 Endeavour's Canadarm positionsZarya aboveUnity, immediately prior to mating | |
| Names | Space Transportation System-88 |
|---|---|
| Mission type | ISS assembly |
| Operator | NASA |
| COSPAR ID | 1998-069A |
| SATCATno. | 25549 |
| Mission duration | 11 days, 19 hours, 18 minutes, 47 seconds. |
| Distance travelled | 7,600,000 kilometers (4,700,000 mi) |
| Orbits completed | 186 |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft | Space Shuttle Endeavour |
| Launch mass | 119,715 kilograms (263,927 lb) |
| Landing mass | 90,853 kilograms (200,296 lb) |
| Payload mass | 28,862kg (63,652lb) |
| Crew | |
| Crew size | 6 |
| Members | |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 4 December 1998, 08:35:34 (1998-12-04UTC08:35:34Z) UTC[1] |
| Launch site | Kennedy,LC-39A |
| End of mission | |
| Landing date | 16 December 1998, 03:53 (1998-12-16UTC03:54Z) UTC |
| Landing site | Kennedy,SLF Runway 15 |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric |
| Regime | Low Earth |
| Perigee altitude | 388 kilometres (241 mi) |
| Apogee altitude | 401 kilometres (249 mi) |
| Inclination | 51.6 degrees |
| Period | 92.4 minutes |
| Docking withISS | |
| Docking port | Zarya forward (viaPMA-2,Unity andPMA-1) |
| Docking date | 7 December 1998, 02:07 UTC |
| Undocking date | 13 December 1998, 20:24 UTC |
| Time docked | 6 days, 18 hours 17 minutes |
  Left to right – Front: Krikalev, Currie; Back: Ross, Cabana, Sturckow, Newman | |
STS-88 was the firstSpace Shuttle mission to theInternational Space Station (ISS). It was flown by Space ShuttleEndeavour, and took the first American module, theUnity node, to the station.[2]
The seven-day mission was highlighted by the mating of the U.S.-builtUnity node to theFunctional Cargo Block (Zarya module) already in orbit, and three spacewalks to connect power and data transmission cables between the Node and the FGB.Zarya, built by Boeing and theRussian Space Agency, was launched on a RussianProton rocket from theBaikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan in November 1998.[1]
Other payloads on the STS-88 mission included the IMAX Cargo Bay Camera (ICBC), the Argentine Scientific Applications Satellite-S (SAC-A), the MightySat 1 Hitchhiker payload, the Space Experiment Module (SEM-07) andGetaway Special G-093 sponsored by theUniversity of Michigan.[3]
| Position | Astronaut | |
|---|---|---|
| Commander |  Robert D. CabanaFourth and last spaceflight | |
| Pilot | Frederick W. Sturckow First spaceflight | |
| Mission Specialist 1 | Jerry L. Ross Sixth spaceflight | |
| Mission Specialist 2 Flight Engineer | Nancy J. Currie Third spaceflight | |
| Mission Specialist 3 | James H. Newman Third spaceflight | |
| Mission Specialist 4 |  Sergei K. Krikalev,RKAFourth spaceflight | |
| Attempt | Planned | Result | Turnaround | Reason | Decision point | Weather go (%) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 Dec 1998, 3:58:19 am | Scrubbed | — | Technical | 3 Dec 1998, 4:03 am (T−00:00:19) | 40 | Master alarm due to hydraulic problem.[4] |
| 2 | 4 Dec 1998, 3:35:34 am | Success | 0 days 23 hours 37 minutes | 60[5] |
| Seat[6] | Launch | Landing |  Seats 1–4 are on the flight deck. Seats 5–7 are on the mid-deck. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cabana | ||
| 2 | Sturckow | ||
| 3 | Ross | Newman | |
| 4 | Currie-Gregg | ||
| 5 | Newman | Ross | |
| 6 | Krikalev | ||
| 7 | Unused | ||
Node 1, namedUnity, was the first space station hardware delivered by theSpace Shuttle. It has twoPressurized Mating Adapters (PMA), one attached to either end. One PMA (PMA-1) is permanently mated toZarya, and the other (PMA-2) is used for orbiter dockings and crew access to the station.Unity also contains an International Standard Payload Rack used to support on-orbit activities, which was activated after the fifth Shuttle/Station assembly flight.[1]
To begin the assembly sequence, the crew conducted a series of rendezvous maneuvers similar to those conducted on other Shuttle missions to reach the orbiting FGB. On the way, Currie used the Shuttle's robot arm to place Node 1 atop the Orbiter Docking System.[7][8] Cabana completed the rendezvous by flyingEndeavour to within 10 metres (33 ft) of the FGB, allowing Currie to capture the FGB with the robot arm and place it on the Node's Pressurized Mating Adapter.[9]
Once the two elements were docked, Ross and Newman conducted two scheduled spacewalks to connect power and data cables between the Node, PMAs and the FGB.[10] The day following the spacewalks,Endeavour undocked from the two components, completing the first Space Station assembly mission.[11][12]
Endeavour's astronauts toured the new International Space Station on Thursday, 10 December 1998, entering theUnity andZarya modules for the first time, and establishing an S-band communications system that enables U.S. flight controllers to monitor the outpost's systems.[13][14] Reflecting the international cooperation involved in building the largest space complex in history, CommanderRobert Cabana and Russian CosmonautSergei Krikalev opened the hatch to the U.S.-built Unity connecting module and floated into the new station together.[14]
The rest of the crew followed and began turning on lights and unstowing gear in the roomy hub to which other modules would be connected in the future. Each passageway withinUnity was marked by a sign leading the way into tunnels to which new modules would later be connected.[14]
About an hour later,Robert Cabana andSergei Krikalev opened the hatch to the Russian-builtZarya control module, which was the nerve center for the station in its embryonic stage. Joined by PilotFrederick Sturckow and Mission SpecialistsJerry Ross,James H. Newman andNancy Currie, Cabana and Krikalev hailed the historic entrance into the International Space Station and said the hatch opening signified the start of a new era in space exploration.[14]
Ross and Newman went right to work inUnity, completing the assembly of an early S-band communications system that allows flight controllers inHouston to send commands toUnity's systems and to keep tabs on the health of the station with a more extensive communications capability than exists through Russian ground stations.[14] The astronauts also conducted a successful test of the videoconferencing capability of the early communications system, which was used by the first crew to permanently occupy the station in November 2000 (Expedition 1). Newman downlinked greetings to controllers in the station flight control room in Houston and to astronautBill Shepherd, who commanded the first crew and lived aboard the station with Krikalev and CosmonautYuri Gidzenko.[citation needed]
Krikalev and Currie replaced a faulty unit inZarya which controlled the discharging of stored energy from one of the module's six batteries. The battery had not been working properly in its automatic configuration, but the new unit was functioning normally shortly after it was installed.[citation needed]
The astronauts also unstowed hardware and logistical supplies stored behind panels inZarya, relocating the items for use by the Shuttle crew that was to visit the station in May 1999 and by Shepherd's expedition crew. The astronauts also completed their initial outfitting of the station.[citation needed]
The hatches toZarya andUnity were closed beforeEndeavour undocked from the new station, leaving the new complex to orbit the Earth unpiloted.[15]
At 12:15 amEST on Monday, 23 June 1997, anAir ForceC-5 air cargo plane arrived at theShuttle Landing Facility carryingUnity (Node 1).[16] On 1 February 1998,Endeavour was towed toOrbiter Processing Facility Bay 1.[17] On 15 October 1998,Endeavour was moved from Orbiter Processing Facility Bay 1 to theVehicle Assembly Building.[18] On 21 October 1998,Endeavour was transported atop theCrawler Transporter toKennedy Space Center'sLaunch Pad 39A.[19]
Space ShuttleEndeavour launched at 3:35:34 amEST from theKennedy Space Center'sLaunch Pad 39A. STS-88 was the first shuttle flight to theInternational Space Station. After launch, the crew opened the shuttle's payload bay doors, deployed theKu-Bandantenna, and activated the shuttle's Hitchhiker payload. The crew also started preparing for the multiple engine firings that will be performed to bring shuttleEndeavour within theShuttle Remote Manipulator System's reach of theZarya FGB. At launch,Zarya was 240 statute miles above the Kennedy Space Center (KSC), and the module was on its 222nd orbit of the Earth since its launch.[20]
On Flight Day 2, the crew ofEndeavour performed several tasks to get ready for the docking on Sunday and theextra-vehicular activities (EVA) to be completed on the mission.Nancy Currie conducted a photo survey ofUnity andEndeavour's payload bay, using the shuttle's robotic arm,Canadarm.Jerry Ross andJim Newman checked out the spacesuits they would use on the three EVAs and prepared the shuttle'sairlock for use during the spacewalks.Rick Sturckow, who would be choreographing the EVAs from inside the shuttle, joined Ross and Newman to check out theSAFER units to be worn during the spacewalks in case Ross or Newman were to become separated fromEndeavour during one of the spacewalks.[21]
On Flight Day 3,Currie usedCanadarm to grapple and placeUnity onto theOrbiter Docking System at 6:45 pmEST. The crew pressurizedPMA-2 and entered it. They put several caps over vent valves to prepare for the entrance intoUnity later in the week. CommanderBob Cabana performed a debris avoidance maneuver to moveEndeavour out of the way of a casing from aDelta II rocket that launched on 6 November fromVandenberg Air Force Base in California.[7]
On Flight Day 4,Bob Cabana firedEndeavour's rockets several times to maneuver the shuttle withinCanadarm's reach of theZarya FGB. At 6:47 pmEST,Currie grappledZarya. Later, at 9:07 pmEST, Cabana firedEndeavour's downward jets to bring the two modules together.[22]
During a 7-hour, 21-minutespacewalk, astronautsJerry Ross andJim Newman helped activate theUnity node, the first module to the U.S. segment of theInternational Space Station. They connected 40 connectors and cables running along the 35-ton, 76-foot-tall (23 m) space station. At 10:49 pmEST, flight controllers in Houston sawUnity's systems come on.[10]
On the 6th day ofEndeavour's STS-88 mission, Mission SpecialistsJerry Ross andJim Newman relaxed after their long spacewalk on Flight Day 5. Ross, Newman,Nancy Currie, andSergei Krikalev prepared equipment for Flight Day 7's EVA. CommanderBob Cabana and PilotRick Sturckow firedEndeavour's main reaction control system jets for 22 minutes to raise theISS approximately 51⁄2 statute miles. The crew conducted interviews withABC News,Discovery Channel, andMSNBC.[23]
At 3:33 pmEST, Mission SpecialistsJerry Ross andJim Newman commenced on a 7-hour, 2-minuteEVA to continue the installation ofUnity. The two spacewalkers first installed two antennas on the outside ofUnity. The astronauts also removed launch restraint pins on the four radialcommon berthing mechanisms ofUnity. They installed covers onUnity's two data relay boxes to protect them from sunlight. Lastly, Newman freed a backup rendezvous system antenna on theZarya FGB.[24]
Flight Day 8 was a historic day as theInternational Space Station was opened for the first time on orbit. At 2:54 pmEST, CommanderBob Cabana andRussianCosmonautSergei Krikalev opened the hatch to theUnity Node of the new International Space Station. The other members of the crew started unstowing gear and turning on the lights. At 4:12 pmEST, Cabana and Krikalev opened the hatch intoZarya.Jerry Ross andJim Newman assembled a S-band communications system inUnity, and Krikalev andNancy Currie replaced a problematic battery discharging unit inZarya.[13]
On Flight Day 9, PilotRick Sturckow and Mission SpecialistNancy Currie continued unstowing hardware inUnity. After turning off the lights, the crew later closed the hatches toZarya andUnity. The crew prepared for the mission's third and final spacewalk on Flight Day 10.Endeavour's crew also conducted interviews withCNN andCBS News.[25]
At 3:33 pmEST,astronautsJerry Ross andJim Newman commenced on a 6-hour, 59-minuteEVA to finish the installation of theUnity Node toZarya. The two stowed tools on the side ofUnity to prepare for the spacewalks onSTS-96, the next mission to theISS. Ross also freed another antenna onZarya, similar to the one Newman freed on EVA-2. The spacewalkers also tested the redesignedSAFER jet packs, to be used in the event an astronaut became separated from the spacecraft during a spacewalk. After the EVA, PilotRick Sturckow depressurized the vestibule betweenEndeavour and PMA-2 to prepare for the undocking of the two spacecraft on Flight Day 11.[26]
On Flight Day 11,Space ShuttleEndeavour undocked from theInternational Space Station. At 3:25 pmEST, PilotRick Sturckow backedEndeavour 450 feet (140 m) away from the station and started a nose-forward fly-around of the station, so that the crew could take pictures of the space station. At 4:49 pmEST,Sturckow performed a final separation burn. Later, the crew deployed SAC-A, a small satellite for theArgentinean National Commission of Space Activities.[27]
On the last full day on orbit, the crew deployed a smallAir Forcesatellite calledMightySat-1. The crew tested the orbiter's aerosurfaces and steering jets to be used on landing day and stowed equipment.[28]
Flight Day 13 was landing day forSpace ShuttleEndeavour and its crew of six. At 7:07 pmEST, the orbiter's payload bay doors were closed for entry.Flight Director John Shannon gave the go for the crew to fire theorbital maneuvering system engines for the deorbit burn at 9:46 pmEST so thatEndeavour could slow down to enter theEarth's atmosphere. At 10:54 pmEST,Endeavour and crew landed on theKennedy Space Center's Runway 15.Endeavour wrapped up a 4.7 million mile mission, and the first to theInternational Space Station.[29]
Threeextra-vehicular activity (EVA) spacewalks were scheduled and completed during STS-88.[citation needed]
| Spacewalkers | Start (UTC) | End (UTC) | Duration | Mission | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EVA 1 | Jerry L. Ross James H. Newman | 7 December 1998 22:10 | 8 December 1998 05:31 | 7 hours, 21 minutes | BeganUnity installation. |
| EVA 2 | Ross Newman | 9 December 1998 20:33 | 10 December 1998 03:35 | 7 hours, 02 minutes | ContinuedUnity installation. |
| EVA 3 | Ross Newman | 12 December 1998 20:33 | 13 December 1998 03:32 | 6 hours, 59 minutes | Completion ofUnity installation. |
NASA began a tradition of playing music to astronauts during theGemini program, and first used music to wake up a flight crew duringApollo 15.Each track is specially chosen, often by the astronauts' families, and usually has a special meaning to an individual member of the crew, or is applicable to their daily activities.[30]
| Flight Day | Song | Artist | Played for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Day 2 | "Get Ready" | The Temptations | |
| Day 3 | "Anchors Aweigh" | Charles A. Zimmermann | |
| Day 4 | "Over the Rainbow" | Judy Garland | Robert D. Cabana |
| Day 5 | "Jerry the Rigger" | old Celtic song | Jerry L. Ross |
| Day 6 | "Streets of Bakersfield" | Dwight Yoakam | Frederick W. Sturckow |
| Day 7 | "Floating in the Bathtub" | James H. Newman | |
| Day 8 | "God Bless the U.S.A." | Lee Greenwood | Nancy J. Currie-Gregg |
| Day 9 | "Trepak" | Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky | Sergei Krikalev |
| Day 10 | "Hound Dog" | Elvis Presley | |
| Day 11 | "Goodnite, Sweetheart, Goodnite" | The Spaniels | |
| Day 12 | "I Got You (I Feel Good)" | James Brown | "In honor of the good feelings evoked by this successful first International Space Station Assembly mission." |
| Day 13 | "Ride of the Valkyries" | Richard Wagner |
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