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STS-96

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STS-96
Credit: NASA

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AKA: Discovery; ISS-2A.1; Spacehab Logistics Double Module. Launched: 1999-05-27. Returned: 1999-06-06. Number crew: 7 . Duration: 9.80 days.

Discovery docked at the PMA-2 end of the International Space Station PMA-2/Unity/PMA-1/Zarya stack. The crew transferred equipment from the Spacehab Logistics Double Module in the payload bay to the interior of the station. Tammy Jernigan and Dan Barry made a space walk to transfer equipment from the payload bay to the exterior of the station. The ODS/EAL docking/airlock truss carried two TSA (Tool Stowage Assembly) packets with space walk tools. The Integrated Cargo Carrier (ICC), built by Energia and DASA-Bremen, carried parts of the Strela crane and the US OTD crane as well as the SHOSS box which contains three bags of tools and equipment to be stored on ISS's exterior.

The STS-96 payload bay manifest:

• Bay 1-2: Orbiter Docking System/External Airlock
• Bay 3-4: Tunnel Adapter S/N 001
• Bay 5-7: Spacehab Tunnel
• Bay 5: Keel Yoke Device (KYD) and Integrated Cargo Carrier (ICC)
• Bay 8-12: Spacehab Logistics Double Module
• Bay 13 Port: Adapter Beam (ABA) with IVHM
• Bay 13 Stbd: Adapter Beam (ABA) with SVF/Starshine
• Sill: RMS Arm S/N 303

On May 30 at 02:56 GMT Tammy Jernigan and Dan Barry entered the payload bay of Discovery from the tunnel adapter hatch, and made a 7 hr 55 min space walk, transferring equipment to the exterior of the station.

On May 31 at 01:15 GMT the hatch to Unity was opened and the crew began several days of cargo transfers to the station. Battery units and communications equipment were replaced and sound insulation was added to Zarya. Discovery undocked from ISS at 22:39 GMT on June 3 into a 385 x 399 km x 51.6 degree orbit, leaving the station without a crew aboard. On June 5 the Starshine satellite was ejected from the payload bay. The payload bay doors were closed at around 02:15 GMT on June 6 and the deorbit burn was at 04:54 GMT. Discovery landed on runway 15 at Kennedy Space Center at 06:02 GMT.

NASA Official Mission Summary:

STS-96
(2nd International Space Station Flight)
Discovery
Pad B
94th Shuttle mission
26th flight OV-103
47th KSC landing
Crew:
Kent V. Rominger, Commander (4th Shuttle flight)
Rick D. Husband, Pilot (1st)
Ellen Ochoa, Mission Specialist (3rd)
Tamara E. Jernigan, Mission Specialist (5th)
Daniel T. Barry, Mission Specialist (2nd)
Julie Payette, Mission Specialist (1st) (Canadian Space Agency)
Valery Ivanovich Tokarev, Mission Specialist (1st) (Russian Aviation and Space Agency)
60
Orbiter Preps (move to):
OPF - Nov. 7, 1998
VAB - April 15, 1999
Pad - April 23, 1999
Return to VAB - May 16, 1999 (Rollback due to hail damage)
Return to Pad - May 20, 1999

Launch:

May 27, 1999, 6:49:42 a.m. EDT. The originally scheduled launch of Discovery on May 20 was postponed because of hail damage sustained May 8 by the external tank while on the pad. It was determined that some of the tank's foam insulation could not be reached for repairs with the orbiter on the pad. The orbiter was returned to the VAB, and inspections revealed more than 650 divots in the tank's outer foam. Workers repaired about 460 critical divots over four days to minimize ice formation prior to launch. The countdown proceeded smoothly, with the only concern the presence of a sailboat in the solid rocket booster recovery area. As planned, launch managers determined the exact orbital location of the International Space Station during the countdown's T-9-minute built-in hold. The decision was then made to launch Discovery at 6:49 a.m. EDT to achieve optimum Shuttle system performance and to accommodate Shuttle-Space Station docking activities.

Landing:

June 6, 1999, 2:02:43 a.m. EDT. Runway 15, Kennedy Space Center, Fla. Rollout distance: 8,866 feet. Rollout time: 56 seconds. Mission duration: nine days, 19 hours, 13 minutes, 57 seconds. Landed on orbit 154. Logged 3.8 million statute miles. Landed on first opportunity at KSC, marking 18th consecutive landing in Florida and 25th in the last 26 missions.

Mission Highlights:

All major objectives were accomplished during the mission. On May 29, Discovery made the first docking to the International Space Station (ISS). Rominger eased the Shuttle to a textbook linkup with Unity's Pressurized Mating Adapter #2 as the orbiter and the ISS flew over the Russian-Kazakh border.

The 45th space walk in Space Shuttle history and the fourth of the ISS era lasted 7 hours and 55 minutes, making it the second longest ever conducted. Jernigan and Barry transferred a U.S.-built crane called the Orbital Transfer Device, and parts of the Russian crane Strela from the Shuttle's payload bay and attached them to locations on the outside of the station. The astronauts also installed two new portable foot restraints that will fit both American and Russian space boots, and attached three bags filled with tools and handrails that will be used during future assembly operations. The cranes and tools fastened to the outside of the Station totaled 662 pounds.

Once those primary tasks were accomplished, Jernigan and Barry installed an insulating cover on a trunnion pin on the Unity module, documented painted surfaces on both the Unity and Zarya modules, and inspected one of two Early Communications System (E-Com) antennas on the Unity.

During the incursion inside the ISS, Barry and Husband replaced a power distribution unit and transceiver for E-Com in the Unity module, restoring that system to its full capability. Payette and Tokarev replaced 18 battery recharge controllers in the Russianbuilt Zarya module, and Barry and Tokarev also installed a series of "mufflers" over fans inside Zarya to reduce noise levels in that module. The mufflers caused some air circulating duct work to collapse, and Rominger sent down a video inspection of the mufflers.

The crew transferred 3,567 pounds of material � including clothing, sleeping bags, spare parts, medical equipment, supplies, hardware and about 84 gallons of water � to the interior of the station. The astronauts also installed parts of a wireless strain gauge system that will help engineers track the effects of adding modules to the Station throughout its assembly, cleaning filters and checking smoke detectors. Eighteen items weighing 197 pounds were moved from the Station to Discovery for a return to Earth. The astronauts spent a total of 79 hours, 30 minutes inside the Station before closing the final hatch on the orbiting outpost. Rominger and Husband commanded a series of 17 pulses of Discovery's reaction control system jets to boost the Station to an orbit of approximately 246 by 241 statute miles. After spending 5 days, 18 hours and 17 minutes linked to the Station, Discovery undocked at 6:39 p.m. EDT as Husband fired Discovery's jets to move to a distance of about 400 feet for 2 _ lap fly-around. The crew used the fly-around to make a detailed photographic record of the ISS.

After the fly-around, mission specialist Payette deployed the STARSHINE satellite from the orbiter's cargo bay. The spherical, reflective object entered an orbit two miles below Discovery. The small probe became instantly visible from Earth as part of a project allowing more than 25,000 students from 18 countries to track its progress.

Other payloads included the Shuttle Vibration Forces experiment and the Integrated Vehicle Health Monitoring HEDS Technology Demonstration.

Statistics:

• Discovery (26)
• Pad 39-B (43)
• 94th Shuttle Mission
• 26th Flight OV-103
• Rollback (13)
• KSC Landing (47)
• Night Landing (11)
• KSC Night Landing (6)

Family: Manned spaceflight. People: Tokarev, Barry, Rominger, Husband, Ochoa, Jernigan, Payette. Country: USA. Spacecraft: Discovery. Launch Sites: Cape Canaveral. Agency: NASA, NASA Houston. More at: 8055.

Photo Gallery

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STS-96 Credit: www.spacefacts.de

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• STS-96 Mission Status Report # 01 - . Nation: USA. Related Persons: Barry, Husband, Jernigan, Ochoa, Payette, Rominger, Tokarev. Program: ISS. Flight: STS-96.

  Discovery and its multi-national crew of seven astronauts blasted off this morning from the Kennedy Space Center, lighting up the early morning skies as they sped to orbit on the first shuttle mission of the year for the first shuttle docking to the International Space Station. Additional Details: here....

• STS-96 Mission Status Report # 02 - . Nation: USA. Related Persons: Barry, Husband, Jernigan, Ochoa, Payette, Rominger, Tokarev. Program: ISS. Flight: STS-96.

  The crew of STS-96 was awakened just before 7 p.m. by the Beach Boys' version of "California Dreamin," played for Mission Specialist Tammy Jernigan. Once awake, Discovery's seven-member crew began preparing for its first full day on orbit to ready the vehicle for tomorrow night's docking with the International Space Station and a spacewalk the night after. Additional Details: here....

• STS-96 - Wakeup Song: California Dreamin' - . Flight: STS-96. "California Dreamin'" - Mamas and the Papas --played for Mission Specialist Tammy Jernigan.

• STS-96 - . Call Sign: Discovery. Crew: Barry, Husband, Jernigan, Ochoa, Payette, Rominger, Tokarev. Payload: Discovery F26 / Spacehab-DM. Mass: 116,884 kg (257,685 lb). Nation: USA. Related Persons: Barry, Husband, Jernigan, Ochoa, Payette, Rominger, Tokarev. Agency: NASA Houston. Manufacturer: North American. Program: ISS. Class: Manned. Type: Manned spaceplane. Flight: STS-96. Spacecraft Bus: Shuttle. Spacecraft: Discovery. Duration: 9.80 days. Decay Date: 1999-06-06 . USAF Sat Cat: 25760 . COSPAR: 1999-030A. Apogee: 397 km (246 mi). Perigee: 384 km (238 mi). Inclination: 51.6000 deg. Period: 92.40 min.

  Discovery docked at the PMA-2 end of the International Space Station PMA-2/Unity/PMA-1/Zarya stack. The crew transferred equipment from the Spacehab Logistics Double Module in the payload bay to the interior of the station. Tammy Jernigan and Dan Barry made a space walk to transfer equipment from the payload bay to the exterior of the station. The ODS/EAL docking/airlock truss carried two TSA (Tool Stowage Assembly) packets with space walk tools. The Integrated Cargo Carrier (ICC), built by Energia and DASA-Bremen, carried parts of the Strela crane and the US OTD crane as well as the SHOSS box which contains three bags of tools and equipment to be stored on ISS's exterior.

  The STS-96 payload bay manifest:

  • Bay 1-2: Orbiter Docking System/External Airlock
  • Bay 3-4: Tunnel Adapter S/N 001
  • Bay 5-7: Spacehab Tunnel
  • Bay 5: Keel Yoke Device (KYD) and Integrated Cargo Carrier (ICC)
  • Bay 8-12: Spacehab Logistics Double Module
  • Bay 13 Port: Adapter Beam (ABA) with IVHM
  • Bay 13 Stbd: Adapter Beam (ABA) with SVF/Starshine
  • Sill: RMS Arm S/N 303
  The STS-96 stack, on mobile launcher 2, was rolled back out to pad 39B after hail damage to the external tank had been repaired. On the launch day, solid rocket booster separation was at 10:51 GMT, main engine cut-off of external tank ET-100 at 10:57 GMT. Discovery was in an initial 74 km x 320 km x 51.6 degree transfer orbit. After the OMS-2 burn at 11:32 GMT, the orbit was 324 km x 341 km x 51.6 degree. Discovery docked with the International Space Station's PMA-2 docking port at 04:24 GMT on May 29. ISS was in a 379 km x 385 km x 51.6 degree orbit. In its configuration at that time it consisted of the PMA-2 docking port, NASA's Unity node, the NASA-owned, Russian-built Zarya module, and the PMA-1 docking unit connecting Unity and Zarya.

  On May 30 at 02:56 GMT Tammy Jernigan and Dan Barry entered the payload bay of Discovery from the tunnel adapter hatch, and made a 7 hr 55 min space walk, transferring equipment to the exterior of the station.

  On May 31 at 01:15 GMT the hatch to Unity was opened and the crew began several days of cargo transfers to the station. Battery units and communications equipment were replaced and sound insulation was added to Zarya. Discovery undocked from ISS at 22:39 GMT on June 3 into a 385 x 399 km x 51.6 degree orbit, leaving the station without a crew aboard. On June 5 the Starshine satellite was ejected from the payload bay. The payload bay doors were closed at around 02:15 GMT on June 6 and the deorbit burn was at 04:54 GMT. Discovery landed on runway 15 at Kennedy Space Center at 06:02 GMT.

• STS-96 Mission Status Report # 03 - . Nation: USA. Related Persons: Barry, Husband, Jernigan, Ochoa, Payette, Rominger, Tokarev. Program: ISS. Flight: STS-96.

  With the Shuttle trailing the station by less than 500 nautical miles and moving closer every orbit, Commander Kent Rominger twice fired Discovery's steering jets to fine tune the Shuttle's approach to the new station. The engine firings were the first in a series that will culminate in a docking with the station planned for 11:24 p.m. Central time today. Down on Discovery's middeck, Flight Engineer Ellen Ochoa and Canadian astronaut Julie Payette opened the tunnel and hatches leading to the Spacehab module in the payload bay. Spacehab is loaded with equipment, clothes and food to be stored aboard the new orbital outpost. Later, Payette and Russian cosmonaut Valery Tokarev temporarily stowed some equipment in the module to free up room in Discovery's cabin. Additional Details: here....

• STS-96 - Wakeup Song: Danger Zone - . Flight: STS-96. "Danger Zone" - Kenny Loggins played in honor of Commander Kent Rominger, an alumnus of the Naval Fighter Weapons School of"Top Gun" fame.

• STS-96 Mission Status Report # 04 - . Nation: USA. Related Persons: Barry, Husband, Jernigan, Ochoa, Payette, Rominger. Program: ISS. Flight: STS-96.

  At wake-up, the Shuttle trailed the station by about 120 nautical miles and was closing in by about 41 nautical miles with each orbit of Earth. The final phase of rendezvous will begin when Discovery reaches a point about eight nautical miles directly behind the station and fires its engines in a terminal phase initiation burn at 8:35 p.m. Central. The TI burn, as it is called, will put the Shuttle on a course directly toward the station during the next orbit of Earth. As Discovery moves within about a half-mile of the station, Rominger will take over manual control of the Shuttle's approach, flying Discovery from controls in the aft cockpit. Discovery will arrive at a point about 600 feet directly below the station at about 10:05 p.m. Central, and Rominger will then begin a half-circle of the orbiting outpost. Discovery will pass about 350 feet in front of the station and then move to a point about 250 feet directly above it at about 10:32 p.m. Central. Additional Details: here....

• STS-96 Mission Status Report # 06 - . Nation: USA. Related Persons: Barry, Husband, Jernigan, Ochoa, Payette, Rominger, Tokarev. Program: ISS. Flight: STS-96.

  Having completed the first space shuttle docking with the International Space Station late last night, Discovery's astronauts will go to sleep at 8:50 a.m. Central time to rest up for a space walk late tonight to install a pair of cranes and other gear to the exterior of the orbital complex. Additional Details: here....

• STS-96 Mission Status Report # 07 - . Nation: USA. Related Persons: Barry, Jernigan, Ochoa, Payette. Program: ISS. Flight: STS-96.

  At 4:50 this afternoon, the crew of Discovery awoke to the sound of the Space Center Intermediate Band playing familiar themes from "Star Wars." The music and performers were of particular interest to Mission Specialist Dan Barry because his daughter, Jenny, plays flute in that band. Barry and fellow Mission Specialist Tammy Jernigan are STS-96's own "skywalkers" tonight as they prepare to work outside Discovery during an Extravehicular Activity scheduled to begin shortly after 10 this evening. Additional Details: here....

• STS-96 - Wakeup Song: Star Wars - . Flight: STS-96. "Star Wars" themes by the Space Center Intermediate Band. Mission Specialist Dan Barry's daughter Jenny plays flute in that band..

• STS-96 Mission Status Report # 05 - . Nation: USA. Related Persons: Barry, Jernigan, Rominger. Program: ISS. Flight: STS-96.

  Discovery's astronauts executed the first-ever docking with the International Space Station late Friday night, easing the shuttle to a textbook linkup with the new orbital facility at 11:24pm Central time as the two craft flew over the Russian-Kazakh border. Additional Details: here....

• STS-96 Mission Status Report # 08 - . Nation: USA. Related Persons: Barry, Jernigan, Newman, Ochoa, Payette, Ross. Program: ISS. Flight: STS-96. STS-96 Astronauts Tammy Jernigan and Dan Barry completed the second longest space walk in shuttle history at 5:51 a.m. Central time Sunday, accomplishing all of the objectives mapped out for their excursion as well as a couple of unscheduled activities.. Additional Details: here....

• STS-96 - Wakeup Song: Morning Colors - . Flight: STS-96. "Morning Colors" - U.S. Coast Guard Band or"Morning Call" by USMC Band..

• STS-96 Mission Status Report #09 - . Nation: USA. Related Persons: Barry, Husband, Jernigan, Ochoa, Payette, Tokarev. Program: ISS. Flight: STS-96. Discovery's astronauts are preparing to enter the International Space Station for the first time in six months following a rousing wakeup call from Mission Control in honor of Memorial Day.. Additional Details: here....

• EVA STS-96-1 - . Crew: Barry, Jernigan. EVA Duration: 0.33 days. Nation: USA. Related Persons: Barry, Jernigan. Program: ISS. Class: Manned. Type: Manned space station. Flight: STS-96. Spacecraft Bus: ISS. Spacecraft: ISS. On May 30 at 02:56 GMT Tammy Jernigan and Dan Barry entered the payload bay of space shuttle Discovery from the tunnel adapter hatch. During the space walk they transferred equipment to the exterior of the station..

• STS-96 - Wakeup Song: Amarillo by Morning - . Flight: STS-96. "Amarillo by Morning" by George Strait. Played in honor of Pilot Rick Husband, who is from Amarillo, Texas..

• STS-96 Mission Status Report #11 - . Nation: USA. Related Persons: Barry, Husband, Jernigan, Ochoa, Payette, Rominger, Tokarev. Program: ISS. Flight: STS-96. Discovery's crew of seven awoke to the country and western tune "Amarillo by Morning" to begin flight day six on orbit. The George Strait version was played in honor of Pilot Rick Husband, who is from Amarillo, Texas.. Additional Details: here....

• STS-96 Mission Status Report #10 - . Nation: USA. Related Persons: Barry, Husband, Jernigan, Ochoa, Payette, Rominger, Tokarev. Program: ISS. Flight: STS-96. For the first time in six months, astronauts entered the International Space Station delivering supplies and preparing the outpost to receive its first resident crew, scheduled to arrive in early 2000.. Additional Details: here....

• STS-96 - Wakeup Song: Exultate Jubilate - . Flight: STS-96. "Exultate Jubilate" by Mozart. This is a favorite of Canadian Space Agency astronaut Julie Payette..

• STS-96 Mission Status Report #12 - . Nation: USA. Related Persons: Barry, Ochoa, Payette, Rominger, Tokarev. Program: ISS. Flight: STS-96.

  Discovery's crew headed for its sleep period this morning, reporting significant progress in the transfer of equipment and supplies to the International Space Station after finishing up the planned refurbishment of a battery system in one of the station's modules. Additional Details: here....

• STS-96 Mission Status Report #13 - . Nation: USA. Related Persons: Husband, Ochoa, Payette, Rominger, Ross. Program: ISS. Flight: STS-96. Discovery's crew awakened this afternoon to the classical music selection "Exultate Jubilate" by Mozart. The selection is a favorite of Canadian Space Agency astronaut Julie Payette.. Additional Details: here....

• STS-96 Mission Status Report #15 - . Nation: USA. Related Persons: Husband, Ochoa, Payette, Rominger, Tokarev. Program: ISS. Flight: STS-96.

  Discovery's astronauts will finish their work inside the International Space Station tonight and are scheduled to have all the hatches closed by about 4 a.m. Thursday. Shortly thereafter, the shuttle's small thrusters will be fired to raise the entire complex's orbit in preparation for the undocking and departure set for late tomorrow afternoon. Additional Details: here....

• STS-96 - Wakeup Song: Vasha Blagarodye - . Flight: STS-96. "Vasha Blagarodye" , a Russian song, followed by"The Charleston". Played for cosmonaut Valery Tokarev and Mission Specialist Ellen Ochoa..

• STS-96 Mission Status Report #14 - . Nation: USA. Related Persons: Barry, Gidzenko, Jernigan, Ochoa, Payette, Shepherd. Program: ISS. Flight: STS-96. Discovery's seven astronauts have successfully transferred almost two tons of material and equipment to the International Space Station to be used by the first residents of the outpost when they arrive next year.. Additional Details: here....

• STS-96 Mission Status Report #16 - . Nation: USA. Related Persons: Barry, Husband, Jernigan, Rominger. Program: ISS. Flight: STS-96. Discovery's astronauts closed the hatches leading into the International Space Station early this morning and boosted the station into a higher orbit to set the stage for a planned arrival of the Russian-built Zvezda Service Module later this year.. Additional Details: here....

• STS-96 Mission Status Report #17 - . Nation: USA. Related Persons: Husband, Jernigan, Rominger. Program: ISS. Flight: STS-96. Discovery departed the International Space Station at 5:39 p.m. Central today as the two spacecraft flew 245 miles above northwest Mongolia, leaving the new outpost stocked with more than two tons of supplies and equipment for future crews.. Additional Details: here....

• STS-96 - Wakeup Song: Free Bird - . Flight: STS-96. "Free Bird" by Lynyrd Skynyrd in anticipation of the Discovery's departure from the ISS..

• STS-96 - Wakeup Song: Good Morning Starshine - . Flight: STS-96. "Good Morning Starshine" in recognition of the deployment of the Starshine satellite..

• STS-96 Mission Status Report #18 - . Nation: USA. Related Persons: Barry, Husband, Jernigan, Ochoa, Payette, Rominger, Tokarev. Program: ISS. Flight: STS-96. After leaving the International Space Station behind, Discovery's astronauts were rewarded with several hours of scheduled off-duty time in recognition of their ambitious pace of activities over the past several days.. Additional Details: here....

• STS-96 Mission Status Report #19 - . Nation: USA. Related Persons: Rominger. Program: ISS. Flight: STS-96.

  Discovery's crew was awakened this afternoon to begin readying its spaceship for the return trip home early Sunday morning. But before that, the crew has one last mission objective to complete: The deploy of a small educational satellite at 2:21 a.m. Saturday. Additional Details: here....

• STS-96 - Wakeup Song: The Longest Day - . Flight: STS-96. "The Longest Day" - Theme from the movie to commemorate what spacecraft communicator in Mission Control Mario Runco called a"landing of a different kind" referring to D-Day on June 6, 1944..

• STS-96 Mission Status Report #21 - . Nation: USA. Related Persons: Barry, Husband, Jernigan, Ochoa, Payette, Rominger, Ross, Tokarev. Program: ISS. Flight: STS-96. Discovery and its seven-member crew are preparing to return home tonight with landing planned for 1:03 a.m. Central time following a flight that will go into the books as the first docking of a shuttle with the International Space Station.. Additional Details: here....

• STS-96 Mission Status Report #20 - . Nation: USA. Related Persons: Payette, Rominger. Program: ISS. Flight: STS-96. During their final full day in orbit, Discovery's astronauts released a small student satellite high over the Indian Ocean and prepared for a Sunday morning landing at the Kennedy Space Center.. Additional Details: here....

• STS-96 Mission Status Report #22 - . Nation: USA. Related Persons: Barry, Husband, Jernigan, Ochoa, Payette, Rominger, Ross, Tokarev. Program: ISS. Flight: STS-96. Discovery's astronauts glided to the 11th night landing in shuttle program history early Sunday, landing at 1:03 a.m. Central time to wrap up a 4 million mile mission to resupply the International Space Station.. Additional Details: here....

• Landing of STS-96 - . Return Crew: Barry, Husband, Jernigan, Ochoa, Payette, Rominger, Tokarev. Nation: USA. Related Persons: Barry, Husband, Jernigan, Ochoa, Payette, Rominger, Tokarev. Program: ISS. Flight: STS-96. STS-96 landed at 06:02 GMT. .