STS-122
Encyclopedia
STS-122 was a NASA
Space Shuttle
mission to the International Space Station
(ISS), flown by the Space Shuttle Atlantis
. STS-122 marked the 24th shuttle mission to the ISS, and the 121st space shuttle flight since STS-1
.
The mission was also referred to as ISS-1E by the ISS program. The primary objective of STS-122 was to deliver the European Columbus
science laboratory, built by the European Space Agency
(ESA), to the station. It also returned Expedition 16
Flight Engineer Daniel M. Tani
to Earth. Tani was replaced on Expedition 16 by Léopold Eyharts
, a French Flight Engineer representing ESA. After Atlantis landing, the orbiter was prepared for STS-125
, the final servicing mission for the Hubble Space Telescope
.
The original target launch date for STS-122 was 6 December 2007, but due to engine cutoff sensor (ECO) reading errors, the launch was postponed to 9 December 2007. During the second launch attempt, the sensors failed again, and the launch was halted. A tanking test on 18 December 2007 revealed the probable cause to lie with a connector between the external tank and the shuttle. The connector was replaced and the shuttle launched during the third attempt on 7 February 2008.
STS-122 was the ISS Assembly Flight 1E, which delivered the European Columbus
laboratory module to the station, along with the Biolab
, Fluid Science Laboratory
(FSL), European Drawer Rack
(EDR), and European Physiology Modules
(EPM) payloads.
STS-122 also carried the Solar Monitoring Observatory
(SOLAR), the European Technology Exposure Facility
(EuTEF), and a new Nitrogen Tank Assembly, mounted in the cargo bay of an ICC-Lite payload rack, as well as a spare Drive Lock Assembly
(DLA) sent to orbit in support of possible repairs to the starboard Solar Alpha Rotary Joint (SARJ) which is malfunctioning.
Several items were returned with Atlantis: A malfunctioning Control Moment Gyroscope
(CMG) that was swapped out with a new one during STS-118
, and the empty Nitrogen Tank Assembly will be placed in the orbiter's payload bay, along with a trundle bearing from the Starboard SARJ that was removed during an EVA performed by Expedition 16.
in recognition of the 50th running of the Daytona 500
on 17 February 2008, and the 50th anniversary of NASA on 1 October 2008. Once returned to Earth, one of the flown flags will be placed on public display at the Daytona International Speedway
in Florida, one will be presented to Ryan Newman
, the winner of the 2008 Daytona 500, and the third will be used by NASA as part of its anniversary activities.
(ET-125) arrived at the Kennedy Space Center
on 14 September 2007, after traveling by barge from the Michoud Assembly Facility
in Louisiana
. The external tank was then transferred to the Vehicle Assembly Building
(VAB) to be inspected, and have the Liquid oxygen
feedline bracket modified, before being mated to the solid rocket booster
s on 17 October 2007.
The external tank was attached to the solid rocket boosters on 18 October 2007, and Atlantis moved to the VAB on 3 November 2007. With the entire stack placed upon the Mobile Launcher Platform
, Atlantis moved to launch pad 39A on 10 November 2007, and the Columbus module was loaded into the orbiter's payload bay on 12 November. The terminal countdown demonstration test
was completed on 20 November 2007.
Following the final Flight Readiness Review on 30 November 2007, NASA managers announced that Atlantis was ready to fly, and the launch date of 6 December 2007 was confirmed. The crew arrived at Kennedy Space Center on 3 December 2007, to prepare for the first launch attempt on 6 December 2007.
and liquid oxygen
into the external tank, two of the four liquid hydrogen Engine Cutoff (ECO) sensors failed to respond correctly, resulting in Launch Director Doug Lyons deciding to postpone the launch. The fuel cutoff sensor system is one of a series of redundant systems that protect the shuttle's main engines, by triggering engine shut down if fuel runs unexpectedly low. The Launch Commit Criteria (LCC) requires that three of the four sensor systems function properly prior to liftoff. The scheduled launch time was tentatively postponed 48 hours to 8 December 2007, at 15:43 EST (20:43 UTC).
On 7 December 2007, managers evaluated the options to fly, under the flight rationale guidelines. The issue was thought to be in the wiring inside the external tank, that results in the ECO sensors reporting incorrectly. During loading, testing of the ECO sensors is done to ensure they function properly, but when the "dry tank" command was sent, the third and fourth sensors continued to report "wet" conditions. The concern was that if the tank were about to run dry, the sensors that control the shutdown of the shuttle's main engines might not send the shutdown command, resulting in running the engines without fuel, a dangerous situation. Managers evaluated if the Launch Commit Criteria could be removed, allowing Atlantis to fly with two of four sensors, and augment the LCO system with on-ground monitoring of propellant use by the Flight Control staff. The other option would involve repair or replacement of the sensors, which would most likely require the orbiter be moved back into the Vehicle Assembly Building, and would rule out a December launch.
Following the Mission Management Team meeting on 7 December 2007, Shuttle Program Director Wayne Hale
explained during the press briefing that the team had discussed the issues at length, and had tentatively decided to attempt a Sunday launch. The Launch Commit Criteria would be changed, and Flight Controller procedures would be finalized to allow for additional monitoring of the ECO system during ascent. One of the changes to the LCC will be the requirement that during tanking, all four sensors must be operational. In the past, when this system has failed during the initial launch attempt, all four sensors performed normally during the next attempt. If this were the case for Sunday's launch attempt, it would be consistent with what has been seen in the past. If the sensors fail during re-tanking on 9 December 2007, this would indicate that the issue is not consistent with the evidence seen in the past. Managers would hold an MMT meeting on 8 December 2007 to further discuss this rationale, and the Flight Controller procedures, before making a final decision.
On 8 December 2007, the Mission Management Team met to finalize plans for the Sunday launch, and discuss possible launch options. There was a unanimous decision to attempt a Sunday launch using the modified Launch Commit Criteria. The modified criteria requires all four ECO sensors to function normally during tanking, includes the implementation of a Flight Controller procedure to continue monitoring the ECO sensors after liftoff during ascent, and shortens the launch window from five minutes, to one minute to conserve fuel. Those changes would be done only for the launch of STS-122, and are not permanent changes. Should any of the sensors give errors during tanking, the launch attempt would be scrubbed. Following STS-122, Space Shuttle Program Director Wayne Hale and Mission Management Team Chairman LeRoy Cain
explained that there would be a variety of activities and procedures put into effect to address the ECO issues. A multi-center troubleshooting team would be convened, and changes to the main engines would be performed, to improve the way the engines use, and control the liquid hydrogen reserves, including upgrades to the flow meters inside the engines.
Fueling of Atlantis began at 05:55 EST (10:55 UTC). During fueling at 06:52 EST, the third ECO sensor failed wet, violating the modified Launch Commit Criteria that required all four sensors to function properly. The launch was officially scrubbed at 07:25 EST (12:25 UTC). Troubleshooting the problem would rule out a December launch. NASA finally gave a new launch date of 10 January 2008.
During the post-scrub news conference, Launch Director Doug Lyons said that a rollback to the Vehicle Assembly Building was not a situation managers were considering currently, and explained that the pad offers extensive access to the systems for troubleshooting and investigation. "We can do extensive troubleshooting out there before we would entertain rolling back. There's not many things we can't do out at the launch pad that we could do in the VAB." Managers have convened a short-term troubleshooting team to design a plan to identify, and hopefully predict, or prevent the ECO anomaly.
(MLP), where Time-domain reflectometry
(TDR) test equipment was installed to test the ECO sensor system. Engineer Peter Johnson and Dr. Carlos T. Mata operated two TDRs to gather data about the characteristics of the behaviour of the sensor circuitry before, during, and after tanking. NASA was able to pinpoint the problem to the LH2 external tank feed-through connector.
Fueling began at 05:26 EST, ahead of a planned 14:45 EST launch. The fuel sensors all performed as expected, and at 14:35 EST, Launch Director Doug Lyons gave Atlantis crewmembers the go to launch, with no constraints. Atlantis launched on schedule, at 14:45 EST (19:45 UTC). Main engine cutoff (MECO) occurred at 19:54 UTC. After MECO and ET separation, the orbiter executed an OMS-2 engine firing to circularize the orbit, and put it on track to the International Space Station. The crew opened the payload bay doors, deployed the Ku
antenna, checked out and activated the shuttle's robotic arm, and downlinked the video footage taken during external tank separation to NASA managers.
using the Orbiter Boom Sensor System
(OBSS). Early in the morning, the crew performed a burn of the Orbital Maneuvering System (OMS) engines to adjust the orbit in preparation for docking with the International Space Station. During interviews with CBS and NBC in the morning, Expedition 16 Commander Peggy Whitson
told reporters that since her birthday was Saturday, "My present is a new module that we're going to install on the station, I'm really looking forward to it."
During the afternoon mission status briefing at Johnson Space Center, Lead Shuttle Flight Director Mike Sarafin said that there were no technical issues, and the mission was on schedule for docking on Saturday at 17:25 UTC. He reported that the orbiter had sufficient consumables for a mission extension, but the decision on whether to extend the mission would be made no earlier than flight day five, to allow the team to evaluate the inspection data. If the mission were extended, Sarafin said the extra day would be inserted into day nine, following the third EVA. Chairman of the Mission Management Team (MMT) John Shannon reported that his team gave the official "go" for docking during their first on-orbit meeting. Shannon noted that the initial imagery given to the engineering team showed "absolutely nothing of concern", with only one foam piece appearing to possibly impact the vehicle, 440 seconds into ascent. Shannon said any item that late into ascent would not have enough energy to do any significant damage if it did strike the orbiter, and the managers did not consider it an issue. Shannon said the team would evaluate the data obtained during Saturday's Rendezvous Pitch Maneuver
, performed prior to docking, as well as the imagery from the OBSS survey, and during flight day 3's MMT meeting a decision would be made whether a focused inspection of the orbiter's thermal protection system would be needed. Shannon noted that the improvements to the external tank have proven to be "phenomenal", and was pleased with the initial data.
The shuttle crew worked through the rendezvous timeline in the morning, including several adjustment burns of the orbiter's engines to refine the path towards the station. Between 16:24 and 16:31 UTC, Atlantis performed the Rendezvous Pitch Maneuver to allow the station crew to use high resolution cameras and document the thermal protection system. Extra images were taken of the starboard OMS pod as it was an "area of interest" due to the appearance of a raised blanket. Atlantis docked with station at 17:17 UTC (12:17 pm EST). Atlantis is the first orbiter to dock to the new position of the Pressurized Mating Adapter
at the forward end of the Harmony module.
After working through a variety of leak check procedures, the hatches were opened between the shuttle and station at 18:40 UTC, and the two crews exchanged greetings and conducted a mandatory safety briefing. After the briefing, they began the rest of the day's tasks, including moving the station's robotic arm to grapple the OBSS, and then hand it off to the shuttle's robotic arm in preparation for future activities. The official exchange of Expedition 16 crewmembers Daniel Tani and Eyharts was completed in the evening, when they exchanged their Soyuz
custom made seat liners, and Tani became a member of the STS-122 crew, while Eyharts began his position as Flight Engineer for Expedition 16.
During the mission status briefing, Flight Director Mike Sarafin stated that one of the three General Purpose Computers (GPC
) failed to start up correctly before the rendezvous, but it did not impact the rendezvous. Sarafin also confirmed that they were investigating a slight tear in the thermal protection blanket on the starboard (right side) OMS pod.
At 20:14 UTC, the ground team radioed the crew to alert them that the managers had decided to make a 24 hour delay to EVA-1, originally scheduled for Flight Day 4, and that Stanley Love would replace Hans Schlegel for EVA-1 on Monday. During the post-MMT briefing, Mission Management Chairman John Shannon explained there was a "crew medical issue", but it would not impact the mission objectives. For reasons of medical privacy, Shannon said NASA can not disclose which crewmember is affected, and no details would be given as to the nature of the issue, but Shannon said it was not something to be concerned about. Unconfirmed news reports claim that Schlegel had "lost his voice", and since communication is a critical function of an EVA, the decision to swap crewmembers was made. Shannon also noted that Atlantis has enough consumables to extend almost two days; the mission operations team was looking at procedures to assist with power conservation, and the team hopes to add another day extension to the mission.
During the mission status briefing, MMT Chairman John Shannon stated that the rest of the mission will follow the plan, with no changes expected. Commenting on the ongoing thermal protection system review, Shannon said "The thermal protection system inspections that we do are going extremely well, it's the fastest I've ever seen them done on a flight. We have completely cleared the bottom of the orbiter, there are no issues we are working on the bottom, and all of the reinforced carbon-carbon
on the wings and the nose are completely cleared. We're gathering additional information on the right OMS pod. Atlantis is extremely clean." The blanket would be evaluated more on Monday, and a decision regarding that area is expected to be made at the MMT meeting Monday evening. There were a few areas of interest around the windows that were also being evaluated.
After awakening, both crews began preparing for the mission's first spacewalk. Love and Walheim suited up, and the EVA began slightly ahead of schedule, at 14:13 UTC (09:13 EST). Assisting the spacewalkers inside the station and shuttle were pilot Alan Poindexter, and Mission Specialist Hans Schlegel.
At 19:53 UTC (14:53 EST), Walheim and Love completed the preparations for the unberthing of Columbus from the payload bay, and with Melvin inside the space station working the robotic arm, the module was successfully lifted out of the payload bay. The first contact of Columbus with the station was at 21:29, and at 21:44, Eyharts announced that Columbus was officially installed on its new home in orbit. "Houston and Munich, the European Columbus laboratory module is now part of the ISS," Eyharts radioed to the ground. Walheim and Love began the re-pressurization of the Quest airlock at 22:11 UTC (17:11 EST), which marked the official end of their 7 hour, 58 minute EVA.
The two crews spent the day working to activate and outfit the newest addition to the station, the Columbus module. After the ground conducted a variety of leak checks during the crew's sleep period the night before, the crew was given the go ahead to put the module into what is called "Berth Survival Mode", which is a "functional mode": A minimal healthy configuration that can be maintained for extended time periods, if required. This involved powering up basic computers, power distribution units, and heaters. The crew completed the Berth Survival Mode activation quickly, and moved on to final activation. Representing the European partners, Schlegel and Eyharts were the first crewmembers to enter the module, performing a partial ingress at 14:08 UTC (09:08 EST). Eyharts told the team on the ground, "We have a special thought at this moment for all the people in Europe and the U.S. who have contributed to the make up of Columbus. Especially to the space agencies, of course, the industry, but also all the citizens who are supporting space flight. This is a great moment, and Hans and I are very proud to be here and to ingress for the first time the Columbus module."
By the afternoon, after allowing the circulation fans to work for several hours to clean out any residual particulates in the air, crewmembers were going in and out, working on hooking up water, thermal controls, and command and monitoring units. During the afternoon's mission status briefing, ISS Orbit One Flight Director Bob Dempsey
noted that the two crews were far ahead of the timeline for activation, and excited about the station's new addition.
In the early evening, the ground team radioed the crew to let Commander Frick know that the Mission Management Team had officially cleared the right OMS pod blanket for return "as-is", and there were no safety concerns. The crew of Atlantis also took some time out to talk to reporters on the ground, one session in the morning, and another in the afternoon with CBS News
, and Pittsburgh television stations. Frick, a native of Pittsburgh, Schlegel, and Poindexter participated in the afternoon interviews. Asked how he was feeling, Schlegel said he was proud to be a part of the mission to deliver Columbus, that the "big mission" was what mattered, and he was feeling fine and ready to perform the mission's second EVA. Walheim and Schlegel spent the night in the station's airlock in preparation for Wednesday's EVA.
After awakening, the station and shuttle crews began working on preparing for the second EVA. Station Commander Whitson and shuttle Commander Frick assisted Walheim and Schlegel in suiting up and working through the pre-EVA procedures. Eyharts and the rest of the crew aboard the station continued their work on outfitting and activating the new Columbus module, as well as working on transferring items between the shuttle and the station. The second EVA began officially at 14:27 UTC (09:27 EST) and ended at 21:12 UTC (16:12 EST). Walheim and Schlegel replaced a near empty Nitrogen Tank Assembly of the P1 truss with a new full tank that was brought in orbit by STS-122.
During the mission status briefing, Lead ISS Flight Director Sally Davis announced that the managers had officially approved an additional docked day extension, and the team had also cleared the orbiter's entire thermal protection system for re-entry, pending late inspection results. The right OMS pod blanket was determined to be of no issue for re-entry the day before, and the areas around the orbiter's windows that appeared damaged were fully cleared. A tile that fell off during launch from the left Reaction Control System engine, called a "LOMS stinger tile" was deemed to be from a non-critical area, and was also cleared.
and a number of radio stations, as well as a special ESA event, a VIP call with German Chancellor Angela Merkel
who called to congratulate Eyharts and Schlegel, as representatives of the European Space Agency on the successful delivery and installation of the Columbus module to the station. The joint crews also did some maintenance tasks, including a waste water dump from the shuttle, transfer activities, and continued work on outfitting and activating the Columbus module. Both crews participated in an EVA review in the late afternoon, and Walheim and Love spent the night in the station's airlock in preparation for the mission's final spacewalk.
. Also, all members of the shuttle and station crews participated in news conferences with American and European media.
The crew performed final inspections and preparations prior to landing.
.
Each track is specially chosen, often by their families, and usually has a special meaning to an individual member of the crew, or is applicable to their daily activities.
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
Space Shuttle
Space Shuttle
The Space Shuttle was a manned orbital rocket and spacecraft system operated by NASA on 135 missions from 1981 to 2011. The system combined rocket launch, orbital spacecraft, and re-entry spaceplane with modular add-ons...
mission to the International Space Station
International Space Station
The International Space Station is a habitable, artificial satellite in low Earth orbit. The ISS follows the Salyut, Almaz, Cosmos, Skylab, and Mir space stations, as the 11th space station launched, not including the Genesis I and II prototypes...
(ISS), flown by the Space Shuttle Atlantis
Space Shuttle Atlantis
The Space Shuttle Atlantis is a retired Space Shuttle orbiter in the Space Shuttle fleet belonging to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration , the spaceflight and space exploration agency of the United States...
. STS-122 marked the 24th shuttle mission to the ISS, and the 121st space shuttle flight since STS-1
STS-1
STS-1 was the first orbital flight of NASA's Space Shuttle program. Space Shuttle Columbia launched on 12 April 1981, and returned to Earth on 14 April, having orbited the Earth 37 times during the 54.5-hour mission. It was the first American manned space flight since the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project...
.
The mission was also referred to as ISS-1E by the ISS program. The primary objective of STS-122 was to deliver the European Columbus
Columbus (ISS module)
Columbus is a science laboratory that is part of the International Space Station and is the largest single contribution to the ISS made by the European Space Agency ....
science laboratory, built by the European Space Agency
European Space Agency
The European Space Agency , established in 1975, is an intergovernmental organisation dedicated to the exploration of space, currently with 18 member states...
(ESA), to the station. It also returned Expedition 16
Expedition 16
Expedition 16 was the 16th expedition to the International Space Station .The first two crew members, Yuri Malenchenko and Peggy Whitson, launched on 10 October 2007, aboard Soyuz TMA-11, and were joined by spaceflight participant Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor, the first Malaysian in space.Expedition 15...
Flight Engineer Daniel M. Tani
Daniel M. Tani
Daniel Tani is an American engineer and a NASA astronaut. Although born in Ridley Park, Pennsylvania, he considers Lombard, Illinois, to be his hometown...
to Earth. Tani was replaced on Expedition 16 by Léopold Eyharts
Léopold Eyharts
Léopold Eyharts is a Brigadier General in the French Air Force and an ESA astronaut.-Background:Eyharts was born April 28, 1957, in Biarritz, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, France...
, a French Flight Engineer representing ESA. After Atlantis landing, the orbiter was prepared for STS-125
STS-125
STS-125, or HST-SM4 , was the fifth and final space shuttle servicing mission to the Hubble Space Telescope .Launch occurred on 11 May 2009 at 2:01 pm EDT...
, the final servicing mission for the Hubble Space Telescope
Hubble Space Telescope
The Hubble Space Telescope is a space telescope that was carried into orbit by a Space Shuttle in 1990 and remains in operation. A 2.4 meter aperture telescope in low Earth orbit, Hubble's four main instruments observe in the near ultraviolet, visible, and near infrared...
.
The original target launch date for STS-122 was 6 December 2007, but due to engine cutoff sensor (ECO) reading errors, the launch was postponed to 9 December 2007. During the second launch attempt, the sensors failed again, and the launch was halted. A tanking test on 18 December 2007 revealed the probable cause to lie with a connector between the external tank and the shuttle. The connector was replaced and the shuttle launched during the third attempt on 7 February 2008.
Crew
Mission parameters
- MassMassMass can be defined as a quantitive measure of the resistance an object has to change in its velocity.In physics, mass commonly refers to any of the following three properties of matter, which have been shown experimentally to be equivalent:...
: - Orbiter liftoff: 267341 pounds (121,263.8 kg)
- Orbiter landing: 206212 pounds (93,536.2 kg)
- PerigeePerigeePerigee is the point at which an object makes its closest approach to the Earth.. Often the term is used in a broader sense to define the point in an orbit where the orbiting body is closest to the body it orbits. The opposite is the apogee, the farthest or highest point.The Greek prefix "peri"...
: TBD - Apogee: TBD
- InclinationInclinationInclination in general is the angle between a reference plane and another plane or axis of direction.-Orbits:The inclination is one of the six orbital parameters describing the shape and orientation of a celestial orbit...
: 51.6° - PeriodOrbital periodThe orbital period is the time taken for a given object to make one complete orbit about another object.When mentioned without further qualification in astronomy this refers to the sidereal period of an astronomical object, which is calculated with respect to the stars.There are several kinds of...
: 91.6 minutes
Mission payloads
Columbus (ISS module)
Columbus is a science laboratory that is part of the International Space Station and is the largest single contribution to the ISS made by the European Space Agency ....
laboratory module to the station, along with the Biolab
Biolab
Biolab is a single-rack multi-user science payload designed for use in the Columbus laboratory of the International Space Station.Biolab does support biological research on small plants, small invertebrates, microorganisms, animal cells, and tissue cultures.It includes an incubator equipped with...
, Fluid Science Laboratory
Fluid Science Laboratory
The Fluid Science Laboratory is a European science payload designed for use in Columbus built by Alenia Aeronautica Spazio and OHB-System. It is a multi-user facility for conducting fluid physics research in microgravity conditions...
(FSL), European Drawer Rack
European Drawer Rack
The European Drawer Rack is a single, six-post International Standard Payload Rack with seven Experiment Modules , each of which has separate access to power and cooling. A Video Management Unit sends streaming video, images, and science data to Earth via the Columbus module's high-rate data...
(EDR), and European Physiology Modules
European Physiology Modules
The European Physiology Module is an International Standard Payload Rack for the Columbus Laboratory on board the International Space Station. The EPM rack was built by OHB-System in Bremen....
(EPM) payloads.
STS-122 also carried the Solar Monitoring Observatory
Solar Monitoring Observatory
The Solar Monitoring Observatory is an ESA science observatory that is part of the Columbus Laboratory, which is a component of the International Space Station. The Columbus module was launched February 2008 aboard STS-122. SOLAR was externally mounted to the Columbus Laboratory, together with...
(SOLAR), the European Technology Exposure Facility
European Technology Exposure Facility
The European Technology Exposure Facility is a payload mounted on the exterior of the European Columbus laboratory, one of the modules of the International Space Station...
(EuTEF), and a new Nitrogen Tank Assembly, mounted in the cargo bay of an ICC-Lite payload rack, as well as a spare Drive Lock Assembly
Drive Lock Assembly
The term Drive Lock Assembly or DLA is used to refer to the mechanisms present in each Solar Alpha Rotary Joint or SARJ which allow the outer segments of the Integrated Truss Structure, a component of the International Space Station or ISS, to rotate and track the Sun. A component of the DLA is a...
(DLA) sent to orbit in support of possible repairs to the starboard Solar Alpha Rotary Joint (SARJ) which is malfunctioning.
Several items were returned with Atlantis: A malfunctioning Control Moment Gyroscope
Control moment gyroscope
A control momentum gyroscope is an attitude control device generally used in spacecraft attitude control systems. A CMG consists of a spinning rotor and one or more motorized gimbals that tilt the rotor’s angular momentum. As the rotor tilts, the changing angular momentum causes a gyroscopic...
(CMG) that was swapped out with a new one during STS-118
STS-118
- Crew notes :Astronaut Clayton Anderson originally was slated to be launched to the ISS on this mission, but was moved to STS-117. His replacement was Alvin Drew....
, and the empty Nitrogen Tank Assembly will be placed in the orbiter's payload bay, along with a trundle bearing from the Starboard SARJ that was removed during an EVA performed by Expedition 16.
| Location | Cargo | Mass |
|---|---|---|
| Bay 1–2 | Orbiter Docking System EMU Extravehicular Mobility Unit The Space Shuttle/International Space Station Extravehicular Mobility Unit is an independent anthropomorphic system that provides environmental protection, mobility, life support, and communications for a Space Shuttle or International Space Station crew member to perform extra-vehicular activity... 3015 / EMU 3017 |
1800 kilograms (3,968.3 lb) ~240 kilograms (529.1 lb) |
| Bay 3P | Shuttle Power Distribution Unit (SPDU) |
~100 kilograms (220.5 lb) |
| Bay 5P | Power/Data Grapple Fixture (PDGF) for Columbus |
71 kilograms (156.5 lb) |
| Bay 6 | ICC-LITE with EUTEF, SOLAR, NTA | 2063 kilograms (4,548.1 lb) |
| Bay 7P | ECSH (EVA Cargo Stowage) on APC | ~100 kilograms (220.5 lb) |
| Bay 8–12 | Columbus Orbital Facility Columbus (ISS module) Columbus is a science laboratory that is part of the International Space Station and is the largest single contribution to the ISS made by the European Space Agency .... |
12077 kilograms (26,625.2 lb) |
| Starboard Sill | Orbiter Boom Sensor System Orbiter Boom Sensor System The Orbiter Boom Sensor System is a 50-foot boom carried on board NASA's Space Shuttles. The boom can be grappled by the Canadarm and serves as an extension of the arm, doubling its length to a combined total of 100 feet... |
~450 kilograms (992.1 lb) |
| Port Sill | Canadarm | ~410 kilograms (903.9 lb) |
| Total: | 17311 kilograms (38,164.2 lb) |
Outreach
Stowed within the Official Flight Kit (OFK), Atlantis carried three green starting flags provided by NASCARNASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and -operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947–48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...
in recognition of the 50th running of the Daytona 500
Daytona 500
The Daytona 500 is a -long NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race held annually at the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. It is one of four restrictor plate races on the Cup schedule....
on 17 February 2008, and the 50th anniversary of NASA on 1 October 2008. Once returned to Earth, one of the flown flags will be placed on public display at the Daytona International Speedway
Daytona International Speedway
Daytona International Speedway is a race track in Daytona Beach, Florida, United States. Since opening in 1959, it has been the home of the Daytona 500, one of the most prestigious races in NASCAR. In addition to NASCAR, the track also hosts races of ARCA, AMA Superbike, Grand-Am and Motocross...
in Florida, one will be presented to Ryan Newman
Ryan Newman
Ryan Joseph Newman is a driver in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. He drives the #39 United States Army/Tornados/Haas Automation Chevrolet Impala for Stewart Haas Racing under crew chief Tony Gibson. Newman graduated from Purdue University in 2001 with a B.S. in vehicle structure engineering...
, the winner of the 2008 Daytona 500, and the third will be used by NASA as part of its anniversary activities.
Mission background
The mission marks:- 152nd NASA manned spaceflight.
- 121st space shuttle flight since STS-1.
- 29th flight of AtlantisAtlantisAtlantis is a legendary island first mentioned in Plato's dialogues Timaeus and Critias, written about 360 BC....
- 96th post-ChallengerSpace Shuttle Challenger disasterThe Space Shuttle Challenger disaster occurred on January 28, 1986, when Space Shuttle Challenger broke apart 73 seconds into its flight, leading to the deaths of its seven crew members. The spacecraft disintegrated over the Atlantic Ocean, off the coast of central Florida at 11:38 am EST...
mission. - 8th post-ColumbiaSpace Shuttle Columbia disasterThe Space Shuttle Columbia disaster occurred on February 1, 2003, when shortly before it was scheduled to conclude its 28th mission, STS-107, the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated over Texas and Louisiana during re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere, resulting in the death of all seven crew members...
mission. - 8th visit to the International Space Station for Atlantis.
- 300th US astronaut in space.
Shuttle processing
Launch preparations
The external tankSpace Shuttle external tank
A Space Shuttle External Tank is the component of the Space Shuttle launch vehicle that contains the liquid hydrogen fuel and liquid oxygen oxidizer. During lift-off and ascent it supplies the fuel and oxidizer under pressure to the three Space Shuttle Main Engines in the orbiter...
(ET-125) arrived at the Kennedy Space Center
Kennedy Space Center
The John F. Kennedy Space Center is the NASA installation that has been the launch site for every United States human space flight since 1968. Although such flights are currently on hiatus, KSC continues to manage and operate unmanned rocket launch facilities for America's civilian space program...
on 14 September 2007, after traveling by barge from the Michoud Assembly Facility
Michoud Assembly Facility
The Michoud Assembly Facility is an 832-acre site owned by NASA and located in New Orleans East, a large district within the city of New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. Organizationally, it is part of NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center...
in Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
. The external tank was then transferred to the Vehicle Assembly Building
Vehicle Assembly Building
The Vehicle Assembly Building, or VAB, at NASA's Kennedy Space Center was used to assemble and house American manned launch vehicles from 1968-2011. It is the fourth largest building in the world by volume...
(VAB) to be inspected, and have the Liquid oxygen
Liquid oxygen
Liquid oxygen — abbreviated LOx, LOX or Lox in the aerospace, submarine and gas industries — is one of the physical forms of elemental oxygen.-Physical properties:...
feedline bracket modified, before being mated to the solid rocket booster
Solid rocket booster
Solid rocket boosters or Solid Rocket Motors, SRM, are used to provide thrust in spacecraft launches from the launchpad up to burnout of the SRBs. Many launch vehicles include SRBs, including the Ariane 5, Atlas V , and the NASA Space Shuttle...
s on 17 October 2007.
The external tank was attached to the solid rocket boosters on 18 October 2007, and Atlantis moved to the VAB on 3 November 2007. With the entire stack placed upon the Mobile Launcher Platform
Mobile Launcher Platform
The Mobile Launcher Platform or MLP is one of three two-story structures used by NASA to support the Space Shuttle stack during its transportation from the Vehicle Assembly Building to Launch Pad 39-A at the Kennedy Space Center as well as serve as the vehicle's launch platform...
, Atlantis moved to launch pad 39A on 10 November 2007, and the Columbus module was loaded into the orbiter's payload bay on 12 November. The terminal countdown demonstration test
Terminal countdown demonstration test
A terminal countdown demonstration test is a simulation of the final hours of a launch countdown and serves as a practice exercise in which both the launch team and flight crew rehearse launch day timelines and procedures...
was completed on 20 November 2007.
Following the final Flight Readiness Review on 30 November 2007, NASA managers announced that Atlantis was ready to fly, and the launch date of 6 December 2007 was confirmed. The crew arrived at Kennedy Space Center on 3 December 2007, to prepare for the first launch attempt on 6 December 2007.
6 December (Launch attempt 1)
On Thursday 6 December 2007, 16 minutes into the loading of the liquid hydrogenLiquid hydrogen
Liquid hydrogen is the liquid state of the element hydrogen. Hydrogen is found naturally in the molecular H2 form.To exist as a liquid, H2 must be pressurized above and cooled below hydrogen's Critical point. However, for hydrogen to be in a full liquid state without boiling off, it needs to be...
and liquid oxygen
Liquid oxygen
Liquid oxygen — abbreviated LOx, LOX or Lox in the aerospace, submarine and gas industries — is one of the physical forms of elemental oxygen.-Physical properties:...
into the external tank, two of the four liquid hydrogen Engine Cutoff (ECO) sensors failed to respond correctly, resulting in Launch Director Doug Lyons deciding to postpone the launch. The fuel cutoff sensor system is one of a series of redundant systems that protect the shuttle's main engines, by triggering engine shut down if fuel runs unexpectedly low. The Launch Commit Criteria (LCC) requires that three of the four sensor systems function properly prior to liftoff. The scheduled launch time was tentatively postponed 48 hours to 8 December 2007, at 15:43 EST (20:43 UTC).
On 7 December 2007, managers evaluated the options to fly, under the flight rationale guidelines. The issue was thought to be in the wiring inside the external tank, that results in the ECO sensors reporting incorrectly. During loading, testing of the ECO sensors is done to ensure they function properly, but when the "dry tank" command was sent, the third and fourth sensors continued to report "wet" conditions. The concern was that if the tank were about to run dry, the sensors that control the shutdown of the shuttle's main engines might not send the shutdown command, resulting in running the engines without fuel, a dangerous situation. Managers evaluated if the Launch Commit Criteria could be removed, allowing Atlantis to fly with two of four sensors, and augment the LCO system with on-ground monitoring of propellant use by the Flight Control staff. The other option would involve repair or replacement of the sensors, which would most likely require the orbiter be moved back into the Vehicle Assembly Building, and would rule out a December launch.
Following the Mission Management Team meeting on 7 December 2007, Shuttle Program Director Wayne Hale
Wayne Hale
N. Wayne Hale Jr. is a former NASA engineer. Previously a flight director and space shuttle program manager, Hale served as NASA's Deputy Associate Administrator for Strategic Partnerships prior to his retirement on July 31, 2010....
explained during the press briefing that the team had discussed the issues at length, and had tentatively decided to attempt a Sunday launch. The Launch Commit Criteria would be changed, and Flight Controller procedures would be finalized to allow for additional monitoring of the ECO system during ascent. One of the changes to the LCC will be the requirement that during tanking, all four sensors must be operational. In the past, when this system has failed during the initial launch attempt, all four sensors performed normally during the next attempt. If this were the case for Sunday's launch attempt, it would be consistent with what has been seen in the past. If the sensors fail during re-tanking on 9 December 2007, this would indicate that the issue is not consistent with the evidence seen in the past. Managers would hold an MMT meeting on 8 December 2007 to further discuss this rationale, and the Flight Controller procedures, before making a final decision.
On 8 December 2007, the Mission Management Team met to finalize plans for the Sunday launch, and discuss possible launch options. There was a unanimous decision to attempt a Sunday launch using the modified Launch Commit Criteria. The modified criteria requires all four ECO sensors to function normally during tanking, includes the implementation of a Flight Controller procedure to continue monitoring the ECO sensors after liftoff during ascent, and shortens the launch window from five minutes, to one minute to conserve fuel. Those changes would be done only for the launch of STS-122, and are not permanent changes. Should any of the sensors give errors during tanking, the launch attempt would be scrubbed. Following STS-122, Space Shuttle Program Director Wayne Hale and Mission Management Team Chairman LeRoy Cain
LeRoy E. Cain
Leroy E. Cain is a NASA engineer. Formerly a flight director, he became the manager of Space Shuttle Launch Integration at Kennedy Space Center in November 2005....
explained that there would be a variety of activities and procedures put into effect to address the ECO issues. A multi-center troubleshooting team would be convened, and changes to the main engines would be performed, to improve the way the engines use, and control the liquid hydrogen reserves, including upgrades to the flow meters inside the engines.
9 December (Launch attempt 2)
During the post-scrub news conference, Launch Director Doug Lyons said that a rollback to the Vehicle Assembly Building was not a situation managers were considering currently, and explained that the pad offers extensive access to the systems for troubleshooting and investigation. "We can do extensive troubleshooting out there before we would entertain rolling back. There's not many things we can't do out at the launch pad that we could do in the VAB." Managers have convened a short-term troubleshooting team to design a plan to identify, and hopefully predict, or prevent the ECO anomaly.
ECO sensor troubleshooting and recovery
After the second failed launch attempt, NASA initiated a search for the root cause of the ECO sensor problem. In order to gather more data they scheduled a tanking test for 18 December 2007. Engineers installed test wiring that was leading from the tail mast of the orbiter into the interior of the Mobile Launcher PlatformMobile Launcher Platform
The Mobile Launcher Platform or MLP is one of three two-story structures used by NASA to support the Space Shuttle stack during its transportation from the Vehicle Assembly Building to Launch Pad 39-A at the Kennedy Space Center as well as serve as the vehicle's launch platform...
(MLP), where Time-domain reflectometry
Time-domain reflectometry
Time-domain reflectometry or TDR is a measurement technique used to determine the characteristics of electrical lines by observing reflected waveforms. Time-domain transmissometry is an analogous technique that measures the transmitted impulse...
(TDR) test equipment was installed to test the ECO sensor system. Engineer Peter Johnson and Dr. Carlos T. Mata operated two TDRs to gather data about the characteristics of the behaviour of the sensor circuitry before, during, and after tanking. NASA was able to pinpoint the problem to the LH2 external tank feed-through connector.
Radiator Retract Hose
During launch preparations at Kennedy, technicians noticed a small section of the aft radiator retract hose that was bent in a shape similar to the Greek letter Omega. The hose is part of the shuttle's cooling system that carries Freon, and is designed to flex when the payload bay doors are opened and closed. Making sure they were not overlooking potential problems, NASA engineers designed a tool to guide the hose back into the storage box, and performed the procedure on 3 February 2007. Engineers would monitor the hose during STS-122, and in the unlikely event that it were to begin leaking Freon, the shuttle's computers would turn off the redundant radiator system before any Freon had a chance to leak out.7 February (Flight day 1, Launch)
Ku band
The Kμ band is a portion of the electromagnetic spectrum in the microwave range of frequencies. This symbol refers to —in other words, the band directly below the K-band...
antenna, checked out and activated the shuttle's robotic arm, and downlinked the video footage taken during external tank separation to NASA managers.
8 February (Flight day 2)
The crew of Atlantis spent the day performing a variety of tasks designed to prepare the shuttle for docking on Saturday, including the installation of the centerline camera, and the extension of the orbiter docking system ring. A majority of the day's activities was devoted to inspecting the shuttle's thermal protection systemSpace Shuttle thermal protection system
The Space Shuttle thermal protection system is the barrier that protects the Space Shuttle Orbiter during the searing heat of atmospheric reentry...
using the Orbiter Boom Sensor System
Orbiter Boom Sensor System
The Orbiter Boom Sensor System is a 50-foot boom carried on board NASA's Space Shuttles. The boom can be grappled by the Canadarm and serves as an extension of the arm, doubling its length to a combined total of 100 feet...
(OBSS). Early in the morning, the crew performed a burn of the Orbital Maneuvering System (OMS) engines to adjust the orbit in preparation for docking with the International Space Station. During interviews with CBS and NBC in the morning, Expedition 16 Commander Peggy Whitson
Peggy Whitson
Peggy Annette Whitson is an American biochemistry researcher, NASA astronaut, and NASA's Chief Astronaut. Her first space mission was in 2002, with an extended stay aboard the International Space Station as a member of Expedition 5. Her second mission launched October 10, 2007, as the first female...
told reporters that since her birthday was Saturday, "My present is a new module that we're going to install on the station, I'm really looking forward to it."
During the afternoon mission status briefing at Johnson Space Center, Lead Shuttle Flight Director Mike Sarafin said that there were no technical issues, and the mission was on schedule for docking on Saturday at 17:25 UTC. He reported that the orbiter had sufficient consumables for a mission extension, but the decision on whether to extend the mission would be made no earlier than flight day five, to allow the team to evaluate the inspection data. If the mission were extended, Sarafin said the extra day would be inserted into day nine, following the third EVA. Chairman of the Mission Management Team (MMT) John Shannon reported that his team gave the official "go" for docking during their first on-orbit meeting. Shannon noted that the initial imagery given to the engineering team showed "absolutely nothing of concern", with only one foam piece appearing to possibly impact the vehicle, 440 seconds into ascent. Shannon said any item that late into ascent would not have enough energy to do any significant damage if it did strike the orbiter, and the managers did not consider it an issue. Shannon said the team would evaluate the data obtained during Saturday's Rendezvous Pitch Maneuver
Rendezvous pitch maneuver
The R-bar pitch maneuver , popularly called the rendezvous pitch maneuver, was a maneuver performed by the space shuttle as it rendezvoused with the International Space Station prior to docking. The shuttle performed a backflip that exposed its heat-shield to the crew of the ISS that made...
, performed prior to docking, as well as the imagery from the OBSS survey, and during flight day 3's MMT meeting a decision would be made whether a focused inspection of the orbiter's thermal protection system would be needed. Shannon noted that the improvements to the external tank have proven to be "phenomenal", and was pleased with the initial data.
9 February (Flight day 3)
Pressurized Mating Adapter
The International Space Station uses three Pressurized Mating Adapters to interconnect spacecraft and modules with different docking mechanisms. The first two PMAs were launched with the Unity module in 1998 aboard STS-88...
at the forward end of the Harmony module.
After working through a variety of leak check procedures, the hatches were opened between the shuttle and station at 18:40 UTC, and the two crews exchanged greetings and conducted a mandatory safety briefing. After the briefing, they began the rest of the day's tasks, including moving the station's robotic arm to grapple the OBSS, and then hand it off to the shuttle's robotic arm in preparation for future activities. The official exchange of Expedition 16 crewmembers Daniel Tani and Eyharts was completed in the evening, when they exchanged their Soyuz
Soyuz spacecraft
Soyuz , Union) is a series of spacecraft initially designed for the Soviet space programme by the Korolyov Design Bureau in the 1960s, and still in service today...
custom made seat liners, and Tani became a member of the STS-122 crew, while Eyharts began his position as Flight Engineer for Expedition 16.
During the mission status briefing, Flight Director Mike Sarafin stated that one of the three General Purpose Computers (GPC
IBM AP-101
The IBM AP-101 is an avionics computer, used most notably in the U.S. Space Shuttle, but since also in the B-52 and B-1B bombers and the F-15 fighter, among others. When it was designed, it was a high-performance pipelined processor with core memory...
) failed to start up correctly before the rendezvous, but it did not impact the rendezvous. Sarafin also confirmed that they were investigating a slight tear in the thermal protection blanket on the starboard (right side) OMS pod.
At 20:14 UTC, the ground team radioed the crew to alert them that the managers had decided to make a 24 hour delay to EVA-1, originally scheduled for Flight Day 4, and that Stanley Love would replace Hans Schlegel for EVA-1 on Monday. During the post-MMT briefing, Mission Management Chairman John Shannon explained there was a "crew medical issue", but it would not impact the mission objectives. For reasons of medical privacy, Shannon said NASA can not disclose which crewmember is affected, and no details would be given as to the nature of the issue, but Shannon said it was not something to be concerned about. Unconfirmed news reports claim that Schlegel had "lost his voice", and since communication is a critical function of an EVA, the decision to swap crewmembers was made. Shannon also noted that Atlantis has enough consumables to extend almost two days; the mission operations team was looking at procedures to assist with power conservation, and the team hopes to add another day extension to the mission.
10 February (Flight day 4)
The two crews spent their first joint mission day working through a focused inspection of the OMS pod blanket, reviewing the upcoming EVA procedures, and beginning the transfer of items from the shuttle to the station. Earlier in the day, ESA confirmed the crewmember with the medical condition was Schlegel, but stated it was nothing serious and does not impact the health of any of the other crewmembers. Tani and Eyharts spent several hours working through a variety of station familiarization procedures, designed to assist Eyharts in learning where items are on the station. Love, Walheim and Schlegel were given several hours in their daily timeline to go over the EVA. Walheim and Love will spend the night in the Quest airlock in preparation for Monday's EVA.During the mission status briefing, MMT Chairman John Shannon stated that the rest of the mission will follow the plan, with no changes expected. Commenting on the ongoing thermal protection system review, Shannon said "The thermal protection system inspections that we do are going extremely well, it's the fastest I've ever seen them done on a flight. We have completely cleared the bottom of the orbiter, there are no issues we are working on the bottom, and all of the reinforced carbon-carbon
Reinforced carbon-carbon
Carbon fibre-reinforced carbon is a composite material consisting of carbon fibre reinforcement in a matrix of graphite. It was developed for the nose cones of intercontinental ballistic missiles, and is most widely known as the material for the nose cone and wing leading edges of the Space Shuttle...
on the wings and the nose are completely cleared. We're gathering additional information on the right OMS pod. Atlantis is extremely clean." The blanket would be evaluated more on Monday, and a decision regarding that area is expected to be made at the MMT meeting Monday evening. There were a few areas of interest around the windows that were also being evaluated.
11 February (Flight day 5)
At 19:53 UTC (14:53 EST), Walheim and Love completed the preparations for the unberthing of Columbus from the payload bay, and with Melvin inside the space station working the robotic arm, the module was successfully lifted out of the payload bay. The first contact of Columbus with the station was at 21:29, and at 21:44, Eyharts announced that Columbus was officially installed on its new home in orbit. "Houston and Munich, the European Columbus laboratory module is now part of the ISS," Eyharts radioed to the ground. Walheim and Love began the re-pressurization of the Quest airlock at 22:11 UTC (17:11 EST), which marked the official end of their 7 hour, 58 minute EVA.
12 February (Flight day 6)
By the afternoon, after allowing the circulation fans to work for several hours to clean out any residual particulates in the air, crewmembers were going in and out, working on hooking up water, thermal controls, and command and monitoring units. During the afternoon's mission status briefing, ISS Orbit One Flight Director Bob Dempsey
Bob Dempsey
Bob Dempsey is a NASA flight director for the International Space Station, the lead flight director for Expedition 15, and was one of the Flight Directors for STS-122. He was an undergraduate at University of Michigan, and received his Ph.D. in physics and astronomy from the University of Toledo....
noted that the two crews were far ahead of the timeline for activation, and excited about the station's new addition.
In the early evening, the ground team radioed the crew to let Commander Frick know that the Mission Management Team had officially cleared the right OMS pod blanket for return "as-is", and there were no safety concerns. The crew of Atlantis also took some time out to talk to reporters on the ground, one session in the morning, and another in the afternoon with CBS News
CBS News
CBS News is the news division of American television and radio network CBS. The current chairman is Jeff Fager who is also the executive producer of 60 Minutes, while the current president of CBS News is David Rhodes. CBS News' flagship program is the CBS Evening News, hosted by the network's main...
, and Pittsburgh television stations. Frick, a native of Pittsburgh, Schlegel, and Poindexter participated in the afternoon interviews. Asked how he was feeling, Schlegel said he was proud to be a part of the mission to deliver Columbus, that the "big mission" was what mattered, and he was feeling fine and ready to perform the mission's second EVA. Walheim and Schlegel spent the night in the station's airlock in preparation for Wednesday's EVA.
13 February (Flight day 7)
During the mission status briefing, Lead ISS Flight Director Sally Davis announced that the managers had officially approved an additional docked day extension, and the team had also cleared the orbiter's entire thermal protection system for re-entry, pending late inspection results. The right OMS pod blanket was determined to be of no issue for re-entry the day before, and the areas around the orbiter's windows that appeared damaged were fully cleared. A tile that fell off during launch from the left Reaction Control System engine, called a "LOMS stinger tile" was deemed to be from a non-critical area, and was also cleared.
14 February (Flight day 8)
The two crews had a light day scheduled, designed to give the crew some rest after a busy week of activities. Several media interviews were conducted, including interviews with NBC NewsNBC News
NBC News is the news division of American television network NBC. It first started broadcasting in February 21, 1940. NBC Nightly News has aired from Studio 3B, located on floors 3 of the NBC Studios is the headquarters of the GE Building forms the centerpiece of 30th Rockefeller Center it is...
and a number of radio stations, as well as a special ESA event, a VIP call with German Chancellor Angela Merkel
Angela Merkel
Angela Dorothea Merkel is the current Chancellor of Germany . Merkel, elected to the Bundestag from Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, has been the chairwoman of the Christian Democratic Union since 2000, and chairwoman of the CDU-CSU parliamentary coalition from 2002 to 2005.From 2005 to 2009 she led a...
who called to congratulate Eyharts and Schlegel, as representatives of the European Space Agency on the successful delivery and installation of the Columbus module to the station. The joint crews also did some maintenance tasks, including a waste water dump from the shuttle, transfer activities, and continued work on outfitting and activating the Columbus module. Both crews participated in an EVA review in the late afternoon, and Walheim and Love spent the night in the station's airlock in preparation for the mission's final spacewalk.
15 February (Flight day 9)
After awakening at 08:45 UTC, Walheim and Love spent the morning preparing for the mission's final spacewalk, assisted by Whitson and Frick, while the rest of the crew worked on Columbus outfitting, transfers, and preparation for robotics support during the EVA. The third EVA officially began at 13:07 UTC (08:07 EST) and ended at 20:32 UTC (15:32 EST).16 February (Flight day 10)
While the ongoing task of outfitting the Columbus module continued today, Atlantis' propulsion system was fired for 36 minutes to reboost the station's altitude by 1.4 miles (2.2 kilometers) in preparation for the arrival of Space Shuttle Endeavour during STS-123STS-123
-Mission parameters:* Mass:* Orbiter liftoff: * Orbiter landing: * Perigee: 336 kilometers * Apogee: 346 kilometers * Inclination: 51.6 degrees* Period: 91.6min-Mission payloads:...
. Also, all members of the shuttle and station crews participated in news conferences with American and European media.
19 February (Flight day 13)
20 February (Flight day 14, Landing)
The crew were cleared to close Atlantis payload bay doors at 10:14 UTC, and this was completed by 10:28 UTC. At 12:32 UTC, NASA cleared Atlantis to land on its first opportunity at KSC. A two minute, 43 second de-orbit burn was conducted, beginning at 13:00 UTC. This was followed by entry interface at 13:35 UTC. Atlantis touched-down on Runway 15 of the Shuttle Landing Facility at 9:07 am EST (14:07:10 UTC), approximately 12 days, 18 hours, 21 minutes and 40 seconds into the mission. Wheel stop occurred at 09:08 EST (14:08:08 UTC).Extra-vehicular activity
Three spacewalks were scheduled and completed during STS-122. The cumulative time in extra-vehicular activity during the mission was 22 hours, 8 minutes.| EVA | Spacewalkers | Start (UTC Coordinated Universal Time Coordinated Universal Time is the primary time standard by which the world regulates clocks and time. It is one of several closely related successors to Greenwich Mean Time. Computer servers, online services and other entities that rely on having a universally accepted time use UTC for that purpose... ) |
End | Duration | Mission |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EVA 1 | Rex J. Walheim Rex J. Walheim Rex Joseph Walheim is a United States Air Force officer and a NASA astronaut. He has flown three space shuttle missions, STS-110, STS-122, and STS-135. Rex has logged over 566 hours in space, including 36 hours and 23 minutes of spacewalk time... Stanley G. Love Stanley G. Love Dr. Stanley G. Love, PH.D. is an American scientist and a NASA astronaut.-Early Life:Stanley G. Love was born on June 8, 1965 to Glen A. Love and Rhoda M. Love in San Diego, California. However, Love has stated he considers Eugene, Oregon to be his hometown. Love graduated from Winston Churchill... |
11 February 2008 14:13 |
11 February 2008 22:11 |
7 hours, 58 minutes | Columbus power data grapple fixture installation, P1 truss nitrogen Nitrogen Nitrogen is a chemical element that has the symbol N, atomic number of 7 and atomic mass 14.00674 u. Elemental nitrogen is a colorless, odorless, tasteless, and mostly inert diatomic gas at standard conditions, constituting 78.08% by volume of Earth's atmosphere... (N2) tank assembly preparation, power and data grapple fixture removal and installation to Columbus. |
| EVA 2 | Rex J. Walheim Rex J. Walheim Rex Joseph Walheim is a United States Air Force officer and a NASA astronaut. He has flown three space shuttle missions, STS-110, STS-122, and STS-135. Rex has logged over 566 hours in space, including 36 hours and 23 minutes of spacewalk time... Hans Schlegel Hans Schlegel Hans Wilhelm Schlegel is a German physicist, an ESA astronaut, and a veteran of two NASA Space Shuttle missions.-Early life and education:... |
13 February 2008 14:27 |
13 February 2008 21:12 |
6 hours, 45 minutes | P1 Truss Nitrogen (N2) tank assembly installation, stowage of old N2 tank assembly into payload bay, Station-to-Shuttle Power Transfer System (SSPTS) routing. |
| EVA 3 | Rex J. Walheim Rex J. Walheim Rex Joseph Walheim is a United States Air Force officer and a NASA astronaut. He has flown three space shuttle missions, STS-110, STS-122, and STS-135. Rex has logged over 566 hours in space, including 36 hours and 23 minutes of spacewalk time... Stanley G. Love Stanley G. Love Dr. Stanley G. Love, PH.D. is an American scientist and a NASA astronaut.-Early Life:Stanley G. Love was born on June 8, 1965 to Glen A. Love and Rhoda M. Love in San Diego, California. However, Love has stated he considers Eugene, Oregon to be his hometown. Love graduated from Winston Churchill... |
15 February 2008 13:07 |
15 February 2008 20:32 |
7 hours, 25 minutes | Installation of SOLAR telescope Solar Monitoring Observatory The Solar Monitoring Observatory is an ESA science observatory that is part of the Columbus Laboratory, which is a component of the International Space Station. The Columbus module was launched February 2008 aboard STS-122. SOLAR was externally mounted to the Columbus Laboratory, together with... , and EuTEF facility onto an External Stowage Platform (ESP) on Columbus, retrieval of failed Control Moment Gyroscope Control moment gyroscope A control momentum gyroscope is an attitude control device generally used in spacecraft attitude control systems. A CMG consists of a spinning rotor and one or more motorized gimbals that tilt the rotor’s angular momentum. As the rotor tilts, the changing angular momentum causes a gyroscopic... (CMG) that was replaced on STS-118 STS-118 - Crew notes :Astronaut Clayton Anderson originally was slated to be launched to the ISS on this mission, but was moved to STS-117. His replacement was Alvin Drew.... and stowed on ESP2, installation of failed CMG into payload bay, installation of keel pin cloth covers on Columbus, inspection and imaging of handrail outside airlock, and testing with overglove and velcro tool for rough areas. |
Wake-up calls
NASA began a tradition of playing music to astronauts during the Gemini program, which was first used to wake up a flight crew during Apollo 15Apollo 15
Apollo 15 was the ninth manned mission in the American Apollo space program, the fourth to land on the Moon and the eighth successful manned mission. It was the first of what were termed "J missions", long duration stays on the Moon with a greater focus on science than had been possible on previous...
.
Each track is specially chosen, often by their families, and usually has a special meaning to an individual member of the crew, or is applicable to their daily activities.
| Flight Day | Song | Artist/Composer | Played for | Links |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Day 2 | "Book of Love Book of Love Book of Love was, from 1984 to 1993, a popular synth pop and dance music band, alongside Sire Records labelmates Depeche Mode and Erasure. Led by vocalist Susan Ottaviano, the band also included Ted Ottaviano , Lauren Roselli and Jade Lee.-History:The band was formed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania... " |
Peter Gabriel Peter Gabriel Peter Brian Gabriel is an English singer, musician, and songwriter who rose to fame as the lead vocalist and flautist of the progressive rock group Genesis. After leaving Genesis, Gabriel went on to a successful solo career... |
Léopold Eyharts Léopold Eyharts Léopold Eyharts is a Brigadier General in the French Air Force and an ESA astronaut.-Background:Eyharts was born April 28, 1957, in Biarritz, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, France... |
wav mp3 Transcript |
| Day 3 | "The Prairie Home Companion A Prairie Home Companion A Prairie Home Companion is a live radio variety show created and hosted by Garrison Keillor. The show runs on Saturdays from 5 to 7 p.m. Central Time, and usually originates from the Fitzgerald Theater in Saint Paul, Minnesota, although it is frequently taken on the road... Theme Song Tishomingo Blues "Tishomingo Blues" is a famous tune and song by Spencer Williams. The tune was first published in 1917. The title refers to Tishomingo, Mississippi, although the cover of the original sheet music shows a scene in Mexico.The original lyrics are as follows:... " |
Pat Donohue Pat Donohue Patrick Donohue is an American fingerstyle guitarist born in St. Paul, Minnesota. He is a Grammy nominated, National Fingerpicking Guitar Champion and a songwriter. Donohue has several albums to his credit and his songs have been recorded by Chet Atkins, Suzy Bogguss, and Kenny Rogers... and Guy's All-Star Shoe Band and Garrison Keillor Garrison Keillor Gary Edward "Garrison" Keillor is an American author, storyteller, humorist, and radio personality. He is known as host of the Minnesota Public Radio show A Prairie Home Companion Gary Edward "Garrison" Keillor (born August 7, 1942) is an American author, storyteller, humorist, and radio... |
Hans Schlegel Hans Schlegel Hans Wilhelm Schlegel is a German physicist, an ESA astronaut, and a veteran of two NASA Space Shuttle missions.-Early life and education:... |
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| Day 4 | "Maenner" | Herbert Groenemeyer | Hans Schlegel Hans Schlegel Hans Wilhelm Schlegel is a German physicist, an ESA astronaut, and a veteran of two NASA Space Shuttle missions.-Early life and education:... |
wav mp3 Transcript |
| Day 5 | "Fly Like an Eagle Fly Like an Eagle - Track listing :Side one# "Space Intro" – 1:15# "Fly Like an Eagle" – 4:42# "Wild Mountain Honey" – 4:51# "Serenade" – 3:13... " |
Steve Miller Band Steve Miller Band The Steve Miller Band is an American rock band formed in 1967 in San Francisco, California. The band is managed by Steve Miller on guitar and lead vocals, and is known for a string of mid-1970s hit singles that are staples of the classic rock radio format.-History:In 1965, Steve Miller and... |
Leland Melvin | wav mp3 Transcript |
| Day 6 | "Dream Come True" | Jim Brickman Jim Brickman Jim Brickman is an American songwriter and pianist. He has been named the most charted male Adult Contemporary artist to date, with six of his albums receiving Gold and Platinum status. He is known for his solo piano compositions, pop-style instrumentals, and vocal collaborations with artists... |
Rex Walheim | wav mp3 Transcript |
| Day 7 | "Oysters and Pearls" | Jimmy Buffett Jimmy Buffett James William "Jimmy" Buffett is a singer-songwriter, author, entrepreneur, and film producer. He is best known for his music, which often portrays an "island escapism" lifestyle. Together with his Coral Reefer Band, Buffett's musical hits include "Margaritaville" , and "Come Monday"... |
Alan Poindexter | wav mp3 Transcript |
| Day 8 | "Consider Yourself Consider Yourself "Consider Yourself" is a song from the 1960s original West End and Broadway musical Oliver! and the 1968 film of the same name. In the 1968 Oliver! film, it is performed in the market.-In popular culture:... (at Home)" |
Lionel Bart Lionel Bart Lionel Bart was a writer and composer of British pop music and musicals, best known for creating the book, music and lyrics for Oliver!-Early life:... |
Stanley Love | wav mp3 Transcript |
| Day 9 | "Marmor Stein und Eisen Bricht" | Drafi Deutscher Drafi Deutscher Drafi Deutscher was a German singer and composer of Sinti origin.-Biography:He was born Drafi Franz Richard Deutscher in Berlin. His best known song was the 1965 Schlager "Marmor, Stein und Eisen bricht" which sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc... |
Hans Schlegel Hans Schlegel Hans Wilhelm Schlegel is a German physicist, an ESA astronaut, and a veteran of two NASA Space Shuttle missions.-Early life and education:... |
wav mp3 Transcript |
| Day 10 | "I Believe I Can Fly I Believe I Can Fly "I Believe I Can Fly" is a 1996 song by R&B singer R. Kelly. The song was written, produced and performed by Kelly and was featured on the soundtrack to the 1996 film Space Jam. The song later appeared on Kelly's 1998 album R..... " |
Yolanda Adams Yolanda Adams Yolanda Adams is an American Grammy- and Dove-award-winning Yolanda Adams is an American [[Grammy Awards|Grammy]]- and [[Dove Awards|Dove]]-award-winning... and Kenny G Kenny G Kenneth Bruce Gorelick , better known by his stage name Kenny G, is an American, adult contemporary and smooth jazz saxophonist. His fourth album, Duotones, brought him breakthrough success in 1986... |
Leland Melvin | wav mp3 Transcript |
| Day 11 | "Hail Thee, Harvey Mudd" | Amy Lewkowicz | Stanley Love | wav mp3 Transcript |
| Day 12 | "Over the Rainbow Over the Rainbow "Over the Rainbow" is a classic Academy Award-winning ballad song with music by Harold Arlen and lyrics by E.Y. Harburg. It was written for the movie The Wizard of Oz, and was sung by Judy Garland in the movie... "/"What a Wonderful World What a Wonderful World "What a Wonderful World" is a song written by Bob Thiele and George David Weiss. It was first recorded by Louis Armstrong and released as a single in 1968. Thiele and Weiss were both prominent in the music world . Armstrong's recording was inducted in the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999... " |
Israel Kamakawiwo'ole Israel Kamakawiwo'ole Israel "IZ" Kaʻanoʻi Kamakawiwoʻole was a Hawaiian musician.He became famous outside Hawaii when his album Facing Future was released in 1993... |
Dan Tani | wav mp3 Transcript |
| Day 13 | "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life Always Look on the Bright Side of Life "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life" is a popular song written by Eric Idle that was originally featured in the 1979 film Monty Python's Life of Brian and has gone on to become a common singalong at public events such as football matches as well as funerals.-History:Whilst trying to come up... " |
Eric Idle Eric Idle Eric Idle is an English comedian, actor, author, singer, writer, and comedic composer. He was as a member of the British comedy group Monty Python, a member of the The Rutles on Saturday Night Live and author of the play, Spamalot.... |
Steve Frick | wav mp3 Transcript |
| Day 14 | "Hail to the Spirit of Liberty" | John Philips Sousa | Alan Poindexter | wav mp3 Transcript |
Media
See also
- Space Shuttle programSpace Shuttle programNASA's Space Shuttle program, officially called Space Transportation System , was the United States government's manned launch vehicle program from 1981 to 2011...
- 2008 in spaceflight2008 in spaceflightThe year 2008 contained several significant events in spaceflight, including the first flyby of Mercury by a spacecraft since 1975, the discovery of water ice on Mars by the Phoenix spacecraft, which landed in May, the first Chinese spacewalk in September, and the launch of the first Indian Lunar...
- List of ISS spacewalks
- List of space shuttle missions
- List of spacewalks and moonwalks
- List of human spaceflights chronologically