The Return of Peggy Whitson Once known as the over-achieving Science Officer of Expedition 5, Peggy Whitson was returning to the International Space Station as Expedition 16’s commander. To celebrate the occasion, engineers in Russia’s Star City presented her with a Kazakh-style riding whip with the suggestion that she could use it to keep her … [Read more…]
The Space Shuttle Atlantis launched on February 7, 2007 for the STS-122 mission, with the first addition to the station provided by the European Space Agency, the Columbus module. Engine ignition tended to rock the entire stack (External Tank and Orbiter) and Mission Specialist Rex Walheim said of it, “Suddenly you’re riding a wild animal.” … [Read more…]
Discovery launched on October 23, 2007, in what Michael Leinbach called “One of the cleanest countdowns we’ve had since I’ve been a Launch Director.” Commanded by Pamela Melroy, the crew also included Pilot George Zamka, Mission Specialists Scott Parazynski, Douglas Wheelock, Stephanie Wilson, and the ESA’s Paolo Nespoli, and Expedition 16/17 crew member Daniel Tani. … [Read more…]