NASA's modified Boeing 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft with the Space Shuttle Endeavour on top lifts of

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2001-01-01

NASA's modified Boeing 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft with the Space Shuttle Endeavour on top lifts off from Edwards Air Force Base to begin its ferry flight back to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

NASA Space Rocket Logistics Challenges

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Neeley, James R.; Jones, James V.; Watson, Michael D.; Bramon, Christopher J.; Inman, Sharon K.; Tuttle, Loraine

2014-01-01

The Space Launch System (SLS) is the new NASA heavy lift launch vehicle and is scheduled for its first mission in 2017. The goal of the first mission, which will be uncrewed, is to demonstrate the integrated system performance of the SLS rocket and spacecraft before a crewed flight in 2021. SLS has many of the same logistics challenges as any other large scale program. Common logistics concerns for SLS include integration of discreet programs geographically separated, multiple prime contractors with distinct and different goals, schedule pressures and funding constraints. However, SLS also faces unique challenges. The new program is a confluence of new hardware and heritage, with heritage hardware constituting seventy-five percent of the program. This unique approach to design makes logistics concerns such as commonality especially problematic. Additionally, a very low manifest rate of one flight every four years makes logistics comparatively expensive. That, along with the SLS architecture being developed using a block upgrade evolutionary approach, exacerbates long-range planning for supportability considerations. These common and unique logistics challenges must be clearly identified and tackled to allow SLS to have a successful program. This paper will address the common and unique challenges facing the SLS programs, along with the analysis and decisions the NASA Logistics engineers are making to mitigate the threats posed by each.

Technicians inspect external tank attachment fittings on the Space Shuttle Discovery as part of its post-flight processing at NASA DFRC

NASA Image and Video Library

2005-08-12

Robert 'Skip' Garrett; main propulsion advanced systems technician, and Chris Jacobs; main propulsion systems engineering technician, inspect external tank attachment fittings on the Space Shuttle Discovery as part of it's post-flight processing at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center. The Space Shuttles receive post-flight servicing in the Mate-Demate Device (MDD) following landings at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California. The gantry-like MDD structure is used for servicing the shuttle orbiters in preparation for their ferry flight back to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, including mounting the shuttle atop NASA's modified Boeing 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft. Space Shuttle Discovery landed safely at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base in California at 5:11:22 a.m. PDT, August 9, 2005, following the very successful 14-day STS-114 return to flight mission. During their two weeks in space, Commander Eileen Collins and her six crewmates tested out new safety procedures and delivered supplies and equipment the International Space Station. Discovery spent two weeks in space, where the crew demonstrated new methods to inspect and repair the Shuttle in orbit. The crew also delivered supplies, outfitted and performed maintenance on the International Space Station. A number of these tasks were conducted during three spacewalks. In an unprecedented event, spacewalkers were called upon to remove protruding gap fillers from the heat shield on Discovery's underbelly. In other spacewalk activities, astronauts installed an external platform onto the Station's Quest Airlock and replaced one of the orbital outpost's Control Moment Gyroscopes. Inside the Station, the STS-114 crew conducted joint operations with the Expedition 11 crew. They unloaded fresh supplies from the Shuttle and the Raffaello Multi-Purpose Logistics Module. Before Discovery undocked, the crews filled Raffeallo with unneeded items and returned to Shuttle pa

The Space Shuttle Decision: NASA's Search for a Reusable Space Vehicle

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Heppenheimer, T. A.

1999-01-01

This significant new study of the decision to build the Space Shuttle explains the Shuttle's origins and early development. In addition to internal NASA discussions, this work details the debates in the late 1960s and early 1970s among policymakers in Congress, the Air Force, and the Office of Management and Budget over the roles and technical designs of the Shuttle. Examining the interplay of these organizations with sometimes conflicting goals, the author not only explains how the world's premier space launch vehicle came into being, but also how politics can interact with science, technology, national security, and economics in national government. The weighty policy decision to build the Shuttle represents the first component of the broader story: future NASA volumes will cover the Shuttle's development and operational histories.

Monitoring Agents for Assisting NASA Engineers with Shuttle Ground Processing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Semmel, Glenn S.; Davis, Steven R.; Leucht, Kurt W.; Rowe, Danil A.; Smith, Kevin E.; Boeloeni, Ladislau

2005-01-01

The Spaceport Processing Systems Branch at NASA Kennedy Space Center has designed, developed, and deployed a rule-based agent to monitor the Space Shuttle's ground processing telemetry stream. The NASA Engineering Shuttle Telemetry Agent increases situational awareness for system and hardware engineers during ground processing of the Shuttle's subsystems. The agent provides autonomous monitoring of the telemetry stream and automatically alerts system engineers when user defined conditions are satisfied. Efficiency and safety are improved through increased automation. Sandia National Labs' Java Expert System Shell is employed as the agent's rule engine. The shell's predicate logic lends itself well to capturing the heuristics and specifying the engineering rules within this domain. The declarative paradigm of the rule-based agent yields a highly modular and scalable design spanning multiple subsystems of the Shuttle. Several hundred monitoring rules have been written thus far with corresponding notifications sent to Shuttle engineers. This chapter discusses the rule-based telemetry agent used for Space Shuttle ground processing. We present the problem domain along with design and development considerations such as information modeling, knowledge capture, and the deployment of the product. We also present ongoing work with other condition monitoring agents.

NASA's 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft with the Space Shuttle Discovery on top lifts off to begin its ferry flight back to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida

NASA Image and Video Library

2005-08-19

NASA's modified Boeing 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft with the Space Shuttle Discovery on top lifts off from Edwards Air Force Base to begin its ferry flight back to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The cross-country journey will take two days, with stops at several intermediate points for refueling. Space Shuttle Discovery landed safely at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base in California at 5:11:22 a.m. PDT, August 9, 2005, following the very successful 14-day STS-114 return to flight mission. During their two weeks in space, Commander Eileen Collins and her six crewmates tested out new safety procedures and delivered supplies and equipment the International Space Station. Discovery spent two weeks in space, where the crew demonstrated new methods to inspect and repair the Shuttle in orbit. The crew also delivered supplies, outfitted and performed maintenance on the International Space Station. A number of these tasks were conducted during three spacewalks. In an unprecedented event, spacewalkers were called upon to remove protruding gap fillers from the heat shield on Discovery's underbelly. In other spacewalk activities, astronauts installed an external platform onto the Station's Quest Airlock and replaced one of the orbital outpost's Control Moment Gyroscopes. Inside the Station, the STS-114 crew conducted joint operations with the Expedition 11 crew. They unloaded fresh supplies from the Shuttle and the Raffaello Multi-Purpose Logistics Module. Before Discovery undocked, the crews filled Raffeallo with unneeded items and returned to Shuttle payload bay. Discovery launched on July 26 and spent almost 14 days on orbit.

AFFTC commander Brig. Gen. Curtis Bedke experienced a Shuttle approach and landing in NASA's Shuttle Training Aircraft from STS-114 commander Eileen Collins

NASA Image and Video Library

2005-03-29

Brig. Gen. Curtis Bedke, commander of the Air Force Flight Test Center at Edwards Air Force Base, received some first-hand insight on how to fly a Space Shuttle approach and landing, courtesy of NASA astronaut and STS-114 mission commander Eileen Collins. The series of proficiency flights in NASA's modified Grumman Gulfstream-II Shuttle Training Aircraft were in preparation for the STS-114 mission with the shuttle Discovery. Although NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida is the primary landing site for Space Shuttle missions, flight crews also practice the shuttle's steep approach and landing at Edwards in case weather or other situations preclude a landing at the Florida site and force a diversion to Edwards AFB.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- From left, NASA Deputy Associate Administrator for Space Station and Shuttle Programs Michael Kostelnik, United Space Alliance (USA) Director of Orbiter Operations Patty Stratton, and NASA Space Shuttle Program Manager William Parsons view the underside of Shuttle Discovery in Orbiter Processing Facility Bay 3. NASA and USA Space Shuttle program management are participating in a leadership workday. The day is intended to provide management with an in-depth, hands-on look at Shuttle processing activities at KSC.

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-12-19

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- From left, NASA Deputy Associate Administrator for Space Station and Shuttle Programs Michael Kostelnik, United Space Alliance (USA) Director of Orbiter Operations Patty Stratton, and NASA Space Shuttle Program Manager William Parsons view the underside of Shuttle Discovery in Orbiter Processing Facility Bay 3. NASA and USA Space Shuttle program management are participating in a leadership workday. The day is intended to provide management with an in-depth, hands-on look at Shuttle processing activities at KSC.

Technicians Ray Smith and Raphael Rodriguez remove one of the Extravehicular Mobility Units from the Space Shuttle Discovery after its landing at NASA Dryden

NASA Image and Video Library

2005-08-12

Flight Crew Systems Technicians Ray Smith and Raphael Rodriguez remove one of the Extravehicular Mobility Units, or EMUs, from the Space Shuttle Discovery after it's successful landing at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center. The Space Shuttles receive post-flight servicing in the Mate-Demate Device (MDD) following landings at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California. The gantry-like MDD structure is used for servicing the shuttle orbiters in preparation for their ferry flight back to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, including mounting the shuttle atop NASA's modified Boeing 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft. Space Shuttle Discovery landed safely at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base in California at 5:11:22 a.m. PDT, August 9, 2005, following the very successful 14-day STS-114 return to flight mission. During their two weeks in space, Commander Eileen Collins and her six crewmates tested out new safety procedures and delivered supplies and equipment the International Space Station. Discovery spent two weeks in space, where the crew demonstrated new methods to inspect and repair the Shuttle in orbit. The crew also delivered supplies, outfitted and performed maintenance on the International Space Station. A number of these tasks were conducted during three spacewalks. In an unprecedented event, spacewalkers were called upon to remove protruding gap fillers from the heat shield on Discovery's underbelly. In other spacewalk activities, astronauts installed an external platform onto the Station's Quest Airlock and replaced one of the orbital outpost's Control Moment Gyroscopes. Inside the Station, the STS-114 crew conducted joint operations with the Expedition 11 crew. They unloaded fresh supplies from the Shuttle and the Raffaello Multi-Purpose Logistics Module. Before Discovery undocked, the crews filled Raffeallo with unneeded items and returned to Shuttle payload bay. Discovery launched on July 26 and spent almost 14

The Space Shuttle Discovery receives post-flight servicing in the Mate-Demate Device (MDD) at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California

NASA Image and Video Library

2005-08-11

The Space Shuttle Discovery receives post-flight servicing in the Mate-Demate Device (MDD), following its landing at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California, August 9, 2005. The gantry-like MDD structure is used for servicing the shuttle orbiters in preparation for their ferry flight back to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, including mounting the shuttle atop NASA's modified Boeing 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft. Space Shuttle Discovery landed safely at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base in California at 5:11:22 a.m. PDT, August 9, 2005, following the very successful 14-day STS-114 return to flight mission. During their two weeks in space, Commander Eileen Collins and her six crewmates tested out new safety procedures and delivered supplies and equipment the International Space Station. Discovery spent two weeks in space, where the crew demonstrated new methods to inspect and repair the Shuttle in orbit. The crew also delivered supplies, outfitted and performed maintenance on the International Space Station. A number of these tasks were conducted during three spacewalks. In an unprecedented event, spacewalkers were called upon to remove protruding gap fillers from the heat shield on Discovery's underbelly. In other spacewalk activities, astronauts installed an external platform onto the Station's Quest Airlock and replaced one of the orbital outpost's Control Moment Gyroscopes. Inside the Station, the STS-114 crew conducted joint operations with the Expedition 11 crew. They unloaded fresh supplies from the Shuttle and the Raffaello Multi-Purpose Logistics Module. Before Discovery undocked, the crews filled Raffeallo with unneeded items and returned to Shuttle payload bay. Discovery launched on July 26 and spent almost 14 days on orbit.

The Space Shuttle Discovery receives post-flight servicing in the Mate-Demate Device (MDD) at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California

NASA Image and Video Library

2005-08-11

The Space Shuttle Discovery receives post-flight servicing in the Mate-Demate Device (MDD), following its landing at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California, August 9, 2005. The gantry-like MDD structure is used for servicing the shuttle orbiters in preparation for their ferry flight back to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, including mounting the shuttle atop NASA's modified Boeing 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft. Space Shuttle Discovery landed safely at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base in California at 5:11:22 a.m. PDT this morning, following the very successful 14-day STS-114 return to flight mission. During their two weeks in space, Commander Eileen Collins and her six crewmates tested out new safety procedures and delivered supplies and equipment the International Space Station. Discovery spent two weeks in space, where the crew demonstrated new methods to inspect and repair the Shuttle in orbit. The crew also delivered supplies, outfitted and performed maintenance on the International Space Station. A number of these tasks were conducted during three spacewalks. In an unprecedented event, spacewalkers were called upon to remove protruding gap fillers from the heat shield on Discovery's underbelly. In other spacewalk activities, astronauts installed an external platform onto the Station's Quest Airlock and replaced one of the orbital outpost's Control Moment Gyroscopes. Inside the Station, the STS-114 crew conducted joint operations with the Expedition 11 crew. They unloaded fresh supplies from the Shuttle and the Raffaello Multi-Purpose Logistics Module. Before Discovery undocked, the crews filled Raffeallo with unneeded items and returned to Shuttle payload bay. Discovery launched on July 26 and spent almost 14 days on orbit.

NASA Remembers Astronaut John Young, Moonwalker and First Shuttle Commander

NASA Image and Video Library

2018-01-06

Astronaut John Young, who walked on the Moon during Apollo 16 and commanded the first space shuttle mission, has passed away at the age of 87. After earning an engineering degree from Georgia Tech and flying planes for the Navy, Young began his impressive career at NASA in 1962, when he was selected from among hundreds of young pilots to join NASA's second astronaut class, known as the "New Nine." Young first flew in space on the first manned Gemini flight, Gemini 3 in March 1965. He later commanded the Gemini 10 mission in July 1966, served as command module pilot on Apollo 10 in 1969, and landed on the Moon as commander of Apollo 16 in April 1972. He went on to command the first Space Shuttle flight in 1981, and also commanded the STS-9 shuttle mission in 1983. He is the only person to go into space as part of the Gemini, Apollo and space shuttle programs and was the first to fly into space six times -- or seven times, when counting his liftoff from the Moon during Apollo 16.

NASA study backs SSTO, urges shuttle phaseout

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Asker, James R.

1994-03-01

A brief discusion of a Congressionally ordered NASA study on how to meet future US Government space launch needs is presented. Three options were examined: (1) improvement ofthe Space Shuttle; (2) development of expendable launch vehicles (ELVs); and (3) development of a single-stage-to-orbit (SSTO), manned vehicle that is reusable with advanced technology. After examining the three options, it was determined that the most economical approach to space access through the year 2030 would be to develop the SSTO vehicle and phase out Space Shuttle operations within 15 years and ELVs within 20 years. Other aspects of the study's findings are briefly covered.

NASA Contingency Shuttle Crew Support (CSCS) Medical Operations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Adams, Adrien

2010-01-01

The genesis of the space shuttle began in the 1930's when Eugene Sanger came up with the idea of a recyclable rocket plane that could carry a crew of people. The very first Shuttle to enter space was the Shuttle "Columbia" which launched on April 12 of 1981. Not only was "Columbia" the first Shuttle to be launched, but was also the first to utilize solid fuel rockets for U.S. manned flight. The primary objectives given to "Columbia" were to check out the overall Shuttle system, accomplish a safe ascent into orbit, and to return back to earth for a safe landing. Subsequent to its first flight Columbia flew 27 more missions but on February 1st, 2003 after a highly successful 16 day mission, the Columbia, STS-107 mission, ended in tragedy. With all Shuttle flight successes come failures such as the fatal in-flight accident of STS 107. As a result of the STS 107 accident, and other close-calls, the NASA Space Shuttle Program developed contingency procedures for a rescue mission by another Shuttle if an on-orbit repair was not possible. A rescue mission would be considered for a situation where a Shuttle and the crew were not in immediate danger, but, was unable to return to Earth or land safely. For Shuttle missions to the International Space Station (ISS), plans were developed so the Shuttle crew would remain on board ISS for an extended period of time until rescued by a "rescue" Shuttle. The damaged Shuttle would subsequently be de-orbited unmanned. During the period when the ISS Crew and Shuttle crew are on board simultaneously multiple issues would need to be worked including, but not limited to: crew diet, exercise, psychological support, workload, and ground contingency support

International aerospace engineering: NASA shuttle and European Spacelab

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bilstein, R. E.

1981-01-01

NASA negotiations and contractual arrangements involving European space research organizations' participation in manned space operations and efforts in building Spacelab for the U.S. Reusable Space Shuttle are discussed. Some of the diplomatic and technical collaboration involved in the international effort is reviewed.

Space Shuttle Atlantis Landing / STS-129 Mission

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-11-27

PHOTO CREDIT: NASA or National Aeronautics and Space Administration CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Space shuttle Atlantis touches down on Runway 33 at the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida after 11 days in space, completing the 4.5-million mile STS-129 mission on orbit 171. Main gear touchdown was at 9:44:23 a.m. EDT. Nose gear touchdown was at 9:44:36 a.m., and wheels stop was at 9:45:05 a.m. Aboard Atlantis are Commander Charles O. Hobaugh; Pilot Barry E. Wilmore; Mission Specialists Leland Melvin, Randy Bresnik, Mike Foreman and Robert L. Satcher Jr.; and Expedition 20 and 21 Flight Engineer Nicole Stott who spent 87 days aboard the International Space Station. STS-129 is the final space shuttle Expedition crew rotation flight on the manifest. On STS-129, the crew delivered 14 tons of cargo to the orbiting laboratory, including two ExPRESS Logistics Carriers containing spare parts to sustain station operations after the shuttles are retired next year. For information on the STS-129 mission and crew, visit http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts129/index.html. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann

One of NASA's Two Modified Boeing 747 Shuttle Carrier (SCA) Aircraft in Flight over NASA Dryden Flig

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1999-01-01

One of NASA's Boeing 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft flies over the Dryden Flight Research Center main building at Edwards Air Force Base, Edwards, California, in May 1999. NASA uses two modified Boeing 747 jetliners, originally manufactured for commercial use, as Space Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA). One is a 747-100 model, while the other is designated a 747-100SR (short range). The two aircraft are identical in appearance and in their performance as Shuttle Carrier Aircraft. The 747 series of aircraft are four-engine intercontinental-range swept-wing 'jumbo jets' that entered commercial service in 1969. The SCAs are used to ferry space shuttle orbiters from landing sites back to the launch complex at the Kennedy Space Center, and also to and from other locations too distant for the orbiters to be delivered by ground transportation. The orbiters are placed atop the SCAs by Mate-Demate Devices, large gantry-like structures which hoist the orbiters off the ground for post-flight servicing, and then mate them with the SCAs for ferry flights. Features which distinguish the two SCAs from standard 747 jetliners are: o Three struts, with associated interior structural strengthening, protruding from the top of the fuselage (two aft, one forward) on which the orbiter is attached o Two additional vertical stabilizers, one on each end of the standard horizontal stabilizer, to enhance directional stability o Removal of all interior furnishings and equipment aft of the forward No. 1 doors o Instrumentation used by SCA flight crews and engineers to monitor orbiter electrical loads during the ferry flights and also during pre- and post-ferry flight operations. The two SCAs are under the operational control of NASA's Johnson Space Center, Houston, Tex. NASA 905 NASA 905 was the first SCA. It was obtained from American Airlines in 1974. Shortly after it was accepted by NASA it was flown in a series of wake vortex research flights at the Dryden Flight Research Center in a study to

The Space Shuttle Endeavour, mounted securely atop one of NASA's modified Boeing 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, left NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base in Southern California at sunrise on Friday, June 28

NASA Image and Video Library

2002-06-28

The Space Shuttle Endeavour, mounted securely atop one of NASA's modified Boeing 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, left NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base in Southern California at sunrise on Friday, June 28.

Technicians Todd Viddle, Robert Garrett and Dan McGrath remove a servicing unit from the Space Shuttle Discovery during its post-flight processing at NASA DFRC

NASA Image and Video Library

2005-08-12

Todd Viddle; APU advanced systems technician, Robert 'Skip' Garrett; main propulsion advanced systems technician, and Dan McGrath; main propulsion systems engineer technician, remove a servicing unit from the Space Shuttle Discovery as part of it's post-flight processing at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center. The Space Shuttles receive post-flight servicing in the Mate-Demate Device (MDD) following landings at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California. The gantry-like MDD structure is used for servicing the shuttle orbiters in preparation for their ferry flight back to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, including mounting the shuttle atop NASA's modified Boeing 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft. Space Shuttle Discovery landed safely at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base in California at 5:11:22 a.m. PDT, August 9, 2005, following the very successful 14-day STS-114 return to flight mission. During their two weeks in space, Commander Eileen Collins and her six crewmates tested out new safety procedures and delivered supplies and equipment the International Space Station. Discovery spent two weeks in space, where the crew demonstrated new methods to inspect and repair the Shuttle in orbit. The crew also delivered supplies, outfitted and performed maintenance on the International Space Station. A number of these tasks were conducted during three spacewalks. In an unprecedented event, spacewalkers were called upon to remove protruding gap fillers from the heat shield on Discovery's underbelly. In other spacewalk activities, astronauts installed an external platform onto the Station's Quest Airlock and replaced one of the orbital outpost's Control Moment Gyroscopes. Inside the Station, the STS-114 crew conducted joint operations with the Expedition 11 crew. They unloaded fresh supplies from the Shuttle and the Raffaello Multi-Purpose Logistics Module. Before Discovery undocked, the crews filled Raffeallo with unneeded items

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- From front row left, NASA Deputy Associate Administrator for Space Station and Shuttle Programs Michael Kostelnik and NASA Space Shuttle Program Manager William Parsons are trained on the proper use of the Emergency Life Support Apparatus (ELSA). NASA and United Space Alliance (USA) Space Shuttle program management are participating in a leadership workday. The day is intended to provide management with an in-depth, hands-on look at Shuttle processing activities at KSC.

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-12-19

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- From front row left, NASA Deputy Associate Administrator for Space Station and Shuttle Programs Michael Kostelnik and NASA Space Shuttle Program Manager William Parsons are trained on the proper use of the Emergency Life Support Apparatus (ELSA). NASA and United Space Alliance (USA) Space Shuttle program management are participating in a leadership workday. The day is intended to provide management with an in-depth, hands-on look at Shuttle processing activities at KSC.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- NASA and United Space Alliance (USA) Space Shuttle program managers attend a briefing, part of activities during a leadership workday. The day is intended to provide management with an in-depth, hands-on look at Shuttle processing activities at KSC. Starting third from left are NASA Deputy Associate Administrator for Space Station and Shuttle Programs Michael Kostelnik, USA Vice President and Space Shuttle Program Manager Howard DeCastro, NASA Space Shuttle Program Manager William Parsons, and USA Associate Program Manager of Ground Operations Andy Allen.

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-12-19

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- NASA and United Space Alliance (USA) Space Shuttle program managers attend a briefing, part of activities during a leadership workday. The day is intended to provide management with an in-depth, hands-on look at Shuttle processing activities at KSC. Starting third from left are NASA Deputy Associate Administrator for Space Station and Shuttle Programs Michael Kostelnik, USA Vice President and Space Shuttle Program Manager Howard DeCastro, NASA Space Shuttle Program Manager William Parsons, and USA Associate Program Manager of Ground Operations Andy Allen.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- From left, NASA Deputy Program Manager of the Space Shuttle Program Michael Wetmore, United Space Alliance (USA) Vice President and Space Shuttle Program Manager Howard DeCastro, NASA Deputy Associate Administrator for Space Station and Shuttle Programs Michael Kostelnik, and a USA technician examine cold plates in Orbiter Processing Facility Bay 2. NASA and USA Space Shuttle program management are participating in a leadership workday. The day is intended to provide management with an in-depth, hands-on look at Shuttle processing activities at KSC.

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-12-19

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- From left, NASA Deputy Program Manager of the Space Shuttle Program Michael Wetmore, United Space Alliance (USA) Vice President and Space Shuttle Program Manager Howard DeCastro, NASA Deputy Associate Administrator for Space Station and Shuttle Programs Michael Kostelnik, and a USA technician examine cold plates in Orbiter Processing Facility Bay 2. NASA and USA Space Shuttle program management are participating in a leadership workday. The day is intended to provide management with an in-depth, hands-on look at Shuttle processing activities at KSC.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- From left, a United Space Alliance (USA) technician briefs NASA Deputy Program Manager of the Space Shuttle Program Michael Wetmore, USA Vice President and Space Shuttle Program Manager Howard DeCastro, and NASA Deputy Associate Administrator for Space Station and Shuttle Programs Michael Kostelnik on the use of cold plates in Orbiter Processing Facility Bay 2. NASA and USA Space Shuttle program management are participating in a leadership workday. The day is intended to provide management with an in-depth, hands-on look at Shuttle processing activities at KSC.

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-12-19

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- From left, a United Space Alliance (USA) technician briefs NASA Deputy Program Manager of the Space Shuttle Program Michael Wetmore, USA Vice President and Space Shuttle Program Manager Howard DeCastro, and NASA Deputy Associate Administrator for Space Station and Shuttle Programs Michael Kostelnik on the use of cold plates in Orbiter Processing Facility Bay 2. NASA and USA Space Shuttle program management are participating in a leadership workday. The day is intended to provide management with an in-depth, hands-on look at Shuttle processing activities at KSC.

Space Shuttle Atlantis Landing / STS-129 Mission

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-11-27

PHOTO CREDIT: NASA or National Aeronautics and Space Administration CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - With landing gear down, space shuttle Atlantis approaches landing on Runway 33 at the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida after 11 days in space, completing the 4.5-million mile STS-129 mission on orbit 171. Main gear touchdown was at 9:44:23 a.m. EDT. Nose gear touchdown was at 9:44:36 a.m., and wheels stop was at 9:45:05 a.m. Aboard Atlantis are Commander Charles O. Hobaugh; Pilot Barry E. Wilmore; Mission Specialists Leland Melvin, Randy Bresnik, Mike Foreman and Robert L. Satcher Jr.; and Expedition 20 and 21 Flight Engineer Nicole Stott who spent 87 days aboard the International Space Station. STS-129 is the final space shuttle Expedition crew rotation flight on the manifest. On STS-129, the crew delivered 14 tons of cargo to the orbiting laboratory, including two ExPRESS Logistics Carriers containing spare parts to sustain station operations after the shuttles are retired next year. For information on the STS-129 mission and crew, visit http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts129/index.html. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

Space Shuttle Atlantis Landing / STS-129 Mission

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-11-27

PHOTO CREDIT: NASA or National Aeronautics and Space Administration CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - With drag chute unfurled, space shuttle Atlantis lands on Runway 33 at the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida after 11 days in space, completing the 4.5-million mile STS-129 mission on orbit 171. Main gear touchdown was at 9:44:23 a.m. EDT. Nose gear touchdown was at 9:44:36 a.m., and wheels stop was at 9:45:05 a.m. Aboard Atlantis are Commander Charles O. Hobaugh; Pilot Barry E. Wilmore; Mission Specialists Leland Melvin, Randy Bresnik, Mike Foreman and Robert L. Satcher Jr.; and Expedition 20 and 21 Flight Engineer Nicole Stott who spent 87 days aboard the International Space Station. STS-129 is the final space shuttle Expedition crew rotation flight on the manifest. On STS-129, the crew delivered 14 tons of cargo to the orbiting laboratory, including two ExPRESS Logistics Carriers containing spare parts to sustain station operations after the shuttles are retired next year. For information on the STS-129 mission and crew, visit http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts129/index.html. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

Space Shuttle Atlantis Landing / STS-129 Mission

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-11-27

PHOTO CREDIT: NASA or National Aeronautics and Space Administration CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - The drag chute unfurls to slow space shuttle Atlantis for landing on Runway 33 at the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida after 11 days in space, completing the 4.5-million mile STS-129 mission on orbit 171. Main gear touchdown was at 9:44:23 a.m. EDT. Nose gear touchdown was at 9:44:36 a.m., and wheels stop was at 9:45:05 a.m. Aboard Atlantis are Commander Charles O. Hobaugh; Pilot Barry E. Wilmore; Mission Specialists Leland Melvin, Randy Bresnik, Mike Foreman and Robert L. Satcher Jr.; and Expedition 20 and 21 Flight Engineer Nicole Stott who spent 87 days aboard the International Space Station. STS-129 is the final space shuttle Expedition crew rotation flight on the manifest. On STS-129, the crew delivered 14 tons of cargo to the orbiting laboratory, including two ExPRESS Logistics Carriers containing spare parts to sustain station operations after the shuttles are retired next year. For information on the STS-129 mission and crew, visit http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts129/index.html. Photo credit: NASA/Sandra Joseph

Space Shuttle Atlantis Landing / STS-129 Mission

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-11-27

PHOTO CREDIT: NASA or National Aeronautics and Space Administration CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - The drag chute unfurls as space shuttle Atlantis lands on Runway 33 at the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida after 11 days in space, completing the 4.5-million mile STS-129 mission on orbit 171. Main gear touchdown was at 9:44:23 a.m. EDT. Nose gear touchdown was at 9:44:36 a.m., and wheels stop was at 9:45:05 a.m. Aboard Atlantis are Commander Charles O. Hobaugh; Pilot Barry E. Wilmore; Mission Specialists Leland Melvin, Randy Bresnik, Mike Foreman and Robert L. Satcher Jr.; and Expedition 20 and 21 Flight Engineer Nicole Stott who spent 87 days aboard the International Space Station. STS-129 is the final space shuttle Expedition crew rotation flight on the manifest. On STS-129, the crew delivered 14 tons of cargo to the orbiting laboratory, including two ExPRESS Logistics Carriers containing spare parts to sustain station operations after the shuttles are retired next year. For information on the STS-129 mission and crew, visit http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts129/index.html. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

Space Shuttle Atlantis Landing / STS-129 Mission

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-11-27

PHOTO CREDIT: NASA or National Aeronautics and Space Administration CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - The drag chute unfurls to slow space shuttle Atlantis for landing on Runway 33 at the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida after 11 days in space, completing the 4.5-million mile STS-129 mission on orbit 171. Main gear touchdown was at 9:44:23 a.m. EDT. Nose gear touchdown was at 9:44:36 a.m., and wheels stop was at 9:45:05 a.m. Aboard Atlantis are Commander Charles O. Hobaugh; Pilot Barry E. Wilmore; Mission Specialists Leland Melvin, Randy Bresnik, Mike Foreman and Robert L. Satcher Jr.; and Expedition 20 and 21 Flight Engineer Nicole Stott who spent 87 days aboard the International Space Station. STS-129 is the final space shuttle Expedition crew rotation flight on the manifest. On STS-129, the crew delivered 14 tons of cargo to the orbiting laboratory, including two ExPRESS Logistics Carriers containing spare parts to sustain station operations after the shuttles are retired next year. For information on the STS-129 mission and crew, visit http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts129/index.html. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann

Space Shuttle Atlantis Landing / STS-129 Mission

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-11-27

PHOTO CREDIT: NASA or National Aeronautics and Space Administration CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Space shuttle Atlantis kicks up dust as it touches down on Runway 33 at the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida after 11 days in space, completing the 4.5-million mile STS-129 mission on orbit 171. Main gear touchdown was at 9:44:23 a.m. EDT. Nose gear touchdown was at 9:44:36 a.m., and wheels stop was at 9:45:05 a.m. Aboard Atlantis are Commander Charles O. Hobaugh; Pilot Barry E. Wilmore; Mission Specialists Leland Melvin, Randy Bresnik, Mike Foreman and Robert L. Satcher Jr.; and Expedition 20 and 21 Flight Engineer Nicole Stott who spent 87 days aboard the International Space Station. STS-129 is the final space shuttle Expedition crew rotation flight on the manifest. On STS-129, the crew delivered 14 tons of cargo to the orbiting laboratory, including two ExPRESS Logistics Carriers containing spare parts to sustain station operations after the shuttles are retired next year. For information on the STS-129 mission and crew, visit http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts129/index.html. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

Space Shuttle Atlantis Landing / STS-129 Mission

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-11-27

PHOTO CREDIT: NASA or National Aeronautics and Space Administration CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Streams of smoke trail from the main landing gear tires as space shuttle Atlantis touches down on Runway 33 at the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida after 11 days in space, completing the 4.5-million-mile STS-129 mission on orbit 171. Main gear touchdown was at 9:44:23 a.m. EDT. Nose gear touchdown was at 9:44:36 a.m., and wheels stop was at 9:45:05 a.m. Aboard Atlantis are Commander Charles O. Hobaugh; Pilot Barry E. Wilmore; Mission Specialists Leland Melvin, Randy Bresnik, Mike Foreman and Robert L. Satcher Jr.; and Expedition 20 and 21 Flight Engineer Nicole Stott who spent 87 days aboard the International Space Station. STS-129 is the final space shuttle Expedition crew rotation flight on the manifest. On STS-129, the crew delivered 14 tons of cargo to the orbiting laboratory, including two ExPRESS Logistics Carriers containing spare parts to sustain station operations after the shuttles are retired next year. For information on the STS-129 mission and crew, visit http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts129/index.html. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann

Space Shuttle Atlantis Landing / STS-129 Mission

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-11-27

PHOTO CREDIT: NASA or National Aeronautics and Space Administration CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - A fire and rescue truck is in place beside Runway 33 if needed to support the landing of space shuttle Atlantis at the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. After 11 days in space, Atlantis completed the 4.5-million mile STS-129 mission on orbit 171. Main gear touchdown was at 9:44:23 a.m. EDT. Nose gear touchdown was at 9:44:36 a.m., and wheels stop was at 9:45:05 a.m. Aboard Atlantis are Commander Charles O. Hobaugh; Pilot Barry E. Wilmore; Mission Specialists Leland Melvin, Randy Bresnik, Mike Foreman and Robert L. Satcher Jr.; and Expedition 20 and 21 Flight Engineer Nicole Stott who spent 87 days aboard the International Space Station. STS-129 is the final space shuttle Expedition crew rotation flight on the manifest. On STS-129, the crew delivered 14 tons of cargo to the orbiting laboratory, including two ExPRESS Logistics Carriers containing spare parts to sustain station operations after the shuttles are retired next year. For information on the STS-129 mission and crew, visit http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts129/index.html. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller

A technician leaves the 'white room,' the access point for entering the Space Shuttle Discovery during post-flight processing at NASA DFRC in California

NASA Image and Video Library

2005-08-14

A technician leaves the 'white room', the access point for entering the Space Shuttle Discovery during post-flight processing in the Mate-Demate Device (MDD) at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center in California. The gantry-like MDD structure is used for servicing the shuttle orbiters in preparation for their ferry flight back to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, including mounting the shuttle atop NASA's modified Boeing 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft. Space Shuttle Discovery landed safely at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base in California at 5:11:22 a.m. PDT, August 9, 2005, following the very successful 14-day STS-114 return to flight mission. During their two weeks in space, Commander Eileen Collins and her six crewmates tested out new safety procedures and delivered supplies and equipment the International Space Station. Discovery spent two weeks in space, where the crew demonstrated new methods to inspect and repair the Shuttle in orbit. The crew also delivered supplies, outfitted and performed maintenance on the International Space Station. A number of these tasks were conducted during three spacewalks. In an unprecedented event, spacewalkers were called upon to remove protruding gap fillers from the heat shield on Discovery's underbelly. In other spacewalk activities, astronauts installed an external platform onto the Station's Quest Airlock and replaced one of the orbital outpost's Control Moment Gyroscopes. Inside the Station, the STS-114 crew conducted joint operations with the Expedition 11 crew. They unloaded fresh supplies from the Shuttle and the Raffaello Multi-Purpose Logistics Module. Before Discovery undocked, the crews filled Raffeallo with unneeded items and returned to Shuttle payload bay. Discovery launched on July 26 and spent almost 14 days on orbit.

NASA Space Rocket Logistics Challenges

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bramon, Chris; Neeley, James R.; Jones, James V.; Watson, Michael D.; Inman, Sharon K.; Tuttle, Loraine

2014-01-01

The Space Launch System (SLS) is the new NASA heavy lift launch vehicle in development and is scheduled for its first mission in 2017. SLS has many of the same logistics challenges as any other large scale program. However, SLS also faces unique challenges. This presentation will address the SLS challenges, along with the analysis and decisions to mitigate the threats posed by each.

From Ship to Shuttle: NASA Orbiter Naming Program, September 1988 - May 1989

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1991-01-01

By congressional action in 1987, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) was authorized to provide an opportunity for American school students to name the new Space Shuttle orbiter being built to replace the Challenger. The Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO), an education organization representing the chief education officials of the nation, was asked by NASA to assist in the development and administration of this exciting and important educational activity. A selection of interdisciplinary activities related to the Space Shuttle that were designed by students for the NASA Orbiter-Naming Program are presented. The national winner's project is first followed by other projects listed in alphabetical order by state, and a bibliography compiled from suggestions by the state-level winning teams.

The sun sets on the Space Shuttle Discovery during post-flight processing in the Mate-Demate Device (MDD), following its landing at NASA DFRC in California

NASA Image and Video Library

2005-08-14

The sun sets on the Space Shuttle Discovery during post-flight processing in the Mate-Demate Device (MDD), following its landing at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center in California. The gantry-like MDD structure is used for servicing the shuttle orbiters in preparation for their ferry flight back to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, including mounting the shuttle atop NASA's modified Boeing 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft. Space Shuttle Discovery landed safely at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base in California at 5:11:22 a.m. PDT, August 9, 2005, following the very successful 14-day STS-114 return to flight mission. During their two weeks in space, Commander Eileen Collins and her six crewmates tested out new safety procedures and delivered supplies and equipment the International Space Station. Discovery spent two weeks in space, where the crew demonstrated new methods to inspect and repair the Shuttle in orbit. The crew also delivered supplies, outfitted and performed maintenance on the International Space Station. A number of these tasks were conducted during three spacewalks. In an unprecedented event, spacewalkers were called upon to remove protruding gap fillers from the heat shield on Discovery's underbelly. In other spacewalk activities, astronauts installed an external platform onto the Station's Quest Airlock and replaced one of the orbital outpost's Control Moment Gyroscopes. Inside the Station, the STS-114 crew conducted joint operations with the Expedition 11 crew. They unloaded fresh supplies from the Shuttle and the Raffaello Multi-Purpose Logistics Module. Before Discovery undocked, the crews filled Raffeallo with unneeded items and returned to Shuttle payload bay. Discovery launched on July 26 and spent almost 14 days on orbit.

Formalizing New Navigation Requirements for NASA's Space Shuttle

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

DiVito, Ben L.

1996-01-01

We describe a recent NASA-sponsored pilot project intended to gauge the effectiveness of using formal methods in Space Shuttle software requirements analysis. Several Change Requests (CRs) were selected as promising targets to demonstrate the utility of formal methods in this demanding application domain. A CR to add new navigation capabilities to the Shuttle, based on Global Positioning System (GPS) technology, is the focus of this industrial usage report. Portions of the GPS CR were modeled using the language of SRI's Prototype Verification System (PVS). During a limited analysis conducted on the formal specifications, numerous requirements issues were discovered. We present a summary of these encouraging results and conclusions we have drawn from the pilot project.

Lightning strikes in the distance as the Space Shuttle Discovery receives post-flight processing in the Mate-Demate Device, following its landing at NASA DFRC

NASA Image and Video Library

2005-08-14

Lightning strikes in the distance as the Space Shuttle Discovery receives post-flight processing in the Mate-Demate Device (MDD), following its landing at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center in California. The gantry-like MDD structure is used for servicing the shuttle orbiters in preparation for their ferry flight back to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, including mounting the shuttle atop NASA's modified Boeing 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft. Space Shuttle Discovery landed safely at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base in California at 5:11:22 a.m. PDT, August 9, 2005, following the very successful 14-day STS-114 return to flight mission. During their two weeks in space, Commander Eileen Collins and her six crewmates tested out new safety procedures and delivered supplies and equipment the International Space Station. Discovery spent two weeks in space, where the crew demonstrated new methods to inspect and repair the Shuttle in orbit. The crew also delivered supplies, outfitted and performed maintenance on the International Space Station. A number of these tasks were conducted during three spacewalks. In an unprecedented event, spacewalkers were called upon to remove protruding gap fillers from the heat shield on Discovery's underbelly. In other spacewalk activities, astronauts installed an external platform onto the Station's Quest Airlock and replaced one of the orbital outpost's Control Moment Gyroscopes. Inside the Station, the STS-114 crew conducted joint operations with the Expedition 11 crew. They unloaded fresh supplies from the Shuttle and the Raffaello Multi-Purpose Logistics Module. Before Discovery undocked, the crews filled Raffeallo with unneeded items and returned to Shuttle payload bay. Discovery launched on July 26 and spent almost 14 days on orbit.

Report on cost/pricing relationships for the space shuttle. [NASA/STS Operations Report

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1977-01-01

The operations cost for the shuttle is the basis for developing the user charge policy for the system. The policy contains several elements that are significant to the user and to NASA. It will encourage the full use of the system to the benefits of the U.S. The charge policy will encourage early transition from the expendable launch vehicles to the shuttle and this will result in lower user costs for government as well as commercial users. The relationship between the charge policy and the utilization of the shuttle is critical to the economic efficiency of the system. NASA recognizes the challenging a relationship between pricing the cost of using a reusable space system, and the need to make sure it is re-used often.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- From left, NASA Deputy Associate Administrator for Space Station and Shuttle Programs Michael Kostelnik and NASA Space Shuttle Program Manager William Parsons each don an Emergency Life Support Apparatus (ELSA) during training on the proper use of the escape devices. NASA and United Space Alliance (USA) Space Shuttle program management are participating in a leadership workday. The day is intended to provide management with an in-depth, hands-on look at Shuttle processing activities at KSC.

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-12-19

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- From left, NASA Deputy Associate Administrator for Space Station and Shuttle Programs Michael Kostelnik and NASA Space Shuttle Program Manager William Parsons each don an Emergency Life Support Apparatus (ELSA) during training on the proper use of the escape devices. NASA and United Space Alliance (USA) Space Shuttle program management are participating in a leadership workday. The day is intended to provide management with an in-depth, hands-on look at Shuttle processing activities at KSC.

Launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis / STS-129 Mission

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-11-16

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Twitter followers and media representatives at the NASA Press Site witness space shuttle Atlantis cut its way through the blue skies over Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Liftoff on its STS-129 mission came at 2:28 p.m. EST Nov. 16. Aboard are crew members Commander Charles O. Hobaugh; Pilot Barry E. Wilmore; and Mission Specialists Leland Melvin, Randy Bresnik, Mike Foreman and Robert L. Satcher Jr. On STS-129, the crew will deliver two Express Logistics Carriers to the International Space Station, the largest of the shuttle's cargo carriers, containing 15 spare pieces of equipment including two gyroscopes, two nitrogen tank assemblies, two pump modules, an ammonia tank assembly and a spare latching end effector for the station's robotic arm. Atlantis will return to Earth a station crew member, Nicole Stott, who has spent more than two months aboard the orbiting laboratory. STS-129 is slated to be the final space shuttle Expedition crew rotation flight. For information on the STS-129 mission and crew, visit http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts129/index.html. Photo credit: NASA/Gianni Woods

Launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis / STS-129 Mission

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-11-16

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Twitter followers and media representatives at the NASA Press Site watch as space shuttle Atlantis springs into action from Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Liftoff on its STS-129 mission came at 2:28 p.m. EST Nov. 16. Aboard are crew members Commander Charles O. Hobaugh; Pilot Barry E. Wilmore; and Mission Specialists Leland Melvin, Randy Bresnik, Mike Foreman and Robert L. Satcher Jr. On STS-129, the crew will deliver two Express Logistics Carriers to the International Space Station, the largest of the shuttle's cargo carriers, containing 15 spare pieces of equipment including two gyroscopes, two nitrogen tank assemblies, two pump modules, an ammonia tank assembly and a spare latching end effector for the station's robotic arm. Atlantis will return to Earth a station crew member, Nicole Stott, who has spent more than two months aboard the orbiting laboratory. STS-129 is slated to be the final space shuttle Expedition crew rotation flight. For information on the STS-129 mission and crew, visit http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts129/index.html. Photo credit: NASA/Gianni Woods

Launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis / STS-129 Mission

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-11-16

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Twitter followers and media representatives at the NASA Press Site have front-row seats as space shuttle Atlantis launches through the clouds from Launch Pad 39A on a balmy Florida afternoon at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. Liftoff on its STS-129 mission came at 2:28 p.m. EST Nov. 16. Aboard are crew members Commander Charles O. Hobaugh; Pilot Barry E. Wilmore; and Mission Specialists Leland Melvin, Randy Bresnik, Mike Foreman and Robert L. Satcher Jr. On STS-129, the crew will deliver two Express Logistics Carriers to the International Space Station, the largest of the shuttle's cargo carriers, containing 15 spare pieces of equipment including two gyroscopes, two nitrogen tank assemblies, two pump modules, an ammonia tank assembly and a spare latching end effector for the station's robotic arm. Atlantis will return to Earth a station crew member, Nicole Stott, who has spent more than two months aboard the orbiting laboratory. STS-129 is slated to be the final space shuttle Expedition crew rotation flight. For information on the STS-129 mission and crew, visit http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts129/index.html. Photo credit: NASA/Gianni Woods

Space Shuttle Program Tin Whisker Mitigation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nishimi, Keith

2007-01-01

The discovery of tin whiskers (TW) on space shuttle hardware led to a program to investigate and removal and mitigation of the source of the tin whiskers. A Flight Control System (FCS) avionics box failed during vehicle testing, and was routed to the NASA Shuttle Logistics Depot for testing and disassembly. The internal inspection of the box revealed TW growth visible without magnification. The results of the Tiger Team that was assembled to investigate and develop recommendations are reviewed in this viewgraph presentation.

Launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis / STS-129 Mission

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-11-16

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Space shuttle Atlantis launches through the clouds from Launch Pad 39A on a balmy Florida afternoon at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. Liftoff on its STS-129 mission came at 2:28 p.m. EST Nov. 16. Aboard are crew members Commander Charles O. Hobaugh; Pilot Barry E. Wilmore; and Mission Specialists Leland Melvin, Randy Bresnik, Mike Foreman and Robert L. Satcher Jr. On STS-129, the crew will deliver two Express Logistics Carriers to the International Space Station, the largest of the shuttle's cargo carriers, containing 15 spare pieces of equipment including two gyroscopes, two nitrogen tank assemblies, two pump modules, an ammonia tank assembly and a spare latching end effector for the station's robotic arm. Atlantis will return to Earth a station crew member, Nicole Stott, who has spent more than two months aboard the orbiting laboratory. STS-129 is slated to be the final space shuttle Expedition crew rotation flight. For information on the STS-129 mission and crew, visit http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts129/index.html. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann

Launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis / STS-129 Mission

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-11-16

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Space shuttle Atlantis cuts its way through the blue skies over Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Liftoff on its STS-129 mission came at 2:28 p.m. EST Nov. 16. Aboard are crew members Commander Charles O. Hobaugh; Pilot Barry E. Wilmore; and Mission Specialists Leland Melvin, Randy Bresnik, Mike Foreman and Robert L. Satcher Jr. On STS-129, the crew will deliver two Express Logistics Carriers to the International Space Station, the largest of the shuttle's cargo carriers, containing 15 spare pieces of equipment including two gyroscopes, two nitrogen tank assemblies, two pump modules, an ammonia tank assembly and a spare latching end effector for the station's robotic arm. Atlantis will return to Earth a station crew member, Nicole Stott, who has spent more than two months aboard the orbiting laboratory. STS-129 is slated to be the final space shuttle Expedition crew rotation flight. For information on the STS-129 mission and crew, visit http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts129/index.html. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann

NASA Flight Planning Branch Space Shuttle Lessons Learned

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Clevenger, Jennifer D.; Bristol, Douglas J.; Whitney, Gregory R.; Blanton, Mark R.; Reynolds, F. Fisher, III

2011-01-01

Planning products and procedures that allowed the mission Flight Control Teams and the Astronaut crews to plan, train and fly every Space Shuttle mission were developed by the Flight Planning Branch at the NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. As the Space Shuttle Program came to a close, lessons learned were collected from each phase of the successful execution of these Space Shuttle missions. Specific examples of how roles and responsibilities of console positions that develop the crew and vehicle attitude timelines have been analyzed and will be discussed. Additionally, the relationships and procedural hurdles experienced through international collaboration have molded operations. These facets will be explored and related to current and future operations with the International Space Station and future vehicles. Along with these important aspects, the evolution of technology and continual improvement of data transfer tools between the Space Shuttle and ground team has also defined specific lessons used in improving the control team s effectiveness. Methodologies to communicate and transmit messages, images, and files from the Mission Control Center to the Orbiter evolved over several years. These lessons were vital in shaping the effectiveness of safe and successful mission planning and have been applied to current mission planning work in addition to being incorporated into future space flight planning. The critical lessons from all aspects of previous plan, train, and fly phases of Space Shuttle flight missions are not only documented in this paper, but are also discussed regarding how they pertain to changes in process and consideration for future space flight planning.

The Space Shuttle Atlantis centered in the Mate-Demate Device (MDD) at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards, California

NASA Image and Video Library

2001-02-26

The Space Shuttle Atlantis is centered in the Mate-Demate Device (MDD) at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards, California. The gantry-like MDD structure is used for servicing the shuttle orbiters in preparation for their ferry flight back to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, including mounting the shuttle atop NASA's modified Boeing 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft. Space Shuttle Atlantis landed at 12:33 p.m. February 20, 2001, on the runway at Edwards Air Force Base, California, where NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center is located. The mission, which began February 7, logged 5.3 million miles as the shuttle orbited earth while delivering the Destiny science laboratory to the International Space Station. Inclement weather conditions in Florida prompted the decision to land Atlantis at Edwards. The last time a space shuttle landed at Edwards was Oct. 24, 2000.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- NASA Deputy Associate Administrator for Space Station and Shuttle Programs Michael Kostelnik (top) discusses the inner workings of Shuttle Atlantis in Orbiter Processing Facility Bay 1 with a United Space Alliance (USA) technician (bottom). NASA and USA Space Shuttle program management are participating in a leadership workday. The day is intended to provide management with an in-depth, hands-on look at Shuttle processing activities at KSC.

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-12-19

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- NASA Deputy Associate Administrator for Space Station and Shuttle Programs Michael Kostelnik (top) discusses the inner workings of Shuttle Atlantis in Orbiter Processing Facility Bay 1 with a United Space Alliance (USA) technician (bottom). NASA and USA Space Shuttle program management are participating in a leadership workday. The day is intended to provide management with an in-depth, hands-on look at Shuttle processing activities at KSC.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- NASA Deputy Associate Administrator for Space Station and Shuttle Programs Michael Kostelnik (right) discusses a speed brake on Shuttle Discovery in Orbiter Processing Facility Bay 3 with a United Space Alliance (USA) technician (left). NASA and USA Space Shuttle program management are participating in a leadership workday. The day is intended to provide management with an in-depth, hands-on look at Shuttle processing activities at KSC.

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-12-19

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- NASA Deputy Associate Administrator for Space Station and Shuttle Programs Michael Kostelnik (right) discusses a speed brake on Shuttle Discovery in Orbiter Processing Facility Bay 3 with a United Space Alliance (USA) technician (left). NASA and USA Space Shuttle program management are participating in a leadership workday. The day is intended to provide management with an in-depth, hands-on look at Shuttle processing activities at KSC.

Launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis / STS-129 Mission

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-11-16

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - With nearly 7 million pounds of thrust generated by twin solid rocket boosters and three main engines, space shuttle Atlantis zooms into the blue skies over Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Liftoff on its STS-129 mission came at 2:28 p.m. EST Nov. 16. Aboard are crew members Commander Charles O. Hobaugh; Pilot Barry E. Wilmore; and Mission Specialists Leland Melvin, Randy Bresnik, Mike Foreman and Robert L. Satcher Jr. On STS-129, the crew will deliver two ExPRESS Logistics Carriers to the International Space Station, the largest of the shuttle's cargo carriers, containing 15 spare pieces of equipment including two gyroscopes, two nitrogen tank assemblies, two pump modules, an ammonia tank assembly and a spare latching end effector for the station's robotic arm. Atlantis will return to Earth a station crew member, Nicole Stott, who has spent more than two months aboard the orbiting laboratory. STS-129 is slated to be the final space shuttle Expedition crew rotation flight. For information on the STS-129 mission and crew, visit http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts129/index.html. Photo credit: NASA/Kenny Allen

Launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis / STS-129 Mission

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-11-16

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - With nearly 7 million pounds of thrust generated by twin solid rocket boosters and three main engines, space shuttle Atlantis races to orbit over Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Liftoff on its STS-129 mission came at 2:28 p.m. EST Nov. 16. Aboard are crew members Commander Charles O. Hobaugh; Pilot Barry E. Wilmore; and Mission Specialists Leland Melvin, Randy Bresnik, Mike Foreman and Robert L. Satcher Jr. On STS-129, the crew will deliver two ExPRESS Logistics Carriers to the International Space Station, the largest of the shuttle's cargo carriers, containing 15 spare pieces of equipment including two gyroscopes, two nitrogen tank assemblies, two pump modules, an ammonia tank assembly and a spare latching end effector for the station's robotic arm. Atlantis will return to Earth a station crew member, Nicole Stott, who has spent more than two months aboard the orbiting laboratory. STS-129 is slated to be the final space shuttle Expedition crew rotation flight. For information on the STS-129 mission and crew, visit http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts129/index.html. Photo credit: NASA/Kenny Allen

Launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis / STS-129 Mission

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-11-16

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Like a phoenix rising from the flames, space shuttle Atlantis takes flight from Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Liftoff on its STS-129 mission came at 2:28 p.m. EST Nov. 16. Aboard are crew members Commander Charles O. Hobaugh; Pilot Barry E. Wilmore; and Mission Specialists Leland Melvin, Randy Bresnik, Mike Foreman and Robert L. Satcher Jr. On STS-129, the crew will deliver two Express Logistics Carriers to the International Space Station, the largest of the shuttle's cargo carriers, containing 15 spare pieces of equipment including two gyroscopes, two nitrogen tank assemblies, two pump modules, an ammonia tank assembly and a spare latching end effector for the station's robotic arm. Atlantis will return to Earth a station crew member, Nicole Stott, who has spent more than two months aboard the orbiting laboratory. STS-129 is slated to be the final space shuttle Expedition crew rotation flight. For information on the STS-129 mission and crew, visit http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts129/index.html. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann

The Space Shuttle Endeavour, mounted securely atop one of NASA's modified Boeing 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, left NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base in Southern California at sunrise on Friday, June 28, nine days after conclu

NASA Image and Video Library

2002-06-28

The Space Shuttle Endeavour, mounted securely atop one of NASA's modified Boeing 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, left NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base in Southern California at sunrise on Friday, June 28, nine days after concluding mission STS-111 to the International Space Station with a landing at Edwards.

Final Landing of the Space Shuttle Endeavour / STS-134 Mission

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-06-03

STS134-S-111 (1 June 2011) --- Space shuttle Endeavour approaches Runway 15 on the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida for the final time marking the 24th night landing of NASA's Space Shuttle Program. Main gear touchdown was at 2:34:51 a.m. (EDT) on June 1, 2011, followed by nose gear touchdown at 2:35:04 a.m., and wheelstop at 2:35:36 a.m. Onboard are NASA astronauts Mark Kelly, STS-134 commander; Greg H. Johnson, pilot; Michael Fincke, Andrew Feustel, Greg Chamitoff and European Space Agency astronaut Roberto Vittori, all mission specialists. STS-134 delivered the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer-2 (AMS) and the Express Logistics Carrier-3 (ELC-3) to the International Space Station. AMS will help researchers understand the origin of the universe and search for evidence of dark matter, strange matter and antimatter from the station. ELC-3 carried spare parts that will sustain station operations once the shuttles are retired from service. STS-134 was the 25th and final flight for Endeavour, which has spent 299 days in space, orbited Earth 4,671 times and traveled 122,883,151 miles. Photo credit: NASA

The NASA Dryden 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft crew poses in an engine inlet

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2000-01-01

The NASA Dryden 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft crew poses in an engine inlet; Standing L to R - aircraft mechanic John Goleno and SCA Team Leader Pete Seidl; Kneeling L to R - aircraft mechanics Todd Weston and Arvid Knutson, and avionics technician Jim Bedard NASA uses two modified Boeing 747 jetliners, originally manufactured for commercial use, as Space Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA). One is a 747-100 model, while the other is designated a 747-100SR (short range). The two aircraft are identical in appearance and in their performance as Shuttle Carrier Aircraft. The 747 series of aircraft are four-engine intercontinental-range swept-wing 'jumbo jets' that entered commercial service in 1969. The SCAs are used to ferry space shuttle orbiters from landing sites back to the launch complex at the Kennedy Space Center, and also to and from other locations too distant for the orbiters to be delivered by ground transportation. The orbiters are placed atop the SCAs by Mate-Demate Devices, large gantry-like structures which hoist the orbiters off the ground for post-flight servicing, and then mate them with the SCAs for ferry flights.

The NASA Dryden 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft crew poses in an engine inlet

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-02-03

The NASA Dryden 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft crew poses in an engine inlet; Standing L to R - aircraft mechanic John Goleno and SCA Team Leader Pete Seidl; Kneeling L to R - aircraft mechanics Todd Weston and Arvid Knutson, and avionics technician Jim Bedard NASA uses two modified Boeing 747 jetliners, originally manufactured for commercial use, as Space Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA). One is a 747-100 model, while the other is designated a 747-100SR (short range). The two aircraft are identical in appearance and in their performance as Shuttle Carrier Aircraft. The 747 series of aircraft are four-engine intercontinental-range swept-wing "jumbo jets" that entered commercial service in 1969. The SCAs are used to ferry space shuttle orbiters from landing sites back to the launch complex at the Kennedy Space Center, and also to and from other locations too distant for the orbiters to be delivered by ground transportation. The orbiters are placed atop the SCAs by Mate-Demate Devices, large gantry-like structures which hoist the orbiters off the ground for post-flight servicing, and then mate them with the SCAs for ferry flights.

An Overview of contributions of NASA Space Shuttle to Space Science and Engineering education

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lulla, Kamlesh

2012-07-01

This paper provides an indepth overview of the enormous contrbutions made by the NASA Space Shuttle Program to Space science and engineering education over the past thirty years. The author has served as one of the major contributors and editors of NASA book "Wings In Orbit: Scientific and Engineering Legacies of the Space Shuttle program" (NASA SP-2010-3409). Every Space Shuttle mission was an education mission: student involvement programs such as Get Away Specials housed in Shuttle payload allowed students to propose research and thus enrich their university education experience. School students were able to operate "EarthKAM" to learn the intricacies of orbital mechanics, earth viewing opportunities and were able to master the science and art of proposal writing and scientific collaboration. The purpose of this presentation is to introduce the global student and teaching community in space sciences and engineering to the plethora of educational resources available to them for engaging a wide variety of students (from early school to the undergraduate and graduate level and to inspire them towards careers in Space sciences and technologies. The volume "Wings In Orbit" book is one example of these ready to use in classroom materials. This paper will highlight the educational payloads, experiments and on-orbit classroom activities conducted for space science and engineering students, teachers and non-traditional educators. The presentation will include discussions on the science content and its educational relevance in all major disiciplines in which the research was conducted on-board the Space Shuttle.

Uses of the Space Shuttle in the NASA Applications Program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mcconnell, D. G.

1977-01-01

Examples are given of Shuttle and Spacelab payloads proposed in the NASA Applications Program. These range from processing of materials under near-zero gravity conditions to studies of microphysical processes occurring in clouds, and from high resolution Fourier interferometers for studying trace constituents in the atmosphere to complementary groups of sensors for viewing the earth.

Second Shuttle Join NASA's STS Fleet: Challenger Launches First New Tracking Satellite

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1983-01-01

NASA made a major stride in readying a second delivery vehicle for its Space Transportation System (STS) fleet with the perfect landing of Shuttle Orbiter Challenger at Edwards Air Force Base, California, April 9, 1983. Besides being the first flight test of Challenger's performance, the mission marked the orbiting of the first spacecraft in NASA's new Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System (TDRSS). The new family of orbiting space communications platforms is essential to serve future Shuttle missions. Although the Inertial Upper Stage (IUS) second stage engine firing failed to place TDRS in its final 35,888 kilometer (22,300 mile) geosynchronous orbit, its release from the orbiter cargo bay went as planned. Launch officials were confident they can achieve its planned orbit in a matter of weeks.

Simulation of Range Safety for the NASA Space Shuttle

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rabelo, Luis; Sepulveda, Jose; Compton, Jeppie; Turner, Robert

2005-01-01

This paper describes a simulation environment that seamlessly combines a number of safety and environmental models for the launch phase of a NASA Space Shuttle mission. The components of this simulation environment represent the different systems that must interact in order to determine the Expectation of casualties (E(sub c)) resulting from the toxic effects of the gas dispersion that occurs after a disaster affecting a Space Shuttle within 120 seconds of lift-off. The utilization of the Space Shuttle reliability models, trajectory models, weather dissemination systems, population models, amount and type of toxicants, gas dispersion models, human response functions to toxicants, and a geographical information system are all integrated to create this environment. This simulation environment can help safety managers estimate the population at risk in order to plan evacuation, make sheltering decisions, determine the resources required to provide aid and comfort, and mitigate damages in case of a disaster. This simulation environment may also be modified and used for the landing phase of a space vehicle but will not be discussed in this paper.

Fifth Report of the NASA Advisory Council Task Force on the Shuttle-Mir Rendezvous and Docking Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1995-01-01

The NASA Advisory Council Task Force on the Shuttle-Mir rendezvous and docking missions examine a number of specific issues related to the Shuttle-Mir program. Three teams composed of Task Force members and technical advisors were formed to address the follow issues: preliminary results from STS-71 and the status of preparations for STS-74; NASA's presence in Russia; and NASA's automated data processing and telecommunications (ADP/T) infrastructure in Russia. The three review team reports have been included in the fifth report of the Task Force.

Environmentally-driven Materials Obsolescence: Material Replacements and Lessons Learned from NASA's Space Shuttle Program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Meinhold, Anne

2013-01-01

The Space Shuttle Program was terminated in 2011 with the last flight of the Shuttle Endeavour. During the 30 years of its operating history, the number of domestic and international environmental regulations increased rapidly and resulted in materials obsolescence risks to the program. Initial replacement efforts focused on ozone depleting substances. As pressure from environmental regulations increased, Shuttle worked on the replacement of heavy metals. volatile organic compounds and hazardous air pollutants. Near the end of the program. Shuttle identified potential material obsolescence driven by international regulations and the potential for suppliers to reformulate materials. During the Shuttle Program a team focused on environmentally-driven materials obsolescence worked to identify and mitigate these risks. Lessons learned from the Shuttle experience can be applied to new NASA Programs as well as other high reliability applications.

Status of Thermal NDT of Space Shuttle Materials at NASA

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cramer, K. Elliott; Winfree, William P.; Hodges, Kenneth; Koshti, Ajay; Ryan, Daniel; Rweinhardt, Walter W.

2006-01-01

Since the Space Shuttle Columbia accident, NASA has focused on improving advanced NDE techniques for the Reinforced Carbon-Carbon (RCC) panels that comprise the orbiter's wing leading edge and nose cap. Various nondestructive inspection techniques have been used in the examination of the RCC, but thermography has emerged as an effective inspection alternative to more traditional methods. Thermography is a non-contact inspection method as compared to ultrasonic techniques which typically require the use of a coupling medium between the transducer and material. Like radiographic techniques, thermography can inspect large areas, but has the advantage of minimal safety concerns and the ability for single-sided measurements. Details of the analysis technique that has been developed to allow insitu inspection of a majority of shuttle RCC components is discussed. Additionally, validation testing, performed to quantify the performance of the system, will be discussed. Finally, the results of applying this technology to the Space Shuttle Discovery after its return from the STS-114 mission in July 2005 are discussed.

The Space Shuttle Atlantis receives post-flight servicing in the Mate-Demate Device (MDD) at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, Calif.

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-06-23

The Space Shuttle Atlantis receives post-flight servicing in the Mate-Demate Device (MDD), following its landing at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California, June 22, 2007. The gantry-like MDD structure is used for servicing the shuttle orbiters in preparation for their ferry flight back to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, including mounting the shuttle atop NASA's modified Boeing 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- A United Space Alliance (USA) technician (center) discusses aspects of Shuttle processing performed in the Solid Rocket Booster (SRB) Assembly and Refurbishment Facility (ARF) with NASA Deputy Associate Administrator for Space Station and Shuttle Programs Michael Kostelnik (right). NASA and USA Space Shuttle program management are participating in a leadership workday. The day is intended to provide management with an in-depth, hands-on look at Shuttle processing activities at KSC.

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-12-19

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- A United Space Alliance (USA) technician (center) discusses aspects of Shuttle processing performed in the Solid Rocket Booster (SRB) Assembly and Refurbishment Facility (ARF) with NASA Deputy Associate Administrator for Space Station and Shuttle Programs Michael Kostelnik (right). NASA and USA Space Shuttle program management are participating in a leadership workday. The day is intended to provide management with an in-depth, hands-on look at Shuttle processing activities at KSC.

Final Landing of the Space Shuttle Endeavour / STS-134 Mission

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-06-01

STS134-S-077 (1 June 2011) --- Xenon lights help lead space shuttle Endeavour home to NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Endeavour landed for the final time on the Shuttle Landing Facility's Runway 15, marking the 24th night landing of NASA's Space Shuttle Program. Main gear touchdown was at 2:34:51 a.m. (EDT) on June 1, 2011, followed by nose gear touchdown at 2:35:04 a.m., and wheelstop at 2:35:36 a.m. Onboard are NASA astronauts Mark Kelly, STS-134 commander; Greg H. Johnson, pilot; Michael Fincke, Andrew Feustel, Greg Chamitoff and European Space Agency astronaut Roberto Vittori, all mission specialists. STS-134 delivered the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer-2 (AMS) and the Express Logistics Carrier-3 (ELC-3) to the International Space Station. AMS will help researchers understand the origin of the universe and search for evidence of dark matter, strange matter and antimatter from the station. ELC-3 carried spare parts that will sustain station operations once the shuttles are retired from service. STS-134 was the 25th and final flight for Endeavour, which has spent 299 days in space, orbited Earth 4,671 times and traveled 122,883,151 miles. Photo credit: NASA

Final Landing of the Space Shuttle Endeavour / STS-134 Mission

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-06-03

STS134-S-112 (1 June 2011) --- Space shuttle Endeavour touches down on Runway 15 on the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida for the final time marking the 24th night landing of NASA's Space Shuttle Program. Main gear touchdown was at 2:34:51 a.m. (EDT) on June 1, 2011, followed by nose gear touchdown at 2:35:04 a.m., and wheelstop at 2:35:36 a.m. Onboard are NASA astronauts Mark Kelly, STS-134 commander; Greg H. Johnson, pilot; Michael Fincke, Andrew Feustel, Greg Chamitoff and European Space Agency astronaut Roberto Vittori, all mission specialists. STS-134 delivered the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer-2 (AMS) and the Express Logistics Carrier-3 (ELC-3) to the International Space Station. AMS will help researchers understand the origin of the universe and search for evidence of dark matter, strange matter and antimatter from the station. ELC-3 carried spare parts that will sustain station operations once the shuttles are retired from service. STS-134 was the 25th and final flight for Endeavour, which has spent 299 days in space, orbited Earth 4,671 times and traveled 122,883,151 miles. Photo credit: NASA

Final Landing of the Space Shuttle Endeavour / STS-134 Mission

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-06-03

STS134-S-113 (1 June 2011) --- Xenon lights help lead space shuttle Endeavour home to NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Endeavour landed for the final time on the Shuttle Landing Facility's Runway 15, marking the 24th night landing of NASA's Space Shuttle Program. Main gear touchdown was at 2:34:51 a.m. (EDT) on June 1, 2011, followed by nose gear touchdown at 2:35:04 a.m., and wheelstop at 2:35:36 a.m. Onboard are NASA astronauts Mark Kelly, STS-134 commander; Greg H. Johnson, pilot; Michael Fincke, Andrew Feustel, Greg Chamitoff and European Space Agency astronaut Roberto Vittori, all mission specialists. STS-134 delivered the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer-2 (AMS) and the Express Logistics Carrier-3 (ELC-3) to the International Space Station. AMS will help researchers understand the origin of the universe and search for evidence of dark matter, strange matter and antimatter from the station. ELC-3 carried spare parts that will sustain station operations once the shuttles are retired from service. STS-134 was the 25th and final flight for Endeavour, which has spent 299 days in space, orbited Earth 4,671 times and traveled 122,883,151 miles. Photo credit: NASA

Final Landing of the Space Shuttle Endeavour / STS-134 Mission

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-06-01

STS134-S-089 (1 June 2011) --- Xenon lights help lead space shuttle Endeavour home to NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Endeavour landed for the final time on the Shuttle Landing Facility's Runway 15, marking the 24th night landing of NASA's Space Shuttle Program. Main gear touchdown was at 2:34:51 a.m. (EDT) on June 1, 2011, followed by nose gear touchdown at 2:35:04 a.m., and wheelstop at 2:35:36 a.m. Onboard are NASA astronauts Mark Kelly, STS-134 commander; Greg H. Johnson, pilot; Michael Fincke, Andrew Feustel, Greg Chamitoff and European Space Agency astronaut Roberto Vittori, all mission specialists. STS-134 delivered the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer-2 (AMS) and the Express Logistics Carrier-3 (ELC-3) to the International Space Station. AMS will help researchers understand the origin of the universe and search for evidence of dark matter, strange matter and antimatter from the station. ELC-3 carried spare parts that will sustain station operations once the shuttles are retired from service. STS-134 was the 25th and final flight for Endeavour, which has spent 299 days in space, orbited Earth 4,671 times and traveled 122,883,151 miles. Photo credit: NASA

Final Landing of the Space Shuttle Endeavour / STS-134 Mission

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-06-03

STS134-S-115 (1 June 2011) --- Xenon lights help lead space shuttle Endeavour home to NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Endeavour landed for the final time on the Shuttle Landing Facility's Runway 15, marking the 24th night landing of NASA's Space Shuttle Program. Main gear touchdown was at 2:34:51 a.m. (EDT) on June 1, 2011, followed by nose gear touchdown at 2:35:04 a.m., and wheelstop at 2:35:36 a.m. Onboard are NASA astronauts Mark Kelly, STS-134 commander; Greg H. Johnson, pilot; Michael Fincke, Andrew Feustel, Greg Chamitoff and European Space Agency astronaut Roberto Vittori, all mission specialists. STS-134 delivered the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer-2 (AMS) and the Express Logistics Carrier-3 (ELC-3) to the International Space Station. AMS will help researchers understand the origin of the universe and search for evidence of dark matter, strange matter and antimatter from the station. ELC-3 carried spare parts that will sustain station operations once the shuttles are retired from service. STS-134 was the 25th and final flight for Endeavour, which has spent 299 days in space, orbited Earth 4,671 times and traveled 122,883,151 miles. Photo credit: NASA

Final Landing of the Space Shuttle Endeavour / STS-134 Mission

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-06-01

STS134-S-079 (1 June 2011) --- Xenon lights help lead space shuttle Endeavour home to NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Endeavour landed for the final time on the Shuttle Landing Facility's Runway 15, marking the 24th night landing of NASA's Space Shuttle Program. Main gear touchdown was at 2:34:51 a.m. (EDT) on June 1, 2011, followed by nose gear touchdown at 2:35:04 a.m., and wheelstop at 2:35:36 a.m. Onboard are NASA astronauts Mark Kelly, STS-134 commander; Greg H. Johnson, pilot; Michael Fincke, Andrew Feustel, Greg Chamitoff and European Space Agency astronaut Roberto Vittori, all mission specialists. STS-134 delivered the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer-2 (AMS) and the Express Logistics Carrier-3 (ELC-3) to the International Space Station. AMS will help researchers understand the origin of the universe and search for evidence of dark matter, strange matter and antimatter from the station. ELC-3 carried spare parts that will sustain station operations once the shuttles are retired from service. STS-134 was the 25th and final flight for Endeavour, which has spent 299 days in space, orbited Earth 4,671 times and traveled 122,883,151 miles. Photo credit: NASA

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- United Space Alliance (USA) technicians demonstrate the construction of a thermal blanket used in the Shuttle's thermal protection system for USA Vice President and Space Shuttle Program Manager Howard DeCastro (second from left) and NASA Deputy Associate Administrator for Space Station and Shuttle Programs Michael Kostelnik (right). NASA and USA Space Shuttle program management are participating in a leadership workday. The day is intended to provide management with an in-depth, hands-on look at Shuttle processing activities at KSC.

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-12-19

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- United Space Alliance (USA) technicians demonstrate the construction of a thermal blanket used in the Shuttle's thermal protection system for USA Vice President and Space Shuttle Program Manager Howard DeCastro (second from left) and NASA Deputy Associate Administrator for Space Station and Shuttle Programs Michael Kostelnik (right). NASA and USA Space Shuttle program management are participating in a leadership workday. The day is intended to provide management with an in-depth, hands-on look at Shuttle processing activities at KSC.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- From left, a United Space Alliance (USA) technician discusses aspects of Shuttle processing performed in the Solid Rocket Booster (SRB) Assembly and Refurbishment Facility (ARF) with USA Vice President and Space Shuttle Program Manager Howard DeCastro and NASA Deputy Associate Administrator for Space Station and Shuttle Programs Michael Kostelnik. NASA and USA Space Shuttle program management are participating in a leadership workday. The day is intended to provide management with an in-depth, hands-on look at Shuttle processing activities at KSC.

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-12-19

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- From left, a United Space Alliance (USA) technician discusses aspects of Shuttle processing performed in the Solid Rocket Booster (SRB) Assembly and Refurbishment Facility (ARF) with USA Vice President and Space Shuttle Program Manager Howard DeCastro and NASA Deputy Associate Administrator for Space Station and Shuttle Programs Michael Kostelnik. NASA and USA Space Shuttle program management are participating in a leadership workday. The day is intended to provide management with an in-depth, hands-on look at Shuttle processing activities at KSC.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- United Space Alliance (USA) Vice President and Space Shuttle Program Manager Howard DeCastro (left) and NASA Deputy Associate Administrator for Space Station and Shuttle Programs Michael Kostelnik (third from left) watch as a USA technician (right) creates a tile for use in the Shuttle's Thermal Protection System (TPS). NASA and USA Space Shuttle program management are participating in a leadership workday. The day is intended to provide management with an in-depth, hands-on look at Shuttle processing activities at KSC.

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-12-19

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- United Space Alliance (USA) Vice President and Space Shuttle Program Manager Howard DeCastro (left) and NASA Deputy Associate Administrator for Space Station and Shuttle Programs Michael Kostelnik (third from left) watch as a USA technician (right) creates a tile for use in the Shuttle's Thermal Protection System (TPS). NASA and USA Space Shuttle program management are participating in a leadership workday. The day is intended to provide management with an in-depth, hands-on look at Shuttle processing activities at KSC.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- From left, United Space Alliance (USA) Deputy Space Shuttle Program Manager of Operations Loren Shriver, USA Associate Program Manager of Ground Operations Andy Allen, NASA Deputy Associate Administrator for Space Station and Shuttle Programs Michael Kostelnik, and USA Vice President and Space Shuttle Program Manager Howard DeCastro examine a tile used in the Shuttle's Thermal Protection System (TPS) in KSC's TPS Facility. NASA and USA Space Shuttle program management are participating in a leadership workday. The day is intended to provide management with an in-depth, hands-on look at Shuttle processing activities at KSC.

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-12-19

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- From left, United Space Alliance (USA) Deputy Space Shuttle Program Manager of Operations Loren Shriver, USA Associate Program Manager of Ground Operations Andy Allen, NASA Deputy Associate Administrator for Space Station and Shuttle Programs Michael Kostelnik, and USA Vice President and Space Shuttle Program Manager Howard DeCastro examine a tile used in the Shuttle's Thermal Protection System (TPS) in KSC's TPS Facility. NASA and USA Space Shuttle program management are participating in a leadership workday. The day is intended to provide management with an in-depth, hands-on look at Shuttle processing activities at KSC.

Space Shuttle Atlantis/STS-98 shortly before being towed to NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center

NASA Image and Video Library

2001-02-20

Space Shuttle Atlantis landed at 12:33 p.m. February 20, 2001, on the runway at Edwards Air Force Base, California, where NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center is located. The mission, which began February 7, logged 5.3 million miles as the shuttle orbited earth while delivering the Destiny science laboratory to the International Space Station. Inclement weather conditions in Florida prompted the decision to land Atlantis at Edwards. The last time a space shuttle landed at Edwards was Oct. 24, 2000.

The Space Shuttle Atlantis receives post-flight servicing in the Mate-Demate Device (MDD) at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, Calif.

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-06-25

Lit by sunlight filtered through the smoke of a distant forest fire, the Space Shuttle Atlantis receives post-flight servicing in the Mate-Demate Device (MDD), following its landing at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California. The gantry-like MDD structure is used for servicing the shuttle orbiters in preparation for their ferry flight back to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, including mounting the shuttle atop NASA's modified Boeing 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft.

NASA's Boeing 747 SCA with the Space Shuttle Endeavour on top climbs out after takeoff from Edwards

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2001-01-01

NASA's modified Boeing 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft with the Space Shuttle Endeavour on top climbs out after takeoff from Edwards Air Force Base on the first leg of its ferry flight back to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Status of Thermal NDT of Space Shuttle Materials at NASA

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cramer, K. Elliott; Winfree, William P.; Hodges, Kenneth; Koshti, Ajay; Ryan, Daniel; Reinhardt, Walter W.

2006-01-01

Since the Space Shuttle Columbia accident, NASA has focused on improving advanced nondestructive evaluation (NDE) techniques for the Reinforced Carbon-Carbon (RCC) panels that comprise the orbiter's wing leading edge and nose cap. Various nondestructive inspection techniques have been used in the examination of the RCC, but thermography has emerged as an effective inspection alternative to more traditional methods. Thermography is a non-contact inspection method as compared to ultrasonic techniques which typically require the use of a coupling medium between the transducer and material. Like radiographic techniques, thermography can inspect large areas, but has the advantage of minimal safety concerns and the ability for single-sided measurements. Details of the analysis technique that has been developed to allow insitu inspection of a majority of shuttle RCC components is discussed. Additionally, validation testing, performed to quantify the performance of the system, will be discussed. Finally, the results of applying this technology to the Space Shuttle Discovery after its return from the STS-114 mission in July 2005 are discussed.

Status of Thermal NDT of Space Shuttle Materials at NASA

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cramer, K. Elliott; Winfree, William P.; Hodges, Kenneth; Koshti, Ajay; Ryan, Daniel; Reinhardt, Walter W.

2007-01-01

Since the Space Shuttle Columbia accident, NASA has focused on improving advanced NDE techniques for the Reinforced Carbon-Carbon (RCC) panels that comprise the orbiter s wing leading edge and nose cap. Various nondestructive inspection techniques have been used in the examination of the RCC, but thermography has emerged as an effective inspection alternative to more traditional methods. Thermography is a non-contact inspection method as compared to ultrasonic techniques which typically require the use of a coupling medium between the transducer and material. Like radiographic techniques, thermography can inspect large areas, but has the advantage of minimal safety concerns and the ability for single-sided measurements. Details of the analysis technique that has been developed to allow insitu inspection of a majority of shuttle RCC components is discussed. Additionally, validation testing, performed to quantify the performance of the system, will be discussed. Finally, the results of applying this technology to the Space Shuttle Discovery after its return from the STS-114 mission in July 2005 are discussed.

Estimating the Cost of NASA's Space Launch Initiative: How SLI Cost Stack Up Against the Shuttle

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hamaker, Joseph H.; Roth, Axel (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

NASA is planning to replace the Space Shuttle with a new completely reusable Second Generation Launch System by approximately 2012. Numerous contracted and NASA in-house Space Transportation Architecture Studies and various technology maturation activities are proceeding and have resulted in scores of competing architecture configurations being proposed. Life cycle cost is a key discriminator between all these various concepts. However, the one obvious analogy for costing purposes remains the current Shuttle system. Are there credible reasons to believe that a second generation reusable launch system can be accomplished at less cost than the Shuttle? The need for a credible answer to this question is critical. This paper reviews the cost estimating approaches being used by the contractors and the government estimators to address this issue and explores the rationale behind the numbers.

The epistemic integrity of NASA practices in the Space Shuttle Program.

PubMed

De Winter, Jan; Kosolosky, Laszlo

2013-01-01

This article presents an account of epistemic integrity and uses it to demonstrate that the epistemic integrity of different kinds of practices in NASA's Space Shuttle Program was limited. We focus on the following kinds of practices: (1) research by working engineers, (2) review by middle-level managers, and (3) communication with the public. We argue that the epistemic integrity of these practices was undermined by production pressure at NASA, i.e., the pressure to launch an unreasonable amount of flights per year. Finally, our findings are used to develop some potential strategies to protect epistemic integrity in aerospace science.

NASA's Space Shuttle Columbia: Synopsis of the Report of the Columbia Accident Investigation Board

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Smith, Marcia S.

2003-01-01

NASA's space shuttle Columbia broke apart on February 1, 2003 as it returned to Earth from a 16-day science mission. All seven astronauts aboard were killed. NASA created the Columbia Accident Investigation Board (CAIB), chaired by Adm. (Ret.) Harold Gehman, to investigate the accident. The Board released its report (available at [http://www.caib.us]) on August 26, 2003, concluding that the tragedy was caused by technical and organizational failures. The CAIB report included 29 recommendations, 15 of which the Board specified must be completed before the shuttle returns to flight status. This report provides a brief synopsis of the Board's conclusions, recommendations, and observations. Further information on Columbia and issues for Congress are available in CRS Report RS21408. This report will not be updated.

FOOD - SHUTTLE

NASA Image and Video Library

1982-02-01

S82-26423 (January 1982) --- This is a close-up view of the rehydration unit to be used in meal preparation on operational space shuttle flights. The unit is located on the middeck of the space shuttles in the NASA fleet. Note the part of the food tray in upper right corner. Its six compartments (not all pictured) are used in space shuttle meal preparation and consumption. Photo credit: NASA

Anomaly Analysis: NASA's Engineering and Safety Center Checks Recurring Shuttle Glitches

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Morring, Frank, Jr.

2004-01-01

The NASA Engineering and Safety Center (NESC), set up in the wake of the Columbia accident to backstop engineers in the space shuttle program, is reviewing hundreds of recurring anomalies that the program had determined don't affect flight safety to see if in fact they might. The NESC is expanding its support to other programs across the agency, as well. The effort, which will later extend to the International Space Station (ISS), is a principal part of the attempt to overcome the normalization of deviance--a situation in which organizations proceeded as if nothing was wrong in the face of evidence that something was wrong--cited by sociologist Diane Vaughn as contributing to both space shuttle disasters.

NASA's modified Boeing 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft with the Space Shuttle Endeavour on top lifts off to begin its ferry flight back to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida

NASA Image and Video Library

2001-05-08

NASA's modified Boeing 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft with the Space Shuttle Endeavour on top lifts off from Edwards Air Force Base to begin its ferry flight back to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis / STS-129 Mission

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-11-16

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - An exhaust cloud begins to form around space shuttle Atlantis as it springs into action from Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Liftoff on its STS-129 mission came at 2:28 p.m. EST Nov. 16. Aboard are crew members Commander Charles O. Hobaugh; Pilot Barry E. Wilmore; and Mission Specialists Leland Melvin, Randy Bresnik, Mike Foreman and Robert L. Satcher Jr. On STS-129, the crew will deliver two Express Logistics Carriers to the International Space Station, the largest of the shuttle's cargo carriers, containing 15 spare pieces of equipment including two gyroscopes, two nitrogen tank assemblies, two pump modules, an ammonia tank assembly and a spare latching end effector for the station's robotic arm. Atlantis will return to Earth a station crew member, Nicole Stott, who has spent more than two months aboard the orbiting laboratory. STS-129 is slated to be the final space shuttle Expedition crew rotation flight. For information on the STS-129 mission and crew, visit http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts129/index.html. Photo credit:Jim Grossmann

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In Orbiter Processing Facility Bay 1, NASA Deputy Associate Administrator for Space Station and Shuttle Programs Michael Kostelnik (left) and United Space Alliance (USA) Vice President and Space Shuttle Program Manager Howard DeCastro (right) are briefed by a USA technician (center) on Shuttle processing in the payload bay of orbiter Atlantis. NASA and USA Space Shuttle program management are participating in a leadership workday. The day is intended to provide management with an in-depth, hands-on look at Shuttle processing activities at KSC.

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-12-19

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In Orbiter Processing Facility Bay 1, NASA Deputy Associate Administrator for Space Station and Shuttle Programs Michael Kostelnik (left) and United Space Alliance (USA) Vice President and Space Shuttle Program Manager Howard DeCastro (right) are briefed by a USA technician (center) on Shuttle processing in the payload bay of orbiter Atlantis. NASA and USA Space Shuttle program management are participating in a leadership workday. The day is intended to provide management with an in-depth, hands-on look at Shuttle processing activities at KSC.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- From left, NASA Deputy Associate Administrator for Space Station and Shuttle Programs Michael Kostelnik and United Space Alliance (USA) Vice President and Space Shuttle Program Manager Howard DeCastro are briefed on the properties of the tile used in the Shuttle's Thermal Protection System (TPS) by USA Manager of the TPS Facility Martin Wilson (right). NASA and USA Space Shuttle program management are participating in a leadership workday. The day is intended to provide management with an in-depth, hands-on look at Shuttle processing activities at KSC.

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-12-19

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- From left, NASA Deputy Associate Administrator for Space Station and Shuttle Programs Michael Kostelnik and United Space Alliance (USA) Vice President and Space Shuttle Program Manager Howard DeCastro are briefed on the properties of the tile used in the Shuttle's Thermal Protection System (TPS) by USA Manager of the TPS Facility Martin Wilson (right). NASA and USA Space Shuttle program management are participating in a leadership workday. The day is intended to provide management with an in-depth, hands-on look at Shuttle processing activities at KSC.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- United Space Alliance (USA) Manager of the Thermal Protection System (TPS) Facility Martin Wilson (right) briefs NASA Deputy Associate Administrator for Space Station and Shuttle Programs Michael Kostelnik (left) on the properties of a thermal blanket used in the Shuttle's TPS. NASA and USA Space Shuttle program management are participating in a leadership workday. The day is intended to provide management with an in-depth, hands-on look at Shuttle processing activities at KSC.

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-12-19

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- United Space Alliance (USA) Manager of the Thermal Protection System (TPS) Facility Martin Wilson (right) briefs NASA Deputy Associate Administrator for Space Station and Shuttle Programs Michael Kostelnik (left) on the properties of a thermal blanket used in the Shuttle's TPS. NASA and USA Space Shuttle program management are participating in a leadership workday. The day is intended to provide management with an in-depth, hands-on look at Shuttle processing activities at KSC.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- NASA Deputy Associate Administrator for Space Station and Shuttle Programs Michael Kostelnik (left) discusses some of the working parts inside the nose of Shuttle Discovery in Orbiter Processing Facility Bay 3 with a United Space Alliance (USA) technician (back to camera). NASA and USA Space Shuttle program management are participating in a leadership workday. The day is intended to provide management with an in-depth, hands-on look at Shuttle processing activities at KSC.

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-12-19

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- NASA Deputy Associate Administrator for Space Station and Shuttle Programs Michael Kostelnik (left) discusses some of the working parts inside the nose of Shuttle Discovery in Orbiter Processing Facility Bay 3 with a United Space Alliance (USA) technician (back to camera). NASA and USA Space Shuttle program management are participating in a leadership workday. The day is intended to provide management with an in-depth, hands-on look at Shuttle processing activities at KSC.

The Role and Training of NASA Astronauts in the Post-Shuttle Era

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2011-01-01

In May 2010 the National Research Council (NRC) was asked by NASA to address several questions related to the Astronaut Corps. The NRC's Committee on Human Spaceflight Crew Operations was tasked to: 1. How should the role and size of the activities managed by the Johnson Space Center Flight Crew Operations Directorate change following space shuttle retirement and completion of the assembly of the International Space Station (ISS)? 2. What are the requirements for crew-related ground-based facilities after the Space Shuttle program ends? 3. Is the fleet of aircraft used for training the Astronaut Corps a cost-effective means of preparing astronauts to meet the requirements of NASA's human spaceflight program? Are there more cost-effective means of meeting these training requirements? Although the future of NASA's human spaceflight program has garnered considerable discussion in recent years, and there is considerable uncertainty about what that program will involve in the coming years, the committee was not tasked to address whether or not human spaceflight should continue, or what form it should take. The committee's task restricted it to studying those activities managed by the Flight Crew Operations Directorate, or those closely related to its activities, such as crew-related ground-based facilities and the training aircraft.

NASA Space Shuttle Program: Shuttle Environmental Assurance (SEA) Initiative

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Glover, Steve E.; McCool, Alex (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

The first Space Shuttle flight was in 1981 and the fleet was originally expected to be replaced with a new generation vehicle in the early 21st century. Space Shuttle Program (SSP) elements proactively address environmental and obsolescence concerns and continue to improve safety and supportability. The SSP manager created the Shuttle Environmental Assurance (SEA) Initiative in 2000. SEA is to provide an integrated approach for the SSP to promote environmental excellence, proactively manage materials obsolescence, and optimize associated resources.

Final Landing of the Space Shuttle Endeavour / STS-134 Mission

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-06-01

STS134-S-074 (1 June 2011) --- Space shuttle Endeavour rolls to a stop on the Shuttle Landing Facility's Runway 15 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida for the final time. Heat from the shuttle's auxiliary power units, which provide hydraulic control, can be seen at the back of Endeavour, near the vertical tail. Main gear touchdown was at 2:34:51 a.m. (EDT) on June 1, 2011, followed by nose gear touchdown at 2:35:04 a.m., and wheelstop at 2:35:36 a.m. Onboard are NASA astronauts Mark Kelly, STS-134 commander; Greg H. Johnson, pilot; Michael Fincke, Andrew Feustel, Greg Chamitoff and European Space Agency astronaut Roberto Vittori, all mission specialists. STS-134 delivered the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer-2 (AMS) and the Express Logistics Carrier-3 (ELC-3) to the International Space Station. AMS will help researchers understand the origin of the universe and search for evidence of dark matter, strange matter and antimatter from the station. ELC-3 carried spare parts that will sustain station operations once the shuttles are retired from service. STS-134 was the 25th and final flight for Endeavour, which has spent 299 days in space, orbited Earth 4,671 times and traveled 122,883,151 miles. Photo credit: NASA

Final Landing of the Space Shuttle Endeavour / STS-134 Mission

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-06-01

STS134-S-088 (1 June 2011) --- Space shuttle Endeavour rolls to a stop on the Shuttle Landing Facility's Runway 15 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida for the final time. Heat from the shuttle's auxiliary power units, which provide hydraulic control, can be seen at the back of Endeavour, near the vertical tail. Main gear touchdown was at 2:34:51 a.m. (EDT) on June 1, 2011, followed by nose gear touchdown at 2:35:04 a.m., and wheelstop at 2:35:36 a.m. Onboard are NASA astronauts Mark Kelly, STS-134 commander; Greg H. Johnson, pilot; Michael Fincke, Andrew Feustel, Greg Chamitoff and European Space Agency astronaut Roberto Vittori, all mission specialists. STS-134 delivered the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer-2 (AMS) and the Express Logistics Carrier-3 (ELC-3) to the International Space Station. AMS will help researchers understand the origin of the universe and search for evidence of dark matter, strange matter and antimatter from the station. ELC-3 carried spare parts that will sustain station operations once the shuttles are retired from service. STS-134 was the 25th and final flight for Endeavour, which has spent 299 days in space, orbited Earth 4,671 times and traveled 122,883,151 miles. Photo credit: NASA

Final Landing of the Space Shuttle Endeavour / STS-134 Mission

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-06-01

STS134-S-087 (1 June 2011) --- Space shuttle Endeavour rolls to a stop on the Shuttle Landing Facility's Runway 15 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida for the final time. Heat from the shuttle's auxiliary power units, which provide hydraulic control, can be seen at the back of Endeavour, near the vertical tail. Main gear touchdown was at 2:34:51 a.m. (EDT) on June 1, 2011, followed by nose gear touchdown at 2:35:04 a.m., and wheelstop at 2:35:36 a.m. Onboard are NASA astronauts Mark Kelly, STS-134 commander; Greg H. Johnson, pilot; Michael Fincke, Andrew Feustel, Greg Chamitoff and European Space Agency astronaut Roberto Vittori, all mission specialists. STS-134 delivered the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer-2 (AMS) and the Express Logistics Carrier-3 (ELC-3) to the International Space Station. AMS will help researchers understand the origin of the universe and search for evidence of dark matter, strange matter and antimatter from the station. ELC-3 carried spare parts that will sustain station operations once the shuttles are retired from service. STS-134 was the 25th and final flight for Endeavour, which has spent 299 days in space, orbited Earth 4,671 times and traveled 122,883,151 miles. Photo credit: NASA

Final Landing of the Space Shuttle Endeavour / STS-134 Mission

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-06-01

STS134-S-085 (1 June 2011) --- Space shuttle Endeavour rolls to a stop on the Shuttle Landing Facility's Runway 15 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida for the final time. Heat from the shuttle's auxiliary power units, which provide hydraulic control, can be seen at the back of Endeavour, near the vertical tail. Main gear touchdown was at 2:34:51 a.m. (EDT) on June 1, 2011, followed by nose gear touchdown at 2:35:04 a.m., and wheelstop at 2:35:36 a.m. Onboard are NASA astronauts Mark Kelly, STS-134 commander; Greg H. Johnson, pilot; Michael Fincke, Andrew Feustel, Greg Chamitoff and European Space Agency astronaut Roberto Vittori, all mission specialists. STS-134 delivered the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer-2 (AMS) and the Express Logistics Carrier-3 (ELC-3) to the International Space Station. AMS will help researchers understand the origin of the universe and search for evidence of dark matter, strange matter and antimatter from the station. ELC-3 carried spare parts that will sustain station operations once the shuttles are retired from service. STS-134 was the 25th and final flight for Endeavour, which has spent 299 days in space, orbited Earth 4,671 times and traveled 122,883,151 miles. Photo credit: NASA

Final Landing of the Space Shuttle Endeavour / STS-134 Mission

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-06-01

STS134-S-086 (1 June 2011) --- Space shuttle Endeavour rolls to a stop on the Shuttle Landing Facility's Runway 15 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida for the final time. Heat from the shuttle's auxiliary power units, which provide hydraulic control, can be seen at the back of Endeavour, near the vertical tail. Main gear touchdown was at 2:34:51 a.m. (EDT) on June 1, 2011, followed by nose gear touchdown at 2:35:04 a.m., and wheelstop at 2:35:36 a.m. Onboard are NASA astronauts Mark Kelly, STS-134 commander; Greg H. Johnson, pilot; Michael Fincke, Andrew Feustel, Greg Chamitoff and European Space Agency astronaut Roberto Vittori, all mission specialists. STS-134 delivered the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer-2 (AMS) and the Express Logistics Carrier-3 (ELC-3) to the International Space Station. AMS will help researchers understand the origin of the universe and search for evidence of dark matter, strange matter and antimatter from the station. ELC-3 carried spare parts that will sustain station operations once the shuttles are retired from service. STS-134 was the 25th and final flight for Endeavour, which has spent 299 days in space, orbited Earth 4,671 times and traveled 122,883,151 miles. Photo credit: NASA

NASA's 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft with the Space Shuttle Atlantis on top lifts off to begin its ferry flight back to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-07-01

NASA's modified Boeing 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft with the Space Shuttle Atlantis on top lifts off from Edwards Air Force Base to begin its ferry flight back to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The cross-country journey will take approximately two days, with stops at several intermediate points for refueling.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- NASA Deputy Associate Administrator for Space Station and Shuttle Programs Michael Kostelnik (left) tours a solid rocket booster (SRB) retrieval ship at Cape Canaveral. NASA and United Space Alliance (USA) Space Shuttle program management are participating in a leadership workday. The day is intended to provide management with an in-depth, hands-on look at Shuttle processing activities at KSC.

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-12-19

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- NASA Deputy Associate Administrator for Space Station and Shuttle Programs Michael Kostelnik (left) tours a solid rocket booster (SRB) retrieval ship at Cape Canaveral. NASA and United Space Alliance (USA) Space Shuttle program management are participating in a leadership workday. The day is intended to provide management with an in-depth, hands-on look at Shuttle processing activities at KSC.

NASA payload data book: Payload analysis for space shuttle applications, volume 2

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1972-01-01

Data describing the individual NASA payloads for the space shuttle are presented. The document represents a complete issue of the original payload data book. The subjects discussed are: (1) astronomy, (2) space physics, (3) planetary exploration, (4) earth observations (earth and ocean physics), (5) communications and navigation, (6) life sciences, (7) international rendezvous and docking, and (8) lunar exploration.

Logistics: An integral part of cost efficient space operations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Montgomery, Ann D.

1996-01-01

The logistics of space programs and its history within NASA are discussed, with emphasis on manned space flight and the Space Shuttle program. The lessons learned and the experience gained during these programs are reported on. Key elements of logistics are highlighted, and the problems and issues that can be expected to arise in relation to the support of long-term space operations and future space programs, are discussed. Such missions include the International Space Station program and the reusable launch vehicle. Possible solutions to the problems identified are outlined.

NASA Advisory Council Task Force on the Shuttle-Mir Rendezvous and Docking Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1994-01-01

The NASA Advisory Council Task Force on the Shuttle-Mir rendezvous and docking convened on May 24 and 25, 1994. Based on the meetings, the Task Force made the following recommendations: at a minimum, the mission commander and payload commander for all subsequent Shuttle-Mir missions should be named at least 18 months in advance of the scheduled launch date; in order to derive early operational experience in advance of the first Mir docking mission, the primary objective of STS-63 should be Mir rendezvous and proximity operations; and if at all possible, the launch date for STS-63 should be moved forward.

Oshkosh Logistic Management and Public Relations Responsibilities at NASA Langley

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Beck, Danielle

1995-01-01

The central focus of my study for the summer of 1995 was to provide logistical support to Margaret Hunt, the logistics manager of the OSHKOSH airshow. In this capacity responsibilities included making arrangements for participants from NASA centers and SBIR companies for their stay in Wisconsin, while visiting the airshow, and managing staff for exhibits and the aerospace theater. A secondary purpose was to serve in other public service capacities by writing news releases, fact sheets, announcements, and articles for the Researcher News.

Final Landing of the Space Shuttle Endeavour / STS-134 Mission

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-06-01

STS134-S-072 (1 June 2011) --- Xenon lights illuminate space shuttle Endeavour's unfurled drag chute as the vehicle rolls to a stop on the Shuttle Landing Facility's Runway 15 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida for the final time. Main gear touchdown was at 2:34:51 a.m. (EDT) on June 1, 2011, followed by nose gear touchdown at 2:35:04 a.m., and wheelstop at 2:35:36 a.m. Onboard are NASA astronauts Mark Kelly, STS-134 commander; Greg H. Johnson, pilot; Michael Fincke, Andrew Feustel, Greg Chamitoff and European Space Agency astronaut Roberto Vittori, all mission specialists. STS-134 delivered the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer-2 (AMS) and the Express Logistics Carrier-3 (ELC-3) to the International Space Station. AMS will help researchers understand the origin of the universe and search for evidence of dark matter, strange matter and antimatter from the station. ELC-3 carried spare parts that will sustain station operations once the shuttles are retired from service. STS-134 was the 25th and final flight for Endeavour, which has spent 299 days in space, orbited Earth 4,671 times and traveled 122,883,151 miles. Photo credit: NASA

Final Landing of the Space Shuttle Endeavour / STS-134 Mission

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-06-01

STS134-S-084 (1 June 2011) --- Space shuttle Endeavour approaches Runway 15 on the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida for the final time. Main gear touchdown was at 2:34:51 a.m. (EDT) on June 1, 2011, followed by nose gear touchdown at 2:35:04 a.m., and wheelstop at 2:35:36 a.m. Onboard are NASA astronauts Mark Kelly, STS-134 commander; Greg H. Johnson, pilot; Michael Fincke, Andrew Feustel, Greg Chamitoff and European Space Agency astronaut Roberto Vittori, all mission specialists. STS-134 delivered the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer-2 (AMS) and the Express Logistics Carrier-3 (ELC-3) to the International Space Station. AMS will help researchers understand the origin of the universe and search for evidence of dark matter, strange matter and antimatter from the station. ELC-3 carried spare parts that will sustain station operations once the shuttles are retired from service. STS-134 was the 25th and final flight for Endeavour, which has spent 299 days in space, orbited Earth 4,671 times and traveled 122,883,151 miles. Photo credit: NASA

Final Landing of the Space Shuttle Endeavour / STS-134 Mission

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-06-01

STS134-S-070 (1 June 2011) --- Xenon lights illuminate space shuttle Endeavour's unfurled drag chute as the vehicle rolls to a stop on the Shuttle Landing Facility's Runway 15 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida for the final time. Main gear touchdown was at 2:34:51 a.m. (EDT) on June 1, 2011, followed by nose gear touchdown at 2:35:04 a.m., and wheelstop at 2:35:36 a.m. Onboard are NASA astronauts Mark Kelly, STS-134 commander; Greg H. Johnson, pilot; Michael Fincke, Andrew Feustel, Greg Chamitoff and European Space Agency astronaut Roberto Vittori, all mission specialists. STS-134 delivered the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer-2 (AMS) and the Express Logistics Carrier-3 (ELC-3) to the International Space Station. AMS will help researchers understand the origin of the universe and search for evidence of dark matter, strange matter and antimatter from the station. ELC-3 carried spare parts that will sustain station operations once the shuttles are retired from service. STS-134 was the 25th and final flight for Endeavour, which has spent 299 days in space, orbited Earth 4,671 times and traveled 122,883,151 miles. Photo credit: NASA

Final Landing of the Space Shuttle Endeavour / STS-134 Mission

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-06-01

STS134-S-080 (1 June 2011) --- Space shuttle Endeavour lands on Runway 15 on the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida for the final time. Main gear touchdown was at 2:34:51 a.m. (EDT) on June 1, 2011, followed by nose gear touchdown at 2:35:04 a.m., and wheelstop at 2:35:36 a.m. Onboard are NASA astronauts Mark Kelly, STS-134 commander; Greg H. Johnson, pilot; Michael Fincke, Andrew Feustel, Greg Chamitoff and European Space Agency astronaut Roberto Vittori, all mission specialists. STS-134 delivered the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer-2 (AMS) and the Express Logistics Carrier-3 (ELC-3) to the International Space Station. AMS will help researchers understand the origin of the universe and search for evidence of dark matter, strange matter and antimatter from the station. ELC-3 carried spare parts that will sustain station operations once the shuttles are retired from service. STS-134 was the 25th and final flight for Endeavour, which has spent 299 days in space, orbited Earth 4,671 times and traveled 122,883,151 miles. Photo credit: NASA

Final Landing of the Space Shuttle Endeavour / STS-134 Mission

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-06-01

STS134-S-073 (1 June 2011) --- Xenon lights illuminate space shuttle Endeavour's unfurled drag chute as the vehicle rolls to a stop on the Shuttle Landing Facility's Runway 15 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida for the final time. Main gear touchdown was at 2:34:51 a.m. (EDT) on June 1, 2011, followed by nose gear touchdown at 2:35:04 a.m., and wheelstop at 2:35:36 a.m. Onboard are NASA astronauts Mark Kelly, STS-134 commander; Greg H. Johnson, pilot; Michael Fincke, Andrew Feustel, Greg Chamitoff and European Space Agency astronaut Roberto Vittori, all mission specialists. STS-134 delivered the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer-2 (AMS) and the Express Logistics Carrier-3 (ELC-3) to the International Space Station. AMS will help researchers understand the origin of the universe and search for evidence of dark matter, strange matter and antimatter from the station. ELC-3 carried spare parts that will sustain station operations once the shuttles are retired from service. STS-134 was the 25th and final flight for Endeavour, which has spent 299 days in space, orbited Earth 4,671 times and traveled 122,883,151 miles. Photo credit: NASA

Final Landing of the Space Shuttle Endeavour / STS-134 Mission

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-06-01

STS134-S-066 (1 June 2011) --- Space shuttle Endeavour approaches Runway 15 on the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida for the final time. Main gear touchdown was at 2:34:51 a.m. (EDT) on June 1, 2011, followed by nose gear touchdown at 2:35:04 a.m., and wheelstop at 2:35:36 a.m. Onboard are NASA astronauts Mark Kelly, STS-134 commander; Greg H. Johnson, pilot; Michael Fincke, Andrew Feustel, Greg Chamitoff and European Space Agency astronaut Roberto Vittori, all mission specialists. STS-134 delivered the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer-2 (AMS) and the Express Logistics Carrier-3 (ELC-3) to the International Space Station. AMS will help researchers understand the origin of the universe and search for evidence of dark matter, strange matter and antimatter from the station. ELC-3 carried spare parts that will sustain station operations once the shuttles are retired from service. STS-134 was the 25th and final flight for Endeavour, which has spent 299 days in space, orbited Earth 4,671 times and traveled 122,883,151 miles. Photo credit: NASA

Final Landing of the Space Shuttle Endeavour / STS-134 Mission

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-06-01

STS134-S-068 (1 June 2011) --- Space shuttle Endeavour lands on Runway 15 on the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida for the final time. Main gear touchdown was at 2:34:51 a.m. (EDT) on June 1, 2011, followed by nose gear touchdown at 2:35:04 a.m., and wheelstop at 2:35:36 a.m. Onboard are NASA astronauts Mark Kelly, STS-134 commander; Greg H. Johnson, pilot; Michael Fincke, Andrew Feustel, Greg Chamitoff and European Space Agency astronaut Roberto Vittori, all mission specialists. STS-134 delivered the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer-2 (AMS) and the Express Logistics Carrier-3 (ELC-3) to the International Space Station. AMS will help researchers understand the origin of the universe and search for evidence of dark matter, strange matter and antimatter from the station. ELC-3 carried spare parts that will sustain station operations once the shuttles are retired from service. STS-134 was the 25th and final flight for Endeavour, which has spent 299 days in space, orbited Earth 4,671 times and traveled 122,883,151 miles. Photo credit: NASA

Final Landing of the Space Shuttle Endeavour / STS-134 Mission

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-06-01

STS134-S-069 (1 June 2011) --- Xenon lights illuminate space shuttle Endeavour's unfurled drag chute as the vehicle rolls to a stop on the Shuttle Landing Facility's Runway 15 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida for the final time. Main gear touchdown was at 2:34:51 a.m. (EDT) on June 1, 2011, followed by nose gear touchdown at 2:35:04 a.m., and wheelstop at 2:35:36 a.m. Onboard are NASA astronauts Mark Kelly, STS-134 commander; Greg H. Johnson, pilot; Michael Fincke, Andrew Feustel, Greg Chamitoff and European Space Agency astronaut Roberto Vittori, all mission specialists. STS-134 delivered the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer-2 (AMS) and the Express Logistics Carrier-3 (ELC-3) to the International Space Station. AMS will help researchers understand the origin of the universe and search for evidence of dark matter, strange matter and antimatter from the station. ELC-3 carried spare parts that will sustain station operations once the shuttles are retired from service. STS-134 was the 25th and final flight for Endeavour, which has spent 299 days in space, orbited Earth 4,671 times and traveled 122,883,151 miles. Photo credit: NASA

Space Shuttle Projects

NASA Image and Video Library

1984-04-24

The official mission insignia for the 41-D Space Shuttle flight features the Discovery - NASA's third orbital vehicle - as it makes its maiden voyage. The ghost ship represents the orbiter's namesakes which have figured prominently in the history of exploration. The Space Shuttle Discovery heads for new horizons to extend that proud tradition. Surnames for the crewmembers of NASA's eleventh Space Shuttle mission encircle the red, white, and blue scene.

NASA's space shuttle Atlantis and its 747 carrier taxied on the Edwards Air Force Base flightline as

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2001-01-01

NASA's space shuttle Atlantis and its 747 carrier taxied on the Edwards Air Force Base flightline as the unusual combination left for Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on March 1, 2001. Atlantis and the shuttle Columbia were both airborne on the same day as they migrated from California to Florida. Columbia underwent refurbishing at nearby Palmdale, California.

Software Architecture of the NASA Shuttle Ground Operations Simulator - SGOS

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cook, Robert P.; Lostroscio, Charles T.

2005-01-01

The SGOS executive and its subsystems have been an integral component of the Shuttle Launch Safety Program for almost thirty years. It is usable (via the LAN) by over 2000 NASA employees at the Kennedy Space Center and 11,000 contractors. SGOS supports over 800 models comprised of several hundred thousand lines of code and over 1,000 MCP procedures. Yet neither language has a for loop!! The simulation software described in this paper is used to train ground controllers and to certify launch countdown readiness.

Software Architecture of the NASA Shuttle Ground Operations Simulator--SGOS

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cook Robert P.; Lostroscio, Charles T.

2005-01-01

The SGOS executive and its subsystems have been an integral component of the Shuttle Launch Safety Program for almost thirty years. it is usable (via the LAN) by over 2000 NASA employees at the Kennedy Space Center and 11,000 contractors. SGOS supports over 800 models comprised of several hundred thousand lines of code and over 1,00 MCP procedures. Yet neither language has a for loop!! The simulation software described in this paper is used to train ground controllers and to certify launch countdown readiness.

Griffin Lifts Off at NASA With Calls for Speeding Shuttle Replacement, Reopening Hubble Decision

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Morring, Frank, Jr.

2005-01-01

Michael D. Griffin launched his tenure as NASA's 11th administrator on a fast track, using his "emergency" confiimation by the U.S. Senate to plug himself into space shuttle return-to-flight decision-making and urging faster development of the shuttle replacement. He also deftly sidestepped the treacherous issue of letting the aging Hubble Space Telescope die that was left behind by former Administrator Sean O'Keefe. Griffin told the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee that he would take another look at a shuttle mission to service the telescope, but not until the redesigned shuttle system makes a couple of test flights. Griffin made clear at his confirmation hearing Apr. 12 that he has long supported the ideas embodied in President Bush s push to move human exploration out of low Earth orbit, while finishing the International Space Station and retiring the space shuttle as soon as possible. And he showed right out of the blocks that his technical training and management background should serve him well in implementing Bush's directives.

STS-121 Space Shuttle Processing Update

NASA Image and Video Library

2006-04-27

NASA Administrator Michael Griffin, left, and Associate Administrator for Space Operations William Gerstenmaier, right, look on as Space Shuttle Program Manager Wayne Hale talks from NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center about the space shuttle's ice frost ramps during a media briefing about the space shuttle program and processing for the STS-121 mission, Friday, April 28, 2006, at NASA Headquarters in Washington. Photo Credit (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Ventilation Loss in the NASA Space Shuttle Crew Protective Garments: Potential for Heat Stress

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Askew, Gregory K.; Kaufman, Jonathan W.

1991-01-01

The potential of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) S1035 Launch/Entry suit (LES) for producing heat stress in a simulated Space Shuttle cabin environment has been studied. The testing was designed to determine if the NASA S1035 poses a greater threat of inducing heat stress than the NASA S1032. Conditions were designed to simulate an extreme prelaunch situation, with chamber temperatures maintained at dry bulb temperature 27.2 +/- 0.1 C, globe temperature - 27.3 +/- 0.1 C, and wet bulb temperature 21.1 +/- 0.3 C. Four males, aged 28-48, were employed in this study, with three subjects having exposures in all four conditions and the fourth subject exposed to 3 conditions. Test durations in the ventilated (V) and unventilated (UV) conditions were designed for 480 minutes, which all subjects achieved. No significant differences related to experimental conditions were noted in rectal temperatures, heart rates or sweat rates. The results indicate that the S1032 and S1035 garments, in either the V or UV state, poses no danger of inducing unacceptable heat stress under the conditions expected within the Shuttle cabin during launch or re-entry.

Technicians attach the tail cone to the Space Shuttle Atlantis in preparation for its return to NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-06-28

Technicians attach the tail cone, which helps reduce aerodynamic drag and turbulence during its ferry flight, to the Space Shuttle Atlantis in preparation for its return to NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. After the tail-cone is installed, Discovery will be mounted on NASA's modified Boeing 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, or SCA, for the return flight.

Space Shuttle Discovery is Prepared for Launch

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-02-23

The space shuttle Discovery is seen shortly after the Rotating Service Structure was rolled back at launch pad 39A, at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, on Wednesday, Feb. 23, 2011. Discovery, on its 39th and final flight, will carry the Italian-built Permanent Multipurpose Module (PMM), Express Logistics Carrier 4 (ELC4) and Robonaut 2, the first humanoid robot in space to the International Space Station. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Perspectives on NASA flight software development - Apollo, Shuttle, Space Station

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Garman, John R.

1990-01-01

Flight data systems' software development is chronicled for the period encompassing NASA's Apollo, Space Shuttle, and (ongoing) Space Station Freedom programs, with attention to the methodologies and 'development tools' employed in each case and their mutual relationships. A dominant concern in all three programs has been the accommodation of software change; it has also been noted that any such long-term program carries the additional challenge of identifying which elements of its software-related 'institutional memory' are most critical, in order to preclude their loss through the retirement, promotion, or transfer of its 'last expert'.

Space Shuttle Discovery Launch

NASA Image and Video Library

2008-05-31

NASA Shuttle Launch Director Michael Leinbach, left, STS-124 Assistant Launch Director Ed Mango, center, and Flow Director for Space Shuttle Discovery Stephanie Stilson clap in the the Launch Control Center after the main engine cut off and successful launch of the Space Shuttle Discovery (STS-124) Saturday, May 31, 2008, at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla. The Shuttle lifted off from launch pad 39A at 5:02 p.m. EDT. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Shuttle Discovery Fly-Over

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-04-17

Space shuttle Discovery, mounted atop a NASA 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA) flies over the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, Tuesday, April 17, 2012, in Washington. Discovery, the first orbiter retired from NASA’s shuttle fleet, completed 39 missions, spent 365 days in space, orbited the Earth 5,830 times, and traveled 148,221,675 miles. NASA will transfer Discovery to the National Air and Space Museum to begin its new mission to commemorate past achievements in space and to educate and inspire future generations of explorers. Photo Credit: (NASA/Smithsonian Institution/Dane Penland)

Space Shuttle Discovery Landing

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-04-17

Space shuttle Discovery, mounted atop a NASA 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA) lands at Washington Dulles International Airport, Tuesday, April 17, 2012, in Sterling, Va. Discovery, the first orbiter retired from NASA’s shuttle fleet, completed 39 missions, spent 365 days in space, orbited the Earth 5,830 times, and traveled 148,221,675 miles. NASA will transfer Discovery to the National Air and Space Museum to begin its new mission to commemorate past achievements in space and to educate and inspire future generations of explorers. Photo Credit: (NASA/Smithsonian Institution/Eric Long)

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- NASA Deputy Associate Administrator for Space Station and Shuttle Programs Michael Kostelnik (center) is given a tour of a solid rocket booster (SRB) retrieval ship by United Space Alliance (USA) employee Joe Chaput (right). NASA and USA Space Shuttle program management are participating in a leadership workday. The day is intended to provide management with an in-depth, hands-on look at Shuttle processing activities at KSC.

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-12-19

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- NASA Deputy Associate Administrator for Space Station and Shuttle Programs Michael Kostelnik (center) is given a tour of a solid rocket booster (SRB) retrieval ship by United Space Alliance (USA) employee Joe Chaput (right). NASA and USA Space Shuttle program management are participating in a leadership workday. The day is intended to provide management with an in-depth, hands-on look at Shuttle processing activities at KSC.

NASA's Boeing 747 SCA with the Space Shuttle Endeavour on top climbs out after takeoff from Edwards Air Force Base

NASA Image and Video Library

2001-05-08

NASA's modified Boeing 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft with the Space Shuttle Endeavour on top climbs out after takeoff from Edwards Air Force Base on the first leg of its ferry flight back to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Legal Issues inherent in space shuttle operations. [reviewed by NASA Deputy General Counsel

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1977-01-01

The legal issues inherent in NASA's proceeding into the day-to-day operations of the space shuttle and other elements of the Space Transportation System are considered in light of the National Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958. Based on this review, it was concluded that there is no immediate need for substantive amendments to that legislation.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- United Space Alliance (USA) Vice President and Space Shuttle Program Manager Howard DeCastro (left) and NASA Deputy Associate Administrator for Space Station and Shuttle Programs Michael Kostelnik (center) are briefed on the use of a cold plate in Orbiter Processing Facility Bay 2 by a USA technician (right). NASA and USA Space Shuttle program management are participating in a leadership workday. The day is intended to provide management with an in-depth, hands-on look at Shuttle processing activities at KSC.

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-12-19

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- United Space Alliance (USA) Vice President and Space Shuttle Program Manager Howard DeCastro (left) and NASA Deputy Associate Administrator for Space Station and Shuttle Programs Michael Kostelnik (center) are briefed on the use of a cold plate in Orbiter Processing Facility Bay 2 by a USA technician (right). NASA and USA Space Shuttle program management are participating in a leadership workday. The day is intended to provide management with an in-depth, hands-on look at Shuttle processing activities at KSC.

Space Shuttle Enterprise Demate

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-05-12

NASA and United Space Alliance workers lower a yellow sling onto space shuttle Enterprise, which sits atop NASA's 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA) prior to it being demated a few hours later at John F. Kennedy (JFK) International Airport in New York, Saturday, May 12, 2012. Once the sling was firmly attached early Sunday morning, Enterprise was lifted from the SCA. The shuttle will be placed on a barge that will move by tugboat up the Hudson River to Intrepid in June. The shuttle will be lifted by crane and placed on the flight deck of the Intrepid, where it will be on exhibit to the public starting this summer in a temporary climate-controlled pavilion. Photo Credit: (NASA/Kim Shiflet)

Space Shuttle Discovery Landing

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-04-17

Space shuttle Discovery, mounted atop a NASA 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA) taxis in front of the main terminal at Washington Dulles International Airport, Tuesday, April 17, 2012, in Sterling, Va. Discovery, the first orbiter retired from NASA’s shuttle fleet, completed 39 missions, spent 365 days in space, orbited the Earth 5,830 times, and traveled 148,221,675 miles. NASA will transfer Discovery to the National Air and Space Museum to begin its new mission to commemorate past achievements in space and to educate and inspire future generations of explorers. Photo Credit: (NASA/Smithsonian Institution/Eric Long)

Identification and status of design improvements to the NASA Shuttle EMU for International Space Station application.

PubMed

Wilde, R C; McBarron, J W; Faszcza, J J

1997-06-01

To meet the significant increase in EVA demand to support assembly and operations of the International Space Station (ISS), NASA and industry have improved the current Shuttle Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU), or "space suit", configuration to meet the unique and specific requirements of an orbital-based system. The current Shuttle EMU was designed to be maintained and serviced on the ground between frequent Shuttle flights. ISS will require the EMUs to meet increased EVAs out of the Shuttle Orbiter and to remain on orbit for up to 180 days without need for regular return to Earth for scheduled maintenance or refurbishment. Ongoing Shuttle EMU improvements have increased reliability, operational life and performance while minimizing ground and on-orbit maintenance cost and expendable inventory. Modifications to both the anthropomorphic mobility elements of the Space Suit Assembly (SSA) as well as to the Primary Life Support System (PLSS) are identified and discussed. This paper also addresses the status of on-going Shuttle EMU improvements and summarizes the approach for increasing interoperability of the U.S. and Russian space suits to be utilized aboard the ISS.

NASA Shuttle Orbiter Reinforced Carbon Carbon (RCC) Crack Repair Arc-Jet Testing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Clark, ShawnDella; Larin, Max; Rochelle, Bill

2007-01-01

This NASA study demonstrates the capability for testing NOAX-repaired RCC crack models in high temperature environments representative of Shuttle Orbiter during reentry. Analysis methods have provided correlation of test data with flight predictions. NOAX repair material for RCC is flown on every STS flight in the event such a repair is needed. Two final test reports are being generated on arc-jet results (both calibration model runs and repaired models runs).

NASA Advanced Explorations Systems: Concepts for Logistics to Living

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shull, Sarah A.; Howe, A. Scott; Flynn, Michael T.; Howard, Robert

2012-01-01

The NASA Advanced Exploration Systems (AES) Logistics Reduction and Repurposing (LRR) project strives to enable a largely mission-independent cradle-to-grave-to-cradle approach to minimize logistics contributions to total mission architecture mass. The goals are to engineer logistics materials, common crew consumables, and container configurations to meet the following five basic goals: 1. Minimize intrinsic logistics mass and improve ground logistics flexibility. 2. Allow logistics components to be directly repurposed for on-orbit non-logistics functions (e.g., crew cabin outfitting) thereby indirectly reducing mass/volume. 3. Compact and process logistics that have not been directly repurposed to generate useful on-orbit components and/or compounds (e.g., radiation shielding, propellant, other usable chemical constituents). 4. Enable long-term stable storage and disposal of logistics end products that cannot be reused or repurposed (e.g., compaction for volume reduction, odor control, and maintenance of crew cabin hygienic conditions). 5. Allow vehicles in different mission phases to share logistics resources. This paper addresses the work being done to meet the second goal, the direct repurposing of logistics components to meet other on-orbit needs, through a strategy termed Logistics to Living (L2L). L2L has several areas but can be defined as repurposing or converting logistical items (bags, containers, foam, components, etc.) into useful crew items or life support augmentation on-orbit after they have provided their primary logistics function. The intent is that by repurposing items, dedicated crew items do not have to be launched and overall launch mass is decreased. For non-LEO missions, the vehicle interior volume will be relatively fixed so L2L will enable this volume to be used more effectively through reuse and rearrangement of logistical components. Past work in the area of L2L has already conceptually developed several potential technologies [Howe

STS-92 - Towing of Shuttle Discovery and Boeing 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2000-01-01

The Space Shuttle Discovery sits atop one of NASA's modified Boeing 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft as the unusual piggyback duo is towed along a taxiway at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards, California. The Discovery was ferried from NASA Dryden to NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on November 2, 2000, after extensive pre-ferry servicing and preparations. STS-92 was the 100th mission since the fleet of four Space Shuttles began flying in 1981. (Due to schedule changes, missions are not always launched in the order that was originally planned.) The almost 13-day mission, the 46th Shuttle mission to land at Edwards, was the last construction mission for the International Space Station prior to the first scientists taking up residency in the orbiting space laboratory the following month. The seven-member crew on STS-92 included mission specialists Koichi Wakata, Michael Lopez-Alegria, Jeff Wisoff, Bill McArthur and Leroy Chiao, pilot Pam Melroy and mission commander Brian Duffy.

Space Shuttle Enterprise Demate

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-05-12

The space shuttle Enterprise is lowered onto a transport vehicle after being demated from the NASA 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA) at John F. Kennedy (JFK) International Airport in Jamica, New York, Sunday, May 13, 2012. The shuttle will be placed on a barge that will move by tugboat up the Hudson River to the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in June. The shuttle will be lifted by crane and placed on the flight deck of the Intrepid, where it will be on exhibit to the public starting this summer in a temporary climate-controlled pavilion. Photo Credit: (NASA/Kim Shiflet)

Space Shuttle Enterprise Demate

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-05-12

The space shuttle Enterprise hangs from a sling after being demated from the NASA 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA) at John F. Kennedy (JFK) International Airport in Jamica, New York, Sunday, May 13, 2012. The shuttle will be placed on a barge that will move by tugboat up the Hudson River to the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in June. The shuttle will be lifted by crane and placed on the flight deck of the Intrepid, where it will be on exhibit to the public starting this summer in a temporary climate-controlled pavilion. Photo Credit: (NASA/Kim Shiflet)

Space Shuttle Enterprise Demate

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-05-12

A yellow sling is lowered onto space shuttle Enterprise, which sits atop NASA's 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA) prior to it being demated a few hours later at John F. Kennedy (JFK) International Airport in New York, Saturday, May 12, 2012. The shuttle will be placed on a barge that will move by tugboat up the Hudson River to Intrepid in June. The shuttle will be lifted by crane and placed on the flight deck of the Intrepid, where it will be on exhibit to the public starting this summer in a temporary climate-controlled pavilion. Photo Credit: (NASA/Kim Shiflet)

Space Shuttle Discovery Landing

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-04-17

Space shuttle Discovery, mounted atop a NASA 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA) lands at Washington Dulles International Airport, Tuesday, April 17, 2012, in Sterling, Va. The Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center is seen in the background. Discovery, the first orbiter retired from NASA’s shuttle fleet, completed 39 missions, spent 365 days in space, orbited the Earth 5,830 times, and traveled 148,221,675 miles. NASA will transfer Discovery to the National Air and Space Museum to begin its new mission to commemorate past achievements in space and to educate and inspire future generations of explorers. Photo Credit: (NASA/Smithsonian Institution/Eric Long)

Space Shuttle Discovery DC Fly-Over

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-04-17

Space shuttle Discovery, mounted atop a NASA 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA), flies over the Washington skyline as seen from a NASA T-38 aircraft, Tuesday, April 17, 2012. Discovery, the first orbiter retired from NASA’s shuttle fleet, completed 39 missions, spent 365 days in space, orbited the Earth 5,830 times, and traveled 148,221,675 miles. NASA will transfer Discovery to the National Air and Space Museum to begin its new mission to commemorate past achievements in space and to educate and inspire future generations of explorers. Photo Credit: (NASA/Robert Markowitz)

Gas standards development in support of NASA's sensor calibration program around the space shuttle.

PubMed

Rhoderick, George C; Thorn, William J; Miller, Walter R; Guenther, Franklin R; Gore, Eric J; Fish, Timothy O

2009-05-15

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Kennedy Space Center (KSC) requires accurate gas mixtures containing argon (Ar), helium (He), hydrogen (H(2)), and oxygen (O(2)) in a balance of nitrogen (N(2)) to calibrate mass spectrometer-based sensors used around their manned and unmanned space vehicles. This also includes space shuttle monitoring around the launch area and inside the shuttle cabin. NASA was in need of these gas mixtures to ensure the safety of the shuttle cabin and the launch system. In 1993, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) was contracted by NASA to develop a suite of primary standard mixtures (PSMs) containing helium, hydrogen, argon, and oxygen in a balance gas of nitrogen. NIST proceeded to develop a suite of 20 new gravimetric primary PSMs. At the same time NIST contracted Scott Specialty Gases (Plumsteadville, PA) to prepare 18 cylinder gas mixtures which were then sent to NIST. NIST used their newly prepared PSMs to assign concentration values ranging from 100 to 10,000 micromol/mol with relative expanded uncertainties (95% confidence interval) of 0.8-10% to the 18 Scott Specialty Gases prepared mixtures. A total of 12 of the mixtures were sent to NASA as NIST traceable standards for calibration of their mass spectrometers. The remaining 6 AIRGAS mixtures were retained at NIST. In 2006, these original 12 gas standards at NASA had become low in pressure and additionally NASA needed a lower concentration level; therefore, NIST was contracted to certify three new sets of gas standards. NIST prepared a new suite of 22 PSMs with weighing uncertainties of <0.1%. These 22 PSMs were compared to some of the original 20 PSMs developed in 1993 and with the NIST valued assigned Scott Specialty Gas mixtures that NIST had retained. Results between the two suites of primary standards and the 1993 NASA mixtures agreed, verifying their stability. At the same time, NASA contracted AIRGAS (Chicago, Illinois) to prepare 45

Space Shuttle Discovery Fly-By

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-04-17

Space shuttle Discovery, mounted atop a NASA 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA) flies over the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, Tuesday, April 17, 2012, in Washington. Discovery, the first orbiter retired from NASA’s shuttle fleet, completed 39 missions, spent 365 days in space, orbited the Earth 5,830 times, and traveled 148,221,675 miles. NASA will transfer Discovery to the National Air and Space Museum to begin its new mission to commemorate past achievements in space and to educate and inspire future generations of explorers. Photo Credit: (NASA/Smithsonian Institution/Eric Long)

Space Shuttle Program

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-09-12

Ronnie Rigney (r), chief of the Propulsion Test Office in the Project Directorate at Stennis Space Center, stands with agency colleagues to receive the prestigious American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics George M. Low Space Transportation Award on Sept. 12. Rigney accepted the award on behalf of the NASA and contractor team at Stennis for their support of the Space Shuttle Program that ended last summer. From 1975 to 2009, Stennis Space Center tested every main engine used to power 135 space shuttle missions. Stennis continued to provide flight support services through the end of the Space Shuttle Program in July 2011. The center also supported transition and retirement of shuttle hardware and assets through September 2012. The 2012 award was presented to the space shuttle team 'for excellence in the conception, development, test, operation and retirement of the world's first and only reusable space transportation system.' Joining Rigney for the award ceremony at the 2012 AIAA Conference in Pasadena, Calif., were: (l to r) Allison Zuniga, NASA Headquarters; Michael Griffin, former NASA administrator; Don Noah, Johnson Space Center in Houston; Steve Cash, Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala.; and Pete Nickolenko, Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Intrepid Space Shuttle Pavilion Opening

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-07-19

Former NASA Astronaut and Enterprise Commander Joe Engle looks at an exhibit in the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum's Space Shuttle Pavilion where the space shuttle Enterprise is on Thursday, July 19, 2012 in New York. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Space Shuttle Discovery Launch

NASA Image and Video Library

2008-05-31

NASA Administrator, Michael Griffin watches the launch of the Space Shuttle Discovery (STS-124) from the Launch Control Center Saturday, May 31, 2008, at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla. The Shuttle lifted off from launch pad 39A at 5:02 p.m. EDT. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Leah Robson and Bridgette Puljiz in the flight deck of NASA's 747 shuttle carrier during Take Your Children to Work Day

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-06-22

Leah Robson and Bridgette Puljiz of Tehachapi in the flight deck of NASA's modified Boeing 747 space shuttle carrier aircraft during Take Your Children to Work Day June 22 at NASA Dryden Flight Research Center.

Autonomous Space Shuttle

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Siders, Jeffrey A.; Smith, Robert H.

2004-01-01

The continued assembly and operation of the International Space Station (ISS) is the cornerstone within NASA's overall Strategic P an. As indicated in NASA's Integrated Space Transportation Plan (ISTP), the International Space Station requires Shuttle to fly through at least the middle of the next decade to complete assembly of the Station, provide crew transport, and to provide heavy lift up and down mass capability. The ISTP reflects a tight coupling among the Station, Shuttle, and OSP programs to support our Nation's space goal . While the Shuttle is a critical component of this ISTP, there is a new emphasis for the need to achieve greater efficiency and safety in transporting crews to and from the Space Station. This need is being addressed through the Orbital Space Plane (OSP) Program. However, the OSP is being designed to "complement" the Shuttle as the primary means for crew transfer, and will not replace all the Shuttle's capabilities. The unique heavy lift capabilities of the Space Shuttle is essential for both ISS, as well as other potential missions extending beyond low Earth orbit. One concept under discussion to better fulfill this role of a heavy lift carrier, is the transformation of the Shuttle to an "un-piloted" autonomous system. This concept would eliminate the loss of crew risk, while providing a substantial increase in payload to orbit capability. Using the guidelines reflected in the NASA ISTP, the autonomous Shuttle a simplified concept of operations can be described as; "a re-supply of cargo to the ISS through the use of an un-piloted Shuttle vehicle from launch through landing". Although this is the primary mission profile, the other major consideration in developing an autonomous Shuttle is maintaining a crew transportation capability to ISS as an assured human access to space capability.

Space Shuttle Placement Announcement

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-04-12

From left, Pilot of the first space shuttle mission, STS-1, Bob Crippen, NASA Administrator Charles Bolden, NASA Johnson Space Center Director of Flight Crew Operations, and Astronaut, Janet Kavandi, NASA Kennedy Space Center Director and former astronaut Bob Cabana, and Endeavour Vehicle Manager for United Space Alliance Mike Parrish pose for a photograph outside of the an Orbiter Processing Facility with the space shuttle Atlantis shortly after Bolden announced where four space shuttle orbiters will be permanently displayed at the conclusion of the Space Shuttle Program, Tuesday, April 12, 2011, at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla. The four orbiters, Enterprise, which currently is on display at the Smithsonian's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center near Washington Dulles International Airport, will move to the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in New York, Discovery will move to Udvar-Hazy, Endeavour will be displayed at the California Science Center in Los Angeles and Atlantis, in background, will be displayed at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor’s Complex. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

NSTA-NASA Shuttle Student Involvement Project. Experiment Results: Insect Flight Observation at Zero Gravity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nelson, T. E.; Peterson, J. R.

1982-01-01

The flight responses of common houseflies, velvetbean caterpillar moths, and worker honeybees were observed and filmed for a period of about 25 minutes in a zero-g environment during the third flight of the Space Shuttle Vehicle (flight number STS-3; March 22-30, 1982). Twelve fly puparia, 24 adult moths, 24 moth pupae, and 14 adult bees were loaded into an insect flight box, which was then stowed aboard the Shuttle Orbiter, the night before the STS-3 launch at NASA's Kennedy Space Center (KSC). The main purpose of the experiment was to observe and compare the flight responses of the three species of insects, which have somewhat different flight control mechanisms, under zero-g conditions.

Space Shuttle Discovery Landing

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-04-17

NASA Deputy Administrator Lori Garver, at podium, speaks to those in attendance at Apron W after the 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA) with space shuttle Discovery mounted on top rolled to a halt at Washington Dulles International Airport, Tuesday, April 17, 2012 in Sterling, Va. Discovery, the first orbiter retired from NASA’s shuttle fleet, completed 39 missions, spent 365 days in space, orbited the Earth 5,830 times, and traveled 148,221,675 miles. NASA will transfer Discovery to the National Air and Space Museum to begin its new mission to commemorate past achievements in space and to educate and inspire future generations of explorers. Photo Credit: (NASA/Smithsonian Institution/Dane Penland)

Space Shuttle Enterprise Demate

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-05-12

NASA's 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA), with space shuttle Enterprise latched on its back, is towed from the hangar at John F. Kennedy (JFK) International Airport in New York late in the night on Saturday, May 12, 2012. Early Sunday morning, Enterprise was removed from the SCA. The shuttle will be placed on a barge that will move by tugboat up the Hudson River to Intrepid in June. The shuttle will be lifted by crane and placed on the flight deck of the Intrepid, where it will be on exhibit to the public starting this summer in a temporary climate-controlled pavilion. Photo Credit: (NASA/Kim Shiflet)

Space Shuttle Discovery Fly-Over

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-04-17

Spectators watch as space shuttle Discovery, mounted atop a NASA 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA) flies over the National Air and Space Museum’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, Tuesday, April 17, 2012, in Chantilly, Va. Discovery, the first orbiter retired from NASA’s shuttle fleet, completed 39 missions, spent 365 days in space, orbited the Earth 5,830 times, and traveled 148,221,675 miles. NASA will transfer Discovery to the National Air and Space Museum to begin its new mission to commemorate past achievements in space and to educate and inspire future generations of explorers. Photo Credit: (NASA/Carla Cioffi)

Space Shuttle Discovery Landing

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-04-17

Space Shuttle Discovery mounted atop a 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA) approaches the runway for landing at Washington Dulles International Airport, Tuesday April 17, 2012, in Sterling, Va. Discovery, the first orbiter retired from NASA’s shuttle fleet, completed 39 missions, spent 365 days in space, orbited the Earth 5,830 times, and traveled 148,221,675 miles. NASA will transfer Discovery to the National Air and Space Museum to begin its new mission to commemorate past achievements in space and to educate and inspire future generations of explorers. Photo Credit: (NASA/Paul E. Alers)

NASA #801 and NASA 7 on ramp

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1997-01-01

NASA N801NA and NASA 7 together on the NASA Dryden ramp. The Beechcraft Beech 200 Super KingAir aircraft N7NA, known as NASA 7, has been a support aircraft for many years, flying 'shuttle' missions to Ames Research Center. It once flew from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and back each day but now (2001) flies between the Dryden Flight Research Center and Ames. A second Beechcraft Beech 200 Super King Air, N701NA, redesignated N801NA, transferred to Dryden on 3 Oct. 1997 and is used for research missions but substitutes for NASA 7 on shuttle missions when NASA 7 is not available.

STS-121 Space Shuttle Processing Update

NASA Image and Video Library

2006-04-27

NASA Administrator Michael Griffin, left, and Associate Administrator for Space Operations William Gerstenmaier, right, look on as Space Shuttle Program Manager Wayne Hale from NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, holds a test configuration of an ice frost ramp during a media briefing about the space shuttle program and processing for the STS-121 mission, Friday, April 28, 2006, at NASA Headquarters in Washington. Photo Credit (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Space Shuttle Discovery DC Fly-Over

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-04-17

Space shuttle Discovery, mounted atop a NASA 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA) flies near the U.S. Capitol, Tuesday, April 17, 2012, in Washington. Discovery, the first orbiter retired from NASA’s shuttle fleet, completed 39 missions, spent 365 days in space, orbited the Earth 5,830 times, and traveled 148,221,675 miles. NASA will transfer Discovery to the National Air and Space Museum to begin its new mission to commemorate past achievements in space and to educate and inspire future generations of explorers. Photo Credit: (NASA/Michael Porterfield)

Space Shuttle Discovery DC Fly-Over

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-04-17

Space shuttle Discovery, mounted atop a NASA 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA) flies over the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, Tuesday, April 17, 2012, in Washington. Discovery, the first orbiter retired from NASA’s shuttle fleet, completed 39 missions, spent 365 days in space, orbited the Earth 5,830 times, and traveled 148,221,675 miles. NASA will transfer Discovery to the National Air and Space Museum to begin its new mission to commemorate past achievements in space and to educate and inspire future generations of explorers. Photo Credit: (NASA/Robert Markowitz)

Shuttle Discovery Reagan Airport Fly-Over

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-04-17

Space shuttle Discovery, mounted atop a NASA 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA) makes its way past Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, Tuesday, April 17, 2012, in Arlington, Va. Discovery, the first orbiter retired from NASA’s shuttle fleet, completed 39 missions, spent 365 days in space, orbited the Earth 5,830 times, and traveled 148,221,675 miles. NASA will transfer Discovery to the National Air and Space Museum to begin its new mission to commemorate past achievements in space and to educate and inspire future generations of explorers. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Shuttle Enterprise Flight To New York

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-04-27

Space shuttle Enterprise, mounted atop a NASA 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA), is seen as it flies over the Hudson River, Friday, April 27, 2012, in New York. Enterprise was the first shuttle orbiter built for NASA performing test flights in the atmosphere and was incapable of spaceflight. Originally housed at the Smithsonian's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, Enterprise will be demated from the SCA and placed on a barge that will eventually be moved by tugboat up the Hudson River to the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in June. Photo Credit: (NASA/Matt Hedges)

Shuttle Enterprise Flight To New York

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-04-27

Space shuttle Enterprise, mounted atop a NASA 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA), is seen as it flies over the Verrazano Bridge, Friday, April 27, 2012, in New York. Enterprise was the first shuttle orbiter built for NASA performing test flights in the atmosphere and was incapable of spaceflight. Originally housed at the Smithsonian's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, Enterprise will be demated from the SCA and placed on a barge that will eventually be moved by tugboat up the Hudson River to the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in June. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Shuttle Enterprise Flight To New York

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-04-27

Space shuttle Enterprise, mounted atop a NASA 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA), is seen as it flies over the Hudson River, Friday, April 27, 2012, in New York. Enterprise was the first shuttle orbiter built for NASA performing test flights in the atmosphere and was incapable of spaceflight. Originally housed at the Smithsonian's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, Enterprise will be demated from the SCA and placed on a barge that will eventually be moved by tugboat up the Hudson River to the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in June. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Space Shuttle Discovery DC Fly-Over

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-04-16

Space shuttle Discovery, mounted atop a NASA 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA) flies near the U.S. Capitol, Tuesday, April 17, 2012, in Washington. Discovery, the first orbiter retired from NASA’s shuttle fleet, completed 39 missions, spent 365 days in space, orbited the Earth 5,830 times, and traveled 148,221,675 miles. NASA will transfer Discovery to the National Air and Space Museum to begin its new mission to commemorate past achievements in space and to educate and inspire future generations of explorers. Photo Credit: (NASA/Rebecca Roth)

Space Shuttle Discovery DC Fly-Over

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-04-17

Space shuttle Discovery, mounted atop a NASA 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA) flies near the U.S. Capitol, Tuesday, April 17, 2012, in Washington. Discovery, the first orbiter retired from NASA’s shuttle fleet, completed 39 missions, spent 365 days in space, orbited the Earth 5,830 times, and traveled 148,221,675 miles. NASA will transfer Discovery to the National Air and Space Museum to begin its new mission to commemorate past achievements in space and to educate and inspire future generations of explorers. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Shuttle Astronauts Visit NASA's X-Ray Observatory Operations Control Center in Cambridge to Coordinate Plans for Launch

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

1998-06-01

CAMBRIDGE, MASS.-- June 25, 1998 Eileen Collins, the first U.S. woman commanderof a Space Shuttle mission and her fellow astronauts for NASA s STS-93 mission toured the Operations Control Center (OCC) for the Advanced X-ray Astrophysics Facility (AXAF) today. AXAF is scheduled for launch on January 26, 1999 aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia. They met with the staff of the OCC and discussed how the status of the observatory will be monitored while in the shuttle bay and during deployment. "We are honored to have this historic shuttle crew visit us and familiarize themselves with the OCC," said Harvey Tananbaum, director of the AXAF Science Center, which operates the OCC for the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory through a contract with NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center. "It is appropriate that a pathbreaking shuttle mission will deploy the premier X-ray observatory of this century." AXAF is the third of NASA s Great Observatories along with the Hubble Space Telescope and the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory. It will observe in greater detail than ever before the hot, violent regions of the universe that cannot be seen with optical telescopes. Exploding stars, black holes and vast clouds of gas in galaxy clusters are among the fascinating objects that AXAF is designed to study. The satellite is currently in the final stages of testing at TRW Space and Electronics Group,the prime contractor, in Redondo Beach, California. In late August it will be flown aboard a specially-outfitted Air Force C-5 aircraft to Kennedy Space Center in Florida where it will be integrated with a Boeing booster and then installed in the Shuttle bay. The shuttle crew that will take AXAF into space includes Collins (Col., USAF), Jeffrey Ashby (Cmdr., USN), pilot; Steven Hawley, Ph.D., mission specialist; Catherine Cady Coleman, Ph.D. (Major, USAF), mission specialist; and Michel Tognini (Col., French Air Force), mission specialist. While visiting the OCC the crew learned how critical data

Shuttle Enterprise Lands JFK

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-04-27

NASA Deputy Administrator Lori Garver speaks Friday, April 27, 2012, during the transfer ceremony for space shuttle Enterprise at John F. Kennedy Airport in New York. Enterprise was the first shuttle orbiter built for NASA performing test flights in the atmosphere and was incapable of spaceflight. Originally housed at the Smithsonian's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, Enterprise will be demated from the SCA and placed on a barge that will eventually be moved by tugboat up the Hudson River to the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in June. Photo Credit: (NASA/Paul E. Alers)

Space Shuttle Enterprise Demate

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-05-12

A set of cranes and wind restraints constructed to remove space shuttle Enterprise from atop NASA's 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft are being put into place at John F. Kennedy (JFK) International Airport in New York, Saturday, May 12, 2012. Enterprise will be placed on a barge that will move by tugboat up the Hudson River to Intrepid in June. The shuttle will be lifted by crane and placed on the flight deck of the Intrepid, where it will be on exhibit to the public starting this summer in a temporary climate-controlled pavilion. Photo Credit: (NASA/Kim Shiflet)

Space Shuttle Enterprise Demate

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-05-12

Space shuttle Enterprise is held aloft by a yellow sling and a set of cranes after it was removed from the top of NASA's 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft early Sunday morning at John F. Kennedy (JFK) International Airport in New York, Sunday, May 13, 2012 .The 747 was towed backwards so that Enterprise could be lowered. The shuttle will be placed on a barge that will move by tugboat up the Hudson River to the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in June. The shuttle will be lifted by crane and placed on the flight deck of the Intrepid, where it will be on exhibit to the public starting this summer in a temporary climate-controlled pavilion. Photo Credit: (NASA/Kim Shiflet)

An analysis of Space Shuttle countdown activities: Preliminaries to a computational model of the NASA Test Director

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

John, Bonnie E.; Remington, Roger W.; Steier, David M.

1991-01-01

Before all systems are go just prior to the launch of a space shuttle, thousands of operations and tests have been performed to ensure that all shuttle and support subsystems are operational and ready for launch. These steps, which range from activating the orbiter's flight computers to removing the launch pad from the itinerary of the NASA tour buses, are carried out by launch team members at various locations and with highly specialized fields of expertise. The liability for coordinating these diverse activities rests with the NASA Test Director (NTD) at NASA-Kennedy. The behavior is being studied of the NTD with the goal of building a detailed computational model of that behavior; the results of that analysis to date are given. The NTD's performance is described in detail, as a team member who must coordinate a complex task through efficient audio communication, as well as an individual taking notes and consulting manuals. A model of the routine cognitive skill used by the NTD to follow the launch countdown procedure manual was implemented using the Soar cognitive architecture. Several examples are given of how such a model could aid in evaluating proposed computer support systems.

Space Shuttle Payload Information Source

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Griswold, Tom

2000-01-01

The Space Shuttle Payload Information Source Compact Disk (CD) is a joint NASA and USA project to introduce Space Shuttle capabilities, payload services and accommodations, and the payload integration process. The CD will be given to new payload customers or to organizations outside of NASA considering using the Space Shuttle as a launch vehicle. The information is high-level in a visually attractive format with a voice over. The format is in a presentation style plus 360 degree views, videos, and animation. Hyperlinks are provided to connect to the Internet for updates and more detailed information on how payloads are integrated into the Space Shuttle.

Shuttle Enterprise Flight to New York

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-04-27

Space shuttle Enterprise, mounted atop a NASA 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA), is seen as it flies over John F. Kennedy Airport, Friday, April 27, 2012, in New York. Enterprise was the first shuttle orbiter built for NASA performing test flights in the atmosphere and was incapable of spaceflight. Originally housed at the Smithsonian's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, Enterprise will be demated from the SCA and placed on a barge that will eventually be moved by tugboat up the Hudson River to the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in June. Photo Credit: (NASA/Paul E. Alers)

Shuttle Enterprise Flight to New York

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-04-27

Space shuttle Enterprise, mounted atop a NASA 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA), is seen as it taxis at John F. Kennedy Airport, Friday, April 27, 2012, in New York. Enterprise was the first shuttle orbiter built for NASA performing test flights in the atmosphere and was incapable of spaceflight. Originally housed at the Smithsonian's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, Enterprise will be demated from the SCA and placed on a barge that will eventually be moved by tugboat up the Hudson River to the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in June. Photo Credit: (NASA/Paul E. Alers)

Space Shuttle Discovery DC Fly-Over

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-04-17

Space shuttle Discovery, mounted atop a NASA 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA) is seen from Top of the Town in Arlington, Virginia as it flies near the U.S. Capitol, Tuesday, April 17, 2012, in Washington. Discovery, the first orbiter retired from NASA’s shuttle fleet, completed 39 missions, spent 365 days in space, orbited the Earth 5,830 times, and traveled 148,221,675 miles. NASA will transfer Discovery to the National Air and Space Museum to begin its new mission to commemorate past achievements in space and to educate and inspire future generations of explorers. Photo Credit: (NASA/Chris Gunn)

Shuttle Discovery Is Demated From SCA

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-04-19

Workers monitor the lift of the space shuttle Discovery from the the NASA 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA) at Washington Dulles International Airport, Thursday, April 19, 2012, in Sterling, VA. Discovery, the first orbiter retired from NASA’s shuttle fleet, completed 39 missions, spent 365 days in space, orbited the Earth 5,830 times, and traveled 148,221,675 miles. NASA will transfer Discovery to the National Air and Space Museum to begin its new mission to commemorate past achievements in space and to educate and inspire future generations of explorers. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Space Shuttle Discovery DC Fly-Over

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-04-17

Space shuttle Discovery, mounted atop a NASA 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA) is seen as it flies near the U.S. Capitol, Tuesday, April 17, 2012, in Washington. Discovery, the first orbiter retired from NASA’s shuttle fleet, completed 39 missions, spent 365 days in space, orbited the Earth 5,830 times, and traveled 148,221,675 miles. NASA will transfer Discovery to the National Air and Space Museum to begin its new mission to commemorate past achievements in space and to educate and inspire future generations of explorers. Photo Credit: (NASA/Smithsonian Institution/Harold Dorwin)

Shuttle Enterprise Flight To New York

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-04-27

Space shuttle Enterprise, mounted atop a NASA 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA), is seen off in the distance behind the Statue of Liberty, Friday, April 27, 2012, in New York. Enterprise was the first shuttle orbiter built for NASA performing test flights in the atmosphere and was incapable of spaceflight. Originally housed at the Smithsonian's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, Enterprise will be demated from the SCA and placed on a barge that will eventually be moved by tugboat up the Hudson River to the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in June. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Shuttle Enterprise Flight To New York

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-04-27

Space shuttle Enterprise, mounted atop a NASA 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA), is seen as it flies near the Statue of Liberty, Friday, April 27, 2012, in New York. Enterprise was the first shuttle orbiter built for NASA performing test flights in the atmosphere and was incapable of spaceflight. Originally housed at the Smithsonian's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, Enterprise will be demated from the SCA and placed on a barge that will eventually be moved by tugboat up the Hudson River to the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in June. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Shuttle Discovery Is Demated From SCA

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-04-19

Workers monitor the lift of the space shuttle Discovery from the top of the NASA 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA) at Washington Dulles International Airport, Thursday, April 19, 2012, in Sterling, VA. Discovery, the first orbiter retired from NASA’s shuttle fleet, completed 39 missions, spent 365 days in space, orbited the Earth 5,830 times, and traveled 148,221,675 miles. NASA will transfer Discovery to the National Air and Space Museum to begin its new mission to commemorate past achievements in space and to educate and inspire future generations of explorers. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Shuttle Enterprise Flight to New York

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-04-27

Space shuttle Enterprise, mounted atop a NASA 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA), is seen as it flies over the Manhattan Skyline with Freedom Tower in the background, Friday, April 27, 2012, in New York. Enterprise was the first shuttle orbiter built for NASA performing test flights in the atmosphere and was incapable of spaceflight. Originally housed at the Smithsonian's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, Enterprise will be demated from the SCA and placed on a barge that will eventually be moved by tugboat up the Hudson River to the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in June. Photo Credit: (NASA/Robert Markowitz)

Shuttle Enterprise Flight to New York

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-04-27

Space shuttle Enterprise, mounted atop a NASA 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA), is seen as it flies near the Statue of Liberty and the Manhattan skyline, Friday, April 27, 2012, in New York. Enterprise was the first shuttle orbiter built for NASA performing test flights in the atmosphere and was incapable of spaceflight. Originally housed at the Smithsonian's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, Enterprise will be demated from the SCA and placed on a barge that will eventually be moved by tugboat up the Hudson River to the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in June. Photo Credit: (NASA/Robert Markowitz)

Shuttle Enterprise Flight To New York

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-04-27

Space shuttle Enterprise, mounted atop a NASA 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA), is seen as it takes off for New York from Washington Dulles International Airport, Friday, April 27, 2012, in Sterling, VA. Enterprise was the first shuttle orbiter built for NASA performing test flights in the atmosphere and was incapable of spaceflight. Originally housed at the Smithsonian's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, Enterprise will be demated from the SCA and placed on a barge that will eventually be moved by tugboat up the Hudson River to the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in June. Photo Credit: (NASA/Scott Andrews)

Shuttle Enterprise Flight To New York

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-04-27

Space shuttle Enterprise, mounted atop a NASA 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA), is seen as it takes off for New York from Washington Dulles International Airport, Friday, April 27, 2012, in Sterling, VA. Enterprise was the first shuttle orbiter built for NASA performing test flights in the atmosphere and was incapable of spaceflight. Originally housed at the Smithsonian's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, Enterprise will be demated from the SCA and placed on a barge that will eventually be moved by tugboat up the Hudson River to the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in June. Photo Credit: (NASA/Smithsonian Institution/Mark Avino)

Shuttle Enterprise Flight to New York

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-04-27

Space shuttle Enterprise, mounted atop a NASA 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA), is seen as it flies near the Empire State Building, Friday, April 27, 2012, in New York. Enterprise was the first shuttle orbiter built for NASA performing test flights in the atmosphere and was incapable of spaceflight. Originally housed at the Smithsonian's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, Enterprise will be demated from the SCA and placed on a barge that will eventually be moved by tugboat up the Hudson River to the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in June. Photo Credit: (NASA/Robert Markowitz)

Shuttle Enterprise Flight To New York

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-04-27

Space shuttle Enterprise, mounted atop a NASA 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA), is seen prior to taking off for New York from Washington Dulles International Airport, Friday, April 27, 2012, in Sterling, VA. Enterprise was the first shuttle orbiter built for NASA performing test flights in the atmosphere and was incapable of spaceflight. Originally housed at the Smithsonian's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, Enterprise will be demated from the SCA and placed on a barge that will eventually be moved by tugboat up the Hudson River to the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in June. Photo Credit: (NASA/Scott Andrews)

Shuttle Enterprise Flight to New York

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-04-27

CAPTION: ---------------------------- Space shuttle Enterprise, mounted atop a NASA 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA), is seen as it flies near the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum, Friday, April 27, 2012, in New York. Enterprise was the first shuttle orbiter built for NASA performing test flights in the atmosphere and was incapable of spaceflight. Originally housed at the Smithsonian's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, Enterprise will be demated from the SCA and placed on a barge that will eventually be moved by tugboat up the Hudson River to the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in June. Photo Credit: (NASA/Robert Markowitz)

The ceremonial transfer of Leonardo, the first MPLM, from ASI to NASA

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1998-01-01

Participants pose for a photo at the Space Station Processing Facility ceremony transferring the 'Leonardo' Multipurpose Logistics Module (MPLM) from the Italian Space Agency, Agenzia Spaziale Italiana (ASI), to NASA. From left, they are astronaut Jim Voss, European Space Agency astronauts Umberto Guidoni of Italy and Christer Fuglesang of Sweden, NASA International Space Station Program Manager Randy Brinkley, NASA Administrator Daniel S. Goldin, ASI President Sergio De Julio and Stephen Francois, director, International Space Station Launch Site Support at KSC. The MPLM, a reusable logistics carrier, will be the primary delivery system used to resupply and return International Space Station cargo requiring a pressurized environment. Leonardo is the first of three MPLM carriers for the International Space Station. It is scheduled to be launched on Space Shuttle Mission STS-100, targeted for April 2000.

Post-Shuttle EVA Operations on ISS

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

West, William; Witt, Vincent; Chullen, Cinda

2010-01-01

The expected retirement of the NASA Space Transportation System (also known as the Space Shuttle ) by 2011 will pose a significant challenge to Extra-Vehicular Activities (EVA) on-board the International Space Station (ISS). The EVA hardware currently used to assemble and maintain the ISS was designed assuming that it would be returned to Earth on the Space Shuttle for refurbishment, or if necessary for failure investigation. With the retirement of the Space Shuttle, a new concept of operations was developed to enable EVA hardware (Extra-vehicular Mobility Unit (EMU), Airlock Systems, EVA tools, and associated support hardware and consumables) to perform ISS EVAs until 2015, and possibly beyond to 2020. Shortly after the decision to retire the Space Shuttle was announced, the EVA 2010 Project was jointly initiated by NASA and the One EVA contractor team. The challenges addressed were to extend the operating life and certification of EVA hardware, to secure the capability to launch EVA hardware safely on alternate launch vehicles, to protect for EMU hardware operability on-orbit, and to determine the source of high water purity to support recharge of PLSSs (no longer available via Shuttle). EVA 2010 Project includes the following tasks: the development of a launch fixture that would allow the EMU Portable Life Support System (PLSS) to be launched on-board alternate vehicles; extension of the EMU hardware maintenance interval from 3 years (current certification) to a minimum of 6 years (to extend to 2015); testing of recycled ISS Water Processor Assembly (WPA) water for use in the EMU cooling system in lieu of water resupplied by International Partner (IP) vehicles; development of techniques to remove & replace critical components in the PLSS on-orbit (not routine); extension of on-orbit certification of EVA tools; and development of an EVA hardware logistical plan to support the ISS without the Space Shuttle. Assumptions for the EVA 2010 Project included no more

Space Shuttle Enterprise Demate

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-05-12

The space shuttle Enterprise, mounted on transport vehicle, is backed into a temporary hanger after being demated from the NASA 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA) at John F. Kennedy (JFK) International Airport in Jamica, New York, Sunday, May 13, 2012. Enterprise will be placed on a barge that will move by tugboat up the Hudson River to the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in June. The shuttle will be lifted by crane and placed on the flight deck of the Intrepid, where it will be on exhibit to the public starting this summer in a temporary climate-controlled pavilion. Photo Credit: (NASA/Kim Shiflet)

STS-114 Space Shuttle Discovery Performs Back Flip For Photography

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2005-01-01

Launched on July 26, 2005 from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, STS-114 was classified as Logistics Flight 1. Among the Station-related activities of the mission were the delivery of new supplies and the replacement of one of the orbital outpost's Control Moment Gyroscopes (CMGs). STS-114 also carried the Raffaello Multi-Purpose Logistics Module and the External Stowage Platform-2. A major focus of the mission was the testing and evaluation of new Space Shuttle flight safety, which included new inspection and repair techniques. Upon its approach to the International Space Station (ISS), the Space Shuttle Discovery underwent a photography session in order to assess any damages that may have occurred during its launch and/or journey through Space. Discovery was over Switzerland, about 600 feet from the ISS, when Cosmonaut Sergei K. Kriklev, Expedition 11 Commander, and John L. Phillips, NASA Space Station officer and flight engineer photographed the spacecraft as it performed a back flip to allow photography of its heat shield. Astronaut Eileen M. Collins, STS-114 Commander, guided the shuttle through the flip. The photographs were analyzed by engineers on the ground to evaluate the condition of Discovery's heat shield. The crew safely returned to Earth on August 9, 2005. The mission historically marked the Return to Flight after nearly a two and one half year delay in flight after the Space Shuttle Columbia tragedy in February 2003.

Shuttle mission plans

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Visentine, J. T.; Lee, C. M.

1978-01-01

Shuttle mission plans recently developed by NASA for the time period 1980-1991 are presented. Standard and optional services, which will be available to users of the Space Transportation System (STS) when it becomes operational in the 1980's, are described. Pricing policies established by NASA to encourage use of the STS by commercial, foreign and other U.S. Government users are explained. The small Self-Contained Payload Program, which will make space flight opportunities available to private citizens and individual experimenters who wish to use the Space Shuttle for investigative research, is discussed.

Shuttle Discovery Is Demated From SCA

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-04-19

The space shuttle Discovery is suspended from a sling held by two cranes shortly after the NASA 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA) was pushed back from underneath at Washington Dulles International Airport, Thursday, April 19, 2012, in Sterling, VA. Discovery, the first orbiter retired from NASA’s shuttle fleet, completed 39 missions, spent 365 days in space, orbited the Earth 5,830 times, and traveled 148,221,675 miles. NASA will transfer Discovery to the National Air and Space Museum to begin its new mission to commemorate past achievements in space and to educate and inspire future generations of explorers. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Shuttle Discovery Is Demated From SCA

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-04-19

The space shuttle Discovery is suspended from a sling held by two cranes after the NASA 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA) was pushed back from underneath at Washington Dulles International Airport, Thursday, April 19, 2012, in Sterling, VA. Discovery, the first orbiter retired from NASA’s shuttle fleet, completed 39 missions, spent 365 days in space, orbited the Earth 5,830 times, and traveled 148,221,675 miles. NASA will transfer Discovery to the National Air and Space Museum to begin its new mission to commemorate past achievements in space and to educate and inspire future generations of explorers. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Shuttle Discovery Is Demated From SCA

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-04-19

The space shuttle Discovery is suspended from a sling held by two cranes as the NASA 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA) is pushed back from underneath at Washington Dulles International Airport, Thursday, April 19, 2012, in Sterling, VA. Discovery, the first orbiter retired from NASA’s shuttle fleet, completed 39 missions, spent 365 days in space, orbited the Earth 5,830 times, and traveled 148,221,675 miles. NASA will transfer Discovery to the National Air and Space Museum to begin its new mission to commemorate past achievements in space and to educate and inspire future generations of explorers. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Space Shuttle mission: STS-67

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1995-01-01

The Space Shuttle Endeavor, scheduled to launch March 2, 1995 from NASA's Kennedy Space Center, will conduct NASA's longest Shuttle flight prior to date. The mission, designated STS-67, has a number of experiments and payloads, which the crew, commanded by Stephen S. Oswald, will have to oversee. This NASA press kit for the mission contains a general background (general press release, media services information, quick-look facts page, shuttle abort modes, summary timeline, payload and vehicle weights, orbital summary, and crew responsibilities); cargo bay payloads and activities (Astro 2, Get Away Special Experiments); in-cabin payloads (Commercial Minimum Descent Altitude Instrumentation Technology Associates Experiments, protein crystal growth experiments, Middeck Active Control Experiment, and Shuttle Amateur Radio Experiment); and the STS-67 crew biographies. The payloads and experiments are described and summarized to give an overview of the goals, objectives, apparatuses, procedures, sponsoring parties, and the assigned crew members to carry out the tasks.

Space Shuttle Strategic Planning Status

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Henderson, Edward M.; Norbraten, Gordon L.

2006-01-01

The Space Shuttle Program is aggressively planning the Space Shuttle manifest for assembling the International Space Station and servicing the Hubble Space Telescope. Implementing this flight manifest while concurrently transitioning to the Exploration architecture creates formidable challenges; the most notable of which is retaining critical skills within the Shuttle Program workforce. The Program must define a strategy that will allow safe and efficient fly-out of the Shuttle, while smoothly transitioning Shuttle assets (both human and facility) to support early flight demonstrations required in the development of NASA s Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV) and Crew and Cargo Launch Vehicles (CLV). The Program must accomplish all of this while maintaining the current level of resources. Therefore, it will be necessary to initiate major changes in operations and contracting. Overcoming these challenges will be essential for NASA to fly the Shuttle safely, accomplish the President s "Vision for Space Exploration," and ultimately meet the national goal of maintaining a robust space program. This paper will address the Space Shuttle Program s strategy and its current status in meeting these challenges.

Space Shuttle Strategic Planning Status

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Norbraten, Gordon L.; Henderson, Edward M.

2007-01-01

The Space Shuttle Program is aggressively flying the Space Shuttle manifest for assembling the International Space Station and servicing the Hubble Space Telescope. Completing this flight manifest while concurrently transitioning to the Exploration architecture creates formidable challenges; the most notable of which is retaining critical skills within the Shuttle Program workforce. The Program must define a strategy that will allow safe and efficient fly-out of the Shuttle, while smoothly transitioning Shuttle assets (both human and facility) to support early flight demonstrations required in the development of NASA's Crew Exploration Vehicle (Orion) and Crew and Cargo Launch Vehicles (Ares I). The Program must accomplish all of this while maintaining the current level of resources. Therefore, it will be necessary to initiate major changes in operations and contracting. Overcoming these challenges will be essential for NASA to fly the Shuttle safely, accomplish the Vision for Space Exploration, and ultimately meet the national goal of maintaining a robust space program. This paper will address the Space Shuttle Program s strategy and its current status in meeting these challenges.

Range Systems Simulation for the NASA Shuttle: Emphasis on Disaster and Prevention Management During Lift-Off

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rabelo, Lisa; Sepulveda, Jose; Moraga, Reinaldo; Compton, Jeppie; Turner, Robert

2005-01-01

This article describes a decision-making system composed of a number of safety and environmental models for the launch phase of a NASA Space Shuttle mission. The components of this distributed simulation environment represent the different systems that must collaborate to establish the Expectation of Casualties (E(sub c)) caused by a failed Space Shuttle launch and subsequent explosion (accidental or instructed) of the spacecraft shortly after liftoff. This decision-making tool employs Space Shuttle reliability models, trajectory models, a blast model, weather dissemination systems, population models, amount and type of toxicants, gas dispersion models, human response functions to toxicants, and a geographical information system. Since one of the important features of this proposed simulation environment is to measure blast, toxic, and debris effects, the clear benefits is that it can help safety managers not only estimate the population at risk, but also to help plan evacuations, make sheltering decisions, establish the resources required to provide aid and comfort, and mitigate damages in case of a disaster.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- United Space Alliance (USA) Vice President and Associate Program Manager of Florida Operations Bill Pickavance (left front) and NASA Deputy Associate Administrator for Space Station and Shuttle Programs Michael Kostelnik (right front) tour a solid rocket booster (SRB) retrieval ship at Cape Canaveral. NASA and USA Space Shuttle program management are participating in a leadership workday. The day is intended to provide management with an in-depth, hands-on look at Shuttle processing activities at KSC.

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-12-19

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- United Space Alliance (USA) Vice President and Associate Program Manager of Florida Operations Bill Pickavance (left front) and NASA Deputy Associate Administrator for Space Station and Shuttle Programs Michael Kostelnik (right front) tour a solid rocket booster (SRB) retrieval ship at Cape Canaveral. NASA and USA Space Shuttle program management are participating in a leadership workday. The day is intended to provide management with an in-depth, hands-on look at Shuttle processing activities at KSC.

Multipurpose Logistics Module, Leonardo, Rests in Discovery's Payload Bay

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2001-01-01

This in-orbit close up shows the Italian Space Agency-built multipurpose Logistics Module (MPLM), Leonardo, the primary cargo of the STS-102 mission, resting in the payload bay of the Space Shuttle Orbiter Discovery. The Leonardo MPLM is the first of three such pressurized modules that will serve as the International Space Station's (ISS') moving vans, carrying laboratory racks filled with equipment, experiments, and supplies to and from the Station aboard the Space Shuttle. The cylindrical module is approximately 21-feet long and 15- feet in diameter, weighing almost 4.5 tons. It can carry up to 10 tons of cargo in 16 standard Space Station equipment racks. Of the 16 racks the module can carry, 5 can be furnished with power, data, and fluid to support refrigerators or freezers. In order to function as an attached station module as well as a cargo transport, the logistics module also includes components that provide life support, fire detection and suppression, electrical distribution, and computer functions. The eighth station assembly flight and NASA's 103rd overall flight, STS-102 launched March 8, 2001 for an almost 13 day mission.

Development of NASA's Accident Precursor Analysis Process Through Application on the Space Shuttle Orbiter

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Maggio, Gaspare; Groen, Frank; Hamlin, Teri; Youngblood, Robert

2010-01-01

Accident Precursor Analysis (APA) serves as the bridge between existing risk modeling activities, which are often based on historical or generic failure statistics, and system anomalies, which provide crucial information about the failure mechanisms that are actually operative in the system. APA docs more than simply track experience: it systematically evaluates experience, looking for under-appreciated risks that may warrant changes to design or operational practice. This paper presents the pilot application of the NASA APA process to Space Shuttle Orbiter systems. In this effort, the working sessions conducted at Johnson Space Center (JSC) piloted the APA process developed by Information Systems Laboratories (ISL) over the last two years under the auspices of NASA's Office of Safety & Mission Assurance, with the assistance of the Safety & Mission Assurance (S&MA) Shuttle & Exploration Analysis Branch. This process is built around facilitated working sessions involving diverse system experts. One important aspect of this particular APA process is its focus on understanding the physical mechanism responsible for an operational anomaly, followed by evaluation of the risk significance of the observed anomaly as well as consideration of generalizations of the underlying mechanism to other contexts. Model completeness will probably always be an issue, but this process tries to leverage operating experience to the extent possible in order to address completeness issues before a catastrophe occurs.

First Shuttle/747 Captive Flight

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1977-01-01

The Space Shuttle prototype Enterprise rides smoothly atop NASA's first Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA), NASA 905, during the first of the shuttle program's Approach and Landing Tests (ALT) at the Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California, in 1977. During the nearly one year-long series of tests, Enterprise was taken aloft on the SCA to study the aerodynamics of the mated vehicles and, in a series of five free flights, tested the glide and landing characteristics of the orbiter prototype. In this photo, the main engine area on the aft end of Enterprise is covered with a tail cone to reduce aerodynamic drag that affects the horizontal tail of the SCA, on which tip fins have been installed to increase stability when the aircraft carries an orbiter. The Space Shuttle Approach and Landings Tests (ALT) program allowed pilots and engineers to learn how the Space Shuttle and the modified Boeing 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA) handled during low-speed flight and landing. The Enterprise, a prototype of the Space Shuttles, and the SCA were flown to conduct the approach and landing tests at the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California, from February to October 1977. The first flight of the program consisted of the Space Shuttle Enterprise attached to the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft. These flights were to determine how well the two vehicles flew together. Five 'captive-inactive' flights were flown during this first phase in which there was no crew in the Enterprise. The next series of captive flights was flown with a flight crew of two on board the prototype Space Shuttle. Only three such flights proved necessary. This led to the free-flight test series. The free-flight phase of the ALT program allowed pilots and engineers to learn how the Space Shuttle handled in low-speed flight and landing attitudes. For these landings, the Enterprise was flown by a crew of two after it was released from the top of the SCA. The vehicle was released at altitudes

The Shuttle Cost and Price model

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Leary, Katherine; Stone, Barbara

1983-01-01

The Shuttle Cost and Price (SCP) model was developed as a tool to assist in evaluating major aspects of Shuttle operations that have direct and indirect economic consequences. It incorporates the major aspects of NASA Pricing Policy and corresponds to the NASA definition of STS operating costs. An overview of the SCP model is presented and the cost model portion of SCP is described in detail. Selected recent applications of the SCP model to NASA Pricing Policy issues are presented.

Space Shuttle Main Engine Public Test Firing

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-07-25

A new NASA Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME) roars to the approval of more than 2,000 people who came to John C. Stennis Space Center in Hancock County, Miss., on July 25 for a flight-certification test of the SSME Block II configuration. The engine, a new and significantly upgraded shuttle engine, was delivered to NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida for use on future shuttle missions. Spectators were able to experience the 'shake, rattle and roar' of the engine, which ran for 520 seconds - the length of time it takes a shuttle to reach orbit.

Space Shuttle Placement Announcement

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-04-12

Pilot of the first space shuttle mission, STS-1, Bob Crippen speaks at an event where NASA Administrator Charles Bolden announced where four space shuttle orbiters will be permanently displayed at the conclusion of the Space Shuttle Program, Tuesday, April 12, 2011, at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla. The four orbiters, Enterprise, which currently is on display at the Smithsonian's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center near Washington Dulles International Airport, will move to the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in New York, Discovery will move to Udvar-Hazy, Endeavour will be displayed at the California Science Center in Los Angeles and Atlantis, in background, will be displayed at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor’s Complex. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Space Shuttle Placement Announcement

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-04-12

The space shuttle Atlantis is seen in the Orbiter Processing Facility at an event where NASA Administrator Charles Bolden announced where four space shuttle orbiters will be permanently displayed at the conclusion of the Space Shuttle Program, Tuesday, April 12, 2011, at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla. The four orbiters, Enterprise, which currently is on display at the Smithsonian's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center near Washington Dulles International Airport, will move to the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in New York, Discovery will move to Udvar-Hazy, Endeavour will be displayed at the California Science Center in Los Angeles and Atlantis, will be displayed at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor’s Complex. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Space Shuttle Placement Announcement

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-04-12

Pilot of the first space shuttle mission, STS-1, Bob Crippen speaks at an event where NASA Administrator Charles Bolden announced where four space shuttle orbiters will be permanently displayed at the conclusion of the Space Shuttle Program, Tuesday, April 12, 2011, at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla. The four orbiters, Enterprise, which currently is on display at the Smithsonian's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center near Washington Dulles International Airport, will move to the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in New York, Discovery will move to Udvar-Hazy, Endeavour will be displayed at the California Science Center in Los Angeles and Atlantis, in background, will be displayed at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor’s Complex. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Shuttle Hitchhiker Experiment Launcher System (SHELS)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Daelemans, Gerry

1999-01-01

NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center Shuttle Small Payloads Project (SSPP), in partnership with the United States Air Force and NASA's Explorer Program, is developing a Shuttle based launch system called SHELS (Shuttle Hitchhiker Experiment Launcher System), which shall be capable of launching up to a 400 pound spacecraft from the Shuttle cargo bay. SHELS consists of a Marman band clamp push-plate ejection system mounted to a launch structure; the launch structure is mounted to one Orbiter sidewall adapter beam. Avionics mounted to the adapter beam will interface with Orbiter electrical services and provide optional umbilical services and ejection circuitry. SHELS provides an array of manifesting possibilities to a wide range of satellites.

The Representative Shuttle Environmental Control System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brose, H. F.; Greenwood, F. H.; Thompson, C. D.; Willis, N. C.

1974-01-01

The Representative Shuttle Environmental Control System (RSECS) program was conceived to provide NASA with a prototype system representative of the Shuttle Environmental Control System (ECS). Discussed are the RSECS program objectives, predicated on updating and adding to the early system as required to retain its usefulness during the Shuttle ECS development and qualification effort. Ultimately, RSECS will be replaced with a flight-designed system using either refurbished development or qualification equipment to provide NASA with a flight simulation capability during the Shuttle missions. The RSECS air revitalization subsystem and the waste management support subsystem are being tested. A water coolant subsystem and a freon coolant subsystem are in the development and planning phases.

Intrepid Space Shuttle Pavilion Opening

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-07-19

The space shuttle Enterprise is seen shortly after the grand opening of the Space Shuttle Pavilion at the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum on Thursday, July 19, 2012 in New York. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Preparing for the High Frontier: The Role and Training of NASA Astronauts in the Post- Space Shuttle Era

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2011-01-01

In May 2010, the National Research Council (NRC) was asked by NASA to address several questions related to the Astronaut Corps. The NRC s Committee on Human Spaceflight Crew Operations was tasked to answer several questions: 1. How should the role and size of the activities managed by the Johnson Space Center Flight Crew Operations Directorate change after space shuttle retirement and completion of the assembly of the International Space Station (ISS)? 2. What are the requirements for crew-related ground-based facilities after the Space Shuttle program ends? 3. Is the fleet of aircraft used for training the Astronaut Corps a cost-effective means of preparing astronauts to meet the requirements of NASA s human spaceflight program? Are there more cost-effective means of meeting these training requirements? Although the future of NASA s human spaceflight program has garnered considerable discussion in recent years and there is considerable uncertainty about what the program will involve in the coming years, the committee was not tasked to address whether human spaceflight should continue or what form it should take. The committee s task restricted it to studying activities managed by the Flight Crew Operations Directorate or those closely related to its activities, such as crew-related ground-based facilities and the training aircraft.

STS-124 Space Shuttle Discovery Landing

NASA Image and Video Library

2008-06-14

NASA Deputy Shuttle Program Manager LeRoy Cain points out a portion of the space shuttle Discovery to NASA Associate Administrator for Space Operations Bill Gerstenmaier, left, during a walk around shortly after Discovery touched down at 11:15 a.m., Saturday, June 14, 2008, at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. During the 14-day STS-124 mission Discovery's crew installed the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's large Kibo laboratory and its remote manipulator system leaving a larger space station and one with increased science capabilities. Discovery also brought home NASA astronaut Garrett Reisman after his 3 month mission onboard the International Space Station. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Space Shuttle Endeavour Move

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-10-12

The space shuttle Endeavour is seen as it traverses through Inglewood, Calif. on Friday, Oct. 12, 2012. Endeavour, built as a replacement for space shuttle Challenger, completed 25 missions, spent 299 days in orbit, and orbited Earth 4,671 times while traveling 122,883,151 miles. Beginning Oct. 30, the shuttle will be on display in the CSC's Samuel Oschin Space Shuttle Endeavour Display Pavilion, embarking on its new mission to commemorate past achievements in space and educate and inspire future generations of explorers. Photo Credit: (NASA/Carla Cioffi)

NASA replanning efforts continue

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Katzoff, Judith A.

A task force of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is producing new launch schedules for NASA's three remaining space shuttle orbiters, possibly supplemented by expendable launch vehicles. In the wake of the explosion of the space shuttle Challenger on January 28, 1986, the task force is assuming a delay of 12-18 months before resumption of shuttle flights.NASA's Headquarters Replanning Task Force, which meets daily, is separate from the agency's Data and Design Analysis Task Force, which collects and analyzes information about the accident for the use of the investigative commission appointed by President Ronald Reagan.

NASA's approach to commercial cargo and crew transportation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stone, Dennis; Lindenmoyer, Alan; French, George; Musk, Elon; Gump, David; Kathuria, Chirinjeev; Miller, Charles; Sirangelo, Mark; Pickens, Tom

2008-07-01

To stimulate the commercial space industry and potentially serve the logistics needs of the International Space Station (ISS) in the post-Space Shuttle era, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in 2006 began the Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) initiative. NASA entered into agreements with two U.S. firms, Rocketplane Kistler and Space Exploration Technologies to share up to 485,000,000 USD to demonstrate cargo transportation services to and from Low Earth orbit (LEO), with an option for additional funds to demonstrate human transportation services. Subsequently, NASA also entered into unfunded agreements with five companies to develop innovative space transportation capabilities. This paper reviews this unique initiative, describes the concepts of these seven companies, and discusses the potential of this emerging industry to make LEO more accessible.

Boeing 747 jet modified to carry shuttle flying over Rocky Mountains

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1977-01-01

A Boeing 747 jet aircraft, modified for use by NASA for the Space Shuttle Orbiter Approach and Landing Tests (ALTs), is seen in flight over the Rocky Mountains. Note the added structural supports atop the huge aircraft. The Shuttle Orbiter will ride 'piggy-back' atop the NASA 747 for the ALTs. The NASA 747 will be used also to transport Orbiters to the Space Shuttle launch sites.

Space Shuttle Placement Announcement

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-04-12

Workers at the NASA Kennedy Space Center listen as NASA Administrator Charles Bolden announces where four space shuttle orbiters will be permanently displayed at the conclusion of the Space Shuttle Program during an event held at one of the Orbiter Processing Facilities, Tuesday, April 12, 2011, at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla. The four orbiters, Enterprise, which currently is on display at the Smithsonian's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center near Washington Dulles International Airport, will move to the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in New York, Discovery will move to Udvar-Hazy, Endeavour will be displayed at the California Science Center in Los Angeles and Atlantis, in background, will be displayed at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor’s Complex. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Space Shuttle Placement Announcement

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-04-12

NASA Johnson Space Center Director of Flight Crew Operations, and Astronaut, Janet Kavandi speaks at an event where NASA Administrator Charles Bolden announced where four space shuttle orbiters will be permanently displayed at the conclusion of the Space Shuttle Program, Tuesday, April 12, 2011, at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla. The four orbiters, Enterprise, which currently is on display at the Smithsonian's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center near Washington Dulles International Airport, will move to the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in New York, Discovery will move to Udvar-Hazy, Endeavour will be displayed at the California Science Center in Los Angeles and Atlantis, in background, will be displayed at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor’s Complex. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

A portable hypergolic oxidizer vapor sensor for NASA's Space Shuttle program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Helms, W. R.

1978-01-01

The design and performance characteristics of an electrochemical NO2 sensor selected by NASA for the space shuttle program is described. The instrument consists of a sample pump, an electrochemical cell, and control and display electronics. The pump pushes the sample through the electrochemical cell where the vapors are analyzed and an output proportional to the NO2 concentration is produced. The output is displayed on a panel meter, and is also available at a recorder jack. The electrochemical cell is made up of a polypropylene chamber covered with teflon membrane faceplates. Plantinum electrodes are bonded to the faceplates, and the sensing and counter electrodes are potentiostatically controlled at -200 mV with respect to the reference electrode. The cell is filled with electrolyte, consisting of 13.5 cc of 23% solution of KOH.

NASA Pocket Statistics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1995-01-01

NASA Pocket Statistics is published for the use of NASA managers and their staff. Included herein is Administrative and Organizational information, summaries of Space Flight Activity including the NASA Major Launch Record, and NASA Procurement, Financial, and Manpower data. The NASA Major Launch Record includes all launches of Scout class and larger vehicles. Vehicle and spacecraft development flights are also included in the Major Launch Record. Shuttle missions are counted as one launch and one payload, where free flying payloads are not involved. Satellites deployed from the cargo bay of the Shuttle and placed in a separate orbit or trajectory are counted as an additional payload.

Space Shuttle Project

NASA Image and Video Library

1972-03-07

This early chart conceptualizes the use of two parallel Solid Rocket Motor Boosters in conjunction with three main engines to launch the proposed Space Shuttle to orbit. At approximately twenty-five miles altitude, the boosters would detach from the Orbiter and parachute back to Earth where they would be recovered and refurbished for future use. The Shuttle was designed as NASA's first reusable space vehicle, launching vertically like a spacecraft and landing on runways like conventional aircraft. Marshall Space Flight Center had management responsibility for the Shuttle's propulsion elements, including the Solid Rocket Boosters.

Simulation of Shuttle launch G forces and acoustic loads using the NASA Ames Research Center 20G centrifuge

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shaw, T. L.; Corliss, J. M.; Gundo, D. P.; Mulenburg, G. M.; Breit, G. A.; Griffith, J. B.

1994-01-01

The high cost and long times required to develop research packages for space flight can often be offset by using ground test techniques. This paper describes a space shuttle launch and reentry simulating using the NASA Ames Research Center's 20G centrifuge facility. The combined G-forces and acoustic environment during shuttle launch and landing were simulated to evaluate the effect on a payload of laboratory rates. The launch G force and acoustic profiles are matched to actual shuttle launch data to produce the required G-forces and acoustic spectrum in the centrifuge test cab where the rats were caged on a free-swinging platform. For reentry, only G force is simulated as the aero-acoustic noise is insignificant compared to that during launch. The shuttle G-force profiles of launch and landing are achieved by programming the centrifuge drive computer to continuously adjust centrifuge rotational speed to obtain the correct launch and landing G forces. The shuttle launch acoustic environment is simulated using a high-power, low-frequency audio system. Accelerometer data from STS-56 and microphone data from STS-1 through STS-5 are used as baselines for the simulations. This paper provides a description of the test setup and the results of the simulation with recommendations for follow-on simulations.

Methods and Techniques for Risk Prediction of Space Shuttle Upgrades

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hoffman, Chad R.; Pugh, Rich; Safie, Fayssal

1998-01-01

Since the Space Shuttle Accident in 1986, NASA has been trying to incorporate probabilistic risk assessment (PRA) in decisions concerning the Space Shuttle and other NASA projects. One major study NASA is currently conducting is in the PRA area in establishing an overall risk model for the Space Shuttle System. The model is intended to provide a tool to predict the Shuttle risk and to perform sensitivity analyses and trade studies including evaluation of upgrades. Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) and its prime contractors including Pratt and Whitney (P&W) are part of the NASA team conducting the PRA study. MSFC responsibility involves modeling the External Tank (ET), the Solid Rocket Booster (SRB), the Reusable Solid Rocket Motor (RSRM), and the Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME). A major challenge that faced the PRA team is modeling the shuttle upgrades. This mainly includes the P&W High Pressure Fuel Turbopump (HPFTP) and the High Pressure Oxidizer Turbopump (HPOTP). The purpose of this paper is to discuss the various methods and techniques used for predicting the risk of the P&W redesigned HPFTP and HPOTP.

Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM)

USGS Publications Warehouse

,

2003-01-01

Under an agreement with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the Department of Defense's National Imagery and Mapping Agency (NIMA), the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is now distributing elevation data from the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM). The SRTM is a joint project between NASA and NIMA to map the Earth's land surface in three dimensions at a level of detail unprecedented for such a large area. Flown aboard the NASA Space Shuttle Endeavour February 11-22, 2000, the SRTM successfully collected data over 80 percent of the Earth's land surface, for most of the area between 60? N. and 56? S. latitude. The SRTM hardware included the Spaceborne Imaging Radar-C (SIR-C) and X-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (X-SAR) systems that had flown twice previously on other space shuttle missions. The SRTM data were collected specifically with a technique known as interferometry that allows image data from dual radar antennas to be processed for the extraction of ground heights.

Space Shuttle Atlantis after its Final Landing

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-07-21

STS135-S-274 (21 July 2011) --- Space shuttle Atlantis is slowly towed from the Shuttle Landing Facility to an orbiter processing facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida for the last time. Atlantis' final return from space at 5:57 a.m. (EDT) on July 21, 2011, secured the space shuttle fleet's place in history and brought a close to the America's Space Shuttle Program. STS-135 delivered spare parts, equipment and supplies to the International Space Station. STS-135 was the 33rd and final flight for Atlantis, which has spent 307 days in space, orbited Earth 4,848 times and traveled 125,935,769 miles. Photo credit: NASA

Space Shuttle Atlantis after its Final Landing

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-06-21

STS135-S-273 (21 July 2011) --- Space shuttle Atlantis is slowly towed from the Shuttle Landing Facility to an orbiter processing facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida for the last time. Atlantis' final return from space at 5:57 a.m. (EDT) on July 21, 2011, secured the space shuttle fleet's place in history and brought a close to the America's Space Shuttle Program. STS-135 delivered spare parts, equipment and supplies to the International Space Station. STS-135 was the 33rd and final flight for Atlantis, which has spent 307 days in space, orbited Earth 4,848 times and traveled 125,935,769 miles. Photo credit: NASA

NASA and Russian Space Agency sign agreement for additional Space Shuttle/Mir missions

PubMed

Huff, W

1994-01-01

On December 16, 1993 NASA Administrator Daniel S. Goldin [correction of Golden] and the Russian Space Agency (RSA) director Yuri Koptev signed a protocol agreeing to up to 10 Shuttle flights to Mir with a total of 24 months time aboard Mir for U.S. astronants, a program of scientific and technological research, and the upgrade and extension of the Mir lifetime during the period 1995-1997. This is the first of a three-phase program in human spaceflight cooperation which may culminate in the construction of an international Space Station. This agreement starts joint development of spacecraft environmental control and life support systems and potential common space suit.

Space Shuttle Endeavour Move

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-10-12

Spectators watch space shuttle Endeavour as it passes by on its way to its new home at the California Science Center in Los Angeles, Friday, Oct. 12, 2012. Endeavour, built as a replacement for space shuttle Challenger, completed 25 missions, spent 299 days in orbit, and orbited Earth 4,671 times while traveling 122,883,151 miles. Beginning Oct. 30, the shuttle will be on display in the CSC's Samuel Oschin Space Shuttle Endeavour Display Pavilion, embarking on its new mission to commemorate past achievements in space and educate and inspire future generations of explorers. Photo Credit: (NASA/Carla Cioffi)

Space Shuttle Endeavour Move

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-10-12

The space shuttle Endeavour is seen as it traverses through the streest of Los Angeles on its way to its new home at the California Science Center, Friday, Oct. 12, 2012. Endeavour, built as a replacement for space shuttle Challenger, completed 25 missions, spent 299 days in orbit, and orbited Earth 4,671 times while traveling 122,883,151 miles. Beginning Oct. 30, the shuttle will be on display in the CSC's Samuel Oschin Space Shuttle Endeavour Display Pavilion, embarking on its new mission to commemorate past achievements in space and educate and inspire future generations of explorers. Photo Credit: (NASA/Carla Cioffi)

Space Shuttle Endeavour Move

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-10-12

A spectator photographs the space shuttle Endeavour as it passes by on its way to its new home at the California Science Center in Los Angeles, Friday, Oct. 12, 2012. Endeavour, built as a replacement for space shuttle Challenger, completed 25 missions, spent 299 days in orbit, and orbited Earth 4,671 times while traveling 122,883,151 miles. Beginning Oct. 30, the shuttle will be on display in the CSC's Samuel Oschin Space Shuttle Endeavour Display Pavilion, embarking on its new mission to commemorate past achievements in space and educate and inspire future generations of explorers. Photo Credit: (NASA/Carla Cioffi)

Space Shuttle Endeavour Move

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-10-12

A spectator is seen photographing the space shuttle Endeavour as it is moved to its new home at the California Science Center in Los Angeles, Friday, Oct. 12, 2012. Endeavour, built as a replacement for space shuttle Challenger, completed 25 missions, spent 299 days in orbit, and orbited Earth 4,671 times while traveling 122,883,151 miles. Beginning Oct. 30, the shuttle will be on display in the CSC’s Samuel Oschin Space Shuttle Endeavour Display Pavilion, embarking on its new mission to commemorate past achievements in space and educate and inspire future generations of explorers. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Success Legacy of the Space Shuttle Program: Changes in Shuttle Post Challenger and Columbia

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jarrell, George

2010-01-01

This slide presentation reviews the legacy of successes in the space shuttle program particularly with regards to the changes in the culture of NASA's organization after the Challenger and Columbia accidents and some of the changes to the shuttles that were made manifest as a result of the accidents..

Space Shuttle Placement Announcement

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-04-12

NASA Kennedy Space Center Director and former astronaut Bob Cabana introduces NASA Administrator Charles Bolden where Bolden announced where four space shuttle orbiters will be permanently displayed at the conclusion of the Space Shuttle Program during an event held at one of the Orbiter Processing Facilities, Tuesday, April 12, 2011, at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla. The four orbiters, Enterprise, which currently is on display at the Smithsonian's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center near Washington Dulles International Airport, will move to the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in New York, Discovery will move to Udvar-Hazy, Endeavour will be displayed at the California Science Center in Los Angeles and Atlantis, in background, will be displayed at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor’s Complex. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

NASA Pocket Statistics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1996-01-01

This booklet of pocket statistics includes the 1996 NASA Major Launch Record, NASA Procurement, Financial, and Workforce data. The NASA Major Launch Record includes all launches of Scout class and larger vehicles. Vehicle and spacecraft development flights are also included in the Major Luanch Record. Shuttle missions are counted as one launch and one payload, where free flying payloads are not involved. Satellites deployed from the cargo bay of the Shuttle and placed in a separate orbit or trajectory are counted as an additional payload.

A happy "thumbs up" from the crew of the Space Shuttle Endeavour and NASA Dryden Flight Research Center officials heralded the successful completion of mission STS-100

NASA Image and Video Library

2001-05-01

A happy "thumbs up" from the crew of the Space Shuttle Endeavour and NASA Dryden Flight Research Center officials heralded the successful completion of mission STS-100. Standing by the shuttle's rocket nozzles from left to right: Scott E. Prazynski, mission specialist (U.S.); Yuri V. Lonchakov, mission specialist (Russia); Kent V. Rominger, commander (U.S.); Wally Sawyer, NASA Dryden Flight Research Center deputy director; Kevin Petersen, NASA Dryden Flight Research Center director; Umberto Guidoni, mission specialist (European Space Agency); John L. Phillips, mission specialist (U.S.); Jeffrey S. Ashby, pilot (U.S.); and Chris A. Hadfield, mission specialist (Canadian Space Agency). The mission landed at Edwards Air Force Base, California, on May 1, 2001.

The Space Shuttle in perspective

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hosenball, S. N.

1981-01-01

Commercial aspects of the Space Shuttle are examined, with attention given to charges to users, schedule of launches and reimbursement, kinds of payload and their selection, NASA authority, space allocation, and risk, liability, and insurance. It is concluded that insurance to reduce the risk, incentives that NASA is willing to make available to U.S. industry, and the demonstrated willingness of industry and the financial community to invest their funds in space ventures indicate that the new Shuttle capabilities will exponentially increase commercial activities in space during the 1980s.

Boeing 747 jet modified to carry shuttle en route to Dryden

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1977-01-01

A Boeing 747 jet aircraft, modified for use by NASA for the Space Shuttle Orbiter Approach and Landing Tests (ALTs), is seen en route from the Boeing facility at Seattle, Washington, to the Dryden Flight Research Center in Southern California. Note the added structural supports atop the huge aircraft. The Shuttle Orbiter will ride 'piggy-back' atop the NASA 747 for the ALTs. The NASA 747 will be used also to transport Orbiters to the Space Shuttle launch sites.

Assessment Regarding Impact of Atmospheric Conditions on Space Shuttle Launch Delays

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Johnson D. L.; Pearson, S. D.; Vaughan, W. W.; Batts, G. W.

1998-01-01

The atmospheric environment definition has played a key role in the development and operation of the NASA Space Shuttle as it has in other NASA Space Vehicle Programs. The objective of any definition of natural environment design requirements for a space vehicle development is to insure that the vehicle will perform safely and in a timely manner relative to the mission(s) for which the vehicle is being developed. The NASA Space Shuttle has enjoyed the longest tenure of any Space Vehicle from an operational standpoint. As such, it has provided a wealth of information on many engineering aspects of a Space Vehicle plus the influence of the atmosphere on operational endeavors. The atmospheric environment associated with the NASA Space Shuttle launches at the NASA Kennedy Space Center in Florida has been reviewed and studied over the entire NASA Space Shuttle flight history. The results of the analysis of atmospheric environment related launch delays relative to other sources of launch delays has been assessed. This paper will provide a summary of those conditions as well as mission analysis examples focused on atmospheric constraints for launch. Atmospheric conditions associated with NASA Space Shuttle launch delays will be presented to provide a reference as to the type conditions experienced which have mainly caused the delays.

]Space Shuttle Independent Assessment Team

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2000-01-01

The Shuttle program is one of the most complex engineering activities undertaken anywhere in the world at the present time. The Space Shuttle Independent Assessment Team (SIAT) was chartered in September 1999 by NASA to provide an independent review of the Space Shuttle sub-systems and maintenance practices. During the period from October through December 1999, the team led by Dr. McDonald and comprised of NASA, contractor, and DOD experts reviewed NASA practices, Space Shuffle anomalies, as well as civilian and military aerospace experience. In performing the review, much of a very positive nature was observed by the SIAT, not the least of which was the skill and dedication of the workforce. It is in the unfortunate nature of this type of review that the very positive elements are either not mentioned or dwelt upon. This very complex program has undergone a massive change in structure in the last few years with the transition to a slimmed down, contractor-run operation, the Shuttle Flight Operations Contract (SFOC). This has been accomplished with significant cost savings and without a major incident. This report has identified significant problems that must be addressed to maintain an effective program. These problems are described in each of the Issues, Findings or Observations summarized, and unless noted, appear to be systemic in nature and not confined to any one Shuttle sub-system or element. Specifics are given in the body of the report, along with recommendations to improve the present systems.

NASA Pocket Statistics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1994-01-01

Pocket Statistics is published for the use of NASA managers and their staff. Included herein is Administrative and Organizational information, summaries of Space Flight Activity including the NASA Major Launch Record, and NASA Procurement, Financial, and Manpower data. The NASA Major Launch Record includes all launches of Scout class and larger vehicles. Vehicle and spacecraft development flights are also included in the Major Launch Record. Shuttle missions are counted as one launch and one payload, where free flying payloads are not involved. Satellites deployed from the cargo bay of the Shuttle and placed in a separate orbit or trajectory are counted as an additional payload.

International Space Station (ISS) Gas Logistics Planning in the Post Shuttle Era

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Leonard, Daniel J.; Cook, Anthony J.; Lehman, Daniel A.

2011-01-01

Over its life the International Space Station (ISS) has received gas (nitrogen, oxygen, and air) from various sources. Nitrogen and oxygen are used in the cabin to maintain total pressure and oxygen partial pressures within the cabin. Plumbed nitrogen is also required to support on-board experiments and medical equipment. Additionally, plumbed oxygen is required to support medical equipment as well as emergency masks and most importantly EVA support. Gas are supplied to ISS with various methods and vehicles. Vehicles like the Progress and ATV deliver nitrogen (both as a pure gas and as air) and oxygen via direct releases into the cabin. An additional source of nitrogen and oxygen is via tanks on the ISS Airlock. The Airlock nitrogen and oxygen tanks can deliver to various users via pressurized systems that run throughout the ISS except for the Russian segment. Metabolic oxygen is mainly supplied via cabin release from the Elektron and Oxygen Generator Assembly (OGA), which are water electrolyzers. As a backup system, oxygen candles (Solid Fuel Oxygen Generators-SFOGs) supply oxygen to the cabin as well. In the past, a major source of nitrogen and oxygen has come from the Shuttle via both direct delivery to the cabin as well as to recharge the ISS Airlock tanks. To replace the Shuttle capability to recharge the ISS Airlock tanks, a new system was developed called Nitrogen/Oxygen Recharge System (NORS). NIORS consists of high pressure (7000 psi) tanks which recharge the ISS Airlock tanks via a blowdown fill for both nitrogen and oxygen. NORS tanks can be brought up on most logistics vehicles such as the HTV, COTS, and ATV. A proper balance must be maintained to insure sufficient gas resources are available on-orbit so that all users have the required gases via the proper delivery method (cabin and/or plumbed).

STS-118 Space Shuttle Crew Honored

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-09-10

A special event honoring the crew of space shuttle mission STS-118 was held at Walt Disney World. Here, visitors enjoy the NASA display at Epcot's Innoventions Center. The event also honored teacher-turned-astronaut Barbara R. Morgan, who dedicated a plaque outside the Mission: Space attraction. Other activities included meeting with the media and students and a parade down Main Street. Mission STS-118 was the 119th shuttle program flight and the 22nd flight to the International Space Station. Space shuttle Endeavour launched from NASA's Kennedy Space Center on Aug. 8 and landed Aug. 21. The mission delivered the S5 truss, continuing the assembly of the space station.

Space Shuttle Endeavour Move

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-10-12

The driver of the Over Land Transporter is seen as he maneuvers the space shuttle Endeavour on the streets of Los Angeles as it heads to its new home at the California Science Center, Friday, Oct. 12, 2012. Endeavour, built as a replacement for space shuttle Challenger, completed 25 missions, spent 299 days in orbit, and orbited Earth 4,671 times while traveling 122,883,151 miles. Beginning Oct. 30, the shuttle will be on display in the CSC’s Samuel Oschin Space Shuttle Endeavour Display Pavilion, embarking on its new mission to commemorate past achievements in space and educate and inspire future generations of explorers. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Space Shuttle Endeavour Move

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-10-12

Spectators are seen as they watch space shuttle Endeavour as it passes by on its way to its new home at the California Science Center in Los Angeles, Friday, Oct. 12, 2012. Endeavour, built as a replacement for space shuttle Challenger, completed 25 missions, spent 299 days in orbit, and orbited Earth 4,671 times while traveling 122,883,151 miles. Beginning Oct. 30, the shuttle will be on display in the CSC's Samuel Oschin Space Shuttle Endeavour Display Pavilion, embarking on its new mission to commemorate past achievements in space and educate and inspire future generations of explorers. Photo Credit: (NASA/Carla Cioffi)

Space Shuttle Endeavour Move

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-10-12

The driver of the Over Land Transporter (OLT) is seen as he maneuvers the space shuttle Endeavour on the streets of Los Angeles as it heads to its new home at the California Science Center, Friday, Oct. 12, 2012. Endeavour, built as a replacement for space shuttle Challenger, completed 25 missions, spent 299 days in orbit, and orbited Earth 4,671 times while traveling 122,883,151 miles. Beginning Oct. 30, the shuttle will be on display in the CSC's Samuel Oschin Space Shuttle Endeavour Display Pavilion, embarking on its new mission to commemorate past achievements in space and educate and inspire future generations of explorers. Photo Credit: (NASA/Carla Cioffi)

Space Shuttle Endeavour Move

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-10-12

A spectator on the roof of a building photographs space shuttle Endeavour as it passes by on its way to its new home at the California Science Center in Los Angeles, Friday, Oct. 12, 2012. Endeavour, built as a replacement for space shuttle Challenger, completed 25 missions, spent 299 days in orbit, and orbited Earth 4,671 times while traveling 122,883,151 miles. Beginning Oct. 30, the shuttle will be on display in the CSC’s Samuel Oschin Space Shuttle Endeavour Display Pavilion, embarking on its new mission to commemorate past achievements in space and educate and inspire future generations of explorers. Photo Credit: (NASA/Carla Cioffi)

Space Shuttle Endeavour Move

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-10-12

The space shuttle Endeavour moves out of the Los Angeles International Airport and onto the streets of Los Angeles to make its way to its new home at the California Science Center, Friday, Oct. 12, 2012. Endeavour, built as a replacement for space shuttle Challenger, completed 25 missions, spent 299 days in orbit, and orbited Earth 4,671 times while traveling 122,883,151 miles. Beginning Oct. 30, the shuttle will be on display in the CSC's Samuel Oschin Space Shuttle Endeavour Display Pavilion, embarking on its new mission to commemorate past achievements in space and educate and inspire future generations of explorers. Photo Credit: (NASA/Carla Cioffi)

STS-124 Space Shuttle Discovery Landing

NASA Image and Video Library

2008-06-14

The aft end of the space shuttle Discovery is seen shortly after landing on runway 15 of the NASA Kennedy Space Center Shuttle Landing Facility at 11:15 a.m., Saturday, June 14, 2008 in Cape Canaveral, Florida. Onboard Discovery were NASA astronauts Mark Kelly, commander; Ken Ham, pilot; Mike Fossum, Ron Garan, Karen Nyberg, Garrett Reisman and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Akihiko Hoshide, all mission specialists. During the STS-124 mission, Discovery's crew installed the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's large Kibo laboratory and its remote manipulator system leaving a larger space station and one with increased science capabilities. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Space Shuttle Project

NASA Image and Video Library

1995-03-18

The Space Shuttle Endeavour (STS-67) lands at Edwards Air Force Base in southern California after successfully completing NASA's longest plarned shuttle mission. The seven-member crew conducted round-the-clock observations with the ASTRO-2 observatory, a trio of telescopes designed to study the universe of ultraviolet astronomy. Because of Earth's protective ozone layer ultraviolet light from celestial objects does not reach gound-based telescopes, and such studies can only be conducted from space.

Documentation of logistics transfer from shuttle Spacehab

NASA Image and Video Library

1996-04-24

STS076-345-017 (22 - 31 March 1996) --- Onboard the Spacehab module in the cargo bay of the Earth-orbiting Space Shuttle Atlantis, astronaut Michael R. (Rich) Clifford secures a stowed gyrodyne. The stabilizing instrument earlier had been replaced on Russia's Mir Space Station with a new one brought up from the ground by the crew. The mission specialist and his crew mates docked with Mir on March 23, 1996 and remained linked until March 28, 1996.

STS-92 - Towing of Shuttle Discovery and Boeing 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA)

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-11-02

The Space Shuttle Discovery sits atop one of NASA’s modified Boeing 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft as the unusual piggyback duo is towed along a taxiway at NASA’s Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards, California. The Discovery was ferried from NASA Dryden to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on November 2, 2000, after extensive pre-ferry servicing and preparations.

Sensitivity of Space Shuttle Weight and Cost to Structure Subsystem Weights

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wedge, T. E.; Williamson, R. P.

1973-01-01

Quantitative relationships between changes in space shuttle weights and costs with changes in weight of various portions of space shuttle structural subsystems are investigated. These sensitivity relationships, as they apply at each of three points in the development program (preliminary design phase, detail design phase, and test/operational phase) have been established for five typical space shuttle designs, each of which was responsive to the missions in the NASA Shuttle RFP, and one design was that selected by NASA.

Post-Challenger evaluation of space shuttle risk assessment and management

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1988-01-01

As the shock of the Space Shuttle Challenger accident began to subside, NASA initiated a wide range of actions designed to ensure greater safety in various aspects of the Shuttle system and an improved focus on safety throughout the National Space Transportation System (NSTS) Program. Certain specific features of the NASA safety process are examined: the Critical Items List (CIL) and the NASA review of the Shuttle primary and backup units whose failure might result in the loss of life, the Shuttle vehicle, or the mission; the failure modes and effects analyses (FMEA); and the hazard analysis and their review. The conception of modern risk management, including the essential element of objective risk assessment is described and it is contrasted with NASA's safety process in general terms. The discussion, findings, and recommendations regarding particular aspects of the NASA STS safety assurance process are reported. The 11 subsections each deal with a different aspect of the process. The main lessons learned by SCRHAAC in the course of the audit are summarized.

The Raffaello, a Multi-Purpose Logistics Module, arrives at KSC aboard a Beluga super transporter

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1999-01-01

An Airbus Industrie A300-600ST 'Beluga' Super Transporter touches down at the Shuttle Landing Facility to deliver its cargo, the second Multi-Purpose Logistics Module (MPLM) for the International Space Station (ISS). One of Italy's major contributions to the ISS program, the MPLM, named Raffaello, is a reusable logistics carrier and the primary delivery system used to resupply and return station cargo requiring a pressurized environment. Weighing nearly 4.5 tons, the module measures 21 feet long and 15 feet in diameter. Raffaello will join Leonardo, the first Italian-built MPLM, in the Space Station Processing Facility for testing. NASA, Boeing, the Italian Space Agency and Alenia Aerospazio will provide engineering support.

The Raffaello, a Multi-Purpose Logistics Module, arrives at KSC aboard a Beluga super transporter

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1999-01-01

An Airbus Industrie A300-600ST 'Beluga' Super Transporter lands in the rain at the Shuttle Landing Facility to deliver its cargo, the second Multi-Purpose Logistics Module (MPLM) for the International Space Station (ISS). One of Italy's major contributions to the ISS program, the MPLM, named Raffaello, is a reusable logistics carrier and the primary delivery system used to resupply and return station cargo requiring a pressurized environment. Weighing nearly 4.5 tons, the module measures 21 feet long and 15 feet in diameter. Raffaello will join Leonardo, the first Italian-built MPLM, in the Space Station Processing Facility for testing. NASA, Boeing, the Italian Space Agency and Alenia Aerospazio will provide engineering support.

Space Shuttle Project

NASA Image and Video Library

1996-12-16

A NASA scientist displays Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME) turbine component which underwent air flow tests at Marshall's Structures and Dynamics Lab. Such studies could improve efficiency of aircraft engines, and lower operational costs.

Managing NASA's International Space Station Logistics and Maintenance program

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Butina, Anthony J.

2001-02-01

The International Space Station will be a permanently manned orbiting vehicle that has no landing gear, no international borders, and no organizational lines-it is one Station that must be supported by one crew, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. It flies partially assembled for a number of years before it is finally complete in April of 2006. Space logistics is a new concept that will have wide reaching consequences for both space travel and life on Earth. What is it like to do something that no one has done before? What challenges do you face? What kind of organization do you put together to perform this type of task? How do you optimize your resources to procure what you need? How do you change a paradigm within a space agency? How do you coordinate and manage a one of a kind system with approximately 5,700 Orbital Replaceable Units (ORUs)? How do you plan for preventive and corrective maintenance, when you need to procure spare parts which number into the hundreds of thousands, from 127 major US vendors and 70 major international vendors? How do you transport large sections of ISS hardware around the country? These are some of the topics discussed in this paper. From conception to operation, the ISS requires a unique approach in all aspects of development and operation. Today the dream is coming true; hardware is flying and hardware is failing. The system has been put into place to support the Station and only time will tell if we did it right. This paper discusses some of the experiences of the author after working 12 years on the International Space Station's integrated logistics & maintenance program. From his early days as a contractor supportability engineer and manager, to the NASA manager responsible for the entire ISS Logistics and Maintenance program. .

Space Shuttle Projects Overview to Columbia Air Forces War College

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Singer, Jody; McCool, Alex (Technical Monitor)

2000-01-01

This paper presents, in viewgraph form, a general overview of space shuttle projects. Some of the topics include: 1) Space Shuttle Projects; 2) Marshall Space Flight Center Space Shuttle Projects Office; 3) Space Shuttle Propulsion systems; 4) Space Shuttle Program Major Sites; 5) NASA Office of Space flight (OSF) Center Roles in Space Shuttle Program; 6) Space Shuttle Hardware Flow; and 7) Shuttle Flights To Date.

An Overview of Quantitative Risk Assessment of Space Shuttle Propulsion Elements

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Safie, Fayssal M.

1998-01-01

Since the Space Shuttle Challenger accident in 1986, NASA has been working to incorporate quantitative risk assessment (QRA) in decisions concerning the Space Shuttle and other NASA projects. One current major NASA QRA study is the creation of a risk model for the overall Space Shuttle system. The model is intended to provide a tool to estimate Space Shuttle risk and to perform sensitivity analyses/trade studies, including the evaluation of upgrades. Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) is a part of the NASA team conducting the QRA study; MSFC responsibility involves modeling the propulsion elements of the Space Shuttle, namely: the External Tank (ET), the Solid Rocket Booster (SRB), the Reusable Solid Rocket Motor (RSRM), and the Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME). This paper discusses the approach that MSFC has used to model its Space Shuttle elements, including insights obtained from this experience in modeling large scale, highly complex systems with a varying availability of success/failure data. Insights, which are applicable to any QRA study, pertain to organizing the modeling effort, obtaining customer buy-in, preparing documentation, and using varied modeling methods and data sources. Also provided is an overall evaluation of the study results, including the strengths and the limitations of the MSFC QRA approach and of qRA technology in general.

Report of the Space Shuttle Management Independent Review Team

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1995-01-01

At the request of the NASA Administrator a team was formed to review the Space Shuttle Program and propose a new management system that could significantly reduce operating costs. Composed of a group of people with broad and extensive experience in spaceflight and related areas, the team received briefings from the NASA organizations and most of the supporting contractors involved in the Shuttle Program. In addition, a number of chief executives from the supporting contractors provided advice and suggestions. The team found that the present management system has functioned reasonably well despite its diffuse structure. The team also determined that the shuttle has become a mature and reliable system, and--in terms of a manned rocket-propelled space launch system--is about as safe as today's technology will provide. In addition, NASA has reduced shuttle operating costs by about 25 percent over the past 3 years. The program, however, remains in a quasi-development mode and yearly costs remain higher than required. Given the current NASA-contractor structure and incentives, it is difficult to establish cost reduction as a primary goal and implement changes to achieve efficiencies. As a result, the team sought to create a management structure and associated environment that enables and motivates the Program to further reduce operational costs. Accordingly, the review team concluded that the NASA Space Shuttle Program should (1) establish a clear set of program goals, placing a greater emphasis on cost-efficient operations and user-friendly payload integration; (2) redefine the management structure, separating development and operations and disengaging NASA from the daily operation of the space shuttle; and (3) provide the necessary environment and conditions within the program to pursue these goals.

Report of the Space Shuttle Management Independent Review Team

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

1995-02-01

At the request of the NASA Administrator a team was formed to review the Space Shuttle Program and propose a new management system that could significantly reduce operating costs. Composed of a group of people with broad and extensive experience in spaceflight and related areas, the team received briefings from the NASA organizations and most of the supporting contractors involved in the Shuttle Program. In addition, a number of chief executives from the supporting contractors provided advice and suggestions. The team found that the present management system has functioned reasonably well despite its diffuse structure. The team also determined that the shuttle has become a mature and reliable system, and--in terms of a manned rocket-propelled space launch system--is about as safe as today's technology will provide. In addition, NASA has reduced shuttle operating costs by about 25 percent over the past 3 years. The program, however, remains in a quasi-development mode and yearly costs remain higher than required. Given the current NASA-contractor structure and incentives, it is difficult to establish cost reduction as a primary goal and implement changes to achieve efficiencies. As a result, the team sought to create a management structure and associated environment that enables and motivates the Program to further reduce operational costs. Accordingly, the review team concluded that the NASA Space Shuttle Program should (1) establish a clear set of program goals, placing a greater emphasis on cost-efficient operations and user-friendly payload integration; (2) redefine the management structure, separating development and operations and disengaging NASA from the daily operation of the space shuttle; and (3) provide the necessary environment and conditions within the program to pursue these goals.

Documentation of logistics transfer from shuttle Spacehab

NASA Image and Video Library

1996-04-24

STS076-345-019 (22 - 31 March 1996) --- Onboard the Spacehab Module in the cargo bay of the Earth-orbiting Space Shuttle Atlantis, astronaut Richard A. Searfoss fetches a battery which is to be transferred to Russia's Mir Space Station. The pilot and his crew mates docked with Mir on March 23, 1996, and remained linked until March 28, 1996. At right is a stowed gyrodyne, which earlier had been replaced on Mir with a new one brought up from the ground by the STS-76 crew.

NASA Research Center Contributions to Space Shuttle Return to Flight (SSRTF)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cockrell, Charles E., Jr.; Barnes, Robert S.; Belvin, Harry L.; Allmen, John; Otero, Angel

2005-01-01

Contributions provided by the NASA Research Centers to key Space Shuttle return-to-flight milestones, with an emphasis on debris and Thermal Protection System (TPS) damage characterization, are described herein. Several CAIB recommendations and Space Shuttle Program directives deal with the mitigation of external tank foam insulation as a debris source, including material characterization as well as potential design changes, and an understanding of Orbiter TPS material characteristics, damage scenarios, and repair options. Ames, Glenn, and Langley Research Centers have performed analytic studies, conducted experimental testing, and developed new technologies, analysis tools, and hardware to contribute to each of these recommendations. For the External Tank (ET), these include studies of spray-on foam insulation (SOFI), investigations of potential design changes, and applications of advanced non-destructive evaluation (NDE) technologies to understand ET TPS shedding during liftoff and ascent. The end-to-end debris assessment included transport analysis to determine the probabilities of impact for various debris sources. For the Orbiter, methods were developed, and validated through experimental testing, to determine thresholds for potential damage of Orbiter TPS components. Analysis tools were developed and validated for on-orbit TPS damage assessments, especially in the area of aerothermal environments. Advanced NDE technologies were also applied to the Orbiter TPS components, including sensor technologies to detect wing leading edge impacts during liftoff and ascent. Work is continuing to develop certified TPS repair options and to develop improved methodologies for reinforced carbon-carbon (RCC) damage progression to assist in on-orbit repair decision philosophy.

User benefits and funding strategies. [technology assessment and economic analysis of the space shuttles and NASA Programs

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Archer, J. L.; Beauchamp, N. A.; Day, C. F.

1975-01-01

The justification, economic and technological benefits of NASA Space Programs (aside from pure scientific objectives), in improving the quality of life in the United States is discussed and outlined. Specifically, a three-step, systematic method is described for selecting relevant and highly beneficial payloads and instruments for the Interim Upper Stage (IUS) that will be used with the space shuttle until the space tug becomes available. Viable Government and private industry cost-sharing strategies which would maximize the number of IUS payloads, and the benefits obtainable under a limited NASA budget were also determined. Charts are shown which list the payload instruments, and their relevance in contributing to such areas as earth resources management, agriculture, weather forecasting, and many others.

Shared visions: Partnership of Rockwell International and NASA Cost Effectiveness Enhancements (CEE) for the space shuttle system integration program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bejmuk, Bohdan I.; Williams, Larry

1992-01-01

As a result of limited resources and tight fiscal constraints over the past several years, the defense and aerospace industries have experienced a downturn in business activity. The impact of fewer contracts being awarded has placed a greater emphasis for effectiveness and efficiency on industry contractors. It is clear that a reallocation of resources is required for America to continue to lead the world in space and technology. The key to technological and economic survival is the transforming of existing programs, such as the Space Shuttle Program, into more cost efficient programs so as to divert the savings to other NASA programs. The partnership between Rockwell International and NASA and their joint improvement efforts that resulted in significant streamlining and cost reduction measures to Rockwell International Space System Division's work on the Space Shuttle System Integration Contract is described. This work was a result of an established Cost Effectiveness Enhancement (CEE) Team formed initially in Fiscal Year 1991, and more recently expanded to a larger scale CEE Initiative in 1992. By working closely with the customer in agreeing to contract content, obtaining management endorsement and commitment, and involving the employees in total quality management (TQM) and continuous improvement 'teams,' the initial annual cost reduction target was exceeded significantly. The CEE Initiative helped reduce the cost of the Shuttle Systems Integration contract while establishing a stronger program based upon customer needs, teamwork, quality enhancements, and cost effectiveness. This was accomplished by systematically analyzing, challenging, and changing the established processes, practices, and systems. This examination, in nature, was work intensive due to the depth and breadth of the activity. The CEE Initiative has provided opportunities to make a difference in the way Rockwell and NASA work together - to update the methods and processes of the organizations

Shared visions: Partnership of Rockwell International and NASA Cost Effectiveness Enhancements (CEE) for the space shuttle system integration program

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bejmuk, Bohdan I.; Williams, Larry

As a result of limited resources and tight fiscal constraints over the past several years, the defense and aerospace industries have experienced a downturn in business activity. The impact of fewer contracts being awarded has placed a greater emphasis for effectiveness and efficiency on industry contractors. It is clear that a reallocation of resources is required for America to continue to lead the world in space and technology. The key to technological and economic survival is the transforming of existing programs, such as the Space Shuttle Program, into more cost efficient programs so as to divert the savings to other NASA programs. The partnership between Rockwell International and NASA and their joint improvement efforts that resulted in significant streamlining and cost reduction measures to Rockwell International Space System Division's work on the Space Shuttle System Integration Contract is described. This work was a result of an established Cost Effectiveness Enhancement (CEE) Team formed initially in Fiscal Year 1991, and more recently expanded to a larger scale CEE Initiative in 1992. By working closely with the customer in agreeing to contract content, obtaining management endorsement and commitment, and involving the employees in total quality management (TQM) and continuous improvement 'teams,' the initial annual cost reduction target was exceeded significantly. The CEE Initiative helped reduce the cost of the Shuttle Systems Integration contract while establishing a stronger program based upon customer needs, teamwork, quality enhancements, and cost effectiveness. This was accomplished by systematically analyzing, challenging, and changing the established processes, practices, and systems. This examination, in nature, was work intensive due to the depth and breadth of the activity. The CEE Initiative has provided opportunities to make a difference in the way Rockwell and NASA work together - to update the methods and processes of the organizations

Photonic Component Qualification and Implementation Activities at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ott, Melanie N.; Jin, Xiaodan Linda; Chuska, Richard F.; LaRocca, Frank V.; MacMurphy, Shawn L.; Matuszeski, Adam J.; Zellar, Ronald S.; Friedberg, Patricia R.; Malenab, Mary C.

2006-01-01

The photonics group in Code 562 at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center supports a variety of space flight programs at NASA including the: International Space Station (ISS), Shuttle Return to Flight Mission, Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), Express Logistics Carrier, and the NASA Electronic Parts and Packaging Program (NEPP). Through research, development, and testing of the photonic systems to support these missions much information has been gathered on practical implementations for space environments. Presented here are the highlights and lessons learned as a result of striving to satisfy the project requirements for high performance and reliable commercial optical fiber components for space flight systems. The approach of how to qualify optical fiber components for harsh environmental conditions, the physics of failure and development lessons learned will be discussed.

Launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis / STS-129 Mission

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-11-16

STS129-S-057 (16 Nov. 2009) --- From left, LeRoy Cain, NASA's deputy manager, Space Shuttle Program; Michael Coats, director of NASA's Johnson Space Center; and Bob Cabana, director of NASA's Kennedy Space Center, watch the launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis from the Operations Management Room, a glass partitioned area overlooking the main floor of Firing Room 4, in Kennedy's Launch Control Center. Liftoff of Atlantis from Launch Pad 39A on its STS-129 mission to the International Space Station came at 2:28 p.m. (EST) Nov. 16, 2009.

Shuttle Discovery Arrives at Udvar-Hazy

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-04-19

Workers from NASA Kennedy Space Center and United Space Alliance follow space shuttle Discovery as it arrives at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, Thursday, April 19, 2012 in Chantilly, Va. Discovery, the first orbiter retired from NASA’s shuttle fleet, which completed 39 missions, spent 365 days in space, orbited the Earth 5,830 times, and traveled 148,221,675 miles will take the place of Enterprise at the center to commemorate past achievements in space and to educate and inspire future generations of explorers at the center. Photo Credit: (NASA/Carla Cioffi)

Space Shuttle Projects

NASA Image and Video Library

1984-10-01

The Space Shuttle Discovery en route to Earth orbit for NASA's 51-A mission is reminiscent of a soaring Eagle. The red and white trailing stripes and the blue background, along with the presence of the Eagle, generate memories of America's 208 year-old history and traditions. The two satellites orbiting the Earth backgrounded amidst a celestial scene are a universal representation of the versatility of the Space Shuttle. White lettering against the blue border lists the surnames of the five-member crew.

Shuttle Transportation System Case-Study Development

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ransom, Khadijah

2012-01-01

A case-study collection was developed for NASA's Space Shuttle Program. Using lessons learned and documented by NASA KSC engineers, analysts, and contractors, decades of information related to processing and launching the Space Shuttle was gathered into a single database. The goal was to provide educators with an alternative means to teach real-world engineering processes and to enhance critical thinking, decision making, and problem solving skills. Suggested formats were created to assist both external educators and internal NASA employees to develop and contribute their own case-study reports to share with other educators and students. Via group project, class discussion, or open-ended research format, students will be introduced to the unique decision making process related to Shuttle missions and development. Teaching notes, images, and related documents will be made accessible to the public for presentation of Space Shuttle reports. Lessons investigated included the engine cutoff (ECO) sensor anomaly which occurred during mission STS-114. Students will be presented with general mission infom1ation as well as an explanation of ECO sensors. The project will conclude with the design of a website that allows for distribution of information to the public as well as case-study report submissions from other educators online.

An Analysis of Shuttle Crew Scheduling Violations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bristol, Douglas

2012-01-01

From the early years of the Space Shuttle program, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Shuttle crews have had a timeline of activities to guide them through their time on-orbit. Planners used scheduling constraints to build timelines that ensured the health and safety of the crews. If a constraint could not be met it resulted in a violation. Other agencies of the federal government also have scheduling constraints to ensure the safety of personnel and the public. This project examined the history of Space Shuttle scheduling constraints, constraints from Federal agencies and branches of the military and how these constraints may be used as a guide for future NASA and private spacecraft. This was conducted by reviewing rules and violations with regard to human aerospace scheduling constraints, environmental, political, social and technological factors, operating environment and relevant human factors. This study includes a statistical analysis of Shuttle Extra Vehicular Activity (EVA) related violations to determine if these were a significant producer of constraint violations. It was hypothesized that the number of SCSC violations caused by EVA activities were a significant contributor to the total number of violations for Shuttle/ISS missions. Data was taken from NASA data archives at the Johnson Space Center from Space Shuttle/ISS missions prior to the STS-107 accident. The results of the analysis rejected the null hypothesis and found that EVA violations were a significant contributor to the total number of violations. This analysis could help NASA and commercial space companies understand the main source of constraint violations and allow them to create constraint rules that ensure the safe operation of future human private and exploration missions. Additional studies could be performed to evaluate other variables that could have influenced the scheduling violations that were analyzed.

Upgrading the Space Shuttle.

DTIC Science & Technology

1999-01-01

Motors, Honda , Toyota , and Nissan ). By learning from and applying the technologies developed elsewhere, NASA could greatly leverage its funding for...assessing risks to the shuttle. The committee believes that this tool has the potential to be very helpful in assessing and comparing the impact of...environmental regulations). Figure 2-2 shows how the S&PU budget compared to the total shuttle budget during four different years since 1985

The crew of Space Shuttle mission STS-114 gathered in front of the shuttle Discovery following landing at Edwards Air Force Base, California, August 9, 2005

NASA Image and Video Library

2005-08-09

The crew of Space Shuttle mission STS-114 gathered in front of the shuttle Discovery following landing at Edwards Air Force Base, California, August 9, 2005. From left to right: Mission Specialist Stephen Robinson, Commander Eileen Collins, Mission Specialists Andrew Thomas, Wendy Lawrence, Soichi Noguchi and Charles Camarda, and Pilot James Kelly. Space Shuttle Discovery landed safely at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base in California at 5:11:22 a.m. PDT this morning, following the very successful 14-day STS-114 return to flight mission. During their two weeks in space, Commander Eileen Collins and her six crewmates tested out new safety procedures and delivered supplies and equipment the International Space Station. Discovery spent two weeks in space, where the crew demonstrated new methods to inspect and repair the Shuttle in orbit. The crew also delivered supplies, outfitted and performed maintenance on the International Space Station. A number of these tasks were conducted during three spacewalks. In an unprecedented event, spacewalkers were called upon to remove protruding gap fillers from the heat shield on Discovery's underbelly. In other spacewalk activities, astronauts installed an external platform onto the Station's Quest Airlock and replaced one of the orbital outpost's Control Moment Gyroscopes. Inside the Station, the STS-114 crew conducted joint operations with the Expedition 11 crew. They unloaded fresh supplies from the Shuttle and the Raffaello Multi-Purpose Logistics Module. Before Discovery undocked, the crews filled Raffeallo with unneeded items and returned to Shuttle payload bay. Discovery launched on July 26 and spent almost 14 days on orbit.

Space Shuttle redesign status

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brand, Vance D.

1986-01-01

NASA has conducted an extensive redesign effort for the Space Shutle in the aftermath of the STS 51-L Challenger accident, encompassing not only Shuttle vehicle and booster design but also such system-wide factors as organizational structure, management procedures, flight safety, flight operations, sustainable flight rate, and maintenance safeguards. Attention is presently given to Solid Rocket Booster redesign features, the Shuttle Main Engine's redesigned high pressure fuel and oxidizer turbopumps, the Shuttle Orbiter's braking and rollout (landing gear) system, the entry control mode of the flight control system, a 'split-S' abort maneuver for the Orbiter, and crew escape capsule proposals.

Leah Robson, Bridgette Puljiz and Zachary Johnson(back to camera) in the flight deck of NASA's 747 shuttle carrier during Take Your Children to Work Day

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-06-22

Leah Robson and Bridgette Puljiz of Tehachapi (seated) and Zachary Johnson of Palmdale (back to camera) look over the maze of dials and switches in the flight deck of NASA's modified Boeing 747 space shuttle carrier aircraft during Take Your Children to Work Day June 22 at NASA Dryden Flight Research Center.

Liftoff of STS-67 Space Shuttle Endeavour

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1995-01-01

Carrying a crew of seven and a complement of astronomic experiments, the Space Shuttle Endeavour embarks on NASA's longest Shuttle flight to date. Endeavour's liftoff from Launch Pad 39A occurred at 1:38:13 a.m. (EST), March 2, 1995.

Liftoff of STS-67 Space Shuttle Endeavour

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1995-01-01

Carrying a crew of seven and a compliment of astronomic experiments, the Space Shuttle Endeavour embarks on NASA's longest Shuttle flight to date. Endeavour's liftoff from Launch Pad 39A occurred at 1:38:13 a.m. (EST), March 2, 1995.

Space Shuttle Discovery Fly-Over

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-04-17

Jarod Ondas (left), of Virginia, and his brother Austin, watch as space shuttle Discovery approaches the National Air and Space Museum’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center for its fly-over, Tuesday, April 17, 2012, in Chantilly, Va. Discovery, the first orbiter retired from NASA’s shuttle fleet, completed 39 missions, spent 365 days in space, orbited the Earth 5,830 times, and traveled 148,221,675 miles. NASA will transfer Discovery to the National Air and Space Museum to begin its new mission to commemorate past achievements in space and to educate and inspire future generations of explorers. Photo Credit: (NASA/Carla Cioffi)

Space Shuttle Placement Announcement

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-04-12

NASA Administrator Charles Bolden announces where four space shuttle orbiters will be permanently displayed at the conclusion of the Space Shuttle Program during an event held at one of the Orbiter Processing Facilities, Tuesday, April 12, 2011, at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla. The four orbiters, Enterprise, which currently is on display at the Smithsonian's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center near Washington Dulles International Airport, will move to the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in New York, Discovery will move to Udvar-Hazy, Endeavour will be displayed at the California Science Center in Los Angeles and Atlantis, in background, will be displayed at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor’s Complex. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Space Shuttle Placement Announcement

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-04-12

Endeavour Vehicle Manager for United Space Alliance Mike Parrish speaks at an event where NASA Administrator Charles Bolden announced where four space shuttle orbiters will be permanently displayed at the conclusion of the Space Shuttle Program, Tuesday, April 12, 2011, at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla. The four orbiters, Enterprise, which currently is on display at the Smithsonian's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center near Washington Dulles International Airport, will move to the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in New York, Discovery will move to Udvar-Hazy, Endeavour will be displayed at the California Science Center in Los Angeles and Atlantis, in background, will be displayed at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor’s Complex. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Space Shuttle Familiarization

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mellett, Kevin

2006-01-01

This slide presentation visualizes the NASA space center and research facility sites, as well as the geography, launching sites, launching pads, rocket launching, pre-flight activities, and space shuttle ground operations located at NASA Kennedy Space Center. Additionally, highlights the international involvement behind the International Space Station and the space station mobile servicing system. Extraterrestrial landings, surface habitats and habitation systems, outposts, extravehicular activity, and spacecraft rendezvous with the Earth return vehicle are also covered.

Space Shuttle Atlantis Move

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-11-02

Onlookers wearing commemorative t-shirts watch as space shuttle Atlantis rolls to ts new home at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, early Friday, Nov. 2, 2012, in Cape Canaveral, Fla. The spacecraft traveled 125,935,769 miles during 33 spaceflights, including 12 missions to the International Space Station. Its final flight, STS-135, closed out the Space Shuttle Program era with a landing on July 21, 2011. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

The Raffaello, a Multi-Purpose Logistics Module, arrives at KSC aboard a Beluga super transporter

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1999-01-01

An Airbus Industrie A300-600ST 'Beluga' Super Transporter is reflected in the rain puddles as it comes to a stop at the Shuttle Landing Facility. The Beluga is carrying the Raffaello, the second Multi-Purpose Logistics Module (MPLM) for the International Space Station (ISS). One of Italy's major contributions to the ISS program, the MPLM is a reusable logistics carrier and the primary delivery system used to resupply and return station cargo requiring a pressurized environment. Weighing nearly 4.5 tons, the module measures 21 feet long and 15 feet in diameter. Raffaello will join Leonardo, the first Italian-built MPLM, in the Space Station Processing Facility for testing. NASA, Boeing, the Italian Space Agency and Alenia Aerospazio will provide engineering support.

The Raffaello, a Multi-Purpose Logistics Module, arrives at KSC aboard a Beluga super transporter

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1999-01-01

An Airbus Industrie A300-600ST 'Beluga' Super Transporter is reflected in the rain puddles as it taxis toward the mate/demate tower at the Shuttle Landing Facility. The Beluga is carrying the Raffaello, the second Multi-Purpose Logistics Module (MPLM) for the International Space Station (ISS). One of Italy's major contributions to the ISS program, the MPLM is a reusable logistics carrier and the primary delivery system used to resupply and return station cargo requiring a pressurized environment. Weighing nearly 4.5 tons, the module measures 21 feet long and 15 feet in diameter. Raffaello will join Leonardo, the first Italian-built MPLM, in the Space Station Processing Facility for testing. NASA, Boeing, the Italian Space Agency and Alenia Aerospazio will provide engineering support.

A convoy of specialized support vehicles follow the Space Shuttle Endeavour as it is towed up a taxiway at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center on Edwards Air Force Base, California, after landing on May 1, 2001

NASA Image and Video Library

2001-05-01

A convoy of specialized support vehicles follow the Space Shuttle Endeavour as it is towed up a taxiway at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center on Edwards Air Force Base, California, after landing on May 1, 2001. The two largest vehicles trailing the shuttle provide electrical power and air conditioning to the shuttle's systems during post-flight recovery operations. The Endeavour had just completed mission STS-100, an almost 12-day mission to install the Canadarm 2 robotic arm and deliver some three tons of supplies and experiments to the International Space Station. The landing was the 48th shuttle landing at Edwards since shuttle flights began in 1981. After post-flight processing, the Endeavour was mounted atop one of NASA's modified Boeing 747 shuttle carrier aircraft and ferried back to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on May 8, 2001.

The MATHEMATICA economic analysis of the Space Shuttle System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Heiss, K. P.

1973-01-01

Detailed economic analysis shows the Thrust Assisted Orbiter Space Shuttle System (TAOS) to be the most economic Space Shuttle configuration among the systems studied. The development of a TAOS Shuttle system is economically justified within a level of space activities between 300 and 360 Shuttle flights in the 1979-1990 period, or about 25 to 30 flights per year, well within the U.S. Space Program including NASA and DoD missions. If the NASA and DoD models are taken at face value (624 flights), the benefits of the Shuttle system are estimated to be $13.9 billion with a standard deviation of plus or minus $1.45 billion in 1970 dollars (at a 10% social rate of discount). If the expected program is modified to 514 flights (in the 1979-1990 period), the estimated benefits of the Shuttle system are $10.2 billion, with a standard deviation of $940 million (at a 10% social rate of discount).

NASA Shuttle Lightning Research: Observations of Nocturnal Thunderstorms and Lightning Displays as Seen During Recent Space Shuttle Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Vaughan, Otha H., Jr.

1994-01-01

A number of interesting lightning events have been observed using the low light level TV camera of the space shuttle during nighttime observations of thunderstorms near the limb of the Earth. Some of the vertical type lightning events that have been observed will be presented. Using TV cameras for observing lightning near the Earth's limb allows one to determine the location of the lightning and other characteristics by using the star field data and the shuttle's orbital position to reconstruct the geometry of the scene being viewed by the shuttle's TV cameras which are located in the payload bay of the shuttle.

Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM)

USGS Publications Warehouse

,

2009-01-01

Under an agreement with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the Department of Defense's National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA), the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is distributing elevation data from the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM). The SRTM is a joint project of NASA and NGA to map the Earth's land surface in three dimensions at an unprecedented level of detail. As part of space shuttle Endeavour's flight during February 11-22, 2000, the SRTM successfully collected data over 80 percent of the Earth's land surface for most of the area between latitudes 60 degrees north and 56 degrees south. The SRTM hardware included the Spaceborne Imaging Radar-C (SIR-C) and X-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (X-SAR) systems that had flown twice previously on other space shuttle missions. The SRTM data were collected with a technique known as interferometry that allows image data from dual radar antennas to be processed for the extraction of ground heights.

Landing of Space Shuttle Atlantis / STS-125 Mission

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-05-24

STS125-S-062 (24 May 2009) --- Space Shuttle Atlantis touches down on Runway 22 at Edwards Air Force Base in California, ending the STS-125 mission to repair and upgrade NASA?s Hubble Space Telescope. Onboard are astronauts Scott Altman, commander; Gregory C. Johnson, pilot; Michael Good, Megan McArthur, John Grunsfeld, Mike Massimino and Andrew Feustel, all mission specialists. The main landing gear touched down at 8:39:05 a.m. (PDT) on May 24, 2009. Nose gear touchdown was at 8:39:15 a.m. Wheel-stop was at 8:40:15 a.m., bringing the mission?s elapsed time to 12 days, 21 hours, 37 minutes, 9 seconds. Landing opportunities on May 22, May 23 and May 24 were waved off due to weather concerns at NASA?s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the shuttle?s primary landing site. Through five spacewalks, the Hubble Space Telescope was refurbished and upgraded with state-of-the-art science instruments that will expand Hubble's capabilities and extend its operational lifespan through at least 2014.

Landing of Space Shuttle Atlantis / STS-125 Mission

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-05-24

STS125-S-064 (24 May 2009) --- Space Shuttle Atlantis approaches landing on Runway 22 at Edwards Air Force Base in California, ending the STS-125 mission to repair and upgrade NASA?s Hubble Space Telescope. Onboard are astronauts Scott Altman, commander; Gregory C. Johnson, pilot; Michael Good, Megan McArthur, John Grunsfeld, Mike Massimino and Andrew Feustel, all mission specialists. The main landing gear touched down at 8:39:05 a.m. (PDT) on May 24, 2009. Nose gear touchdown was at 8:39:15 a.m. Wheel-stop was at 8:40:15 a.m., bringing the mission?s elapsed time to 12 days, 21 hours, 37 minutes, 9 seconds. Landing opportunities on May 22, May 23 and May 24 were waved off due to weather concerns at NASA?s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the shuttle?s primary landing site. Through five spacewalks, the Hubble Space Telescope was refurbished and upgraded with state-of-the-art science instruments that will expand Hubble's capabilities and extend its operational lifespan through at least 2014.

Landing of Space Shuttle Atlantis / STS-125 Mission

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-05-24

STS125-S-063 (24 May 2009) --- Space Shuttle Atlantis approaches landing on Runway 22 at Edwards Air Force Base in California, ending the STS-125 mission to repair and upgrade NASA?s Hubble Space Telescope. Onboard are astronauts Scott Altman, commander; Gregory C. Johnson, pilot; Michael Good, Megan McArthur, John Grunsfeld, Mike Massimino and Andrew Feustel, all mission specialists. The main landing gear touched down at 8:39:05 a.m. (PDT) on May 24, 2009. Nose gear touchdown was at 8:39:15 a.m. Wheel-stop was at 8:40:15 a.m., bringing the mission?s elapsed time to 12 days, 21 hours, 37 minutes, 9 seconds. Landing opportunities on May 22, May 23 and May 24 were waved off due to weather concerns at NASA?s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the shuttle?s primary landing site. Through five spacewalks, the Hubble Space Telescope was refurbished and upgraded with state-of-the-art science instruments that will expand Hubble's capabilities and extend its operational lifespan through at least 2014.

Maintaining space shuttle safety within an environment of change

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Greenfield, Michael A.

1999-09-01

In the 10 years since the Challenger accident, NASA has developed a set of stable and capable processes to prepare the Space Shuttle for safe launch and return. Capitalizing on the extensive experience gained from a string of over 50 successful flights, NASA today is changing the way it does business in an effort to reduce cost. A single Shuttle Flight Operations Contractor (SFOC) has been chosen to operate the Shuttle. The Government role will change from direct "oversight" to "insight" gained through understanding and measuring the contractor's processes. This paper describes the program management changes underway and the NASA Safety and Mission Assurance (S&MA) organization's philosophy, role, and methodology for pursuing this new approach. It describes how audit and surveillance will replace direct oversight and how meaningful performance metrics will be implemented.

NASA 947 and NASA 904 during training flight over White Sands, New Mexico

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1982-01-01

NASA 947 and NASA 904 during a training and familiarization flight over White Sands, New Mexico. The Gulfstream aircraft on the left is NASA's Space Shuttle Training aircraft (STA) and the T-38 jet serves as a chase plane.

Space Shuttle Placement Announcement

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-04-12

A video highlighting the 30 years of space flight and more than 130 missions of the space shuttle transportation system is shown at an event where NASA Administrator Charles Bolden announced where the four space shuttle orbiters will be permanently displayed, Tuesday, April 12, 2011, at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla. The four orbiters, Enterprise, which currently is on display at the Smithsonian's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center near Washington Dulles International Airport, will move to the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in New York, Discovery will move to Udvar-Hazy, Endeavour will be displayed at the California Science Center in Los Angeles and Atlantis, in background, will be displayed at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor’s Complex. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Launch of space shuttle Challenger on the 41-C mission

NASA Image and Video Library

1984-04-06

41C-3029 (6 April 1984) --- The space shuttle Challenger and its five-member astronaut crew leave the launch pad at the Kennedy Space Center to begin a six-day stay in space. Astronaut John W. Young, a veteran of two shuttle missions and six spaceflights overall, recorded the image with a handheld 70mm camera from the shuttle training aircraft which he was using to monitor environmental conditions around Florida. This is the eighth mission on which Young photographed one of NASA's orbiter vehicles beginning its orbital stay. Photo credit: NASA

NASA Pocket Statistics: 1997 Edition

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1997-01-01

POCKET STATISTICS is published by the NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION (NASA). Included in each edition is Administrative and Organizational information, summaries of Space Flight Activity including the NASA Major Launch Record, Aeronautics and Space Transportation and NASA Procurement, Financial and Workforce data. The NASA Major Launch Record includes all launches of Scout class and larger vehicles. Vehicle and spacecraft development flights are also included in the Major Launch Record. Shuttle missions are counted as one launch and one payload, where free flying payloads are not involved. All Satellites deployed from the cargo bay of the Shuttle and placed in a separate orbit or trajectory are counted as an additional payload.

STS-132 Space Shuttle Atlantis Launch

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-05-14

STS132-S-015 (14 May 2010) --- Space shuttle Atlantis and its six-member STS-132 crew head toward Earth orbit and rendezvous with the International Space Station. Liftoff was at 2:20 p.m. (EDT) on May 14, 2010, from launch pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. Onboard are NASA astronauts Ken Ham, commander; Tony Antonelli, pilot; Garrett Reisman, Michael Good, Steve Bowen and Piers Sellers, all mission specialists. The crew will deliver the Russian-built Mini-Research Module 1 (MRM-1) to the International Space Station. Named Rassvet, Russian for "dawn," the module is the second in a series of new pressurized components for Russia and will be permanently attached to the Earth-facing port of the Zarya Functional Cargo Block (FGB). Rassvet will be used for cargo storage and will provide an additional docking port to the station. Also aboard Atlantis is an Integrated Cargo Carrier, or ICC, an unpressurized flat bed pallet and keel yoke assembly used to support the transfer of exterior cargo from the shuttle to the station. STS-132 is the 34th mission to the station and the last scheduled flight for Atlantis. For more information on the STS-132 mission objectives, payload and crew, visit www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts132/index.html. Photo Credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller

STS-132 Space Shuttle Atlantis Launch

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-05-14

STS132-S-016 (14 May 2010) --- Space shuttle Atlantis and its six-member STS-132 crew head toward Earth orbit and rendezvous with the International Space Station. Liftoff was at 2:20 p.m. (EDT) on May 14, 2010, from launch pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. Onboard are NASA astronauts Ken Ham, commander; Tony Antonelli, pilot; Garrett Reisman, Michael Good, Steve Bowen and Piers Sellers, all mission specialists. The crew will deliver the Russian-built Mini-Research Module 1 (MRM-1) to the International Space Station. Named Rassvet, Russian for "dawn," the module is the second in a series of new pressurized components for Russia and will be permanently attached to the Earth-facing port of the Zarya Functional Cargo Block (FGB). Rassvet will be used for cargo storage and will provide an additional docking port to the station. Also aboard Atlantis is an Integrated Cargo Carrier, or ICC, an unpressurized flat bed pallet and keel yoke assembly used to support the transfer of exterior cargo from the shuttle to the station. STS-132 is the 34th mission to the station and the last scheduled flight for Atlantis. For more information on the STS-132 mission objectives, payload and crew, visit www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts132/index.html. Photo Credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller

STS-132 Space Shuttle Atlantis Launch

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-05-14

STS132-S-017 (14 May 2010) --- Space shuttle Atlantis and its six-member STS-132 crew head toward Earth orbit and rendezvous with the International Space Station. Liftoff was at 2:20 p.m. (EDT) on May 14, 2010, from launch pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. Onboard are NASA astronauts Ken Ham, commander; Tony Antonelli, pilot; Garrett Reisman, Michael Good, Steve Bowen and Piers Sellers, all mission specialists. The crew will deliver the Russian-built Mini-Research Module 1 (MRM-1) to the International Space Station. Named Rassvet, Russian for "dawn," the module is the second in a series of new pressurized components for Russia and will be permanently attached to the Earth-facing port of the Zarya Functional Cargo Block (FGB). Rassvet will be used for cargo storage and will provide an additional docking port to the station. Also aboard Atlantis is an Integrated Cargo Carrier, or ICC, an unpressurized flat bed pallet and keel yoke assembly used to support the transfer of exterior cargo from the shuttle to the station. STS-132 is the 34th mission to the station and the last scheduled flight for Atlantis. For more information on the STS-132 mission objectives, payload and crew, visit www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts132/index.html. Photo Credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller

NASA's Getaway Special.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Randal, Judith

1978-01-01

The "Getaway Special" is NASA's semiofficial program for low-budget researchers, who can arrange bookings for their own space experiments on regular flights of the space shuttle. Information about arranging for NASA to take individual experiment packages is presented. (LBH)

STS-118 Space Shuttle Crew Honored

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-09-10

NASA's Kennedy Space Center Education Specialists Linda Scauzillo and Christopher Blair take part in a special education session with local students at Epcot's Base21 Siemens VIP Center. The event was part of the day's activities honoring the space shuttle Endeavour crew of mission STS-118. The crew met with the media and paraded down Main Street. The event also honored teacher-turned-astronaut Barbara R. Morgan, who dedicated a plaque outside the Mission: Space attraction. The other crew members attending were Commander Scott Kelly, Pilot Charlie Hobaugh and Mission Specialists Tracy Caldwell, Dave Williams, Rick Mastracchio and Alvin Drew. Mission STS-118 was the 119th shuttle program flight and the 22nd flight to the International Space Station. Space shuttle Endeavour launched from NASA's Kennedy Space Center on Aug. 8 and landed Aug. 21. The mission delivered the S5 truss, continuing the assembly of the space station.

Shuttle Case Study Collection Website Development

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ransom, Khadijah S.; Johnson, Grace K.

2012-01-01

As a continuation from summer 2012, the Shuttle Case Study Collection has been developed using lessons learned documented by NASA engineers, analysts, and contractors. Decades of information related to processing and launching the Space Shuttle is gathered into a single database to provide educators with an alternative means to teach real-world engineering processes. The goal is to provide additional engineering materials that enhance critical thinking, decision making, and problem solving skills. During this second phase of the project, the Shuttle Case Study Collection website was developed. Extensive HTML coding to link downloadable documents, videos, and images was required, as was training to learn NASA's Content Management System (CMS) for website design. As the final stage of the collection development, the website is designed to allow for distribution of information to the public as well as for case study report submissions from other educators online.

Shuttle Discovery Arrives at Udvar-Hazy

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-04-19

Space shuttle Discovery is rolled toward the transfer ceremony at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center Thursday, April 19, 2012 in Chantilly, Va. Discovery will be permanently housed at the Udvar-Hazy Center, part of the Smithsonian Institution’s Air and Space Museum. Discovery, the first orbiter retired from NASA’s shuttle fleet, completed 39 missions, spent 365 days in space, orbited the Earth 5,830 times, and traveled 148,221,675 miles. NASA will transfer Discovery to the National Air and Space Museum to begin its new mission to commemorate past achievements in space and to educate and inspire future generations of explorers. Photo Credit: (NASA/Carla Cioffi)

Stennis Holds Last Planned Space Shuttle Engine Test

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2009-01-01

With 520 seconds of shake, rattle and roar on July 29, 2009 NASA's John C. Stennis Space Center marked the end of an era for testing the space shuttle main engines that have powered the nation's Space Shuttle Program for nearly three decades.

Independent verification and validation for Space Shuttle flight software

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1992-01-01

The Committee for Review of Oversight Mechanisms for Space Shuttle Software was asked by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) Office of Space Flight to determine the need to continue independent verification and validation (IV&V) for Space Shuttle flight software. The Committee found that the current IV&V process is necessary to maintain NASA's stringent safety and quality requirements for man-rated vehicles. Therefore, the Committee does not support NASA's plan to eliminate funding for the IV&V effort in fiscal year 1993. The Committee believes that the Space Shuttle software development process is not adequate without IV&V and that elimination of IV&V as currently practiced will adversely affect the overall quality and safety of the software, both now and in the future. Furthermore, the Committee was told that no organization within NASA has the expertise or the manpower to replace the current IV&V function in a timely fashion, nor will building this expertise elsewhere necessarily reduce cost. Thus, the Committee does not recommend moving IV&V functions to other organizations within NASA unless the current IV&V is maintained for as long as it takes to build comparable expertise in the replacing organization.

Liftoff of Space Shuttle Atlantis on mission STS-98

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2001-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- Space Shuttle Atlantis surpasses the full moon for beauty as it roars into the early evening sky trailing a tail of smoke. The upper portion catches the sun'''s rays as it climbs above the horizon and a flock of birds soars above the moon. Liftoff occurred at 6:13:02 p.m. EST. Along with a crew of five, Atlantis is carrying the U.S. Laboratory Destiny, a key module in the growth of the Space Station. Destiny will be attached to the Unity node on the Space Station using the Shuttle'''s robotic arm. Three spacewalks are required to complete the planned construction work during the 11-day mission. This mission marks the seventh Shuttle flight to the Space Station, the 23rd flight of Atlantis and the 102nd flight overall in NASA'''s Space Shuttle program. The planned landing is at KSC Feb. 18 about 1:39 p.m. EST.

Report of the Shuttle Processing Review Team

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1993-01-01

The intent of this report is to summarize the assessment of the shuttle processing operations at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) as requested by the NASA Administrator. He requested a team reaffirmation that safety is the number one priority and review operations to ensure confidence in the shuttle processing procedures at KSC.

Landing of Space Shuttle Atlantis / STS-125 Mission

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-05-24

STS125-S-065 (24 May 2009) --- Space Shuttle Atlantis? drag chute is deployed as the spacecraft rolls toward wheels stop on Runway 22 at Edwards Air Force Base in California, ending the STS-125 mission to repair and upgrade NASA?s Hubble Space Telescope. Onboard are astronauts Scott Altman, commander; Gregory C. Johnson, pilot; Michael Good, Megan McArthur, John Grunsfeld, Mike Massimino and Andrew Feustel, all mission specialists. The main landing gear touched down at 8:39:05 a.m. (PDT) on May 24, 2009. Nose gear touchdown was at 8:39:15 a.m. Wheel-stop was at 8:40:15 a.m., bringing the mission?s elapsed time to 12 days, 21 hours, 37 minutes, 9 seconds. Landing opportunities on May 22, May 23 and May 24 were waved off due to weather concerns at NASA?s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the shuttle?s primary landing site. Through five spacewalks, the Hubble Space Telescope was refurbished and upgraded with state-of-the-art science instruments that will expand Hubble's capabilities and extend its operational lifespan through at least 2014.

Landing of Space Shuttle Atlantis / STS-125 Mission

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-05-24

STS125-S-066 (24 May 2009) --- The STS-125 crew pose for a photo near Space Shuttle Atlantis on Runway 22 at Edwards Air Force Base in California following their landing which ended the STS-125 mission to repair and upgrade NASA?s Hubble Space Telescope. From the left are astronauts Mike Massimino, mission specialist; Gregory C. Johnson, pilot; Scott Altman, commander; Megan McArthur, John Grunsfeld, Andrew Feustel and Michael Good, all mission specialists. The main landing gear touched down at 8:39:05 a.m. (PDT) on May 24, 2009. Nose gear touchdown was at 8:39:15 a.m. Wheel-stop was at 8:40:15 a.m., bringing the mission?s elapsed time to 12 days, 21 hours, 37 minutes, 9 seconds. Landing opportunities on May 22, May 23 and May 24 were waved off due to weather concerns at NASA?s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the shuttle?s primary landing site. Through five spacewalks, Hubble was refurbished and upgraded with state-of-the-art science instruments that will expand Hubble's capabilities and extend its operational lifespan through at least 2014.

Structural analysis of a frangible nut used on the NASA Space Shuttle

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Metzinger, K.E.

A structural analysis methodology has been developed for the NASA 2.5-inch frangible nut used on the Space Shuttle. Two of these nuts are used to secure the External Tank to the aft end of the Orbiter. Both nuts must completely fracture before the Orbiter can safely separate from the External Tank. Ideally, only one of the two explosive boosters contained in each nut must detonate to completely break a nut. However, after an uncontrolled change in the Inconel 718 material processing, recent tests indicate that in certain circumstances both boosters may be required. This report details the material characterization andmore » subsequent structural analyses of nuts manufactured from two lots of Inconel 718. The nuts from the HSX lot were observed to consistently separate with only one booster, while the nuts from the HBT lot never completely fracture with a single booster. The material characterization requires only tensile test data and the determination of a tearing parameter based on a computer simulation of a tensile test. Subsequent structural analyses using the PRONTO2D finite element code correctly predict the differing response of nuts fabricated from these two lots. This agreement is important because it demonstrates that this technique can be used to screen lots of Inconel 718 before manufacturing frangible nuts from them. To put this new capability to practice, Sandia personnel have transferred this technology to the Pyrotechnics Group at NASA-JSC.« less

Crew/cargo and logistics module definition

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1971-01-01

The logistics requirements for the space station cargo, the initial buildup, and the 90 day resupply are presented, along with the conceptual selection for the orbiter crew accommodations and the GSS logistics system. Various module configurations are outlined; structural/mechanical, environmental, temperature, voice communication, and data bus subsystems are also reviewed. Ground operations and module prelaunch and launch operations are discussed, as well as logistics system interfaces for space shuttles and stations.

Shuttle Discovery Arrives at Udvar-Hazy

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-04-19

Space Shuttles Enterprise, left, and Discovery meet nose-to-nose during the a transfer ceremony at the Smithsonian's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, Thursday, April 19, 2012, in Chantilly, Va. Space shuttle Discovery, the first orbiter retired from NASA’s shuttle fleet, completed 39 missions, spent 365 days in space, orbited the Earth 5,830 times, and traveled 148,221,675 miles will take the place of Enterprise at the center to commemorate past achievements in space and to educate and inspire future generations of explorers at the center. Photo Credit: (NASA/Carla Cioffi)

NASA/MOD Operations Impacts from Shuttle Program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fitzpatrick, Michael; Mattes, Gregory; Grabois, Michael; Griffith, Holly

2011-01-01

Operations plays a pivotal role in the success of any human spaceflight program. This paper will highlight some of the core tenets of spaceflight operations from a systems perspective and use several examples from the Space Shuttle Program to highlight where the success and safety of a mission can hinge upon the preparedness and competency of the operations team. Further, awareness of the types of operations scenarios and impacts that can arise during human crewed space missions can help inform design and mission planning decisions long before a vehicle gets into orbit. A strong operations team is crucial to the development of future programs; capturing the lessons learned from the successes and failures of a past program will allow for safer, more efficient, and better designed programs in the future. No matter how well a vehicle is designed and constructed, there are always unexpected events or failures that occur during space flight missions. Preparation, training, real-time execution, and troubleshooting are skills and values of the Mission Operations Directorate (MOD) flight controller; these operational standards have proven invaluable to the Space Shuttle Program. Understanding and mastery of these same skills will be required of any operations team as technology advances and new vehicles are developed. This paper will focus on individual Space Shuttle mission case studies where specific operational skills, techniques, and preparedness allowed for mission safety and success. It will detail the events leading up to the scenario or failure, how the operations team identified and dealt with the failure and its downstream impacts. The various options for real-time troubleshooting will be discussed along with the operations team final recommendation, execution, and outcome. Finally, the lessons learned will be summarized along with an explanation of how these lessons were used to improve the operational preparedness of future flight control teams.

Under soggy skies on a Sunday morning, the Space Shuttle Endeavour is encased in the Mate-DeMate gantry during turnaround processing at NASA DFRC

NASA Image and Video Library

2008-12-07

Under soggy skies on a Sunday morning, the Space Shuttle Endeavour is encased in the Mate-DeMate gantry during turnaround processing at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center following its STS-126 landing at Edwards Air Force Base a week earlier.

NASA's space shuttle Atlantis and its 747 carrier taxied on the Edwards Air Force Base flightline as the unusual combination left for Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on March 1, 2001

NASA Image and Video Library

2001-03-01

NASA's space shuttle Atlantis and its 747 carrier taxied on the Edwards Air Force Base flightline as the unusual combination left for Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on March 1, 2001. Atlantis and the shuttle Columbia were both airborne on the same day as they migrated from California to Florida. Columbia underwent refurbishing at nearby Palmdale, California.

Shuttle: forever young?

PubMed

Sietzen, Frank

2002-01-01

NASA has started a 4-phase program of upgrades designed to increase safety and extend use of the space shuttles through the year 2020. Phase I is aimed at improving vehicle safety and supporting the space station. Phase II is aimed at combating obsolescence and includes a checkout launch and control system and protection from micrometeoroids and orbital debris. Phase III is designed to expand or enhance the capabilities of the shuttle and includes development of an auxiliary power unit, avionics, a channel-wall nozzle, extended nose landing gear, long-life fuel cells, a nontoxic orbital maneuvering system/reaction control system, and a water membrane evaporator. Phase IV is aimed at design of system changes that would alter the shuttle mold line and configuration; projects include a five-segment solid rocket booster, liquid flyback boosters, and a crew escape module.

Organizational Learning Post Catastrophic Events: A Descriptive Case Study Exploring NASA's Learning over Time Following Two Catastrophic Shuttle Accidents Using the Schwandt's Organizational Learning System Model

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Castro, Edgar Oscar

2013-01-01

A 30-year contribution of the Space Shuttle Program is the evolution of NASA's social actions through organizational learning. This study investigated how NASA learned over time following two catastrophic accidents. Schwandt's (1997) organizational Learning System Model (OLSM) characterized the learning in this High Reliability…

Shuttle - Mir Program Insignia

NASA Image and Video Library

1994-09-20

The rising sun signifies the dawn of a new era of human Spaceflight, the first phase of the United States/Russian space partnership, Shuttle-Mir. Mir is shown in its proposed final on orbit configuration. The Shuttle is shown in a generic tunnel/Spacehab configuration. The Shuttle/Mir combination, docked to acknowledge the union of the two space programs, orbits over an Earth devoid of any definable features or political borders to emphasize Earth as the home planet for all humanity. The individual stars near the Space Shuttle and the Russian Mir Space Station represent the previous individual accomplishments of Russia's space program and that of the United States. The binary star is a tribute to the previous United States-Russian joint human Spaceflight program, the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project (ASTP). The flags of the two nations are symbolized by flowing ribbons of the national colors interwoven in space to represent the two nations joint exploration of space. NASA SHUTTLE and PKA MNP are shown in the stylized logo fonts of the two agencies that are conducting this program.

STS-6 - PREFLIGHT - PAYLOADS - SHUTTLE (TRACKING DATA & RELAY SATELLITE [TDRS]) - KSC

NASA Image and Video Library

1982-12-09

S82-41171 (29 Nov. 1982) --- NASA?s tracking and data relay satellite (TDRS) is gently mated to its inertial upper stage (IUS), which will propel the satellite to a higher geosynchronous orbit after it is ejected from the Challenger?s cargo bay during STS-6. Another TDRS will be placed in orbit on a later shuttle mission. The two will provide communications between orbiting shuttle mission craft and the ground, resulting in increased real-time communication and eliminating the need for much of NASA?s extensive world-wide system of ground tracking stations. A more distant plan is to launch other TDRS to be used for commercial telecommunications and for handling peak loads. Photo credit: NASA

The Columbia Accident Investigation and The NASA Glenn Ballistic Impact Laboratory Contributions Supporting NASA's Return to Flight

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Melis, Matthew E.

2007-01-01

On February 1, 2003, the Space Shuttle Columbia broke apart during reentry, resulting in loss of the vehicle and its seven crewmembers. For the next several months, an extensive investigation of the accident ensued involving a nationwide team of experts from NASA, industry, and academia, spanning dozens of technical disciplines. The Columbia Accident Investigation Board (CAIB), a group of experts assembled to conduct an investigation independent of NASA, concluded in August, 2003 that the most likely cause of the loss of Columbia and its crew was a breach in the left wing leading edge Reinforced Carbon-Carbon (RCC) thermal protection system initiated by the impact of thermal insulating foam that had separated from the orbiters external fuel tank 81 seconds into the mission's launch. During reentry, this breach allowed superheated air to penetrate behind the leading edge and erode the aluminum structure of left wing, which ultimately led to the breakup of the orbiter. The findings of the CAIB were supported by ballistic impact tests, which simulated the physics of External Tank Foam impact on the RCC wing leading edge material. These tests ranged from fundamental material characterization tests to full-scale Orbiter Wing Leading Edge tests. Following the accident investigation, NASA spent the next 18 months focused on returning the shuttle safely to flight. In order to fully evaluate all potential impact threats from the many debris sources on the Space Shuttle during ascent, NASA instituted a significant impact testing program. The results from these tests led to the validation of high-fidelity computer models, capable of predicting actual or potential Shuttle impact events, were used in the certification of STS-114, NASA s Return to Flight Mission, as safe to fly. This presentation will provide a look into the inner workings of the Space Shuttle and a behind the scenes perspective on the impact analysis and testing done for the Columbia Accident Investigation and

Launch of STS-67 Space Shuttle Endeavour

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1995-01-01

Carrying a crew of seven and a complement of astronomic experiments, the Space Shuttle Endeavour embarks on NASA's longest shuttle flight to date. Endeavour's liftoff from Launch Pad 39A occurred at 1:38:13 a.m. (EST), March 2, 1995. In this view the fence line near the launch pad is evident in the foreground.

NASA Agency Overview Briefing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2006-01-01

The briefing opened with Dean Acosta (NASA Press Secretary) introducing Michael Griffin (NASA Administrator) and Bill Gerstenmaier (Associate Administrator for Space Operations). Bill Griffin stated that they would resume the Shuttle Fight to Return process, that the vehicle was remarkably clean and if the weather was good, the Shuttle would be ready to launch as scheduled. Bill Gerstenmaier stated that the preparations and processing of the vehicle went extremely well and they are looking forward to increasing the crew size to three. Then the floor was open to questions from the press.

NASA: Data on the Web.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Galica, Carol

1997-01-01

Provides an annotated bibliography of selected NASA Web sites for K-12 math and science teachers: the NASA Lewis Research Center Learning Technologies K-12 Home Page, Spacelink, NASA Quest, Basic Aircraft Design Page, International Space Station, NASA Shuttle Web Site, LIFTOFF to Space Education, Telescopes in Education, and Space Educator's…

Space Shuttle Projects

NASA Image and Video Library

1988-01-01

This artist's concept drawing depicts the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite-C (TDRS-C), which was the primary payload of the Space Shuttle Discovery on the STS-26 mission, launched on September 29, 1988. The TDRS system provides almost uninterrupted communications with Earth-orbiting Shuttles and satellites, and had replaced the intermittent coverage provided by globe-encircling ground tracking stations used during the early space program. The TDRS can transmit and receive data, and track a user spacecraft in a low Earth orbit. The deployment of TDRS-G on the STS-70 mission being the latest in the series, NASA has successfully launched six TDRSs.

Launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis STS-132

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-05-14

STS132-S-035 (14 May 2010) --- Space shuttle Atlantis and its six-member STS-132 crew head toward Earth orbit and rendezvous with the International Space Station. Liftoff was at 2:20 p.m. (EDT) on May 14, 2010, from launch pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. Onboard are NASA astronauts Ken Ham, commander; Tony Antonelli, pilot; Garrett Reisman, Michael Good, Steve Bowen and Piers Sellers, all mission specialists. The crew will deliver the Russian-built Mini-Research Module 1 (MRM-1) to the International Space Station. Named Rassvet, Russian for "dawn," the module is the second in a series of new pressurized components for Russia and will be permanently attached to the Earth-facing port of the Zarya Functional Cargo Block (FGB). Rassvet will be used for cargo storage and will provide an additional docking port to the station. Also aboard Atlantis is an Integrated Cargo Carrier, or ICC, an unpressurized flat bed pallet and keel yoke assembly used to support the transfer of exterior cargo from the shuttle to the station. STS-132 is the 34th mission to the station and the last scheduled flight for Atlantis. For more information on the STS-132 mission objectives, payload and crew, visit www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts132/index.html. Photo credit: NASA/Tony Gray and Tom Farrar

Launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis STS-132

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-05-14

STS132-S-051 (14 May 2010) --- Space shuttle Atlantis and its six-member STS-132 crew head toward Earth orbit and rendezvous with the International Space Station. Liftoff was at 2:20 p.m. (EDT) on May 14, 2010, from launch pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. Onboard are NASA astronauts Ken Ham, commander; Tony Antonelli, pilot; Garrett Reisman, Michael Good, Steve Bowen and Piers Sellers, all mission specialists. The crew will deliver the Russian-built Mini-Research Module 1 (MRM-1) to the International Space Station. Named Rassvet, Russian for "dawn," the module is the second in a series of new pressurized components for Russia and will be permanently attached to the Earth-facing port of the Zarya Functional Cargo Block (FGB). Rassvet will be used for cargo storage and will provide an additional docking port to the station. Also aboard Atlantis is an Integrated Cargo Carrier, or ICC, an unpressurized flat bed pallet and keel yoke assembly used to support the transfer of exterior cargo from the shuttle to the station. STS-132 is the 34th mission to the station and the last scheduled flight for Atlantis. For more information on the STS-132 mission objectives, payload and crew, visit www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts132/index.html. Photo credit: NASA/Sandra Joseph and Kevin O'Connell

Launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis STS-132

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-05-14

STS132-S-053 (14 May 2010) --- Space shuttle Atlantis and its six-member STS-132 crew head toward Earth orbit and rendezvous with the International Space Station. Liftoff was at 2:20 p.m. (EDT) on May 14, 2010, from launch pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. Onboard are NASA astronauts Ken Ham, commander; Tony Antonelli, pilot; Garrett Reisman, Michael Good, Steve Bowen and Piers Sellers, all mission specialists. The crew will deliver the Russian-built Mini-Research Module 1 (MRM-1) to the International Space Station. Named Rassvet, Russian for "dawn," the module is the second in a series of new pressurized components for Russia and will be permanently attached to the Earth-facing port of the Zarya Functional Cargo Block (FGB). Rassvet will be used for cargo storage and will provide an additional docking port to the station. Also aboard Atlantis is an Integrated Cargo Carrier, or ICC, an unpressurized flat bed pallet and keel yoke assembly used to support the transfer of exterior cargo from the shuttle to the station. STS-132 is the 34th mission to the station and the last scheduled flight for Atlantis. For more information on the STS-132 mission objectives, payload and crew, visit www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts132/index.html. Photo credit: NASA/Sandra Joseph and Kevin O'Connell

Launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis STS-132

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-05-14

STS132-S-061 (14 May 2010) --- Space shuttle Atlantis and its six-member STS-132 crew head toward Earth orbit and rendezvous with the International Space Station. Liftoff was at 2:20 p.m. (EDT) on May 14, 2010, from launch pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. Onboard are NASA astronauts Ken Ham, commander; Tony Antonelli, pilot; Garrett Reisman, Michael Good, Steve Bowen and Piers Sellers, all mission specialists. The crew will deliver the Russian-built Mini-Research Module 1 (MRM-1) to the International Space Station. Named Rassvet, Russian for "dawn," the module is the second in a series of new pressurized components for Russia and will be permanently attached to the Earth-facing port of the Zarya Functional Cargo Block (FGB). Rassvet will be used for cargo storage and will provide an additional docking port to the station. Also aboard Atlantis is an Integrated Cargo Carrier, or ICC, an unpressurized flat bed pallet and keel yoke assembly used to support the transfer of exterior cargo from the shuttle to the station. STS-132 is the 34th mission to the station and the last scheduled flight for Atlantis. For more information on the STS-132 mission objectives, payload and crew, visit www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts132/index.html. Photo credit: NASA/Sandra Joseph and Kevin O'Connell

Launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis STS-132

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-05-14

STS132-S-036 (14 May 2010) --- Space shuttle Atlantis and its six-member STS-132 crew head toward Earth orbit and rendezvous with the International Space Station. Liftoff was at 2:20 p.m. (EDT) on May 14, 2010, from launch pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. Onboard are NASA astronauts Ken Ham, commander; Tony Antonelli, pilot; Garrett Reisman, Michael Good, Steve Bowen and Piers Sellers, all mission specialists. The crew will deliver the Russian-built Mini-Research Module 1 (MRM-1) to the International Space Station. Named Rassvet, Russian for "dawn," the module is the second in a series of new pressurized components for Russia and will be permanently attached to the Earth-facing port of the Zarya Functional Cargo Block (FGB). Rassvet will be used for cargo storage and will provide an additional docking port to the station. Also aboard Atlantis is an Integrated Cargo Carrier, or ICC, an unpressurized flat bed pallet and keel yoke assembly used to support the transfer of exterior cargo from the shuttle to the station. STS-132 is the 34th mission to the station and the last scheduled flight for Atlantis. For more information on the STS-132 mission objectives, payload and crew, visit www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts132/index.html. Photo Credit: NASA/Tony Gray and Tom Farrar

Launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis STS-132

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-05-14

STS132-S-060 (14 May 2010) --- Space shuttle Atlantis and its six-member STS-132 crew head toward Earth orbit and rendezvous with the International Space Station. Liftoff was at 2:20 p.m. (EDT) on May 14, 2010, from launch pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. Onboard are NASA astronauts Ken Ham, commander; Tony Antonelli, pilot; Garrett Reisman, Michael Good, Steve Bowen and Piers Sellers, all mission specialists. The crew will deliver the Russian-built Mini-Research Module 1 (MRM-1) to the International Space Station. Named Rassvet, Russian for "dawn," the module is the second in a series of new pressurized components for Russia and will be permanently attached to the Earth-facing port of the Zarya Functional Cargo Block (FGB). Rassvet will be used for cargo storage and will provide an additional docking port to the station. Also aboard Atlantis is an Integrated Cargo Carrier, or ICC, an unpressurized flat bed pallet and keel yoke assembly used to support the transfer of exterior cargo from the shuttle to the station. STS-132 is the 34th mission to the station and the last scheduled flight for Atlantis. For more information on the STS-132 mission objectives, payload and crew, visit www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts132/index.html. Photo credit: NASA/Sandra Joseph and Kevin O'Connell

Launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis STS-132

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-05-14

STS132-S-039 (14 May 2010) --- Space shuttle Atlantis and its six-member STS-132 crew head toward Earth orbit and rendezvous with the International Space Station. Liftoff was at 2:20 p.m. (EDT) on May 14, 2010, from launch pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. Onboard are NASA astronauts Ken Ham, commander; Tony Antonelli, pilot; Garrett Reisman, Michael Good, Steve Bowen and Piers Sellers, all mission specialists. The crew will deliver the Russian-built Mini-Research Module 1 (MRM-1) to the International Space Station. Named Rassvet, Russian for "dawn," the module is the second in a series of new pressurized components for Russia and will be permanently attached to the Earth-facing port of the Zarya Functional Cargo Block (FGB). Rassvet will be used for cargo storage and will provide an additional docking port to the station. Also aboard Atlantis is an Integrated Cargo Carrier, or ICC, an unpressurized flat bed pallet and keel yoke assembly used to support the transfer of exterior cargo from the shuttle to the station. STS-132 is the 34th mission to the station and the last scheduled flight for Atlantis. For more information on the STS-132 mission objectives, payload and crew, visit www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts132/index.html. Photo credit: NASA/Sandra Joseph and Kevin O'Connell

Launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis STS-132

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-05-14

STS132-S-040 (14 May 2010) --- Space shuttle Atlantis and its six-member STS-132 crew head toward Earth orbit and rendezvous with the International Space Station. Liftoff was at 2:20 p.m. (EDT) on May 14, 2010, from launch pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. Onboard are NASA astronauts Ken Ham, commander; Tony Antonelli, pilot; Garrett Reisman, Michael Good, Steve Bowen and Piers Sellers, all mission specialists. The crew will deliver the Russian-built Mini-Research Module 1 (MRM-1) to the International Space Station. Named Rassvet, Russian for "dawn," the module is the second in a series of new pressurized components for Russia and will be permanently attached to the Earth-facing port of the Zarya Functional Cargo Block (FGB). Rassvet will be used for cargo storage and will provide an additional docking port to the station. Also aboard Atlantis is an Integrated Cargo Carrier, or ICC, an unpressurized flat bed pallet and keel yoke assembly used to support the transfer of exterior cargo from the shuttle to the station. STS-132 is the 34th mission to the station and the last scheduled flight for Atlantis. For more information on the STS-132 mission objectives, payload and crew, visit www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts132/index.html. Photo credit: NASA/Rusty Backer and Michael Gayle

Launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis STS-132

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-05-14

STS132-S-056 (14 May 2010) --- Space shuttle Atlantis and its six-member STS-132 crew head toward Earth orbit and rendezvous with the International Space Station. Liftoff was at 2:20 p.m. (EDT) on May 14, 2010, from launch pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. Onboard are NASA astronauts Ken Ham, commander; Tony Antonelli, pilot; Garrett Reisman, Michael Good, Steve Bowen and Piers Sellers, all mission specialists. The crew will deliver the Russian-built Mini-Research Module 1 (MRM-1) to the International Space Station. Named Rassvet, Russian for "dawn," the module is the second in a series of new pressurized components for Russia and will be permanently attached to the Earth-facing port of the Zarya Functional Cargo Block (FGB). Rassvet will be used for cargo storage and will provide an additional docking port to the station. Also aboard Atlantis is an Integrated Cargo Carrier, or ICC, an unpressurized flat bed pallet and keel yoke assembly used to support the transfer of exterior cargo from the shuttle to the station. STS-132 is the 34th mission to the station and the last scheduled flight for Atlantis. For more information on the STS-132 mission objectives, payload and crew, visit www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts132/index.html. Photo Credit: NASA/Tony Gray and Tom Farrar

Launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis STS-132

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-05-14

STS132-S-044 (14 May 2010) --- Space shuttle Atlantis and its six-member STS-132 crew head toward Earth orbit and rendezvous with the International Space Station. Liftoff was at 2:20 p.m. (EDT) on May 14, 2010, from launch pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. Onboard are NASA astronauts Ken Ham, commander; Tony Antonelli, pilot; Garrett Reisman, Michael Good, Steve Bowen and Piers Sellers, all mission specialists. The crew will deliver the Russian-built Mini-Research Module 1 (MRM-1) to the International Space Station. Named Rassvet, Russian for "dawn," the module is the second in a series of new pressurized components for Russia and will be permanently attached to the Earth-facing port of the Zarya Functional Cargo Block (FGB). Rassvet will be used for cargo storage and will provide an additional docking port to the station. Also aboard Atlantis is an Integrated Cargo Carrier, or ICC, an unpressurized flat bed pallet and keel yoke assembly used to support the transfer of exterior cargo from the shuttle to the station. STS-132 is the 34th mission to the station and the last scheduled flight for Atlantis. For more information on the STS-132 mission objectives, payload and crew, visit www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts132/index.html. Photo credit: NASA/Sandra Joseph and Kevin O'Connell

Launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis STS-132

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-05-14

STS132-S-063 (14 May 2010) --- Space shuttle Atlantis and its six-member STS-132 crew head toward Earth orbit and rendezvous with the International Space Station. Liftoff was at 2:20 p.m. (EDT) on May 14, 2010, from launch pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. Onboard are NASA astronauts Ken Ham, commander; Tony Antonelli, pilot; Garrett Reisman, Michael Good, Steve Bowen and Piers Sellers, all mission specialists. The crew will deliver the Russian-built Mini-Research Module 1 (MRM-1) to the International Space Station. Named Rassvet, Russian for "dawn," the module is the second in a series of new pressurized components for Russia and will be permanently attached to the Earth-facing port of the Zarya Functional Cargo Block (FGB). Rassvet will be used for cargo storage and will provide an additional docking port to the station. Also aboard Atlantis is an Integrated Cargo Carrier, or ICC, an unpressurized flat bed pallet and keel yoke assembly used to support the transfer of exterior cargo from the shuttle to the station. STS-132 is the 34th mission to the station and the last scheduled flight for Atlantis. For more information on the STS-132 mission objectives, payload and crew, visit www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts132/index.html. Photo credit: NASA/Tony Gray and Tom Farrar

Launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis STS-132

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-05-14

STS132-S-062 (14 May 2010) --- Space shuttle Atlantis and its six-member STS-132 crew head toward Earth orbit and rendezvous with the International Space Station. Liftoff was at 2:20 p.m. (EDT) on May 14, 2010, from launch pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. Onboard are NASA astronauts Ken Ham, commander; Tony Antonelli, pilot; Garrett Reisman, Michael Good, Steve Bowen and Piers Sellers, all mission specialists. The crew will deliver the Russian-built Mini-Research Module 1 (MRM-1) to the International Space Station. Named Rassvet, Russian for "dawn," the module is the second in a series of new pressurized components for Russia and will be permanently attached to the Earth-facing port of the Zarya Functional Cargo Block (FGB). Rassvet will be used for cargo storage and will provide an additional docking port to the station. Also aboard Atlantis is an Integrated Cargo Carrier, or ICC, an unpressurized flat bed pallet and keel yoke assembly used to support the transfer of exterior cargo from the shuttle to the station. STS-132 is the 34th mission to the station and the last scheduled flight for Atlantis. For more information on the STS-132 mission objectives, payload and crew, visit www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts132/index.html. Photo credit: NASA/Sandra Joseph and Kevin O'Connell

Launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis STS-132

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-05-14

STS132-S-050 (14 May 2010) --- Space shuttle Atlantis and its six-member STS-132 crew head toward Earth orbit and rendezvous with the International Space Station. Liftoff was at 2:20 p.m. (EDT) on May 14, 2010, from launch pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. Onboard are NASA astronauts Ken Ham, commander; Tony Antonelli, pilot; Garrett Reisman, Michael Good, Steve Bowen and Piers Sellers, all mission specialists. The crew will deliver the Russian-built Mini-Research Module 1 (MRM-1) to the International Space Station. Named Rassvet, Russian for "dawn," the module is the second in a series of new pressurized components for Russia and will be permanently attached to the Earth-facing port of the Zarya Functional Cargo Block (FGB). Rassvet will be used for cargo storage and will provide an additional docking port to the station. Also aboard Atlantis is an Integrated Cargo Carrier, or ICC, an unpressurized flat bed pallet and keel yoke assembly used to support the transfer of exterior cargo from the shuttle to the station. STS-132 is the 34th mission to the station and the last scheduled flight for Atlantis. For more information on the STS-132 mission objectives, payload and crew, visit www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts132/index.html. Photo credit: NASA/Sandra Joseph and Kevin O'Connell

Launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis STS-132

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-05-14

STS132-S-064 (14 May 2010) --- Space shuttle Atlantis and its six-member STS-132 crew head toward Earth orbit and rendezvous with the International Space Station. Liftoff was at 2:20 p.m. (EDT) on May 14, 2010, from launch pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. Onboard are NASA astronauts Ken Ham, commander; Tony Antonelli, pilot; Garrett Reisman, Michael Good, Steve Bowen and Piers Sellers, all mission specialists. The crew will deliver the Russian-built Mini-Research Module 1 (MRM-1) to the International Space Station. Named Rassvet, Russian for "dawn," the module is the second in a series of new pressurized components for Russia and will be permanently attached to the Earth-facing port of the Zarya Functional Cargo Block (FGB). Rassvet will be used for cargo storage and will provide an additional docking port to the station. Also aboard Atlantis is an Integrated Cargo Carrier, or ICC, an unpressurized flat bed pallet and keel yoke assembly used to support the transfer of exterior cargo from the shuttle to the station. STS-132 is the 34th mission to the station and the last scheduled flight for Atlantis. For more information on the STS-132 mission objectives, payload and crew, visit www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts132/index.html. Photo credit: NASA/Tony Gray and Tom Farrar

Launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis STS-132

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-05-14

STS132-S-058 (14 May 2010) --- Space shuttle Atlantis and its six-member STS-132 crew head toward Earth orbit and rendezvous with the International Space Station. Liftoff was at 2:20 p.m. (EDT) on May 14, 2010, from launch pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. Onboard are NASA astronauts Ken Ham, commander; Tony Antonelli, pilot; Garrett Reisman, Michael Good, Steve Bowen and Piers Sellers, all mission specialists. The crew will deliver the Russian-built Mini-Research Module 1 (MRM-1) to the International Space Station. Named Rassvet, Russian for "dawn," the module is the second in a series of new pressurized components for Russia and will be permanently attached to the Earth-facing port of the Zarya Functional Cargo Block (FGB). Rassvet will be used for cargo storage and will provide an additional docking port to the station. Also aboard Atlantis is an Integrated Cargo Carrier, or ICC, an unpressurized flat bed pallet and keel yoke assembly used to support the transfer of exterior cargo from the shuttle to the station. STS-132 is the 34th mission to the station and the last scheduled flight for Atlantis. For more information on the STS-132 mission objectives, payload and crew, visit www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts132/index.html. Photo credit: NASA/Tony Gray and Tom Farrar

Launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis STS-132

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-05-14

STS132-S-052 (14 May 2010) --- Space shuttle Atlantis and its six-member STS-132 crew head toward Earth orbit and rendezvous with the International Space Station. Liftoff was at 2:20 p.m. (EDT) on May 14, 2010, from launch pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. Onboard are NASA astronauts Ken Ham, commander; Tony Antonelli, pilot; Garrett Reisman, Michael Good, Steve Bowen and Piers Sellers, all mission specialists. The crew will deliver the Russian-built Mini-Research Module 1 (MRM-1) to the International Space Station. Named Rassvet, Russian for "dawn," the module is the second in a series of new pressurized components for Russia and will be permanently attached to the Earth-facing port of the Zarya Functional Cargo Block (FGB). Rassvet will be used for cargo storage and will provide an additional docking port to the station. Also aboard Atlantis is an Integrated Cargo Carrier, or ICC, an unpressurized flat bed pallet and keel yoke assembly used to support the transfer of exterior cargo from the shuttle to the station. STS-132 is the 34th mission to the station and the last scheduled flight for Atlantis. For more information on the STS-132 mission objectives, payload and crew, visit www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts132/index.html. Photo credit: NASA/Sandra Joseph and Kevin O'Connell

Launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis STS-132

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-05-14

STS132-S-038 (14 May 2010) --- Space shuttle Atlantis and its six-member STS-132 crew head toward Earth orbit and rendezvous with the International Space Station. Liftoff was at 2:20 p.m. (EDT) on May 14, 2010, from launch pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. Onboard are NASA astronauts Ken Ham, commander; Tony Antonelli, pilot; Garrett Reisman, Michael Good, Steve Bowen and Piers Sellers, all mission specialists. The crew will deliver the Russian-built Mini-Research Module 1 (MRM-1) to the International Space Station. Named Rassvet, Russian for "dawn," the module is the second in a series of new pressurized components for Russia and will be permanently attached to the Earth-facing port of the Zarya Functional Cargo Block (FGB). Rassvet will be used for cargo storage and will provide an additional docking port to the station. Also aboard Atlantis is an Integrated Cargo Carrier, or ICC, an unpressurized flat bed pallet and keel yoke assembly used to support the transfer of exterior cargo from the shuttle to the station. STS-132 is the 34th mission to the station and the last scheduled flight for Atlantis. For more information on the STS-132 mission objectives, payload and crew, visit www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts132/index.html. Photo credit: NASA/Sandra Joseph and Kevin O'Connell

Launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis STS-132

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-05-14

STS132-S-042 (14 May 2010) --- Space shuttle Atlantis and its six-member STS-132 crew head toward Earth orbit and rendezvous with the International Space Station. Liftoff was at 2:20 p.m. (EDT) on May 14, 2010, from launch pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. Onboard are NASA astronauts Ken Ham, commander; Tony Antonelli, pilot; Garrett Reisman, Michael Good, Steve Bowen and Piers Sellers, all mission specialists. The crew will deliver the Russian-built Mini-Research Module 1 (MRM-1) to the International Space Station. Named Rassvet, Russian for "dawn," the module is the second in a series of new pressurized components for Russia and will be permanently attached to the Earth-facing port of the Zarya Functional Cargo Block (FGB). Rassvet will be used for cargo storage and will provide an additional docking port to the station. Also aboard Atlantis is an Integrated Cargo Carrier, or ICC, an unpressurized flat bed pallet and keel yoke assembly used to support the transfer of exterior cargo from the shuttle to the station. STS-132 is the 34th mission to the station and the last scheduled flight for Atlantis. For more information on the STS-132 mission objectives, payload and crew, visit www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts132/index.html. Photo credit: NASA/Rusty Backer and Michael Gayle

Launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis STS-132

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-05-14

STS132-S-055 (14 May 2010) --- Space shuttle Atlantis and its six-member STS-132 crew head toward Earth orbit and rendezvous with the International Space Station. Liftoff was at 2:20 p.m. (EDT) on May 14, 2010, from launch pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. Onboard are NASA astronauts Ken Ham, commander; Tony Antonelli, pilot; Garrett Reisman, Michael Good, Steve Bowen and Piers Sellers, all mission specialists. The crew will deliver the Russian-built Mini-Research Module 1 (MRM-1) to the International Space Station. Named Rassvet, Russian for "dawn," the module is the second in a series of new pressurized components for Russia and will be permanently attached to the Earth-facing port of the Zarya Functional Cargo Block (FGB). Rassvet will be used for cargo storage and will provide an additional docking port to the station. Also aboard Atlantis is an Integrated Cargo Carrier, or ICC, an unpressurized flat bed pallet and keel yoke assembly used to support the transfer of exterior cargo from the shuttle to the station. STS-132 is the 34th mission to the station and the last scheduled flight for Atlantis. For more information on the STS-132 mission objectives, payload and crew, visit www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts132/index.html. Photo Credit: NASA/Tony Gray and Tom Farrar

Launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis STS-132

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-05-14

STS132-S-065 (14 May 2010) --- Space shuttle Atlantis and its six-member STS-132 crew head toward Earth orbit and rendezvous with the International Space Station. Liftoff was at 2:20 p.m. (EDT) on May 14, 2010, from launch pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. Onboard are NASA astronauts Ken Ham, commander; Tony Antonelli, pilot; Garrett Reisman, Michael Good, Steve Bowen and Piers Sellers, all mission specialists. The crew will deliver the Russian-built Mini-Research Module 1 (MRM-1) to the International Space Station. Named Rassvet, Russian for "dawn," the module is the second in a series of new pressurized components for Russia and will be permanently attached to the Earth-facing port of the Zarya Functional Cargo Block (FGB). Rassvet will be used for cargo storage and will provide an additional docking port to the station. Also aboard Atlantis is an Integrated Cargo Carrier, or ICC, an unpressurized flat bed pallet and keel yoke assembly used to support the transfer of exterior cargo from the shuttle to the station. STS-132 is the 34th mission to the station and the last scheduled flight for Atlantis. For more information on the STS-132 mission objectives, payload and crew, visit www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts132/index.html. Photo credit: NASA/Tony Gray and Tom Farrar

Launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis STS-132

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-05-14

STS132-S-037 (14 May 2010) --- Space shuttle Atlantis and its six-member STS-132 crew head toward Earth orbit and rendezvous with the International Space Station. Liftoff was at 2:20 p.m. (EDT) on May 14, 2010, from launch pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. Onboard are NASA astronauts Ken Ham, commander; Tony Antonelli, pilot; Garrett Reisman, Michael Good, Steve Bowen and Piers Sellers, all mission specialists. The crew will deliver the Russian-built Mini-Research Module 1 (MRM-1) to the International Space Station. Named Rassvet, Russian for "dawn," the module is the second in a series of new pressurized components for Russia and will be permanently attached to the Earth-facing port of the Zarya Functional Cargo Block (FGB). Rassvet will be used for cargo storage and will provide an additional docking port to the station. Also aboard Atlantis is an Integrated Cargo Carrier, or ICC, an unpressurized flat bed pallet and keel yoke assembly used to support the transfer of exterior cargo from the shuttle to the station. STS-132 is the 34th mission to the station and the last scheduled flight for Atlantis. For more information on the STS-132 mission objectives, payload and crew, visit www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts132/index.html. Photo Credit: NASA/Tony Gray and Tom Farrar

Launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis STS-132

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-05-14

STS132-S-057 (14 May 2010) --- Space shuttle Atlantis and its six-member STS-132 crew head toward Earth orbit and rendezvous with the International Space Station. Liftoff was at 2:20 p.m. (EDT) on May 14, 2010, from launch pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. Onboard are NASA astronauts Ken Ham, commander; Tony Antonelli, pilot; Garrett Reisman, Michael Good, Steve Bowen and Piers Sellers, all mission specialists. The crew will deliver the Russian-built Mini-Research Module 1 (MRM-1) to the International Space Station. Named Rassvet, Russian for "dawn," the module is the second in a series of new pressurized components for Russia and will be permanently attached to the Earth-facing port of the Zarya Functional Cargo Block (FGB). Rassvet will be used for cargo storage and will provide an additional docking port to the station. Also aboard Atlantis is an Integrated Cargo Carrier, or ICC, an unpressurized flat bed pallet and keel yoke assembly used to support the transfer of exterior cargo from the shuttle to the station. STS-132 is the 34th mission to the station and the last scheduled flight for Atlantis. For more information on the STS-132 mission objectives, payload and crew, visit www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts132/index.html. Photo credit: NASA/Tony Gray and Tom Farrar

Launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis STS-132

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-05-14

STS132-S-059 (14 May 2010) --- Space shuttle Atlantis and its six-member STS-132 crew head toward Earth orbit and rendezvous with the International Space Station. Liftoff was at 2:20 p.m. (EDT) on May 14, 2010, from launch pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. Onboard are NASA astronauts Ken Ham, commander; Tony Antonelli, pilot; Garrett Reisman, Michael Good, Steve Bowen and Piers Sellers, all mission specialists. The crew will deliver the Russian-built Mini-Research Module 1 (MRM-1) to the International Space Station. Named Rassvet, Russian for "dawn," the module is the second in a series of new pressurized components for Russia and will be permanently attached to the Earth-facing port of the Zarya Functional Cargo Block (FGB). Rassvet will be used for cargo storage and will provide an additional docking port to the station. Also aboard Atlantis is an Integrated Cargo Carrier, or ICC, an unpressurized flat bed pallet and keel yoke assembly used to support the transfer of exterior cargo from the shuttle to the station. STS-132 is the 34th mission to the station and the last scheduled flight for Atlantis. For more information on the STS-132 mission objectives, payload and crew, visit www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts132/index.html. Photo credit: NASA/Sandra Joseph and Kevin O'Connell

Launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis STS-132

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-05-14

STS132-S-033 (14 May 2010) --- Space shuttle Atlantis and its six-member STS-132 crew head toward Earth orbit and rendezvous with the International Space Station. Liftoff was at 2:20 p.m. (EDT) on May 14, 2010, from launch pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. Onboard are NASA astronauts Ken Ham, commander; Tony Antonelli, pilot; Garrett Reisman, Michael Good, Steve Bowen and Piers Sellers, all mission specialists. The crew will deliver the Russian-built Mini-Research Module 1 (MRM-1) to the International Space Station. Named Rassvet, Russian for "dawn," the module is the second in a series of new pressurized components for Russia and will be permanently attached to the Earth-facing port of the Zarya Functional Cargo Block (FGB). Rassvet will be used for cargo storage and will provide an additional docking port to the station. Also aboard Atlantis is an Integrated Cargo Carrier, or ICC, an unpressurized flat bed pallet and keel yoke assembly used to support the transfer of exterior cargo from the shuttle to the station. STS-132 is the 34th mission to the station and the last scheduled flight for Atlantis. For more information on the STS-132 mission objectives, payload and crew, visit www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts132/index.html. Photo credit: NASA/Sandra Joseph and Kevin O'Connell..

Launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis STS-132

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-05-14

STS132-S-066 (14 May 2010) --- Space shuttle Atlantis and its six-member STS-132 crew head toward Earth orbit and rendezvous with the International Space Station. Liftoff was at 2:20 p.m. (EDT) on May 14, 2010, from launch pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. Onboard are NASA astronauts Ken Ham, commander; Tony Antonelli, pilot; Garrett Reisman, Michael Good, Steve Bowen and Piers Sellers, all mission specialists. The crew will deliver the Russian-built Mini-Research Module 1 (MRM-1) to the International Space Station. Named Rassvet, Russian for "dawn," the module is the second in a series of new pressurized components for Russia and will be permanently attached to the Earth-facing port of the Zarya Functional Cargo Block (FGB). Rassvet will be used for cargo storage and will provide an additional docking port to the station. Also aboard Atlantis is an Integrated Cargo Carrier, or ICC, an unpressurized flat bed pallet and keel yoke assembly used to support the transfer of exterior cargo from the shuttle to the station. STS-132 is the 34th mission to the station and the last scheduled flight for Atlantis. For more information on the STS-132 mission objectives, payload and crew, visit www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts132/index.html. Photo Credit: NASA/Tony Gray and Tom Farrar

Launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis STS-132

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-05-14

STS132-S-054 (14 May 2010) --- Space shuttle Atlantis and its six-member STS-132 crew head toward Earth orbit and rendezvous with the International Space Station. Liftoff was at 2:20 p.m. (EDT) on May 14, 2010, from launch pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. Onboard are NASA astronauts Ken Ham, commander; Tony Antonelli, pilot; Garrett Reisman, Michael Good, Steve Bowen and Piers Sellers, all mission specialists. The crew will deliver the Russian-built Mini-Research Module 1 (MRM-1) to the International Space Station. Named Rassvet, Russian for "dawn," the module is the second in a series of new pressurized components for Russia and will be permanently attached to the Earth-facing port of the Zarya Functional Cargo Block (FGB). Rassvet will be used for cargo storage and will provide an additional docking port to the station. Also aboard Atlantis is an Integrated Cargo Carrier, or ICC, an unpressurized flat bed pallet and keel yoke assembly used to support the transfer of exterior cargo from the shuttle to the station. STS-132 is the 34th mission to the station and the last scheduled flight for Atlantis. For more information on the STS-132 mission objectives, payload and crew, visit www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts132/index.html. Photo Credit: NASA/Rusty Backer and Michael Gayle

Launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis STS-132

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-05-14

STS132-S-067 (14 May 2010) --- Space shuttle Atlantis and its six-member STS-132 crew head toward Earth orbit and rendezvous with the International Space Station. Liftoff was at 2:20 p.m. (EDT) on May 14, 2010, from launch pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. Onboard are NASA astronauts Ken Ham, commander; Tony Antonelli, pilot; Garrett Reisman, Michael Good, Steve Bowen and Piers Sellers, all mission specialists. The crew will deliver the Russian-built Mini-Research Module 1 (MRM-1) to the International Space Station. Named Rassvet, Russian for "dawn," the module is the second in a series of new pressurized components for Russia and will be permanently attached to the Earth-facing port of the Zarya Functional Cargo Block (FGB). Rassvet will be used for cargo storage and will provide an additional docking port to the station. Also aboard Atlantis is an Integrated Cargo Carrier, or ICC, an unpressurized flat bed pallet and keel yoke assembly used to support the transfer of exterior cargo from the shuttle to the station. STS-132 is the 34th mission to the station and the last scheduled flight for Atlantis. For more information on the STS-132 mission objectives, payload and crew, visit www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts132/index.html. Photo Credit: NASA/Tony Gray and Tom Farrar

Launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis STS-132

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-05-14

STS132-S-047 (14 May 2010) --- Space shuttle Atlantis and its six-member STS-132 crew head toward Earth orbit and rendezvous with the International Space Station. Liftoff was at 2:20 p.m. (EDT) on May 14, 2010, from launch pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. Onboard are NASA astronauts Ken Ham, commander; Tony Antonelli, pilot; Garrett Reisman, Michael Good, Steve Bowen and Piers Sellers, all mission specialists. The crew will deliver the Russian-built Mini-Research Module 1 (MRM-1) to the International Space Station. Named Rassvet, Russian for "dawn," the module is the second in a series of new pressurized components for Russia and will be permanently attached to the Earth-facing port of the Zarya Functional Cargo Block (FGB). Rassvet will be used for cargo storage and will provide an additional docking port to the station. Also aboard Atlantis is an Integrated Cargo Carrier, or ICC, an unpressurized flat bed pallet and keel yoke assembly used to support the transfer of exterior cargo from the shuttle to the station. STS-132 is the 34th mission to the station and the last scheduled flight for Atlantis. For more information on the STS-132 mission objectives, payload and crew, visit www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts132/index.html. Photo credit: NASA/Sandra Joseph and Kevin O'Connell

Launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis STS-132

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-05-14

STS132-S-030 (14 May 2010) --- Space shuttle Atlantis and its six-member STS-132 crew head toward Earth orbit and rendezvous with the International Space Station. Liftoff was at 2:20 p.m. (EDT) on May 14, 2010, from launch pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. Onboard are NASA astronauts Ken Ham, commander; Tony Antonelli, pilot; Garrett Reisman, Michael Good, Steve Bowen and Piers Sellers, all mission specialists. The crew will deliver the Russian-built Mini-Research Module 1 (MRM-1) to the International Space Station. Named Rassvet, Russian for "dawn," the module is the second in a series of new pressurized components for Russia and will be permanently attached to the Earth-facing port of the Zarya Functional Cargo Block (FGB). Rassvet will be used for cargo storage and will provide an additional docking port to the station. Also aboard Atlantis is an Integrated Cargo Carrier, or ICC, an unpressurized flat bed pallet and keel yoke assembly used to support the transfer of exterior cargo from the shuttle to the station. STS-132 is the 34th mission to the station and the last scheduled flight for Atlantis. For more information on the STS-132 mission objectives, payload and crew, visit www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts132/index.html. Photo credit: NASA/Sandra Joseph and Kevin O'Connell

Launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis STS-132

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-05-14

STS132-S-048 (14 May 2010) --- Space shuttle Atlantis and its six-member STS-132 crew head toward Earth orbit and rendezvous with the International Space Station. Liftoff was at 2:20 p.m. (EDT) on May 14, 2010, from launch pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. Onboard are NASA astronauts Ken Ham, commander; Tony Antonelli, pilot; Garrett Reisman, Michael Good, Steve Bowen and Piers Sellers, all mission specialists. The crew will deliver the Russian-built Mini-Research Module 1 (MRM-1) to the International Space Station. Named Rassvet, Russian for "dawn," the module is the second in a series of new pressurized components for Russia and will be permanently attached to the Earth-facing port of the Zarya Functional Cargo Block (FGB). Rassvet will be used for cargo storage and will provide an additional docking port to the station. Also aboard Atlantis is an Integrated Cargo Carrier, or ICC, an unpressurized flat bed pallet and keel yoke assembly used to support the transfer of exterior cargo from the shuttle to the station. STS-132 is the 34th mission to the station and the last scheduled flight for Atlantis. For more information on the STS-132 mission objectives, payload and crew, visit www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts132/index.html. Photo credit: NASA/Sandra Joseph and Kevin O'Connell

Launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis STS-132

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-05-14

STS132-S-045 (14 May 2010) --- Space shuttle Atlantis and its six-member STS-132 crew head toward Earth orbit and rendezvous with the International Space Station. Liftoff was at 2:20 p.m. (EDT) on May 14, 2010, from launch pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. Onboard are NASA astronauts Ken Ham, commander; Tony Antonelli, pilot; Garrett Reisman, Michael Good, Steve Bowen and Piers Sellers, all mission specialists. The crew will deliver the Russian-built Mini-Research Module 1 (MRM-1) to the International Space Station. Named Rassvet, Russian for "dawn," the module is the second in a series of new pressurized components for Russia and will be permanently attached to the Earth-facing port of the Zarya Functional Cargo Block (FGB). Rassvet will be used for cargo storage and will provide an additional docking port to the station. Also aboard Atlantis is an Integrated Cargo Carrier, or ICC, an unpressurized flat bed pallet and keel yoke assembly used to support the transfer of exterior cargo from the shuttle to the station. STS-132 is the 34th mission to the station and the last scheduled flight for Atlantis. For more information on the STS-132 mission objectives, payload and crew, visit www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts132/index.html. Photo credit: NASA/Tony Gray and Tom Farrar

Launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis STS-132

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-05-14

STS132-S-041 (14 May 2010) --- Space shuttle Atlantis and its six-member STS-132 crew head toward Earth orbit and rendezvous with the International Space Station. Liftoff was at 2:20 p.m. (EDT) on May 14, 2010, from launch pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. Onboard are NASA astronauts Ken Ham, commander; Tony Antonelli, pilot; Garrett Reisman, Michael Good, Steve Bowen and Piers Sellers, all mission specialists. The crew will deliver the Russian-built Mini-Research Module 1 (MRM-1) to the International Space Station. Named Rassvet, Russian for "dawn," the module is the second in a series of new pressurized components for Russia and will be permanently attached to the Earth-facing port of the Zarya Functional Cargo Block (FGB). Rassvet will be used for cargo storage and will provide an additional docking port to the station. Also aboard Atlantis is an Integrated Cargo Carrier, or ICC, an unpressurized flat bed pallet and keel yoke assembly used to support the transfer of exterior cargo from the shuttle to the station. STS-132 is the 34th mission to the station and the last scheduled flight for Atlantis. For more information on the STS-132 mission objectives, payload and crew, visit www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts132/index.html. Photo credit: NASA/Rusty Backer and Michael Gayle

Launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis STS-132

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-05-14

STS132-S-049 (14 May 2010) --- Space shuttle Atlantis and its six-member STS-132 crew head toward Earth orbit and rendezvous with the International Space Station. Liftoff was at 2:20 p.m. (EDT) on May 14, 2010, from launch pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. Onboard are NASA astronauts Ken Ham, commander; Tony Antonelli, pilot; Garrett Reisman, Michael Good, Steve Bowen and Piers Sellers, all mission specialists. The crew will deliver the Russian-built Mini-Research Module 1 (MRM-1) to the International Space Station. Named Rassvet, Russian for "dawn," the module is the second in a series of new pressurized components for Russia and will be permanently attached to the Earth-facing port of the Zarya Functional Cargo Block (FGB). Rassvet will be used for cargo storage and will provide an additional docking port to the station. Also aboard Atlantis is an Integrated Cargo Carrier, or ICC, an unpressurized flat bed pallet and keel yoke assembly used to support the transfer of exterior cargo from the shuttle to the station. STS-132 is the 34th mission to the station and the last scheduled flight for Atlantis. For more information on the STS-132 mission objectives, payload and crew, visit www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts132/index.html. Photo credit: NASA/Rusty Backer and Michael Gayle

Launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis STS-132

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-05-14

STS132-S-043 (14 May 2010) --- Space shuttle Atlantis and its six-member STS-132 crew head toward Earth orbit and rendezvous with the International Space Station. Liftoff was at 2:20 p.m. (EDT) on May 14, 2010, from launch pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. Onboard are NASA astronauts Ken Ham, commander; Tony Antonelli, pilot; Garrett Reisman, Michael Good, Steve Bowen and Piers Sellers, all mission specialists. The crew will deliver the Russian-built Mini-Research Module 1 (MRM-1) to the International Space Station. Named Rassvet, Russian for "dawn," the module is the second in a series of new pressurized components for Russia and will be permanently attached to the Earth-facing port of the Zarya Functional Cargo Block (FGB). Rassvet will be used for cargo storage and will provide an additional docking port to the station. Also aboard Atlantis is an Integrated Cargo Carrier, or ICC, an unpressurized flat bed pallet and keel yoke assembly used to support the transfer of exterior cargo from the shuttle to the station. STS-132 is the 34th mission to the station and the last scheduled flight for Atlantis. For more information on the STS-132 mission objectives, payload and crew, visit www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts132/index.html. Photo credit: NASA/Sandra Joseph and Kevin O'Connell

Launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis STS-132

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-05-14

STS132-S-068 (14 May 2010) --- Space shuttle Atlantis and its six-member STS-132 crew head toward Earth orbit and rendezvous with the International Space Station. Liftoff was at 2:20 p.m. (EDT) on May 14, 2010, from launch pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. Onboard are NASA astronauts Ken Ham, commander; Tony Antonelli, pilot; Garrett Reisman, Michael Good, Steve Bowen and Piers Sellers, all mission specialists. The crew will deliver the Russian-built Mini-Research Module 1 (MRM-1) to the International Space Station. Named Rassvet, Russian for "dawn," the module is the second in a series of new pressurized components for Russia and will be permanently attached to the Earth-facing port of the Zarya Functional Cargo Block (FGB). Rassvet will be used for cargo storage and will provide an additional docking port to the station. Also aboard Atlantis is an Integrated Cargo Carrier, or ICC, an unpressurized flat bed pallet and keel yoke assembly used to support the transfer of exterior cargo from the shuttle to the station. STS-132 is the 34th mission to the station and the last scheduled flight for Atlantis. For more information on the STS-132 mission objectives, payload and crew, visit www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts132/index.html. Photo credit: NASA/Rusty Backer and Michael Gayle

Launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis STS-132

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-05-14

STS132-S-034 (14 May 2010) --- Space shuttle Atlantis and its six-member STS-132 crew head toward Earth orbit and rendezvous with the International Space Station. Liftoff was at 2:20 p.m. (EDT) on May 14, 2010, from launch pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. Onboard are NASA astronauts Ken Ham, commander; Tony Antonelli, pilot; Garrett Reisman, Michael Good, Steve Bowen and Piers Sellers, all mission specialists. The crew will deliver the Russian-built Mini-Research Module 1 (MRM-1) to the International Space Station. Named Rassvet, Russian for "dawn," the module is the second in a series of new pressurized components for Russia and will be permanently attached to the Earth-facing port of the Zarya Functional Cargo Block (FGB). Rassvet will be used for cargo storage and will provide an additional docking port to the station. Also aboard Atlantis is an Integrated Cargo Carrier, or ICC, an unpressurized flat bed pallet and keel yoke assembly used to support the transfer of exterior cargo from the shuttle to the station. STS-132 is the 34th mission to the station and the last scheduled flight for Atlantis. For more information on the STS-132 mission objectives, payload and crew, visit www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts132/index.html. Photo credit: NASA/Tony Gray and Tom Farrar

Launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis STS-132

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-05-14

STS132-S-069 (14 May 2010) --- Space shuttle Atlantis and its six-member STS-132 crew head toward Earth orbit and rendezvous with the International Space Station. Liftoff was at 2:20 p.m. (EDT) on May 14, 2010, from launch pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. Onboard are NASA astronauts Ken Ham, commander; Tony Antonelli, pilot; Garrett Reisman, Michael Good, Steve Bowen and Piers Sellers, all mission specialists. The crew will deliver the Russian-built Mini-Research Module 1 (MRM-1) to the International Space Station. Named Rassvet, Russian for "dawn," the module is the second in a series of new pressurized components for Russia and will be permanently attached to the Earth-facing port of the Zarya Functional Cargo Block (FGB). Rassvet will be used for cargo storage and will provide an additional docking port to the station. Also aboard Atlantis is an Integrated Cargo Carrier, or ICC, an unpressurized flat bed pallet and keel yoke assembly used to support the transfer of exterior cargo from the shuttle to the station. STS-132 is the 34th mission to the station and the last scheduled flight for Atlantis. For more information on the STS-132 mission objectives, payload and crew, visit www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts132/index.html. Photo credit: NASA/Rusty Backer and Michael Gayle

Launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis STS-132

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-05-14

STS132-S-046 (14 May 2010) --- Space shuttle Atlantis and its six-member STS-132 crew head toward Earth orbit and rendezvous with the International Space Station. Liftoff was at 2:20 p.m. (EDT) on May 14, 2010, from launch pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. Onboard are NASA astronauts Ken Ham, commander; Tony Antonelli, pilot; Garrett Reisman, Michael Good, Steve Bowen and Piers Sellers, all mission specialists. The crew will deliver the Russian-built Mini-Research Module 1 (MRM-1) to the International Space Station. Named Rassvet, Russian for "dawn," the module is the second in a series of new pressurized components for Russia and will be permanently attached to the Earth-facing port of the Zarya Functional Cargo Block (FGB). Rassvet will be used for cargo storage and will provide an additional docking port to the station. Also aboard Atlantis is an Integrated Cargo Carrier, or ICC, an unpressurized flat bed pallet and keel yoke assembly used to support the transfer of exterior cargo from the shuttle to the station. STS-132 is the 34th mission to the station and the last scheduled flight for Atlantis. For more information on the STS-132 mission objectives, payload and crew, visit www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts132/index.html. Photo credit: NASA/Tony Gray and Tom Farrar

Launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis STS-132

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-05-14

STS132-S-031 (14 May 2010) --- Space shuttle Atlantis and its six-member STS-132 crew head toward Earth orbit and rendezvous with the International Space Station. Liftoff was at 2:20 p.m. (EDT) on May 14, 2010, from launch pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. Onboard are NASA astronauts Ken Ham, commander; Tony Antonelli, pilot; Garrett Reisman, Michael Good, Steve Bowen and Piers Sellers, all mission specialists. The crew will deliver the Russian-built Mini-Research Module 1 (MRM-1) to the International Space Station. Named Rassvet, Russian for "dawn," the module is the second in a series of new pressurized components for Russia and will be permanently attached to the Earth-facing port of the Zarya Functional Cargo Block (FGB). Rassvet will be used for cargo storage and will provide an additional docking port to the station. Also aboard Atlantis is an Integrated Cargo Carrier, or ICC, an unpressurized flat bed pallet and keel yoke assembly used to support the transfer of exterior cargo from the shuttle to the station. STS-132 is the 34th mission to the station and the last scheduled flight for Atlantis. For more information on the STS-132 mission objectives, payload and crew, visit www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts132/index.html. Photo credit: NASA/Sandra Joseph and Kevin O'Connell

The Space Shuttle Atlantis is towed from the runway at Edwards Air Force Base to NASA Dryden's Mate-Demate Device (MDD) for post-flight processing

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-06-22

Following its landing on June 22, 2007, the Space Shuttle Atlantis is towed from the runway at Edwards Air Force Base to NASA Dryden's Mate-Demate Device (MDD) for post-flight processing in preparation for its return to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Status of shuttle fuel cell technology program.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rice, W. E.; Bell, D., III

1972-01-01

The hydrogen-oxygen fuel cell has been proved as an efficient and reliable electrical power supply for NASA manned-space-flight vehicles. It has thus ensured a role in the Space Shuttle Program as the primary electrical power supply for the Orbiter vehicle. The advanced fuel cell technology programs conducted under the management of the NASA Manned Spacecraft Center over the past two years have resulted in a high level of technical readiness in fuel cell power generation to support shuttle mission requirements. These programs have taken advantage of technological developments that have occurred since the designs were completed for the Gemini and Apollo fuel cells.

Space shuttle operations at the NASA Kennedy Space Center: the role of emergency medicine

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rodenberg, H.; Myers, K. J.

1995-01-01

The Division of Emergency Medicine at the University of Florida coordinates a unique program with the NASA John F. Kennedy Space Center (KSC) to provide emergency medical support (EMS) for the United States Space Transportation System. This report outlines the organization of the KSC EMS system, training received by physicians providing medical support, logistic and operational aspects of the mission, and experiences of team members. The participation of emergency physicians in support of manned space flight represents another way that emergency physicians provide leadership in prehospital care and disaster management.

Space shuttle operations at the NASA Kennedy Space Center: the role of emergency medicine.

PubMed

Rodenberg, H; Myers, K J

1995-01-01

The Division of Emergency Medicine at the University of Florida coordinates a unique program with the NASA John F. Kennedy Space Center (KSC) to provide emergency medical support (EMS) for the United States Space Transportation System. This report outlines the organization of the KSC EMS system, training received by physicians providing medical support, logistic and operational aspects of the mission, and experiences of team members. The participation of emergency physicians in support of manned space flight represents another way that emergency physicians provide leadership in prehospital care and disaster management.

JEM Experiment Logistics Module Pressurized Section

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-04-02

An overhead crane moves the JEM Experiment Logistics Module Pressurized Section above the floor of the Space Station Processing Facility to a scale for weight and center-of-gravity measurements. The module will then be moved to a work stand. The logistics module is one of the components of the Japanese Experiment Module or JEM, also known as Kibo, which means "hope" in Japanese. Kibo comprises six components: two research facilities -- the Pressurized Module and Exposed Facility; a Logistics Module attached to each of them; a Remote Manipulator System; and an Inter-Orbit Communication System unit. Kibo also has a scientific airlock through which experiments are transferred and exposed to the external environment of space. Kibo is Japan's first human space facility and its primary contribution to the station. Kibo will enhance the unique research capabilities of the orbiting complex by providing an additional environment in which astronauts can conduct science experiments. The various components of JEM will be assembled in space over the course of three Space Shuttle missions. The first of those three missions, STS-123, will carry the Experiment Logistics Module Pressurized Section aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour, targeted for launch in 2007.

JEM Experiment Logistics Module Pressurized Section

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-04-02

In the Space Station Processing Facility, an overhead crane moves the JEM Experiment Logistics Module Pressurized Section toward a scale (at left) for weight and center-of-gravity measurements. The module will then be moved to a work stand. The logistics module is one of the components of the Japanese Experiment Module or JEM, also known as Kibo, which means "hope" in Japanese. Kibo comprises six components: two research facilities -- the Pressurized Module and Exposed Facility; a Logistics Module attached to each of them; a Remote Manipulator System; and an Inter-Orbit Communication System unit. Kibo also has a scientific airlock through which experiments are transferred and exposed to the external environment of space. Kibo is Japan's first human space facility and its primary contribution to the station. Kibo will enhance the unique research capabilities of the orbiting complex by providing an additional environment in which astronauts can conduct science experiments. The various components of JEM will be assembled in space over the course of three Space Shuttle missions. The first of those three missions, STS-123, will carry the Experiment Logistics Module Pressurized Section aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour, targeted for launch in 2007.

JEM Experiment Logistics Module Pressurized Section

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-04-02

The JEM Experiment Logistics Module Pressurized Section is lifted from its shipping crate in the Space Station Processing Facility. The module will be moved to a scale for weight and center-of-gravity measurements and then to a work stand. The logistics module is one of the components of the Japanese Experiment Module or JEM, also known as Kibo, which means "hope" in Japanese. Kibo comprises six components: two research facilities -- the Pressurized Module and Exposed Facility; a Logistics Module attached to each of them; a Remote Manipulator System; and an Inter-Orbit Communication System unit. Kibo also has a scientific airlock through which experiments are transferred and exposed to the external environment of space. Kibo is Japan's first human space facility and its primary contribution to the station. Kibo will enhance the unique research capabilities of the orbiting complex by providing an additional environment in which astronauts can conduct science experiments. The various components of JEM will be assembled in space over the course of three Space Shuttle missions. The first of those three missions, STS-123, will carry the Experiment Logistics Module Pressurized Section aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour, targeted for launch in 2007.

JEM Experiment Logistics Module Pressurized Section

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-04-02

In the Space Station Processing Facility, the JEM Experiment Logistics Module Pressurized Section is lowered onto a scale for weight and center-of-gravity measurements. The module will then be moved to a work stand. The logistics module is one of the components of the Japanese Experiment Module or JEM, also known as Kibo, which means "hope" in Japanese. Kibo comprises six components: two research facilities -- the Pressurized Module and Exposed Facility; a Logistics Module attached to each of them; a Remote Manipulator System; and an Inter-Orbit Communication System unit. Kibo also has a scientific airlock through which experiments are transferred and exposed to the external environment of space. Kibo is Japan's first human space facility and its primary contribution to the station. Kibo will enhance the unique research capabilities of the orbiting complex by providing an additional environment in which astronauts can conduct science experiments. The various components of JEM will be assembled in space over the course of three Space Shuttle missions. The first of those three missions, STS-123, will carry the Experiment Logistics Module Pressurized Section aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour, targeted for launch in 2007.

NASA KingAir #801 during takeoff

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1999-01-01

NASA KingAir N801NA during takeoff. The Beechcraft Beech 200 Super KingAir aircraft N7NA, known as NASA 7, has been a support aircraft for many years, flying 'shuttle' missions to Ames Research Center. It once flew from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and back each day but now (2001) flies between the Dryden Flight Research Center and Ames. Dryden assumed the mission and aircraft in September 1996. A second Beechcraft Beech 200 Super King Air, N701NA, redesignated N801NA, transferred to Dryden on 3 Oct. 1997 and is used for research missions but substitutes for NASA 7 on shuttle missions when NASA 7 is not available.

Space Shuttle Discovery landed at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center at 5:11 a.m., following the very successful 14-day STS-114 return to flight mission

NASA Image and Video Library

2005-08-09

Space Shuttle Discovery landed safely at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base in Calif. at 5:11 a.m. this morning, following the very successful 14-day STS-114 return to flight mission.

Techniques and Tools of NASA's Space Shuttle Columbia Accident Investigation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

McDanels, Steve J.

2005-01-01

The Space Shuttle Columbia accident investigation was a fusion of many disciplines into a single effort. From the recovery and reconstruction of the debris, Figure 1, to the analysis, both destructive and nondestructive, of chemical and metallurgical samples, Figure 2, a multitude of analytical techniques and tools were employed. Destructive and non-destructive testing were utilized in tandem to determine if a breach in the left wing of the Orbiter had occurred, and if so, the path of the resultant high temperature plasma flow. Nondestructive analysis included topometric scanning, laser mapping, and real-time radiography. These techniques were useful in constructing a three dimensional virtual representation of the reconstruction project, specifically the left wing leading edge reinforced carbon/carbon heat protectant panels. Similarly, they were beneficial in determining where sampling should be performed on the debris. Analytic testing included such techniques as Energy Dispersive Electron Microprobe Analysis (EMPA), Electron Spectroscopy Chemical Analysis (ESCA), and X-Ray dot mapping; these techniques related the characteristics of intermetallics deposited on the leading edge of the left wing adjacent to the location of a suspected plasma breach during reentry. The methods and results of the various analyses, along with their implications into the accident, are discussed, along with the findings and recommendations of the Columbia Accident Investigation Board. Likewise, NASA's Return To Flight efforts are highlighted.

Close-up of Shuttle tire after LSRA test

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1995-01-01

One of the final tests of the CV-990 Landing Systems Research Aircraft (LSRA) in August, 1995 at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California, resulted in the destruction of the wheel, following a fire caused by a mixture of heat, aluminum particles, and rubber. Following successful tests of tire wear at Edwards and the Kennedy Space Center, Fl., this series of roll-on-rim tests determined the failure modes ofwheels for the space shuttle. The aluminum wheel locked in postion and was ground to within four inches of the axle before the test concluded. The series of 155 test missions for the space shuttle program provided extensive data about the life and endurance of the shuttle tire systems and helped raise the shuttle crosswind landing limits at Kennedy. Project engineer Christopher J. Nagy said, 'NASA pilots Gordon Fullerton and Terry Rager did a superb job of flying the aircraft in many difficult test situations, at speeds higher than the aircraft was intended to land, without once losing a single flight.'

Close-up of Shuttle tire after LSRA test

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1995-01-01

One of the final tests of the CV-990 Landing Systems Research Aircraft (LSRA) in August, 1995 at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California, resulted in the destruction of the wheel, following a fire caused by a mixture of heat, aluminum particles, and rubber. Following successful tests of tire wear at Edwards and the Kennedy Space Center, Fla., this series of roll-on-rim tests determined the failure modes of wheels for the space shuttle. In one test, the aluminum wheel locked in position and was ground to within four inches of the axle before the test concluded. The series of 155 test missions for the space shuttle program provided extensive data about the life and endurance of the shuttle tire systems and helped raise the shuttle crosswind landing limits at Kennedy. Project engineer Christopher J. Nagy said, 'NASA pilots Gordon Fullerton and Terry Rager did a superb job of flying the aircraft in many difficult test situations, at speeds higher than the aircraft was intended to land, without once losing a single test flight.'

NASA Beechcraft KingAir #801 in flight

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1998-01-01

NASA 801 Beechcraft Beech Super KingAir in flight. The Beechcraft Beech 200 Super KingAir aircraft N7NA, known as NASA 7, has been a support aircraft for many years, flying 'shuttle' missions to Ames Research Center. It once flew from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and back each day but now (2001) flies between the Dryden Flight Research Center and Ames. A second Beechcraft Beech 200 Super King Air, N701NA, redesignated N801NA, transferred to Dryden on 3 Oct. 1997 and is used for research missions but substitutes for NASA 7 on shuttle missions when NASA 7 is not available.

The Space Shuttle Discovery, atop a specially modified Boeing 747

NASA Image and Video Library

2005-08-21

JSC2005-E-36604 (21 August 2005) --- The Space Shuttle Discovery, atop a specially modified Boeing 747, was photographed following touch down at NASA Kennedy Space Center’s (KSC) Shuttle Landing Facility on Aug. 21, 2005 after a ferry flight from Edwards Air Force Base in California, where the shuttle landed Aug. 9. The 747, known as the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA), brought Discovery home to KSC after completing the historic STS-114 Return to Flight mission.

Protecting proprietary rights - A potential Shuttle user's view

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Day, J. B.

1977-01-01

Maintaining a high degree of industrial security in the multiple-payload Shuttle environment poses a number of problems for NASA. As a part of Battelle-Columbus' support of NASA's User Development Program, this paper presents a potential user's perspective on this situation. The need for security, the nature of the problem, and precedents for NASA security measures are discussed. Eleven policy guidelines representing desirable features from a potential user's viewpoint are presented for NASA consideration.

An assessment of space shuttle flight software development processes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1993-01-01

In early 1991, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA's) Office of Space Flight commissioned the Aeronautics and Space Engineering Board (ASEB) of the National Research Council (NRC) to investigate the adequacy of the current process by which NASA develops and verifies changes and updates to the Space Shuttle flight software. The Committee for Review of Oversight Mechanisms for Space Shuttle Flight Software Processes was convened in Jan. 1992 to accomplish the following tasks: (1) review the entire flight software development process from the initial requirements definition phase to final implementation, including object code build and final machine loading; (2) review and critique NASA's independent verification and validation process and mechanisms, including NASA's established software development and testing standards; (3) determine the acceptability and adequacy of the complete flight software development process, including the embedded validation and verification processes through comparison with (1) generally accepted industry practices, and (2) generally accepted Department of Defense and/or other government practices (comparing NASA's program with organizations and projects having similar volumes of software development, software maturity, complexity, criticality, lines of code, and national standards); (4) consider whether independent verification and validation should continue. An overview of the study, independent verification and validation of critical software, and the Space Shuttle flight software development process are addressed. Findings and recommendations are presented.

Space Shuttle Projects

NASA Image and Video Library

1995-06-07

Designed by the mission crew members, the patch for STS-69 symbolizes the multifaceted nature of the flight's mission. The primary payload, the Wake Shield Facility (WSF), is represented in the center by the astronaut emblem against a flat disk. The astronaut emblem also signifies the importance of human beings in space exploration, reflected by the planned space walk to practice for International Space Station (ISS) activities and to evaluate space suit design modifications. The two stylized Space Shuttles highlight the ascent and entry phases of the mission. Along with the two spiral plumes, the stylized Space Shuttles symbolize a NASA first, the deployment and recovery on the same mission of two spacecraft (both the Wake Shield Facility and the Spartan). The constellations Canis Major and Canis Minor represent the astronomy objectives of the Spartan and International Extreme Ultraviolet Hitchhiker (IEH) payload. The two constellations also symbolize the talents and dedication of the support personnel who make Space Shuttle missions possible.

Legal issues inherent in Space Shuttle operations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mossinghoff, G. J.; Sloup, G. P.

1978-01-01

The National Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958 (NASAct) is discussed with reference to its relevance to the operation of the Space Shuttle. The law is interpreted as giving NASA authority to regulate specific Shuttle missions, as well as authority to decide how much space aboard the Shuttle gets rented to whom. The Shuttle will not, however, be considered a 'common carrier' either in terms of NASAct or FAA regulations, because it will not be held available to the public-at-large, as are the flag carriers of various national airlines, e.g., Lufthansa, Air France, Aeroflot, etc. It is noted that the Launch Policy of 1972, which ensures satellite launch assistance to other countries or international organizations, shall not be interpreted as conferring common carrier status on the Space Shuttle.

Concepts and embodiment design of a reentry recumbent seating system for the NASA Space Shuttle

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mcmillan, Scott; Looby, Brent; Devany, Chris; Chudej, Chris; Brooks, Barry

1993-01-01

This report deals with the generation of a recumbent seating system which will be used by NASA to shuttle astronauts from the Russian space station Mir. We begin by examining the necessity for designing a special couch for the returning astronauts. Next, we discuss the operating conditions and constraints of the recumbent seating system and provide a detailed function structure. After working through the conceptual design process, we came up with ten alternative designs which are presented in the appendices. These designs were evaluated and weighted to systematically determine the best choice for embodiment design. A detailed discussion of all components of the selected system follows with design calculations for the seat presented in the appendices. The report concludes with an evaluation of the resulting design and recommendations for further development.

Shuttle Discovery Arrives at Udvar-Hazy

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-04-19

Dr. Valerie Neal, curator for the shuttle program in the Space History office at the National Air and Space Museum, attends the transfer ceremony for space shuttle Discovery, Thursday, April 19, 2012, at the Smithsonian's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Va. Discovery, the first orbiter retired from NASA’s shuttle fleet, which completed 39 missions, spent 365 days in space, orbited the Earth 5,830 times, and traveled 148,221,675 miles will take the place of Enterprise at the center to commemorate past achievements in space and to educate and inspire future generations of explorers at the center. Photo Credit: (NASA/Carla Cioffi)

PAYLOAD (INDIA SATELLITE [INSAT]) - SHUTTLE

NASA Image and Video Library

1983-01-12

S83-36307 (2 June 1983) --- INSAT 1-B is being prepared for its trip aboard the space shuttle Challenger and its deployment for geosynchronous orbital duties at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station and at NASA's Kennedy Space Center (KSC). The Indian National Satellite is the second such Indian communications/meteorological spacecraft, the first having been sent into space via a Delta launch vehicle. The STS-8 astronaut crew members and a payload assist module (PAM) will aid the newest INSAT in its deployment steps during NASA?s third Challenger flight in August of this year.

Liquid lift for the Shuttle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Demeis, Richard

1989-02-01

After the operational failure of a Solid Rocket Booster (SRB) led to the Space Shuttle Challenger accident, NASA reexamined the use of liquid-fueled units in place of the SRBs in order to ascertain whether they could improve safety and payload. In view of favorable study results obtained, the posibility has arisen of employing a common liquid rocket booster for the Space Shuttle, its cargo version ('Shuttle-C'), and the next-generation Advanced Launch System. The system envisioned would involve two booster units, whose four engines/unit would be fed by integral LOX and kerosene tanks. Mission aborts with one-booster unit and two-unit failures would not be catastrophic, and would respectively allow LEO or an emergency landing in Africa.

Convair-240 aircraft modified with shuttle hatch for CES testing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1987-01-01

Shuttle Crew Escape System (CES) hardware includes space shuttle side hatch incorporated into Convair-240 aircraft at Naval Weapons Center, China Lake, California. Closeup shows dummy positioned in the Convair-240 escape hatch. Beginning this month, tests will be conducted here to evaluate a tractor rocket system - one of two escape methods being studied by NASA to provide crew egress capability during Space Shuttle controlled gliding flight.

Visitors during STS-132 Space Shuttle Atlantis Launch

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-05-14

STS132-S-013 (14 May 2010) --- As visitors watch, the space shuttle Atlantis and its six-member STS-132 crew head toward Earth orbit and rendezvous with the International Space Station. Liftoff was at 2:20 p.m. (EDT) on May 14, 2010, from launch pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. Onboard are NASA astronauts Ken Ham, commander; Tony Antonelli, pilot; Garrett Reisman, Michael Good, Steve Bowen and Piers Sellers, all mission specialists. The crew will deliver the Russian-built Mini-Research Module 1 (MRM-1) to the International Space Station. Named Rassvet, Russian for "dawn," the module is the second in a series of new pressurized components for Russia and will be permanently attached to the Earth-facing port of the Zarya Functional Cargo Block (FGB). Rassvet will be used for cargo storage and will provide an additional docking port to the station. Also aboard Atlantis is an Integrated Cargo Carrier, or ICC, an unpressurized flat bed pallet and keel yoke assembly used to support the transfer of exterior cargo from the shuttle to the station. STS-132 is the 34th mission to the station and the last scheduled flight for Atlantis. For more information on the STS-132 mission objectives, payload and crew, visit www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts132/index.html. Photo Credit: NASA/Ben Cooper

Visitors during STS-132 Space Shuttle Atlantis Launch

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-05-14

STS132-S-014 (14 May 2010) --- With visitors looking on, the space shuttle Atlantis and its six-member STS-132 crew head toward Earth orbit and rendezvous with the International Space Station. Liftoff was at 2:20 p.m. (EDT) on May 14, 2010, from launch pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. Onboard are NASA astronauts Ken Ham, commander; Tony Antonelli, pilot; Garrett Reisman, Michael Good, Steve Bowen and Piers Sellers, all mission specialists. The crew will deliver the Russian-built Mini-Research Module 1 (MRM-1) to the International Space Station. Named Rassvet, Russian for "dawn," the module is the second in a series of new pressurized components for Russia and will be permanently attached to the Earth-facing port of the Zarya Functional Cargo Block (FGB). Rassvet will be used for cargo storage and will provide an additional docking port to the station. Also aboard Atlantis is an Integrated Cargo Carrier, or ICC, an unpressurized flat bed pallet and keel yoke assembly used to support the transfer of exterior cargo from the shuttle to the station. STS-132 is the 34th mission to the station and the last scheduled flight for Atlantis. For more information on the STS-132 mission objectives, payload and crew, visit www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts132/index.html. Photo Credit: NASA/Ben Cooper

Payload Flight Assignments: NASA Mixed Fleet

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Parker, Robert A. R.

1997-01-01

This manifest summarizes the missions planned by NASA for the Space Shuttle and Expendable Launch Vehicles (ELV's) as of the date of publication. Space Shuttle and ELV missions are shown through calendar year 2003. Space Shuttle missions for calendar years 2002-2003 are under review pending the resolution of details in the assembly sequence of the International Space Station (ISS).

Student Experiments Fly with the Shuttle.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Saunders, Walter; And Others

1979-01-01

Describes various experiments which high school students are preparing, to be carried on NASA's 500 or more Space Shuttle flights in the 1980s. The project is intended to stimulate superior secondary school students. (SA)

Thousands gather to watch a Space Shuttle Main Engine Test

NASA Image and Video Library

2001-04-21

Approximately 13,000 people fill the grounds at NASA's John C. Stennis Space Center for the first-ever evening public engine test of a Space Shuttle Main Engine. The test marked Stennis Space Center's 20th anniversary celebration of the first Space Shuttle mission.

JEM Experiment Logistics Module Pressurized Section

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-04-02

In the Space Station Processing Facility, an overhead crane lifts the JEM Experiment Logistics Module Pressurized Section from its shipping container and moves it toward a scale for weight and center-of-gravity measurements. The module will then be moved to a work stand. The logistics module is one of the components of the Japanese Experiment Module or JEM, also known as Kibo, which means "hope" in Japanese. Kibo comprises six components: two research facilities -- the Pressurized Module and Exposed Facility; a Logistics Module attached to each of them; a Remote Manipulator System; and an Inter-Orbit Communication System unit. Kibo also has a scientific airlock through which experiments are transferred and exposed to the external environment of space. Kibo is Japan's first human space facility and its primary contribution to the station. Kibo will enhance the unique research capabilities of the orbiting complex by providing an additional environment in which astronauts can conduct science experiments. The various components of JEM will be assembled in space over the course of three Space Shuttle missions. The first of those three missions, STS-123, will carry the Experiment Logistics Module Pressurized Section aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour, targeted for launch in 2007.

Palapa-B communications satellite launched from the Shuttle Challenger

NASA Image and Video Library

1983-06-24

S83-35764 (19 June 1983) --- The Indonesian Palapa B communications satellite is just about to clear the vertical stabilizer of the Earth-orbiting Space Shuttle Challenger to begin its way toward its Earth-orbital destination. Also visible in this 70mm exposure, photographed through the flight deck?s aft windows, are the Shuttle pallet satellite, the experiment package for NASA?s office of space and terrestrial applications (OSTA-2), the now vacated protective cradles for Palapa and Telesat Canada?s Anik C2 satellites, some getaway special (GAS) canisters and the Canadian-built remote manipulator system (RMS) arm.

Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) fuel Cell for Space Shuttle

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hoffman, William C., III; Vasquez, Arturo; Lazaroff, Scott M.; Downey, Michael G.

1999-01-01

Development of a PEM fuel cell powerplant (PFCP) for use in the Space Shuttle offers multiple benefits to NASA. A PFCP with a longer design life than is delivered currently from the alkaline fuel will reduce Space Shuttle Program maintenance costs. A PFCP compatible with zero-gravity can be adapted for future NASA transportation and exploration programs. Also, the commercial PEM fuel cell industry ensures a competitive environment for select powerplant components. Conceptual designs of the Space Shuttle PFCP have resulted in identification of key technical areas requiring resolution prior to development of a flight system. Those technical areas include characterization of PEM fuel cell stack durability under operational conditions and water management both within and external to the stack. Resolution of the above issues is necessary to adequately control development, production, and maintenance costs for a PFCP.

The flights before the flight - An overview of shuttle astronaut training

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sims, John T.; Sterling, Michael R.

1989-01-01

Space shuttle astronaut training is centered at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. Each astronaut receives many different types of training from many sources. This training includes simulator training in the Shuttle Mission Simulator, in-flight simulator training in the Shuttle Training Aircraft, Extravehicular Activity training in the Weightless Environment Training Facility and a variety of lectures and briefings. Once the training program is completed each shuttle flight crew is well-prepared to perform the normal operations required for their flight and deal with any shuttle system malfunctions that might occur.

NASA Applications and Lessons Learned in Reliability Engineering

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Safie, Fayssal M.; Fuller, Raymond P.

2011-01-01

Since the Shuttle Challenger accident in 1986, communities across NASA have been developing and extensively using quantitative reliability and risk assessment methods in their decision making process. This paper discusses several reliability engineering applications that NASA has used over the year to support the design, development, and operation of critical space flight hardware. Specifically, the paper discusses several reliability engineering applications used by NASA in areas such as risk management, inspection policies, components upgrades, reliability growth, integrated failure analysis, and physics based probabilistic engineering analysis. In each of these areas, the paper provides a brief discussion of a case study to demonstrate the value added and the criticality of reliability engineering in supporting NASA project and program decisions to fly safely. Examples of these case studies discussed are reliability based life limit extension of Shuttle Space Main Engine (SSME) hardware, Reliability based inspection policies for Auxiliary Power Unit (APU) turbine disc, probabilistic structural engineering analysis for reliability prediction of the SSME alternate turbo-pump development, impact of ET foam reliability on the Space Shuttle System risk, and reliability based Space Shuttle upgrade for safety. Special attention is given in this paper to the physics based probabilistic engineering analysis applications and their critical role in evaluating the reliability of NASA development hardware including their potential use in a research and technology development environment.

Microencapsulation of Drugs in the Microgravity Environment of the United States Space Shuttle.

DTIC Science & Technology

Space Shuttle. The microcapsules in space (MIS) equipment will replace two space shuttle middeck storage lockers. Design changes have been...Mission STS-53 pending final safety certification by NASA. STS-53 is scheduled for launch on October 15, 1992. RA 2; Microencapsulation ; Controlled-release; Space Shuttle; Antibiotics; Drug development.

NASA Vision

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fenton, Mary (Editor); Wood, Jennifer (Editor)

2003-01-01

This newsletter contains several articles, primarily on International Space Station (ISS) crewmembers and their activities, as well as the activities of NASA administrators. Other subjects covered in the articles include the investigation of the Space Shuttle Columbia accident, activities at NASA centers, Mars exploration, a collision avoidance test on a unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). The ISS articles cover landing in a Soyuz capsule, photography from the ISS, and the Expedition Seven crew.

Achieving Space Shuttle Abort-to-Orbit Using the Five-Segment Booster

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Craft, Joe; Ess, Robert; Sauvageau, Don

2003-01-01

The Five-Segment Booster design concept was evaluated by a team that determined the concept to be feasible and capable of achieving the desired abort-to-orbit capability when used in conjunction with increased Space Shuttle main engine throttle capability. The team (NASA Johnson Space Center, NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, ATK Thiokol Propulsion, United Space Alliance, Lockheed-Martin Space Systems, and Boeing) selected the concept that provided abort-to-orbit capability while: 1) minimizing Shuttle system impacts by maintaining the current interface requirements with the orbiter, external tank, and ground operation systems; 2) minimizing changes to the flight-proven design, materials, and processes of the current four-segment Shuttle booster; 3) maximizing use of existing booster hardware; and 4) taking advantage of demonstrated Shuttle main engine throttle capability. The added capability can also provide Shuttle mission planning flexibility. Additional performance could be used to: enable implementation of more desirable Shuttle safety improvements like crew escape, while maintaining current payload capability; compensate for off nominal performance in no-fail missions; and support missions to high altitudes and inclinations. This concept is a low-cost, low-risk approach to meeting Shuttle safety upgrade objectives. The Five-Segment Booster also has the potential to support future heavy-lift missions.

Restartable solid motor stage for shuttle applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rohrbaugh, D. J.

1973-01-01

The application of restartable solid motor stages to shuttle missions has been shown to provide a viable supplement to the shuttle program. Restartable solid motors in the 3000 pound class provide a small expendable transfer stage that reduces the demand on the shuttle for the lower energy missions. Shuttle operational requirements and preliminary performance data provided an input for defining design features required for restartable solid motor applications. These data provided a basis for a configuration definition that is compatible with shuttle operations. Mission by mission analysis showed the impact on a NASA supplied mission model. The results showed a 15% reduction in the number of shuttle flights required. In addition the amount of shuttle capability used to complete the mission objectives was significantly reduced. For example, in the 1979 missions there was a 62% reduction in shuttle capability used. The study also showed that the solid motor could provide a supplement to the TUG that would allow TUGS to be used in a recoverable rather than an expendable mode. The study shows a 71% reduction in the number of TUGs that would be expended.

Space Logistics: Launch Capabilities

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Furnas, Randall B.

1989-01-01

The current maximum launch capability for the United States are shown. The predicted Earth-to-orbit requirements for the United States are presented. Contrasting the two indicates the strong National need for a major increase in Earth-to-orbit lift capability. Approximate weights for planned payloads are shown. NASA is studying the following options to meet the need for a new heavy-lift capability by mid to late 1990's: (1) Shuttle-C for near term (include growth versions); and (2) the Advanced Lauching System (ALS) for the long term. The current baseline two-engine Shuttle-C has a 15 x 82 ft payload bay and an expected lift capability of 82,000 lb to Low Earth Orbit. Several options are being considered which have expanded diameter payload bays. A three-engine Shuttle-C with an expected lift of 145,000 lb to LEO is being evaluated as well. The Advanced Launch System (ALS) is a potential joint development between the Air Force and NASA. This program is focused toward long-term launch requirements, specifically beyond the year 2000. The basic approach is to develop a family of vehicles with the same high reliability as the Shuttle system, yet offering a much greater lift capability at a greatly reduced cost (per pound of payload). The ALS unmanned family of vehicles will provide a low end lift capability equivalent to Titan IV, and a high end lift capability greater than the Soviet Energia if requirements for such a high-end vehicle are defined.In conclusion, the planning of the next generation space telescope should not be constrained to the current launch vehicles. New vehicle designs will be driven by the needs of anticipated heavy users.

NASA management of the Space Shuttle Program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Peters, F.

1975-01-01

The management system and management technology described have been developed to meet stringent cost and schedule constraints of the Space Shuttle Program. Management of resources available to this program requires control and motivation of a large number of efficient creative personnel trained in various technical specialties. This must be done while keeping track of numerous parallel, yet interdependent activities involving different functions, organizations, and products all moving together in accordance with intricate plans for budgets, schedules, performance, and interaction. Some techniques developed to identify problems at an early stage and seek immediate solutions are examined.

Space Shuttle Projects

NASA Image and Video Library

1996-04-01

STS-79 was the fourth in a series of NASA docking missions to the Russian Mir Space Station, leading up to the construction and operation of the International Space Station (ISS). As the first flight of the Spacehab Double Module, STS-79 encompassed research, test and evaluation of ISS, as well as logistics resupply for the Mir Space Station. STS-79 was also the first NASA-Mir American crew member exchange mission, with John E. Blaha (NASA-Mir-3) replacing Shannon W. Lucid (NASA-Mir-2) aboard the Mir Space Station. The lettering of their names either up or down denotes transport up to the Mir Space Station or return to Earth on STS-79. The patch is in the shape of the Space Shuttle’s airlock hatch, symbolizing the gateway to international cooperation in space. The patch illustrates the historic cooperation between the United States and Russia in space. With the flags of Russia and the United States as a backdrop, the handshake of Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) which are suited crew members symbolizes mission teamwork, not only of the crew members but also the teamwork between both countries space personnel in science, engineering, medicine and logistics.

Remote observations of reentering spacecraft including the space shuttle orbiter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Horvath, Thomas J.; Cagle, Melinda F.; Grinstead, Jay H.; Gibson, David M.

Flight measurement is a critical phase in development, validation and certification processes of technologies destined for future civilian and military operational capabilities. This paper focuses on several recent NASA-sponsored remote observations that have provided unique engineering and scientific insights of reentry vehicle flight phenomenology and performance that could not necessarily be obtained with more traditional instrumentation methods such as onboard discrete surface sensors. The missions highlighted include multiple spatially-resolved infrared observations of the NASA Space Shuttle Orbiter during hypersonic reentry from 2009 to 2011, and emission spectroscopy of comparatively small-sized sample return capsules returning from exploration missions. Emphasis has been placed upon identifying the challenges associated with these remote sensing missions with focus on end-to-end aspects that include the initial science objective, selection of the appropriate imaging platform and instrumentation suite, target flight path analysis and acquisition strategy, pre-mission simulations to optimize sensor configuration, logistics and communications during the actual observation. Explored are collaborative opportunities and technology investments required to develop a next-generation quantitative imaging system (i.e., an intelligent sensor and platform) with greater capability, which could more affordably support cross cutting civilian and military flight test needs.

Remote Observations of Reentering Spacecraft Including the Space Shuttle Orbiter

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Horvath, Thomas J.; Cagle, Melinda F.; Grinstead, jay H.; Gibson, David

2013-01-01

Flight measurement is a critical phase in development, validation and certification processes of technologies destined for future civilian and military operational capabilities. This paper focuses on several recent NASA-sponsored remote observations that have provided unique engineering and scientific insights of reentry vehicle flight phenomenology and performance that could not necessarily be obtained with more traditional instrumentation methods such as onboard discrete surface sensors. The missions highlighted include multiple spatially-resolved infrared observations of the NASA Space Shuttle Orbiter during hypersonic reentry from 2009 to 2011, and emission spectroscopy of comparatively small-sized sample return capsules returning from exploration missions. Emphasis has been placed upon identifying the challenges associated with these remote sensing missions with focus on end-to-end aspects that include the initial science objective, selection of the appropriate imaging platform and instrumentation suite, target flight path analysis and acquisition strategy, pre-mission simulations to optimize sensor configuration, logistics and communications during the actual observation. Explored are collaborative opportunities and technology investments required to develop a next-generation quantitative imaging system (i.e., an intelligent sensor and platform) with greater capability, which could more affordably support cross cutting civilian and military flight test needs.

The October 1973 space shuttle traffic model, revision 2

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1974-01-01

Traffic model data for the space shuttle for calendar years 1980 through 1991 are presented along with some supporting and summary data. This model was developed from the 1973 NASA Payload Model, dated October 1973, and the NASA estimate of the 1973 Non-NASA/Non-DoD Payload Model. The estimates for the DoD flights included are based on the 1971 DoD Mission Model.

Space Shuttle Projects

NASA Image and Video Library

2005-08-03

Launched on July 26, 2005 from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, STS-114 was classified as Logistics Flight 1. Among the Station-related activities of the mission were the delivery of new supplies and the replacement of one of the orbital outpost's Control Moment Gyroscopes (CMGs). STS-114 also carried the Raffaello Multi-Purpose Logistics Module and the External Stowage Platform-2. A major focus of the mission was the testing and evaluation of new Space Shuttle flight safety, which included new inspection and repair techniques. Upon its approach to the International Space Station (ISS), the Space Shuttle Discovery underwent a photography session in order to assess any damages that may have occurred during its launch and/or journey through Space. The mission’s third and final Extra Vehicular Activity (EVA) included taking a close-up look and the repair of the damaged heat shield. Gap fillers were removed from between the orbiter’s heat-shielding tiles located on the craft’s underbelly. Never before had any repairs been done to an orbiter while still in space. Back dropped by the blackness of space and Earth’s horizon, astronaut Stephen K. Robinson, STS-114 mission specialist, is anchored to a foot restraint on the extended ISS’s Canadarm-2.

Space Shuttle Projects

NASA Image and Video Library

2005-08-03

Launched on July 26, 2005 from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, STS-114 was classified as Logistics Flight 1. Among the Station-related activities of the mission were the delivery of new supplies and the replacement of one of the orbital outpost's Control Moment Gyroscopes (CMGs). STS-114 also carried the Raffaello Multi-Purpose Logistics Module and the External Stowage Platform-2. A major focus of the mission was the testing and evaluation of new Space Shuttle flight safety, which included new inspection and repair techniques. Upon its approach to the International Space Station (ISS), the Space Shuttle Discovery underwent a photography session in order to assess any damages that may have occurred during its launch and/or journey through Space. The mission’s third and final Extra Vehicular Activity (EVA) included taking a close-up look and the repair of the damaged heat shield. Gap fillers were removed from between the orbiter’s heat-shielding tiles located on the craft’s underbelly. Never before had any repairs been done to an orbiter while still in space. This particular photo was taken by astronaut Stephen K. Robinson, STS-114 mission specialist, whose shadow is visible on the thermal protection tiles.

ISS Logistics Hardware Disposition and Metrics Validation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rogers, Toneka R.

2010-01-01

I was assigned to the Logistics Division of the International Space Station (ISS)/Spacecraft Processing Directorate. The Division consists of eight NASA engineers and specialists that oversee the logistics portion of the Checkout, Assembly, and Payload Processing Services (CAPPS) contract. Boeing, their sub-contractors and the Boeing Prime contract out of Johnson Space Center, provide the Integrated Logistics Support for the ISS activities at Kennedy Space Center. Essentially they ensure that spares are available to support flight hardware processing and the associated ground support equipment (GSE). Boeing maintains a Depot for electrical, mechanical and structural modifications and/or repair capability as required. My assigned task was to learn project management techniques utilized by NASA and its' contractors to provide an efficient and effective logistics support infrastructure to the ISS program. Within the Space Station Processing Facility (SSPF) I was exposed to Logistics support components, such as, the NASA Spacecraft Services Depot (NSSD) capabilities, Mission Processing tools, techniques and Warehouse support issues, required for integrating Space Station elements at the Kennedy Space Center. I also supported the identification of near-term ISS Hardware and Ground Support Equipment (GSE) candidates for excessing/disposition prior to October 2010; and the validation of several Logistics Metrics used by the contractor to measure logistics support effectiveness.

NASA's approach to space commercialization

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gillam, Isaac T., IV

1986-01-01

The NASA Office of Commercial Programs fosters private participation in commercially oriented space projects. Five Centers for the Commercial Development of Space encourage new ideas and perform research which may yield commercial processes and products for space ventures. Joint agreements allow companies who present ideas to NASA and provide flight hardware access to a free launch and return from orbit. The experimenters furnish NASA with sufficient data to demonstrate the significance of the results. Ground-based tests are arranged for smaller companies to test the feasibility of concepts before committing to the costs of developing hardware. Joint studies of mutual interest are performed by NASA and private sector researchers, and two companies have signed agreements for a series of flights in which launch costs are stretched out to meet projected income. Although Shuttle flights went on hold following the Challenger disaster, extensive work continues on the preparation of commercial research payloads that will fly when Shuttle flights resume.

Space Shuttle Projects

NASA Image and Video Library

1996-03-01

The STS-78 patch links past with present to tell the story of its mission and science through a design imbued with the strength and vitality of the 2-dimensional art of North America's northwest coast Indians. Central to the design is the space Shuttle whose bold lines and curves evoke the Indian image for the eagle, a native American symbol of power and prestige as well as the national symbol of the United States. The wings of the Shuttle suggest the wings of the eagle whose feathers, indicative of peace and friendship in Indian tradition, are captured by the U forms, a characteristic feature of Northwest coast Indian art. The nose of the Shuttle is the strong downward curve of the eagle's beak, and the Shuttle's forward windows, the eagle's eyes, represented through the tapered S forms again typical of this Indian art form. The basic black and red atoms orbiting the mission number recall the original NASA emblem while beneath, utilizing Indian ovoid forms, the major mission scientific experiment package LMS (Life and Materials Sciences) housed in the Shuttle's cargo bay is depicted in a manner reminiscent of totem-pole art. This image of a bird poised for flight, so common to Indian art, is counterpointed by an equally familiar Tsimshian Indian symbol, a pulsating sun with long hyperbolic rays, the symbol of life. Within each of these rays are now encased crystals, the products of this mission's 3 major, high-temperature materials processing furnaces. And as the sky in Indian lore is a lovely open country, home of the Sun Chief and accessible to travelers through a hole in the western horizon, so too, space is a vast and beckoning landscape for explorers launched beyond the horizon. Beneath the Tsimshian sun, the colors of the earth limb are appropriately enclosed by a red border representing life to the Northwest coast Indians. The Indian colors of red, navy blue, white, and black pervade the STS-78 path. To the right of the Shuttle-eagle, the constellation

Closeup view looking into the nozzle of the Space Shuttle ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

Close-up view looking into the nozzle of the Space Shuttle Main Engine number 2061 looking at the cooling tubes along the nozzle wall and up towards the Main Combustion Chamber and Injector Plate - Space Transportation System, Space Shuttle Main Engine, Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, 2101 NASA Parkway, Houston, Harris County, TX

A Shuttle Derived Vehicle launch system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tewell, J. R.; Buell, D. N.; Ewing, E. S.

1982-01-01

This paper describes a Shuttle Derived Vehicle (SDV) launch system presently being studied for the NASA by Martin Marietta Aerospace which capitalizes on existing Shuttle hardware elements to provide increased accommodations for payload weight, payload volume, or both. The SDV configuration utilizes the existing solid rocket boosters, external tank and the Space Shuttle main engines but replaces the manned orbiter with an unmanned, remotely controlled cargo carrier. This cargo carrier substitution more than doubles the performance capability of the orbiter system and is realistically achievable for minimal cost. The advantages of the SDV are presented in terms of performance and economics. Based on these considerations, it is concluded that an unmanned SDV offers a most attractive complement to the present Space Transportation System.

Launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis / STS-129 Mission

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-11-16

STS129-S-056 (16 Nov. 2009) --- Members of the space shuttle launch team watch Space Shuttle Atlantis' launch through the newly installed windows of Firing Room 4 in the Launch Control Center at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Liftoff of Atlantis from Launch Pad 39A on its STS-129 mission to the International Space Station came at 2:28 p.m. (EST) Nov. 16, 2009.

SPARTAN-201 satellite begins separation from Shuttle Discovery

NASA Image and Video Library

1994-09-12

STS064-111-041 (12 Sept. 1994) ---- Backdropped against New England's coast, the Shuttle Pointed Autonomous Research Tool for Astronomy (SPARTAN-201) satellite begins its separation from the space shuttle Discovery. The free-flying spacecraft, 130 nautical miles above Cape Cod at frame center, remained some 40 miles away from Discovery until the crew retrieved it two days later. Photo credit: NASA or National Aeronautics and Space Administration

STS-9 and Spacelab 1. NASA Educational Briefs for the Classroom.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Washington, DC.

Designed for classroom use, this publication provides an overview of the first Space Shuttle/Spacelab mission, a cooperative venture between the European Space Agency (ESA) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The main purpose of ESA's Spacelab, which will be carried aboard NASA's Space Shuttle (technically called the…

First-ever evening public engine test of a Space Shuttle Main Engine

NASA Image and Video Library

2001-04-21

Thousands of people watch the first-ever evening public engine test of a Space Shuttle Main Engine at NASA's John C. Stennis Space Center. The spectacular test marked Stennis Space Center's 20th anniversary celebration of the first Space Shuttle mission.