|
Johnson
Space Center, STS-103, Mission Control Center Status Report
# 13, Saturday, December 25, 1999 , 9 pm EST
Johnson
Space Center STS-103, Mission Control Center, Status Report
# 12, Saturday,
December 25, 1999, 11:00 am EST
Space
Telescope Operations Control Center, Update No. 6, Saturday,
December 25, 1999, 11:00 am EST
HST
Project Update, Saturday, December 25, 8:00 am EST
Flight
Day 7 Images
Johnson
Space Center, STS-103, Mission Control Center mStatus Report
# 13, Saturday, December 25, 1999 , 9 pm EST
Discovery's
astronauts delivered a Christmas present to the world today,
putting the Hubble Space Telescope back in service after 24
hours and 33 minutes of repairs and upgrades that make the
orbital observatory more capable than ever.
European
Space Agency Astronaut Jean-Francois Clervoy used the shuttle's
robot arm to gently release the telescope at 5:03 p.m. CST,
then placed the arm into an upright salute as Commander Curt
Brown fired Discovery's steering jets to begin separating
from the telescope.
The
telescope's re-deployment took place at an altitude of 370
statute miles as the two spacecraft flew over the South Pacific's
Coral Sea northeast of Australia, its aperture door opened
to the heavens before the release.
By
5:30 p.m. CST, controllers at the Space Telescope Operations
Control Center in Maryland were reporting that the telescope
was in normal operating mode. Controllers will perform two
weeks of testing before resuming observations with the telescope.
"The
HST is now orbiting freely once again and is in fantastic
shape," Hubble Space Telescope Program Manager John Campbell
said after the release. "The spacecraft is being guided
by its new gyros, under the control of its brand new computer.
The Hubble team is very grateful to the Discovery crew, to
the launch and flight teams and to all those who made this
mission so successful. We especially thank the families of
the entire STS-103 team, who made so many personal sacrifices
at this holiday season, enabling the Hubble Space Telescope
to resume its voyage of discovery."
At
5:39 p.m. CST, Brown executed a second steering jet burn,
lowering Discovery’s orbit slightly, so that it would
begin orbiting faster than the telescope and move away at
just under 6 statute miles per orbit. Afterward, each of the
seven astronauts on board called down holiday wishes from
space in several languages.
"The
familiar Christmas story reminds us that for millennia, people
of many faiths and cultures have looked to the skies and studied
the stars and planets in their search for a deeper understanding
of life and for greater wisdom," radioed Brown. "We,
the Discovery crew and this mission to the Hubble Space Telescope,
are very proud to be part of this ongoing search beyond ourselves.
We hope and trust that the lessons the universe has to teach
us will speak to the yearning that we know is in human hearts
everywhere -- the yearning for peace on Earth, good will among
all the human family. As we stand at the threshold of a new
millennium, we send you all our greetings."
Over
the course of three space walks, Astronauts Steve Smith, John
Grunsfeld, Mike Foale and Claude Nicollier installed six new
gyroscopes, six Voltage/Temperature Improvement Kits, a new
more efficient computer, and a refurbished Fine Guidance Sensor.
Functional checks and tests of the hardware indicate that
the new equipment is working well.
The
space-walking team, including arm operator Clervoy, also took
a break from their duties to discuss the progress of the mission
so far in a series of interviews with CNN, the Associated
Press and the Fox News Network.
The
crew is scheduled to go to bed just before midnight Central
time and wake up at 7:50 a.m. Sunday to begin a day of preparations
for Monday's landing. Discovery is in a 363 by 380 statute
mile orbit with all systems on board performing well.
Space
Telescope Operations Control Center, Update No. 6, Saturday,
Dec. 25 1999, 11:00 am EST
With
three fully successful space walks now complete, and all the
newly-installed hardware sailing through its functional checks,
controllers are now turning their attention to the release
of the Hubble from the Shuttle Discovery.
Engineers
here in the STOCC have been painstakingly preparing the all-important
position data that will be up-linked to the Hubble prior to
its deployment. These intricate tables of numbers are essential
to Hubble's ability to determine where it is in space, and
where to point its high-resolution optics to examine its celestial
targets.
Prior
to release, STOCC controllers will send commands to the Telescope
to slew the solar arrays to the Sun to generate electrical
power for the telescope and to charge the batteries. The six
batteries, now outfitted with the new Voltage/Temperature
Improvement Kits, supply power to the Hubble during periods
when it is in the Earth's shadow. After STOCC contollers command
hubble to switch to its internal power the astronauts can
perform the commands to release the telescope.
STOCC
controllers have also prepared the first Science Mission Specification,
or SMS, for uplink to the Telescope. These Specifications
- like an electronic day planner - tell Hubble what it will
do for the week ahead in terms of where to point and what
objects to view. The first SMS will be sent to Hubble shortly
after it is released into space. It is a health and safety
specification that will configure Hubble's data management,
instrumentation, communications and pointing control systems
for resuming its scientific observations.
Shortly
after Discovery's crew releases Hubble back into space, controllers
here at Goddard will send commands to the Telescope telling
it to slew to the proper attitude. Controllers also will reconfigure
Hubble's low gain antenna to resume communications through
the Tracking and Data Relay Satellites so that data from the
Hubble can be transmitted to the STOCC.
Hubble's
controllers are elated with the checkout of the newly-installed
components and are anxiously awaiting the Telescope's return
to operation. Scientists anticipate being able to begin imaging
celestial targets in the visible spectrum in about two weeks,
and to be able to start gathering science in the ultraviolet
range a week or so after that.
Functional
checks of all the new components astronauts installed during
yesterday's space walk - a new a solid state recorder and
a new S-Band single access transmitter - have been successfully
completed. And Hubble's new 486 computer continues to work
well and software engineers report the new advanced software
developed for the Hubble is executing properly.
Ground
systems here in the STOCC have really been put to the test
this week as hundreds of engineers pushed the systems to their
limits, yet they continued to operate. Controllers here at
Goddard are ready for today's release of Hubble back into
space.
Johnson
Space Center STS-103, Mission Control Center, Status Report
# 12, Saturday,
December 25, 1999, 11 am EST
Christmas
Day onboard the Shuttle Discovery began with seasons greetings
for Commander Curt Brown, as the crew awoke to Bing Crosby's
"I'll Be Home for Christmas."
"Merry
Christmas to all of you down there," replied Brown. "And
Hubble will be home for Christmas 'cause today we're going
to set her free."
Discovery's
astronauts will be doing the gift-giving this afternoon as
they return the Hubble Space Telescope to orbit, allowing
it to continue its astronomical observations. About 1:45 p.m.
CST, European Space Agency astronaut Jean-Francois Clervoy
will use Discovery's robot arm to firmly grasp the telescope.
After a series of commands to disconnect from external power
and confirm Hubble is ready for release, Clervoy will gently
lift it out of the support structure in Discovery's payload
bay where it has rested since he first plucked it from orbit
on December 21. The telescope's aperture door will be commanded
open and at 4:50 p.m., Clervoy will release the upgraded telescope.
Hubble's
capabilities were enhanced over the course of three spacewalks,
lasting a combined total of 24 hours, 33 minutes. Spacewalking
astronauts Steve Smith, John Grunsfeld, Mike Foale and Claude
Nicollier installed six new gyroscopes, six Voltage/Temperature
Improvement Kits, a new more efficient computer, and a refurbished
Fine Guidance Sensor. Functional checks and tests of the hardware
indicate that the new equipment is working properly and will
further enhance the Hubble's scientific capabilities.
This
afternoon, the spacewalking team, including arm operator Clervoy,
will take a break from their duties to discuss the progress
of the mission so far in a series of interviews with CNN,
the Associated Press and the Fox News Network. That interview
is scheduled for 7:12 p.m. today.
Discovery
is in an orbit with a high point of 380 miles and a low point
of 363 miles with all systems on board performing well.
Hubble
Space Telescope Project Report
Saturday, December 25, 8:00 am EST
Planning
is complete and all systems are prepared and ready to support
Hubble deployment.
Photographic
surveys will continue today to gather additional images on
the solar array hinge pins. These photos will provide a valuable
reference for SM3B.
|
