U.S. Space Shuttle Returns, Space Station Mission Successful

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U.S. Space Shuttle Returns, Space Station Mission Successful

NASA photo by Kevin O'Connell

Space shuttle Discovery touches down in Florida, completing NASA's 123rd shuttle mission.

NASA BUDGET: After a two-week, 5.7 million mile round-trip to the International Space Station, the space shuttle Discovery landed right on time Sunday at Cape Canaveral. The landing completed an almost perfect mission, paving the way for its next trip—maintenance work on the Hubble telescope.

by Laura Major
Informify Staff Writer
June 17, 2008

Discovery delivered Japan's 32-ton Kibo laboratory and replaced crew member Garrett Reisman with flight engineer Greg Chamitoff. The shuttle also carried replacement parts for the only toilet on board, which started malfunctioning the previous week. The shuttle program is scheduled to end in 2010 and resume in 2015 when the next shuttle is ready. But members of the House Committee on Science and Technology worry about giving other countries five years to surpass the United States in space exploration and technology. Several weeks ago they passed the NASA Authorization Act of 2008.

Being Short Pays Off for Space Station Crew Member

Garret Reisman lived on the space station for three months. When Discovery landed at the station, he helped with the walk-around inspection of the shuttle.

Generally, that kind of strenuous physical activity isn't possible after spending so much time in a low-gravity environment. Reisman had no troubles, though, and said it's because he's short-just over five feet.

Short people recover more quickly than their taller crew members, he said.

"My sensory organs are a little closer to my center of gravity, and my heart has a little less distance to pump to my brain," Reisman said. "I've been waiting my whole life, and I think finally this being short is going to come in handy for once." (The New York Times, 6/15/08)

Other crew members aboard the Discovery shuttle included...

Navy pilot Cmdr. Kenneth T. Ham
Air Force Reserve Col. Michael E. Fossum
astronaut and mission specialist Karen L. Nyberg, PhD
Air Force Col. Ronald J. Garan, Jr.
Akihiko Hoshide of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency
flight engineer Gregory E. Chamitoff, who will remain on the station for six months

During Discovery's stay at the station, astronauts successfully installed Kibo (which means "hope") and fixed the toilet.

White House Opposes Shuttle Budget Increase

Currently the shuttle program has only 10 more trips scheduled, ending in 2010. Then the program takes a five-year hiatus until the new spaceship design is ready in 2015.

During that time, either Russia or a commercial carrier will ferry crew and supplies between Earth and the station.

NASA Authorization Act of 2008: Members of the House Committee on Science and Technology worry about giving other countries five years to surpass the United States in space exploration and technology.

The committee unanimously approved the NASA Authorization Act of 2008 on June 4 and passed it to the House for a vote, where it has broad bipartisan support.

The bill, which requires a separate funding bill, increases the request for the shuttle program to $20.2 billion, up 15% from the $17.6 billion that President Bush requested. It includes...

$1 billion to speed progress on the shuttle replacement
shuttle flights beyond the 2010 deadline
space station use after 2016
space traffic management discussions with other countries

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) voiced strong opposition to the bill.

"The FY 2009 budget request of $17.6 billion is sufficient to achieve NASA's goals," OMB said in a memo, "and the additional $2.6 billion authorized in the bill above the President's request is inconsistent with the Administration's fiscal policies. Accordingly, the Administration opposes this increased authorization level." (SpaceRef.com, 6/16/08)

The OMB also said the bill's requirement that NASA begin talks with other countries about space traffic infringes on the president's area of foreign policy. There was no explicit mention of a presidential veto, however.

Question for Readers:

Do you think the next president should authorize increased spending for shuttle missions?

The Japanese Experimental Module (JEM) is Japan's first contribution to the International Space Station. Its name, "Kibo," means hope in Japanese.

Kibo's six systems will help scientists study the following:

space medicine
biology
Earth observations
material production
biotechnology
space communications

Kibo adds another room to the station for carrying out experiments. It consists of the following six components:

Pressurized Module—About the size of a bus, this is the largest part of the lab where scientists can conduct microgravity experiments. Discovery just delivered this section during its last trip and astronauts bolted it to the side of the space station.
Experiment Logistics Modules—Essentially two storage modules, pressurized and exposed, this part of the lab can hold 11 experiment racks. The shuttle Endeavor delivered these sections on its last trip to the space station.
Exposed Facility—A platform located outside the laboratory, this section enables experiments out in the space environment.
Remote Manipulator System— Two robotic arms that mimic human arm movements will help with operations outside of Kibo in space. The "main arm" can hold up to 14,000 pounds while the "small fine arm" can be attached to the main arm for more precise movements.
Inter-Orbit Communication System—Operators in Japan can send real-time commands and receive data from Kibo via the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System.
Mission Control Room—Located at Tsukuba Space Center north of Tokyo, this is the 24/7 hub of operations on Kibo, including electric power, thermal control, equipment condition and command transmission and data reception in real-time.

(Source: National Aeronautics and Space Administration)

Scientists at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California were elated on May 25 when Phoenix landed on Mars without a hitch.

The Phoenix is equipped to collect soil and ice samples with its robotic arm and then place them into miniature ovens to analyze organic compounds that, along with water, are the necessary components of life.

But until last Wednesday, it looked as though the soil and ice experiment was in jeopardy.

The Lander's robotic arm was supposed to sift the Martian soil through a fine-particle filter. The arm struggled with the sticky and clumpy soil, though, and couldn't pass it through the fine mesh. Finally, after seven remote commands to the arm to shake the soil, it broke the dirt up and filled the oven with it.

While scientists await results, which should be available next week, they've been able to see specks of what they think are olivine and volcanic glass in the red dirt delivered to the Lander's microscope.