Western Railroad Discussion > Some Space RR Material...

From the STS-110 Mission Imagery...

The first space "railcar" (Mobile Transporter) and its track, getting installed...

STS110-E-5172 (11 April 2002) --- Backdropped by the blackness of space and Earth?s horizon, the S0 (S-Zero) Truss is moved from the Space Shuttle Atlantis? cargo bay. Astronauts Ellen Ochoa, STS-110 mission specialist, and Daniel W. Bursch, Expedition Four flight engineer, used the International Space Station?s (ISS) Canadarm2 to lift the S0 Truss out of the orbiter?s payload bay and install it onto the temporary claw fixture on the Destiny laboratory. The image was taken with a digital still camera.

http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/images/shuttle/sts-110/lores/s110e5172.jpg


Making sure the railcar is ready to go...

STS110-E-5631 (14 April 2002) --- Astronaut Steven L. Smith (top) works on the S0 (S-zero) truss, newly added to the elements of the International Space Station (ISS), during STS-110's third session of extravehicular activity (EVA). The space walk was the mission's second for the duo of Smith and Rex J. Walheim (bottom left). It lasted 6 hours and 20 minutes and also included some work on the station's robotic arm (out of frame).

http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/images/shuttle/sts-110/lores/s110e5631.jpg


The first trackwork in space...

STS110-E-5840 (16 April 2002) --- Astronaut Lee M. E. Morin, STS-110 mission specialist, works in tandem with astronaut Jerry L. Ross (out of frame), mission specialist, during the fourth and final scheduled session of extravehicular activity (EVA) for the STS-110 mission. The major task was the installation of a beam, which is called the Airlock Spur, between the Quest Airlock and the S0 (S-zero) Truss. The spur will be used by spacewalkers in the future as a path from the airlock to the truss. Ross and Morin also installed handrails onto the S0, partially assembled a platform, installed two floodlights and performed several other tasks preparing for upcoming assembly missions.

http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/images/shuttle/sts-110/lores/s110e5840.jpg


Ray

Don't happpen to know which digital still camera they use do you?

What's the purpose? It's not like a boxcar is gonna be heavy to lift, nor would it need rails unless it was to curve around a space ship since objects go straight in space.

This is all really confusing and a waste of money until I get an idea of how useful it's supposed to be. Stuff like this in earth would be useful to transport heavy and large loads... but in space? Come on.

Any light to shed on this?

~Chris

What's the scanner frequency for this operation? And shouldn't this info be on the Interplanetary Discussion board? ;-)

lrvto - the following reference is to the use of a Kodak Professional DCS 760 on Mission STS-108 last year. The STS-110 camera could be the same type (NASA used to use their so-called Electronic Still Camera). I think NASA now uses Kodak digital cameras on other projects, as well.

http://www.kodak.com/US/en/corp/pressReleases/pr20010626-01.shtml


F40PHR231 - It's supposed to transport the MSS (Mobile Servicing System), the robotic assembly of arms and manipulators. Eventually other sections will be added to the truss, making it quite long. I posted a few weeks back a photo link to the "belt pack" - the Robotic Work Station (RWS), already installed in the Lab Module, that will control the whole thing.


toledopatch - I was thinking the Model RR board would be the best place for these posts - after all, the RR looks a little like a (very) large-gauge test track!

Ray