Before NASA would consider allowing an astronaut to land an actual orbiter, that astronaut had to demonstrate landing proficiency in an STA. Landing proficiency by NASA standards equated to at least 1,000 landings in one of these vehicles. One hundred hours in the STA was equal to 600 simulated orbiter landings. Dana Avery would be well-qualified to fly Atlantis.
Chapter 42
The New York Times
Monday, Jan. 27, 2003
NASA One Step Closer To Rescue Readiness
by John Stangley
Cape Canaveral, Florida
THOUSANDS OF PRIDE-FRENZIED AMERICANS, along with media representatives from over 100 countries, joined NASA officials yesterday in passing the rescue-mission baton from the exhausted ground crews of Kennedy Space Center’s Orbiter Processing Facility (OPF) to the eager workers of the adjacent Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB), who today began guiding Atlantis through the next phase in preparation for launch.
Accompanied by guards armed with machine guns, Atlantis crept out tail-first from High Bay 2 of the OPF shortly after 9:30 A.M. on Sunday. Atlantis rode atop the highly specialized, seventy-six-wheel Orbiter Transfer Platform.
Atlantis’s three main engine bells were shrouded in bright-red protective coverings emblazoned with the message “Go For Stacking,” which alludes to what’s next for Atlantis. Once in the VAB, Atlantis will be hoisted into a vertical position by powerful cranes and carefully mated, or “stacked,” with the External Fuel Tank and twin Solid Rocket Boosters, which have already been moved into launch position atop the Mobile Launch Platform in the VAB.
Atlantis brings with her an overall seven-hour setback in the processing flow, the result of an accident three days ago in which a worker accidentally dropped a bucket onto one of Atlantis’s payload bay doors. The accident caused additional tightening of an already severely abbreviated preparation schedule and further threatened NASA’s rescue attempt.
“The fact that we are only seven hours behind schedule is a testament to the dedication and effort our ground crews have put forth,” NASA spokesman Gerald Conner, said yesterday during a press briefing. In the three days since the accident, ground crews have managed to erase three hours of the delay it caused. “We’re confident that we can be back on schedule in two to three days with further efforts by the VAB crew,” Conner added. The shuttle stack, which includes Atlantis, the External Fuel Tank and the two Solid Rocket Boosters, is scheduled to roll out from the VAB and begin the approximately six-mile journey to the launch pad on Thursday.
Chapter 43
Kennedy Space Center, Florida
Outside Vehicle Assembly Building
Jan. 28, 2003 (Challenger Accident Anniversary)
THE SHOT OPENED with John Stangley facing backwards in the copilot’s seat of a Bell JetRanger helicopter. Although he appeared somewhat out of sorts as he fiddled with the pale-green David Clark-brand headset, and displayed a certain nervous preoccupation with where he was, ultimately Stangley would come across as authentic—exactly the way his producer hoped when she proposed the idea of shooting the Vehicle Assembly Building from a helicopter. The film crew had wanted to use the camera that was mounted to the helicopter’s landing skid—the camera used for coverage of car chases—because that camera could provide an unobstructed view and was equipped with image stabilizers to optimize video quality. But the producer wanted a different look and feel. Instead, she had insisted that the camera’s point of view be from inside the helicopter, shooting through the windshield and side windows. She felt this technique was more consistent with Stangley’s off-the-cuff style and would make the footage seem spontaneous. It also would allow the viewers to feel like they were on the helicopter, since Stangley would occasionally turn around in his chair to address the camera while emphasizing a point he was making.
Stangley wore his usual tan slacks and polo shirt. He spoke loudly so he could be heard over the chopper’s engine and rotor noise.
“Good evening and thanks for joining me for part two of our special series entitled ‘NASA’s Jewels.’ If you joined us last night, then you were with us when we toured NASA’s Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory in Houston, the world’s largest indoor pool. It’s a fantastic place for sure, but if you missed it, check your local listings because these tours of NASA’s special facilities, NASA’s Jewels as I like to call them, will be aired again this week.
“Tonight, we air our second segment of NASA’s Jewels from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Now, as you know, I’ve been hanging around NASA for many years, a little over two decades actually, so I’ve had the privilege of going behind the scenes to places the public usually doesn’t get to see. My favorite spot at NASA continues to be the Vehicle Assembly Building or VAB for short.
“Tonight, we’re going to take you inside the VAB, where, as you probably know, Atlantis is currently being readied for her trip out to the launch pad. But before we go inside, I thought it would be interesting to show you the exterior of the VAB from our helicopter to help give you a sense of the building’s massive size. So sit back and relax and in a moment we’ll begin our tour.”
After a commercial break, Stangley continued.
“Okay, welcome back to NASA’s Jewels,” he said as the rotors sped up and the helicopter lifted from the tarmac. “Tonight’s topic is NASA’s Vehicle Assembly Building.
“Now, the first thing I want to point out as we round the northern aspect of the building is the doors where orbiters enter the VAB. It’s through those doors that Atlantis entered a few days ago. As you can see, there is a slit in the doorway that allows the orbiter’s vertical stabilizer to pass through.
“As our pilot pulls up to the top of the VAB, you begin to get a sense of how tall the building is. But without similar-sized buildings around the VAB, and the Atlantic coastline about a mile or so away, it’s difficult to appreciate the building’s true size. The VAB is five-hundred-and-twenty-five feet tall. That’s nearly two-hundred-and-twenty feet taller than the Statue of Liberty. It was originally designed and built for the huge Saturn-Five rockets of the Apollo program—the rockets astronauts rode to the moon. Before the first shuttle launch in 1981, the VAB was modified to accommodate the shuttle’s unique size and shape.”
The pilot pulled back on his stick, allowing the cameraman to get a wider shot, then pushed forward to the west side of the building.
“The flag you see painted here on the west wall of the building,” Stangley said, pointing with his left hand, “is likely the largest American flag you’ve ever seen, at one-hundred-and-ten feet wide by over two-hundred-feet long.” The pilot flew so that the entire flag could be seen through the windshield. The camera shot included Stangley’s left shoulder and arm as he pointed out the windshield at the flag. In the foreground the pilot could be seen making small adjustments to the stick as he hovered. The sun was low in the sky, and the helicopter’s shadow was cast against the pink hued exterior of the building.
“I’m told that it took six-thousand gallons of paint to create this image of the American flag, and that the stripes are as wide as a full-sized tour bus. The smaller buildings in the foreground are referred to as the low-bay area. Here on the west side of the VAB is where technicians perform maintenance and overhaul work on the space shuttle’s main engines.” The pilot descended and dipped forward slightly to allow the cameraman a better shot of the low-bay area.
Stangley looked into the camera. “Now before we look at the south aspect of the VAB, I want to show you something.” He briefly turned to the pilot and spoke inaudibly. Immediately, the pilot climbed to a thousand feet and then slowly headed out to the coast.
Stangley pointed toward the ground below and raised his voice so he could be heard clearly over the engine noise. “This road you see below is the road Atlantis will take to get out to the launch pad. The road extends from the south side of the VAB all the way out to the launch pad.” The pilot flew out just over the breaking surf, circled around the launch pad and then h
eaded back to the VAB, following the crawler-transporter roadway.
“As we return to the VAB, you can see the brown doors similar to those on the north side of the building. Atlantis entered the building from the north, but will exit from the south side. Once Atlantis is ready—that is, after she’s been mated to the External Tank and the Solid Rocket Boosters—the crawler-transporter will enter the VAB, pick up the Mobile Launch Platform, and slowly roll the shuttle out to the launch pad.
“NASA officials say that if all goes well, the shuttle will roll out to the launch pad on Thursday of this week, just two days from now.”
The helicopter pilot veered off to the landing pad while Stangley explained what was coming next. “Now that we’ve seen the VAB from the outside, it’s time to head inside to see the workers who are preparing Atlantis for the rescue. We’ll get a chance to see Atlantis up close, see the Mobile Launch Platform, and the huge cranes that make the mating process possible—all that,” Stangley said, opening the door of the helicopter and stepping out onto the tarmac, “when we return.”
After a second commercial break, Stangley continued.
“Welcome back,” Stangley said while holding a microphone and turning to face the camera that was following him. “As I’ve said before, this building is really huge.” Stangley stopped walking to allow the cameraman to pan up towards the top of the VAB. “Even though I’ve been inside over a dozen times, each time I come here I’m amazed all over again. Today though, we’ll have a special view because we’ll get to see Atlantis as she’s being prepared for the rescue mission. Let’s go inside.”
Stangley and his small production crew entered the VAB and were immediately greeted by NASA staff and bright-yellow hard-hats.
“Now obviously the crews inside the VAB are extremely busy,” Stangley said. The reverence he felt was plainly evident in the way his voice changed upon entering the vast structure. “Let’s not forget that when Atlantis arrived from the Orbiter Processing Facility yesterday, she was seven hours behind schedule. So not only are the workers wrestling with an already rushed schedule dictated by the Columbia rescue parameters, they now have to shave an additional seven hours off the process.
“Right now, we’re standing in what NASA calls the VAB transfer aisle. Atlantis entered the VAB in a horizontal position, but as you can see, cranes have lifted Atlantis into a vertical position so she can be attached to the External Tank.” The cameraman focused in on the word “Atlantis” near the trailing edge of the orbiter’s right wing, then pulled back and up to show the cranes holding Atlantis in place.
“There are a total of seventy-one cranes in the VAB. Two of the cranes, called bridge cranes, are capable of lifting two-hundred-and-fifty tons. The various orbiter dry-weights differ, with Columbia being the heaviest; but figure an orbiter weighs between eighty-two and ninety tons empty. Obviously, the bridge cranes can easily lift an orbiter into place.
“Now, before Atlantis arrived, the orange External Fuel Tank, or ‘ET,’ and the two Solid Rocket Boosters you see behind me also were lifted into the vertical position and lowered onto the Mobile Launch Platform. That task had already been completed, even before we learned Columbia was in trouble, because workers at the VAB had been following a normal work-flow timeline for Atlantis’s scheduled March mission.
“It may be a little tough to see with the somewhat scattered lighting in here and because of the height, but I want to show you something else interesting. If you come this way,” Stangley paused and motioned to his cameraman as he walked to the side of Atlantis so he could see between the orbiter and the ET. “If you look up between the ET and the underside of the nose end of Atlantis, you’ll see a triangular-shaped piece of hardware called a bi-pod. Atlantis has not yet been mounted, but the bi-pod will serve as Atlantis’s forward attachment point to the External Tank at the time of launch.
“Can you zoom in on the bi-pod?” Stangley asked. The cameraman motioned to Stangley to look for himself at the camera-mounted monitor, and Stangley didn’t hesitate. “Yeah, that’s what I wanted you all to see,” Stangley said. The monitor showed a tight shot of the bi-pod. “Can you all see where the bi-pod hardware attaches to the External Tank? Now look just above that point and you will see a block with an incline profile—NASA calls this the bipod ramp foam. This is the same section of foam engineers think came loose during Columbia’s launch, and which struck Columbia’s left wing. Now, because of the time constraints of this rescue mission, engineers won’t be able to make any changes to the current design. Atlantis will launch with the same setup Columbia had.”
With the camera focused back on him, Stangley said, “The bipod ramp foam has been one of NASA engineers’ greatest concerns in launching Atlantis. They fear that what happened to Columbia might also happen to Atlantis. You can bet engineers will be watching this area closely when Atlantis launches.”
Stangley began his wrap-up. “Atlantis is expected to be in the VAB for five days to complete the mating process. When the shuttle stack is ready, the crawler transporter will enter the VAB and pick up the mobile launch platform and the shuttle stack. Then, if all goes well, on Thursday, January 30th, the shuttle stack will roll out of the VAB’s back doors atop the crawler transporter. We of course will show the details of the crawler transporter, and bring you Atlantis’ important trip down the crawler-way, in our final segment of ‘NASA’s Jewels,’ scheduled to air Thursday. And one last program note,” Stangley said as his expression grew solemn. “Stay tuned as we take a look back at the events surrounding the Challenger disaster and remember that terrible day. From the VAB at the Kennedy Space Center, I’m John Stangley.”
Chapter 44
Kennedy Space Center, Florida
Columbia Flight Day 15
Thursday, Jan. 30, 2003
ON THE SOUTH SIDE of the Vehicle Assembly Building, hundreds stood behind two cordoned-off semicircles that had been set up on each side of the space shuttle crawler-way. Atlantis was just minutes away from beginning her journey out to the launch pad.
“Can you believe this,” said Ken Brown, after feeling a tug on his jacket and turning to see that it was Stangley. “The guys at the PAO have surely lost their minds,” he exclaimed, referring to NASA’s public affairs office. “I’ve never seen anything like this—all these people crowding around the crawler-way.”
“And you never will again is my guess,” Stangley said. “You’ve got to admit, the PAO has hit a home run. They’ve managed to market this rescue mission in a way that has captivated America’s youth and adult populations alike.”
Brown looked at Stangley with a puzzled grin.
“The country is so hungry for this rescue,” Stangley continued, unable to control the rush he was feeling from the surrounding crowd. “Americans wanted to feel good again—to feel good about America—and NASA has given it to them, albeit in the form of a potential tragedy. But, hey, the hit movie was about Apollo 13, not Apollo 11.
“The public is still reeling from 9/11,” Stangley declared. “I think that if NASA pulls off this rescue, it’s going to have a big impact on this country—not to mention the elections, how soon or if we go to war with Iraq, and NASA’s future budget.”
Wondering whether Stangley’s ramblings were Vicodin-fortified, Brown asked, “Don’t you remember what I told you would happen?”
Stangley paused as he recalled their last conversation, and then smiled. “You were right, it’s been a circus in every way, although I still haven’t seen any elephants.”
Brown chuckled and looked out over the mass of onlookers. “What’s your guess at the percentage of people standing with us here today who know Atlantis’s first launch window is still ten days away?”
“I’d say it’s at least seventy-five percent,” Stangley answered.
“Well, you’re crazy if you think it’s that high. I don’t care how good our PAO people are.”
“You haven’t been watching any of the media coverage, have you?” Stangley as
ked.
“Let’s just say I don’t look to the media to find out what’s happening in the space program.”
“I’m telling you, America’s view of the space program is changing overnight—and this rescue mission is the reason.”
“I guess I just don’t see it,” Brown said, shaking his head. “Maybe I’m too close to it all, or maybe I just need to watch more TV,” he added with a teasing grin.
As much as Brown felt there was unending stupidity in most reporting, he really liked Stangley, and felt he represented hope for future coverage of space-related events. He had always been impressed by Stangley’s passion for the space program and thought he could have been a good addition to the NASA team.
Stangley started to respond to Brown’s comment about watching more television, but the NASA spokesman at the podium began his introduction to Atlantis’s rollout. Sitting in front of the crowd were Julie Pollard, Allan Warner and Reid Hamilton.
“I want to welcome you all to the historic rollout of Atlantis,” the speaker began. “We have clear weather and a clear purpose today, and that is to get Atlantis out to the pad for the final preparation of STS-300…”
Stangley leaned in toward Brown during a series of standard introductions from the podium and quietly said, “You know, this reminds me of ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.’ ”
“Of what?” Brown replied, loud enough to draw a few looks.
“ ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,’ ” Stangley tried again.
“I thought that’s what you said,” Brown replied, still at a loss.
“Look,” Stangley explained, “we’re all standing out here, attentive, waiting for the big moment. We’re ‘Golden Ticket’ holders, all of us. We’re waiting for the huge doors to go up so we can see Atlantis. Just like in the story, the families anxiously waited for Willie Wonka to come out through the door of his chocolate factory.”
Launch on Need Page 19