV IVA IVSU IWIS JAXA JEM JEU KSC kW LA Lab LAN LB LBRWS LCA LCC LCD LDI LDR LDU LED LEE LEU InternalSystems Input/OutputController Input/OutputControllerUnit InternationalPartner InFlightRefillUnit InternalSamplingAdapter InternationalSpaceStationInterfaceStandard IntegratedStationLAN InventoryandStowageOfficer InternationalStandardPayloadRack InternationalSpaceStation InternationalSpaceStationProgramOffice InternationalSpaceStationSystemsHandbook IntegratedTruss InternalThermalControlSystem IntegratedTrussSegment InterfaceUmbilicalAssembly Intravehicular IntravehicularActivity InternalVideoSwitchUnit InternalWirelessInstrumentationSystem JapanAerospaceExplorationAgency JapaneseExperimentModule JointElectronicUnit Kennedy Space Center Kilowatt LaunchAft Laboratory LocalAreaNetwork LocalBus RWSLocalBus LabCradleAssembly LaunchCommitCriteria LiquidCrystalDisplay LocalDataInterface LowDataRate LinearDriveUnit LightEmittingDiode LatchingEndEffector LEEElectronicUnit

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ACRONYMS/ABBREVIATIONS

77

 LFDP LGA LLA LMC LON LT LTA LTL LTU LVLH MA MAM MBE MBM MBS MBSU MC MCA MCAS MCC MCCH MCCM MCDS MCS MCU MDA MDL MDM MEDOPS MEPS MEPSI MER MET METOX MFCV MHS MILSTD MILA MIP MISSE MLI LoadFaultDetectionProtection LowGainAntenna LowLevelAnalog LightweightMultipurposeCarrier LaunchOnNeed LowTemperature LaunchtoActivation LowTemperatureLoop LoadTransferUnit LocalVerticalLocalHorizontal MechanicalAssembly ManualAugmentedRole MetalBellowsExpander ManualBerthingMechanism MobileRemoteServiceBaseSystem MainBusSwitchingUnit MidcourseCorrection MajorConstituentAnalyzer MBSCommonAttachSystem MissionControlCenter MissionControlCenterHouston MissionControlCenterMoscow MultifunctionCRTDisplaySystem MotionControlSystem MBSComputerUnit MotorDriveAssembly MiddeckLocker Multiplexer/Demultiplexer MedicalOperations MicroencapsulationElectrostaticProcessingSystem MicroElectromechanicalSystembasedPicoSatelliteInspector MissionEvaluationRoom MissionElapsedTime MetalOxide ManualFlowControlValve MCUHostSoftware MilitaryStandard ModeIndicatingLightAssembly MissionIntegrationPlan MaterialsInternationalSpaceStationExperiment MultiLayerInsulation

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 MM/OD MMT MOD MPEV MPLM MPM MRL MRS MRSBS MSD MSFC MSG MSS MT MTCL MTL MTS MTSAS MTWsN N2 N.mi. NASA NCC NCG NCS NCU NET NIA NiH2 NIV NSI NSTS NTA O2 OCA OCAD OCJM OCPM OCS ODIN Micrometeoroid/OrbitalDebris MissionManagementTeam MissionOperationsDirectorate ManualPressureEqualizationValve MultipurposeLogisticsModule ManipulatorPositioningMechanism ManipulatorRetentionLatch MobileRemoteServicer MobileRemoteServicerBaseSystem MassStorageDevice MarshallSpaceFlightCenter MicrogravityScienceGlovebox MobileServicingSystem MobileTransporter MobileTransporterCaptureLatch ModerateTemperatureLoop ModuletoTrussSegment ModuletoTrussSegmentAttachmentSystem MovetoWorksiteNumber Nitrogen Nauticalmile NationalAeronauticsandSpaceAdministration NominalCorrectiveCombinationburn NonCondensableGas NodeControlSoftware NetworkControlUnit NoEarlierThan NitrogenInterfaceAssembly NickelHydrogen NitrogenIntroductionValve NASAStandardInitiator NationalSpaceTransportationSystem NitrogenTankAssembly Oxygen OrbitalCommunicationsAdapter OperationalControlAgreementDocument OperatorCommandedJointPositionMode OperatorCommandedPORMode OperationsandControlSoftware OrbitalDesignIntegrationSystem

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79

 ODS OI OIU OIV OMI OMS OPCGA OPP Ops OPSLAN ORBT ORCA ORU OSE OSO OSVS OTD OV P&S Pcode P/L P/TV P3/P4 PAS PBA PC PCA PCAM PCBM PCC PCGSTES PCMCIA PCP PCR PCS PCT PCU PCVP PDGF PDI PDIP OrbiterDockingSystem OperationalIncrement OrbiterInterfaceUnit OxygenIsolationValve OnOrbitMaintainableItem OrbitalManeuveringSystem ObservableProteinCrystalGrowthApparatus OSVSPatchPanel Operations OperationsLocalAreaNetwork OptimizedRBarTargetingTechnique OxygenRechargeCompressorAssembly OrbitalReplacementUnit OrbiterSupportEquipment OperationsSupportOfficer OrbiterSpaceVisionSystem ORUTransferDevice OrbiterVehicle PointingandSupport PrecisionCode Payload Photo/Television Port3/Port4 PayloadAttachSystem PortableBreathingApparatus PersonalComputer PressureControlAssembly ProteinCrystallizationApparatusforMicrogravity PassiveCommonBerthingMechanism PowerConverterController ProteinCrystalGrowthSingleThermalEnclosureSystem PersonalComputerMemoryCardInternationalAdapter PressureControlPanel PortableComputerReceptacle PortableComputerSystem PostContactThrusting PlasmaConnectorUnit PumpandControlValvePackage PowerandDataGrappleFixture PayloadDataInterface PayloadDataInterfacePanel

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 PDRS PDTA PDU PEHG PF PFCS PFE PFMC PFR PGBAS PGSC PGT PHALCON PJPAM PLB PM PMA PMCU PMDIS PMP POA POC POR POST PP PPA PPAM ppO2 PPRV PPT PRD PRLA ProxOps PSN PSP PTB PTCS PTR PTU PV PVCA PVCE PayloadDeploymentandRetrievalSystem PowerDataTransferAssembly PowerDriveUnit PayloadEthernetHubGateway PayloadForward PumpFlowControlSubassembly PortableFireExtinguisher Pump/FanMotorController PortableFootRestraint PlantGenericBioprocessingApparatusStowage PortableGeneralSupportComputer PistolGripTool Power,Heating,Articulation,Lighting,andControlOfficer PrestoredJointPositionAutosequenceMode PayloadBay PumpModule PressurizedMatingAdapter PowerManagementControlUnit PerceptualMotorDeficitsInSpace PayloadMountingPanel Payload/ORUAccommodation PortableOnboardComputer PointofReference PowerONSelfTest PlanningPeriod PumpPackageAssembly PrestoredPORAutosequenceMode partialpressureofoxygen PositivePressureReliefValve Precipitate PayloadRetentionDevice PayloadRetentionLatchAssembly ProximityOperations PowerSourceNode PayloadSignalProcessor PayloadTrainingBuffer PassiveThermalControlSystem PortThermalRadiator Pan/TiltUnit Photovoltaic PhotovoltaicControllerApplication PhotovoltaicControllerElement

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ACRONYMS/ABBREVIATIONS

81

 PVCU PVM PVR PVRGF PVTCS PWP PWR PYR QD R/F R&R RACU RAIU RAM RAMV RB RBB RBI RBVM RCC RCS RDA RF RFCA RFG RGA RHC RHX RIC RJMC RMS ROBO ROS RP RPC RPCM RPDA RPM RPOP RS PhotovoltaicControllerUnit PhotovoltaicModule PhotovoltaicRadiator PhotovoltaicRadiatorGrappleFixture PhotovoltaicThermalControlSystem PortableWorkPlatform PortableWaterReservoir PitchYawRoll QuickDisconnect Refrigerator/Freezer RemovalandReplacement RussiantoAmericanConverterUnit RussianAudioInterfaceUnit RandomAccessMemory RheostatAirMixValve RadiatorBeam RightBlanketBox RemoteBusIsolator RadiatorBeamValve ReinforcedCarbonCarbon ReactionControlSystem RetainerDoorAssembly RadioFrequency RackFlowControlAssembly RadioFrequencyGroup RateGyroAssemblies RotationalHandController RegenerativeHeatExchanger RackInterfaceController RotaryJointMotorController RemoteManipulatorSystem RoboticsOperationsSupportOfficer RussianOrbitalSegment Receiver/Processor RemotePowerController RemotePowerControllerModule RemotePowerDistributionAssembly RbarPitchManeuver RendezvousandProximityOperationsProgram RussianSegment

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 RSC RSP RSR RSTS RSU RT RTBox RTAS RTD RTL RWS S S&M S3/S4 SA SABB SAGE SARJ SARJ_C SARJ_M SASA SAW SCA SCI SCU SD SDO SDS SEM SEPS SFCA SFU SGANT SHOSS SHOT SIGI SJRM SLDP SLP SM RMSSideviewCamera ResupplyStowagePlatform ResupplyStowageRack RackStandaloneTemperatureSensor RollerSuspensionUnit RemoteSensingUnit RemoteTerminal ReactionTimeBox RocketdyneTrussAttachmentSystem ResistiveThermalDevice ReadytoLatch RoboticWorkstation Starboard StructuresandMechanisms Starboard3/Starboard4 SolarArray SolarArrayBlanketBox SpaceArabidoposisGenomicsExperiment SolarAlphaRotaryJoint SARJController SARJManager SbandAntennaSupportAssembly SolarArrayWing SwitchgearControllerAssembly SignalConditioningInterface ServiceandCoolingUmbilical SmokeDetector SolenoidDriverOutput SampleDeliverySystem ShuntElectronicsModule SecondaryElectricalPowerSubsystem SystemFlowControlAssembly SquibFiringUnit SpacetoGroundAntenna SpacehabOceaneeringSpaceSystem SpaceHardwareOptimizationTechnology SpaceIntegratedGlobalPositioningSystem/InertialNavigationSystem SingleJointRateMode SpacelabDataProcessing SpacelabLogisticsPallet ServiceModule

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ACRONYMS/ABBREVIATIONS

83

 SMCC SMDP SOC SOV SPCE SPD SPDA SPDM SPG SRMS SSAS SSBA SSC SSMDM SSOR SSP SSRMS SSSH SSSR SSU STCR STES STR SVS TA TAA TAH TBA TC TCCS TCCV TCS TD TDRS TDRSS TEA TFR THC THOR TI TORF ShuttleMissionControlCenter ServiceModuleDebrisPanel StateofCharge ShutoffValve ServicingPerformanceandCheckoutEquipment SpoolPositioningDevice SecondaryPowerDistributionAssembly SpecialPurposeDexterousManipulator SinglePointGround ShuttleRemoteManipulatorSystem SegmenttoSegmentAttachSystem SpaceStationBufferAmplifier StationSupportComputer SpaceStationMultiplexer/Demultiplexer SpacetoSpaceOrbiterRatio StandardSwitchPanel SpaceStationRemoteManipulatorSystem SpaceShuttleSystemsHandbook SpacetoSpaceStationRadio SequentialShuntUnit StarboardThermalControlRadiator SingleThermalEnclosureSystem StarboardThermalRadiator SpaceVisionSystem ThrusterAssist TriaxialAccelerometerAssembly TrayActuationHandle TrundleBearingAssembly TerminalComputer TraceContaminantControlSubassembly TemperatureControlandCheckValve TrajectoryControlSensor TranslationDrive TrackingandDataRelaySatellite TrackingandDataRelaySatelliteSystem TorqueEquilibriumAttitude TranslationFootRestraint TemperatureandHumidityControl ThermalOperationsandResourcesOfficer TerminalPhaseInitiation TwiceOrbitalRateFlyaround

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ACRONYMS/ABBREVIATIONS

MARCH 2007

 TORU TORVA TPL TRAC TRC TRRJ TSP TTCR TUS TVIS TWMV UB UCCAS UDG UF UHF UIA ULCAS UIP ULF UMA UOP USA USL USOS UTA VAJ VBSP VCP VDS VDU VES VGS VRCV VRIV VRS VRV VSC VSSA TeleoperatorControlMode TwiceOrbitalRate+Rbarto+VbarApproach TransferPriorityList TestofReactionandAdaptionCapabilities TransmitterReceiverController ThermalRadiatorRotaryJoint TwistedShieldedPair TrailingThermalControlRadiator TrailingUmbilicalSystem TreadmillVibrationIsolationSystem ThreeWayMixingValve UserBus UnpressurizedCargoCarrierAttachSystem UserDataGeneration UtilizationFlight UltrahighFrequency UmbilicalInterfaceAssembly UnpressurizedLogisticsCarrierAttachSystem UtilityInterfacePanel UtilizationLogisticsFlight UmbilicalMechanismAssembly UtilityOutletPanel UnitedSpaceAlliance U.S.Laboratory UnitedStatesOnOrbitSegment UtilityTransferAssembly VacuumAccessJumper VideoBasebandSignalProcessor VideoCameraPort VideoDistributionSystem VideoDistributionUnit VacuumExhaustSystem VideoGraphicsSoftware Vent/ReliefControlValve Vent/ReliefIsolationValve VESResourceSystem Vent/ReliefValve VideoSignalConverter VideoStanchionSupportAssembly

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ACRONYMS/ABBREVIATIONS

85

 W/S WETA WHS WIF WRM WS WVA XPOP ZCGSS ZSR Worksite WVSExternalTransceiverAssembly WorkstationHostSoftware WorksiteInterface WaterRecoveryManagement WaterSeparator WaterVentAssembly XaxisPointingOutofPlane ZeoliteCrystalGrowthSampleStowage ZerogStowageRack

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MEDIA ASSISTANCE

NASA TELEVISION TRANSMISSION

NASATelevisioniscarriedonanMPEG2 digitalsignalaccessedviasatelliteAMC6,at72 degreeswestlongitude,transponder17C,4040 MHz,verticalpolarization.ForthoseinAlaska orHawaii,NASATelevisionwillbeseenon AMC7,at137degreeswestlongitude, transponder18C,at4060MHz,horizontal polarization.Inbothinstances,aDigitalVideo Broadcast(DVB)compliantIntegratedReceiver Decoder(IRD)(withmodulationofQPSK/DBV, datarateof36.86andFEC)willbeneededfor reception.TheNASATelevisionscheduleand linkstostreamingvideoareavailableat: http://www.nasa.gov/ntv NASATVsdigitalconversionwillrequire membersofthebroadcastmediatoupgrade withanaddressableIntegratedReceiver Decoder,orIRD,toparticipateinlivenews eventsandinterviews,pressbriefingsand receiveNASAsVideoFilenewsfeedsona dedicatedMediaServiceschannel.NASA missioncoveragewillaironadigitalNASA PublicServices(FreetoAir)channel,for whichonlyabasicIRDwillbeneeded.The schedulefortelevisiontransmissionsfromthe orbiterandformissionbriefingswillbe availableduringthemissionatKennedySpace Center,Fla.;MarshallSpaceFlightCenter, Huntsville,Ala.;DrydenFlightResearch Center,Edwards,Calif.;JohnsonSpaceCenter,

Houston;andNASAHeadquarters, Washington.Thetelevisionschedulewillbe updatedtoreflectchangesdictatedbymission operations.

Status Reports
Statusreportsoncountdownandmission progress,onorbitactivitiesandlanding operationswillbepostedat: http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle Thissitealsocontainsinformationonthecrew andwillbeupdatedregularlywithphotosand videoclipsthroughouttheflight.

Briefings
Amissionpressbriefingschedulewillbeissued beforelaunch.TheupdatedNASAtelevision schedulewillindicatewhenmissionbriefings areplanned.

Internet Information
Informationonsafetyenhancementsmade sincetheColumbiaAccidentisavailableat: www.nasa.gov/returntoflight/system/index.html InformationonothercurrentNASAactivitiesis availableat: http://www.nasa.gov/home Resourcesforeducatorscanbefoundatthe followingaddress: http://education.nasa.gov

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PUBLIC AFFAIRS CONTACTS

HEADQUARTERS WASHINGTON, DC
AllardBeutel PublicAffairsOfficer SpaceOperations 2023584769 KatherineTrinidad PublicAffairsOfficer SpaceOperations 2023583749 JohnYembrick PublicAffairsOfficer SpaceOperations 2023580602 MichaelBraukus PublicAffairsOfficer InternationalPartners 2023581979

RobNavias ProgramandMissionOperationsLead 2814835111 LynnetteMadison PublicAffairsSpecialist InternationalSpaceStationandEngineering 2814835111

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER FLORIDA

JessicaRye ActingNewsChiefandPublicAffairsSpecialist SpaceShuttle 3218612468 TracyYoung PublicAffairsSpecialist InternationalSpaceStation 3218672468

JOHNSON SPACE CENTER HOUSTON, TEXAS

JamesHartsfield NewsChief 2814835111 KyleHerring PublicAffairsSpecialist SpaceShuttleProgramOffice 2814835111 KylieClem PublicAffairsSpecialist MissionOperationsand FlightCrewOperations 2814835111

MARSHALL SPACE FLIGHT CENTER HUNTSVILLE, ALABAMA

DomAmatore PublicAffairsManager 2565440034 JuneMalone PublicAffairsSpecialist SpaceShuttlePropulsion 2565440034

MARCH 2007

PUBLIC AFFAIRS CONTACTS

89

STENNIS SPACE CENTER MISSISSIPPI

LindaTheobald PublicAffairsSpecialist 2286883249 PaulFoerman NewsChief 2286881880 RebeccaStrecker PublicAffairsSpecialist 2286883346

GLENN RESEARCH CENTER CLEVELAND, OHIO

LoriRachul NewsChief 2164338806 KatherineMartin PublicAffairsSpecialist 2164332406

LANGLEY RESEARCH CENTER HAMPTON, VIRGINIA

H.KeithHenry Deputy,OfficeofPublicAffairs 7578646120

AMES RESEARCH CENTER MOFFETT FIELD, CALIFORNIA

MikeMewhinney NewsChief 6506043937 JonasDino PublicAffairsSpecialist 6506045612

UNITED SPACE ALLIANCE

MikeCurie SpaceProgramOperationsContract HoustonOperations 2814839251 3218613805 TracyYates FloridaOperations 3218613956

DRYDEN FLIGHT RESEARCH CENTER CALIFORNIA

AlanBrown NewsChief 6612762665 LeslieWilliams PublicAffairsSpecialist 6612763893

BOEING
EdMemi MediaRelations BoeingNASASystems 2812264029

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