Posted on 09/19/2006 8:53:59 AM PDT by Kaslin
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – NASA mission controllers are tracking a mystery object hovering between the space shuttle Atlantis and Earth, and traveling at roughly the same speed as the orbiter, agency officials said Tuesday.
“Right now they’re just tying to figure out exactly what it is, how far away it is,” NASA spokesperson Kimberly Harle told SPACE.com. “It’s pretty much assessing the whole situation.”
arle said that at 2:45 a.m. EDT (0645 GMT), just after Atlantis completed a check of its reaction control thrusters, the instrumentation and communications officer at NASA’s shuttle Mission Control room at Johnson Space Center noted an object between the orbiter and Earth, and traveling at about the same speed of the spacecraft.
Flight controllers are now using video cameras mounted along Atlantis’ robotic arm and payload bay to survey visible areas of the orbiter, including its wing leading edges and other vital heat shield areas, Harle said.
“Everything is still under assessment,” Harle said.
For now, Atlantis’ STS-115 shuttle crew will not stow their Ku-band antenna – the primary video and data link to Earth – to allow flight controllers to continue to study the object.
NASA is broadcasting Atlantis’ STS-115 mission to the ISS live via NASA TV. You are invited to follow the shuttle's progress using SPACE.com's NASA TV feed, which is available by clicking here or using the button at the left.
The article seems to imply that we have another orbiter on-line to launch within 45 days. If they can finagle some oxygen solutions aboard ISS that would work. Good to know. But, hopefully, they can return the orbiter safely as planned.
I hope it doesn't leave orbit and head for Uranus!
Nothing "creaks" in space/vacumn...
There are so many fans and ambient noises in the cabin, that any vibrations or "pops" due to the bending the airframe makes can be barely discerned, and usually gets lost/ignored as the mission progresses...
The RCS although does make for some pretty good "bangs" that are noticable...
I just got off the phone with an astronut friend of mine who gave me some info...
The small RCS thrusters are hydrogen peroxide and inthere operation do create "some" water that "could" form ice, but the thrust is enough to vaporize that ice when it (particular RCS nozzle) is activated...
The larger RCS thrusters are hypergolics, and produce quite a big bang when they go off...So it is unlikely any debris from the operation of those systems is the culprit...
The most likely culprit could be some form of thermal blanket piece (in the cargo bay area) that could have come off during that firing of the RCS...Most of those pieces are sewn into place, or snapped to allow access to areas behind those blankets...
You'll notice that during EVA's the astronauts try to keep their bodies clear of bumping onto those cargo bay covers/blankets...There's not a lot to them, as far as support, so they don't want to put a arm, leg or foot into those things...
My bet is that some piece of that stuff got loose during the mission somehow...And finally broke loose...
Thats our best guess at this point...
We'll probably hear something to that effect tonight...Or as some better info comes in...Who knows...
I don't think its critical, but you can be assured some folks are not going to sleep until wheels stop at KSC when that happens...
I can almost see the hallway leading into building 4S at JSC will be strewn with debris, nuts, bolts, washers and thermal scraps from vehicle processing to welcome the crew back later this week...Some folks get a big kick out of that stuff...
Be careful with that...You want to make sure you check the color of that ice...
We may have the answer here!
Sorry, I couldn't resist...;-)
Interesting insight. Thanks for the info.
"My bet is that some piece of that stuff got loose during the mission somehow...And finally broke loose... "
But wouldn't that have been seen by now with all the camera pans they've been doing today? Are they suspecting that it might actually be a really small piece?
Just curious.
(or maybe even a Dalek starship?
Looks interesting, maybe a jelly fish?
Thanks.
Curious..
Any updates yet? Have they figured out what it is?
I'm suspicious that an object would be travelling at the same "relative speed" as the shuttle, but considerably below the shuttle, because orbital mechanics require lower orbiting objects to actually move "faster" than the object in the higher orbit.
I just heard Fox say there are 2 things out there now.
Strange visitor from another planet...
Looks like some kind of screen or mesh...or perhaps just a leaf of a space cabbage.
Whatever it is NASA is taking serious.
Wasn't that the "Space Anemonea" from Far Point Station?
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