 Departing view of the ISS fromDiscovery, with the station's fourth and final set of solar arrays installed | |
| Names | Space Transportation System-119 |
|---|---|
| Mission type | ISS assembly |
| Operator | NASA |
| COSPAR ID | 2009-012A |
| SATCATno. | 34541 |
| Mission duration | 12 days, 19 hours, 29 minutes, 33 seconds[1] |
| Distance travelled | 8,609,790km (5,349,419 miles) |
| Orbits completed | 202[1] |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft | Space Shuttle Discovery |
| Launch mass | 120,859 kilograms (266,448 lb)[2] |
| Landing mass | 91,166 kilograms (200,986 lb) |
| Payload mass | 29,693kg (65,461lb) |
| Crew | |
| Crew size | 7 |
| Members | |
| Launching | |
| Landing | |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | March 15, 2009, 23:43 (2009-03-15UTC23:43Z) UTC[3] |
| Launch site | Kennedy,LC-39A |
| End of mission | |
| Landing date | March 28, 2009, 19:13 (2009-03-28UTC19:14Z) UTC[1] |
| Landing site | Kennedy,SLF Runway 15 |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric |
| Regime | Low Earth |
| Perigee altitude | 385 kilometres (208 nmi) |
| Apogee altitude | 402 kilometres (217 nmi) |
| Inclination | 51.6 degrees |
| Period | 91.6 minutes |
| Docking withISS | |
| Docking port | PMA-2 (Harmony forward) |
| Docking date | March 17, 2009, 21:20 UTC |
| Undocking date | March 25, 2009, 19:53 UTC |
| Time docked | 7 days, 22 hours, 33 minutes |
  Front row (L–R) Antonelli, Archambault. Back row (L–R) Acaba, Phillips, Swanson, Arnold and Wakata. | |
STS-119 (ISS assembly flight 15A) was aSpace Shuttle mission to theInternational Space Station (ISS) which was flown bySpace ShuttleDiscovery during March 2009. It was Discovery's 36th flight. It delivered and assembled the fourth starboardIntegrated Truss Segment (S6), and the fourth set of solar arrays and batteries to the station. The launch took place on March 15, 2009, at 19:43 EDT.[3][4][5]Discovery successfully landed on March 28, 2009, at 15:13 pm EDT.[1][6]
| Position[7] | Launching Astronaut | Landing Astronaut |
|---|---|---|
| Commander |  Lee ArchambaultSecond and last spaceflight | |
| Pilot | Dominic A. Antonelli First spaceflight | |
| Mission Specialist 1 | Joseph M. Acaba First spaceflight | |
| Mission Specialist 2 Flight Engineer | Steven Swanson Second spaceflight | |
| Mission Specialist 3 | Richard R. Arnold First spaceflight | |
| Mission Specialist 4 | John L. Phillips Third and last spaceflight | |
| Mission Specialist 5 |  Koichi Wakata,JAXAExpedition 18/19/20 Third spaceflight | Sandra Magnus Expedition 18 Second spaceflight |
This mission was originally scheduled to bring theExpedition 9 crew to the ISS. This crew would have consisted of:
| Position | Launching Astronaut | Landing Astronaut |
|---|---|---|
| Commander | Steven Lindsey | |
| Pilot | Mark Kelly | |
| Mission Specialist 1 | Michael L. Gernhardt | |
| Mission Specialist 2 Flight Engineer | Carlos I. Noriega | |
| Mission Specialist 3 | Gennady Padalka,RKA Expedition 9 ISS Commander | Michael Foale Expedition 8 ISS Commander |
| Mission Specialist 4 | Michael Fincke Expedition 9 ISS Flight Engineer | Bill McArthur Expedition 8 ISS Flight Engineer |
| Mission Specialist 5 | Oleg Kononenko,RKA Expedition 9 ISS Flight Engineer | Valery Tokarev,RKA Expedition 8 ISS Flight Engineer |
STS-119 delivered theS6 solar arrays to thespace station, completing the construction of theIntegrated Truss Structure.[8] STS-119 also carried several experiments, including the Shuttle Ionospheric Modification with Pulsed Local EXhaust (SIMPLEX), Shuttle Exhaust Ion Turbulence Experiments (SEITE), and Maui Analysis of Upper Atmospheric Injections (MAUI).STS-119 was also used for the "Boundary Layer Transition Detailed Test Objective" experiment. One tile of the thermal protection system was raised 0.25 inches (6.4 mm) above the others so that, at aboutMach 15 during reentry, aboundary layer transition would be initiated.[9] This experiment was repeated duringSTS-128 with the tile raised to 0.35 inches (8.9 mm), tripping at Mach 18 to produce more heat.
| Location | Cargo | Mass |
|---|---|---|
| Bays 1–2 | Orbiter Docking System EMU 3017 / EMU 3006 | 1,800 kilograms (4,000 lb) ~260 kilograms (570 lb) |
| Bay 3P | Shuttle Power Distribution Unit (SPDU) | ~17 kilograms (37 lb) |
| Bays 3–13 | S6 Truss | 14,088 kilograms (31,059 lb) |
| Starboard Sill | Orbiter Boom Sensor System | ~382 kilograms (842 lb) |
| Port Sill | Canadarm 202 | 410 kilograms (900 lb) |
| Total: | 16,957 kilograms (37,384 lb) |
| Seat[10] | Launch | Landing |  Seats 1–4 are on the flight deck. Seats 5–7 are on the mid-deck. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Archambault | ||
| 2 | Antonelli | ||
| 3 | Acaba | ||
| 4 | Swanson | ||
| 5 | Arnold | ||
| 6 | Phillips | ||
| 7 | Wakata | Magnus | |
Space Shuttle Discovery moved from itsOrbiter Processing Facility to theVehicle Assembly Building on January 7, 2009.[11] The payload of the S6 truss segment, solar arrays and batteries were delivered toLaunch pad 39A on January 11.[12]Discovery moved to the launch pad 39A on January 14, 2009. The move began at 05:17 EST, and was completed at 12:16 EST.[13]
The STS-119 crew was atKennedy Space Center from January 19–22, 2009 for theTerminal Countdown Demonstration Test.[14] On January 21–22, 2009, mission managers met for the program level Flight Readiness Review (FRR). Following the FRR, mission managers recommended evaluating the hydrogen flow control valves onDiscovery, and set a new target launch date of February 19, 2009.[15]
Due to the breakage of one of three flowcontrol valves on the previous flight,STS-126, the flow valves of all orbiters were subjected to tests to determine ifDiscovery was safe to fly.[16] These valves are used to synchronize the flow ofgaseous hydrogen between theexternal fuel tank and themain engines, creating an even flow.[17] Following the testing of the valves, mission managers decided to postpone the launch, and engineers were asked to replace the suspect flow valves with valves that had less flight time.[18]
Following the replacement of the valves, the Mission Management Team gave the approval for launch, and scheduled it for March 11, 2009.[19] The astronauts arrived at the Kennedy Space Center on March 8, 2009, to prepare for launch. The March 11, 2009, launch was scrubbed due to a leak in a liquid hydrogen vent line between the shuttle and the external tank.[20] On March 15, 2009, the shuttle successfully lifted off from pad 39A.[3][21] The leak problem manifested itself again duringSTS-127 which led to a thorough test. The root cause was found to be a misalignment in the GUCP (Ground Umbilical Carrier Plate) which was set right leading to a successful flight.
| Attempt | Planned | Result | Turnaround | Reason | Decision point | Weather go (%) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 11 Mar 2009, 9:20:14 pm | Scrubbed | — | Technical | 11 Mar 2009, 2:37 pm | 95[22] | Leak in a liquid hydrogen vent line.[19] |
| 2 | 15 Mar 2009, 7:43:44 pm | Success | 3 days 22 hours 23 minutes | 100[23] |
Space ShuttleDiscovery launched on time at 19:43 EDT without any issues. Upon initial review of early ascent imagery, mission managers did not see anything out of the ordinary with debris at launch. "We didn't see anything at all in the first quick look," notedBill Gerstenmaier, Associate Administrator for Space Operations, during the post-launch news conference.[24] "I've seen a lot of launches," commented Launch DirectorMichael D. Leinbach during the conference, "and this was the most visibly beautiful launch I've ever seen."[3][24] After reaching orbit, the STS-119 crew got to work on their orbit operations, opening the payload bay doors, deploying theKu band antenna, and activating and checking out the shuttle'srobotic arm.[3][21] The crew also downlinked the imagery taken of the external tank separation.
During the countdown abat was seen to be resting on the external tank.[25] What was originally believed to be afruit bat was revealed to have been afree-tailed bat that clung onto the fuel tank during the launch. NASA observers had believed the bat would fly off once the shuttle started to launch, but it did not, and continued to remain on the external tank as the shuttle lifted off.[26] It was probably shaken off and incinerated by the rocket exhaust. A bat doctor, analyzing pictures, believed the bat had a broken wing which made it unable to fly off.[27]
Following the crew's wakeup call, the members of STS-119 set to work on the day's task of inspectingDiscovery'sthermal protection system.[28][29] Using the shuttle'srobotic arm and theOrbiter Boom Sensor System (OBSS), the crew performed the five-hour inspection, and the images and video from the survey would be reviewed by the image analysis team on the ground.[28] In preparation for docking with the space station on flight day three, the crew performed a checkout of thespacesuits that would be used during the mission, as well as extending the ring of theorbital docking system, and installing the docking system's centerline camera.[28]
Initial review of the flight ascent imagery indicated no major problems with foam loss or debris strikes to the orbiter. During the day's Mission Management Team briefing, chairmanLeRoy Cain noted that the launch was "picture perfect" and the orbiter was in excellent condition.[30] Cain also noted that after an initial review of the telemetry from the launch, the hydrogen flow control valves performed as expected, with no issues seen.[30]
The crew ofDiscovery got to work in the morning preparing for rendezvous and docking with the space station.[31][32][33] After performing therendezvous pitch maneuver (RPM) to allow the Expedition 18 crew to photograph the underside of the orbiter,Discovery successfully docked with the station at 21:20 UTC.[31] Following hatch leak checks, the hatches were opened at 23:09 UTC.[31] After greeting each other, the crews had a mandatory station safety briefing, and then set to work with initial transfers, including the exchange of Magnus'Soyuz seat liner for Wakata's. The swap of the seat liners marked Wakata officially joining the Expedition 18 crew as flight engineer, and Magnus became a mission specialist for STS-119.[31][32][33]
During the Mission Status briefing, Lead Flight Director Paul Dye commended Archambault on a picture perfect docking.[33] Dye said that no major issues or anomalies were being tracked, but noted that the image analysis team was still working on ascent imagery, and would be reviewing the RPM imagery before making a decision as to whetherDiscovery would require a focused inspection.[33]
Following the crew's post-sleep activities, the two crews set to work preparing for the next day's spacewalk, by moving the S6 truss out ofDiscovery's payload bay. Due to clearance restrictions, the station'srobotic arm was not able to perform the move by itself, so a series of 'handoffs' were performed to prepare the truss for installation.[34] Phillips and Magnus controlled the station's arm, grappled the truss and moved it into a position where the shuttle'srobotic arm, operated by Antonelli, could take possession.[34]
The station arm was then moved along themobile base to a work site on the far right side, closer to the installation point. The shuttle's robotic arm then handed the truss back to the station's arm, where it remained overnight.[34][35]
The crews took part in a media event with Channel One News, and performed a review of the procedures for the first EVA. Mission Specialists Swanson and Arnold spent the night in theQuest airlockcamping out in a reduced-nitrogen atmosphere, a standard procedure designed for spacewalkers to prevent decompression symptoms.[35][36]
During the Mission Management Team briefing, Lead ISS Flight DirectorKwatsi Alibaruho noted that the imagery specialists with the Damage Assessment Team had completed the initial review of the launch and flight day 2 photography, and a focused inspection of the orbiter would not be required.[34][35]
The two crews set to work following their wake up call, preparing for the first spacewalk of the mission. Swanson and Arnold exited theQuest airlock at 16:22 UTC to begin the installation of the S6 truss segment.[37][38] Once Swanson and Arnold were in position, Phillips and Wakata remotely controlled the station's robotic arm, maneuvering the truss into its final position. Swanson and Arnold then bolted the truss into place, and connected power and data cables, which allowed the ground team to begin remote activation of the segment.[38] The two spacewalkers also removed launch locks, stowed a keel pin, removed and jettisoned four thermal covers, and deployed the blanket boxes that hold the solar arrays in place during launch.[34][39] The spacewalk ended at 21:11 UTC, for a total time of 6 hours, 7 minutes.[34]
Initially scheduled for flight day 8, managers on the ground decided to move up the deployment of the solar arrays, following the decision that a focused inspection would not be required. It was decided that the deployment of the arrays would be performed on flight day 6, prior to the mission's second spacewalk, in case any issues arose that required a spacewalk to resolve.[38]
As part of the re-planning for the mission, the crews set to work in the morning deploying the solar wings on the S6 truss.[40][41] To prepare for the extension of the arrays, the station was maneuvered into a position that allowed constant sunlight to hit the arrays, which allowed them to warm up and prevent what the mission team calls 'stiction', or a sticky friction that happens after the arrays have been in storage for an extended period of time.[41]
The unfurling of the arrays started at 15:06 UTC, beginning with the channel 1B array. Commanding the unit from the station, Philips paused at the halfway point, and allowed the array to rest in the sun for approximately 45 minutes, and then completed the extension.[42] After successfully extending the 1B array, the astronauts started the 3B array extension at 16:35 UTC. The 3B array was expected to be more difficult to extend, as it had been packed in the blanket box for eight years.[40] As with the first, a pause at halfway was performed to allow the arrays to heat up in the sun. While some stiction was seen, once the final extension began all the slats flattened out, and the arrays were fully deployed at 17:17 UTC.[42] The addition of the final set of solar panels brings the station's power output to 120kilowatts, and doubles the scientific power to 30 kilowatts.[41] The station's surface area of the arrays is just under one acre, or 38,400 square feet.[41]
Later in the day, Fincke, Lonchakov, Wakata and Magnus participated in a media event withReuters,Voice of America, and thePittsburgh Post-Gazette.[43]
During the Mission Status briefing, Alibaruho expressed how pleased the teams on the ground were with the successful deployment of the arrays, and commended the crew on the deployment activities.[40] Mission Management Team Chairman LeRoy Cain noted that the team was working on a revised timetable to allow critical experiment samples to return to Earth safely. The samples need to be kept in a cold environment, and in the event weather delayed the landing, the team evaluated the best way to preserve the samples. The team approved a revised flight plan that allowsDiscovery to delay hatch closure and undocking slightly, to allow the samples to be kept inside the station's freezer longer, while still protecting the landing date of March 28.[40] Instead of closing the hatch the night before undocking, the hatch would be closed on the same day, flight day eleven.[40]
It was a truly fantastic day in space. The International Space Station team and its partnerships are on cloud nine with the completion of the integrated truss assembly, as well as the finalization of our electrical power grid on the space station. It took years to get here. We had some struggles along the way, but it's a major accomplishment for NASA and the partnership team.[40]
— Dan Hartman, Space Station Mission Management Team Chairman
Swanson and Acaba began the second spacewalk at 16:51 UTC. They loosened bolts, installed foot restraints and prepared tools so that theSTS-127 spacewalkers could more easily change out the Port 6 truss batteries later this year. On the JapaneseKibo laboratory they installed a secondGlobal Positioning Satellite antenna. They photographed areas of radiator panels extended from the Port 1 and Starboard 1 trusses and reconfigured connectors at a patch panel on the Zenith 1 truss that power Control MomentGyroscopes. After struggling with a pin that kept anUnpressurized Cargo Carrier Attachment System (UCCAS) from fully deploying, they tied UCCAS safely in place. The spacewalk ended at 23:21 UTC, for a time of six hours and thirty minutes.[44]
At 20:31 UTC,Discovery rotated the shuttle-station complex 180 degrees, to avoid a piece of orbital debris. At 23:23,Discovery began rotating the station back to normal attitude, with the shuttle in 'back'.
Fincke continued to work on the Urine Processor Assembly, while Acaba and Arnold entered theQuest Airlock to prepare for the mission's third spacewalk.[45]
Acaba and Arnold completed the mission's third spacewalk. They helped robotic arm operators relocate the Crew Equipment Translation Aid (CETA) cart from the Port 1 to Starboard 1 truss segment, installed a new coupler on the CETA cart, and lubricated snares on the space station's robotic arm.
They were unable to deploy the Port 3 unpressurized cargo carrier attachment system (UCCAS). They secured the UCCAS in place until engineers can evaluate the problem. Mission Control cancelled the installation of a similar payload attachment system on the starboard side. The port UCCAS was deployed successfully duringSTS-127 by releasing the stuck pin with a custom made tool.
The spacewalk lasted six hours, 27 minutes. It began at 15:37 UTC and concluded at 22:04 UTC.[46]
At 17:05 UTC, all crew members aboardDiscovery and the space station gathered in the station'sHarmony module and spoke to the President of the United States, members of theUnited States Congress, and students during a joint news conference.[47]
Crew members from space shuttleDiscovery and the International Space Station closed their respective hatches at 17:59 UTC. The Space Shuttle undocked from the International Space Station at 19:53 UTC.[48]
Antonelli used the shuttle's robotic arm to grapple the Orbiter Boom Sensor System enabling the cameras and laser sensors to scanDiscovery for signs of damage from orbital debris.[49]
The crew stowed items in the crew cabin and completed a check out the orbiter's flight control surfaces.[50]
Following the wake up call, the crew on boardDiscovery got to work preparing for entry. After the first landing opportunity was waved off due to high wind concerns, the team on the ground gave the crew a 'go' to proceed with the second opportunity.[1] Following the deorbit burn, the orbiter landed successfully at 15:13 EDT.[1]
Threespacewalks were scheduled and completed during STS-119. The cumulative time in extra-vehicular activity during the mission was 19 hours and 4 minutes.
| EVA | Spacewalkers | Start (UTC) | End (UTC) | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EVA 1 | Steven R. Swanson Richard R. Arnold | March 19, 2009 17:16 | March 19, 2009 23:23 | 6 hours, 7 minutes |
| Installed theStarboard 6 (S6) truss to theS5 truss, connected S5/S6 umbilicals, released launch restraints, removed keel pins, stored and removed thermal covers, and deployed the S6 photovoltaic radiator.[51][52][53] | ||||
| EVA 2 | Swanson Joseph M. Acaba | March 21, 2009 16:51 | March 21, 2009 23:21 | 6 hours, 30 minutes |
| Advanced preparation of a worksite forSTS-127, partial installation of an unpressurized cargo carrier attachment system on theP3 truss, installation of aGlobal Positioning Systemantenna to theKibo laboratory, infrared imagery of panels of the radiators on theP1 and S1 trusses.[54][55] | ||||
| EVA 3 | Acaba Arnold | March 23, 2009 15:37 | March 23, 2009 22:04 | 6 hours, 27 minutes |
| Relocation of a crew equipment cart, lubrication of station arm grapple snares, attempted deployment of a cargo carrier.[56] | ||||
A tradition for NASA human spaceflights since the days ofGemini, 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.[57][58]
| Flight Day | Song | Artist | Played for | Links |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Day 2 | "Free Bird" | Lynyrd Skynyrd | Tony Antonelli | WAVMP3TRANSCRIPT |
| Day 3 | ""Radio Exercise"" | Tokyo Broadcast Children's Choir | Koichi Wakata | WAVMP3TRANSCRIPT |
| Day 4 | "I Walk the Line" | Johnny Cash | Steven Swanson | WAVMP3TRANSCRIPT |
| Day 5 | "Que Bonita Bandera" | Florencio Morales Ramos, performed by Jose Gonzalez and Banda Criolla | Joe Acaba | WAVMP3TRANSCRIPT |
| Day 6 | "Box of Rain" | Grateful Dead | John Phillips | WAVMP3TRANSCRIPT |
| Day 7 | "In a Little While" | Pilgrim & Trout | Richard Arnold | WAVMP3TRANSCRIPT |
| Day 8 | "Alive Again" | Chicago | Lee Archambault | WAVMP3TRANSCRIPT |
| Day 9 | "Ain't Nobody Here but Us Chickens" | Louis Jordan | Steven Swanson | WAVMP3TRANSCRIPT |
| Day 10 | "Andrew's Song" | Treestump (Phillips' daughter's band) | John Phillips | WAVMP3TRANSCRIPT |
| Day 11 | "Dirty Water" | The Standells | Tony Antonelli | WAVMP3TRANSCRIPT |
| Day 12 | "Enter Sandman" | Metallica | Joe Acaba | WAVMP3TRANSCRIPT |
| Day 13 | "Bright Side of the Road" | Van Morrison | Richard Arnold | WAVMP3TRANSCRIPT |
| Day 14 | "I Have a Dream" | ABBA | Sandra Magnus | WAVMP3TRANSCRIPT |
This article incorporatespublic domain material from websites or documents of theNational Aeronautics and Space Administration.
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