Author
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Topic: STS-123: ISS goes global with 'hand and hope'
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Robert Pearlman Editor Posts: 42988 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 03-27-2008 10:42 AM
quote: Originally posted by Jay Chladek: Did they cover that topic at all today prior to the deorbit and reentry coverage? Granted the astronauts had backup water supplies, but I am curious.
They didn't mention it during any of the press conferences, at least to my knowledge. NASA Spaceflight provided a clipping from a NASA summary of the issue as part of their landing coverage: quote: Fuel Cell H2O Common pH Transient Indications: At GMT 85/19:04:08 the Fuel Cell Common H2O Line pH indication was received. It cleared after 39 seconds. Six additional transient indications were seen.The 3 individual fuel cell pH sensors did not indicate high, which exonerates KOH in the system, and the performance of all three fuel cells continues to be nominal. The crew completed a FC H2O pH test and reported a pH of 4.5 which was more acidic that the expected neutral 7.
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issman1 Member Posts: 1042 From: UK Registered: Apr 2005
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posted 03-27-2008 01:05 PM
With regard to the STS-123 landing coverage, I thought BBC News 24 did fairly well (as much as I dislike the BBC). They began live coverage 5 minutes prior to touchdown. Curiously, they had a correspondent at KSC and even an "expert" in their studio who was fairly knowledgeable about the Shuttle programme!I do also agree CNN International is lame for shuttle coverage nowadays. However, anyone with Sky in the UK really should watch EuroNews channel 509. They have a 15 minute segment dedicated to ESA projects each week. And their No Comment slot did show live snippets of the STS-123 spacewalks as well as unedited clips of the launch, docking, departure ceremony, etc. Still, I would rather be able to watch FSA Television! |
Mike Isbell Member Posts: 551 From: Silver Spring, Maryland USA Registered: Aug 2003
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posted 03-27-2008 01:17 PM
Originally C-Span was going to show NASA coverage of the landing. However, probably because of the one orbit delay, they did carry it. After not finding any coverage on CNN, I began flipping through the channels and found live coverage on MSNBC of the Endeavour rolling out on the runway! I imagine that they probably had shown the touchdown, but I did not turn to them soon enough. I got to see a replay of the final 2 minutes, or so, before landing through the rollout on NASA television this morning. As were get closer to the final shuttle flight(s), I hope that more television coverage by the networks is provided for launch and landing. |
Mr Meek Member Posts: 353 From: Chattanooga, TN Registered: Dec 2007
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posted 03-27-2008 03:53 PM
quote: Originally posted by Mike Isbell: As were get closer to the final shuttle flight(s), I hope that more television coverage by the networks is provided for launch and landing.
For the last one? Sure. For any other launch/landing that doesn't result in fatalities? No way. You'll get T -2:00 through launch, and Landing -5:00 to about 2:00 after wheels stop. That's it. NASA TV online is the way to go, for those of you without access to the cable channel. Comcast in Chattanooga runs it on channel 3 during missions, though I miss the dedicated channel it got back home. |
edmk5000 Member Posts: 49 From: Homestead, FL USA Registered: Apr 2005
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posted 03-27-2008 03:54 PM
HD Net covers launches and landings in HD. However, their commentary is dismal.For last night's landing, I was in my AC Circuits class and used one of the lab computers connected to a video projector with my Slingbox (a device that streams video from your home satellite/cable box to the internet). Our class watched the NASA-TV coverage of the landing projected to about 5' x 5'. Some of the students also commented about the APU flames. We then went back to our band-pass filters and Bode plots. Ed |
Robert Pearlman Editor Posts: 42988 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 03-27-2008 07:09 PM
quote: Originally posted by Mr Meek: For any other launch/landing that doesn't result in fatalities? No way.
I know that at least one of the networks is planning to break into their regular coverage to show an upcoming launch live, so long as the launch date slips from its current target (as it conflicts with another national, non-space news event). More details soon... |
Mr Meek Member Posts: 353 From: Chattanooga, TN Registered: Dec 2007
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posted 03-27-2008 10:11 PM
Interesting. Are we talking STS-124? Seems a little early. I'm going to guess it's the STS-125 launch right around the end of the DNC convention. Of course, if the launch slips more than 3 days, you're in to the GOP convention.And then, if NBC is the news outlet in question, they've already got their plate full with the GOP convention, and the 2008 NFL season opener on 9/4. I think I could tear myself away from political coverage and football long enough for a launch, though. ![](http://collectspace.com/ubb/smile.gif) |
OV-105 Member Posts: 816 From: Ridgecrest, CA Registered: Sep 2000
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posted 03-28-2008 01:19 AM
quote: Originally posted by Jay Chladek: Of course the most spectacular one of all was an early Challenger flight where the APU had a malfunction and it was really spitting a tongue of flame like an exhaust stack from a WW2 era P-51 fighter during engine start.
I think you are thinking of STS-9. They had a APU fire on landing. This was the first night landing I can remember seeing the APU exhaust look like that. |
cspg Member Posts: 6210 From: Geneva, Switzerland Registered: May 2006
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posted 03-28-2008 10:05 AM
I'm confused. I remember the STS-9 APU fire but I don't recall seeing the flames at night, so that flight was a night landing? According to the JSC image collection, it was not (although their photo captions is somewhat mixed-up). NASA website gives: Landing: December 8, 1983 at 3:47:24 a.m. PST but Dennis Jenkins' shuttle book give it at 15:45 local time. I remember it as daylight landing... ![](http://collectspace.com/ubb/confused.gif) Chris. |
Robert Pearlman Editor Posts: 42988 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 03-28-2008 10:23 AM
STS-9 was a day landing (the difference in time between NASA and Jenkins' records may be due to what is being recorded, main gear touchdown vs. wheels stop). The STS-9 APU fire was not visible. No one was aware there was a fire until after it had extinguished itself and the APUs were inspected post-flight. That aside, the venting seen on Wednesday evening was not unique. I think if you were to review the previous 15 night landings at KSC (or 21 in shuttle shuttle), you'd find similar examples. |