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STS-134 Launch Scrubbed; Progress Docks to Station
The ISS Progress 42 cargo craft approaches the International Space Station. Credit: NASA TV
Shuttle launch director Mike Leinbach stated that Endeavour’s launch will be no earlier than Monday at 2:33 p.m. EDT. Engineers need that time to troubleshoot an issue that resulted in today’s launch scrub. During today’s countdown, engineers detected a failure in one of two heater circuits associated with Auxiliary Power Unit (APU) 1. Heaters are required to keep the APUs’ hydrazine from freezing on orbit. Attempts to activate the heater were not successful and engineers now believe the problem might be associated with a Load Control Assembly, which is a switchbox, located in the aft end of Endeavour, or an electrical short in the wires leading into or out of the switchbox. Because of this, Leinbach said there will be a minimum 72-hour scrub turnaround. › Latest news about STS-134 › Read more about STS-134 The ISS Progress 42 cargo craft docked to the Pirs docking compartment on the International Space Station at 10:28 a.m. EDT Friday, less than six hours before space shuttle Endeavour’s scheduled launch to the station on the STS-134 mission. The cargo ship launched at 9:05 a.m. Wednesday from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, carrying 1,940 pounds of propellant, 110 pounds of oxygen and air, 926 pounds of water and 2,976 pounds of maintenance hardware, experiment equipment and resupply items for the Expedition 28 crew. › Read more about Expedition 27

KIZUNA's Support Activities for Disaster-stricken Areas

after Tohoku Region Pacific Ocean Coastal Earthquake

March 20, 2011 (JST)
Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)

National Institution of Information and Communications Technology (NICT)

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) has established a broadband environment using the Wideband Internetworking Engineering Test and Demonstration Satellite "KIZUNA" (WINDS) as support for disaster measures for areas stricken by the Tohoku Region Pacific Ocean Coastal Earthquake.

The National Institution of Information and Communications Technology (NICT) has set up a high definition teleconference system using the KIZUNA between Kesennuma City (Fire Department Headquarters), Miyagi Prefecture, and the Tokyo Fire Department (TFD, at its Headquarters' strategy room), following TFD's request. High definition teleconferences, which enable real-time information sharing that is necessary for support activities in disaster-stricken areas, have been conducted since March 15. Based on a request from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, which received a petition from Iwate Prefecture, JAXA installed a movable ground antenna for the KIZUNA at the Iwate Prefectural Office (Disaster measures headquarters) and also in Kamaishi City (Local disaster measures office). Broadband lines were connected on March 20, and high definition teleconference systems, IP telephones, and radio LANs became available.

The following is the current status.

	JAXA	NICT
Locations of broadband line connections	Three locations: Iwate Prefectural Office's disaster measure headquarters Iwate costal broad area promotion office in Kamaishi City (Local disaster measures office) Tsukuba Space Center	Between Fire Department Headquarters in Kesennuma City, Miyagi Prefecture, and Tokyo Fire Department Headquarters Strategy Room
Starting date	March 20	March 15
Line capacity	20 Mbps communication line	30 Mbps communication line
Application	High definition teleconference, Internet connection, IP telephone, radio LAN	High definition teleconference, file forwarding

JAXA and NICT will continue to work to establish broadband environments in disaster-stricken areas for swift information sharing of current conditions and the needs of each area. JAXA and NICT has been engaging in the technological development of broadband satellite communications using the KIZUNA that can assist in disaster measures, and the support activity this time is part of our development efforts.

Ground antenna (movable VSAT) installed at the Iwate Prefectural Office (Antenna diameter 1.0m)