![]() The orbiter's tires are specially made and are slightly larger than the tires on a freight hauling truck. "The tires get rolled on the ground less than 10, and we replace them." "The orbiter sees an average of about 4½ million miles in each flight," according to White. There's no place to pull over up there," White said, a line he has surely used before.Īfter each flight, the orbiter's engines are removed and sent to another building to be refurbished, and the main tires are replaced. "You know, you get a short in your car, you can pull over to the side of the road. White explains that something as tiny as a washer could short out an electrical component in the shuttle. See what it takes to keep the shuttle fit to fly » Even the smallest item can become a problem in zero gravity. Anyone entering the building must also "tether," or tie eyeglasses on and tape watches to wrists to ensure that loose items are not dropped. Instead of a welcome mat, people entering the orbiter processing facility walk on a piece of sticky tape that picks up dirt and debris from the soles of their shoes. "The minute we go into zero gravity, the astronauts are now breathing it and eating it," said Terry White, a project lead for the United Space Alliance. There are workers who pass the day wiping down the steel structure with alcohol. The entry of dirt, dust and debris into the facility is a concern that goes by the acronym FOD, or foreign object debris. ![]() Watch a NASA astronaut talk about the upcoming launch » The vehicle is towed into the building, where it is surrounded by platforms that are several stories high, allowing access to all parts of the craft. This processing facility is a hangar where employees thoroughly inspect the orbiter. Atlantis' first launch was in 1985, and it has flown 29 times. In the orbiter processing facility, the team was readying the orbiter Atlantis, which is scheduled for flight after Discovery's mission to the international space station. CNN visited the facility recently to learn about shuttle maintenance and launch preparation. Wednesday, Kennedy Space Center employees have been busy keeping the shuttle fleet in tip-top condition. But on Friday, Cabana said Obama "promised his support and told us to look to a good future.The orbiter is maintained in the OPF (orbiter processing facility) before it goes to the VAB (vehicle assembly building), where the ET (external tank) and SRBs (solid rocket boosters) are attached to it.Īs NASA prepares for the scheduled launch of the space shuttle Discovery about 9 p.m. That led some to question the president's commitment to human spaceflight. "I just have to say pretty bluntly here, we've been there before," he said at the time. "It's a priority for us," Michelle Obama added.ĭuring a speech delivered at the space center a year ago, the president called for the cancellation of NASA's Constellation Program, which was aimed at sending humans back to the moon. "One more chance, we may be able to get down here," President Obama was heard saying during Friday's visit. SAUL LOEB / AFPĬabana said the Obamas couldn't make it back to the Cape for a Monday launch, but the president and his wife, Michelle, signaled that they haven't yet given up on seeing the shuttle take flight. Astronaut Janet Kavandi, director of Flight Crew Operations for Johnson Space Center, leads US President Barack Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama and daughters Sasha and Malia, as they view the front landing gear of Space Shuttle Atlantis as they take a tour of the NASA Orbiter Processing Facility where they are preparing Atlantis for the final mission, at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, April 29, 2011. It's not clear how long she will remain in Florida, considering that Endeavour's launch has been delayed until Monday at the earliest. ![]() Giffords' nurse and other staff members traveled with her to Florida, and she reportedly is continuing her rehabilitation routine during her travels. ![]()
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