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STS-118

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STS-118
COSPAR ID2007-035A Edit this at Wikidata
SATCAT no.32008Edit this on Wikidata
Crew
Members7
End of mission
File:Sts-118crewdrew.jpg 

STS-118 is the current Space Shuttle mission to the International Space Station, being flown by the Space Shuttle Endeavour. STS-118 successfully lifted off on schedule August 8, 2007 from launch pad 39A at Kennedy Space Center, Florida.

It is the first flight of Endeavour since STS-113 in November 2002, the last successful Space Shuttle flight before the loss of Space Shuttle Columbia on STS-107. STS-118 pilot, Charles Hobaugh was the entry team CAPCOM for STS-107. The completion of the mission will leave twelve flights remaining in the Space Shuttle program until its end in 2010, excluding two as-yet-unconfirmed Contingency Logistic Flights.

The mission also marks the first flight of an Educator Astronaut, the successor program to NASA's Teacher in Space Project (which ended in tragedy when the Space Shuttle Challenger broke apart 73 seconds after lift-off during STS-51-L).

STS-118 commander Scott Kelly's twin brother Mark Kelly was pilot on the second Return to Flight mission, STS-121 after the loss of Columbia on February 1, 2003.

Crew

Number in parentheses indicates number of space flights by each individual prior to, and including, this mission.

Crew notes

Astronaut Clayton Anderson originally was slated to be launched to the ISS on this mission, but was moved to STS-117. His replacement is Al Drew.[1]

Prior to the Columbia disaster, the inital crew manifest for STS-118 was:

  • Scott Kelly - Commander
  • Charlie Hobaugh - Pilot
  • Scott E. Parazynski - Mission Specialist
  • Dave Williams - Mission Specialist  Canada CSA
  • Lisa Nowak - Mission Specialist
  • Barbara Morgan - Mission Specialist

Mission facts

  • 119th Space Shuttle flight
  • 20th flight of Endeavour
  • 94th Post-Challenger mission
  • 6th Post-Columbia mission
  • First flight with SSPTS

Mission parameters

Mission payloads

From top to bottom: Orbiter docking system, Spacehab, S5 truss, ESP-3. The CMG is the globe bottom left.

The STS-118 mission will deliver and assemble the starboard S5 truss segment to the International Space Station, as well as External Stowage Platform 3, and a replacement Control Moment Gyroscope (CMG). The mission also will carry the Spacehab (Logistics Single Module).

STS-118 will be the final flight to include the Spacehab module, a pressurized aluminum habitat that is carried inside the cargo bay. The Spacehab has a capacity of 6,000 pounds, and will carry a variety of cargo and research projects, including supply materials for the ISS. The Spacehab will return with approximately 3,000 pounds of cargo, including the MISSE PEC, a Department of Defense payload that had been installed on the ISS. Launched in July 2006, the MISSE PEC contains over 850 materials specimens that will be studied after long-term exposure to the environment of space.

Mission background

Originally scheduled to be flown by Columbia, STS-118 would have marked that orbiter's 29th flight and its first visit to the International Space Station.

Mission status

Space Shuttle Endeavour arrives at launch pad 39A.

Endeavour (OV-105) was moved from the Orbiter Processing Facility, bay OPF-2 to the Vehicle Assembly Building on July 2.[2] On July 10, Endeavour moved from the Vehicle Assembly Building to Launch Pad 39A. Moving at less than one mile per hour atop the crawler-transporter, the move began at 8:10 PM EDT, and was "hard down" (secured in place at the pad) at 3:02 AM EDT, July 11.

The crew completed the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test on July 19, and the Flight Readiness Review meetings were held on July 25 and 26, after which NASA managers declared STS-118 a "go" for launch.[3]

Commander Kelly and the crew arrived at Kennedy Space Center on Friday, August 3, for final launch preparations. The countdown clock began at 8:00 PM EDT Sunday, August 5, for the launch at 6:36 PM EDT August 8. The launch was delayed one day to repair a valve in the shuttle's crew cabin pressurization system.[4]

Mission highlights

Computer-generated artist's rendering of the International Space Station after flight STS-118/13A.1. (August 2006/NASA)

This mission will feature mission specialist Barbara Morgan as the first Educator Mission Specialist. Morgan trained as the backup to Christa McAuliffe, NASA's Teacher in Space candidate in 1986, who was killed in the space shuttle Challenger accident. While McAuliffe and Morgan were classified as spaceflight participants and not as mission specialists in 1986, after the Teacher in Space Project was canceled, Morgan applied and was accepted into the NASA Astronaut Corps as NASA's first Educator Astronaut. Morgan will become the first teacher in space on STS-118, and will share what she learns from the experience with students during and after her flight. This mission also will serve as Endeavour's return to flight after being grounded for re-fit and maintenance.

As a result of Endeavour's planned refit, STS-118 will mark the debut of an upgraded power-distribution module, the Station-Shuttle Power Transfer System (SSPTS). SSPTS allows Endeavour to operate from ISS power supply, converting up to eight kilowatts (8 kW) of electrical power from 120-volts direct-current (120VDC) ISS main voltage to the 28VDC system used by the Shuttle Orbiter. SSPTS was outfitted to the ISS Pressurized Mating Adapter-2 (PMA2) during STS-116. These upgrades should allow orbiters to remain docked at the station for an additional three to four days during each of the remaining Shuttle missions.[5][6][7]

Mission timeline

8 August - Launch/Flight Day 1

Launch of STS-118

Fuelling of the external tank began at 8:11 AM EDT (12:11 UTC) and finished around 11:00 AM EDT. The ice team began their inspection of the orbiter to ensure no ice was on the orbiter or any of the fuel tanks. Their inspection lasted about 40 minutes shorter than the usual two hours. Launch is scheduled to occur at 6:36:42 PM EDT (22:36:42 UTC). All systems are reported to be working well. The crew departed for the Operations & Checkout (O&C) building, for the launch pad at 2:46 PM EDT (18:46 UTC), and arrived at the pad at 3:02 PM EDT (19:02 UTC).

Countdown and launch notes:

  • The Ice Team members discovered a small crack in the external fuel tank during their pre-flight examination. After a review by the Mission Management Team, it was concluded there is no debris issue regarding the crack, and the tank is safe to fly.
  • A problem with the switches associated with the crew hatch required a second hatch closure attempt, which was completed and verified at 5:23 PM EDT.
  • Launch Director Mike Leinbach conducted his T-9 poll, and declared Endeavour a "go" for launch at 6:26 p.m. EDT (22:26 UTC).
  • Liftoff occurred at 6:36:42 p.m. EDT.
  • Solid Rocket Boosters successfully separated at 6:39 p.m. EDT (22:39 UTC).
  • Main Engine Cutoff occurred at 6:45:30 p.m. EDT (22:45:30 UTC)
  • External Tank separation occurred at 6:45:45 p.m. EDT (22:45:45 UTC)

The primary TAL site is Zaragoza Airport in Spain.

Scheduled EVAs

See also: Extra-vehicular activity
Mission Spacewalkers Start End Duration Mission
EVA1 STS-118
 Rick Mastracchio
Dave Williams 		TBD TBD Estimated: 6 hours, 30 minutes S5 Installation
EVA2 STS-118
 Rick Mastracchio
Dave Williams 		TBD TBD Estimated: 6 hours, 30 minutes Failed CMG removal; new CMG installation.
EVA3 STS-118
 Rick Mastracchio
Clayton Anderson 		TBD TBD Estimated: 6 hours, 30 minutes SASA relocation; CETA Cart relocation; MISSE retrieval; P6 Transponder retrieval.
EVA4 STS-118
 Dave Williams
Clayton Anderson 		TBD TBD Estimated: 6 hours, 30 minutes OBSS Boom Stand Install; GPS Antenna (#4) removal; EWIS Antenna Install; WETA Antenna Install; MMOD Clean-up.

Contingency planning

STS-318

STS-318 is the designation given to the Contingency Shuttle Crew Support mission which would have been launched in the event Space Shuttle Atlantis became disabled during STS-117. It would have been a modified version of the STS-118 mission, which would involve the launch date being brought forward. If it had been needed, it would have launched no earlier than June 9, 2007. The crew for this mission would have been a four-persons sub-set of the full STS-118 crew.

See also

References

  1. ^ ""STS-118: Endeavour"". Space and Astronautics News. Retrieved 2007-07-11.
  2. ^ Halvorson, Todd (January 25, 2007). "Endeavour prepped for return to flight". FloridaToday.com. Retrieved 2007-07-11. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  3. ^ "NASA Gives 'Go' for Shuttle Endeavour Launch on Aug. 7". NASA.
  4. ^ Harwood, William (August 3, 2007). "Shuttle launch postponed; Crew flies to Cape". Spaceflight Now. Retrieved 2007-08-03. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  5. ^ "Vehicle Upgrades: Station-Shuttle Power Transfer System (SSPTS)". Return to Flight. Boeing: Integrated Defense Systems. Retrieved 2007-07-11.
  6. ^ Johnson Space Center (October 26, 2003). "NASA Presolicitation Notice: Station-Shuttle Power Transfer System (SSPTS)". NASA. Retrieved 2007-07-11. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  7. ^ "NASA's Space Shuttle Processing Status Report: S05-034". NASA. Retrieved 2007-07-11. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |Date= ignored (|date= suggested) (help)

External links

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