This Week At NASA

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June 27 2011

With phase one of the SSF complete NASA is on its way to reach its long term goals, but a minor bump on that road has arisen. NASA Managers have decided to put the orbiter fleet though a Orbiter Maintenance Down Period (OMDP) over the next year and a half. One reason is to upgrade shuttle systems to allow them to continue survice though 2015. The other is because of the recent issue with Atlantis's MPS that caused an ATO on her last flight STS-FA7-E. This OMDP will only involve OVs 103, 104, and 105 (OVs 101 and 106 being only two years old). This will start with Atlantis undergoing her OMDP in the OPF at KSC starting immediately and is planed to last eight months. Constitution will be redeployed to KSC after its next flight to skylab in November. At this time Discovery will be sent to Palmdale to undergo her six month OMDP. Once Atlantis returns to service Endeavour will begin a six month OMDP. Updated SSF, Skylab, and Helios lanch schedules will be posted later.

OMDPs aside, a busy two months are ahead in the Eastern Test Range launch schedule.


SX-DM 001: LC 40: June 28
STS-205: LC 39B: July 4
T3HL20-4: LC 40: July 15
SX-DC 003: LC 40: July 27

UPDATE:

Nasa has finalized the OMDP schedule.

Atlantis will undergo her OMDP in OPF 3 beginning immediately and will last for eight months. She is scheduled to return to active duty in Feburary 2012. She is scheduled to get right back into the launch schedule will the launch of STS-209 set for launch in March.

Next in the OMDP rotation is Endeavour. She will be trasported to the Rockwell plant in Palmdale for her OMDP starting Janurary 2012. Is has not been desided if the EOM landing site will be KSC or, to facilitate her move to the plant, Edwards AFB. It is most likely that the primary landing site will be EDW with KSC as the weather backup. Endeavour will be ready after six months in July and will need to undergo a month of flight processing before her soonest possible launch date. As of now she has been assigned STS-212 with a NET launch of October 2012.

Last is Discovery. She will undergo her OMDP at KSC starting after mission STS-211 in April 2012. After mission compleation she will will be in OPF3 for six months until September 2012. She is currently assigned STS-207-LF5 and STS-211 before her OMDP and STS-214-LF8 in November 2012 afterwords.

Constitution will remain at VAFB for the duration of the OMDP instead of being redeployed to KSC. With the completion of the SSF and the nearing of completion of the Aries I, the shuttle fleet is working towards the supplying role for the SSF and Skylab, and the construction of Helios, which involves five of the next nine shuttle missions. Aries I is expected to have its first unmanned flights in October (KSC) and December (VAFB) 2011. After which it will be the main crew trasport from SSF, Skylab, and Helios. Even though the Fleet is expected to need another OMDP around 2015 it looks as though this may be able to be extended due to slowing in the flight rate. After 2015, NASA hasn't began to look at shuttle retirement yet. The entire fleet is in great health and will be better than ever after this checkup.
 
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