Sun, Jul 16, 2006
Engineers Still Eyeing APU Problems
Space Shuttle Discovery ended STS-121’s stay at the
International Space Station when it undocked Saturday morning at
6:08 a.m. EDT. Undocking occurred as the two spacecraft flew above
the Pacific Ocean north of New Zealand.
STS-121 delivered a new Expedition 13 crew member and much
needed supplies and equipment to the international outpost. The
shuttle crew also conducted three spacewalks to perform maintenance
on the station and to test on-orbit heat shield repair
techniques.
Pilot Mark Kelly flew Discovery to a point above the station
before performing the final separation burn at 6:57 a.m.
STS-121 crew members are using the robotic arm and the orbital
boom sensor system to perform final inspections of the starboard
wing and the shuttle nose cap. Discovery will remain about 45 miles
behind the station until the mission management team reviews survey
results and clears it for landing... which Kelly says he fully
expects to occur.
"Based on what we've seen over the last ten days, the
inspections we've done, we've got a great ship," said Kelly. "It's
ready to come home."
NASA is still keeping its eyes on a potential problem -- not
with the heat shield, but with two of the three auxiliary power
units. As Aero-News reported Friday,
one has seen a near-total loss of pressure, while the other's
backup generator has failed.
Fortunately, that's why the shuttle has those much-vaunted
"triple-redundant" systems -- as NASA says one fully functional APU
is all that's needed for the orbiter to return to Earth safely.
As it stands, Discovery is scheduled to touch down at Florida's
Kennedy Space Center at 9:14 am EDT Monday.
More News
From 2023 (YouTube Version): Legacy of a Titan Robert (Bob) Anderson Hoover was a fighter pilot, test pilot, flight instructor, and air show superstar. More so, Bob Hoover was an i>[...]
Get The Latest in Aviation News NOW on Instagram Are you on Instagram yet? It's been around for a few years, quietly picking up traction mostly thanks to everybody's new obsession >[...]
Aero Linx: B-52H Stratofortress The B-52H Stratofortress is a long-range, heavy bomber that can perform a variety of missions. The bomber is capable of flying at high subsonic spee>[...]
Altimeter Setting The barometric pressure reading used to adjust a pressure altimeter for variations in existing atmospheric pressure or to the standard altimeter setting (29.92).>[...]
"Knowing that we play an active part in bettering people's lives is extremely rewarding. My team and I are very thankful for the opportunity to be here and to help in any way we ca>[...]