. SOYUZ TMA-11

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),

Expedition 16 crew poses for a Christmas photo. From left: Yuri Malenchenko, Peggy Whitson, and Dan Tani.

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.

Two female commanders greet each other in space. ISS commander Peggy Whitson (right) greets STS-120 commander Pamela Melroy following hatch opening.

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

The ESA Columbus module is delivered to the space station.

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

Dextre arrives for operational assignment.

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)