STS-88
Encyclopedia
Mission parameters
- Weight
- Liftoff: 263927 lbs
- Landing: 200296 lbs
- Perigee: 241 miles (387.9 km)
- Apogee: 249 miles (400.7 km)
- Orbital Period: 92.4min
Launch attempts
Mission highlights
Space Shuttle
The Space Shuttle was a manned orbital rocket and spacecraft system operated by NASA on 135 missions from 1981 to 2011. The system combined rocket launch, orbital spacecraft, and re-entry spaceplane with modular add-ons...
. It has two Pressurized Mating Adapter
Pressurized Mating Adapter
The International Space Station uses three Pressurized Mating Adapters to interconnect spacecraft and modules with different docking mechanisms. The first two PMAs were launched with the Unity module in 1998 aboard STS-88...
s (PMA), one attached to either end. One PMA is permanently mated to Zarya, and the other is used for orbiter dockings and crew access to the station. Unity also contains an International Standard Payload Rack used to support on-orbit activities, which was activated after the fifth Shuttle/Station assembly flight.
To begin the assembly sequence, the crew conducted a series of rendezvous maneuvers similar to those conducted on other Shuttle missions to reach the orbiting FGB. On the way, Currie used the Shuttle's robot arm to place Node 1 atop the Orbiter Docking System. Cabana completed the rendezvous by flying Endeavour to within 10 metres (32.8 ft) of the FGB, allowing Currie to capture the FGB with the robot arm and place it on the Node's Pressurized Mating Adapter.
Once the two elements were docked, Ross and Newman conducted two scheduled spacewalks to connect power and data cables between the Node, PMAs and the FGB. The day following the spacewalks, Endeavour undocked from the two components, completing the first Space Station assembly mission.
Endeavour's astronauts toured the new International Space Station on 11 December 1998, entering the Unity and Zarya modules for the first time, and establishing an S-band communications system that enables U.S. flight controllers to monitor the outpost's systems. Reflecting the international cooperation involved in building the largest space complex in history, Commander Robert Cabana and Russian Cosmonaut Sergei Krikalyov opened the hatch to the U.S.-built Unity connecting module and floated into the new station together.
The rest of the crew followed and began turning on lights and unstowing gear in the roomy hub to which other modules would be connected in the future. Each passageway within Unity was marked by a sign leading the way into tunnels to which new modules would later be connected.
About an hour later, Robert Cabana and Sergei Krikalyov opened the hatch to the Russian-built Zarya
Zarya
Zarya , also known as the Functional Cargo Block or FGB , was the first module of the International Space Station to be launched. The FGB provided electrical power, storage, propulsion, and guidance to the ISS during the initial stage of assembly...
control module, which was the nerve center for the station in its embryonic stage. Joined by Pilot Frederick Sturckow and Mission Specialists Jerry Ross
Jerry L. Ross
Jerry Lynn Ross is a United States Air Force officer and a former NASA astronaut. He is a veteran of seven Space Shuttle missions, making him the record holder for most spaceflights .-Personal:Ross is married to the former Karen S. Pearson of Sheridan, Indiana. They have two children...
, James H. Newman
James H. Newman
James Hansen Newman is an American physicist and a former NASA astronaut who flew on four Space Shuttle missions..- Personal data :...
and Nancy Currie, Cabana and Krikalyov hailed the historic entrance into the International Space Station and said the hatch opening signified the start of a new era in space exploration.
Ross and Newman went right to work in Unity, completing the assembly of an early S-band communications system that allows flight controllers in Houston to send commands to Unity's systems and to keep tabs on the health of the station with a more extensive communications capability than exists through Russian ground stations. The astronauts also conducted a successful test of the videoconferencing capability of the early communications system, which was used by the first crew to permanently occupy the station in November 2000 (Expedition 1
Expedition 1
Expedition 1, or Expedition One, was the first long-duration stay on the International Space Station . The three-person crew stayed aboard the station for 136 days, from November 2000 to March 2001. It was the beginning of an uninterrupted human presence on the station which still continues, as of...
). Newman downlinked greetings to controllers in the station flight control room in Houston and to astronaut Bill Shepherd
William Shepherd
William McMichael Shepherd is a former American astronaut who served as commander of Expedition 1, the first crew on the International Space Station. Shepherd is a recipient of the Congressional Space Medal of Honor.-Biography:...
, who commanded the first crew and lived aboard the station with Krikalyov and Cosmonaut Yuri Gidzenko
Yuri Gidzenko
Yuri Pavlovich Gidzenko is a Russian cosmonaut. He was a test cosmonaut of the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center . Gidzenko has flown twice into space and has lived on board the Mir and International Space Stations. He has also conducted two career spacewalks. Although he retired on July 15,...
.
Krikalyov and Currie replaced a faulty unit in Zarya which controlled the discharging of stored energy from one of the module's six batteries. The battery had not been working properly in its automatic configuration, but the new unit was functioning normally shortly after it was installed.
The astronauts also unstowed hardware and logistical supplies stored behind panels in Zarya, relocating the items for use by the Shuttle crew that was to visit the station in May 1999 and by Shepherd's expedition crew. The astronauts also completed their initial outfitting of the station.
The hatches to Zarya and Unity were closed before Endeavour undocked from the new station, leaving the new complex to orbit the Earth unpiloted.
Launch Preparations
At 12:15 am EST on Monday, 23 June 1997, an Air ForceUnited States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
C-5
C-5 Galaxy
The Lockheed C-5 Galaxy is a large military transport aircraft built by Lockheed. It provides the United States Air Force with a heavy intercontinental-range strategic airlift capability, one that can carry outsize and oversize cargos, including all air-certifiable cargo. The Galaxy has many...
air cargo plane arrived at the Shuttle Landing Facility carrying Unity (Node 1). On 1 February 1998, Endeavour
Space Shuttle Endeavour
Space Shuttle Endeavour is one of the retired orbiters of the Space Shuttle program of NASA, the space agency of the United States. Endeavour was the fifth and final spaceworthy NASA space shuttle to be built, constructed as a replacement for Challenger...
was towed to Orbiter Processing Facility
Orbiter Processing Facility
An Orbiter Processing Facility was one of three hangars where U.S. space shuttle orbiters underwent maintenance between flights. All three such facilities, OPF-1, OPF-2 and OPF-3, were located at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida at Launch Complex 39.They were located west of the Vehicle...
Bay 1. On 15 October 1998, Endeavour was moved from Orbiter Processing Facility Bay 1 to the Vehicle Assembly Building
Vehicle Assembly Building
The Vehicle Assembly Building, or VAB, at NASA's Kennedy Space Center was used to assemble and house American manned launch vehicles from 1968-2011. It is the fourth largest building in the world by volume...
. On 21 October 1998, Endeavour was transported atop the Crawler Transporter
Crawler-Transporter
The crawler-transporters are a pair of tracked vehicles used to transport spacecraft from NASA's Vehicle Assembly Building along the Crawlerway to Launch Complex 39. They were originally used to transport the Saturn IB and Saturn V rockets during the Apollo, Skylab and Apollo–Soyuz programs....
to Kennedy Space Center
Kennedy Space Center
The John F. Kennedy Space Center is the NASA installation that has been the launch site for every United States human space flight since 1968. Although such flights are currently on hiatus, KSC continues to manage and operate unmanned rocket launch facilities for America's civilian space program...
'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...
.
3–4 December (Flight Day 1, Launch)
Space ShuttleSpace Shuttle
The Space Shuttle was a manned orbital rocket and spacecraft system operated by NASA on 135 missions from 1981 to 2011. The system combined rocket launch, orbital spacecraft, and re-entry spaceplane with modular add-ons...
Endeavour
Space Shuttle Endeavour
Space Shuttle Endeavour is one of the retired orbiters of the Space Shuttle program of NASA, the space agency of the United States. Endeavour was the fifth and final spaceworthy NASA space shuttle to be built, constructed as a replacement for Challenger...
launched at 3:35:34 am EST from the Kennedy Space Center
Kennedy Space Center
The John F. Kennedy Space Center is the NASA installation that has been the launch site for every United States human space flight since 1968. Although such flights are currently on hiatus, KSC continues to manage and operate unmanned rocket launch facilities for America's civilian space program...
’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...
. STS-88 was the first shuttle flight 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...
. After launch, the crew opened the shuttle’s payload bay doors, deployed the Ku-Band antenna
Antenna (radio)
An antenna is an electrical device which converts electric currents into radio waves, and vice versa. It is usually used with a radio transmitter or radio receiver...
, and activated the shuttle’s Hitchhiker payload. The crew also started preparing for the multiple engine firings that will be performed to bring shuttle Endeavour within the Shuttle Remote Manipulator System’s reach of the Zarya FGB
Zarya
Zarya , also known as the Functional Cargo Block or FGB , was the first module of the International Space Station to be launched. The FGB provided electrical power, storage, propulsion, and guidance to the ISS during the initial stage of assembly...
. At launch, Zarya was 240 statute miles above the Kennedy Space Center (KSC), and the module was on its 222nd orbit of the Earth since its launch.
4 December (Flight Day 2)
On Flight Day 2, the crew of shuttle EndeavourSpace Shuttle Endeavour
Space Shuttle Endeavour is one of the retired orbiters of the Space Shuttle program of NASA, the space agency of the United States. Endeavour was the fifth and final spaceworthy NASA space shuttle to be built, constructed as a replacement for Challenger...
performed several tasks to get ready for the docking on Sunday and the extra-vehicular activities
Extra-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) to be completed on the mission. Nancy Currie
Nancy J. Currie
Nancy Jane Sherlock Currie is an engineer, United States Army officer and a NASA astronaut.-Background:Currie was born December 29, 1958, in Wilmington, Delaware, but considers Troy, Ohio, to be her hometown...
conducted a photo survey of Unity and Endeavour’s payload bay, using the shuttle’s robotic arm, Canadarm. Jerry Ross
Jerry L. Ross
Jerry Lynn Ross is a United States Air Force officer and a former NASA astronaut. He is a veteran of seven Space Shuttle missions, making him the record holder for most spaceflights .-Personal:Ross is married to the former Karen S. Pearson of Sheridan, Indiana. They have two children...
and Jim Newman
James H. Newman
James Hansen Newman is an American physicist and a former NASA astronaut who flew on four Space Shuttle missions..- Personal data :...
checked out the spacesuits they would use on the three EVAs and prepared the shuttle’s airlock
Airlock
An airlock is a device which permits the passage of people and objects between a pressure vessel and its surroundings while minimizing the change of pressure in the vessel and loss of air from it...
for use during the spacewalks. Rick Sturckow
Frederick W. Sturckow
Frederick Wilford "Rick" Sturckow is a United States Marine Corps officer and a NASA astronaut. Sturckow is a veteran of four shuttle missions. He flew STS-88 and STS-105 as a pilot and STS-117 and STS-128 as a commander. All four missions docked with the International Space Station, making...
, who would be choreographing the EVAs from inside the shuttle, joined Ross and Newman to check out the SAFER
Simplified Aid for EVA Rescue
Simplified Aid for EVA Rescue is a small, self-contained, propulsive backpack system used to provide free-flying mobility for a Space Shuttle or International Space Station crewmember during extra-vehicular activity...
units to be worn during the spacewalks in case Ross or Newman were to become separated from Endeavour during one of the spacewalks.
5 December (Flight Day 3)
On Flight Day 3, CurrieNancy J. Currie
Nancy Jane Sherlock Currie is an engineer, United States Army officer and a NASA astronaut.-Background:Currie was born December 29, 1958, in Wilmington, Delaware, but considers Troy, Ohio, to be her hometown...
used Canadarm to grapple and place Unity onto the Orbiter Docking System
Androgynous Peripheral Attach System
The Androgynous Peripheral Attach System, or Androgynous Peripheral Assembly System, is a spacecraft docking mechanism used on the International Space Station. It is used to dock the Space Shuttle orbiter and to connect the Functional Cargo Block to Pressurized Mating Adapter-1...
at 6:45 pm EST. The crew pressurized PMA-2 and entered it. They put several caps over vent valves to prepare for the entrance into Unity later in the week. Commander Bob Cabana
Robert D. Cabana
Robert Donald Cabana is the director of NASA's John F. Kennedy Space Center, a NASA astronaut, and a veteran of four Space Shuttle flights. He is also a former Naval Flight Officer and Naval Aviator in the United States Marine Corps.-Personal:...
performed a debris avoidance maneuver to move Endeavour out of the way of a casing from a Delta II
Delta II
Delta II was an American space launch system, originally designed and built by McDonnell Douglas. Delta II is part of the Delta rocket family and was in service from 1989 until November 1, 2011...
rocket that launched on 6 November from Vandenberg Air Force Base
Vandenberg Air Force Base
Vandenberg Air Force Base is a United States Air Force Base, located approximately northwest of Lompoc, California. It is under the jurisdiction of the 30th Space Wing, Air Force Space Command ....
in California.
6 December (Flight Day 4, Docking with Zarya)
On Flight Day 4, Bob CabanaRobert D. Cabana
Robert Donald Cabana is the director of NASA's John F. Kennedy Space Center, a NASA astronaut, and a veteran of four Space Shuttle flights. He is also a former Naval Flight Officer and Naval Aviator in the United States Marine Corps.-Personal:...
fired Endeavour
Space Shuttle Endeavour
Space Shuttle Endeavour is one of the retired orbiters of the Space Shuttle program of NASA, the space agency of the United States. Endeavour was the fifth and final spaceworthy NASA space shuttle to be built, constructed as a replacement for Challenger...
’s rockets several times to maneuver the shuttle within Canadarm’s reach of the Zarya FGB
Zarya
Zarya , also known as the Functional Cargo Block or FGB , was the first module of the International Space Station to be launched. The FGB provided electrical power, storage, propulsion, and guidance to the ISS during the initial stage of assembly...
. At 6:47 pm EST, Currie
Nancy J. Currie
Nancy Jane Sherlock Currie is an engineer, United States Army officer and a NASA astronaut.-Background:Currie was born December 29, 1958, in Wilmington, Delaware, but considers Troy, Ohio, to be her hometown...
grappled Zarya. Later, at 9:07 pm EST, Cabana fired Endeavour’s downward jets to bring the two modules together.
7 December (Flight Day 5, EVA 1)
During a 7 hour, 21 minute Flight Day 5 spacewalkExtra-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...
, astronauts Jerry Ross
Jerry L. Ross
Jerry Lynn Ross is a United States Air Force officer and a former NASA astronaut. He is a veteran of seven Space Shuttle missions, making him the record holder for most spaceflights .-Personal:Ross is married to the former Karen S. Pearson of Sheridan, Indiana. They have two children...
and Jim Newman
James H. Newman
James Hansen Newman is an American physicist and a former NASA astronaut who flew on four Space Shuttle missions..- Personal data :...
helped activate the Unity node, the first module to the U.S. segment of 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...
. They connected 40 connectors and cables running along the 35-ton, 76 feet (23.2 m) space station. At 10:49 pm EST, flight controllers in Houston saw Unity’s systems come on.
8 December (Flight Day 6)
On the 6th day of Endeavour’s STS-88 mission, Mission Specialists Jerry RossJerry L. Ross
Jerry Lynn Ross is a United States Air Force officer and a former NASA astronaut. He is a veteran of seven Space Shuttle missions, making him the record holder for most spaceflights .-Personal:Ross is married to the former Karen S. Pearson of Sheridan, Indiana. They have two children...
and Jim Newman
James H. Newman
James Hansen Newman is an American physicist and a former NASA astronaut who flew on four Space Shuttle missions..- Personal data :...
relaxed after their long spacewalk on Flight Day 5. Ross, Newman, Nancy Currie
Nancy J. Currie
Nancy Jane Sherlock Currie is an engineer, United States Army officer and a NASA astronaut.-Background:Currie was born December 29, 1958, in Wilmington, Delaware, but considers Troy, Ohio, to be her hometown...
, and Sergei Krikalev prepared equipment for Flight Day 7’s EVA. Commander Bob Cabana
Robert D. Cabana
Robert Donald Cabana is the director of NASA's John F. Kennedy Space Center, a NASA astronaut, and a veteran of four Space Shuttle flights. He is also a former Naval Flight Officer and Naval Aviator in the United States Marine Corps.-Personal:...
and Pilot Rick Sturckow
Frederick W. Sturckow
Frederick Wilford "Rick" Sturckow is a United States Marine Corps officer and a NASA astronaut. Sturckow is a veteran of four shuttle missions. He flew STS-88 and STS-105 as a pilot and STS-117 and STS-128 as a commander. All four missions docked with the International Space Station, making...
fired Endeavour’s main reaction control system jets for 22 minutes to raise the ISS
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...
approximately 5 statute miles. The crew conducted interviews with ABC News
ABC News
ABC News is the news gathering and broadcasting division of American broadcast television network ABC, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company...
, Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel is an American satellite and cable specialty channel , founded by John Hendricks and distributed by Discovery Communications. It is a publicly traded company run by CEO David Zaslav...
, and MSNBC
MSNBC
MSNBC is a cable news channel based in the United States available in the US, Germany , South Africa, the Middle East and Canada...
.
9 December (Flight Day 7, EVA 2)
At 3:33 pm EST, Mission Specialists Jerry RossJerry L. Ross
Jerry Lynn Ross is a United States Air Force officer and a former NASA astronaut. He is a veteran of seven Space Shuttle missions, making him the record holder for most spaceflights .-Personal:Ross is married to the former Karen S. Pearson of Sheridan, Indiana. They have two children...
and Jim Newman
James H. Newman
James Hansen Newman is an American physicist and a former NASA astronaut who flew on four Space Shuttle missions..- Personal data :...
commenced on a 7 hour, 2 minute EVA
Extra-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...
to continue the installation of Unity. The two spacewalkers first installed two antennas on the outside of Unity. The astronauts also removed launch restraint pins on the four radial common berthing mechanisms
Common Berthing Mechanism
The common berthing mechanism is a berthing mechanism used to connect all non-Russian pressurized modules of the International Space Station....
of Unity. They installed covers on Unity’s two data relay boxes to protect them from sunlight. Lastly, Newman freed a backup rendezvous system antenna on the Zarya FGB
Zarya
Zarya , also known as the Functional Cargo Block or FGB , was the first module of the International Space Station to be launched. The FGB provided electrical power, storage, propulsion, and guidance to the ISS during the initial stage of assembly...
.
10 December (Flight Day 8, Entrance into the ISS)
Flight Day 8 was a historic day as 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...
was opened for the first time on orbit. At 2:54 pm EST, Commander Bob Cabana
Robert D. Cabana
Robert Donald Cabana is the director of NASA's John F. Kennedy Space Center, a NASA astronaut, and a veteran of four Space Shuttle flights. He is also a former Naval Flight Officer and Naval Aviator in the United States Marine Corps.-Personal:...
and Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n Cosmonaut Sergei Krikalev opened the hatch to the Unity Node of the new International Space Station. The other members of the crew started unstowing gear and turning on the lights. At 4:12 pm EST, Cabana and Krikalev opened the hatch into Zarya
Zarya
Zarya , also known as the Functional Cargo Block or FGB , was the first module of the International Space Station to be launched. The FGB provided electrical power, storage, propulsion, and guidance to the ISS during the initial stage of assembly...
. Jerry Ross
Jerry L. Ross
Jerry Lynn Ross is a United States Air Force officer and a former NASA astronaut. He is a veteran of seven Space Shuttle missions, making him the record holder for most spaceflights .-Personal:Ross is married to the former Karen S. Pearson of Sheridan, Indiana. They have two children...
and Jim Newman
James H. Newman
James Hansen Newman is an American physicist and a former NASA astronaut who flew on four Space Shuttle missions..- Personal data :...
assembled a S-band communications system in Unity, and Krikalev and Nancy Currie
Nancy J. Currie
Nancy Jane Sherlock Currie is an engineer, United States Army officer and a NASA astronaut.-Background:Currie was born December 29, 1958, in Wilmington, Delaware, but considers Troy, Ohio, to be her hometown...
replaced a problematic battery discharging unit in Zarya.
11 December (Flight Day 9)
On Flight Day 9, Pilot Rick SturckowFrederick W. Sturckow
Frederick Wilford "Rick" Sturckow is a United States Marine Corps officer and a NASA astronaut. Sturckow is a veteran of four shuttle missions. He flew STS-88 and STS-105 as a pilot and STS-117 and STS-128 as a commander. All four missions docked with the International Space Station, making...
and Mission Specialist Nancy Currie
Nancy J. Currie
Nancy Jane Sherlock Currie is an engineer, United States Army officer and a NASA astronaut.-Background:Currie was born December 29, 1958, in Wilmington, Delaware, but considers Troy, Ohio, to be her hometown...
continued unstowing hardware in Unity. After turning off the lights, the crew later closed the hatches to Zarya
Zarya
Zarya , also known as the Functional Cargo Block or FGB , was the first module of the International Space Station to be launched. The FGB provided electrical power, storage, propulsion, and guidance to the ISS during the initial stage of assembly...
and Unity. The crew prepared for the mission’s third and final spacewalk on Flight Day 10. Endeavour’s crew also conducted interviews with CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
and CBS News
CBS News
CBS News is the news division of American television and radio network CBS. The current chairman is Jeff Fager who is also the executive producer of 60 Minutes, while the current president of CBS News is David Rhodes. CBS News' flagship program is the CBS Evening News, hosted by the network's main...
.
12 December (Flight Day 10, EVA 3)
At 3:33 pm EST, astronautAstronaut
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 Jerry Ross
Jerry L. Ross
Jerry Lynn Ross is a United States Air Force officer and a former NASA astronaut. He is a veteran of seven Space Shuttle missions, making him the record holder for most spaceflights .-Personal:Ross is married to the former Karen S. Pearson of Sheridan, Indiana. They have two children...
and Jim Newman
James H. Newman
James Hansen Newman is an American physicist and a former NASA astronaut who flew on four Space Shuttle missions..- Personal data :...
commenced on a 6 hour, 59 minute EVA
EVA
Eva or EVA may refer to:* Eva , a given name for women** Eva , a list of people with the name EvaIt may also refer to:-In business and economics:* Earned Value Analysis, a measurement of project progress...
to finish the installation of the Unity Node to Zarya
Zarya
Zarya , also known as the Functional Cargo Block or FGB , was the first module of the International Space Station to be launched. The FGB provided electrical power, storage, propulsion, and guidance to the ISS during the initial stage of assembly...
. The two stowed tools on the side of Unity to prepare for the spacewalks on STS-96
STS-96
STS-96 was a Space Shuttle mission to the International Space Station flown by Space Shuttle Discovery, and the first shuttle flight to dock with the International Space Station. The shuttle carried the Spacehab module in the payload, filled with cargo for station outfitting...
, the next mission to the ISS
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...
. Ross also freed another antenna on Zarya, similar to the one Newman freed on EVA-2. The spacewalkers also tested the redesigned SAFER
Simplified Aid for EVA Rescue
Simplified Aid for EVA Rescue is a small, self-contained, propulsive backpack system used to provide free-flying mobility for a Space Shuttle or International Space Station crewmember during extra-vehicular activity...
jet packs, to be used in the event an astronaut became separated from the spacecraft during a spacewalk. After the EVA, Pilot Rick Sturckow
Frederick W. Sturckow
Frederick Wilford "Rick" Sturckow is a United States Marine Corps officer and a NASA astronaut. Sturckow is a veteran of four shuttle missions. He flew STS-88 and STS-105 as a pilot and STS-117 and STS-128 as a commander. All four missions docked with the International Space Station, making...
depressurized the vestibule between Endeavour and PMA-2 to prepare for the undocking of the two spacecraft on Flight Day 11.
13 December (Flight Day 11, Undocking)
On Flight Day 11, Space ShuttleSpace Shuttle
The Space Shuttle was a manned orbital rocket and spacecraft system operated by NASA on 135 missions from 1981 to 2011. The system combined rocket launch, orbital spacecraft, and re-entry spaceplane with modular add-ons...
Endeavour undocked from 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...
. At 3:25 pm EST, Pilot Rick Sturckow
Frederick W. Sturckow
Frederick Wilford "Rick" Sturckow is a United States Marine Corps officer and a NASA astronaut. Sturckow is a veteran of four shuttle missions. He flew STS-88 and STS-105 as a pilot and STS-117 and STS-128 as a commander. All four missions docked with the International Space Station, making...
backed Endeavour 450 feet (137.2 m) away from the station and started a nose-forward fly-around of the station, so that Endeavour’s crew could take pictures of the space station. At 4:49 pm EST, Sturckow
Frederick W. Sturckow
Frederick Wilford "Rick" Sturckow is a United States Marine Corps officer and a NASA astronaut. Sturckow is a veteran of four shuttle missions. He flew STS-88 and STS-105 as a pilot and STS-117 and STS-128 as a commander. All four missions docked with the International Space Station, making...
performed a final separation burn. Later, the crew deployed SAC-A, a small satellite for the Argentinean National Commission of Space Activities.
14 December (Flight Day 12)
On the last full day on orbit, Endeavour’s crew deployed a small Air ForceUnited States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
satellite
Satellite
In the context of spaceflight, a satellite is an object which has been placed into orbit by human endeavour. Such objects are sometimes called artificial satellites to distinguish them from natural satellites such as the Moon....
called MightySat-1
MightySat-1
MightSat-1 was a small spacecraft developed by the U.S. Air Force's Phillips Laboratory to test technology for small satellites.The 140-pound satellite was launched from the Space Shuttle Endeavor in December 1998 and performed robustly in orbit, with no spacecraft anomalies during its mission...
. The crew tested Endeavour’s shuttle's aerosurfaces and steering jets to be used on landing day and stowed equipment.
15 December (Flight Day 13, Landing)
Flight Day 13 was landing day for Space ShuttleSpace Shuttle
The Space Shuttle was a manned orbital rocket and spacecraft system operated by NASA on 135 missions from 1981 to 2011. The system combined rocket launch, orbital spacecraft, and re-entry spaceplane with modular add-ons...
Endeavour
Space Shuttle Endeavour
Space Shuttle Endeavour is one of the retired orbiters of the Space Shuttle program of NASA, the space agency of the United States. Endeavour was the fifth and final spaceworthy NASA space shuttle to be built, constructed as a replacement for Challenger...
and its crew of six. At 7:07 pm EST, Endeavour’s payload bay doors were closed for entry. Flight Director
Flight director
The term flight director can refer to any one of the following:* the flight controller of a space flight* the flight director of an aviation navigation system...
John Shannon gave the go for Endeavour’s crew to fire the orbital maneuvering system engines
Space Shuttle Orbital Maneuvering System
The Space Shuttle Orbital Maneuvering System, or OMS , is a system of rocket engines designed and manufactured by Aerojet for use on the space shuttle orbiter for orbital injection and modifying its orbit. It consists of two "packs" at the back of the Shuttle, the large lumps on either side of the...
for the deorbit burn at 9:46 pm EST so that Endeavour could slow down to enter the Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
’s atmosphere. At 10:54 pm EST, Endeavour and crew landed on the Kennedy Space Center
Kennedy Space Center
The John F. Kennedy Space Center is the NASA installation that has been the launch site for every United States human space flight since 1968. Although such flights are currently on hiatus, KSC continues to manage and operate unmanned rocket launch facilities for America's civilian space program...
’s Runway 15. Endeavour wrapped up a 4.7 million mile mission, and the first 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...
.
Extra-vehicular activity
Three 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) spacewalks were scheduled and completed during STS-88.
| 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 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... ) |
Duration | Mission | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EVA 1 | Jerry L. Ross Jerry L. Ross Jerry Lynn Ross is a United States Air Force officer and a former NASA astronaut. He is a veteran of seven Space Shuttle missions, making him the record holder for most spaceflights .-Personal:Ross is married to the former Karen S. Pearson of Sheridan, Indiana. They have two children... James H. Newman James H. Newman James Hansen Newman is an American physicist and a former NASA astronaut who flew on four Space Shuttle missions..- Personal data :... |
7 December 1998 22:10 |
8 December 1998 05:31 |
7 hours, 21 minutes | Began Unity installation. |
| EVA 2 | Ross Newman |
9 December 1998 20:33 |
10 December 1998 03:35 |
7 hours, 02 minutes | Continued Unity installation. |
| EVA 3 | Ross Newman |
12 December 1998 20:33 |
13 December 1998 03:32 |
6 hours, 59 minutes | Completion of Unity installation. |
Media
File:STS-88 launch.ogv|STS-88 launches from KSC (7 mins 59 secs)
File:STS-88 EVA 1 video highlights.ogv|Highlights from the first spacewalk (4 mins 59 secs)
See also
- Space scienceSpace scienceThe term space science may mean:* The study of issues specifically related to space travel and space exploration, including space medicine.* Science performed in outer space ....
- Space shuttleSpace ShuttleThe Space Shuttle was a manned orbital rocket and spacecraft system operated by NASA on 135 missions from 1981 to 2011. The system combined rocket launch, orbital spacecraft, and re-entry spaceplane with modular add-ons...
- List of space shuttle missions
- List of human spaceflights chronologically
- List of ISS spacewalks
- List of spacewalks