STS-48 Mission Control Status Reports MCC STATUS REPORT #3 FLIGHT DAY 2 11:00 PM CDT The astronauts aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery successfully raised their orbit today to 308 nautical miles, a move which will substantially enhance the operating life of the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite, or UARS, set for release on Saturday night. Mission specialists Sam Gemar and Jim Buchli also took special measures to assure their readiness to assist the release with a spacewalk, if necessary. By breathing pure oxygen from their launch and entry helmets, and by lowering the Orbiter's cabin pressure to 10.2 pound per square inch, they were able to reduce the time required to prebreathe prior to a space walk to as low as 40 minutes. Such quick response would be necessary to restore power to the UARS should it's batteries begin to run down prior to deploying it's solar power array. In addition, the crew will spend some time tonight setting up their space suits and checking them out, in preparation for the possibility of their use on Saturday. The current plan is to release UARS on the first of three release opportunities -- orbits 34, 35, 36. The release window for orbit 34 opens at 10:38 pm central time. Discovery continues to work extremely well with no real system anomalies reported. An earlier indication of a fuel cell reactant failure proved to be an instrumentation error. ------------------------------------------------------------------- MISSION CONTROL STATUS REPORT 4 Sept. 14, 4 a.m. The STS-48 crew completed checkout of the two spacesuits that will be standing by during deploy preparations for the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite. Although a spacewalk is not planned as part of the deploy procedures, Mission Specialist Jim Buchli and Sam Gemar will be ready to suit up and go out into the payload bay to manually crank out the satellite's solar array should it not deploy mechanically. Checkouts of the satellite have been flawless and payload controllers report all its systems and instruments are in good working order. During checkout of the two spacesuits, also called extravehicular mobility units or EMU's, the oxygen tank for EMU 2 showed a loss of about 169 pounds per square inch (psi) pressure since the suits were loaded onto Discovery 13 days ago. However, during the preflight processing of EMU 2, that tank registered a higher rate of pressure loss than did EMU 1 oxygen tank. The onboard suit checkout used the same valve set-up as the ground-based preflight testing. Since the pressure reduction occurred at a lowerr rate and amount during today's checkout, flight controllers do not consider the small pressure loss a significant impact to the satellite deployment plans for Saturday. The engineering specifications for the spacesuits allow a leak rate of 4.5 psi per hour. As part of the standard, preliminary preparations for spacewalks, both spacesuits' oxygen tanks are replenished through an umbilical connected to Discovery's life support system. While the crew sleeps, the spacecraft umbilical feeding both EMU's will be shut off to allow flight controllers to gather accurate information about the oxygen tank leak rate. Flight controllers will continue to monitor both EMU oxygen tanks and will compare pressure readings taken about 1:30 a.m. CDT with readings to be taken after crew wakeup early Saturday afternoon. Also today, STS-48 Commander J. O. Creighton operated the Investigation into Polymer Membrane Processing. The IPMP experiment makes porous membranes that are used to separate fluids and gases. Such membrane-type filters can be used in desalinization systems, for transdermal dispensing of prescription drugs, cleanup of oil and sludge contamination and in processing cheese products. The IPMP experiment was developed by the Battelle Advanced Materials Center in Columbus, Ohio. The project is sponsored in part by NASA's Office of Commercial Programs through its Centers for the Commercial Development of Space program. Discovery continues to perform well with no problems being worked. Discovery is in a 57-degree inclination, orbiting the Earth every one hour and 35 minutes at an altitude of 307 nautical miles. The Discovery crew will begin its sleep period at 6:11 a.m. CDT with flight day three wakeup set for 2:11 p.m. CDT. --------------------------------------------------------------------- MISSION CONTROL CENTER STS-48 Status Report #5 Saturday, September 14, 1991, 2:30 p.m. CDT STS-48 crew members were roused from sleep to the music of Elvis Presley performing "Release Me" courtesy of the payload team and in anticipation of today's deployment of the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite now stowed in the Space Shuttle Discovery's payload bay. The UARS is an ozone mapping satellite that will give scientists their first complete data set on the upper atmosphere's chemistry, winds and energy. Following routine post-sleep activities, crew members will begin working on a series of steps in the pre-deploy sequence that will culminate in the expected deployment of UARS on orbit 34 at a MET of 2/04:37 or about 10:48 p.m. CDT. Although no space walk is scheduled, mission specialists Sam Gemar and Jim Buchli have completed preparatory steps that would enable them to don Extravehicular Mobility Units (also referred to as spacesuits) and go out into the payload bay quickly to manually crank out the satellite's solar array if it was unable to deploy mechanically. Yesterday the orbiter's cabin pressure was reduced from 14.7 pounds per square inch to 10.2 psi, and crew members checked out their spacesuits in anticipation of an unscheduled space walk. Flight controllers are continuing to carefully watch EMU 2's primary oxygen pressure which has shown some slow decay. Additional checks will be conducted prior to the UARS deploy. Flight controllers also have added a modified group B powerdown procedure to the list of today's activities. This is a conservation procedure in which equipment and instruments on board which are not being used - such as extra lights, the galley's water heaters and oven fans - are shut off to minimize heat generation. Electronics on board a shuttle generate heat and flight controllersHwant to keep the crew cabin at a temperature of no higher than 80 degrees. Flight controllers would like to keep the orbiter's flash evaporator systems, which provides supplementary heat rejection during orbital flight, turned off during the deploy activities, but payload investigators have given their approval to the FES being turned back on if necessary to reduce cabin temperature or dump excess supply water. Following the deploy, flight controllers also will attempt to collect new rendezvous radar data. STS-48 MCC STATUS REPORT 6 FLIGHT DAY THREE 1:00 AM CDT The Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite, carried to it's 308 nautical mile high orbit aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery, was placed on station at 11:23 pm central time yesterday to begin NASA's "Mission to Planet Earth". Discovery astronaut Mark Brown, operating the remote manipulator system from the aft flight deck, plucked the environmental research satellite from the payload bay just after 6 pm, well ahead of schedule, and turned control over the payload controllers at the Goddard Space Flight Center to command the single solar array and high gain antenna to deploy. The appendage deployments went without a hitch, and the solar arrays began charging spacecraft batteries just after 7 pm. Efforts to establish communications between satellite controllers and the UARS through the Tracking and Data Relay System were slowed considerably due to procedural problems, which resulted in a nighttime release of the satellite on orbit 34, just about thirty minutes after the initial release opportunity. The UARS attitude control system has been activated, and the spacecraft is working extremely well. Satellite controllers are confident they will resolve the procedural errors and establish a reliable link with the TDRS system over the next few hours. Discovery continues to work very well, with no system anomalies reported so far. The remainder of the flight day will consist of restowing the EVA hardware, repressurizing the crew cabin to 14.7 psi, and maintenance of a variety of secondary experiments. STS-48 Mission Control Center #07 MISSION CONTROL CENTER STS-48 Status Report #7 Sunday, September 15, 1991, 3:30 p.m. CDT The STS-48 crew was awakened at 3:11 p.m. CDT to the song "Bare Necessities" from the Walt Disney cartoon Jungle Book. The song is a favorite of Pilot Ken Reightler's daughters, Katie and Emily, who were in the Mission Control Center viewing room for the wake up call. Today's activities include work with the Electronic Still Camera, a high resolution digital camera. Mission Specialist Mark Brown will use the camera to photograph the Earth and crew activities. At designated times, the digital images are down-linked to Mission Control. The images also are stored on board the shuttle. Mission specialists Jim Buchli and Mark Brown will work with the Middeck 0-Gravity Dynamics Experiment (MODE) which will study the mechanical and fluid behavior of future spacecraft components. Specifically, MODE will study the sloshing of fluids in partially filled containers and how vibration affects jointed truss structures. Discovery is about 76 nm in front of the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite. The two spacecraft are separating at a rate of about 8.6 nm per orbit, faster than the predicted 6.8 nm per orbit. Payload researchers used the orbiter's payload interrogator (PI) to supplement communications while Discovery was within range of the UARS. The orbiter stayed within range of the satellite longer than expected, moving out of the satellite's range about 10 a.m. CDT. The usual communications range limit with a payload from the orbiter is about 40 nm, but Discovery stayed in communication with UARS until it was about 48 nm away. UARS' first orbit raising burn is scheduled to occur at a MET of 3/11:25 or about 5:36 a.m. CDT Monday and will last about three- and-a-half minutes. Payload researchers commented that the use of the orbiter's PI was an asset in allowing them to catch up to their timeline. The UARS will rely on its internal transmitters and high gain antenna to communicate with ground controllers. ------------------------------------------------------------------- STS-48 MCC STATUS 8 MCC STATUS REPORT #8 FLIGHT DAY FOUR 11:00 PM CDT The space shuttle astronauts are midway through their third full day in orbit and are busy conducting fluid and structural physics studies that may assist in the design and development of future space systems. The middeck zero-gravity dynamics evaluation experiment, or MODE, involves the study of fluids in containers and structural arrays under the influence of dynamic disturbances. The first fluid dynamics investigation was curtailed a few minutes early, however, in order for the crew to maneuver Discovery away from a predicted conjunction with a spent upper stage rocket body. Based on information from multiple tracking sources around the world, it was determined that the body of a Soviet Cosmos 955 upper stage booster would pass within a distance from Discovery which would violate NASA flight rules, and the decision was made to conduct the avoidance maneuver. The maneuver was conducted successfully, about 8:30 pm central time, and the closest point of approach is now expected to be about 8.7 nautical miles, well beyond the acceptable boundaries, at about 11:06 pm central time tonight. Following the brief interruption, the crew placed Discovery back in free drift, and continued the series of fluid dynamics demonstrations, which continue to go extremely well. The crew has re-converged on the flight day four timeline, and, later tonight, the crew will conduct similar oscillation tests with four structural truss assemblies. Discovery continues to perform without significant flaw. Orbiter consumables are predicted to support 3 extension days, if necessary, beyond the normal five day mission duration. However, preliminary weather forecasts show favorable weather at the Kennedy Space Center for a Tuesday night landing. ------------------------------------------------------------------- STS-48 MCC STATUS 9 MCC STATUS REPORT #9 FLIGHT DAY FOUR 5:00 A.M. CDT The STS-48 crew completed 11 hours of experiments in fluid and structural dynamics. Mission Specialists Mark Brown, Jim Buchli and Sam Gemar first set up a series of Lexan cylinders--two containing silicon oil and two containing water--attached to a shaker device mounted in Discovery's mid-deck. A computer sent precisely controlled forces to the shaker device, then measured the fluid's movements. Experiment investigators hope to learn more about the impact of moving liquids, such as fuel, in future spacecraft. The astronauts then set up a series of four different models of truss structure being studied for Space Station Freedom. The computer also sent programmed vibrations to the truss structure and recorded responses. Engineers expect to gather additional knowledge to help develop more sophisticated computer models for accurately predicting the performance of future large space structures. The Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite controllers reported about 1 a.m. CDT that they were able to send computer commands to the observatory through the "A" receiver which had not accepted a transmission through the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite system since shortly before the observatory was deployed from the Shuttle late Saturday night. Payload controllers had been communicating with the observatory through the "B" receiver, a backup system. Engineers at the Goddard Payload Operations Control Center now believe both receivers are working properly. Because Discovery carried the UARS to an altitude of 308 nautical miles, the first of four planned altitude-raising burns is not needed. The first burn, set for early Monday morning, will not be performed. The other three burns are scheduled for Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Discovery continues to perform well. No problems are being worked this morning. The apogee, or high point, of Discovery's orbit is 308 nautical miles and the perigee, or low point, is 303 nautical miles. The astronaut crew will go to sleep at 8:11 a.m. CDT and will wake up at 4:11 p.m. CDT to begin their last full day in space. STS-48 landing is scheduled for 1:09 a.m. CDT on Wednesday, September 18, at Kennedy Space Center, Florida. ------------------------------------------------------------------- STS-48 MCC Status #10 MISSION CONTROL STATUS REPORT #10 4:30 p.m. CDT ---- Mon., Sept. 16, 1991 Today's wake-up music featured Elvis Presley singing "Are You Lonesome Tonight?" The song was selected because of its phrase "are you sorry we drifted apart?" in honor of the Space Shuttle Discovery's increasing separation from its prime payload the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite which was deployed Sept. 14. As of 4:30 p.m. CDT today, Discovery was about 284 nm in front of UARS and the distance between the two spacecraft was increasing at a rate of about 12 nm per orbit. UARS continues to operate smoothly. All major subsystems have been checked out and instruments are being turned on. Today's activities onboard Discovery will include a checkout of orbiter systems used during entry. This checkout usually is performed the day before deorbit and includes cycling the orbiter's aerosurfaces and hydraulic systems, checking switch throws and speed brake systems. Following their post-sleep activities, STS-48 crew members will perform an inflight maintenance task involving the supply water dump line. Flight controllers believe the supply water dump nozzle has experienced a small leak that could allow ice to form at the nozzle's valve. To eliminate any chance of the supply water dump line from freezing, the crew will perform a purge of the dump line by forcing air through it, removing any water that might be in the line and thus preventing any possible freezing in the line. Once the line is purged, the crew then will use the flash evaporator system to dump excess potable supply water from the orbiter's potable water storage tanks. Crew members will wrap up work with middeck experiments before deactivating and stowing most of them. The crew will continue operation of the Middeck 0-Gravity Dynamics Experiment which studies mechanical and fluid behavior of components for Space Station Freedom and other future spacecraft. Crew members today will work on one portion of the experiment, the Structural Test Article, in which the vibration characteristics of jointed truss structures will be studied. Yesterday's operation of the other portion of the experiment, the Fluid Test Article which studied the sloshing of fluids in partially filled containers, was successful. The crew also will participate in a special event today when they talk to radio talk show host Larry King on tonight's Larry King Show. That event is scheduled to begin at a MET of 4/04:21 or 10:32 p.m. CDT on orbit 64. ------------------------------------------------------------------- STS-48 MCC Status #11 MISSION CONTROL STATUS REPORT #11 12:30 A.M. CDT TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 1991 The first half of the crew day consisted of checking out the flight control surfaces aboard the vehicle making sure they are ready to support tomorrow's landing at the Kennedy Space Center. All went smoothly with the FCS checkout using the number two auxiliary power unit supplying the hydraulic power needed to move the orbiter's aerosurfaces. The crew also performed a test of the reaction control system thrusters verifying that they are ready for tomorrow's return home. Landing remains scheduled for 2:06 a.m. EDT Wednesday on the concrete runway at KSC's Shuttle Landing Facility. The weather forecast is expected to be favorable for the first night landing in Florida in the Shuttle program. The reentry groundtrack will bring Discovery over the upper Pacific Northwest near Juno, Alaska, crossing the middle of Canada before starting across the U.S. above North Dakota. With clear skies, Discovery will be clearly visible as it enters the atmosphere creating a plasma tail behind the orbiter. Early in the crew day, Mission Specialist Sam Gemar performed a procedure to clear the supply water dump line of any liquid that could freeze in the line and dump water for the remainder of the mission through the flash evaporator system. Crew members wrapped up work with most of the middeck experiments before deactivating and stowing most of them. They continued operation with the Middeck 0-Gravity Dynamics Experiment which studies mechanical and fluid behavior of components for Space Station Freedom and other future spacecraft. Crew members today worked on one portion of the experiment, the Structural Test Article, in which the vibration characteristics of jointed truss structures was studied. The crew participated in Larry King's radio show taking questions from around the country on the space program and the STS-48 mission specifically. The remainder of the day will consist of stowing experiments and equipment in preparation for tomorrow morning's return. ------------------------------------------------------------------- MCC STATUS 12 Mission Control Status Report #12 Sept. 16, 1991, 7 a.m. CDT The STS-48 astronauts wrapped up their last full day in space this morning. The crew goes to sleep at 8:11 a.m. CDT and is scheduled to wake up at 4:11 p.m. CDT to prepare for a Wednesday landing. In the final hours of their last work day on orbit, crew members turned off the Protein Crystal Growth experiment and downlinked videotape of the experiment samples. When the experiment was turned on early Friday morning, the crew noticed plugs had not been successfully retracted and droplets had not been deployed successfully. At deactivation, Ken Reightler reported they saw several crystals growing on the plugs and syringe tips. Experiment managers decided to leave the plugs out of the syringes when PCG was turned off. On a previous flight of PCG, syringes were left unplugged, and the crystals inside them were not damaged during re-entry and landing. It is not yet known how much the incompletely formed droplets affected the science data. Crystals grown in microgravity form more perfectly and allow investigators to determine a crystal's structure. These experiments could lead to new drugs to combat numerous serious diseases. The final data gathering on the structural test assemblies of the Mid-deck 0-Gravity Dynamics Experiment (MODE) was also completed this morning. Models of truss structures designed for Space Station Freedom were assembled in the middeck, then energized by computer commands with precisely controlled forces. Strain gauges and sensors measured the responses of the truss model and the computer recorded the information for later analysis. Experiment results should lead to more sophisticated computer models that more accurately predict the performance of future large space structures. Payload managers for the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite report the observatory is in good health. The first in a series of three orbit-raising burns occurred at 5:35 a.m. CDT. Lasting for 7 minutes, 44 seconds, and a change in velocity of 5.3 feet per second, the raising burn propelled the UARS observatory to an orbit of 305.2 by 310.5 nautical miles. Discovery continues to perform well with no significant problems while circling the Earth every 95 minutes at an altitude of 308 nautical miles and an orbital inclination of 57 degrees.