STS-127 Press Kit

CONTENTS
Section Page
STS-127 MISSION OVERVIEW ................................................................................................ 1
STS-127 TIMELINE OVERVIEW ............................................................................................... 11
MISSION PROFILE................................................................................................................... 15
MISSION OBJECTIVES AND PRIORITIES ................................................................................ 17
MISSION PERSONNEL ............................................................................................................. 21
STS-127 CREW........................................................................................................................ 23
PAYLOAD OVERVIEW .............................................................................................................. 33

K IB O JA PA N ES E E X EPR IM EN T MOD UL E EXP O S E D FA C IL IT Y . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
E X P O S E D FAC I L I TY A ND EXP E RI MEN T L O G I ST I C S MO D UL E – EX PO S ED S E C TI ON . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
I N T E GRA T ED C A RG O CA RRI E R – V ER T ICAL L I GHT D EPL O Y (I C C - VL D ) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
RENDEZVOUS & DOCKING....................................................................................................... 69
SPACEWALKS ......................................................................................................................... 73
EXPERIMENTS ......................................................................................................................... 83
D E TA IL E D T ES T OBJECT I VE S . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . 83
S H OR T- D UR AT I O N U. S. I NT E GR AT E D R ES E AR C H T O BE C O MPL E TED D U R IN G STS - 1 2 7 /2 JA ( 4) . . . . . . . . . . 85
SHUTTLE REFERENCE DATA .................................................................................................... 89
LAUNCH AND LANDING ........................................................................................................... 107

L A U N CH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
A B OR T- T O- OR B IT ( AT O ) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . 107
T RA N SA TLA NT I C A B OR T L A N D I NG ( TAL) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 7
R E T UR N -T O -L A U N CH - SI T E ( R TL S ) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . 107
A B OR T O N C E A RO U N D (A OA ) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . 107
L A N D I NG . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
JUNE 2009 CONTENTS i

Section Page
MEDIA ASSISTANCE ............................................................................................................... 125
PUBLIC AFFAIRS CONTACTS .................................................................................................. 127
ii CONTENTS JUNE 2009

STS-127 MISSION OVERVIEW
Against a black sky, the space shuttle Endeavour and its seven-member STS-126 crew head toward
Earth orbit and a scheduled link-up with the International Space Station.
There won’t be much time for relaxing during space station going after the shuttle’s
the next mission to the International Space retirement.
Station, despite the fact that space shuttle
Endeavour will be delivering the station’s The crew will conduct five spacewalks to install
porch. the new space station components and
equipment, and to set up some storage
Endeavour, commanded by veteran space flier locations on the station’s truss.
Mark Polansky, 53, is scheduled to launch at
7:17 a.m. EDT on June 13 and arrive at the space The shuttle will also deliver a new flight
station two days later. The shuttle will bring engineer – Tim Kopra, 46 – to join the
with it the final pieces of the Japanese Kibo Expedition 20 crew, and return Expedition 20
complex and a load of large spares to keep the Flight Engineer Koichi Wakata, 45, of the Japan
Aerospace Exploration Agency to Earth.
Marine Corps Lt. Col. Doug Hurley, 42, will
JUNE 2009 MISSION OVERVIEW 1

serve as Endeavour’s pilot. The mission science experiments will be exposed to the
specialists are Navy Cmdr. Christopher extreme environment of space. To store and
Cassidy, 39; Tom Marshburn, 49; Dave Wolf, transport the experiments that the exposed
52; and Julie Payette, 45, of the Canadian Space facility will accommodate, Endeavour will also
Agency. STS-127 will be the third space shuttle carry a storage area similar to the logistics
mission for Polansky, who flew on STS-98 and module on the Kibo laboratory, but
STS-116; the fourth trip to space for Wolf, who unpressurized – the Experiment Logistics
spent 128 days on the Russian Space Station Module – Exposed Section.
Mir (up on STS-86, down on STS-89) and was a
member of the STS-112 and STS-58 crews; and Also inside Endeavour’s cargo bay will be an
the second for Payette, who served as an STS-96 integrated cargo carrier holding several pieces
crew member. This will be the first flight for of spare equipment for the space station. Most
Hurley, Cassidy, Marshburn and Kopra. of it – a spare space-to-ground antenna, a spare
linear drive unit and a spare pump module –
Endeavour’s cargo will span a wide range of will be stored on an external storage platform
uses. The big ticket item will be the Japanese on the station’s truss. But six batteries for the
Experiment Module – Exposed Facility – the station’s oldest solar array will be installed over
porch for the Japanese Kibo complex, where two of the spacewalks.
Astronaut Mark Polansky, STS-127 commander, looks over a checklist during a training session
in the Jake Garn Simulation and Training Facility at NASA’s Johnson Space Center.
2 MISSION OVERVIEW JUNE 2009

A few hours after Endeavour’s docking on the vehicle in March. The second half of the
third day of the flight, Kopra and Wakata will crew – European Space Agency astronaut
exchange custom-made Russian Soyuz Frank De Winne, Russian cosmonaut
spacecraft seat liners. With that exchange, Roman Romanenko, and Canadian Space
Wakata will become part of Endeavour’s crew. Agency astronaut Robert Thirsk – took another
Soyuz to the station in May. Wakata arrived
Kopra, meanwhile, will join the Expedition 20 aboard space shuttle Discovery during the
crew – the first space station crew with a full STS-119 mission in March.
complement of six astronauts. The commander,
Russian cosmonaut Gennady Padalka, and In August, Kopra will return to Earth on shuttle
NASA Flight Engineer Michael Barratt mission STS-128, and Nicole Stott will take his
launched to the station in a Russian Soyuz place.
This graphic depicts the location of the STS-127 payload hardware.

The day after Endeavour’s launch will be spent Following a standard safety briefing by station
inspecting the shuttle’s heat shield, using the Commander Padalka, the crews will exchange
50-foot Orbiter Boom Sensor System, or OBSS, Kopra for Wakata as the new station crew
extension on the shuttle’s robotic arm. The member, prepare for the next day’s spacewalk,
OBSS uses laser devices and cameras to map and activate a Station-to-Shuttle Power Transfer
the shuttle’s wings and nose cap. Experts on System to provide additional electricity for the
the ground will analyze the images obtained longer operation of shuttle systems.
during the inspection, and if any problems are
noticed, a focused inspection of specific areas Kopra will spend his first night in his new
can be performed on flight day 5. home inside the Quest airlock, along with Wolf,
as part of the overnight “campout” procedure
The shuttle will go through another sort of that spacewalkers take part in. By spending the
inspection on flight day 3, just before it docks at night at a pressure of 10.2 pounds per square
the space station. Polansky and Hurley will be inch, rather than the 14.7 that the rest of the
at Endeavour’s aft flight deck controls as the station stays at, the spacewalkers are able to
shuttle approaches the station for docking and purge nitrogen from their bloodstreams,
fly the shuttle just 600 feet below the space preventing decompression sickness once they
station. There, Endeavour will execute a slow move out into the vacuum of space. The
backflip maneuver, presenting its belly and campout will be repeated on the nights before
other areas of its heat protective tiles to station all spacewalks throughout the mission.
residents Barratt and Padalka, who will use
digital cameras equipped with 400 and Wolf, who conducted three spacewalks on
800 millimeter lenses to acquire detailed STS-112 and one aboard the Russian Space
imagery. Those photos also will be reviewed Station Mir, will be designated EV 1, or
by teams on the ground for any signs of extravehicular crew member 1. He will wear
damage to the shuttle’s heat shield. the suit bearing the solid red stripes for the
spacewalks he will participate in on flight days
Endeavour will then dock to the forward 4, 6 and 8. Kopra will act as extravehicular
docking port at the end of the station’s crew member 2, and will wear the solid white
Harmony module at 3:50 a.m. EDT June 15. suit on flight day 4. Marshburn will serve as
About two hours later, hatches will be opened extravehicular crew member 3 and will wear
between the two spacecraft to allow the 13 crew the suit with broken red and white stripes for
members to greet one another for the start of his spacewalks on flight days 6, 10 and 13. The
11 days of docked operations. extravehicular crew member 4 spot will be
taken by Cassidy, who will wear a spacesuit
with horizontal red stripes on flight days 8, 10
and 13. Kopra, Marshburn and Cassidy are all
first-time spacewalkers.

Canadian Space Agency astronaut Julie Payette, STS-127 mission specialist, dons a training version
of her shuttle launch and entry suit in preparation for a training session in the Space Vehicle
Mock-up Facility at NASA’s Johnson Space Center. United Space Alliance suit technician
Steve Cortinas assists Payette.
On the fourth day of the flight, Wolf and Kopra and Payette, who will be controlling the
plan to spend six and a half hours outside the shuttle’s robotic arm from the shuttle’s flight
station on the mission’s first spacewalk. They’ll deck, will pick up the exposed facility and lift it
be preparing the exposed facility for out of the payload bay to hand off to the
installation, as well as doing some work to get station’s robotic arm. Hurley and Wakata will
the berthing mechanism on the Kibo laboratory be standing by at the robotics workstation
where it will be install-ready. Once that work inside the Destiny laboratory to take over from
is done, the robotic arm operators waiting there, flying the 9,000-pound porch to its home
inside the station will get to work. Polansky on the end of the Kibo laboratory.

While that installation is going on, Wolf will robotic arm to lift the OBSS out of the shuttle’s
spend some time working on one of the cargo bay and hand it off to the shuttle’s robotic
station’s two Crew Equipment and Translation arm – clearances around the station modules
Aid carts to replace a coupler that’s interfering prevent the shuttle arm from picking the OBSS
with the station’s port solar alpha rotary joint, up on its own. Polansky and Hurley will be
and both spacewalkers will work together to waiting with the shuttle arm for that baton
deploy a cargo attachment system on the port pass, and then Payette will join them to perform
truss that gave the STS-119 spacewalkers the inspection. She’ll meet back with Kopra at
trouble. If time permits, they’ll also deploy one the station arm controls when it’s done to put
on the starboard side of the truss before coming the OBSS away with the station arm, and
in. Polansky and Hurley will use the shuttle
robotic arm to unload the integrated cargo
Spacewalk activities will take a break on carrier holding the station’s newly arrived
flight day 5, but robotic work will keep the spare equipment from the cargo bay, in
crew busy inside. If a focused inspection is preparation for the following day’s spacewalk.
needed, Payette and Kopra will use the station’s
Astronauts Tim Kopra (left), Dave Wolf and Tom Marshburn, all STS-127 mission specialists, attired
in training versions of their shuttle launch and entry suits, prepare for a training session in the
Mission Simulation Development Facility at NASA’s Johnson Space Center. United Space
Alliance (USA) suit technician Fred Utley assists the crew members.

After that, Kopra and Wakata will round off the spend more than 4.5 hours swapping out the
robotics work for the day by spending some batteries on the last solar array on the station’s
time at the robotics workstation in the Kibo port side – the P6 solar array. The P6 solar
laboratory to calibrate the Japanese robotic arm, array was the first United States solar array
while the rest of the crew goes over procedures added to the station; it’s been in space since
for the second spacewalk. 2000.
On flight day 6, Wolf will go out for his second After a relatively slow day on flight day 8,
spacewalk of the mission, joined this time by things will pick back up for the robotic arm
Marshbun. Most of the 6.5-hour spacewalk will operators on flight day 9. Wakata and Kopra
be spent transferring spare equipment from the will become the first to use the Japanese robotic
newly unloaded integrated cargo carrier, which arm for work – as opposed to the testing that’s
will have been handed off to the station’s been done up to this point – when they begin to
robotic arm that morning and temporarily transfer the systems and scientific experiments
installed on the station’s mobile base system – carried up inside the experiment carrier to the
the railcar that moves along the station’s truss. exposed facility. They’ll start with the
They’ll leave the batteries on the cargo carrier interorbit communication system, which gives
for later, and wrap up the spacewalk by station another path for communication with
installing vision equipment on the exposed the ground. Then they’ll maneuver the Monitor
facility, to be used as the experiment carrier is of All-sky X-ray Image, an X-ray camera
installed. designed to monitor astronomical objects and
the universe, into place.
The experiment carrier will be installed the
following day, flight day 7, in another complex Flight day 10 will mean more battery swap
robotics operation. Polansky and Payette will work, this time for Cassidy and Marshburn
work together to remove the module from the during the fourth spacewalk of the mission.
shuttle’s cargo bay using the shuttle’s robotic There would be about three hours and
arm, and then hand it off to Hurley and 40 minutes of battery work left, after which,
Wakata, at the controls of the station’s robotic they’ll be installing a second set of vision
arm for installation on the end of the exposed equipment for the exposed facility. After the
facility. spacewalkers come back inside, Polansky and
Hurley will use the shuttle’s robotic arm to
The third spacewalk, on flight day 8, will be store the integrated cargo carrier back inside
performed by Wolf and Cassidy. They’ll spend the shuttle’s cargo bay.
about half an hour removing insulation on the
Japanese external science experiments delivered After 10 straight days of hard work,
by Endeavour and relocating handrails and Endeavours’ crew will spend flight day 11
worksite interfaces before moving on to the enjoying some well-earned off duty time.
main task of the day. They’re scheduled to

Astronaut Christopher Cassidy, STS-127 mission specialist, attired in a training version of his
Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) spacesuit, awaits the start of a training session in the waters of
the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL) near NASA’s Johnson Space Center.
Transfer of the exposed facility science Marshburn and Cassidy will again venture
experiments will wrap up on flight day 12, with outside the station on flight day 13 for the fifth
Wakata and Kopra again at the controls of the and final spacewalk of the mission. Cassidy
Japanese robotic arm. Once they’ve unloaded will start out by swapping some connectors on
the Space Environment Data Acquisition a patch panel on the station’s zenith truss
Equipment, which measures things like segment, while Marshburn removes one and
neutrons, plasma, heavy ions, high-energy light resecures two thermal covers on the special
particles, atomic oxygen and cosmic dust in the purpose dexterous manipulator. They’ll then
space environment, the experiment carrier will work together to deploy two cargo attachment
be empty, and Wakata and Hurley can detach it systems on the station’s starboard truss and
from the exposed facility using the station’s install a video system that supports
robotic arm. They’ll then hand it off to transmission of video from spacewalkers’
Polansky and Payette, at the helm of the helmet cameras. The tasks should take a total
shuttle’s robotic arm for storage back inside the of six and a half hours, with about 30 minutes
shuttle’s cargo bay. to spare for “get-ahead” work.

They’re scheduled to bid farewell to the Cassidy and Marshburn will deploy two
Expedition 20 crew on flight day 14 after a joint satellites. One, the DRAGONSAT – the Dual
press conference, and undock from the station Autonomous Global Positioning System
at 8:10 p.m. on June 26. Hurley, flying the On-Orbit Navigator Satellite – will collect data
shuttle from the aft flight deck, will make a on autonomous spacecraft rendezvous and
loop around the station so that the shuttle crew docking capabilities. It actually consists of two
can capture photos of the changes to the picosatellites, the AggieSat2 and PARADIGM,
station’s configuration. which will acquire GPS data from a device
provided by NASA and send it to ground
Once the fly around is complete, Endeavour’s stations at Texas A&M University and the
maneuvering jets will fire to separate it from University of Texas at Austin. The two schools
the station. But before they get too far away, are cosponsoring and operating the experiment.
Polansky, Hurley and Payette will use the The two satellites will collect two orbits of GPS
shuttle’s robotic arm and the OBSS to conduct a data while remaining in an attached
“late” inspection of the shuttle’s heat shield, a configuration after they’re released.
final opportunity to confirm Endeavour’s
readiness to return to Earth. The second, ANDE-2 – Atmospheric Neutral
Density Experiment 2 – is part of a Department
On flight day 16, Polansky, Hurley and Payette of Defense project to provide high-quality
also will conduct the traditional checkout of the satellites for calibrating techniques and models
orbiter’s flight control surfaces and steering jets for precision orbit determination. They’ll also
in preparation for landing the next day. The provide data on atmospheric composition for
shuttle crew will stow equipment and supplies validating Air Force sensors.
that were used during the mission, shut down
the robotic arm, check out the spacesuits they Endeavour is scheduled to return to Earth on
will be wearing during re-entry and set up a Monday, June 29, at 12:16 a.m., landing at
special recumbent seat in the middeck for NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, and
Wakata, to make landing easier on him as he bringing to an end its 23rd mission, the 29th
readjusts to Earth’s gravity after three months shuttle flight to the International Space Station
of weightlessness. and the 127th flight in shuttle program history.

With its drag chute deployed, space shuttle Endeavour slows to a stop after landing at NASA’s
Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base in California, concluding a successful
mission to the International Space Station.

STS-127 TIMELINE OVERVIEW
Flight Day 1 • Docking to Harmony/Pressurized Mating
Adapter-2
• Launch
• Hatch Opening and Welcoming
• Payload Bay Door Opening
• Kopra and Wakata exchange Soyuz
• Ku-Band Antenna Deployment seatliners; Kopra joins Expedition 20,
• Shuttle Robotic Arm Activation Wakata joins the STS-127 crew
• Umbilical Well and Handheld External • U.S. spacesuit transfer from Endeavour to
Tank Photo and TV Downlink space station
Flight Day 2 • Canadarm2 and Kibo robotic arm

positioning for Spacewalk 1
• Endeavour Thermal Protection System
Survey with Shuttle Robotic Arm/Orbiter • Spacewalk 1 Procedure Review
Boom Sensor System (OBSS) • Spacewalk 1 Campout by Wolf and Kopra
• Extravehicular Mobility Unit Checkout
Flight Day 4
• Centerline Camera Installation • Shuttle Robotic Arm Grapple and Unberth
• Orbiter Docking System Ring Extension of Japanese Exposed Facility
• Shuttle Robotic Arm Handoff of Japanese
• Orbital Maneuvering System Pod Survey
Exposed Facility to Canadarm2
• Rendezvous Tools Checkout • Canadarm2 installation of Japanese
Exposed Facility to Kibo
Flight Day 3
• Spacewalk 1 by Wolf and Kopra (Japanese
• Rendezvous with the International Space
Exposed Facility Berthing, Port 3 Nadir
Station
Unpressurized Cargo Carrier Attach
• Rendezvous Pitch Maneuver Photography System (UCCASS) Deploy, Starboard 3
of Endeavour’s Thermal Protection System Zenith Outboard Payload Attachment
by the Expedition 20 Crew System (PAS) Deploy)
JUNE 2009 TIMELINE OVERVIEW 11

Flight Day 5 Flight Day 8
• Focused Inspection of Endeavour’s • Spacewalk 3 by Wolf and Cassidy

Thermal Protection System, if required (Replacement of four out of six batteries
in the Port 6 truss integrated electronics
• Shuttle Robotic Arm grapple of the
assembly)
Integrated Cargo Carrier-Vertical Light
Deploy (ICC-VLD) and handoff to Flight Day 9
Canadarm2 for installation on the
Payload Orbital Replacement Unit • Kibo robotic arm transfer of three Japanese
Accommodation (POA) science payloads (Monitor of All-sky X-ray
Image (MAXI), Space Environment Data
• Spacewalk 2 Procedure Review Acquisition equipment – Attached Payload,
• Spacewalk 2 Campout by Wolf and or SEDA-AP and Interorbit Communication
Marshburn System – Exposed Facility, or ICS-EF) from
the Japanese Exposed Section to the
Flight Day 6 Japanese Exposed Facility
• Spacewalk 2 by Wolf and Marshburn
• Spacewalk 4 Procedure Review
(Transfer of critical station spare
components from ICC-VLD to External • Spacewalk 4 Campout by Cassidy and
Stowage Platform-3, installation of Marshburn
Japanese Experiment Facility forward
camera) Flight Day 10
Flight Day 7 • Spacewalk 4 by Cassidy and Marshburn

(Replacement of the final pair of batteries
• Shuttle Robotic Arm grapple, unberth and in the Port 6 truss integrated electronics
handoff of Japanese Logistics Module- assembly, installation of the Japanese
Exposed Section to Canadarm2 Experiment Facility aft camera)
• Canadarm2 installation of Japanese • Canadarm2 grapple and handoff of the
Exposed Section on Japanese Exposed ICC-VLD to the Shuttle robotic arm for
Facility berthing in Endeavour’s payload bay
• Canadarm2 removal of ICC-VLD from POA Flight Day 11
and Mobile Transporter move to different
worksite • Crew Off Duty Day
• Spacewalk 3 Campout by Wolf and Cassidy
12 TIMELINE OVERVIEW JUNE 2009

Flight Day 12 Flight Day 15
• Canadarm2 grapple and handoff of • Endeavour undocking from ISS
Japanese Exposed Section to Shuttle
robotic arm for berthing in Endeavour’s • Flyaround of ISS and final separation
payload bay
• Late inspection of Endeavour’s thermal
• Transfer of equipment and payloads from protection system with the OBSS
Endeavour to space station
Flight Day 16
• Joint Crew News Conference
• Flight Control System Checkout
• Reaction Control System hot-fire test
• Spacewalk 5 Campout by Cassidy and
• DRAGONSAT and ANDE-2 payload
Marshburn
deployments
Flight Day 13 • Crew Deorbit Briefing
• Spacewalk 5 by Cassidy and Marshburn
• Cabin Stowage
(Zenith 1 Patch Panel reconfiguration,
Starboard 3 nadir outboard and inboard • Recumbent Seat Setup for Wakata
PAS deployment, Starboard 3 wireless
camera equipment installation, Dextre Flight Day 17
manipulator insulation removal)
• Deorbit preparations
Flight Day 14 • Payload Bay Door closing
• Canadarm2 unberth of OBSS and handoff
• Deorbit burn
to Shuttle robotic arm
• KSC Landing
• Rendezvous tools checkout
• Final Farewells and hatch closure
JUNE 2009 TIMELINE OVERVIEW 13

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14 TIMELINE OVERVIEW JUNE 2009

MISSION PROFILE
CREW Space Shuttle Main Engines:
Commander: Mark Polansky SSME 1: 2045

Pilot: Doug Hurley SSME 2: 2060
Mission Specialist 1: Dave Wolf SSME 3: 2054
Mission Specialist 2: Christopher Cassidy External Tank: ET-131
Mission Specialist 3: Julie Payette SRB Set: BI-138
Mission Specialist 4: Tom Marshburn RSRM Set: 106
Mission Specialist 5: Tim Kopra (Up)
Mission Specialist 5: Koichi Wakata (Down) SHUTTLE ABORTS
LAUNCH Abort Landing Sites
Orbiter: Endeavour (OV-105) RTLS: Kennedy Space Center Shuttle

Launch Site: Kennedy Space Center Landing Facility
Launch Pad 39A TAL: Primary – Zaragoza, Spain.
Launch Date: No Earlier Than Alternates – Moron, Spain and
June 13, 2009 Istres, France
Launch Time: 7:17 a.m. EDT AOA: Primary – Kennedy Space Center
Launch Window: 5 minutes Shuttle Landing Facility.
Altitude: 122 Nautical Miles Alternate – White Sands Space
(140 Miles) Orbital Harbor
Insertion; 191 NM
(220 Miles) Rendezvous LANDING
Inclination: 51.6 Degrees
Landing Date: No Earlier Than
Duration: 15 Days 16 Hours
June 29, 2009
59 Minutes
Landing Time: 12:16 a.m. EDT
Primary landing Site: Kennedy Space Center
VEHICLE DATA Shuttle Landing Facility
Shuttle Liftoff Weight: 4,519,224
pounds PAYLOADS
Orbiter/Payload Liftoff Weight: 264,420 2J/A – Kibo Japanese Experiment Module
pounds Exposed Facility (JEM EF), Kibo Japanese
Orbiter/Payload Landing Weight: 214,707 Experiment Logistics Module – Exposed
pounds Section (ELM-ES) ICC-VLD, ANDE-2;
DRAGONSAT
Software Version: OI-33
JUNE 2009 MISSION PROFILE 15

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16 MISSION PROFILE JUNE 2009

MISSION OBJECTIVES AND PRIORITIES
MAJOR OBJECTIVES 6. Return ELM-ES to payload bay
1. Perform space station crew rotation with 7. Perform H-II Transfer Vehicle (HTV)
NASA astronaut Tim Kopra replacing readiness tasks
Koichi Wakata of the Japan Aerospace
Exploration Agency 8. Install and activate JEM-EF aft camera
(spacewalk)
2. Install Japanese Experiment Module-
Exposed Facility (JEM-EF) to Japanese 9. Conduct other spacewalk tasks:
Experiment Module-Pressurized Module
− Perform Crew and Equipment
(JEM-PM) and activate (spacewalk)
Translation Aid Cart Modifications
3. Deliver and install Japanese
− Open Node 1 (Unity) Port Common
Experiment Logistics Module Exposed
Berthing Mechanism Window Flap
Section (ELM-ES) to JEM-EF
− Reconfigure Grounding Tabs on JEM
− Install Japan Aerospace Exploration
Robotic Arm End Effector
Agency EF Payloads and Inter-Satellite
Communication System (ICS) to
− Relocate Grapple Bar to P1 Ammonia
JEM-EF
Tank Assembly Nadir
4. Install Integrated Cargo Carrier (ICC) to
− Deploy Starboard 3 (S3) Inboard Nadir
Payload Orbital Replacement Unit
Payload Attachment System (PAS)
Accommodation (POA)
− Install floating connector sleeve
− Remove and replace six Port 6 batteries
(spacewalk) − Relocate articulating portable foot
restraint
− Transfer PM-2, Linear Drive
Unit (LDU) and Space-to-Ground 10. Deploy Atmosphere Neutral Density
Antenna (SGANT) to External Stowage Experiment (ANDE) and Space Shuttle
Platform-3 (spacewalk) Picosat Launcher/Dual RF Autonomous
GPS On-Orbit Navigator Satellite
5. Return ICC (with six P6 batteries) to
payload bay 11. Resupply food, water, oxygen
JUNE 2009 MISSION PRIORITIES 17

MISSION PRIORITIES SUMMARY
• Rotate Expedition 18/19 Flight Engineer-2 • Open Node 1 Port Centerline Berthing
(FE-2) Koichi Wakata with Expedition 19/20 Camera System (CBCS) center disk cover
FE-2 crew member Tim Kopra and transfer flap
mandatory crew rotation cargo
• Perform HTV readiness tasks:
• Transfer mandatory quantities of water
from shuttle to space station − Install and activate JEM-EF aft camera
• Transfer and stow critical items − Open Node 2 Zenith CBCS center disk
cover flap
• Install JEM-EF to Japanese Pressurized
Module (JPM) • Perform daily space station payload status
checks as required
• Install ICC on the POA
• The following tasks are deemed to fit within
• Install ELM-ES onto JEM-EF existing timelines but may be deferred if the
spacewalk is behind schedule:
• Remove and replace P6 batteries
− Remove grounding tabs on the JEM
• Install ICS on JEM-EF using JEM robotic robotic arm end effector
arm
− Deploy Port 3 Nadir Unpressurized
• Install SGANT, PM, and LDU onto External Cargo Carrier Attach System (UCCAS)
Stowage Platform-3 (for flight STS-129/ULF3)
• Return ICC to shuttle payload bay − Deploy Starboard 3 Upper Outboard
• Install Monitor of All-Sky X-ray PAS (for flight STS-129/ULF3)
Images (MAXI) and Space Environment − Zenith 1 Patch Panel reconfiguration
Data Acquisition equipment – Attached
Payload (SEDA-AP) on JEM-EF using JEM − Install 6 Station-to-Shuttle Power
robotic arm Transfer System (SSPTS) floating power
connector grounding sleeves
• Return ELM-ES to orbiter payload bay
− Deploy Starboard 3 Lower Outboard
• Perform minimum crew handover of PAS (for flight STS-133/ULF5)
12 hours
− Deploy Lower Inboard PAS and open
• Transfer remaining cargo items target cover (for flight STS-133/ULF5)
• Install, activate and check out JEM-EF − Tuck down Lab/Node 2 cables
forward camera
− Install JPM spacewalk handrails and
worksite interfaces
18 MISSION PRIORITIES JUNE 2009

• Deploy ANDE and DRAGONSAT payloads − Install gap spanner to replace handrail
(post undocking) on Harmony
• Perform daily middeck activities to support − Retrieve Articulating Portable Foot

payloads (includes when shuttle crew Restraint (APFR) No. 5, bring inside,
performs payloads on the space station) remove heat shield, re-install on
subsequent spacewalk
• Perform space station payload research
operations tasks • Reboost space station, if needed
• Transfer nitrogen and oxygen from shuttle • Perform imagery survey during fly around
to space station airlock high-pressure gas
tanks. Quantities shall be consistent with • Perform an additional four hours of
plan to have tanks full at shuttle retirement. handover per rotating crew member
• Perform Detailed Test Objective (DTO) 701, • Perform Maui Analysis of Upper
DragonEye Atmosphere (MAUI), Shuttle Exhaust Ion
Turbulence Experiments (SEITE), and
• Perform DTO 695, Thrust Oscillation Seat SIMPLEX (payloads of opportunity – not
during docked operations)
• Perform program-approved spacewalk
get-ahead tasks • Perform Station Detailed Test Objective
13005-U, ISS Structural Life Validation and
− Deploy S3 Upper Inboard PAS (for Extension during Shuttle Mated Reboost
flight STS-133/ULF5) and undocking
− Install Wireless Video System External
Transceiver Assembly (WETA) No. 3
JUNE 2009 MISSION PROFILE 19

20 MISSION PRIORITIES JUNE 2009

MISSION PERSONNEL
KEY CONSOLE POSITIONS FOR STS-127
Flt. Director CAPCOM PAO
Ascent Bryan Lunney Alan Poindexter Kylie Clem
TBD (Wx)
Orbit 1 (Lead) Paul Dye Greg (Box) Johnson Brandi Dean
Orbit 2 Kwatsi Alibaruho Janice Voss Josh Byerly
Planning Gary Horlacher Stan Love Kelly Humphries

Mike Sarafin Shannon Lucid
Entry Bryan Lunney Alan Poindexter Kylie Clem

TBD (Wx)
Shuttle Team 4 Richard Jones N/A N/A
ISS Orbit 1 Brian Smith Hal Getzelman N/A
ISS Orbit 2 (Lead) Holly Ridings Akihiko Hoshide N/A
ISS Orbit 3 Derek Hassmann Jason Hutt N/A
Station Team 4 Ron Spencer
JSC PAO Representative at KSC for Launch – Kyle Herring

KSC Launch Commentator – Mike Curie
KSC Launch Director – Pete Nickolenko
NASA Launch Test Director – Jeff Spaulding
JUNE 2009 MISSION PERSONNEL 21

22 MISSION PERSONNEL JUNE 2009

STS-127 CREW
A crew spokesperson had the following words of the astronaut symbol culminating in the
for the patch. “Bathed in sunlight, the blue star-like emblem characteristic of the Japanese
Earth is represented without boundaries to Space Agency, yet soaring further into space as
remind us that we all share this world. In the it paves the way for future voyages and
center, the golden flight path of the space discoveries for all humankind.”
shuttle turns into the three distinctive rays
JUNE 2009 CREW 23

Shown on the front row are astronauts Mark Polansky (right), commander, and Doug Hurley, pilot.
Remaining crew members, pictured from left to right, are astronauts Dave Wolf,
Christopher Cassidy, Canadian Space Agency’s Julie Payette, Tom Marshburn and Tim Kopra,
all mission specialists. Kopra is scheduled to join Expedition 20 as flight engineer after
launching to the International Space Station with the STS-127 crew.
Short biographical sketches of the crew follow http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/

with detailed background available at:
24 CREW JUNE 2009

STS-127 CREW BIOGRAPHIES
Mark Polansky
Mark Polansky will lead the crew of STS-127. operations and flight operations, including
He served as the pilot on STS-98 in 2001 and as landing. He also will fly Endeavour through its
the commander of STS-116 in 2006. Polansky rendezvous and docking to the International
has overall responsibility for the safety and Space Station.
execution of this mission, orbiter systems
JUNE 2009 CREW 25

Doug Hurley
Astronaut Doug Hurley, a lieutenant colonel in He will be responsible for orbiter systems
the Marine Corps, will serve as the pilot for operations and will assist Polansky in the
Endeavour’s mission. This will be his first rendezvous with the space station. Other
journey into space. Selected by NASA in 1998, responsibilities include orchestrating the
he has worked technical aspects of shuttle photographic and video documentation of the
launches, landings and integration for the mission.
Astronaut Office and Space Shuttle Program.
26 CREW JUNE 2009

Dave Wolf
Veteran astronaut Dave Wolf will serve as the facility and replace batteries. Wolf has flown
lead spacewalker for this mission. He is tapped on four prior shuttle flights and a long-duration
to conduct the first three of the five planned stay on the Russian Mir Space Station. Wolf
spacewalks. On the first, he will join flew on STS-58 in 1993 and STS-112 in 2002,
Tim Kopra to prepare Kibo and the exposed where he conducted three spacewalks to help
facility for installation, then move on to tasks with the installation of the S-1 Truss. He also
on the truss. For the second spacewalk, he and flew on STS-86, his ride to Mir, where he spent
Marshburn will transport and install parts and 128 days and conducted an emergency
hardware. And for the third, Wolf will be spacewalk in a Russian Orlan suit. He returned
joined by Cassidy to work on the exposed on STS-89.
JUNE 2009 CREW 27

Christopher Cassidy
This is the first spaceflight for Navy Cmdr. they prepare the exposed facility for
Christopher Cassidy. He was selected as a experiment transfers and replace batteries on
NASA astronaut in 2004 and completed his the truss. He will join Tom Marshburn for his
initial training in February 2006. He is slated to final two spacewalks to replace more batteries,
perform three spacewalks on this mission. He install cameras, remove thermal covers and
will pair up with Wolf for the first spacewalk as make electrical configurations.
28 CREW JUNE 2009

Julie Payette
This will be the second spaceflight for and space hardware processing for the
Julie Payette of the Canadian Space Agency. International Space Station and served as the
She reported to NASA’s Johnson Space Center chief astronaut for the Canadian Space Agency
for training in 1996 and went on to represent from 2000 to 2007. She flew on STS-96. During
the astronaut corps at the European and this mission, she will lead the intensive robotic
Russian space agencies, where she supervised arm operations.
procedure development, equipment verification
JUNE 2009 CREW 29

Tom Marshburn
Tom Marshburn will be new to spaceflight but initial training, he will now embark on his first
not new to spaceflight medicine. Marshburn spaceflight, where he will conduct three
holds a medical degree and originally joined spacewalks. The first will be with Wolf, as they
NASA back in 1994 as a flight surgeon. For relocate parts on the station’s exterior. He will
10 years, he served various roles in NASA’s join his astronaut candidate classmate Cassidy
medical operations until he was selected as an for the final two spacewalks of the mission.
astronaut in 2004. After nearly two years of
30 CREW JUNE 2009

Tim Kopra
Tim Kopra, a colonel in the Army, also has a training at each of the international partner
history at NASA that precedes his joining the training sites and served as a backup crew
astronaut corps. Kopra was assigned to NASA member to Expeditions 16 and 17. Kopra will
at the Johnson Space Center in September 1998 launch to the station with the crew of STS-127
as a vehicle integration test engineer. In this and, once docked, replace Koichi Wakata as the
position, he served as an engineering liaison for Expedition 20 flight engineer. He will remain
space shuttle launch operations and space on the station and return with the STS-128
station hardware testing. He was selected as an shuttle crew.
astronaut in 2000. Since then, he has completed
JUNE 2009 CREW 31

Koichi Wakata
Koichi Wakata, the first Japanese mission begin his long-duration stay as a flight engineer
specialist and now the first Japanese on the Expedition 18, 19 and 20 crews. When
long-duration crew member on the space he lands with the STS-127 crew, he’ll have spent
station, will be returning to Earth with the more than 100 consecutive days in space.
STS-127 crew. He rode up to the station with Wakata also flew on STS-72 in 1996 and STS-92
the STS-119 crew, his third flight, in March to in 2000.
32 CREW JUNE 2009

PAYLOAD OVERVIEW
The 2J/A mission patch (above) shows the element modules which constitute Kibo’s
exposed facilities. Inscribed are the names of the element modules and
JAXA astronaut Koichi Wakata who will participate in the assembly
tasks during the mission
KIBO JAPANESE EXEPRIMENT MODULE The EF is a multipurpose experiment platform

EXPOSED FACILITY on which various scientific experiments can be
performed using the microgravity and vacuum
The final components of Kibo will fly to the environment of space.
space station on STS-127. The STS-127 (2J/A)
mission concludes the Kibo assembly, paving The ELM-ES is a logistics carrier which will be
the way for the full utilization stage of Kibo launched and returned on the STS-127 mission.
On this flight, the ELM-ES will carry three
On this third and last Kibo-designated EF payloads to the station.
assembly mission, Kibo’s final components, the
Exposed Facility (EF) and the Experiment The EF will become operational during the
Logistics Module – Exposed Section (ELM-ES), STS-127 mission. Kibo’s scientific capability
will be delivered to the International Space will be doubled when the platform for
Station. Installation of these components will space-exposed experiment activities is ready.
conclude assembly of the Japanese complex
facility on the station.
JUNE 2009 PAYLOAD OVERVIEW 33

Conceptual images: Kibo
34 PAYLOAD OVERVIEW JUNE 2009

Experiments on Kibo’s Exposed Facility (EF) begin
The STS-127 mission will deliver MAXI and During the STS-124 mission, the experiment
SEDA-AP, two of the three JEM Exposed and system racks were installed in the PM, and
Facility (EF) payloads developed for Kibo’s since then, JAXA’s science experiments have
First Phase Utilization, to the station. These EF been performed using these two scientific
experiments will be installed on the EF during experiment racks.
the docked mission, and then Kibo external
experiment operations can begin. SMILES – Another JAXA EF experiment, will
be launched to the station on the H-II Transfer
In 2008, the STS-123 mission installed Kibo’s Vehicle (HTV) mission targeted to launch in
pressurized logistics/stowage module, called September 2009.
the Experiment Logistics Module-Pressurized
Section (ELM-PS), which carried JAXA’s two The KOBAIRO Rack – An additional
major experiment racks called the SAIBO Rack experiment rack, which will be installed and
and the RYUTAI Rack along with some of operated on Kibo, is planned to be launched in
Kibo’s system payload racks, to the station. 2010 on an HTV mission.
In the same year, the STS-124 mission installed At this point, all the experiment facilities
Kibo’s main experiment module, the developed and prepared for the Kibo First
Pressurized Module (PM) with Kibo’s core Phase Utilization will be on board Kibo. After
systems and experiments, onto the station. that, Kibo will move into its full utilization
stage.

FY2008 FY2009 FY2010 FY2011
Complete Complete
Feb. 2010
Naoko Yamazaki
Mar.2008 June.2008
Takao Doi, Akihiko Hoshide Dec. 2009 to May 2010

Complete
March 2009 to June 2009 2011 spring to fall

Soichi Noguchi
Satoshi Furukawa
Koichi Wakata
JAXA astronauts’ flight schedules *

*These schedules may change depending on the launch schedules of NASA and the
Russian Federal Space Agency
JAXA astronauts Takao Doi and Akihiko Naoko Yamazaki, assigned to the STS-131
Hoshide participated on the previous Kibo mission, will fly to the station in early 2010.
assembly missions, STS-123 and STS-124, When the STS-131 mission arrives at the station,
respectively, and completed installation of Noguchi will be staying on board the station as
Kibo’s two pressurized component modules. a flight engineer for the Expedition 22/23
mission. This will truly be a remarkable event
Wakata is the first Japanese astronaut to serve in Japanese space development history because
as a flight engineer for an Expedition mission. two JAXA astronauts will be on board the
When the STS-127 mission arrives at the station station at the same time, participating on
delivering Kibo’s last components, Wakata will missions to set the stage for the final
be on board the station and see through the completion of the space station.
completion of Kibo, the Japanese Experiment
Module, in orbit. In 2008, JAXA selected two JAXA astronaut
candidates with the purpose of promoting the
Soichi Noguchi and Satoshi Furukawa, next generation of JAXA astronauts for the
assigned to future Expeditions, will spend more station missions and future human space
time on utilization activities on board the exploration. JAXA is contributing to the
station while performing various station tasks. world’s human spaceflight by providing

human space development technology as well There are 12 payload attachment mechanisms
as human resources. called Equipment Exchange Units (EEU) on the
EF, and therefore, a maximum of 12 payloads,
EXPOSED FACILITY AND EXPERIMENT such as the EF experiments, the ELM-ES, the
LOGISTICS MODULE – EXPOSED Inter-orbit Communication System Exposed
SECTION Facility (ICS-EF) and the HTV Exposed Pallet,
can be accommodated on the EF.
Exposed Facility Overview
The EF experiments are exchangeable in orbit
Kibo’s Exposed Facility (EF) is a multipurpose so that several different types of scientific
experiment platform where various scientific experiments can be conducted on the EF in the
activities (including earth observation, future. In order to support space-exposed
space environment monitoring, astronomical experiments on the EF, the EF can provide the
observation, data communications and material necessary resources for each payload and
experiments) can be performed using the experiment, such as power, cooling and
microgravity and vacuum environment of communications capabilities.
space.
Exposed Facility (Space Station Testing Building, Tsukuba Space Center (TKSC))

Visual Equipment (Aft)
Visual Equipment (Fwd)
Shape Box shaped
Size 5.0 m (width) by 5.2 m (length) by 3.8 m (height)
Mass 4.1 t (launch configuration)

Number of payload 12 (9 for EF experiments, 2 for JEM systems, and 1 for
attachment places temporary storage)
Max. 11 kW (max. 1 kW for systems, 10 kW for
Electrical power provided
EF experiments) 120 V dc
16-bit computer system
Data management system
High-speed data link: max.100 Mbps
Environment control Active thermal control system loop
Life span More than 10 years
Configuration design and specifications of the EF

Kibo-Unique Mechanisms on EF PM. The passive half is located on the EF.
Once both the active half and passive half of the
Exposed Facility Berthing Mechanism EFBM are berthed, channels for the electrical
The EF Berthing Mechanism (EFBM) is a power system, data communications system,
mechanism that connects the EF to the PM. The and thermal control system will be connected,
active half of the EFBM, which has four capture and then power and data transfer will be
latch mechanisms and four motor-drive bolts initiated.
(structural latch mechanisms), is located on the
Passive EFBM
Passive EFBM
Capture latch mechanisms
Active EFBM
PM
Passive EFBM
EF
Close-up photo of the EFBM (Space Station Test Building, TKSC)

When the EF arrives at the station, the EFBM Equipment Exchange Unit
(both active and passive) will be covered by
Multi-Layer Insulation (MLI) covers. Before the The EF Equipment Exchange Unit (EEU) is
installation of the EF, the covers on the EFBM a mechanism to which EF experiments, the
will be removed by spacewalkers. Inter-orbit Communication System – Exposed
Facility (ICS-EF), the ELM-ES, and the HTV
Exposed Pallet are attached. Once a payload is
attached to the EEU, power will be provided
through the EF, and transmission of commands
and telemetries to and from the payload will be
enabled.
The EEU consists of an active side and a passive

side. The active side of the EEU is called the
Exposed Facility Unit (EFU) and is on the EF.
The passive side of the EEU is called the
Payload Interface Unit (PIU) and is on each
EF payload, the ICS-EF, the ELM-ES, and the
HTV Exposed Pallet. The EEU enables the
exchange (removal and replacement) of the
EF payloads in orbit, and thus, several different
Multi-layer Insulation cover types of experiments can be conducted in the
future.
Close-up photo of the EFU (Space Station Testing Building, TKSC)

Grapple Fixture
Capture Latch
EF
PIU
Damper
EFU
EF Payload
Power / fluid
connectors
Alignment
Guide cone
spring
Configuration of the EEU
Visual Equipment
The Visual Equipment (VE) consists of a TV

camera, a light, and a Pan/Tilt unit. The VE
provides views of the EF experiments,
payloads, and Orbital Replacement Units
(ORUs) on the EF. Two units of the VE
(forward and aft units) are installed on the EF.
Locations of the VE units are as shown in the
photo. During the launch, the VE units are
stored in positions where they can receive
heater power.
Visual Equipment (Space Station Processing

Facility, KSC): The VE is designed as an
Orbital Replacement Unit (ORU).

Stored here during launch
PM
VE units will be
installed here
Exposed Facility (Space Station Testing Building, TKSC)
Small Fine Arm Stowage Equipment SFA when the SFA is not in use. The SFA
receives heater power from the EF through the
The Small Fine Arm (SFA) Stowage SSE when stored on the SSE. The SSE also
Equipment (SSE) is a device that can stow the provides communications interfaces.
PM
Exposed Facility (Space Station Testing Building, TKSC)

The SFA will be attached to the end of Kibo’s ORUs. In case of failure, these units will be
robotic arm, the JEM Remote Manipulator exchanged in orbit. There are three types of
System (JEMRMS), when it is used for robotics ORUs on the EF:
operations.
• Extravehicular Activity ORU (E-ORU)
The SFA is used for exchanging the Orbiter
Replacement Units (ORUs) on Kibo’s Exposed • Robot Essential ORU (R-ORU)
Facility. • Visual Equipment (VE), DC/DC converter
Exposed Facility’s Orbital Replacement unit (DDCU)
Units – Extravehicular Activity ORU and Robot E-ORU is attached to the nadir side of the EF,
Essential ORU and will be exchanged by a spacewalker.
The electrical power system, communication R-ORU is attached to the zenith side and will
and tracking system, and thermal control be exchanged with the Small Fine
system are critical systems for operating the EF. Arm (SFA) attached to the end of Kibo’s robotic
Therefore, these system units are designed as arm (JEMRMS).

R-ORUs attached on the EF
(Space Station Testing Building, TKSC)
E-ORUs attached below the EF

(Space Station Processing Facility, KSC)

Experiment Logistics Module-Exposed ELM-ES will be attached to the EF while
Section Overview transferring the carried EF payloads to the EF in
order to provide the best access for the robotics
Kibo’s Experiment Logistics Module-Exposed transfer operations with Kibo’s robotic arm.
Section (ELM-ES) is a logistics carrier which
will carry Exposed Facility (EF) payloads. On STS-127, the ELM-ES will carry three EF
payloads to the station and will return to the
The ELM-ES is designed to be launched and ground on board the same flight.
returned on board the space shuttle. The
Experiment Logistics Module-Exposed Section (Space Station Processing Facility, KSC)

Structure type Frame
Width 4.9 m
Height 2.2 m (including the height of the attached payloads)
Length 4.1 m
Mass (dry weight) 1.2 t (excluding payloads)

Number of payload
3 EF payloads
accommodation places
Electrical power supply Max. 1.0 kW 120 V dc
Thermal control Heater and thermal insulator
Life span More than 10 years
Configuration design and specifications of the ELM-ES

Kibo-Unique Mechanisms on ELM-ES and will be used to attach the ELM-ES to the
active side of the EEU, Exposed Facility
Payload Interface Unit Unit (EEU) on the EF.
The Payload Interface Unit (PIU) is the passive The heater power necessary for the EF payloads
side of the Experiment Exchange Unit (EEU) on the ELM-ES will be provided by the EF.
STS-127 crew members checking the PIU during the Crew Equipment Interface Test (CEIT)
Conceptual images: The ELM-ES being attached to the EF (left)

Payload Attachment Mechanism The PAM consists of the Structure Latch
Mechanisms (SLMs) and the Umbilical
The Payload Attachment Mechanism (PAM) is Connector Mechanisms (UCMs).
a mechanism which will be used to attach EF
payloads to the ELM-ES during launch or travel EF payloads can be attached or removed from
on board the space shuttle. the PAMs by Kibo’s robotic arm (JEMRMS).
SLM
SLM Alignment Guides
UCM
SLM SLM
Alignment Guides
Close-up photo of the PAM (Space Station Testing Building, TKSC)
EF payloads attached to the PAM

(Space Station Processing Facility, KSC)

Umbilical Connector Mechanism Structure Latch Mechanism
The Umbilical Connector Mechanism (UCM) The Structure Latch Mechanisms (SLMs) catch
will enable heater power to be supplied to the onto and fasten an EF payload with four
EF payloads from the EF through the ELM-ES, latches.
and this will keep the payloads within the
required temperature.

EF Experiments and Payload Exposed Camera (SSC) with a peltier-cooled X-ray
Facility Experiments Monitor of sensitive CCD. These slit cameras can scan by
All-sky X-ray Image using the station’s attitude changes and so a
pointing mechanism does not need to be used.
The MAXI is an astronomical observatory Observation data can be distributed via the
which will monitor X-ray spectra from the Internet when detecting X-ray transient
station. The observations will encompass phenomena so that observatories around the
nearly the entire sky. The MAXI will scan world can promptly receive and respond to the
space every 90 minutes with two types of X-ray phenomena as well. Following is an overview
detectors: a Gas Slit Camera (GSC) with 12 gas of the MAXI.
proportional counters and a Solid-state Slit

Space Environment Data Acquisition The SEDA-AP measurement units include
Equipment-Attached Payload (1) Neutron Monitor (NEM), (2) Heavy Ion
Telescope (HIT), (3) Plasma Monitor (PLAM),
The Space Environment Data Acquisition (4) Standard Dose Monitor (SDOM), (5) Atomic
Equipment-Attached Payload (SEDA-AP) will Oxygen Monitor (AOM), (6) Electronic Device
measure the space environment (neutrons, Evaluation Equipment (EDEE), and (7) Micro-
plasma, heavy ions, high-energy light particles, Particles Capture (MPAC) and Space
atomic oxygen, and cosmic dust) in the station’s Environment Exposure Device (SEED). The
orbit. It will also observe how the space SEDA-AP will conduct measurement and
environment affects materials and electronic monitoring by extending a mast, on which the
devices. NEM – Sensor and the PLAM-Sensor will be
installed. Below is an overview of the
SEDA-AP.
(2)
(1)
(4)
(5)
(3)
(7)
(6)
(1)

Superconducting Submillimeter-Wave The objective of SMILES is to conduct global
Limb-Emission Sounder (SMILES) mappings of stratospheric trace gases using an
extremely sensitive submillimeter receiver. The
This EF experiment will be delivered to the Superconductor Insulator Superconductor (SIS)
station on the HTV mission targeted to launch mixer in a dedicated cryostat with a mechanical
in September 2009. cooler achieves SMILES’s super high
sensitivity. SMILES will observe ozone-
depletion-related molecules such as ClO, HCl,
HO2, HNO3, BrO. A scanning antenna will
cover tangent altitudes from 10 to 60 km every
53 seconds, while tracing the latitudes from
38 S to 65 N along its orbit.
With global coverage capability, SMILES can

observe low- and mid-latitudinal areas as well
as the Arctic peripheral region.
SMILES data will enable us to investigate the

chlorine and bromine chemistry in the
atmosphere and will also provide a database
for ozone variations in time and position
around the upper troposphere and lower
stratosphere.

Exposed Facility Payload Inter-orbit high-power amplifier, and various sensors
Communication System-Exposed including an Earth sensor, a sun sensor, and an
Facility (ICS-EF) inertial reference unit. The ICS antenna can
automatically track DRTS using the Antenna
The Inter-orbit Communication System (ICS) is Pointing Mechanism by determining the
the Kibo-specific communications system for antenna’s attitude based on the data from the
uplink/downlink data, images, and voice data Earth sensor, sun sensor and Inertial Reference
between Kibo and the Mission Control Room Unit, while at the same time calculating the
(MCR) at the Tsukuba Space Center (TKSC) by antenna’s direction based on the station and the
way of Japan’s own relay satellite, the Data orbital positions of DRTS.
Relay Test Satellite (DRTS). The ICS consists of
the ICS Pressurized Module (ICS-PM) Installation of the ICS-EF on the EF paves the
subsystem installed on the PM (provides data way for direct communications between Kibo
communications) and the ICS Exposed and the Mission Control Room at TKSC
Module (ICS-EF) subsystem to be installed on through DRTS. It will be an efficient network
the EF. resource, especially when huge amounts of
data (such as experiment video data) are
The ICS-EF consists of an antenna, a downlinked to the ground from Kibo.
pointing mechanism, frequency converters, a

Installations of the EF, the ELM-ES, and On flight day 9, three EF payloads on the
EF payloads ELM-ES will be transferred to the EF by Kibo’s
robotic arm. Before this transfer operation, the
Kibo’s Exposed Facility (EF) and Experiment MLI covers and contamination covers on the EF
Logistics Module-Exposed Section (ELM-ES) payloads will have to be removed during a
will be launched in the space shuttle spacewalk on flight day 8.
Endeavour’s payload bay.
On flight day 12, the ELM-ES will be unberthed
Heat necessary for the EF and Visual from the EF and returned to the shuttle’s
Equipment (VE) will be provided by the payload bay for the trip back to the ground.
Assembly Power Converter Unit (APCU) on the
shuttle. Heater power for the ELM-ES and the KIBO MISSION CONTROL CENTER
payloads will be supplied by the Remotely
Operated Electrical Unit (ROEU) on the shuttle. Kibo operations are monitored and controlled
from the Space Station Operations Facility
On flight day 4, the EF will be installed (SSOF) at JAXA’s Tsukuba Space Center (TKSC)
on Kibo’s PM with the Exposed Facility and from the Mission Control Center at
Berthing Mechanism (EFBM). Prior to the EF NASA’s Johnson Space Center (JSC), where the
installation, several preparation activities will overall operations of the space station are
be carried out by spacewalkers: removal of the controlled.
MLI covers from the EFBM (both the active half
and the passive half) and disconnection of the JAXA FLIGHT CONTROL TEAM
heater cable between the EF and the APCU in
The JAXA Flight Control Team (JFCT) consists
the payload bay. Once the EF is berthed to the
of flight directors and flight controllers (a
PM with the EFBM bolts, the EF will be
total of more than 60 members) assigned to
powered and activated; the EF subsystems,
10 technical disciplines required to support
such as Command and Data Handling (C&DH),
Kibo flight operations.
the Electrical Power System (EPS), and the
Thermal Control System (TCS), will be The team monitors the status of command
activated in that order. uplinks, data downlinks, systems, payloads,
and experiment on board Kibo. The team has
On flight day 7, the ELM-ES will be attached to
the capability of making real-time operations
the EF to provide access for the robotic transfer
planning changes and communicating with the
of the EF payloads on the ELM-ES. Before the
crew on board Kibo and also with the
space shuttle’s robot arm lifts the ELM-ES from
international partners’ mission control centers.
the payload bay, the heater power provided by
The team can troubleshoot problems or
the ROEU on the shuttle will be disconnected.
anomalies that may occur on board Kibo during
Once the ELM-ES is attached to the EF, the
flight operations.
power will be provided by the EF, and
channels for commands and telemetries
(sending/receiving) will be enabled.

Kibo Mission Control Room

The team is also responsible for the preparation The lead J-FLIGHT is responsible for the crew
and evaluation of all plans and procedures safety in the Kibo module and takes the leading
which will be performed by the crew on board role to integrate the mission.
Kibo and by controllers on the ground. The
roles of the respective sections of JFCT are as Control and Network Systems, Electrical Power,
follows: and ICS Communication Officer
The Control and Network Systems, Electrical

JAXA Flight Director
Power, and ICS Communication Officer
The JAXA flight director (J-FLIGHT) is the (CANSEI) is responsible for Kibo flight control,
leader of the team. network systems, electrical power, and ICS
communications. The CANSEI monitors the
The J-FLIGHT directs the overall operations of control status of on-board computers, network
Kibo, including operations planning, systems, systems, and electrical power systems through
and experiment operations, as well as other data downlinked from Kibo on a real-time
tasks performed by the crew on board Kibo. basis.
Fluid and Thermal Officer
The Fluid and Thermal Officer (FLAT) is

responsible for monitoring the status of the
ECLSS and the TCS which regulate the heat
generated from the equipment on board Kibo.
These systems are monitored through telemetry
data downlinked from Kibo on a real-time
basis.
Kibo Robotics Officer
The Kibo Robotics Officer (KIBOTT) is

responsible for the overall operation of Kibo’s
robotic arm systems, the scientific airlock, and
other associated mechanisms. During robotic
arm and airlock operations, the KIBOTT will
prepare and monitor the related systems
necessary for the flight crew to perform the
appropriate tasks on board Kibo.
STS-127 Lead J-FLIGHT Masao Nakai
Operations Planner
The flight controllers assigned to each control
section must ensure that the J-FLIGHT is given The Operations Planner (J-PLAN) is responsible
the current status of every detail of Kibo for planning the actual flight operations. When
operations. Kibo is in a flight operations mode, the J-PLAN
monitors the status and progress of Kibo

operations and, if necessary, amends or operations and coordinates payload activities
modifies the operation plans as required. with the primary investigators of each
experiment.
System Element Investigation and Integration
Officer JAXA Extravehicular Activity
The System Element Investigation and The JAXA Extravehicular Activity (JAXA EVA)
Integration Officer (SENIN) is responsible for team is for Kibo‐related EVA operations and
Kibo’s system elements. The SENIN monitors provides technical support to the crew
and ensures that each Kibo system is running members who perform Kibo‐related
smoothly and integrates all systems spacewalks.
information provided by each flight control
section. The JAXA EVA console is not in the Space
Station Operations Facility (SSOF) at TKSC.
Tsukuba Ground Controller Instead, the JAXA EVA flight controllers are
stationed at NASA’s JSC.
The Tsukuba Ground Controller is responsible
for the overall operation and maintenance of JEM ENGINEERING TEAM
the ground support facilities that are essential
for Kibo flight operations. This includes the The JEM Engineering Team (JET) is responsible
operations control systems and the operations for providing technical support to the flight
network systems. control team and technical evaluation of
real‐time data and pre‐ and post‐flight analysis.
JEM Communicator JET consists of the JET lead and engineers for
Kibo’s electrical subsystem, fluid subsystem
The JEM Communicator (J‐COM) is responsible and IVAs, who are the members of the JEM
for voice communication with the crew on Development Project Team. JET engineers also
board Kibo. The J‐COM communicates all work in the NASA Mission Evaluation Room at
essential information to the crew for operating NASA JSC in order to perform joint
Kibo systems and experiments and/or responds troubleshooting and anomaly resolution.
to Kibo‐specific inquiries from the crew.
PAYLOAD FLIGHT CONTROL TEAM
Astronaut-Related IVA and Equipment Support
All scientific experiments and educational
Astronaut‐Related IVA and Equipment Support operations on board Kibo are conducted by the
(ARIES) is responsible for Intra‐Vehicular Payload Flight Control Team (PL FCT)
Activity (IVA) operations on board Kibo. The stationed at the User Operations Area (UOA)
ARIES manages the tools and other IVA‐related under the direction of the JEM PAYLOADS.
support equipment on Kibo. The PL FCT consists of ten expert groups who
JEM Payload Officer have special knowledge in order to support
each experiment operation.
The JEM Payload Officer (JEM PAYLOADS) is
responsible for Kibo’s experiment payload

JAXA Payload Operations Conductor Biology Ops Lead
The JAXA Payload Operations Conductor The Biology Ops Lead team (BIO) is responsible
(JPOC) is the leader of the PLFCT. The JPOC for overall operations of the Cell Biology
oversees and manages experiment operations Experiment Facility (CBEF) and the Clean
on board Kibo. This role includes evaluating Bench (CB) installed on the SAIBO Rack.
and decision-making concerning experiment
planning, operations procedures, readiness, RYUTAI Rack User Integrator/Principal
and actual operations. Investigator/Engineer (UI/PI/Eng.)
The RYUTAI Rack UI/PI/Eng. team consists of a

Fluid Science and Crystallization Science Ops
Lead research team and an engineering team and is
responsible for all the experiment operations
The Fluid Science and Crystallization Science that use the RYUTAI Rack.
Ops Lead team (FISICS) is responsible for the
operations of the Fluid Physics Experiment For each experiment program, the team
Facility (FPEF), the Solution Crystallization prepares sample specimen and equipment for
Observation Facility (SCOF), the Protein the experiment in support of the principal
Crystallization Research Facility (PCRF), and investigator (PI) and those who manufacture
the Image Processing Unit (IPU) installed on the experiment. The engineering team includes
the RYUTAI Rack. the User Integrator (UI) and engineers who
have been involved in the development of the
experiment operated in the RYUTAI Rack.

SAIBO Rack User Integrator/Principal The team monitors and operates each program
Investigator/Engineer (UI/PI/Eng.) in support of the project leader and the
researcher/principal investigator of the
The SAIBO Rack UI/PI/Eng. team consists of a program, and collaborates with the JEM
research team and an engineering team and is PAYLOADS and the JPOC.
responsible for experiment operations that use
the SAIBO Rack. SEDA-AP, MAXI 1 AND 2, SMILES
For each experiment program, the team SPACE ENVIRONMENT DATA
prepares sample specimen and equipment ACQUISITION EQUIPMENT –
for the experiment in support of the PI and ATTACHED PAYLOAD, MONITOR OF
those who manufacture the experiment. The ALL-SKY X-RAY IMAGE,
engineering team includes the UI and engineers SUPERCONDUCTING SUBMILLIMETER-
who have been involved in the development of
WAVE LIMB-EMISSION SOUNDER
the experiment operated in the SAIBO Rack.
This team is responsible for the EF experiment
Education Payload Observation Officer operations, namely the SEDA-AP, MAXI and
The Education Payload Observation Officer SMILES.
team (EPO/Medical) is responsible for JAXA’s
TSUKUBA SPACE CENTER
Educational Payload Observation (EPO) and
medical research operations. Tsukuba Space Center is JAXA’s largest space
development and utilization research complex.
On board Kibo, educational programs (art and
As Japan’s primary site for human spaceflight
culture) and human space flight technology
research and operations, it operates the
development programs (the astronauts’ health
following facilities in support of the Kibo
care and medical management) are performed
mission.
using the space-unique environment.

Space Station Test Building system including all the associated elements. In
addition, subsystems, payloads, and ground
Comprehensive Kibo systems’ tests were support equipment were all tested in this
conducted in this building. The main purpose building. Currently, this building is used to
of the tests was to verify function, physical provide engineering support for Kibo
interface, and performance of the entire Kibo operations.
Space Experiment Laboratory (SEL) • Development of technologies required for

space experiments
The following activities are conducted in this
building: • Preparation of Kibo experiment programs
• Experiment data analysis and support

Astronaut Training Facility (ATF) • JAXA astronaut candidate training
The following activities are conducted in this • Astronaut training and health care
building:
This building is also the primary site for Japan’s
space medicine research.
Weightless Environment Test Building (WET) astronaut training. Design verification tests
on various Kibo element modules and the
This facility provides a simulated weightless development of preliminary spacewalk
environment using water buoyancy for procedures were conducted in this facility.

Exposed Facility Mockup in the WET pool

SPACE STATION OPERATION FACILITY The SSOF is responsible for the following:
The Space Station Operation Facility (SSOF) is • Monitoring and controlling Kibo operating
used for the control of Kibo operations. At the systems
SSOF, operation of Kibo systems and payloads
are supervised, and Kibo operation plans are • Monitoring and controlling Japanese
prepared in cooperation with NASA’s Space experiments on Kibo
Station Control Center (SSCC) and Payload • Implementing operation plans
Operation Integration Center (POIC).
• Supporting launch preparation
The SSOF consists of the following sections: User Operations Area
Mission Control Room The User Operations Area is designated as the

distribution point for the status of Japanese
This is the location of real‐time Kibo support on experiments, and where collected data is
a 24‐hour basis. This includes monitoring the released to the respective users who are
health and status of Kibo’s operating systems responsible for the experiments and their
and payloads, sending commands, and subsequent analyses.
real‐time operational planning.

Operations Planning Room Operations Rehearsal Room
This is the location of the planning of in-orbit Training for flight controllers, integrated
and ground operations based on the power rehearsals, and joint simulations with NASA
distribution, crew resources, and data take place in this room.
transmission capacity. If the baseline plans
need to be changed, adjustments will be Engineering Support Room
conducted in collaboration with the control This is the location of the engineering support
room, the User Operations, and NASA. for Kibo operations. In this room, the JEM
Engineering Team monitors the data
downlinked to the MCR from Kibo and
provides engineering support as required.

INTEGRATED CARGO CARRIER – VERTICAL LIGHT DEPLOY (ICC-VLD)
Astronauts use the Integrated Cargo The ICC configuration flown on STS-127 is
Carrier (ICC) to help transfer unpressurized called the ICC-VLD and provides heater power
cargo such as Orbital Replacement and electrical connections for the ORUs. The
Units (ORUs) from the space shuttle to the empty weight of the ICC-VLD is 2,645 pounds.
International Space Station and from the station The total weight of the ORUs and ICC-VLD is
to worksites on the truss assemblies. The approximately 8,330 pounds. The STS-127/2JA
carrier also is used to return items for assembly mission ICC-VLD will carry
refurbishment. replacement components and spare parts for
the space station.
The Astrium ICC, formerly provided by
SPACEHAB Inc., is an unpressurized flatbed The ICC is grabbed by the space shuttle and the
pallet and keel yoke assembly housed in space station robotic arms during its move from
the shuttle’s payload bay. Constructed of the payload bay. It is attached to the station’s
aluminum, it is approximately 8 feet long mobile transporter and can be held at the
(105 inches), 13 feet wide (165 inches), and various worksites by the station’s robotic arm
10 inches thick, and carries cargo on both the while the ORUs are transferred.
top and bottom faces of the pallet. Using
modular elements, several pallet configurations
are available, accommodating various mass
capabilities and cargo envelopes.

The ICC-VLD will carry six batteries for the a design life of approximately six and a half
Port 6 (P6) solar array. Thirty-eight individual years.
pressure vessel (IPV) nickel hydrogen (NiH2)
battery cells are connected in series and In addition to the batteries, the ICC-VLD will
packaged in a Battery ORU. Two ORUs are have three Flight Releasable Attachment
connected in series, utilizing a total of 76 cells Mechanism (FRAM)-based ORUs called the
to form one battery. The P6 Integrated Space-to-Ground Antenna (SGANT), Pump
Equipment Assembly (IEA) containing the Module Assembly (PMA) and Linear Drive
initial ISS high-power components was Unit (LDU). These components will be stored
launched on Nov. 30, 2000. The IEA contains on External Stowage Platform 3 (ESP-3) on the
12 Battery Subassembly ORUs (6 batteries) that Port 3 truss. When the ICC-VLD with the old
provide station power during eclipse and batteries is returned to Earth aboard the space
maintenance periods. Each battery is designed shuttle, it will weigh 6,017 pounds.
to deliver more than 25 Amps in a low-demand The SGANT provides Ku-band communication
orbit to as high as 75 Amps to meet short between the space station and the Tracking
peaking load requirements at a battery Data and Relay (TDRS) satellites for payload
operating voltage range of 76 to 123 V dc. The data, video to the ground and the crew
batteries will be replaced during two Orbiter Communications Adapter (OCA). The
spacewalks and the old ones will be returned. OCA allows for telephone calls, emails and
The six batteries weigh 2,204 pounds and have other two-way communications services. The

SGANT currently is mounted on top of the Aerospace in Carpeinteria, Calif., the LDU
Zenith 1 (Z1) truss. Eventually, a second Z1 weighs approximately 255 pounds and
boom will be mounted with an additional measures approximately 4 feet wide by 3 feet
SGANT in a standby backup mode. If ever high, and just under 2 feet in depth.
needed, it could be brought on line quickly.
The SGANT launched on flight STS-127/2JA The PMA is part of the station’s complex Active
will be a spare for the other two ORUs Thermal Control System (ATCS), which
mounted on the Z1 Truss. The SGANT dish provides vital cooling to internal and external
measures 6 feet (72 inches) in diameter, is 6 feet avionics, crew members, and payloads. The
(72 inches) high, including gimbals, and weighs station has two independent cooling loops. The
194 pounds. external loops use an ammonia-based coolant
and the internal loops use water cooling. At the
The LDU is the drive system for the mobile heart of the ATCS is the pump module, which
transporter that moves back and forth (port to pumps the ammonia through the external
starboard, starboard to port) along the system to provide cooling and eventually reject
integrated rails on the external structure of the residual heat into space via the radiators.
the space station (i.e., trusses P3 through S3). The heat is generated by the electronic boxes
The transporter is a movable platform throughout the station. Manufactured by
that shifts the space station robotic arm, work Boeing, the pump module weighs 780 pounds
carts or massive station components along and measures approximately 5 1/2 feet
the main truss. The LDU features two (69 inches) long by 4 feet (50 inches) wide by
independent drive and engagement systems. 3 feet (36 inches) high.
Built by Northrop Grumman ASTRO

RENDEZVOUS & DOCKING
The above image depicts space shuttle Endeavour on final docking approach with the
International Space Station.
Rendezvous begins with a precisely timed As Endeavour moves closer to the station, its
launch that puts the space shuttle on a rendezvous radar system and trajectory control
trajectory to chase the International Space sensor will provide the crew with range and
Station. A series of engine firings over the next closing-rate data. Several small correction
two days will bring Endeavour to a point about burns will place Endeavour about 1,000 feet
50,000 feet behind the station. Once there, below the station.
Endeavour will start its final approach. About
2.5 hours before docking, the shuttle’s jets will Commander Mark Polansky, with help from
be fired during what is called the terminal Pilot Doug Hurley and other crew members,
initiation burn. The shuttle will cover the final will manually fly the shuttle for the remainder
miles to the station during the next orbit. of the approach and docking.
JUNE 2009 RENDEZVOUS & DOCKING 69

Polansky will stop Endeavour about 600 feet the laser range systems and Endeavour’s
below the station. Once he determines there is docking mechanism.
proper lighting, he will maneuver Endeavour
through a nine-minute backflip called the Using a video camera mounted in the center of
Rendezvous Pitch Maneuver. That allows the the Orbiter Docking System, Polansky will line
station crew to take as many as 300 digital up the docking ports of the two spacecraft.
pictures of the shuttle’s heat shield. If necessary, Polansky will pause Endeavour
Station crew members Mike Barratt and 30 feet from the station to ensure proper
Gennady Padalka will use digital cameras with alignment of the docking mechanisms. He will
400mm and 800mm lenses to photograph maintain the shuttle’s speed relative to the
Endeavour’s upper and bottom surfaces station at about one-tenth of a foot per second,
through windows of the Zvezda Service while both Endeavour and the station are
Module. The 400mm lens provides up to moving at about 17,500 mph. Polansky will
three-inch resolution and the 800mm lens up to keep the docking mechanisms aligned to a
one-inch resolution. Padalka will use the tolerance of three inches.
400mm and Barratt will use the 800. When Endeavour makes contact with the
The photography is one of several techniques station, preliminary latches will automatically
used to inspect the shuttle’s thermal protection attach the two spacecraft. The shuttle’s steering
system for possible damage. Areas of special jets will be deactivated to reduce the forces
interest include the thermal protection tiles, the acting at the docking interface. Shock absorber
reinforced carbon-carbon of the nose and springs in the docking mechanism will dampen
leading edges of the wings, landing gear doors any relative motion between the shuttle and
and the elevon cove. station.
The photos will be downlinked through the Once motion between the shuttle and the
station’s Ku-band communications system for station has been stopped, the docking ring will
analysis by systems engineers and mission be retracted to close a final set of latches
managers. between the two vehicles.
When Endeavour completes its backflip, it will UNDOCKING, SEPARATION AND

be back where it started, with its payload bay DEPARTURE
facing the station. Polansky then will fly
Endeavour through a quarter circle to a At undocking time, the hooks and latches will
position about 400 feet directly in front of the be opened and springs will push the shuttle
station. From that point he will begin the final away from the station. Endeavour’s steering
approach to docking to the Pressurized Mating jets will be shut off to avoid any inadvertent
Adapter 2 at the forward end of the Harmony firings during the initial separation.
node. Once Endeavour is about two feet from the
The shuttle crew members will operate laptop station and the docking devices are clear of one
computers that process the navigational data, another, Hurley will turn the steering jets back
70 RENDEZVOUS & DOCKING JUNE 2009

on and will manually control Endeavour within Once Endeavour completes 1.5 revolutions of
a tight corridor as the shuttle separates from the the complex, Hurley will fire Endeavour’s jets
station. to leave the area. The shuttle will move about
46 miles from the station and remain there
Endeavour will move to a distance of about while ground teams analyze data from the late
450 feet, where Hurley will begin to fly around inspection of the shuttle’s heat shield. The
the station. This maneuver will occur only if distance is close enough to allow the shuttle to
propellant margins and mission timeline return to the station in the unlikely event that
activities permit. the heat shield is damaged, preventing the
shuttle’s safe re-entry.
Backdropped by the blackness of space, the International Space Station is seen from space shuttle
Discovery as the two spacecraft begin their relative separation.
JUNE 2009 RENDEZVOUS & DOCKING 71

72 RENDEZVOUS & DOCKING JUNE 2009

SPACEWALKS
Dave Wolf, STS-112 mission specialist, his feet secured to a foot restraint on the end of the
Space Station Remote Manipulator System or Canadarm2, participates in a six-hour,
four-minute session of extravehicular activity.
There are five spacewalks scheduled for the accomplished during the last shuttle mission to
STS-127 mission – only the second time that a the space station.
crew has gone into a space station mission
planning to perform so many. The main event Mission Specialists Dave Wolf, Tim Kopra,
will be the installation of the Japanese Kibo Tom Marshburn and Christopher Cassidy will
laboratory’s exposed section on the first spend a combined total of 32.5 hours outside
spacewalk, but that’s only a small slice of the the station on flight days 4, 6, 8, 10 and 13.
work to be done. The spacewalkers will also Wolf, the lead spacewalker for the mission, will
deliver spare equipment, change out batteries suit up for the first, second and third
and finish up some work that wasn’t spacewalks in a spacesuit marked with solid
JUNE 2009 SPACEWALKS 73

red stripes. He is a veteran spacewalker with the station’s Quest Airlock. This practice is
three extravehicular activities, or EVAs, called the campout prebreathe protocol and is
performed during the STS-112 mission in 2002, used to purge nitrogen from the spacewalkers’
and one performed from the Russian Mir space systems and prevent decompression sickness,
station. also known as “the bends.”
Kopra, Marshburn and Cassidy will perform During the campout, the two astronauts
their first spacewalks. Kopra will participate in performing the spacewalk will isolate
the first spacewalk, wearing an all white themselves inside the airlock while the air
spacesuit. Marshburn will take part in pressure is lowered to 10.2 pounds per square
spacewalks two, four and five and wear a inch, or psi. The station is kept at the near-sea-
spacesuit marked with a broken red stripe. level pressure of 14.7 psi. The morning of the
And Cassidy will wear a spacesuit with a line spacewalk, the astronauts will wear oxygen
of horizontal red stripes for spacewalks three, masks while the airlock’s pressure is raised
four and five. back to 14.7 psi for an hour and the hatch
between the airlock and the rest of the station is
On each EVA day, a spacewalker inside the opened. That allows the spacewalkers to
station will act as the intravehicular officer, or perform their morning routines before
spacewalk choreographer. And all but the fifth returning to the airlock, where the air pressure
spacewalk will require at least two crew is lowered again. Approximately 50 minutes
members inside the station or shuttle to be at after the spacewalkers don their spacesuits, the
the controls of one or more of the robotic arms – prebreathe protocol will be complete.
the station’s 58-foot-long robotic arm or the
shuttle’s 50-foot-long one – to carry and The procedure enables spacewalks to begin
maneuver equipment and spacewalkers. earlier in the crew’s day than was possible
before the protocol was adopted.
Preparations will start the night before each
spacewalk, when the astronauts spend time in
74 SPACEWALKS JUNE 2009

EVA-1 • CETA cart modification
Duration: 6 hours, 30 minutes • Japanese robotic arm maintenance

Crew: Wolf and Kopra
• Exposed facility experiment prep
IV Crew: Cassidy
Robotic Arm • P3 Nadir UCCAS and S3 Zenith Outboard
Operators: Polanksy (shuttle), PAS deploy
Hurley (station),
Payette (shuttle) and Although the actual installation of Kibo’s
Wakata (station) exposed facility will be done robotically, Wolf
and Kopra will begin the first spacewalk by
EVA Operations making preparations for that installation at
both ends. Wolf will make his way to the
• Kibo/exposed facility berthing mechanism
laboratory to remove some insulation currently
prep
covering its berthing mechanism that the
• ICC prep exposed facility will be attached to. To do so,

he’ll release four fasteners and jettison the station to pick up some tools on the station’s
insulation. While he’s in the area, he’ll also zenith truss segment, and then to the left side of
tuck two grounding tabs on the Japanese the Unity node to open another cover on its
robotic arm out of the way of the arm’s camera common berthing mechanism.
– they’re currently interfering with the view.
Wolf will move from the Kibo laboratory to the
At the same time, Kopra will be working inside station’s port, or left, truss. He’ll pause at the
the shuttle’s cargo bay on the exposed facility innermost section of the truss to loosen four
end of that preparation. He’ll start by bolts on the grapple bar of an ammonia tank
removing insulation from its berthing assembly to speed up another task during the
mechanism where it will attach to the Kibo second spacewalk, then continue on to the port
laboratory, by releasing four fasteners and crew equipment and translation aid, or CETA,
storing the insulation. He’ll then disconnect the cart. There he’ll be moving and restraining a
power cable that keeps the exposed facility foot restraint and brake handles out of the way
running while it’s in the cargo bay. to prevent them from interfering with the
rotating solar alpha rotary joint.
The shuttle’s robotic arm will have already
latched onto the exposed facility before the For the rest of the spacewalk, Wolf and Kopra
spacewalk started, and after the power cable is will work together to set up two systems for
disconnected, the spacewalkers will have done attaching cargo to the station’s truss – an
their part in the preparations for its installation. unpressurized cargo carrier attachment system,
Afterward, the station robotic arm will or UCCAS, and a payload attachment system,
maneuver into place, and the shuttle robotic or PAS. Though they have different names, the
arm will pick up the facility from the shuttle’s two systems are almost identical. During the
cargo bay and hand it off to the station robotic last shuttle mission to the space station,
arm. The station arm will then fly it to the Kibo spacewalkers ran into problems when they
laboratory for installation. tried to set up the UCCAS on the port 3, or P3,
segment of the station’s truss. A jammed
Meanwhile, Wolf and Kopra will continue on detent pin kept it from unfolding as it was
with their spacewalk activities. Already in the supposed to. So Wolf and Kopra will come
shuttle’s cargo bay, Kopra will go ahead and back for another try during their spacewalk.
disconnect the power cables providing They’ll use a specially built detent release tool
electricity to the integrated cargo carrier to to help clear the jam and allow them to fully
which the spare station equipment that install the UCCAS.
Endeavour is carrying are attached. And he’ll
remove a contamination cover on one of the After getting the UCCAS into place, Wolf and
experiments the exposed facility’s experiment Kopra will move to the starboard side of the
carrier is carrying – MAXI, or Monitor of truss to set up a PAS on the S3 truss segment. If
All-sky X-ray Image. this one goes as planned, the spacewalkers will
first remove brackets and pins holding the latch
After that, Kopra will move to the top of the in place, move the latch into position and then
Harmony node to secure a cover on its common reinstall the brackets and pins.
berthing mechanism. He’ll move farther aft on

EVA-2 The second spacewalk will focus primarily on
transferring the spare equipment brought up by
Duration: 6 hours, 30 minutes the shuttle to a storage location on the station’s
Crew: Wolf and Marshburn truss segment.
IV Crew: Cassidy
Robotic Arm Between the first and second spacewalk,
Operators: Hurley, Payette and Wakata Polansky and Hurley will use the shuttle
(all station) robotic arm to unpack the integrated cargo
carrier that holds all the spare equipment the
EVA Operations shuttle is delivering to the space station. On
flight day 6, before the second spacewalk starts,
• Spare equipment transfer
Payette and Wakata will take over using the
• Exposed facility vision equipment station robotic arm and maneuver the carrier to
installation be installed temporarily on the truss.

This must be done before the spacewalk starts, installation of the exposed facility’s experiment
because Wolf’s first task will be to climb into a carrier the following day. For launch, it will be
foot restraint on the station’s robotic arm so that locked into a temporary spot on the exposed
he can transfer the equipment from the carrier facility, and Wolf and Marshburn will need to
to an external stowage platform. release six bolts, remove some insulation and
disconnect a power cable to retrieve it. To
Together, Wolf and Marshburn will detach first install it in its permanent location on the
the spare space-to-ground antenna from the forward end of the exposed facility, they’ll use
cargo carrier. Wolf will then carry it via the two bolts to secure it and then reconnect its
robotic arm to the stowage platform, where he power cable.
and Marshburn will install it. They’ll then
repeat the process with the spare pump module EVA-3
and the spare linear drive unit. The process is
expected to take about three and a half hours. Duration: 6 hours, 30 minutes
Crew: Wolf and Cassidy
They’ll spend their remaining time outside IV Crew: Marshburn
adding vision equipment on the newly installed Robotic Arm
exposed facility, which will help with the Operators: Hurley and Payette (station)

EVA Operations: arm to maneuver the integrated cargo carrier,
to which the new batteries for the P6 solar array
• WIF relocation will be attached, as close to Wolf and Cassidy’s
• Handrail and worksite interface installation worksite as possible – almost as far out as the
arm can reach.
• Safety tether pack relocation
Wolf and Cassidy will replace four of the six
• Exposed facility experiment and batteries during this spacewalk. The new
communications system preparation batteries will be designated by letters A
through F, and the old batteries numbered one
• P6 battery swap, part one through six. Cassidy will remove an old
The battery change out work for the port 6, or battery from the solar array’s integrated
P6, solar array, will take about 30 minutes of electrical assembly by installing two “scoops”
the allotted work time for the third spacewalk that will be used by the spacewalkers to
of the mission, but Wolf and Cassidy will cram maneuver the batteries, and then removing two
several tasks into that first 30 minutes. bolts. He’ll then hand it off, get out of the foot
restraint he was working in, move closer to
Wolf will relocate a worksite interface and a Wolf and take hold of the battery. Wolf will
handrail from their current location on the release the battery, move slightly further down
Harmony node to a new site on the Columbus the truss and position himself to take hold of
laboratory. Cassidy, meanwhile, will prepare the battery. Cassidy will hand the battery to
the experiments and equipment brought up Wolf and then move himself closer to once
inside the exposed facility’s experiment carrier again take hold and control the battery. The
to be transferred to the exposed facility itself by process is called “shepherding,” and might
removing insulation. The carrier will have been appear as “inch-worming” the battery along
installed on flight day 7 by Polansky and except that one person is always holding a
Payette at the shuttle’s robotic arm and Hurley 367-pound battery.
and Wakata at the station’s.
To install the battery in a temporary storage
Cassidy will start with the interorbit location on the integrated electrical assembly,
communication system, which has two covers Wolf will use one of the scoops to attach it to a
for Cassidy to remove and jettison and one to multi-use tether, or ball-stack, and end
bring back inside. He’ll also need to release the effectors. The spacewalkers will then remove
equipment’s antenna holding mechanism, battery A from the integrated cargo carrier and
which requires removing two bolts. Cassidy shepherd it back to the integrated electrical
will then move on to the space environment assembly for installation in slot 1. The next step
data acquisition equipment – attached payload. will be to remove battery 4, shepherd it to the
cargo carrier to be installed in slot A, and
From there, both spacewalkers will move to the remove battery B to be installed in slot 4.
end of the port side of the station’s truss for the
battery work. Before the spacewalk starts, The process will continue until four batteries
Hurley and Payette will use the station’s robotic have been installed, then the first battery will be

removed from its temporary storage location EVA-4
and installed in the vacant spot on the cargo
carrier. The order will be as follows: Duration: 6 hours, 30 minutes
Crew: Marshburn and Cassidy
Battery 1 to temporary storage IV Crew: Kopra
Battery A to Slot 1 Robotic Arm
Battery 4 to Slot A Operators: Polansky (shuttle),
Battery B to Slot 4 Hurley (shuttle),
Battery 3 to Slot B Payette (station) and
Battery C to Slot 3 Wakata (station)
Battery 2 to Slot C
Battery D to Slot 2 EVA Operations:
Battery 1 to Slot D
• Battery swap, part two
• Exposed facility vision equipment

installation

Marshburn and Cassidy will spend the first half The last spacewalk of the mission will be
of spacewalk four finishing up the battery swap devoted primarily to get-ahead tasks that were
work that Wolf and Cassidy started. They’ll use not able to be finished during the last shuttle
the same procedure and perform the work in mission to the space station. Marshburn’s first
the following order: job will take him to the station’s special
purpose dexterous manipulator – also known
Battery 5 to temporary storage as Dextre – on the exterior of the Destiny
Battery E to Slot 5 laboratory. He’ll be resecuring two thermal
Battery 6 to Slot E covers on Dextre’s orbital replacement unit tool
Battery F to Slot 6 changeout mechanisms – in other words, one of
Battery 5 to Slot F the robot’s wrist joints.
The spacewalkers will then wrap up their work While he does so, Cassidy will swap two
by installing the exposed facility’s aft vision connectors on a patch panel on the station’s
equipment, in a process similar to that zenith truss segment.
performed by Marshburn and Wolf during the
second spacewalk. The two will then work together to first set up
two more payload attachment systems – on the
EVA-5 inboard and outboard sides of the nadir portion
of the S3 truss – following the procedure that
Duration: 5 hours, 45 minutes
Wolf and Kopra used during the first
Crew: Marshburn and Cassidy
spacewalk, and install a wireless video system
IV Crew: Wolf
external transceiver assembly, or WETA, on
Robotic Arm
the same segment. WETAs support the
Operators: None
transmission of video from spacewalkers’
EVA Operations: helmet cameras. To do so, Marshburn will
remove a dummy box currently in the location,
• SPDM insulation covers reconfiguration and then attach the WETA to a stanchion.
Cassidy will connect three cables to the
• Z1 patch panel reconfiguration
assembly.
• S3 PAS deploy (three)
• WETA installation


EXPERIMENTS
The space shuttle and International Space The C3PO office manages the Commercial
Station have an integrated research program Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) projects
that optimizes use of shuttle crew members and which has a Space Act Agreement with SpaceX.
long-duration space station crew members to COTS is an effort by NASA to stimulate a
address research questions in a variety of commercial market for spaceflight services.
disciplines.
According to SpaceX, its recoverable Dragon
For information on science on the station, visit spacecraft is being designed to carry both
pressurized and unpressurized cargo to the
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/
station.
science/index.html
The Advanced Scientific Concepts (ASCs)
or
“DragonEye” flash Light Intensification
http://iss-science.jsc.nasa.gov/index.cfm Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) relative
navigation sensor is being tested on this
Detailed information is located at
mission. DragonEye has been baselined as
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/ SpaceX's primary relative navigation sensor.
science/experiments/Expedition.html
The DragonEye will mount to the shuttle’s
DETAILED TEST OBJECTIVES existing Trajectory Control System (TCS) carrier
assembly on the Orbiter Docking System
Detailed Test Objectives (DTOs) are aimed at (ODS). SpaceX will be taking data in parallel
testing, evaluating or documenting systems or with the shuttle’s Trajectory Control Sensor
hardware or proposed improvements to (TCS) system. Both TCS and DragonEye will be
hardware, systems and operations. “looking” at the retroreflectors that are on the
station. After the flight, SpaceX will compare
DTO 701B DRAGONEYE FLASH LIDAR
the data DragonEye collected against the data
On behalf of SpaceX of Hawthorne, Calif., TCS collected and evaluate DragonEye’s
NASA’s Commercial Crew and Cargo Program performance.
Office (C3PO) is sponsoring the investigation of
The DragonEye will use a flash Light
“DragonEye,” a pulsed laser navigation sensor
Intensification Detection and Ranging (Range)
that SpaceX’s Dragon vehicle would use to
(LIDAR), which provides a three-dimensional
approach the International Space Station. The
image based on the time of flight of a single
test is to gain confidence and experience with
laser pulse from the sensor to the target and
how the DragonEye sensor performs before the
back. It provides both range and bearing
system is used on the vehicle’s third
information from targets that can reflect the
demonstration which includes rendezvous with
light back such as the Pressurized Mating
the station.
Adapter (PMA)2 and those on the nadir side of
station’s Japanese Experiment Module (JEM).
JUNE 2009 EXPERIMENTS 83

The DragonEye sensor unit will also be able to wave will move up and down the motor from
operate with retroreflectors in the Field Of the front to the rear, generating acoustic noise
View (FOV) even at close range. The as well as physical loads in the structure. These
DragonEye sensor is eye-safe and will also be data are necessary to help propulsion engineers
unpowered when docked to the station, so confirm modeling techniques of pressure
there are no safety concerns for spacewalks. oscillations and the loads they create. As
NASA engineers develop alternate propulsion
SpaceX also will perform a ground-based space designs for use in NASA, they will take
qualification program to ensure the sensor can advantage of current designs from which they
withstand the rigors of launch and operation in can learn and measure. In an effort to obtain
a space environment, including tests such as data to correlate pressure oscillation with the
vibration and thermal-vac. loads it can generate, the shuttle program is
About SpaceX using two data systems to gather detailed
information. Both systems are located on the
SpaceX is developing a family of launch top of the solid rocket motors inside the
vehicles and spacecraft intended to increase the forward skirt.
reliability and reduce the cost of both manned
and unmanned space transportation, ultimately The Intelligent Pressure Transducer, or IPT, is
by a factor of 10. With the Falcon 1 and a stand-alone pressure transducer with an
Falcon 9 vehicles, SpaceX offers highly internal data acquisition system that will record
reliable/cost-efficient launch capabilities for pressure data to an internal memory chip. The
spacecraft insertion into any orbital altitude and data will be downloaded to a computer after
inclination. Starting in 2010, SpaceX’s Dragon the booster has been recovered and returned to
spacecraft will provide Earth–to-LEO transport the Solid Rocket Booster Assembly and
of pressurized and unpressurized cargo, Refurbishment Facility at NASA’s Kennedy
including resupply to the space station. Space Center, Fla. This system has been used
on numerous full-scale static test motors in
Founded in 2002, the SpaceX team now Utah and will provide engineers with a
numbers over 700, with corporate headquarters common base to compare flight data to ground
in Hawthorne, Calif. test data.
Space Shuttle Solid Rocket Motor The Enhanced Data Acquisition System, or
Pressure Oscillation Data Gathering EDAS, is a data acquisition system that will
record pressure data from one of the Reusable
The Space Shuttle Program is gathering data on Solid Rocket Booster Operational Pressure
five shuttle flights, beginning with STS-126, to Transducers, or OPT, and from accelerometers
gain a greater understanding of the pressure and strain gauges placed on the forward skirt
oscillation, or periodic variation, phenomena walls. These data will provide engineers with
that regularly occurs within solid rocket time-synchronized data that will allow them to
motors. The pressure oscillation that is determine the accelerations and loads that are
observed in solid rocket motors is similar to the transferred through the structure due to the
hum made when blowing into a bottle. At pressure oscillation forces.
1.5 psi, or pounds per square inch, a pressure
84 EXPERIMENTS JUNE 2009

Intelligent Pressure Transducer
SHORT-DURATION U.S. INTEGRATED designed for space applications. ARD is the

RESEARCH TO BE COMPLETED DURING capability of two independent spacecraft to
rendezvous in orbit and dock without crew
STS-127/2JA (4)
intervention. DRAGONSat consists of two
Atmospheric Neutral Density Experiment – 2 picosatellites (one built by the University of
(ANDE-2) consists of two microsatellites Texas and one built by Texas A&M University)
launched from the shuttle payload bay that will and the Space Shuttle Payload Launcher (SSPL).
measure the density and composition of the
Maui Analysis of Upper Atmospheric
Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) atmosphere while being
Injections (MAUI) will observe the space
tracked from the ground. The data will be used
shuttle engine exhaust plumes from the Maui
to better predict the movement and decay of
Space Surveillance Site in Hawaii. The
objects in orbit.
observations will occur when the space shuttle
Dual RF Astrodynamic GPS Orbital Navigator fires its engines at night or twilight. A
Satellite (DRAGONSat) will demonstrate telescope and all-sky imagers will take images
Autonomous Rendezvous and Docking (ARD) and data while the space shuttle flies over the
in LEO and gather flight data with a Global Maui site. The images will be analyzed to
Positioning System (GPS) receiver strictly better understand the interaction between the

spacecraft plume and the upper atmosphere of cultured in DomeGene as part of Japanese
Earth. Aerospace Exploration Agency research. Cell
lines derived from kidney and liver cells are
Shuttle Exhaust Ion Turbulence Experiments used. They show different types of cell
(SEITE) will use space-based sensors to detect differentiation and morphogenesis. While
the ionospheric turbulence inferred from the they are cultured under microgravity,
radar observations from a previous Space researchers observe the shape and state of the
Shuttle Orbital Maneuvering System (OMS) cells and examine the known and unknown
burn experiment using ground-based radar. gene expression by DNA array assay using
Shuttle Ionospheric Modification with Pulsed fixed and frozen recovery sample.
Localized Exhaust Experiments (SIMPLEX) Validation of Procedures for Monitoring Crew
will investigate plasma turbulence driven by Member Immune Function (Integrated
rocket exhaust in the ionosphere using ground- Immune) will assess the clinical risks resulting
based radars. from the adverse effects of spaceflight on the
human immune system and will validate a
Samples Returning from Station on
STS-127/2JA flight-compatible immune monitoring strategy.
Researchers will collect and analyze blood,
Bisphosphonates as a Countermeasure to urine and saliva samples from crew members
Space Flight Induced Bone Loss before, during and after spaceflight to monitor
(Bisphosphonates) will study the effectiveness changes in the immune system. Changes in the
of bisphosphonates (medications that block the immune system will be monitored by collecting
breakdown of bone) used in conjunction with and analyzing blood and saliva samples from
the routine in-flight exercise program to protect crew members during flight and blood, urine,
space station crew members from the regional and saliva samples before and after spaceflight.
decreases in bone mineral density documented
on previous station missions. Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency –
Commercial Payload Program (JAXA-
Long Term Microgravity: A Model for Commercial) is a “to be determined”
Investigating Mechanisms of Heart Disease commercial investigation sponsored by the
with New Portable Equipment (Card) is a Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency.
European Space Agency experiment that
studies blood pressure decreases when the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency –
human body is exposed to microgravity. In Education Payload Observation (JAXA-EPO)
order to increase the blood pressure to the level aims to excite everyone’s interest in
it was on Earth, salt is added to the crew microgravity research. Activities will include
members’ diet. To monitor this, blood pressure educational events and artistic activities with
readings and urine samples are performed at astronauts in orbit. These Japan Aerospace
different intervals during the mission. Exploration Agency-sponsored artistic activities
will enlighten the general public about
DomeGene Experiment (DomeGene) Two microgravity research and human spaceflight.
kinds of amphibian cultured cell lines are

Study of Lower Back Pain in Crewmembers conditions. Biological samples from the
during Space Flight (Mus) is a European Space International Space Station, including blood
Agency Experiment that will study the details and urine, will be collected, processed and
on development of lower back pain during archived during the preflight, in-flight and
flight in astronauts/cosmonauts. According to post-flight phases of station missions. This
biomechanical model, strain on the ilio-lumbar investigation has been developed to archive
ligaments increases with backward tilt of the biosamples for use as a resource for future
pelvis combined with forward flexion of the spaceflight-related research.
spine. This is what astronauts may experience
due to loss of curvature. The objective is to Sleep-Wake Actigraphy and Light Exposure
assess astronaut deep muscle corset atrophy in during Spaceflight – Long (Sleep-Long)
response to microgravity exposure. examines the effects of spaceflight and ambient
light exposure on the sleep-wake cycles of the
Nutritional Status Assessment (Nutrition) is crew members during long-duration stays on
the most comprehensive in-flight study done by the space station. This experiment uses state-
NASA to date of human physiologic changes of-the-art ambulatory technology to monitor
during long-duration spaceflight; this includes sleep-wake activity patterns and light exposure
measures of bone metabolism, oxidative in crew members. Subjects will wear a small,
damage, nutritional assessments, and hormonal light-weight activity and light recording device
changes. This study will affect both the (Actiwatch) for the entire duration of their
definition of nutritional requirements and mission and record data in log books.
development of food systems for future space
exploration missions to the moon and Mars. SOdium LOading in Microgravity (SOLO) is a
This experiment also will help to understand continuation of extensive research into the
the impact of countermeasures (exercise and mechanisms of fluid and salt retention in the
pharmaceuticals) on nutritional status and body during bed rest and spaceflights. During
nutrient requirements for astronauts. long-term space missions astronauts will
participate in two metabolically controlled
Protein Crystallization Diagnostics Facility study phases, five days each. Subjects follow a
(PCDF) is a multi-user European Space Agency diet of constant either low or normal sodium
facility for the investigation of protein intake, fairly high fluid consumption and
crystal growth and other biological macro- isocaloric nutrition.
molecules under microgravity. Crystallization
experiments using the dialysis or the batch Mental Representation of Spatial Cues during
method can be performed. PCDF is designed Space Flight (3D-Space) is a European Space
for accommodation in the European Drawer Agency investigation into the effects of
Rack (EDR) on the station. exposure to microgravity on the mental
representation of spatial cues by astronauts
NASA Biological Specimen Repository during and after spaceflight. The absence of
(Repository) is a storage bank that is used to the gravitational frame of reference during
maintain biological specimens over extended spaceflight could be responsible for
periods of time and under well-controlled disturbances in the mental representation of

spatial cues, such as the perception of ambiguous figures is affected when the
horizontal and vertical lines, the perception of observer is in a reduced gravity environment.
objects’ depth, and the perception of targets’
distance. Nutritional Status Assessment (Nutrition) is
the most comprehensive in-flight study done by
Experiments Being Delivered to the NASA to date of human physiologic changes
Station on STS-127/2JA during long-duration spaceflight; this includes
measures of bone metabolism, oxidative
Dose Distribution Inside ISS – Dosimetry for damage, nutritional assessments, and hormonal
Biological Experiments in Space (DOSIS- changes. This study will impact both the
DOBIES) consists of two European Space definition of nutritional requirements and
Agency investigations. The DOSIS portion of development of food systems for future space
the experiment will provide documentation of exploration missions to the moon and Mars.
the actual nature and distribution of the This experiment also will help to understand
radiation field inside the spacecraft. Integral the effect of countermeasures (exercise and
measurements of energy, charge and spectra of pharmaceuticals) on nutritional status and
the heavy ion component will be done by the nutrient requirements for astronauts.
use of different nuclear track detectors. The
objective of DOBIES is to develop a standard NASA Biological Specimen Repository
dosimetric method (as a combination of (Repository) is a storage bank that is used to
different techniques) to measure the absorbed maintain biological specimens over extended
doses and equivalent doses in biological periods of time and under well-controlled
samples. conditions. Samples from the International
Space Station, including blood and urine, will
Validation of Procedures for Monitoring Crew be collected, processed and archived during the
Member Immune Function (Integrated preflight, in-flight and post-flight phases of
Immune) will assess the clinical risks resulting the space station missions. This investigation
from the adverse effects of spaceflight on the has been developed to archive biosamples for
human immune system and will validate a use as a resource for future spaceflight-related
flight-compatible immune monitoring strategy. research.
Researchers collect and analyze blood, urine
and saliva samples from crew members before, Tomatosphere-II is a Canadian Space Agency
during and after spaceflight to monitor changes experiment that will send tomato seeds to the
in the immune system. station for exposure. The seeds will be returned
to Earth for use in classrooms throughout
IRIS (Image Reversal in Space) is a Canadian Canada as a learning resource.
Space Agency experiment that will investigate
whether the perception of three-dimensional

SHUTTLE REFERENCE DATA
SHUTTLE ABORT MODES launch site, KSC, approximately 25 minutes
after liftoff.
Redundant Sequence Launch Sequencer
(RSLS) Aborts The RTLS profile is designed to accommodate
the loss of thrust from one space shuttle main
These occur when the on-board shuttle
engine between liftoff and approximately
computers detect a problem and command a
four minutes 20 seconds, after which not
halt in the launch sequence after taking over
enough main propulsion system propellant
from the ground launch sequencer and before
remains to return to the launch site. An RTLS
solid rocket booster ignition.
can be considered to consist of three stages – a
Ascent Aborts powered stage, during which the space shuttle
main engines are still thrusting; an external
Selection of an ascent abort mode may become tank separation phase; and the glide phase,
necessary if there is a failure that affects vehicle during which the orbiter glides to a landing at
performance, such as the failure of a space the KSC. The powered RTLS phase begins with
shuttle main engine or an orbital maneuvering the crew selection of the RTLS abort, after solid
system engine. Other failures requiring early rocket booster separation. The crew selects the
termination of a flight, such as a cabin leak, abort mode by positioning the abort rotary
might also require the selection of an abort switch to RTLS and depressing the abort push
mode. There are two basic types of ascent abort button. The time at which the RTLS is selected
modes for space shuttle missions: intact aborts depends on the reason for the abort. For
and contingency aborts. Intact aborts are example, a three-engine RTLS is selected at the
designed to provide a safe return of the orbiter last moment, about 3 minutes, 34 seconds into
to a planned landing site. Contingency aborts the mission; whereas an RTLS chosen due to an
are designed to permit flight crew survival engine out at liftoff is selected at the earliest
following more severe failures when an intact time, about 2 minutes, 20 seconds into the
abort is not possible. A contingency abort mission (after solid rocket booster separation).
would generally result in a ditch operation.
After RTLS is selected, the vehicle continues
Intact Aborts downrange to dissipate excess main propulsion
There are four types of intact aborts: abort to system propellant. The goal is to leave only
orbit (ATO), abort once around (AOA), enough main propulsion system propellant to
transoceanic abort landing (TAL) and return to be able to turn the vehicle around, fly back
launch site (RTLS). toward the KSC and achieve the proper main
engine cutoff conditions so the vehicle can glide
Return to Launch Site to the KSC after external tank separation.
The RTLS abort mode is designed to allow the During the downrange phase, a pitch-around
return of the orbiter, crew, and payload to the maneuver is initiated (the time depends in part
on the time of a space shuttle main engine
JUNE 2009 SHUTTLE REFERENCE DATA 89

failure) to orient the orbiter/external tank pressure leak or cooling system failure, occurs
configuration to a heads-up attitude, pointing after the last RTLS opportunity, making it
toward the launch site. At this time, the vehicle imperative to land as quickly as possible.
is still moving away from the launch site, but
the space shuttle main engines are now In a TAL abort, the vehicle continues on a
thrusting to null the downrange velocity. In ballistic trajectory across the Atlantic Ocean to
addition, excess orbital maneuvering system land at a predetermined runway. Landing
and reaction control system propellants are occurs about 45 minutes after launch. The
dumped by continuous orbital maneuvering landing site is selected near the normal ascent
system and reaction control system engine ground track of the orbiter to make the most
thrustings to improve the orbiter weight and efficient use of space shuttle main engine
center of gravity for the glide phase and propellant. The landing site also must have the
landing. necessary runway length, weather conditions
and U.S. State Department approval. The three
The vehicle will reach the desired main engine landing sites that have been identified for a
cutoff point with less than 2 percent excess launch are Zaragoza, Spain; Moron, Spain; and
propellant remaining in the external tank. At Istres, France.
main engine cutoff minus 20 seconds, a pitch
down maneuver (called powered pitch-down) To select the TAL abort mode, the crew must
takes the mated vehicle to the required external place the abort rotary switch in the TAL/AOA
tank separation attitude and pitch rate. After position and depress the abort push button
main engine cutoff has been commanded, the before main engine cutoff (depressing it after
external tank separation sequence begins, main engine cutoff selects the AOA abort
including a reaction control system maneuver mode). The TAL abort mode begins sending
that ensures that the orbiter does not recontact commands to steer the vehicle toward the plane
the external tank and that the orbiter has of the landing site. It also rolls the vehicle
achieved the necessary pitch attitude to begin heads up before main engine cutoff and sends
the glide phase of the RTLS. commands to begin an orbital maneuvering
system propellant dump (by burning the
After the reaction control system maneuver has propellants through the orbital maneuvering
been completed, the glide phase of the RTLS system engines and the reaction control system
begins. From then on, the RTLS is handled engines). This dump is necessary to increase
similarly to a normal entry. vehicle performance (by decreasing weight) to
place the center of gravity in the proper place
Transoceanic Abort Landing for vehicle control and to decrease the vehicle’s
The TAL abort mode was developed to landing weight. TAL is handled like a normal
improve the options available when a space entry.
shuttle main engine fails after the last RTLS Abort to Orbit
opportunity but before the first time that an
AOA can be accomplished with only two space An ATO is an abort mode used to boost the
shuttle main engines or when a major orbiter orbiter to a safe orbital altitude when
system failure, for example, a large cabin performance has been lost and it is impossible
90 SHUTTLE REFERENCE DATA JUNE 2009

to reach the planned orbital altitude. If a space necessitate a contingency abort. Such an abort
shuttle main engine fails in a region that results would maintain orbiter integrity for in-flight
in a main engine cutoff under speed, the MCC crew escape if a landing cannot be achieved at a
will determine that an abort mode is necessary suitable landing field.
and will inform the crew. The orbital
maneuvering system engines would be used to Contingency aborts due to system failures other
place the orbiter in a circular orbit. than those involving the main engines would
normally result in an intact recovery of vehicle
Abort Once Around and crew. Loss of more than one main engine
may, depending on engine failure times, result
The AOA abort mode is used in cases in which
in a safe runway landing. However, in most
vehicle performance has been lost to such an
three-engine-out cases during ascent, the
extent that either it is impossible to achieve a
orbiter would have to be ditched. The inflight
viable orbit or not enough orbital maneuvering
crew escape system would be used before
system propellant is available to accomplish the
ditching the orbiter.
orbital maneuvering system thrusting
maneuver to place the orbiter on orbit and the Abort Decisions
deorbit thrusting maneuver. In addition, an
AOA is used in cases in which a major systems There is a definite order of preference for the
problem (cabin leak, loss of cooling) makes it various abort modes. The type of failure and the
necessary to land quickly. In the AOA abort time of the failure determine which type of abort
mode, one orbital maneuvering system is selected. In cases where performance loss is
thrusting sequence is made to adjust the the only factor, the preferred modes are ATO,
post-main engine cutoff orbit so a second AOA, TAL and RTLS, in that order. The mode
orbital maneuvering system thrusting sequence chosen is the highest one that can be completed
will result in the vehicle deorbiting and landing with the remaining vehicle performance.
at the AOA landing site (White Sands, N.M.; In the case of some support system failures,
Edwards Air Force Base, Calif.; or the Kennedy such as cabin leaks or vehicle cooling problems,
Space Center, Fla). Thus, an AOA results in the the preferred mode might be the one that will
orbiter circling the Earth once and landing end the mission most quickly. In these cases,
about 90 minutes after liftoff. TAL or RTLS might be preferable to AOA or
After the deorbit thrusting sequence has been ATO. A contingency abort is never chosen if
executed, the flight crew flies to a landing at the another abort option exists.
planned site much as it would for a nominal Mission Control Houston is prime for calling
entry. these aborts because it has a more precise
Contingency Aborts knowledge of the orbiter’s position than the
crew can obtain from on-board systems. Before
Contingency aborts are caused by loss of more main engine cutoff, Mission Control makes
than one main engine or failures in other periodic calls to the crew to identify which
systems. Loss of one main engine while abort mode is (or is not) available. If ground
another is stuck at a low thrust setting also may communications are lost, the flight crew has

onboard methods, such as cue cards, dedicated (STS-55) March 22, 1993
displays and display information, to determine
The countdown for Columbia’s launch was
the abort region. Which abort mode is selected
halted by onboard computers at T-3 seconds
depends on the cause and timing of the failure
following a problem with purge pressure
causing the abort and which mode is safest or
readings in the oxidizer preburner on main
improves mission success. If the problem is a
engine No. 2. Columbia’s three main engines
space shuttle main engine failure, the flight
were replaced on the launch pad, and the flight
crew and Mission Control Center select the best
was rescheduled behind Discovery’s launch
option available at the time a main engine fails.
on STS-56. Columbia finally launched on
If the problem is a system failure that April 26, 1993.
jeopardizes the vehicle, the fastest abort mode
(STS-51) Aug. 12, 1993
that results in the earliest vehicle landing is
chosen. RTLS and TAL are the quickest options The countdown for Discovery’s third launch
(35 minutes), whereas an AOA requires about attempt ended at the T-3 second mark when
90 minutes. Which of these is selected depends onboard computers detected the failure of one
on the time of the failure with three good space of four sensors in main engine No. 2 which
shuttle main engines. monitor the flow of hydrogen fuel to the
engine. All of Discovery’s main engines were
The flight crew selects the abort mode by ordered replaced on the launch pad, delaying
positioning an abort mode switch and the shuttle’s fourth launch attempt until Sept.
depressing an abort push button. 12, 1993.
SHUTTLE ABORT HISTORY (STS-68) Aug. 18, 1994
RSLS Abort History The countdown for Endeavour’s first launch

attempt ended 1.9 seconds before liftoff when
(STS-41 D) June 26, 1984 onboard computers detected higher than
acceptable readings in one channel of a sensor
The countdown for the second launch attempt
monitoring the discharge temperature of the
for Discovery’s maiden flight ended at T-4
high pressure oxidizer turbopump in main
seconds when the orbiter’s computers detected
engine No. 3. A test firing of the engine at the
a sluggish valve in main engine No. 3. The
Stennis Space Center in Mississippi on
main engine was replaced and Discovery was
September 2nd confirmed that a slight drift in a
finally launched on Aug. 30, 1984.
fuel flow meter in the engine caused a slight
(STS-51 F) July 12, 1985 increase in the turbopump’s temperature. The
test firing also confirmed a slightly slower start
The countdown for Challenger’s launch was
for main engine No. 3 during the pad abort,
halted at T-3 seconds when onboard computers
which could have contributed to the higher
detected a problem with a coolant valve on
temperatures. After Endeavour was brought
main engine No. 2. The valve was replaced and
back to the Vehicle Assembly Building to be
Challenger was launched on July 29, 1985.
outfitted with three replacement engines,

NASA managers set Oct. 2 as the date for shuttle. The engines shut down just before the
Endeavour’s second launch attempt. shuttle, traveling at about 17,000 miles per
hour, reaches orbit.
Abort to Orbit History
The main engine operates at greater
(STS-51 F) July 29, 1985 temperature extremes than any mechanical
After an RSLS abort on July 12, 1985, system in common use today. The fuel,
Challenger was launched on July 29, 1985. liquefied hydrogen at -423 degrees Fahrenheit,
Five minutes and 45 seconds after launch, a is the second coldest liquid on Earth. When it
sensor problem resulted in the shutdown of and the liquid oxygen are combusted, the
center engine No. 1, resulting in a safe “abort to temperature in the main combustion chamber is
orbit” and successful completion of the mission. 6,000 degrees Fahrenheit, hotter than the
boiling point of iron.
SPACE SHUTTLE MAIN ENGINES
The main engines use a staged combustion
Developed in the 1970s by NASA’s Marshall cycle so that all propellants entering the engines
Space Flight Center, MSFC in Huntsville, Ala., are used to produce thrust, or power, more
the space shuttle main engine is the most efficiently than any previous rocket engine. In
advanced liquid-fueled rocket engine ever built. a staged combustion cycle, propellants are first
Every space shuttle main engine is tested and burned partially at high pressure and relatively
proven flight worthy at NASA’s Stennis Space low temperature, and then burned completely
Center in south Mississippi, before installation at high temperature and pressure in the main
on an orbiter. Its main features include variable combustion chamber. The rapid mixing of the
thrust, high performance reusability, high propellants under these conditions is so
redundancy and a fully integrated engine complete that 99 percent of the fuel is burned.
controller.
At normal operating level, each engine
The shuttle’s three main engines are mounted generates 490,847 pounds of thrust, measured
on the orbiter aft fuselage in a triangular in a vacuum. Full power is 512,900 pounds of
pattern. Spaced so that they are movable thrust; minimum power is 316,100 pounds of
during launch, the engines are used, in thrust.
conjunction with the solid rocket boosters, to
The engine can be throttled by varying the
steer the shuttle vehicle.
output of the preburners, thus varying the
Each of these powerful main engines is 14 feet speed of the high-pressure turbopumps and,
long, weighs about 7,000 pounds and is 7.5 feet therefore, the flow of the propellant.
in diameter at the end of its nozzle.
At about 26 seconds into ascent, the main
The engines operate for about 8.5 minutes engines are throttled down to 316,000 pounds
during liftoff and ascent, burning more than of thrust to keep the dynamic pressure on the
500,000 gallons of super-cold liquid hydrogen vehicle below a specified level, about
and liquid oxygen propellants stored in the 580 pounds per square foot, known as max q.
external tank attached to the underside of the Then, the engines are throttled back up to

normal operating level at about 60 seconds. incorporates a large-throat main combustion
This reduces stress on the vehicle. The main chamber that improves the engine’s reliability
engines are throttled down again at about by reducing pressure and temperature in the
seven minutes, 40 seconds into the mission to chamber.
maintain three g’s, three times the Earth’s
gravitational pull, reducing stress on the crew The most recent engine enhancement is the
and the vehicle. This acceleration level is about Advanced Health Management System, or
one-third the acceleration experienced on AHMS, which made its first flight in 2007.
previous crewed space vehicles. AHMS is a controller upgrade that provides
new monitoring and insight into the health of
About 10 seconds before main engine cutoff, or the two most complex components of the space
MECO, the cutoff sequence begins. About shuttle main engine—the high pressure fuel
three seconds later the main engines are turbopump and the high pressure oxidizer
commanded to begin throttling at 10 percent turbopump. New advanced digital signal
thrust per second until they achieve 65 percent processors monitor engine vibration and have
thrust. This is held for about 6.7 seconds, and the ability to shut down an engine if vibration
the engines are shut down. exceeds safe limits. AHMS was developed by
engineers at Marshall.
The engine performance has the highest thrust
for its weight of any engine yet developed. In After the orbiter lands, the engines are removed
fact, one space shuttle main engine generates and returned to a processing facility at
sufficient thrust to maintain the flight of two Kennedy Space Center, Fla., where they are
and one-half Boeing 747 airplanes. rechecked and readied for the next flight. Some
components are returned to the main engine’s
The space shuttle main engine also is the first prime contractor, Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne,
rocket engine to use a built-in electronic digital West Palm Beach, Fla., for regular maintenance.
controller, or computer. The controller accepts The main engines are designed to operate for
commands from the orbiter for engine start, 7.5 accumulated hours.
change in throttle, shutdown and monitoring of
engine operation. SPACE SHUTTLE SOLID ROCKET
NASA continues to increase the reliability and BOOSTERS (SRB)
safety of shuttle flights through a series of The two solid rocket boosters required for a
enhancements to the space shuttle main space shuttle launch and first two minutes
engines. The engines were modified in 1988, of powered flight boast the largest
1995, 1998, 2001 and 2007. Modifications solid-propellant motors ever flown. They are
include new high-pressure fuel and oxidizer the first large rockets designed for reuse and
turbopumps that reduce maintenance and are the only solid rocket motors rated for
operating costs of the engine, a two-duct human flight. The SRBs have the capacity to
powerhead that reduces pressure and carry the entire weight of the external tank, or
turbulence in the engine, and a single-coil heat ET, and orbiter, and to transmit the weight load
exchanger that lowers the number of post flight
inspections required. Another modification

through their structure to the mobile launch Each booster is just over 149 feet long and
platform, or MLP. 12.17 feet in diameter. Both boosters have a
combined weight of 1,303,314 pounds at lift-off.
The SRBs provide 71.4 percent of the thrust They are attached to the ET at the SRB aft attach
required to lift the space shuttle off the launch ring by an upper and lower attach strut and a
pad and during first-stage ascent to an altitude diagonal attach strut. The forward end of each
of about 150,000 feet, or 28 miles. At launch, SRB is affixed to the ET by one attach bolt and
each booster has a sea level thrust of ET ball fitting on the forward skirt. While
approximately 3.3 million pounds and is positioned on the launch pad, the space shuttle
ignited after the ignition and verification of the is attached to the MLP by four bolts and
three space shuttle main engines, or SSMEs. explosive nuts equally spaced around each SRB.
SRB apogee occurs at an altitude of about After ignition of the solid rocket motors, the
230,000 feet, or 43 miles, 75 seconds after nuts are severed by small explosives that allow
separation from the main vehicle. At booster the space shuttle vehicle to perform lift off.
separation, the space shuttle orbiter has reached United Space Alliance (USA)
an altitude of 24 miles and is traveling at a
speed in excess of 3,000 miles per hour. USA, at KSC facilities, is responsible for all SRB
operations except the motor and nozzle
The primary elements of each booster are nose portions. In conjunction with maintaining
cap, housing the pilot and drogue parachute; sole responsibility for manufacturing and
frustum, housing the three main parachutes in processing of the non-motor hardware and
a cluster; forward skirt, housing the booster vehicle integration, USA provides the service
flight avionics, altitude sensing, recovery of retrieval, post flight inspection and
avionics, parachute cameras and range safety analysis, disassembly and refurbishment of the
destruct system; four motor segments, hardware. USA also exclusively retains
containing the solid propellant; motor nozzle; comprehensive responsibility for the orbiter.
and aft skirt, housing the nozzle and thrust
vector control systems required for guidance. The reusable solid rocket motor segments are
Each SRB possesses its own redundant shipped from ATK Launch Systems in Utah to
auxiliary power units and hydraulic pumps. KSC, where they are mated by USA personnel
to the other structural components – the
SRB impact occurs in the ocean approximately forward assembly, aft skirt, frustum and nose
140 miles downrange. SRB retrieval is cap – in the Vehicle Assembly Building. Work
provided after each flight by specifically involves the complete disassembly and
designed and built ships. The frustums, refurbishment of the major SRB structures – the
drogue and main parachutes are loaded onto aft skirts, frustums, forward skirts and all
the ships along with the boosters and towed ancillary hardware – required to complete an
back to the Kennedy Space Center, where they SRB stack and mate to the ET. Work then
are disassembled and refurbished for reuse. proceeds to ET/SRB mate, mate with the orbiter
Before retirement, each booster can be used as and finally, space shuttle close out operations.
many as 20 times. After hardware restoration concerning flight

configuration is complete, automated checkout because of NSD gas pressure, gravity and the
and hot fire are performed early in hardware release of tension in the bolt, which is
flow to ensure that the refurbished components pretensioned before launch. The bolt is
satisfy all flight performance requirements. stopped by the stud deceleration stand which
contains sand to absorb the shock of the bolt
ATK Launch Systems (ATK) dropping down several feet. The SRB bolt is
ATK Launch Systems of Brigham City, Utah, 28 inches long, 3.5 inches in diameter and
manufactures space shuttle reusable solid weighs approximately 90 pounds. The
rocket motors, or RSRMs, at their Utah facility. frangible nut is captured in a blast container on
Each RSRM – just over 126 feet long and 12 feet the aft skirt specifically designed to absorb the
in diameter – consists of four rocket motor impact and prevent pieces of the nut from
segments and an aft exit cone assembly is. liberating and becoming debris that could
From ignition to end of burn, each RSRM damage the space shuttle.
generates an average thrust of 2.6 million Integrated Electronic Assembly (IEA)
pounds and burns for approximately
123 seconds. Of the motor's total weight of The aft IEA, mounted in the ET/SRB attach ring,
1.25 million pounds, propellant accounts for provides the electrical interface between the
1.1 million pounds. The four motor segments SRB systems and the obiter. The aft IEA
are matched by loading each from the same receives data, commands, and electrical power
batches of propellant ingredients to minimize from the orbiter and distributes these inputs
any thrust imbalance. The segmented casing throughout each SRB. Components located in
design assures maximum flexibility in the forward assemblies of each SRB are
fabrication and ease of transportation and powered by the aft IEA through the forward
handling. Each segment is shipped to KSC on a IEA, except for those utilizing the recovery and
heavy-duty rail car with a specialty built cover. range safety batteries located in the forward
assemblies. The forward IEA communicates
SRB Hardware Design Summary with and receives power from the orbiter
through the aft IEA, but has no direct electrical
Hold-Down Posts
connection to the orbiter.
Each SRB has four hold-down posts that fit into
corresponding support posts on the MLP. Electrical Power Distribution
Hold-down bolts secure the SRB and MLP posts Electrical power distribution in each SRB
together. Each bolt has a nut at each end, but consists of orbiter-supplied main dc bus power
the top nut is frangible, or breakable. The top to each SRB via SRB buses A, B and C. Orbiter
nut contains two NASA Standard detonators, main dc buses A, B and C supply main dc bus
or NSDs, that, when ignited at solid rocket power to corresponding SRB buses A, B and C.
motor ignition command, split the upper nut in In addition, orbiter main dc, bus C supplies
half. backup power to SRB buses A and B, and
orbiter bus B supplies backup power to SRB
Splitting the upper nuts allow the hold-down
bus C. This electrical power distribution
bolts to be released and travel downward

arrangement allows all SRB buses to remain pump and control valves and then to the gas
powered in the event one orbiter main bus fails. generator. The gas generator’s catalytic action
decomposes the fuel and creates a hot gas. It
The nominal dc voltage is 28 V dc, with an feeds the hot gas exhaust product to the APU
upper limit of 32 V dc and a lower limit of two-stage gas turbine. Fuel flows primarily
24 V dc. through the startup bypass line until the APU
Hydraulic Power Units (HPUs) speed is such that the fuel pump outlet pressure
is greater than the bypass line’s, at which point
There are two self-contained, independent all the fuel is supplied to the fuel pump.
HPUs on each SRB. Each HPU consists of an
auxiliary power unit, or APU; Fuel Supply The APU turbine assembly provides
Module, or FSM; hydraulic pump; hydraulic mechanical power to the APU gearbox, which
reservoir; and hydraulic fluid manifold drives the APU fuel pump, hydraulic pump
assembly. The APUs are fueled by hydrazine and lube oil pump. The APU lube oil pump
and generate mechanical shaft power to a lubricates the gearbox. The turbine exhaust of
hydraulic pump that produces hydraulic each APU flows over the exterior of the gas
pressure for the SRB hydraulic system. The generator, cooling it and directing it overboard
APU controller electronics are located in the through an exhaust duct.
SRB aft integrated electronic assemblies on the
When the APU speed reaches 100 percent, the
aft ET attach rings. The two separate HPUs
APU primary control valve closes and the
and two hydraulic systems are located inside
APU speed is controlled by the APU controller
the aft skirt of each SRB between the SRB
electronics. If the primary control valve logic
nozzle and skirt. The HPU components are
fails to the open state, the secondary control
mounted on the aft skirt between the rock and
valve assumes control of the APU at
tilt actuators. The two systems operate from
112 percent speed. Each HPU on an SRB is
T minus 28 seconds until SRB separation from
connected to both servoactuators. One HPU
the orbiter and ET. The two independent
serves as the primary hydraulic source for the
hydraulic systems are connected to the rock
servoactuator and the other HPU serves as the
and tilt servoactuators.
secondary hydraulics for the servoactuator.
The HPUs and their fuel systems are isolated Each servoactuator has a switching valve that
from each other. Each fuel supply module, or allows the secondary hydraulics to power the
tank, contains 22 pounds of hydrazine. The actuator if the primary hydraulic pressure
fuel tank is pressurized with gaseous nitrogen drops below 2,050 psi. A switch contact on the
at 400 psi to provide the force to expel via switching valve will close when the valve is in
positive expulsion the fuel from the tank to the the secondary position. When the valve is
fuel distribution line. A positive fuel supply to closed, a signal is sent to the APU controller
the APU throughout its operation is that inhibits the 100 percent APU speed control
maintained. logic and enables the 112 percent APU speed
control logic. The 100 percent APU speed
The fuel isolation valve is opened at APU enables one APU/HPU to supply sufficient
startup to allow fuel to flow to the APU fuel

operating hydraulic pressure to both Each SRB servoactuator consists of four
servoactuators of that SRB. independent, two-stage servovalves that
receive signals from the drivers. Each
The APU 100 percent speed corresponds to servovalve controls one power spool in each
72,000 rpm, 110 percent to 79,200 rpm and actuator, which positions an actuator ram and
112 percent to 80,640 rpm. the nozzle to control the direction of thrust.
The hydraulic pump speed is 3,600 rpm and The four servovalves in each actuator provide a
supplies hydraulic pressure of 3,050, plus or force-summed majority voting arrangement to
minus 50 psi. A high-pressure relief valve position the power spool. With four identical
provides overpressure protection to the commands to the four servovalves, the actuator
hydraulic system and relieves at 3,750 psi. force-sum action prevents a single erroneous
The APUs/HPUs and hydraulic systems are command from affecting power ram motion. If
reusable for 20 missions. the erroneous command persists for more than
a predetermined time, differential pressure
Thrust Vector Control (TVC) sensing activates a selector valve to isolate and
remove the defective servovalve hydraulic
Each SRB has two hydraulic gimbal
pressure. This permits the remaining channels
servoactuators: one for rock and one for tilt.
and servovalves to control the actuator ram
The servoactuators provide the force and
spool.
control to gimbal the nozzle for TVC. The
all-axis gimbaling capability is 8 degrees. Each Failure monitors are provided for each channel
nozzle has a carbon cloth liner that erodes to indicate which channel has been bypassed.
and chars during firing. The nozzle is a An isolation valve on each channel provides the
convergent-divergent, movable design in which capability of resetting a failed or bypassed
an aft pivot-point flexible bearing is the channel.
gimbal mechanism.
Each actuator ram is equipped with transducers
The space shuttle ascent TVC portion of the for position feedback to the thrust vector
flight control system directs the thrust of the control system. Within each servoactuator ram
three SSMEs and the two SRB nozzles to control is a splashdown load relief assembly to cushion
shuttle attitude and trajectory during liftoff and the nozzle at water splashdown and prevent
ascent. Commands from the guidance system damage to the nozzle flexible bearing.
are transmitted to the ascent TVC, or ATVC,
drivers, which transmit signals proportional to SRB Rate Gyro Assemblies (RGAs)
the commands to each servoactuator of the Each SRB contains two RGAs mounted in the
main engines and SRBs. Four independent forward skirt watertight compartment. Each
flight control system channels and four ATVC RGA contains two orthogonally mounted
channels control six main engine and four gyroscopes – pitch and yaw axes. In
SRB ATVC drivers, with each driver controlling conjunction with the orbiter roll rate gyros, they
one hydraulic port on each main and SRB provide angular rate information that describes
servoactuator. the inertial motion of the vehicle cluster to the

orbiter computers and the guidance, navigation master events controllers, or MECs, to the
and control system during first stage ascent NSDs installed in the safe and arm device in
to SRB separation. At SRB separation, all each SRB. A pyrotechnic initiation controller,
guidance control data is handed off from the or PIC, is a single-channel capacitor discharge
SRB RGAs to the orbiter RGAs. The RGAs are device that controls the firing of each
designed and qualified for 20 missions. pyrotechnic device. Three signals must be
present simultaneously for the PIC to generate
Propellant the pyro firing output. These signals — arm,
The propellant mixture in each SRB motor fire 1 and fire 2 — originate in the orbiter
consists of ammonium perchlorate, an oxidizer, general-purpose computers and are transmitted
69.6 percent by weight; aluminum, a fuel, to the MECs. The MECs reformat them to
16 percent by weight; iron oxide, a catalyst, 28 V dc signals for the PICs. The arm signal
0.4 percent by weight; polymer, a binder that charges the PIC capacitor to 40 V dc, minimum
holds the mixture together, 12.04 percent by 20 V dc.
weight; and epoxy curing agent, 1.96 percent by
The fire 2 commands cause the redundant
weight. The propellant is an 11-point
NSDs to fire through a thin barrier seal down a
star-shaped perforation in the forward motor
flame tunnel. This ignites a pyro booster
segment and a double truncated cone
charge, which is retained in the safe and arm
perforation in each of the aft segments and aft
device behind a perforated plate. The booster
closure. This configuration provides high
charge ignites the propellant in the igniter
thrust at ignition and then reduces the thrust by
initiator; and combustion products of this
about one-third 50 seconds after liftoff to
propellant ignite the solid rocket motor igniter,
prevent overstressing the vehicle during
which fires down the length of the solid rocket
maximum dynamic pressure.
motor igniting the solid rocket motor
SRB Ignition propellant.
SRB ignition can occur only when a manual The general purpose computer, or GPC, launch
lock pin from each SRB safe and arm device has sequence also controls certain critical main
been removed by the ground crew during propulsion system valves and monitors the
prelaunch activities. At T minus 5 minutes, the engine-ready indications from the SSMEs. The
SRB safe and arm device is rotated to the arm main propulsion system, or MPS, start
position. The solid rocket motor ignition commands are issued by the on-board
commands are issued when the three SSMEs computers at T minus 6.6 seconds. There is a
are at or above 90 percent rated thrust; no staggered start — engine three, engine two,
SSME fail and/or SRB ignition pyrotechnic engine one — within 0.25 of a second, and the
initiator controller, or PIC low voltage is sequence monitors the thrust buildup of
indicated; and there are no holds from the each engine. All three SSMEs must reach the
launch processing system, or LPS. required 90 percent thrust within three seconds;
otherwise, an orderly shutdown is commanded
The solid rocket motor ignition commands are and safing functions are initiated.
sent by the orbiter computers through the

Normal thrust buildup to the required The forward attachment point consists of a ball
90 percent thrust level will result in the SSMEs on the SRB and socket on the ET, held together
being commanded to the liftoff position at by one bolt. The bolt contains one NSD
T minus 3 seconds as well as the fire 1 pressure cartridge at each end. The forward
command being issued to arm the SRBs. At attachment point also carries the range safety
T minus three seconds, the vehicle base system cross-strap wiring connecting each SRB
bending load modes are allowed to initialize. range safety system, or RSS, and the ET RSS
with each other.
At T minus 0, the two SRBs are ignited by the
four orbiter on-board computers; commands The aft attachment points consist of three
are sent to release the SRBs; the two T-0 separate struts: upper, diagonal, and lower.
umbilicals, one on each side of the spacecraft, Each strut contains one bolt with an NSD
are retracted; the on-board master timing unit, pressure cartridge at each end. The upper strut
event timer and mission event timers are also carries the umbilical interface between its
started; the three SSMEs are at 100 percent; and SRB and the external tank and on to the orbiter.
the ground launch sequence is terminated.
Redesigned Booster Separation Motors (RBSM)
SRB Separation
Eight Booster Separation Motors, or BSMs, are
The SRB/ET separation subsystem provides for located on each booster – four on the forward
separation of the SRBs from the orbiter/ET section and four on the aft skirt. BSMs provide
without damage to or recontact of the elements the force required to push the SRBs away from
– SRBs, orbiter/ET – during or after separation the orbiter/ET at separation. Each BSM weighs
for nominal modes. SRB separation is initiated approximately 165 pounds and is 31.1 inches
when the three solid rocket motor chamber long and 12.8 inches in diameter. Once the
pressure transducers are processed in the SRBs have completed their flight, the BSMs are
redundancy management middle value select fired to jettison the SRBs away from the orbiter
and the head end chamber pressure of both and external tank, allowing the boosters to
SRBs is less than or equal to 50 psi. A backup parachute to Earth and be reused. The BSMs in
cue is the time elapsed from booster ignition. each cluster of four are ignited by firing
redundant NSD pressure cartridges into
The separation sequence is initiated,
redundant confined detonating fuse manifolds.
commanding the thrust vector control actuators
The separation commands issued from the
to the null position and putting the main
orbiter by the SRB separation sequence initiate
propulsion system into a second-stage
the redundant NSD pressure cartridge in each
configuration 0.8 second from sequence
bolt and ignite the BSMs to effect a clean
initialization, which ensures the thrust of each
separation.
SRB is less than 100,000 pounds. Orbiter yaw
attitude is held for four seconds and SRB thrust Redesigned BSMs flew for the first time in both
drops to less than 60,000 pounds. The SRBs forward and aft locations on STS-125. As a
separate from the ET within 30 milliseconds of result of vendor viability and manifest support
the ordnance firing command. issues, space shuttle BSMs are now being
manufactured by ATK. The igniter has been

redesigned and other changes include material These cameras each have a dedicated recorder
upgrades driven by obsolescence issues and and are recorded in a digital format. The
improvements to process and inspection cameras were designed, qualified, and
techniques. implemented by USA after Columbia to
provide enhanced imagery capabilities to
SRB Cameras capture potential debris liberation beginning
Each SRB flies with a complement of four with main engine start and continuing through
cameras, three mounted for exterior views SRB separation.
during launch, separation and descent; and one The camera videos are available for engineering
mounted internal to the forward dome for main review approximately 24 hours following the
parachute performance assessment during arrival of the boosters at KSC.
descent.
Range Safety Systems (RSS)
The ET observation camera is mounted on the
SRB forward skirt and provides a wide-angle The RSS consists of two antenna couplers;
view of the ET intertank area. The camera is command receivers/decoders; a dual
activated at lift off by a G-switch and records distributor; a safe and arm device with two
for 350 seconds, after which the recorder is NSDs; two confined detonating fuse manifolds;
switched to a similar camera in the forward seven confined detonator fuse, or CDF
skirt dome to view the deployment and assemblies; and one linear-shaped charge.
performance of the main parachutes to splash
The RSS provides for destruction of a rocket or
down. These cameras share a digital tape
part of it with on-board explosives by remote
recorder located within the data acquisition
command if the rocket is out of control, to
system.
limit danger to people on the ground from
The ET ring camera is mounted on the ET crashing pieces, explosions, fire, and poisonous
attach ring and provides a view up the stacked substances.
vehicle on the orbiter underside and the bipod
The space shuttle has two RSSs, one in each
strut attach point.
SRB. Both are capable of receiving two
The forward skirt camera is mounted on the command messages – arm and fire – which are
external surface of the SRB forward skirt and transmitted from the ground station. The RSS
provides a view aft down the stacked vehicle of is only used when the space shuttle violates a
the orbiter underside and the wing leading launch trajectory red line.
edge reinforced carbon-carbon, or RCC, panels.
The antenna couplers provide the proper
The ET attach ring camera and forward skirt impedance for radio frequency and ground
camera are activated by a global positioning support equipment commands. The command
system command at approximately T minus receivers are tuned to RSS command
1 minute 56 seconds to begin recording at frequencies and provide the input signal to the
approximately T minus 50 seconds. The camera distributors when an RSS command is sent.
images are recorded through splash down. The command decoders use a code plug to

prevent any command signal other than the drogue parachute fully inflates in stages, and at
proper command signal from getting into the 5,500 feet pulls the frustum away from the SRB,
distributors. The distributors contain the logic which initiates the deployment of the three
to supply valid destruct commands to the RSS main parachutes. The parachutes also inflate in
pyrotechnics. stages and further slow the decent of the SRBs
to their final velocity at splashdown. The
The NSDs provide the spark to ignite the CDF parachutes slow each SRB from 368 mph at first
that in turn ignites the linear shaped charge for deployment to 52 mph at splashdown, allowing
space shuttle destruction. The safe and arm for the recovery and reuse of the boosters.
device provides mechanical isolation between
the NSDs and the CDF before launch and Two 176-foot recovery ships, Freedom Star and
during the SRB separation sequence. Liberty Star, are on station at the splashdown
zone to retrieve the frustums with drogue
The first message, called arm, allows the parachutes attached, the main parachutes and
onboard logic to enable a destruct and the SRBs. The SRB nose caps and solid rocket
illuminates a light on the flight deck display motor nozzle extensions are not recovered. The
and control panel at the commander and pilot SRBs are dewatered using an enhanced diver
station. The second message transmitted is the operating plug to facilitate tow back. These
fire command. The SRB distributors in the plugs are inserted into the motor nozzle and
SRBs are cross-strapped together. Thus, if one air is pumped into the booster, causing it to
SRB received an arm or destruct signal, the lay flat in the water to allow it to be easily
signal would also be sent to the other SRB. towed. The boosters are then towed back to
Electrical power from the RSS battery in each the refurbishment facilities. Each booster is
SRB is routed to RSS system A. The recovery removed from the water and components are
battery in each SRB is used to power RSS disassembled and washed with fresh and
system B as well as the recovery system in the deionized water to limit saltwater corrosion.
SRB. The SRB RSS is powered down during the The motor segments, igniter and nozzle are
separation sequence, and the SRB recovery shipped back to ATK in Utah for
system is powered up. refurbishment. The nonmotor components and
structures are disassembled by USA and are
Descent and Recovery refurbished to like-new condition at both KSC
and equipment manufacturers across the
After separation and at specified altitudes, the
country.
SRB forward avionics system initiates the
release of the nose cap, which houses a pilot SPACE SHUTTLE SUPER LIGHT WEIGHT
parachute and drogue parachute; and the
TANK (SLWT)
frustum, which houses the three main
parachutes. Jettison of the nose cap at The super lightweight external tank (SLWT)
15,700 feet deploys a small pilot parachute and made its first shuttle flight June 2, 1998, on
begins to slow the SRB decent. At an altitude mission STS-91. The SLWT is 7,500 pounds
of 15,200 feet the pilot parachute pulls the lighter than the standard external tank. The
drogue parachute from the frustum. The lighter weight tank allows the shuttle to deliver

International Space Station elements (such as The external tank is the “backbone” of the
the service module) into the proper orbit. shuttle during launch, providing structural
support for attachment with the solid rocket
The SLWT is the same size as the previous boosters and orbiter. It is the only component
design. But the liquid hydrogen tank and the of the shuttle that is not reused. Approximately
liquid oxygen tank are made of aluminum 8.5 minutes after reaching orbit, with its
lithium, a lighter, stronger material than the propellant used, the tank is jettisoned and falls
metal alloy used for the shuttle’s current tank. in a preplanned trajectory. Most of the tank
The tank’s structural design has also been disintegrates in the atmosphere, and the
improved, making it 30 percent stronger and remainder falls into the ocean.
5 percent less dense.
The external tank is manufactured at NASA’s
The SLWT, like the standard tank, is Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans by
manufactured at Michoud Assembly, near Lockheed Martin Space Systems.
New Orleans, by Lockheed Martin.
Foam Facts
The 154-foot-long external tank is the largest
single component of the space shuttle. It stands The external tank is covered with spray-on
taller than a 15-story building and has a foam insulation that insulates the tank before
diameter of about 27 feet. The external tank and during launch. More than 90 percent of the
holds over 530,000 gallons of liquid hydrogen tank’s foam is applied using an automated
and liquid oxygen in two separate tanks. The system, leaving less than 10 percent to be
hydrogen (fuel) and liquid oxygen (oxidizer) applied manually.
are used as propellants for the shuttle’s three
main engines. There are two types of foam on the external
tank, known as the Thermal Protection System,
EXTERNAL TANK or TPS. One is low-density, closed-cell foam on
the tank acreage and is known as Spray-On-
The 154-foot-long external tank is the largest Foam-Insulation, often referred to by its
single component of the space shuttle. It stands acronym, SOFI. Most of the tank is covered by
taller than a 15-story building and has a either an automated or manually applied SOFI.
diameter of about 27 feet. The external tank Most areas around protuberances, such as
holds more than 530,000 gallons of liquid brackets and structural elements, are applied by
hydrogen and liquid oxygen in two separate pouring foam ingredients into part-specific
tanks, the forward liquid oxygen tank and the molds. The other is a denser composite
aft liquid hydrogen tank. An unpressurized material made of silicone resins and cork and
intertank unites the two propellant tanks. called ablator. An ablator is a material that
dissipates heat by eroding. It is used on areas
Liquid hydrogen (fuel) and liquid oxygen
of the external tank subjected to extreme heat,
(oxidizer) are used as propellants for the
such as the aft dome near the engine exhaust,
shuttle’s three main engines. The external tank
and remaining protuberances, such as the cable
weighs 58,500 pounds empty and
trays. These areas are exposed to extreme
1,668,500 pounds when filled with propellants.
aerodynamic heating.

Closed-cell foam used on the tank was environmentally controlled spray cells and
developed to keep the propellants that fuel the applied in several phases, often over a period of
shuttle’s three main engines at optimum several weeks. Before spraying, the foam’s raw
temperature. It keeps the shuttle’s liquid material and mechanical properties are tested
hydrogen fuel at -423 degrees Fahrenheit to ensure they meet NASA specifications.
and the liquid oxygen tank at near Multiple visual inspections of all foam surfaces
-297 degrees Fahrenheit, even as the tank sits are performed after the spraying is complete.
under the hot Florida sun. At the same time,
the foam prevents a buildup of ice on the Most of the foam is applied at NASA’s
outside of the tank. Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans
when the tank is manufactured, including most
The foam insulation must be durable enough to of the “closeout” areas, or final areas applied.
endure a 180-day stay at the launch pad, These closeouts are done either by hand
withstand temperatures up to 115 degrees pouring or manual spraying. Additional
Fahrenheit, humidity as high as 100 percent, closeouts are completed once the tank reaches
and resist sand, salt, fog, rain, solar radiation Kennedy Space Center, Fla.
and even fungus. Then, during launch, the
foam must tolerate temperatures as high as The super lightweight external tank, or SLWT,
2,200 degrees Fahrenheit generated by made its first shuttle flight in June 1998 on
aerodynamic friction and radiant heating from mission STS-91. The SLWT is 7,500 pounds
the 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit main engine lighter than previously flown tanks. The SLWT
plumes. Finally, when the external tank begins is the same size as the previous design, but the
reentry into the Earth’s atmosphere about liquid hydrogen tank and the liquid oxygen
30 minutes after launch, the foam maintains the tank are made of aluminum lithium, a lighter,
tank’s structural temperatures and allows it to stronger material than the metal alloy used
safely disintegrate over a remote ocean location. previously.
Though the foam insulation on the majority of Beginning with the first Return to Flight
the tank is only 1-inch thick, it adds mission, STS-114 in June 2005, several
4,823 pounds to the tank’s weight. In the areas improvements were made to improve safety
of the tank subjected to the highest heating, and flight reliability.
insulation is somewhat thicker, between 1.5 to
Forward Bipod
3 inches thick. Though the foam’s density
varies with the type, an average density is The external tank’s forward shuttle attach
about 2.4 pounds per cubic foot. fitting, called the bipod, was redesigned to
eliminate the large insulating foam ramps as a
Application of the foam, whether automated by source of debris. Each external tank has two
computer or hand-sprayed, is designed to meet bipod fittings that connect the tank to the
NASA’s requirements for finish, thickness, orbiter through the shuttle’s two forward
roughness, density, strength and adhesion. As attachment struts. Four rod heaters were
in most assembly production situations, the placed below each forward bipod, replacing the
foam is applied in specially designed,

large insulated foam Protuberance Airload, or extensively studied and determined to not be
PAL, ramps. necessary for their original purpose, which was
to protect cable trays from aeroelastic instability
Liquid Hydrogen Tank & Liquid Oxygen during ascent. Extensive tests were conducted
Intertank Flange Closeouts to verify the shuttle could fly safely without
The liquid hydrogen tank flange located at the these particular PAL ramps. Extensions were
bottom of the intertank and the liquid oxygen added to the ice frost ramps for the pressline
tank flange located at the top of the intertank and cable tray brackets, where these PAL ramps
provide joining mechanisms with the intertank. were removed to make the geometry of the
After each of these three component tanks, ramps consistent with other locations on
liquid oxygen, intertank and liquid hydrogen, the tank and thereby provide consistent
are joined mechanically, the flanges at both aerodynamic flow. Nine extensions were
ends are insulated with foam. An enhanced added, six on the liquid hydrogen tank and
closeout, or finishing, procedure was added to three on the liquid oxygen tank.
improve foam application to the stringer, or
Engine Cutoff (ECO) Sensor Modification
intertank ribbing, and to the upper and lower
area of both the liquid hydrogen and liquid Beginning with STS-122, ET-125, which
oxygen intertank flanges. launched on Feb. 7, 2008, the ECO sensor
system feed through connector on the liquid
Liquid Oxygen Feedline Bellows hydrogen tank was modified by soldering the
The liquid oxygen feedline bellows were connector’s pins and sockets to address false
reshaped to include a “drip lip” that allows readings in the system. All subsequent tanks
condensate moisture to run off and prevent after ET-125 have the same modification.
freezing. A strip heater was added to the
Liquid Hydrogen Tank Ice Frost Ramps
forward bellow to further reduce the potential
of high density ice or frost formation. Joints on ET-128, which flew on the STS-124 shuttle
the liquid oxygen feedline assembly allow the mission, May 31, 2008, was the first tank to fly
feedline to move during installation and during with redesigned liquid hydrogen tank ice frost
liquid hydrogen tank fill. Because it must flex, ramps. Design changes were incorporated at
it cannot be insulated with foam like the all 17 ice frost ramp locations on the liquid
remainder of the tank. hydrogen tank, stations 1151 through 2057, to
reduce foam loss. Although the redesigned
Other tank improvements include: ramps appear identical to the previous design,
Liquid Oxygen & Liquid Hydrogen several changes were made. PDL* and NCFI
Protuberance Airload (PAL) Ramps foam have been replaced with BX* manual
spray foam in the ramp’s base cutout to reduce
External tank ET-119, which flew on the second debonding and cracking; Pressline and cable
Return to Flight mission, STS-121, in July 2006, tray bracket feet corners have been rounded to
was the first tank to fly without PAL ramps reduce stresses; shear pin holes have been
along portions of the liquid oxygen and sealed to reduce leak paths; isolators were
liquid hydrogen tanks. These PAL ramps were primed to promote adhesion; isolator corners

were rounded to help reduce thermal Liquid Oxygen Feedline Brackets
protection system foam stresses; BX manual
spray was applied in bracket pockets to reduce ET-128 also was the first tank to fly with
geometric voids. redesigned liquid oxygen feedline brackets.
Titanium brackets, much less thermally
*BX is a type of foam used on the tank’s conductive than aluminum, replaced aluminum
“loseout,” or final finished areas; it is applied brackets at four locations, XT 1129, XT 1377,
manually or hand-sprayed. PDL is an acronym Xt 1624 and Xt 1871. This change minimizes ice
for Product Development Laboratory, the first formation in under-insulated areas, and
supplier of the foam during the early days of reduces the amount of foam required to cover
the external tank’s development. PDL is the brackets and the propensity for ice
applied by pouring foam ingredients into a development. Zero-gap/slip plane Teflon
mold. NCFI foam is used on the aft dome, or material was added to the upper outboard
bottom, of the liquid hydrogen tank. monoball attachment to eliminate ice adhesion.
Additional foam has been added to the liquid
oxygen feedline to further minimize ice
formation along the length of the feedline.

LAUNCH AND LANDING
LAUNCH RETURN-TO-LAUNCH-SITE (RTLS)
As with all previous space shuttle launches, If one or more engines shut down early and
Endeavour has several options to abort its there is not enough energy to reach the TAL
ascent if needed after engine failures or other sites, the shuttle would pitch around toward
systems problems. Shuttle launch abort Kennedy until within gliding distance of the
philosophy is intended to facilitate safe Shuttle Landing Facility. For launch to
recovery of the flight crew and intact recovery proceed, weather conditions must be forecast as
of the shuttle and its payload. acceptable for a possible RTLS landing at KSC
about 20 minutes after liftoff.
Abort modes include:
ABORT ONCE AROUND (AOA)
ABORT-TO-ORBIT (ATO)
An AOA is selected if the vehicle cannot
This mode is used if there is a partial loss of achieve a viable orbit or will not have enough
main engine thrust late enough to permit propellant to perform a deorbit burn, but has
reaching a minimal 105 by 85 nautical mile orbit enough energy to circle the Earth once and land
with the orbital maneuvering system engines. about 90 minutes after liftoff.
The engines boost the shuttle to a safe orbital
altitude when it is impossible to reach the LANDING
planned orbital altitude.
The primary landing site for Endeavour on
TRANSATLANTIC ABORT LANDING STS‐127 is the Kennedy Space Center’s Shuttle
(TAL) Landing Facility. Alternate landing sites that
could be used if needed because of weather
The loss of one or more main engines midway conditions or systems failures are at Edwards
through powered flight would force a landing Air Force Base, Calif., and White Sands Space
at either Zaragoza, Spain; Moron, Spain; or Harbor, N.M.
Istres, France. For launch to proceed, weather
conditions must be acceptable at one of these
TAL sites.
JUNE 2009 LAUNCH & LANDING 107

108 LAUNCH & LANDING JUNE 2009

ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS
A/G Alignment Guides
A/L Airlock
AAA Avionics Air Assembly
ABC Audio Bus Controller
ACBM Active Common Berthing Mechanism
ACDU Airlock Control and Display Unit
ACO Assembly Checkout Officer
ACS Atmosphere Control and Supply
ACU Arm Control Unit
ADS Audio Distribution System
AE Approach Ellipsoid
AEP Airlock Electronics Package
AI Approach Initiation
AJIS Alpha Joint Interface Structure
AM Atmosphere Monitoring
AMOS Air Force Maui Optical and Supercomputing Site
ANDE Atmosphere Neutral Density Experiment
AOA Abort Once Around
AOH Assembly Operations Handbook
AOM Atomic Oxygen Monitor
APAS Androgynous Peripheral Attachment
APCU Assembly Power Converter Unit
APE Antenna Pointing Electronics
Audio Pointing Equipment
APFR Articulating Portable Foot Restraint
APM Antenna Pointing Mechanism
APS Automated Payload Switch
APV Automated Procedure Viewer
AR Atmosphere Revitalization
ARCU American-to-Russian Converter Unit
ARD Autonomous Rendezvous and Docking
ARIES Astronaut-Related IVA and Equipment Support
ARS Atmosphere Revitalization System
ASC Advanced Scientific Concepts
ASW Application Software
ATA Ammonia Tank Assembly
ATCS Active Thermal Control System
JUNE 2009 ACRONYMS/ABBREVIATIONS 109

ATF Astronaut Training Facility
ATU Audio Terminal Unit
BAD Broadcast Ancillary Data

BC Bus Controller
BCDU Battery Charge/Discharge Unit
Berthing Mechanism Control and Display Unit
BEP Berthing Mechanism Electronics Package
BGA Beta Gimbal Assembly
BIC Bus Interface Controller
BIO Biology Ops Lead team
BIT Built-In Test
BM Berthing Mechanism
BOS BIC Operations Software
BSS Basic Software
BSTS Basic Standard Support Software
C3PO Commercial Crew and Cargo Program Office

C&C Command and Control
C&DH Command and Data Handling
C&T Communication and Tracking
C&W Caution and Warning
C/L Crew Lock
C/O Checkout
CAM Collision Avoidance Maneuver
CANSEI Control and Network Systems, Electrical Power, and ICS Communication Office
CAPE Canister for All Payload Ejections
CAS Common Attach System
CB Clean Bench
Control Bus
CBCS Centerline Berthing Camera System
CBEF Cell Biology Experiment Facility
CBM Common Berthing Mechanism
CCA Circuit Card Assembly
CCAA Common Cabin Air Assembly
CCHA Crew Communication Headset Assembly
CCD
CCP Camera Control Panel
CCT Communication Configuration Table
CCTV Closed-Circuit Television
CDR Space Shuttle Commander
CDRA Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly
110 ACRONYMS/ABBREVIATIONS JUNE 2009

CETA Crew Equipment Translation Aid
CHeCS Crew Health Care System
CHX Cabin Heat Exchanger
CISC Complicated Instruction Set Computer
CLA Camera Light Assembly
CLPA Camera Light Pan Tilt Assembly
CMG Control Moment Gyro
COTS Commercial Off the Shelf
CPA Control Panel Assembly
CPB Camera Power Box
CR Change Request
CRT Cathode-Ray Tube
CSA Canadian Space Agency
CSA-CP Compound Specific Analyzer
CVIU Common Video Interface Unit
CVT Current Value Table
CZ Communication Zone
DB Data Book
DC Docking Compartment
DCSU Direct Current Switching Unit
DDCU DC-to-DC Converter Unit
DEM Demodulator
DFL Decommutation Format Load
DIU Data Interface Unit
DMS Data Management System
DMS-R Data Management System-Russian
DOSIS-DOBIES Dose Distribution Inside ISS – Dosimetry for Biological Experiments in Space
DPG Differential Pressure Gauge
DPU Baseband Data Processing Unit
DRAGONSat Dual RF Astrodynamic GPS Orbital Navigator Satellite
DRTS Data Relay Test Satellite
Japanese Data Relay Satellite
DTO Detailed Test Objective
DYF Display Frame
E/L Equipment Lock

EATCS External Active Thermal Control System
EBCS External Berthing Camera System
ECC Error Correction Code
ECLSS Environmental Control and Life Support System
ECS Environmental Control System

ECU Electronic Control Unit
EDAS Enhanced Data Acquisition System
EDEE Electronic Device Evaluation Equipment
EDR European Drawer Rack
EDSU External Data Storage Unit
EDU EEU Driver Unit
EE End Effector
EETCS Early External Thermal Control System
EEU Experiment Exchange Unit
EF Exposed Facility
EFBM Exposed Facility Berthing Mechanism
EFHX Exposed Facility Heat Exchanger
EFU Exposed Facility Unit
EGIL Electrical, General Instrumentation, and Lighting
EIU Ethernet Interface Unit
ELM-ES Japanese Experiment Logistics Module – Exposed Section
ELM-PS Japanese Experiment Logistics Module – Pressurized Section
ELPS Emergency Lighting Power Supply
EMGF Electric Mechanical Grapple Fixture
EMI Electro-Magnetic Imaging
EMU Extravehicular Mobility Unit
E-ORU EVA Essential ORU
EP Exposed Pallet
EPO Educational Payload Observation
EPS Electrical Power System
ES Exposed Section
ESA European Space Agency
ESC JEF System Controller
ESP-3 External Stowage Platform 3
ESW Extended Support Software
ET External Tank
ETCS External Thermal Control System
ETI Elapsed Time Indicator
ETRS EVA Temporary Rail Stop
ETVCG External Television Camera Group
EV Extravehicular
EVA Extravehicular Activity
EXP-D Experiment-D
EXT External
FA Fluid Accumulator
FAS Flight Application Software

FCT Flight Control Team
FD Flight Day
FDDI Fiber Distributed Data Interface
FDIR Fault Detection, Isolation, and Recovery
FDS Fire Detection System
FE Flight Engineer
FET-SW Field Effect Transistor Switch
FGB Functional Cargo Block
FISICS Fluid Science and Crystallization Science Ops Lead team
FLAT Fluid and Thermal Officer
FOR Frame of Reference
FOV Field of View
FPEF Fluid Physics Experiment Facility
FPP Fluid Pump Package
FR Flight Rule
FRAM Flight Releasable Attachment Mechanism
FRD Flight Requirements Document
FRGF Flight Releasable Grapple Fixture
FRM Functional Redundancy Mode
FSE Flight Support Equipment
FSEGF Flight Support Equipment Grapple Fixture
FSW Flight Software
GAS Get-Away Special

GCA Ground Control Assist
GLA General Lighting Assemblies
General Luminaire Assembly
GLONASS Global Navigational Satellite System
GNC Guidance, Navigation, and Control
GPC General Purpose Computer
GPS Global Positioning System
GPSR Global Positioning System Receiver
GSC Gas Slit Camera
GUI Graphical User Interface
H&S Health and Status

HCE Heater Control Equipment
HCTL Heater Controller
HEPA High Efficiency Particulate Acquisition
HIT Heavy Ion Telescope
HPA High Power Amplifier
HPP Hard Point Plates

HRDR High Rate Data Recorder
HREL Hold/Release Electronics
HRFM High Rate Frame Multiplexer
HRM Hold Release Mechanism
HRMS High Rate Multiplexer and Switcher
HTV H-II Transfer Vehicle
HTVCC HTV Control Center
HTV Prox HTV Proximity
HX Heat Exchanger
I/F Interface
IAA Intravehicular Antenna Assembly
IAC Internal Audio Controller
IBM International Business Machines
ICB Inner Capture Box
ICC Integrated Cargo Carrier
ICC-PM ICC Pressurized Module
ICC-VLD Integrated Cargo Carrier – Vertical Light Deploy
ICS Interorbit Communication System
ICS-EF Interorbit Communication System - Exposed Facility
IDRD Increment Definition and Requirements Document
IEA Integrated Equipment Assembly
IELK Individual Equipment Liner Kit
IFHX Interface Heat Exchanger
IMCS Integrated Mission Control System
IMCU Image Compressor Unit
IMV Intermodule Ventilation
INCO Instrumentation and Communication Officer
IP International Partner
IP-PCDU ICS-PM Power Control and Distribution Unit
IP-PDB Payload Power Distribution Box
IPT Intelligent Pressure Transducer
IPU Image Processing Unit
ISP International Standard Payload
ISPR International Standard Payload Rack
ISS International Space Station
ISSSH International Space Station Systems Handbook
ITCS Internal Thermal Control System
ITS Integrated Truss Segment
IVA Intravehicular Activity
IVSU Internal Video Switch Unit

J–COM JEM Communicator
J–FLIGHT JAXA Flight Director
J–PLAN Operations Planner
JAXA Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency
JAXA EVA JAXA Extravehicular Activity
JCP JEM Control Processor
JEF JEM Exposed Facility
JEM Japanese Experiment Module
JEMAL JEM Airlock
JEM-EF Japanese Experiment Module Exposed Facility
JEM-PM Japanese Experiment Module – Pressurized Module
JEM PAYLOADS JEM Payload Officer
JEMAL JEM Airlock
JEMRMS Japanese Experiment Module Remote Manipulator System
JET JEM Engineering Team
JEUS Joint Expedited Undocking and Separation
JFCT Japanese Flight Control Team
JLE Japanese Experiment Logistics Module – Exposed Section
JLP Japanese Experiment Logistics Module – Pressurized Section
JLP-EDU JLP-EFU Driver Unit
JLP-EFU JLP Exposed Facility Unit
JPM Japanese Pressurized Module
JPM WS JEM Pressurized Module Workstation
JPOC JAXA Payload Operations Conductor
JSC Johnson Space Center
JTVE JEM Television Equipment
Kbps Kilobit per second

KIBOTT Kibo Robotics Officer
KOS Keep Out Sphere
Ku-Band 15.250 to 17.250 Gigahertz
LB Local Bus
LCA LAB Cradle Assembly
LCD Liquid Crystal Display
LDU Linear Drive Unit
LED Light Emitting Diode
LEE Latching End Effector
LEO Low-Earth Orbit
LIDAR Light Intensification Detection and Ranging (Range?)
LMC Lightweight MPESS Carrier
LSW Light Switch

LTA Launch-to-Activation
LTAB Launch-to-Activation Box
LTL Low Temperature Loop
MA Main Arm
MAUI Main Analysis of Upper-Atmospheric Injections
MAXI Monitor of All-sky X-ray Image
Mb Megabit
Mbps Megabit per second
MBS Mobile Base System
MBSU Main Bus Switching Unit
MCA Major Constituent Analyzer
MCC Mission Control Center
MCC-H Mission Control Center – Houston
MCC-M Mission Control Center – Moscow
MCDS Multifunction Cathode-Ray Tube Display System
MCR Mission Control Room
MCS Mission Control System
MDA MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates Ltd.
MDM Multiplexer/Demultiplexer
MDP Management Data Processor
MELFI Minus Eighty-Degree Laboratory Freezer for ISS
MGB Middle Grapple Box
MIP Mission Integration Plan
MISSE Materials International Space Station Experiment
MKAM Minimum Keep Alive Monitor
MLE Middeck Locker Equivalent
MLI Multi-layer Insulation
MLM Multipurpose Laboratory Module
MMOD Micrometeoroid/Orbital Debris
MOD Modulator
MON Television Monitor
MPAC Micro Particles Capture
MPC Main Processing Controller
MPESS Multipurpose Experiment Support Structure
MPEV Manual Pressure Equalization Valve
MPL Manipulator Retention Latch
MPLM Multipurpose Logistics Module
MPM Manipulator Positioning Mechanism
MPV Manual Procedure Viewer
MSD Mass Storage Device
MSFC Marshall Space Flight Center

MSP Maintenance Switch Panel
MSS Mobile Servicing System
MT Mobile Tracker
MTL Moderate Temperature Loop
MUX Data Multiplexer
n.mi. nautical mile

NASA National Aeronautics and Space Administration
NCS Node Control Software
NEM Neutron Monitor
NET No Earlier Than
NiH2 Nickel Hydrogen
NLT No Less Than
NPRV Negative Pressure Relief Valve
NSV Network Service
NTA Nitrogen Tank Assembly
NTSC National Television Standard Committee
OBSS Orbiter Boom Sensor System

OCA Orbital Communications Adapter
OCAD Operational Control Agreement Document
OCAS Operator Commanded Automatic Sequence
ODF Operations Data File
ODS Orbiter Docking System
OI Orbiter Interface
OIU Orbiter Interface Unit
OMS Orbital Maneuvering System
OODT Onboard Operation Data Table
OPT Operational Pressure Transducer
ORCA Oxygen Recharge Compressor Assembly
ORU Orbital Replacement Unit
OS Operating System
OSA Orbiter-based Station Avionics
OSE Orbital Support Equipment
OTCM ORU and Tool Changeout Mechanism
OTP ORU and Tool Platform
P/L Payload
PAL Planning and Authorization Letter
PAM Payload Attach Mechanism
PAO Public Affairs Office

PAS Payload Attachment System
PBA Portable Breathing Apparatus
PCA Pressure Control Assembly
PCBM Passive Common Berthing Mechanism
PCDF Protein Crystallization Diagnostics Facility
PCN Page Change Notice
PCRF Protein Crystallization Research Facility
PCS Portable Computer System
PCU Power Control Unit
PDA Payload Disconnect Assembly
PDB Power Distribution Box
PDGF Power and Data Grapple Fixture
PDH Payload Data Handling unit
PDRS Payload Deployment Retrieval System
PDU Power Distribution Unit
PEC Passive Experiment Container
PEHG Payload Ethernet Hub Gateway
PFE Portable Fire Extinguisher
PGSC Payload General Support Computer
PI Principal Investigator
PIB Power Interface Box
PIU Payload Interface Unit
PL FCT Payload Flight Control Team
PLAM Plasma Monitor
PLB Payload Bay
PLBD Payload Bay Door
PLC Pressurized Logistics Carrier
PLT Payload Laptop Terminal
Space Shuttle Pilot
PM Pressurized Module
PMA Pressurized Mating Adapter
Pump Module Assembly
PMCU Power Management Control Unit
POA Payload ORU Accommodation
POIC Payload Operation Integration Center
POR Point of Resolution
PPRV Positive Pressure Relief Valve
PRCS Primary Reaction Control System
PREX Procedure Executor
PRLA Payload Retention Latch Assembly
PROX Proximity Communications Center

psia Pounds per Square Inch Absolute
PSP Payload Signal Processor
PSRR Pressurized Section Resupply Rack
PTCS Passive Thermal Control System
PTR Port Thermal Radiator
PTU Pan/Tilt Unit
PVCU Photovoltaic Controller Unit
PVGF Power and Video Grapple Fixture
PVM Photovoltaic Module
PVR Photovoltaic Radiator
PVTCS Photovoltaic Thermal Control System
QD Quick Disconnect
R&MA Restraint and Mobility Aid

RACU Russian-to-American Converter Unit
RAM Read Access Memory
RBVM Radiator Beam Valve Module
RCC Range Control Center
RCT Rack Configuration Table
RF Radio Frequency
RGA Rate Gyro Assemblies
RHC Rotational Hand Controller
RIGEX Rigidizable Inflatable Get-Away Special Experiment
RIP Remote Interface Panel
RLF Robotic Language File
RLT Robotic Laptop Terminal
RMS Remote Manipulator System
ROEU Remotely Operated Electrical Umbilical
ROM Read Only Memory
R-ORU Robotics Compatible Orbital Replacement Unit
ROS Russian Orbital Segment
RPC Remote Power Controller
RPCM Remote Power Controller Module
RPDA Remote Power Distribution Assembly
RPM Roll Pitch Maneuver
RS Russian Segment
RSP Return Stowage Platform
RSR Resupply Stowage Rack
RT Remote Terminal
RTAS Rocketdyne Truss Attachment System

RVFS Rendezvous Flight Software
RWS Robotics Workstation
S3 Starboard 3
SAFER Simplified Aid for EVA Rescue
SAM SFA Airlock Attachment Mechanism
SARJ Solar Alpha Rotary Joint
SCOF Solution Crystallization Observation Facility
SCU Sync and Control Unit
SD Smoke Detector
SDOM Standard Dose Monitor
SDS Sample Distribution System
SEDA Space Environment Data Acquisition equipment
SEDA-AP Space Environment Data Acquisition equipment - Attached Payload
SEED Space Environment Exposure Device
SEITE Shuttle Exhaust Ion Turbulence Experiments
SEL Space Experiment Laboratory
SELS SpaceOps Electronic Library System
SENIN System Investigation and Integration Officer
SEU Single Event Upset
SFA Small Fine Arm
SFAE SFA Electronics
SGANT Space-to-Ground Antenna
SI Smoke Indicator
SIMPLEX Shuttle Ionispheric Modification with Pulsed Localized Exhaust Experiments
SIS Superconductor Insulator Superconductor
SLM Structural Latch Mechanism
SLP-D Spacelab Pallet – D
SLP-D1 Spacelab Pallet – Deployable
SLP-D2 Spacelab Pallet - D2
SLT Station Laptop Terminal
System Laptop Terminal
SM Service Module
SMDP Service Module Debris Panel
SMILES Superconducting Submillimeter Wave Limb – Emission Sounder
SOC System Operation Control
SODF Space Operations Data File
SOLO SOdium Loading in Microgravity
SPA Small Payload Attachment
SPB Survival Power Distribution Box
SPDA Secondary Power Distribution Assembly
SPDM Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator

SPEC Specialist
SRAM Static RAM
SRB Solid Rocket Booster
SRMS Shuttle Remote Manipulator System
SSAS Segment-to-Segment Attach System
SSC Solid-state Slit Camera
Station Support Computer
SSCB Space Station Control Board
SSCC Space Station Control Center
SSE Small Fine Arm Storage Equipment
SSIPC Space Station Integration and Promotion Center
SSME Space Shuttle Main Engine
SSOF Space Station Operations Facility
SSOR Space-to-Space Orbiter Radio
SSP Standard Switch Panel
SSPL Space Shuttle Payload Launcher
SSPTS Station-to-Shuttle Power Transfer System
SSRMS Space Station Remote Manipulator System
STC Small Fire Arm Transportation Container
STR Starboard Thermal Radiator
STS Space Transfer System
STVC SFA Television Camera
SVS Space Vision System
TA Thruster Assist
TAC TCS Assembly Controller
TAC-M TCS Assembly Controller - M
TCA Thermal Control System Assembly
TCB Total Capture Box
TCCS Trace Contaminant Control System
TCCV Temperature Control and Check Valve
TCS Thermal Control System
Trajectory Control Center
TCV Temperature Control Valve
TDK Transportation Device Kit
TDRS Tracking and Data Relay Satellite
THA Tool Holder Assembly
THC Temperature and Humidity Control
Translational Hand Controller
THCU Temperature and Humidity Control Unit
TIU Thermal Interface Unit
TKSC Tsukuba Space Center (Japan)

TLM Telemetry
TMA Russian vehicle designation
TMR Triple Modular Redundancy
TPL Transfer Priority List
TRRJ Thermal Radiator Rotary Joint
TUS Trailing Umbilical System
TVC Television Camera
UCCAS Unpressurized Cargo Carrier Attach System

UCM Umbilical Connect Mechanism
UCM-E UCM – Exposed Section Half
UCM-P UCM – Payload Half
UHF Ultrahigh Frequency
UI User Investigator
UIL User Interface Language
ULC Unpressurized Logistics Carrier
UMA Umbilical Mating Adapter
UOA User Operations
UOP Utility Outlet Panel
UPC Up Converter
USA United Space Alliance
US LAB United States Laboratory
USOS United States On-Orbit Segment
VAJ Vacuum Access Jumper

VBSP Video Baseband Signal Processor
VCU Video Control Unit
VDS Video Distribution System
VE Visual Equipment
VLD Vertical Light Display
VLU Video Light Unit
VRA Vent Relief Assembly
VRCS Vernier Reaction Control System
VRCV Vent Relief Control Valve
VRIV Vent Relief Isolation Valve
VSU Video Switcher Unit
VSW Video Switcher
WAICO Waiving and Coiling

WCL Water Cooling Loop
WET Weightless Environment Test Building
WETA Wireless Video System External Transceiver Assembly

WIF Work Interface
WRM Water Recovery and Management
WRS Water Recovery System
WS Water Separator
Work Site
Work Station
WVA Water Vent Assembly
Z1 Zenith 1
ZSR Zero-g Stowage Rack


MEDIA ASSISTANCE
NASA TELEVISION TRANSMISSION Status Reports
NASA Television is carried on an MPEG‐2 Status reports on launch countdown and
digital signal accessed via satellite AMC‐6, at mission progress, in‐orbit activities and landing
72 degrees west longitude, transponder 17C, operations will be posted at:
4040 MHz, vertical polarization. For those in
Alaska or Hawaii, NASA Television will be http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle
seen on AMC‐7, at 137 degrees west longitude, This site also contains information on the crew
transponder 18C, at 4060 MHz, horizontal and will be updated regularly with photos and
polarization. In both instances, a Digital Video video clips throughout the flight.
Broadcast, or DVB‐compliant Integrated
Receiver Decoder, or IRD, with modulation of More Internet Information
QPSK/DBV, data rate of 36.86 and FEC 3/4 will Information on the ISS is available at:
be needed for reception. The NASA Television
schedule and links to streaming video are http://www.nasa.gov/station
available at:
Information on safety enhancements made
http://www.nasa.gov/ntv since the Columbia accident is available at:
NASA TV’s digital conversion will require http://www.nasa.gov/returntoflight/
members of the broadcast media to upgrade system/index.html
with an “addressable” Integrated Receiver
De‐coder, or IRD, to participate in live news Information on other current NASA activities is
events and interviews, media briefings and available at:
receive NASA’s Video File news feeds on a
http://www.nasa.gov
dedicated Media Services channel. NASA
mission coverage will air on a digital NASA Resources for educators can be found at the
Public Services “Free to Air” channel, for which following address:
only a basic IRD will be needed.
http://education.nasa.gov
Television Schedule
A schedule of key in‐orbit events and media

briefings during the mission will be detailed in
a NASA TV schedule posted at the link above.
The schedule will be updated as necessary and
will also be available at:
http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/
mission_schedule.html
JUNE 2009 MEDIA ASSISTANCE 125

126 MEDIA ASSISTANCE JUNE 2009

PUBLIC AFFAIRS CONTACTS
NASA HEADQUARTERS JOHNSON SPACE CENTER
WASHINGTON, DC HOUSTON, TEXAS
Space Operations Mission Directorate James Hartsfield
News Chief
Michael Braukus 281-483-5111
International Partners james.a.hartsfield@nasa.gov
202-358-1979
michael.j.braukus@nasa.gov Kyle Herring
Public Affairs Specialist
Katherine Trinidad Space Shuttle Program Office
Shuttle, Space Station Policy 281-483-5111
202-358-1100 kyle.j.herring@nasa.gov
katherine.trinidad@nasa.gov
Rob Navias
John Yembrick Program and Mission Operations Lead
Shuttle, Space Station Policy 281-483-5111
202-358-1100 rob.navias-1@nasa.gov
john.yembrick-1@nasa.gov
Kelly Humphries
Mike Curie Public Affairs Specialist
Shuttle, Space Station Policy International Space Station and Mission
202-358-1100 Operations Directorate
michael.curie@nasa.gov 281-483-5111
kelly.o.humphries@nasa.gov
Grey Hautaluoma
Research in Space Nicole Cloutier-Lemasters
202-358-0668 Public Affairs Specialist
gray.hautaluoma@nasa.gov Astronauts
Ashley Edwards 281-483-5111
nicole.cloutier-1@nasa.gov
Research in Space
202-358-1756
ashley.edwards-1@nasa.gov
JUNE 2009 PUBLIC AFFAIRS CONTACTS 127

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER STENNIS SPACE CENTER
CAPE CANAVERAL, FLORIDA BAY ST. LOUIS, MISSISSIPPI
Allard Beutel Chris McGee
News Chief News Chief
321-867-2468 228-688-3249
allard.beutel@nasa.gov christopher.mcgee@nasa.gov
Candrea Thomas Paul Foerman

Public Affairs Specialist Public Affairs Officer
Space Shuttle 228-688-1880
321-867-2468 paul.foerman-1@nasa.gov
candrea.k.thomas@nasa.gov
AMES RESEARCH CENTER
Tracy Young MOFFETT FIELD, CALIFORNIA
International Space Station Mike Mewhinney
321-867-2468 News Chief
tracy.g.young@nasa.gov 650-604-3937
michael.mewhinney@nasa.gov
MARSHALL SPACE FLIGHT CENTER
Jonas Dino
HUNTSVILLE, ALABAMA
Dom Amatore 650-604-5612
Public Affairs Manager jonas.dino@nasa.gov
256-544-0034
Rachel Prucey
dominic.a.amatore@nasa.gov
June Malone 650-604-0643
Public Affairs Specialist Rachel.L.Purcey@nasa.gov
News Chief/Media Manager
256-544-0034
june.e.malone@nasa.gov
Steve Roy
Space Shuttle Propulsion
256-544-0034
steven.e.roy@nasa.gov
128 PUBLIC AFFAIRS CONTACTS JUNE 2009

DRYDEN FLIGHT RESEARCH CENTER LANGLEY RESEARCH CENTER
EDWARDS, CALIFORNIA HAMPTON, VIRGINIA
Kevin Rohrer Marny Skora
Director, Public Affairs Head, News Media Office
661-276-3595 757-864-3315
kevin.j.rohrer@nasa.gov marny.skora@nasa.gov
Alan Brown Keith Henry

News Chief Public Affairs Officer
661-276-2665 757-864-6120
alan.brown@nasa.gov h.k.henry@nasa.gov
Leslie Williams Chris Rink

Public Affairs Specialist Public Affairs Officer
661-276-3893 757-864-6786
leslie.a.williams@nasa.gov christopher.p.rink@nasa.gov
GLENN RESEARCH CENTER Kathy Barnstorff

Public Affairs Officer
CLEVELAND, OHIO
757-864-9886
Lori Rachul katherine.a.barnstorff@nasa.gov
News Chief
216-433-8806 UNITED SPACE ALLIANCE
lori.j.rachul@nasa.gov
Jessica Pieczonka
Jeannette P. Owens Houston Operations
Public Affairs Specialist 281-212-6252
216-433-2990 832-205-0480
jeannette.p.owens@nasa.gov jessica.b.pieczonka@usa-spaceops.com
Katherine Martin Tracy Yates

Public Affairs Specialist Florida Operations
216-433-2406 321-861-3956
katherine.martin@nasa.gov (c) 321-750-1739
tracy.e.yates@usa-spaceops.com
JUNE 2009 PUBLIC AFFAIRS CONTACTS 129

BOEING CANADIAN SPACE AGENCY (CSA)
Ed Memi Jean-Pierre Arseneault
Media Relations Manager, Media Relations & Information
Boeing Space Exploration Services
281-226-4029 514-824-0560 (cell)
edmund.g.memi@boeing.com jean-pierre.arseneault@space.gc.ca
JAPAN AEROSPACE EXPLORATION Media Relations Office

AGENCY (JAXA) Canadian Space Agency
450-926-4370
Naoko Matsuo
JAXA Public Affairs Representative EUROPEAN SPACE AGENCY (ESA)
Houston
Clare Mattok
281-483-2251
Communication Manager
matsuo.naoko@jaxa.jp
Paris, France
JAXA Public Affairs Office 011-33-1-5369-7412
Tokyo, Japan clare.mattok@esa.intjessica.rye@atk.com
011-81-3-6266-6414, 6415, 6416, 6417
proffice@jaxa.jp
130 PUBLIC AFFAIRS CONTACTS JUNE 2009

STS-127 Press Kit

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STS-127 Press Kit

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CONTENTS

STS-127 MISSION OVERVIEW ................................................................................................ 1

STS-127 TIMELINE OVERVIEW ............................................................................................... 11

MISSION OBJECTIVES AND PRIORITIES ................................................................................ 17

MISSION PERSONNEL ............................................................................................................. 21

PAYLOAD OVERVIEW .............................................................................................................. 33

RENDEZVOUS & DOCKING....................................................................................................... 69

SHUTTLE REFERENCE DATA .................................................................................................... 89

LAUNCH AND LANDING ........................................................................................................... 107

JUNE 2009 CONTENTS i

MEDIA ASSISTANCE ............................................................................................................... 125

PUBLIC AFFAIRS CONTACTS .................................................................................................. 127

ii CONTENTS JUNE 2009

JUNE 2009 MISSION OVERVIEW 1

2 MISSION OVERVIEW JUNE 2009

This graphic depicts the location of the STS-127 payload hardware.

JUNE 2009 MISSION OVERVIEW 3

4 MISSION OVERVIEW JUNE 2009

JUNE 2009 MISSION OVERVIEW 5

6 MISSION OVERVIEW JUNE 2009

JUNE 2009 MISSION OVERVIEW 7

8 MISSION OVERVIEW JUNE 2009

JUNE 2009 MISSION OVERVIEW 9

10 MISSION OVERVIEW JUNE 2009

Flight Day 2 • Canadarm2 and Kibo robotic arm

JUNE 2009 TIMELINE OVERVIEW 11

• Focused Inspection of Endeavour’s • Spacewalk 3 by Wolf and Cassidy

Flight Day 7 • Spacewalk 4 by Cassidy and Marshburn

• Spacewalk 3 Procedure Review

• Spacewalk 3 Campout by Wolf and Cassidy

12 TIMELINE OVERVIEW JUNE 2009

• Final Farewells and hatch closure

JUNE 2009 TIMELINE OVERVIEW 13

14 TIMELINE OVERVIEW JUNE 2009

Commander: Mark Polansky SSME 1: 2045

LAUNCH Abort Landing Sites

Orbiter: Endeavour (OV-105) RTLS: Kennedy Space Center Shuttle

JUNE 2009 MISSION PROFILE 15

16 MISSION PROFILE JUNE 2009

JUNE 2009 MISSION PRIORITIES 17

18 MISSION PRIORITIES JUNE 2009

• Perform daily middeck activities to support − Retrieve Articulating Portable Foot

JUNE 2009 MISSION PROFILE 19

20 MISSION PRIORITIES JUNE 2009

Orbit 1 (Lead) Paul Dye Greg (Box) Johnson Brandi Dean

Orbit 2 Kwatsi Alibaruho Janice Voss Josh Byerly

Planning Gary Horlacher Stan Love Kelly Humphries

Entry Bryan Lunney Alan Poindexter Kylie Clem

Shuttle Team 4 Richard Jones N/A N/A

ISS Orbit 1 Brian Smith Hal Getzelman N/A

ISS Orbit 2 (Lead) Holly Ridings Akihiko Hoshide N/A

ISS Orbit 3 Derek Hassmann Jason Hutt N/A

Station Team 4 Ron Spencer

JSC PAO Representative at KSC for Launch – Kyle Herring

JUNE 2009 MISSION PERSONNEL 21

22 MISSION PERSONNEL JUNE 2009

JUNE 2009 CREW 23

Short biographical sketches of the crew follow http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/