STS-103 Rollover to VAB From OPF#1: Discovery Hubble Mission
Live footage of the Discovery Orbiter transported from the OPF (Orbiter Processing Facility) to the VAB (Vehicle Assembly Building) is shown.
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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.
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STS-95 CEIT in the OPF-2 and the MPPF
Live footage shows the crewmembers of STS-95, Commander Curtis L. Brown, Pilot Steven W. Lindsey, Mission Specialists Scott E. Parazynski, Stephen K. Robinson, Pedro Duque, Payload Specialists Chiaki Mukai and John H. Glenn in a training room talking. Scenes also show the crew in the simulation spacecraft. Crewmembers are seen in the Orbiter Processing Facility Bay 2 ((OPF-2) and the Multi-Payload Processing Facility (MPPF) looking over equipment during the Crew Equipment Interface Test (CEIT) for their mission. The CEIT gives astronauts an opportunity for a hands-on look at the payloads and equipment with which they will be working on orbit.
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STS-99 SRTM Moved from the SSPF to the OPF #2
Live footage shows the move of the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) system from the Space Station Processing Facility (SSPF) to the Orbiter Processing Facility (OPF).
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STS-99 CEIT at the OPF High Bay-2, Endeavour, SRTM Mission
Live footage shows the crewmembers of STS-99, Commander Kevin R. Kregel, Pilot Dominic L. Pudwill Gorie, Mission Specialists Janet L. Kavandi, Janice E. Voss, Mamoru Mohri, and Gerhard P.J. Thiele, participating in Crew Equipment Interface Test (CEIT) activities at the Orbiter Processing Facility (OPF). The crew is shown checking out and learning about the equipment.
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STS-39 Discovery Rollback to the OPF High Bay #2 (Shots of Doors)
Shown is Discovery rolling back to the Orbiter Processing Facility (OPF) High Bay 2 for repair. High Bay 2, located west of the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB), is used for external tank (ET) checkout and storage and as a contingency storage area for orbiters.
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STS-55 Columbia Rollover from OPF to VAB
The Columbia Orbiter is seen during the rollover from the Orbiter Processing Facility (OPF) to the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB).
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STS-55 D-2 Spacelab in Cargo Bay of Columbia in OPF Highbay 2
Footage shows the D-2 Spacelab in the cargo bay of the Columbia Orbiter in the Orbiter Processing Facility (OPF).
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Lithification opf gas-rich chondrite regolith breccias by grain boundary and localized shock melting
The fine-grained matrices (less than 150 microns) of 14 gas-rich ordinary chondrile regolith breccias were studied in an attempt to decipher the nature of the lithification process that converted loose regolith material into consolidated breccias. It is found that there is a continuouos gradation in matrix textures from nearly completely clastic (class A) to highly cemented (class C) breccias in which the remining clasts are completely surrounded by interstitial, shock-melted material. It is concluded that this interstitial material is formed by shock melting in the porous regolith. In general, the abundances of solar-wind-implanted He-4 and Ne-20 are inversely correlated with the abundance of intenstitial, shock-melted, feldspathic material. Chondrites with the highest abundance of interstitial, melted material (class C) experienced the highest shock pressures and temperatures and suffered the most extensive degassing. It is this interstitial, feldspathic melt that lithifies and cements the breccias together; those breccias with very little interstitial melt (class A) are the most porous and least consolidated.
Bischoff, A.↗
STS-93 CEIT with crew in the OPF-3
The primary objective of the STS-93 mission was to deploy the Advanced X-ray Astrophysical Facility, which had been renamed the Chandra X-ray Observatory in honor of the late Indian-American Nobel Laureate Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar. The mission was launched at 12:31 on July 23, 1999 onboard the space shuttle Columbia. The mission was led by Commander Eileen Collins. The crew was Pilot Jeff Ashby and Mission Specialists Cady Coleman, Steve Hawley and Michel Tognini from the Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (CNES). This videotape shows parts of a crew briefing and an inspection tour of the clean room. The astronauts are shown examining some of the equipment and tools that they will use during the mission.
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STS-93: CEIT with Crew in the OPF-3
The primary objective of the STS-93 mission was to deploy the Advanced X-ray Astrophysical Facility, which had been renamed the Chandra X-ray Observatory in honor of the late Indian-American Nobel Laureate Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar. The mission was launched at 12:31 on July 23, 1999 onboard the space shuttle Columbia. The mission was led by Commander Eileen Collins. The crew was Pilot Jeff Ashby and Mission Specialists Cady Coleman, Steve Hawley and Michel Tognini from the Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (CNES). This videotape shows parts of a crew briefing and an inspection tour of the clean room. The astronauts are shown examining some of the equipment and tools that they will use during the mission. Views of the empty payload shuttle bay are presented.
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STS-99 Rollover from OPF-2 to VAB
The primary objective of the STS-99 mission was to complete high resolution mapping of large sections of the Earth's surface using the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM), a specially modified radar system. This radar system produced unrivaled 3-D images of the Earth's Surface. The mission was launched at 12:31 on February 11, 2000 onboard the space shuttle Endeavour. and led by Commander Kevin Kregel. The crew was Pilot Dominic L. Pudwill Gorie and Mission Specialists Janet L. Kavandi, Janice E. Voss, Mamoru Mohri from the National Space Development Agency (Japanese Space Agency), and Gerhard P. J. Thiele from DARA (German Space Agency). This tape shows the Endeavour Space Shuttle being rolled over from the Orbiter Processing Facility to the Vertical Assembly building.
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STS-47/Spacelab-J Installation into Payload Bay of Endeavour OPF HB-3
Footage shows the lowering of Spacelab-J into the payload of Endeavour in a clean room.
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FTIR instrumentation to monitor vapors from Shuttle tile waterproofing materials
The Space Shuttle Thermal Protection System (TPS) tiles and blankets are waterproofed using DimethylEthoxySilane (DMEX) in the Orbiter Processing Facilities (OPF). DMES has a Threshold Limit Value (TLV) for exposure of personnel to vapor concentration in air of 0.5 ppm. The OPF high bay cannot be opened for normal work after a waterproofing operation until the DMES concentration is verified by measurement to be below the TLV. On several occasions the high bay has been kept closed for up to 8 hours following waterproofing operations due to high DMES measurements. In addition, the Miran 203 and Miran 1 BX infrared analyzers calibrated at different wavelengths gave different readings under the same conditions. There was reason to believe that some of the high DMES concentration readings were caused by interference form water and ethanol vapors. The Toxic Vapor Detection Laboratory (TVDL) was asked to test the existing DMES instruments and identify the best qualified instrument. In addition the TVDL was requested to develop instrumentation to ensure the OPF high bay could be opened safely as soon as possible after a waterproofing operation. A Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectrophotometer instrument developed for an earlier project was reprogrammed to measure DMES vapor along with ethanol, water, and several common solvent vapors. The FTIR was then used to perform a series of laboratory and field tests to evaluate the performance of the single wavelength IR instruments in use. The results demonstrated that the single wavelength IR instruments did respond to ethanol and water vapors, more or less depending on the analytical IR wavelength selected. The FTIR was able to separate the responses to DMES, water and ethanol, and give consistent readings for the DMES vapor concentration. The FTIR was then deployed to the OPF to monitor real waterproofing operations. The FTIR was also used to measure the time for DMES to evaporate from TPS tile under a range of humidity conditions in controlled laboratory tests. The combination of laboratory and field tests with the FTIR instrument demonstrated superior sensitivity, ability to reject interference from water and ethanol vapors, ruggedness to be transported from the lab to the OPF and set up without special procedures or degradation of performance. The multiple component vapor analysis algorithm was developed at KSC and incorporates automatic baseline correction and shape fitting of the spectra. The analysis for DMES, TetraMethylDiSiloxane (TMDS), ethanol, methanol, isopropanol, and baseline parameters uses 161 points per sample at 4 cm(exp -1) resolution, and processes an eight scan sample every ten seconds. The standard deviation of the measurements is 0.013 ppm and the upper linear limit is 125 ppm DMES. Based on successful demonstration of capabilities we produced three mobile instrument carts to be used in each OPF to support future waterproofing operations. The design and building of the 'DMES Carts' were accomplished in Fiscal year 1995.
Mattson, C. B.↗
Environmental monitoring of the orbiter payload bay and Orbiter Processing Facilities
Contamination control in the Orbiter Processing Facility (OPF) is studied. The clean level required in the OPF is generally clean, which means no residue, dirt, debris, or other extraneous contamination; various methods of maintaining this level of cleanliness are described. The monitoring and controlling of the temperature, relative humidity, and air quality in the OPF are examined. Additional modifications to the OPF to improve contamination control are discussed. The methods used to maintain the payload changeout room at a level of visually clean, no particulates are to be detected by the unaided eye, are described. The payload bay (PLB) must sustain the cleanliness level required for the specific Orbiter's mission; the three levels of clean are defined as: (1) standard, (2) sensitive, and (3) high sensitive. The cleaning and inspection verification required to achieve the desired cleanliness level on a variety of PLB surface types are examined.
Bartelson, D. W.↗
Orbiter processing facility service platform failure and redesign
In a high bay of the Orbiter Processing Facility (OPF) at the Kennedy Space Center, technicians were preparing the space shuttle orbiter Discovery for rollout to the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB). A service platform, commonly referred to as an OPF Bucket, was being retracted when it suddenly fell, striking a technician and impacting Discovery's payload bay door. A critical component in the OPF Bucket hoist system had failed, allowing the platform to fall. The incident was thoroughly investigated by both NASA and Lockheed, revealing many design deficiencies within the system. The deficiencies and the design changes made to correct them are reviewed.
Harris, Jesse L.↗
STS-121: Discovery L-2 Countdown Status Briefing
Bruce Buckingham from NASA Public Affairs introduces Pete Nicolenko, NASA Test Director, and Kathy Winters, Shuttle Weather Officer. During this STS-121 two days before launch countdown briefing, Pete Nicolenko says that there are no issues of concern and that they are on schedule for launch. He then presents and discusses an Orbiter Processing Facility (OPF) video. The OPF topics of discussion include: 1) Wheel and tire installation; 2) Gap filler installation; 3) Booster build-up; 4) Transport of External Tank (ET) 119; 5) ET to Shuttle Rocket Booster (SRB) Mate operation; 6) Roll-over of Discovery out of OPF to the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB); and 7) Roll-out to the pad. Kathy Winters gives her weather forecast for the STS-121 launch. The video ends with a question and answer period from the media.
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Well Abandonment at Various Sites, John F. Kennedy Space Center, Florida
Between January 29 and March 9, 2016, a total of 23 monitoring wells were properly abandoned-in-place at five KSC sites (OPF-1&2, OPF-3, RDG, SRB, and HSB). The total abandonment encompassed 489.06 linear feet. The wells abandoned were constructed of PVC with diameters ranging from 1-inch to 2-inches. The shallowest well abandoned was measured to be 11.6 ft bls (OPF) and the deepest well abandoned was documented to be 51.45 feet bls (HSB). All aboveground completions were removed and each area was re-graded and/or grouted to surface to match existing surroundings. All materials (concrete pads, well casings, etc.) were disposed of accordingly.
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Moonport to Spaceport - The changing face at KSC
The facilities and planned operations of the Orbiter Processing Facility (OPF) at Kennedy Space Center are described, noting an eventual goal of five to six weeks turnaround for the vehicle. The dual-bay OPF is being developed to handle processing of two Orbiters in parallel. Once in the facility, all fuels are drained, parts and systems needing maintenance are removed for shipping and refurbishing or repair in-place, hazardous cargo is secured, and a thorough visual inspection is made of all accessible areas. Mobile launch platforms previously used as transports in the Apollo program have been upgraded and modernized and serve for the Shuttle launch preparations. Details of launch procedures are outlined, and the reduction of launch personnel to 45 persons is mentioned. Finally, details of payload insertion and mating with the Spacelab modules are described, along with the progress on the test flights.
Boggs, W. H.↗