STS-116

Launch, orbit & landing data: Designation  29647 / 06055A Launch date - time  10 Dec 2006 - 01:47:35 UT Launch site  KSC, LC-39B Launch vehicle  Space Shuttle (#117) Orbiter  Discovery (#33) Primary payload  ITS-P5 Launch Mass STS  2.050.884 kg Launch Mass Orbiter  120.415 kg Docking date - time  11 Dec 2006 - 22:12 UT Target spacecraft/port  ISS/xx Earth orbit on :    - Perigee / Apogee  326 x 358 km    - Inclination  51.64°    - Period  91.6 min Undocking date - time  19 Dec 2006 - 22:10 UT Docking Duration  7d 23h 58m Landing date - time (wheel stop)  22 Dec 2006 - 22:32:52 UT Rollout time  52 sec Landing location  KSC, runway 15 Flight Duration (d:hr:min)  12d 20h 45m 17s Nbr orbits  203 Landing Mass Orbiter  102.219 kg Landing crew  Williams replaced by Reiter

Launch Crew:

Summary:

Discovery is raised into High Bay 3 of the VAB for mating with the External Tank and boosters for STS-116.

Mission report:

STS-116 crew lead by Commander Mark Polansky. Credit: W.G.Hartenstein

• Space Shuttle OV-103 Discovery was launched at 01:47 on Dec 10, 2006, Station flight 12A.1, using solid rocket boosters RSRM-95 and external tank ET-123. Target orbit was 58 x 220 km x 51.6 deg; the OMS-2 burn at 02:25 UTC raised this to 225 x 250 km. By Dec 11 at 10:00 UTC it was in a 298 x 347 km orbit closing in on ISS; Discovery docked with the Station at 22:12 UTC on Dec 11.
• In the payload bay, the cargo is:

   Location       Cargo                            Mass
   Bay 1-2        Orbiter Docking System           1800 kg?
   Bay 3          Tunnel Adapter                    112 kg
   Bay 4-5        Spacehab Logistics Module        5399 kg
   Bay 5P?        APC with SPDU                      20 kg?
   Bay 7-8        Truss segment P5                 1860 kg
   Bay 11-12      Integrated Cargo Carrier          839 kg  ) tot 2492 kg
                  STP-H2, FRAM                     1398 kg  )
                  Service Module Debris Panels      100 kg? )
                  RAFT-1                              4 kg  )
                  MARScom                             3 kg  )
                  MEPSI 2A/2B                         3 kg  )
                  ANDE launch cylinder               20 kg? )
                  ANDE-MAA                           50 kg  )
                  ANDE-FCAL                          75 kg  )
   Sill           OBSS 202                          450 kg? 
   Sill           RMS  303                          390 kg  
   --------------------------------------------------------
   Total                                          12523 kg
  

  
  
• During a series of spacewalks, the crew will retract the port P6 solar array wing (SAW-4B) and activate the truss electrical and cooling system. They will also stow debris protection panels on the Station for installation on the Zvezda module. After undocking, Discovery will deploy five small satellites from launchers on the ICC cargo carrier in the payload bay. Astronaut Sunita Williams will replace Thomas Reiter on the long-stay Expedition 14 crew.
• The P5 truss was unberthed from Discovery and grappled by the Station arm early on Dec 12. The first spacewalk of the mission began on Dec 12, featuring astronauts Bob Curbeam in EMU 3003 and Christer Fuglesang in EMU 3018. The Station's Quest airlock was depressurized by 20:26 UTC and the hatch was opened at 20:30 UTC; astronaut egress began at around 20:40 UTC. P5 was installed on the end of P4 between 22:08 and 22:45 UTC. The hatch was closed at about 03:02 UTC on Dec 13 with repressurization at 03:07 UTC. At 02:45 UTC Fuglesang lost an extension socket for the PGT tool; it is now an independent satellite.
• Retraction of the SAW-4B solar array began at 18:28 on Dec 13. The array has been retracted far enough that it will not interfere with the rotation of the new arrays on the P4 truss, but multiple attempts to retract it completely were unsuccessful on that day.
• The second spacewalk was on Dec 14-15. The airlock was depressurized around 19:38 UTC, with hatch open at 19:40. Astronauts Curbeam and Fuglesang rewired half of the station's electrical power system. They repressurized the airlock at 00:41 UTC on Dec 15.
• The second half of the power system was to be rewired on Dec 16 on the third spacewalk, this time by Curbeam and Sunita Williams. The airlock was depressurized around 19:23 UTC; hatch open was around 19:24 UTC. By 21:40 UTC the pump modules were activated and the station power system was working.
• The next task was to unload three bundles of orbital debris protection shields from the ICC in the payload bay and store them on the Station exterior. An earlier bundle was delivered on STS-111 and installed on Zvezda during a later spacewalk. Bundles 2, 3 and 4 were installed on an adapter on the PMA-3 docking port. At 23:25 UTC a digital camera floated loose and became another unintentional satellite.
• The astronauts climbed the P6 tower and shook the solar arrays, freeing some of the stuck panels. However, after retracting some more another section of the array got stuck. The astronauts returned to the airlock with hatch close at 02:52 UTC and repress at 02:56 UTC.
• On Dec 18 Curbeam and Fuglesang made a fourth spacewalk. The airlock was depressurized by 18:55 UTC and the hatch was opened at 18:59 UTC. After much jiggling, the solar array was closed and latched by 00:34 UTC on Dec 19. The astronauts closed the airlock hatch at 01:35 UTC and began repressurization at 01:38 UTC.
• Discovery undocked at 22:10 UTC on Dec 19. Remaining aboard the station are Mike Lopez-Alegria, Mikhail Tyurin, and Sunita Williams. On Discovery are Mark Polansky, Bill Oefelein, Nick Patrick, Robert Curbeam, Joan Higginbotham, Christer Fuglesang, Thomas Reiter, as well as Sunita Williams' ponytail (which she apparently cut off for charity).
• Discovery is heading home to KSC Runway 15 after a deorbit burn at 21:27 UTC on Dec 22. The Orbiter landed safely at 22:32 UTC.

Astrophilately covers:

Launch cancel KSC, local time: 9 Dec 2006. Credit: J. Vd Dr.

Landing cancel KSC. Credit: J. Vd Dr.