There are 2 messages totalling 59 lines in this issue

Topics of the day:

1. STS-119 MCC Status Report #08
2. STS-119 MCC Status Report #09

Date: Thu, 19 Mar 2009 09:15:14 -0500 From: info@JSC NASA GOV Subject: STS-119 MCC Status Report #08

STS-119 Report #08 Thursday, March 19, 2009 - 9:00 a m CDT Mission Control Center, Houston, Texas

A big power boost for the International Space Station comes today with the installation of the last set of U S solar arrays during the first spacewalk of this flight of space shuttle Discovery

The shuttle crew was awakened this morning with the song “Que Bandera Bonita” by Jose Gonzalez, played for Mission Specialist Joseph Acaba His spacewalking crewmates, Mission Specialists Steve Swanson and Richard Arnold, spent the night in the station’s Quest airlock at reduced atmospheric pressure to accelerate their preparations for today’s 6 5-hour spacewalk Later this morning after a hygiene break, station Commander Mike Fincke and shuttle Pilot Tony Antonelli will help them get into their spacesuits

About 10 a m CDT, Mission Specialist John Phillips and station Flight Engineer Koichi Wakata will command the station’s robotic arm to move the S6 Truss element to a position near the outboard end of the starboard truss When Swanson and Arnold exit the airlock at 12:13 p m , they will move to the installation location and provide guidance to Phillips and Wakata as they fly S6 to its mating position against the S5 element Swanson and Arnold then will bolt the two components together

After Canadarm2 releases S6 and moves away, the spacewalkers will plug in power and data cables to connect the new hardware and remove launch restraints from the photovoltaic radiator and the boxes containing the new solar arrays They also will deploy the Beta Gimbal Assemblies, which contain the masts that support the solar arrays, and position the boxes for later deployment

While extension of the new solar array wings originally was scheduled for Flight Day 8, the decision that no focused inspection of Discovery’s heat shield will be needed has freed up time in the flight plan to complete the deployment on Flight Day 6 A final decision on rescheduling deployment won’t be made until after today’s spacewalk is complete

This afternoon Phillips and Antonelli will continue troubleshooting the shuttle’s bicycle ergometer, which has been inoperative throughout the mission

The next status report will be issued at the end of the crew day, or earlier if events warrant

#

NASA Johnson Space Center Mission Status Reports and other information are available automatically by sending an Internet electronic mail message to listserv@listserver jsc nasa gov In the body of the message (not the subject line) users should type "subscribe hsfnews" (no quotes) This will add the e-mail address that sent the subscribe message to the news release distribution list The system will reply with a confirmation via e-mail of each subscription Once you have subscribed you will receive future news releases via e-mail

Date: Thu, 19 Mar 2009 21:21:04 -0500 From: info@JSC NASA GOV Subject: STS-119 MCC Status Report #09

STS-119 Report #09 Thursday, March 19, 2009 - 9 p m CDT Mission Control Center, Houston, Texas

HOUSTON – The International Space Station’s 335-foot-long truss, or backbone, is complete after astronauts aboard space shuttle Discovery and the station teamed with Mission Control to install the final 45-foot-long segment to the farthest starboard point of the station Next up is Friday’s deployment of the two solar array wings – each stretching 115 feet

With spacewalkers Steve Swanson and Ricky Arnold at the ready outside the station, shuttle Mission Specialist John Phillips and Expedition 18 Flight Engineer Koichi Wakata remotely controlled the station robotic arm with the 31,000 pound S6 truss into its final position Swanson and Arnold immediately went to work bolting the segment in place and connecting the power and data cables allowing station flight controllers to remotely command the segment to life

Swanson’s third spacewalk and Arnold’s first began at 12:16 p m and ended at 6:23 p m totaling 6 hours, 7 minutes The 121st spacewalk brings the total for station assembly and maintenance to more than 762 hours

The solar array deployment originally was scheduled for Sunday, but was moved to Friday when Discovery’s heat shield inspections showed no problems that would require further analysis by using the extension boom and sensor package

After wake up Friday, the crew will oversee deployment of the solar arrays as they are methodically unfurled through a step sequence to preclude the thin panels from sticking together Engineers have developed specific procedures learned over time with the deployment of the other three pair of arrays on earlier assembly missions

Late today, Phillips and shuttle Pilot Tony Antonelli restored Discovery’s exercise bicycle ergometer to use after removing a protective cover and freeing a jam

The station and shuttle crews head to bed about 10:30 tonight and will be awakened by Mission Control at 6:43 a m Friday The next status report will be issued at the end of the crew day, or earlier if events warrant

#

NASA Johnson Space Center Mission Status Reports and other information are available automatically by sending an Internet electronic mail message to listserv@listserver jsc nasa gov In the body of the message (not the subject line) users should type "subscribe hsfnews" (no quotes) This will add the e-mail address that sent the subscribe message to the news release distribution list The system will reply with a confirmation via e-mail of each subscription Once you have subscribed you will receive future news releases via e-mail

End of HSFNEWS Digest - 19 Mar 2009 to 20 Mar 2009 (#2009-23)

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