Spaceflight Now | STS-128 Shuttle Report (original) (raw)
BY JUSTIN RAY
Follow space shuttle Discovery's STS-128 mission to the International Space Station. Reload this page for the latest updates.
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 2009
1515 GMT (11:15 a.m. EDT)
The latest tracking data of debris from an Ariane 5 rocket shows it will not come close enough to the space station Friday morning to prompt an avoidance maneuver.
"As we got closer and closer to the time of closest approach, the orbits started diverging enough that we got outside of our flight rule limits and this (morning) declared the probability of the two objects coming together in space were zero," said space station Flight Director Royce Renfrew. "So we stood down on any further actions."
1210 GMT (8:10 a.m. EDT)
NASA has decided that a possible debris avoidance maneuver by shuttle Discovery to steer the International Space Station away from a piece of Ariane 5 rocket won't be required. Analysts determined there will be a safe miss distance.
0625 GMT (2:25 a.m. EDT)
The astronauts have completed a mega day of equipment transfers from the Leonardo module. The space station has received its new fluid science and materials research facilities, another supercold freezer, plus countless bags of supplies. The crew also finished setting up and activating the additional sleeping compartment.
0140 GMT (9:40 p.m. EDT Wed.)
Engineers will make a decision late Thursday on whether to raise the International Space Station's orbit slightly to avoid a piece of debris from a European rocket, NASA managers said Wednesday.
The debris, catalog number 29274, apparently is part of the dual-payload "SYLDA" adaptor used by an Ariane 5 rocket that launched Japanese and French communications satellites on Aug. 11, 2006.
Read our full story.
0045 GMT (8:45 p.m. EDT Wed.)
The shuttle Discovery's heat shield was cleared for re-entry "as is" Wednesday by NASA's Mission Management Team based on a detailed analysis of launch imagery, laser scans conducted by the astronauts the day after launch and a close-up inspection of the shuttle's belly during final approach to the space station.
Read our full story.
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2009
2000 GMT (4:00 p.m. EDT)
The latest version of the NASA Television schedule (Rev. H) can be downloaded here.
1945 GMT (3:45 p.m. EDT)
Astronauts spending the day on equipment transfers
The Discovery astronauts focused on equipment transfers Wednesday, moving science racks and other gear into the International Space Station from a cargo module delivered by the shuttle. Flight controllers, meanwhile, studied the track of a derelict European rocket body to determine if an avoidance maneuver might be necessary.
Read our full story.
1908 GMT (3:08 p.m. EDT)
Here's an update on the transfer work as of this morning's start to Flight Day 6:
- 64 percent of the shuttle middeck items have been moved to the station
- 93 percent of the station items destined for the shuttle middeck to be returned to Earth
- 18 percent of Leonardo's contents have been unloaded into the station
- 30 percent of the station stowage into Leonardo for landing
1632 GMT (12:32 p.m. EDT)
"What a Wonderful World" by Louis Armstrong was the wakeup song to get Flight Day 6 underway. Today will focus on the continued unloading of equipment from the Leonardo module, including new science research equipment.
Read our earlier status center coverage.
Current Shuttle Mission Patch
The official embroidered patch for shuttle Discovery's flight to deliver equipment and research gear to the space station.
U.S. STOREWORLDWIDE STORE
Ares 1-X Patch
The official embroidered patch for the Ares 1-X rocket test flight, is available for purchase.U.S. STOREWORLDWIDE STORE
Apollo Collage
This beautiful one piece set features the Apollo program emblem surrounded by the individual mission logos.U.S. STOREWORLDWIDE STORE
STS-127 Mission Crew Patch
The official embroidered patch for shuttle Endeavour's flight to finish building Japanese section of the space station.U.S. STOREWORLDWIDE STORE