STS-126

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Mission emblem
Mission emblem
Mission dates
Mission: STS-126
COSPAR-ID : 2008-059A
Crew: 7th
Begin: November 15, 2008, 12:55:31 AM UTC
Starting place: Kennedy Space Center , LC-39A
Space station: ISS
Coupling: November 16, 2008, 22:01 UTC
Decoupling: November 28, 2008, 14:47 UTC
Duration on the ISS: 11d 16h 46min
Number of EVA : 4th
Landing: November 30, 2008, 21:25:06 UTC
Landing place: Edwards Air Force Base
Flight duration: 15d 20h 29min 37s
Earth orbits: 251
Track height: 360 km
Covered track: 10.6 million km
Payload: MPLM Leonardo
LMC with rotating coupling
Team photo
v. l. To the right: Sandra Magnus, Stephen Bowen, Donald Pettit, Christopher Ferguson, Eric Boe, Shane Kimbrough and Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper
v. l. To the right: Sandra Magnus, Stephen Bowen, Donald Pettit, Christopher Ferguson, Eric Boe, Shane Kimbrough and Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper
◄ Before / After ►
STS-124 STS-119

STS-126 ( english S pace T ransportation S ystem) is the mission designation for a flight of the US space shuttle Endeavor (OV-105) of NASA . It was the 124th space shuttle mission, the 27th shuttle flight to the ISS and the 22nd flight of the space shuttle Endeavor.

The launch took place on November 15, 2008 at 00:55 UTC .

team

When NASA announced the crew in October 2007, Joan Higginbotham was still on the crew. A month later, however, she announced her exit from NASA and was replaced by Pettit.

ISS crew outward flight

ISS expedition 18

ISS crew return flight

ISS expedition 17 / ISS expedition 18

Mission overview

During the mission STS-126 (ISS-ULF2), the logistics module (MPLM) Leonardo was used to bring cargo to the ISS. The main focus here was to equip the station to support a long-term crew of six instead of the previous three. For this purpose, two more beds, an additional galley , another toilet and a training device were installed. In a total of four space exits , the defective SARJ swivel joints on the ISS were repaired. Furthermore, a hose coupling was brought to the ISS with the help of a special freight carrier (LMC) and an empty nitrogen tank was transported back to earth. In addition, a small satellite was deployed to test two new types of solar cells.

Preparations

Atlantis (front) and Endeavor on the launch systems

Following its previous mission, the Endeavor was taken to the Orbiter Processing Facility for routine follow-up inspections. It then stood ready as a rescue shuttle for the STS-326 mission in the event that the crew of the STS-124 mission were forced to stay on the ISS due to a defective heat shield. After the successful end of the STS-124 mission, preparations for the STS-400 rescue mission began in the Vehicle Assembly Building on July 11th , which would have started if the heat shield had broken during the Hubble maintenance mission STS-125 . It was started to assemble the solid fuel boosters . The external tank arrived on August 11th and was installed between the boosters on August 29th. The Endeavor was installed on the external tank on September 12th, one day after the rollout from the OPF to the VAB , so that the rollout to the 39B launch system could take place on September 19th.

At the end of September, one of the computers at the Hubble telescope for controlling and transmitting the scientific data failed, and it should now also be replaced during the STS-125. Since a spare part will not be ready before April 2009, it was decided to pull the STS-126 before the STS-125. For this purpose, the Atlantis was unloaded from October 13th and brought back to the VAB on October 20th. Two days later, the main payload of the mission, the MPLM Leonardo loaded with 9.5 tons of equipment, as well as the spare parts for the SARJ swivel joint in a transport canister arrived at the launch facility 39A. The first of two flight readiness reviews was also carried out during this period, during which the readiness of the hardware was determined at the shuttle program level. The second review, in which the first start date should be set, took place on October 30th and 31st.

On October 23, two days earlier than originally planned, the Endeavor carried out its eight-hour rollaround to launch system 39A, so that launch system B could be used again for modifications and preparations for the Ares IX test flight until the start of STS-125 Was available. A rescue shuttle was then required again for the STS-125. It was the third rollaround in the history of the shuttle program.

From October 26-29, one day after Leonardo was placed in Endeavor's cargo bay, the crew took part in the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test . The equipment for the flight was inspected and the handling of the emergency evacuation safety devices at the start system was practiced. The following day, in a press conference after the second flight readiness review, November 14th was confirmed as the start date.

Mission history

Night start of Endeavor on November 15, 2008

Start, rendezvous and pairing

The 70-hour countdown began on November 12 at 2:30 UTC. It was assumed that the first foothills of a cold front would pull over the launch site on Friday, so that a launch probability of 70% was forecast based on the weather.

The work platform that provides access to the payload bay was moved away from the space shuttle early Thursday evening (UTC). The filling of the external tank with liquid water and oxygen began around 16:00 UTC. After the crew had put on their suits, they went to the launch facility, where they arrived around 21:00 UTC and boarded the orbiter. After the comchecks with the control center in Houston, the hatch was closed. After a technically error-free countdown, the Endeavor started at 0:55 UTC. The solid rocket rockets were dropped two minutes after take-off. After eight minutes, the main engines were switched off and the outer tank dropped. The rest of the time up to the first sleep period was spent reconfiguring the shuttle from a rocket to an orbiter. This also included an initial functional test of the shuttle's robot arm .

On the second day of flight, the Orbiter Boom Sensor System was used to inspect the nose and leading edge edges of the orbiter for damage to the heat shield . Furthermore, the docking mechanism was prepared for docking with the ISS. The spacesuits for the four exits were also checked.

The Endeavor just before the beginning of the RPM

On the third day of the flight, the rendezvous activities began with the TI-Burn, the last major engine ignition before docking. Four smaller maneuvers brought the Endeavor to a position 200 meters below the ISS, where the rendezvous pitch maneuver, in which the shuttle rolls backwards so that the heat shield can be photographed from the ISS , took place. Commander Ferguson then maneuvered the Endeavor manually in front of the station so that it could anchor at the station at 22:01 UTC. The hatches were opened at 23:16 UTC. The replacement of Chamitoff's Soyuz seat with that of Magnus ended both Chamitoff's membership in ISS Expedition 18 and activities on the third day of flight.

Working on the ISS

The fourth day of flight served mainly the preparatory tasks for the main tasks of the overall mission. The MPLM was attached to the Earth-facing coupling adapter from Harmony from the shuttle's loading bay and opened for the first time. The module only began to be unloaded the following day. In preparation for spacewalks in addition to the space suits and spare parts for were starboard - SARJ of the airlock and the middle deck of the shuttle to the ISS airlock Quest transferred. Piper and Bowen also slept there. During this campout, they breathed pure oxygen under reduced air pressure in order to prevent decompression sickness during the disembarkation on the fifth day of the flight.

The lost bag floats away from the station.

The mission's first disembarkation began at 18:09 UTC and initially dealt with the transport of a nitrogen tank to the cargo carrier at the far end of the Endeavor payload bay. A spare part for the station was taken from there and stowed on the ESP-3 . This spare part, a hose rotating coupling (Flex Hose Rotary Coupler), is required to connect the coolant lines of the rotating radiators to the grid structures P1 and S1 with the station. After Bowen had checked the coupling adapter for Kibō's external modules on his own , he was supposed to start work on the starboard SARJ together with Piper. These tasks included replacing a gear motor and greasing the SARJ's raceway. In the run-up, however, a breakdown occurred. At around 20:33 UTC, Stefanyshyn-Piper reported that grease had leaked from her spray gun into the transport bag. While she was busy cleaning the tools, the bag with all the tools in it floated away. Stefanyshyn-Piper and Bowen then had to make do with only one set of tools, which, however, was sufficient for the rest of the exit. There were enough spare parts available for later exits. The exit ended after 6 hours and 52 minutes at 1:01 UTC. The bag was recorded in the databases as ISS Deb (Toolbag), 1998-67BL, SatCat No. 33442. After eight and a half months and over 4,000 orbits around the world, the bag finally burned up in the atmosphere on August 3, 2009.

Meanwhile, inside the station, the transfer of the modules for the interior work has started. In the Columbus , Kibō and Destiny modules , storage spaces have been prepared for the installation of so-called racks . Then the main focus was on a water recycling system (WRS) extending over two racks, which was built into the Destiny module and is supposed to generate water from water waste and urine. This should be able to be used both for drinking and for electrolytic oxygen production on the ward. Before the water could be released for drinking, a sample on earth had to be analyzed. This will be taken during the mission and brought to earth. These two, as well as an experiment rack, were built into the Destiny module.

A living and sleeping rack is transported from Leonardo.

Flight day six was initially used to install a living and sleeping rack for a crew member on the port side of the Harmony module. An identical model was installed on the starboard side during the day. All of the remaining racks of the MPLM were transferred to the ISS on this day. Work was also carried out on the water recycling system, which malfunctioned at the beginning of the day. Furthermore, the corresponding toilet was built into Destiny and a storage rack was installed in Leonardo. For the rest of the day, Stefanyshyn-Piper and Kimbrough prepared the second exit of the mission so that they too could conduct a campout.

On the morning of the seventh day of flight, the same malfunction occurred on the WRS as on the previous day. The matter was then investigated further.

Stefanyshyn-Piper and Kimbrough on the starboard SARJ

The next day, 45 minutes earlier than originally planned, they switched their spacesuits to the internal power supply and began the 6.5-hour second exit at 17:58 UTC. Her first assignment was relocating two equipment transports from the starboard to port side of the Mobile Base System in preparation for the installation of the S6 segment during STS-119 . While Stefanyshyn-Piper continued work on the starboard SARJ, Kimbrough cleaned and greased the gripping point of the station's robotic arm. Then he also went to the SARJ and helped his colleague with further work. The exit ended after 6 hours and 45 minutes at 00:43 UTC.

On the eighth day of the flight, shortly after the Endeavor had lifted the station by about 1.8 kilometers, the problem was finally found in the WRS. In the urine processor, there was a mechanical defect in a centrifuge belonging to the distillation system. After about two hours of operation, this came into contact with a speed sensor, which caused the device to switch off immediately. Since a repair plan first had to be worked out, the transfer activities continued for the rest of the day. Among them was the Total Organic Carbon Analyzer (TOCA), with which the first water samples from the water recycling system were examined in the following days. In addition, the Stefanyshyn-Piper / Bowen team was preparing for the third exit.

The exit on the ninth day of the flight began again 45 minutes earlier than planned at 18:01 UTC. It was all about the completion of work on the starboard SARJ and ended after 6 hours and 57 minutes at 00:58 UTC.

In addition to the transfer work and preparations for the last exit, which was carried out by Bowen and Kimbrough, Mike Fincke made an attempt to fix the problem at the WRS. Part of the insulation and attachment of the centrifuge was removed. In the night from the ninth to the tenth day of the flight, the device could only run for four hours before it switched itself off again.

During the last exit on the eleventh day of flight, various small maintenance activities took place, including on the port SARJ, which was serviced as a precaution. Remaining work was also carried out on the starboard side, a television camera was installed on the P1 grid element and a GPS antenna on Kibō, and the cover for the outdoor facilities was remounted. In addition, due to the problems with the urine processor, the mission was extended by one day.

The starboard SARJ was set to automatic for three hours overnight. It worked far better than expected, but should be tested further before it resumes normal operation. The urine processor, too, had completed three complete work cycles and was now working perfectly, but was much louder. Furthermore, preparations were made to undock the MPLM loaded for the return flight. It was removed from Harmony on the 13th day of flight and installed in Endeavor's cargo bay at 10:52 UTC.

The 14th day of the flight was mainly used to allow the crews to recover from the efforts of the previous days. In addition, the last middle deck transfers were carried out. The crews also took the opportunity to celebrate Thanksgiving with a turkey menu. In the evening the hatches between the spacecraft were finally closed.

return

The Endeavor lands in California.

On the 15th day of flight at 14:46 UTC, the Endeavor finally undocked from the ISS and began the 90-minute flight around the station. The heat shield was later examined again with the OBSS . On the 16th day of flight, November 29th at 20:35 UTC, the Pico-Satellite Solar Cell Experiment (PSSC, NORAD-Id 33445) was deployed in space, a small satellite to investigate the influence of space radiation on two new types of solar cells. During the rest of the flight day, the systems required for landing were activated and tested. Furthermore, utensils no longer needed were stowed away.

With the beginning of flight day 17, the crew of the space shuttle prepared for landing. The loading bay doors were closed at around 16:20 UTC. Shortly before, the two landing options at the Kennedy Space Center had been discarded, as increasingly bad weather made landing impossible there. It was decided to use the first landing opportunity at Edwards Air Force Base at 21:25 UTC. For this purpose, the Endeavor with the engines was turned in the direction of flight and this ignited during the almost 3-minute deorbit burn in order to slow the Endeavor sufficiently (by about 330 km / h) so that it falls back into the atmosphere. The Endeavor touched down on runway 04L at 21:25 UTC - an alternative runway that was only used temporarily, as runway 22, which is normally used for shuttle orbiter landings, was being renewed at that time. This was the only orbiter landing on orbit 04L and the last time the Endeavor landed in California.

Transfer to Florida

Start of the Endeavor on the SCA from Edwards Air Force Base.

A few hours after landing, the Endeavor was brought to the lifting station, where it was placed on the shuttle carrier aircraft a few days later . Previously, a fairing was attached over the engines, which improves the aerodynamics for flight. The return flight only started on December 10th due to various rain showers along the flight route and led the combination via a refueling stop at the Biggs Army Air Field in El Paso to the former Carswell AFB in Fort Worth. She stayed there for a day, as the weather over Florida again prevented a landing. Finally, the last part of the route was tackled on December 12th and the Endeavor returned to the Kennedy Space Center at 20:44 UTC. There it was released from the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft and driven to its Orbiter Processing Facility for preparations for the STS-127 .

See also

Web links

Commons : STS-126  - album with pictures, videos and audio files

swell

  1. ↑ Mission page STS-126. NASA, October 3, 2008, accessed October 4, 2008 .
  2. ↑ Summaries of remaining space shuttle flights. Spaceflight Now, July 7, 2008, accessed July 12, 2008 .
  3. ↑ STS-126 MCC Status Report # 01. NASA, November 15, 2008, accessed November 26, 2008 .
  4. ↑ STS-126 MCC Status Report # 03. NASA, November 16, 2008, accessed November 26, 2008 .
  5. ↑ STS-126 MCC Status Report # 05. NASA, November 17, 2008, accessed November 26, 2008 .
  6. ↑ STS-126 MCC Status Report # 07. NASA, November 18, 2008, accessed November 26, 2008 .
  7. ↑ STS-126 MCC Status Report # 09. NASA, November 19, 2008, accessed November 26, 2008 .
  8. ↑ STS-126 MCC Status Report # 11. NASA, November 20, 2008, accessed November 26, 2008 .
  9. ↑ STS-126 MCC Status Report # 13. NASA, November 21, 2008, accessed November 26, 2008 .
  10. ↑ STS-126 MCC Status Report # 15. NASA, November 22, 2008, accessed November 26, 2008 .
  11. ↑ STS-126 MCC Status Report # 17. NASA, November 23, 2008, accessed November 26, 2008 .
  12. ↑ STS-126 MCC Status Report # 19. NASA, November 23, 2008, accessed November 26, 2008 .
  13. ↑ STS-126 MCC Status Report # 21. NASA, November 25, 2008, accessed November 26, 2008 .
  14. ↑ STS-126 MCC Status Report # 23. NASA, November 26, 2008, accessed November 26, 2008 .
  15. ↑ STS-126 MCC Status Report # 25. NASA, November 27, 2008, accessed November 27, 2008 .