Aren from Vermont
This will be the first ISS construction mission in many years. What new capabilities will the P3/P4 truss add to the station? |
Dario from Milan (Italy)
If the orbiter is seriously damaged and can't return to Earth, I understood it can dock to the ISS and the astronauts stay onboard the station waiting for a rescue mission. In this unlikely scenario, another shuttle would be lauched to rescue the astronauts or they can return home with a different vehicle (e.g. the Soyuz)? If a new shuttle is needed, how can it dock to the ISS if the damaged one is there?
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Kurt from Kansas City
When the External Tank for the STS-115 mission arrived a KSC, a minor mishap revealed some water had penetrated the insulating foam (attributed to Hurricane Katrina, I believe). What work has been done since to quantify this unexpected fact? Is there risk the pressure or heat the ET is subjected to during ascent could cause any trapped moisture to rapidly evaporate or produce other out of the ordinary conditions? How have the new NASA risk assessment processes dealt with this "unknown?" |
Justine from Bryan, Texas
How long does it take to connect the space shuttle with the solid rocket boosters and the external tank? |
pascal from Andenne Belgium
If the shuttle is safe enough, why not keep it and eventually continue to upgrade it? You could continue to use all the infrastructure already built for the shuttle. And eventually replace it with a really advanced space transportation system later (and not with an Apollo-like boosted system) Russians could be the best at this game. |
Kitty from Manila
What are the advantages and disadvantages of using space shuttles? |
Jerry from London UK
Why does the shuttle rotate through its axis immediately after take off and how is it acheived? Thank you. |
Ann from Sun Prairie
Can you go into some detail concerning the way the shuttle system is supported on the launch platform? I understand there are 4 bolts that support each of the SRB's. Do these bolts support the entire stack? What means of support is in place for the orbiter? The engineering involved just in getting the stack safely from the VAB to the launch pad is mind boggling! Thanks! |
Nicholas from Atlanta
I noticed that during the launch through MECO in the STS-121 mission there was plasma being generated around the orbiter and tank. If the heat shield were to be damaged during launch (as the case with Columbia) could this type of gas damage the vehicle further or is this not the heated type of plasma associated with reentry? |
michael from france
Do you believe that you can resolve the gravity problem on board, so that astronautes can walk around like we see in the fantasy series of (Star Trek)in the future? Is the technology for this under scrutiny? |
Josh from Melbourne(Aust)
What changes (if any) have been made to Atlantis and the External Tank, since STS-121 to ensure the saftey of the crew onboard? |
Jonathon from Hobbs, NM
If Endeavour is the newest space shuttle, why didn't we use it for the test missions. It would make sense to use the shuttle with the newest hardware just to be safe wouldn't it? The last two launches were of Discovery, the next Atlantis and then Discovery again. Seems to me we're putting more miles on the older ships than we should. Second, why are we using Launch Pad 39B and not 39A? |
Dario from Milan (Italy)
When in space, physiological functions in both men and women (such as blood pressure, respiration rates, oxygen saturation, female cycles, etc etc) are affected by the absence of gravity? In this environment does the male or the female body respond better? Thanks.
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Jennifer from Green Bay, WI
Is there a payload going up and what is its purpose? |
Jennifer from Green Bay, WI
How much does the payload weigh? What will be the combined weight of the payload and the orbiter? |
Jennifer from Green Bay, WI
How long has the crew been training for this mission?? |
Jennifer from Green Bay, WI
What kind of power will the new truss give to the station and what kind of power capabilities does the station have now compared to when the truss will be installed? Will the station be able to do more things that it never had before with the new truss? |
Jennifer from Green Bay, WI
What defaults from mission STS-121 and 114 missions are you improving for this mission and are there any other improvements that were made to Atlantis that have not been made to Discovery? |
Jennifer from Green Bay, WI
If a hurricane were to threaten to hit the Cape Canaveral area, what procedures would you go through to keep the shuttle safe from damage? Would it be brought back to the Vehicle Assembly Building or left at the pad? |
Jennifer from Green Bay, WI
The camara views of the shuttle going up on STS-121, were fantastic!! Will those same camaras be installed on the shuttle Atlantis to see whats going on during ascent? Will these installations be normal procedure for all future missions for safety reasons? |
julian from lee's summi
Where will Space Shuttle Atlantis land if there is bad weather at Kennedy? |
Juan Hernandez from Houston, Texas
What happens if the space shuttle lost a tire when its ready to landing? Does the space shuttle have sensors to detect that problem? Thanks for your wonderful time. |
Piet from Haelen, NL
Is it a concern that Tropical Storm Chris is on a course to Florida with a expected arrival on the 7 or 8 of August. Could it could mean a probable return of the space shuttle to the VAB? |
WILLIAM from ANDOVER UK
When Discovery was approaching landing the cloud base seemed very low giving a small landing window, how is the final landing cloud base determined and what options are there available if the base descends very quickly on approach. Secondly, who makes the decisions, the weather experts, the flight director or the crew? |
Matthew from Big Lake
What materials are the gapfillers made out of, and how much do they cost to make? |
Matthew from Big Lake
How will the P3/P4 truss connect to P1? |
Matthew from Big Lake
What happens if a crewmember gets sick while on station? |
dave from charlotte
Do the Sun's solar flares cause any irregularities or abnormalities to the ISS, shuttle, or the PV Solar system onboard ISS? Thank you and have a fantastic flight, many fabulous sunrises and sunsets, enjoy the walks, and have a safe rentry and landing.
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revathi rama s from chennai
How can the spacecraft act like an airplane? When the shuttle reenters Earth's atmosphere, how it is tackling the effect of gravity? When in space if any huge solid particles hit the shuttle how does it withstand the effect? At what speed does the shuttle enter into Earth's atmosphere and during landing? |
Patrick from Westerville, OH
Why is the number for this flight less than the last; Discovery STS-121, and this one is STS-115? |
Mark from Columbia
Is there an airbase in North, SC used as an
emergency landing site for the shuttle? |
Daryl from Jal
Noticing that weather caused a delay in getting the shuttle stack to the launch pad, how can bad weather affect the shuttle at the pad, and when would you have to consider bringing the stack back to the VAB due to weather? |
Pawan from Sharjah
How important will the role of the robotic arm be during the construction? What will the astronaut's roles be and how many spacewalk hours will it take for the construction? |
Pawan from Sharjah
Can we test the new technologies which are to be installed in ARES I and ARES V during the space shuttle missions? |
Ryan from Houston
I noticed during the launch of Discovery that weather gave concerns on the first and second attempts. What happens if the launch was in the final seconds and weather went from green to red? |
Pete from Fleetwood UK
Will there be a Flight Readiness Test Firing of Atlantis's Main Engines before Launch? |
Mario from Brampton,Ontari
Has any shuttle mission taken off by mission control rather than the computers, or is it possible to do so? |
Arun from Cupertino
Would you guys have to put more fuel into the space shuttle since it's carrying the 35,000lb P3/P4 segment? |
Gavin from Ireland
As I watch Atlantis arriving at launch pad 39B, how does the mobile launch platform stay in place after the crawler leaves the site? Is the platform simply lifted up, the crawler removed and the the platform secured with some sort of mechanical jack? Thanks |
Walter from Stuart
When will NASA envoke artificial gravity onboard the space station?
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Randal from Nashville
When the shuttle lifts off it rotates. What is the purpose of this rotation and how is it achieved? |
Chris from Los Angeles
Close-out crews retreat to the fallback area. Where exactly is the fallback area? Is it near the launch pad? |
Bryan from Cork Ireland
How does the shuttle communicate with mission control during launch, mission and landing. |
François from Namur (Belgium)
Why is the external tank emptied after a launch delay. Can't the fuel be used for a new launch attempt? |
Leon from Bordentown
What voltage are the new solar panels that are going to be installed on the I.S.S. and why do the Russians use a different voltage?
Thanx,Lee |
Mark from Phoenix
I read somewhere on the NASA website that the P3/P4 payload is one of the heaviest payloads ever at 35,000 pounds. What kind of adjustments have to be made to the external tank engines and the solid rocket boosters to get that increased mass into space? |
Robert from Terre Haute
With Atlantis at launch pad 39B, how does NASA plan to protect it from possible sever weather? (ie) Hurricanes. |
Jerry from England
The mobile platform which nests the shuttle to the launch pad is carried by the mobile crawler - what happens to the mobile crawler when the launch of the shuttle takes place? |
Jennifer from Green Bay, WI
If the shuttle was on track to land at Kennedy and the weather turns bad, what procedures do you take so the crew and shuttle are safe for landing? |
Jennifer from Green Bay, WI
On the STS-121 mission, every time the astronauts woke up, there was music playing. I thought it was really neat! Will that happen with this mission too? |
Jennifer from Green Bay, WI
When the astronauts are sleeping in space, how do the keep strapped down to a bed so they don't float away from it? |
Jennifer from Green Bay, WI
In pictures from the STS-121 mission, I've seen water and coffee pouches. What are those pouches made of? How is the liquid put into them and how is the coffee prepared? Also, when they drink liquids, in what form does it come out of the pouch? |
Jennifer from Green Bay, WI
I've watched on NASA TV the emergency training where the astronausts fall into water. What would happen during ascent or re-entry, that this training would be needed for? |
Jennifer from Green Bay, WI
Is it even possible to exit the orbiter during ascent or re-entry if there was an emergency? |
Jennifer from Green Bay, WI
Right before launch, there is some form of substance being let out under the main engines. What is it and why is this done? Is it a cooling system? |
Jennifer from Green Bay, WI
Can you tell me in an estimate of how big is the combined area of the living and working areas of Atlantis? |
Thomas from Poteau
Could a "safe shelter" for the crew be added for such a desperate time if they have a crumbling ship around them and need a "safe-room" or "escape-pod" type of shelter for the crew to escape the heat of re-entry? |
Tom from Avon
How is the load balanced for ascent (I would think the center of mass would be critical)?
How is the load balanced for landing (sounds like it is loaded up with everything - hard to know mass beforehand and how to distribute)? |
Juan Hernandez from Houston,Texas
I'd like to know what the astronauts see when the space shuttle makes contact with the atmosphere and they reach high velocity landing.
Thanks for your time. |
Hasmukh Patel from Hyderabad
Could you please explain the steps involved during reentry of the shuttle and how it safely maneuver for landing? |
Mark from Charleston, SC
When is the payload loaded onto the shuttle? |
bala from covai
What is the difference between centrifugal force and gravity force of Earth? |
Alyssa from Gilbert
If something happened to the heat sheilds during the launch, and the crew had to stay at the ISS-- how soon can NASA get a recovery ship to rescue them? |
François from Namur (Belgium)
How would the shuttle come back to Kennedy Space Center if there is an aborted landing at one of the transatlantic sites? Wouldn't the distance be too long for a ferry trip like between Edwards AF Base and KSC? |
Michael from Memphis TN
With the P6 truss (and first U.S. array) "temporarily" connected to the Z0 truss, once the P3/P4 truss is installed, followed later by the P5, my question is this: How does the P6 get moved from Z0 to the "final configuration?" Are the P6 arrays "collapsed" first ? |
Michael from Memphis TN
Will the new PV arrays (installing with the P3/P4 trusses), overlap the existing P6 PV arrays, mounted "temporarily" on the Z0 truss? |
Stan from Cincinnati
I have a question about the payload. The story line about Atlantis includes that the payload will be loaded at the launch pad. When I visited the Kennedy Space Center, I thought that I remember hearing that the payload was loaded in the Vehicle Assembly Building before moving to the launch pad. Can you clarify? |
Stan from Cincinnati
When I visited the Kennedy Space Center I understood that the external fuel tank was orange due to oxidation because the metal surface was not painted (in order to save weight). If the tank is covered with foam, and we are not looking at bare metal, then why is it orange? |
josh from jacksonville,fl
When will the ISS be finshed? |
josh from jacksonville,fl
What is CAPCOM? |
PAM from HICKORY HILLS
What, if anything could be improved upon concerning the day-to-day living functions (eating, sleeping, etc.) on the oriber while in space? |
MARK MCKENNA from HICKORY HILLS
Awesome launch of Discovery guys! Picture-perfect landing also. Are there more landing sites besides Kennedy or Edwards if the orbiter requires it at any point? |
Steve from Lymington (UK)
During launch is any heat damage caused to the pad (RSS, Payload change-out room, and particularly the White room, which is very close by) due to the brief, but terrifically hot, contact with the thrust from three main engines and two SRBs?
Many thanks and best wishes for STS-115 and beyond. |
Brandon from Orlando
How many pounds is the STS-115 shuttle carrying to the International Space Station? |
Tony from Davison
Why do the launch sites seem to be in proximity to the equator? |
Tony from Davison
This question is more related to the actual creation of the project plan used for the shuttle mission. How many pages, tasks, etc make up the plan? How long does it take to even come up with the task plan, including the work break down structure, etc.? Your teams are brilliant. |
Jonas from Oxelösund
If external tank insulation foam breaking loose during take-off is such a big problem, why isn't the insulation foam placed on the inside of the tank instead? |
Mike from Hopkinton MA
Why doesn't NASA include some of the new nanotubules into the orbiter external fuel tank foam to strengthen the mix? Also why haven't they investigated the technology used in the Raytheon Beech Aircraft company "Starship" aircraft, to wrap a carbon fiber filliment around the finished cast foam to shape and strengthen it? Don't you guys keep up with technology? |
Nik from urbana, IL
Just before ignition there seems to be sparks flying at the perimeter of the nozzles. What are those? Thanks. |
Daryl from Jal, NM
With the construction process ready to continue with STS-115, what structural pieces of the station (U.S, Russian or any other nation) have been ommitted from the overall completed design that would have been installed prior to the Columbia accident? Also what pieces have been added? |
Don from Youngstown, OH
A Foxnews.com article on the STS-121 landing stated that NASA alerted the MCAS Cherry Point base in NC to stand by for possible emergency landing ops when the weather at KSC began to deteriorate during reentry; how long before landing would a decision to divert to MCAS Cherry Point need to be made in order to have a safe landing there rather than at KSC? |
JOHNNY(9 TODAY) from BEACHER
Do you get nervous when you launch? |
Harry from Doha, Qatar
Why does the space shuttle always appear to be flying upside down when in orbit? |
Dave from Sugarloaf, PA
When the P4/P5 truss is added to the ISS, does the asymmetric configuration of the station cause any problems for the CMG system? |
Pawan from Sharjah
After the instalation of the new part of ISS, how much is still left to be installed? Are the missions going according to plan so that the construction is over by 2010 ? Can ARES V play any role in such missions in the future? |
Nick from Overland Park
If the STS-115 mission goes as planned, what do you think that NASA will do in the future? |
Trevor from Montclair, CA
Besides a failure of a main engine just after launch, what circumstances would require an RTLS abort? Also, how much repair/refurbishment is required to the mobile launch platform after a launch? I'm assuming there is some level of flame/blast damage to the pad after a launch. Thank you for your time, and giving us something to be proud of. |
brian from peoria
What is the rate of fuel consumption of the shuttle at takeoff? |
shikha khinchee from alaska
NASA has announced that they will stop using shuttles for their missions. What other alternatives are there to put our astronauts in space? Also, how safe are these other vehicles and why do we need to replace our space shuttles which have been so dependable? |
Daryl from Jal,NM
There are three EVA's scheduled for this flight. What is the main task to be performed on each one? |
Naomi from Springfield
Please describe the "flight window" and the variables that affect a possible change in launch time. At what point is a delay decided upon? |
Luke from Port Macquarie
Chris Ferguson, I am one of your Australian cousins. Are you scared about going into space? Good luck to you and your crew mates -- Luke Murphy |
peter from banglore
What sort of preparation do the astronauts undergo before they are selected to travel to the space station? What is the path that a person has to follow in order to be selected as an astronaut for a NASA mission? |
Peter from Melbourne
What makes the shuttle turn around after launch? |
Naomi from Rochester, NH
How long does it take to get into space? How long to get to the Moon? Does it take the same amount of time to get back to Earth as it is to leave? |
Bryan from Cork Ireland
How many mcc's are there for the ISS and how is schedule rotated? |
Mark from Phoenix
Why is the P3/P4 truss being installed before the S3/S4 truss segment? Since the S1 starboard truss segment was installed well before the P1 segment was, it seems that the S3/S4 would come next. |
Dave from Pennsylvania
From the illustrations of the installed new solar array and P3/P4 truss structure, it looks like the current P6 Truss and Solar array will remain in its current place. When will it be moved to the opposite end of the truss structure? |
Steve from Lymington (UK)
Does the crew seated on the mid-deck see anything of the launch or landing other than the bulkhead ahead of them? They don't have a window, but can they see a monitor at all? |
Robert from Flowery Branch
During reentry through Earth's atmosphere, do astronauts have to fly the spacecraft at a certain degree with the nose of the craft and why? |
simran from kuala lumpur
As the space shuttle reenters into Earth's atmosphere, how does it tackle the effect of atmosphere? While in space if any debris hits the shuttle, how does it withstand the impact of it? How much damage will be caused to the shuttle? Can the shuttle be disengaged? What is the speed of the shuttle as it prepares to pass through the protective layer of Earth's atmosphere while preparing to land? |
Branden from Iraq
I am a U.S. contractor in Iraq, me and a co-worker have a bet. What we would like to know is, how are the 3 main engines on the shuttle used during launch? Thank you. |
karina from Sydney
My 6 and half year old duaghter loves the space shuttle and so was picked to prepare a 3 minute talk whereby she is to address particular points such as; how does this form of transport affect the environment and what are a couple of ways the impact on the environment could be reduced? Thanks. |
François from Namur (Belgium)
After how many missions can a pilot become commander of a space shuttle mission ? |
Ron from Bonaire
I have a friend residing in Warner Robins, GA. 31088, who claims he saw the July 4th shuttle launch from his back yard. He said the shuttle was visible with the naked eye. Is this possible? If so what is the nearest distance from his location to the space shuttles flight path? |
François from Namur (Belgium)
How long does it take to prepare the orbiter for a new launch after the completion of its mission. What are the major tasks which need to be done ? |
Matthew from Santa Cruz, CA.
What food will the STS-115 crew be eating up there and how much per each crew member...also how much water do they have to consume whilst on mission...
Cheers...matty.k.w. |
Elizabeth from Spring, TX
How does the shuttle go from horizontal to vertical? |
Ed from Lebanon, IN
What kind of shock absorbers or other devices do both the Orbiter Arm and the Station Arm have to dampen oscillations caused by the movement of extremely large masses in the 0g environment during station assembly? |
Nicole from Victoria
I understand that the astronauts go through intense training to ensure that when they do reach space the experience is as close as you can get it to be. But when they start to install the Solar Arrays over a span of 3 spacewalks, how close really is the experience under water to weightlessness? |
Nicole from Victoria
If connection between the crew and ground control is lost, is there a back up to ensure connection between the two is somehow maintained or fixed? |
Nitin from Hyderabad
How are the P3/P4 truss segments joined to the P1 truss? What is fixed at the end of P1 now? Will there be way to move from the P1 truss to P3/P4? How is the joint made leak proof? |
Henrik from Copenhagen (DK)
After watching the video from the SRB camera, I noticed this: After main engine ignition the shuttlecomplex seems to sway a little, it looks like the whole thing is tilting a little in the direction of the external tank, and then back. At the very moment when the shuttle is "back in position" the SRBs ignite, and liftoff occurs. How is the whole shuttlesystem attached to the platform? |
Nitin from India
How does the Shuttle stand alone just before lift off? How is it supported? How much wind can it withstand? Is just supported by Tail Service Masts? |
Nitin from India
Explain in detail the structure and function of the Tail Service Masts? What are Umbilical connections and how do they work? |
Nitin from Hyderabad
Why are the S2 and P2 trusses missing on the ISS? |
Le from Dongnai-Vietnam
I am a student. I think being an astronaut is so interesting but it's so dangerous, too, because there are a lot of dangers in space. So, I don't understand what the astronauts can do to forget being scared. Thank you very much and all my best wishes to you |
john from bloomfield, MI
How much of the shuttle's internal navigation is currently dependent on GPS technology? Does it fix its orbital position via GPS or its on board startracker? If GPS is in substantial use on the orbiter, how is it interfaced with the computers, etc? Does the orbiter have a display that it can call up its position like a GPS moving map display or Mission Control's master display? |
John from bloomfield, MI
With the new concerns about external tank foam cracking (I think I read in AW&ST that there were concerns about not conducting any extra ET tankings ex. not tanking to conduct a fuel sensor test before the last Discovery launch) due to the thermal effects on the foam of tanking and detanking... Forgetting the cost of orbiter propellants, has the mission team had to adjust up the acceptable probablity % that acceptable weather will be over the Kennedy Space Center or other mandatory launch commit criteria at launch will exist so as to avoid any tanking of the ET where an unacceptable probablity of launch exists? For example under the old mission rules, say, a 58% chance of acceptable launch conditions was acceptable to commit to a launch and thus tanking. Now with the foam issues does that launch commit probablity have to be around 80% so as to avoid any unnecessary tanking? Is there any theoretical limit on the number of tankings an ET can undergo before more detailed inspections than those than can be done visually at the pad have to occur? |
Michael from Salt Lake City
I have watched in person and via NASA TV many Shuttle lauches, in looking at pictures on the NASA site, it looks like the crawler transporter is not below the shuttle at launch time. Is that right? If so, my question is were does it park after it drops the MLP off at either pad 39A or B? Does it return to the VAB or park near the pad so it is closer when it needs to returns the LMP to the VAB post launch? |
MARK MCKENNA from HICKORY HILLS
When the orbiter arrives at the International Space Station and does that awesome flip move to inspect the vehicle, is it the pilot and commander in control, or is it computer driven? |
MEGAN MCKENNA from BEECHER,IL
After the shuttle launches, how fast is the vehicle going when the command is given to "throttle up," and how long (in seconds) does it take to reach 17,000 mph? |
MARK MCKENNA from HICKORY HILLS
Launch Pads 39A and 39B are historic places in NASA history. Great space adventures and missions have begun at both these sites. Is there any NASA plan for a new launch site? |
john from bloomfield, MI
Will Atlantis be performing a boost of the station's altitude on it's current flight? Does boosting the station create torque on the attachment points of the station segments in orbit? If so what is the max velocity fps that the station can endure in a boost? Does the station remain in one attitude during a shuttle visit? |
François from Namur (Belgium)
When the astronauts get suited with their launch and entry suit, there are several cables attached to this suit. What are the functions of all these cables ? |
Jennifer from Green Bay, WI
I heard that there will be a meteor shower soon!! Will that affect the launch of the shuttle or any activites planned in space? |
Jennifer from Green Bay, WI
What are the temperatures like inside the shuttle and the space station? Do they change when the shuttle gets closer to the sun and away from it since the shuttle orbits the earth? |
Jennifer from Green Bay, WI
With the simulated countdown, is that also NASA's way to test the main engines of the shuttle? |
Aaron from Auckland
Considering the proximity of the STS 115 (Aug 27 - Sep 13), STEREO (Aug 31) and Expedition 14 (Sep 14) launch windows, how difficult has it been to set up launch times for each mission? What contingency actions could be taken to avoid conflict if there are delays due to poor weather/other issues? Is there a minimum time that has to elapse between individual launches from Florida (i.e., could there be a need to delay STS-115 for STEREO to launch, or vice versa)? |
Aaron from Auckland, NZ
What research has been conducted into the process of "burning up" when unwanted equipment is returned to the Earth's atmosphere (for example, the external tank and Progress cargocraft). When watching coverage of Discovery's launch on STS-121, the camera mounted on the external tank was still functioning shortly after Discovery jettisoned it. Do you think the camera could return any additional data from the ET in the early stages of burn up that could help understand the Earth's process of dealing with foreign bodies? Likewise, is there any position inside the orbiter that a camera may be mounted to view the leading wing egdes during re-entry (more particularly with heat tracking imagery)? |
Aaron from Auckland, NZ
When a space shuttle is docked to the ISS, what type of etiquette exists between the two individual crews? Is the shuttle considered an extension to the station that anyone may access, are all areas of the station accessible to the shuttle crew? More importantly, when STS-115 arrives will Mr. Williams be afforded the pure sentimental bliss of re-visiting his former flight vehicle from May 2000? :o) |
