NASA STS-126 Execute Package FD 05
The MMT met today to review mission progress 1 and orbiter systems status. The mission is progressing quite well and Endeavour is performing well.
Orbiter Systems – Endeavour is performing well and there were no significant discussion about any of the system anomalies. The stuck ODS damper during docking was briefly discussed, but that is something that has occurred before and there is no concern with the ODS. The following new anomalies were briefly discussed and none of these pose any issue for the rest of the mission: GNC bypass of the Ku-band radar data, forward EVA winch handle is unstowed, and slight mid-deck speaker static. It was noted that the Ku-band antenna did perform nominally in radar mode.
Damage Assessment Team – Analysis of the ascent imagery, FD02 inspection data and the RPM photos is nearly complete. For the RCC, the team has cleared all of the Regions of Interest; therefore, the RCC is considered clear for entry. For the rest of the TPS, there are 13 Regions of Interest identified. 5 of these ROIs are damage to tile, but none of the observed damage is significant and all is within our experience base. The team is still performing their rigorous analysis of these areas and expects to be complete with the damaged tile assessments by tomorrow’s MMT. The other 8 ROIs are due to thermal barriers and gap fillers. 7 of these have already been cleared, but the 15″ gap filler protrusion on the ROMS pod requires additional work. The team is not concerned about this gap filler, but wants to fully assess this longer than previously observed OMS pod gap filler. Also, no Focused Inspection will be required for any of these ROIs.
