Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Discovery back in assembly building at KSC

Discovery is safely back inside the Vehicle Assembly Building after completing an overnight return from launch pad 39A.

An eight-tracked crawler-transporter began rolling off the pad at 10:48 p.m. Tuesday to begin the 3.4-mile journey.

NASA said Discovery had completed the trip around 6:45 a.m. today.

Technicians will soon resume scans of the tank's mid-section looking for any more cracked support beams called "stringers." Half of them couldn't be reached at the launch pad.

Scaffolding and access platforms are being set up inside the assembly building so workers can safely perform the scans there.

Also inside, 89 temperature sensors and strain gauges installed for last Friday's tanking test will be removed and fresh insulating foam will be applied to those areas.

NASA plans to decide Dec. 30 if stringer modifications are necessary before Discovery can launch on its final flight, which remains targeted for Feb. 3 at the earliest.

IMAGE: Discovery on its way back from launch pad 39A early today. Credit: Michael R. Brown, Florida Today

16 comments:

Anonymous said...

Milk it baby, milk it!

Space Program = GLORIFIED SOCIAL WELFARE PROGRAM

jaxdodger said...

WOW, what an accomplishment, they got it back in the garage! Someone should tell these misfits that these things are supposed to FLY not trundle back and forth on the ground at a half a mile an hour! These incompetent jerks should all be fired now! They have had 11 months to get this ready and are still two months away! And of course there will be another delay the next time it rolls out!

Anonymous said...

All I can say is that Anonymous 8:37 AM and jaxdodger don't have a clue. There's no one trying to milk it or extend their jobs. This is a true technical problem which must be understood before Discovery flies. The last thing anyone wants is another accident, loss of the vehicle, or loss of the crew.

Anonymous said...

They're pushing the same flight readiness and safety standards, but with a diminished staff . The space program is the height of human technical achievement, and they deserve our respect.

If you actually saw what they go through to ready a shuttle for flight, or the return value of space research...you would speak smarter. If they deserve criticism for anything, it's for trying to make repairs out at the launch pad at all.

Anonymous said...

Rockwell sold that junk to the public and all the bought-off-by-defense-contractor Politicians knew it would never fly like an airline.

You may not remember but Rockwell said it would fly just like an airline and they made their billions and left town.

14 Dead Astronauts later they are still milking that junk.

Anonymous said...

To Anonymous 10:47 AM Looks like you don't know your head from your ass either. What a shame the human race has to be infested by your filth & ironic remarks. Everyone knows that NASA lost all their competent engineers. Nothing left except the immigrants collecting their free govt welfare checks proving how incompetent NASA has become.

Anonymous said...

Please retire this thing.
It is torture.
Shut it down.

HBJ said...

Anon 12:34.....Rockwell built a launch vehicle based on a contract with NASA. It met all the goals and objectives set forth in that contract. The turn-around time between launches turned out to be longer than planned. Think the TPS tiles played a significant part in that. It's still the best heavey lift space vehicle around that is manned. Sure RI made money on the deal. They're business people. So what?

Anonymous said...

to the critics if you want to diss companies / people , which is your privilage : Please lets get it aimed at the right folks first : The Shuttle is not a "part" it is a system made up of 3 or 4 parts! Rockwell was one of several original contractors and they built the orbiter ( the thingy with wings that holds the crew and cargo folks often call it the "shuttle")it has never been the cause of a crew loss. So the criticism of rockwell for causing this is baseless. Next the (SRM's )solid rocket motors the two white looking rockets were built by Thiokol now ATK caused the original 1st crew loss in Orbiter Challenger in 1986 when O-rings didnt seal at ignition on the right hand booster and that occured because , in short, NASA and Thiokol managers decided it was ok to fly on a very cold day even though the seals had leaked in warmer weather the shuttle was 'talking to us' and some very high managers didnt want to listen to it... Next we have The Big Orange looking thing which is the external tank , It holds fuel for the orbiters 3 main engines ) and it was built by martin marietta / Now Lockheed Martin: It caused the loss of the 2nd Orbiter "Columbia" when a chunk of foam came off during launch and poked a hole in the left wing of the orbiter. again decisions were made by High Nasa maangers to not check out the orbiter while it was in orbit despite reuests from lower Nasa and contractor folks so, in short the orbiter burnt up on rentry killing the crew. The fuel tank had lost foam on every previous launch even though it wanst supposed to, (again the shuttle was talking to us) and Managers didnt want to listen. -- seeing a trend here?? The last big part is called the SRB's which is the nose cap and aft skirts for the white rockets , they were / are bult by United technologies i think , and they havent caused a Loss. So now we have the shuttle on the pad and it is once again talking to us ( cracking stringers, leaking GUCPS) and thank God NASA managers are listening to it and checking it out.... anything less would be criminal and deserving severe criticism or more... so feel free to criticize but atleast take the time to understand what it is your pissed at. other wise you cant be taken seriously and it degrades the quality of the posts here.

Anonymous said...

To those that bad mouth NASA....Do you have a beeter way? Next time you should think of what your world would be like without NASA...Here is one thing: No satelites= no TV, emergency responders, no warnings for bad weather, no internet, etc... And that is just one thing that we do!!!!And, I wonder how you would feel NONE of the technology that is a bi-product of this program, was not available. But, perhaps you think that cars, Cell Phones, Internet, and, even life saving technology is not needed. And, you forget that these people that are working on this technology are also helping the economy of the area! See how your life is when they are not paying taxes, and must move elsewhere. Your life is, like it or not, dependant to at least some degree, on NASA.... If you do not like it, MOVE!!!

Anonymous said...

Anonymous@9:22 AM Correction on your grammar-Do you have a beeter way? "better" way rather than "beeter" way.

Highly doubt that most people are complaining about NASA as a whole - Only the space program which seems to have become somewhat redundant over the past decade. Having no focus to what they'll do to move forward in space exploration but still getting more govt funding does seem like a waste of money. The other areas of NASA developing new technology are not as publicized as the space program.

Anonymous said...

What I think is a sad note is Charlie Bolden said NO civil servants would lose any jobs! Here's a big story for you, I suddenly seen 20 new faces with temp badges that have been hired as civil servants by NASA for KSC! Not one looks over 30 and think its great to be starting at KSC! So if the money has stayed the same as 2010 then why cut whats needed, force lay-offs of NON-civil servant workers (which has done everything since the beginning only with NASA oversight)and start hiring more protected personnel? All NASA personnel do at KSC is sit in plush offices in suits and read reports of all the contractors work being done!
Charlie you better get your priorities straight or you will sink whats left of space flight ANYWHERE in the US.
As to the redecorating that was done...yes to headquarters for NASA personnel. Every building out there is filled with asbestos and is falling apart! if we dont fix them we need to tear them down and I know you will never find and NASA personnel driving fancy cars doing any demo work! NASA pays huge salaries to people (some of which dont even have more than a HS diploma)I'm talking over 100k to sit in an office and read papers and go for long walks or work out in the health clubs that are off limits to anyone BUT NASA personnel.

Anonymous said...

NASA = Never A Straight Answer!

Bruce said...

NASA technicians do an amazing job with the crap Martin Marietta sends them. I hope they can at least charge these repairs as in warranty to the manufacturer.

Anonymous said...

I know someone that makes gobs and gobs of overtime off this spacecraft, and he does nothing but sit and wait for someone else to do something. he admits to being paid too much and is milking it for everything possible.

Anonymous said...

The space shuttle is the best advertisement for commercial space out there. Each time they have to roll that monstrosity back to the VAB it illustrates the need to end the program. Overcomplicated, overbudget, overschedule and soon to be OVER! GO SPACEX ! ! !