ejbehr@rs6000.cmp.ilstu.edu (Eric Behr) (06/14/91)
MCC STATUS REPORT #15 -- FLIGHT DAY 8
4:30 a.m. CDT --- Wed., June 12, 1991
The Space Shuttle Columbia's crew was awakened this morning to
the song "Twistin' the Night Away" performed by Sam Cooke in the
movie "Animal House."
The song is in honor of the orbiter's maneuvering which is part
of detailed test objective (DTO 910) Orbital Acceleration
Research Experiment. The experiment was activated Monday night.
The objective of the experiment is to accurately measure
aerodynamic acceleration rates in a weightless environment to
expand the informational database currently held dealing with the
prediction of orbital drag. Such information will be used in
predicting orbital drag that will be considered in the design of
future space systems like Space Station Freedom.
To accommodate this DTO, the orbiter has flown in a gravity
gradient or stable attitude during the crew sleep period with its
nose pointing toward the Earth and its port wing into the
velocity vector or the line of travel.
Planning shift flight controllers spent their overnight shift
monitoring systems, adjusting the flight plan, and preparing
messages that have been uplinked to the crew on the teleprinter.
Early yesterday the Text and Graphics System (TAGS) experienced a
paper jam and is no longer being used. Messages now are being
routed through the onboard teleprinter, a backup system to the
TAGS.
MCC STATUS REPORT #16 -- FLIGHT DAY 8
11:30 a.m. CDT --- Wednesday, June 12, 1991
Spacelab Life Sciences-1 crossed the one week point of the
mission as activities in the module stepped up following a
day of reduced activity by the STS-40 crew.
Columbia continues to perform well allowing the focus
of the mission to be devoted to payload activities.
A failure of a heater on one of the electricity-producing
hydrogen tanks was the only problem reported on the Orbit 1
shift. The tank has a backup heater that is working fine and
fueling the units producing onboard electricity to Columbia
and Spacelab.
In the module, crewmembers continued SLS-1 experiments
including body mass measurements; blood pressure checks;
echocardiograph observations; and urine and saliva sample
collections.
Commander Bryan O'Connor radioed down that he observed a dust
storm cloud generated over Algeria that stretched across the
Atlantic Ocean into the Caribbean.
The crew also sent down a videotape of a tour of the Spacelab
module with crewmembers narrating the various activities
relating to the life sciences experiments on board.
The Orbit 1 team sent a "big picture" message relating to
changes in the deorbit preparations prior to and including
closing the payload bay doors before landing on Friday now
expected to be between 10:36 and 10:40 a.m. CDT at Edwards
AFB, CA.
MCC STATUS REPORT #17 -- FLIGHT DAY 9
3:30 a.m. CDT -- Thursday, June 13, 1991
Ground controllers interrupted STS-40 crew members' sleep period
four times overnight to troubleshoot a Research Animal Holding
Facility cooling loop and the Spacelab module's two balky
refridgerator/freezers.
The first interruption occurred at a MET of about 7/14:05 or
10:35 p.m. CDT Wednesday when flight controllers alerted the crew
that a Mission Peculiar Equipment (MPE) water loop that provides
cooling to the Research Animal Holding Facility (RAHF) had shut
down. The RAHF is in the Spacelab module. Pump #1 had shut down
but there are two redundant cooling pumps in addition to pump #1
-pump #2 and an auxiliary coolant pump. Both redundant pumps also
can provide cooling to the RAHF.
Ground controllers believed there was a problem with pump # 1's
circuit breaker and asked crew members in the Spacelab module to
recycle the breaker. Crew members recycled the pump's breaker but
it remained in a shut down mode. Crew members then reconfigured
the system to activate pump #2, one of the redundant water loops.
That pump is working nominally.
The crew's sleep period was interrupted a second time a few
minutes later at a MET of 7/14:41 or 11 p.m. CDT when
ground controllers asked crew members to leave the L8I freezer
door in the Spacelab module closed as they were seeing the
freezer temperatures warm.
Earlier problems with the second Spacelab freezer, L9I, resulted
in all urine and blood samples being moved into the L8I freezer.
Only an empty tray was left in freezer L91.
There is a third refridgeration unit on board, the Orbiter
Refridgerator Freezer (ORF) which is located on the orbiter's
mid-deck. Problems also were encountered earlier in the mission
with that unit when crew members detected an odor coming from the
unit. The ORF was powered off on Flight Day 7 after a
troubleshooting procedure resulted in the emission of the same
odor. That unit remains powered off.
The third interruption occurred at a MET of about 7/15:41 or
12:10 a.m. today when ground controllers asked the crew to work a
troubleshooting procedure on freezers L8I and L9I. Ground
controllers said they had continued to see a warming trend in
freezer L8I which is housing the blood and urine samples, and
believed there was a blockage in freezer L9I's freon line that
they wanted to try and clear and attempt to bring that unit back
into operation.
Mission Specialist Jim Bagian worked the 40 minute
troubleshooting procedure and turned freezer L8I off and was
asked by ground controllers not to open the door. Bagian reported
the L8I temperature at minus 4.6 degrees Celsius or 23.8 degrees
Farenheit at a MET of 7/16:23, which was below the 32 degree
Farenheit limit. Bagian also worked a troubleshooting procedure
on freezer L9I. Ground controllers reported preliminary data
showed L9I appeared to be working and CAPCOM Kathy Thornton told
Bagian that if temperatures in freezer L9I reached the desired
freezing before the crew sleep period ended, it could become
necessary to wake the crew again.
That prediction proved true when crew members were awakened a
fourth time at about a MET of 7/18:14 or 2:43 a.m. CDT and asked
to transfer the urine and blood samples from the Spacelab's
freezer L8I into freezer L9I because L9I had reached an
acceptable temperature. Mission Specialist Jim Bagian completed
the transfer and recycled freezer L8I so ground controllers could
gather data to determine if the machine is still viable. Bagian
reported the temperature of freezer L8I before the transfer at
minus 1.5 degrees Celsius or 29.3 degrees Farenheit.
CAPCOM Kathy Thornton also told crew members they could sleep one
orbit late because of the interruptions and that ground
controllers had added 90 minutes to their wakeup time or a wakeup
time of about 5:50 a.m. CDT. Flight controllers are continuing
work on the crew's flight day nine timeline to accommodate that
late wakeup.
Flight controllers will continue to monitor the
refridgerator/freezer temperatures.
During the first freezer troubleshooting procedure, the Space
Shuttle Columbia flew over the Phillippine Islands on orbit
123. Evidence of an erupting volcano was visible as the orbiter
flew over the area. Mount Pinatubo, which is located northeast of
Manila in the Phillippines, erupted with three explosions
Wednesday, shooting a giant plume of ash more than 12 miles high.
The giant ash plume was visible as a yellow pall from Columbia's
158 nautical mile altitude.
Later today crew members will conduct some science investigations
during their last full day in space prior to a nominal end of
mission that would result in a Friday morning landing at Edwards
Air Force Base in California. Preliminary weather reports show
favorable weather in California on Friday. Other activites that
are scheduled include changing out the RAHF feeder, performing
echocardiograph testing, performing jellyfish fixation activities
that will require the use of the General Purpose Work Station in
the Spacelab module, and performing inlet checks of the Spacelab
module's two refridgerator/freezers.
--
Eric Behr, Illinois State University, Mathematics Department
Internet: ejbehr@rs6000.cmp.ilstu.edu Bitnet: ebehr@ilstula_carle@sol.brispoly.ac.uk (Les Carleton) (06/16/91)
In article <1991Jun14.045230.12967@rs6000.cmp.ilstu.edu> ejbehr@rs6000.cmp.ilstu.edu (Eric Behr) writes: MCC STATUS REPORT #15 -- FLIGHT DAY 8 4:30 a.m. CDT --- Wed., June 12, 1991 The Space Shuttle Columbia's crew was awakened this morning to the song "Twistin' the Night Away" performed by Sam Cooke in the movie "Animal House." Looks like somebody at mission control got an Animal house CD for Xmas :-) But seriously. Does anyone have a list of the music used to wake the shuttle crews over the last few years? ...Les... "Does a CD play better in space?" -- +---------------------------+--------------------------------------------+ | Les Carleton | la_carle@uk.ac.bristol-poly.gould2 (JANET) | | MCI#4 Bristol Polytechnic | "My Life - My Opinions - ALL MINE!!!" | | Brissle, England | "I love children ... but I couldn't eat a | | "UNIX troubleshooter" | whole one" | | Moving soon ... redirect to les@decuk.uvo.dec.com after July 1st | +---------------------------+--------------------------------------------+
rivero@dev8g.mdcbbs.com (06/17/91)
In article <LA_CARLE.91Jun15171950@sol.brispoly.ac.uk>, la_carle@sol.brispoly.ac.uk (Les Carleton) writes: > But seriously. Does anyone have a list of the music used to wake the > shuttle crews over the last few years? > Right after "Good Morning Vietnam!", Robin Williams made several tapes for NASA that all started "Good Morning <insert shuttle name here<" and then went on with several jokes. ========================================================================== \\\\ Michael Rivero | "I drank WHAT!" |"When MARRIAGE is illegal,| (. rivero@dev8a.mdcbbs | Socrates ------------------- Only | )> DISCLAIMER::: |-----------| "How come I'm | OUTLAWS will | == "Hey man, I wasn't |Looking4luv|taxed by the guy | have INLAWS! | ---/ even here then!" |Settle4sex!|I voted AGAINST!"| | ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++-------------------+++++++++++++++
freed@nss.FIDONET.ORG (Bev Freed) (06/19/91)
> Message-ID: <1991Jun17.135050.1@dev8g.mdcbbs.com> > > Right after "Good Morning Vietnam!", Robin Williams made several > tapes for NASA all started "Good Morning <insert shuttle name here<" > and then went on with several jokes. > Eh...I have the transcripts of both tapes that he made for STS-26, Discovery...if anyone wants copies, including the parodies on "Fun, Fun, Fun" and "We Orbit 'Round." Fun stuff. --- Opus-CBCS 1.20.17 * Origin: NSS BBS - Ad Astra! (412)366-5208 *HST* (1:129/104.0) -- Bev Freed - via FidoNet node 1:129/104 UUCP: ...!pitt!nss!freed INTERNET: freed@nss.FIDONET.ORG
grams@shadow.tornado.gen.nz (C. Grams) (06/20/91)
freed@nss.FIDONET.ORG (Bev Freed) writes: > > > Message-ID: <1991Jun17.135050.1@dev8g.mdcbbs.com> > > > > Right after "Good Morning Vietnam!", Robin Williams made several > > tapes for NASA all started "Good Morning <insert shuttle name here<" > > and then went on with several jokes. > > > Eh...I have the transcripts of both tapes that he made for STS-26, Discovery. > > > --- Opus-CBCS 1.20.17 > * Origin: NSS BBS - Ad Astra! (412)366-5208 *HST* (1:129/104.0) > -- > Bev Freed - via FidoNet node 1:129/104 > UUCP: ...!pitt!nss!freed > INTERNET: freed@nss.FIDONET.ORG yes please....i would be very much interested if it is not too much of a problem (or hassle!!) -------------------------------------------------- | Grams | @SHADOW.tornado.gen.nz | 2400/1200baud | -------------------------------------------------- | Shadow Land BBs | ph:850625 | Doors dedicated | --------------------------------------------------