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==Mission payload==
==Mission payload==
[[File:Mplm in shuttle.jpg|thumb|''Leonardo'', as flown on [[STS-102]].]]
[[File:Mplm in shuttle.jpg|thumb|''Leonardo'', as flown on [[STS-102]].]]
The primary payload of STS-128 is the [[Multi-Purpose Logistics Module]] ''Leonardo''. ''Leonardo'''s purpose is to assist with establishing a six-man crew capacity by bringing extra supplies and equipment to the station. The MPLM will contain three racks for life support, a Crew quarter to be installed in [[Japanese Experiment Module|Kibo]], a new treadmill ([[C.O.L.B.E.R.T.]]) that will temporarily be placed in [[Node 2]] and later in [[Node 3]] and an Atmospheric Revitalization System (ARS) that will temporarily be placed in Kibo and later in Node 3. It will also contain three racks dedicated to science, FIR (Fluids Integrated Rack) and MSRR (Material Science Research Rack) to be placed in [[Destiny (ISS module)|Destiny]] and [[Minus Eighty Degree Laboratory Freezer for ISS|MELFI-2]] (Minus Eighty Laboratory Freezer for ISS) to be placed in Kibo.<ref name="Christer Fuglesangs nyhetsbrev, nr 19 - STS-128">{{Cite web| url=http://www.rymdstyrelsen.se/fuglesangnybrev_2_19.shtml| title=Christer Fuglesangs nyhetsbrev, nr 19 - STS-128| accessdate=June 16 2009| publisher=[[Rymdstyrelsen]]| year=2009| first=Christer| last=Fuglesang|language=Swedish}}</ref>{{Dead link|date=August 2009}}
The primary payload of STS-128 is the [[Multi-Purpose Logistics Module]] ''Leonardo''. ''Leonardo'''s purpose is to assist with establishing a six-man crew capacity by bringing extra supplies and equipment to the station. The MPLM will contain three racks for life support, a Crew quarter to be installed in [[Japanese Experiment Module|Kibo]], a new treadmill ([[C.O.L.B.E.R.T.]]) that will temporarily be placed in [[Node 2]] and later in [[Node 3]] and an Atmospheric Revitalization System (ARS) that will temporarily be placed in Kibo and later in Node 3. It will also contain three racks dedicated to science, FIR (Fluids Integrated Rack) and [[Materials_Science_Research_Rack|the first Materials Science Research Rack (MSRR-1)]] to be placed in [[Destiny (ISS module)|Destiny]] and [[Minus Eighty Degree Laboratory Freezer for ISS|MELFI-2]] (Minus Eighty Laboratory Freezer for ISS) to be placed in Kibo.<ref name="Christer Fuglesangs nyhetsbrev, nr 19 - STS-128">{{Cite web| url=http://www.rymdstyrelsen.se/fuglesangnybrev_2_19.shtml| title=Christer Fuglesangs nyhetsbrev, nr 19 - STS-128| accessdate=June 16 2009| publisher=[[Rymdstyrelsen]]| year=2009| first=Christer| last=Fuglesang|language=Swedish}}</ref>{{Dead link|date=August 2009}}


The shuttle will also carry a Lightweight Multi-Purpose Experiment Support Structure Carrier. It will contain a new ammonia tank that will replace an empty tank during an EVA.
The shuttle will also carry a Lightweight Multi-Purpose Experiment Support Structure Carrier. It will contain a new ammonia tank that will replace an empty tank during an EVA.

Revision as of 21:53, 9 August 2009

Template:Launching/STS

STS-128
COSPAR ID2009-045A Edit this at Wikidata
SATCAT no.35811Edit this on Wikidata
End of mission
File:Sts-128-crew.jpg

STS-128 (ISS assembly flight 17A) is the next space shuttle mission to the International Space Station (ISS). It is expected to use Space Shuttle Discovery, and is planned for launch No Earlier Than (NET) August 25, 2009. The primary payload will be the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module Leonardo. The mission is scheduled to include three spacewalks to remove and replace a materials processing experiment outside ESA's Columbus module, and to return an empty ammonia tank assembly.[4]

Crew

Position[4] Launching Astronaut Landing Astronaut
Commander Frederick W. Sturckow
Fourth spaceflight
Pilot Kevin A. Ford
First spaceflight
Mission Specialist 1 Patrick G. Forrester
Third spaceflight
Mission Specialist 2 Jose M. Hernández
First spaceflight
Flight Engineer
Mission Specialist 3 Christer Fuglesang, ESA
Second spaceflight
EV3
Mission Specialist 4 John D. Olivas
Second spaceflight
Lead Spacewalker EV1
Mission Specialist 5 Nicole Stott
Expedition 20
First spaceflight
EV2 		Timothy Kopra
Expedition 20
First spaceflight

Crew notes

Stott was originally scheduled to return aboard Soyuz TMA-15, but a change in the flight plan was made due to the possible flight delays in future shuttle missions, which may extend Canadian astronaut Robert Thirsk's mission beyond the six-month duration preferred for station crew members.[5]

The mission of Christer Fuglesang is named Alissé by the European Space Agency.[6] The name was proposed by Jürgen Modlich from Baierbrunn, Germany. The name refers to the 15th century explorers who used the trade winds to follow Christopher Columbus across the oceans to the New World.

Mission payload

Leonardo, as flown on STS-102.

The primary payload of STS-128 is the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module Leonardo. Leonardo's purpose is to assist with establishing a six-man crew capacity by bringing extra supplies and equipment to the station. The MPLM will contain three racks for life support, a Crew quarter to be installed in Kibo, a new treadmill (C.O.L.B.E.R.T.) that will temporarily be placed in Node 2 and later in Node 3 and an Atmospheric Revitalization System (ARS) that will temporarily be placed in Kibo and later in Node 3. It will also contain three racks dedicated to science, FIR (Fluids Integrated Rack) and the first Materials Science Research Rack (MSRR-1) to be placed in Destiny and MELFI-2 (Minus Eighty Laboratory Freezer for ISS) to be placed in Kibo.[7][dead link]

The shuttle will also carry a Lightweight Multi-Purpose Experiment Support Structure Carrier. It will contain a new ammonia tank that will replace an empty tank during an EVA.

The STS-128 mission (as did STS-125 and STS-127) will take part in crew seat vibration tests that will help engineers on the ground understand how astronauts experience launch. They will then use the information to help design the crew seats that will be used in future NASA spacecraft.

STS-128 will be repeating the Boundary Layer Transition (BLT) Detailed Test Objective (DTO) experiment that was done by the same shuttle during STS-119. In this experiment, one of the thermal protection system tile will be raised to create a boundary layer transition in which the air flow becomes turbulent beyond a certain speed. During STS-119 the tile was raised 0.25 inches (6.4 mm) above the others, tripping the flow at Mach 15 during reentry. In the modification being done, the tile has been raised 0.35 inches (8.9 mm) which will trip at Mach 18 producing more heat.

Discovery will be also be undertaking the testing of a catalytic coating which is meant to be used by the Orion (spacecraft). Two TPS tiles located in the protuberance downstream from the BLT tile has been fully coated with the catalytic material in order to understand the entry heating performance. The tiles are instrumented to collect a wide variety of data.[8]

Mission background

The mission marks:

  • 159th American manned space flight
  • 128th shuttle mission since STS-1
  • 37th flight of Discovery
  • 30th shuttle mission to the ISS
  • 103rd post-Challenger mission
  • 15th post-Columbia mission

Shuttle processing

File:Rollout of STS-128.jpg
Discovery rolls out to Launchpad 39A.

Discovery rolled from the Orbiter Processing Facility to the Vehicle Assembly Building after the external tank was cleared for use and was mated with it.[9][10] The foam insulation on the tank underwent stringent pull tests after the foam liberated and hit the orbiter during STS-127.[11] The STS-128's tank exhibited no concerns while the STS-127 case has since been determined to be a one off case due to surface contamination prior to foam application.[12][13]

The main change from previous missions is the change of the Ground Umbilical Carrier Plate (GUCP) vent housing. The quick release vents exhibited leaks during STS-119 and STS-127, which were determined to be due to a misalignment in the vent. This lead to the one part rigid seal in the external tank being replaced with a two part flexible seal.[14]

Discovery on the pad August 6, 2009

Discovery later rolled out from the VAB to Launch Complex 39A on Tuesday, August 4 2009 in a slow drive on the top of the Crawler-transporter. The 3.4-mile (5.5 km) rollout began at 2:07 a.m. ET, and ended with the launch platform secured in place at about 1:50 p.m. ET. The move took longer than expected due to weather conditions, which included lightning warnings. The crawler also had to pause occasionally so mud could be removed from its treads and bearings. Technicians will quickly ready the shuttle to host the crew’s countdown dress rehearsal known as the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test, or TCDT. Discovery’s seven astronauts plan to fly to Kennedy on Wednesday for the training activity which concludes later in the week with a complete practice countdown, minus liftoff, involving the crew and the launch team.[15] Meanwhile, in an unprecedented operation, modifications will be made to the left Solid rocket booster on the pad.[16]


Spacewalks

Each spacewalk is planned to last approximately 6.5 hours.[17]

EVA # Spacewalkers Start (UTC) End (UTC) Duration
EVA 1
 John D. Olivas
Nicole Stott 		flight day 5
xx:xx 		flight day 5
xx:xx 		6 hours, 30 minutes (planned)
Prepare for the replacement of an empty ammonia tank on the station’s port truss, or backbone, by releasing its bolts. They also will retrieve the Materials International Space Station Experiment and European Technology Exposure Facility mounted outside the Columbus laboratory, and stow them in Discovery’s cargo bay for their return to Earth.
EVA 2
 John D. Olivas
Christer Fuglesang 		flight day 7
xx:xx 		flight day 7
xx:xx 		6 hours, 30 minutes (planned)
Remove the new ammonia tank from the shuttle’s payload bay and replace it with the used tank on the station. The new tank, weighing about 1,800 pounds (820 kg), is the most mass ever moved around by spacewalking astronauts. After the new tank is installed, the old one will be stowed in the shuttle for its return to Earth.

With this spacewalk ESA astronaut Fuglesang will become the first astronaut, who is not from either an American or Russian space program, who has four or more spacewalks.[citation needed]

EVA 3
 John D. Olivas
Christer Fuglesang 		flight day 9
xx:xx 		flight day 9
xx:xx 		6 hours, 30 minutes (planned)
Prepare for the arrival of the Tranquility node by attaching cables between the starboard truss and the Unity node, the area where Tranquility will be installed. Tranquility is targeted to arrive to the station on STS-130 in February 2010. The spacewalkers also will replace a communications sensor device, install two new GPS antennas, and install a new circuit breaker.

See also

References

  1. ^ Gebhardt, Chris (30 July 2009). "Endeavour tracking KSC return on Friday – TPS cleared for entry". NASAspaceflight.com. Retrieved 5 August 2009.
  2. ^ "Worldwide launch schedule". Spaceflight Now. 3 August 2009. Retrieved 5 August 2009.
  3. ^ Gebhardt, Chris (6 January 2009). "Switching STS-128 to Discovery – PRCB updates mission baseline". NASAspaceflight.com. Retrieved 5 August 2009.
  4. ^ a b Smith, Yvette (16 July 2008). "NASA Assigns Crew for Equipment Delivery Mission to Space Station". NASA. Retrieved 5 August 2009.
  5. ^ Curie, Michael (3 March 2009). "NASA Announces Change for Return of Station Crew Members". NASA. Retrieved 5 August 2009.
  6. ^ Name and logo unveiled for Christer Fuglesang’s mission to the ISS - European Space Agency press release - 3 August 2009
  7. ^ Fuglesang, Christer (2009). "Christer Fuglesangs nyhetsbrev, nr 19 - STS-128" (in Swedish). Rymdstyrelsen. Retrieved June 16 2009. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  8. ^ Bergin, Chris (22 June 2009). "Discovery handed special heatshield coating DTO on behalf of Orion". NASAspaceflight.com. Retrieved 5 August 2009.
  9. ^ Bergin, Chris (25 July 2009). "STS-128: Discovery rolls to VAB on Sunday following ET-132 clearance". NASAspaceflight.com. Retrieved 5 August 2009.
  10. ^ Bergin, Chris (30 July 2009). "Endeavour tracking KSC return on Friday – TPS cleared for entry". NASAspaceflight.com. Retrieved 5 August 2009.
  11. ^ Bergin, Chris (21 July 2009). "STS-128: Completed ET-132 intertank pull tests show positive results". NASAspaceflight.com. Retrieved 5 August 2009.
  12. ^ Bergin, Chris (29 July 2009). "Endeavour completes Late Inspections – Candidate found for ET-131 foam loss". NASAspaceflight.com. Retrieved 5 August 2009.
  13. ^ Bergin, Chris (2 August 2009). "Understanding ET-131's rogue foam liberations leads to ET-132 confidence". NASAspaceflight.com. Retrieved 5 August 2009.
  14. ^ Bergin, Chris (13 July 2009). "Bad weather scrubs fifth attempt for STS-127 – GUCP investigation results". NASAspaceflight.com. Retrieved 5 August 2009.
  15. ^ Ryba, Jeanne (5 August 2009). "NASA - Arcive". NASA. Retrieved 5 August 2009.
  16. ^ Bergin, Chris (3 August 2009). "Discovery completes dramatic rollout – Unique SRB repairs to take place at Pad". NASAspaceflight.com. Retrieved 5 August 2009.
  17. ^ "STS-128 factsheet" (PDF). NASA. 1 August 2009. Retrieved 5 August 2009.


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