STS-112

Launch, orbit & landing data: Designation  27537 / 02047A Launch date - time  07 Oct 2002 - 19:45:51 UT Launch site  KSC, LC39B Launch vehicle  Space Shuttle Orbiter  Atlantis #26 (OV-104) Mass (kg)   Flight Crew  Ashby, Melroy, Wolf Magnus, Sellers, Yurchikhin Docking date - time  09 Oct 2002 - 15:17 UT Target spacecraft/port  ISS/xx port Earth orbit on :    - Perigee / Apogee  226 km    - Inclination  51.6°    - Period   min Undocking date - time  16 Oct 2002 - 13:13 UT Landing date - time  18 Oct 2002 - 15:44:35 UT Landing location  KSC, Runway 33 Flight Duration (d:hr:min)  10d 19h 58m Nbr orbits  170

CLaunched crew

Summary:

S1 truss element being installed on STS-112 October 10, 2002

Description:

• The STS-112 mission will deliver the S1 (Starboard 1) truss to the Station, and attach it to the end of S0. S1 mostly consists of a thermal control system, with big ammonia cooling loops and three large radiator panels each 3.3m x 22.9m. The three panels are attached to a single base structure which can rotate relative to the truss to orient the radiators. On the other side of the truss is the CETA cart, which will be used to ferry equipment along the mobile transporters railway. S1 was built by Boeing/Huntingdon Beach and Boeing/Huntsville.

Cargo bay description:

• Cargo Bay Manifest estimate for STS-112:

                                                          Mass/kg
  Bay 1-2    Orbiter Docking System                        1800
             2 EMU spacesuits?                              240?
  Bay 3-13   S1 Integrated Truss Segment                  12572
             CETA Cart A                                    283
  Sill       RMS                                            410
  ---------------------------------------------------------------
  Total                                                   15305?
  

Mission details:

• After the STS-111 flight, the Shuttle fleet has been grounded. (Technically, only the next launch, of STS-107/Columbia, has been delayed, and processing continues on the rest of the Orbiters, but in fact there will be no launches until NASA has solved this problem). Cracks were found in pipes containing propellant flow lines in the aft fuselage of the Orbiters. These `flowliners' supply cold liquid hydrogen from the external tank; they might be difficult to replace and it is feared that Shuttle missions could be delayed many months. On the other hand, engineers may determine that the tiny cracks aren't a problem, or can be patched up easily, in which case the delay in the STS-107 schedule would be only about one month and other missions might fly on time.
• July 2002: The Shuttle launch schedule remains under review, and no final decision has been made on repairs to the Orbiter hydrogen flow liners. It does seem likely that the next flight will be STS-112/Atlantis, with STS-107/Columbia delayed till the end of the year.
• Space Shuttle mission STS-112, Station mission 9A, was launched on Oct 7, 2002. Atlantis took off from Kennedy Space Center to a 58 x 227 km x 51.6 deg orbit. The OMS-2 burn at 2028 UTC raised the perigee to 158 km.
• Atlantis docked with the Station on Oct 9 at 1517 UTC, with hatch opening at 1650 UTC.
• On Oct 10 the Station SSRMS grappled the S1 truss in Atlantis' payload bay, unberthing it at 1047 UTC and connecting it to the end of the S0 truss at 1336 UTC.
• Dave Wolf and Piers Sellers made a spacewalk from the Quest module, with depressurization at 1514 UTC and hatch open around 1518 UTC. They connected fluid lines and installed equpment on the S1. The hatch was closed at about 2218 UTC with repressurization at 2222 UTC for a duration of 7h08m (7h01m by NASA rules).
• A second spacewalk on Oct 12 began with depressurization at 1425 UTC, with hatch opening 4 min later; the hatch was closed at 2030 UTC with repressurization at 2035 UTC for a duration of 6h10m (6h4m by NASA rules).
• Wolf and Sellers made their third spacewalk on Oct 14, with depressurization at about 1404 UTC and hatch open at about 1408 UTC. They carried out repairs to the Mobile Transporter on S0, connected fluid lines, and removed the keel pins on S1. Hatch close was probably around 2042 UTC, with repressurization at 2047 UTC. This gives a depress duration of about 6h43m (6h36m by NASA rules).
• The current configuration of the Station is with the S1 and S0 truss elements atop the Destiny lab, and the P6 truss in its temporary location above Z1/Unity. The next mission will add P1 on the other side of S0; like S1, P1 carries ammonia cooling systems and deployable radiators.
• Atlantis undocked on Oct 16, 2002 at 1313 UTC. It flew around the station and departed at 1501UTC. An orbit lowering burn at around 2030 UTC on Oct 17 changed its orbit from 373 x 404 km to 273 x 404 km. On Oct 18 at 1436 UTC the deorbit burn further lowered the orbit to 18 x 401 km, and Atlantis reentered the atmosphere at 1512 UTC, successfully completing its mission with a landing on runway 33 at Kennedy Space Center at 1543 UTC.

Astrophilately covers:

Launch cancel KSC. Credit: J. Vd Dr.

Landing cancel KSC. Credit: J. Vd Dr.