STS-124

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STS-124
Mission insignia
Mission statistics
Mission name STS-124
Space shuttle Discovery
Launch pad LC-39A
Launch date May 31, 2008, 5:02:12 p.m. EDT[1]
Landing June 14, 2008 11:16:19 a.m. EDT[2]
Mission duration 13 days, 18 hrs, 13 minutes 7 seconds
Number of orbits 217
Orbital altitude 122 nautical miles (225 km)
Orbital inclination 51.6 degrees
Distance traveled 5,735,643 miles (9,230,622.6 km)
Crew photo
From left to right: Chamitoff, Fossum, Ham, Kelly, Nyberg, Garan and Hoshide
Related missions
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STS-123 STS-126

STS-124 was a Space Shuttle mission, flown by Space Shuttle Discovery to the International Space Station. Discovery launched on May 31, 2008 at 5:02 p.m. EDT, moved from an earlier scheduled launch date of May 25, 2008.[3], and landed safely at the Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landing Facility, at 11:15 am EDT on June 14, 2008.

The mission is also referred to as ISS-1J by the ISS program. Completion of the mission leaves eight flights remaining in the Space Shuttle program until its end in 2010, excluding two as-yet-unconfirmed Contingency Logistic Flights.[4]

Contents

[edit] Crew

*Number in parentheses indicates number of spaceflights by each individual prior to and including this mission.

[edit] Launching ISS Expedition 17 Crew

[edit] Landing ISS Expedition 17 Crew

[edit] Crew notes

  • Stephen G. Bowen was originally assigned to STS-124 but was moved to STS-126 to allow this mission to rotate an ISS crew member.[6] Bowen was scheduled to perform the EVAs on the flight along with Fossum. Garan took his place for the EVAs.

[edit] Commander Kelly discusses the crew

A crane lowers Discovery toward the external tank and SRBs in high bay 3 of the Vehicle Assembly Building for STS-124.

"I’m really fortunate to be given the crew members that I have on this mission. It’s myself and six others. We do swap one of our crew members with the expedition crew member on board. So Greg goes up, Greg stays on station and Garrett comes home. But the crew that was assigned to me -- I’m really fortunate to have some really talented people. Ken Ham, as a pilot, knows the orbiter better than anybody I’ve seen. This is his first flight. My lead EVA crew member is Mike Fossum who did three spacewalks on my previous flight, STS-121. We’ve flown together before. I have all the confidence in the world in his ability to execute these EVAs. Karen Nyberg, my MS1, sits on the flight deck for ascent and entry. She’s also the lead for all the robotic arm operations. She’ll be flying three robotic arms in space, incredibly motivated, well ahead of the game and I expect great things from her. Ron Garan is my flight engineer, a colonel in the Air Force. This is going to be his first time in space as well as is Karen’s and Ken’s and he’s doing three spacewalks. So he's got a lot on his plate. He’s been doing great during training and he’s going to have the opportunity to prove himself during these three spacewalks. I kind of wish it was me getting to go outside. I can’t do that, but we expect great things from Ron as well. And then I have Aki Hoshide, our Japanese crew member, who grew up in New Jersey kind of like me. That’s an interesting thing about our flight -- we have four people from New Jersey on the mission. I look at Aki as the payload commander. He is responsible for that Japanese laboratory and he has taken on that responsibility as completely as I could have hoped for. All through our training he’s been very much focused on the Japanese lab, making sure it’s ready to go, making sure we’re completely trained on the systems and everything we have to do. I’ve given him a lot of responsibility and he’s completely taken it on."[7]

[edit] Mission parameters

  • Orbiter liftoff: 269,123 pounds (122,072 kg)
  • Orbiter landing: 203,320 pounds (92,220 kg)

[edit] Mission payloads

JEM PM Kibō on ISS after STS-124
JEM Kibō Pressurized Module in assembly

STS-124 delivered the Pressurized Module (PM) of the Japanese Experiment Module (JEM), called Kibō, to the International Space Station (ISS). Kibō was berthed to the Harmony module and the pressurized section of the JEM Experiment Logistics Module, brought up by the STS-123 crew, was moved from Harmony to the JEM-PM. The Japanese Remote Manipulator System, a robotic arm, was also delivered by STS-124 and attached to Kibō. The entire Kibō laboratory is being brought up over three missions.

Discovery carried with it replacement parts in a mid-deck locker for a malfunctioning toilet on the International Space Station. The crew had been using other facilities for waste until the new replacement parts were installed on the Zvezda module of the ISS.

Flying with the STS-124 crew was an action figure of Buzz Lightyear. Ken Ham, pilot of the STS-124 mission, brought with him episodes of ESPN Radio's Mike and Mike in the Morning, and a plastic microphone stand with the ESPN logo on it. Along with those, a yellow jersey from Lance Armstrong's record-setting seven victories at the Tour de France bicycle race, the backup jersey Eli Manning took to the Super Bowl, and the last jersey that American Major League Baseball's Craig Biggio wore in a game were placed inside the orbiter's lockers.[10]

With the completion of STS-124, the next permanent pressurized module will not be delivered to the ISS by a Space Shuttle until STS-130 in December 2009.

[edit] Mission background

The mission marked:[11]

  • 154th manned US space launch
  • 123rd space shuttle flight since STS-1
  • 98th post-Challenger mission
  • 10th post-Columbia mission
  • 11th flight remaining in the shuttle program
  • 26th flight to the ISS
  • 35th flight for shuttle Discovery
  • 3rd shuttle mission in 2008

[edit] Mission timeline

Space Shuttle Discovery lifts off on mission STS-124.

On April 26, 2008 Discovery was rolled over to the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) from its processing bay in the Orbiter Processing Facility. Once in the VAB it was lifted vertically and mated with its external tank and solid rocket boosters on April 28, 2008. At the end of a week long prep schedule on May 2, 2008 at 11:47 p.m. EDT the stack was rolled out to launch pad 39A on top the Mobile Launch Platform. Carried by the Crawler Transporter, Discovery arrived and was secured at LC-39A on May 3, 2008 at 6:06 a.m. EDT. The payload canister containing the JEM was rolled out to the Payload Changeout Room at the pad on April 29, 2008 and was later installed into Discovery's payload bay on May 5, 2008. The STS-124 crew arrived at Kennedy Space Center on May 6, 2008 for the 3-day Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test and returned to Johnson Space Center on May 9, 2008 after completion of the launch dress rehearsal. After many flight readiness review tests, Discovery was given a go for a May 31, 2008 launch. Discovery launched on May 31, 2008 at 21:02 UTC. The following is the expected timeline and is subject to change.

[edit] May 31 (Flight day 1, Launch)

The Space Shuttle Discovery launched from the Kennedy Space Center at 5:02 p.m. local time. Debris from the fuel tank was minimal.[12]

"While we've all prepared for this event today, the discoveries from Kibo will definitely offer hope for tomorrow," said Discovery's commander Mark Kelly just before launch. "Now stand by for the greatest show on Earth."[13]

[edit] Launch pad damage

One of the trenches at launch pad 39A that channels flames away from the shuttle during lift-off was significantly damaged.[14] Repairs to the trench are underway and need to be completed before the STS-125 mission scheduled for 2008-10-08.[15]

[edit] June 1 (Flight day 2)

During the first full day in space, Ham and Nyberg completed a limited inspection of the shuttle’s thermal protection system using the end effector camera of the shuttle’s robotic arm. The crew also installed the centerline camera and extended the orbiter’s docking system ring to prepare Discovery' for arrival at the space station.[16]

[edit] June 2 (Flight day 3)

Discovery docked with the space station at 2:03 PM EDT. The hatches opened at 3:36 PM. Greg Chamitoff officially joined the Expedition 17 crew, replacing Garrett Reisman.[17]

[edit] June 3 (Flight day 4)

Ron Garan on the mission's second space walk, flight day 6.

Mike Fossum and Ron Garan completed a six hour, forty-eight minute spacewalk at 7:10 p.m. EDT. During the excursion, the pair retrieved the Orbiter Boom Sensor System, serviced and inspected components of a Solar Alpha Rotary Joint and prepared the JEM-PS component of the Kibō laboratory for installation. Karen Nyberg and Akihiko Hoshide, using the station’s robotic arm, removed the JEM-PS from the shuttle’s payload bay and latched it in place on the Harmony node, completing the task at 7:01 p.m.[18]

[edit] June 4 (Flight day 5)

The Kibo module as seen from inside the ISS.

The hatch to the Kibō lab was opened at 5:05 PM EDT. The crew also repaired the malfunctioning ISS toilet.[19]

[edit] June 5 (Flight day 6)

The crew of STS-124 inside the pressurized Kibo module.

Fossum and Garan completed the second STS-124 spacewalk. The 7-hour, 11-minute excursion ended at 6:15 p.m. EDT Thursday.[20] Prior to heading outside spacewalker Garan stated "Mike and I are getting ready to go out the door for our second spacewalk today. It's going to be a wonderful day."[21]

[edit] June 6 (Flight day 7)

The crew moved the Kibo Logistics Module from Harmony to the Pressurized Module.[22]

[edit] June 7 (Flight day 8)

Ron Garan works outside the Columbus lab.

Hoshide and Nyberg moved two of the six joints on the Japanese Kibō lab's robotic arm for the first time, maneuvering them very slightly with a series of commands.[23] With the mission at its midpoint astronaut Karen Nyberg commented that "the week has gone way too fast."[24]

[edit] June 8 (Flight day 9)

Astronaut Karen Nyberg on flight day 11.

Fossum and Garan conducted the third and final spacewalk, replacing an empty nitrogen tank and collecting a sample of debris from the solar array.[25]

[edit] June 9 (Flight day 10)

Kibō's robot arm was extended to its full 33 feet, with all six joints tested. The astronauts also opened the hatch to the Kibō's storage unit.[26]

[edit] June 10 (Flight day 11)

The shuttle closed the hatch connecting it to the space station at 3:49 PM EDT[27]

"It's amazing what's going on up here," said Chamitoff. "This is just the beginning. Overall, the mission's been a great success," said Kelly from space. "I certainly have a great crew and they're well trained, but there's also a little luck involved." [28]

[edit] June 11 (Flight day 12)

Discovery undocked from the International Space Station's Harmony Module, at 07:42 EDT. Discovery then conducted a fly-by of the ISS, so pictures could be taken. Saying goodbye to the ISS and its crew, commander Kelly said "We wish them the best with their expedition and we hope we left them a better, more capable space station than when we arrived. Sayonara."[29]

Afterwards the crew of Discovery conducted the late inspection of the shuttle's Thermal Protection System that was unable to be performed as usual on Flight Day 2, due to the size of the Kibo Pressurized Module.[30]

[edit] June 12 (Flight day 13)

Flight day 13 was a rare off-duty day. The only major projects were stowage of the Orbiter Boom Sensor System (OBSS) and an orbit adjustment burn.

During the day, pilot Kenneth Ham conducted an interview with Mike Greenberg and Mike Golic of ESPN, to be aired on their radio show, Mike and Mike in the Morning, the following morning on ESPN Radio and ESPN2.

[edit] June 13 (Flight day 14)

The crew conducted routine testing of the steering jets and an examination of the flight control system. During these tests, a shiny object was noticed trailing the shuttle. This was identified as a thermal clip from the shuttle's brake system, and should pose no danger during landing.[31]

[edit] June 14 (Flight day 15, Landing)

Space Shuttle Discovery lands

The crew worked through their lengthy list of deorbit preparations, which continued for most of the day. They closed the payload bay doors at 7:30 EDT, which took place without incident. All of Discovery's systems were nominal, and with the weather looking very good at KSC the deorbit burn took place on schedule at 10:10 EDT for landing on runway 15 at 11:15 EDT.

At 8:00 am EDT, the decision was made to use runway 15 rather than 33. This decision was made based on the sun glare that would be present on the Commander's window as he lined up Discovery with the runway.

At 10:10 EDT, Discovery fired its orbital maneuvering system engines to slow it down by 197 mph, resulting in a successful reentry into the Earth's atmosphere.

Discovery landed at 11:15 am EDT, after a perfect re-entry, on runway 15 of the Shuttle Landing Facility at the Kennedy Space Center.[30]

[edit] Mission statistics

  • Landed: Sat., June 14, 2008, 11:15 a.m. EDT
  • Landing Site: Kennedy Space Center, Fla.
  • Mission Elapsed Time:
    • 13 days, 18 hours, 13 minutes, 7 secs
  • Official Landing Times
    • Main gear touchdown: 11:15:19 a.m. EDT
    • Nose gear touchdown: 11:15:30 a.m. EDT
    • Wheels stop: 11:16:19 a.m. EDT
  • Total miles: 5.7 million

[edit] Extra-vehicular activity

Three spacewalks were scheduled and completed during STS-124.[32] The cumulative time in extra-vehicular activity during the mission was 20 hours and 32 minutes.

Spacewalkers Start (UTC) End (UTC) Duration
EVA 1 Ronald J. Garan, Jr.
Michael E. Fossum		 June 3
16:22		 June 3
23:10		 6 hours, 48 minutes
Released straps on the shuttle's robotic arm elbow joint camera, transferred the OBSS back to shuttle. Prepared the Japanese Experiment Module, Pressurized Module (JEM-PM), named Kibo, for installation. Replaced a trundle bearing assembly on the starboard Solar Alpha Rotary Joint, and inspected damage on the SARJ.[33][34]
EVA 2 Garan
Fossum		 June 5
15:04		 June 5
22:15		 7 hours, 11 minutes
Installed covers and external equipment to Kibo, prepared for the relocation of ELM-PS. Prepared a nitrogen tank assembly for removal, and the new tank was stowed on an External Stowage Platform to prepare for installation. Removed a television camera with failed power supply.[35]
EVA 3 Fossum
Garan		 June 8, 2008
13:55		 June 8, 2008
20:28		 6 hours, 33 minutes
Removed and replaced the starboard nitrogen tank assembly. Finished outfitting the Kibo laboratory. Reinstalled a television camera with a repaired power supply.[35]

[edit] Wake-up calls

A tradition for NASA human spaceflights since the days of Gemini, is that mission crews are played a special musical track at the start of each day in space. Each track is specially chosen, often by their family, and usually has a special meaning to an individual member of the crew, or is applicable to their daily activities.[36][37]

[edit] Contingency mission

STS-326 is the designation given to the Contingency Shuttle Crew Support mission which would have been launched in the event that Discovery became disabled during STS-124.[38] It would have been a modified version of the STS-126 mission of Endeavour, which would have involved the launch date being brought forward. The crew for this mission would have been a four-person subset of the full STS-126 crew,[38] namely:

[edit] Media

Sts-124 launch.ogg

Space Shuttle Discovery launches from launch pad 39A at Kennedy Space Center as part of the STS-124 mission

[edit] References

  1. ^ "Mission Information - STS-124". NASA. http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts124/main/index.html. 
  2. ^ http://www.nasa.gov/pdf/228145main_sts124_presskit2.pdf Page 19
  3. ^ NASA (2008). "NASA Updates Target Launch Date for Next Space Shuttle Flight". NASA. http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2008/mar/HQ_M08069_STS-124_launch_date.html. Retrieved on 2008-03-31. 
  4. ^ NASA (2007). "Consolidated Launch Manifest". NASA. http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/iss_manifest.html. Retrieved on 2007-08-21. 
  5. ^ NASA (2007). "NASA Assigns Crew for Shuttle Mission to Install Japanese Lab". NASA. http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2007/mar/HQ_07073_STS-124_crew_release.html. Retrieved on October 30 2007. 
  6. ^ Stephen Withers (2007). "Crew assignments for space shuttle mission STS-126 have been revised following the resignation of an experienced astronaut.". iTWire. http://www.itwire.com/content/view/15454/1066/. Retrieved on November 22 2007. 
  7. ^ NASA - Preflight Interview: Mark Kelly, Commander
  8. ^ CTV.ca Montreal-born astronaut brings bagels into space Sun. Jun. 1 2008 7:29 PM ET ; CTV National News - 1 June 2008 - 11pm TV newscast
  9. ^ The Gazette (Montreal), Here's proof: Montreal bagels are out of this world, IRWIN BLOCK, Tuesday June 3 2008, Section A, Page A2
  10. ^ "Buzz Lightyear to Soar with Discovery". NASA. 2008-05-29. http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/behindscenes/whatsgoingup124.html. Retrieved on 2008-05-29. 
  11. ^ "Space Shuttle Discovery Arrives at Launch Pad, Countdown Test Set". PR Newswire. http://sev.prnewswire.com/aerospace-defense/20080503/CLSA00203052008-1.html. 
  12. ^ Discovery blasts off for space station
  13. ^ "SPACE.com - Shuttle Discovery Launches Space Station's Largest Lab". http://www.space.com/missionlaunches/080531-sts124-launch-day.html. Retrieved on 2008-06-14. 
  14. ^ "SPACE.com". http://www.space.com/missionlaunches/080602-sts124-pad39a-damage.html. Retrieved on 2008-07-10. 
  15. ^ "NASA Image of the Day". http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/imagegallery/image_feature_1125.html. Retrieved on 2008-07-10. 
  16. ^ "STS-124 MCC Status Report #03". NASA. http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts124/news/STS-124-03.html. 
  17. ^ "STS-124 MCC Status Report #05". NASA. http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts124/news/STS-124-05.html. 
  18. ^ "STS-124 MCC Status Report #07". NASA. http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts124/news/STS-124-07.html. 
  19. ^ STS-124 MCC Status report
  20. ^ STS-124 MCC status Report
  21. ^ "SPACE.com - Astronauts to Add Camera Eyes to New Station Lab". http://www.space.com/missionlaunches/080605-sts124-second-spacewalk-preview.html. Retrieved on 2008-06-14. 
  22. ^ STS-124 MCC status Report
  23. ^ Shuttle astronauts prepare robot arm for 1st use[dead link]
  24. ^ "SPACE.com - Shuttle Crew Hits Mission Midpoint with Robot Arm Test". http://www.space.com/missionlaunches/080607-sts124-mission-midpoint.html. Retrieved on 2008-06-14. 
  25. ^ Astronauts breeze through their 3rd spacewalk[dead link]
  26. ^ Astronauts wrap up space station work[dead link]
  27. ^ Shuttle Crew Prepares to Leave Space Station[dead link]
  28. ^ "SPACE.com - Space Shuttle Flight a 'Great Success,' Astronauts Say". http://www.space.com/missionlaunches/080609-sts124-crew-success.html. Retrieved on 2008-06-14. 
  29. ^ "SPACE.com - Shuttle Discovery Undocks From Space Station". http://www.space.com/missionlaunches/080611-sts124-undocking-wrap.html. Retrieved on 2008-06-14. 
  30. ^ a b "NASA - Space Shuttle". http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/main/index.html. Retrieved on 2008-06-14. 
  31. ^ NASA identifies shiny object trailing shuttle
  32. ^ "NASA Mission Summary, STS-124". NASA. 2008-04-09. http://www.nasa.gov/pdf/221164main_sts124_Fact_Sheet.pdf. Retrieved on 2008-04-09. 
  33. ^ NASA (2008). "STS-124 EVA Briefing Graphics". NASA. http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts124/news/eva_overview.html. Retrieved on October 6 2008. 
  34. ^ NASA (2008). "STS-124 MCC Status Report #07". NASA. http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts124/news/STS-124-07.html. Retrieved on October 6 2008. 
  35. ^ a b NASA (2008). "STS-124 MCC Status Report #11". NASA. http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts124/news/STS-124-11.html. Retrieved on October 6 2008. 
  36. ^ Fries, Colin (2007-06-25). "Chronology of Wakeup Calls". NASA. http://history.nasa.gov/wakeup%20calls.pdf. Retrieved on 2007-08-13. 
  37. ^ NASA (2008). "STS-124 Wakeup Calls". NASA. http://spaceflight1.nasa.gov/gallery/audio/shuttle/sts-124/html/ndxpage1.html. Retrieved on March 11 2008. 
  38. ^ a b Bergin, Chris (2007-04-15). "NASA sets new launch date targets through to STS-124". NASASpaceflight. http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2007/04/nasa-sets-new-launch-date-targets-through-to-sts-124/. Retrieved on 2007-08-21. 

[edit] External links

Sister project Wikimedia Commons has media related to: STS-124
Sister project Wikinews has related news: Space Shuttle Discovery launches on mission STS-124
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