 Kibō's pressurized module, two days after its installation, withDiscovery in the background | |
| Names | Space Transportation System-124 |
|---|---|
| Mission type | ISS assembly |
| Operator | NASA |
| COSPAR ID | 2008-027A |
| SATCATno. | 32960 |
| Mission duration | 13 days, 18 hours, 13 minutes 7 seconds |
| Distance travelled | 9,230,622.6 kilometers (5,735,643.0 mi) |
| Orbits completed | 217 |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft | Space Shuttle Discovery |
| Launch mass | 122,072 kilograms (269,123 lb) |
| Landing mass | 92,220 kilograms (203,320 lb) |
| Payload mass | 17530 kg[1] |
| Crew | |
| Crew size | 7 |
| Members | |
| Launching | |
| Landing | |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | May 31, 2008, 21:02:12 (2008-05-31UTC21:02:12Z) UTC[2] |
| Launch site | Kennedy,LC-39A |
| End of mission | |
| Landing date | June 14, 2008, 15:15:19 (2008-06-14UTC15:15:20Z) UTC[3] |
| Landing site | Kennedy,SLF Runway 15 |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric |
| Regime | Low Earth |
| Perigee altitude | 307 kilometres (166 nmi) |
| Apogee altitude | 328 kilometres (177 nmi) |
| Inclination | 51.6 degrees |
| Period | 91 minutes |
| Docking withISS | |
| Docking port | PMA-2 (Harmony forward) |
| Docking date | June 2, 2008, 18:03 UTC |
| Undocking date | June 11, 2008, 11:42 UTC |
| Time docked | 8 days, 17 hours, 39 minutes |
  From left to right: Chamitoff, Fossum, Ham, Kelly, Nyberg, Garan and Hoshide | |
STS-124 was the 35th mission ofSpace ShuttleDiscovery. It went to theInternational Space Station on this mission.Discovery launched on May 31, 2008, at 17:02EDT, moved from an earlier scheduled launch date of May 25, 2008,[4] and landed safely at theKennedy Space Center'sShuttle Landing Facility, at 11:15 EDT on June 14, 2008. Its objective was to deliver the largest module of the space station –Kibō, theJapanese Experiment Module pressurized section. The mission is also referred to asISS-1J by the ISS program.
| Position[5] | Launching Astronaut | Landing Astronaut |
|---|---|---|
| Commander |  Mark KellyThird spaceflight | |
| Pilot | Kenneth Ham First spaceflight | |
| Mission Specialist 1 | Karen Nyberg First spaceflight | |
| Mission Specialist 2 Flight Engineer | Ronald J. Garan Jr. First spaceflight | |
| Mission Specialist 3 | Michael E. Fossum Second spaceflight | |
| Mission Specialist 4 |  Akihiko Hoshide,JAXAFirst spaceflight | |
| Mission Specialist 5 | Gregory Chamitoff Expedition 17 First spaceflight ISS Flight Engineer | Garrett Reisman Expedition 17 First spaceflight ISS Flight Engineer |
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"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]
STS-124 delivered the Pressurized Module (PM) of theJapanese Experiment Module (JEM), calledKibō, to the International Space Station (ISS).Kibō was berthed to theHarmony module and the pressurized section of the JEM Experiment Logistics Module, brought up by theSTS-123 crew, was moved fromHarmony to the JEM-PM. TheJapanese Remote Manipulator System, a robotic arm, was also delivered by STS-124 and attached toKibō. The entireKibō laboratory was brought up over three missions. All the modules were manufactured at theTsukuba Space Center and were shipped to the KSCSSPF for launch processing. It is manufactured from stainless steel and titanium.
Discovery carried with it replacement parts in a mid-deck locker for a malfunctioningtoilet 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 ofBuzz Lightyear, a fictional character in theToy Story franchise. Ken Ham, pilot of the STS-124 mission, brought with him episodes of ESPN Radio'sMike and Mike in the Morning, and a plastic microphone stand with the ESPN logo on it. Along with those, a yellow jersey fromLance Armstrong's record-setting seven victories at the Tour de France bicycle race, the backup jerseyEli Manning took to the Super Bowl, and the last jersey that American Major League Baseball'sCraig Biggio wore in a game were placed inside the orbiter's lockers.[11]
With the completion of STS-124, the next permanent pressurized module would not be delivered to the ISS by a Space Shuttle untilSTS-130 brought upTranquility in February 2010.
| Seat[12] | Launch | Landing |  Seats 1–4 are on the flight deck. Seats 5–7 are on the mid-deck. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kelly | ||
| 2 | Ham | ||
| 3 | Nyberg | ||
| 4 | Garan | ||
| 5 | Fossum | ||
| 6 | Hoshide | ||
| 7 | Chamitoff | Reisman | |
The mission marked:[13]
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On April 26, 2008Discovery was rolled over to theVehicle Assembly Building (VAB) from its processing bay in theOrbiter Processing Facility. Once in the VAB it was lifted vertically and mated with itsexternal tank andsolid rocket boosters on April 28, 2008. At the end of a week-long prep schedule on May 2, 2008, at 23:47EDT the stack was rolled out tolaunch pad 39A on top theMobile Launch Platform. Carried by theCrawler Transporter,Discovery arrived and was secured atLC-39A on May 3, 2008, at 06:06EDT. The payload canister containing theJEM was rolled out to thePayload Changeout Room at the pad on April 29, 2008, and was later installed intoDiscovery's payload bay on May 5, 2008. The STS-124 crew arrived atKennedy Space Center on May 6, 2008, for the 3-dayTerminal Countdown Demonstration Test and returned toJohnson 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 Space ShuttleDiscovery launched from theKennedy Space Center at 17:02 EDT local time. Debris from the fuel tank was minimal.[14]
"While we've all prepared for this event today, the discoveries from Kibo will definitely offer hope for tomorrow," saidDiscovery's commander Mark Kelly just before launch. "Now stand by for the greatest show on Earth."[15]
One of the trenches at launch pad 39A that channels flames away from the shuttle during lift-off was significantly damaged.[16] The subsequent mishap investigation found that the damage was the result of carbonation of epoxy and corrosion of steel anchors which held the refractory bricks in place. These had been exacerbated by the fact thathydrochloric acid is an exhaust by-product of the solid rocket boosters.[17] Repairs to the trench were completed before theSTS-125 mission's then scheduled launch attempt on October 8, 2008.[18] In fact STS-125 finally launched in May 2009, and in the meantimeSTS-126 (November 2008) andSTS-119 (March 2009) had both been successfully launched from pad 39A.
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 prepareDiscovery' for arrival at the space station.[19]
Discovery docked with the space station at 18:03 UTC and the hatches opened at 19:36 UTC. Greg Chamitoff officially joined the Expedition 17 crew, replacing Garrett Reisman.[20]
Mike Fossum and Ron Garan completed a six-hour-forty-eight-minute spacewalk at 23:10 UTC. During the excursion, the pair retrieved theOrbiter Boom Sensor System, serviced and inspected components of aSolar Alpha Rotary Joint and prepared the JEM-PS component of theKibō 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 theHarmony node, completing the task at 23:01 UTC.[21]
The hatch to theKibō lab was opened at 21:05 UTC. The crew also repaired the malfunctioning ISStoilet.[22][23]
Fossum and Garan completed the second STS-124 spacewalk. The 7-hour, 11-minute excursion ended at 22:15 UTC.[24] 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."[25]
The crew moved theKibō Logistics Module fromHarmony to the Pressurized Module.[26]
Hoshide and Nyberg moved two of the six joints on the JapaneseKibō lab's robotic arm for the first time, maneuvering them very slightly with a series of commands.[27] With the mission at its midpoint astronaut Karen Nyberg commented that "the week has gone way too fast."[28]
Fossum and Garan conducted the third and final spacewalk, replacing an empty nitrogen tank and collecting a sample of debris from the solar array.[29]
Kibō's robot arm was extended to its full 33 feet, with all six joints tested. The astronauts also opened the hatch to theKibō's storage unit.[30]
The shuttle closed the hatch connecting it to the space station at 19:49 UTC.[31]
"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."[32]
Discovery undocked from the International Space Station'sHarmony Module, at 11:42 UTC.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."[33]
Afterwards the crew ofDiscovery 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 theKibō Pressurized Module.[34]
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 withMike Greenberg andMike Golic ofESPN, to be aired on their radio show,Mike and Mike in the Morning, the following morning onESPN Radio andESPN2.
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 rudder speed brake, and should pose no danger during landing.[35]
The crew worked through their lengthy list of deorbit preparations, which continued for most of the day. They closed the payload bay doors at 11:30 UTC, which took place without incident. All ofDiscovery's systems were nominal, and with the weather looking very good atKSC the deorbit burn took place on schedule at 14:10 UTC for landing on runway 15 at 15:15 UTC.[34]
At 12:00 UTC, 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 upDiscovery with the runway.
Threespacewalks were scheduled and completed during STS-124.[36] The cumulative time in extra-vehicular activity during the mission was 20 hours and 32 minutes.
| EVA | Spacewalkers | Start (UTC) | End (UTC) | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EVA 1 | Ronald J. Garan Jr. Michael E. Fossum | June 3, 2008 16:22 | June 3, 2008 23:10 | 6 hours, 48 minutes |
| Released straps on the shuttle's robotic arm elbow joint camera, transferred theOBSS back to shuttle. Prepared theJapanese Experiment Module, Pressurized Module (JEM-PM), namedKibō, for installation. Replaced a trundle bearing assembly on the starboard Solar Alpha Rotary Joint, and inspected damage on the SARJ.[37][21] | ||||
| EVA 2 | Garan Fossum | June 5, 2008 15:04 | June 5, 2008 22:15 | 7 hours, 11 minutes |
| Installed covers and external equipment toKibō, prepared for the relocation of ELM-PS. Prepared anitrogen tank assembly for removal, and the new tank was stowed on anExternal Stowage Platform to prepare for installation. Removed a television camera with failed power supply.[38] | ||||
| 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 theKibō laboratory. Reinstalled a television camera with a repaired power supply.[38] | ||||
NASA began a tradition of playing music to astronauts during theGemini program, which was first used to wake up a flight crew duringApollo 15.Each track is specially chosen, often by their families, and usually has a special meaning to an individual member of the crew, or is applicable to their daily activities.[39]
| Flight Day | Song | Artist/Composer | Played for | Links |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Day 2 | Your Wildest Dreams | the Moody Blues | Kenneth Ham | WAVMP3 TRANSCRIPT |
| Day 3 | Away from Home | José Molina Serrano | Greg Chamitoff | WAVMP3 TRANSCRIPT |
| Day 4 | Hold Me with the Robot Arm | Yusuke Hanawa | Akihiko Hoshide | WAVMP3 TRANSCRIPT |
| Day 5 | Have You Ever | Brandi Carlile | Karen Nyberg | WAVMP3 TRANSCRIPT |
| Day 6 | Fly Away | Lenny Kravitz | Ron Garan | WAVMP3 TRANSCRIPT |
| Day 7 | Bright as Yellow | Innocence Mission | Karen Nyberg | WAVMP3 TRANSCRIPT |
| Day 8 | Taking Off | Godiego | Akihiko Hoshide | WAVMP3 TRANSCRIPT |
| Day 9 | The Mickey Mouse Club March | Buzz Lightyear | WAVMP3 TRANSCRIPT | |
| Day 10 | The Spirit of Aggieland | Fightin' Texas Aggie Band | Mike Fossum | WAVMP3 TRANSCRIPT |
| Day 11 | All Because of You | U2 | Ron Garan | WAVMP3 TRANSCRIPT |
| Day 12 | Centerfield | John Fogerty | Kenneth Ham | WAVMP3 TRANSCRIPT |
| Day 13 | Crystal Frontier | Calexico | Mark Kelly | WAVMP3 TRANSCRIPT |
| Day 14 | Baby, Won't You Please Come Home | Louis Prima andKeely Smith | Garrett Reisman | WAVMP3 TRANSCRIPT |
| Day 15 | Life on an Ocean Wave | the US Merchant Marine Academy Band | Mark Kelly | WAVMP3 TRANSCRIPT |
STS-326 was the designation given to theContingency Shuttle Crew Support mission which would have been launched in the event thatDiscovery became disabled during STS-124.[40] It would have been a modified version of theSTS-126 mission ofEndeavour, 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,[40] namely:
This article incorporatespublic domain material from websites or documents of theNational Aeronautics and Space Administration.
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