|
|
||
|
|
||
| |
|
|
|
The flight of STS-121 (ISS Mission ULF-1.1) opened with the liftoff of Space Shuttle Discovery from Launch Complex 39-B , Kennedy Space Center, at 1:36 PM CDT (18:36 GMT) on 4 July 2006. Appropriately, this was American Independence Day as well. After some 9 minutes of powered flight, MECO (Main Engine Cut Off) occurred, and orbit was achieved. As with the previous Shuttle flight, STS-114, a great deal of attention was focused on the performance of the foam insulation (PDF file 522kb) on the External Fuel Tank. Changes and modifications to this component were successful, and after extensive on-orbit inspection of the heat shield, NASA engineers pronounced Discovery safe for re-entry at mission end. Docking with ISS was accomplished on 6 July, roughly two days after launch. The CREW of Discovery were welcomed by ISS Expedition 13 Commander Pavel Vinogradov, and Flight Engineer Jeffrey Williams, in the traditional Russian way, with the offering bread and salt. This flight also delivered ESA (European Space Agency) Astronaut Thomas Reiter, of Germany, to join the ISS Expedition 13 crew. His addition marked the first time ISSy has boasted a crew of three since spring 2003, following the loss of Columbia. Discovery brought with her the Italian built MPLM (Multi-Purpose Logistics Module) "Leonardo". This spaceborne "moving van" contained around 15 tons (13,600kg) of equipment and supplies for ISSy. Once the new materiel was unloaded, superfluous equipment crowding the limited space aboard ISSy was stowed for return to Earth. Three EVAs (Extra-Vehicular Activity or spacewalk) were mounted in US spacesuits from the Quest Airlock. Astronauts Piers Sellers and Michael Fossum tested methods for repairing damaged heat shield components, and performed repairs to the Mobile Transporter, damaged by accident in December 2005. In addition, the two Astronauts tested the feasability of using the 50 foot (15.24m) robotic arm extension. This extension was used with a special camera to inspect the belly of the orbiter for damage. In this case, engineers at Houston wanted to know if extended arm could be effectively used to carry Astronauts on the end. It was hoped that they would be able to work from this lofty perch. The experiment was a success. After some nine days of joint operations with the ISSy crew, farewells were made, and Discovery separated from ISSy at 4:08 AM CDT (9:08 GMT) 15 July 2006 to fly solo for |
 |
| STS-121
Liftoff |
|
 |
|
| Nearing
ISSy |
|
 |
|
| Inside
ISSy |
|
 |
|
| Sellers
On EVA |
|
 |
|
| STS-121
Landing |
| the next two days. STS-121 came to an end with the safe landing of Discovery at the KSC Shuttle Landing Facility , runway 15, at 8:15 AM CDT (13:15 GMT) on 17 July 2006. This mission was highly successful, the brave crew accomplishing every task mapped out for them. The fact that Discovery and her crew performed so flawlessly also opened the door for the resumption of ISS construction flights again. These had been suspended since the fatal loss of Columbia in February 2003.Total duration: 12 Days 18 Hours 38 minutes. Congratulations are in order for all concerned. |
|
THE EVENT |
| This
series of pages will introduce you to meteors as seen from Space Shuttles.
Sometimes they appear very strange, since we are looking down from above;
a vantage point "alien" to most of us. Others look pretty much
the same as they do from points on the ground, being just streaks in the
atmosphere. These examples are provided in order to educate you on the difference
between ordinary meteors, and some of the anomalies we will encounter amongst
the pages of Project P.R.O.V.E. ..Meteor and
Bolide behaviors are predictable, whereas the anomalies perform decelerations
and maneuvers which meteors just cannot do.
The examples we have for you are two events from STS-97 (December 2000), four from STS-105 (August 2001), and one from STS-121 (July 2006). The meteors from December were likely associated with the annual Geminids shower, as those from August are probably from the annual Perseids shower. The July event may be random. The annual meteor showers are often quite spectacular, providing wonderful viewing for the amateur astronomer and layman alike.
Much more information on meteors in general (and specific events as well) is available by visiting the web pages at the handy links below. They are in no particular order, all of them being excellent sources of information. International Meteor Organization Gary W. Kronk's Comets and Meteor Showers Well, how about we move on to our meteor example. It's a nice one from STS-121. It's a very fine bolide which lit up the night, and exploded in a giant flash! This one took place over the Indian Ocean INSIDE the so-called ZOE! We can only imagine what it must have looked like from a ship at sea, far below. |
 |
Fascinating, isn't it? Just imagine what this one must have looked like from the surface of the ocean. I have to wonder if the explosion was audible from sea level, or if it took place too high in the atmosphere. In any case, it's beautiful. |
| Per usual, the night view from the Shuttle camera has a mask of heavy "snow" imposed over it. This is so common, it gives the impression of normalcy. It is NOTHING of the sort! See these stories for more on this. | |
| Another
aspect to this indicent is WHERE it happened.
The bolide fell over the Indian Ocean, in the region of the globe which
NASA refers to as the ZOE, or "Zone Of Exclusion". More on this
place at these pages.
Diego Garcia Island & The "ZOE" The point here is that we are supposed to believe that Ku-Band television (The sort of full-motion TV we are accustomed to at home. This as opposed to S-Band TV, which NASA calls "sequencial still video", comparable to a slide show) inside the ZOE is restricted to times when it's critical. The pass over the Indian Ocean at night was hardly critical. Yet, it was broadcast just the same. The fact that a meteor made its spectacular appearance at just this time is just icing on the cake! Let's now have a look at where the meteor event was seen then, OK? |
|
 |
The Shuttle/Station Complex is circled in yellow. The "ZOE" is crudely outlined in red, and the orbital path through the "ZOE" is noted in green and yellow. The orbit outside the "ZOE" is shown in orange. The Shuttle/Station Complex was just leaving the "ZOE" when the "live" downlink was cut. The entire broadcast which included the meteor came from within the "ZOE", where NASA says communication is difficult. |
|
IF communications are so hard to arrange inside the "ZOE", how then was it so easy for them to provide "live" television for a mostly uninteresting, "snow" masked, broadcast of nothing but clouds and sea that night? I leave that question for you to ponder. *** At all times during this incident, the camera was under the control of the INCO in Houston Mission Control. (INCO - INstrument & Communication Officer - The man in Houston Mission Control Center who is responsible for operating the Shuttle payload bay, and robotic arm, cameras. He also remotely operates the helmet cameras in space suits. In the case of ISS, this officer is referred to as the CATO - Communications And Tracking Officer. In both cases, these persons CONTROL everything which is PERMITTED to go out on broadcast to the public. It is a commonly believed falacy that the cameras are operated by Astronauts & Cosmonauts on the Shuttles, and Space Station. Very little camera work is done by the crews. They're way too busy for that.) At the end of the day, it's up to YOU to draw your own conclusions.
© 2006 Jeff Challender
|
|
|
|
 |
|
