STS-105

STS-105 was a mission of the Space Shuttle Discovery to the International Space Station, launched from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, 10 August 2001. This mission was Discovery's final mission until STS-114, because Discovery was grounded for a refit, and then all Shuttles were grounded in the wake of the Columbia disaster. The refit included an update of the flight deck to the glass cockpit layout, which was already in use on the Space Shuttle Atlantis.

Crew

Mission parameters

• Mass:
  • Orbiter Liftoff: 116,914 kilograms (257,750 lb)
  • Orbiter Landing: 100,824 kilograms (222,280 lb)
  • Payload: 9,072 kilograms (20,000 lb)
• Perigee: 373 kilometres (232 mi)
• Apogee: 402 kilometres (250 mi)
• Inclination: 51.6°
• Period: 92.3 min

Space walks

• Barry and Forrester – EVA 1
• EVA 1 Start: 16 August 2001 – 13:58 UTC
• EVA 1 End: 16 August 2001 – 20:14 UTC
• Duration: 6 hours, 16 minutes
• Barry and Forrester – EVA 2
• EVA 2 Start: 18 August 2001 – 13:42 UTC
• EVA 2 End: 18 August 2001 – 19:11 UTC
• Duration: 5 hours, 29 minutes

Mission highlights

The main purpose of STS-105 was the rotation of the International Space Station crew and the delivery of supplies utilizing the Italian-built Multi Purpose Logistics Module (MPLM) Leonardo on its second flight (STS-102, STS-105). The crew also performed two spacewalks and conducted scientific experiments. The Multi Purpose Logistics Module (MLPM) taken on STS-105 contained additional scientific racks, equipment and supplies. It is 6.4 meters long (21 ft) and 4.6 meters (15 ft) in diameter) and weighs over 4,082 kilograms (9,000 lb). An identical module named Raffaello has flown twice (STS-100 and, later, STS-108).

Aboard Leonardo were six Resupply Stowage Racks, four Resupply Stowage Platforms, and two new scientific experiment racks for the station's U.S. laboratory Destiny. The two new science racks (EXPRESS Racks 4 and 5) added further science capability to the station. EXPRESS stands for Expedite the Processing of Experiments to the Space Station. EXPRESS Rack 4 weighs 533 kilograms (1,180 lb) and EXPRESS Rack 5 weighs 544 kilograms (1,200 lb). The empty weight of each EXPRESS rack is about 356 kilograms (780 lb). EXPRESS Racks 1 and 2A were delivered aboard the Raffaello cargo module during STS-100/6A in April 2001. EXPRESS Rack 3 was brought to the station during STS-111 in 2002.

The Resupply Stowage Racks and Resupply Stowage Platforms were filled with Cargo Transfer Bags that contain equipment and supplies for the station. The six Resuppply Stowage Racks contained almost 1,451 kilograms (3,200 lb) of cargo and the four Resupply Stowage Platforms contained about 544 kilograms (1,200 lb) of cargo, not including the weight of the Cargo Transfer Bags, the foam packing around the cargo or the straps and fences that held the bags in place. The total weight of cargo, racks and packing material aboard Leonardo was just over 4,990 kilograms (11,000 lb). Total cargo weight was about 3,073 kilograms (6,770 lb).

Also carried in the payload bay was an Integrated Cargo Carrier (ICC) carrying the Early Ammonia Servicer and MISSE PECs 1 & 2.

Another payload onboard is the Materials International Space Station Experiments (MISSE). This project was a NASA/Langley Research Center-managed cooperative endeavor to fly materials and other types of space exposure experiments on the space station. The objective was to develop early, low-cost, non-intrusive opportunities to conduct critical space exposure tests of space materials and components planned for use on future spacecraft. Johnson Space Center, Marshall Space Flight Center, Glenn Research Center, the Materials Laboratory at the Air Force Research Laboratory and Boeing Phantom Works were participants with Langley in the project. The MISSE experiments were the first externally mounted experiments conducted on the ISS. The experiments were in four Passive Experiment Containers (PECs) that were initially developed and used for an experiment on Mir in 1996 during the Shuttle-Mir Program. The PECs were transported to Mir on STS-76. After an 18-month exposure in space, they were retrieved on STS-86. PECs are suitcase-like containers for transporting experiments via the space shuttle to and from an orbiting spacecraft. Once on orbit and clamped to the host spacecraft, the PECs are opened and serve as racks to expose experiments to the space environment.

Other payloads onboard were part of the Goddard Space Flight Center's Wallops Flight Facility Shuttle Small Payloads Project. The SSPP system utilizes payload carrier systems such as the Hitchhiker, Getaway Specials and Space Experiment Modules to provide a low cost scientific research environment. SSPP payloads on STS-105 include the Hitchhiker payload Simplesat, The Cell Growth in Microgravity GAS Canister (G-708), the Microgravity Smoldering Combustion experiment (MSC), and the Hitchiker Experiment Advancing Technology Space Experiment Module-10 payload).

Wake-up calls

NASA began a tradition of playing music to astronauts during the Gemini program, which was first used to wake up a flight crew during Apollo 15.^[3] Each track is specially chosen, often by their families, and usually has a special meaning to an individual member of the crew, or is applicable to their daily activities.^[3][4]

Media

See also

• List of human spaceflights chronologically
• List of ISS spacewalks
• List of space shuttle missions
• List of spacewalks
• Space science
• Space shuttle

References

External links

• NASA mission summary
• STS-105 Video Highlights