Cold Soak Started at 7:50 PM

Thermal declared the start of Cold Soak at 7:50 PM. Cold Soak will complete at 11:50 PM and Cold Survival will start after the midnight shift handover. - Ron Z

TB-33: Now... its about 8 more hours.

Current prediction for the end of cold balance is around 10pm.

“Prediction is very difficult, especially if it's about the future.” Niels Bohr

TB-33: Another 8-12 hours....maybe.

LEND was powered on about 7:30am after being powered off to help it get cold. We are still waiting on LEND and the propulsion module (not their fault :) . Thermal says that we will know in 8 to 12 hours if we have to wait another 12 hours to achieve cold balance.

After that, we get ready for cold survival.

Are we there yet?

LEND-ing a hand to Cold Operational Thermal Balance

Due to its low power and (relatively) large mass, the LEND Instrument supplied by our Russian partners is the slowest-moving instrument during thermal transitions.  In order to speed up the orbiter's transition to the thermal balance point, at 1:00 AM this morning (Sat 11/1)  we powered off the LEND Instrument.  We will leave LEND powered off (controlling LEND temps via the spacecraft's FSW-controlled heaters) until the LEND team is on station Saturday AM, then we will power up LEND and say "доброе утро!"

TB-33 Cold Operational Balance

TB-33 (Cold Operational Balance)  archival some time between 12 and 36 hours.

Trick or Treat

Posted by Trick

LRO on Time's Best Inventions of 2008!!

LRO has made it to Time's Best Inventions of 2008 List!!!!! We are #3 out of 50!!!!! Check it out at: http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1852747_1854195_1854115,00.html

We totally ROCK!! Congratulations to all of you for making this happen!!

Your Biggest Fan,
Cathie

Samples of the LRO Team's true nature...

Star date 10/31/2008 @1600; The LRO thermal balance test has moved into the Cold Balance Test phase, TB#32. We are conifgured for thermal balance and are currently working our way to Cold Balance Case. We do not expect to reach cold balance before tomorrow morning at the earliest.

posted by rr

Costume Contest Voting has Begun

Aloha LRO Team – latest LRO Shift Poll indicates a close race between several costume entries….photos are displayed in 188’s conference room along with the prizes. A Ballot Box with official ballots, guaranteed to not have hanging chads, are located next to the Ballot Box in 188's conference room as well. Deadline for voting is midnite Nov 4^th. Honor system has been invoked, those violating said system will be tossed “upward” in the Inferno’s Vortex and deemed ineligible for future prizes.

Good Luck Entrants!!

Cathie

PS - I always suspected that I worked for a devil....now I know its true!!!

LRO Team Members Take Heed

Something to keep in mind as you watch your fellow LRO Team Members show up in their Halloween Costumes is that noted Inferno-ologists have theorized that this is their true identities...so take heed and take note. (Wow today has been a real eye opener for me!!) Contest is in full swing! Many, many good candidates for the prizes on display in 188. Good Luck everyone!

TB-32 completed

The TB-32 eclipse was completed around 6:30AM. Currently configuring for cold balance.

No quote this time, I'm too tired.

TB-31 in the long eclipse

Began TB-31 lunar eclipse simulation at 9:45PM. Entered 167 minute eclipse at 12:10AM.
Everything okay so far. Entire sequence predicted to be complete around 6AM, at which time we'll configure for cold balance.

We are here and it is now. Further than that all human knowledge is moonshine.
H. L. Mencken (1880 - 1956)

TB-29: Could be at Lunar Eclipse Configuration by 6pm.

The measures we have taken to make the propulsion module get colder, faster seemed to have helped. We could get to temperature by 6pm rather than 7pm.

Sometimes, you can move the mountain.

TB-29: About 5 More Hours Before Lunar Eclipse Sim.

The prop module (through no fault of their own) will take about 5 more hours before we reach the Lunar Eclipse condition. That will take us to about 7pm tonight. We have turned off a few things on the ITP, and set the wheels to zero to help get the prop module cold.

Again, we are not blaming prop. They can't help being a big huge mass. Just be thankful there's only gas inside.

TB-28: Configuration for Lunar Eclipse Pre-Heat Completed 12pm

TB-28, Configuration for Lunar Eclipse Pre-Heat Started at 10am and completed at 12pm. It will take about 2-4 hrs until thermal conditions for the Lunar Eclipse Simulation are met.

TB27: Propulsion Hot Firing Test Started around 8:30am

We started the Propulsion Hot Firing Test around 8:30am. Saw the ACS thrusters fire and one of the insertion thrusters fire. The insertion thruster caused the chamber pressure to go about 10^-5. No alarms went off though we were very close. This test should be done around 10:30am.

Finishing up TB-25

We expect to complete TB-25 around 7:30 this morning.

A revolution is not a dinner party, or writing an essay, or painting a picture, or doing embroidery. Mao Tse Tung

TB25: Hot Orbit Transient

Started TB-25 around midnight, as predicted.
First orbit started around 11:51P, completed around 1:44A
Second orbit started 1:44A, scheduled to complete 3:37A.

Should finish hot orbit transient around shift change over for Thursday 1st shift. Thursday 1st shift will configure for propulsion hot fire test (TB-26), which mostly involves charging the battery back up and turning off high-voltages. TB-27 propulsion hot fire will follow immediately afterward.

All times approximate, since my sleep-deprived brain is pretty much unable to reliably perform arithmetic.

T-Vac Status 10.29.2008 9:38pm

Currently we are in TB-24 Configuring for Hot Orbit Transient. The bottom of the shroud is flooded and the walls are being flooded at this time. The chamber should be ready at ~10:00 PM this evening to begin TB-25, the Hot Orbit Transient Testing.

During the configuration change to lower the battery voltage to 32 volts, Action Point 8 triggered at 08:304:22;12;50 GMT (long battery discharge) which triggered a cascade of other resets. This put the Orbiter in a safe configuration but because this left the GDS in limbo (and thus indicating open break wires) the NEAs were fired. The Orbiter configuration has been restored and we continue toward the start of TB-25. See PR # 680.

All truly wise thoughts have been thoughts already thousands of times; but to make them truly ours, we must think them over again honestly, till they take root in our personal experience. - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

End of Hot Balance TB-23

We have finished Hot Balance, TB-23 and have begun TB-24, configuring for hot transient. We still expect to start hot transient (TB-25) testing around mid-night. We will be taking LROC images in the mean time.

Leslie

TB-23: We have achieved hot balance at 12:00 noon.

Per Charles, we are claiming victory as of 12pm today. We still have to wait another 4hrs before we can begin to flood the shroud with LN2. It will take the chamber folks 7-8hrs to get the chamber ready for TB-25: Hot Orbit Transient test. So we are predicting an 11p-12a start of TB-25. Lucky 3rd shifters will get all the excitement tonight.

TB23 continues

As of 10/29/2008 @0600 the LRO has yet to achieve Hot Case Thermal Balance (Test #TB23). The propulsion system has not stablized in temperature. Once temperature stablization is achieved, we still need 4 hours of hot case thermal balance test data before we can move on the Hot Lunar Transient Test (Test #TB24).

Posted by Rex Richardson

T-Vac Update

Approaching hot thermal balance point which will occur on upcoming third shift. Once thermal balance is achieved there is a four hour dwell then the shrouds will be flooded in preparation for transient testing. Everything continues to be nominal. LROC continues to periodically request WAC images. SAS gimbal temperatures continue to be closely monitored while the investigation of the higher than expected temepratures (below red limit) continues.

In heaven all the interesting people are missing. - Friedrich Nietzsche

Hot Balance Update

A safing check powered off the LEND instrument. The LEND instrument, however, is still within its operational temperature limits and is fine. The LEND team gave LRO permission to power the LEND instrument back on.

Still waiting for LRO to achieve hot thermal balance.

And we wait.....

If you have been through balance tests before, you know the agony of the "wait". Some have estimated that it could take us until tomorrow morning to achieve balance. Once we get to balance, we need to wait for 4 hours to make sure we're really there. (Very zen-like if you ask me.)

The driver is the propulsion module.

Almost forgot... Happy Launch Day!

TB-23 inactivity

So far an uneventful night. We continue to change nothing on the spacecraft, in order to achieve thermal balance. The plots of temperature get flatter and flatter. Every once in a while we dump the SSR, just to be sure we're still alive.

What I dream of is an art of balance.
Henri Matisse (1869 - 1954)

All Instruments happily powered in balance configuration

As part of TB-23, all 6 Instruments are powered and in their nominal balance configuration.  All Instruments quiet and happily gathering data.

To the Instrument teams who have traveled to support testing -  for you the testing will stay quiet through the morning and afternoon. However, the evening and overnight shifts on Tuesday will probably be pretty active with the hot lunar transient test.

I recommend coming in later on Tues and be prepared to stay through at least the first orbit of the lunar transient test.

TVAC Status as of 10/27 at 11:15PM

Completed TB-22 at 10:10pm.

Currently in TB-23, transitioning to Hot Balance, which is scheduled to take 24 hours.

At 8:50pm, we adjusted the SAS GSE rack configuration to reduce power dissipation in the solar array gimbals. All 14 segments were enabled and current levels were reduced from 4.7A to 3.8A.

T-VAC status as of 3:50 pm

Everything is remaining nominal. We continue to wait for the end of the 24 Hr pressure stabilization period which ends at 8:00 pm. Leslie

T-Vac Status 10/27 @9:00am

We continue to wait for the end of the 24hr pressure stabilization period which ends at 8:00pm edt tonight (10/27). After that, we will begin to configure for Hot Thermal Balance.

Due to the issue with the SAS gimbal heating, we are going to power off the SAS gimbal actuators to allow for additional power through the gimbals.

We have decided to defer running the Command Barker Test at this time. We may decide to run it during thermal cycle or after thermal vac. This test is not dependent on temperature, but just taking advantage of idle time.

Completed TB18 and TB19

The shroud temperature approached -70C around 2:30AM. At that point we completed executing TB-18 and TB-19. New during this shift:

• HGA GCE is on and initialized
• SA GCE is on and initialized
• DLRE is on and safed
• LROC is on
  
• We are RF commanding and telemetering
  

The two issues arose during 2nd shift.

• The configuration H LROC FSW heater setpoints for LROC caused panel temperatures to increase dramatically. New FSW heater setpoints have been loaded to the spacecraft, sneaking the temperature up slowly and carefully.
• The use of all 14 SAS segments through the gimbals before the shroud reached low temperatures caused the SA gimbal actuator temperature to climb. We have reduced the number of segments and will continue to add and monitor situation.
  

We intend to complete a recorder dump on S-band and then begin the 28 hour clock.

LRO Moves into TB18 & TB19

At 17:55 were finally started the TB18 and TB19 Tests. These tests configure the Orbiter for the Hot Case Thermal Balance Test. It also configures the Orbiter for the 28 Hour Barker Code test (TB 20). We do not plan on sending any more commands to the Orbiter for the next 28 hours to allow the C&DH to reset. If we find that commands are required to reconfigure the Orbiter to better enter Hot Balance, the 28 hour "no command" window for TB 20 must be restarted.
Posted by Rex Richardson

T-Vac Status - 10/26/08 @5:50pm

We reached 5x10-5 torr on vacuum at 16:55z. Thermal flooded the shroud and we are currently monitoring the temperatures on the shroud. Once we see the temperatures going cold, we will start step TB-18 and TB-19. The following components will be turned on in those steps:

• SA GCE ON and Indexed
• HGA GCE ON and Home
• Wheels powered and override set to 53 rps
• LROC powered up
• DLRE powered up and safed
• Spacecraft breakwires will be set to operational and PDE inhibits will be removed
• S-Band transmitter will be turned on and configured for RF telemetry & commanding

Once TB-18 adn TB-19 are completed, we will review the configuration and start the 28-hr barker timer test.

T-Vac Status 10.26.2008 3:23pm

Chamber pressure at 1 Torr.

T-vac Status 10.26.2008 2:26pm

Chamber below 100 Torr & TB-16 is complete.

Chamber Pressure is:

290 Torr

Start Pump Down 10/26/08 13:34

We have finished the Launch Day Proc (TB-14), confirmed the Orbiter is in the proper configuration, and started pumping down the chamber (TB-15) . Leslie

TVAC Update Oct 26, 12:15 pm

Still working through Launch Day proc (TB-14). Having issues with CFDP. We believe it is on the ground side. Once this is fixed, we should be ready to pump down. Leslie

Welcome!

Aloha LRO Team - welcome to Week/Circle One on our descent....