STS-124/1J FD14 pre-entry checkouts updates

[DaveS]

FCS checkout and RCS hotfire tests complete and good. Although, a piece of rectangular debris was seen floating over the starboard wing and a potrusion of some kind has been noticed on the lower port Rudder/Speedbrake panel.

Photos and videos are being downlinked to MCC-H right now for analysis.

 

[DaveS]

Crew is pretty far along in cabin stow activties. Requestiong permission to power up and unberth the RMS to use it's End Effector camera to take a closer look on the Rudder/Speedbrake panel potrusion.

MCC-H replies that they have called the PDRS officers back into duty, but they're not sure if they need the arm.

 

[Woo482]

Can I ask you a Question? what is the PDRS ?

 

[DaveS]

Can I ask you a Question? what is the PDRS ?

Payload Deployment and Retrieval System.

 

[Chipstone306]

Discovery Crew Prepares for Saturday’s Landing

Image above: Highlighted views of a "bump" seen by the STS-124 crew on space shuttle Discovery's rudder. Photo credit: NASA

› Share your comments about the mission

The crew members of space shuttle Discovery are spending today getting ready for their return home and the end of the STS-124 mission.

After completing a standard day-before-landing test of the shuttle steering jets, the crew indicated they had seen a one-foot- to 1.5-foot-long rectangular object floating away from the shuttle from behind the rear portion of the right wing. Shortly afterwards, the crew described what they called a "bump" on the left side trailing edge of Discovery's rudder. Experts on the ground are examining images and video of the object and the "bump" while the crew continues to stow items in the cabin for Saturday's planned landing.

The STS-124 astronauts also will set up the recumbent seat for Mission Specialist Garrett Reisman, who joined the crew of Discovery on the International Space Station. Reisman, who served as Expedition 17 flight engineer for three months, was replaced on the station crew by NASA astronaut Greg Chamitoff.

STS-124 arrived at the station June 2, delivering the Japanese Pressurized Module (JPM), the second and largest component of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s Kibo laboratory. The tour bus-sized JPM was attached to the left side of the Harmony connecting node by shuttle and station crew members during a series of three spacewalks.

Discovery is scheduled to land at Kennedy Space Center, Fla., tomorrow.

 

[Woo482]

how bad is the "Bump" ?

 

[Urwumpe]

how bad is the "Bump" ?

The photos don't look too bad, maybe a small gap filler. It is also no directly critical location as the lower parts of the rudder are not in the faster air stream during reentry.

The main question, would more likely be: Does it interfere with the operation of the rudder/speedbrake? I can't tell from the photos.

 

[Arrowstar]

How about that piece of debris? Any word on that?

 

[DaveS]

The photos don't look too bad, maybe a small gap filler. It is also no directly critical location as the lower parts of the rudder are not in the faster air stream during reentry.

The main question, would more likely be: Does it interfere with the operation of the rudder/speedbrake? I can't tell from the photos.

No gap fillers. They're only used inbetween tiles, and the RSB on vehicles 103, 104 and 105 is blankets only. Only vehicles 102 and 099 had a combination of tiles and blankets on the RSB.

And the potrusion has been declared not a concern for entry. Debris was a metallic clip used to secure thermal barriers on the inside of the RSB.

 

[apollo13]

I don't really understand how bad Gap Fillers are, they don't look very dangerous, but what I understand, is that they are actually very dangerous. Don't worry I know there are no gap fillers on Discovery, this is just a general question.

 

[Urwumpe]

I don't really understand how bad Gap Fillers are, they don't look very dangerous, but what I understand, is that they are actually very dangerous. Don't worry I know there are no gap fillers on Discovery, this is just a general question.

They are not directly dangerous - they can alter the airflow on the surface of the Shuttle during reentry and cause regions of higher pressure on it, which are also regions of hotter temperatures.

But of course, they don't explode or have any effect when there is only little airflow.

 

[DaveS]

I don't really understand how bad Gap Fillers are, they don't look very dangerous, but what I understand, is that they are actually very dangerous. Don't worry I know there are no gap fillers on Discovery, this is just a general question.

There are gapfillers on every orbiter! They're just not potruding and disturbing the boundary layer.

 

[DaveS]

Discovery has been given a GO for KU antenna stow on-time.

 

[Woo482]

wear is the shuttle landing? KSC or EAFB?

 

[DaveS]

wear is the shuttle landing? KSC or EAFB?

KSC. 2 attempts planned for tommorow:

D/O burn attempt 1: 10:10:17 am EDT
Landing attempt 1: 11:15:18 am EDT
D/O burn attempt 2: 11:46:32 am EDT
Landing attempt 2: 12:50:44 pm EDT

Edwards is not called up tommorow or Sunday due to the optimistic forecasts for KSC on Saturday and Sunday.

KU antenna has been stowed for the remainder of the mission.

 

[Woo482]

oh ok thanks for telling me

 

[JEL]

Here's a news-story on that debris:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/14/science/14shuttle.html?ref=science

 

[DaveS]

Debris and potrusion has been cleared at today's MMT meeting. No entry concerns whatsoever.

Weather is expected to great at KSC tommorow, so likely tommorow, STS-124/1J will end with a safe touchdown at KSC RWY15.