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STS-115

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STS-115
COSPAR ID2006-036A Edit this at Wikidata
SATCAT no.29391Edit this on Wikidata
Crew
Members6
End of mission
File:STS-115 patch.jpg

STS-115 is the next space shuttle program mission and first to resume assembly of the International Space Station (ISS) following two "Return to Flight" test missions. The mission will use the Space Shuttle Atlantis. Launch is targeted for August 27 2006[1], with the launch window open until September 13 2006[1]. This mission is also referred to as ISS-12A by the ISS program. The key mission objective is to deliver the second left-side truss segment (ITS P3/P4), a pair of solar arrays (2A and 4A), and batteries.

STS-115 was originally supposed to have been flown in April 2003. However, the Columbia accident in January 2003 resulted in all flights being suspended until the cause of the accident was determined and dealt with. NASA subsequently launched two successful test flights, STS-114 and STS-121, to confirm the shuttle was ready to continue operations at the International Space Station.

In the event that a rescue mission becomes necessary, it will be designated STS-301 and carried out by Space Shuttle Discovery no earlier than November 11.

Crew

Mission parameters

Mission highlights

The primary mission objective is delivery and installation of the second left-side truss segment (ITS P3/P4), a pair of solar arrays, and associated batteries.

Canadian Space Agency astronaut MacLean will become the first Canadian to operate Canadarm2 and its Mobile Base in space as he is handed a new set of solar arrays from Tanner controlling the original Canadian robotic arm, the Canadarm. MacLean will perform two spacewalks during the 10-day mission.

Mission objectives

  • Delivery and installation of two truss segments (P3 and P4)
  • Delivery and deployment of two new solar arrays (4A and 2A)
  • Perform four spacewalks to connect truss segments, remove restraints on solar arrays, and prepare the station for the next assembly mission by STS-116

Current status

Atlantis is rolled over from the OPF

‎

Atlantis was rolled out from the Orbiter Processing Facility to the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) on July 24, 2006. It was lowered onto the Mobile Launcher Platform on July 26 and rolled out to Pad 39B in the early morning hours of August 2. The rollout was scheduled for July 31, but a storm in the vicinity of the Kennedy Space Center resulted in a delay of two days from fears of the orbiter being hit by lightning, which could cause immeasurable damage.

Atlantis on Launch Pad 39B on August 2.

On the weekend of August 5 to August 6, engineers completed a "flight readiness" check of the shuttle's main engines, which were deemed ready for launch. The crew arrived at the Kennedy Space Center August 7 for four days of launch rehearsals, including a practice countdown August 10.[2]

For the first time ever, NASA managers decided to move the STS-115 launch date forward to August 27 to obtain better lighting conditions to photograph the external tank.[3] The launch window is co-ordinated with the Soyuz TMA-9 launch in mid-September, which will deliver fresh supplies to the ISS crew. The Soyuz spacecraft cannot dock to the station while the space shuttle is there.[4]

Top NASA managers will hold a Flight Readiness Review (FRR) meeting August 15 and August 16 to finalize the launch date.[5] Foam loss from the external tank is expected to be a key issue at this meeting because on August 13, NASA announced there was an average amount of loss from the external tank of STS-121, the previous mission.[6] Columbia's demise was due to a piece of foam, shed from its external tank, striking the shuttle's left wing during launch and causing a hole that was breached during re-entry.

References

File:Sts115vab.jpg
Atlantis, shown in the VAB, ready to be mated to the external tank
  1. ^ a b "NASA's Shuttle and Rocket Missions - Launch Schedule". NASA. Retrieved July 24. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  2. ^ "Florida Today - The Flame Trench". Florida Today. Retrieved August 7. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  3. ^ "CBS News Space Place - STS-115 Status Report". CBS News. Retrieved August 3. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  4. ^ Post Mission Management Team (MMT) press briefing, following STS-121, on July 16, 2006
  5. ^ "Dress rehearsal Thursday for Atlantis". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved August 11. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  6. ^ "Foam still a key concern for shuttle launch". New Scientist SPACE. Retrieved August 13. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)

See also

Further reading

Wikimedia Commons has media related to STS-115.
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