The Shuttle Mission No One Wants

If STS-400 launches, be prepared for one of the most dramatic spaceflights ever.

  • By Paul Hoversten
  • AirSpaceMag.com, September 02, 2008

Photo Gallery (1/4)

The last time two shuttles (<i>Discovery</i> in the foreground, <i>Atlantis</i> in the background) were on the launch pad at the same time was in July 2001.

See more photos from the story


In a move that seems straight out of Hollywood, NASA has readied two space shuttles at the same time so that one can serve as the other’s lifeboat should trouble develop during this week's service call to the Hubble Space Telescope.

Not since July 2001, when NASA was launching missions at a quicker pace, have shuttles occupied both launch pads at Florida’s Kennedy Space Center simultaneously. While Atlantis, whose seven astronauts will service Hubble for the fourth and final time, is scheduled to launch from pad 39A today [Update: Launch is set for 2:01 p.m. Eastern time on May 11, 2009), an empty Endeavour waits on 39B for the call NASA hopes never comes. In the unlikely event that Atlantis is too damaged to return home safely—Columbia and its crew were lost during entry in 2003 due to a hole in the orbiter’s wing—Endeavour’s four astronauts would rendezvous with the crippled vehicle in orbit and rescue its crew of seven.

“This is not a flight that we think will ever fly, but the program requires that we have a capability to rescue that crew,” says Kyle Herring, a spokesman at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. If Endeavour is not needed for the rescue, it will be moved to pad 39A for its scheduled November 7 launch to resupply the International Space Station.

The rescue mission—officially designated STS-400—would happen only if in-orbit inspection of Atlantis shows that the vehicle can’t make it home safely. Even then, the rescue attempt would come only after the Atlantis crew finishes its work at Hubble, which involves five spacewalks to replace and upgrade hardware. On that STS-125 crew are commander Scott Altman, pilot Gregory Johnson, and mission specialists Andrew Feustel, Michael Good, John Grunsfeld, Mike Massimino, and Megan McArthur. Three of the astronauts—Altman, Johnson, and McArthur, the robot arm operator—have never done a spacewalk. But the entire crew has trained for the emergency rescue, which would require them to put on a spacesuit, go outside, and move to the other vehicle.

NASA has had a “launch on need” rescue capability for shuttle missions since the Columbia disaster, and the agency will continue the policy of having this arrangement as long as the shuttles keep flying. But until now, all post-Columbia missions have been to the space station, where a stranded crew could stay for up to three months—plenty of time for NASA to send another shuttle to dock with the station and bring them home. Atlantis, on the other hand, is going nowhere near the station. And without that safe haven, its crew would have power and oxygen for only about 25 days in orbit should something go wrong. Hence the need to have Endeavour primed and ready to launch.

If STS-400 were to happen, here’s how the shuttle-to-shuttle rendezvous and transfer of astronauts would go:

The rescue begins with the launch of Endeavour and four astronauts. About 23 hours into the flight, after rendezvousing with the stranded shuttle in orbit, Endeavour’s 50-foot-long robotic arm is used to grapple a fixture on the forward, right side of Atlantis’ cargo bay, near the airlock. At this point, the shuttles are perpendicular to each other, about 35 feet apart.

Endeavour’s arm then rotates 90 degrees, pulling the vehicles parallel in a nose-to-tail position, and about three feet closer together. From now on, Atlantis’ crew does most of the work. On the third day of the rescue mission, spacewalkers Grunsfeld and Feustel string a rope made of Kevlar along the length of the robot arm, then help McArthur follow the rope over to Endeavour, a process expected to last four hours, 50 minutes.

In a move that seems straight out of Hollywood, NASA has readied two space shuttles at the same time so that one can serve as the other’s lifeboat should trouble develop during this week's service call to the Hubble Space Telescope.

Not since July 2001, when NASA was launching missions at a quicker pace, have shuttles occupied both launch pads at Florida’s Kennedy Space Center simultaneously. While Atlantis, whose seven astronauts will service Hubble for the fourth and final time, is scheduled to launch from pad 39A today [Update: Launch is set for 2:01 p.m. Eastern time on May 11, 2009), an empty Endeavour waits on 39B for the call NASA hopes never comes. In the unlikely event that Atlantis is too damaged to return home safely—Columbia and its crew were lost during entry in 2003 due to a hole in the orbiter’s wing—Endeavour’s four astronauts would rendezvous with the crippled vehicle in orbit and rescue its crew of seven.

“This is not a flight that we think will ever fly, but the program requires that we have a capability to rescue that crew,” says Kyle Herring, a spokesman at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. If Endeavour is not needed for the rescue, it will be moved to pad 39A for its scheduled November 7 launch to resupply the International Space Station.

The rescue mission—officially designated STS-400—would happen only if in-orbit inspection of Atlantis shows that the vehicle can’t make it home safely. Even then, the rescue attempt would come only after the Atlantis crew finishes its work at Hubble, which involves five spacewalks to replace and upgrade hardware. On that STS-125 crew are commander Scott Altman, pilot Gregory Johnson, and mission specialists Andrew Feustel, Michael Good, John Grunsfeld, Mike Massimino, and Megan McArthur. Three of the astronauts—Altman, Johnson, and McArthur, the robot arm operator—have never done a spacewalk. But the entire crew has trained for the emergency rescue, which would require them to put on a spacesuit, go outside, and move to the other vehicle.

NASA has had a “launch on need” rescue capability for shuttle missions since the Columbia disaster, and the agency will continue the policy of having this arrangement as long as the shuttles keep flying. But until now, all post-Columbia missions have been to the space station, where a stranded crew could stay for up to three months—plenty of time for NASA to send another shuttle to dock with the station and bring them home. Atlantis, on the other hand, is going nowhere near the station. And without that safe haven, its crew would have power and oxygen for only about 25 days in orbit should something go wrong. Hence the need to have Endeavour primed and ready to launch.

If STS-400 were to happen, here’s how the shuttle-to-shuttle rendezvous and transfer of astronauts would go:

The rescue begins with the launch of Endeavour and four astronauts. About 23 hours into the flight, after rendezvousing with the stranded shuttle in orbit, Endeavour’s 50-foot-long robotic arm is used to grapple a fixture on the forward, right side of Atlantis’ cargo bay, near the airlock. At this point, the shuttles are perpendicular to each other, about 35 feet apart.

Endeavour’s arm then rotates 90 degrees, pulling the vehicles parallel in a nose-to-tail position, and about three feet closer together. From now on, Atlantis’ crew does most of the work. On the third day of the rescue mission, spacewalkers Grunsfeld and Feustel string a rope made of Kevlar along the length of the robot arm, then help McArthur follow the rope over to Endeavour, a process expected to last four hours, 50 minutes.

The next day, Grunsfeld heads back to Atlantis and helps Massimino and Johnson, the pilot, move over to Endeavour, a process that is planned to take just under two hours. Grunsfeld and Johnson stay on Endeavour, while Massimino heads back to Atlantis to retrieve Good and Altman, the commander, who by now has programmed the shuttle’s computer systems so that it can be commanded from the ground. The final spacewalk is expected to last about two and a half hours.

With all seven members of Atlantis’ crew safely on board, Endeavour’s pilot releases the grapple fixture. Ground controllers remotely close the payload bay doors on Atlantis and command its deorbit rockets to fire, sending the shuttle to a fiery re-entry over the Pacific.

The next day, flight day five, the Atlantis crew uses Endeavour’s robot arm to check the condition of the rescue vehicle’s thermal protection system to ensure a safe reentry. The shuttle comes home on the eighth day of the mission, with Atlantis’ crew seated in the (now crowded) middeck.

“The rescue is well planned, and it’s something that can be done,” says NASA spokesman James Hartsfield. “But we think the other safety precautions we have in place will preclude us from ever having to do it.”

Veteran spacewalker Greg Harbaugh, who served on a National Academy of Sciences panel that studied the risks and rewards of another Hubble servicing mission, also is confident the rescue could succeed. “I have absolute faith they can do this,” says Harbaugh, who left NASA in 2001 after 23 years and now heads the Sigma Chi Foundation in Evanston, Illinois. “I’d volunteer to fly that mission if they’d let me.”

Harbaugh says he was “an early and staunch advocate” of having astronauts work on Hubble one last time. Trying to do the job with robots, as former NASA Administrator Sean O’Keefe proposed, “would be ludicrous,” Harbaugh says, and the National Academy of Sciences agreed. “I’m very grateful to see this [Hubble servicing] mission come off. It was very uncertain for a long period of time, and it took a lot of hard work and arm wrestling to pull it off.”

Of course, should STS-400 be called into action, the effect on NASA would be dramatic, he says. “Whether it’s the loss of both crews or the loss of one shuttle, that’s the end of the shuttle. That’s the last time the shuttle flies.”


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Comments (4)

So...what happens if Endeavour is unable to make it back to Earth?

Obviously, the chances of that happening are ridiculous. But still...what if?

Posted by Chris on September 19,2008 | 01:29 PM

Chris, I'm sure the Russians and the Chinese would volunteer to do a rescue ... for a fee.

Seriously though, there is a third Shuttle available if required. I'm sure the Shuttle return-to-orbit turnaround time would be extremely rapid to keep within the 25-day survival window. Basically, there are other rescue options available if required.

I'm actually looking forward to the two Shuttles posed in launch configuration. A perfect photo op.

Posted by GIF on September 21,2008 | 12:23 AM

.

STOP the Hubble Servicing Mission 4 now!!!

It's TOO dangerous!!!

There's no ISS "safe haven" near the Hubble!!!

Do you want TWO Shuttles and 11 astronauts LOST in space???

It could be THE END of the Shuttle program and (perhaps) THE END of all manned space program for LONG, LONG time!!!

There are SEVERAL (much safer!!!) ways to upgrade the Hubble WITHOUT risk to lose 11 astronauts lives and make 11 widow(er)s and 20+ orphans!!!

http://www.ghostnasa.com/hubbledeathtrap.jpg

.

Posted by ghostNASA on September 23,2008 | 07:54 AM

It is unthinkable that this is the last service call to the Hubble Space Telescope. With what will it be replaced? Frankly, it must NEVER be replaced. However, adding a new telescope with increased capability would be a welcome and complimentary addition to optical deep space exploration.

Posted by Stephen Bogdan on September 30,2008 | 11:38 PM

If everyone always stayed home because it's the "safe" thing to do, where would humanity be now?

And why are they installing a docking ring, if this is the last service mission?

Posted by ColumbiaLover on October 31,2008 | 09:19 PM

For the cost of these servicing missions, we could've just been launching new telescopes. That'd give us more observation time, improved technology with every launch, and not endanger any lives for about the same money as we're spending on servicing.

Posted by Adam on November 25,2008 | 02:38 PM

By Servicing the Hubble,nasa gains invaluble expierience upgrading and servicing large structures in space. A much needed skill on long duration space missions ,such as returning to the moon or visiting the planets.

Posted by Eric Young on May 1,2009 | 06:13 PM

Everyone keeps calling this the mission that no one wants... Are you kidding? I'd love to see two shuttles up at the same time!!! Okay, so it'd be the end of the shuttle program (but then that's happening soon anyhow). Besides, they could leave the disabled shuttle in a stable orbit (and Hubble is in a high orbit right?) and it could serve as a national landmark, even a memorial if you will to all those who have died flying the shuttle to help keep our dreams alive!

Maybe I'm the only one who wants this mission but NASA should seriously consider launching one last mission to intenionally leave a shuttle in high orbit so that our kids can go up in see it on their way to the moon. Wouldn't that be cool? A museum in space for our future generations?

Happy to see them keeping Hubble healthy (and seeing NASA actually stick with a program). After this, the next Hubble fix/upgrade will be done robotically. They're installing a docking collar on this flight specifically for future robotic service calls. Cool huh?

Ad Astra!

Posted by Peter on May 9,2009 | 11:58 AM

why couldn't the Hubble be grabbed and towed to the ISS where maintenance/overhaul be performed there.Time would not be a factor then. Safety would be increased too. Then it could be placed back in it's orbit later.

Posted by Neil on May 13,2009 | 11:39 PM

Too bad the shuttle program has been scrubbed.

Posted by Bryce Desy on November 3,2010 | 02:54 PM

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