STS-123

Mission emblem

Mission dates

Mission:

STS-123

COSPAR-ID :

2008-009A

Crew:

7th

Begin:

March 11, 2008, 06:28:14 UTC

Starting place:

Kennedy Space Center , LC-39A

Space station:

ISS

Coupling:

March 13, 2008, 03:49 UTC

Decoupling:

March 25, 2008, 12:25 AM UTC

Duration on the ISS:

11d 20h 36m

Number of EVA :

5

Landing:

March 27, 2008, 12:39:17 AM UTC

Landing place:

Kennedy Space Center, Lane 15

Flight duration:

15d 18h 11min 03s
(until touchdown)

Earth orbits:

249

Rotation time :

91.3 min

Apogee :

341 km

Perigee :

340 km

Covered track:

10.59 million km

Payload:

ELM-PS , Dextre

Team photo

From left to right: Gregory H. Johnson, Dominic Gorie;
Back: Richard Linnehan, Robert Behnken, Garrett Reisman, Michael Foreman, Takao Doi

◄ Before / After ►

STS-122

STS-124

STS-123 (English S pace T ransportation S ystem) is the mission name for a flight of the American space shuttle Endeavor (OV-105) of NASA . It was the 122nd space shuttle mission, the 21st flight of the space shuttle Endeavor and the 25th flight of a space shuttle to the International Space Station (ISS). The launch took place on March 11, 2008.

team

Dominic Gorie (4th space flight), commander
Gregory H. Johnson (1st spaceflight), pilot
Robert Behnken (1st spaceflight), mission specialist
Michael Foreman (1st spaceflight), mission specialist
Richard Linnehan (4th Spaceflight), Mission Specialist
Takao Doi (2nd space flight), Mission Specialist ( JAXA / Japan )Japan

ISS crew outward flight

ISS expedition 16 / ISS expedition 17

Garrett Reisman (1st spaceflight), flight engineer

ISS crew return flight

ISS expedition 16

Léopold Eyharts (2nd space flight), flight engineer ( ESA / France )European space agency France

Mission overview

Kibo

STS-123 brought the experiment logistics module ELM-PS (Experiment Logistics Module - Pressurized Section), which is part of the Japanese Kibō module, as well as the Canadian robotic hand Dextre to the International Space Station (ISS). Dextre can be attached to the ISS robot arm and expand its range of tasks.

With 16 days, STS-123 was the longest shuttle mission to the ISS to date. The coupling time was also the highest to date at 11 days and 20 hours. In addition, the astronauts set another record for shuttle space station flights with five space station missions.

Both take-off and landing took place at night. It was the second night launch since the Columbia disaster in January 2003 and the 22nd night landing since the shuttle program began in 1981.

Preparations

The main payload of the mission, the first component of the Japanese Kibō module (ELM-PS), was transported by ship from Yokohama to the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) by JAXA after its completion . After a five-week journey, the ELM-PS arrived in Florida on March 12, 2007, where it was being prepared for take-off.

After the Endeavor landed on August 21, 2007 on the Shuttle Landing Facility of the KSC, the space shuttle was driven to the Orbiter Processing Facility . The preparatory work for STS-123 was carried out there.

The Endeavor reaches the launch pad

The outer tank for the mission arrived at KSC on November 30th and was moved to the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB). After a problem with a cable entry in the tank of the previous mission STS-122 arose, the corresponding component in this tank was checked.

The orbiter was transferred to the VAB on February 12, 2008, where it was connected to the outer tank and the two solid fuel rockets . On February 18, the Endeavor was rolled to the launch pad.

On February 28th, NASA officials met at KSC to discuss whether the Endeavor was ready to carry out the mission. Following the readiness for flight acceptance, the provisional start date was confirmed on March 11th the day after.

The countdown for this mission began on March 8th. Shortly before, the team from Houston had arrived at KSC.

Mission history

begin

Start of STS-123

On March 10, the three-hour filling of the external tank began at around 21:00 UTC. All ECO sensors ( Engine CutOff , low level shut-off sensors ), which had caused problems several times during the previous mission, worked normally. As planned, the Endeavor lifted off the launch pad at 6:28 UTC.

On this mission, a digital camera with a flash was installed on the underside of the orbiter for the first time, which automatically takes a photo every two seconds after the external tank has been disconnected. A series of photos was taken for 45 seconds. The camera then stopped because the distance of 40 meters had become too great to be able to receive meaningful images. This "Digital Umbilical Camera Flash Module" should help to photograph the tank in detail even in the dark after it has been detached and to be able to identify small parts of the insulation foam that has flaked off.

Inspection and coupling

On the second day of the flight, the inspection of the heat shield was carried out using the Orbiter Boom Sensor System (OBSS). The spacesuits to be used during the five spacewalks were also examined . Preparations for docking on the following day were also made.

After the rendezvous pitch maneuver on March 13, during which the underside of the orbiter was photographed by the crew of the space station, the Endeavor docked with the ISS at 03:49 UTC. The bulkheads between the two spacecraft opened an hour and a half later. Later, the Eyharts Soyusseat was exchanged for that of Reisman, making the latter officially part of the ISS crew. Preparations were also made for Linnehan's and Reisman's first spacecraft. In addition, the Spacelab pallet on which the dismantled Dextre was delivered was attached to the mobile transporter by the station's robot arm.

Working on the ISS

Linnehan is working on Dextre during the first exit

The next day (March 14th) the first space exit took place, which began at 0:18 UTC. First Linnehan and Reisman went to the shuttle's loading bay and released the transport brackets on ELM-PS. Then the ELM-PS was lifted out of the loading bay and maneuvered to Harmony. At 7:06 UTC the module was coupled to Harmony. For the first time, all of the countries involved in the International Space Station had at least some of their modules in space. At the same time, the "dropouts" began to put Dextre together. The station's video system was also expanded. The exit took seven hours and one minute and ended at 7:19 UTC. NASA then announced that all attempts to supply Dextre with power via the connection system on the mobile transporter had failed. For Dextre, electricity is “vital” to operate heating elements. Technicians from CSA , the manufacturer of Dextre, tried to fix the error with a software update, which did not succeed. Therefore, it was decided to let Dextre take hold of the Canadarm2 and supply it with electricity.

On the fifth day of flight (March 15th) ELM-PS was put into operation. Together with ISS commander Peggy Whitson, Takao Doi opened the hatches to the Japanese module at 1:23 UTC. Then supply lines were laid between Harmony and ELM-PS, the lights switched on and the fans activated. NASA later announced that Dextre's power problem was due to a design flaw. The next steps were not announced.

Linnehan and Foreman put Dextre together on the second EVA

The second exit began on March 15 (6th day of flight) at 23:49 UTC. Mission specialists Richard Linnehan and Michael Foreman continued to assemble the Dextre robotic hand. The astronauts struggled to detach one of Dextre's arms from the Spacelab pallet because a mounting bolt was very tight. It took them over half an hour to loosen the arm and attach it to Dextre. Then they removed some heat protection covers. The mission ended after seven hours and eight minutes at 6:57 UTC the next day.

The astronauts spent March 16 equipping the ELM-PS module and making it operational.

Linnehan finishes assembling Dextre

During the third field mission, which began on March 17th at 22:51 UTC, the assembly of Dextre was completed. The astronauts Linnehan and Behnken installed a spare parts platform, a tool holder and a video camera on the robot hand. They also tried to install a MISSE experiment on the Columbus module, which did not succeed. The EVA ended after 6 hours and 53 minutes on March 18 at 5:44 UTC.

On the ninth day of flight, March 18, Dextre was tested and implemented. Dextre was transported from its assembly position to the Destiny laboratory using the ISS robotic arm. There it was attached to a bracket to which the Canadarm2 is normally attached. Dextre's power supply is ensured via this bracket. Further functional tests were carried out later. The Spacelab pallet, on which the robot hand was brought into orbit, was then lifted back into the Endeavor's loading bay.

The fourth exit was made on March 20th. Mission specialist Behnken and his colleague Foreman began the mission at 22:04 UTC. First, a fuse module was replaced. The main objective of this EVA was the test of repair techniques for damaged heat protection tiles, which had already been planned for the STS-120 , which was then carried out. The exit ended after 6 hours and 24 minutes at 4:28 UTC on March 21.

On March 21, the orbiter's heat shield was checked using the OBSS inspection arm. This procedure, which lasts several hours, is usually carried out after separation from the space station. This time the scan of the heat protection tiles had to be brought forward because the OBSS was left behind on the ISS. This is necessary because the Kibō laboratory module, which will be delivered during the next flight, is too large to carry an OBSS in the shuttle.

The ISS after the Endeavor undocked

The last space exit was on March 22nd. The preparations were completed so quickly that Behnken and Foreman were able to start EVA 50 minutes earlier than planned at 20:34 UTC. The main task of the exit was to transfer the OBSS from the orbiter to the S1 segment. Behnken then installed the MISSE experiment on the European Columbus module, which was not successful during the third exit. During that time Foreman inspected the SARJ swivel on starboard. The exit was terminated on March 23 at 2:36 UTC.

return

Half an hour late, the Endeavor disconnected from the International Space Station on March 25 at 0:25 UTC. The delay was due to a minor problem with one of the ISS solar panels. The port wing could not initially be locked, as was done in each case, in order to avoid pollution from the exhaust gases of the shuttle.

Endeavor with braking parachute a few seconds after touching down. The yellow flame of the auxiliary power unit is only visible in the black night. The shuttle has no landing lights, position lights or anti-collision lights .

The first of the two landing options on March 27th allowed mission control to pass after weather reconnaissance flights with the Shuttle Training Aircraft . The second landing opportunity at the Kennedy Space Center after a total of 249 orbits the earth was then used after further exploratory flights. The brake ignition was initiated at 23:33 UTC and lasted two minutes and 45 seconds. The Endeavor landed at 0:39 UTC on runway 15 of the Shuttle Landing Facility of the Kennedy Space Center.

The Endeavor was later moved to the Orbiter Processing Facility to be prepared for its next mission ( STS-126 ).