STS-125 Shuttle Mission to Service Hubble Space Telescope Launches on Monday 7pm

Berserker · 15 May 2009 at 20:20

Nice. Thanks for continuing to post them.

Berserker · 15 May 2009 at 21:58

Spacewalks complete: 2/5

Another long one. They're supposed to be 6 hours 30 minutes in length. Yesterday's was 7 hours 20. Today's was 7 hours 54 (ish), making it the eighth longest spacewalk in history (ironically knocking out of the top ten a spacewalk involving another RSU swap-out on the HST).

slothmeister · 15 May 2009 at 22:50

you know i never understand how anyone can't be anything but fascinated with the whole space thing. Granted it hasn't been until the last year or so that i've properly started to follow nasa's space program and their future, but i have always watched with a keen eye.

Will be a shame to see the shuttles go, but i'm really looking forward to the constellation program, providing of course they get past all the budget/safety probs.

Cosimo · 16 May 2009 at 07:51

Edit: Day 5 HD Highlights replacement when available.

Mission status added.

Teki187 · 16 May 2009 at 09:00

slothmeister said:
the constellation program

The what program? Have any information on this?

Cosimo · 16 May 2009 at 09:02

Teki187 said:
The what program? Have any information on this?

NASA's spacecraft system which replaces the space shuttle, with manned flights beginning in 2015 with the Orion capsule and Ares I rocket:

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/constellation/main/index.html

http://www.tallgeorge.com/projectconstellation.php

Teki187 · 16 May 2009 at 09:10

simulatorman said:
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/constellation/main/index.html

http://www.tallgeorge.com/projectconstellation.php

Thanks.

Looks like where in for some exciting things in the coming years.

Just one thing, why did they move away from the shuttle?

Berserker · 16 May 2009 at 10:41

Because it's restricted to Low Earth Orbit. That puts something of a clamp on any hopes you might have for exploration.

It's also somewhat high risk - why would you risk crews more than you have to in a craft that you now know can be destroyed by something as simple as a large chunk of foam (or ice).

If it wasn't for the ISS (built of parts designed to be launched by the Shuttle) and international commitments, I suspect the Shuttle fleet would be retired by now and we wouldn't have a Hubble mission.

Cosimo · 16 May 2009 at 13:24

Berserker said:
Spacewalks complete: 2/5

Another long one. They're supposed to be 6 hours 30 minutes in length. Yesterday's was 7 hours 20. Today's was 7 hours 54 (ish), making it the eighth longest spacewalk in history (ironically knocking out of the top ten a spacewalk involving another RSU swap-out on the HST).

The spacewalk was long because a new pair of gyroscopes refused to go in and they had to use a refurbished pair instead.

Spacewalk Timetable

We are on FD 6 today.

Each will last approximately 6.5 to 7 hours.

(Grunsfeld is Extravehicular -1 wearing the spacesuit with solid red stripes; Feustel is EV-2 wearing the suit with no markings; Massimino is EV-3 wearing broken horizontal stripes; Good is EV-4 wearing barber pole red stripes.)

On flight day (FD) 4, Grunsfeld and Feustel will replace a wide field camera. Then they will replace a failed science data processing computer that delayed the launch from last October and install a mechanism for a spacecraft to capture Hubble for de-orbit at the end of the its life.

On FD 5, Massimino and Good will change out three boxes, each containing two of the telescope’s six gyroscopes, and three batteries.

On FD 6, Grunsfeld and Feustel will install the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph, a device that will perform spectroscopy, the science of breaking up light into its individual components. The new science instrument replaces COSTAR, the corrective optics package first installed on the first Hubble servicing mission, that enabled the scientific instruments to compensate for the telescope’s misshapen primary mirror. The astronauts also will conduct repairs to the Advanced Camera for Surveys, which has experienced power failures, causing two of the telescope’s three observing channels to stop operating.

On FD 7, Massimino and Good will repair and upgrade the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph, which stopped working in 2004 due to power failures, and install a stainless steel blanket on Hubble’s exterior. The blankets provide additional thermal protection for some equipment bays, replacing the existing multi-layer insulation that has degraded over time.

On FD 8, Grunsfeld and Feustel will replace the final set of batteries for the telescope, replace a sensor needed for precisely pointing the telescope to gaze at its celestial targets and install another blanket on its exterior.

From: http://www.nasa.gov/pdf/339297main_STS125 MissionSummary.pdf

Cosimo · 16 May 2009 at 13:27

slothmeister said:
is there no videos of them grabbing hubble?

I missed this one from Day 3.

Cosimo · 16 May 2009 at 13:35

“Space Shuttle Mission - STS-125 – The Final Visit to Hubble”

The mission document that covers all aspects of the mission is available from here:

http://www.nasa.gov/pdf/331922main_sts125_presskit_050609.pdf

You won’t be disappointed.

Berserker · 16 May 2009 at 14:27

simulatorman said:
The spacewalk was long because a new pair of gyroscopes refused to go in and they had to use a refurbished pair instead.

Aye, I know. One of my earlier posts alluded to this. The RSU that refused to be installed was serial number 1007, and there is something of an in-joke at NASA - referring to this as the James Bond (007) RSU. Hence one of the astronaut's comments about being double-crossed by 007.

Thanks for the continuing videos/pics/info.

NeilF · 16 May 2009 at 15:42

Berserker said:
EVA update - they started late and are in trouble with a stuck bolt. Not sure what they're going to do as they're just trying lots of tools and none are doing anything. Usually when this happens they end up getting the big tools out with two astronauts on the end and forcing it. Don't think that's an option this time though because the bolt is down the bottom of a big hole.

The clock is of course ticking and they're well behind.

Edit - bolt released. Now the question is, did they break it in the process (that would be game over for the new camera). We'll find out soon.

Edit2 - The bolt is fine. \o/

$50,000,000,000 at the mercy of a bolt

Berserker · 16 May 2009 at 16:00

Er, no. The whole Hubble programme only cost $10,000,000,000

COSTAR has now been removed from Hubble (redundant hardware). They're currently inspecting some damaged insulation but hopefully it won't get in the way of COS because there's not much they can do about it.

Cosimo · 16 May 2009 at 18:04

Mik3 · 16 May 2009 at 19:36

Those images of Earth from space make me tingle.

Berserker · 16 May 2009 at 20:48

EVA #3 wrapping up. Ironically the task that they thought was to be one of the most troublesome has proven to be just about the least problematic so far and they've blown through all the work planned, plus another hour of 'get ahead', and still look like they'll finish at worst on time. Practice really does make perfect.

Now all we need to know is whether the repairs worked and ACS is back in full (or at least near full) service.

Darg · 16 May 2009 at 22:05

Someone will forget to turn the bloomin thing back on and they'll have to go back up there again.

Berserker · 17 May 2009 at 01:27

They've thought of that. Power tests are done within an hour of the completion of each piece of work. However, that still doesn't preclude the options of (a) the thing not coming out of the cargo bay properly (or at all), or (b) the transfer back to internal power not working, or (c) the short circuit that knocked out most of ACS happening again and taking care of the rest.

Berserker · 17 May 2009 at 02:39

Hmm - ACS repair appears not to have achieved everything they'd hoped. We'll probably find out later today if it's achieved anything useful - it might be 2/3rds working instead of 1/3rd, which is better than nowt.