STS-132

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Mission emblem
Mission emblem STS-132
Mission dates
Mission: STS-132
COSPAR-ID : 2010-019A
Crew: 6th
Begin: May 14, 2010, 18:20:09 UTC
Starting place: Kennedy Space Center , LC-39A
Space station: ISS
Coupling: May 16, 2010, 14:28 UTC
Decoupling: May 23, 2010, 3:22 pm UTC
Duration on the ISS: 7d 0h 54min
Number of EVA : 3
Landing: May 26, 2010, 12:48:11 UTC
Landing place: Kennedy Space Center, Lane 33
Flight duration: 11d 18h ​​28min 02s (until touchdown)
Earth orbits: 186
Track height: 360 km
Covered track: 7.9 million km
Payload: Rasswet , ICC-VLD
Team photo
v. l. No. Front: Garrett Reisman, Ken Ham, Steve Bowen; Back: Michael Good, Tony Antonelli, Piers Sellers
v. l. No. Front: Garrett Reisman, Ken Ham, Steve Bowen;
Back: Michael Good, Tony Antonelli, Piers Sellers
◄ Before / After ►
STS-131 STS-133

STS-132 ( English S pace T ransportation S ystem) is the mission name of the 32nd space flight of the US space shuttle Atlantis (OV-104) of NASA .

The launch took place on May 14, 2010. It was the 132nd space shuttle mission and the 32nd and penultimate flight of the Atlantis.

team

On May 6, 2009 the team was named.

Originally, Karen Nyberg provided as a mission specialist, but was replaced for medical reasons not explained in detail by Good on 11 August, 2009.

This was the first shuttle flight without a space novice since December 2000 ( STS-97 ).

Mission overview

The Atlantis reached the launch pad on April 22nd

The mission STS-132 (ISS ULF4) brought the Russian-built extension module Rassvet , which was docked on the Zarya module to the International Space Station . The Integrated Cargo Carrier (ICC-VLD) was also on board . This brought six new batteries to the ISS, replacing the same number of old ones in the P6 segment. A new Ku-band antenna was also installed. There were three space missions.

Preparations

After the end of the last mission of Atlantis ( STS-129 ), the space shuttle was driven to the Orbiter Processing Facility on November 27, 2009 and the follow-up investigation began.

Rassvet reached the Kennedy Space Center on December 17, 2009 with an Antonov An-124 . In the following months it was prepared for launch at the Astrotech Space Operations Facility in Titusville . At the end of March it was loaded into a transport container and transported to the Space Station Processing Facility .

On March 1st, the outer tank for STS-132, the ET-136, arrived in Florida. After a thorough examination, it was connected to the two Solid Rocket Boosters (SRB) from March 29th . The Atlantis followed on April 13th in the VAB . In the next few days it was mounted on the external tank there. The roll-out to the launch site LC-39A took place on April 22nd .

The crew arrived at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) on April 20 in preparation for the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test beginning the next day . During this two-day exercise, the crew simulated the final hours of the countdown. In addition, the escape from the launch pad was rehearsed in a dangerous situation. The TCDT ended with a simulated abortion for the crew and the control team. Then the crew flew back to Houston.

Mission history

begin

Start of the Atlantis
Video of the launch.

On May 10, after further preparation at the Johnson Space Center in Houston , the crew reached the Kennedy Space Center. The countdown for the mission began the following day at 10:00 PM UTC at the T-43 hour mark. As planned, the Atlantis took off on May 14 at 18:20 UTC. 8 minutes and 32 seconds after take-off, the three main engines (SSME) were switched off, and another 15 seconds later the external tank, which was no longer needed, was thrown off.

More than 39,000 spectators watched the launch from the Kennedy Space Center. Among them were Russian Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov and the head of the Russian space agency Roscosmos , Anatoly Perminov .

Inspection and coupling

The Atlantis approaches the station.

One of the first tasks after the start was opening the loading bay doors, on the inside of which the radiators for heat emission are located. Furthermore, the Ku-band antenna was extended, with which larger amounts of data can be transmitted to the ground stations.

Flight day 2, the first full day in Earth orbit, began for the astronauts at 8:20 UTC. Among other things, a detailed examination of critical areas of the heat shield with the Orbiter Boom Sensor System was planned . Even before the investigation began, a problem with a cable on the sensor head was discovered. As a result, it was necessary to switch to the less powerful backup system.

On flight day 3 (May 16), the Atlantis reached the ISS. Before docking, the Rendezvous Pitch Maneuver (RPM) was carried out so that the ISS crew could photograph the heat shield to localize possible damage.

At 14:28 UTC, the Atlantis docked with the PMA-2 docking adapter 350 km above the South Pacific . About two hours later at 16:18 UTC the hatches between ISS and Atlantis were opened. After a short welcome ceremony, the standard safety briefing from the commander of the ISS, Oleg Kotow, followed .

Working on the ISS

On the same day the transfer began from the first goods to the ISS, including also the space suits for the following three were extra-vehicular activity (EVA). Outside Canadarm2 was used to transport the Integrated Cargo Carrier from the payload bay of the shuttle to the Mobile Base System. In preparation for the first spacecraft operation the following day, the mission specialists Reisman and Bowen spent the night under reduced air pressure in the Quest airlock . This prevents decompression sickness due to nitrogen oversaturation.

Stephen Bowen is working on the Ku-band antenna

Flight day 4 was dominated by the first field deployment of this mission. After Garrett Reisman and Stephen Bowen switched their spacesuits to internal power at 11:54 UTC, they left the Quest airlock and first went to the ICC cargo pallet. From there they fetched a 2.7 meter long antenna mast, which was then attached to the Z1 element of the station. Reisman, who had latched onto the Canadarm2 , was driven back to the freight pallet in order to fetch the antenna dish from there and attach it to the mast that had already been assembled. This did not work completely because the connecting screws could not be fully tightened, which is why the launch brackets, which were supposed to prevent the antenna from moving, were not loosened. The new Ku-band antenna serves as a replacement for the main antenna , which is also mounted on the Z1 element. Reisman then attached a spare parts platform for the Dextre robotic hand to the Destiny module . As both were well on schedule, additional tasks were added in preparation for the second exit. So was z. B. loosened some of the screws that attached the new batteries to the ICC cargo pallet. Then both went back to the airlock, where the exit ended after seven hours and 25 minutes.

Rasswet on Canadarm2 on the way to the Sarja module

The main task of the next day (flight day 5) was to couple the new Rasswet module to the station. After the module had been lifted out of the loading bay by the Atlantis robot arm, it was transferred to the Canadarm2. This brought it to the intended docking point. At 12:50 UTC, Rassvet was finally coupled with Zarya . After that, Michael Good and Steve Bowen prepared their tools for the second exit. At the end of the working day, they went to the Quest airlock again for a campout.

The second EVA on the sixth day of flight began 25 minutes earlier than planned at 10:38 UTC. First of all, the two astronauts attached a cable loop to the tilt-swivel mechanism of the OBSS, with which the main system was fully functional again. The main task was to replace three of the six batteries on the B part of the P6 element . The batteries on the A side, each weighing 165 kg, had already been replaced during STS-127. First, an old battery was removed and temporarily stored. Then a new one from the ICC freight pallet was installed in the P6 element and the old one was stowed on the pallet. Both astronauts made so good progress that one battery could be changed more than planned, leaving only two for the third EVA. After this task was completed, both went to the new Ku-band antenna on the Z1 element to finish the assembly. After they had fully tightened the connecting screws, which had not succeeded in the first exit, they removed the transport brackets and prepared the antenna for use. After that, they returned to the Quest airlock after seven hours and six minutes and completed the exit.

On flight day 7, the hatches to Rasswet were opened and the crew entered the module for the first time. Later that day, Michael Good and Garrett Reisman prepared for the third field assignment and made their way to the Quest airlock campout.

Michael Good replaces the batteries on the P6 element during the third exit

The third and final exit was initially to install an ammonia bypass line between the P3 and P4 elements. Then Good and Reisman exchanged the two remaining batteries of the P6 element and attached the old ones to the ICC freight pallet. After this work was completed, both went into the loading bay of the Atlantis to get a gripping bracket for the Canadarm2. They took them to the Quest airlock. The bracket is to be mounted on the Sarja module when the ISS expedition is used later. As an additional task, they stowed tools in their designated place on the Z1 element. The last exit of this mission and the last of an Atlantis crew in the airlock Quest ended after six hours and 46 minutes.

On the ninth day of the flight, the ICC freight pallet was first stowed back in the loading bay of the Atlantis with the Canadarm2. Transfer work from the middle deck of the shuttle and back to the station took place later. The astronauts also answered questions from students.

For the eleventh and last time on the ISS: The Atlantis docked at the Harmony module, photographed during the first exit

The joint activities of the station and shuttle crew ended on the tenth day of the flight. After breakfast the traditional farewell ceremony for the two teams took place. After the hatch to Atlantis was closed at 12:43 p.m. UTC, the Atlantis left the station at 15:22 UTC. For the last time, the station crew rang the ship's bell for the Atlantis, for which this eleventh ISS visit was the last. After that, the traditional flyaround took place, in which the Atlantis circled the ISS again before an engine ignition took place, which finally separated the Atlantis and the ISS.

return

On the 11th day of flight, the crew again examined parts of the Atlantis heat shield with the OBSS, including the leading edge of the wing and the nose. The astronauts also stowed the spacesuits.

During the last full day in space (flight day 12), the aerodynamic control flaps of the Atlantis and the control nozzles of the reaction control system were tested in preparation for landing. In addition, objects that were no longer needed were stowed away and the Ku-band antenna of the space shuttle retracted.

After 25 years of service, the Atlantis lands on runway 33 of the Kennedy Space Center for the penultimate time

The 13th day of the flight began with the closing of the cargo bay doors. With the brake ignition of the two OMS engines at 11:42 UTC, the landing maneuver for the first landing opportunity was initiated. After an hour of descent through the atmosphere, the 32nd flight of Atlantis ended at 12:48:11 UTC on runway 33 of the Shuttle Landing Facility of the Kennedy Space Center. After the crew disembarked, the Atlantis was transferred to the Orbiter Processing Facility (OPF).

In the OPF, the Atlantis was prepared for a possible rescue mission ( STS-335 ). With the space flight STS-135 , the last mission of a shuttle, her career ended. It remained open for a long time whether the flight should even continue.

See also

Web links

Commons : STS-132  - album with pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Atlantis ready for STS-125 countdown - STS-132 crew assigned. nasaspaceflight.com, May 6, 2009, accessed May 7, 2009 .
  2. ↑ NASA Assigns Crew for STS-134 Shuttle Mission, Change to STS-132. NASA, August 11, 2009, accessed August 12, 2009 .
  3. ↑ Stephen Clark: Russian storage module arrives in Florida for launch. Spaceflight Now, December 17, 2009, accessed December 18, 2009 .
  4. ^ Kennedy Media Gallery. NASA April 1, 2010; archived from the original on July 10, 2012 ; accessed on May 14, 2010 (English).
  5. ↑ Justin Ray: Atlantis' last fuel tank reaches launch site. Spaceflight Now, March 1, 2010, accessed May 14, 2010 .
  6. ↑ Clara Moskowitz: Shuttle Atlantis Soars Into Space on Final Mission. Space.com, May 14, 2010, accessed May 18, 2010 .
  7. ↑ Atlantis space shuttle takes off from Cape Canaveral. ITAR-TASS, May 14, 2010, archived from the original on May 16, 2010 ; accessed on May 18, 2010 (English).