Repairing the Endeavour
Repairing the Endeavour
Despite the damage incurred by the space shuttle Endeavour on its last flight to the International Space Station, NASA is still planning for the October launch of the Discovery. However, the two shuttles scheduled to be launched yet this year will not be sent up until the source of the foam problem, which caused a small piece of the material to break off the external fuel tank and create a gash in the underside of the shuttle, is discovered, even if it means delaying the launches. Although the heat tile on the belly of the orbiter was cut, it held while the Endeavour re-entered the Earth’s atmosphere, withstanding temperatures of up to1,500 degrees Celsius
The recently concluded flight of the Endeavour was the first flight for the orbiter since 2002 when it was removed from service for a scheduled overhaul. During the retooling project 150 miles of wiring was inspected, its avionics interface was upgraded, and a new power transfer and engine monitoring systems were added.
Of almost 200 modifications, three systems were the first to be put into operation on a NASA shuttle flight. The Station-Shuttle Power Transfer System which makes it possible for the Endeavour to obtain power from the space station’s 120-volt grid through a docking port and convert the power to the orbiter’s 28-volt system, thereby conserving the orbiter’s fuel cell supplies.
The shuttle also features the first fully activated Advanced Health Management Systems to monitor the shuttle’s three main engines during launch to prevent excessive vibration in the engine’s turbopumps. If an engine’s turbopumps were to vibrate too much the system would shut the engine down before any damage could result. In addition a Global Positioning System for more accurate landing navigation has been installed, replacing the old TACAN system which is being gradually phased out all over the world
In addition to the new technology, the Endeavour was fitted with hardware already on Discovery and Atlantis with the installation of the “glass cockpit”, flat-screen, full-color, multi-functional electronic displays communicating flight data to the astronauts. The shuttle was also fitted with a 50-foot sensor boom, an extension of the robotic arm allowing the crew to scan the heat shield during flight to spot indications of damage, a feature added in response to the loss of the Columbia in 2003. Another safety feature developed after the Columbia accident is the leading edge wing sensors which record any impacts from debris or other material.
This entry was posted on Thursday, August 23rd, 2007 at 7:21 pm and is filed under Space Agency News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
