STS-133 Shuttle Mission to the International Space Station Launches Thursday 21:50 GMT

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The wakeup call today is at 12:23 GMT (07:23 EST) and the plan for today is:

Flight Day 4

• Cargo transfer
• OBSS handoff from Canadarm2 to shuttle robotic arm
• Spacewalk tool preparation
• Spacewalk 1 preparations by Kopra and Drew
• Spacewalk 1 procedure review
• Spacewalk 1 campout by Kopra and Drew in the Quest airlock​
 
So what's going to happen 'after' they close the shuttle program? i.e after the next two flights?

Are they bringing out a new reusable space craft? Will it still launch from Kennedy Space Center? What does NASA have in store for us after?
 
I thought they didn't have the budget anymore and that everything would be on on hold after the shuttle program?
 
Combat squirrel said:
Also another question, I hear that nasa is going to undock one of the soyaz modules attached to the station to get some photos of ISS + space shuttle attached? is this correct ?
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Hopefully, I think it is planned but depends on the Russians, it would make some great photos with everything thats docked at the moment.
 
Combat squirrel said:
I have a daft question, how come it doesnt tip over ? it obviously is very weighty to one side with the shuttle attached ? lol
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Not at all. Quite the opposite in fact - the orbiter is less than 9% of the total 'stack' weight - even with the main fuel tank empty. They obviously don't want to tip the stack, so go to great effort to keep it level even while being moved, but nonetheless it's stable enough for some (very large) bolts to be sufficient to hold it down.

Combat squirrel said:
Also another question, I hear that nasa is going to undock one of the soyaz modules attached to the station to get some photos of ISS + space shuttle attached? is this correct ?
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Er, no, The Russians might undock a Soyuz and take some photos. :p

It's still being looked at because they usually go to great pains to avoid anything docking with ISS while a shuttle orbiter is present. That's why, for example, they waited for the ATV to dock before launching.

There's also the risk, every time a Soyuz undocks, that it won't be able to dock again. In which case, it's an immediate ride home for the three crew onboard.

That said, it's looking promising, so we'll just have to wait and see if they can get comfortable with the plan.
 
Berserker said:
Not at all. Quite the opposite in fact - the orbiter is less than 9% of the total 'stack' weight - even with the main fuel tank empty. They obviously don't want to tip the stack, so go to great effort to keep it level even while being moved, but nonetheless it's stable enough for some (very large) bolts to be sufficient to hold it down.
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… and of course although the ISS is a stable structure it has to maintain attitude. This is controlled by four gyroscopes and sometimes thrusters. The docked shuttle also provides attitude control. The altitude is control by the ISS engines and sometimes by supply vehicle engines.

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Space_Station#Orbit_control
 
Good catch - he could have meant that instead.

... except of course that when the shuttle is docked, they prefer to use the shuttle thrusters over the others. The shuttle has to fly with plenty of margin to be able to get to the ISS and maintain it's own attitude, so any fuel they end up not using to do that is best used maintaining the ISS (instead of being left in the tanks).

Commentary suggested the ISS is about four times the weight of the shuttle, but I'm not sure that's accurate.
 
Bah, couldn't see the space station just now. Too much cloud cover and street lights. Gonna keep an eye on it for the next few nights and drive out somewhere away from streetlighting.
 
Friend (who is a member here) linked to this on FB, so hope they don't mind me pinching it. :)

Certainly a rare and unique way to see (some of) the launch...

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Merlin5 said:
Wow, the sound of the astronauts talking from the space station to the press is perfect radio studio quality.
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That's because they use a high data-rate HD camera for PAO events. It takes a lot of scarce Ku-band satellite bandwidth, which is why they don't do it the rest of the time. Normal audio comes via S-band or ground stations, with Ku-band (when available) being reserved for data (e.g. email), mission-related photos and video, IP phone calls, and so forth.
 
Yeah, but the last time I watched a video conference from the ISS to the media, the sound wasn't like that at all, it was the more usual sound you expect like talking down a phone.
 
Merlin5 said:
Yeah, but the last time I watched a video conference from the ISS to the media, the sound wasn't like that at all, it was the more usual sound you expect like talking down a phone.
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Which just means they didn't use HD that day (they've only been doing it for a few years) - depends on what satellite(s) are nearby and what else is using them.
 
I see. Thanks Berserker.

I want to share this video I found. Although it's not discovery, it's beautiful to watch HD quality video of shuttle launch and orbit after seeing so much low quality (but appreciated) streams this week. Really reminds you just how stunning it is up there, and the wonderful soundtrack gives a great sense of majesty and awe to the whole thing. Enjoy. I particularly like the earth footage from 4.00.

 
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