By Marc S. Posner
SOAR Magazine

With the sun setting and the bright night-landing lights on, the Space Shuttle Discovery and her seven-memeber crew dodged potentially bad weather to return to the Kennedy Space Center this evening, bringing the 13-day, 5.3-million-mile mission to a successful end.

The landing came on the second opportunity in Florida, following a decision made about 5 minutes prior to the required de-orbit burn. It was the last opportunity of the day at Kennedy.

“Congratulations on probably the most complex mission to date,” Capcom Ken Ham radioed to the crew just after the orbiter came to a stop.

During mission STS-116, the crew conducted four space walks — one unplanned — to continue construction of the International Space Station. The work included the installation of a truss and solar arrays and re-wiring of the orbiting outpost’s electrical system.

The fourth spacewalk, conducted to finish retracting an older solar array that isn’t currently necessary because of this mission’s additions, added a day to this mission. It also pushed the orbiters fuel consumption nearly to the limit.

Discovery had to land by tomorrow, when there wouldn’t be sufficient fuel reserves to power Discovery’s electrical systems.

Landing aboard Discovery were STS-116 Commander Mark L. Polansky, Pilot William A. Oefelein and Joan E. Higginbotham, Robert L. Curbeam, Nicholas J.M. Patrick, the European Space Agency’s Christer Fuglesang, all mission specialists. Thomas Reiter, another ESA astronaut, who had been aboard the ISS also returned with Discovery.

Sunita L. Williams launched aboard STS-116, and joined Expedition 14 in progress to serve as a flight engineer aboard the International Space Station.

“It’s a little bit windy and a little bit rainy. And we just want to go ahead and thank everybody for helping get us back to Kennedy Space Center. Discovery is a beautiful vehicle,” said Commander Mark Polansky before the crew departed the Shuttle Landing Facility. “This mission is really a demonstration of how well we can work as a team at NASA when the ground folks, and the contractors, the crew, the flight directors, the control teams when everybody works together toward a common goal.”

NASA management was also pleased with the mission.

“On behalf of the crew at the Kennedy Space Center, Christmas came three days early for us,” Launch Director Mike Leinbach said in a post-landing news conference. “It is great to have Discovery out on our runway. The team is just jubiliant.”
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By Marc S. Posner
SOAR Magazine

After a day of debates among weather forcasters, NASA managers and other personnel, the Space Shuttle Discovery is on the way home — to the Kennedy Space Center.

At 4:26 p.m., Eastern, the crew was given the go-ahead for a deorbit burn.

“We’re pretty confident that we’re going to keep you clear of clouds and rain,” Capcom Ken Ham has informed the Discovery crew just minutes ahead of the burn.

The manuver puts Discovery on course for a landing at 5:32 p.m. on Runway 15. The landing path will carry Discovery over Mexico and then along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico before crossing Florida’s pan handle and making a large overhead left-hand bank of nearly 330 degrees, and then landing from the north into a nearly direct head wind.

Landing will come at sunset in Florida.

NASA waived off an earlier attempt today for the Florida, then seriously considered Edwards Air Force Base in California’s Mojave Desert. At nearly the last minute, it was determined that winds were too strong for landing criteria. Minutes later, the decision was made to bring Discovery back to Florida, despite concerns of clouds and rain at the outer edges of a 30-mile radius around the Shuttle Landing Facility.

Landing will conclude a 13-day mission in which the crew utilized four spacewalks to install a new truss and solar arrays on the International Space Station. Spacewalkers also re-wired the orbiting outpost’s electrical system and retracted another solar array which had become stuck in the partially open position while it was in the process of being retracted.

STS-116 is the year’s third mission, following flights in July and September; it is just the fourth since the Columbia accident, which killed all seven astronauts aboard.

Aboard Discovery are STS-116 Commander Mark L. Polansky, Pilot William A. Oefelein and Joan E. Higginbotham, Robert L. Curbeam, Nicholas J.M. Patrick, the European Space Agency’s Christer Fuglesang, all mission specialists. Thomas Reiter, another ESA astronaut, who had been aboard the ISS is also returning with Discovery.

Sunita L. Williams launched aboard STS-116, and joined Expedition 14 in progress to serve as a flight engineer aboard the International Space Station.

STS-116 is the 33rd mission for Discovery and the 117th space shuttle flight. It’ll be the 64th landing at the Kennedy Space Center in the shuttle program’s 25-year history.

Discovery and the seven-member crew have just been given the OK to land at the Kennedy Space Center this evening.

“We’re pretty confident that we’re going to keep you clear of clouds and rain,” Capcom Ken Ham has just informed the Discovery crew.

The landing will come at Kennedy, 5:32 p.m., Eastern on orbit number 203.

Deorbit burn will begin shortly.

The winds are too strong at this time. The crew is getting coordinates for KSC for a possible orbit-203 landing, but weather remains a concern. It sounds like White Sands is definitely out for this orbit.

This is the last opportunity today for Florida.

Edwards and White Sands each have one remaining opportunity, on orbit number 204.

NASA managers have instructed astronauts aboard Discovery to begin drinking large quantities of liquids in preparation for a landing this afternoon at Edwards Air Force Base in California — although no final decision has been made.

According to the space agency, the winds at Edwards are becoming more favorable. Prior to re-entry, astronauts drink large amounts of fluids to help them re-acclimate to Earth’s gravity after landing. Each crew member drinks approximately 32 ounces of fluid — about eight ounces every fifteen minutes — and takes salt pills to help increase their fluid volume. Crew members can choose to drink chicken consomme, orange-aid or water.

NASA has asked the astronauts to begin this process, known as “fluid loading.”

Mission Control is also advising the Discovery crew of the preliminary advisory data, or “PAD,” for a landing at Edwards. The update includes specific information regarding the engine burn, APU start and mission elapsed time.

The next opportunity to land at Edwards is on orbit number 203 at 5:32 p.m. EST. Landing opportunities at White Sands in New Mexico and at Kennedy are also available in the same orbit.

A decision to land on orbit 203 would be required in the next half-hour or so.

Compiled from NASA sources.

From NASA

Unstable weather conditions at Kennedy Space Center, Fla., forced flight controllers to pass on Space Shuttle Discovery’s first landing opportunity of the day. The STS-116 crew and flight controllers have turned their attention to a set of three opportunities on the next orbit, number 203.

The opportunities on orbit 203 are at 5:32 p.m. EST at Kennedy, 5:27 at Edwards Air Force Base in California, and 5:27 p.m. at the White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico.

Flight controllers and forecasters will continue to monitor weather at all three sites. If weather does not cooperate, on orbit 203, two opportunities are available on orbit 204 – 7 p.m. at Edwards and 7:02 at White Sands. One opportunity is possible on orbit 205 – 8:36 p.m. at Edwards.

At Edwards, astronaut Dom Gorie is flying the Shuttle Training Aircraft to guage the turbulence in the area. The aircraft, which mimics the flying quality of the space shuttle, to both ends of the runway — but the anticipation is that the approach to Runway 04 will be the preference for today’s landing due to the sun angle at that time, assuming NASA opts to attempt a landing at Edwards.

A landing at Edwards Air Force Base would result in the costs associated with a ferry flight to be apoproximately $1.7 million, whereas costs from processing and a ferry flight from White Sands could be about $7-11 million with a possible turnaround time of 25-45 days.

Yesterday during their final press conference from orbit, Commander Mark Polansky was asked about the possibility of landing in New Mexico. He said, “My wife cares where we land. I believe she and the other families will be going to Florida, and on a personal note it’s always nice to go where the families are. And for processing, Florida is best, but besides that, we don’t care. There are a lot of things they’re supposed to control on the mission, but the weather is one that they can’t.”

By Marc S. Posner
SOAR Magazine
With contributions from NASA reports

The Shuttle Discovery could be headed home later today.

Then again, the seven-member crew could push into the last day of their on-board electrical supply and stay in orbit until Saturday.

NASA managers have given the orbiter a clean bill of health for a return to Earth after a final inspection of Discovery’s heat shield.

Weather, however, could prevent a landing at either the Kennedy Space Center and California’s Edwards Air Force Base.

That leaves New Mexico, a landing site that NASA has utilized only once in the space shuttle program’s 25-year history. Even at that, the effort resulted in damage to the breaks and a heavy dose of fine sand that resulted in a cleaning chore for the space agency.

NASA has two landing opportunities at Kennedy Space Center (3:56 p.m. and 5:32 p.m. Eastern), three at Edwards (5:27 p.m., 7 p.m. and 8:36 p.m. Eastern) and two at White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico (5:27 p.m. and 7:02 p.m Eastern).

Each of the three sites offer landing opportunites on Saturday.

That is the last day that NASA can bring Discovery and the crew home. The mission was already extended a day when a fourth spacewalk was added so astronauts could force a solar panel to retract.

NASA managers have indicated a strong desire to land tomorrow at any site where the weather permits.

However, it is expected that agency managers will try both landing opportunities in Florida before considering California or New Mexico. That would leave available the last two landing opportunities at Edwards and the second chance at White Sands.

Weather concerns in Florida center around low clouds and the possibility of rain. Only a 40% chance of favorable weather is predicted. Winds at Edwards are forcast to be just above acceptable limits, though recent improvements to the shuttle fleet could prompt NASA to relax the wind-speed criterion. Saturday’s weather is more favorable at Edwards.

There currently are no weather concerns in New Mexico that would prevent a landing. However, there is concern that cold temperatures could cause on-board liquid fuels to freeze overnight following a landing at White Sands — thus posing a potential damage threat to Discovery.
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From NASA and SOAR Magazine reports

Space Shuttle Discovery undocked from the International Space Station at 5:10 p.m. EST Tuesday, ending an eight-day stay. Then, Pilot Bill Oefelein guided the shuttle through a partial fly-around of the space station before firing shuttle jets to begin the final separation from the station and the trip back home.

The STS-116 crew bid farewell to the International Space Station’s Expedition 14 crew before entering Space Shuttle Discovery. The hatches closed between the two vehicles at 2:42 p.m. Then, the two crews conducted leak checks before Discovery undocked.

Discovery is scheduled to land at 3:56 p.m. Friday at the Shuttle Landing Facility at Kennedy Space Center, FL. If a Friday landing is not possible at Kennedy, the shuttle could be directed to Edwards Air Force Base in California. A Saturday landing is also possible on either coast.

Because the mission was extended, NASA managers would like to conclude the mission by Saturday. This is the first post-Columbia mission that the space agency has considered a California landing on the first day of planned landing opportunities.

The STS-116 crew had a busy stay at the station. The crew continued the on-orbit construction of the station with the addition of the P5 spacer truss segment during the first of four spacewalks. The next two spacewalks were devoted to the rewiring of the station’s power system, leaving it in a permanent setup.

A fourth spacewalk, conducted yesterday, was added to allow the crew to retract solar arrays that had folded improperly.

Discovery also delivered a new crew member and more than two tons of equipment and supplies to the station. Almost two tons of items no longer needed on the station will return to Earth with STS-116.

From NASA

The STS-116 crew prepared on Sunday for its fourth spacewalk. The excursion, which was added Saturday, will be an attempt to retract the P6 port solar array on the International Space Station.

Throughout the day, astronauts prepared tools and spacesuits for use by the spacewalkers. Flight controllers put the finishing touches on the spacewalk’s timeline for review by the crew. Mission Specialist Robert Curbeam and Christer Fuglesang will conduct the spacewalk, which is slated to begin at 2:12 p.m. EST Monday.

In other activities Sunday, the STS-116 and Expedition 14 crews transferred cargo between the station and Space Shuttle Discovery. Shuttle crew members took a break from the schedule at 6:27 p.m. to talk with the Associated Press TV Network, WLS TV in Chicago, WMAQ TV in Chicago and Black Entertainment Television.

Overnight, Curbeam and Fuglesang will sleep in the Quest airlock for the pre-spacewalk campout procedure. During a campout, the pressure is lowered in the airlock to the pressure normally found on Earth at 10,000 feet above sea level. The procedure protects against decompression sickness as spacewalkers go to the even lower pressure in the spacesuits for the spacewalk.

During the spacewalk, Curbeam and Fuglesang will attempt to free up the array for retraction with several techniques — pulling guide wires, flipping grommets, and pushing panel hinges. If necessary, the spacewalkers will shake the panel.

Another objective of the fourth spacewalk is to collect additional information that could prove useful when the opposite side of the array is retracted on STS-117 in March.

The fourth spacewalk resulted in an extra day at the station for the STS-116 crew. Discovery is scheduled to undock at 5:09 p.m. Tuesday. Landing is now targeted for 3:55 p.m. Friday at Kennedy Space Center, Fla.

From NASA

The STS-116 and Expedition 14 crews continued cargo transfers and spacewalk preparations Friday aboard Space Shuttle Discovery and the International Space Station. The crews also held their tradition joint news conference. Meanwhile, flight controllers continue to troubleshoot a problem with the retraction of a solar array on the station’s P6 truss.

The crews continued to transfer items between the shuttle and station. Discovery delivered 5,200 pounds of supplies and equipment to the station. About 4,100 pounds made the trip in the SPACEHAB Logistics Single Module. SPACEHAB is a pressurized module located in the shuttle payload bay. It also will carry items from the station back to Earth.
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