STS-135 - the final Space Shuttle flight - Set to launch

[Tron]

STS-135 coverage is ongoing on NASA-TV SD and HD channels.

Tune in to 87W to witness history this week.

Launch is scheduled for this morning at 11:26 a.m. Eastern, however there is only a 30 percent chance that the weather will cooperate.

Good Luck and Godspeed, Atlantis and STS-135 crew!

 

[Dee_Ann]

Watching it now. Was watching MeTV and the signal just went dead so I popped over to check other channels on that satellite and saw the NASA guys getting ready so I figured I might a well watch this historic event. Kinda sad to see this end but on the other hand I'm glad of it because those old shuttles scare me. I think they need to move on to something safer and focus on Mars now. We can use the Russians to get people to and from the ISS, they seem to be doing a good job, their rockets are efficient and safe. Too bad we can't get Russian Mission Control on satellite. That would be neat to see.

 

[avenger]

Tron, I am retired but oday will be a very emotional day for me, for I had worked on the first to the last External fuel tank for the Space Shuttle. I was one of the chosen few to go to NSTL, now Stennis in Mississippi, to work on the first Exteral test tank to be attache to and to test the first Space Shuttle engines. While working at Michoud, I was able to work on various areas and stages of the developing process for the External fuel tank. In reality, I did most everything, but the applying of the Thermo Protection System (TPS).

I had some very enjoyable times working on the extenal fuel tanks. I worked with various groups in which I participated on almost all phases in the building and to the testing of most of the components related to the makeup of the building of the external fuel tanks. The most fun part of my work was the delivering of the external tanks from Michoud in New Orleans Louisiana to the Kennedy Space Center at Florida, the tanks were barged, and it took five days for the delivery to KSC. I also was able to take two external tanks return barge trips from Vanderberg, California, to New Orleans Louisiana, those trips took 30 days, and went by way of the Panama Canal.

I am sure am going to miss the good old days working at Michoud. But as you already know, all thing must come to an end.

Godspeed to the crew of STS 135. I certainly will be watching this flight with fond memories.

avenger.

 

[avenger]

Just watched the last Space Shuttle flight and I will say that it was a beautiful sight. Am still watching all the different Video cameras angles shots of the flight. Am very impress to see that the video camera installed on the external fuel tank showed a nice clear picture of the underside of the Shuttle. It seems that there was no delamination/separaion of the Thermo Protection System.

Most of the Lockheed working people that remained for the fuel tank support, will loose their jobs by the middle of next month. If I would had stayed and not retired, the chanses of me being picked up for the next project would have been pretty good, and even that program is still a long way from being stabilize. I shaw the light at the end of the tunnel and took my chanse. It was a very good ride, had two very bad bumps, but overall it was better that expected.

Godspeed STS 135.

avenger.

 

[dfergie]

Good launch, sad to see no available American spacecraft for a few years... I saw a piece on CBS Evening news yesterday on some of the pad workers that get laid off the 23rd...

 

[avenger]

Before the Challenger disaster in 1986, we were over 5000 employees strong at the Michoud (New Orleans) Facility plant.. the Columbia disaster we were down to about 2000 employees. When I retired last April, we were 200 employees, in September of 2010 they were down to 40+ employees, this coming August looks like the last of those employees will get the az. NO MORE USA SHUTTLES FLIGHTS FOREVER.
avenger.

 

[Tron]

Before the Challenger disaster in 1986, we were over 5000 employees strong at the Michoud (New Orleans) Facility plant.. the Columbia disaster we were down to about 2000 employees. When I retired last April, we were 200 employees, in September of 2010 they were down to 40+ employees, this coming August looks like the last of those employees will get the az. NO MORE USA SHUTTLES FLIGHTS FOREVER.
avenger.

Its sad to see the Michoud Assembly Facility facing this uncertain future. God knows New Orleans East needs the economic support that facility provides, especially post-Katrina. Hopefully, Michoud will play an important role in the next generation manned space vehicle program, whenever it is finally developed...

 

[Ilya]

It is sad to see the Shuttle era come to an end, and I feel sorry for all those people who put so much effort and spent big portions of their lives working for Shuttle, but unfortunately the whole concept of the external tank was flawed. That became apparent after the Columbia tragedy once they realized that a piece of foam can do so much damage. No one expected that until then. But once they proved that in the lab tests, the Shuttle program became doomed. No matter how well the insulation is applied to the tank there is always a risk of some pieces of it coming off during the lift off. It would've been just a matter of time before the next accident...

 

[avenger]

Ilya, there is a risk factor on everything we do, but I do agree with you about the foam part. It was not so much as the application of the foam or the process, the main problem was, is, that every time the external tank was filled with the fuel for flight, and then if the flight was aborted because of whatever problem was encounter that day, the external tank had to be emptierd of it's fuel. Those fuels are very, very cold, which means that the tank expands and contracts every time that fuel is exchanged, the foam seems to separate from the tank skin, leaving a void from tank skin and foam. What happens next is not hard to understand.
avenger.

 

[Ilya]

And it sounds like there is currently no good solution to this problem without making the tank much heavier.
So the only real way to avoid the potential damage to the orbiter is to put it on top of the tank, not below it, and/or to use the solid rocket. Which brings us back to the Apollo/Orion design as the most viable option...

 

[dfergie]

But that's the thing, the Shuttle could carry a payload, the capsules only carry personnel, I risk my life everyday going to work, traffic etc, then when I get there the risk of being trapped, back fall, cage accident etc... there is risk in everything.

 

[Ilya]

But that's the thing, the Shuttle could carry a payload, the capsules only carry personnel, I risk my life everyday going to work, traffic etc, then when I get there the risk of being trapped, back fall, cage accident etc... there is risk in everything.

Astronauts accept a lot of risk every flight. But having to worry about a piece of foam as the highest risk to their lives?! Something is wrong with that!

Shuttle had served very well over the years, until a major design flaw has been revealed by the Columbia tragedy. When they first proposed the Shuttle idea and the external tank concept, if someone had mentioned back then that a piece of foam from the tank could destroy the orbiter, and that you would have to spend hours on the orbit scanning the leading edge and flip over every time you approach the Station, I bet the Shuttle idea would've been scrapped.

As for the payload, I think cargo spaceships should be fully automatic. Why make them man-rated? 30 years ago that would've been difficult to do, but in this day and age it is probably easier and much cheaper to make an unmanned spacecraft, than to fly humans.

 

[dfergie]

The Shuttle was a compromise though, if I remember right the original plan was for a much better ship.

 

[TRG]

We can use the Russians to get people to and from the ISS, they seem to be doing a good job, their rockets are efficient and safe.

Hi Dee, did you know that the Russian Soyuz technology in use today was first designed in the 60's? Like the space shuttle it has been upgraded over the years. But the actual design is much older than the shuttle.

Soyuz (spacecraft) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[dfergie]

Hi Dee, did you know that the Russian Soyuz technology in use today was first designed in the 60's? Like the space shuttle it has been upgraded over the years. But the actual design is much older than the shuttle.

Soyuz (spacecraft) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is our last chance to see a landing if for some reason KSC & Edwards have bad weather... a co-worker saw the one in 82, I should have went then...

 

[TRG]

This is our last chance to see a landing if for some reason KSC & Edwards have bad weather... a co-worker saw the one in 82, I should have went then...

Yup, that was STS-3. I figured that there would be more landings at White Sands. Wishful thinking I guess.

 

[dfergie]

Same here... its about a 3 hour drive, but if possible I'd make it...

 

[Tron]

Looks like the Space Shuttle program will officially conclude this morning with the landing of Atlantis in Florida at 4:56 a.m. CT.

Weather at the landing site is perfect, and the deorbit burn is expected to take place at 3:49 a.m. CT.

Coverage is ongoing on all NASA TV channels.

 

[Ilya]

Atlantis has landed at 5:57 AM EDT.
The Shuttle Era is over...

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