Spaceflight Now




Crew installing spare parts platform outside the station
BY WILLIAM HARWOOD
STORY WRITTEN FOR CBS NEWS "SPACE PLACE" & USED WITH PERMISSION
Posted: August 14, 2007

The Endeavour astronauts are working to robotically install a 7,000-pound equipment storage platform on the international space station today, a complex procedure requiring tight choreography between the shuttle and station robot arms.

Educator-astronaut Barbara Morgan, assisted by Tracy Caldwell, used Endeavour's 50-foot-long robot arm to lock onto a grapple fixture on External Storage Platform No. 3 around 9:13 a.m. She began slowly pulling the platform from its perch in the orbiter's cargo bay a half hour later. Shuttle pilot Charles Hobaugh, operating the station's arm from a work station inside the Destiny laboratory module, was standing by to latch onto ESP-3 for the actual installation on the left side of the station's solar power truss.

"This is the first ESP (equipment storage platform) that is being installed only by robotics," said station flight director Heather Rarick. "Station-wide, this is the first major element that's been brought up and installed this way. So it's a new moment for us here in using the robotic arms. And of course, it will take both robotic arms to do this.

"It is a challenge because there is the choreography of handing the piece of equipment from one arm to the next and then getting it into the correct location, the attach system on the truss where it needs to live permanently. There are also heaters and electrical power ... for equipment that is located on this platform. This platform holds spare equipment for us so that in the future we don't have to rely on another vehicle reaching the space station to make any repairs."

This afternoon, Morgan and Caldwell, who is celebrating her 38th birthday in space today, will participate in a series of media interviews starting around 2 p.m. This will be teacher-turned-astronaut Morgan's first opportunity to answer questions from reporters about her experiences in space since Endeavour's launching last Wednesday. Later today, around 5:09 p.m., Morgan plans to participate in the first of three educational events planned for the mission.

Here is an updated timeline of today's activity in space (in EDT and mission elapsed time; ESP-3 installation in progress and times out of date):


EDT............DD...HH...MM...EVENT

08/14/07
Tue 06:37 AM...05...12...00...STS/ISS crew wakeup
Tue 08:17 AM...05...13...40...Shuttle arm (SRMS) grapples ESP-3
Tue 08:22 AM...05...13...45...BOK-3 Russian computer replace/testing
Tue 08:32 AM...05...13...55...SRMS ESP-3 unberthing
Tue 09:02 AM...05...14...25...SRMS ESP-3 handoff
Tue 09:42 AM...05...15...05...Station arm (SSRMS) ESP-3 grapple
Tue 09:57 AM...05...15...20...SRMS ungrapples ESP-3
Tue 09:57 AM...05...15...20...EVA-3: Tools configured
Tue 10:12 AM...05...15...35...SSRMS maneuvers ESP-3 to install position
Tue 11:12 AM...05...16...35...ESP-3 installation
Tue 11:57 AM...05...17...20...SSRMS ungrapples ESP-3
Tue 11:57 AM...05...17...20...Spacesuit swap
Tue 12:12 PM...05...17...35...SSRMS WS4 configured for translation
Tue 12:27 PM...05...17...50...Equipment lock preps
Tue 12:32 PM...05...17...55...Crew meals begin
Tue 01:57 PM...05...19...20...EVA-3: Tools configured
Tue 02:01 PM...05...19...25...U.S. network interviews with Morgan, Caldwell
Tue 03:22 PM...05...20...45...OBSS OSE EVA-4 prep
Tue 04:22 PM...05...21...45...Lab window pane replacement
Tue 05:09 PM...05...22...33...PAO educational event
Tue 05:30 PM...05...22...54...Mission status briefing on NASA TV
Tue 06:22 PM...05...23...45...EVA-3: Procedures review
Tue 08:32 PM...06...01...55...EVA-3: Mask pre-breathe
Tue 09:17 PM...06...02...40...EVA-3: Airlock depress to 10.2 psi
Tue 09:37 PM...06...03...00...ISS crew sleep begins
Tue 10:07 PM...06...03...30...STS crew sleep begins
Tue 11:00 PM...06...04...24...Daily video highlights reel on NASA TV

At the Johnson Space Center in Houston, meanwhile, engineers are pressing ahead with testing and contingency planning to deal with a small gouge in the shuttle's heat shield tiles. A decision on whether to order a spacewalk repair is expected later this week, after a series of tests to assess what sort of damage, if any, the shuttle's fuselage might experience during re-entry.

John Shannon, chairman of NASA's Mission Management Team, said Monday the damage is not believed to pose a catastrophic threat to the shuttle or its crew and if some other emergency forced a speedy return to Earth, Endeavour could safely land as is.

"We're not talking about catastrophic damage," Shannon said. "But if I have to pull off five or six tiles (after landing) and put a doubler on some structure, replace a rib or anything like that, that's going to increase my turnaround time between (flights) and I'd like to avoid that if possible, if I have an EVA that I think is easy to execute. Now all of that assumes we come back and show that we would have localized heating that could cause some damage underneath and we haven't done that yet."

The testing will determine whether a spacewalk is needed.

"If you ask me whether I think it will or not, I'd probably lean toward it's not going to be absolutely required to do," he said. "The initial simplified cavity model that they ran today passed with no structural damage, no reduction of structural margins at all. But again, it's a simplified model. Since the flow is a little tricky, we want to make sure that we get it exactly right and we'll run that, make sure we understand it and if we don't have to do anything, well we had good practice in pulling together these procedures. And if we do have to do it, I feel fully confident we could execute that with a minimal impact to the mission."

To protect against the possibility of a spacewalk, a team of engineers and astronauts is assessing various repair options. The astronauts are trained for three different types of repair, ranging from the application of a black paint-like material and/or the injection of a thick putty-like insulator to a large carbon composite panel that could be screwed into surrounding tiles to form a thermal barrier. Late Monday, engineers ruled out the latter option because of the small size of the gouge and the complexity of the panel installation procedure.

The Endeavour astronauts plan to carry out space station assembly spacewalks Wednesday and Friday. The Friday EVA involves relatively low-priority get-ahead work and mission managers could opt to substitute a tile repair spacewalk instead. Another option would be to extend Endeavour's mission an additional few days and stage a fifth spacewalk. But no final decisions will be made until testing is complete.

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Additional coverage for subscribers:
VIDEO: STOWAGE PLATFORM INSTALLATION EXPLAINED PLAY

VIDEO: THE FLIGHT DAY 6 HIGHLIGHTS MOVIE PLAY
VIDEO: SHANNON GIVES UPDATE ON TILE DAMAGE ANALYSIS PLAY
VIDEO: FLIGHT DAY 6 MISSION STATUS BRIEFING PLAY
VIDEO: PREVIEW OF SPACEWALK NO. 2 PLAY
VIDEO: SPACEWALK NO. 2 BEGINS PLAY
VIDEO: SPACEWALKERS UNBOLT THE FAILED GYROSCOPE PLAY
VIDEO: THE FAILED GYRO IS REMOVED FROM THE STATION PLAY
VIDEO: NEW GYRO IS RETRIEVED FROM SHUTTLE PAYLOAD BAY PLAY
VIDEO: SPACEWALKERS BRING NEW GYRO UP TO THE STATION PLAY
VIDEO: THE NEW GYRO IS INSTALLED AND BOLTED DOWN PLAY
VIDEO: FAILED GYRO PUT ON STATION STOWAGE PLATFORM PLAY

VIDEO: THE FLIGHT DAY 5 HIGHLIGHTS MOVIE PLAY
VIDEO: HURRICANE FLOSSIE ON SUNDAY EVENING PLAY
VIDEO: CREW INSPECTIONS SHUTTLE TILE DAMAGE PLAY
VIDEO: INSPECTION BOOM FOR DAMAGE CHECK PLAY
VIDEO: FLIGHT DAY 5 MISSION STATUS BRIEFING PLAY

VIDEO: THE FLIGHT DAY 4 HIGHLIGHTS MOVIE PLAY
VIDEO: FLIGHT DAY 4 MISSION STATUS BRIEFING PLAY
VIDEO: SPACEWALK NO. 1 BEGINS PLAY
VIDEO: SPACEWALKERS REMOVE LAUNCH LOCKS ON S5 TRUSS PLAY
VIDEO: ROBOT ARM INSTALLS STARBOARD 5 TRUSS ON STATION PLAY
VIDEO: STARBOARD 5 TRUSS BOLTED TO THE SPACE STATION PLAY
VIDEO: TRUSS'S GRAPPLE FIXTURE REMOVED PLAY
VIDEO: PREVIEW OF SPACEWALK NO. 1 PLAY
VIDEO: STARBOARD 5 TRUSS INSTALLATION EXPLAINED PLAY

VIDEO: THE FLIGHT DAY 3 HIGHLIGHTS MOVIE PLAY
VIDEO: FLIGHT DAY 3 MISSION STATUS BRIEFING PLAY
VIDEO: STARBOARD 5 TRUSS PULLED OUT OF PAYLOAD BAY PLAY
VIDEO: TRUSS HANDED FROM SHUTTLE ARM TO STATION ARM PLAY
VIDEO: SHUTTLE ASTRONAUTS WELCOMED ABOARD STATION PLAY
VIDEO: SHUTTLE DOCKS TO THE STATION AS SEEN LIVE PLAY
VIDEO: ENDEAVOUR AND STATION FLY INTO ORBITAL SUNRISE PLAY
VIDEO: SHUTTLE DOES BACKFLIP BELOW THE STATION PLAY
VIDEO: ENDEAVOUR INTERCEPTS THE SPACE STATION PLAY
VIDEO: SHUTTLE TI BURN SEEN FROM STATION PLAY
VIDEO: ANIMATED PREVIEW OF DOCKING PLAY

VIDEO: FIRST IN-SPACE COMMENTS FROM BARBARA MORGAN PLAY
VIDEO: THE FLIGHT DAY 2 HIGHLIGHTS MOVIE PLAY
VIDEO: SHUTTLE INSPECTIONS EXPLAINED PLAY
VIDEO: FLIGHT DAY 2 MISSION STATUS BRIEFING PLAY
VIDEO: THE FULL LAUNCH EXPERIENCE PLAY
VIDEO: JETTISONED EXTERNAL TANK FALLS AWAY PLAY
VIDEO: THE FLIGHT DAY 1 HIGHLIGHTS MOVIE PLAY

VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAY: EXTERNAL TANK CAMERA PLAY
VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAY: UCS-23 WIDESCREEN PLAY
VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAY: PLAYALINDA WIDESCREEN PLAY
VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAY: CAMERA 009 PLAY
VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAY: CAMERA 049 PLAY
VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAY: CAMERA 050 PLAY
VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAY: CAMERA 051 PLAY
VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAY: CAMERA 054 PLAY
VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAY: CAMERA 060 PLAY
VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAY: CAMERA 061 PLAY
VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAY: CAMERA 063 PLAY
VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAY: CAMERA 070 PLAY
VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAY: CAMERA 071 PLAY
VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAY: WEST TOWER PLAY
VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAY: PAD PERIMETER PLAY
VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAY: COMPLEX 41 PLAY
VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAY: KSC RUNWAY PLAY
VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAY: PAD FRONT PLAY
VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAY: CAMERA CS-1 PLAY
VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAY: CAMERA CS-2 PLAY
VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAY: CAMERA UCS-12 PLAY
VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAY: PRESS SITE PLAY
VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAY: VAB ROOF PLAY
VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAY: BEACH TRACKER PLAY

VIDEO: ENDEAVOUR BLASTS OFF! PLAY
VIDEO: CREW'S LAUNCH MORNING PHOTO IN DINING ROOM PLAY
VIDEO: UPCLOSE FOOTAGE OF THE GANTRY ROLLBACK PLAY
VIDEO: TIME-LAPSE MOVIE OF GANTRY ROLLBACK PLAY
VIDEO: TUESDAY MORNING'S STATUS BRIEFING PLAY
VIDEO: STS-118 PRE-LAUNCH NEWS CONFERENCE PLAY
VIDEO: MONDAY MORNING'S STATUS BRIEFING PLAY
VIDEO: SUNDAY COUNTDOWN AND WEATHER UPDATE PLAY
VIDEO: CREW ARRIVES AT KENNEDY SPACE CENTER PLAY
VIDEO: COMMENTS FROM EACH OF THE ASTRONAUTS PLAY

VIDEO: PRE-FLIGHT INTERVIEW: SCOTT KELLY PLAY
VIDEO: PRE-FLIGHT INTERVIEW: CHARLIE HOBAUGH PLAY
VIDEO: PRE-FLIGHT INTERVIEW: TRACY CALDWELL PLAY
VIDEO: PRE-FLIGHT INTERVIEW: RICK MASTRACCHIO PLAY
VIDEO: PRE-FLIGHT INTERVIEW: DAVE WILLIAMS PLAY
VIDEO: PRE-FLIGHT INTERVIEW: BARBARA MORGAN PLAY
VIDEO: PRE-FLIGHT INTERVIEW: ALVIN DREW PLAY
MORE: STS-118 VIDEO COVERAGE
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