Spirit Honors the Crew of Space Shuttle Columbia
01.08.04
The fallen crew of Space Shuttle Columbia now has an enduring memorial on another planet. When NASA's Mars Exploration Rover (MER) Spirit landed on Mars Jan. 3, 2004, it brought with it a small commemorative plaque bearing the names of the seven astronauts. Spirit's landing area on Mars will now be known as the Columbia Memorial Station.
"During this time of great joy for NASA, the Mars Exploration Rover team and the entire NASA family paused to remember our lost colleagues from the Columbia mission," NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe said. "To venture into space, into the unknown, is a calling heard by the bravest, most dedicated individuals."
Since its flawless landing in Gusev Crater, Spirit has sent back several stunningly clear photos of its new home. Among them is a close-up image of the 6-inch plaque, mounted to the back of the rover's high-gain antenna. Designed by MER engineers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the plaque was installed March 28, 2003, during pre-launch processing at Kennedy Space Center's Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility.
The plaque is visible as technicians at Kennedy Space Center prepare Spirit for launch.
The plaque reads:
In memoriam
To the crew of Space Shuttle Columbia
STS-107, February 1, 2003
Rick D. Husband
William C. McCool
Michael P. Anderson
Kalpana Chawla
David M. Brown
Laurel B. Clark
Ilan Ramon
The STS-107 patch, NASA emblem and American flag are all included on the plaque. A small Israeli flag appears beside the name of Ilan Ramon, Israel's first astronaut.
Spirit endured six harrowing minutes as it raced through the martian atmosphere toward the red planet's surface. Minutes later, the MER team received signals that the craft had landed successfully, prompting jubilant cheers. Within hours, Spirit returned its first photos.
"As team members gazed at Mars through Spirit's eyes, the Columbia memorial appeared in images returned to Earth, a fitting tribute to their own spirit and dedication," O'Keefe said. "Spirit carries the dream of exploration the brave astronauts of Columbia held in their hearts."
I'm going to eat breakfast. And then I'm going to change the world.
When the Space Shuttle lifts off from Kennedy Space Center, thousands of people watch it from nearby beaches, around the world on TV, and live on the Internet. As we prepare for return to flight the most important set of eyes will be the dozens of cameras located everywhere from right next to the Shuttle on the pad, to several miles up and down the coast of Florida.
At Kennedy Space Center, over $3 million in digital analysis equipment has been recently added, marking a major improvement in the ability of NASA to study images in the days following launch.
Following recommendations by the Columbia Accident Investigation Board, NASA plans to double the number of cameras used during launch to get a clearer picture of the Shuttle on its way into space.
On launch day, about two and a half miles north of the Pad, a technician will sit on top of a robotic camera, and use a joystick to track the orbiter as it heads into space.
"The joystick is so sensitive, it evens responds to the heartbeat of the person using it," explains Bob Page, chairman of the NASA photography group.
These cameras will view every angle of the Shuttle during launch, and give engineers the pictures they need to make sure that the orbiter reaches space safely and without damage. But this isn't the end of the story. About an hour after launch, a dozen engineers will sit in a dark projection room and carefully examine videos taken of important parts of the Shuttle, such as the pipes between the external tank and the orbiter, which delivers liquid hydrogen and oxygen to the Shuttle's main engines. The high-resolution film will be processed in the days following launch and examined by teams at NASA centers across the country.
I'm going to eat breakfast. And then I'm going to change the world.
Each console in the Flight Control Room is the base of operations for a flight control team. Click on the interactive at left to learn more about the responsibilities of a team.
Placed atop each console are initials or abbreviated names for each console's function. Each console also has a "call sign," the name the controller uses when talking to other controllers over the various telephone communication circuits. In some cases, console names or initials are the same as the call signs. Mission command and control positions, their respective initials and call signs are listed in the interactive above.
The Space Shuttle Flight Control Room and the International Space Station Flight Control Room are basically identical in their equipment and supporting structure, however the ISS Flight Control Room is smaller than the Space Shuttle Flight Control Room and operates with fewer flight controllers. The Space Station Flight Control Room normally operates with a dozen or less flight controllers manning consoles, as compared to the 20 or so controllers normally manning the space shuttle room during a flight. Because the station team is smaller, the room has fewer consoles and is overall physically smaller than the shuttle room. The station room, however, uses workstations and support equipment identical to that used in the shuttle room, and most data related to flight control of the station or shuttle can be viewed from either room. In addition, the station room has two large display screens at the front of the room rather than three such as in the shuttle room, as well as fewer remote television cameras mounted in the room to provide a live broadcast of activities.
I'm going to eat breakfast. And then I'm going to change the world.
On January 14, 2004, President Bush put NASA on a new course into the cosmos. The Vision for Space Exploration announced that day focused the agency on a bold new mission: landing humans on the moon before the end of the next decade, paving the way for eventual journeys to Mars and beyond.
Two years later, we're well on our way to turning the Vision into reality. We've unveiled the plans for our next generation spacecraft, the Crew Exploration Vehicle, which builds on the best of Apollo and shuttle technology. We've returned the space shuttle fleet to flight and celebrated the fifth anniversary of continuous crew operations on the International Space Station.
Human and robotic explorers will work together to reach future destinations, and NASA spacecraft are already paving the way. Mars rovers Spirit and Opportunity are going strong two years after landing on what was to be a 90-day mission on the red planet. A new mission, the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter arrives in March. The Cassini-Huygens mission is returning breathtaking images of Saturn and its moons, while space telescopes like Hubble, Spitzer and Chandra probe mysteries far beyond our own solar system.
On January 15, the Stardust spacecraft returns particles from a comet back to Earth. A similar mission, Deep Impact, slammed into a comet on Independence Day and recorded the impact. Later this month, NASA launches its latest planetary explorer, the New Horizons mission to Pluto.
These missions, like those that will follow, look to the cosmos for answers to questions as old as humankind. Now, as President Bush said, "let us continue the journey."
I'm going to eat breakfast. And then I'm going to change the world.
NASA's Space Shuttle Processing Status Report: S06-003
NASA's space shuttle fleet is housed and processed at Kennedy Space Center, Fla.
Mission: STS-121 - 18th ISS Flight (ULF1.1) - Multi-Purpose Logistics Module
Vehicle: Discovery (OV-103)
Location: Orbiter Processing Facility Bay 3
Launch Date: No earlier than May 2006
Launch Pad: 39B
Crew: Lindsey, Kelly, Sellers, Fossum, Nowak, Wilson and Reiter
Inclination/Orbit Altitude: 51.6 degrees/122 nautical miles
Technicians worked on inspections and closeouts prior to next week's installation of the forward reaction control system. Installation of the dome-mounted heat shields that surround the shuttle's three engines will begin when main engine leak checks are complete.
Removal and replacement of gap fillers is complete in the forward and mid-body sections of the vehicle. Work starts next week on gap fillers in other areas on the orbiter's belly. Technicians are using new installation procedures to ensure the gap fillers stay in place during re-entry to the atmosphere.
Solid rocket booster stacking for STS-121 is under way. The left and right aft boosters were delivered to the Vehicle Assembly Building this week and placed on the Mobile Launch Platform in High Bay 3. The aft segments were bolted to the platform, and work begun to stack the left and right aft center segments.
Mission: STS-115 - 19th ISS Flight (12A) - P3/P4 Solar Arrays
Vehicle: Atlantis (OV-104)
Location: Orbiter Processing Facility Bay 1
Launch Date: TBD
Launch Pad: 39B
Crew: Jett, Ferguson, Tanner, Burbank, MacLean and Stefanyshyn-Piper
Inclination/Orbit Altitude: 51.6 degrees/122 nautical miles
Power down operations continue. Cold plate removal and replacement in the shuttle's aft area were completed. Cold plates keep electronics boxes cool. The mechanical release latches for the shuttle arm (remote manipulator system) are installed, and pre-load tests are under way.
Removal and replacement of gap fillers began this week in the priority one forward and mid-body areas. One of two reaction jet drivers located in the shuttle aft area was installed. These drivers power the reaction control thrusters of the orbiter maneuvering system pods while in orbit. Technicians removed mid power control assembly #2 and #3 for inspection. These units are part of the system that controls power distribution in the orbiter.
Endeavour (OV-105)
In Orbiter Processing Facility Bay 2, technicians leveled the shuttle in preparation for Heads Up Display alignment. The display is used to optically align the orbiter for landing. Preparations for power up continue. All wiring tests and connector mates are complete. Technicians are finishing the installation of body flap hardware.
Work continues on the manipulator positioning mechanism for the shuttle's robotic arm before installation. The pedestal mechanisms keep the arm secured in the payload bay when it's not in use.
External Tanks
NASA has adjusted its contract with Lockheed Martin Space Systems to produce 18 instead of 35 shuttle external fuel tanks. The reduction aligns the contract with planned missions through 2010.
I'm going to eat breakfast. And then I'm going to change the world.
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