There are 2 messages totalling 63 lines in this issue

Topics of the day:

1. STS-119 MCC Status Report #10
2. STS-119 MCC Status Report #11

Date: Fri, 20 Mar 2009 07:33:18 -0500 From: info@JSC NASA GOV Subject: STS-119 MCC Status Report #10

STS-119 Report #10 Friday, March 20, 2009 - 7:30 a m CDT Mission Control Center, Houston, Texas

The International Space Station’s new solar array wings will spread today, doubling the electric power available to conduct world-class science research in the laboratory modules supplied by countries from around the world

Each solar array wing contains almost 33,000 silicon photovoltaic cells Taken together, the new hardware adds enough generating capacity to double the power available for station science operations from 15 kilowatts to 30 kilowatts

Overnight, station flight controllers unlatched the boxes containing the solar array panels and deployed each array minimally to verify proper operation Full deployment starts at 9:48 a m CDT with the shuttle and station crew members at the controls and at all the windows to monitor the activity

The first array mast will be commanded to slowly extend to half its length, so any sticking solar panels can gently pull apart from one another The partially deployed array will be left to warm in the sun for 35 minutes so the panels become less sticky before the array is commanded to deploy to its full length Then the procedure will be repeated for the other array

Just before lunch, Expedition 18 Commander Michael Fincke, Flight Engineers Yury Lonchakov and Koichi Wakata, and Mission Specialist Sandra Magnus will discuss the progress of the mission in interviews with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Reuters and Voice of America

In the afternoon crew members will resume transferring equipment and supplies onto the station Mission Specialists Steve Swanson and Joseph Acaba will prepare the Quest airlock for the spacewalk they’ll make Saturday

Today’s wakeup music, “Box of Rain” by the Grateful Dead, was played for Mission Specialist John Phillips

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: Fri, 20 Mar 2009 20:03:21 -0500 From: info@JSC NASA GOV Subject: STS-119 MCC Status Report #11

STS-119 Report #11 Friday, March 20, 2009 - 8 p m CDT Mission Control Center, Houston, Texas

HOUSTON – The International Space Station has its final pair of solar panels stretching 240 feet tip to tip after a lessons-learned flawless deploy earlier Friday The station now has nearly an acre’s worth of U S arrays producing 120 kilowatts of usable electricity – doubling the amount available for science operations to 30 kilowatts

Even before the crew awoke Friday, the protective blanket box latches were released and the arrays were deployed slightly to prepare for the deploys that began one wing at a time just after 10 a m The two-stage extension took just under an hour for each and was completed at 12:17 p m when the second array was unfurled to its full length of 115 feet

Four pair of arrays were attached to the station in December 2000, September 2006, June 2007 and March 2009 bringing the total surface area to 38,400 square feet, or 9 acre (1 acre = 43,500 sq ft)

With all crew watching for any problems from various windows and via several camera views, the arrays were deployed by the book on the strength of engineering procedures refined after problems with deploy and retraction occurred on previous arrays due to a phenomenon known as “stiction,” which simply means the accordion-like solar cells stick together until warmed properly

After deploy, Expedition 18 Commander Mike Fincke and STS-119 Mission Specialist Sandy Magnus turned their attention to the replacement of a failed distillation unit which is part of the elaborate water purification and recycling system on the station The failed unit will be returned aboard Discovery for analysis after the shuttle mission ends

This evening, Mission Specialists Steve Swanson and Joseph Acaba will prepare the Quest airlock for their spacewalk set to begin just before noon Saturday The spacewalk will focus on preparing worksites for future missions including Endeavour’s STS-127 mission and the arrival of the newest cargo vehicle – the Japanese H-II Transfer Vehicle (HTV)

Both crews head to bed between 10 and 11 p m and will be awakened at 6:43 a m Saturday

The next status report will be issued after crew wake up, 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 - 20 Mar 2009 to 21 Mar 2009 (#2009-24)

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