nasa space shuttle sts-104 press kit

8/14/2019 NASA Space Shuttle STS-104 Press Kit

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Giving the ISS a Doorway

to Space

Giving the ISS a Doorway

to Space

WWW.SHUTTLEPRESSKIT.COM

Updated June 22, 2001

AtlantisOV104

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STS-104

Table of Contents

Mission Overview ........................................................................................................ 1

Mission Objectives ....................................................................................................... 5

Crew Members .............................................................................................................. 8

Flight Day Summary Timeline .................................................................................. 11

Rendezvous ............................................................................................................... 12

Spacewalks

STS-104 EVAs ........................................................................................................... 14

PayloadsJoint Airlock ................................................................................................................ 18

High Pressure Gas Tanks ........................................................................................... 20

Space Shuttle Main Engine ....................................................................................... 21

DTO/DSO/RME

DSO 493 Monitoring Latent Virus Reactivation and Shedding in Astronauts................ 24

DSO 496 Individual Susceptibility to Post-Space Flight Orthostatic Intolerance........... 25

DSO 498 Space Flight and Immune Function .............................................................. 26

DSO 634 Sleep-Wake Actigraphy and Light Exposure During Spaceflight................... 27

DSO 635 Spatial Reorientation Following Spaceflight.................................................. 28

DTO 261 International Space Station On-Orbit Loads Validation ................................. 29

DTO 262 On-Orbit Bicycle Ergometer Loads Measurement......................................... 30

DTO 692 International Space Station Waste Collector Subsystem Refurbishment ...... 31

DTO 700-14 Single-String Global Positioning System.................................................. 32

DTO 805 Crosswind Landing Performance .................................................................. 33

HTD 1403 Micro-Wireless Instrumentation System (Micro-WIS).................................. 34


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Shuttle Reference and Data

Shuttle Abort History ................................................................................................... 35

Shuttle Abort Modes ................................................................................................... 37

Space Shuttle Rendezvous Maneuvers ...................................................................... 41

Space Shuttle Solid Rocket Boosters ......................................................................... 42Space Shuttle Super-Lightweight Tank (SLWT) ......................................................... 49

Acronyms and Abbreviations .................................................................................. 50

Media Assistance ..................................................................................................... 56

Media Contacts ......................................................................................................... 58


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STS-104Mission Overview

Giving the ISS a Doorway to Space

Another International Space Station phase reaches completion during the STS-104 (ISSAssembly Flight 7A) mission aboard Atlantis, the fourth shuttle mission of the year, the 10thshuttle flight to the expanding station and the 105th flight in Space Shuttle Program history.

Five astronauts, commanded by veteran shuttle flier Steve Lindsey, an Air Force lieutenantcolonel, with help from ISS Expedition Two Flight Engineers Susan Helms and Jim Voss,will install a 6-ton Joint Airlock to the starboard berthing mechanism of the station's Unitymodule. It will be used by resident crewmembers and visiting shuttle crews to conductspacewalks, using either American or Russian spacesuits. Expedition Two CommanderYury Usachev will monitor ISS systems during the delicate airlock installation procedureand the initial testing of the airlock itself.

Once it is installed and activated, the airlock will symbolize the completion of the ISS PhaseTwo, giving the station a capability for spacewalks with no shuttle present.

Scheduled for launch from Launch Pad 39B at Kennedy Space Center (KSC), Atlantis willreach the ISS for a docking two days after liftoff. Its arrival will set the stage for threespacewalks by veterans Mike Gernhardt and Jim Reilly to install the massive chamber andfour high-pressure tanks, two oxygen and two nitrogen.

The tanks will be used to pressurize and depressurize the new airlock. The thirdspacewalk will be the first to be conducted from the new ISS airlock.

Lindsey is joined on Atlantis by Pilot Charlie Hobaugh, a Marine Corps captain and first-time flier, and Janet Kavandi, a shuttle veteran. She will be responsible for shuttle robotarm operations in support of the spacewalks.

Helms and Voss will use the station's Canadarm2 robot arm to grapple and install theairlock on Unity on the first spacewalk by Gernhardt and Reilly.

Built at a cost of $164 million (including associated tanks), the airlock consists of twoseparate chambers. The equipment lock, the larger of the two, has room for spacesuits andenvironment equipment, which will be used by spacewalkers to suit up and prepare for theirexcursion outside the station. The crew lock, which is separated from the equipment lockby a hatch, is the portal from which the spacewalkers will open the outer hatch to begintheir excursions. The crew lock contains lighting, handrails and internal umbilicalassemblies to provide power and communications for the spacewalkers until they put theirsuits on internal battery power. It is similar in size to the shuttle's airlock.

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STS-104Once installed, the airlock will undergo a series of tests by ground controllers and stationcrewmembers to verify that its environmental, communications and telemetry systems workbefore Gernhardt and Reilly venture out of it for the first time on the ninth day of themission.

During the second and third spacewalks, Helms will use the Canadarm2 to grapple andunberth two pressurized oxygen tanks and two pressurized nitrogen tanks from theSpacelab double pallet in Atlantis' cargo bay. She will hand them off, one by one, toGernhardt and Reilly for installation on the new airlock.

Kavandi will operate the shuttle's smaller Canadian-built robot arm from Atlantis' aft flightdeck to maneuver the spacewalkers. It will be the second time robotics from two spacecraftwill be employed in ISS assembly.

The hatches between Atlantis and the ISS will be closed and opened twice for the first twospacewalks to maintain the proper cabin pressure for each vehicle. But once the newairlock is installed and activated, hatches can stay open between visiting shuttles and the

station during future flights during docked operations.

Most of Atlantis' mission will be devoted to installing and outfitting the airlock, but theshuttle crewmembers also will transfer cargo and water to the station. Kavandi will be incharge of cargo transfer operations, helped by Lindsey, Hobaugh and Reilly.

In addition, during a week of joint activity between the shuttle and station crews, Atlantis'astronauts will conduct an experiment called SIMPLEX, an acronym for Shuttle IonosphericModification with Pulsed Local Exhaust. It studies the sources of high frequency radarechoes created by shuttle engine firings in space. The crew will also shoot scenes of itsvisit to the ISS on the large format IMAX camera, a 65mm color movie camera system.

More than a mile of film will be shot during the mission.

The 11-day flight will end with Atlantis' landing on the 3-mile-long runway at KSC.

Day 1 - Launch

Atlantis' crew will launch at the end of its day during a precisely timed, few-minutes-longlaunch window that begins the process of rendezvous with the International Space Station.Once in orbit, they will power up and activate heaters on the airlock in the cargo bay tokeep it from being damaged by the cold of space. Crewmembers will go to sleep about fivehours after launch.

Day 2 - Equipment Checkouts, Rendezvous Preparations

Atlantis' crew will spend its first full day in space checking out equipment that will be usedfor upcoming major activities -- spacesuits and spacewalking gear; the shuttle's roboticarm; and the controls and tools used for the final rendezvous and docking with the station.The crew also will power up and prepare the shuttle's docking system and perform severalengine firings to optimize the rate at which Atlantis closes in on the station.

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STS-104Day 3 - Rendezvous and Docking

Plans call for Atlantis to dock with the International Space Station on Flight Day 3. Theshuttle and station crews will open hatches and transfer some equipment and supplies,including water bags. They will then close the hatches and Atlantis' cabin pressure will belowered to 10.2 pounds per square inch in preparation for the next day's spacewalk.

Day 4 - First Spacewalk; Joint Airlock Installation

The first spacewalk focuses on airlock installation. The spacewalkers will help as Helms,using the station's robotic arm, lifts the new station airlock from Atlantis' payload bay andmoves it to the station's Unity module. During much of the almost seven-hour spacewalk,Reilly will work from a foot platform attached to the end of the shuttle's robotic arm,operated by Kavandi. After the spacewalk, crewmembers inside the station will attachconnections to the airlock to prevent thermal damage.

Day 5 - Airlock Activation

After an overnight Airlock leak check, the day's activities will be largely devoted to airlockactivation. Tasks include removing Common Berthing Mechanism motor controllers andconnecting remaining utilities in the vestibule linking Unity with the airlock. Crewmemberswill enter the airlock to do more activation tasks, stow some equipment and check out theoxygen and nitrogen activities.

Day 6 - Spacewalk Preparation, Additional Airlock Activities

Astronauts will check out spacesuits and other spacewalking equipment and install a hatchbetween the equipment lock and the crew lock of the new airlock. The hatch was launchedin the endcone of the airlock. The airlock's depressurization pump will be checked out andthe newly installed hatch's seal will be verified. The station and shuttle arms will beprepared for the next day's activities.

Day 7 - Second Spacewalk

The second spacewalk is to last about 5 hours. The internal hatches between the shuttleand station will be closed at the end of Flight Day 6 so Atlantis' cabin pressure can belowered in preparation for the second spacewalk. The major objective is to attach andconnect an oxygen and a nitrogen tank. Helms will operate the station arm to lift the tanksfrom the shuttle's payload bay and maneuver them to the new airlock. At the airlock,Gernhardt and Reilly will latch the tanks in place and connect cables and hoses.

Day 8 - Rest and Spacewalk Preparation

Shuttle and station crews are to get the first half of the day off. The second half will be usedto prepare for the third spacewalk. Some equipment and supplies will be transferred,including the Protein Crystal Growth - Enhanced GN2 Nitrogen Deware experiment.

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STS-104Day 9 - The Third Spacewalk

The third spacewalk will be the first conducted from the new space station airlock. It mayinclude a new protocol, developed by former commercial diver Gernhardt, to purge nitrogenfrom the spacewalkers' bodies -- essentially exercising while breathing oxygen. Primaryobjective is to install the final two tanks -- one oxygen and one nitrogen -- outside theairlock.

Day 10 - Shuttle-Station Hatch Closing, Undocking, Flyaround

The shuttle and station crews will close hatches between the spacecraft. Lindsey andHobaugh will undock Atlantis from the station. With Hobaugh at the controls, Atlantis will doa flyaround of the complex before departing.

Day 11 - Pre-Landing Checkouts, Cabin Stow

Activities include the standard day-before-landing flight control checks of Atlantis by

Lindsey and Hobaugh as well as the normal steering jet test firing. The crew will spendmost of the day stowing away gear on board the shuttle and preparing for the return home.

Day 12 - Entry and Landing

The Kennedy Space Center, Fla., is the preferred landing site.

Updated: 06/21/2001

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STS-104Mission Objectives

Top priority of the STS-104 mission of Atlantis is installation on the International SpaceStation of the Joint Airlock. This will give station crewmembers the capability of conductingspacewalks from the orbiting laboratory using either the Russian Orlan spacesuits or U.S.

spacesuits.

The airlock will be attached to the station's Unity Node, on the module's starboard CommonBerthing Mechanism, and its "survival heaters" activated. The installation will use thestation's new Canadarm2 robotic arm during the mission's first spacewalk.

Again helped by the station's robotic arm, astronauts performing a second spacewalk fromAtlantis will install an oxygen and a nitrogen tank on the airlock. The tanks, called high-pressure gas tanks or oxygen/nitrogen tank orbital replacement units, must be installedbefore a spacewalk can be performed from the airlock without a shuttle present.

A third spacewalk will be performed to attach an additional oxygen and an additionalnitrogen tank on the airlock. This spacewalk, by shuttle crewmembers, will be from theairlock itself. All four tanks, two oxygen and two nitrogen, must be installed to give stationcrewmembers the capability to do spacewalks without oxygen- or nitrogen-relatedconstraints.

Crewmembers and flight controllers on the ground will activate airlock core systems. Thosesystems must be checked out to be ready for extended work in the airlock and to confirmthat it is ready to serve as the base for future spacewalks.

They will connect oxygen and nitrogen lines and check the lines for leaks. If the tank linesleaked into the airlock, it would require isolation and perhaps repair before it could be usedfor normal spacewalks. The checks are performed both by spacewalkers and bycrewmembers inside the space station.

Astronauts will transfer spacewalk and airlock outfitting equipment from Atlantis' middeck tothe ISS. They also will install a spacewalk work site on the airlock and other equipment foruse by spacewalkers on subsequent missions.

Another priority is to transfer water for the Expedition Two crew. Water bags to last thecrew until the next resupply opportunity will be transferred from Atlantis to the ISS throughthe course of the shuttle's stay at the space station.

Supplies will be transferred from Atlantis to the station, and unused cargo will betransferred from the station to Atlantis to be returned to Earth.Additional priorities include:

--Transfer of science payloads from Atlantis to the ISS.

--IMAX 3D filming.

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STS-104--The SIMPLEX experiment, using ground sites to track shuttle thruster firings. The

acronym is for Shuttle Ionospheric Modification with Pulsed Local Exhaust.

--Installation of airlock trunnion pin covers and oxygen/nitrogen gas tank quick disconnectthermal covers for long-term protection against condensation and heat loss.

CrewCommander: Steven W. LindseyPilot: Charles O. HobaughMission Specialist 1: Michael L. GernhardtMission Specialist 2: Janet L. KavandiMission Specialist 3: James F. Reilly

Launch

Orbiter: Atlantis OV104Launch Site: Kennedy Space Center Launch Pad 39BLaunch Window: 2.5 to 5 MinutesAltitude: 122 Nautical MilesRendezvous: 240 Nautical Miles

Inclination: 51.6 DegreesDuration: 10 Days 19 Hrs. 40 Min.

Vehicle DataShuttle Liftoff Weight: 4520042 lbs.Orbiter/Payload Liftoff Weight: 258222 lbs.Orbiter/Payload Landing Weight: 207251 lbs.Software Version: OI-28Space Shuttle Main EnginesSSME 1: 2056 SSME 2: 2051 SSME 3: 2047External Tank: ET-109A (Super Light Weight Tank)SRB Set: BI-108/RSRM-80

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Shuttle Aborts

Abort Landing SitesRTLS: Kennedy Space Center Shuttle Landing FacilityTAL: Zaragoza primary; Ben Guerir, Moron alternatesAOA: Kennedy Space Center Shuttle Landing Facility

LandingLanding Date: 07/23/01Landing Time: 1:02 AM (eastern time)Primary Landing Site: Kennedy Space Center Shuttle Landing Facility

Updated: 05/25/2001

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STS-104Crew Profile Menu

Commander: Steven W. LindseySteven W. Lindsey, 40, an Air Force lieutenant colonel and formertest pilot, will be responsible for the overall safety and success of theSTS-104 mission. He will be responsible for the rendezvous anddocking of Atlantis to the International Space Station on the fourthshuttle mission of the year. He will serve as backup operator of theshuttle's robotic arm. He will play a primary or backup role in JointAirlock /vestibule outfitting, pressure leak checks and activation. Hewill serve as backup in water transfer from Atlantis to the spacestation. Lindsey also will assist pilot Charles Hobaugh at the controls

for Atlantis' flyaround of the space station after undocking, and will be at the controls for theshuttle's landing at the end of the mission.Lindsey flew as pilot on STS-87, the fourth U.S. Microgravity Payload flight, in Novemberand December of 1997 and pilot on STS-95, a research flight in October and November of1998.Ascent Seating: Flight Deck - Port ForwardEntry Seating: Flight Deck - Port ForwardRMS

Pilot: Charles O. HobaughCharles O. Hobaugh, 39, a Marine Corps major and former test pilot,will be in charge of monitoring critical shuttle systems during Atlantis'ascent to orbit and its re-entry and landing. He also will beresponsible for the operation of many of the shuttle's navigationaltools during its rendezvous with the space station. Hobaugh willserve as the intravehicular crewmember during the threespacewalks, helping with checklists and providing direction andcoordination to the astronauts outside and helping keep them ontheir timeline. He also is designated as the backup spacewalker.

After undocking, Hobaugh will be at the controls of Atlantis during its flyaround of thestation.

Hobaugh is making his first space flight.Ascent Seating: Flight Deck - Starboard ForwardEntry Seating: Flight Deck - Starboard Forward

IV1

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STS-104Mission Specialist 1: Michael L. GernhardtMichael L. Gernhardt, 44, a former commercial diver who holds aPh.D. in bioengineering from the University of Pennsylvania, willperform three spacewalks while Atlantis is docked to the spacestation. Focus of the spacewalks is installation of the Joint Airlock and

four high-pressure tanks, two oxygen and two nitrogen, outside it.Gernhardt also has primary responsibility for airlock systems andstowage within it. He also is tasked with the payload bay door openingand rendezvous photography and television. Gernhardt will assist withrendezvous as backup with a handheld laser range finder and with

operating the shuttle's docking system. He also has backup responsibilities for post-insertion activities and prime responsibility for deorbit preparation. He will conduct Earthobservations focusing on oceanography and meteorology.Gernhardt was a mission specialist on STS-69, which deployed and retrieved the Spartansatellite and the Wake Shield Facility, in September 1995; STS-83, the MicrogravityScience Laboratory Spacelab mission, in April 1997; and STS-94, a reflight of that Spacelabmission, in July 1997.

Ascent Seating: Flight Deck - Starboard AftEntry Seating: Mid Deck - PortEV1Mission Specialist 2: Janet L. KavandiJanet L. Kavandi, 40, holds a doctorate in analytical chemistry fromthe University of Washington-Seattle. Kavandi will serve as flightengineer on the flight deck of Atlantis during launch, landing andrendezvous. Kavandi is the mission's primary shuttle arm operator.In addition to moving spacewalking astronauts, she will use the

shuttle arm cameras to provide vital views to Susan Helms as Helmsuses the space station's Canadarm2 to unberth the airlock fromAtlantis's cargo bay. Kavandi also will use those cameras to helpprovide a Space Vision System solution to help Helms berth theairlock to the space station. She will have primary responsibility in airlock/vestibuleoutfitting. She also will be loadmaster on the shuttle side for logistics transfer to and fromthe space station.Kavandi served as a mission specialist on STS-91, the last shuttle flight to Mir, in June1998, and on STS-99, the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission, in February 2000.

Ascent Seating: Flight Deck - Center AftEntry Seating: Flight Deck - Center AftRMS

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STS-104Mission Specialist 3: James F. ReillyJames F. Reilly, 46, a former offshore oil and gas explorationgeologist and holder of a Ph.D. in geosciences from the University ofTexas at Dallas, will perform three spacewalks outside the spacestation during Atlantis' docked operations. Purpose of the

spacewalks centers on installation of the Joint Airlock and the fourhigh-pressure tanks for oxygen and nitrogen outside it. He also willhave primary responsibility for post-insertion operations and forhandheld laser range finder operations during rendezvous. He also isresponsible for numerous shuttle computer functions, crew and

equipment transfer operations and airlock activation. He will conduct Earth observationsfocusing on geography.Reilly flew on STS-89, the eighth Shuttle-Mir docking mission, in January 1998.

Ascent Seating: Mid Deck - PortEntry Seating: Flight Deck - Starboard AftEV2

Updated: 05/22/2001

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STS-104Flight Day Summary

DATE TIME (EST) DAY MET EVENT07/12/01 5:04:00 AM 1 000/00:00 Launch07/13/01 8:33:00 PM 3 001/15:29 TI Burn07/13/01 10:52:00 PM 3 001/17:48 Docking07/14/01 12:14:00 AM 3 001/19:10 ISS Ingress07/14/01 10:09:00 PM 4 002/17:05 EVA 1 Start07/15/01 6:49:00 AM 4 003/01:45 Ingress 207/17/01 10:14:00 PM 7 005/17:10 EVA 2 Start07/18/01 5:44:00 AM 7 006/00:40 Ingress 307/19/01 11:44:00 PM 9 007/18:40 EVA 3 Start07/20/01 9:49:00 PM 10 008/16:45 ISS Egress07/21/01 12:17:00 AM 10 008/19:13 Undocking07/23/01 12:00:00 AM 12 010/18:56 Deorbit Burn07/23/01 1:02:00 AM 12 010/19:58 Landing

Updated: 06/22/2001

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STS-104Rendezvous

Rendezvous and Docking Overview

Rendezvous and Docking

Atlantis' rendezvous and docking with the International Space Station begins with theprecisely timed launch of the shuttle on a course for the station. During the first two days ofthe mission, periodic engine firings will gradually bring Atlantis to a point about 9 1/2 statutemiles behind the station, the starting point for a final approach to the station.

About 2 hours before the scheduled docking time on Flight Day 3, Atlantis will reach apoint about 50,000 feet behind the ISS. At that time, Atlantis' jets will be fired in a TerminalIntercept (TI) burn to begin the final phase of the rendezvous. Atlantis will close the finalmiles to the station during the next orbit.

As Atlantis closes in, the shuttle's rendezvous radar system will begin tracking the stationand providing range and closing rate information to the crew. During the approach towardthe station, the shuttle will have an opportunity to conduct four small mid-course correctionsat regular intervals. Just after the fourth correction is completed, Atlantis will reach a pointabout half a mile below the station. At that time, about an hour before the scheduleddocking, Commander Steve Lindsey will take over manual control of the approach.

Lindsey will slow Atlantis's approach and fly to a point about 600 feet directly below thestation, from which he will begin a quarter-circle of the station, slowly moving to a positionin front of the complex, in line with its direction of travel. Pilot Charlie Hobaugh will assistLindsey in controlling Atlantis' approach. Mission Specialist James Reilly also will play key

roles in the rendezvous, assisting with the rendezvous navigation and operating a handheldlaser ranging device. Mission Specialists Janet Kavandi and Mike Gernhardt will operatethe shuttle's docking mechanism to latch the station and Atlantis together after the twospacecraft make contact.

Lindsey will fly the quarter-circle of the station, starting 600 feet below it, while slowlyclosing in on the complex, stopping at a point a little more than 300 feet directly in front ofthe station. From that point, he will begin slowly closing in on the station -- moving at aspeed of about a tenth of a mile per hour. Using a view from a camera mounted in thecenter of Atlantis' docking mechanism as a key alignment aid, Lindsey will precisely centerthe docking ports of the two spacecraft. Lindsey will fly to a point where the docking

mechanisms are 30 feet apart, and pause for about five minutes to check the alignment.

For Atlantis' docking, Lindsey will maintain the shuttle's speed relative to the station atabout one-tenth of a foot per second, and keep the docking mechanisms aligned to withinthree inches of one another. When Atlantis makes contact with the station, preliminarylatches will automatically attach the two spacecraft together. Immediately after Atlantisdocks, the shuttle's steering jets will be deactivated to reduce the forces acting at the

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STS-104docking interface. Shock absorber-type springs in the docking mechanism will dampen anyrelative motion between the shuttle and the station.

Once relative motion between the spacecraft has been stopped, Kavandi and Gernhardtwill secure the docking mechanism, sending commands for Atlantis's mechanism to retractand close a final set of latches between the shuttle and station.

Undocking, Separation and Flyaround

Once Atlantis is ready to undock, Kavandi and Gernhardt will send a command that willrelease the docking mechanism. The initial separation of the spacecraft will be performedby springs in the docking mechanism that will gently push the shuttle away from the station.Atlantis's steering jets will be shut off to avoid any inadvertent firings during this initialseparation.

Once the docking mechanism's springs have pushed Atlantis away to a distance of abouttwo feet, when the docking devices will be clear of one another, Hobaugh will turn the

steering jets back on and fire them to begin very slowly moving away. From the aft flightdeck, Hobaugh will manually control Atlantis within a tight corridor as he separates from theISS, essentially the reverse of the task performed by Lindsey when Atlantis docked.

Atlantis will continue away to a distance of about 450 feet, where Hobaugh will begin aclose flyaround of the station, circling the complex almost one and a quarter times.Hobaugh will pass a point directly above the station, then behind, then underneath, then infront and then reach a point directly above the station for a second time. At that point,passing above the station for a second time, Hobaugh will fire Atlantis's jets for finalseparation from the station. The flyaround is expected to be completed about an hour and20 minutes after undocking.

Updated: 05/22/2001

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STS-104EVAs

STS-104 Spacewalks: Installing a Spacewalking Portal

Overview

Astronauts Mike Gernhardt and Jim Reilly will conduct three spacewalks while Atlantis isdocked to the International Space Station to install, outfit and flight test a new airlock.Called the Joint Airlock, the new station component will accommodate both Russian andU.S. spacesuits and space-walking gear for future excursions from the station.

During the Extravehicular Activities (EVAs), as the spacewalks are technically described,Gernhardt will be designated extravehicular crew member 1 (EV1), distinguishable by redstripes around the legs of his spacesuit, and Reilly will be EV2, with an all-white spacesuit.Atlantis' Pilot Charlie Hobaugh will serve as the intravehicular activity crew member (IV),coordinating the spacewalk activities from within the shuttle cabin.

Astronaut Janet Kavandi will be operating the shuttle's robotic arm during the space walkwhile, aboard the station, Expedition Two Flight Engineer Susan Helms, assisted by fellowExpedition Two crew member Jim Voss, will operate the station's robotic arm. The internalhatches will be closed between Atlantis and the station during the first two spacewalks,although they are planned to be open for the third spacewalk, which is planned to beginfrom the newly installed station airlock rather than from Atlantis' airlock.

The first spacewalk is planned for Flight Day 4 of the mission, the day after Atlantis docksto the station. During the first spacewalk, planned to last almost seven hours, the spacewalkers will assist as Helms, using the station's robotic arm, lifts the new station airlock

from Atlantis' payload bay and attaches it to a port on the station's Unity connectingmodule. During much of the first spacewalk, Reilly will work from a foot platform attached tothe end of the shuttle's robotic arm, operated by Kavandi.

The first major task for the spacewalkers will be for Gernhardt to remove an insulatingcover, nicknamed the "shower cap," from the airlock's Common Berthing Mechanism, themechanism that will attach to Unity, while the airlock is in the payload bay. Gernhardt alsowill remove protective covers from the berthing mechanism's seals. The "shower cap" andseal covers will later be stowed by the spacewalkers in a tool locker in Atlantis' payload bayfor the trip back to Earth.

While Gernhardt is removing the covers, Reilly will work on the side of the airlock, installingdevices, nicknamed "towel bars," that will later serve as attachment points for four high-pressure oxygen and nitrogen tanks outside the new airlock. Reilly also will temporarily affixseveral thermal covers to the airlock exterior, positioning them for a later full installation onthe third spacewalk.

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STS-104Next, Gernhardt will disconnect a cable that provided shuttle electrical power to heaters onthe airlock, called Launch To Activation or LTA heaters. Then Reilly will take thedisconnected power cable and the removed airlock covers to a Tool Stowage Assembly(TSA) on the starboard side of the shuttle's payload bay to stow them. With the power cablebetween the shuttle and new airlock disconnected, Helms will begin to latch the station's

Canadarm2 onto a fixture on the new airlock.While Helms and Voss lift the airlock from Atlantis' cargo bay and maneuver it into positionto attach to the Unity module, Gernhardt and Reilly will wait inside the still-depressurizedshuttle airlock, recharging their spacesuits by connecting to air and power from the shuttle.As Helms works with the station's arm, Kavandi will maneuver the shuttle's arm intopositions to provide television camera views to assist Helms.

Once the station airlock is poised high above the shuttle payload bay only a few feet fromits attachment point on the station, Gernhardt and Reilly will leave the shuttle's airlock. Ifneeded, the two spacewalkers will provide on-the-spot observations for Helms to assistwith aligning the airlock as it is attached to Unity. Once the new airlock has been attached

to the station, Gernhardt will then connect a cable that will provide station power to the newcomponent, the final major task planned for the spacewalk.

Second Spacewalk: Air for the Airlock

The second spacewalk, planned to last about 5 hours, will be on Flight Day 7. Theinternal hatches between the shuttle and station will be closed at the end of Flight Day 6 toprepare for the second spacewalk, allowing the shuttle's cabin pressure to be reducedslightly as part of a protocol that protects spacewalkers from decompression sickness.

The major objective of the second spacewalk is to attach and connect two -- one oxygen

and one nitrogen -- of four oxygen and nitrogen tanks to the exterior of the new stationairlock. The remaining two tanks are planned to be installed during the mission's thirdspacewalk. During the second spacewalk, Gernhardt will be tethered to the end of theshuttle's robotic arm for much of the work.

Helms will be operating the station's arm to lift the tanks from the shuttle's payload bay andmaneuver them to the new airlock on the station. As the spacewalk begins, Helms will latchthe station arm onto the first tank, an oxygen tank, in Atlantis' payload bay. After the stationarm is latched onto the tank, Gernhardt will release latches that held it in place in theshuttle for launch. Helms will then lift it from the shuttle bay and maneuver it to the newstation airlock. After releasing the latches, Gernhardt will get on the shuttle's robotic arm

and Kavandi will fly him up to the station airlock. Meanwhile, Reilly will install foot platformsand guideposts at the station airlock in preparation for installing the tank.

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STS-104When Helms has moved the tank into position near the airlock, Gernhardt and Reilly, bothworking in foot platforms on the station's exterior, will take the tank from the arm as Helmsreleases it. The spacewalkers will then latch it into place on the airlock exterior, clamping itto some of the "towel bars" installed on the first spacewalk and using guideposts installedby Reilly to ensure that the tank is properly aligned. Gernhardt will then connect hoses from

the tank to the airlock.The same tasks will basically be repeated to lift the second tank, a nitrogen tank, from theshuttle's cargo bay and install it onto the station airlock, although some foot platforms willhave to be repositioned. Then, while Reilly finishes connections for the second tank,Gernhardt will install insulating covers on several airlock fixtures, including the four pinsthat helped latch the airlock in place during its time in the shuttle bay and the grapple fixtureheld by the station's robotic arm to attach the airlock to the station.

Third Spacewalk: The First from the International Space Station Airlock

The third spacewalk will be conducted on Flight Day 9 and is planned to last about 5 1/2

hours. Although it can be conducted successfully from the shuttle airlock if needed, thethird spacewalk is planned to begin from the new station airlock, both to serve as a flighttest of the new station addition and to make the spacewalk and mission's work as efficientas possible.

Preparations for the third spacewalk also are planned to include a new protocol to purgenitrogen from the body before the start of a spacewalk and thus protect the spacewalkersfrom decompression sickness. The new protocol, which involves breathing pure oxygenwhile exercising vigorously, will preclude the need for spacewalkers to spend long hours atreduced cabin pressure immediately before a spacewalk. It will allow the internal hatchbetween the new airlock and the station to remain open longer before a spacewalk begins

yet still reduce the time that spacewalkers must prebreathe pure oxygen in their spacesuitsbefore venting air from the airlock and venturing outside.

The primary objective of the third spacewalk will be to install the final two tanks -- oneoxygen and one nitrogen -- on the exterior of the new station airlock. The task will basicallymirror the procedures used during the second spacewalk to remove the first two tanks fromthe shuttle's payload bay and install them on the airlock exterior.

In addition to installing the final two tanks, the spacewalkers will connect a cable to theairlock that will enable communications with Russian spacesuits during future stationspacewalks. They also will install several handholds on the airlock exterior and install

insulating covers over grapple fixtures on the newly installed air tanks.

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STS-104EVA Timeline for STS-104

Spacewalks: Installing a Spacewalking Portal

Time Event002/17:10 EVA 1 Start002/17:20 EVA 1 Setup002/17:50 EVA 1 PCBM Cover Removal002/17:50 EVA 1 Towel Bar Installation002/18:30 EVA 1 Launch To Activation (LTA) Jumper Removal002/18:55 EVA 1 Cleanup/Airlock Ingress002/20:05 EVA 1 SSRMS Maneuver Airlock to Pre-Install002/20:55 EVA 1 Airlock Egress to continue EVA002/21:10 EVA 1 Starboard CBM Inspection002/22:00 EVA 1 Airlock Attached to Unity002/22:25 EVA 1 Mate Airlock-Unity Jumper002/23:15 EVA 1 Cleanup003/23:55 EVA 1 Ingress005/17:05 EVA 2 Start005/17:15 EVA 2 Setup005/17:30 EVA 2 Oxygen-Nitrogen Tank 1 Installation005/18:40 EVA 2 Oxygen-Nitrogen Tank 4 Installation005/20:15 EVA 2 Grapple Fixture & Trunion Cover Installation005/21:45 EVA 2 Cleanup005/22:15 EVA 2 Ingress007/18:40 EVA 3 Start007/18:55 EVA 3 Setup007/19:25 EVA 3 Oxygen Tank 2 Installation007/20:35 EVA 3 Nitrogen Tank 3 Installation007/22:25 EVA 3 Lab Launch To Activation (LTA) Cable Stow007/22:40 EVA 3 Grapple Fixture Cover Installation007/23:10 EVA 3 Cleanup007/23:40 EVA 3 Ingress

Updated: 06/21/2001

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STS-104Payloads

Airlock Offers New Gateway to Space

Overview

Atlantis will deliver the Joint Airlock to the International Space Station on the STS-104mission, giving station crewmembers the ability to conduct spacewalks using either U.S. orRussian suits. The airlock also will vent less precious air into space than the shuttleairlock.

The airlock is a critical space station element because of design differences betweenAmerican and Russian spacesuits. American suits will not fit through Russian-designedairlocks. During a series of integration tests, the Russian suits were connected to the airlock

to assure that they worked together. The airlock is specially designed to accommodate bothsuits, providing a chamber where astronauts from every nation can suit up for spacewalks toconduct science experiments and perform maintenance outside the station.

Once the airlock is carried into space aboard Atlantis, the astronaut crew, using thestations newly installed robotic arm, will secure it to the starboard side of the Unity node.

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STS-104The airlock serves two key purposes: to keep air from escaping when the hatch to space isopened and to regulate the air pressure before an astronaut enters or leaves the ISS. It hastwo compartments: the crew lock, from which astronauts will enter and leave the station;and the equipment lock, where the spacewalkers will change into and out of their suits andstow all necessary gear.

The airlock was designed and built by Boeing at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center(MSFC) in Huntsville, Ala. Boeing-MSFC manufactured the equipment lock pressure shell,mated the equipment lock with the crew lock, installed all subsystems, and successfullyperformed airlock qualification testing.

The airlock was shipped to the Kennedy Space Center last September aboard NASA's"Super Guppy" cargo aircraft. There it underwent leak testing and ground processing whilemulti-layer insulation and debris shields were installed on its exterior.

The airlock was shipped to the Kennedy Space Center last September aboard NASA's"Super Guppy" cargo aircraft. There it underwent leak testing and ground processing whilemulti-layer insulation and debris shields were installed on its exterior.

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STS-104

Airlock Specifications

Material: Aluminum

Length: 5.5 meters (18 ft.)

Diameter: 4 meters (13 ft.)

Weight: 6,064 kilograms (13,368 lbs.)

Volume: 34 cubic meters (1,200 cu ft.)

Cost: $164 million, including tanks

Updated: 06/19/2001

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STS-104Payloads

High-Pressure Gas Tanks

Overview

In addition to the airlock, the High-Pressure Gas Assembly also is being delivered byAtlantis. The assembly includes four high-pressure gas tanks -- two oxygen and twonitrogen. Each tank is just over 3 feet (.9 meter) in diameter. A meteor debris shield and amulti-layer insulation blanket to protect them from the harsh elements of space cover eachtank. For the STS-104 flight, the tanks are on an adaptor that is mounted on the doubleSpacelab pallet in the shuttle cargo bay. The tanks and adapters also were designed andbuilt by Boeing at MSFC.

The Russian Service Module "Zvezda" has been supplying these gases for the ISS. TheHigh-Pressure Gas Assembly will augment the Service Module gas re-supply system.

High-Pressure Gas Assembly Specifications

(Note: There are four High-Pressure Gas Assemblies on board.)

Tank Material: Carbon Fiber Wrap

Tank Diameter: .9 meter (3 ft.) each

Tank Volume: .42 cubic meter (15.1 cubic ft.) each

Weight per unit: 545.4 kilograms (1,200 lbs.) each

Updated: 05/22/2001

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STS-104

New Main Engine Promises Even Safer Shuttle Ride

The next space shuttle crew can expect an even safer ride into orbit, thanks to thecompletion of a new Space Shuttle Main Engine. Workers installed one of the new engines,called the Block II configuration, on Atlantis April 24 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Fla.

Atlantis' first flight using the new engine is targeted for launch no earlier than July 12 on theSTS-104 mission to the International Space Station. Atlantis will use one Block II MainEngine and two Block IIA Main Engines to complete its full complement of three engines.

Improvements to the main engines, managed by NASAs Marshall Space Flight Center inHuntsville, Ala., continue to evolve to produce the safest, most reliable and reusable spacetransportation system in the world.

The Block II Main Engine configuration includes a new Pratt & Whitney high-pressure fuelturbopump. The primary modification to the engine is elimination of welds by using acasting process for the housing, and an integral shaft/disk with thin-wall blades and ceramicbearings. This makes the pump stronger and should increase the number of flightsbetween major overhauls. Although the new pump adds 300 pounds (135 kilograms) ofweight to the shuttle, the results are a more reliable and safer engine because of increasedpump robustness.

"With this design change, we believe we have more than doubled the reliability of theengine," said George Hopson, manager of the Space Shuttle Main Engine Project atMarshall.

Previous improvements to the Space Shuttle Main Engine include the Block I configuration,which featured an improved high-pressure liquid oxygen turbopump, two-duct engine powerhead and single-coil heat exchanger. The turbopump incorporated ball bearings of siliconnitride a ceramic material 30 percent harder and 40 percent lighter than steel. The BlockI engine first flew in 1995.

The Block IIA engine added a larger-throat main-combustion chamber to Block Iimprovements. The new chamber lowered the engine's operating pressures andtemperatures while increasing the engine's operational safety margin. This engine first flewin 1998.

Developed in the 1970s by Marshall, the Space Shuttle Main Engine is the world's mostsophisticated reusable rocket engine. Each powerful main engine is 14 feet long (4.3meters), weighs about 7,000 pounds (3,175 kilograms) and is 7.5 feet (2.3 meters) indiameter at the end of the nozzle.

The engines operate for about 8 minutes during liftoff and ascent and shut down justbefore the shuttle reaches low-Earth orbit.

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STS-104The engines perform at greater temperature extremes than any mechanical system incommon use today. At -423 degrees Fahrenheit (-250 degrees Celsius), the liquidhydrogen fuel is the second coldest liquid on Earth. When it and the liquid oxygen arecombusted, the temperature in the main combustion chamber of the engine is 6,000degrees Fahrenheit (3,316 degrees Celsius), hotter than the boiling point of iron.

Boeing Rocketdyne in Canoga Park, Calif., manufactures the Space Shuttle Main Engine.

Space Shuttle Main Engine Enhancements

When a space shuttle lifts off, it does so with the help of three reusable, high-performancerocket engines.

The engines operate for about 8 minutes during liftoff and ascent -- long enough to burnmore than 500,000 gallons (1.9 million liters) of super-cold liquid hydrogen and liquidoxygen propellants stored in the huge external tank attached to the underside of theshuttle. Liquid oxygen is stored at 298 degrees Fahrenheit (-183 degrees Celsius) andliquid hydrogen at -423 degrees Fahrenheit (-250 degrees Celsius). The engines shut down

just before the shuttle, traveling at about 17,000 mph, reaches orbit.

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STS-104NASA continues to increase the reliability and safety of shuttle flights through a series ofenhancements to the Space Shuttle Main Engines. The engines were modified in 1988,again in 1995, and more improvements were under development in 2000.

The newest modifications include new high-pressure fuel and oxidizer turbopumps, a two-duct powerhead, a single-coil heat exchanger and a large-throat main combustionchamber.

Each engine has two powerful high-pressure turbopumps that supply up to 970 pounds(440 kilograms) of liquid oxygen per second and up to 162 pounds (73 kilograms) of liquidhydrogen fuel per second to the engine's main combustion chamber. In this chamber, thehydrogen propellant and oxygen oxidizer mix and burn at high pressures and attemperatures exceeding 6,000 degrees Fahrenheit (3,316 degrees Celsius) to producethrust. This year, the first flight is expected of a redesigned hydrogen turbopump. The newdesign uses a unique casting process to eliminate welds, significantly increasing thenumber of missions between major overhauls. In July 1995, a redesigned oxygenturbopump first flew on a shuttle.

Considered the backbone of the engine, the powerhead consists of the main injector andtwo preburners, or small combustion chambers. Liquid oxygen and hydrogen are partiallyburned in the preburners, generating hot gases. The liquids continue to move through ductsinto the main combustion chamber, while the gases created in these chambers drive thehigh-pressure turbopumps, which give the shuttle thrust. The two-duct hot gas manifold is anew powerhead design that first flew on the shuttle in July 1995. It significantly improvesfluid flows in the system by decreasing pressure and turbulence, thus reducingmaintenance and enhancing the overall performance of the engine.

The shuttle's engines supply pressure to the external tank, which in turn provides

propellants to the engines. This pressure is produced by the engine's heat exchanger, a 40-foot-long (12-meter) piece of coiled stainless steel alloy tubing. Until mid-1995, the heatexchanger had seven welds in the 40-foot (12-meter) tube. The newly designed exchangeris a continuous piece of stainless steel alloy thicker and with no welds. Beginning withthe STS-70 mission in July 1995, a new enhanced single-coil heat exchanger has flown oneach shuttle.

A shuttle engines main combustion chamber is where the liquid hydrogen and liquidoxygen are mixed and burned to provide thrust. In January 1998, the first large-throat maincombustion chamber flew on the STS-89 mission. The throat of the new chamber, madewith fewer welds, is about 10 percent larger than the previous design -- improving the

engine's reliability by reducing pressure and temperature in the chamber and throughoutthe engine. This allows the high-pressure pumps to operate at lower turbine temperaturesand pressures. It improves chamber cooling and extends the life of the hardware.

Updated: 05/25/2001

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STS-104

DTO/DSO/RMEs

Monitoring Latent Virus Reactivation and Shedding in AstronautsDSO 493

Overview

The premise of this DSO is that the incidence and duration of latent virus reactivation insaliva and urine will increase during spaceflight. The objective is to determine thefrequency of induced reactivation of latent viruses, latent virus shedding, and clinicaldisease after exposure to the physical, physiological, and psychological stressorsassociated with spaceflight.

History/Background

Spaceflight-induced alterations in the immune response become increasingly important onlong missions, particularly the potential for reactivation and dissemination (shedding) oflatent viruses. An example of a latent virus is Herpes Simplex Type 1 (HSV-1), whichinfects 70 to 80 percent of all adults. Its classic manifestations are cold sores, pharyngitis,and tonsillitis; and it usually is acquired through contact with the saliva, skin, or mucousmembranes of an infected individual. However, many recurrences are asymptomatic,resulting in shedding of the virus. Twenty subjects have been studied for Epstein-Barr virus.Three additional viruses will be examined in an expanded subject group.

Updated: 05/22/2001

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STS-104

DTO/DSO/RMEs

Individual Susceptibility to Post-Spaceflight Orthostatic IntoleranceDSO 496

Overview

Susceptibility to postflight orthostatic intolerance -- lightheadedness or fainting upon returnto Earth -- is highly individual. Some astronauts are little affected, while others have severesymptoms. Women are more often affected than men. The goal of this DSO is to discoverthe mechanisms responsible for these differences in order to customize countermeasureprotocols.

History/Background

It has been well documented that spaceflight significantly alters cardiovascular function.One of the most important changes from a crew safety standpoint is postflight loss oforthostatic tolerance, which causes astronauts to have difficulty walking independently andinduces lightheadedness or fainting. These effects may impair their ability to leave theorbiter after it lands.

This DSO will perform a flight-related study, designed to clarify preflight and postflightdifferences in susceptible and nonsusceptible astronauts. There are no on-orbit activitiesassociated with this DSO.

Updated: 05/22/2001

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STS-104

DTO/DSO/RMEs

Spaceflight and Immune FunctionDSO 498

Overview

Astronauts face an increasing risk of contracting infectious diseases as they work and livefor longer periods in the crowded conditions and closed environments of spacecraft such asthe International Space Station. The effects of spaceflight on the human immune system,which plays a pivotal role in warding off infections, is not fully understood. Understandingthe changes in immune functions caused by exposure to microgravity will allow researchersto develop countermeasures to minimize the risk of infection.

History/BackgroundThe objective of this DSO is to characterize the effects of spaceflight on neutrophils,monocytes, and cytotoxic cells, which play an important role in maintaining an effectivedefense against infectious agents. The premise of this study is that the space environmentalters the essential functions of these elements of human immune response.

Researchers will conduct a functional analysis of neutrophils and monocytes from bloodsamples taken from astronauts before and after the flight. They will also assess thesubjects' pre- and postflight production of cytotoxic cells and cytokine.

This study will complement previous and continuing immunology studies of astronauts'

adaptation to space.Updated: 05/22/2001

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STS-104

DTO/DSO/RMEs

Sleep-Wake Actigraphy and Light Exposure During SpaceflightDSO 634

Overview

Disruption of sleep during spaceflight, both short and long duration, is associated withinappropriately timed (non-24 hour) or insufficiently intense light exposure. Sleep disruptionand circadian misalignment can lead to subjective dissatisfaction with self-reported sleepquality and daytime alertness. Both of these conditions are associated with insomnia andassociated impairment of alertness and cognitive performance, which could impair missionsuccess.

History/BackgroundThis experiment will use state-of-the-art ambulatory technology to monitor sleep-wakeactivity and light exposure patterns obtained in flight. These data should help researchersbetter understand the effects of spaceflight on sleep, as well as aid in the development ofeffective countermeasures for both short- and long-duration spaceflight.

Updated: 05/25/2001

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STS-104

DTO/DSO/RMEs

Spatial Reorientation Following SpaceflightDSO 635

Overview

Spatial orientation is altered during and after spaceflight by a shift of central vestibularprocessing (from a gravitational frame-of-reference to an internal, head-centered frame-of-reference) that occurs during adaptation to microgravity and is reversed during the first fewdays after return to Earth. Discordant sensory stimuli during the postflight re-adaptiveperiod will temporarily disorient/destabilize the subject by triggering a shift (state change) tothe previously learned, internally referenced, microgravity-adapted pattern of spatialorientation and sensorimotor control.

History/Background

The purpose of this DSO is to examine both the adaptive changes in the spatial referenceframe used for coding spatial orientation and sensorimotor control as well as the fragility ofthe adaptive process and the feasibility of driving state changes in central vestibularprocessing via discordant sensory stimuli using balance control tests and eye movementresponses to pitch-axis rotation in a short-arm centrifuge. The findings are expected todemonstrate the degree to which challenging motion environments may affect postflight re-adaptation and lead to a better understanding of safe postflight activity regimens. Thefindings are also expected to demonstrate the feasibility of triggering state changesbetween sensorimotor control sets using a centrifuge device.

Updated: 05/22/2001

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STS-104

DTO/DSO/RMEs

International Space Station On-Orbit Loads ValidationDTO 261

Overview

This DTO will use the shuttle's aft primary reaction control system jets to measure thestructural dynamics (natural frequencies, modal amplitudes, and structural dampening) ofthe ISS and use the results to validate critical areas of the on-orbit loads prediction models.

Three tests will be conducted to obtain various measurements. Test 1 will obtainphotogrammetric measurements of the photovoltaic arrays. Test 2 will obtainphotogrammetric measurements of the radiator. Test 3 will obtain acceleration and dynamic

strain measurements in Unity, Zarya, Zvezda, and Destiny. The Internal WirelessInstrumentation System (IWIS) kit, which contains remote sensors, accelerometers, cables,and antennas for use on the shuttle or the ISS, will be used as part of Test 3.

History/Background

This is the sixth flight of DTO 261.

Updated: 05/22/2001

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STS-104

DTO/DSO/RMEs

On-Orbit Bicycle Ergometer Loads MeasurementDTO 262

Overview

The purpose of this DTO is to study the possibility of reducing the engineeringconservatism by measuring the joined shuttle/International Space Station naturalfrequencies, using the bicycle ergometer as the natural frequency excitation source.Reduction of conservatism would allow more operational flexibility by reducing preflightload predictions and, thus, operational constraints.

History/Background

This is the second of seven planned flights of DTO 262.

Updated: 05/22/2001

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STS-104

DTO/DSO/RMEs

International Space Station Waste Collector SubsystemRefurbishment

DTO 692

Overview

The Extended Duration Orbiter (EDO) Waste Collection Subsystem was originally designedfor EDO flights and used three times on shuttle missions. It is now being provided to theInternational Space Station and is referred to as the ISS Waste Collector Subsystem(WCS). DTO 692 will test and verify the ISS WCS zero-g specific design changes beforepermanent installation on the ISS.

History/BackgroundThis is the first of two flights of DTO 692.

Updated: 05/22/2001

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STS-104

DTO/DSO/RMEs

Single-String Global Positioning SystemDTO 700-14

Overview

The purpose of the Single-String Global Positioning System (GPS) is to demonstrate theperformance and operation of the GPS during orbiter ascent, on orbit, entry, and landingphases using a modified military GPS receiver processor and the existing orbiter GPSantennas. GPS data may be downlinked during all mission phases.

History/Background

The purpose of the Single-String Global Positioning System (GPS) is to demonstrate the

performance and operation of the GPS during orbiter ascent, on orbit, entry, and landingphases using a modified military GPS receiver processor and the existing orbiter GPSantennas. GPS data may be downlinked during all mission phases.

Updated: 05/22/2001

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STS-104

DTO/DSO/RMEs

Crosswind Landing PerformanceDTO 805

Overview

The purpose of this DTO is to demonstrate the capability to perform a manually controlledlanding in the presence of a crosswind. The testing is done in two steps.

1. Prelaunch: Ensure planning will allow selection of a runway with MicrowaveScanning Beam Landing System support, which is a set of dual transmitters locatedbeside the runway providing precision navigation vertically, horizontally, andlongitudinally with respect to the runway. This precision navigation subsystem helps

provide a higher probability of a more precise landing with a crosswind of 10 to 15knots as late in the flight as possible.

2. Entry: This test requires that the crew perform a manually controlled landing in thepresence of a 90-degree crosswind component of 10 to 15 knots steady state.

During a crosswind landing, the drag chute will be deployed after nose gear touchdownwhen the vehicle is stable and tracking the runway centerline.

History/Background

This DTO has been manifested on 65 previous flights.

Updated: 05/22/2001

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STS-104

DTO/DSO/RMEs

Micro-Wireless Instrumentation System (Micro-WIS)DTO HTD 1403

Overview

This HTD will demonstrate the operational utility and functionality of Micro-WIS on orbit,initially in the crew cabin of the orbiter and then in the International Space Station. TheMicro-WIS sensor/transmitter will provide important real-time temperature measurements.The Micro-WIS sensor/recorder will provide recorded temperature readings for postflightevaluation.

History/Background

This is the fifth flight of HTD 1403.

Updated: 05/22/2001

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STS-104Shuttle Reference Data

Shuttle Abort History

RSLS Abort History:(STS-41 D) June 26, 1984

The countdown for the second launch attempt for Discoverys maiden flight ended at T-4 seconds when the orbiters computers detected a sluggish valve in main engine #3.The main engine was replaced and Discovery was finally launched on August 30, 1984.

(STS-51 F) July 12, 1985

The countdown for Challengers launch was halted at T-3 seconds when on-boardcomputers detected a problem with a coolant valve on main engine #2. The valve wasreplaced and Challenger was launched on July 29, 1985.

(STS-55) March 22, 1993

The countdown for Columbias launch was halted by on-board computers at T-3seconds following a problem with purge pressure readings in the oxidizer preburner onmain engine #2 Columbias three main engines were replaced on the launch pad, andthe flight was rescheduled behind Discoverys launch on STS-56. Columbia finallylaunched on April 26, 1993.

(STS-51) August 12, 1993

The countdown for Discoverys third launch attempt ended at the T-3 second markwhen on-board computers detected the failure of one of four sensors in main engine #2

which monitor the flow of hydrogen fuel to the engine. All of Discoverys main engineswere ordered replaced on the launch pad, delaying the Shuttles fourth launch attemptuntil September 12, 1993.

(STS-68) August 18, 1994

The countdown for Endeavours first launch attempt ended 1.9 seconds before liftoffwhen on-board computers detected higher than acceptable readings in one channel of asensor monitoring the discharge temperature of the high pressure oxidizer turbopump inmain engine #3. A test firing of the engine at the Stennis Space Center in Mississippi onSeptember 2nd confirmed that a slight drift in a fuel flow meter in the engine caused aslight increase in the turbopumps temperature. The test firing also confirmed a slightlyslower start for main engine #3 during the pad abort, which could have contributed tothe higher temperatures. After Endeavour was brought back to the Vehicle AssemblyBuilding to be outfitted with three replacement engines, NASA managers set October2nd as the date for Endeavours second launch attempt.

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STS-104Abort to Orbit History:

(STS-51 F) July 29, 1985

After an RSLS abort on July 12, 1985, Challenger was launched on July 29, 1985. Fiveminutes and 45 seconds after launch, a sensor problem resulted in the shutdown ofcenter engine #1, resulting in a safe "abort to orbit" and successful completion of themission.

Updated: 05/22/2001

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Shuttle Abort Modes

RSLS ABORTSThese occur when the onboard shuttle computers detect a problem and command a halt inthe launch sequence after taking over from the Ground Launch Sequencer and before SolidRocket Booster ignition.

ASCENT ABORTS

Selection of an ascent abort mode may become necessary if there is a failure that affectsvehicle performance, such as the failure of a space shuttle main engine or an orbitalmaneuvering system. Other failures requiring early termination of a flight, such as a cabinleak, might also require the selection of an abort mode.

There are two basic types of ascent abort modes for space shuttle missions: intact abortsand contingency aborts. Intact aborts are designed to provide a safe return of the orbiter toa planned landing site. Contingency aborts are designed to permit flight crew survivalfollowing more severe failures when an intact abort is not possible. A contingency abortwould generally result in a ditch operation.

INTACT ABORTS

There are four types of intact aborts: abort to orbit (ATO), abort once around (AOA),transoceanic abort landing (TAL) and return to launch site (RTLS).

Return to Launch Site

The RTLS abort mode is designed to allow the return of the orbiter, crew, and payload tothe launch site, Kennedy Space Center, approximately 25 minutes after lift-off.

The RTLS profile is designed to accommodate the loss of thrust from one space shuttlemain engine between lift-off and approximately four minutes 20 seconds, at which time notenough main propulsion system propellant remains to return to the launch site.

An RTLS can be considered to consist of three stages--a powered stage, during which thespace shuttle main engines are still thrusting; an ET separation phase; and the glide phase,during which the orbiter glides to a landing at the Kennedy Space Center. The poweredRTLS phase begins with the crew selection of the RTLS abort, which is done after solidrocket booster separation. The crew selects the abort mode by positioning the abort rotaryswitch to RTLS and depressing the abort push button. The time at which the RTLS isselected depends on the reason for the abort. For example, a three-engine RTLS isselected at the last moment, approximately three minutes 34 seconds into the mission;whereas an RTLS chosen due to an engine out at lift-off is selected at the earliest time,approximately two minutes 20 seconds into the mission (after solid rocket boosterseparation).

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STS-104After RTLS is selected, the vehicle continues downrange to dissipate excess mainpropulsion system propellant. The goal is to leave only enough main propulsion systempropellant to be able to turn the vehicle around, fly back towards the Kennedy SpaceCenter and achieve the proper main engine cutoff conditions so the vehicle can glide to theKennedy Space Center after external tank separation. During the downrange phase, a

pitch-around maneuver is initiated (the time depends in part on the time of a space shuttlemain engine failure) to orient the orbiter/external tank configuration to a heads up attitude,pointing toward the launch site. At this time, the vehicle is still moving away from the launchsite, but the space shuttle main engines are now thrusting to null the downrange velocity. Inaddition, excess orbital maneuvering system and reaction control system propellants aredumped by continuous orbital maneuvering system and reaction control system enginethrustings to improve the orbiter weight and center of gravity for the glide phase andlanding.

The vehicle will reach the desired main engine cutoff point with less than 2 percent excesspropellant remaining in the external tank. At main engine cutoff minus 20 seconds, a pitch-down maneuver (called powered pitch-down) takes the mated vehicle to the requiredexternal tank separation attitude and pitch rate. After main engine cutoff has beencommanded, the external tank separation sequence begins, including a reaction controlsystem translation that ensures that the orbiter does not recontact the external tank andthat the orbiter has achieved the necessary pitch attitude to begin the glide phase of theRTLS.

After the reaction control system translation maneuver has been completed, the glidephase of the RTLS begins. From then on, the RTLS is handled similarly to a normal entry.

Transoceanic Abort Landing

The TAL abort mode was developed to improve the options available when a space shuttle

main engine fails after the last RTLS opportunity but before the first time that an AOA canbe accomplished with only two space shuttle main engines or when a major orbiter systemfailure, for example, a large cabin pressure leak or cooling system failure, occurs after thelast RTLS opportunity, making it imperative to land as quickly as possible.

In a TAL abort, the vehicle continues on a ballistic trajectory across the Atlantic Ocean toland at a predetermined runway. Landing occurs approximately 45 minutes after launch.The landing site is selected near the nominal ascent ground track of the orbiter in order tomake the most efficient use of space shuttle main engine propellant. The landing site alsomust have the necessary runway length, weather conditions and U.S. State Departmentapproval. Currently, the three landing sites that have been identified for a due east launch

are Moron, Spain; Dakar, Senegal; and Ben Guerur, Morocco (on the west coast of Africa).

To select the TAL abort mode, the crew must place the abort rotary switch in the TAL/AOAposition and depress the abort push button before main engine cutoff. (Depressing it aftermain engine cutoff selects the AOA abort mode.) The TAL abort mode begins sendingcommands to steer the vehicle toward the plane of the landing site. It also rolls the vehicleheads up before main engine cutoff and sends commands to begin an orbital maneuveringsystem propellant dump (by burning the propellants through the orbital maneuvering

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STS-104system engines and the reaction control system engines). This dump is necessary toincrease vehicle performance (by decreasing weight), to place the center of gravity in theproper place for vehicle control, and to decrease the vehicle's landing weight.

TAL is handled like a nominal entry.

Abort to Orbit

An ATO is an abort mode used to boost the orbiter to a safe orbital altitude whenperformance has been lost and it is impossible to reach the planned orbital altitude. If aspace shuttle main engine fails in a region that results in a main engine cutoff under speed,the Mission Control Center will determine that an abort mode is necessary and will informthe crew. The orbital maneuvering system engines would be used to place the orbiter in acircular orbit.

Abort Once Around

The AOA abort mode is used in cases in which vehicle performance has been lost to suchan extent that either it is impossible to achieve a viable orbit or not enough orbitalmaneuvering system propellant is available to accomplish the orbital maneuvering systemthrusting maneuver to place the orbiter on orbit and the deorbit thrusting maneuver. Inaddition, an AOA is used in cases in which a major systems problem (cabin leak, loss ofcooling) makes it necessary to land quickly. In the AOA abort mode, one orbitalmaneuvering system thrusting sequence is made to adjust the post-main engine cutoff orbitso a second orbital maneuvering system thrusting sequence will result in the vehicledeorbiting and landing at the AOA landing site (White Sands, N.M.; Edwards Air ForceBase; or the Kennedy Space Center). Thus, an AOA results in the orbiter circling the Earthonce and landing approximately 90 minutes after lift-off.

After the deorbit thrusting sequence has been executed, the flight crew flies to a landing at

the planned site much as it would for a nominal entry.

CONTINGENCY ABORTS

Contingency aborts are caused by loss of more than one main engine or failures in othersystems. Loss of one main engine while another is stuck at a low thrust setting may alsonecessitate a contingency abort. Such an abort would maintain orbiter integrity for in-flightcrew escape if a landing cannot be achieved at a suitable landing field.

Contingency aborts due to system failures other than those involving the main engineswould normally result in an intact recovery of vehicle and crew. Loss of more than one mainengine may, depending on engine failure times, result in a safe runway landing. However,

in most three-engine-out cases during ascent, the orbiter would have to be ditched. The in-flight crew escape system would be used before ditching the orbiter.

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STS-104ABORT DECISIONS

There is a definite order of preference for the various abort modes. The type of failure andthe time of the failure determine which type of abort is selected. In cases whereperformance loss is the only factor, the preferred modes would be ATO, AOA, TAL andRTLS, in that order. The mode chosen is the highest one that can be completed with the

remaining vehicle performance.

In the case of some support system failures, such as cabin leaks or vehicle coolingproblems, the preferred mode might be the one that will end the mission most quickly. Inthese cases, TAL or RTLS might be preferable to AOA or ATO. A contingency abort isnever chosen if another abort option exists.

The Mission Control Center-Houston is prime for calling these aborts because it has a moreprecise knowledge of the orbiter's position than the crew can obtain from onboard systems.Before main engine cutoff, Mission Control makes periodic calls to the crew to tell themwhich abort mode is (or is not) available. If ground communications are lost, the flight crewhas onboard methods, such as cue cards, dedicated displays and display information, todetermine the current abort region.

Which abort mode is selected depends on the cause and timing of the failure causing theabort and which mode is safest or improves mission success. If the problem is a spaceshuttle main engine failure, the flight crew and Mission Control Center select the bestoption available at the time a space shuttle main engine fails.

If the problem is a system failure that jeopardizes the vehicle, the fastest abort mode thatresults in the earliest vehicle landing is chosen. RTLS and TAL are the quickest options (35minutes), whereas an AOA requires approximately 90 minutes. Which of these is selecteddepends on the time of the failure with three good space shuttle main engines.

The flight crew selects the abort mode by positioning an abort mode switch and depressingan abort push button.

Updated: 05/22/2001

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Space Shuttle Rendezvous Maneuvers

COMMON SHUTTLE RENDEZVOUS MANEUVERS

OMS-1 (Orbit insertion) - Rarely used ascent abort burn

OMS-2 (Orbit insertion) - Typically used to circularize the initial orbit following ascent,completing orbital insertion. For ground-up rendezvous flights, also considered arendezvous phasing burn

NC (Rendezvous phasing) - Performed to hit a range relative to the target at a futuretime

NH (Rendezvous height adjust) - Performed to hit a delta-height relative to the target

at a future time

NPC (Rendezvous plane change) - Performed to remove planar errors relative to thetarget at a future time

NCC (Rendezvous corrective combination) - First on-board targeted burn in therendezvous sequence. Using star tracker data, it is performed to remove phasing andheight errors relative to the target at Ti

Ti (Rendezvous terminal intercept) - Second on-board targeted burn in therendezvous sequence. Using primarily rendezvous radar data, it places the Orbiter on a

trajectory to intercept the target in one orbit

MC-1, MC-2, MC-3, MC-4 (Rendezvous midcourse burns) - These on-board targetedburns use star tracker and rendezvous radar data to correct the post-Ti trajectory inpreparation for the final, manual proximity operations phase

Updated: 05/22/2001

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Space Shuttle Solid Rocket Boosters

The two SRBs provide the main thrust to lift the space shuttle off the pad and up to analtitude of about 150,000 feet, or 24 nautical miles (28 statute miles). In addition, the twoSRBs carry the entire weight of the external tank and orbiter and transmit the weight loadthrough their structure to the mobile launcher platform.

Each booster has a thrust (sea level) of approximately 3,300,000 pounds at launch. Theyare ignited after the three space shuttle main engines' thrust level is verified. The two SRBsprovide 71.4 percent of the thrust at lift- off and during first-stage ascent. Seventy- fiveseconds after SRB separation, SRB apogee occurs at an altitude of approximately 220,000feet, or 35 nautical miles (40 statute miles). SRB impact occurs in the ocean approximately122 nautical miles (140 statute miles) downrange.

The SRBs are the largest solid-propellant motors ever flown and the first designed forreuse. Each is 149.16 feet long and 12.17 feet in diameter.

Each SRB weighs approximately 1,300,000 pounds at launch. The propellant for each solidrocket motor weighs approximately 1,100,000 pounds. The inert weight of each SRB isapproximately 192,000 pounds.

Primary elements of each booster are the motor (including case, propellant, igniter andnozzle), structure, separation systems, operational flight instrumentation, recovery avionics,pyrotechnics, deceleration system, thrust vector control system and range safety destructsystem.

Each booster is attached to the external tank at the SRBs aft frame by two lateral swaybraces and a diagonal attachment. The forward end of each SRB is attached to theexternal tank at the forward end of the SRBs forward skirt. On the launch pad, eachbooster also is attached to the mobile launcher platform at the aft skirt by four bolts andnuts that are severed by small explosives at lift-off.

During the downtime following the Challenger accident, detailed structural analyses wereperformed on critical structural elements of the SRB. Analyses were primarily focused inareas where anomalies had been noted during postflight inspection of recovered hardware.

One of the areas was the attach ring where the SRBs are connected to the external tank.Areas of distress were noted in some of the fasteners where the ring attaches to the SRBmotor case. This situation was attributed to the high loads encountered during waterimpact. To correct the situation and ensure higher strength margins during ascent, theattach ring was redesigned to encircle the motor case completely (360 degrees).Previously, the attach ring formed a C and encircled the motor case 270 degrees.

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STS-104Additionally, special structural tests were performed on the aft skirt. During this testprogram, an anomaly occurred in a critical weld between the hold-down post and skin ofthe skirt. A redesign was implemented to add reinforcement brackets and fittings in the aftring of the skirt.

These two modifications added approximately 450 pounds to the weight of each SRB.

The propellant mixture in each SRB motor consists of an ammonium perchlorate (oxidizer,69.6 percent by weight), aluminum (fuel, 16 percent), iron oxide (a catalyst, 0.4 percent), apolymer (a binder that holds the mixture together, 12.04 percent), and an epoxy curingagent (1.96 percent). The propellant is an 11-point star-shaped perforation in the forwardmotor segment and a double-truncated-cone perforation in each of the aft segments and aftclosure. This configuration provides high thrust at ignition and then reduces the thrust byapproximately a third 50 seconds after lift-off to prevent overstressing the vehicle duringmaximum dynamic pressure.

The SRBs are used as matched pairs and each is made up of four solid rocket motor

segments. The pairs are matched by loading each of the four motor segments in pairs fromthe same batches of propellant ingredients to minimize any thrust imbalance. Thesegmented-casing design assures maximum flexibility in fabrication and ease oftransportation and handling. Each segment is shipped to the launch site on a heavy-dutyrail car with a specially built cover.

The nozzle expansion ratio of each booster beginning with the STS-8 mission is 7-to-79.The nozzle is gimbaled for thrust vector (direction) control. Each SRB has its ownredundant auxiliary power units and hydraulic pumps. The all-axis gimbaling capability is 8degrees. Each nozzle has a carbon cloth liner that erodes and chars during firing. Thenozzle is a convergent-divergent, movable design in which an aft pivot-point flexible

bearing is the gimbal mechanism.

The cone- shaped aft skirt reacts the aft loads between the SRB and the mobile launcherplatform. The four aft separation motors are mounted on the skirt. The aft section containsavionics, a thrust vector control system that consists of two auxiliary power units andhydraulic pumps, hydraulic systems and a nozzle extension jettison system.

The forward section of each booster contains avionics, a sequencer, forward separationmotors, a nose cone separation system, drogue and main parachutes, a recovery beacon,a recovery light, a parachute camera on selected flights and a range safety system.

Each SRB has two integrated electronic assemblies, one forward and one aft. Afterburnout, the forward assembly initiates the release of the nose cap and frustum and turnson the recovery aids. The aft assembly, mounted in the external tank/SRB attach ring,connects with the forward assembly and the orbiter avionics systems for SRB ignitioncommands and nozzle thrust vector control. Each integrated electronic assembly has amultiplexer/ demultiplexer, which sends or receives more than one message, signal or unitof information on a single communication channel.

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STS-104Eight booster separation motors (four in the nose frustum and four in the aft skirt) of eachSRB thrust for 1.02 seconds at SRB separation from the external tank. Each solid rocketseparation motor is 31.1 inches long and 12.8 inches in diameter.

Location aids are provided for each SRB, frustum/drogue chutes and main parachutes.These include a transmitter, antenna, strobe/converter, battery and salt water switchelectronics. The location aids are designed for a minimum operating life of 72 hours andwhen refurbished are considered usable up to 20 times. The flashing light is an exception.It has an operating life of 280 hours. The battery is used only once.

The SRB nose caps and nozzle extensions are not recovered.

The recovery crew retrieves the SRBs, frustum/drogue chutes, and main parachutes. Thenozzles are plugged, the solid rocket motors are dewatered, and the SRBs are towed backto the launch site. Each booster is removed from the water, and its components aredisassembled and washed with fresh and deionized water to limit salt water corrosion. Themotor segments, igniter and nozzle are shipped back to Thiokol for refurbishment.

Each SRB incorporates a range safety system that includes a battery power source,receiver/ decoder, antennas and ordnance.

HOLD-DOWN POSTS

Each solid rocket booster has four hold-down posts that fit into corresponding support postson the mobile launcher platform. Hold-down bolts hold the SRB and launcher platformposts together. Each bolt has a nut at each end, but only the top nut is frangible. The topnut contains two NASA standard detonators, which are ignited at solid rocket motor ignitioncommands.

When the two NSDs are ignited at each hold-down, the hold-down bolt travels downwardbecause of the release of tension in the bolt (pretensioned before launch), NSD gaspressure and gravity. The bolt is stopped by the stud deceleration stand, which containssand. The SRB bolt is 28 inches long and is 3.5 inches in diameter. The frangible nut iscaptured in a blast container.

The solid rocket motor ignition commands are issued by the orbiter''s computers throughthe master events controllers to the hold-down pyrotechnic initiator controllers on themobile launcher platform. They provide the ignition to the hold-down NSDs. The launchprocessing system monitors the SRB hold-down PICs for low voltage during the last 16seconds before launch. PIC low voltage will initiate a launch hold.

SRB IGNITION

SRB ignition can occur only when a manual lock pin from each SRB safe and arm devicehas been removed. The ground crew removes the pin during prelaunch activities. At Tminus five minutes, the SRB safe and arm device is rotated to the arm position. The solidrocket motor ignition commands are issued when the three SSMEs are at or above 90-percent rated thrust, no SSME fail and/or SRB ignition PIC low voltage is indicated andthere are no holds from the LPS.

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STS-104The solid rocket motor ignition commands are sent by the orbiter computers through theMECs to the safe and arm device NSDs in each SRB. A PIC single-channel capacitordischarge device controls the firing of each pyrotechnic device. Three signals must bepresent simultaneously for the PIC to generate the pyro firing output. These signals--arm,fire 1 and fire 2--originate in the orbiter general-purpose computers and are transmitted to

the MECs. The MECs reformat them to 28-volt dc signals for the PICs. The arm signalcharges the PIC capacitor to 40 volts dc (minimum of 20 volts dc).

The fire 2 commands cause the redundant NSDs to fire through a thin barrier seal down aflame tunnel. This ignites a pyro booster charge, which is retained in the safe and arm devicebehind a perforated plate. The booster charge ignites the propellant in the igniter initiator;and combustion products of this propellant ignite the solid rocket motor initiator, which firesdown the length of the solid rocket motor igniting the solid rocket motor propellant.

The GPC launch sequence also controls certain critical main propulsion system valves andmonitors the engine-ready indications from the SSMEs. The MPS start commands areissued by the onboard computers at T minus 6.6 seconds (staggered start--engine three,

engine two, engine one--all approximately within 0.25 of a second), and the sequencemonitors the thrust buildup of each engine. All three SSMEs must reach the required 90-percent thrust within three seconds; otherwise, an orderly shutdown is commanded andsafing functions are initiated.

Normal thrust buildup to the required 90-percent thrust level will result in the SSMEs beingcommanded to the lift-off position at T minus three seconds as well as the fire 1 commandbeing issued to arm the SRBs. At T minus three seconds, the vehicle base bending loadmodes are allowed to initialize (movement of approximately 25.5 inches measured at the tipof the external tank, with movement towards the external tank).

At T minus zero, the two SRBs are ignited, under command of the four onboard computers;separation of the four explosive bolts on each SRB is initiated (each bolt is 28 inches longand 3.5 inches in diameter); the two T-0 umbilicals (one on each side of the spacecraft) areretracted; the onboard master timing unit, event timer and mission event timers are started;the three SSMEs are at 100 percent; and the ground launch sequence is terminated.

The solid rocket motor thrust profile is tailored to reduce thrust during the maximumdynamic pressure region.

ELECTRICAL POWER DISTRIBUTION

Electrical power distribution in each SRB consists of orbiter-supplied main dc bus power to

each SRB via SRB buses A, B and C.

nasa space shuttle sts-104 press kit

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