NASA Update
 

It's been a while, so I figured I'd give y'all an update. Shuttle launch is still set for March 11th, at 2:28 am central time. It'll take the first part of the Japanese lab module to the space station. I gotta be in the control room 4 hours before launch so it looks like my schedule's gonna get messed up.

The April launch has slipped and is now scheduled for May 24th.

The August launch has slipped to August 28th. This is the shuttle mission going to the Hubble telescope to perform one last maintenance job. We've started to make required modifications to the "Blue" flight control room for this mission.

I'll be COD mission manager for the launch next week as the official mission manager will be on vacation. And yes - I'm still going to have surgery the following week to repair those 2 aneurysms.

We're still planning on me being the COD mission manager for the May flight. COD = center operations directorate Johnson Space Center. Each shuttle mission has about 25 mission managers for the different aspects of the mission.

Some trivia -

Control rooms -

"Red" flight control room - 2nd floor building 30M - used for training

"White" flight control room - 2nd floor building 30S - shuttle missions

"Blue" flight control room - 2nd floor building 30S - currently for Hubble mission

Flight Control Room #1 - 2nd floor building 30M - Int'l Space Station (24/7)

"Apollo" flight control room - 3rd floor building 30M - historical landmark - looks the same today as it did in 1969 for the moon landing

The Russians have their control room in 30S. The Canadians, Italians, Japanese, and the European Space Agency are in 30M.

Ok, I've killed enough time. Time to go to the daily meeting!

Tom

:Thanx::You-Rock:

Ummm - 17 pots a day... I'll cut back before the surgery...

Tom

thank you for the update, and godspeed on your recovery from the surgery, dont over do it


peace

Thanks Tom for the update.

Would you be kind enough to post that link again where we can check out about the missions? You did once before, but I can't find it. Thank you

http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/

this is a good link to start at i watch the missions on my pc around here or on the nasa tv channell on direct tv

if u do a yahoo search for nasa tv you will get a few sites for live streaming

not sure if this is the same site tom mentioned prior
hope this helps

http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/realdata/sightings/

This is the sight that tells ya when ya can see the space station and shuttle flying overhead. It looks like a bright star. When they're coupled, it's really bright. Just pick your area. Country-State-City...

If ya get a 5 minute window from horizon to horizon, it's kinda cool to watch it. It'll be close to directly overhead. It'll look like a fast moving star (I watch it all the time).

Gotta love this crap. You can watch the trajectory on the NASA channel if you can. This is how I know when to watch. I follow it in the control room.

Tom

all those broadband users you know if you drag the icon in front of the web address to your pc's home page you can make a short cut to that paticular

web page on your pc's front and or home page yes u need to make the windows u have opened smaller so u can drag it to front page,

there are other ways copy the address, and on front page of pc right click make a new shortcut and follow directiosn its easy i hardly go to my book marks i just have icons for these sites:eek:

Wow~~ thanks for sharing Tom. Still keeping ya in my prayers for your surgery. You are one busy dude!!!

take care.....

Up-dated EVA schedule (Extra-Vehicular Activity, or "Spacewalk"):

Thur 3/13 - JLP install and SPDM assembly, 6-1/2 hours

Sat 3/15 - SPDM assembly, 6 hours

Mon 3/17 - Oru transfer/MISSE 6 LWAPA Install, 6-1/2 hours

Thur 3/20 - T-Rad DTO/Get aheads), 6-1/2 hours

Sat 3/22 - OBSS stow, 6-1/2 hours

3/24 - undock

I don't think we've ever had 5 EVA's scheduled. They're all late afternoon/early evening.

Tom

Hi Tom,

This is sooooo cool to have someone like you being able to share Shuttle information with us like this. It's awesome!

This is the first time I've seen one of your posts and boy, did it pump me up. Like having someone on the inside. Sooooo exciting.

I will be watching for your updates. I've made it a point to NOT miss one Shuttle launching and landing since they started. I love the night launches as sometimes I can see them from Richmond, Virginia. What a rush!

ok more trivia -

Launch tonight (Saturday). 10:03 pm central time. This is the first launch of the European Space Agency's ATV (Automated Transfer Vehicle). An unmanned vessel to carry supplies to the space station. It launches from South American (French Guinea).

It won't dock with the station until after Endeavour leaves. We're still on schedule to launch the shuttle early Tuesday.

The europeans are really excited about this. Mission control's full of people this morning. We're using NASA's TDRIS satellites for guidance, so everyone's involved.

Tom

That is pretty cool Tom - hope all goes well, keep us posted! Love the NASA Updates

What an awesome job! All the people, the teamwork, the family....not many have that in life. Keep feeding us space junkies!!

Woohooo! I wonder if the Euro launch will be carried on the NASA channel? I'll be looking for it tonight now!!

Yes, the NASA channel will cover it.

Tom

OK, so are we ready for the 2:28AM Tuesday, Eneavor launch?:)

I'm all excited, but I don't get the NASA Channel, so is there
another news channel, who will carry the launch? I Can't get
outside, as there is still a foot of snow out there..:eek:

Good luck Tom and thanks for all your updates..:hug:

Wow! this is the coolest thread.

Thanks Tom! Good luck with surgery. :hug:

does anyone know how far up the east coast you can see it when it takes off?

Got a brother in VA who is wondering?

Just briefly stepping in here... We're at step 801. Launch in 1 hour 31 minutes...

I'm in one of the control rooms.

Tom

Roger that, Houston. :cool: Hope everything goes smoothly!

Tom,

We are watching live on NASA on HDnet. 11 minutes to go

Are you one of the launch directors they just showed on TV. They just said the name Tom.

Thanks

Shelley

I'm on line and watching too Tom! Too exciting!
Tis 5:27pm right now in Australia, so you guys can work out your times from that.

Awesome job! According to NASA on HDnet...it was one of the smoothest countdowns ever! Congrats and godspeed.

WOW!

What a blast off!

Thanks Tom!

A very smooth launch. We lost voice (communication with the shuttle) before launch but got it back in time to go thru with launch.

I'm not a flight director. I'm one of the mission managers. I was in the control room at the time you typed your message Shelley - we were working on getting voice back.

Tom

One Word Tom~~~~~ COOL!!!!

:rocket: Congrats Tom and the whole Crew. :You-Rock::Tip-Hat:

I missed it....Waaaaaaaaaa. :Dunno:

I did just watch the Launch on video at NASA, though.....beautiful!!!!!

Thanks TOM! I got so excited when they said the name Tom that I thought it might be you.

It was awesome. Brought back memories of my childhood when I wanted to be an astronaut and would write to NASA for information.

What an amazing thing that you do!

glad the launch was good, question if I may. Do you get to see some of the items that are going up and how they work such as this DEXTER item.

I was listening to tem talk about it on on nasa tv, before the launch and it sounded rather intersting, sounds like it could help with man hours for tedious repairs or part replacements,

hopefully my cog fog is correct and it was this DEXTER unit i am talking about

Once again Tom, NICE JOB!! ( Insert applause here!!)

Another spectacular launch, and as usual, I held my breath all the way through it!:eek:

One of these days I am going to make it to FL and watch a night launch. I have 2 BILs who live in New Smyrna Beach on the road going into the National Seashore. They have a party on the roof deck every time there's a night launch!

The DEXTRE thing is a robotic arm developed by the Canadian Space Agency. We call it CANDARM. I haven't seen the one that went up but we got an exact duplicate in the swimming pool... I've seen that...

We got this really big swimming pool. It's got a mock-up of the space station in it, and we can drop mock-ups of the Hubble telescope and the shuttle in there. 102 feet by 204 feet by 40 feet deep. It's called the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory. Closest thing for astronauts to experience weightlessness on earth. We can get 10 astronauts in there with 5 supporting divers each at any given time. Every space walk activity is rehearsed alot of times in the swimming pool.

It's a really cool robotic arm. Not very long but lots of functions.

Anything that goes up into space that passes thru Johnson Space Center, I get to see. If I want to. Some things are kinda boring so I pass... Things that come back from space I got to see too, unfortunately. Like astronaut feces and urine samples.... Ugh!!!!! But I get to see all the moon rocks from the 60's/70's too...

I gotta go to bed. I've been up since 4 am Monday - I'm not even tired any more...

Tom

Thanks for all the Cool Updates!! Hope you were able to get some rest this week :D:hug:

... and I still get to brag about knowing an actual rocket scientist...:D

You da man, Big Tom!