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…]
The Endeavour launched on its first mission in four and a half years on August 8, 2007. It had been heavily upgraded during the hiatus to allow for longer missions and now included the Station-to-Shuttle Power Transfer System (SSPTS), which would allow it to draw power from the station. The crew included Shuttle Commander Scott … [Read more…]
STS-117 Launch The launch of STS-117 was delayed due to weather, hailstone damage and a thorough check of the External Tank. This was expected to push back the schedule for future Space Shuttle launches but NASA was confident that they could get back on track by the end of the year. STS-117 Atlantis finally launched … [Read more…]
Highlights of STS-116 STS-116 was to be an important and complex shuttle flight for assembly of the International Space Station. Project manager Mike Suffrendi told reporters, “Many of us consider this the most challenging Space Station flight we’ve done. … When the Shuttle leaves, ISS will not look much different than when Discovery got there, … [Read more…]
STS-121 As Narrated By The Crew Discovery Returns To Flight STS-121 was commanded by Steven Lindsey with Mark Kelly as the pilot. Mission Specialists included Michael Fossum, Lisa Nowak, Stephanie Wilson and Piers Sellers. Thomas Reiter of the ESA was joining the Expedition 13 crew on the International Space Station and would continue on through … [Read more…]
Eileen Collins: First Female Space Shuttle Commander USAF Colonel Eileen Collins is the first woman to command the Space Shuttle. She also flew on STS-63 in 1995 and STS-84 in 1997 and commanded STS-93 in 1999. In this video, she talks about the Shuttle Return to Flight with STS-114 Discovery. Remaining Obstacles For Return To … [Read more…]
Endeavour rendezvoused with the International Space Station on November 25, 2002. As they inched in for docking with Destiny, Peggy Whitson teased, “You guys fly that like you stole it.” Endeavour was delivering the Expedition 6 crew of Station Commander Ken Bowersox and Flight Engineers Donald Pettit and Nikolai Budarin, along with the Port-1 (P-1) … [Read more…]
The Endeavour launched on June 5, 2002, and docked on June 7, delivering Station Commander Valeri Korzun and Flight Engineer Sergei Treschev of Russia, and Flight Engineer Peggy Whitson of America. The older individuals among the people arriving on the Endeavour took some kidding from the Expedition 4 crew, who dubbed them “our fathers of … [Read more…]
STS-110’s primary cargo included a new segment of the Integrated Truss Structure (ITS) labeled Starboard-0 (S-0). The S-0 ITS became the “centerpiece” of the Integrated Truss Structure and was attached to Destiny. The P-6 segment of the ITS would then be relocated from its position on the Z-1 Truss. Other cargo included the Canadian-built Mobile … [Read more…]
The STS-108 mission finally got off the ground on December 5, 2001. The crew included Mission Commander Dominic Gorie, Pilot Mark Kelly, and Mission Specialists Linda Godwin and Daniel Tani. The main purpose was to deliver Expedition 4, which would be commanded by Yuri Onufrienko of Russia and also included Daniel Bursch and Carl Walz … [Read more…]