SOYUZ TMA-12

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.

Two second-generation space explorers. The crews of Expeditions 17 and 18 include Sergei Volkov (third from left) and Richard Garriott (fifth from left). Also in the frame are (from left) Oleg Kononenko, Yuri Lonchakov, (Volkov), Michael Fincke, (Garriott), and Greg Chamitoff.

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.

Kibo expands. The Japanese Pressurized Module (foreground) and Logistics Module (top right) and a portion of the Harmony Node and Canadarm2 are visible during this image taken during one of the STS-124 space walks.

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