STS-121

Launch, orbit & landing data: Designation  29251 / 06028A Launch date - time  04 July 2006 - 18:37:55 UT Launch site  KSC, LC39B Launch vehicle  Space Shuttle (#115) Orbiter  Discovery (OV-103) #32 Primary payload   Mass (kg)   Docking date - time  06 July 2006 - 14:52 UT Target spacecraft/port  ISS/PMA-2 adapter Earth orbit on :    - Perigee - Apogee  334 x 348 km    - Inclination  51,63°    - Period  91.4 min Undocking date - time  15 July 2006 - 10:08 UT Landing date - time  17 Jul 2006 - 13:14:43 UT Landing location  KSC runway 15 (62nd landing) Flight Duration (d:hr:min)  12d. 18h. 37m. 54s. Nbr orbits  202 Distance traveled  8.5 million km Landing crew    (crew S-)

Launch Crew

Summary:

• STS-121 is the second scheduled test flight for the Shuttle since the Columbia accident on February 1, 2003; and the first to transport a crew for a long-duration Station mission since 2002. Atlantis will carry supplies and equipment to the ISS, and the crew will test upgraded Shuttle safety equipment and procedures.
• Sep 2005: The STS-121 Shuttle flight is delayed indefinitely - engineers don't yet understand the aerodynamic data from the last flight. Damage to the External Tank manufacturing facility in New Orleans was less that feared, and ET work will continue there.

	Space Shuttle Discovery rolling out of the VAB to the launch pad for mission STS-121.
Discovery assembly

Mission details:

STS-121 crew, lead by commander Steve Lindsey and Pilot Mark Kelly. Credit: G.Hartenstein.

Into the AstroVan for the 20 minute ride to Pad 39B. Credit: G.Hartenstein.

KSC Swat Team follows Astronauts out to Pad 39B. Credit: G.Hartenstein.

• Space Shuttle Discovery took off from Launch Complex 39B at 18:37 UT on Jul 4, 2006. The OMS-2 burn at 19:15 UTC put Discovery in a 155 x 253 km x 51.6 deg orbit, while ET-119 fell back to Earth in its 56 x 230 km x 51.6 deg trans-atmospheric orbit and re-entered over the Pacific at about 19:50 UTC.
  Orbiter OV-103 Discovery is using tank ET-119 and solid motors RSRM-93.
  Crew of Discovery are Steven Lindsey (CDR), Mark E. Kelly (Pilot), Michael Fossum (MS1), Lisa Nowak (MS2), Stephanie Wilson (MS3) and Piers Sellers (MS4), all from NASA. ESA astronaut Thomas Reiter (MS5) is flying as part of the Expedition 13 crew and is expected to remain aboard the Station with Vinogradov and Williams.
• Following the loss of Columbia on mission STS-107 in Jan 2003, the Shuttle's External Tank was redesigned to reduce the amount of thermal protection foam that falls off during ascent, and methods were developed to fix any damage to the Orbiter's thermal protection system due to foam hits. The loss of OV-102 Columbia was due to damage to the RCC leading edge panels of its left wing caused by foam from External Tank ET-93. Orbiter OV-103 Discovery then flew on mission STS-114 in July 2005, but to general consternation it turned out that its tank, ET-121, lost larger pieces of foam than expected. The Shuttle stood down again and the future of the program is riding on the new mission, STS-121. Early look data seems good: no significant foam loss in the lower atmosphere part of the flight.
• In the payload bay, the cargo is:

   Location       Cargo                            Mass
   Bay 1-2        Orbiter Docking System           1800 kg?
   Bay 4S?        APC with SPDU?                     20 kg?
   Bay 5-6        Integrated Cargo Carrier (ICC)   1500 kg?
                  Keel Yoke Device (KYD)
                  TUS/RA, EATCS-PM, FGB
   Bay 7S?        ROEU?                              20 kg?
   Bay 7-12       Leonardo (MPLM-1)                9500 kg
   Bay 13         LMC, DTO 848                      954 kg
   Sill           OBSS 202                          450 kg?
   Sill           RMS 303                           390 kg
   --------------------------------------------------------
   Total cargo:                                   14594 kg?
  

  
  
• The LMC (Lightweight MPESS Carrier) carries the DTO 848 thermal protection system repair kit demo; the ICC carries the TUS (Trailing Umbilical System) for the ISS Mobile Transporter repair, as well as the EATCS-PM pump module for the ISS truss, and a fixed grapple bar. The Multipurpose Logistics Module, Leonardo, carries the MELFI freezer rack, the Express Transportation Rack with the EMCS (European Modular Cultivation System) and the OGS oxygen generation system rack, as well as 3 RSR (Resupply Stowage Rack) and 5 RSP (Resupply Stowage Platform). The ROEU (Remotely Operated Electrical Umbilical) on the payload bay sidewall provides power to the MPLM.
• Discovery completed its rendezvous with the International Space Station on Jul 6, 2006 and docked with the PMA-2 adapter on the Destiny module at 14:52 UTC.
• On Jul 7 the MPLM-1 (Leonardo Multipurpose Logistics Module) was grappled by the Station robot arm at 09:42 UTC, unberthed from the Shuttle payload bay at 10:12 UTC and connected to the Unity (Node-1) module at around 11:50 UTC.
  The MPLM contains supplies which will be transferred to the station via the large diameter hatch between it and Unity.
• On Jul 8, astronauts Piers Sellers and Mike Fossum made a spacewalk from the Station's Quest airlock using US spacesuits EMU 3006 and 3015. The airlock pressure reached 50 mbar at 13:11 UTC. Hatch open was at 13:16 UTC, with Sellers and Fossum emerging at 13:25 and 13:35 UTC. The astronauts tested the dynamic response of the OBSS robot arm extension to check it out for possible use on future missions to send an astronaut underneath the Shuttle for tile repairs. The spacewalkers re-entered the airlock at 20:25 (Fossum) and 20:33 (Sellers), closing the hatch at 20:42 UTC. The airlock was repressurized at 20:48 UTC. Duration: 7h 31m.
• EVA-2 began on Jul 10 at 12:09 UTC with depressurization of the airlock below 50 mbar, with hatch open at 12:13 UTC. The astronauts helped with installation of a spare pump module on the ESP-2 platform used as a place to stash spare parts for ISS; they also replaced an umbilical cable assembly for the Mobile Transporter, making the MT ready to support installation of new Station solar panels on later Shuttle missions. The hatch was closed at 18:52 UTC and the airlock was repressurized at 19:01 UTC. Duration: 6h 47m.
• EVA-3 on Jul 12 saw airlock depressurization at 11:15 UTC and hatch open at 11:19 UTC. Fossum and Sellers worked at the rear of Discovery's payload bay, playing with repairing heat shield samples in a test box on the LMC (Lightweight MPESS Carrier) in the bay. The hatch was closed at around 18:21 UTC with repressurization at 18:31 UTC. Duration: 7h 11m.
• On Jul 14, the station SSRMS arm was used to disconnect the Leonardo logistics module from Unity at around 13:08 UTC and stick it back in Discovery's payload bay around 14:50 UTC.
• On Jul 17 at 12:07 UTC Discovery fired its engines for a 92 m/s deorbit burn, with landing on runway 15 at Kennedy Space Centre at 13:14 UTC.

STS-121 mission, touching down on time at 9:14am EDT July 17, 2006

Astrophilately covers:

Launch cancel KSC. Credit: J. Vd Dr.

Landing cancel KSC. Credit: J. Vd Dr.