Category Manned Spaceflight Log II—2006-2012

Though accidents and tragedy have occurred in preparations for space flight, the most likely accident scenarios occur during the mission itself, the first of which is the ascent from the launchpad into orbit. Sitting inside a spacecraft, strapped to thousands of gallons (or liters) of highly explosive fuel, the crew needs some assur­ance that if things go wrong there is at least a chance to get out, however unlikely the disaster or slim the chance of surviving it.

Crew escape systems varied with the design of each spacecraft. There were pad escape systems, incorporated into the launchpads to allow the crew either to vacate the pad inside the spacecraft or quickly exit the vehicle and clear the launch area. Slide wires and escape chutes were incorporated into the towers built for Apollo, Shuttle, and Buran, while escape from any potential explosion could be achieved by escape tower on Mercury, Apollo, Soyuz, and Shenzhou, or by ejection seats on Gemini. Each countdown process includes periods of evaluation built into the launch preparations as well as options to abort the launch before the critical time. Such safeguards continue to feature in the operational launch procedures of both Soyuz and Shenzhou.

During the Shuttle program, several launch attempts were abandoned due to the weather or over equipment concerns. Most of these were canceled long before the vehicle was committed to engine ignition. On five occasions, there was a “Redundant Set Launch Sequencer” (RSLS) abort called, which occurred between the ignition of the three main engines at 6.6 seconds before liftoff and the lighting of the solid rocket boosters at T — 0 seconds. If computers (not humans) sensed a problem in the main engines, the launch would be aborted, preventing the SRBs from igniting. The SRBs could not be turned off once ignited, thus committing the Shuttle to launch and at least 123 seconds of flight since no abort was possible prior to SRB separation, even if a main engine failed. Fortunately, the RSLS

system worked as designed on all five occasions (STS-41D in 1984, STS-51F in 1985, STS-55 in 1993, STS-51 also in 1993, and STS-68 in 1994).

Once a vehicle has left the pad, the options for escape from a pending explosion are more limited. There must at least be time to identify and react to the problem in the first place. Things happen rapidly in space flight and the journey from pad to orbit only takes eight to ten minutes. Events can occur in seconds, or even microseconds, so the technology has to be able to react quickly. Sometimes, there simply is no time to react and tragedy occurs.

The first manned spacecraft featured two methods of crew escape during launch. Vostok carried an ejection seat for its solo pilot, while Mercury incorpo­rated a launch escape tower. The tower idea was continued for Apollo and was later incorporated on Soyuz and, more recently, Shenzhou. One reason for this is simply that there was insufficient room or mass capacity to provide an ejection system for every crew member once the single-seat spacecraft were phased out. Ejection seats were retained for Gemini as it was thought more suit­able than an escape tower for that program. Like Vostok, these seats could be used for crew escape during recovery operations as well as for problems occurring during ascent.

For those programs using the escape tower, it was available for emergencies on the pad, but during ascent it was jettisoned at ballistic recovery altitude or once orbital speed was attained, which rendered the tower system unusable. For recovery, these spacecraft relied on parachutes (and, in the case of Soyuz and Shenzhou, the retro-rockets) to reduce the landing impact velocity.

These options were not available for Voskhod and Shuttle. For the amended Yostok, flying as Voskhod, crew escape was virtually impossible and the landing risky. Though promoted as an “improved”, or “upgraded” spacecraft, Voskhod was in fact nothing more than a stripped-down Vostok. It was designed to carry a crew of up to three instead of one, mainly for the purpose of achieving spectacular space firsts ahead of the Americans. It was a risky, and lucky, two-mission program.

With additional crew members, the ejection seat had to be removed, leaving the crew no method of pad or launch escape. This also affected the safe recovery of the two crews, as they could not eject prior to landing. The retro-rocket package that was added was essential for the crew to survive the landing impact. Both missions were completed without any serious incidents, but it was fortunate that nothing went wrong. This could have been a prime reason for the cancellation of the program after only two flights, moving on to the more capable Soyuz with its built-in soft-landing system.

For the American Shuttle, things were more complicated. With crews numbering up to seven, crew escape had limited options. For both the atmo­spheric landing tests using Enterprise in 1977 and the first four orbital test flights on Columbia, the two-person crews did have ejection seats for emergency escape during ascent or descent. Fortunately these were not required on the actual mis­sions. On Columbia, they were deactivated for STS-5 and removed for STS-9. No other Shuttle orbiter carried the system, as two-person Shuttle crews ceased with STS-4. Escape capsules were considered, but were deemed impractical for the spacecraft’s design.

Following the loss of Challenger in 1986, a slide pole was installed. Each of the crew wore escape pressure suits and had the capability to leave the vehicle to descend on their own parachutes—at least in theory. Crews trained for such evacuations as part of their mission preparation. Fortunately, this type of escape was never called upon. It would have required the vehicle to be in a relatively stable flight mode for the crew to avoid hitting somewhere on the orbiter as they evacuated through the side hatch. The Shuttle Orbiter was essentially a glider as it came home, capable of landing on the ground or even on the ocean, so evacuating the vehicle in stable flight seemed contrary to what it was designed to do—a controlled stable glide to an unpowered landing.

Conditions inside the orbiter as it fell through the atmosphere in an uncontrolled state would surely have made the slide pole an unlikely solution to crew escape. With the vehicle possibly breaking up in flight, the crew of up to seven would have had to leave their seats on the flight deck and mid-deck, moving around in bulky pressure suits to hook up to the slide pole. Then they would have had to hope to miss all the trailing debris as the vehicle dropped like a stone towards Earth.

In 2003, there was no time for the Columbia crew to react to the impending disaster. They were too high and traveling too fast to use the escape pole, even if they had had time to consider it.

During ascent, the Shuttle had a number of abort modes, giving the crew the option to return to the landing site, take it over the Atlantic to land at specific sites in Europe or Africa, to fly a single orbit and land on the next pass, or to abort the ascent into a low orbit. In the latter case, onboard systems would gradually have raised the orbit to at least an operational level, enabling the crew to conduct an alternative mission and probably return early. When the Shuttle launch abort modes were devised, each crew hoped they would not be called upon. They were there should the need arise and it did so during the 19th mission (STS-51F), in July 1985. On that mission, the loss of a main engine resulted in an abort to orbit and a revised, but still highly successful mission.

The abort modes were not new ideas. During Apollo, there were stages in the ascent where the mission could be aborted early to an emergency recovery in the Atlantic or to attain a lower-than-planned orbit to give the crew and Mission Control time to evaluate what to do next. The lunar missions featured points at which mission progress could be evaluated and the decision made whether to con­tinue. For most of the Apollo missions, each of these decision points was passed to allow the missions to achieve most of what was planned. The exception, of course, was Apollo 13. Here, the redundancy built into the design of the program came to the forefront and contributed to the recovery of the crew. But there were still points at which the skills and endurance of the crew and ground controllers were pushed to the limit.

It is interesting to note that, apparently, when the Astronaut Office was approached to fly a test demonstration of the Shuttle return to launch site abort mode, their response was that it could be tested when it was needed. Clearly, turning the stack around in flight and heading back to the launch site minutes after leaving it was not a favored option for the astronauts, even given their varied and very capable flying experiences. Thankfully it was never put into practice.

At the start of the new decade, Salyut 6 operations were winding down. Its last operations included the demonstration of the first add-on module docked to the core, in preparation for the launch of its replacement, Salyut 7, in 1982. Similar in appearance to the previous station, the new facility would continue where Salyut 6 left off, flying increasingly longer missions, with further visiting crews (this time more international than Interkosmos in nature). It would also see the first on- orbit partial crew exchanges and introduce a further add-on module to the main core station. Salyut 7 would also feature new endurance records for two expedi­tion crews (212 then 237 days), with a further residency of 150 days by a third crew in addition to partial crew residences of 112, 168, and 64 days.

In 1984, and again during 1985, cosmonauts demonstrated the value of having a crew in space when things go wrong by overcoming serious problems to keep the station operating successfully. These activities safely extended its working life until 1986 when a new, improved station appeared. The final crew was able to visit Salyut 7 in 1986 to complete the planned program.

Salyut operations were expected to be the mainstay of orbital operations for the Soviets for the rest of the decade. It was not exactly clear what form the much anticipated Salyut 8 would take, nor was it evident how things were about to dramatically change, not just in the national space program but also across the Soviet Union itself. This would have considerable global consequences as the decade closed.

As the Soviets transitioned from Salyut 6 to Salyut 7, the headlines were being generated by the return of American astronauts to orbit after a gap of six years. It was the start of the Space Shuttle era.

Flight crew

MALENCHENKO, Yuri Ivanovich, 45, Russian Federation Air Force, RSA Soyuz TMA commander, ISS flight engineer 1; fourth mission Previous missions’. Soyuz ТМ19/МІГ EC-16(1994), STS-106 (2000), Soyuz TMA-2/ISS-7 (2003)

WHITSON, Peggy Annette, 47, NASA Soyuz TMA flight engineer, ISS-16

commander; second mission

Previous mission-. STS-111/STS-113/ISS-5 (2002)

MUSZAPHAR, Shukor A1 Masrie, 35, Malaysian space flight participant ISS resident crew Shuttle transfers

ANDERSON, Clayton Conrad, 48, NASA ISS flight engineer 2 TANI, Daniel Michio, 46, NASA ISS flight engineer 2; second mission Previous mission-. STS-108 (2001)

EYHARTS, Leopold, 50, French Air Force, ESA (French) ISS flight engineer 2; second mission

Previous mission-. Soyuz TM27/26/Mir (1998)

REISMAN, Garrett Erin, 40, NASA ISS flight engineer 2

Flight log

This was, by any account, a busy residency, which officially took over from the ISS-15 crew on October 19, 2007. During this 16th expedition to the ISS, the expansion of scientific facilities at the station finally resumed after the tragedy of Columbia. This included installation of an additional node (#2, named Harmony),

the European Laboratory (Columbus), and the first elements of the Japanese experiment facility (Kibo). The mission also featured the now familiar routine maintenance chores, expansion of the science program, and hosting the arrival of the first ESA Automated Transfer Vehicle (Jules Verne), laden with over 4.6 tons of cargo for the station.

There were three Shuttle assembly missions during this expedition, in addition to partial crew rotation of four members of the main expedition crew, docking of further Progress resupply craft, and four planned EVAs. Three of these would be from the U. S. segment and one from the Russian segment. During the three Shuttle missions, a further 12 EVAs were completed by Shuttle crew members.

The two ISS-16 main resident crew members docked with the Zarya Module on October 12. On board with them was Malaysian space flight participant Sheikh

Shukor A1 Masrie Muszaphar, flying a 10-day mission. During the main residency, the core crew would be joined by three NASA astronauts and one ESA astronaut, all serving in sequence as ISS FE2 and all launched and returned via the U. S. Space Shuttle.

The Malaysian ‘Angkasa MSM Project’ was agreed with Russia under a contract signed on September 29, 2005. This involved a programme of science research activities and experiments to be conducted by a Malaysian citizen flying as a SFP on the thirteenth ISS visiting crew. The programme consisted of thirteen experiments; eight were Malaysian national experiments, while the other three were joint investigations with ESA. In addition, there was a range of public rela­tions and symbolic activities planned. The experiment programme included 31 sessions for 8 experiments over five of the ten days in space. Two of the experi­ments were performed during the two-day flight of the Soyuz TMA spacecraft on the way to the station, with the remainder performed aboard the complex itself. These included four life science experiments, three biotechnology experiments and one education experiment. In total, approximately 18 hours were assigned for Shukor to complete the programme, occasionally assisted by Malenchenko. On October 21, 2007, after a flight of 11 days, Shukor returned to Earth aboard Soyuz TMA-10, together with the returning ISS-15 crew members Fydor Yurchikhin and Oleg Kotov after their six month mission.

When TMA-11 docked with the station, NASA astronaut Clayton Anderson was already aboard serving as FE2, having been delivered to the station by STS – 117 (13A). He would remain aboard as FE2 with the ISS-16 crew until his replace­ment, Dan Tani, arrived on STS-120 (ЮА) and then come home with the STS-120 crew. Tani would return on STS-122 (IE), which delivered his replacement, French ESA astronaut Leopold Eyharts. Eyharts would support the installation and early setup activities of the European Columbus Experiment Module before himself being replaced by NASA astronaut Garrett Reisman. Reisman arrived with the first elements of the Japanese Laboratory Module on STS-123 (1J/A), on which Eyharts would return, and would remain onboard station with the ISS-17 crew when the ISS-16 main crew departed in the spring.

The Russian research program featured 251 sessions of 55 experiments, 44 of which were continuations of earlier studies, while 11 were brand new. To accom­plish this objective, the crew had been allocated over 217 hours to operate the experiments during the expedition, mostly by Malenchenko. Across in the American segment, there were 38 experiments being conducted and, with the deliv­ery of the Columbus module towards the end of the residency, an increasing amount of work on the European science program. Hardware and supplies delivered for the Japanese segment during the residency meant that the program of experiments planned for that facility would at last also be approaching fruition.

The ISS-16 crew would also work with the Progress M-61, M-62, and M-63 resupply vehicles during their time on the station. The major hardware delivered by the three Shuttle missions were the Harmony 2 Node (STS-120); the ESA Columbus Module (STS-122), the Pressurized Section of the Japanese Experimen­tal Logistics Module (ELM-PS), and the Canadian Space Agency Special Purpose

Dexterous Manipulator, known as Dextre (STS-123). The 12 EVAs completed by the Shuttle crews were split between STS-120 (four EVAs), STS-122 (three EYAs), and STS-123 (a record five EVAs). Before formally joining the resident crew, Dan Tani assisted on the second EVA of STS-120 (6h 33 min) on October 28 and Greg Reisman assisted on the STS-123 EVA 1 on March 13 (7 h lmin) during installation of the Japanese elements (see STS-123).

The ISS-16 crew itself completed a program of five EVAs during their residency. The first three (November 9, 6h 55 min; November 20, 7h 16 min; November 24, 7h 4 min) were associated with the relocation of the PMA-2 and Harmony Node 2 using the Canadarm2 during November 12-14, while the final two space walks saw the astronauts work on the starboard solar array truss.

In total, Whitson accumulated 35 hours 21 minutes across the five EVAs; Malenchenko logged 6 hours 55 minutes on the expedition’s first EVA with Whitson, and Tani, who participated with Whitson for EVA 2 through 5, accumu­lated 28 hours 26 minutes on the ISS-16 crew in addition to that of his STS-120 EVA.

One of the hardest personal challenges to face is the loss of a family member. It is even harder when there is some distance involved and if you are off the planet, adding further barriers to overcoming the grief. Telling a crew member of a personal loss has always been a difficult decision for the ground support team, one that had to be addressed during this residency. Dan Tani was informed on December 20 that his mother, Rose, had died in an automobile accident. He was informed over the private communication loop by his wife, who was also a flight surgeon. Over the next few days, the astronaut was allowed to grieve and conducted a number of private calls to family members over the secure video channel. Tani was the first American crew member to lose a close relative while participating in a space flight.

The ISS-16 main crew of Whitson and Malenchenko returned to Earth on Soyuz TMA-11 on April 19, 2008, along with South Korean VC-14 crew member So Yeon Yi, who had arrived with the ISS-17 main crew aboard TMA-12. The formal change of command between the two resident crews had occurred on April 17. Reisman continued his residency with the ISS-17 crew, until he was replaced during STS-124 (1J).

The landing of TMA-11 in the Republic of Kazakhstan was not as smooth as planned. The descent module performed a ballistic reentry, with the crew enduring loads of 8.5g for a short time. The separation of the Orbital Module from the Descent Module occurred without incident, but when the Descent Module tried to separate from the Instrument Module a bolt remained attached, resulting in the configuration entering the atmosphere sideways and creating a raging sheath of flame outside the windows. It was the rigidity of the Soyuz design that protected the crew, until the two spacecraft elements finally (and thankfully) pulled apart, allowing the Descent Module to make a harrowing, but otherwise safe landing 420 km short of the planned recovery zone.

Following the mission, postflight debrief, and recovery, in October 2009 Peggy Whitson assumed the role of Chief NASA Astronaut. She was the first female and non-pilot to achieve this coveted role. Malenchenko, meanwhile, resumed ISS training for a return to station as a member of a new resident crew.

Milestones

255th manned space flight 104 th Russian manned space flight 97th manned Soyuz flight 11th manned Soyuz TMA mission 15th ISS Soyuz mission (15S)

13 th ISS Soyuz visiting mission Whitson becomes 1st female ISS commander

New EVA record by a female in a career total of 39 hours 46 minutes across six EVAs

Flight crew

MELROY, Pamela Ann, 46, USAF Ret., NASA commander, third mission Previous missions-. STS-92 (2000), STS-112 (2002)

ZAMKA, George David, 45, USMC, NASA pilot PARAZYNSKI, Scott Edward, 46, civilian, NASA mission specialist 1, fifth mission

Previous missions-. STS-66 (1994), STS-86 (1997), STS-95 (1998), STS-100 (2001) WILSON, Stephanie Diana, 41, civilian, NASA mission specialist 2, second mission

Previous mission: STS-121 (2006)

WHEELOCK, Douglas Harry, 47, U. S. Army, NASA mission specialist 3 NESPOLI, Paolo, 50, civilian (Italian), ESA mission specialist 4

ISS resident crew members

TANI, Daniel Michio, 46, civilian, NASA mission specialist 5 (up), ISS-16 flight engineer, second mission Previous mission: STS-108 (2001)

ANDERSON, Clayton Conrad, 48, civihan, NASA mission specialist 5 (down), ISS-16 flight engineer

Flight log

The primary objective of this mission was to deliver the Node 2 (Harmony) facility and relocate the P6 truss. This mission also featured the exchange of NASA astronaut Dan Tani (ISS-16 FE2) with ISS-15/16 flight engineer Clayton Anderson on the station.

Mission processing went relatively smoothly, with Discovery arriving at the OPR on December 22, 2006, following the STS-116 landing. Processing continued with the rollover of Discovery from the OPF to the VAB on September 23, 2007 for stacking with the ET and SRBs. A week later, on September 30, the STS-120 stack was rolled to Pad 39A.

The October 23 launch was on time and docking with the station was accomplished without incident. Discovery docked with the ISS at PMA-2 on Harmony on October 25, 2007 and later the same day Tani formally took over from Anderson as ISS-16 FE2. Anderson had spent a total of only seven days as a member of ISS-16, but had accumulated 131 days as a member of the ISS-15 crew. By the end of the STS-120 mission Anderson had logged a total of 148 days on the ISS and 152 days in space.

The completion of docking and hatch-opening operations on this mission would see the historic first greeting in space between a female commander of a Shuttle mission (Melroy) and a female commander of the Space Station (Peggy Whitson).

The main focus of STS-120 activity centered upon the installation of the new node (on October 26) and repair to the Solar Alpha Rotary Joint (SARJ) during the second EVA. In addition to the EVAs, the crew transferred over 2,0201b (916.27 kg) of equipment and scientific samples to the Shuttle and delivered additional supplies to the station. Amongst the range of items being returned to

Earth for postflight analysis were metal shavings from the SARJ, to determine the probable cause of resistance in the starboard joint.

Paulo Nespoli, the third Italian to fly on the Shuttle, would serve as Inter Vehicular Activity (IVA) crew member for the planned EVAs. He would also complete a joint science program devised by the European and Italian space agencies under the label “Esperia”, from the ancient Greek name for the Italian peninsula. This program included a range of human physiology and biology experiments as well as a number of educational activities.

The station management added a 360-degree visual inspection of the station starboard SARJ to the second EVA after it had shown increased friction for the past 30 days. Between the fourth and fifth EVAs, an extra day was added to the mission to allow the crew additional off-duty time and to prepare equipment for the fifth EVA. However, when a repair to a torn solar array was required on the fourth EVA the priorities changed, so the objectives of the fifth EVA would be completed by the station crew after the Shuttle had departed.

On the ground, teams worked around the clock to devise a workable plan for the repair. The crew fabricated a solar array hinge stabilizer from strips of aluminum, a hole punch, a bolt connector, and approximately 20 meters of wire. The stabilizer would work in a similar fashion to a cuff link on a shirt. The wire was fed through a hole on the array and was supported by the strip of aluminum. The astronauts also positioned the station’s Robotic Arm and Mobile Transporter at the end of the truss to serve as a “cherry picker” and work platform. To protect against electrical currents while working, the astronauts insulated the tools with Kapton tape.

During the first EVA (October 26, 6h 14 min), mission specialists Parazynski and Wheelock assisted with the installation of the Harmony Module (Node 2) to its temporary location and also readied the P6 for its planned relocation two days later. In addition, the two astronauts closed a window cover on Harmony that had inadvertently opened during the launch phase and retrieved a failed radio communication antenna. After their return to the station, Wheelock noticed a small hole in the outer layer of his right pressure glove thumb. This would be evaluated later, prior to his next EVA. Post-EVA analysis of the gloves revealed excessive wear, requiring a replacement glove for his next excursion on the mission’s third EVA.

The next day, the hatches into the new module were opened and ISS-16 commander Peggy Whitson and ESA astronaut Nespoli were the first to float inside. As this was a new addition to the station, both crew members wore protec­tive face masks and goggles in case of any floating debris not picked up in the rigorous ground processing. Air samples were taken and a process to refresh the air was run about five times inside the module as part of the unit’s safety acceptance as a permanent element on the station.

For the second EVA (October 28, 6h 33 min), Parazynski was accompanied by ISS-16 flight engineer Dan Tani. The main objective of this excursion was to disconnect cables from the P6 Truss, which would enable it to be removed from the ZI Truss. The two astronauts outfitted the Harmony Module, mated the power and data grapple feature, and reconfigured connections to the SI Truss that would allow the radiator on SI to be deployed by a ground command from the Control Center at a later date. In a busy EVA, Tani also inspected the SARJ and collected “shavings” he found under the joint’s multilayer insulation cover. Mission managers authorized a limited use of the SARJ while the anomaly was assessed further and a repair plan formulated.

On October 30, the extra day added to the mission was announced. The originally planned 4 h 45 min EVA 4 would now be extended to a full duration of 6 hours 30 minutes and would be devoted to inspection of the starboard SARJ, instead of the previously planned demonstration of the Tile Repair Ablator Dispenser in the payload bay of Discovery. This would be deferred to a later mission. The fifth EVA would now be conducted by ISS-16 crew members Whitson and Malenchenko, completing further work on outfitting the exterior of the Harmony Module.

Parazynski and Wheelock paired up again for EVA 3 (October 30, 2 h 8 min), with Wheelock wearing one of the spare EVA gloves. During this space walk, the astronauts installed the P6 Truss segment (with its set of solar arrays) in its per­manent position. In addition, they installed a spare main bus switching unit on a storage platform, for future use if required. Parazynski examined the port SARJ and compared it with the starboard one, finding it clear of debris. Towards the end of this EVA, when the P6 solar arrays were deployed, a tear appeared in one of the blankets. To allow analysis and prevent any further damage, the deploy­ment was halted so that engineers on the ground could evaluate the situation and plan what to do next. Despite the 80% deployment, the array was still able to generate nearly normal power levels.

The fourth EVA was slipped 24 hours to study options for repairing the tom array. It was decided to concentrate primarily on repairing the array on EVA 4 and defer any work on the SARJ to later in the program. The planned EVA 5 would be completed by the ISS-16 crew after the departure of Discovery.

The fourth EVA (November 3, 7h 19 min) was again completed by Parazynski and Wheelock. Before they began the EVA, the Orbiter Boom Sensor System (OBSS) was moved from the Shuttle RMS to the station arm. Over the next 90 minutes, the two astronauts rode the arm to work at the tom array area. This distance was 165 feet down the Tmss and 90 feet up to the damaged area. Once there, Parazynski cut a snagged wire and installed homemade stabilizers to strengthen the array’s structure and stability where the damage had occurred. Ground controllers were then able to complete the deployment. Deploying at one half bay at a time, this process took 15 minutes to complete.

The four space walks amassed a total of 27 hours 34 minutes. Individually, Parazynski had logged 27 hours 14 minutes (four EVAs); Wheelock 20 hours 41 minutes (three EVAs); and Tani 6 hours 33 minutes on a single excursion.

On November 5, Discovery undocked from the station after 9 days 21 hours of joint activities, completing a nominal landing on November 7. This followed a rare southbound trajectory which took the orbiter over the central states of

continental America and which allowed a daylight landing at the Cape instead of the preplanned night landing.

Milestones

256th manned space flight 150th U. S. manned space flight 120th Shuttle mission 34th flight of Discovery 23rd Shuttle ISS mission

In honor of the 30th anniversary of the feature film Star Wars franchise, the

Luke Skywalker light saber was flown on Discovery

The first time female commanders would lead Shuttle (Melroy) and station

(Whitson) missions at the same time and meet in space

Use of OBSS during EVA 4 (November 3) was the first operational use of

OBSS to reach a work site on the ISS

Flight crew

FRICK, Stephen Nathaniel, 43, USN, NASA commander, second mission Previous mission: STS-110 (2002)

POINDEXTER, Alan Goodwin, 46, USN, NASA pilot MELVIN, Leland Deems, 43, civilian, NASA mission specialist 1 WALHEIM, Rex Joseph, 45, USAF, NASA mission specialist 2, second mission

Previous mission: STS-110 (2002)

SCHLEGEL, Hans Wilheim, 56, civihan (German), ESA mission specialist 3, second mission

Previous mission: STS-55/Spacelab D2 (1993)

LOVE, Stanley Glen, 42, civilian, NASA mission specialist 4

ISS resident crew members

EYHARTS, Leopold, 50, French Air Force, ESA (French) mission specialist 5 (up only); ISS-16 flight engineer 2, second mission Previous mission: Soyuz TM-27 (1998)

TANI, Daniel Michio, 46, civihan, NASA mission specialist 5 (down only), ISS-16 flight engineer 2, second mission Previous mission: STS-108 (2001)

Flight log

The 24th ISS assembly mission featured the delivery of the long-awaited European Science Laboratory called Columbus (named after the historic European explorer). The science payload for the European module would be managed by the

Columbus Control Center, located in Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany. This would also be the center responsible for coordinating and managing the research and for collecting the results data. On board the station, experiment hardware would be operated mainly by European crew representatives, though not exclusively, as there would not always be an ESA representative on board as part of the main resident crew.

The orbiter Atlantis arrived back at the Orbiter Processing Facility at KSC on July 4, 2007 (America’s 231st birthday) following a ferry flight from Dryden and arrival at the Cape the previous day. On November 3, 2007, Atlantis was moved from the OPF to the VAB for mating with the rest of the stack. It was then rolled out of the VAB on November 10, 2007 for the move to Pad 39A.

During December, the mission was twice delayed during the fueling of the ET due to false readings in the engine cutoff sensor systems. Tests subsequently revealed that the open circuits in the ET electrical feed through a connector were the most probable cause of the fault. One of many safety systems installed on the vehicle, this particular connector protected the SSME by initiating shutdown if fuel ran unexpectedly low. To resolve the fault, a modified connector (which had pins and sockets soldered together) was installed for the mission. As a result of these changes, the launch was rescheduled for February 7 and was achieved without further incident.

Docking with the ISS occurred on February 9. Earlier, the crew had completed the now customary backflip maneuver so that Atlantis could be photo – documented and laser-scanned from the ISS for analysis on the ground. The orbiter crew had previously used the RMS to scan the surfaces of Atlantis on February 8; this inspection by the resident station crew was an additional check into the integrity of the vehicle’s heat shield.

Following the docking, ESA astronaut Leopold Eyharts officially joined the ISS-16 expedition, replacing NASA astronaut Dan Tani, who rejoined the Shuttle crew and ended his residency. Tani had spent 107 days aboard the station as a member of the resident crew. His stay on the station had been extended two months due to difficulties in getting the Shuttle off the launchpad.

Following closer inspection of the tile data, minor damage was discovered on a thermal blanket over the right OMS pod. Further inspections were made by the crew but the Mission Management Team eventually cleared the TPS for reentry. They also extended the mission an extra day to continue activation of the European Laboratory.

There were three EVAs conducted during the mission, totaling 22 hours 8 minutes. The first EVA had to be postponed a day due to a medical issue with Schlegel. It was later revealed that Love would replace the German astronaut on the first space walk.

That first EVA (February 11, 7h 58 min) by Love and Walheim mainly focused on installation of the Columbus Laboratory. The astronauts installed a grapple fixture on Columbia while in the payload bay and prepared electrical and data connections on the module. Inside the station, astronauts Melvin, Tani, and Eyharts used the robotic systems to grab Columbus, lift it out of the orbiter payload bay and relocate it over to the starboard side of Harmony (Node 2). The EVA continued with the crew beginning work on replacing a large nitrous tank, which is used for pressurizing the station’s ammonia cooling systems.

Schlegel was well enough to participate in the mission’s second EVA with Wheelock (February 13, 6h 45 min). The two astronauts replaced the nitrous tank and used the station’s RMS to move the spent tank back into the orbiter payload bay. Minor repairs were also undertaken on the debris shield on the Destiny lab and several get-ahead tasks completed in preparation for the third and final EVA.

The third EVA of the mission (February 15, 7h 25 min) was conducted by Walker and Love. Its first objective was to relocate one of two external experiment facilities (called SOLAR) to the Columbus module for installation. The EVA crew was guided by Poindexter, while Melvin used the station RMS for the transfer. The EVA crew then retrieved a stored, failed gyroscope and secured it in Atlantis’ payload bay for return to Earth. Next, they installed the second experiment facility, called the European Technology Exposure Facility (EuTEF), on to Columbus. Their final task was to examine a damaged handrail on the exterior of the Quest airlock. The deterioration of the handrail was thought to be caused by years of repetitive glove abrasion. To check this, the astronauts rubbed it with a tool covered in EVA over-glove material to see if it left any new damage.

In total, Walheim logged 22 hours 8 minutes on three EYAs; Love amassed 15 hours 23 minutes on his two space walks; and Schlegel 6 hours 45 minutes on his single excursion.

All crew members worked throughout the docked period to activate the Columbus Laboratory, which included outfitting it with several experiment racks. Both the Shuttle and station crews spoke with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, ESA Director Jean-Jacques Dordain, and former ESA astronaut Thomas Reiter, now a member of the German space agency (DLR).

Prior to the departure of Atlantis, its orbital maneuvering propulsion system was used to reboost the station’s altitude by about 2.25 km (1.4 miles), to achieve a proper alignment of the station in advance of the planned arrival of Endeavour on STS-123 in March. This was the first time since 2002 that an orbiter had been used for a reboost maneuver. Hatches were closed for a final time on February 17 and, early the following morning, Atlantis undocked from the ISS after 8 days 16 hours 7 minutes of joint operations.

The landing, on February 20, 2008, happened to coincide with the 46th anniversary (1962) of John Glenn’s historic first U. S. manned orbital flight of three orbits (4h 55 min) aboard Friendship 7 (Mercury-Atlas 6).

Milestones

257th manned space flight 151st U. S. manned space flight 121st Shuttle flight 29th Atlantis flight 24th Shuttle ISS mission 12th Atlantis ISS mission

First EVA was the 100th devoted to the assembly of the ISS Whitson’s 48th birthday (February 9)

Melvin’s 44th birthday (February 15)

Flight crew

GORIE, Dominic Lee, 50, USN retired, NASA commander, fourth mission Previous missions: STS-91 (1988), STS-99 (2000), STS-108 (2001)

JOHNSON, Gregory Harold, 45, USAF, NASA pilot BEHNKEN, Robert Louis, 37, USAF, NASA mission specialist 1 FOREMAN, Michael James, 50, USN, NASA mission specialist 2 DOI, Takao, 53, civilian (Japanese), JAXA, mission specialist 3, second mission Previous mission: STS-87 (1997)

LINNEHAN, Richard Michael, 50, civilian, NASA mission specialist 4, fourth mission

Previous missions: STS-78 (1996), STS-90 (1998), STS-109 (2002)

ISS resident crew members

REISMAN, Garrett Erin, 40, civilian, NASA mission specialist 5 (up only),

ISS-16/17 flight engineer

EYHARTS, Leopold, 50, French Air Force, ESA (French) mission specialist 5 (down only), ISS-16 flight engineer, second mission Previous mission: Soyuz TM27/26 (1998)

Flight log

Following several years of delays, this mission saw the start of construction of the main Japanese element at the ISS. The Kibo (“Hope”) Module was too massive to

be launched in one go and would therefore be delivered over three Shuttle flights. This first mission carried the Equipment Logistics Module-Pressurized Section (ELM-PS) which would be attached temporarily to Harmony (Node 2). The more advanced Canadian Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator, called Dextre, was also delivered on this flight. The new unit would supplement the Canadarm2 unit delivered in 2001.

Final processing for the mission began with the arrival of OV-105 (Endeavour) at the OPF on August 21, 2007. On February 11, 2008, the orbiter was transferred over to the VAB for final mating with the twin SRBs and ET. A week later, on February 18, the STS-123 stack was rolled to Pad 39A. Following a smooth countdown with no concerns over the weather, everything progressed as planned towards an on-time night launch. A low cloud bank meant that Endeavour disappeared from view from the ground soon after it began its journey to orbit.

A 5h inspection of the orbiter’s thermal protection system by the RMS was conducted by the crew the day before docking. The standard rendezvous pitch maneuver (backflipping the orbiter) for the resident ISS crew to inspect the underside was also completed successfully. Subsequent analysis of these data on the ground revealed no damage, allowing the Mission Management Team to clear the vehicle’s thermal protection system for reentry.

Docking with the station occurred on March 12, but the hatches were not opened until the early hours of the following day. Shortly after entering the station, Reisman exchanged places with outgoing ISS-16 resident flight engineer Eyharts (France), who had logged 33 days as a member of ISS-16.

The station’s Canadarm2 removed the Spacelab pallet containing the Dextre hardware from Endeavour on March 13, relocating and attaching it to the station’s Mobile Base System. The station arm was also used later to relocate Dextre to a position on the Destiny Laboratory, attaching it to one of the laboratory’s power and data grapple fixtures.

A record five EYAs were completed during the mission, totaling 33 hours 28 minutes. A trio of astronauts worked in pairs to complete the EVAs. To support this work, ISS-16 crew member Reisman also participated in the first EVA.

This first EVA (March 13, 7 h lmin) saw Linnehan and Reisman remove a cover from the centerline berthing camera system on the top of the Harmony Module. This system had provided a live video link as an additional visual asset in the docking of spacecraft and modules. They then removed the contamination covers from the Japanese module’s docking mechanism and disconnected other power and heater connections. Next, the two astronauts installed the “hands” of Dextre to its arms, and the Orbital Replacement Unit (ORU) tool change-out mechanism. Initial attempts to route power to Dextre during the EVA failed, but Canadian engineers were able to develop a bypass software patch to try at a later date.

The next EVA (March 15, 7 h 8 min) saw Linnehan and Mike Foreman attach the two arms to Dextre. This would allow the device to conduct installation and maintenance tasks controlled from inside the station. The astronauts also removed previously set up thermal covers from the robotic arm device.

During the third EVA (March 18, 6h 53 min), Linnehan and Behnken continued work on Dextre. They installed the unit’s toolholder assembly (which also serves as the “eyes” of the unit) and then the Spacelab logistics pallet was prepared for its return to Earth on Endeavour. The two astronauts next installed spare equipment for the station, as well as an external platform on the Quest airlock. This equipment included a spare yaw joint for the Canadarm2 and two spare direct current switching units. The crew also attempted to install the MISSE 6 experiment on the Columbus laboratory, but they were unable to engage the latching pins so this task was unavoidably deferred to a later EVA.

During EVA 4 (March 20, 6h 24 min), Behnken and Foreman replaced an electrical circuit box, known as the Remote Power Control Module, on the station’s truss structure. A major focus on this EVA was demonstration of a tile repair ablator dispenser (resembling a caulking gun), which was used to apply a sample material (Shuttle Tile Ablator-54, or STA-54) to samples of Shuttle heat shield tiles which had been deliberately damaged prior to the mission. The test samples were returned to Earth for more extensive testing to determine how STA-54 performed under microgravity and vacuum environments. Towards the end of the space walk, the astronauts removed a cover from Dextre and several launch locks that were still attached to the Harmony Node.

For the final EVA (March 22, 6h 2 min), Behnken and Foreman stowed the Orbiter Boom Sensor System (OBSS) on the station’s truss. This was a temporary

move to make room in the payload bay of Discovery, which was currently being prepared to deliver the large Kibo science laboratory on the next mission (STS-124). This would take up most of the payload capacity of the orbiter. The OBSS would be returned on Discovery once the Japanese science laboratory had been delivered. After evaluating various methods of troubleshooting the latching pin problem, ground-based engineers advised Behnken of the best way to install MISSE-6 on the exterior of Columbus on this EVA. Meanwhile, Foreman inspected the SARJ to evaluate apparent damage, which had been revealed from photographs.

This was the first time a Shuttle flight had supported five EVAs and, across the series of space walks, three astronauts had logged three excursions each. Linnehan had accumulated 21 hours 2 minutes; Foreman 19 hours 34 minutes; and Behnken 19 hours 19 minutes. In his single excursion, Reisman logged 7 hours 1 minute.

Between the EVAs, Doi configured experiments and storage racks on the newly installed ELM-PS. Prior to the installation of Dextre, Reisman and Behnken had tested the joint bracket. Gorie examined minor condensation on a cooling line under the middeck flooring of the orbiter. This was later deemed not to impact orbiter operations, but was inspected periodically for the rest of the mission.

On March 19, between EVA 3 and EVA 4, Doi, Gorie, and station commander Peggy Whitson talked to Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda, who congratulated the crew on their success in installing the first Kibo element. Later that day, the hatches were finally closed between Endeavour and the ISS, followed a few hours later by the orbiter undocking after a total of 11 days 20 hours 36 minutes of joint operations.

The first landing attempt was waived off due to unsuitable weather at KSC, but just one orbit later the weather cleared sufficiently to allow the landing there. Leopold Eyharts had logged 44 days on the space station during his 48-day mission.

Milestones

258th manned space flight 152nd US manned space flight 122nd Shuttle flight 21st flight of Endeavour 25th Shuttle ISS mission 8th Endeavour ISS mission

First mission to fully utilize the Station-to-Shuttle Power Transfer System (SSPTS)

First Shuttle mission to feature 5 EVAs

Set Shuttle record for longest stay at the ISS (11 da 20 h)

The “science” of space flight is often perceived by the general public to be a “new” skill, but is in fact one that is centuries old and comprises a melting pot of past experiences and developments. Today’s studies in, for example, materials and fluid physics, biochemistry, and medicine have evolved from the basic questions posed since ancient times: “How does this work and why?” The desire of human nature to “find out” and “experience” things, to address the unknown, has driven us from caves and “dark ages” to where we are today. True, not every develop­ment or advance can be called positive, but generally we have advanced in the understanding of our planet and our place in it and, in recent decades of course, how to leave the planet and explore beyond its boundaries.

In developing the sciences, there is often feedback and applications that can develop other fields. Such can be said for space exploration, though this is not always highlighted or promoted. This is a shame, as it offers an insight to those who do not understand the larger picture, who question the huge investments made in exploring away from Earth when there are still so many problems around us. Equally, advances in science, medicine, technology, sport, and even military operations can feed back to assist developments in space exploration. It is a two­way flow of knowledge.

As the science of space flight evolves, the division between automated and human space exploration will become less obvious as financial and other consid­erations push the requirements for such complex programs farther beyond national pride towards international cooperation. The farther we venture from Earth, so the need to sustain the crew by means of self-contained systems will increase, as will the reliance on automated systems. Robotic spacecraft will support and complement human endeavors and, in turn, human intervention will help sustain and maintain robotic operations.

Timing is crucial in order to escape from pending disaster, but so is design. On Apollo 1, the 100% oxygen environment, bare electrical wires, poor communica­tions, and a complicated hatch opening system all contributed to the loss of the crew on the pad during a demonstration test prior to launch. The first Soyuz seems to have been launched with inherent problems and the design of the para­chute deployment system was at fault. On Soyuz 11, the fact that the crew did not have separate pressure suits for launch and entry meant that they lost conscious­ness and died when the atmosphere escaped rapidly from the descending crew module with the landing following the preplanned automated sequence.

No matter the precautions, training, and practice, there is always the potential for the unexpected or “bad luck” to affect a mission. To date (2012), no crew has actually been lost in space, all crews having begun the recovery process, although three crews (Soyuz 1, Soyuz 11, and Columbia STS-107) have not survived it. Loss in space may well happen, but if and when it does, is the program mature enough to handle that type of tragedy? Are the politicians or public willing to accept that type of sacrifice? Only time will tell.

In reviewing 50 years of human space endeavor, what continues to shine through are the outstanding technology, skill, and professionalism that has safely carried most of the crews from launch to landing. With the development of new spacecraft, it will be interesting to see what escape options the crews have. When so-called private, commercial, and “tourist” flights arrive, as they surely will, how will the participants approach the fact that space flight is, and always will be, inherently dangerous?

The Shuttle program had evolved over the previous two decades and had gone through a multitude of designs and formats before the final configuration was decided upon in the early 1970s. The winged spacecraft, with a huge cargo bay and two-deck crew module, would be launched like a rocket, powered by two solid rocket boosters and three liquid-fueled main engines. These would be fed with fuel from a giant external tank attached to the SRBs, under the belly of the

Shuttle orbiter. The spent boosters jettisoned after two minutes and completed a parachute landing before being retrieved from the Atlantic and towed back to the Cape for refurbishment and reuse. After fueling the main engines up to orbital velocity, the external tank separated after 8 minutes and burnt up in the atmosphere.

Once in space, the orbiter’s own maneuvering engines could place it into its required orbit. Now, the Shuttle would become a spacecraft, flying a range of missions of up to two weeks, but nominally between 7-10 days. These missions would feature a changing configuration of payloads, spacecraft, and hardware in the huge payload bay, demonstrating the flexibility and variety the Shuttle could offer to customers and investigators. The payloads would include commercial satellite deployments and retrievals, the development of on-orbit satellite servicing, and a range of science missions with a variety of payloads, carried in European – developed Spacelab pressurized laboratory modules or on unpressurized pallets. There were also planetary probes and large observatory deployments planned and

a number of classified military missions manifested. At the end of the mission, the orbiter would reenter and complete an aerodynamic, unpowered, glider-style approach, landing on a runway near to its launch site to enable a quick turnaround for its next flight. That was the plan.

The composition of Shuttle crews would be a mix of pilots to fly and command the mission and mission specialists to handle payloads, the robotic arm, and space walks. There would also be occasional payload specialists, chosen for specific or one-off missions. The orbiter had the capability to support multiple space walks from an integral airlock using a wide range of support equipment, including (in the early years) a manned maneuvering unit for untethered opera­tions close to the orbiter (for safety reasons). Another innovation was the Canadian-built Remote Manipulator System (RMS), or robotic arm, which could lift large items out of and back into the payload bay, or support EVA astronauts in their spacewalking tasks.

The original plan was to fly one mission approximately every two weeks from converted Apollo launchpads in Florida and then introduce a series of high – inclination (polar) military launches from the USAF complex at Vandenberg AFB in California. To meet this expected demand, a fleet of orbiters would be required. In 1977, the orbiter Enterprise (OV-101) had been flown on the back of a con­verted Boeing 747 (which would also serve as a carrier aircraft for the orbiter

when required) to evaluate the atmospheric qualities of the design on a series of approach and landing tests. These were supplemented by a series of ground tests and launchpad evaluations prior to the first manned launch. That historic launch occurred on April 12, 1981, the 20th anniversary of Gagarin’s flight. STS-1 was a stunning success and signaled the start of an impressive series of missions which would stretch across the next three decades. STS-1 was also the first U. S. manned space flight which had not been preceded by an unmanned space flight test prior to committing a crew to a new vehicle. This was a huge gamble, but it paid off.

Despite the success and proof of concept of the Space Transportation System over the next five years, the demand for commercial launches was not as great as expected and, consequently, the predicted reduction of launch and operating costs did not materialize. It was not all down to marketing the Shuttle as an all – encompassing national launch system. There were ongoing difficulties in preparing the vehicle for launch because the process was complex and not as routine as expected. This affected launch manifests and thus “selling” the Shuttle to fare­paying customers, who were looking for an affordable, dependable, and reliable system free from delays and mishaps. On top of this, the military never fully adopted the system for its own needs and the expected corporate commercializa­tion of space by flying groundbreaking research equipment in orbit never really evolved beyond preliminary experiments.

Nevertheless, four more Shuttle orbiters were built and delivered, all of which flew during the first half of the decade. Options for a fifth were agreed, with a full set of spares being fabricated in case of the loss of one of the vehicles and the need to build a replacement orbiter. Columbia (OV-102) flew the first four orbital flight tests (between 1981 and 1982) and the first operational mission on the fifth mission (also in 1982). She then flew the first Spacelab mission in 1983 and, after upgrades, the 24th mission in 1986. Former ground test vehicle Challenger (OV-099) was upgraded to replace Enterprise as an orbital vehicle, as it was found

to be too expensive to convert the latter vehicle after its ground tests. Between 1983 and 1985 Challenger completed nine missions, including three Spacelab mis­sions, a number of satellite deployments, the first tests of the MMU, and satellite servicing of Solar Max. During 1983, the first American female (Sally Ride) and ethnic minority (Guion Bluford) astronauts also flew their first missions on Challenger.

In 1984, a new orbiter, Discovery (OV-103), was commissioned, followed the next year by Atlantis (OV-104). In a little over a year, Discovery supported a number of satellite deployment missions, satellite servicing-related EVAs, and the first dedicated DoD classified military mission. Atlantis was introduced in the fall of 1985 and completed a DoD mission on its first flight. Its second supported EVAs devoted to space construction demonstrations. By the end of 1985 not only had NASA astronauts flown on the Shuttle, but also representatives of the U. S. military, scientific and commercial payload specialists, political observers, and a number of astronauts from other nations, including Canada, Germany, The Netherlands, France, Mexico, and Saudi Arabia.

From 1986, there were plans to fly even more foreign payloads and crew members, to deploy space probes and space telescopes in the second half of the decade, and begin the initial flights in support of the creation of a large space station, called Freedom, which had finally been authorized by President Ronald Reagan in 1984 after years of debate, redesign, and deliberation. Space Station Freedom (SSF) would be created and operated by international collaboration between the U. S., Europe, Canada, and Japan and would be assembled by a series of Space Shuttle missions over several years.

2008-015A April 8, 2008

Pad 1, Site 5, Baikonur Cosmodrome, Republic of

Kazakhstan

October 24, 2008

89 km north of Arkalyk, Republic of Kazakhstan Soyuz-FG (serial number Щ15000-024),

Soyuz TMA (serial number 222)

198 da 16 h 20 min 31s (Volkov, Kononenko)

10 da 21 h 19 min 21 s (Yi)

Eridanus

Resident crew transport (16S), ISS-17 research program, visiting crew 14 (Korean Astronaut Program, КАР) research program.

Flight crew

VOLKOV, Sergei Alexandrovich, 35, Russian Federation Air Force, RSA Soyuz TMA commander, ISS-17 commander

KONONENKO, Oleg Dmitryevich, 43, Civilian, RSA Soyuz TMA flight engineer, ISS flight engineer 1

YI, So Yeon, 29, civilian, Soyuz TMA research cosmonaut, South Korean space flight participant

ISS resident crew transfers

REISMAN, Garrett Erin, 40, NASA ISS flight engineer 2 (up STS-123/ down STS-124)

CHAMITOFF, Gregory Errol, 45, NASA ISS flight engineer 2 (up STS-124/ down STS-126)

Flight log

This mission featured the first space flight by a son of a cosmonaut. Sergei Volkov’s father was veteran cosmonaut Alexander Volkov, who had flown missions to Salyut 7 and Mir. With first-timer Kononenko also on board, this was the first all-rookie Russian crew since the July 1994 flight of Soyuz TM-19 to the Mir space station with Yuri Malenchenko and Talgat Musabayev. The last all­rookie U. S. crew in orbit had been Joe Engle and Richard Truly on STS-2 in 1981, although Engle had flown on three X-15 astro-flights. The last completely rookie flight crew from the United States had been the Skylab 4 trio in November 1974.

Flying with the ISS-17 crew to the ISS and returning with the ISS-16 crew in TMA-11 was South Korean Space Flight Participant So Yeon Yi, on an 11-day mission. The South Korean Astronaut Program (КАР) encompassed 52 investiga­tions across 15 experiments under a contract dated December 7, 2006 between Roscosmos and the South Korean Aerospace Research Institute. This program included a simple geophysical research experiment, five life science, six tech­nological, one biotechnology, and one educational experiment, along with a single Earth resource experiment. This research was planned to take 53 hours 15 minutes of her time on station, with over 6 hours support from a Russian cosmonaut. The usual public affairs and symbolic activities would also be conducted aboard the station. Originally, Ко San was to have made the flight, but he was replaced shortly before the flight due to a breach of security related to official documentation. He took Yi’s place as backup crew member.

The new expedition crew took over formal command of the station from the ISS-16 crew on April 17. During the main residency, the Russian cosmonauts were supported by two NASA astronauts who were delivered and returned by the Shuttle. When TMA-12 docked with the station, Garrett Reisman was already on board (having arrived aboard STS-123) and serving as an ISS-16 crew member. He subsequently transferred to ISS-17 operations and in turn was replaced by Greg Chamitoff (who arrived on the STS-124 mission which took Reisman home).

Chamitoff remained on board at the end of the ISS-17 residency and then trans­ferred to the ISS-18 crew until the mission which would take him home arrived (STS-126).

The Russian ISS-17 research program encompassed 182 sessions of 34 experiments. Only two of these were totally new studies, but this research program was described by Energiya as of the highest priority. In order to accom­plish this, over 229 hours of crew activity were planned; split between Kononenko (139h) and Volkov (90 h). Within this program, there were nine human Ufe research studies, six geophysical research experiments, two experiments devoted to Earth resources, and two each for technical research, contract activities, and the study of cosmic rays. Additionally, there were single experiments in education and space technology. On top of this, there were an additional 26 NASA managed experiments in human research, new technologies, biological and physical science, and education, with another 20 experiments planned by ESA and JAXA.

This residency had included plans for a Russian segment space walk, hosting two Shuttle flights and receiving three Progress cargo flights (including the first of the new series—Progress M-01M—which was subsequently delayed until the next expedition), as well as loading and unloading of the ESA ATV cargo spacecraft that arrived during ISS-16. Routine maintenance and housekeeping would also be a feature of this tour of duty. Less than a month after the departure of the ISS-16 crew with Yi on board, the new crew received the Progress M-64, which included a new Sokol pressure suit for Volkov. A slight bladder bulge on his original suit was noted prior to launch after a zip failed, although it passed pressure integrity checks and was cleared for launch. The replacement was loaded on the next available resupply craft as a precaution.

Following the departure of the STS-124 mission, which delivered the pressurized module of the Japanese Kibo laboratory and exchanged Anderson for Chamitoff, the ISS-17 cosmonauts prepared for their first EVA. This was not the one originally planned. The two previous unplanned balhstic reentries of the Soyuz Descent Module had raised concerns that a similar event may occur with TMA-12. The Russians determined that faults with the explosive bolts that sepa­rated the modules were the likely cause. On July 10, with Chamitoff safely located in the Soyuz Descent Module, with books and a laptop to keep him occupied, his two Russian colleagues completed their contingency EVA. Neither cosmonaut had performed EVA before so this was a challenging operation for the pair. They were also working in an area not normally equipped for EVA, so they had to install restraints and handholds and then cut into the Soyuz insulation to access the area, as well as installing protection for vulnerable propellant lines. The suspect bolt (one of two) from one of the five locks which secured the Instrument Module to the Descent Module was removed, stowed in a blast-proof container, and returned to the station, much to the relief of the flight controllers watching from Mission Control in Moscow. After reinstalling the protective insulation, the 6h 18 min EVA ended.

Five days later the two cosmonauts, now veteran spacewalkers, conducted the EVA they originally planned for. This included installing a new docking target on the Zvezda transfer compartment in advance of the arrival of the Mini Research Module 2 in 2009. The pair then completed some inspection photography, installed a science experiment to study bursts of cosmic radiation on a handrail on Zvezda, and straightened out a bent ham radio antenna, before ending the EVA after 5 hours 54 minutes, giving both men a total of 12 hours 12 minutes of EVA experience. Volkov now had approximately two hours more EVA experience than his father had logged in his cosmonaut career.

With the EVAs completed, the crew resumed science and maintenance work and witnessed the departure of Progress M-64 and the undocking of ATV-1. The powerful Hurricane Ike temporarily closed down the Mission Control Center in Houston, with a temporary MCC being set up in Austin, Texas. The result of all this was that Progress M-65 docking was delayed a few days until the hurricane had passed over Houston. As a precaution, until the main MCC could be returned to full operating status, the starboard truss radiator on the station was reposi­tioned, internal systems reconfigured, the Columbus Module placed in safe mode, and Kibo shut down. This episode once again demonstrated the importance of and reliance upon ground support facilities for ISS operations and the need for alternative communication centers in the event of terrestrial natural disasters or phenomena. Truly independent control of a manned spacecraft, from the vehicle itself, is still a long way off, but has to be a consideration, at least in part, for future deep-space missions to the asteroids and Mars.

The arrival of the TMA-13 spacecraft signaled the approaching end of the ISS-17 residency, as the ISS-18 crew arrived with space flight participant Richard Garriott, another son of a former astronaut. He would return with Volkov and Kononenko in TMA-12, while Chamitoff remained on board with the new expedi­tion crew. This was the first time that two second-generation space explorers were in space at the same time on the same vehicle. Richard Garriott’s father Owen had been one of NASA’s original scientist-astronauts, selected in 1965 and flown on a 59-day mission to Skylab in 1973 and a 10-day Shuttle flight (Spacelab 1) a decade later.

The formal change-of-command ceremony occurred on October 22, officially ending the ISS-17 residency after 188 days. On October 24, Volkov, Kononenko, and Garriott boarded Soyuz TMA-12 and undocked from the station, landing safely in Kazakhstan later the same day after the nominal landing following the planned entry profile.

Milestones

259th manned space flight 105th Russian manned space flight 98th manned Soyuz flight 12th manned Soyuz TMA mission 16th ISS Soyuz mission (SI6)

14th ISS Soyuz visiting mission First South Korean in space

First flight of a cosmonaut’s son (Sergei Volkov/Alexander Volkov) Sergei Volkov becomes the youngest ISS commander (aged 35) Kononenko celebrates his 44th birthday in space (June 21)

Flight crew

KELLY, Mark Edward, 44, USN, NASA commander, third mission Previous missions: STS-108 (2001), STS-121 (2006)

HAM, Kenneth Todd, 43, USN, NASA pilot NYBERG, Karen LuJean, 38, civilian, NASA mission speciahst 1 GARAN Jr., Ronald John, 46, USAF, NASA mission speciahst 2 FOSSUM, Michael Edward, 50, USAF Reserve, NASA mission specialist 3, second mission

Previous mission: STS-121 (2006)

HOSHIDE, Akihiko, 39, civilian (Japanese), JAXA, mission speciahst 4 ISS resident crew members

CHAMITOFF, Gregory Errol, 45, civilian, NASA mission speciahst 5 (up only), ISS-17 flight engineer

REISMAN, Garrett Erin, 40, civilian, NASA mission speciahst 5 (down only), ISS-17 flight engineer

Flight log

This was the second of three missions related to the installation of the Japanese Science Module Kibo and its associated facilities. Discovery was moved into the OPF on November 8, 2007 for processing, and then transferred to the VAB on April 26, 2008 for mating with the rest of the stack. The completed STS-124 stack was rolled out to Pad 39A on May 3, 2008.

After a smooth countdown, STS-124 launched on time and reached orbit without incident. During the scheduled postlaunch walk-around of the pad, however, severe damage was discovered. A 75 ft. (22.86 m) x 20 ft. (6.096 m) section of the east wall of the north flame trench was affected. An investigation was begun immediately with the aim of determining the probable cause of the damage.

Up on orbit, the usual inspection of the orbiter’s thermal protection system was limited to the RMS, as the boom attachment had been temporarily stored on the station during the previous (STS-126) mission in order to make room on this flight for the large Japanese payload. Prior to docking with the station on June 2, Discovery was inverted to allow the station crew to document the orbiter’s surfaces for analysis. On June 3, the Japanese Pressurized Module was relocated to the Harmony Node using the station RMS, operated by Hoshide and Nyberg.

Greg Chamitoff exchanged places with Garrett Reisman on the ISS-17 resident crew four and a half hours after docking. Reisman had spent 81 days as a resident crew member. Due to changes in the scheduling that required an ISS crew exchange seat to be available on this mission, Chamitoff joined the STS-124 crew in late 2007, replacing the original mission specialist Steve Bowen who was reassigned to STS-126. Chamitoff’s cousin ran a famous Fairmount bagel estab­lishment in Montreal, Canada and as part of his personal mission allowance,

Chamitoff brought three bags of sesame seed bagels (six in each) from his cousin’s bakery to the ISS, adding to the culinary delights on orbit.

There were three EVAs on this mission, all completed by Garan and Fossum and totaling 20 hours 32 minutes. The first EVA (June 3, 6h 48 min) was dedi­cated to the very first U. S. EVA by Ed White from Gemini 4 exactly 43 years before. This latest American space walk saw the two astronauts disconnect cables and remove covers from the Kibo Japanese Pressurized Module (JPM) while in Discovery’s payload bay. They also assisted in relocating the OBSS back to the orbiter payload bay, attaching it to the Shuttle RMS for its move. The EVA crew then demonstrated a technique to clean debris from the SARJ and, while Garan installed a new bearing on the joint, Fossum confirmed that damage noted previously was indeed a divot.

During the second EVA (June 5, 7 h 11 min), Fossum and Garan continued to outfit the exterior of the new Japanese module, installing the forward and rear TV cameras on the outside of the Kibo JPM. The astronauts also removed thermal covers from the Kibo RMS and prepared the JPM upper docking port for later attachment of the Kibo Logistics Module. They also prepared an External Stowage Platform (ESP) for the removal and replacement of a nitrogen tank assembly which was planned for the next EVA.

The third EVA (June 8, 6h 33 min) focused upon the removal and replacement of this tank on the starboard truss. Fossum then returned to the port SARJ to take samples of particulate matter from inside the joint (using a strip of tape) for engineers to analyze back on Earth. He then removed thermal insulation from the Kibo robotic arm’s wrist as well as elbow cameras and launch locks from one of the Kibo windows. He also deployed debris shields on Kibo and tightened a bolt holding a TV camera in place. Garan retrieved the video camera removed during the second EVA and reinstalled it. Some of the additional tasks completed on this EVA included the installation of a thermal cover on Harmony’s outside connectors, relocating a foot restraint aid, and the removal of a launch lock on the starboard SARJ.

Nyberg, assisted by Chamitoff, later used the station RMS to reposition the Japanese Logistics Module from the Harmony Module to its permanent location on top of the Kibo laboratory. Following the installation of Kibo’s Pressurized Module, Hoshide and Nyberg opened the hatch and were the first inside the newest ISS module, which still had to be outfitted. Hoshide held a sign up to the TV camera stating, in Japanese, “experiments and astronauts wanted”. Following a Japanese tradition, he hung a small door curtain above the module’s entry hatch. Shortly afterwards, the other eight crew members entered the new module to appreciate the added volume Kibo gave to the station. The Japanese astronaut noted that, although the new module was empty, it was full of dreams and that it gave new “hope” to the station. Hoshide and Nyberg later operated the RMS for its final deployment maneuver and then stowed the arm and checked out the brakes within its joint. The astronauts also opened the hatches between the Pressurized Module and Logistics Module for the first time to inspect the added storage volume.

Other activities completed during the docked phase included Kononenko installing the spare gas liquid separator pump in the station’s toilet to return it to useful service. Reisman and ChamitofF replaced a bed in the carbon dioxide removal assembly that decreased air contamination aboard station, commander Kelly and mission specialist Hoshide spoke with Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda on June 6, who congratulated them on the success of the mission. Reisman commented, shortly before leaving the station, on his relief that during his 91 days on board, he had not broken anything really expensive.

Hatches between Discovery and the station were closed four days later on June 10. Undocking took place the following morning, after 8 days 17 hours 39 minutes of joint operations. Pilot Ken Ham circled Discovery around the station for video and photo-documentation of the now 330-ton mass complex by the rest of the crew.

With the OBSS now relocated to Discovery’s payload bay, the crew completed a late inspection of the vehicle’s heat shield. Analysis of the images by experts on the ground determined that the heat shield was safe for entry and landing. On June 13, during day-before-landing system checks designed to verify entry and landing systems, the Mission Management Team revealed that an object was seen floating away from the vehicle. Engineers had concluded that the object in question was most probably a heat shield clip from the rudder/speed brake area on the tail of the vehicle. As this was used as a heat barrier during launch only it was not a concern for entry or landing.

Discovery swooped to a successful landing on Runway 15 at KSC on June 14, 2008. Reisman adapted to lg quite quickly after three months in space and at the post-landing crew press conference, he stated that after greeting his wife his thoughts were focused on a pizza or T-bone steak. The orbiter, meanwhile, was towed across to the OPF the same day to begin the de-processing cycle prior to preparations for its next mission.

Milestones

260th manned space flight 153rd U. S. manned space flight 123 rd Shuttle mission 35th flight of Discovery 26th Shuttle ISS mission 9th Discovery ISS mission Nyberg becomes 50th woman in space

Nyberg becomes 1st person to operate three RMSs: the station, the Shuttle, and Kibo’s arms.

First time JAXA flight control team activated and controlled a module from Kibo MCC, Tsukuba, Japan

At 15 tons, Kibo was the largest and heaviest space station module lifted to orbit