STS-127

STS-127

Endeavour as seen from ISS before docking. Payload including JEF and ICC-VLD visible in the shuttle bay
Mission type	ISS assembly
Operator	NASA
COSPAR ID	2009-038A
SATCAT №	35633
Mission duration	15 days, 16 hours, 44 minutes, 58 seconds
Distance travelled	10,537,748 kilometres (6,547,853 mi)
Orbits completed	248[1]
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft	Space Shuttle Endeavour
Crew
Crew size	7
Members	Mark L. Polansky Douglas G. Hurley Christopher J. Cassidy Julie Payette Thomas H. Marshburn David Wolf
Launching	Timothy Kopra
Landing	Koichi Wakata
Start of mission
Launch date	15 July 2009, 22:03 (2009-07-15UTC22:03Z) UTC
Launch site	Kennedy LC-39A
End of mission
Landing date	31 July 2009, 14:48 (2009-07-31UTC14:49Z) UTC
Landing site	Kennedy SLF Runway 15
Orbital parameters
Reference system	Geocentric
Regime	Low Earth
Perigee	344 kilometres (214 mi)[2]
Apogee	351 kilometres (218 mi)[2]
Inclination	51.6 degrees[1][2]
Period	91.48 minutes[2]
Epoch	18 July 2009[2]
Docking with ISS
Docking port	PMA-2 (Harmony forward)
Docking date	17 July 2009, 17:47 UTC
Undocking date	28 July 2009, 17:26 UTC
Time docked	10 days, 23 hours, 41 minutes
From left to right: Wolf, Cassidy, Hurley, Payette, Polansky, Marshburn, and Kopra Space Shuttle program ← STS-125 STS-128 →

STS-127 (ISS assembly flight 2J/A) was a NASA Space Shuttle mission to the International Space Station (ISS).^[1] It was the twenty-third flight of Space Shuttle Endeavour. The primary purpose of the STS-127 mission was to deliver and install the final two components of the Japanese Experiment Module: the Exposed Facility (JEM EF), and the Exposed Section of the Experiment Logistics Module (ELM-ES).^{[3][NASA 1]} When Endeavour docked with the ISS on this mission in July 2009, it set a record for the most humans in space at the same time in the same vehicle, the first time thirteen people have been at the station at the same time.^[4] It also tied the record of thirteen people in space at any one time.

The first launch attempt, on 13 June 2009, was scrubbed due to a gaseous hydrogen leak observed during tanking.^[5][6] The Ground Umbilical Carrier Plate (GUCP) on the external fuel tank experienced a potentially hazardous hydrogen gas leak similar to the fault that delayed the Space Shuttle Discovery mission STS-119 in March 2009. Since a launch date of 18 June 2009 would have conflicted with the launch of the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO)/Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS), NASA managers discussed the scheduling conflict with both the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter project and the Air Force Eastern Range, which provides tracking support for rockets launched from Florida.^[7][8] A decision was made to allow the shuttle to attempt a second launch on 17 June 2009, allowing LRO to launch on 18 June 2009.^[6]

The second launch attempt on 17 June 2009 was also scrubbed due to hydrogen leak issues seen from the Ground Umbilical Carrier Plate.^[9] Due to conflicts with the launch of the LRO, and due to a beta angle constraint, the next available launch opportunity was scheduled for 11 July 2009.^{[NASA 2][10]} A successful tanking test for leak checks was performed on 1 July 2009, with modified GUCP seals allowing launch preparations to proceed as scheduled.^[11] Because of lightning strikes near the launch pad during the evening of 10 July 2009, NASA scrubbed the launch for the third time and rescheduled for 12 July 2009.^[12] Due to a Return To Launch Site (RTLS) weather violation, NASA scrubbed the launch for the fourth time on the evening of 12 July 2009.

STS-127's fifth launch attempt, on 13 July 2009, was also scrubbed due to anvil clouds and lightning within 10 nautical miles (19 km) of the launch site, which violated launch safety rules. STS-127 finally launched successfully on its sixth launch attempt, on 15 July 2009 at 18:03 EDT. Pieces of foam were observed falling off of the External Tank during the ascent, the same occurrence that had led to the loss of Columbia in 2003. However, Endeavour only received minor scuffs to its heat shield, the damage not enough to cause concern over reentry.^[13] The shuttle landed at Kennedy Space Center 16 days later at 10:48 EDT on 31 July 2009.

Crew

Position[1][NASA 1][NASA 3]	Launching Astronaut	Landing Astronaut
Commander	Mark L. Polansky Third spaceflight
Pilot	Douglas G. Hurley First spaceflight
Mission Specialist 1	Christopher J. Cassidy First spaceflight
Mission Specialist 2	Julie Payette, CSA Second spaceflight
Mission Specialist 3	Thomas H. Marshburn First spaceflight
Mission Specialist 4	David Wolf Fourth spaceflight
Mission Specialist 5	Timothy Kopra Expedition 20 First spaceflight	Koichi Wakata, JAXA Expedition 20 Third spaceflight
STS-127 marked the first time that two Canadian astronauts, Robert Thirsk and Julie Payette, were in space at the same time. Christopher Cassidy was the 500th person to fly in space.[14]

Mission payload

Payload bay of the shuttle being loaded.

ICC-VLD1 STS-127

Endeavour carried a wide variety of equipment and cargo in the payload bay, with the largest item being the Kibo Japanese Experiment Module Exposed Facility (JEM EF), and the Kibo Japanese Experiment Logistics Module – Exposed Section (ELM-ES).^{[NASA 1]} The exposed facility is a part of Kibo that will allow astronauts to perform science experiments that are exposed to the vacuum of space. The exposed section is similar to the logistics module on the Kibo laboratory, but is not pressurized.^{[NASA 1]} Once its payloads were transferred to the JEM EF, the ELM-ES was returned to the payload bay.

Also inside the payload bay was an Integrated Cargo Carrier-Vertical Light Deployable (ICC-VLD), containing a variety of equipment and spare components for the station. The carrier contained six new batteries for installation on the P6 truss, that was installed during two of the mission's spacewalks, as well as a spare space-to-ground antenna and a spare linear drive unit and pump module which was stored on an external stowage platform on the station's truss during one of the spacewalks.^{[NASA 1]}

Two satellites were also carried by the orbiter, for deployment when the mission ended. The Dual Autonomous Global Positioning System On-Orbit Navigator Satellite, called DRAGONSAT, gathers data on autonomous spacecraft rendezvous and docking capabilities, and consists of two picosatellites, the AggieSat2, and PARADIGM (BEVO-1), which acquire GPS data from a device at NASA and send it to ground stations at Texas A&M University and the University of Texas at Austin.^{[NASA 1][15]} After release, the two picosatellites remained attached for two orbits to collect GPS data, and separated during the third orbit.^{[NASA 1]}

A second satellite, the Atmospheric Neutral Density Experiment (ANDE-2), is part of a United States Department of Defense project flown by the Naval Research Laboratory to provide high-quality satellites, and will measure the density and composition of the low Earth orbit atmosphere while being tracked from the ground, to better predict the movement and decay of objects in orbit.^{[NASA 1][NASA 4]} ANDE-2 consists of two spherical microsatellites, ANDE Active spacecraft (Castor) and the ANDE Passive spacecraft (Pollux), and will be tracked by the International Laser Ranging Service (ILRS) network as well as the Space Surveillance Network (SSN).^{[NASA 1][NASA 4]} One of the satellites, Pollux, is running Arduino libraries, with its payload programmed and built by students.

A set of experiments to be deployed on the ISS were carried by STS-127, namely Dosimetry for Biological Experiments in Space (ESA), Validation of Procedures for Monitoring Crew Member Immune Function, the student-made Image Reversal in Space (CSA/ISU), Nutritional Status Assessment (NASA), NASA Biological Specimen Repository and Tomatosphere-II (CSA).^{[NASA 1]}

The STS-127 Official Flight Kit (OFK) included water samples from each of the five Great Lakes, a resin statue of a water droplet for the One Drop Foundation, and a copy of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony for the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, among other mementos.^[16]

The docking module was also mounted with the DragonEye 3D Flash LIDAR ranging system manufactured by Advanced Scientific Concepts, Inc.. The module was launched to test the docking system which will be used by the commercial SpaceX Dragon re-usable cargo carrier to send supplies to the ISS during the post-shuttle era. The Dragon spacecraft made its successful maiden flight in December 2010.^[17]

Mission milestones

Mission poster

The mission marked:^[1]

• 158th NASA manned space flight
• 128th Space Shuttle mission
• 127th shuttle mission since STS-1
• 23rd flight of space shuttle Endeavour
• 29th shuttle mission to the ISS
• 102nd post-Challenger mission
• 14th post-Columbia mission
• 1st time that two Canadians have been in space at the same moment

Shuttle processing

Endeavour at Launch Pad 39A

Endeavour served as the STS-400 rescue vehicle for STS-125, and was prepared for a possible liftoff from Launch Pad 39B on 15 May 2009, four days after the launch of STS-125.^{[NASA 5][NASA 6]} After Atlantis performed the late inspection and was cleared for re-entry, Endeavour was officially released from stand-by status on 21 May 2009, and preparations for STS-127 were initiated.^[18]

Endeavour moved from Launch Pad 39B to 39A on 31 May 2009 in preparation for STS-127.^{[19][NASA 7]} The crew of STS-127 arrived at Kennedy Space Center on 2 June 2009, for the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (TCDT) that concluded with a full launch dress rehearsal.^{[NASA 7][20]} The Flight Readiness Review (FRR), a meeting during which NASA managers assess mission preparations and officially set the launch date, concluded on 3 June 2009.^{[NASA 8]} For the first time, live status updates about the FRR were published periodically during the meeting via NASA's Twitter stream.^{[NASA 8]}

Launch attempts

Close-up view of the Ground Umbilical Carrier Plate on STS-127's external tank during the first maintenance effort

The launch countdown began 10 June 2009, but on 13 June 2009, as tanking was underway, a gaseous hydrogen leak on a vent line near the Ground Umbilical Carrier Plate was observed, and the 13 June 2009 launch was scrubbed at 00:26 EDT. As liquid hydrogen fuel is pumped in, some of it boils off as the extremely cold liquid enters the warm external tank. The vent line valve controls the resulting buildup of gas pressure by allowing excess gas to escape into a ground-side vent line, which leads to a flare stack at a safe distance away from the pad. A similar leak situation was seen during the first launch attempt of STS-119. NASA managers met on 14 June 2009 and 15 June 2009 and evaluated the leak, discussed steps that had to be taken, and set a new launch date of 17 June 2009, at 05:40 EDT.^[5][6]

A second launch attempt was made on 17 June 2009 for which NASA moved the planned launch of the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter to a new date. On 17 June 2009 loading of the shuttle's external tank with liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen was delayed three hours due to poor weather around the launch site, but tanking began once the weather cleared. Approximately two hours after tanking began, engineers saw leak indications in the GUCP similar to those seen during the first launch attempt. The launch was officially scrubbed at 01:55 EDT.^[9]

Following the launch scrub, Chairman of NASA's Mission Management Team LeRoy Cain noted that engineers would work to understand the hydrogen leak issue and come up with a solution to the problem. Cain said managers were hopeful that the issue could be resolved in time for the next available launch opportunity on 11 July 2009.^[21] Due to the delay of STS-127, managers noted that it was likely that the launch of STS-128 on 7 August 2009, would be pushed back slightly.^[21]

Lightning strikes Endeavour's Launch Pad.

On 1 July 2009, the shuttle managers conducted a new series of tanking tests to confirm a hypothesis that a misaligned vent port housing was the root cause of the leaks. The existing rigid seal was replaced with a flexible one in the hope that it would maintain a tight fix even under the cryogenic conditions that seem to cause the leak. The test was declared a success with no leaks detected on the GUCP. The mission was announced to be targeting an 11 July 2009 launch.^[22][23] On the evening of 10 July 2009 the launch pad region was hit by eleven strikes of lightning, which pushed back the 11 July 2009 launch time by at least 24 hours. Two of the strikes were strong enough to trigger an evaluation by NASA engineers. The inspections revealed that no damage had been done to the space shuttle.^{[NASA 9]}

NASA scrubbed Endeavour' 12 July 2009 launch attempt at T-minus 9 minutes and holding due to Cumulus clouds and lightning near the launch pad. During the final Go/No-Go polls, Mission Control in Houston declared a "No-Go" due to unacceptable weather forecast for a possible Return-To-Launch-Site (RTLS) abort, and planned for emergency scenarios when one or more engines shut down early leaving insufficient energy to reach the Transatlantic Abort Landing (TAL) sites. Similarly, during the 13 July 2009 attempt, RTLS weather was also "no go." Meanwhile, shuttle weather officer Kathy Winters informed the launch director, Pete Nickolenko, that the launch pad weather had changed to RED as the Phase-1 Lightning warning was issued for the Kennedy Space Center. The launch was scrubbed at T-minus 9 minutes and holding and was quickly reset for 15 July 2009 (a 48 hours scrub turn around) due to weather concerns on 14 July 2009 and the desire to replace the Tyvek covers over the forward Reaction Control System thrusters.^{[NASA 10]}

Mission timeline

15 July (Flight Day 1, Launch)

Liftoff of space shuttle Endeavour from Launch Pad 39A

On 15 July 2009 at 18:03:10 EDT, the launch was finally successful.^[30] Upon reviewing the launch video footage, imagery analysts noted eight or nine instances of foam shedding from the External Tank.^[31] The pictures of the external tank taken when jettisoning showed loss of foam in the intertank ribbing.^[32] The chairman of the Mission Management Team was not concerned and felt that the Space Shuttle would be cleared for re-entry on its return voyage—which it was a few days later.^{[33][34][NASA 11]} The payload doors were opened after reaching orbit followed by deployment of the K_u band antenna and activation of the shuttle's mechanical arm.^[35]

16 July (Flight Day 2)

Julie Payette looks through an overhead window while operating controls on the aft flight deck of Endeavour during flight day two activities.

The thermal protection system was inspected with the Shuttle Robotic Arm/Orbiter Boom Sensor System (OBSS) and the voluminous data downlinked for analysis. The orbital maneuvering system pods were inspected for tile damage or protruding tiles. The extravehicular mobility units were checked in addition to the rendezvous system tests and centerline camera installation. In preparation for the docking, the docking ring was extended.^{[35][NASA 12]}

17 July (Flight Day 3, ISS Docking)

The shuttle successfully docked with the station 220 miles (350 km) above the Earth, following rendezvous pitch maneuver (RPM) photography of Endeavour’s thermal protection system by the Expedition 20 Crew.^[36] During this procedure, the shuttle flips over on its back to the station so that the station crew can capture high resolution imagery of the underside of the shuttle. The docking happened on the ISS’s PMA-2 (Pressurized Mating Adapter) on the Harmony module and the hatch was opened after leak checks. As part of the crew swap, station crew member Koichi Wakata was replaced with Tim Kopra. The two astronauts specially fitted seatliners were interchanged.^{[NASA 13]} As part of preparation for EVA 1, astronauts Wolf and Kopra camped out in the Quest airlock. A quick review of the RPM imagery showed no serious concerns beyond two instances of coating loss. Further analysis of the imagery will be done. A boost of the station was completed with the shuttle's vernier thrusters to avoid a piece of space debris. The SRBs were retrieved and their camera imagery is expected to give more detail on the ET foam shedding.^[13]

• 

  One of Endeavour's aft flight deck windows frames the nearby International Space Station.

• 

  Astronaut Christopher Cassidy uses a rangefinder to determine the distance to ISS before docking

• 

  RPM image of Endeavour as taken from ISS

18 July (Flight Day 4, EVA 1)

EVA 1 started with astronauts Dave Wolf and Tim Kopra switching their spacesuit power to internal battery at 16:19 UTC. Despite a communication problem with the spacewalkers, the Japanese Exposed Facility was successfully installed on the Japanese Experiment Module by means of a complex series of steps involving the robotic arms of both the station and the shuttle.^{[NASA 14]} The JEF was first unberthed from the shuttle payload bay by the station arm, after which the shuttle arm took the load. The station arm was then moved to the worksite on Node-2 (Harmony), wherefrom it took the 4.1 ton facility back. The facility was then successfully latched on to the Experiment Module.^[37][38][39] As part of the EVA, the spacewalkers successfully deployed the port Unpressurized Cargo Carrier Attach System (UCCAS), which could not be deployed during STS-119. During the prior mission, the deployment failed due to a jamming caused by a stuck detent pin. Engineers designed a custom tool to force the pin to release, which was used to deploy the mechanism.^[40] Meanwhile, the shuttle managers announced that there would be no need for a focused inspection of the heat shield. The nose cap and wing leading-edge panels of the shuttle were cleared for entry as they were, but a reentry clearance was not given.^{[NASA 14]} Beyond one impact site having a gouge, the rest of the impacts were found to be mostly a loss of coating.^[41] The other activity scheduled for EVA 1, the deployment of a starboard side cargo carrier, was postponed for want of time.^[40] A fuel cell issue found before launch was analyzed, though the cell continued to function as expected with no impact to the mission.^[37]

• 

  Tim Kopra working to prepare the berthing mechanisms on the Kibo laboratory and the Japanese Exposed Facility (JEF) for the JEF installation on Kibo, during space walk 1.

• 

  JEF in the grasp of the shuttle's robotic arm.

19 July (Flight Day 5)

ICC handoff by shuttle's robotic arm

The installation of the Integrated Cargo Carrier-Vertical Light Deployable (ICC-VLD) on the port side of the station was successfully completed with the use of both the shuttle and station robotic arms. The cargo pallet, containing spares and fresh batteries for the station, was lifted out of the shuttle bay by the shuttle arm and handed off to the station's Canadarm2, which maneuvered it to its position. The pallet's contents will be set up in upcoming EVAs. A malfunction in a new toilet in the Destiny laboratory caused the crew to use the one in the Russian segment while attempts were made to identify the fault. Meanwhile, the shuttle was cleared for reentry.^{[NASA 15][42][43][44]}

20 July (Flight Day 6, EVA 2)

Astronauts Wolf and Marshburn began EVA 2 at 15:27 UTC out of the Quest airlock. The EVA was to transfer the spare components brought by the shuttle from the ICC-VLD to External Stowage Platform-3. The spares were handled by Wolf riding the station's robotic arm to the P3 truss stowage platform where he and Marshburn attached them for long term storage. The purpose of the spares was to provide redundancy to the station in the period following the shuttle's retirement. The spares unloaded include a Ku-Band Space-to-Ground antenna, a pump module for the coolant system and a drive unit for the station's robotic arm's mobile transporter. A planned installation of a camera on the Japanese Experiment Facility was postponed to a future EVA for want of time. Meanwhile, the malfunctioning toilet was set right with the replacement of internal parts and cleared for normal use after tests.^{[NASA 16][45][46][47]}

• 

  Dave Wolf performs his second space walk, which is also the second of five scheduled space walks for STS-127.

• 

  Tom Marshburn performs his first space walk, the STS-127 crew's second of the five scheduled.

• 

  Another view of Marshburn during his first space walk.

21 July (Flight Day 7)

Japanese logistics carrier(JLE) handoff from shuttle to station.

In one of the more relaxed days, the Japanese logistics carrier was attached to the Japanese Exposed Facility. The cargo pallet was unberthed from the shuttle by the shuttle's robotic arm and handed to the station's robotic arm which then soft fixed it temporarily to the facility. After the experiments, containing an X-ray astronomy payload, a space environment monitor and a communications system, are installed the pallet will be returned to Earth by the shuttle.^{[NASA 17][48]}

22 July (Flight Day 8, EVA 3)

Cassidy works near the JEF during space walk 3.

The spacewalk involving astronauts Wolf and Cassidy started at 14:32 UTC. As part of preparation for experiment installation on the Japanese external science deck, Cassidy removed the thermal covers off the experiment carrier. Meanwhile, Wolf removed obstructions, consisting of a handrail and an equipment installation socket, from the Harmony node to clear the way for an upcoming Japanese automated resupply ship. The other task for EVA 3, involving replacement of four of the six batteries in the P6 truss, did not go as planned. Each 375 pound battery was to be removed and placed in a temporary stowage platform while a new one is taken from the ICC-VLD and fixed. The old ones will be returned to Earth. When two new batteries had been installed and three old ones removed, the CO₂ levels in Cassidy's suit showed an upward trend. Even though it never exceeded the safety limits, the EVA was called off with both astronauts returning into the station. This left one old battery in a temporary flexible stowage position. The rest of the batteries will be installed in a future EVA with the rest of the EVAs being under replanning.^{[NASA 18][49][50][51]}

23 July (Flight Day 9)

The Kibo robotic arm was inaugurated operationally with it being used to install experiments on to the Japanese exposed facility. The three experiments, transferred from the Japanese cargo pallet, consisted of Monitor of All-sky X-ray Image, Inter-orbit Communication System and Space Environment Data Acquisition Equipment-Attached Payload. As per the revised plan for EVA 4 astronauts Cassidy and Marshburn will replace the remaining four batteries on P6 and complete the already deferred installation of a camera on the Japanese experiment facility.^{[NASA 19][NASA 20][52]}

24 July (Flight Day 10, EVA 4)

The fourth spacewalk, by Cassidy and Marshburn, involved replacement of the final four of the six batteries on P6 truss integrated electronics assembly. After berthing the old batteries in the ICC-VLD, the cargo pallet was returned to the Endeavour’s payload bay by the shuttle's robotic arm. The elevated levels of CO₂ in Cassidy's suit during EVA 3 was attributed to the astronaut working at a fast pace.^{[NASA 21][53][54]}

25 July (Flight Day 11)

The crew of both the shuttle and station had a day off. The day was uneventful except for the station's American CO₂ removal system shutting down without any immediate impact.^{[NASA 22][55][56]}

26 July (Flight Day 12)

The Japanese Exposed Section cargo carrier was berthed in Endeavour’s payload bay by the shuttle's robotic arm after it was handed the pallet by the station's robotic arm. After this the crew of both the station and the shuttle held a joint news conference. Meanwhile, the malfunctioning American CO₂ removal system has been transitioned to manual mode in order to keep it running.^{[NASA 23][57][58]}

27 July (Flight Day 13, EVA 5)

Marshburn and Cassidy during space walk 5.

Cassidy and Marshburn started EVA 5 at 11:33 UTC when they switched their suit power to internal battery. For this spacewalk, the CO₂ absorbent system in the suits were changed from Lithium Hydroxide to METOX due to problems with Cassidy's usage. Cassidy completed the reconfiguring of power channels in the Zenith 1 patch panel which are used for the control moment gyroscopes. Before the rewiring, two of the gyroscopes were fed by the same power channel. Since a failure of the channel can knock down two gyros and put the station in a degraded position the reconfiguration was made necessary. This rewiring made the two gyros to operate from separate power channels. Meanwhile, Marshburn secured some multi-layered insulation on the Dextre. Later both the spacewalkers installed video cameras on the front and back of the Japanese exposed facility which will be used in dockings of the Japanese cargo crafts and normal operation. The cameras flew up in launch configuration and now have been installed in an operational configuration, thus completing the JEF assembly. Meanwhile, due to Cassidy's METOX limitation, the deployment of the PAS was deferred to a future spacewalk. Instead some get ahead tasks were completed which included installation of handrails and a portable foot restraint.^{[NASA 24][59][60][61][62]}

28 July (Flight Day 14, ISS Undocking)

After a crew farewell Endeavour undocked from the ISS at 17:26 UTC. Unlike most other launches, hatch closure, which happened at 15:08 UTC, and undocking happened on the same day due to the extended delay in launching and the arrival of the Progress 34 cargo craft. After undocking Hurley began a fly around of the station giving the shuttle crew an opportunity to photograph the station's current configuration in all directions. Then a final separation burn was completed at 3:09 pm EDT.^{[NASA 25][63][64]}

• 

  Endeavour shortly after the shuttle and station post-undocking separation.

• 

  ISS shortly after the shuttle and station post-undocking separation with the JEF prominently seen.

29 July (Flight Day 15)

Image of orbital sunset taken from Endeavour one day before the shuttle landed.

The OBSS was grappled by the shuttle's robotic arm and used to inspect Endeavour’s thermal protection system for damage from orbital debris. The imagery will be analyzed to clear the shuttle for reentry.^{[NASA 26]} Meanwhile, the foam loss on the external tank was initially attributed to substrate contamination ahead of the application of the foam.^[65] Later during the processing of STS-128, voids in the foam was highlighted as a trigger for the shedding. The air trapped in the voids could have expanded due to the high temperatures generated during ascent thus breaking the foam.^[66][67]

30 July (Flight Day 16)

The crew checked out the shuttle's systems for the landing, and successfully deployed the DRAGONSat and ANDE-2 satellites. The shuttle was cleared for reentry, with the TPS imagery showing no concerns.^{[NASA 27][68][69]} The shuttle tracked two chances of landing at KSC on 31 July, and could land no later due to its limited carbon dioxide-scrubbing LiOH supply.^[70]

31 July (Flight Day 17, Landing)

After a 16-day mission, Endeavour landed successfully at Kennedy Space Center at 10:48 EDT on 31 July 2009. The landing had to be undertaken before 1 August, due to CO₂-scrubbing lithium hydroxide limitations. There were two opportunities to land on 31 July, of which the first was ultimately utilized.^{[NASA 28][71]}

• 

  Endeavour touches down at Kennedy Space Center.

• 

  Endeavour deploys its drag chute to aid deceleration.

EVAs

Five spacewalks were conducted during STS-127.^{[NASA 1]}

Wake-up calls

NASA began a tradition of playing music to astronauts during the Gemini program, and first used music to wake up a flight crew during Apollo 15. Each track is specially chosen, often by the astronauts' families, and usually has a special meaning to an individual member of the crew, or is applicable to their daily activities.^{[NASA 30][NASA 31]}

See also

Wikinews has related news: NASA cancels launch of Space Shuttle Endeavour Space Shuttle Endeavour's launchpad struck by lightning delaying launch

• 2009 in spaceflight
• List of human spaceflights
• List of International Space Station spacewalks
• List of Space Shuttle missions
• List of spacewalks 2000—2014

Media

• Play media

  Space Shuttle Endeavour launches from Launch Pad 39A at Kennedy Space Center as part of the STS-127 mission

• Play media

  Space Shuttle Endeavour landing

References

Notes

Inline citations

1. 1 2 3 4 5 Harwood, William (1 June 2009). "STS-127 Mission Quick-Look 1". CBS News. Retrieved 1 June 2009. 
2. 1 2 3 4 5 McDowell, Jonathan. "Satellite Catalog". Jonathan's Space Page. Retrieved 28 May 2013. 
3. ↑ Boeing (6 June 2009). "STS-127 Spaceflight Notepad" (PDF). Boeing. Retrieved 12 June 2009. 
4. ↑ Klotz, Irene (12 June 2009). "NASA fuels space shuttle Endeavour for launch". Reuters. Retrieved 12 June 2009. 
5. 1 2 3 Bergin, Chris (13 June 2009). "GUCP troubleshooting continues as MMT push for launch on June 17". NASAspaceflight.com. Retrieved 13 June 2009. 
6. 1 2 3 Harwood, William (15 June 2009). "NASA sets Wednesday launch date for shuttle Endeavour". CBS News (SpaceflightNow.com). Retrieved 16 June 2009. 
7. ↑ Harwood for CBS News, William (13 June 2009). "Space shuttle Endeavour launch postponed by leak". SpaceflightNow.com. Retrieved 14 June 2009. 
8. ↑ Kenneth Chang (13 June 2009). "Leak Halts Shuttle Launching". New York Times. Retrieved 13 June 2009. 
9. 1 2 3 Chris Bergin (17 June 2009). "STS-127 suffers another GUCP leak after late tanking". NASAspaceflight.com. Retrieved 7 August 2009. 
10. ↑ Harwood, William (12 June 2009). "STS-127 Launch Windows". CBS News. Retrieved 14 June 2009. 
11. ↑ "Shuttle Endeavour to lift off Saturday if weather co-operates". CBC News. 10 July 2009. Retrieved 10 July 2009. 
12. ↑ "NASA delays space shuttle Endeavour launch 1 day". Houston Chronicle. 11 July 2009. Retrieved 11 July 2009. 
13. 1 2 Harwood, William (17 July 2009). "Shuttle Endeavour's heat shield appears to be fine". CBS news. SpaceflightNow.com. Retrieved 18 July 2009. 
14. ↑ Pearlman, Robert (12 June 2009). "L+500 and counting: 500th person in space". collectspace.com. Retrieved 12 June 2009. 
15. ↑ "Dual RF Astrodynamic GPS Orbital Navigator Satellite (DRAGONSat)". NASA. 6 October 2008. Retrieved 13 June 2009. 
16. ↑ Pearlman, Robert Z. "Great Lakes water returning to Earth with space shuttle crew". collectSPACE. Retrieved 30 July 2009. 
17. ↑ Bates, Daniel (9 December 2010). "Mission accomplished! SpaceX Dragon becomes the first privately funded spaceship launched into orbit and guided back to earth". Daily Mail. UK. Retrieved 17 May 2011. 
18. ↑ Harwood for CBS News, William (21 May 2009). "Iffy weather forecast for Friday's shuttle landing". SpaceflightNow.com. Retrieved 22 May 2009. 
19. ↑ Tariq Malik (1 June 2009). "Endeavour moves to another launch pad". MSNBC. Retrieved 2 June 2009. 
20. ↑ Polansky, Mark (2 June 2009). "Mark Polansky (Astro_127)". Twitter. Retrieved 2 June 2009. 
21. 1 2 William Harwood for CBS News (17 June 2009). "Hydrogen leak scrubs shuttle Endeavour launch again". SpaceflightNow.com. Retrieved 19 June 2009. 
22. 1 2 William Harwood for CBS News (23 June 2009). "Special space shuttle fueling test expected next week". SpaceflightNow.com. Retrieved 24 June 2009. 
23. ↑ Chris Bergin (1 July 2009). "ET-131 Tanking Test success – STS-127 now officially tracking launch on July 11". NASAspaceflight.com. Retrieved 1 July 2009. 
24. ↑ "Countdown begins; weather improves to 90 percent 'go' for Saturday launch". CBS News. 13 June 2009. Retrieved 29 August 2009. 
25. ↑ "NASA clears shuttle for fueling". CBS News. 16 June 2009. Retrieved 29 August 2009. 
26. ↑ "Shuttle countdown on track; no technical issues with Endeavour; weather still 60 percent 'no-go'". CBS News. 2009-07-12. Retrieved 29 August 2009. 
27. ↑ "Hydrogen vent line working normally; no leaks". CBS News. 2009-07-12. Retrieved 29 August 2009. 
28. ↑ "Shuttle refueled for Monday launch try". CBS News. 13 July 2009. Retrieved 29 August 2009. 
29. ↑ "Shuttle Endeavour refueled for sixth launch try; fuel cell issue resolved". CBS News. 15 July 2009. Retrieved 29 August 2009. 
30. ↑ Chris Bergin. "Endeavour launches on sixth attempt to start STS-127 – UCCAS status". NASAspaceflight.com. Retrieved 18 July 2009. 
31. ↑ Harwood, William. "Debris falls from tank". Spaceflightnow. Retrieved 18 July 2009. 
32. ↑ Harwood, William (16 July 2009). "Strips of foam peeled away from Endeavour's fuel tank". Spaceflightnow. Retrieved 18 July 2009. 
33. ↑ "NASA spots debris strikes in Endeavour launch". CTV News. 16 July 2009. Retrieved 16 July 2009. 
34. ↑ "Damage eyed as shuttle heads toward space station". Yahoo news. Associated Press. 15 July 2009. Retrieved 16 July 2009. 
35. 1 2 Bergin, Chris (16 June 2009). "STS-127: Foam loss observed on ET intertank images – FD2 inspections". NASAspaceflight.com. Retrieved 18 June 2009. 
36. ↑ Chris Bergin (17 July 2009). "STS-127: Endeavour completes RPM and Docks with ISS – TPS latest". NASAspaceflight.com. Retrieved 18 July 2009. 
37. 1 2 3 Chris Gebhardt (18 July 2009). "STS-127 completes EVA-1 – Fuel Cell issue monitored by MMT". NASAspaceflight.com. Retrieved 19 July 2009. 
38. ↑ Harwood, William (18 July 2009). "Crews to install station's external science deck today". CBS news. SpaceflightNow.com. Retrieved 19 July 2009. 
39. ↑ Harwood, William (18 July 2009). "External science deck hoisted out of shuttle payload bay". CBS news. SpaceflightNow.com. Retrieved 19 July 2009. 
40. 1 2 3 Harwood, William (18 July 2009). "Jammed payload bracket on station truss freed". CBS news. SpaceflightNow.com. Retrieved 19 July 2009. 
41. ↑ Harwood, William (18 July 2009). "Shuttle heat shield inspection finds no major issues". CBS news. SpaceflightNow.com. Retrieved 19 July 2009. 
42. ↑ "Endeavour cleared for entry ahead of EVA-2 – ET-132 tests begin". NASAspaceflight.com. 20 July 2009. Retrieved 20 July 2009. 
43. ↑ "Crew moves equipment, preps for next spacewalk". NASAspaceflight.com. 19 July 2009. Retrieved 20 July 2009. 
44. ↑ "International Space Station's U.S. toilet malfunctions". NASAspaceflight.com. 19 July 2009. Retrieved 20 July 2009. 
45. 1 2 Harwood, William (20 July 2009). "Spacewalk No. 2 ends". CBS news. SpaceflightNow.com. Retrieved 22 July 2009. 
46. 1 2 Harwood, William (20 July 2009). "Spacewalkers to unload spare parts from carrier". CBS news. SpaceflightNow.com. Retrieved 22 July 2009. 
47. ↑ Harwood, William (20 July 2009). "Toilet repairs complete aboard the space station". CBS news. SpaceflightNow.com. Retrieved 22 July 2009. 
48. ↑ Harwood, William (21 July 2009). "Japanese experiments removed from the shuttle". CBS news. SpaceflightNow.com. Retrieved 22 July 2009. 
49. 1 2 Harwood, William (22 July 2009). "Extensive spacewalk replanning underway". CBS news. SpaceflightNow.com. Retrieved 24 July 2009. 
50. 1 2 Justin Ray. "STS-127 Shuttle report". SpaceflightNow.com. Retrieved 24 July 2009. 
51. ↑ Chris Gebhardt. "EVA-3 terminated due to LiOH concern – DAT present TPS clearance reports". NASAspaceflight.com. Retrieved 24 July 2009. 
52. ↑ "Station's outdoor science deck gets its first payloads". SpaceflightNow.com. 23 July 2009. Retrieved 24 July 2009. 
53. 1 2 Harwood, William (24 July 2009). "Spacewalkers give station's power grid fresh batteries". CBS news. SpaceflightNow.com. Retrieved 26 July 2009. 
54. 1 2 Chris Bergin (24 July 2009). "STS-127: EVA-4 completes Battery R&R – Progress M-67 launches to ISS". NASAspaceflight.com. Retrieved 26 July 2009. 
55. ↑ Harwood, William (25 July 2009). "Astronauts get the day off to rest after hectic pace". CBS news. SpaceflightNow.com. Retrieved 26 July 2009. 
56. ↑ Harwood, William (25 July 2009). "Station's American CO2 removal system shuts down". CBS news. SpaceflightNow.com. Retrieved 26 July 2009. 
57. ↑ Harwood, William (26 July 2009). "Skipper calls it 'extremely successful' mission so far". CBS news. SpaceflightNow.com. Retrieved 27 July 2009. 
58. ↑ Harwood, William (26 July 2009). "Station's carbon dioxide scrubber back on line". CBS news. SpaceflightNow.com. Retrieved 27 July 2009. 
59. 1 2 Harwood, William (27 July 2009). "Endeavour crew taking fifth and final spacewalk". CBS news. SpaceflightNow.com. Retrieved 28 July 2009. 
60. 1 2 Harwood, William (27 July 2009). "Endeavour crew completes fifth and final spacewalk". CBS news. SpaceflightNow.com. Retrieved 28 July 2009. 
61. 1 2 Chris Gebhardt (27 July 2009). "STS-127 ends replanned EVA-5; Pad 39A ready to support Discovery". NASAspaceflight.com. Retrieved 28 July 2009. 
62. ↑ "Mission Status Center – July 27". SpaceflightNow.com. Retrieved 29 July 2009. 
63. ↑ Harwood, William (28 July 2009). "Shuttle undocks and takes victory lap around station". CBS news. SpaceflightNow.com. Retrieved 29 July 2009. 
64. ↑ Harwood, William (28 July 2009). "Shuttle and station crews bid each other farewell". CBS news. SpaceflightNow.com. Retrieved 29 July 2009. 
65. ↑ Bergin, Chris (29 July 2009). "Endeavour completes Late Inspections – Candidate found for ET-131 foam loss". NASAspaceflight.com. Retrieved 30 July 2009. 
66. ↑ Bergin, Chris (10 August 2009). "STS-128: Managers head into FRR debate – Void in suspect IFR highlighted". nasaspaceflight.com. Retrieved 28 August 2009. 
67. ↑ Harwood, William (7 August 2009). "Engineers continue to assess shuttle fuel tank foam". spaceflightnow.com from CBS. Retrieved 28 August 2009. 
68. ↑ Harwood, William (30 July 2009). "Landing flight director hopeful about weather". SpaceflightNow.com from CBS news. Retrieved 31 July 2009. 
69. ↑ "NRL's ANDE-2 Launches Aboard STS-127". redorbit.com. 30 July 2009. Retrieved 30 July 2009. 
70. ↑ Bergin, Chris (30 July 2009). "Endeavour tracking KSC return on Friday – TPS cleared for entry". NASAspaceflight.com. Retrieved 31 July 2009. 
71. ↑ Bergin, Chris (31 July 2009). "LIVE: Endeavour lands back in Florida – debris noted during FCS checkout". NASAspaceflight.com. Retrieved 31 July 2009. 

NASA

 This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 "STS-127 Press Kit" (PDF). NASA. 6 June 2009. Retrieved 12 June 2009. 
2. ↑ "NASA's Shuttle and Rocket Launch Schedule". NASA. 17 June 2009. Retrieved 17 June 2009. 
3. ↑ "NASA Assigns Crews for STS-127 and Expedition 19 Missions". NASA. 11 February 2008. Retrieved 11 February 2008. 
4. 1 2 Carey Noll for NASA. "ANDE (Castor and Pollux)". NASA. Retrieved 12 June 2009. 
5. ↑ "STS-125: Final Shuttle Mission to Hubble Space Telescope". NASA. 4 December 2008. Retrieved 30 March 2009. 
6. ↑ "NASA Sets Launch Dates for Remaining Space Shuttle Missions". NASA. 7 July 2008. Retrieved 13 October 2008. 
7. 1 2 "NASA Updates Shuttle Endeavour's Move to Launch Pad, TCDT". NASA. 28 May 2009. Retrieved 2 June 2009. 
8. 1 2 "NASA Sets Briefing About Shuttle Endeavour's Readiness to Launch". NASA. 29 May 2009. Retrieved 2 June 2009. 
9. 1 2 "Launch of NASA's Space Shuttle Endeavour Postponed Until Sunday". NASA. 11 July 2009. Retrieved 11 July 2009. 
10. 1 2 "Endeavour's Launch "No Go" Due to Weather.". NASA. 12 July 2009. Retrieved 12 July 2009. 
11. ↑ "Launch and Landing". NASA. 15 July 2009. Retrieved 16 July 2009. 
12. ↑ "STS-127 MCC Status Report #03". NASA. 16 July 2009. Retrieved 16 July 2009. 
13. ↑ "STS-127 MCC Status Report #05". NASA. 17 July 2009. Retrieved 18 July 2009. 
14. 1 2 3 "STS-127 MCC Status Report #07". NASA. 18 July 2009. Retrieved 19 July 2009. 
15. ↑ "STS-127 MCC Status Report #09". NASA. 19 July 2009. Retrieved 20 July 2009. 
16. 1 2 "STS-127 MCC Status Report #11". NASA. 20 July 2009. Retrieved 22 July 2009. 
17. ↑ "STS-127 MCC Status Report #13". NASA. 21 July 2009. Retrieved 22 July 2009. 
18. 1 2 "STS-127 MCC Status Report #15". NASA. 22 July 2009. Retrieved 24 July 2009. 
19. ↑ "STS-127 MCC Status Report #17". NASA. 23 July 2009. Retrieved 24 July 2009. 
20. ↑ "STS-127 MCC Status Report #16". NASA. 23 July 2009. Retrieved 24 July 2009. 
21. 1 2 "STS-127 MCC Status Report #19". NASA. 24 July 2009. Retrieved 26 July 2009. 
22. ↑ "STS-127 MCC Status Report #21". NASA. 25 July 2009. Retrieved 26 July 2009. 
23. ↑ "STS-127 MCC Status Report #23". NASA. 26 July 2009. Retrieved 27 July 2009. 
24. 1 2 "STS-127 MCC Status Report #25". NASA. 27 July 2009. Retrieved 28 July 2009. 
25. ↑ "STS-127 MCC Status Report #27". NASA. 28 July 2009. Retrieved 29 July 2009. 
26. ↑ "STS-127 MCC Status Report #29". NASA. 29 July 2009. Retrieved 30 July 2009. 
27. ↑ "STS-127 MCC Status Report #31". NASA. 30 July 2009. Retrieved 31 July 2009. 
28. ↑ "STS-127 MCC Status Report #32". NASA. 31 July 2009. Retrieved 31 July 2009. 
29. ↑ "STS-127 FD12 Execute Package" (PDF). NASA. 26 July 2009. Retrieved 7 August 2009. 
30. ↑ Fries, Colin (25 June 2007). "Chronology of Wakeup Calls" (PDF). NASA. Retrieved 13 August 2007. 
31. ↑ "STS-127 Wakeup Calls". NASA. 11 May 2009. Retrieved 11 May 2009. 
32. ↑ "STS-127 Wakeup Calls". NASA. Retrieved 28 July 2009. 

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to STS-127.

• SpaceFlightNow's Mission Status Center for STS-127
• NASA's space shuttle page
• NASA's STS-127 page
• Mark Polansky on Twitter
• NASA's Twitter page

Space Shuttle Endeavour (OV-105) Flights STS-49 STS-47 STS-54 STS-57 STS-61 STS-59 STS-68 STS-67 STS-69 STS-72 STS-77 STS-89 STS-88 STS-99 STS-97 STS-100 STS-108 STS-111 STS-113 STS-118 STS-123 STS-126 STS-127 STS-130 STS-134 Status Retired On display California Science Center, Los Angeles

U.S. Space Shuttle missions Completed 1970–79 1977 ALT 1980–89 1981 STS-1 STS-2 1982 STS-3 STS-4 STS-5 1983 STS-6 STS-7 STS-8 STS-9 1984 STS-41-B STS-41-C STS-41-D STS-41-G STS-51-A 1985 STS-51-C STS-51-D STS-51-B STS-51-G STS-51-F STS-51-I STS-51-J STS-61-A STS-61-B 1986 STS-61-C STS-51-L 1988 STS-26 STS-27 1989 STS-29 STS-30 STS-28 STS-34 STS-33 1990–99 1990 STS-32 STS-36 STS-31 STS-41 STS-38 STS-35 1991 STS-37 STS-39 STS-40 STS-43 STS-48 STS-44 1992 STS-42 STS-45 STS-49 STS-50 STS-46 STS-47 STS-52 STS-53 1993 STS-54 STS-56 STS-55 STS-57 STS-51 STS-58 STS-61 1994 STS-60 STS-62 STS-59 STS-65 STS-64 STS-68 STS-66 1995 STS-63 STS-67 STS-71 STS-70 STS-69 STS-73 STS-74 1996 STS-72 STS-75 STS-76 STS-77 STS-78 STS-79 STS-80 1997 STS-81 STS-82 STS-83 STS-84 STS-94 STS-85 STS-86 STS-87 1998 STS-89 STS-90 STS-91 STS-95 STS-88 1999 STS-96 STS-93 STS-103 2000–09 2000 STS-99 STS-101 STS-106 STS-92 STS-97 2001 STS-98 STS-102 STS-100 STS-104 STS-105 STS-108 2002 STS-109 STS-110 STS-111 STS-112 STS-113 2003 STS-107 2005 STS-114 2006 STS-121 STS-115 STS-116 2007 STS-117 STS-118 STS-120 2008 STS-122 STS-123 STS-124 STS-126 2009 STS-119 STS-125 STS-127 STS-128 STS-129 2010–11 2010 STS-130 STS-131 STS-132 2011 STS-133 STS-134 STS-135 Cancelled STS-41-F STS-61-E STS-61-F STS-61-G STS-62-A STS-61-M STS-61-H STS-144 STS-3xx STS-400 Others Orbiters Enterprise Columbia Challenger Discovery Atlantis Endeavour

Human spaceflights to the International Space Station 1998–2004 STS-88 STS-96 STS-101 STS-106 STS-92 Soyuz TM-31 STS-97 STS-98 STS-102 STS-100 Soyuz TM-32 STS-104 STS-105 Soyuz TM-33 STS-108 STS-110 Soyuz TM-34 STS-111 STS-112 Soyuz TMA-1 STS-113 Soyuz TMA-2 Soyuz TMA-3 Soyuz TMA-4 Soyuz TMA-5 2005–2009 Soyuz TMA-6 STS-114 Soyuz TMA-7 Soyuz TMA-8 STS-121 STS-115 Soyuz TMA-9 STS-116 Soyuz TMA-10 STS-117 STS-118 Soyuz TMA-11 STS-120 STS-122 STS-123 Soyuz TMA-12 STS-124 Soyuz TMA-13 STS-126 STS-119 Soyuz TMA-14 Soyuz TMA-15 STS-127 STS-128 Soyuz TMA-16 STS-129 Soyuz TMA-17 2010–2015 STS-130 Soyuz TMA-18 STS-131 STS-132 Soyuz TMA-19 Soyuz TMA-01M Soyuz TMA-20 STS-133 Soyuz TMA-21 STS-134 Soyuz TMA-02M STS-135 Soyuz TMA-22 Soyuz TMA-03M Soyuz TMA-04M Soyuz TMA-05M Soyuz TMA-06M Soyuz TMA-07M Soyuz TMA-08M Soyuz TMA-09M Soyuz TMA-10M Soyuz TMA-11M Soyuz TMA-12M Soyuz TMA-13M Soyuz TMA-14M Soyuz TMA-15M Soyuz TMA-16M Soyuz TMA-17M Current Soyuz TMA-18M Soyuz TMA-19M Planned Soyuz TMA-20M Soyuz MS-01 Soyuz MS-02 Soyuz MS-03 Soyuz MS-04 Soyuz MS-05

← 2008  ·  Orbital launches in 2009  ·  2010 → USA-202 | Ibuki · SDS-1 · Sohla-1 · Raijin · Kagayaki · Hitomi · Kukai · Kiseki | Koronas-Foton | Omid | NOAA-19 | Progress M-66 | Ekspress-AM44 · Ekspress-MD1 | Hot Bird 10 · NSS-9 · Spirale-A · Spirale-B | OCO | Telstar 11N | Raduga-1 | Kepler | STS-119 (ITS S6) | GOCE | USA-203 | Soyuz TMA-14 | Eutelsat W2A | USA-204 | Kwangmyŏngsŏng-2 | Compass-G2 | RISAT-2 · ANUSAT | SICRAL 1B | Yaogan 6 | Kosmos 2450 | USA-205 | Progress M-02M | STS-125 | Herschel · Planck | ProtoStar 2 | TacSat-3 · PharmaSat · AeroCube 3 · HawkSat I · CP6 | Meridian 2 | Soyuz TMA-15 | LRO · LCROSS | MEASAT-3a | GOES 14 | Sirius FM-5 | TerreStar-1 | Kosmos 2451 · Kosmos 2452 · Kosmos 2453 | RazakSAT | STS-127 (JEM-EF · AggieSat 2 · BEVO-1 · Castor · Pollux) | Kosmos 2454 · Sterkh No.11L | Progress M-67 | DubaiSat-1 · Deimos-1 · UK-DMC 2 · Nanosat-1B · AprizeSat-3 · AprizeSat-4 | AsiaSat 5 | USA-206 | JCSAT-RA · Optus D3 | STSAT-2A | STS-128 (Leonardo MPLM) | Palapa-D | USA-207 | HTV-1 | Meteor M No.1 · Universitetsky-Tatyana-2 · Sterkh-2 · UGATUSAT · BLITS · SumbandilaSat · IRIS | Nimiq 5 | Oceansat-2 · BeeSat-1 · UWE-2 · ITU-pSat1 · SwissCube-1 · Rubin 9.1 · Rubin 9.2 | USA-208 · USA-209 | Soyuz TMA-16 | Amazonas-2 · COMSATBw-1 | WorldView-2 | Progress M-03M | USA-210 | Thor 6 · NSS-12 | SMOS · Proba-2 | Progress M-MIM2 (Poisk) | Shijian XI-01 | STS-129 (ExPRESS-1 · ExPRESS-2) | Kosmos 2455 | Intelsat 14 | Eutelsat W7 | IGS Optical 3 | Intelsat 15 | USA-211 | Yaogan 7 | Kosmos 2456 · Kosmos 2457 · Kosmos 2458 | Yaogan 8 · Xi Wang 1 | Helios IIB | Soyuz TMA-17 | DirecTV-12 Payloads are separated by bullets ( · ), launches by pipes ( | ). Manned flights are indicated in bold text. Uncatalogued launch failures are listed in italics. Payloads deployed from other spacecraft are denoted in brackets.