STS-126
Encyclopedia
Crew notes
Originally scheduled to fly on STS-126 was Joan E. HigginbothamJoan Higginbotham
Joan Elizabeth Higginbotham is an American engineer and a former NASA astronaut. She flew aboard Space Shuttle Discovery mission STS-116 as a mission specialist.-Early life:...
, who was a mission specialist on STS-116
STS-116
-Crew notes:Originally this mission was to carry the Expedition 8 crew to the ISS. The original crew was to be:-Mission highlights:* The STS-116 mission delivered and attached the International Space Station's third port truss segment, the P5 truss....
. On 21 November 2007, NASA announced a change in the crew manifest due to Higginbotham's decision to leave NASA to take a job in the private sector. Stephen G. Bowen was originally assigned to STS-124
STS-124
STS-124 was a Space Shuttle mission, flown by Space Shuttle Discovery to the International Space Station. Discovery launched on 31 May 2008 at 17:02 EDT, moved from an earlier scheduled launch date of 25 May 2008, and landed safely at the Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landing Facility, at 11:15...
but was moved to STS-126 to allow Discovery to rotate Greg Chamitoff with Garrett Reisman.
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: 266894 pounds (121,061.1 kg)
- Orbiter landing: 223422 pounds (101,342.5 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"...
: 185 nautical miles (342.6 km) - Apogee: 190 nautical miles (351.9 km)
- 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
STS-126 was scheduled to be a sixteen day mission with four spacewalksExtra-vehicular activity
Extra-vehicular activity is work done by an astronaut away from the Earth, and outside of a spacecraft. The term most commonly applies to an EVA made outside a craft orbiting Earth , but also applies to an EVA made on the surface of the Moon...
, largely dedicated to servicing and repair of the Solar Alpha Rotary Joints (SARJ). An additional docked day was added to the flight plan to give the crew more time to complete their tasks. The starboard SARJ had shown anomalous behavior since August 2007, and its use has been minimized pending diagnosis and repair. Both the starboard and port SARJs were serviced. In addition to lubricating both bearings, the remaining 11 trundle bearings in the starboard SARJ were replaced. Trundle bearing assembly five was removed during an 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...
EVA for further examination in December 2007.
STS-126 included the Leonardo Multi-Purpose Logistics Module
Multi-Purpose Logistics Module
A Multi-Purpose Logistics Module is a large pressurized container used on Space Shuttle missions to transfer cargo to and from the International Space Station . An MPLM was carried in the cargo bay of a Shuttle and berthed to the Unity or Harmony modules on the ISS. From there, supplies were...
(MPLM) on its fifth spaceflight. Leonardo held over 14,000 pounds
Pound (mass)
The pound or pound-mass is a unit of mass used in the Imperial, United States customary and other systems of measurement...
of supplies and equipment. Among the items packed into the MPLM were two new crew quarters racks, a second galley (kitchen) for the Destiny laboratory, a second Waste and Hygiene Compartment (WHC) rack (lavatory), the advanced Resistive Exercise Device (aRED), two water reclamation racks, spare hardware, and new experiments. Also included in Leonardo was the General Laboratory Active Cryogenic ISS Experiment Refrigerator, or GLACIER, a double locker cryogenic freezer for transporting and preserving science experiments. The shuttle also carried irradiated turkey, candied yams, stuffing and dessert for a special Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving Day is a holiday celebrated primarily in the United States and Canada. Thanksgiving is celebrated each year on the second Monday of October in Canada and on the fourth Thursday of November in the United States. In Canada, Thanksgiving falls on the same day as Columbus Day in the...
meal at the station, as well as an Official Flight Kit with mementos for those who supported the astronauts and helped them complete their mission successfully.
Also carried was a Lightweight MPESS Carrier (LMC) carrying a Flex Hose Rotary Coupler (FHRC) and returning a Nitrogen Assembly Tank from ‘Quest’ for refurbishment.
| Location | Cargo | Mass |
|---|---|---|
| Bays 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... 3005 / EMU 3011 |
1800 kilograms (3,968.3 lb) ~260 kilograms (573.2 lb) |
| Bay 3P | Shuttle Power Distribution Unit (SPDU) |
~17 kilograms (37.5 lb) |
| Bay 3S | APC/SSPL Picosat launcher PSSC Picosats |
50 kilograms (110.2 lb) 7 kilograms (15.4 lb) |
| Bay 7S | ROEU umbilical | ~79 kilograms (174.2 lb) |
| Bay 7–12 | Leonardo (MPLM FM-1) | 12748 kilograms (28,104.5 lb) |
| Bays 13 | Lightweight MPESS Carrier (LMC) | 1495 kilograms (3,295.9 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... |
~382 kilograms (842.2 lb) |
| Port Sill | Canadarm 201 | 410 kilograms (903.9 lb) |
| Total: | 17370 kilograms (38,294.3 lb) |
Educational outreach
STS-126 carried the signatures of over 500,000 students that participated in the 2008 Student Signatures in Space program, jointly sponsored by NASA and Lockheed Martin. In celebration of Space Day last May, students from over 500 schools signed giant posters, their signatures were scanned onto a disk, and the disk was flown on the STS-126 mission. The Student Signatures in Space project has been active since 1997, and has flown student signatures on seven other shuttle flights, starting with STS-86STS-86
STS-86 was a Space Shuttle Atlantis mission to the Mir space station. This was the last Atlantis mission before it was taken out of service temporarily for maintenance and upgrades, including the glass cockpit.-Crew:-Crew notes:...
.
AgCam
Also aboard STS-126 was the Agricultural Camera (AgCam) which was installed in the Destiny module and is used to assist farmers and provide educational opportunities for students around the country. Students and faculty at the University of North DakotaUniversity of North Dakota
The University of North Dakota is a public university in Grand Forks, North Dakota, USA. Established by the Dakota Territorial Assembly in 1883, six years before the establishment of the state of North Dakota, UND is the oldest and largest university in the state and enrolls over 14,000 students. ...
built the Agricultural Camera (AgCam), that was to be delivered and installed on the International Space Station. The students will operate the camera from their campus and work with NASA engineers and station astronauts to take visible and infrared light images of growing crops, grasslands, forests and wetlands in the Great Plains
Great Plains
The Great Plains are a broad expanse of flat land, much of it covered in prairie, steppe and grassland, which lies west of the Mississippi River and east of the Rocky Mountains in the United States and Canada. This area covers parts of the U.S...
and Rocky Mountains
Rocky Mountains
The Rocky Mountains are a major mountain range in western North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch more than from the northernmost part of British Columbia, in western Canada, to New Mexico, in the southwestern United States...
regions.
The information from AgCam will provide data to agricultural producers in North Dakota
North Dakota
North Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States of America, along the Canadian border. The state is bordered by Canada to the north, Minnesota to the east, South Dakota to the south and Montana to the west. North Dakota is the 19th-largest state by area in the U.S....
and neighboring states, benefiting farmers and ranchers and providing ways for them to protect the environment. AgCam imagery also may assist in disaster management, such as flood monitoring and wild fire mapping.
Cow embryos in space
STS-126 also flew the first bovine embryos on an American spacecraft for an experiment to evaluate effects of the environment of space on embryonic development. The project was a joint project of ZeroGravity Inc., University of Florida and USDA ARS.Mission background
The mission marks:- 155th NASA manned space flight
- 124th shuttle mission since STS-1STS-1STS-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...
- 99th post-ChallengerSpace Shuttle ChallengerSpace Shuttle Challenger was NASA's second Space Shuttle orbiter to be put into service, Columbia having been the first. The shuttle was built by Rockwell International's Space Transportation Systems Division in Downey, California...
mission - 11th post-ColumbiaSpace Shuttle ColumbiaSpace Shuttle Columbia was the first spaceworthy Space Shuttle in NASA's orbital fleet. First launched on the STS-1 mission, the first of the Space Shuttle program, it completed 27 missions before being destroyed during re-entry on February 1, 2003 near the end of its 28th, STS-107. All seven crew...
mission - 22nd flight of Endeavour
- 27th shuttle mission to the ISS
- 31st night launch
Shuttle processing
Orbiter Processing Facility
An Orbiter Processing Facility was one of three hangars where U.S. space shuttle orbiters underwent maintenance between flights. All three such facilities, OPF-1, OPF-2 and OPF-3, were located at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida at Launch Complex 39.They were located west of the Vehicle...
(OPF-2) at 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...
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...
on 11 September 2008. Rollout to launch pad 39B took place overnight on 18 September 2008 and was completed at 07:00EDT
Eastern Time Zone
The Eastern Time Zone of the United States and Canada is a time zone that falls mostly along the east coast of North America. Its UTC time offset is −5 hrs during standard time and −4 hrs during daylight saving time...
on 19 September 2008.
Endeavour was originally moved to launch pad 39B ahead of the normal schedule to be on standby as the Launch on Need (LON) flight 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...
. In the event that something happened to 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...
during its flight to service 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...
, a rescue flight could be performed with Endeavour. With both Atlantis and Endeavour on the pads, it was the 18th time that two flight-ready orbiters were in position at both launch pads at the same time.
On 29 September 2008, NASA announced that due to a problem with the Hubble telescope, they would be revising the manifest to postpone 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...
until 2009, so a solution to the issue with the telescope could be integrated into the flight plan. This moved STS-126 to the next flight, so on 23 October 2008 Endeavour was moved from launch pad 39B to 39A.
The payload for STS-126, including the MPLM Leonardo, arrived at launch pad 39A early on 22 October 2008.
Launch preparations
Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center
The Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center is the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's center for human spaceflight training, research and flight control. The center consists of a complex of 100 buildings constructed on 1,620 acres in Houston, Texas, USA...
to the Kennedy Space Center to prepare for the launch. On 12 November 2008, Mission Management Team (MMT) 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....
announced that the MMT gave the official "go" for Endeavours launch on 13 November 2008 and Ferguson and Boe practiced landings in the Shuttle Training Aircraft
Shuttle Training Aircraft
The Shuttle Training Aircraft is a NASA training vehicle that duplicates the Space Shuttle's approach profile and handling qualities, allowing Space Shuttle pilots to simulate Shuttle landings under controlled conditions before attempting the task on board the orbiter.-Development:The aircraft's...
. Weather reports on 13 November 2008 gave a seventy percent chance of acceptable weather conditions for launch.
14 November (Flight day 1, Launch)
Filling of the external tank with liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen propellants started at 10:30 EST on 14 November 2008. After suiting up into the launch and entry suits, the crew left the Operations and Checkout building in the AstrovanAstroVan
The Crew Transport Vehicle, also known as the Astrovan, is a NASA vehicle used at the Kennedy Space Center to transport astronauts from the Operations and Checkout Building to the launch pad before a launch mission, to the pad for launch dress rehearsals, and back to Operations and Checkout...
and arrived at the launch pad at 16:22 EST. At 4:30 pm, the crew began ingress into the orbiter, and by 17:25 EST, all crewmembers were in their seats and performed communications checks with the ground control personnel. At 18:00 EST, the closeout crew closed and locked Endeavours hatch, and the orbiter's cabin was pressurized in preparation for launch. Despite a last minute issue with the white room closeout door not being fully secured, NASA Launch Director Mike Leinbach polled the team, determined the door did not pose a hazard to the orbiter or crew, and told the crew "Good luck, Godspeed and have a happy Thanksgiving in orbit." Endeavour lifted off on time at 19:55:39 EST (00:55 UTC). External tank separation occurred at 01:03 UTC.
After reaching orbit, the crew began working through the post-insertion timeline, which included opening the orbiter's payload bay doors, deploying the Ku band
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, powering up and activating the shuttle robotic arm, and performing a burn of the Orbital Maneuvering System (OMS).
15 November (Flight day 2)
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), the crew took detailed images of the exterior of the orbiter for the image analysis team to review. The crew also continued to prepare for docking with the station on Sunday, by extending the docking ring, installing the centerline camera, and organizing the tools needed for rendezvous with the station. The crew also performed a checkout of the spacesuits that will be used for the spacewalks during the mission.
During the Mission Management Team briefing, LeRoy Cain noted that upon initial review of the ascent imagery, a small piece of thermal blanket appeared to come loose under the left Orbital Maneuvering System (OMS) pod, but explained that the area is not in an area of concern, as it does not experience high heat during reentry. During the Mission Status briefing, lead Flight Director Mike Sarafin said that after having the crew focus the camera on the left OMS pod, it did not appear that there was any damage, but the image analysis team would take a closer look at the area.
Two issues with the orbiter's Ku antenna were noted by Cain, although he stated they would not impact the mission. The antenna was not handing over from Ku to S-band automatically as it should, which meant that teams on the ground had to manually switch the antenna from Ku to S Band and back again. Sarafin noted that this was likely a software issue, and would not affect the crew on board, or the mission. The other issue had to do with the antenna's failure to "lock on" to satellite targets after being given the pointing data. Instead, the antenna was drifting, which meant that the teams on the ground would have to use an alternate method of pointing the antenna. There was a possibility that the shuttle crew would need to use a backup procedure during rendezvous with the station, but it was not a concern, and would not change the timeline, Cain noted.
16 November (Flight day 3)
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...
(RPM) while station crew used 400mm and 800mm cameras to take high-resolution images of the thermal tiles on Endeavour. The images were downlinked to NASA's image analysis team to assist in the evaluation of the thermal protection system of the orbiter. After the RPM was complete, Ferguson guided the orbiter into a safe docking at 22:01 UTC (17:01 EST), and the hatches were opened at 00:16 UTC (19:16 EST). Upon entering the station, Ferguson joked "Hey, we figured we'd go for a 10-year anniversary party for the space station, so that's what we showed up for." Ferguson was referring to the 20 November 1998 launch of Zarya
Zarya
Zarya , also known as the Functional Cargo Block or FGB , was the first module of the International Space Station to be launched. The FGB provided electrical power, storage, propulsion, and guidance to the ISS during the initial stage of assembly...
, the first component of the International Space Station.
After the two crews exchanged greetings, they performed a safety briefing, and then set right to work, beginning transfers and preparing for robotic operations. At 02:50 UTC, Chamitoff and Magnus officially switched positions, with the swap of their Soyuz seatliners. Chamitoff joined the STS-126 crew as a Mission Specialist, and Magnus officially became the Flight Engineer 2 for Expedition 18.
During the mission status briefing, LeRoy Cain stated that the image analysis team was still evaluating the ascent imagery, but that the vehicle looked very clean, and the only event that was seen on launch, the area under the left OMS pod, appeared to have been ice. The images taken during the flight day two survey showed that all of the thermal blankets in that area were intact, as were the tiles. Cain stated that the item did not strike the orbiter, it was the only event that the Mission Management Team was still evaluating, and that the orbiter was in good shape. Mike Sarafin confirmed that the Ku band antenna performed properly in radar mode, and docking was carried out without any problems with the antenna.
17 November (Flight day 4)
Pound (mass)
The pound or pound-mass is a unit of mass used in the Imperial, United States customary and other systems of measurement...
container around 16:45 UTC, and by at 18:04 UTC it was locked in place. After performing leak checks, the hatch was opened at 23:43 UTC. The crews took air samples and examined the container for any signs of condensation or shifting of the contents during launch. The container had no issues, and transfer of cargo between the container and the station began shortly after the hatch was opened. The team also worked on experiments that were flown with Endeavour, including one that involves observing spiders and butterflies in space. The experiment from Florida, Texas and Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
schoolchildren is being conducted to compare spider webs created in microgravity with those on Earth. The insects will be returned to Earth with the shuttle for additional study.
Later in the day, the crew members reviewed spacewalk procedures to prepare for the first of the four planned EVAs. Piper and Bowen began the protocol known as the "campout" prior to their sleep period. Camping out consists of spending the night in the Quest airlock at lower air pressure (10.2 psi
Pounds per square inch
The pound per square inch or, more accurately, pound-force per square inch is a unit of pressure or of stress based on avoirdupois units...
) to lessen the time needed to acclimate to the environment in the spacesuits.
During the Mission Management Team briefing, LeRoy Cain confirmed that the orbiter's wing leading edge had been cleared, and that no focused inspection would be required. The time that was scheduled for that inspection on day six would instead be spent working on the station's new water reclamation unit. While the image analysis team was still reviewing the imagery from the day two inspection and RPM, Cain said the orbiter was "doing extremely well", and expected the image analysis team to clear it for re-entry within a day. Cain noted that the imagery from the external tank showed it to be extremely clean, with only three small areas of foam loss noted.
During the Mission Status briefing, ISS Deputy Program Manager Kirk Shireman noted the upcoming ten-year anniversary of the International Space Station. Shireman reviewed the progress and advancements that have come from the project, and reviewed some of the major milestones. Thirty Progress
Progress spacecraft
The Progress is a Russian expendable freighter spacecraft. The spacecraft is an unmanned resupply spacecraft during its flight but upon docking with a space station, it allows astronauts inside, hence it is classified manned by the manufacturer. It was derived from the Soyuz spacecraft, and is...
vehicles have visited the station, seventeen 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...
vehicles, twenty-seven shuttles, and one Automated Transfer Vehicle
Automated Transfer Vehicle
The Automated Transfer Vehicle or ATV is an expendable, unmanned resupply spacecraft developed by the European Space Agency . ATVs are designed to supply the International Space Station with propellant, water, air, payload and experiments...
(ATV). One hundred sixty-four people had visited the station from fourteen nations prior to STS-126, (167 once STS-126 docked) and on Thursday, the tenth anniversary, Shireman said the station will have orbited the Earth 57,509 times, for a total distance of over 1.3 billion miles.
18 November (Flight day 5)
United States Space Surveillance Network
The United States Space Surveillance Network is a critical part of United States Strategic Command's mission and involves detecting, tracking, cataloging and identifying artificial objects orbiting Earth, i.e. active/inactive satellites, spent rocket bodies, or fragmentation debris...
constantly monitors over 12,500 items in orbit around the Earth.
During the Mission Status Briefing, lead ISS Flight Director Ginger Kerrick noted that there was no way to know what caused the bag to come loose. "We don't know that this incident occurred because they forgot to tether something. We don't know if perhaps the hook just came loose inside the bag," Kerrick said. "You've got to remember, we are working with humans here and we are prone to human error. We do the best we can, and we learn from our mistakes." Kerrick noted that the team would be taking extra precautions to avoid any further problems with the grease guns, by attaching them to the outside of the bags instead of inside to prevent the plungers from being inadvertently activated.
19 November (Flight day 6)
20 November (Flight day 7)
21 November (Flight day 8)
Following the crew wake up call, the two crews set to work on the day's planned activities. Fincke and Magnus tested latches on the Exposed Facility Berthing Mechanism for the Japanese Kibo laboratory. Magnus continued with the installation of the Total Organic Carbon Analyzer (TOCA), while engineers on the ground worked through troubleshooting of the Urine Processor Assembly. The component ran initially on Thursday evening, but shut itself down during that initial test, and shut down again the following morning after two hours of operations. Engineers were considering if the issue was a problem with the sensors, or with the centrifuge motor. At 17:10, Ferguson and Boe used the shuttle's engines to reboost the station's altitude, raising it by about one nautical mileNautical mile
The nautical mile is a unit of length that is about one minute of arc of latitude along any meridian, but is approximately one minute of arc of longitude only at the equator...
to prepare for the next Progress
Progress spacecraft
The Progress is a Russian expendable freighter spacecraft. The spacecraft is an unmanned resupply spacecraft during its flight but upon docking with a space station, it allows astronauts inside, hence it is classified manned by the manufacturer. It was derived from the Soyuz spacecraft, and is...
arrival.
The two crews also participated in the traditional Joint Crew News Conference, answering questions from reporters around the world, and took the traditional crew photo. Cargo transfers continued between the vehicles, and the crew was about seventy-five percent complete with all transfers to and from the MPLM. After a bit of off-duty time, the two crews participated in an EVA review, in preparation for the mission's third spacewalk. Piper and Bowen spent the night in the Quest airlock for the campout prior to the next day's spacewalk.
22 November (Flight day 9)
On the station, the crews continued to work on transfer operations, and continued work on the water reclamation system. During the Mission Status Briefing, lead ISS Flight Director Ginger Kerrick noted that a sample was taken from the Water Processor Assembly that contained 10% urine and 90% condensate, and would be returned to the ground with the shuttle. Kerrick noted that if activation of the system continued on schedule, a sample from the potable water dispenser would be taken on flight day eleven. The ground crew continued to troubleshoot the Urine Processor Assembly, looking at whether there is a sensor touching part of the system’s centrifuge as it rotates, which might be causing it to slow down.
23 November (Flight day 10)
24 November (Flight day 11)
25 November (Flight day 12)
The crews dedicated most of the day to completing the transfer of supplies from the space station to Endeavour and Leonardo. The starboard Solar Alpha Rotary Joint was automatically tracking the sun for the first time in more than a year during a three-hour, two-orbit test that was initiated at 10:55 UTC. The Urine Processor Assembly completed its second full five hour run.During the Mission Status Briefing, International Space Station Program Manager Mike Suffredini noted that the water recycling system appeared to be functioning normally after the modifications performed by the crew on orbit. Additional water samples were taken, and the crew would be bringing home approximately six liters of sample water for extensive testing. The crew on the station would not be drinking any of the water until the engineers and scientists on the ground had a chance to thoroughly analyze the samples taken. Suffredini also noted that while the goal of the EVA activities to perform maintenance on the starboard SARJ was to allow it to operate "periodically", the initial test showed encouraging results, and the lubrication and other work done by the spacewalkers may allow for more routine operations than originally expected. It would be weeks before a more complete assessment could be given, the joint would need to be put through more testing, as well as analysis of the results from engineers on the ground, but Suffredini was encouraged by the initial results.
26 November (Flight day 13)
27 November (Flight day 14)
In their final day of joint operations, the two crews had some off-duty time, spoke to reporters, and shared a Thanksgiving Day meal together. Following the meal, the crews worked on last minute transfers, and gathered in the Harmony node to bid farewell. The hatches between the two vehicles were closed 23:31 UTC, with the crew of Endeavour reviewing the procedures and tools they would use the next day for undocking, scheduled for 14:47 UTC.28 November (Flight day 15)
Endeavour undocked from the International Space Station at 14:47 UTC. The total docked time was 11 days, 16 hours, and 46 minutes, making it the second-longest docked shuttle mission to the station, after 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:...
's 11 days, 20 hours and 36 minutes. Pilot Eric Boe maneuvered the shuttle through a flyaround inspection of the complex, but the final separation burn was delayed to avoid bringing the shuttle near the remains of a Russian Cosmos satellite that broke apart in March. While the burn would have only brought them about eleven kilometers from the debris, Flight Director Mike Sarafin noted during the Mission Status Briefing that "Per the flight rules, it was the safe course of action to not perform that burn." The burn was instead completed at 23:23 UTC. After separating from the station, the crew of Endeavour conducted an inspection of the shuttle's heat shield with the robotic arm.
29 November (Flight day 16)
Following the late inspection of Endeavours heat shield, the Mission Management Team officially cleared the orbiter for re-entry. The crew spent the day preparing for landing, performing inspections and checkout of the shuttle's flight control surfaces and reaction control system thrusters. Near the end of the crew's day, a Department of DefenseUnited States Department of Defense
The United States Department of Defense is the U.S...
satellite, Picosat, was deployed. The satellite will test two new types of photovoltaic
Photovoltaics
Photovoltaics is a method of generating electrical power by converting solar radiation into direct current electricity using semiconductors that exhibit the photovoltaic effect. Photovoltaic power generation employs solar panels composed of a number of solar cells containing a photovoltaic material...
solar cell
Solar cell
A solar cell is a solid state electrical device that converts the energy of light directly into electricity by the photovoltaic effect....
s, to determine their effectiveness for generating power.
Due to a less than favorable forecast for Kennedy Space Center on Sunday that was not expected to improve by Monday, mission managers decided to call up Edwards Air Force Base
Edwards Air Force Base
Edwards Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located on the border of Kern County, Los Angeles County, and San Bernardino County, California, in the Antelope Valley. It is southwest of the central business district of North Edwards, California and due east of Rosamond.It is named in...
for the first day of landing opportunities. There were two KSC opportunities, with two more opportunities for Edwards later in the day. If the first two opportunities at KSC were called off due to weather, Bryan Lunney, Entry Flight Director stated during the Mission Status Briefing that they would take the Edwards opportunities; the weather was not likely to improve, so there would be no reason to delay landing for a day. The forecast at KSC called for thunderstorms within 30 miles of the landing site, as well as high crosswinds, both conditions that would violate the weather constraints for landing.
30 November (Flight day 17)
Endeavour was the first and last orbiter to land on the temporary runway 04 at Edwards AFB, as the main runway was completing refurbishment. The use of the temporary runway required new braking and rollout techniques that have never been used before, as the runway is three thousand feet shorter than the normal runway.
Endeavour was returned to Florida on top of one of NASA's Shuttle Carrier Aircraft
Shuttle Carrier Aircraft
The Shuttle Carrier Aircraft are two extensively modified Boeing 747 airliners that NASA uses to transport Space Shuttle orbiters...
, arriving back at the Kennedy Space Center 12 December 2008 after a three day cross-country trip.
Extra-vehicular activity
Four spacewalksExtra-vehicular activity
Extra-vehicular activity is work done by an astronaut away from the Earth, and outside of a spacecraft. The term most commonly applies to an EVA made outside a craft orbiting Earth , but also applies to an EVA made on the surface of the Moon...
were scheduled and completed during STS-126. The cumulative time in extra-vehicular activity during the mission was 26 hours and 41 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 (UTC) | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EVA 1 | Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper Stephen G. Bowen Stephen G. Bowen Stephen Gerard Bowen is a US Navy submariner and a NASA astronaut; he was the second submariner to travel into space. Bowen has been on three spaceflights, all of which were Space Shuttle missions to the International Space Station... |
18 November 2008 18:09 |
19 November 2008 01:01 |
6 hours, 52 minutes |
| Transferred an empty nitrogen tank assembly from ESP-3 to the shuttle’s cargo bay, transferred a new flex hose rotary coupler to ESP-3 for future use, removed an insulation cover on the Kibo External Facility berthing mechanism, began cleaning and lubrication of the starboard SARJ, and replacement of eleven trundle bearing assemblies. | ||||
| EVA 2 | Stefanyshyn-Piper Robert S. Kimbrough |
20 November 2008 17:58 |
21 November 2008 00:43 |
6 hours, 45 minutes |
| Relocated two Crew and Equipment Translation Aid (CETA) carts from the starboard side of the Mobile Transporter to the port side, lubricated the station robotic arm’s Latching End Effector (LEE) "A" snare bearings, continued cleaning and lubrication of the starboard SARJ. | ||||
| EVA 3 | Stefanyshyn-Piper Bowen |
22 November 2008 18:01 |
23 November 2008 00:58 |
6 hours, 57 minutes |
| Completed cleaning, lubrication, and replacement of all but one of the trundle bearing assemblies on the starboard SARJ. The final TBA will be replaced during EVA 4. | ||||
| EVA 4 | Bowen Kimbrough |
24 November 2008 18:24 |
25 November 2008 00:31 |
6 hours, 7 minutes |
| Completed replacement of trundle bearing assemblies on starboard SARJ, lubricated the port SARJ, installed a video camera, re‐installed insulation covers on the Kibo External Facility berthing mechanism, performed Kibo robotic arm grounding tab maintenance, installed spacewalk handrails on Kibo, installed Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) antennae on Kibo, photographed radiators, and photographed trailing umbilical system cables. | ||||
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 | Shelter | Xavier Rudd Xavier Rudd Xavier Rudd is an Australian singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He was born in 1978 and grew up in Torquay, Victoria. He attended St. Joseph's College, Geelong.... |
Christopher Ferguson Christopher Ferguson Christopher J. Ferguson is a United States Navy captain and a NASA astronaut. He was the pilot of Space Shuttle Atlantis on his first mission to space, STS-115, which launched on September 9, 2006 and returned to Earth on September 21, 2006... |
WAV MP3 TRANSCRIPT |
| Day 3 | Start Me Up Start Me Up "Start Me Up" is a song by The Rolling Stones featured on the 1981 album Tattoo You. Released as the album's lead single, it reached #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #7 on the UK Singles Chart.-Writing and recording:... |
the Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up... |
Sandra Magnus Sandra Magnus Sandra Hall Magnus is an American engineer and a NASA astronaut. She returned to Earth with the crew of STS-119 Discovery on March 28, 2009, after having spent 134 days in orbit. She was assigned to the crew of STS-135, the final mission of the Space Shuttle... |
WAV MP3 TRANSCRIPT |
| Day 4 | London Calling London Calling London Calling is the third studio album by the English punk rock band The Clash. It was released in the United Kingdom on 14 December 1979 through CBS Records, and in the United States in January 1980 through Epic Records... |
the Clash The Clash The Clash were an English punk rock band that formed in 1976 as part of the original wave of British punk. Along with punk, their music incorporated elements of reggae, ska, dub, funk, rap, dance, and rockabilly... |
Steve Bowen | WAV MP3 TRANSCRIPT |
| Day 5 | City of Blinding Lights City of Blinding Lights "City of Blinding Lights" is a song by the rock band U2. It is the fifth track on their 2004 album How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb and was released as the album's fourth single on 6 June 2005. The song was a top ten hit in Ireland, the United Kingdom, and several other countries... |
U2 U2 U2 are an Irish rock band from Dublin. Formed in 1976, the group consists of Bono , The Edge , Adam Clayton , and Larry Mullen, Jr. . U2's early sound was rooted in post-punk but eventually grew to incorporate influences from many genres of popular music... |
Shane Kimbrough | WAV MP3 TRANSCRIPT |
| Day 6 | Fanfare for the Common Man Fanfare for the Common Man Fanfare for the Common Man is a 20th-century American classical music work by American composer Aaron Copland. The piece was written in 1942 for the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra under conductor Eugene Goossens. It was inspired in part by a famous speech made earlier in the same year where vice... |
Aaron Copland Aaron Copland Aaron Copland was an American composer, composition teacher, writer, and later in his career a conductor of his own and other American music. He was instrumental in forging a distinctly American style of composition, and is often referred to as "the Dean of American Composers"... |
Eric Boe | WAV MP3 TRANSCRIPT |
| Day 7 | Summertime Summertime (song) "Summertime" is an aria composed by George Gershwin for the 1935 opera Porgy and Bess. The lyrics are by DuBose Heyward, the author of the novel Porgy on which the opera was based, although the song is also co-credited to Ira Gershwin by ASCAP.... |
Bandella | Don Pettit | WAV MP3 TRANSCRIPT |
| Day 8 | Unharness Your Horses, Boys | The Ukrainians The Ukrainians The Ukrainians are a British band, which plays traditional Ukrainian music, heavily influenced by western post-punk.-Career:The Ukrainians were formed in 1990 by Wedding Present guitarist Peter Solowka, with singer/violinist Len Liggins and mandolin player Roman Remeynes, after all three had played... |
Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper | WAV MP3 TRANSCRIPT |
| Day 9 | You Are Here You Are Here You Are Here is the debut album of New Zealand pop rock group, Opshop released on 3 May 2004 under Siren Records. On 12 May, 2005, a special edition of the album was released... |
Dutton Dutton - Places :*Dutton, Alabama, town in the United States*Dutton, Cheshire, village in England*Dutton, Lancashire, village in England*Dutton, Montana, town in the United States*Dutton/Dunwich, Ontario, town and municipality in Canada*Dutton, South Australia... |
Shane Kimbrough | WAV MP3 TRANSCRIPT |
| Day 10 | Can't Take My Eyes Off You Can't Take My Eyes off You "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" is a 1967 single by Frankie Valli. The song was among Valli's biggest hits, reaching #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and earning a gold record. It was Valli's biggest "solo" hit until he hit #1 in 1975 with "My Eyes Adored You"... |
Frankie Valli Frankie Valli Frankie Valli is an American musician, most famous as frontman of The Four Seasons. He is well-known for his unusually powerful falsetto singing voice... |
Christopher Ferguson Christopher Ferguson Christopher J. Ferguson is a United States Navy captain and a NASA astronaut. He was the pilot of Space Shuttle Atlantis on his first mission to space, STS-115, which launched on September 9, 2006 and returned to Earth on September 21, 2006... |
WAV MP3 TRANSCRIPT |
| Day 11 | Can’t Stop Loving You | Van Halen Van Halen Van Halen is an American hard rock band formed in Pasadena, California, in 1972. The band has enjoyed success since the release of its debut album, Van Halen, . As of 2007 Van Halen has sold 80 million albums worldwide and has had the most #1 hits on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart... |
Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper | WAV MP3 TRANSCRIPT |
| Day 12 | Fever Fever (1956 song) "Fever" is a song written by Eddie Cooley and Otis Blackwell, who used the pseudonym John Davenport. It was originally recorded by Little Willie John in 1956. It has been covered by numerous artists from various musical genres, notably Peggy Lee in 1958.... |
Bandella | Donald Pettit Donald Pettit Donald Roy Pettit is an American chemical engineer and a NASA astronaut. He is a veteran of a six-month stay aboard the International Space Station and a six-week expedition to find meteorites in Antarctica.-Personal:... |
WAV MP3 TRANSCRIPT |
| Day 13 | North Sea Oil North Sea oil North Sea oil is a mixture of hydrocarbons, comprising liquid oil and natural gas, produced from oil reservoirs beneath the North Sea.In the oil industry, the term "North Sea" often includes areas such as the Norwegian Sea and the area known as "West of Shetland", "the Atlantic Frontier" or "the... |
Jethro Tull Jethro Tull (band) Jethro Tull are a British rock group formed in 1967. Their music is characterised by the vocals, acoustic guitar, and flute playing of Ian Anderson, who has led the band since its founding, and the guitar work of Martin Barre, who has been with the band since 1969.Initially playing blues rock with... |
Steve Bowen | WAV MP3 TRANSCRIPT |
| Day 14 | Hold on Tight | Electric Light Orchestra Electric Light Orchestra Electric Light Orchestra were a British rock group from Birmingham who released eleven studio albums between 1971 and 1986 and another album in 2001. ELO were formed to accommodate Roy Wood and Jeff Lynne's desire to create modern rock and pop songs with classical overtones... |
Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper | WAV MP3 TRANSCRIPT |
| Day 15 | In the Meantime In the Meantime (Spacehog song) "In the Meantime" is a song by English alternative rock band Spacehog, from their debut album Resident Alien. It hit the top of the U.S. Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart... |
Spacehog Spacehog Spacehog is an English rock band formed in 1994. Their music is heavily influenced by David Bowie, Queen, and T.Rex.-Members:* Royston Langdon a.k.a. "Ray Sprinkles" – bass and vocals... |
Eric Boe | WAV MP3 TRANSCRIPT |
| Day 16 | Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star | Greg Chamitoff | WAV MP3 TRANSCRIPT |
|
| Day 17 | Gonna Fly Now Gonna Fly Now "Gonna Fly Now", also known as "Theme from Rocky", is the theme song from the movie Rocky, composed by Bill Conti with lyrics by Carol Connors and Ayn Robbins, and performed by DeEtta Little and Nelson Pigford... |
Bill Conti Bill Conti William "Bill" Conti is an American film music composer who is frequently the conductor at the Academy Awards ceremony.-Early life and career:... |
Christopher Ferguson Christopher Ferguson Christopher J. Ferguson is a United States Navy captain and a NASA astronaut. He was the pilot of Space Shuttle Atlantis on his first mission to space, STS-115, which launched on September 9, 2006 and returned to Earth on September 21, 2006... |
WAV MP3 TRANSCRIPT |
Contingency mission
The Contingency Shuttle Crew Support mission which would have been launched in the event that EndeavourSpace Shuttle Endeavour
Space Shuttle Endeavour is one of the retired orbiters of the Space Shuttle program of NASA, the space agency of the United States. Endeavour was the fifth and final spaceworthy NASA space shuttle to be built, constructed as a replacement for Challenger...
became disabled during STS-126 would have been performed by Discovery
Space Shuttle Discovery
Space Shuttle Discovery is one of the retired orbiters of the Space Shuttle program of NASA, the space agency of the United States, and was operational from its maiden flight, STS-41-D on August 30, 1984, until its final landing during STS-133 on March 9, 2011...
. It would have been a modified version of the STS-119
STS-119
-Crew notes:This mission was originally scheduled to bring the Expedition 9 crew to the ISS. This crew would have consisted of:-Mission parameters:* Mass:* Orbiter liftoff: * Orbiter landing: * Perigee: * Apogee:...
mission of Discovery
Space Shuttle Discovery
Space Shuttle Discovery is one of the retired orbiters of the Space Shuttle program of NASA, the space agency of the United States, and was operational from its maiden flight, STS-41-D on August 30, 1984, until its final landing during STS-133 on March 9, 2011...
, which would have involved the launch date being brought forward, but the goal would have been to carry STS-119's full payload and complete the mission as planned, in addition to rescuing the crew of STS-126.
See also
- Space scienceSpace scienceThe term space science may mean:* The study of issues specifically related to space travel and space exploration, including space medicine.* Science performed in outer space ....
- 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...
- 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...
- List of ISS spacewalks
- List of space shuttle missions
- List of spacewalks since 2000
- List of human spaceflights chronologically
External links
- STS-126 Mission Page
- STS-126 Image Gallery
- STS-126 animations
- Space.com's STS-126 page
- Spaceflightnow.com's STS-126 page
- NASA SpaceFlight.com's STS-126 page
- collectSPACE.com's STS-126 page
- Slow scan TV timelapse animation of flyaround following undocking
- youtube video of picosat deployment from shuttle
