STS-133
Encyclopedia
STS-133 was the 133rd mission in NASA
's Space Shuttle program
; during the mission, Space Shuttle Discovery
docked with the International Space Station
. It was Discovery' s 39th and final mission. The mission launched on 24 February 2011, and landed on 9 March 2011. The crew consisted of six American astronaut
s, all of whom had been on prior spaceflights, headed by Commander Steven Lindsey
. The crew joined the long-duration six person crew of Expedition 26
, who were already aboard the space station. About a month before lift-off, one of the original crew members, Tim Kopra
, was injured in a bicycle accident. He was replaced by Stephen Bowen
.
The mission transported several items to the space station, including the Permanent Multipurpose Module Leonardo, which was left permanently docked to one of the station's ports. The shuttle also carried the third of four ExPRESS Logistics Carrier
s to the ISS, as well as a humanoid robot
called Robonaut
. The mission marked both the 133rd flight of the Space Shuttle program and the 39th and final flight of Discovery
, with the orbiter completing a cumulative total of a whole year (365 days) in space.
The mission was affected by a series of delays due to technical problems with the external tank and, to a lesser extent, the payload. The launch, initially scheduled for September 2010, was pushed back to October, then to November, then finally to February 2011.
inventor Leonardo da Vinci
), one of the three Multi-Purpose Logistics Module
s (MPLMs), on the Space Station as a Permanent Multipurpose Module (PMM). PMM Leonardo adds much-needed storage space on the ISS, and was launched with a near-full load of payloads.
The construction of the Leonardo MPLM by the Italian Space Agency commenced in April 1996. In August 1998, after the completion of primary construction, Leonardo was delivered to the Kennedy Space Center (KSC). In March 2001, Leonardo made its first mission on Discovery as part of the STS-102
flight. The liftoff of Leonardo inside Discoverys payload bay on STS-102 marked the first of seven MPLM flights prior to STS-133.
With the landing of Discovery after the STS-131
mission, Leonardo was transferred back to the Space Station Processing Facility at Kennedy Space Center. Leonardo began receiving modifications and reconfigurations immediately to convert it for permanent attachment to the space station. Some equipment was removed to reduce the overall weight of Leonardo. These removals resulted in a net weight loss of 178.1 lbs. Furthermore, several modifications were made to facilitate on orbit maintenance. Additional modifications to Leonardo included the installation of upgraded Micro Meteoroid Orbital Debris (MMOD) shielding, the addition of a Planar Reflector at the request of the Japanese Space Agency (JAXA), and the modification of Leonardos Multi-Layer Insulation (MLI) to increase the ability of the PMM to handle potential MMOD impacts.
Following berthing to the space station, the contents of Leonardo were emptied and moved to appropriate locations on the ISS. Once JAXA's Kounotori 2 (HTV-2) arrived in February 2011, Leonardos now-unnecessary launch hardware was transferred to HTV2 for ultimate destruction in Earth's atmosphere.
Activities to reconfigure Leonardo following STS-133 will span multiple station crew increments.
(ELC) is a platform designed to support external payloads mounted to the space station starboard and port trusses with either deep space or Earthward views. On STS-133, Discovery carried the ELC4 to the station to be positioned on the starboard 3 (S3) truss' lower inboard passive attachment system (PAS). The total weight of ELC4 is approximately 8,235 pounds.
The Express Logistics Carrier 4 (ELC-4) carried several Orbital Replacement Units (ORUs). Among these were a Heat Rejection System Radiator (HRSR) Flight Support Equipment (FSE), which takes up one whole side of the ELC. The other primary ORUs were the ExPRESS Pallet Controller Avionics 4 (ExPCA #4). The HRSR launching on ELC4 was a spare, if needed, for one of the six radiators that are part of the station's external active thermal control system.
Robonaut2 (also known as R2) to the International Space Station
(ISS). The microgravity conditions aboard the space station provide an ideal opportunity for robots like R2 to work with astronauts. Although the robot's primary initial task is teaching engineers how dexterous robots behave in space, it may eventually, through upgrades and advancements, assist spacewalking astronauts to perform scientific work once it has been verified as functional on the space station. It was the first humanoid robot in space, and rode to space inside the Leonardo PMM. Once Robonaut2 was unpacked, it began initial operation inside the Destiny module for operational testing, but over time, both its location and its applications could expand.
Robonaut2 was initially designed as a prototype to be used on Earth. For its journey to the ISS, R2 received a few upgrades. Outer skin materials were exchanged to meet the ISS's strict flammability requirements. Shielding was added to reduce electromagnetic interference and onboard processors were upgraded to increase R2's radiation tolerance. The original fans were replaced with quieter ones to accommodate the station's restrictive noise environment, and the power system was rewired to run on the station's direct current system. Tests were conducted to make sure the robot could both endure the harsh conditions in space and exist in it without doing damage. R2 also underwent vibration testing that simulated the conditions it would experience during its launch onboard Discovery.
The robot weighs 300 pounds (132 kg) and is made out of nickel-plated carbon fiber and aluminum. The height of R2 from waist to head is 3 feet, 3.7 inches (100 cm), and it has a shoulder width of 2 feet, 7.4 inches(80 cm). R2 is equipped with 54 servo motors and has 42 degrees of freedom. Powered by 38 power PC processors, R2's systems run at 120 volts DC.
) sensor. The addition of the pulsed laser navigation sensor was the third time a space shuttle has provided assistance to the commercial space company SpaceX
, following STS-127
and STS-129
. The DragonEye on STS-133 incorporated several design and software improvements from the version flown on STS-127 to provide increased performance. Its inclusion on STS-133 was part of a final test run ahead of being fully implemented on SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft, which had its maiden flight in December 2010.
The navigation sensor provides a three-dimensional image based on the time of flight of a single laser pulse from the sensor to the target and back. It provides both range and bearing information from targets that can reflect the light back such as the pressurized mating adapter 2 (PMA2) and those on the station's Japanese Kibo laboratory.
The DragonEye DTO was mounted onto Discovery' s existing trajectory control system carrier assembly on the orbiter's docking system. SpaceX took data in parallel with Discoverys Trajectory Control Sensor (TCS) system. Both the TCS and DragonEye "looked" at the retroreflector
s that are on the station. After the mission, SpaceX compared the data DragonEye collected against the data collected by the TCS to evaluate DragonEye's performance.
The sensor was installed onto Discovery two weeks later than planned, following a laser rod failure during testing.
. The students added their signatures to posters in May 2010 as part of the annual Space Day celebration. Through their participation, students also received standards-based lessons that contained a space theme. Student Signatures in Space has been active since 1997. In that time, nearly seven million student signatures from 6,552 schools were flown on ten Space Shuttle missions.
Also carried aboard Discovery were hundreds of flags, bookmarks and patches which were distributed when the shuttle returned to Earth. The mission also flew two small Lego
space shuttles, in honor of an educational partnership between Lego and NASA. Astronauts also carried personal mementos including medallions with connections to their schools or military careers, as well as a William Shakespeare
"action figure" from the English Department of the University of Texas, a stuffed giraffe mascot from the Hermann Children's Hospital at the University of Texas, T-shirts from Lomax Junior High School in La Porte, Texas
, a blue Hawaiian shirt from NASA Johnson Space Center's Education Office, and a shirt from a volunteer fire department
.
, all being selected in the year 2000.
The mission commander, Steven Lindsey, handed over his position as Chief of the Astronaut Office
position to Peggy Whitson
in order to lead the mission. For the first time, two mission crew members were in space when a crew assignment announcement was made, as Nicole Stott and Michael Barratt were aboard the ISS as part of the Expedition 20
crew. During STS-133, Alvin Drew became the last African-American astronaut to fly on the space shuttle, as no African-Americans were among the crews of STS-134
and STS-135
. Having flown onboard Atlantis'
STS-132
mission, Bowen became the first NASA astronaut to be launched on two consecutive missions.
(STA). For the TCDT, the crew also received a briefing from NASA engineers, outlining the work that had been carried out on Discovery during the STS-133 processing flow. After successfully completing all the TCDT tasks, the crew returned to the Johnson Space Center on 15 October 2010.
Flying aboard NASA T-38 training jets, Discovery's six astronauts returned to Kennedy Space Center on 28 October 2010 for final pre-launch preparations.
On 15 January 2011, Timothy Kopra, scheduled as the lead spacewalker for the mission at the time, was injured in a bicycle accident near his Houston-area home, reportedly breaking his hip. He was replaced by Stephen G. Bowen
on 19 January 2011. The replacement did not affect the targeted launch date. This is to date the closest to a scheduled launch that a Space Shuttle crewmember has been replaced. During the Apollo program, Jack Swigert
replaced Ken Mattingly
three days prior to a launch.
(185 days).
Space Shuttle Discovery was moved from its hangar in the Orbiter Processing Facility (OPF)-3 to the nearby 52-story Vehicle Assembly Building
(VAB) on 9 September 2010. The shuttle emerged out of OPF-3 at 06:54 EDT and the rollover was done at 10:46 EDT when Discovery came to a rest in the VAB's transfer aisle. The quarter-mile trip between the OPF-3 and VAB was the 41st rollover for Discovery. The rollover was originally planned at 06:30 EDT on 8 September 2010. The move did not commence due the unavailability of fire suppression systems because of a broken water main near the VAB and turn basin that runs out to the shuttle launch pads.
The two SRBs were designated as flight set 122 by contractor Alliant Techsystems
and are made up from 1 new segment and remaining segments reused across 54 earlier shuttle missions dating back to STS-1
. Inside the VAB, engineers attached a large sling to Discovery and the shuttle was rotated vertical. The shuttle was lifted into the high bay where its external tank (ET-137) and boosters were waiting to be mated. During the mating operations, an internal nut pre-positioned inside the aft compartment of the orbiter slipped out of position and fell away inside the compartment. Engineers initially were worried that the shuttle would have to be removed from the ET and placed back in a horizontal orientation to make repairs. However, later they successfully accessed the area inside aft compartment, and re-positioned the nut to complete the repairs. The bolting of the orbiter to its ET ('hard mate') was completed early in the morning of 11 September 2010 at 09:27 EDT.
The shuttle's 44th rollout to the launch pad was scheduled to begin at 20:00 EDT on 20 September 2010. NASA sent out more than 700 invitations to shuttle workers so they could bring their families to watch Discovery's journey to the pad. However, the shuttle began the 3.4 mile trek from the VAB to the pad earlier than planned at about at 19:23 EDT on 20 September 2010. Discovery took about six hours to arrive at Pad 39A. The shuttle was secured on the launch pad by 01:49 EDT the next day.
It was believed that the leak was in the crossfeed flange area – a problem with associated seals. On 18 October 2010, after an afternoon review, engineers were asked to double-check the torque on six bolts around the suspected leaky flange fitting and tighten if necessary. Subsequent leak tests showed again signs of seepage, and the task of solving the issue required the draining of both the left and right OMS tanks of the shuttle and a unique in-situ repair at the pad to avoid a rollback. On 23 October 2010, engineers completed the removal and replacement of the two seals on the Right OMS crossfeed flange, after the eduction (a vacuum-related procedure, used to completely clear the plumbing of the toxic MMH) of the plumbing was completed ahead of the schedule by over a day. Later, testing indicated that the new seals were properly seated and holding pressure with no signs of additional seepage. Normal pad operations commenced soon after allowing managers to press forward with the confirmation of a 1 November 2010 target launch date, with fuel reloading into the OMS tanks beginning in the morning of 24 October 2010.
In Mission Management Team (MMT) meeting held later on the day, managers decided to scrub the launch for at least 24 hours to work towards flight rationale.
Shuttle launch director Mike Leinbach characterized the leak as "significant," similar to what was seen on STS-119
and STS-127
, although rate was higher in magnitude and occurred earlier in the fueling process.
After the day required to make the tank safe by purging remaining hydrogen gas with helium gas, NASA engineers prepared for disconnection of the vent arm and the significant number of lines prior to taking their first look at the GUCP. On 9 November night, technicians began disconnecting the GUCP by unhooking and lowering the hydrogen vent line. Teams performed an initial inspection of the flight seal and quick disconnect prior to sending them to labs for a thorough engineering analysis. Engineers reported an unevenly (asymmetrically) compressed internal seal and the quick disconnect hardware also seemed have a less concentric fit than pre-fueling measurements indicated. Inspections also confirmed the condition of the hardware did not match the observations documented when it was installed on the external tank inside the VAB.
On 12 November morning, teams began installing a new GUCP and completed the GUCP work over the next two days. The new plate was previously fit checked on the external tank at Michoud Assembly Facility and yielded substantially better concentricity values than was obtained with the old and removed GUCP. Technicians took extra measurements to ensure the best possible alignment of the newly installed GUCP. Teams are now expected to begin installing the flight seal and quick disconnect on 15 November. It is also likely that a Tanking Test would be done on the reinstalled GUCP hardware, as was previously seen after the second STS-127 scrub.
The insulation was cut away for additional inspection revealing two additional 9-inch metal cracks on either side of an underlying structural rib called "stringer S-7-2". NASA managers then decided to cut away additional foam and observed two more cracks on a stringer known as S-6-2 adjacent to the two original cracks. They were found on the far left of removed foam on the flange area between the intertank and the liquid Oxygen tank. However these cracks appeared to have suffered less stress than the others found. No cracks were found in stringers on the right side. NASA suspects the use of a lightweight aluminum-lithium alloy in the tanks may be contributing to the crack problem. Repairs commenced while the shuttle remains on the pad. An environmental enclosure has been erected around the known damage site to facilitate ongoing repairs and eventually to apply fresh foam insulation. On 18 November, as part of the repairs, technicians installed new sections of metal, called "doublers" because they are twice as thick as the original stringer metal providing additional strength, to replace the two cracked stringers on Discovery's external tank.
Scanning of the stringers on the Liquid Oxygen/Intertank flange was completed on 23 November. NASA also performed backscatter
scanning of the lower Liquid Hydrogen/Intertank flange stringers on 29 November.
The Space Shuttle Program
(SSP) identified the analysis and repairs that were required to safely launch the shuttle, and this analysis was reviewed at a special Program Requirements Control Board (PRCB) held on 24 November. Managers announced at that meeting that the launch window available in early December would be passed up, with a new target of 17 December set, but cautioned that the launch could slip into February 2011. After reviewing the Space Station's December traffic model following the realigned Johannes Kepler ATV
mission's launch date, NASA had identified a potential launch window in mid-/late-December 2010. The 17 December 2010 date was preferred because it would have allowed the shuttle to carry more stored oxygen to the International Space Station to help it deal with oxygen generation issues, which the crew has been dealing with for several months. "What we've told the agency leadership is that clearly we're not ready for the 3 December to 7 December window that's coming up next week," John Shannon, NASA's SSP manager, said in a news conference held after the special PCRB. "We'll leave the option open for a launch window for 17 December, but a lot of data has to come together to support that".
supply craft. Managers instead decided to press ahead with the countdown allowing for a possible standdown; had docking issues arisen with the ATV, STS-133 would have stood down for 48 hours. The Kepler ATV docked successfully at 10:59 UTC, 24 February 2011.
's launch pad 39A
at 16:53:24 EST on 24 February 2011. Lift-off was initially set for 16:50:24, but was delayed for 3 minutes by a minor glitch in a computer system used by the Range Safety Officer
(RSO) for the Eastern Range. Once Discovery was cleared for launch, it took 8 minutes and 34 seconds to reach orbit. At approximately four minutes into flight, a piece of foam was seen breaking away from the External Tank. This foam was deemed not to be a threat, since it had liberated after the shuttle had left Earth's atmosphere. During Discovery' s ascent, NASA managers also reported that they saw three more additional instants of foam liberation. These losses also occurred after aerodynamic sensitive times when debris could seriously damage the shuttle, and so were deemed non-threatening. NASA's engineers accounted the foam losses to a condition called "cryo-pumping". When the external tank is loaded with liquid hydrogen, the air trapped in the foam first liquifies. During the ride into orbit, as the hydrogen level in the tank drops, it warms up and the liquefied air turns back into a gas. The pressure generated due to the state change of hydrogen can cause parts of foam in the tank to come off.
Once on orbit, the crew of STS-133 opened the payload bay doors and activated the Ku band antenna for high speed communications with mission control. While the Ku band antenna was being activated, Alvin Drew
and pilot Eric Boe activated the Shuttle Remote Manipulator System (SRMS) also known as the Canadarm. Later in the crew day, imagery of the External Tank during launch was downlinked for analysis.
(ISS). The day started with a firing of the Orbital Maneuvering System (OMS) engine, called the NC2 burn, to help Discovery catch up to the ISS. Commander Steve Lindsey, pilot Eric Boe and mission specialist Al Drew began the day performing an inspection of the Re-enforced Carbon-Carbon (RCC) panels with the Orbital Boom Sensor System (OBSS). Lindsey and Boe started the inspection on the starboard wing and nose cap, and continued on with the port wing; the whole survey took about six hours to complete. Al Drew joined up with Michael Barratt and Steve Bowen to checkout and get their two Extravehicular Mobility Unit
(EMU's) ready for the two spacewalks that would be conducted during the STS-133 mission. Later in the day, the crew checked out the rendezvous tools to ensure they were operational. At the end of the day, another OMS engine firing, known as the NC3 burn, took place.
crew greeted the crew of STS-133. After the welcome ceremony and safety briefing, the crew's main task of the day was to transfer the ExPRESS Logistics Carrier
4 (ELC4). ELC4 was taken out of Discovery's payload bay by the Space Station Remote Manipulator (SSRMS) also known as Canadarm2, which was operated by Nicole Stott and Michael Barratt. The SSRMS handed it to the Shuttle Remote Manipulator System (SRMS), which was being controlled by pilot Eric Boe and mission specialist Alvin Drew, while it the SSRMS moved to the Mobile Base System (MBS). Once there the SSRMS took ELC4 back from the SRMS, and installed it at its location on the S3 truss
location. ELC4 was installed in its final location at 03:22 UTC on 27 February. While the robotic transfer was going on, Steve Bowen, and commander Steve Lindsey were transferring items that were needed for flight day 4 and the spacewalk on flight day 5.
(OBSS) using the Canadarm2 and removed it from the starboard sill of Discovery's payload bay. Once it was grappled and out of the payload bay, the Shuttle Remote Manipulator System (SRMS) grappled the end of the OBSS and took a hand off from the Canadarm2. The OBSS was grappled by the space station arm, because the SRMS could not reach it due to clearance issues, and it needed to be moved out of the way so that the Permanent Multipurpose Module (PMM) could be removed from the payload bay. After the OBSS hand off, the entire STS-133 crew was joined by ISS Expedition 26
commander Scott Kelly and flight engineer Paolo Nespoli for a series of in-flight media interviews. The interviews were conducted with the Weather Channel, WBZ
radio in Boston, Massachusetts
, WSB-TV
in Atlanta, Georgia, and WBTV
in Charlotte, North Carolina
. The crew also completed more cargo transfers to and from the ISS. Throughout the day, Alvin Drew and Steve Bowen prepared tools that they would use on their spacewalk on flight day 5. Later in the day, they were joined by the shuttle crew and ISS commander Kelly and flight engineer Nespoli, for a review of the spacewalk procedures. After the review, Bowen and Drew donned oxygen masks and entered the crew lock of the Quest airlock for the standard pre-spacewalk campout. The airlock was lowered to 10.2 psi for the night. This was done to help the spacewalkers purge nitrogen
from their blood and help prevent decompression sickness
, also known as the bends.
(EVA), or spacewalk, on flight day 5. After waking up at 6:23 am EST, the crew immediately began EVA preparations. A conference was held between the crew of the station and mission control at about 8:20 am, followed by further EVA preparation work, including the depressurization of the airlock. Bowen and Drew switched their spacesuits to internal battery power at 10:46 am, marking the beginning of EVA 1.
During the EVA, the Bowen and Drew installed a power cable linking the Unity and Tranquility modules in order to provide a contingency power source, should it become required. They then moved a failed ammonia pump, which was replaced in August 2010, from its temporary location to the External Stowage Platform 2
. Later, operations with the SSRMS robotic arm were delayed to due technical problems with the robotic control station in the Cupola module.
After installing a wedge under a camera on the S3 truss
to provide clearance from the newly installed ExPRESS Logistics Carrier
-2, performing a Japanese experiment called Message in a Bottle to collect a sample of vacuum, and other minor tasks, the EVA ended after six hours and 34 minutes at 5:20 pm EST.
Furthermore, a photo-shoot of the ISS with multiple spacecraft docked was considered, but rejected by mission planners.
a checkout of Discovery' s rendezvous tools was conducted on flight day 11, before the shuttle crew said their farewells to the ISS crew, exited the station and sealed the hatch between the orbiter and the ISS. The installation of a center-line camera was also conducted on this day.
, before the OBSS was berthed.
. A final deorbit preparation briefing was carried out before the shuttle's Ku band antenna was stowed.
' s crew carried out further deorbit preparations, and closed the shuttle's payload bay door. A successful deorbit burn and re-entry ended with Space Shuttle Discovery landing at Kennedy Space Center
's Shuttle Landing Facility for the final time on 9 March 2011 at 11:58:14 EST. The shuttle was retired at wheel-stop.
.
Each track is specially chosen, often by the astronauts' families, and usually has a special meaning to an individual member of the crew, or is applicable to their daily activities.
NASA opened the selection process to the public for the first time for STS-133. The public was invited to vote on two songs used to wake up astronauts on previous missions to wake up the STS-133 crew.
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...
's Space Shuttle program
Space Shuttle program
NASA's Space Shuttle program, officially called Space Transportation System , was the United States government's manned launch vehicle program from 1981 to 2011...
; during the mission, Space Shuttle 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...
docked with 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...
. It was Discovery
Astronaut
An astronaut or cosmonaut is a person trained by a human spaceflight program to command, pilot, or serve as a crew member of a spacecraft....
s, all of whom had been on prior spaceflights, headed by Commander Steven Lindsey
Steven W. Lindsey
Steven Wayne Lindsey is an American Air Force officer and a NASA astronaut. Lindsey served as Chief of the NASA Astronaut Office from September 2006 until October 2009....
. The crew joined the long-duration six person crew of Expedition 26
Expedition 26
The Expedition 26 was the twenty-sixth long-duration mission to the International Space Station. The expedition's first three crew members – one US astronaut and two Russian cosmonauts – arrived at the station on board Soyuz TMA-01M on 10 October 2010...
, who were already aboard the space station. About a month before lift-off, one of the original crew members, Tim Kopra
Timothy L. Kopra
Timothy Lennart Kopra is a colonel in the United States Army and a NASA astronaut. Kopra deployed to the Middle East in support of Operation Desert Storm as a member of the 3rd Armored Division...
, was injured in a bicycle accident. He was replaced by Stephen 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...
.
The mission transported several items to the space station, including the Permanent Multipurpose Module Leonardo, which was left permanently docked to one of the station's ports. The shuttle also carried the third of four ExPRESS Logistics Carrier
EXPRESS Logistics Carrier
An ExPRESS logistics carrier is an unpressurized attached payload platform for the International Space Station that provides mechanical mounting surfaces, electrical power, and command and data handling services for Orbital Replacement Units as well as science experiments on the ISS...
s to the ISS, as well as a humanoid robot
Humanoid robot
A humanoid robot or an anthropomorphic robot is a robot with its overall appearance, based on that of the human body, allowing interaction with made-for-human tools or environments. In general humanoid robots have a torso with a head, two arms and two legs, although some forms of humanoid robots...
called Robonaut
Robonaut
Robonaut is a humanoid robotic development project conducted by the Dextrous Robotics Laboratory at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas...
. The mission marked both the 133rd flight of the Space Shuttle program and the 39th and final flight 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...
, with the orbiter completing a cumulative total of a whole year (365 days) in space.
The mission was affected by a series of delays due to technical problems with the external tank and, to a lesser extent, the payload. The launch, initially scheduled for September 2010, was pushed back to October, then to November, then finally to February 2011.
Permanent Multipurpose Module
STS-133 left Leonardo (named after the famed Italian RenaissanceRenaissance
The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...
inventor Leonardo da Vinci
Leonardo da Vinci
Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci was an Italian Renaissance polymath: painter, sculptor, architect, musician, scientist, mathematician, engineer, inventor, anatomist, geologist, cartographer, botanist and writer whose genius, perhaps more than that of any other figure, epitomized the Renaissance...
), one of the three 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...
s (MPLMs), on the Space Station as a Permanent Multipurpose Module (PMM). PMM Leonardo adds much-needed storage space on the ISS, and was launched with a near-full load of payloads.
The construction of the Leonardo MPLM by the Italian Space Agency commenced in April 1996. In August 1998, after the completion of primary construction, Leonardo was delivered to the Kennedy Space Center (KSC). In March 2001, Leonardo made its first mission on Discovery as part of the STS-102
STS-102
STS-102 was a Space Shuttle mission to the International Space Station flown by Space Shuttle Discovery and launched from Kennedy Space Center, Florida...
flight. The liftoff of Leonardo inside Discoverys payload bay on STS-102 marked the first of seven MPLM flights prior to STS-133.
With the landing of Discovery after the STS-131
STS-131
STS-131 was a NASA Space Shuttle mission to the International Space Station . launched on 5 April 2010 at 6:22 am from Kennedy Space Center's launch pad 39A, and landed at 9:08 am on 20 April 2010 on runway 33 at the Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landing Facility...
mission, Leonardo was transferred back to the Space Station Processing Facility at Kennedy Space Center. Leonardo began receiving modifications and reconfigurations immediately to convert it for permanent attachment to the space station. Some equipment was removed to reduce the overall weight of Leonardo. These removals resulted in a net weight loss of 178.1 lbs. Furthermore, several modifications were made to facilitate on orbit maintenance. Additional modifications to Leonardo included the installation of upgraded Micro Meteoroid Orbital Debris (MMOD) shielding, the addition of a Planar Reflector at the request of the Japanese Space Agency (JAXA), and the modification of Leonardos Multi-Layer Insulation (MLI) to increase the ability of the PMM to handle potential MMOD impacts.
Following berthing to the space station, the contents of Leonardo were emptied and moved to appropriate locations on the ISS. Once JAXA's Kounotori 2 (HTV-2) arrived in February 2011, Leonardos now-unnecessary launch hardware was transferred to HTV2 for ultimate destruction in Earth's atmosphere.
Activities to reconfigure Leonardo following STS-133 will span multiple station crew increments.
ExPRESS Logistics Carrier 4
The Express Logistics CarrierEXPRESS Logistics Carrier
An ExPRESS logistics carrier is an unpressurized attached payload platform for the International Space Station that provides mechanical mounting surfaces, electrical power, and command and data handling services for Orbital Replacement Units as well as science experiments on the ISS...
(ELC) is a platform designed to support external payloads mounted to the space station starboard and port trusses with either deep space or Earthward views. On STS-133, Discovery carried the ELC4 to the station to be positioned on the starboard 3 (S3) truss' lower inboard passive attachment system (PAS). The total weight of ELC4 is approximately 8,235 pounds.
The Express Logistics Carrier 4 (ELC-4) carried several Orbital Replacement Units (ORUs). Among these were a Heat Rejection System Radiator (HRSR) Flight Support Equipment (FSE), which takes up one whole side of the ELC. The other primary ORUs were the ExPRESS Pallet Controller Avionics 4 (ExPCA #4). The HRSR launching on ELC4 was a spare, if needed, for one of the six radiators that are part of the station's external active thermal control system.
Robonaut2
Space Shuttle Discovery carried the humanoid robotHumanoid robot
A humanoid robot or an anthropomorphic robot is a robot with its overall appearance, based on that of the human body, allowing interaction with made-for-human tools or environments. In general humanoid robots have a torso with a head, two arms and two legs, although some forms of humanoid robots...
Robonaut2 (also known as R2) 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). The microgravity conditions aboard the space station provide an ideal opportunity for robots like R2 to work with astronauts. Although the robot's primary initial task is teaching engineers how dexterous robots behave in space, it may eventually, through upgrades and advancements, assist spacewalking astronauts to perform scientific work once it has been verified as functional on the space station. It was the first humanoid robot in space, and rode to space inside the Leonardo PMM. Once Robonaut2 was unpacked, it began initial operation inside the Destiny module for operational testing, but over time, both its location and its applications could expand.
Robonaut2 was initially designed as a prototype to be used on Earth. For its journey to the ISS, R2 received a few upgrades. Outer skin materials were exchanged to meet the ISS's strict flammability requirements. Shielding was added to reduce electromagnetic interference and onboard processors were upgraded to increase R2's radiation tolerance. The original fans were replaced with quieter ones to accommodate the station's restrictive noise environment, and the power system was rewired to run on the station's direct current system. Tests were conducted to make sure the robot could both endure the harsh conditions in space and exist in it without doing damage. R2 also underwent vibration testing that simulated the conditions it would experience during its launch onboard Discovery.
The robot weighs 300 pounds (132 kg) and is made out of nickel-plated carbon fiber and aluminum. The height of R2 from waist to head is 3 feet, 3.7 inches (100 cm), and it has a shoulder width of 2 feet, 7.4 inches(80 cm). R2 is equipped with 54 servo motors and has 42 degrees of freedom. Powered by 38 power PC processors, R2's systems run at 120 volts DC.
SpaceX DragonEye sensor
Space Shuttle Discovery also carried the Developmental Test Objective (DTO) 701B payload using Advanced Scientific Concepts, Inc.'s DragonEye 3D Flash light intensification detection and ranging (LIDARLIDAR
LIDAR is an optical remote sensing technology that can measure the distance to, or other properties of a target by illuminating the target with light, often using pulses from a laser...
) sensor. The addition of the pulsed laser navigation sensor was the third time a space shuttle has provided assistance to the commercial space company SpaceX
SpaceX
Space Exploration Technologies Corporation, or more popularly and informally known as SpaceX, is an American space transport company that operates out of Hawthorne, California...
, following STS-127
STS-127
STS-127 was a NASA Space Shuttle mission to the International Space Station . It was the twenty-third flight of . The primary purpose of the STS-127 mission was to deliver and install the final two components of the Japanese Experiment Module: the Exposed Facility , and the Exposed Section of the...
and STS-129
STS-129
-Crew seat assignments:-Mission payload:-ExPRESS Logistics Carriers 1 and 2:The primary payload of STS-129 was the ExPRESS Logistics Carrier and the ELC-2. The mass capacity of each ELC is with a volume of 30 meters cubed...
. The DragonEye on STS-133 incorporated several design and software improvements from the version flown on STS-127 to provide increased performance. Its inclusion on STS-133 was part of a final test run ahead of being fully implemented on SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft, which had its maiden flight in December 2010.
The navigation sensor provides a three-dimensional image based on the time of flight of a single laser pulse from the sensor to the target and back. It provides both range and bearing information from targets that can reflect the light back such as the pressurized mating adapter 2 (PMA2) and those on the station's Japanese Kibo laboratory.
The DragonEye DTO was mounted onto Discovery
Retroreflector
A retroreflector is a device or surface that reflects light back to its source with a minimum scattering of light. An electromagnetic wave front is reflected back along a vector that is parallel to but opposite in direction from the wave's source. The device or surface's angle of incidence is...
s that are on the station. After the mission, SpaceX compared the data DragonEye collected against the data collected by the TCS to evaluate DragonEye's performance.
The sensor was installed onto Discovery two weeks later than planned, following a laser rod failure during testing.
Other items
STS-133 carried the signatures of more than 500,000 students who participated in the 2010 Student Signatures in Space program, which was jointly sponsored by NASA and Lockheed MartinLockheed Martin
Lockheed Martin is an American global aerospace, defense, security, and advanced technology company with worldwide interests. It was formed by the merger of Lockheed Corporation with Martin Marietta in March 1995. It is headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, in the Washington Metropolitan Area....
. The students added their signatures to posters in May 2010 as part of the annual Space Day celebration. Through their participation, students also received standards-based lessons that contained a space theme. Student Signatures in Space has been active since 1997. In that time, nearly seven million student signatures from 6,552 schools were flown on ten Space Shuttle missions.
Also carried aboard Discovery were hundreds of flags, bookmarks and patches which were distributed when the shuttle returned to Earth. The mission also flew two small Lego
Lego
Lego is a line of construction toys manufactured by the Lego Group, a privately held company based in Billund, Denmark. The company's flagship product, Lego, consists of colorful interlocking plastic bricks and an accompanying array of gears, minifigures and various other parts...
space shuttles, in honor of an educational partnership between Lego and NASA. Astronauts also carried personal mementos including medallions with connections to their schools or military careers, as well as a William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
"action figure" from the English Department of the University of Texas, a stuffed giraffe mascot from the Hermann Children's Hospital at the University of Texas, T-shirts from Lomax Junior High School in La Porte, Texas
La Porte, Texas
La Porte is a city in Harris County, Texas within the Bay Area of the Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown metropolitan area. As of the 2000 U.S. Census, the city population was 31,880...
, a blue Hawaiian shirt from NASA Johnson Space Center's Education Office, and a shirt from a volunteer fire department
Volunteer fire department
See also the Firefighter article and its respective sections regarding VFDs in other countries.A volunteer fire department is a fire department composed of volunteers who perform fire suppression and other related emergency services for a local jurisdiction.The first organized force of...
.
Crew
NASA announced the STS-133 crew on 18 September 2009, and training began in October 2009. The original crew consisted of commander Steven Lindsey, pilot Eric Boe, and mission specialists Nicole Stott, Alvin Drew, Michael Barratt, and Timothy Kopra. However, on 19 January 2011, about a month before launch, it was announced that Stephen Bowen would replace original crew member Tim Kopra, after Kopra was injured in a bicycle accident. All six crew members had experienced at least one spaceflight before; five of the crew members, all but commander Steven Lindsey, were part of NASA's Astronaut Group 18NASA Astronaut Group 18
NASA Astronaut Group 18 . The group saw the training of seven pilots and ten mission specialists to become NASA astronauts. These 17 astronauts began training in August 2000.-Pilots:* Dominic A. Antonelli** Pilot, STS-119...
, all being selected in the year 2000.
The mission commander, Steven Lindsey, handed over his position as Chief of the Astronaut Office
Chief of the Astronaut Office
The Chief of the Astronaut Office is the most senior leadership position for active astronauts at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration...
position to 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...
in order to lead the mission. For the first time, two mission crew members were in space when a crew assignment announcement was made, as Nicole Stott and Michael Barratt were aboard the ISS as part of the Expedition 20
Expedition 20
Expedition 20 was the twentieth long-duration flight to the International Space Station. The expedition marked the first time a six-member crew inhabited the station...
crew. During STS-133, Alvin Drew became the last African-American astronaut to fly on the space shuttle, as no African-Americans were among the crews of STS-134
STS-134
STS-134 was the penultimate mission of NASA's Space Shuttle program. The mission marked the 25th and final flight of . This flight delivered the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer and an ExPRESS Logistics Carrier to the International Space Station. Mark Kelly served as the mission commander...
and STS-135
STS-135
STS-135 was the final mission of the American Space Shuttle program. It used the orbiter Atlantis and hardware originally processed for the STS-335 contingency mission, which was not flown. STS-135 launched on 8 July and was originally scheduled to land on 20 July 2011, but the mission was...
. Having flown onboard 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-132
STS-132
STS-132 was a NASA Space Shuttle mission, during which Space Shuttle Atlantis docked with the International Space Station on 16 May 2010. STS-132 was launched from the Kennedy Space Center on 14 May 2010. The primary payload was the Russian Rassvet Mini-Research Module, along with an Integrated...
mission, Bowen became the first NASA astronaut to be launched on two consecutive missions.
Mission milestones
The mission marked:- 164th NASA manned space flight
- 133rd 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...
- 39th flight of Discovery
- 35th shuttle mission to the ISS
- 108th 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 - 20th 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
Terminal countdown demonstration test
On 12 October 2010, the STS-133 crew arrived at the Kennedy Space Center to conduct the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (TCDT). The TCDT consisted of training for both the crew and the launch team that simulated the final hours up until launch. During the TCDT, the crew went through a number of exercises that included rescue training and a launch day simulation that included everything that will happen on launch day – except the launch. STS-133 commander Steve Lindsey and Pilot Eric Boe also performed abort landings and other flight aspects in the Shuttle Training AircraftShuttle 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...
(STA). For the TCDT, the crew also received a briefing from NASA engineers, outlining the work that had been carried out on Discovery during the STS-133 processing flow. After successfully completing all the TCDT tasks, the crew returned to the Johnson Space Center on 15 October 2010.
Flying aboard NASA T-38 training jets, Discovery's six astronauts returned to Kennedy Space Center on 28 October 2010 for final pre-launch preparations.
On 15 January 2011, Timothy Kopra, scheduled as the lead spacewalker for the mission at the time, was injured in a bicycle accident near his Houston-area home, reportedly breaking his hip. He was replaced by 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...
on 19 January 2011. The replacement did not affect the targeted launch date. This is to date the closest to a scheduled launch that a Space Shuttle crewmember has been replaced. During the Apollo program, Jack Swigert
Jack Swigert
He later became staff director of the Committee on Science and Technology of the U.S. House of Representatives.Swigert was elected as a Republican to Colorado's newly created 6th congressional district in November 1982. He defeated Democrat Steve Hogan, 98,909 votes to 56,518...
replaced Ken Mattingly
Ken Mattingly
Thomas Kenneth "Ken" Mattingly II, is a retired American astronaut and rear admiral in the United States Navy who flew on the Apollo 16, STS-4 and STS-51-C missions. He had been scheduled to fly on Apollo 13, but was held back due to concerns about a potential illness...
three days prior to a launch.
Shuttle processing
STS-133 was originally manifested for launch on 16 September 2010. In June 2010 the launch date was moved to the end of October 2010 and the mission was set to take place before STS-134, which in turn had been rescheduled to February 2011. STS-133 had the longest vertical flow period (170 days) since STS-35STS-35
-Crew notes:Prior to the Challenger disaster, this mission was slated to launch in March 1986 as STS-61-E. Jon McBride was originally assigned to command this mission, which would have been his second spaceflight. He chose to retire from NASA in May 1989 and was replaced as mission commander by...
(185 days).
Space Shuttle Discovery was moved from its hangar in the Orbiter Processing Facility (OPF)-3 to the nearby 52-story 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) on 9 September 2010. The shuttle emerged out of OPF-3 at 06:54 EDT and the rollover was done at 10:46 EDT when Discovery came to a rest in the VAB's transfer aisle. The quarter-mile trip between the OPF-3 and VAB was the 41st rollover for Discovery. The rollover was originally planned at 06:30 EDT on 8 September 2010. The move did not commence due the unavailability of fire suppression systems because of a broken water main near the VAB and turn basin that runs out to the shuttle launch pads.
The two SRBs were designated as flight set 122 by contractor Alliant Techsystems
Alliant Techsystems
Alliant Techsystems Inc., most commonly known by its ticker symbol, ', is one of the largest aerospace and defense companies in the United States with more than 18,000 employees in 22 states, Puerto Rico and internationally, and 2010 revenues in excess of an estimated...
and are made up from 1 new segment and remaining segments reused across 54 earlier shuttle missions dating back to 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...
. Inside the VAB, engineers attached a large sling to Discovery and the shuttle was rotated vertical. The shuttle was lifted into the high bay where its external tank (ET-137) and boosters were waiting to be mated. During the mating operations, an internal nut pre-positioned inside the aft compartment of the orbiter slipped out of position and fell away inside the compartment. Engineers initially were worried that the shuttle would have to be removed from the ET and placed back in a horizontal orientation to make repairs. However, later they successfully accessed the area inside aft compartment, and re-positioned the nut to complete the repairs. The bolting of the orbiter to its ET ('hard mate') was completed early in the morning of 11 September 2010 at 09:27 EDT.
The shuttle's 44th rollout to the launch pad was scheduled to begin at 20:00 EDT on 20 September 2010. NASA sent out more than 700 invitations to shuttle workers so they could bring their families to watch Discovery's journey to the pad. However, the shuttle began the 3.4 mile trek from the VAB to the pad earlier than planned at about at 19:23 EDT on 20 September 2010. Discovery took about six hours to arrive at Pad 39A. The shuttle was secured on the launch pad by 01:49 EDT the next day.
Orbital Maneuvering System vapor leak
On 14 October 2010, engineers at the launch pad first discovered a small leak in a propellant line for Discovery's orbital maneuvering system (OMS) engines. The leak was detected after they noticed a fishy smell coming from the aft of the space shuttle thought of as a sign of fuel vapor in the air. Upon inspection, the leak was found at a flange located at the interface where two propellant lines meet in Discovery's aft compartment. The line carries a propellant called monomethyl hydrazine (MMH), one of two chemicals (the other is an oxidizer, nitrogen tetroxide) used to ignite the OMS engines. Engineers replaced an Air Half Coupling (AHC) flight cap. However the new cap failed to solve the problem since vapor checks still showed signs of a leak. An aspirator was activated to collect the vapor at the leak-site allowing work to continue in other locations around the aft segment of Discovery.It was believed that the leak was in the crossfeed flange area – a problem with associated seals. On 18 October 2010, after an afternoon review, engineers were asked to double-check the torque on six bolts around the suspected leaky flange fitting and tighten if necessary. Subsequent leak tests showed again signs of seepage, and the task of solving the issue required the draining of both the left and right OMS tanks of the shuttle and a unique in-situ repair at the pad to avoid a rollback. On 23 October 2010, engineers completed the removal and replacement of the two seals on the Right OMS crossfeed flange, after the eduction (a vacuum-related procedure, used to completely clear the plumbing of the toxic MMH) of the plumbing was completed ahead of the schedule by over a day. Later, testing indicated that the new seals were properly seated and holding pressure with no signs of additional seepage. Normal pad operations commenced soon after allowing managers to press forward with the confirmation of a 1 November 2010 target launch date, with fuel reloading into the OMS tanks beginning in the morning of 24 October 2010.
Main engine controller problem
On 2 November, while readying Discovery for launch, engineers reported an electrical issue on the backup Main Engine Controller (MEC) mounted on Engine No. 3 (SSME-3). Earlier in the morning, engineers said that the problem had been solved, however another glitch in the system raised concerns and additional troubleshooting was ordered. Troubleshooting followed and indicated the problem was related to "transient contamination" in a circuit breaker. NASA Test Director Steve Payne addressing reporters told that after troubleshooting and power cycles, the controller powered up normally. However at the same time the problem was thought to be a no issue, an unexpected voltage drop was observed.In Mission Management Team (MMT) meeting held later on the day, managers decided to scrub the launch for at least 24 hours to work towards flight rationale.
Ground Umbilical Carrier Plate leak
On 5 November 2010 Discovery's launch attempt, a hydrogen leak was detected at the Ground Umbilical Carrier Plate (GUCP) during the fueling process. The plate is an attachment point between the external tank and a 17-inch pipe that carries gaseous hydrogen safely away from the tank to the flare stack, where it is burned off. All had been proceeding to plan with the tank "fast filled" during tanking, until the first leak indication was revealed. Firstly, a 33,000 ppm leak then reduced to a level below 20,000 ppm was recorded. The Launch Commit Criteria limit is 40–44,000 ppm. The leak was only being observed during the cycling of the vent valve to "open" to release the gaseous hydrogen from the tank to the flare stack. Controllers decided to stop valve cycling in order to increase the pressure and attempt to force a seal before attempting to complete the fast fill process. At this stage the leak spiked and remained at the highest 60,000 ppm level (likely even at a higher value), indicating a serious problem with the GUCP's seal.Shuttle launch director Mike Leinbach characterized the leak as "significant," similar to what was seen on 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:...
and STS-127
STS-127
STS-127 was a NASA Space Shuttle mission to the International Space Station . It was the twenty-third flight of . The primary purpose of the STS-127 mission was to deliver and install the final two components of the Japanese Experiment Module: the Exposed Facility , and the Exposed Section of the...
, although rate was higher in magnitude and occurred earlier in the fueling process.
After the day required to make the tank safe by purging remaining hydrogen gas with helium gas, NASA engineers prepared for disconnection of the vent arm and the significant number of lines prior to taking their first look at the GUCP. On 9 November night, technicians began disconnecting the GUCP by unhooking and lowering the hydrogen vent line. Teams performed an initial inspection of the flight seal and quick disconnect prior to sending them to labs for a thorough engineering analysis. Engineers reported an unevenly (asymmetrically) compressed internal seal and the quick disconnect hardware also seemed have a less concentric fit than pre-fueling measurements indicated. Inspections also confirmed the condition of the hardware did not match the observations documented when it was installed on the external tank inside the VAB.
On 12 November morning, teams began installing a new GUCP and completed the GUCP work over the next two days. The new plate was previously fit checked on the external tank at Michoud Assembly Facility and yielded substantially better concentricity values than was obtained with the old and removed GUCP. Technicians took extra measurements to ensure the best possible alignment of the newly installed GUCP. Teams are now expected to begin installing the flight seal and quick disconnect on 15 November. It is also likely that a Tanking Test would be done on the reinstalled GUCP hardware, as was previously seen after the second STS-127 scrub.
Cracks in the external tank
Additional inspection of the tank revealed cracks in foam insulation in the flange between the intertank and liquid Oxygen tank. The cracks are believed to have occurred about an hour after super-cold propellants began flowing into Discovery's external tank for the 5 November launch attempt. The cracks in Discovery's tank are the first to be found at the launch pad.The insulation was cut away for additional inspection revealing two additional 9-inch metal cracks on either side of an underlying structural rib called "stringer S-7-2". NASA managers then decided to cut away additional foam and observed two more cracks on a stringer known as S-6-2 adjacent to the two original cracks. They were found on the far left of removed foam on the flange area between the intertank and the liquid Oxygen tank. However these cracks appeared to have suffered less stress than the others found. No cracks were found in stringers on the right side. NASA suspects the use of a lightweight aluminum-lithium alloy in the tanks may be contributing to the crack problem. Repairs commenced while the shuttle remains on the pad. An environmental enclosure has been erected around the known damage site to facilitate ongoing repairs and eventually to apply fresh foam insulation. On 18 November, as part of the repairs, technicians installed new sections of metal, called "doublers" because they are twice as thick as the original stringer metal providing additional strength, to replace the two cracked stringers on Discovery's external tank.
Scanning of the stringers on the Liquid Oxygen/Intertank flange was completed on 23 November. NASA also performed backscatter
Backscatter
In physics, backscatter is the reflection of waves, particles, or signals back to the direction they came from. It is a diffuse reflection due to scattering, as opposed to specular reflection like a mirror...
scanning of the lower Liquid Hydrogen/Intertank flange stringers on 29 November.
The Space Shuttle Program
Space Shuttle program
NASA's Space Shuttle program, officially called Space Transportation System , was the United States government's manned launch vehicle program from 1981 to 2011...
(SSP) identified the analysis and repairs that were required to safely launch the shuttle, and this analysis was reviewed at a special Program Requirements Control Board (PRCB) held on 24 November. Managers announced at that meeting that the launch window available in early December would be passed up, with a new target of 17 December set, but cautioned that the launch could slip into February 2011. After reviewing the Space Station's December traffic model following the realigned Johannes Kepler ATV
Johannes Kepler ATV
The Johannes Kepler ATV, or Automated Transfer Vehicle 002 , was an unmanned cargo resupply spacecraft launched by the European Space Agency . It was named after the German astronomer Johannes Kepler. The spacecraft was launched on 17 February 2011, on a mission to supply the International Space...
mission's launch date, NASA had identified a potential launch window in mid-/late-December 2010. The 17 December 2010 date was preferred because it would have allowed the shuttle to carry more stored oxygen to the International Space Station to help it deal with oxygen generation issues, which the crew has been dealing with for several months. "What we've told the agency leadership is that clearly we're not ready for the 3 December to 7 December window that's coming up next week," John Shannon, NASA's SSP manager, said in a news conference held after the special PCRB. "We'll leave the option open for a launch window for 17 December, but a lot of data has to come together to support that".
Johannes Kepler ATV rescheduled
The launch date of 24 February 2011 was officially set after the flight readiness review meeting on 18 February 2011. Reviews of previous problems, including the GUP vent line connection, external tank foam and external tank stringer cracks, were found to be positive. Additionally, flight rules which require a 72 hour separation between dockings at the International Space Station threatened to delay the launch by at least 1 day due to the delayed launch of the ESA's unmanned Johannes Kepler ATVJohannes Kepler ATV
The Johannes Kepler ATV, or Automated Transfer Vehicle 002 , was an unmanned cargo resupply spacecraft launched by the European Space Agency . It was named after the German astronomer Johannes Kepler. The spacecraft was launched on 17 February 2011, on a mission to supply the International Space...
supply craft. Managers instead decided to press ahead with the countdown allowing for a possible standdown; had docking issues arisen with the ATV, STS-133 would have stood down for 48 hours. The Kepler ATV docked successfully at 10:59 UTC, 24 February 2011.
Launch attempts
- All times Eastern Time, first 5 are while daylight saving time was in effect (EDT), attempt 6 is during outside of daylight saving (EST). Because of this, the final "turnaround" category should be 111 days, 2 hours, 49 minutes, it is not due to automatic formatting.
Mission timeline
- Section source: NASA Press Kit and NASA TV Live The original nominal mission of twelve days was eventually extended by two days, one at a time.
24 February (Flight Day 1 - Launch)
Space Shuttle Discovery successfully lifted off from Kennedy Space CenterKennedy 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...
's launch pad 39A
Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39
Launch Complex 39 is a rocket launch site at the John F. Kennedy Space Center on Merritt Island in Florida, USA. The site and its collection of facilities were originally built for the Apollo program, and later modified to support Space Shuttle operations. NASA began modifying LC-39 in 2007 to...
at 16:53:24 EST on 24 February 2011. Lift-off was initially set for 16:50:24, but was delayed for 3 minutes by a minor glitch in a computer system used by the Range Safety Officer
Range Safety Officer
In the field of rocketry, Range Safety Officer is a generic term referring to an individual who monitors the performance of rockets in flight, and who is responsible for their remote destruction if it should be judged that they pose a hazard...
(RSO) for the Eastern Range. Once Discovery was cleared for launch, it took 8 minutes and 34 seconds to reach orbit. At approximately four minutes into flight, a piece of foam was seen breaking away from the External Tank. This foam was deemed not to be a threat, since it had liberated after the shuttle had left Earth's atmosphere. During Discovery
Once on orbit, the crew of STS-133 opened the payload bay doors and activated the Ku band antenna for high speed communications with mission control. While the Ku band antenna was being activated, Alvin Drew
B. Alvin Drew
Colonel Benjamin Alvin Drew is a United States Air Force officer and a NASA astronaut. He has been on two spaceflights; the first one was the Space Shuttle mission STS-118 to the International Space Station, in August 2007. Drew's second spaceflight took place in March 2011 on STS-133, another...
and pilot Eric Boe activated the Shuttle Remote Manipulator System (SRMS) also known as the Canadarm. Later in the crew day, imagery of the External Tank during launch was downlinked for analysis.
25 February (Flight Day 2 - OBSS inspection)
Flight day 2 saw the crew of Discovery begin their preparations to dock with the International Space StationInternational 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). The day started with a firing of the Orbital Maneuvering System (OMS) engine, called the NC2 burn, to help Discovery catch up to the ISS. Commander Steve Lindsey, pilot Eric Boe and mission specialist Al Drew began the day performing an inspection of the Re-enforced Carbon-Carbon (RCC) panels with the Orbital Boom Sensor System (OBSS). Lindsey and Boe started the inspection on the starboard wing and nose cap, and continued on with the port wing; the whole survey took about six hours to complete. Al Drew joined up with Michael Barratt and Steve Bowen to checkout and get their two Extravehicular Mobility Unit
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...
(EMU's) ready for the two spacewalks that would be conducted during the STS-133 mission. Later in the day, the crew checked out the rendezvous tools to ensure they were operational. At the end of the day, another OMS engine firing, known as the NC3 burn, took place.
26 February (Flight Day 3 - ISS rendezvous)
The orbiter docked to the ISS on flight day 3, marking the 13th time Discovery had visited the ISS. The docking occurred on time at 19:14 UTC. A hard mate between the two vehicles was delayed by about 40 minutes because of relative motion between the station and shuttle, thus putting the crew behind the timeline for the day. The hatches were finally opened at 21:16 UTC, and the Expedition 26Expedition 26
The Expedition 26 was the twenty-sixth long-duration mission to the International Space Station. The expedition's first three crew members – one US astronaut and two Russian cosmonauts – arrived at the station on board Soyuz TMA-01M on 10 October 2010...
crew greeted the crew of STS-133. After the welcome ceremony and safety briefing, the crew's main task of the day was to transfer the ExPRESS Logistics Carrier
EXPRESS Logistics Carrier
An ExPRESS logistics carrier is an unpressurized attached payload platform for the International Space Station that provides mechanical mounting surfaces, electrical power, and command and data handling services for Orbital Replacement Units as well as science experiments on the ISS...
4 (ELC4). ELC4 was taken out of Discovery's payload bay by the Space Station Remote Manipulator (SSRMS) also known as Canadarm2, which was operated by Nicole Stott and Michael Barratt. The SSRMS handed it to the Shuttle Remote Manipulator System (SRMS), which was being controlled by pilot Eric Boe and mission specialist Alvin Drew, while it the SSRMS moved to the Mobile Base System (MBS). Once there the SSRMS took ELC4 back from the SRMS, and installed it at its location on the S3 truss
Integrated Truss Structure
the Integrated Truss Structure forms the backbone of the International Space Station, with mountings for unpressurized logistics carriers, radiators, solar arrays, and other equipment.-History:...
location. ELC4 was installed in its final location at 03:22 UTC on 27 February. While the robotic transfer was going on, Steve Bowen, and commander Steve Lindsey were transferring items that were needed for flight day 4 and the spacewalk on flight day 5.
27 February (Flight Day 4)
On flight day 4, Nicole Stott and Michael Barratt grappled the Orbiter Boom Sensor SystemOrbiter 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) using the Canadarm2 and removed it from the starboard sill of Discovery's payload bay. Once it was grappled and out of the payload bay, the Shuttle Remote Manipulator System (SRMS) grappled the end of the OBSS and took a hand off from the Canadarm2. The OBSS was grappled by the space station arm, because the SRMS could not reach it due to clearance issues, and it needed to be moved out of the way so that the Permanent Multipurpose Module (PMM) could be removed from the payload bay. After the OBSS hand off, the entire STS-133 crew was joined by ISS Expedition 26
Expedition 26
The Expedition 26 was the twenty-sixth long-duration mission to the International Space Station. The expedition's first three crew members – one US astronaut and two Russian cosmonauts – arrived at the station on board Soyuz TMA-01M on 10 October 2010...
commander Scott Kelly and flight engineer Paolo Nespoli for a series of in-flight media interviews. The interviews were conducted with the Weather Channel, WBZ
WBZ (AM)
WBZ is the call sign for an AM radio station in Boston, Massachusetts owned by CBS Radio, itself owned by the CBS Corporation. Originally based in and broadcast from Springfield, Massachusetts, WBZ was the first commercial radio station in the United States...
radio in Boston, Massachusetts
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, WSB-TV
WSB-TV
WSB-TV, virtual channel 2.1 , is the ABC affiliate in Atlanta, Georgia. It is the flagship television station of Cox Enterprises and its Cox Media Group subsidiary...
in Atlanta, Georgia, and WBTV
WBTV
WBTV, channel 3 , is the CBS affiliate in Charlotte, North Carolina. It is one of two flagship stations of Raycom Media. WBTV's studios are located off Morehead Street just west of Uptown Charlotte, and its transmitter is located in north-central Gaston County, North Carolina...
in Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte is the largest city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the seat of Mecklenburg County. In 2010, Charlotte's population according to the US Census Bureau was 731,424, making it the 17th largest city in the United States based on population. The Charlotte metropolitan area had a 2009...
. The crew also completed more cargo transfers to and from the ISS. Throughout the day, Alvin Drew and Steve Bowen prepared tools that they would use on their spacewalk on flight day 5. Later in the day, they were joined by the shuttle crew and ISS commander Kelly and flight engineer Nespoli, for a review of the spacewalk procedures. After the review, Bowen and Drew donned oxygen masks and entered the crew lock of the Quest airlock for the standard pre-spacewalk campout. The airlock was lowered to 10.2 psi for the night. This was done to help the spacewalkers purge 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...
from their blood and help prevent decompression sickness
Decompression sickness
Decompression sickness describes a condition arising from dissolved gases coming out of solution into bubbles inside the body on depressurization...
, also known as the bends.
28 February (Flight Day 5 - EVA 1)
Steve Bowen and Alvin Drew performed the mission's first extra-vehicular activityExtra-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...
(EVA), or spacewalk, on flight day 5. After waking up at 6:23 am EST, the crew immediately began EVA preparations. A conference was held between the crew of the station and mission control at about 8:20 am, followed by further EVA preparation work, including the depressurization of the airlock. Bowen and Drew switched their spacesuits to internal battery power at 10:46 am, marking the beginning of EVA 1.
During the EVA, the Bowen and Drew installed a power cable linking the Unity and Tranquility modules in order to provide a contingency power source, should it become required. They then moved a failed ammonia pump, which was replaced in August 2010, from its temporary location to the External Stowage Platform 2
External Stowage Platform
External Stowage Platforms are key components of the International Space Station . Each ESP is an external pallet that can hold spare parts, also known as Orbital Replacement Units , for the space station. As a platform it is not pressurized, but does require electricity to power the heaters of...
. Later, operations with the SSRMS robotic arm were delayed to due technical problems with the robotic control station in the Cupola module.
After installing a wedge under a camera on the S3 truss
Integrated Truss Structure
the Integrated Truss Structure forms the backbone of the International Space Station, with mountings for unpressurized logistics carriers, radiators, solar arrays, and other equipment.-History:...
to provide clearance from the newly installed ExPRESS Logistics Carrier
EXPRESS Logistics Carrier
An ExPRESS logistics carrier is an unpressurized attached payload platform for the International Space Station that provides mechanical mounting surfaces, electrical power, and command and data handling services for Orbital Replacement Units as well as science experiments on the ISS...
-2, performing a Japanese experiment called Message in a Bottle to collect a sample of vacuum, and other minor tasks, the EVA ended after six hours and 34 minutes at 5:20 pm EST.
1 March (Flight Day 6 - PMM installation)
Flight day 6 saw the installation of the Leonardo Permanent Multipurpose Module (PMM) to the nadir, or Earth-facing, port of the station's Unity module. Once the installation was complete, the external outfitting of Leonardo, to integrate it into the ISS as a permanent module, was begun. Steve Bowen and Alvin Drew conducted the procedure review for the mission's second spacewalk, before beginning their pre-EVA campout in the Quest airlock.2 March (Flight Day 7 - EVA 2)
Steve Bowen and Alvin Drew conducted STS-133's second EVA on flight day 7. Drew removed thermal insulation from a platform, while Bowen swapped out an attachment bracket on the Columbus module. Bowen then installed a camera assembly on the Dextre robot and removed insulation from Dextre's electronics platform. Drew installed a light on a cargo cart and repaired some dislodged thermal insulation from a valve on the truss. Meanwhile, the ISS and shuttle crew entered the Leonardo PMM to commence the internal outfitting of the module.3 March (Flight Day 8)
On flight day 8, the transfer of the Leonardo PMM's cargo to the interior of the ISS began. The crew also received some off-duty time on this day.4 March (Flight Day 9)
On flight day 9, the equipment used on Drew and Bowen's spacewalk was reconfigured. A joint crew news conference was also conducted via satellite, after which the crew received more off-duty time.5 March (Flight Day 10)
The internal outfitting of the Leonardo PMM continued on flight day 10.Furthermore, a photo-shoot of the ISS with multiple spacecraft docked was considered, but rejected by mission planners.
6 March (Flight Day 11)
As well as the continued outfitting of the Leonardo Permanent Multipurpose Module,a checkout of Discovery
7 March (Flight Day 12 - Undocking)
Discovery conducted its final undocking from the ISS on flight day 12, and its last fly-around preceded the final separation from the station. A late inspection of Discoverys thermal heat shield was conducted using the OBSSOrbiter 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...
, before the OBSS was berthed.
8 March (Flight Day 13)
The crew of Discovery stowed their equipment in the shuttle's cabin before conducting a checkout of the flight control system and a hot-fire test of the reaction control systemReaction control system
A reaction control system is a subsystem of a spacecraft whose purpose is attitude control and steering by the use of thrusters. An RCS system is capable of providing small amounts of thrust in any desired direction or combination of directions. An RCS is also capable of providing torque to allow...
. A final deorbit preparation briefing was carried out before the shuttle's Ku band antenna was stowed.
9 March (Flight Day 14 - Re-entry and landing)
On the final day of the mission, DiscoveryKennedy 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...
's Shuttle Landing Facility for the final time on 9 March 2011 at 11:58:14 EST. The shuttle was retired at wheel-stop.
Spacewalks
Two spacewalks (EVAs) were conducted during the mission.| 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 | Steve 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... Alvin Drew |
28 February 2011 15:46 |
28 February 2011 22:20 |
6 hours 34 minutes |
| Drew and Bowen installed a power extension cable between the Unity and Tranquility nodes to provide a contingency power source should it be required. The spacewalkers then moved the failed ammonia pump module that was replaced in August from an its temporary location to the External Stowage Platform 2 External Stowage Platform External Stowage Platforms are key components of the International Space Station . Each ESP is an external pallet that can hold spare parts, also known as Orbital Replacement Units , for the space station. As a platform it is not pressurized, but does require electricity to power the heaters of... adjacent to the Quest airlock. Drew and Bowen then installed a wedge under a camera on the S3 truss Integrated Truss Structure the Integrated Truss Structure forms the backbone of the International Space Station, with mountings for unpressurized logistics carriers, radiators, solar arrays, and other equipment.-History:... to provide clearance from the newly installed ELC-4. They next replaced a guide for the rail cart system used for moving the station robotic arm along the truss. The guides had been removed when astronauts were performing work on the station's starboard Solar Alpha Rotary Joint (SARJ), which rotates the solar arrays to track the sun. The final task was to "fill" a special bottle with the vacuum of space for a Japanese education payload. The bottle will be part of a public museum exhibit. |
||||
| EVA 2 | Steve Bowen Alvin Drew |
2 March 2011 15:42 |
2 March 2011 21:56 |
6 hours 14 minutes |
| Drew removed thermal insulation from a platform, while Bowen swapped out an attachment bracket on the Columbus module 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 .... . Bowen then installed a camera assembly on the Dextre robot and removed insulation from Dextre's electronics platform. Drew installed a light on a cargo cart and repaired some dislodged thermal insulation from a valve on the truss. |
||||
Wake-up calls
NASA began a tradition of playing music to astronauts during the Gemini program, and first used music 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 the astronauts' families, and usually has a special meaning to an individual member of the crew, or is applicable to their daily activities.
NASA opened the selection process to the public for the first time for STS-133. The public was invited to vote on two songs used to wake up astronauts on previous missions to wake up the STS-133 crew.
| Flight Day | Song | Artist | Played for | Links |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Day 2 | "Through Heaven's Eyes" | Brian Stokes Mitchell Brian Stokes Mitchell Brian Stokes Mitchell is an American stage, film and television actor. A powerful baritone, he has been one of the central leading men of the Broadway theatre since the early 1990s... |
Michael R. Barratt Michael R. Barratt Michael Reed Barratt is an American physician and a NASA astronaut. Specializing in aerospace medicine, Barratt served as a flight surgeon for NASA before his selection as an astronaut, and has played a role in developing NASA's space medicine programs for both the Shuttle-Mir Program and... |
WAV, MP3 |
| Day 3 | "Woody's Roundup Woody's Roundup Woody's Roundup is a fictional show within the Toy Story universe. It ran from 1950-1959 that aired on the Watch with Woody series on Tuesdays. The show was a western adventure series that utilized puppetry in a way not unlike the real-world shows The Howdy Doody Show and similar in vein to Gerry... " |
Riders in the Sky | Alvin Drew B. Alvin Drew Colonel Benjamin Alvin Drew is a United States Air Force officer and a NASA astronaut. He has been on two spaceflights; the first one was the Space Shuttle mission STS-118 to the International Space Station, in August 2007. Drew's second spaceflight took place in March 2011 on STS-133, another... |
WAV, MP3 |
| Day 4 | "Java Jive" | The Manhattan Transfer The Manhattan Transfer The Manhattan Transfer is an American vocal music group. There have been two manifestations of the group, with Tim Hauser being the only person to be part of both... |
Steven Lindsey | WAV, MP3 |
| Day 5 | "Oh What a Beautiful Morning" | Davy Knowles Davy Knowles Davy Knowles is a blues guitarist and singer. Knowles, formerly of the blues-rock band Back Door Slam, is now working as a solo artist under the name Davy Knowles and Back Door Slam. With Back Door Slam, he played lead guitar and sang on their debut album, Roll Away... & Back Door Slam Back Door Slam Back Door Slam is the name of the blues rock band started by Davy Knowles on the Isle of Man in 2003/4. The band got its name from a Robert Cray song of the same name... |
Nicole Stott | WAV, MP3 |
| Day 6 | "Happy Together Happy Together (song) "Happy Together" is a 1967 song from The Turtles' album of the same name. Released in February 1967, the song knocked The Beatles' "Penny Lane" out of the #1 slot for three weeks on the Billboard Hot 100. It was the group's only chart-topper. "Happy Together" reached #12 on the UK Singles Chart in... " |
The Turtles The Turtles The Turtles are an American rock group led by vocalists Howard Kaylan and Mark Volman. The band became notable for several Top 40 hits beginning with its cover version of Bob Dylan's "It Ain't Me Babe" in 1965... |
Stephen Bowen | WAV, MP3 |
| Day 7 | "The Speed of Sound Speed of Sound (song) "Speed of Sound" is a song by English alternative rock band Coldplay. It was written by all members of the band for their third album, X&Y. Built around a piano riff, the song builds into a huge, synthesizer-heavy chorus... " |
Coldplay Coldplay Coldplay are a British alternative rock band formed in 1996 by lead vocalist Chris Martin and lead guitarist Jonny Buckland at University College London. After they formed Pectoralz, Guy Berryman joined the group as a bassist and they changed their name to Starfish. Will Champion joined as a... |
Eric Boe | WAV, MP3 |
| Day 8 | "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... |
STS-133 Crew | WAV, MP3 |
| Day 9 | "The Ritual/Ancient Battle/2nd Kroykah" | STS-133 Crew | WAV, MP3 | |
| Day 10 | "Ohio (Come Back to Texas) Ohio (Come Back to Texas) "Ohio " is a song by Texas band Bowling for Soup, released as a single from their album A Hangover You Don't Deserve. The singer's girlfriend leaves him after meeting another man named Leyland at the bank... " |
Bowling for Soup Bowling for Soup Bowling for Soup is an American pop-punk band which originally formed in Wichita Falls, Texas in 1994... |
STS-133 Crew | WAV, MP3 |
| Day 11 | "Spaceship Superstar" | Prism Prism (band) Prism is a Canadian rock band originally from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. They were active from 1977 to 1984 and are active again from 1988 to present. The band's sound is a mix of Album-Oriented Rock and pop rock. They have released a total of 13 albums to date... |
STS-133 Crew | WAV, MP3 |
| Day 12 | Theme to "Star Trek Star Trek Star Trek is an American science fiction entertainment franchise created by Gene Roddenberry. The core of Star Trek is its six television series: The Original Series, The Animated Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and Enterprise... " |
Voice-over by William Shatner William Shatner William Alan Shatner is a Canadian actor, musician, recording artist, and author. He gained worldwide fame and became a cultural icon for his portrayal of James T... Song by Alexander Courage Alexander Courage Alexander "Sandy" Mair Courage Jr. was an American orchestrator, arranger, and composer of music, primarily for television and film.-Biography:... |
STS-133 Crew | WAV, MP3 |
| Day 13 | "Blue Sky" (Live) | Big Head Todd and the Monsters Big Head Todd and the Monsters Big Head Todd & the Monsters is a rock band formed in 1986 in Colorado. The band has released a number of albums since 1989 with their 1993 album Sister Sweetly going platinum in the United States... |
STS-133 Crew | WAV, MP3 |
| Day 14 | "Coming Home" | Gwyneth Paltrow Gwyneth Paltrow Gwyneth Kate Paltrow is an American actress and singer. She made her acting debut on stage in 1990 and started appearing in films in 1991. After appearing in several films throughout the decade, Paltrow gained early notice for her work in films such as Se7en and Emma... |
STS-133 Crew | WAV, MP3 |
See also
- 2011 in spaceflight2011 in spaceflightThe year 2011 saw a number of significant events in spaceflight, including the retirement of the Space Shuttle after its final flight in July 2011 and the launch of China's first space station module, Tiangong-1, in September...
- List of ISS spacewalks
- List of space shuttle missions
- List of spacewalks since 2000
- List of human spaceflights chronologically
- Space Shuttle DiscoverySpace Shuttle DiscoverySpace 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...
External links
- NASA's space shuttle page
- NASA's STS-133 mission page
- Watch STS-133 launch video / ICARE Live
- Twitter Feed of the events for sts-133
- STS-133 Flight Day Journal – collectSPACECollectSPACEcollectSPACE is an online publication and community for space history enthusiasts featuring articles and photos about space artifacts and memorabilia, information on past, current, and upcoming space events, space history collecting resources, and links to other space-related websites...
- STS-133 Preflight Briefings Video – SpaceflightNews.net / NASA TV
- Behind the Scenes With Astronaut Mike Massimino – SpaceflightNews.net / NASA TV
- STS-133 preflight crew interview videos – SpaceflightNews.net / NASA TV
- 3D video of ISS and STS-133, from Thierry Legault as observed from the Earth's surface
- Space Shuttle Discovery STS-133 Astronauts Interviewed for BBC Breakfast / BBC TV
- Video: STS-133 Space Shuttle Crew Ready For Discovery's Final Mission Part 1 – SpaceflightNews.net / YouTube
- Video: STS-133 Space Shuttle Crew Ready For Discovery's Final Mission Part 2 – SpaceflightNews.net / YouTube
- Video: STS-133 – Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test Crew Q & A Session at Launch Pad 39A Part 1 – SpaceflightNews.net / YouTube
- Video: STS-133 – Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test Crew Q & A Session at Launch Pad 39A Part 2 – SpaceflightNews.net / YouTube
- Video: STS-133 Discovery astronauts take part in countdown dress rehearsal Part 1 – SpaceflightNews.net / YouTube
- Video: STS-133 Discovery astronauts take part in countdown dress rehearsal Part 2 – SpaceflightNews.net / YouTube
- Video: STS-133 Crew Arrives For Shuttle Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test – SpaceflightNews.net / YouTube
- Video: STS-133 Launch Seen From Airplane – STS-133 launch seen from airplane / YouTube
- Spherical panorama of Discovery on Pad 39A at the left SRB
- Spherical panorama of Discovery on Pad 39A at the left OMS pod
- Spherical panorama of Discovery on Pad 39A under the External Tank between the boosters