STS-117 Press Kit 
STS-117 Press Kit 
JULY 2007 CONTENTS i

CONTENTS 

Section Page

STS-118 MISSION OVERVIEW: BUILD THE STATION...BUILD THE FUTURE ........................... 1

TIMELINE OVERVIEW .............................................................................................................. 13

MISSION PROFILE................................................................................................................... 17

MISSION PRIORITIES............................................................................................................. 19

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

STS-118 ENDEAVOUR PROCESSING MILESTONES ................................................................. 23

STS-118 ENDEAVOUR CREW................................................................................................... 27

PAYLOAD OVERVIEW .............................................................................................................. 37

STARBOARD 5 (S5) SHORT SPACER ................................................................................................... 37

EXTERNAL STOWAGE PLATFORM-3...................................................................................................... 39

SPACEHAB’S LOGISTICS SINGLE MODULE........................................................................................... 41

MOTION CONTROL SUBSYSTEM .......................................................................................................... 43

STATION-TO-SHUTTLE POWER TRANSFER SYSTEM (SSPTS)............................................................... 44

RENDEZVOUS AND DOCKING .................................................................................................. 47

UNDOCKING, SEPARATION AND DEPARTURE ....................................................................................... 50

SPACEWALKS ......................................................................................................................... 53

EDUCATOR ASTRONAUT PROJECT.......................................................................................... 61

EXPERIMENTS ......................................................................................................................... 67

DETAILED TEST OBJECTIVES ............................................................................................................... 67

SHORT-DURATION RESEARCH TO BE COMPLETED DURING STS-118/13A.1 ......................................... 68

SPACE SHUTTLE MAIN ENGINE ADVANCED HEALTH MANAGEMENT SYSTEM ........................ 75

SHUTTLE REFERENCE DATA .................................................................................................... 77
ii CONTENTS JULY 2007

Section Page

LAUNCH AND LANDING ........................................................................................................... 89

LAUNCH............................................................................................................................................... 89

ABORT-TO-ORBIT (ATO)...................................................................................................................... 89

TRANSATLANTIC ABORT LANDING (TAL) ............................................................................................. 8 9

RETURN-TO-LAUNCH-SITE (RTLS)....................................................................................................... 89

ABORT ONCE AROUND (AOA)............................................................................................................... 89

LANDING ............................................................................................................................................. 89

ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS ......................................................................................... 91

MEDIA ASSISTANCE ............................................................................................................... 107

PUBLIC AFFAIRS CONTACTS .................................................................................................. 109
JULY 2007 MISSION OVERVIEW 1

STS-118 MISSION OVERVIEW: 

BUILD THE STATION...BUILD THE FUTURE 

Space Shuttle Endeavour is on Launch Pad 39‐A and ready for launch. At far left is the rotating

service structure, which can be rolled around to enclose the shuttle for access during processing.

Behind the shuttle is the fixed service structure, topped by an 80‐foot‐tall lightning mast.
2 MISSION OVERVIEW JULY 2007

This graphic depicts the location of STS‐118 payload hardware.

The space shuttle Endeavour is poised to blast

off Aug. 7, carrying seven astronauts to orbit on

a complex flight to continue the assembly of the

International Space Station and fulfill a long‐

standing human spaceflight legacy.

The 119th flight in space shuttle history and the

22nd to the station is commanded by veteran

astronaut Scott Kelly, a Navy commander, 43.

Endeavour is scheduled to be launched from

NASAʹs Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Pad

39‐A on an 11‐day flight. During the mission,

the crew will deliver a new segment for the sta‐

tionʹs backbone, install a spare parts platform

and swap out a failed gyroscope used to orient

the station.

Kelly, who is making his second flight into

space, is joined by Pilot Charlie Hobaugh

(HOE’baw), a Marine lieutenant colonel, 45,

and mission specialists Tracy Caldwell, 37, Rick

Mastracchio (Muh‐STRACK’‐ee‐oh), 47, Dr.

Dave Williams of the Canadian Space Agency,

53, Barbara R. Morgan, 55, and Alvin Drew, an

Air Force colonel, 44.

Hobaugh, Mastracchio and Williams are all

making their second flight into space. Caldwell,

Morgan and Drew are all first‐time fliers.
JULY 2007 MISSION OVERVIEW 3

Seven astronauts pause for an informal crew portrait at the Johnson Space Center. Pictured from the

left (front) are Canadian Space Agency astronaut Dave Williams, mission specialist; Scott Kelly,

commander; and Tracy Caldwell, mission specialist. Back row, left to right, are Charlie Hobaugh,

pilot; along with Rick Mastracchio, Barbara R. Morgan and Alvin Drew, all mission specialists.

Morgan is the first educator mission specialist,

having served as the backup to payload special‐

ist Christa McAuliffe in the Teacher in Space

Project. McAuliffe and six fellow astronauts lost

their lives in the Challenger accident on Jan. 28,

1986.

Morgan, who was an elementary school teacher

in McCall, Idaho, before being selected as

McAuliffe’s backup, returned to teaching after

the accident. She was selected to train as a mis‐

sion specialist in 1998 and was named to the

STS‐118 crew in 2002.
4 MISSION OVERVIEW JULY 2007

She will be involved in at least one live, interac‐

tive educational in‐flight event with students

gathered in Boise, Idaho. If the mission is ex‐

tended, she will participate in two other educa‐

tional events with students in Alexandria, Va.,

and Lynn, Mass., to discuss her mission and the

educational aspects of human spaceflight.

Endeavour is making its 20th flight, and first

since the STS‐113 mission in November 2002

that brought the first port side truss segment to

the station. Endeavour underwent an extensive

refurbishment after that mission to upgrade

and modify its key systems.

Barbara R. Morgan speaks to an audience of students and media  

during a demonstration at Space Center Houston.
JULY 2007 MISSION OVERVIEW 5

This computer graphic depicts how the S5

truss will be grappled by the station’s robotic

arm. It will be installed to the far right portion

of the integrated truss system.

The prime objective of the mission is to install

the Starboard 5 (S5) truss on the right side of

the station’s expanding truss structure. The

two‐ton S5 will be robotically attached and

bolted to the S4 truss, which was delivered to

the station on the STS‐117 mission in June.

The S5 truss is 11 feet long, and will serve as a

“spacer” to provide structural support for the

outboard solar arrays that will be installed on

the S6 truss next year and to provide sufficient

space for clearance between those arrays and

the S4 truss solar blankets.

A device called the External Stowage Plat‐

form‐3 (ESP‐3) will be installed on the station’s

P3 truss to house critical spare parts. ESP‐3

joins two other stowage platforms attached to

the station.

Another high priority task for Endeavour’s as‐

tronauts will be the replacement of the failed

Control Moment Gyroscope‐3 (CMG‐3) which

experienced high electrical currents and erratic

spin rates in October 2006 and was taken off

line. Since then, the station has used the other

three gyroscopes in the Zenith 1 (Z1) truss to

maintain the stationʹs orientation. The replace‐

ment work will be nearly identical to the re‐

placement of CMG‐1 on the STS‐114 mission in

2005, but this failed CMG will be temporarily

stowed on the new spare parts platform and

will be returned to Earth on the STS‐122 mis‐

sion later this year.

The CMG replacement will occur during the

second of three planned spacewalks. A fourth

spacewalk will be added to the mission if the

flight is extended. Mastracchio and Williams

will conduct the first two spacewalks. Mastrac‐

chio and Expedition 15 Flight Engineer Clayton

Anderson will be responsible for the third.

Anderson would team up with Williams for the

fourth spacewalk. Anderson will have con‐

ducted his first career spacewalk prior to

STS‐118 to jettison an obsolete ammonia reser‐

voir and other equipment.

This computer graphic shows where the

External Stowage Platform will be  

installed to the space station.
6 MISSION OVERVIEW JULY 2007

Cosmonauts Oleg V. Kotov and Fyodor Yurchikhin, Expedition 15 flight engineer and commander,

respectively, representing Russiaʹs Federal Space Agency; and astronaut Clayton C. Anderson,  

flight engineer, participate in a training session in the Space Vehicle Mockup Facility  

at Johnson Space Center before they were reunited at the space station.

Endeavour’s astronauts will work with Ander‐

son and his crewmates, Expedition 15 Com‐

mander Fyodor Yurchikhin (Fee‐OH’‐duhr

YUR’‐chee‐kin) and Flight Engineer Oleg Kotov

(AH’‐leg KOH’‐toff), during more than a week

of joint docked operations.

The mission also will feature the first flight of

the new Station‐to‐Shuttle Power Transfer Sys‐

tem (SSPTS), a series of electrical converter

units in the shuttle that draw electricity from

the station’s power system to supplement the

normal electrical output from the shuttle’s three

cryogenic fuel cells. The new capability is de‐

signed to extend the shuttle’s stay at the station

to up to 12 days, if necessary, without depleting

the finite electrical capability of the fuel cells

themselves.

The SSPTS routes power through Pressurized

Mating Adapter‐2 (PMA‐2), the docking port

for Endeavour at the forward end of the sta‐

tion’s Destiny Laboratory. SSPTS consists of

two Power Transfer Units (PTUs) in the shuttle,

containing three converters per unit, two Or‐

biter Power Conversion Units (OPCUs) and one

Assembly Power Conversion Unit (APCU).
JULY 2007 MISSION OVERVIEW 7

Each OPCU converts 124 volt direct current

power from the station to 28 volt usable shuttle

power. Each unit draws 2.2 kilowatts of station

power and converts it to 2 kilowatts of power

for shuttle systems.

Following Endeavour’s docking to the station

on flight day 3 and shortly after hatches are

opened between the two vehicles, SSPTS will be

activated as two of the four OPCUs are turned

on. The system will be deactivated shortly be‐

fore the first spacewalk on flight day 4 to enable

the station’s starboard solar arrays to be locked

in place for the installation of the S5 truss. After

that is completed, SSPTS will be reactivated un‐

til Endeavour is ready to undock and the other

two OPCUs will be turned on and checked out.

Mission managers may elect to wait until flight

day 5 to verify the performance of the new sys‐

tem before formally extending the flight three

additional days to a 14‐day mission.

Shuttles Endeavour and Discovery were outfit‐

ted during their most recent maintenance peri‐

ods for SSPTS capability. Atlantis does not have

SSPTS capability.

Right after arriving on orbit, Caldwell and Wil‐

liams will capture video and digital stills of En‐

deavour’s jettisoned external fuel tank for im‐

agery analysis on the ground, the first in a se‐

ries of iterative steps that will clear Endeavour’s

heat shield for a safe landing.

Endeavour’s astronauts will then set up their

tools and computers and open the ship’s cargo

bay doors. Morgan and Drew will activate the

Spacehab module and open the hatch to the

cargo carrier through a tunnel from Endeav‐

our’s lower deck. Caldwell and Mastracchio

will unfurl and checkout the shuttle’s robotic

arm that will be used for various tasks

throughout the mission.

This graphic illustrates the inspection

Endeavour’s astronauts will perform using  

the Orbiter Boom Sensor System.

The next day as Endeavour closes in on the In‐

ternational Space Station through a series of

coordinated engine firings, Caldwell and Mas‐

tracchio will use the shuttle’s robot arm to

grapple the 50‐foot‐long Orbiter Boom Sensor

System. The OBSS is an arm extension that uses

cameras and laser sensors to map the leading

edges of the wings and the nose cap of the shut‐

tle in checking for any damage that may have

occurred during Endeavour’s climb to orbit.

Endeavour’s orbital maneuvering system pod

blankets will also be surveyed as part of the

pre‐planned surveys of the shuttle’s heat pro‐

tection system.

Morgan and Hobaugh will join Caldwell and

Mastracchio during almost seven hours of sur‐

vey work with the boom. As that work pro‐

ceeds, Kelly, Williams and Drew will prepare

the spacesuits that will be worn during the mis‐

sion’s spacewalks.

Before the crew goes to sleep to complete its

second day in space, a camera will be mounted

in the Orbiter Docking System to provide visual

cues to Kelly and Hobaugh for the next day’s
8 MISSION OVERVIEW JULY 2007

docking with the station. The docking system’s

outer ring also will be extended in preparation

for the following day’s linkup.

On flight day 3, Kelly and Hobaugh will guide

Endeavour through a series of engine firings to

narrow the gap between the shuttle and the sta‐

tion, arriving about 400 feet directly below the

ISS about an hour prior to docking. At that

time, Kelly will execute a slow two‐degree per

second “backflip,” called the Rendezvous Pitch

Maneuver. This will enable station crew mem‐

bers to use digital cameras equipped with

400mm and 800mm lenses to photograph En‐

deavour’s heat resistant tiles for analysis by im‐

agery experts on the ground.

Once that is complete, Kelly will fly Endeavour

to a point about 400 feet directly in front of the

station for the last minutes of the approach for

docking. Once the two vehicles are locked to‐

gether and leak checks verify a tight seal be‐

tween the two craft, hatches will be opened.

Hobaugh will join Anderson at the robotics

workstation in the Destiny Laboratory to oper‐

ate the station’s Canadarm2 robotic arm. They

will accept the handoff of the S5 truss from

Caldwell and Mastracchio who will operate the

shuttle’s robot arm from the aft flight deck of

Endeavour.

While S5 spends the night attached to the end

of Canadarm2, Mastracchio and Williams will

prepare for the next day’s spacewalk, the first

for both of them. They will wear masks in the

station’s Quest airlock to prebreathe pure oxy‐

gen, cleansing nitrogen out of their blood‐

streams as part of the protocol to prevent a

condition known as the “bends” when they

move out into the vacuum of space the next

day. They will spend the night in Quest in the

now familiar “campout” that precedes space‐

walks that begin from the station’s U.S. seg‐

ment.

Scott Kelly, STS‐118 commander, participates in a simulation exercise in the motion‐base shuttle

mission simulator in the Jake Garn Simulation and Training Facility at Johnson Space Center.
JULY 2007 MISSION OVERVIEW 9

Once that is complete, Kelly will fly Endeavour

to a point about 400 feet directly in front of the

station for the last minutes of the approach for

docking. Once the two vehicles are locked to‐

gether and leak checks verify a tight seal be‐

tween the two craft, hatches will be opened.

Hobaugh will join Anderson at the robotics

workstation in the Destiny Laboratory to oper‐

ate the station’s Canadarm2 robotic arm. They

will accept the handoff of the S5 truss from

Caldwell and Mastracchio who will operate the

shuttle’s robot arm from the aft flight deck of

Endeavour.

While S5 spends the night attached to the end

of Canadarm2, Mastracchio and Williams will

prepare for the next day’s spacewalk, the first

for both of them. They will wear masks in the

station’s Quest airlock to prebreathe pure oxy‐

gen, cleansing nitrogen out of their blood‐

streams as part of the protocol to prevent a

condition known as the “bends” when they

move out into the vacuum of space the next

day. They will spend the night in Quest in the

now familiar “campout” that precedes space‐

walks that begin from the station’s U.S. seg‐

ment.

Rick Mastracchio dons a training version of his Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) spacesuit  

prior to being submerged in the waters of the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL) near  

Johnson Space Center. Tracy Caldwell assisted Mastracchio.
10 MISSION OVERVIEW JULY 2007

On flight day 4, while Morgan begins transfer‐

ring cargo from the Spacehab module into the

station, Hobaugh and Anderson will carefully

maneuver the S5 truss to the end of the star‐

board truss segment of the complex. They will

use visual cues from the spacewalkers to install

the S5 to the recently arrived S4 solar array

truss. A series of bolts will mechanically attach

the two truss segments. Afterward Mastracchio

and Williams will remove launch locks from

the new truss, relocate the S5 grapple fixture to

the truss’ keel and connect electrical lines. If

time permits, they will test a capture latch to be

used later when the final starboard truss com‐

ponent, the S6, is mated outboard to the S5.

The last major task of the first spacewalk will be

the retraction of the forward heat‐rejecting ra‐

diator from the P6 truss. This is the final step

toward that truss’ relocation during the STS‐120

mission later this year. The radiator will be tied

down by Mastracchio and Williams and will be

redeployed on STS‐120 once the P6 is attached

to the P5 truss on the port side of the station.

If mission managers determine that additional

areas of Endeavour’s thermal protection system

should be inspected, this work would occur on

flight day 5. Morgan, Kelly and Caldwell would

take turns using the shuttle’s robotic arm and

the boom sensor system extension for such a

survey. If no “focused” inspection is required,

the day will be spent on cargo transfers. Mas‐

tracchio and Williams will move into the Quest

airlock at the end of the day to prepare for their

second spacewalk.

Dave Williams, STS‐118 mission specialist representing the Canadian Space Agency, participates  

in an underwater simulation of EVA in the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL) near Johnson  

Space Center. SCUBA‐equipped divers are in the water to assist Williams in his  

rehearsal, intended to help prepare him for his STS‐118 spacewalks.
JULY 2007 MISSION OVERVIEW 11

On flight day 6, Mastracchio and Williams’

spacewalk will be devoted to the replacement of

CMG‐3 that was removed from operational use

on Oct. 10, 2006. Mastracchio and Williams will

remove the failed CMG from its slot in the Z1

truss, temporarily park it on the truss, and install

its replacement. The failed CMG will be stowed

on an external spare parts platform attached to

the Quest airlock and will be brought home on

the STS‐122 mission later this year. Cargo trans‐

fer will continue during the spacewalk.

On flight day 7, Morgan and Caldwell will be at

the controls of the shuttle’s robotic arm as they

lift the third External Stowage Platform out of

Endeavour’s cargo bay and hand it over to Ho‐

baugh and Anderson, who will operate the sta‐

tion’s Canadarm2. Hobaugh and Anderson will

then install the ESP‐3 onto a cargo attachment

device on the P3 truss, where capture bolts will

lock it down.

Later in the day, Morgan will conduct an in‐

flight educational event with students gathered

at the Discovery Center of Idaho in Boise, a

20‐minute interactive event to discuss the pro‐

gress of the flight.

Before the crew goes to sleep, Mastracchio and

Anderson will move into the Quest airlock to

prepare for the third spacewalk of the mission.

On flight day 8, Mastracchio and Anderson will

perform the third spacewalk to upgrade the sta‐

tion’s S‐band communication system. They will

remove the S‐band antenna from the P6 truss

and relocate it to the P1 truss and install a new

signal processor and transponder for better per‐

formance.

Mastracchio and Anderson also will monitor the

movement of the station’s Canadarm2 as Ho‐

baugh and Kotov use it to move two equipment

carts to the starboard side of the Mobile Trans‐

porter rail car. That will clear the port side of the

truss for the P6 relocation later this year. Mas‐

tracchio and Anderson also will retrieve a pair of

suitcase‐size experiments from temporary loca‐

tions on the Quest airlock. The experiments have

been collecting data on the effect of the micro‐

gravity environment on various materials. The

spacewalk will wrap up with the retrieval of a

transponder on the P6 truss and the engagement

of gimbal locks on the Z1 truss’ S‐band antenna.

On flight day 9, if the mission is not extended,

the two crews will complete final cargo transfers,

conduct a joint crew news conference and enjoy

a few hours of off‐duty time together before they

say farewell and close hatches between the two

spacecraft.

On flight day 10, Hobaugh will be at the aft

flight deck of Endeavour to supervise the shut‐

tle’s undocking from the station and a

flyaround of the newly expanded complex.

Once a final engine firing sends Endeavour

away from the station, Caldwell and Mastrac‐

chio will be joined by Hobaugh and Morgan to

conduct a final “late” inspection of Endeavour’s

wings and nose cap using the boom sensor sys‐

tem one last time. That survey will verify that

no micrometeoroid debris damage has occurred

during the flight to prevent a safe landing.

On flight day 11, the crew will prepare for land‐

ing the following day as Kelly and Hobaugh

conduct the traditional test of Endeavour’s flight

control surfaces and the test‐firing of the ship’s

33 reaction control system jets to insure full con‐

trollability of Endeavour during its high‐speed

return to Earth. The crew will pack up Endeav‐

our, close out the Spacehab module and deacti‐

vate its systems in advance of landing.

After deorbit preparations are complete and its

cargo bay doors are closed, Endeavour will re‐
12 MISSION OVERVIEW JULY 2007

turn to Earth on Flight Day 12, gliding to an af‐

ternoon landing at the Kennedy Space Center to

complete the second shuttle mission of the year.

This will mark the first time that NASA has

used a three‐string Global Positioning System

to give the shuttle’s position during entry and

landing.

If the flight is extended to 14 days as is expected

thanks to the new Station‐to‐Shuttle Power

Transfer System, the flight plan will be altered

slightly after flight day 8:

Flight day 9 – Cargo transfers, crew off‐duty

time, spacewalk preparations, the joint crew

news conference and a second Morgan educa‐

tional in‐flight event with students at the Chal‐

lenger Center for Space Science Education in

Alexandria, Va.

Flight day 10 – Fourth spacewalk by Williams

and Anderson to install a mounting bracket on

two trunnions on the zenith side of the S1 truss.

This will enable the boom sensor system to be

left on the station on a later mission when it

cannot fit on the starboard sill of the shuttle’s

payload bay for the flight to deliver the “Kibo”

pressurized science module to the station. Wil‐

liams and Anderson also will install two wire‐

less instrumentation antennas on the Destiny

Lab, retrieve a failed Global Positioning System

antenna from the S0 truss, install wireless video

system equipment on the S3 truss, relocate a

tool bag from the P6 truss to Destiny and per‐

manently secure protective debris shields on

Destiny and the Unity connecting node that are

temporarily tied down.

Flight day 11 – Cargo transfer work.

Flight day 12 – Final cargo transfers, a third

educational in‐flight event for Morgan with

students at the Robert L. Ford NASA Explorer

School in Lynn, Mass., and final crew farewells

and hatch closure.

Flight day 13 – Undocking, flyaround, final

separation and late inspection of Endeavour’s

heat shield.

Flight day 14 – Flight Control System checkout,

reaction control system hot‐fire test, cargo

stowage.

Flight day 15 – Deorbit preparations, deorbit

engine firing, landing at the Kennedy Space

Center.

Charlie Hobaugh, STS‐118 pilot, takes part in

a simulation at JSC’s Jake Garn Simulation

and Training Facility.
JULY 2007 TIMELINE OVERVIEW 13

TIMELINE OVERVIEW 

NOTE 

The mission is baselined as an 11‐day flight

spanning 12 flight days. After the new Sta‐

tion‐to‐Shuttle Power Transfer System (SSPTS)

is activated and checked out, the flight will be

extended to 14 days with landing on flight day

15. The first eight flight days of the mission will

be identical with or without an extension. This

timeline reflects how the mission changes with

an extension.

11-DAY MISSION 

Flight Day 1 

• Launch

• Payload Bay Door Opening

• Spacehab Activation

• Shuttle Robot Arm Power Up

• External Tank Video and Still Photography

Downlink

Flight Day 2 

• Orbiter Boom Sensor System (OBSS) Survey

of Shuttle Wings and Nose Cap

• Spacesuit Checkout

• Shuttle Robotic Arm Checkout of Shuttle’s

Orbital Maneuvering System Pods

• Orbiter Docking System Checkout and Ring

Extension

• Rendezvous Tool Checkout

Flight Day 3 

• Rendezvous Operations

• Rendezvous Pitch Maneuver

• Docking to the International Space Station

• Hatch Opening and Welcoming Ceremony

• Shuttle Robotic Arm Grapple and Unberth

of S5 Truss

• Handoff of S5 Truss to Station Robotic Arm

(Canadarm2)

• Station‐to‐Shuttle Power Transfer System

(SSPTS) Activation and Checkout

• EVA 1 Campout (Mastracchio and Williams)

Flight Day 4 

• SSPTS Deactivation Prior to EVA 1

• S5 Installation to S4 Truss Segment

• Extravehicular Activity (EVA) 1

(Mastracchio and Williams; S5 Installation,

P6 Truss Forward Radiator Retraction)

• Cargo Transfer Operations

• SSPTS Reactivation After EVA 1

Flight Day 5 

• Canadarm2 Grapple of Boom Sensor

System for Focused Inspection (if necessary)

• Focused Inspection of Endeavour’s Thermal

Heat Shield (if necessary)

• Cargo Transfer Operations

• EVA 2 Campout (Mastracchio and Williams)

• Perform EPO Kit‐C video
14 TIMELINE OVERVIEW JULY 2007

Flight Day 6 

• EVA 2 (Mastracchio and Williams; Control

Moment Gyroscope‐3 Replacement on Z1

Truss)

• Deactivate External Stowage Platform‐3

(ESP‐3) Power Connection.

• Cargo Transfer Operations

Flight Day 7 

• External Stowage Platform‐3 Unberth from

Endeavour’s Payload Bay and Installation

on P3 Truss

• Destiny Lab Window Scratch Pane

Replacement

• Cargo Transfer Operations

• Educational Event

• U.S. PAO Event

• EVA 3 Campout (Mastracchio and

Anderson)

Flight Day 8 

• EVA 3 (Mastracchio and Anderson; P6 S‐

Band Antenna Subassembly Relocation to

P1 Truss, P1 Truss Baseband Signal

Processor and transponder Installation,

Canadarm2 relocation of two Crew and

Equipment Translation Aid (CETA) carts to

starboard truss for P6 Relocation clearance,

retrieve the P6 transponder, engage the

gimbal locks on the Z1 S‐band Antenna

Subassembly, retrieve Materials on the

International Space Station Experiment

(MISSE) 3 and 4 payload packages)

• Cargo Transfer OperationsFlight Day 9

• Final Cargo Transfers

• Joint Crew News Conference

• Crew Off Duty Period

• Farewells and Hatch Closure

Flight Day 9 

• Final Cargo Transfers

• Joint Crew News Conference

• Crew Off Duty Period

• Farewells and Hatch Closure

Flight Day 10 

• Final SSPTS Deactivation (for an 11‐day

mission)

• Undocking from the International Space

Station and Flyaround

• Final Separation Maneuver

• Late Inspection of Endeavour’s Wings and

Nose Cap

Flight Day 11 

• Cabin Stowage

• Flight Control System Checkout

• Reaction Control System Hot‐Fire Test

• Deorbit Procedures Review

• Ku‐Band Antenna Stowage

• Crew Off Duty Period

• Canadian Space Agency PAO Event

• U.S. PAO Event

Flight Day 12 

• Deorbit Preparations

• Payload Bay Door Closing
JULY 2007 TIMELINE OVERVIEW 15

• Deorbit Burn

• KSC Landing

14-DAY MISSION 

(First eight days are the same as the 

11-day mission) 

Flight Day 9 

• Cargo Transfer Operations

• Joint Crew News Conference

• Crew Off Duty Period

• EVA 4 Campout (Williams and Anderson)

• Educational Event

Flight Day 10 

• EVA 4 (Williams and Anderson; Secure

Lab1 C2‐03 and Nod1 C2‐02 MMOD

Shields, verify integrity of remaining P6

radiator push in pull (PiP) pins along

translation paths, install EWIS antennas (2)

on Lab, install OBSS berthing support

equipment on S1 Truss zenith trunnions,

install wireless TV equipment on S3 Camera

Port 1, other get‐ahead tasks)

• Perform Cycle Ergometer with Vibration

Isolation and Stabilization (CEVIS) Remove

and Replace

• Perform Treadmill Vibration Isolation

System (TVIS) Skirt Remove and Replace

Flight Day 11 

• Cargo Transfer Operations

• Perform DAUI Troubleshooting and

Replace (if necessary)

• U.S. PAO Event

• Educational Event

Flight Day 12 

• Final Cargo Transfers

• Crew Off Duty Period

• Educational Event

• Farewells and Hatch Closure

Flight Day 13 

• Final SSPTS Deactivation

• Undocking from the International Space

Station and Flyaround

• Final Separation Maneuver

• Late Inspection of Endeavour’s Wings and

Nose Cap

Flight Day 14 

• Cabin Stowage

• Flight Control System Checkout

• Reaction Control System Hot‐Fire Test

• Stow Cabin and Prepare Spacehab for Entry

• Deorbit Procedures Review

• Ku‐Band Antenna Stowage

• Crew Off Duty Period

• Canadian Space Agency PAO Event

Flight Day 15 

• Deorbit Preparations

• Payload Bay Door Closing

• Deorbit Burn

• KSC Landing
16 MISSION PROFILE JULY 2007

This page intentionally left blank.
JULY 2007 MISSION PROFILE 17

MISSION PROFILE 

CREW 

Commander: Scott Kelly

Pilot: Charlie Hobaugh

Mission Specialist 1: Tracy Caldwell

Mission Specialist 2: Rick Mastracchio

Mission Specialist 3: Dave Williams

Mission Specialist 4: Barbara R. Morgan

Mission Specialist 5: Alvin Drew

LAUNCH 

Orbiter: Endeavour (OV‐105)

Launch Site: Kennedy Space Center

Launch Pad 39A

Launch Date: No earlier than Aug. 7,

2007

Launch Time: 7:02 p.m. EDT (Preferred

In‐Plane launch time for

8/7)

Launch Window: 5 Minutes

Altitude: 122 Nautical Miles (140

Miles) Orbital Insertion;

184 NM (212 Miles)

Rendezvous

Inclination: 51.6 Degrees

Duration: 10 Days, 19 Hours,

27 Minutes

VEHICLE DATA 

Shuttle Liftoff Weight: 4,520,773

pounds

Orbiter/Payload Liftoff Weight: 268,574

pounds

Orbiter/Payload Landing Weight: 222,398

pounds

Software Version: OI‐30

Space Shuttle Main Engines: 

SSME 1: 2047

SSME 2: 2051

SSME 3: 2045

External Tank: ET‐117

SRB Set: BI‐130

RSRM Set: 97

SHUTTLE ABORTS 

Abort Landing Sites 

RTLS: Kennedy Space Center Shuttle

Landing Facility

TAL: Primary – Zaragoza, Spain.  

Alternates – Moron, Spain and

Istres, France

AOA: Primary – Kennedy Space Center

Shuttle Landing Facility;  

Alternate – White Sands Space

Harbor

Landing 

Landing Date: No earlier than Aug. 18,

2007

Landing Time: 2:29 p.m. EDT

Primary landing Site: Kennedy Space Center

Shuttle Landing Facility

PAYLOADS 

Integrated Truss Segment (ITS) ‐ Starboard 5 (S5)
18 MISSION PROFILE JULY 2007

This page intentionally left blank.
JULY 2007 MISSION PRIORITIES 19

MISSION PRIORITIES 

1. Install integrated truss segment (ITS) S5 to

ITS S4

2. Transfer water and transfer and stow

critical cargo items

3. Deploy External Stowage Platform‐3

(ESP‐3) from payload bay and stow it on P3

4. Disconnect ESP‐3 LTA heater power and

reconfigure for PDU power

5. Transfer mission success cargo items

6. Perform Port S‐band communications

system upgrade

7. Relocate two Crew and Equipment

Translation Aid (CETA) carts to the

starboard side in preparation for P6

relocation

8. Cinch the P6 photovoltaic thermal control

system forward photovoltaic radiator

9. Transfer Control Moment Gyroscope

(CMG) orbital replacement unit and flight

support equipment from ESP‐3 to ESP‐2

10. Engage Z1 S‐band antenna structural

assembly (SASA) gimbal locks

11. Retrieve the P6 transponder

12. Perform remove and replace CMG‐3 and

stow failed CMG on ESP‐2

13. Retrieve materials international space

station experiment (MISSE) 3 and 4

14. Secure Lab MMOD Shield Lab1 C2‐03

15. Secure Node 1 MMOD Shield Nod1 C2‐02

16. Verify integrity of suspect P6 radiator push

in pull pins along translation paths

17. Transfer remaining cargo items per 13A.1

Transfer Priority List

18. Transfer nitrogen from shuttle to ISS

Airlock High Pressure Gas Tanks (HPGT)

19. Perform daily station payload status checks

20. Perform daily middeck activities to support

payloads

21. The following tasks, in priority, fit within

existing spacewalks:

(a) Install EWIS antennas (2) on Destiny

Lab

(b) Install OBSS on the 2 S1 zenith

trunnions

(c) Retrieve failed GPS antenna assembly

No. 4 and install caps

(d) Relocate P6 auxiliary tools bags

(e) Install Wireless Video System External

Transceiver Assembly (WETA) No. 3

on cold plate (CP) 1

22. Perform the intravehicular tasks

(a) Perform trouble‐shooting of Docked

Audio Interface Unit (DAUI) and

replace, if needed
20 MISSION PRIORITIES JULY 2007

(b) Remove and replace Cycle Ergometer

with Vibration Isolation and

Stabilization (CEVIS)

(c) Remove and replace Destiny Lab

window scratch pane

(d) Remove and replace TVIS Skirt

23. Perform Detailed Test Objective 853

In‐flight evaluation for areas of CO2

concentration

24. Perform ISS payload research operation

tasks

(a) Activate CGBA‐5 for CSI‐02 specimen

conditioning

25. Perform imagery survey of station during

flyaround

26. Perform payload operations to support

MAUI and RAMBO (payload of

opportunity‐undock ops)

27. Perform spacewalk get‐ahead tasks, if

possible

(a) Connect S5 to S4 umbilicals

(b) Remove S5 to S6 RTAS LL

(c) Open the S5 RTAS Capture Latch

Assembly (CLA)

(d) Release Node 2 EATCS Loop A and B

Fluid Tray Bolts (1‐6, 8,9,11 & 12)

(e) Torque CMG FSE Shim bolts to final

pre‐load

(f) Deploy S3 Upper Outboard PAS and S3

Upper Inboard PAS

(g) Deploy P3 nadir Unpressurized Cargo

Carriers Attachment System (UCCAS)

(h) Retrieve 3/8” Drive Ratches SN 1011 &

1012 from the ETSD boxes for IVA

inspection

(i) Return General Purpose Cutter to A/L

Toolbox #2 (‐303 version)

(j) Install S1‐S3 Ammonia Fluid Lines

(k) Install P1‐P3 Ammonia Fluid Lines

(l) Close P1 Radiator Beam Valve Module

(RBVM) Thermal Bootie F151

28. Reboost the station with the shuttle, if

mission resources allow and are consistent

with ISS trajectory analysis and planning

29. Transfer oxygen from the shuttle to the

station, as consumables allow

30. Perform SDTO 13005‐U

(a) Shuttle docking

(b) Station reboost

(c) Shuttle undocking

(d) S5 install
JULY 2007 MISSION PERSONNEL 21

MISSION PERSONNEL 

KEY CONSOLE POSITIONS FOR STS-118

Flt. Director CAPCOM PAO

Ascent Steve Stich Chris Ferguson

Jim Dutton (Weather)

Rob Navias

Orbit 1 (Lead) Matt Abbott Steve Robinson Rob Navias (Lead)

Orbit 2 Richard Jones

Mike Sarafin

Shane Kimbrough Kyle Herring

Planning Mike Moses

Paul Dye

Shannon Lucid John Ira Petty

Entry Steve Stich Chris Ferguson

Jim Dutton (Weather)

Kylie Clem

Shuttle Team 4 Rick LaBrode N/A N/A

ISS Orbit 1 Kwatsi Alibaruho Tony Antonelli N/A

ISS Orbit 2 (Lead) Joel Montalbano Shannon Walker N/A

ISS Orbit 3 Ginger Kerrick Lucia McCullough N/A

Station Team 4 Derek Hassmann N/A N/A

JSC PAO Representative at KSC for Launch – Nicole Cloutier‐Lemasters

KSC Launch Commentator – Mike Curie (Fueling), George Diller (Launch)

KSC Launch Director – Mike Leinbach

NASA Launch Test Director – Jeff Spaulding
22 MISSION PERSONNEL JULY 2007

This page intentionally left blank.
JULY 2007 MISSION MILESTONES 23

STS-118 ENDEAVOUR PROCESSING MILESTONES 

Space shuttle Endeavour is moments away from touch down on runway 33 at the Shuttle  

Landing Facility on Dec. 7, 2002, bringing to a close the 13‐day, 18‐hour, 48‐minute,  

5.74‐million mile STS‐113 mission to the International Space Station.

Endeavour (OV-105) Horizontal Processing 

− STS‐113 Landing 12/7/02

− Space Shuttle Program Approval for Orbiter Major Modification 6/16/03

− Orbiter Major Modification Start Date 12/1/03

− Orbiter Power Up 9/27/05

− Rollover to Vehicle Assembly Building 7/2/07

− Orbiter Processing Facility Processing – 1,665 days
24 MISSION MILESTONES JULY 2007

Workers in the Orbiter Processing Facility prepare to remove one of two Orbiter Maneuvering

System (OMS) pods from Endeavour during its Orbiter Major Modification. The OMS pods are

attached to the upper aft fuselage left and right sides.

External Tank/Solid Rocket Booster Processing 

− Solid Rocket Booster Start Stack 5/23/07

− ET/SRB Mate 6/17/07
JULY 2007 MISSION MILESTONES 25

Workstands at various levels surround the shuttle Endeavour in the Orbiter Processing Facility

(OPF). The OPF provides postflight servicing and checkout, as well as vehicle modifications.

Integrated Processing 

− Orbiter/ET mate 7/2/07

− Payload Delivery to Launch Pad (39A) 7/09/07

− Rollout to Launch Pad (39A) 7/11/07

− Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test 7/19/07

− STS‐118 Launch 8/7/07
26 MISSION MILESTONES JULY 2007

In Orbiter Processing Facility bay 2, United Space Alliance technician Loralee Woodbury monitors

the lighted display in space shuttle Endeavourʹs cockpit after full power up in September 2005, the

first time the orbiter had been powered up after nearly two years.

Orbiter Maintenance and Modification Period 

− Modifications ‐194 completed

− Mission Action Requests (Chits) ‐ 205 completed

− Operational Maintenance Requirements and Specifications (OMRS) ‐13156 completed to date

− Intensive Structural and Wire Inspections
JULY 2007 CREW 27

STS-118 ENDEAVOUR CREW 

The STS‐118 patch represents Space Shuttle En‐

deavour on its mission to help complete the as‐

sembly of the International Space Station (ISS),

and symbolizes the pursuit of knowledge

through space exploration. The flight will ac‐

complish its ISS 13A.1 assembly tasks through a

series of spacewalks, robotic operations, logis‐

tics transfers, and the exchange of one of the

three long‐duration expedition crew members.

On the patch, the top of the gold astronaut

symbol overlays the starboard S‐5 truss seg‐

ment, highlighting its installation during the

mission. The flame of knowledge represents the

importance of education, and honors teachers

and students everywhere. The seven white stars

and the red maple leaf signify the American

and Canadian crew members, respectively, fly‐

ing aboard Endeavour.
28 CREW JULY 2007

These seven astronauts take a break from training to pose for the STS‐118 crew portrait. Pictured

from the left are astronauts Rick Mastracchio, mission specialist; Barbara R. Morgan, mission

specialist; Charlie Hobaugh, pilot; Scott Kelly, commander; Tracy Caldwell, Canadian Space

Agencyʹs Dave Williams, and Alvin Drew, all mission specialists. The crewmembers are  

attired in training versions of their shuttle launch and entry suits.
JULY 2007 CREW 29

STS-118 CREW BIOGRAPHIES 

Scott Kelly

A commander in the U.S. Navy, Scott Kelly will

lead the STS‐118 crew on its mission to the In‐

ternational Space Station. This will be the sec‐

ond spaceflight for Kelly, who has 191 hours of

spaceflight experience after serving as the pilot

for STS‐103 in 1999, a mission to the Hubble

Space Telescope.

Kelly will be responsible for the execution of

the mission and oversee all crew and vehicle

activities. As commander, he will fly Endeav‐

our during the rendezvous pitch maneuver, a

flip that allows the station crew to photograph

the shuttleʹs heat shield as Endeavour ap‐

proaches the station. He also will fly the shuttle

during the actual docking and the landing back

on Earth.

Kelly was selected as an astronaut candidate in

April 1996, and has held many technical posi‐

tions in the Astronaut Office. These include

serving as NASA’s director of operations in Star

City, Russia, Astronaut Office Space Station

Branch chief and back‐up crew member for the

stationʹs Expedition 5 mission.
30 CREW JULY 2007

Charlie Hobaugh

Joining Kelly in Endeavour’s cockpit will be

Charlie Hobaugh, serving as the pilot. This also

will be Hobaugh’s second spaceflight. His first

was STS‐104 in 2001, during which he acquired

306 hours and 35 minutes in space. His roles

throughout the STS‐118 mission include un‐

docking the shuttle from the station and operat‐

ing the stationʹs robotic arm.

A lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Marine Corps,

Hobaugh has more than 3,000 flight hours in

more than 40 different aircraft.

Hobaugh joined NASA in April 1996. After his

initial astronaut training, he worked in the As‐

tronaut Office Spacecraft Systems/Operations

Branch, where he worked on projects including

the landing and rollout evaluator in the Shuttle

Avionics Integration Laboratory, Advanced

Projects, Multifunction Electronics Display En‐

hancements, Advanced Cockpit and Cockpit

Upgrade, Rendezvous and Close Proximity

Operations and Visiting Vehicles. He also re‐

cently served as capsule communicator, work‐

ing in the Mission Control Center.
JULY 2007 CREW 31

Tracy Caldwell

Tracy Caldwell, who holds a doctorate in

physical chemistry, will serve as mission spe‐

cialist 1 for her first spaceflight since her selec‐

tion in 1998. She will join Kelly and Hobaugh

on the flight deck for the ascent, since her mis‐

sion responsibilities start promptly after liftoff.

She will film the jettison of the external fuel

tank approximately eight minutes into the

flight. Caldwell also will operate the shuttleʹs

robotic arm to inspect Endeavourʹs thermal tiles

and serve as the intravehicular officer during

the missionʹs spacewalks.

Caldwell has done many other jobs in the As‐

tronaut Office, such as conducting testing and

integration of Russian hardware and software

and flight software verification in the Shuttle

Avionics Integration Laboratory (SAIL). She

served as a crew support astronaut for the Ex‐

pedition 5 crew and as a spacecraft communica‐

tor in Mission Control. She also has supported

launch and landing operations at NASAʹs Ken‐

nedy Space Center, Fla.

Caldwell is a private pilot and conversational in

American Sign Language (ASL) and Russian.
32 CREW JULY 2007

Rick Mastracchio

This will be the second trip to space for Rick

Mastracchio, who will serve as mission special‐

ist 2. He served as a mission specialist on

STS‐106 Atlantis in 2000, a 12‐day mission to

prepare the International Space Station for the

arrival of the first permanent crew.

Mastracchio will be seated on the flight deck for

both the launch and landing. His primary task

will be to serve as EV1, or spacewalker 1, for

the three spacewalks planned for the mission.

He’ll join fellow spacewalker Dave Williams to

install a new segment on the stationʹs truss or

backbone.

Mastracchio joined NASA in 1990 as an engi‐

neer in the Flight Crew Operations Directorate

and later worked as an ascent/entry guidance

and procedures officer in Mission Control, sup‐

porting 17 shuttle missions as a flight control‐

ler.
JULY 2007 CREW 33

Dave Williams

Dave Williams, a physician, is a veteran astro‐

naut from the Canadian Space Agency. He

joined NASA in 1995 as part of an international

class of astronaut candidates and went on to

serve as a mission specialist on STS‐90, a 16‐day

flight known as Neurolab.

He also participated in two missions aboard the

Aquarius Underwater Laboratory off the Flor‐

ida Coast. In 2001, Williams served in NASA

Extreme Environment Mission Operations

(NEEMO) 1. In 2006, he led NEEMO 9, dedi‐

cated to assess new ways to deliver medical

care to a remote location, as would be necessary

in a long spaceflight.

For four years, Williams served as director of

the Space and Life Sciences Directorate and

concurrently held a six‐month position as the

first deputy associated administrator for crew

health and safety in the Office of Space Flight at

NASA Headquarters.

For STS‐118, Williams will fly in the middeck,

and will conduct at least two spacewalks.
34 CREW JULY 2007

Barbara R. Morgan

This will be the first spaceflight for Barbara R.

Morgan, mission specialist 4. Morgan will ride

in the middeck for the launch of Endeavour and

be seated in the flight deck for entry and land‐

ing. As the  ʺloadmaster,ʺ  Morgan is the crew

member responsible for the 5,000 pounds of

supplies and equipment that will be transferred

between the shuttle and the space station. She

also will operate the shuttle and station robotic

arms during delicate spacewalk and installation

tasks.

Morgan was selected as the backup candidate

for the NASA Teacher in Space Project on July

19, 1985. From September 1985 to January 1986,

Morgan trained with Christa McAuliffe and the

Challenger crew at NASA’s Johnson Space Cen‐

ter, Houston. Following the Challenger acci‐

dent, Morgan assumed the duties of Teacher in

Space designee, speaking to educational or‐

ganizations throughout the country. In the fall

of 1986, Morgan returned to Idaho to resume

her teaching career, but returned to NASA as a

mission specialist in January 1998. She has

served numerous technical jobs in the Astro‐

naut Office.
JULY 2007 CREW 35

Alvin Drew

This will be the first flight to space for Alvin

Drew, who was assigned in May to this mis‐

sion. Drew, who will ride in the middeck for

both ascent and landing, will serve as mission

specialist 5. He will assist with cargo transfer

and other mission support, including docu‐

menting operations with photographs and

video.

He was selected as a mission specialist by

NASA in 2000 and supported technical duties

in the Astronaut Office Station Operations

Branch. Drew is also a colonel in the U.S. Air

Force and flew combat missions in operations

Just Cause, Desert Shield/Desert Storm, and

Provide Comfort. He has commanded two

flight test units and served on Air Combat

Command Staff. He is a command pilot with

3,000 hours in more than 30 types of aircraft.
36 MISSION PROFILE JULY 2007

This page intentionally left blank.
JULY 2007 PAYLOAD OVERVIEW 37

PAYLOAD OVERVIEW 

The S5 short spacer is shown in the Space Station Processing  

Facility at Kennedy Space Center.

STARBOARD 5 (S5) SHORT SPACER 

During STS‐118, space shuttle Endeavour will

deliver as its primary payload the Boeing‐built

square‐shaped Starboard 5 segment to the right

side of the International Space Stationʹs back‐

bone. The shuttleʹs cargo also includes more

than 740 either Boeing‐built and/or Boeing‐

designed flight hardware components to the

station. S5 is part of the 11‐segment integrated

truss structure (ITS) and the third starboard

truss element to be delivered. Without S5, one

quarter of the space station’s power cannot be

realized. The ITS forms the stationʹs backbone

with mountings for unpressurized logistics car‐

riers, radiators, solar arrays and various other

elements. S5 will be attached to the Starboard 4

(S4) truss element via the Modified Rocketdyne
38 PAYLOAD OVERVIEW JULY 2007

Truss Attachment System (MRTAS) interface.

S5 is used primarily to connect power, cooling

lines and serve as a spacer between the S4

photovoltaic module (PVM) and Starboard 6

(S6) PVM, which will be joined during a later

assembly mission. S5 is very similar in con‐

struction to the long spacer located on S6.

Without the S5 short spacer, the S4 and S6 solar

arrays would not be able to connect due to the

way the photovoltaic arrays (PVA) are de‐

ployed on‐orbit.

The girder‐like structure is made of mostly

aluminum and provides several extravehicular

aids, robotic interfaces, ammonia servicing

hardware (as part of the Station’s External Ac‐

tive Thermal Control System that allows am‐

monia fluid to transfer from S4 to S6) and can

also accommodate an external storage platform.

The Enhanced Universal Trunnion Attachment

System (EUTAS) allows platforms to be at‐

tached to S5 for the storage of additional sci‐

ence payloads or spare Orbital Replacement

Units. S5 also has white thermal blankets on the

structure, which help shade the S4 Solar Array

Assembly ORUs.

S5 Specifications 

Dimensions: Length is 132.813 inches or 

11 feet and 0.813 inches

(3.37 meters) 

Width is 179.014 inches or 

14 feet, 11 inches 

(4.55 meters) 

Height is 167.031 inches or 

13 feet and 11 inches 

(4.24 meters) 

Weight: 4,010 lbs 

Cost: $10,971,693

S5 is transferred using the shuttle arm from the

payload bay to the Space Station Robotic Ma‐

nipulator System (SSRMS) where it will be

placed into the install or soft‐dock position.

While being moved on the SSRMS, S5 will have

about two inches of clearance as it passes the S4

Sequential Shunt Unit (SSU). The truss element

is installed robotically with help from crew

members. During the first spacewalk, astro‐

nauts will use the MRTAS to connect S5 to S4

by using their portable hand tools to drive in

four 3/4 inch diameter primary bolts in each

corner. If a primary bolt cannot be secured, two

contingency bolts at each corner on S5 can be

tightened into the nut assemblies on S4.

Another unique feature of S5 is the Photovoltaic

Radiator Grapple Feature (PVRGF). For launch,

the PVRGF is stowed on top (zenith) of S5 and

is used by the shuttle and station robotic arms

to grab S5 and pull it out and attach it. After S5

is attached to S4, the PVRGF will be relocated to

the keel during the first spacewalk by using

four fasteners. The PVRGF also is used to grap‐

ple the station’s photovoltaic radiators (PVR)

located on P3/P4, S3/S4, P6 and S6. The PVRGF

can be used to replace a PVR, should they mal‐

function or become damaged from debris while

on orbit.

Boeing’s Rocketdyne Power and Propulsion

(now Pratt and Whitney) designed S5. S5 was

constructed in Tulsa, Okla., in 2000. S5 arrived

at Kennedy Space Center July 19, 2001, for final

manufacture, acceptance and checkout. Boeing

will continue to provide sustaining engineering

of S5 and for the entire 310‐foot integrated truss

assembly.
JULY 2007 PAYLOAD OVERVIEW 39

Drawing shows the Photovoltaic Radiator Grapple Feature (PVRGF)  

attached to a folded photovoltaic radiator (PVR)

EXTERNAL STOWAGE PLATFORM-3 

For the first time ever, space shuttle astronauts

will not have to conduct a spacewalk to install a

vital piece of equipment onto the International

Space Station (ISS). The effort to install a stow‐

age platform equipped with crucial Boeing‐

built spare parts during the STS‐118 mission

will be done completely by robotics, using only

the shuttle and station’s robotic arms, an Exter‐

nal Berthing Camera System (BCS) and a

Photovoltaic Radiator Grapple Fixture

(PVRGF). Astronauts will robotically install the

platform onto the stationʹs Port 3 truss element

during the mission’s seventh day.

ESP‐3 is an external pallet that can securely

hold up to seven critical spare parts, or Orbital

Replacement Units (ORUs), for the station.

ESP‐3 is the third in a series of external storage

pallets transported to the station and will be

attached to the Port 3 truss element. ESP‐1 was

installed to the stationʹs U.S. Destiny Lab on

STS‐102/ 5A.1 in March 2001. ESP‐2 was in‐

stalled to the U.S. Airlock on STS‐114//LF1 in

August 2005.

The Boeing parts flown on the ESP‐3 include a

Control Moment Gyroscope (CMG) for station

attitude control, a Nitrogen Tank Assembly

(NTA) for pressurizing external thermal control
40 PAYLOAD OVERVIEW JULY 2007

system ammonia lines and Battery

Charge/Discharge Unit (BCDU) for charging

station batteries.

ESP‐3 has six Flight Releasable Attachment

Mechanisms (FRAM) to secure or release the

ORUs and other equipment stored on it and an

Ammonia Tank Assembly (ATA) Flight Sup‐

port Equipment (FSE) directly mounted to a

seventh site. Like ESP‐2, the platform is derived

from an Integrated Cargo Carrier (ICC), an

equipment carrier designed for use in the shut‐

tleʹs payload, and adapted for deployment on

the station by developing a device to attach it to

ISS structure.

Electrical power for the ESP‐3 pallet and its

contents is provided by the shuttle while in the

payload bay and by the station after installation

on P3. Most of the ORUs have heaters to keep

their internal components from getting too cold

while stored on the ESP‐3, although only the

CMG ORU is expected to draw heater power

due to its +35 degrees Fahrenheit thermostat

setting. The CMG ORU is removed from the

ESP‐3 by the EVA crew (with robotic assist) on

flight day 6 and transferred to the ESP‐2 on the

Joint Airlock as part of the CMG‐3 removal and

replacement activity. The shuttle power cables

are disconnected from the ESP‐2 just prior to

CMG removal.

With the berthing camera and grapple fixture

as aides, the ESP‐3 installation process involves

Endeavour astronauts removing the platform

from the shuttle payload bay on flight day 7

with its robotic arm and handing it off to the

station’s robotic arm. The station’s robotic arm

will then mount ESP‐3 directly to the Port 3

truss element. Primary power for ESP‐3 comes

from the station through the Port 3 truss seg‐

ment.

The External Stowage Platform‐3 (ESP‐3) is the first International Space  

Station element that will be will be installed completely by robotics.
JULY 2007 PAYLOAD OVERVIEW 41

ESP-3 launches with the following ORUs: 

• Battery Charge/Discharge Unit (BCDU) –

The BCDU charges batteries and provides

conditioned battery power to power buses

during eclipse periods.

• Control Moment Gyroscope (CMG) – The

CMG maintains the station in the desired

attitude, and the CMG system must cancel

or absorb the momentum generated by the

disturbance torques acting on the station.

• Nitrogen Tank Assembly (NTA) – The NTA

is an ORU for one of two installed NTAs on

the S1 and P1 Truss that provide a back

pressure for ammonia in the external ther‐

mal control system lines.

• Pitch Roll Joint (P/R‐J) – The P/R‐J is an

ORU provided by the Canadian Space

Agency for the CanadaARM 2, or Space Sta‐

tion Remote Manipulator System (SSRMS).

ESP-3 Statistics: 

Project Integrator: Lockheed Martin

Major Contractors:

ICC – SPACEHAB Inc.

Power Cables – Boeing

ORUs – Boeing, Honeywell, Lockheed Sunny‐

vale, and Loral

ORU FSE – Lockheed

Purpose: ESP‐3 is an unpressurized external

storage pallet with eight attachment sites capa‐

ble of holding up to seven ISS spare parts and

assemblies. The pallet also has handrails and

attachment points for tethers and foot restraints

that astronauts can use while working with the

ORUs on the ESP‐3.

Weight: Empty structure weighs about 6,937.44

pounds. (2901.7 kg). At launch with ORUs and

other equipment, ESP‐3 will weigh about

7,495.46 pounds (3399.7 kg).

Dimensions: 4 meters by 2.2 meters

Structure: An Integrated Cargo Carrier (ICC) is

the basic structure of ESP‐3 with six FRAM sites

attached and one direct mount ATA FSE. The

Passive Carrier Attachment System (PCAS)

structure, developed by NASAʹs Goddard

Space Flight Center, connects the ESP‐3 to the

P3 CAS. Each ORU has an active FRAM to at‐

tach the ORU/Flight Support Equipment to the

passive FRAM site mounted on the ESP‐3.

Construction: Integration of the ORUs with

their Flight Support Equipment onto the ICC

was performed by SPACEHAB, Inc. at Cape

Canaveral, Fla. Once the ORUs were integrated

onto the ESP‐3 by SPACEHAB, the entire as‐

sembly was transferred to Kennedy Space Cen‐

ter’s Space Station Processing Facility for final

processing.

SPACEHAB’S LOGISTICS SINGLE 

MODULE 

The Logistics Single Module (LSM) is a pressur‐

ized aluminum habitat that is carried in the

space shuttleʹs cargo bay to enhance the on‐

board working and living environment for the

crew. Connected to the shuttleʹs middeck by a

pressurized access tunnel, the LSM is about 10

feet long, 14 feet wide and 11 feet high. This

combination pressurized cargo carrier/research

laboratory offers 1,100 cubic feet of habitable

volume. The LSM can accommodate up to 118

middeck locker equivalent volumes on the

module bulkheads, the double rack and the

Maximum Envelope Stowage System (MESS)

rack. The MESS rack also has the capability to
42 PAYLOAD OVERVIEW JULY 2007

accommodate oversized items. With a payload

capacity of 6,000 pounds, the LSM will carry a

multitude of pressurized cargo and research

payloads on the STS‐118 mission. Payloads that

SPACEHAB will be integrating onto the LSM

include cargo transfer bags, which carry essen‐

tial crew provisions including food, personal

items and clothing, hardware required for op‐

erating the spade station and research pay‐

loads.

Upon its return home, the LSM will bring back

about 3,000 pounds of cargo including a high

priority Department of Defense payload known

as the ʺMISSE PEC.ʺ This suitcase‐sized test bed

was attached to the outside of the space station

in July 2006 and contained about 875 specimens

of various materials, representing 40 different

investigators including government research‐

ers, aerospace contractors and manufacturers.

The containers exposed hundreds of potential

space construction materials and solar cells to

the harsh environment of space. When Endeav‐

our returns to Earth, the equipment will un‐

dergo analysis, providing investigators with

data to design more durable spacecraft.

SPACEHAB Bioscience Payload 

During the STS‐118 mission, SPACEHAB will

be facilitating Pre‐Processing Tests (PPTs) on

two significant bioscience payloads stowed in a

space shuttle middeck locker. The PPTs are ex‐

pected to validate microgravity bioscience

techniques, establishing the groundwork for the

companyʹs future role for the processing of

pharmaceutical and advanced materials in mi‐

crogravity.

In the Space Station Processing Facility, workers prepare the Spacehab module for its  

move to the payload canister. The module is part of the payload on mission STS‐118  

and will be loaded into Space Shuttle Endeavourʹs payload bay at the pad.
JULY 2007 PAYLOAD OVERVIEW 43

MOTION CONTROL SUBSYSTEM 

The International Space Station (ISS) control

system is composed of Russian and U.S. seg‐

ments that maintain attitude control. When the

Russian segment is in control, it uses thrusters,

which burn propellant. When the U.S. segment

is in control, Control Moment Gyroscopes

(CMGs), manufactured by L3 Communications,

are used. Four CMGs are mounted on the Z1

truss. The truss is an exterior framework that

houses the gyroscopes and some communica‐

tions equipment and temporarily serves as a

mounting platform for large solar arrays, now

retracted, that provided power to the station

before permanent solar arrays were installed on

the main US power truss. A shuttle crew in‐

stalled the Z1 truss with the four gyroscopes in

October 2000.

To maintain the station in the desired attitude,

the CMG system must cancel or absorb the

momentum generated by the disturbance

torques acting on the station. The CMGs rely on

electrical power readily available from the solar

powered electrical subsystem.

Each CMG weighs approximately 600 pounds.

A CMG consists of a large flat 220‐pound

stainless steel flywheel that rotates at a constant

speed (6,600 rpm) and develops an angular

momentum of 3,600 ft‐lb‐sec (4,880 Newton‐

meter‐sec) about its spin axis. This rotating

wheel is mounted in a two‐degree‐of‐freedom

gimbal system that can point the spin axis

(momentum vector) of the wheel in any direc‐

tion. Control motors on the CMG gimbals

change the orientation of the spinning rotors to

produce torque on the station to balance the

effects of gravity and aerodynamics, maintain‐

ing the station at an equilibrium attitude with‐

out using propellant.

At least two CMGs are needed to provide atti‐

tude control and are the minimum necessary to

steer and steady the station as it travels around

the Earth every 90 minutes at a speed of more

than five miles each second.

The International Space Station currently has

three CMGs operating normally, and one that

has been shut down due to high vibrations.

This CMG is scheduled to be replaced on

STS‐118.

CMG Statistics: 

Primary integrator: Boeing

Manufacturer: L3 Communications, Space and

Navigation Division, Budd Lake, N.J.

Weight: 600 pounds

Purpose: Control the attitude of the Interna‐

tional Space Station without use of propellant

Structure: Each CMG contains a 220‐pound

stainless steel flywheel that spins at 6,600 rpm.

Removal and Installation: Only six bolts and

four power connectors need to be detached to

remove the Control Moment Gyroscope from

the stationʹs Z1 Truss.

Control Moment Gyroscope
44 PAYLOAD OVERVIEW JULY 2007

STATION-TO-SHUTTLE POWER 

TRANSFER SYSTEM (SSPTS) 

After an unprecedented series of three station

spacewalks in February, the Station‐to‐Shuttle

Power Transfer System (SSPTS) onboard the

space station is complete and will allow the sta‐

tion to supplement the shuttles with electrical

power. Shuttle modifications were completed

in May 2007, and the new capability will enable

the shuttle to stay on‐orbit longer, provide ad‐

ditional crew time for science activities and Ex‐

tra Vehicular Activities (EVA), and permit ad‐

ditional cargo to be unloaded by astronauts.

The space shuttle Discovery was the last of the

three shuttles to be upgraded, and the new sys‐

tem will be utilized during shuttle Endeavourʹs

STS‐118 mission. Endeavour was the first of the

shuttles to be upgraded.

The SSPTS project is unique because it’s the

first major development project that the Boeing

International Space Station and NASAʹs Space

Shuttle programs have worked on together. The

Boeing ISS Program is providing the funding

under its existing contract.  

The upgrade will allow the space shuttle’s elec‐

trical power system to connect into the station’s

solar arrays to transfer power from the station

to the shuttle, resulting in a lower consumption

rate of liquid hydrogen and oxygen used for

making electricity by the shuttle’s fuel cells. The

SSPTS upgrade also will allow the shuttle to

increase its time docked to the station from 6‐8

to 9‐12 days depending on the mission configu‐

ration.

The increased docking time will provide the

station and visiting crew members with more

time for logistics supply transfer, additional

experiments and detailed shuttle inspections.

Before the modifications, the space shuttle fleet

only had the capability to transfer power from

its 28‐volt dc system to the stationʹs 120‐volt dc

system through a device called the Assembly

Power Converter Unit (APCU). The fleet, how‐

ever, could not transfer power from the station

to the shuttle. The SSPTS upgrade will replace

the APCU with a device called the Power

Transfer Unit (PTU). The PTU includes the ca‐

pabilities of the APCU with the additional ca‐

pability to convert from the stationʹs 120‐volt

system to the shuttle’s 28‐volt system. With this

upgrade, the station is now able to transfer up

to eight kilowatts of power to the shuttle in a

package that fits into the same footprint as the

existing APCU.

In addition to the PTU, new power cables and

displays were integrated into space shuttle En‐

deavour and Discovery. The additional station

cables are routed along the outside of the Boe‐

ing‐built U.S. Destiny lab. The power passes

along the Pressurized Mating Adapter 2, where

the shuttle docks to the station through the ex‐

isting electrical ports used by the APCU.

Timeline: 

• Engineering Model (EM) testing of the

PTUs and system level testing using the EM

PTUs were completed during the summer

and fall of 2006.

• Installation of the orbiter cables was com‐

pleted in Endeavour (OV‐105) at Kennedy

Space Center in the summer 2006.

• The station cables were launched to the ISS

on STS‐116 in December 2006.  

• Qualification of the flight PTU design was

completed on Jan. 31, 2007.
JULY 2007 PAYLOAD OVERVIEW 45

• A portion of the station cables was installed

during ISS stage EVA 6 on Jan. 31, 2007  

• Delivery of the first flight PTU occurred on

Feb. 5, 2007, in preparation for launch on

ISS assembly flight 13A.1, scheduled for

flight on STS‐118 aboard Endeavour.

• The remaining station cables were installed

Feb. 7, 2007, during EVA 8.  

• The cables for Discovery (OV‐103) were

completed and installed in May 2007.  

The space shuttle is still able to supply 120‐volt

power through the APCU converter in the PTU

to power the Multi‐Purpose Logistics Module

when in the shuttleʹs cargo bay and provide

heater power to pressurized modules being de‐

livered to the station.

Boeing began work on the project in September

2003, but had a slight head start due to some

internal development work that was done at

the Huntington Beach and Canoga Park, Calif.,

facilities. Pratt and Whiney Rocketdyne Propul‐

sion and Power (Canoga Park) manufactured

the PTU, while the Boeing Houston Product

Support Center manufactured the cables for the

station. Boeing Huntington Beach has devel‐

oped the shuttle upgrades, such as the new ca‐

bles for each shuttle, cockpit control switches

and crew displays.

Power Transfer Unit (PTU) Flight Unit #1
46 MISSION PROFILE JULY 2007

This page intentionally left blank.
JULY 2007 RENDEZVOUS & DOCKING 47

RENDEZVOUS AND DOCKING 

A view photographed from the International Space Station shows the Space Shuttle Atlantis

backdropped over terrain as the two spacecraft were nearing their much‐anticipated  

link‐up in Earth orbit.

About 2.5 hours before docking, Endeavour’s

jets will be fired during what is called the Ter‐

minal Initiation burn to begin the final phase of

the rendezvous. Endeavour will close the final

miles to the station during the next orbit.

As Endeavour moves closer to the station, the

shuttle’s rendezvous radar system and trajec‐

tory control sensor will track the complex and

provide range and closing rate data to the crew.

During the final approach, Endeavour will exe‐

cute several small mid‐course correction burns

that will place the shuttle about 1,000 feet di‐

rectly below the station. STS‐118 Commander

Scott Kelly then will manually control the shut‐

tle for the remainder of the approach and dock‐

ing.

He will stop the approach 600 feet beneath the

station to ensure proper lighting for imagery

prior to initiating the standard Rendezvous

Pitch Maneuver (RPM), or backflip.
48 RENDEZVOUS & DOCKING JULY 2007

Kelly will maneuver Endeavour through a

9‐minute, 360‐degree backflip that allows the

station crew to take as many as 300 digital pic‐

tures of the shuttle’s heat shield.

On verbal cue from Pilot Charles Hobaugh to

the station crew, Kelly will command Endeav‐

our to begin a nose‐forward, three‐quarter of a

degree per second rotational backflip.

Both the 400 and the 800mm digital camera

lenses will be used to photograph Endeavour

by station crew members. The 400mm lens pro‐

vides up to 3‐inch resolution and the 800mm

lens can provide up to 1‐inch resolution. The

imagery includes the upper surfaces of the

shuttle as well as Endeavour’s underside, cap‐

turing pictures of the nose landing gear door

seals, the main landing gear door seals and the

elevon cove.

The photos will be taken out of windows in the

Zvezda Service Module using Kodak DCS 760

digital cameras. The imagery is one of several

inspection techniques to determine the health of

the shuttle’s thermal protection system, includ‐

ing the tiles and reinforced carbon‐carbon wing

leading edges and nose cap.

The photos will be downlinked through the sta‐

tion’s Ku‐band communications system for

analysis by systems engineers and mission

managers.

When Endeavour completes its rotation, its

payload bay will be facing the station.

Kelly then will move Endeavour to a position

about 400 feet directly in front of the station in

preparation for the final approach to docking to

the Destiny docking port.

Rendezvous Approach Profile

Space Shuttle Rendezvous Maneuvers 

OMS-1 (Orbit insertion) - Rarely used ascent 

burn. 

OMS-2 (Orbit insertion) - Typically used to 

circularize the initial orbit following ascent, 

completing orbital insertion. For ground-up 

rendezvous flights, also considered a 

rendezvous phasing burn.

NC (Rendezvous phasing) - Performed to hit a 

range relative to the target at a future time. 

NH (Rendezvous height adjust) - Performed 

to hit a delta-height relative to the target at a 

future time. 

NPC (Rendezvous plane change) - Performed 

to remove planar errors relative to the target at 

a future time. 

NCC (Rendezvous corrective combination) - 

First on-board targeted burn in the rendezvous 

sequence. Using star tracker data, it is 

performed to remove phasing and height errors 

relative to the target at Ti. 

Ti (Rendezvous terminal intercept) - Second 

on-board targeted burn in the rendezvous 

sequence. Using primarily rendezvous radar 

data, it places the orbiter on a trajectory to 

intercept the target in one orbit. 

MC-1, MC-2, MC-3, MC-4 (Rendezvous 

midcourse burns) - These on-board targeted 

burns use star tracker and rendezvous radar 

data to correct the post Ti trajectory in 

preparation for the final, manual proximity 

operations phase.
JULY 2007 RENDEZVOUS & DOCKING 49

The shuttle’s crew members operate laptop

computers processing the navigational data, the

laser range systems and Endeavour’s docking

mechanism.

Using a view from a camera mounted in the

center of the Orbiter Docking System, Kelly will

precisely match up the docking ports of the two

spacecraft. If necessary, he will temporarily

pause 30 feet from the station to ensure proper

alignment of the docking mechanisms.

For Endeavour’s docking, Kelly will maintain

the shuttleʹs speed relative to the station at

about one‐tenth of a foot per second (while both

Endeavour and the station are traveling at

about 17,500 mph), and keep the docking

mechanisms aligned to within a tolerance of

three inches. When Endeavour makes contact

with the station, preliminary latches will auto‐

matically attach the two spacecraft. Immedi‐

ately after Endeavour docks, the shuttleʹs steer‐

ing jets will be deactivated to reduce the forces

acting at the docking interface. Shock absorber

springs in the docking mechanism will dampen

any relative motion between the shuttle and the

station.

Once the motion between the spacecraft has

been stopped, the docking ring will be retracted

to close a final set of latches between the two

vehicles.

Backdropped by rugged Earth terrain, the Space Shuttle Atlantis approaches the  

International Space Station during STS‐117 rendezvous and docking operations.
50 RENDEZVOUS & DOCKING JULY 2007

UNDOCKING, SEPARATION AND 

DEPARTURE 

At undocking time, the hooks and latches will

be opened, and springs will push the shuttle

away from the station. Endeavour’s steering jets

will be shut off to avoid any inadvertent firings

during the initial separation.

Once Endeavour is about two feet from the sta‐

tion and the docking devices are clear of one

another, Hobaugh will turn the steering jets

back on and will manually control Endeavour

within a tight corridor as the shuttle separates

from the station.

Endeavour will move to a distance of about 450

feet, where Hobaugh will begin to fly around

the station in its new configuration. This ma‐

neuver will occur only if propellant margins

and mission timeline activities permit.

Once Endeavour completes 1.5 revolutions of

the complex, Hobaugh will fire Endeavour’s

jets to leave the area. The shuttle will move

about 46 miles from the station and remain

there while ground teams analyze data from

the late inspection of the shuttleʹs heat shield.

The distance is close enough to allow the shut‐

tle to return to the station in the unlikely event

that the heat shield is damaged, preventing the

shuttleʹs re‐entry.

Backdropped by the blackness of space and Earthʹs horizon, the International Space Station  

moves away from the Space Shuttle Atlantis. Earlier the STS‐117 and Expedition 15 crews  

concluded about eight days of cooperative work onboard the shuttle and station.
JULY 2007 RENDEZVOUS & DOCKING 51

This image depicts the configuration of the International Space Station after the  

shuttle undocks from the orbital outpost during the STS‐118 mission.
52 RENDEZVOUS & DOCKING JULY 2007

This page intentionally left blank.
JULY 2007 SPACEWALKS 53

SPACEWALKS 

The primary focus for STS‐118’s spacewalks, or

extravehicular activities (EVAs), is to install the

Starboard 5 (S5) short spacer truss segment to

the right side of the integrated truss system and

remove and replace control moment gyro‐

scope‐3, which failed last year.

This computer graphic depicts how the

S5 truss will be grappled by the station’s

robotic arm and installed to the integrated

truss system.

The installation of S5 is similar to that of the

STS‐116 mission, where its sister Port 5 (P5)

segment was installed. The square‐shaped

S5 truss is about the length of a small compact

car and weighs 4,010 pounds. It will provide

structural shaping, utility connections and suf‐

ficient span for adequate clearance between the

Starboard 4 (S4) and Starboard 6 (S6) solar ar‐

rays as they track the sun.

The square‐shaped S5 truss is about the

length of a small compact car and weighs

4,010 pounds.

When the station’s truss system is complete,

there will be 11 integrated segments that stretch

356 feet. The truss will support four virtually

identical solar array assemblies that generate

electrical power and hold radiators to cool the

station.

The S5 truss, shown installed, in the  

lower foreground.
54 SPACEWALKS JULY 2007

The missionʹs three planned spacewalks also

include some assembly and maintenance tasks

in preparation for the relocation of the Port 6

(P6) truss planned for the STS‐120 mission.

Those tasks include relocating two crew and

equipment translation aid (CETA) carts, mov‐

ing the P6 S‐band antennae, installing the Port 1

(P1) baseband signal processor and transponder

and retrieving the P6 transponder.

The spacewalks, each estimated to last 6.5

hours, are planned on flight days 4, 6 and 8.

However, mission managers could add three

more days to the 11‐day mission and add an‐

other spacewalk after the Station‐to‐Shuttle

Power Transfer System (SSPTS) is activated and

checked out.

First‐time spacewalkers Rick Mastracchio and

Dave Williams will do the first two EVAs. Mas‐

tracchio and Expedition 15 Flight Engineer

Clayton Anderson will do the third. If the mis‐

sion is extended, Williams and Anderson will

perform the fourth spacewalk. Mission Special‐

ist Tracy Caldwell will be the intravehicular

lead for the spacewalks, assisting the space‐

walkers from inside the spacecraft with their

tasks. Pilot Charlie Hobaugh will operate the

station robotic arm and Mission Specialist Bar‐

bara R. Morgan will operate the shuttle robotic

arm.

Astronaut Richard A. (Rick) Mastracchio, STS‐118 mission specialist, attired in a training version  

of his Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) spacesuit, awaits a training session in the waters  

of the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL) near Johnson Space Center.
JULY 2007 SPACEWALKS 55

Canadian Space Agency astronaut Dave Williams prepares for a  

training session in the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory.

The spacewalkers will be identifiable by vari‐

ous markings on their spacesuits. Mastracchio

will wear one with solid red stripes, while Wil‐

liams’ suit will be solid white. Anderson will

wear a suit with red, broken stripes.  

The spacewalks will start from the station’s

Quest airlock. As in recent missions, the astro‐

nauts will prepare for the EVA by using the

“campout” prebreathe protocol, spending the

night before the spacewalk in the airlock. The

prebreathe exercise purges nitrogen from the

astronauts’ systems so they avoid the condition

known as the bends.
56 SPACEWALKS JULY 2007

Astronaut Clayton C. Anderson, Expedition 15 NASA space station science officer  

and flight engineer, gets help with the donning of a training version of his EMU  

spacesuit prior to being submerged in the NBL.

During the campout, the crew members isolate

themselves in the airlock. The airlockʹs air pres‐

sure is lowered to 10.2 psi, while the station is

kept at 14.7 psi, or near sea‐level pressure.

Upon rising, the astronauts don oxygen masks

and the airlock’s pressure is raised again to

14.7 psi for an hour. After breakfast, the pres‐

sure is lowered back to 10.2 psi for an addi‐

tional hour as the spacewalk suits are donned.

An additional 30 minutes in the suits completes

the protocol. As a result, the crew can get out‐

side earlier to perform the day’s tasks.

EVA 1 

• EV1:  Mastracchio

• EV2:  Williams

• Duration:  6:30

• EVA Operations:

− Egress/Set‐up (00:50)

− S5 Launch Lock Removal (00:35)

− S5 Installation (01:30)

− PVRGF Transfer to Keel (01:00)

− Get‐aheads (00:15)

− S5 Cleanup (0:35)

− P6 PVR Cinch (01:10)

− Clean‐up/Ingress (00:35)
JULY 2007 SPACEWALKS 57

The most important objective during EVA 1 is

to install the S5 truss. One of the challenges that

Hobaugh will face is sliding the S5 spacer into

its position using the station’s robotic arm,

known as the Space Station Remote Manipula‐

tor System. In a move similar to parallel park‐

ing in a snug space, the spacer will come as

close as 2.7 inches to the S4 truss. The two

spacewalkers will monitor structural clearances

for the maneuver.

Once the S5 is in position, Mastracchio and Wil‐

liams will remove the locks that secured it and

S4 during launch. The truss will be brought into

“soft” capture position so that the crew can fas‐

ten the primary structural bolts.

With the S5 secured, the two spacewalkers will

move the Photovoltaic Radiator Grapple Fix‐

ture (PVRGF) from its launch location on top of

S5 to the keel of the truss. The PVRGF is a han‐

dle that was used by the shuttle and station

arms to move the truss. It is being relocated to

provide enough clearance for the solar arrays to

rotate and track the sun.

S5 installation on S4

If time permits, the crew will prepare the S5 for

the future attachment of the S6 truss segment,

connect six utility cables between S5 and S4,

remove the S5 and S6 launch locks and open

the S5 capture latch assembly.

Next, the two also will monitor the retraction

and cinching of the P6 photovoltaic radiator,

readying it for the next shuttle mission. The re‐

traction will provide clearance for the robotic

arm that will be used when the S‐band antenna

sub‐assembly (SASA) is moved during the third

spacewalk.

P6 Fwd PVR

EVA 2 

• EV1:  Mastracchio

• EV2: Williams

• Duration:  6:30

• EVA Operations:

− Egress/Set‐up (00:50)

− Remove Failed CMG (00:30)

− Transfer New CMG to ESP‐2 (01:30)

− Remove New CMG from FSE  

on ESP‐2 (00:50)

− Install New CMG on Z1 (00:55)

− Install Failed CMG into FSE on ESP‐2

(01:10)

− Cleanup/Ingress (0:45)
58 SPACEWALKS JULY 2007

During the second spacewalk, Mastracchio and

Williams will remove and replace a failed con‐

trol moment gyroscope. The station’s four

CMGs provide primary attitude control for the

station. CMG‐3 suffered a mechanical failure in

October 2006. The remaining gyroscopes have

been providing attitude control since then, but

all four CMGs will be needed as the stationʹs

integrated truss continues to expand.

During the spacewalk, Mastracchio and Wil‐

liams will remove the failed CMG from the Ze‐

nith 1 (Z1) truss and temporarily stow it on the

truss. Then, the crew will move to the shuttle’s

payload bay and remove the new CMG from

where it is stowed on external stowage plat‐

form‐3 (ESP‐3). The station’s robotic arm will be

used to transfer the CMG to ESP‐2, located on

the starboard side of the Quest Airlock, to pre‐

pare it for installation on the Z1 truss.

CMG #3 on Z1 

New CMG on ESP-3 in 

Orbiter Payload Bay 

CMG IA stowage 

location on ESP-2 

Once the new CMG is installed, the failed CMG

will be moved from the truss to ESP‐2. The

CMG will be returned to Earth on a later mis‐

sion. External stowage platforms are designed

to hold Orbital Replacement Units, or ORUs,

such as the CMGs.

The two spacewalkers also will install the Z1

shroud, an embossed silver Teflon blanket that

is used to protect the CMG from heat.

EVA 3 

• EV1:  Mastracchio

• EV3:  Anderson

• Duration:  6:30

• EVA Operations:

− Egress/Set‐up (01:00)

− EV1: SASA Relocation (01:55)

− EV3: P1 BSP and XPDR Install (01:55)

− CETA Cart Relocation (02:00)

− EV1:  Z1 SASA Gimbal Bolts (00:30)

MISSE 3/4 Retrieval (00:30)

− EV3:  P6 Transponder Retrieval (01:00)

− Clean‐up/Ingress (00:35)

The primary purpose of the third spacewalk is

to prepare for the relocation of the P6 truss,

planned for the STS‐120 mission, targeted for

October.

One of the primary tasks is to relocate two crew

and equipment translation aid (CETA) carts

from the port side of the station’s Mobile

Transporter to its starboard side. This will al‐

low the Mobile Transporter to move to the

proper worksite when the P6 truss is relocated.
JULY 2007 SPACEWALKS 59

During the spacewalk, Mastracchio and Ander‐

son also will upgrade the port S‐band commu‐

nications system. Using the station’s robotic

arm, Hobaugh will move the S‐band antenna

sub‐assembly, or SASA, from the P6 truss to the

P1. The two astronauts will then install a new

S‐band transponder and baseband signal proc‐

essor to P1 and activate it. Together with the

relocated SASA antenna, the new transponder

and processor provide upgraded voice com‐

munications for the station.   

Mastracchio and Anderson also will retrieve the

P6 transponder so that it can be returned to

Earth where it will be upgraded and available

for a future mission. They will engage the Z1

SASA gimbal locks to prepare them for the next

mission and recover some material experi‐

ments, MISSE experiments 3 and 4, to return to

Earth.

BSP/XPDR Install

P1 SASA Install

CETA Cart Relocations

MISSE Retrieval

P6 SASA Removal

EVA 4 (IF ADDITIONAL DAYS ADDED TO 

MISSION) 

• EV2:  Williams

• EV3:  Anderson

• Duration:  6:30

• EVA Operations:

− Egress/Set‐up (00:20)

− OBSS Boom Stand Install (01:00)

− EV2: GPS Antenna #4 Remove (00:40)

− EV3: P6 Aux Bag Move (00:30)

− EWIS Antenna Install (01:30)

− Lab MMOD Shield Clean‐up (00:30)

− Node MMOD Shield Clean‐up (00:30)

− CP1 WETA Antenna Install (01:15)

• Time permitting based on

MMOD Shield Clean‐up

− Clean‐up/Ingress (00:45)

If mission managers add three more days and

another spacewalk, Williams and Anderson

will install orbital support equipment for the

Orbiter Boom Sensor System (OBSS) on the

S1 truss. This installation will allow the addi‐

tion of a 50‐foot inspection boom assembly

(IBA) during STS‐123, targeted for February

2008. The boom assembly will be used for heat

shield inspections during the STS‐124 mission,

targeted for April.

The OBSS provides the capability to inspect the

shuttle for thermal protection system (TPS)

damage and, if needed, to provide a platform to

perform TPS repair during a spacewalk. The
60 SPACEWALKS JULY 2007

IBA will consist of two laser sensors, a special

black and white TV camera (ITVC), an inte‐

grated sensor inspection system (ISIS) digital

camera, a pan and tilt unit, two grapple fix‐

tures, and EVA hand‐holds.

The crew also will install the S3 Wireless Video

System External Transceiver Assembly (WETA)

on camera port 1 on the S3 truss to provide bet‐

ter wireless video coverage during future mis‐

sions.

Additional tasks that may be added to the

spacewalk include retrieving failed global posi‐

tioning satellite antenna No. 4 and installing the

External Wireless Instrumentation System In‐

stallation Antenna. The crew also will move the

P6 Auxiliary Bag, which holds contingency

spacewalk tools, from P6 to the Destiny lab. The

move to a more centralized area is expected to

save spacewalking time should the tools be

needed.

If time permits, Williams and Anderson also

will secure the debris shields on the station’s

lab and Node 1. During STS‐117, spacewalkers

were unable to fully fasten the shields and used

tethers to hold them in place.

OBSS OSE Install

WETA Install
JULY 2007 EDUCATOR ASTRONAUT PROJECT 61

EDUCATOR ASTRONAUT PROJECT 

NASA’s Office of Education aims to strengthen

NASA and the nation’s future workforce by

attracting and retaining students in science,

technology, engineering and mathematics, or

STEM, disciplines. The Educator Astronaut Pro‐

ject (EAP) is part of NASA’s Elementary and

Secondary Education Program. NASA believes

that by increasing the number of students in‐

volved in NASA‐related activities at the ele‐

mentary and secondary education levels more

students will be inspired and motivated to pur‐

sue higher levels of STEM courses.

The EAP facilitates education opportunities and

activities that use the unique environment of

spaceflight. It builds upon space exploration

and the experiences of astronauts to launch the

next generation of explorers.

NASA has selected educators with expertise in

kindergarten through 12th‐grade classrooms to

train to become fully qualified astronauts.

NASA will send educators to space so that they

can use their skills and experiences as class‐

room teachers to connect space exploration to

the classroom. By utilizing their talents as edu‐

cators and the unique platform of spaceflight,

these astronauts can offer a new avenue for

imagination and ingenuity for teachers and

their classrooms.

There are four educators in the astronaut corps,

Barbara Morgan, Joe Acaba, Ricky Arnold and

Dottie Metcalf‐Lindenburger. Morgan is as‐

signed as a mission specialist on STS‐118.

Acaba, Arnold and Metcalf‐Lindenburger com‐

pleted their initial astronaut training in Febru‐

ary 2006. They now support various aspects of

the International Space Station and space shut‐

tle operations in the Astronaut Office at

NASAʹs Johnson Space Center in Houston.

Their assignments are no different than those

given other astronauts.

The EAP collaborates with its Network of Edu‐

cator Astronaut Teachers (NEAT) to develop

additional ways to provide teachers unique

professional development opportunities, which

will strengthen the overall teaching of STEM

disciplines. NEAT is currently comprised of

approximately 190 teachers from around the

country, excellent educators who applied in

2003, but were not selected for educator astro‐

naut positions. NASA provides NEAT with

professional development through national

conferences and workshops at NASA’s field

centers. They receive NASA education re‐

sources, special training and are offered unique

NASA experiences.

NASA Education and the EAP are planning a

variety of education activities that will give

students, educators and families the opportu‐

nity to engage in the STS‐118 mission, before,

during and after the flight. Educator resources

are available online.

EDUCATION PAYLOAD OPERATIONS 

(EPO) 

 Overview 

Education Payload Operations (EPO) is an edu‐

cation payload or activity designed to support

NASA‘s mission to inspire the next generation

of explorers. Generally, these payloads and ac‐

tivities focus on demonstrating science, mathe‐

matics, technology, engineering or geography

principles on orbit. EPO goals and objectives

are met by capturing video and still images of
62 EDUCATOR ASTRONAUT PROJECT JULY 2007

the crew operating EPO hardware. The images

are used to support NASA education products

and services. The overall goal for every mission

is to facilitate education opportunities that use

the unique environment of spaceflight.

In support of STS‐118, NASA Education has put

together a comprehensive education plan de‐

signed to engage students in the mission

through an engineering design challenge in

which students will design, build and assess

their own plant growth chambers for future

missions to the moon. The challenge ties di‐

rectly to the two education payloads planned

for STS‐118 (EPO Kit C and EPO Educator).

EPO Educator is manifested for launch and re‐

turn on flight STS‐118, while EPO Kit C is mani‐

fested for launch on STS‐118 and return on

STS‐120, targeted for October. The investiga‐

tions and related activities will have strong ties

to NASA’s Vision for Space Exploration, en‐

couraging students to pursue studies and ca‐

reers in STEM fields and applying these disci‐

plines to future exploration goals.

EPO-Kit C 

EPO‐Kit C is an education payload consisting of

two small collapsible plant growth chambers

and the associated hardware to conduct a

20‐day plant germination investigation (See

Figure below). During the investigation, crew

members will maintain the plants and will cap‐

ture still images of plant growth. All images

will be incorporated into a comprehensive set

of education activities planned in association

with STS‐118 and Expedition 15.

EPO- Educator 

EPO‐Educator is an education payload consist‐

ing of approximately 10 million basil seeds. The

seeds will launch and return with STS‐118. Af‐

ter the mission, the seeds will be distributed to

students and educators as part of a comprehen‐

sive education plan for STS‐118. On‐orbit op‐

erations include capturing still images of the

seeds in a microgravity environment. The still

images will be incorporated into a set of educa‐

tion activities.

   

EPO Kit C Hardware and Plant Growth Chamber
JULY 2007 EDUCATOR ASTRONAUT PROJECT 63

Both EPO‐Kit C and EPO‐Educator align with

ground‐based education activities being

planned in conjunction with STS‐118. As part of

these activities, students in kindergarten

through 12th grade will plan, design, build and

validate the performance of their plant growth

chamber design using flown and control seeds

by conducting scientific investigations of their

choosing.

In-flight Education Downlinks 

Depending on mission activities, Morgan and

selected crew members will participate in at

least one and perhaps as many as three live, in‐

flight education downlinks. Downlinks afford

education audiences the opportunity to learn

first‐hand from space explorers what it is like to

live and work in space. Downlinks are ap‐

proximately 20 minutes in length and allow

students and educators to interact with the

crews on the International Space Station and

space shuttle through a question and answer

session. These events are broadcast live on

NASA TV.

The three locations chosen for in‐flight educa‐

tional downlinks, mission events permitting,

are the Discovery Center of Idaho (DCI) in

Boise, the Challenger Learning Center in Alex‐

andria, Va., and the Robert L. Ford K‐8 NASA

Explorer School in Lynn, Mass.

DCI is a hands‐on science museum directly

serving 100,000 visitors (ages 1‐100) a year in

southwestern Idaho. DCI has educational pro‐

grams that serve 30,000 students statewide.

Challenger Center for Space Science Education

(CCSSE) is a not‐for‐profit education organiza‐

tion founded by the families of the shuttle Chal‐

lenger astronauts lost in 1986. From this event,

the Challenger families and CCSSE developed a

network of 49 Challenger Learning Centers

(CLCs) across the nation, enabling 400,000 stu‐

dents and 25,000 teachers to experience a simu‐

lated space mission each year. The Robert L.

Ford School NASA Explorer School is a full‐

service community school that offers a variety

of services to help support families and stu‐

dents.

EDUCATION ACTIVITIES 

NASA Education developed a Web presence

for STS‐118, http://www.nasa.gov/sts118. This

site provides a central location for all informa‐

tion related to education opportunities. The site

contains a variety of information on events and

opportunities, education challenges, education

materials, related stories and partnerships. The

“Events and Opportunities” section involves

current opportunities to engage in conferences

and workshops.

The “Education Challenges” section involves

opportunities to engage students in exciting

learning experiences. The “Education Materi‐

als” section includes focused materials con‐

nected to the STS‐118 mission objectives. The

“Related Stories & Profiles” section portrays

stories related to the STS‐118 crew and their

interaction with education audiences. Through

a series of profiles, students and teachers will

learn more about the STS‐118 space shuttle mis‐

sion through a behind‐the‐scenes look from a

few members of the team that are preparing for

the flight. At the same time, readers will learn

more about some of the many diverse jobs per‐

formed by the NASA workforce. The “Partner‐

ships” section includes the organizations that

NASA has partnered with to involve students

in the excitement of the STS‐118 space shuttle

mission.
64 EDUCATOR ASTRONAUT PROJECT JULY 2007

Ground-Based Activities 

From the STS‐118 Education home page, formal

and informal educators can engage their stu‐

dents in activities that connect to the STS‐118

mission objectives. Learn more by preparing for

and following the mission. Preparation for the

education mission activities is separated into

two categories: Engineering Design and Sus‐

taining Life. The mission activities are organ‐

ized according to a broad overview of a mission

timeline, including “Endeavour lifts off,” “En‐

deavour docks to the ISS” and “Endeavour un‐

docks from the ISS.”

Engineering Design Challenge 

To mark Morgan’s first flight, NASA’s Explora‐

tion Systems Mission Directorate (ESMD) and

Office of Education are co‐sponsoring a stan‐

dards‐based Engineering Design Challenge for

students in kindergarten through 12th grade.

This will be the primary focus for ground‐based

education activities aligned with the STS‐118

mission.

In this challenge, students will be charged with

designing a plant growth system for the moon

that can be either delivered to the moon as a

complete unit, or assembled on the lunar sur‐

face. Given a basic set of requirements and con‐

straints, students will design, analyze, build

and assess the system. All elements of the de‐

sign challenge will map to standards in tech‐

nology (which includes engineering design),

science and mathematics.

The challenge is being developed in coopera‐

tion with International Technology Education

Association (ITEA) and will be offered, free of

charge, through the NASA Web site. It will be

presented in versions appropriate for elemen‐

tary, middle, and high school teachers. In addi‐

tion to a design/build/assess track, a de‐

sign/assess track will be offered in order to

make the challenge attractive to both teachers

with experience in engineering and technology

education and those that may not have as much

comfort teaching design, and/or classroom time

to build a chamber prototype.

The engineering design challenge will offer les‐

son guides, extensions, assessments, and rele‐

vant background materials. Teaching tips and

strategies, advice from NASA plant researchers,

and recommendations from NASA design en‐

gineers will be incorporated into the challenge

website. A career corner will be established on

the Web site to highlight the different areas of

study that are related to plant growth research

and engineering design.

Once a system is built or obtained (and the de‐

sign evaluated), registered teachers are eligible

to receive a set of basil seeds, flown on STS‐118

with Educator Astronaut Barbara Morgan, with

which to validate the performance of the sys‐

tem and run additional experiments. Park Seed

Company has partnered with NASA to provide

and package the seeds for education distribu‐

tion. Approximately 100,000 sets of STS‐118

seeds will be made available. Control (non‐

space flown) basil seeds will also be provided

by Park Seed Company.

Educators may obtain from NASA a certificate

of participation by completing a final evalua‐

tion of the engineering design challenge. Pro‐

fessional development for educators will be of‐

fered through the ITEA, NASA Centers, at edu‐

cator conferences, NASA Educator Resource

Centers, and through other NASA projects such

as NASA Explorer Schools and Aerospace Edu‐

cation Services Project. Active engagement of

educators will also be pursued through educa‐

tional promotion to principals, state science su‐

pervisors, and curriculum developers. The Na‐
JULY 2007 EDUCATOR ASTRONAUT PROJECT 65

tional Science Teachers Association is also part‐

nering with NASA to provide a guide on how

to conduct a scientific experiment.

Pennant Design Challenge 

Students created a design, conducted research,

and wrote an essay about the design’s connec‐

tion to exploration. The pennant design was

based on the STS‐118 space shuttle mission or

NASA’s Vision for Space Exploration. In May,

one overall winner was selected through online

voting at KOL, AOL’s service for kids. The

winning design will be flown aboard space

shuttle Endeavour during the STS‐118 mission.

Physical Fitness Challenge 

NASAʹs Fit Explorer project is a scientific and

physical approach to human health and fitness

on Earth and in space. While using a standards‐

based science activity set related to the STS‐118

shuttle mission and human spaceflight in gen‐

eral, students will learn about NASAʹs explora‐

tion mission and the requirements of living in

space. They also will perform physical activi‐

ties, including: Base Station Walk‐Back, Space‐

walking, Jumping for the Moon, and a simu‐

lated crew strength training exercise. The Fit

Explorer project will start with the launch of

STS‐118 and is targeted for students in elemen‐

tary school.

Additional Information 

Educators are encouraged to sign up for the

Education Express email mailing list via the

NASA Portal to receive updates on the engi‐

neering design challenge, information on how

to register for the seeds, as well as other related

activities and events that surround the STS‐118

mission. 

http://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/

topnav/mailinglist/

For additional information please check out:

http://www.nasa.gov/sts118
66 MISSION PROFILE JULY 2007

This page intentionally left blank.
JULY 2007 EXPERIMENTS 67

EXPERIMENTS 

DETAILED TEST OBJECTIVES 

Detailed Test Objectives (DTOs) are aimed at

testing, evaluating or documenting space shut‐

tle systems or hardware, or proposed im‐

provements to the space shuttle or space station

hardware, systems and operations.

Such experiments assigned to STS‐118 are listed

below.

DTO 853 In-Flight Evaluation for Areas 

of CO2 Concentration 

The purpose of the DTO is to evaluate carbon

dioxide (CO2) levels at specific times during the

mission and in shuttle areas that have the po‐

tential to contain elevated levels. The DTO will

be carried out over four missions, including

STS‐118, STS‐120, STS‐122 and STS‐123. During

the missions, the data will be collected over a

period of five days, during similar time periods

and in similar locations.

The CO2 levels will be recorded using the Car‐

bon Dioxide Monitor (CDM) — a portable

handheld device designed to monitor and

quantify CO2 concentrations.

The test was prompted by the STS‐121 and

STS‐115 mission crews who reported experienc‐

ing stuffiness and headaches while sleeping in

the middeck area. The symptoms are believed

to most likely result from exposure to high lev‐

els of CO2.

For the reported times during STS‐121 and 115,

the CO2 levels within the crew module, as indi‐

cated by the vehicle instrumentation, were

within the acceptable range. Additionally, for

the course of the docked phase, the CO2 levels

in the shuttle tracked well with the levels in the

station. The station crew did not report any

symptoms.

Data sampling locations for the test are de‐

pendent upon crew sleep locations and high

activity locations because the post‐sleep activity

period and high activity periods are the times

when CO2 symptoms was reported by the

STS‐121 and 115 crews.

During the four missions, the crew will place

the CDM in the middeck before they go to sleep

so that ground controllers can monitor CO2

levels continuously. The information will be

used to identify CO2 “hot spots” within the

shuttle.

As a result, engineering evaluations will be

made to fine‐tune air exchange analyses, to de‐

termine if any configuration changes are neces‐

sary to optimize airflow and to determine if op‐

erational improvements are needed or if crew

exposure time in identified areas should be lim‐

ited.

CDM technology was successfully used to de‐

termine the existence of CO2 pockets on the

space station. The kit that will be used on the

shuttle will include the CDM, filters and several

battery packs. The CDM is capable of monitor‐

ing CO2 in a localized area for either long or

short durations of time, depending on the oper‐

ating mode.

SDTO 13005-U ISS Structural Life and 

Life Validation and Extension 

The purpose of this Station Development Test

Objective (SDTO) is to guarantee safety of the

station structure and crew by validating the on‐
68 EXPERIMENTS JULY 2007

orbit math models that were created for the

space station. The test will be used to validate

critical interface load and to help improve fa‐

tigue life prediction on the station.

During this mission, if crew time is available,

three tests will be performed: one during the

shuttle‐station mated reboost, one during un‐

docking and one during S5 truss installation.

The tests will provide dynamic loads informa‐

tion for engineers to use in creating precise

models that can be used for analysis. On‐orbit

data may aid in detecting structural anomalies,

and the station’s response to actual loading

events aids in post‐flight reconstruction of

loads that help determine structural life usage.

The test requires actual or educated estimates

of input (forcing function) and actual output

(on‐orbit sensor measurements) of the station

response. Measurement of the force input (i.e.,

thruster firing sequences, video of crew activ‐

ity, etc.) and station response will aid recon‐

struction of station loads and structural life us‐

age over the life of the station, thus allowing

life extension of the structure.

All of the on‐orbit dynamic tests were also per‐

formed on the ISS‐Orbiter mated configuration

models.

SHORT-DURATION RESEARCH TO BE 

COMPLETED DURING STS-118/13A.1 

The space shuttle and International Space Sta‐

tion have an integrated research program that

optimizes use of shuttle crew members and

long‐duration space station crew members in

addressing research questions in a variety of

disciplines.

Human Research Experiments 

Incidence of Latent Virus Shielding during

Spaceflight (Latent Virus) will determine the

frequencies of reactivation of latent viruses —

inactive viruses in the body that can be reacti‐

vated, such as cold sores — and clinical dis‐

eases after exposure to the physical, physiologi‐

cal, and psychological stressors associated with

spaceflight. Understanding latent virus reacti‐

vation may be critical to crew health during ex‐

tended space missions when crew members live

and work in a closed environment.

Test of Midodrine as a Countermeasure

Against Post‐Flight Orthostatic Hypotension

(Midodrine) is a test of the ability of the drug

midodrine to reduce the incidence or severity of

orthostatic hypotension. If successful, it will be

employed as a countermeasure to the dizziness

caused by the blood‐pressure decrease that

many astronauts experience upon returning to

the Earthʹs gravity.

Perceptual Motor Deficits in Space (PMDIS)

will investigate why astronauts experience dif‐

ficulty with hand‐eye coordination while in

space. These measurements will be used to dis‐

tinguish between three possible explanations:

the brain not adapting to the near weightless‐

ness of space; the difficulty of performing fine

movements when floating in space; and stress

due to factors such as space sickness and sleep

deprivation. This experiment is a cooperative

effort with the Canadian Space Agency.

Bioavailablity and Performance Effects of

Promethazine during Spaceflight (PMZ) will

examine the performance‐impacting side‐effects

of promethazine and its bioavailability — the

degree to which a drug can be absorbed and

used by the parts of the body on which it is in‐

tended to have an effect. Promethazine is a
JULY 2007 EXPERIMENTS 69

medication taken by astronauts to prevent mo‐

tion sickness.

Sleep‐Wake Actigraphy and Light Exposure

during Spaceflight  ‐  Short (Sleep‐Short) will

examine the effects of spaceflight on the sleep‐

wake cycles of the astronauts during shuttle

missions. Advancing state‐of‐the‐art technology

for monitoring, diagnosing and assessing

treatment of sleep patterns is vital to treating

insomnia on Earth and in space.

Biological Science Investigations 

Commercial Biomedical Test Module  ‐  2

(CBTM‐2) will use a validated mouse model to

examine the effectiveness of an experimental

therapeutic as a possible countermeasure for

muscle atrophy. Combined with exercise, this

experimental therapeutic developed by the bio‐

technology company, Amgen, could one day

form the basis for a treatment that will help

maintain a high level of physical fitness in fu‐

ture flight crews.

Cell Culture Module  ‐  Immune Response of

Human Monocytes in Microgravity (CCM‐

Immune Response) is Department of Defense

Space Test Program research that uses cell cul‐

ture in microgravity as a model of reduced im‐

mune function. This investigation will examine

the response of human immune cells in micro‐

gravity to new chitosan‐based antibacterials.

Cell Culture Module  ‐ Effect of Microgravity

on Wound Repair: In Vitro Model of New

Blood Vessel Development (CCM‐Wound Re‐

pair) is Department of Defense Space Test Pro‐

gram research that uses cell culture in micro‐

gravity as a model of wound healing. This in‐

vestigation is directed at the use of adipose de‐

rived adult stem cells for use in injury repair. It

will examine how microgravity alters new

blood vessel development which is a key com‐

ponent of wound and tissue repair.

Streptococcus pneumoniae Gene Expression

and Virulence Potential in the Space Envi‐

ronment (SPEGIS) will examine the behavior

and growth of bacteria in microgravity. The

data collected will give insight on what types of

bacterial infections may occur during long‐

duration space missions and the risks to crew

members.

Educational Activities 

Education Payload Operations  ‐  Educator

(EPO  ‐ Educator) will use video and still pho‐

tography to capture data of experiment activi‐

ties in space. Students also will be designing

and completing ground‐based investigations

developed by the NASA Education Office, fo‐

cusing on kindergarten through 12th grade

students. The activities will support educator

astronauts in their missions. An educator astro‐

naut is a full‐time astronaut who has experience

teaching in elementary, middle school, or high

school classrooms.

Spaceflight Technology Tests 

Maui Analysis of Upper Atmospheric Injec‐

tions (MAUI) will observe the space shuttle

engine exhaust plumes from the Maui Space

Surveillance Site in Hawaii. The observations

will occur when the shuttle fires its engines at

night or twilight. A telescope and all‐sky imag‐

ers will take images and data while the shuttle

flies over the Maui site. The images will be ana‐

lyzed to better understand the interaction be‐

tween the spacecraft plume and the upper at‐

mosphere.

Ram Burn Observations (RAMBO) is an ex‐

periment in which the Department of Defense

uses a satellite to observe space shuttle orbital
70 EXPERIMENTS JULY 2007

maneuvering system engine burns. The studyʹs

purpose is to improve plume models, which

predict the direction of the plume, or rising col‐

umn of exhaust, as the shuttle maneuvers on

orbit. Understanding this flow direction could

be significant to the safe arrival and departure

of spacecraft on current and future exploration

missions.

ISS RESEARCH SAMPLES RETURNED 

ON STS-118/13A.1 

Human Research Experiment Samples 

Nutritional Status Assessment (Nutrition) is

NASAʹs most comprehensive in‐flight study to

date of human physiologic changes during

long‐duration spaceflight; this includes meas‐

ures of bone metabolism, oxidative damage,

nutritional assessments and hormonal changes.

This study will impact both the definition of

nutritional requirements and development of

food systems for future space exploration mis‐

sions to the moon and Mars. This experiment

also will help to understand the impact of coun‐

termeasures — exercise and pharmaceuticals —

on nutritional status and nutrient requirements

for astronauts.

A Comprehensive Characterization of Micro‐

organisms and Allergens in Spacecraft

(SWAB) will use advanced molecular tech‐

niques to comprehensively evaluate microbes

on the space station, including pathogens (or‐

ganisms that may cause disease). It also will

track changes in the microbial community as

spacecraft visit the station and new station

modules are added. This study will allow an

assessment of the risk of microbes to the crew

and the spacecraft.

Technology Test Samples 

Capillary Flow Experiment (CFE) is a suite of

fluid physics experiments that investigate capil‐

lary flows and flows of fluids in containers with

complex geometries. Results will improve cur‐

rent computer models that are used by design‐

ers of low gravity fluid systems and may im‐

prove fluid transfer systems on future space‐

craft.

Elastic Memory Composite Hinge (EMCH)

will study the performance of a new type of

composite hinge to determine if it is suitable for

use in space. The experiment will use elastic

memory hinges to move an attached mass at

one end. Materials tested in this experiment are

stronger and lighter than current material used

in space hinges and could be used in the design

of future spacecraft.

Materials on the International Space Station

Experiment ‐ 3 and 4 (MISSE ‐ 3 and 4) are the

third and fourth in a series of five suitcase‐sized

test beds attached to the outside of the space

station. The station crew deployed the beds

during a spacewalk in August 2006. They are

exposing hundreds of potential space construc‐

tion materials and different types of solar cells

to the harsh environment of space. Mounted to

the space station for approximately a year, the

equipment then will be returned to Earth for

study. Investigators will use the resulting data

to design stronger, more durable spacecraft.

MISSE 1, 2 and 5 already have been returned to

Earth for analysis.

Life Sciences Samples 

Threshold Acceleration for Gravisensing

(Gravi) will determine the minimum amount of

artificial gravity needed to cause lentil seedling

roots to start growing in a new direction. This
JULY 2007 EXPERIMENTS 71

work supports future efforts to grow sufficient

edible crops on long‐duration space missions.

Analysis of a Novel Sensory Mechanism in

Root Phototropism (Tropi) sprouted Arabi‐

dopsis thaliana (thale cress) plants from seeds

under different frequencies of light and levels

of artificial gravity. The plants will be analyzed

at the molecular level to determine what genes

are responsible for successful plant growth in

microgravity.

ADDITIONAL ISS RESEARCH FROM 

NOW UNTIL THE END OF 

EXPEDITION 15 

Human Research Experiments 

Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Control

on Return from ISS (CCISS) will study the ef‐

fects of long‐duration spaceflight on crew

membersʹ  heart functions and their blood ves‐

sels that supply the brain. Learning more about

the cardiovascular and cerebrovascular systems

could lead to specific countermeasures that

might better protect future space travelers. This

experiment is collaborative with the Canadian

Space Agency.

Analysis of Astronaut Journals (Journals), us‐

ing journals kept by the crew and surveys, is

studying the effect of isolation. By quantifying

the importance of different behavioral issues in

long‐duration crews, the study will help NASA

design equipment and procedures to allow as‐

tronauts to cope effectively with isolation and

long‐duration spaceflight.

Sleep‐Wake Actigraphy and Light Exposure

during Spaceflight‐Long (Sleep‐Long) will ex‐

amine the effects of spaceflight and ambient

light exposure on the sleep‐wake cycles of the

crew members during long‐duration stays on

the space station.

Exploration Technology Testing 

Analyzing Interferometer for Ambient Air

(ANITA) will monitor 32 gaseous contami‐

nants, including formaldehyde, ammonia and

carbon monoxide, in the station atmosphere.

The experiment will test the accuracy and reli‐

ability of this technology as a potential next‐

generation atmosphere trace‐gas monitoring

system for the station.

Smoke and Aerosol Measurement Experiment

(SAME) will measure the smoke properties, or

particle size distribution, from typical space‐

craft fire smokes to identify ways to improve

smoke detectors on future spacecraft.

Synchronized Position Hold, Engage, Reori‐

ent, Experimental Satellites (SPHERES) are

bowling‐ball sized spherical satellites. They will

be used inside the space station to test a set of

well‐defined instructions for spacecraft per‐

forming autonomous rendezvous and docking

maneuvers. Three free‐flying spheres will fly

within the cabin of the station, performing

flight formations. Each satellite is self‐contained

with power, propulsion, computers and naviga‐

tion equipment. The results are important for

satellite servicing, vehicle assembly and forma‐

tion flying spacecraft configurations.

Physical and Life Sciences 

BCAT‐3 (Binary Colloidal Alloy Test – 3):

Crews photographed samples of colloidal parti‐

cles (tiny nanoscale spheres suspended in liq‐

uid) to document liquid/gas phase changes,

growth of binary crystals, and the formation of

colloidal crystals confined to a surface. Data

may lead to improvements in supercritical flu‐

ids used in rocket propellants and biotechnol‐
72 EXPERIMENTS JULY 2007

ogy applications, and advancements in fiber‐

optics technology.

Coarsening in Solid Liquid Mixtures‐2

(CSLM‐2) examines the kinetics of competitive

particle growth within a liquid matrix. During

this process, small particles shrink by losing

atoms to larger particles, causing the larger par‐

ticles to grow (coarsen) within a liquid lead/tin

matrix. This study defined the mechanisms and

rates of coarsening that govern turbine blades,

dental amalgam fillings, iron copper, etc.

The Effect of An Experimental Therapeutic on

Reducing the Muscle Atrophy that Occurs in

Spaceflight. This investigation will use a vali‐

dated mouse model to examine the effective‐

ness of an experimental therapeutic developed

by Amgen as a possible countermeasure for

muscle atrophy. Combined with exercise, this

experimental therapeutic could one day form

the basis for a treatment that will help maintain

a high level of physical fitness in future flight

crews.  This experiment will remain aboard the

shuttle during the STS‐118 flight.

Microgravity Acceleration Measurement Sys‐

tem (MAMS) and Space Acceleration Meas‐

urement System (SAMS‐II) measure vibration

and quasi‐steady accelerations that result from

vehicle control burns, docking and undocking

activities. The two different equipment pack‐

ages measure vibrations at different frequen‐

cies.

Molecular and Plant Physiological Analyses

of the Microgravity Effects on Multigenera‐

tion Studies of Arabidopsis thaliana (Multi‐

gen) will grow Arabidopsis thaliana – a small

flowering plant related to cabbage and mustard

— in orbit for three generations. The results of

this investigation will support future plans to

grow plants on the long‐duration transit to

Mars. This is a cooperative investigation with

the European Space Agency, ESA.

Earth Observations 

Crew Earth Observations (CEO) takes advan‐

tage of the crew in space to observe and photo‐

graph natural and human‐made changes on

Earth. The photographs record the Earth’s sur‐

face changes over time, along with more fleet‐

ing events such as storms, floods, fires and vol‐

canic eruptions. Together, they provide re‐

searchers on Earth with vital, continuous im‐

ages to better understand the planet.

Crew Earth Observations ‐ International Polar

Year (CEO‐IPY) is an international collabora‐

tion of scientists for the observation and explo‐

ration of Earth’s Polar Regions from 2007 to

2009. International Space Station crew members

will photograph polar phenomena including

auroras and mesospheric clouds to meet re‐

quests from scientists conducting ground re‐

search for the International Polar Year.

Educational Activities 

Commercial Generic Bioprocessing Apparatus

Science Insert  ‐  02 (CSI‐02) is an educational

payload designed to interest middle school

students in science, technology, engineering

and math by participating in near real‐time re‐

search conducted on board the station. Students

will observe three experiments through data

and imagery downlinked and distributed di‐

rectly into the classroom via the Internet. The

first is a seed germination experiment through

which students will learn how gravity affects

plant development. Small seeds will be devel‐

oped on orbit in a garden habitat. The second

experiment will examine crystal growth forma‐

tion using specific types of proteins and en‐

zymes, and the third experiment will examine

crystal formation using silicates — compounds
JULY 2007 EXPERIMENTS 73

containing silicon, oxygen and one or more

metals. For the two crystal growth experiments,

students will grow crystals in their classrooms

and analyze growth of those compared to the

crystals grown in space.

Education Payload Operations  ‐ Kit C (EPO  ‐ 

Kit C) is an on‐orbit plant growth investigation

using basil seeds. The still and video imagery

captured will be used as part of a national en‐

gineering design challenge for students in kin‐

dergarten through 12th grade. On the ground,

students will grow basil seeds — control and

flown seeds — in growth chambers to conduct

their own science experiments on plant growth.
74 EXPERIMENTS JULY 2007

This page intentionally left blank.
JULY 2007 SPACE SHUTTLE MAIN ENGINE AHMS 75

SPACE SHUTTLE MAIN ENGINE 

ADVANCED HEALTH MANAGEMENT SYSTEM 

During the STS‐118 mission, the Advanced

Health Management System (AHMS) — an en‐

gine improvement system that shuts down an

engine if anomalies are detected — will be ac‐

tively operating on all three engines for the first

time. The AHMS collects and processes tur‐

bopump accelerometer data, a measure of tur‐

bopump vibration, and continuously monitors

turbopump health. If vibration anomalies are

detected, the system shuts the engine down.

The AHMS operated in monitor‐only mode on

one engine during the STS‐116 mission in De‐

cember 2006 and in active‐mode on one engine

during the STS‐117 mission in June 2007. Data

from STS‐117 indicated the AHMS operated as

intended.

The space shuttle main engine is the worldʹs most sophisticated reusable rocket engine.  

During a shuttle launch, the shuttleʹs three engines operate for about  

eight‐and‐one‐half minutes during liftoff and ascent.
76 SPACE SHUTTLE MAIN ENGINE AHMS JULY 2007

When a shuttle lifts off the launch pad, it does

so with the help of three reusable, high per‐

formance rocket engines. Each main engine is

14 feet long and 7.5 feet in diameter at the noz‐

zle exit. One engine weighs approximately

7,750 pounds and generates more than 12 mil‐

lion horsepower, equivalent to more than four

times the output of the Hoover Dam. The en‐

gines operate for about 8.5 minutes during lift‐

off and ascent — long enough to burn more

than 500,000 gallons of super‐cold liquid hy‐

drogen and liquid oxygen propellants stored in

the external fuel tank, which is attached to the

shuttleʹs underside. Liquid oxygen is stored at

‐298 degrees Fahrenheit, and liquid hydrogen is

stored at  ‐423 degrees Fahrenheit. The engines

shut down just before the shuttle, traveling at

about 17,000 mph, reaches orbit.

This engine upgrade significantly improves

space shuttle flight safety and reliability. The

upgrade, developed by NASA’s Marshall Space

Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., is a modifica‐

tion of the existing main engine controller,

which is the on‐engine computer that monitors

and controls all main engine operations.

The modifications include the addition of ad‐

vanced digital signal processors, radiation‐

hardened memory and new software. These

changes to the main engine controller provide

the capability for completely new monitoring

and insight into the health of the two most

complex components of the space shuttle’s

main engine — the high‐pressure fuel tur‐

bopump and the high‐pressure oxidizer tur‐

bopump.

The fuel and oxidizer turbopumps rotate at ap‐

proximately 34,000 and 23,000 revolutions per

minute, respectively. To operate at such ex‐

treme speeds, the high‐pressure turbopumps

use highly specialized bearings and precisely

balanced components. The AHMS upgrade util‐

izes data from three existing sensors (acceler‐

ometers) mounted on each of the high‐pressure

turbopumps to measure how much each pump

is vibrating. The output data from the acceler‐

ometers is routed to the new AHMS digital sig‐

nal processors installed in the main engine con‐

troller. These processors analyze the sensor

readings 20 times per second, looking for vibra‐

tion anomalies that are indicative of impending

failure of rotating turbopump components such

as blades, impellers, inducers and bearings. If

the magnitude of any vibration anomaly ex‐

ceeds safe limits, the upgraded main engine

controller immediately shuts down the un‐

healthy engine.
JULY 2007 SHUTTLE REFERENCE DATA 77

SHUTTLE REFERENCE DATA 

SHUTTLE ABORT MODES 

RSLS Aborts 

These occur when the on‐board shuttle com‐

puters detect a problem and command a halt in

the launch sequence after taking over from the

ground launch sequencer and before solid

rocket booster ignition.

Ascent Aborts 

Selection of an ascent abort mode may become

necessary if there is a failure that affects vehicle

performance, such as the failure of a space shut‐

tle main engine or an orbital maneuvering sys‐

tem engine. Other failures requiring early ter‐

mination of a flight, such as a cabin leak, might

also require the selection of an abort mode.

There are two basic types of ascent abort modes

for space shuttle missions: intact aborts and

contingency aborts. Intact aborts are designed

to provide a safe return of the orbiter to a

planned landing site. Contingency aborts are

designed to permit flight crew survival follow‐

ing more severe failures when an intact abort is

not possible. A contingency abort would gener‐

ally result in a ditch operation.

Intact Aborts 

There are four types of intact aborts: abort to

orbit (ATO), abort once around (AOA), trans‐

oceanic abort landing (TAL) and return to

launch site (RTLS).

Return to Launch Site 

The RTLS abort mode is designed to allow the

return of the orbiter, crew and payload to the

launch site, Kennedy Space Center, approxi‐

mately 25 minutes after liftoff.

The RTLS profile is designed to accommodate

the loss of thrust from one space shuttle main

engine between liftoff and approximately four

minutes 20 seconds, at which time not enough

main propulsion system propellant remains to

return to the launch site. An RTLS can be con‐

sidered to consist of three stages — a powered

stage, during which the space shuttle main en‐

gines are still thrusting; an external tank separa‐

tion phase; and the glide phase, during which

the orbiter glides to a landing at the Kennedy

Space Center. The powered RTLS phase begins

with the crew selection of the RTLS abort, after

solid rocket booster separation. The crew selects

the abort mode by positioning the abort rotary

switch to RTLS and depressing the abort push

button. The time at which the RTLS is selected

depends on the reason for the abort. For exam‐

ple, a three‐engine RTLS is selected at the last

moment, about 3 minutes, 34 seconds into the

mission; whereas an RTLS chosen due to an en‐

gine out at liftoff is selected at the earliest time,

about 2 minutes, 20 seconds into the mission

(after solid rocket booster separation).

After RTLS is selected, the vehicle continues

downrange to dissipate excess main propulsion

system propellant. The goal is to leave only

enough main propulsion system propellant to

be able to turn the vehicle around, fly back to‐

ward the Kennedy Space Center and achieve

the proper main engine cutoff conditions so the

vehicle can glide to the Kennedy Space Center

after external tank separation. During the

downrange phase, a pitch‐around maneuver is

initiated (the time depends in part on the time

of a space shuttle main engine failure) to orient
78 SHUTTLE REFERENCE DATA JULY 2007

the orbiter/external tank configuration to a

heads‐up attitude, pointing toward the launch

site. At this time, the vehicle is still moving

away from the launch site, but the space shuttle

main engines are now thrusting to null the

downrange velocity. In addition, excess orbital

maneuvering system and reaction control sys‐

tem propellants are dumped by continuous or‐

bital maneuvering system and reaction control

system engine thrustings to improve the orbiter

weight and center of gravity for the glide phase

and landing.

The vehicle will reach the desired main engine

cutoff point with less than 2 percent excess

propellant remaining in the external tank. At

main engine cutoff minus 20 seconds, a pitch

down maneuver (called powered pitch‐down)

takes the mated vehicle to the required external

tank separation attitude and pitch rate. After

main engine cutoff has been commanded, the

external tank separation sequence begins, in‐

cluding a reaction control system maneuver

that ensures that the orbiter does not recontact

the external tank and that the orbiter has

achieved the necessary pitch attitude to begin

the glide phase of the RTLS.

After the reaction control system maneuver has

been completed, the glide phase of the RTLS

begins. From then on, the RTLS is handled simi‐

larly to a normal entry.

Transoceanic Abort Landing 

The TAL abort mode was developed to im‐

prove the options available when a space shut‐

tle main engine fails after the last RTLS oppor‐

tunity but before the first time that an AOA can

be accomplished with only two space shuttle

main engines or when a major orbiter system

failure, for example, a large cabin pressure leak

or cooling system failure, occurs after the last

RTLS opportunity, making it imperative to land

as quickly as possible.

In a TAL abort, the vehicle continues on a bal‐

listic trajectory across the Atlantic Ocean to

land at a predetermined runway. Landing oc‐

curs about 45 minutes after launch. The landing

site is selected near the normal ascent ground

track of the orbiter to make the most efficient

use of space shuttle main engine propellant.

The landing site also must have the necessary

runway length, weather conditions and U.S.

State Department approval. The three landing

sites that have been identified for a launch are

Zaragoza, Spain; Moron, Spain; and Istres,

France.

To select the TAL abort mode, the crew must

place the abort rotary switch in the TAL/AOA

position and depress the abort push button be‐

fore main engine cutoff (Depressing it after

main engine cutoff selects the AOA abort

mode). The TAL abort mode begins sending

commands to steer the vehicle toward the plane

of the landing site. It also rolls the vehicle heads

up before main engine cutoff and sends com‐

mands to begin an orbital maneuvering system

propellant dump (by burning the propellants

through the orbital maneuvering system en‐

gines and the reaction control system engines).

This dump is necessary to increase vehicle per‐

formance (by decreasing weight), to place the

center of gravity in the proper place for vehicle

control and to decrease the vehicleʹs landing

weight. TAL is handled like a normal entry.

Abort to Orbit 

An ATO is an abort mode used to boost the or‐

biter to a safe orbital altitude when perform‐

ance has been lost and it is impossible to reach

the planned orbital altitude. If a space shuttle

main engine fails in a region that results in a
JULY 2007 SHUTTLE REFERENCE DATA 79

main engine cutoff under speed, the Mission

Control Center will determine that an abort

mode is necessary and will inform the crew.

The orbital maneuvering system engines would

be used to place the orbiter in a circular orbit.

Abort Once Around 

The AOA abort mode is used in cases in which

vehicle performance has been lost to such an

extent that either it is impossible to achieve a

viable orbit or not enough orbital maneuvering

system propellant is available to accomplish the

orbital maneuvering system thrusting maneu‐

ver to place the orbiter on orbit and the deorbit

thrusting maneuver. In addition, an AOA is

used in cases in which a major systems problem

(cabin leak, loss of cooling) makes it necessary

to land quickly. In the AOA abort mode, one

orbital maneuvering system thrusting sequence

is made to adjust the post‐main engine cutoff

orbit so a second orbital maneuvering system

thrusting sequence will result in the vehicle

deorbiting and landing at the AOA landing site

(White Sands, N.M.; Edwards Air Force Base,

Calif.; or the Kennedy Space Center, Fla). Thus,

an AOA results in the orbiter circling the Earth

once and landing about 90 minutes after liftoff.

After the deorbit thrusting sequence has been

executed, the flight crew flies to a landing at the

planned site much as it would for a nominal

entry.

Contingency Aborts 

Contingency aborts are caused by loss of more

than one main engine or failures in other sys‐

tems. Loss of one main engine while another is

stuck at a low thrust setting also may necessi‐

tate a contingency abort. Such an abort would

maintain orbiter integrity for in‐flight crew es‐

cape if a landing cannot be achieved at a suit‐

able landing field.

Contingency aborts due to system failures other

than those involving the main engines would

normally result in an intact recovery of vehicle

and crew. Loss of more than one main engine

may, depending on engine failure times, result

in a safe runway landing. However, in most

three‐engine‐out cases during ascent, the or‐

biter would have to be ditched. The inflight

crew escape system would be used before

ditching the orbiter.

Abort Decisions 

There is a definite order of preference for the

various abort modes. The type of failure and the

time of the failure determine which type of abort

is selected. In cases where performance loss is

the only factor, the preferred modes are ATO,

AOA, TAL and RTLS, in that order. The mode

chosen is the highest one that can be completed

with the remaining vehicle performance.

In the case of some support system failures,

such as cabin leaks or vehicle cooling problems,

the preferred mode might be the one that will

end the mission most quickly. In these cases,

TAL or RTLS might be preferable to AOA or

ATO. A contingency abort is never chosen if

another abort option exists.

Mission Control Houston is prime for calling

these aborts because it has a more precise

knowledge of the orbiterʹs position than the

crew can obtain from on‐board systems. Before

main engine cutoff, Mission Control makes pe‐

riodic calls to the crew to tell them which abort

mode is (or is not) available. If ground commu‐

nications are lost, the flight crew has on‐board

methods, such as cue cards, dedicated displays

and display information, to determine the abort

region. Which abort mode is selected depends

on the cause and timing of the failure causing

the abort and which mode is safest or improves
80 SHUTTLE REFERENCE DATA JULY 2007

mission success. If the problem is a space shut‐

tle main engine failure, the flight crew and Mis‐

sion Control Center select the best option avail‐

able at the time a main engine fails.

If the problem is a system failure that jeopard‐

izes the vehicle, the fastest abort mode that re‐

sults in the earliest vehicle landing is chosen.

RTLS and TAL are the quickest options

(35 minutes), whereas an AOA requires about

90 minutes. Which of these is selected depends

on the time of the failure with three good space

shuttle main engines.

The flight crew selects the abort mode by posi‐

tioning an abort mode switch and depressing

an abort push button.

SHUTTLE ABORT HISTORY 

RSLS Abort History 

(STS-41 D) June 26, 1984 

The countdown for the second launch attempt

for Discovery’s maiden flight ended at T‐4 sec‐

onds when the orbiter’s computers detected a

sluggish valve in main engine No. 3.The main

engine was replaced and Discovery was finally

launched on Aug. 30, 1984.

(STS-51 F) July 12, 1985 

The countdown for Challenger’s launch was

halted at T‐3 seconds when on‐board com‐

puters detected a problem with a coolant valve

on main engine No. 2. The valve was replaced

and Challenger was launched on July 29, 1985.

(STS-55) March 22, 1993 

The countdown for Columbia’s launch was

halted by on‐board computers at T‐3 seconds

following a problem with purge pressure read‐

ings in the oxidizer preburner on main engine

No. 2. Columbia’s three main engines were re‐

placed on the launch pad, and the flight was

rescheduled behind Discovery’s launch on

STS‐56. Columbia finally launched on

April 26, 1993.

(STS-51) Aug. 12, 1993 

The countdown for Discovery’s third launch at‐

tempt ended at the T‐3 second mark when on‐

board computers detected the failure of one of

four sensors in main engine No. 2 which monitor

the flow of hydrogen fuel to the engine. All of

Discovery’s main engines were ordered replaced

on the launch pad, delaying the shuttle’s fourth

launch attempt until Sept. 12, 1993.

(STS-68) Aug. 18, 1994 

The countdown for Endeavour’s first launch

attempt ended 1.9 seconds before liftoff when

on‐board computers detected higher than ac‐

ceptable readings in one channel of a sensor

monitoring the discharge temperature of the

high pressure oxidizer turbopump in main en‐

gine No. 3. A test firing of the engine at the

Stennis Space Center in Mississippi on Septem‐

ber 2nd confirmed that a slight drift in a fuel

flow meter in the engine caused a slight in‐

crease in the turbopump’s temperature. The test

firing also confirmed a slightly slower start for

main engine No. 3 during the pad abort, which

could have contributed to the higher tempera‐

tures. After Endeavour was brought back to the

Vehicle Assembly Building to be outfitted with

three replacement engines, NASA managers set

Oct. 2 as the date for Endeavour’s second

launch attempt.

Abort to Orbit History 

(STS-51 F) July 29, 1985 

After an RSLS abort on July 12, 1985, Chal‐

lenger was launched on July 29, 1985. Five

minutes and 45 seconds after launch, a sensor
JULY 2007 SHUTTLE REFERENCE DATA 81

problem resulted in the shutdown of center en‐

gine No. 1, resulting in a safe  ʺabort to orbitʺ 

and successful completion of the mission.

SPACE SHUTTLE MAIN ENGINES 

Developed in the 1970s by NASAʹs Marshall

Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., the space

shuttle main engine is the most advanced liquid‐

fueled rocket engine ever built. Every space

shuttle main engine is tested and proven flight‐

worthy at NASAʹs Stennis Space Center in south

Mississippi, before installation on an orbiter. Its

main features include variable thrust, high per‐

formance reusability, high redundancy and a

fully integrated engine controller.

The shuttle’s three main engines are mounted

on the orbiter aft fuselage in a triangular pat‐

tern. Spaced so that they are movable during

launch, the engines are used — in conjunction

with the solid rocket boosters — to steer the

shuttle vehicle.

Each of these powerful main engines is 14 feet

(4.2 meters) long, weighs about 7,000 pounds

(3,150 kilograms) and is 7.5 feet (2.25 meters) in

diameter at the end of its nozzle.

The engines operate for about 81⁄2 minutes dur‐

ing liftoff and ascent — burning more than

500,000 gallons (1.9 million liters) of super‐cold

liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen propellants

stored in the huge external tank attached to the

underside of the shuttle. The engines shut

down just before the shuttle, traveling at about

17,000 mph (28,000 kilometers per hour),

reaches orbit.

The main engine operates at greater tempera‐

ture extremes than any mechanical system in

common use today. The fuel, liquefied hydro‐

gen at  ‐423 degrees Fahrenheit (‐253 degrees

Celsius), is the second coldest liquid on Earth.

When it and the liquid oxygen are combusted,

the temperature in the main combustion cham‐

ber is 6,000 degrees Fahrenheit (3,316 degrees

Celsius), hotter than the boiling point of iron.

The main engines use a staged combustion cy‐

cle so that all propellants entering the engines

are used to produce thrust or power — more

efficiently than any previous rocket engine. In a

staged combustion cycle, propellants are first

burned partially at high pressure and relatively

low temperature — then burned completely at

high temperature and pressure in the main

combustion chamber. The rapid mixing of the

propellants under these conditions is so com‐

plete that 99 percent of the fuel is burned.

At normal operating level, the engines generate

490,847 pounds of thrust (measured in a vac‐

uum). Full power is 512,900 pounds of thrust;

minimum power is 316,100 pounds of thrust.

The engine can be throttled by varying the out‐

put of the pre‐burners, thus varying the speed

of the high‐pressure turbopumps and, there‐

fore, the flow of the propellant.

At about 26 seconds into launch, the main en‐

gines are throttled down to 316,000 pounds of

thrust to keep the dynamic pressure on the ve‐

hicle below a specified level — about

580 pounds per square foot or max q. Then, the

engines are throttled back up to normal operat‐

ing level at about 60 seconds. This reduces

stress on the vehicle. The main engines are

throttled down again at about seven minutes,

40 seconds into the mission to maintain

three g’s — three times the Earth’s gravitational

pull — again reducing stress on the crew and

the vehicle. This acceleration level is about one‐

third the acceleration experienced on previous

crewed space vehicles.
82 SHUTTLE REFERENCE DATA JULY 2007

About 10 seconds before main engine cutoff or

MECO, the cutoff sequence begins; about three

seconds later the main engines are commanded

to begin throttling at 10 percent thrust per sec‐

ond to 65 percent thrust. This is held for about

6.7 seconds, and the engines are shut down.

The engine performance has the highest thrust

for its weight of any engine yet developed. In

fact, one space shuttle main engine generates

sufficient thrust to maintain the flight of 21⁄2

747 airplanes.

The space shuttle main engine is also the first

rocket engine to use a built‐in electronic digital

controller, or computer. The controller will ac‐

cept commands from the orbiter for engine

start, change in throttle, shutdown, and moni‐

tor engine operation. In the event of a failure,

the controller automatically corrects the prob‐

lem or safely shuts down the engine.

NASA continues to increase the reliability and

safety of shuttle flights through a series of en‐

hancements to the space shuttle main engines.

The engines were modified in 1988, 1995, 1998

and 2001. Modifications include new high‐

pressure fuel and oxidizer turbopumps that re‐

duce maintenance and operating costs of the

engine, a two‐duct powerhead that reduces

pressure and turbulence in the engine, and a

single‐coil heat exchanger that lowers the num‐

ber of post flight inspections required. Another

modification incorporates a large‐throat main

combustion chamber that improves the engine’s

reliability by reducing pressure and tempera‐

ture in the chamber.

After the orbiter lands, the engines are removed

and returned to a processing facility at Ken‐

nedy Space Center, Fla., where they are re‐

checked and readied for the next flight. Some

components are returned to the main engine’s

prime contractor, Pratt & Whitney RocketDyne,

West Palm Beach, Fla., for regular maintenance.

The main engines are designed to operate for

7.5 accumulated hours.

SPACE SHUTTLE SOLID ROCKET 

BOOSTERS 

The two SRBs provide the main thrust to lift the

space shuttle off the pad and up to an altitude

of about 150,000 feet, or 24 nautical miles

(28 statute miles). In addition, the two SRBs

carry the entire weight of the external tank and

orbiter and transmit the weight load through

their structure to the mobile launcher platform.

Each booster has a thrust (sea level) of about

3,300,000 pounds at launch. They are ignited

after the three space shuttle main enginesʹ 

thrust level is verified. The two SRBs provide

71.4 percent of the thrust at liftoff and during

first‐stage ascent. Seventy‐five seconds after

SRB separation, SRB apogee occurs at an alti‐

tude of about 220,000 feet, or 35 nautical miles

(40 statute miles). SRB impact occurs in the

ocean about 122 nautical miles (140 statute

miles) downrange.

The SRBs are the largest solid‐propellant mo‐

tors ever flown and the first designed for reuse.

Each is 149.16 feet long and 12.17 feet in diame‐

ter. Each SRB weighs about 1,300,000 pounds at

launch. The propellant for each solid rocket mo‐

tor weighs about 1,100,000 pounds. The inert

weight of each SRB is about 192,000 pounds.

Primary elements of each booster are the motor

(including case, propellant, igniter and nozzle),

structure, separation systems, operational flight

instrumentation, recovery avionics, pyrotech‐

nics, deceleration system, thrust vector control

system and range safety destruct system.
JULY 2007 SHUTTLE REFERENCE DATA 83

Each booster is attached to the external tank at

the SRB’s aft frame by two lateral sway braces

and a diagonal attachment. The forward end of

each SRB is attached to the external tank at the

forward end of the SRB’s forward skirt. On the

launch pad, each booster also is attached to the

mobile launcher platform at the aft skirt by four

bolts and nuts that are severed by small explo‐

sives at liftoff.

During the downtime following the Challenger

accident, detailed structural analyses were per‐

formed on critical structural elements of the

SRB. Analyses were primarily focused in areas

where anomalies had been noted during post‐

flight inspection of recovered hardware.

One of the areas was the attach ring where the

SRBs are connected to the external tank. Areas

of distress were noted in some of the fasteners

where the ring attaches to the SRB motor case.

This situation was attributed to the high loads

encountered during water impact. To correct the

situation and ensure higher strength margins

during ascent, the attach ring was redesigned to

encircle the motor case completely (360 degrees).

Previously, the attach ring formed a C and en‐

circled the motor case 270 degrees.

Additionally, special structural tests were done

on the aft skirt. During this test program, an

anomaly occurred in a critical weld between the

hold‐down post and skin of the skirt. A redes‐

ign was implemented to add reinforcement

brackets and fittings in the aft ring of the skirt.

These two modifications added about

450 pounds to the weight of each SRB.

The propellant mixture in each SRB motor con‐

sists of an ammonium perchlorate (oxidizer,

69.6 percent by weight), aluminum (fuel,

16 percent), iron oxide (a catalyst, 0.4 percent), a

polymer (a binder that holds the mixture to‐

gether, 12.04 percent), and an epoxy curing

agent (1.96 percent). The propellant is an

11‐point star‐shaped perforation in the forward

motor segment and a double‐truncated‐cone

perforation in each of the aft segments and aft

closure. This configuration provides high thrust

at ignition and then reduces the thrust by about

a third 50 seconds after liftoff to prevent over‐

stressing the vehicle during maximum dynamic

pressure.

The SRBs are used as matched pairs and each is

made up of four solid rocket motor segments.

The pairs are matched by loading each of the

four motor segments in pairs from the same

batches of propellant ingredients to minimize

any thrust imbalance. The segmented‐casing

design assures maximum flexibility in fabrica‐

tion and ease of transportation and handling.

Each segment is shipped to the launch site on a

heavy‐duty rail car with a specially built cover.

The nozzle expansion ratio of each booster be‐

ginning with the STS‐8 mission is 7‐to‐79. The

nozzle is gimbaled for thrust vector (direction)

control. Each SRB has its own redundant auxil‐

iary power units and hydraulic pumps. The all‐

axis gimbaling capability is 8 degrees. Each

nozzle has a carbon cloth liner that erodes and

chars during firing. The nozzle is a convergent‐

divergent, movable design in which an aft

pivot‐point flexible bearing is the gimbal

mechanism.

The cone‐shaped aft skirt reacts the aft loads

between the SRB and the mobile launcher plat‐

form. The four aft separation motors are

mounted on the skirt. The aft section contains

avionics, a thrust vector control system that

consists of two auxiliary power units and hy‐

draulic pumps, hydraulic systems and a nozzle

extension jettison system.
84 SHUTTLE REFERENCE DATA JULY 2007

The forward section of each booster contains

avionics, a sequencer, forward separation mo‐

tors, a nose cone separation system, drogue and

main parachutes, a recovery beacon, a recovery

light, a parachute camera on selected flights

and a range safety system.

Each SRB has two integrated electronic assem‐

blies, one forward and one aft. After burnout,

the forward assembly initiates the release of the

nose cap and frustum, a transition piece be‐

tween the nose cone and solid rocket motor,

and turns on the recovery aids. The aft assem‐

bly, mounted in the external tank/SRB attach

ring, connects with the forward assembly and

the orbiter avionics systems for SRB ignition

commands and nozzle thrust vector control.

Each integrated electronic assembly has a mul‐

tiplexer/demultiplexer, which sends or receives

more than one message, signal or unit of infor‐

mation on a single communication channel.

Eight booster separation motors (four in the

nose frustum and four in the aft skirt) of each

SRB thrust for 1.02 seconds at SRB separation

from the external tank. Each solid rocket sepa‐

ration motor is 31.1 inches long and 12.8 inches

in diameter.

Location aids are provided for each SRB, frus‐

tum/drogue chutes and main parachutes. These

include a transmitter, antenna,

strobe/converter, battery and salt‐water switch

electronics. The location aids are designed for a

minimum operating life of 72 hours and when

refurbished are considered usable up to

20 times. The flashing light is an exception. It

has an operating life of 280 hours. The battery is

used only once.

The SRB nose caps and nozzle extensions are

not recovered.

The recovery crew retrieves the SRBs, frus‐

tum/drogue chutes, and main parachutes. The

nozzles are plugged, the solid rocket motors are

dewatered, and the SRBs are towed back to the

launch site. Each booster is removed from the

water, and its components are disassembled

and washed with fresh and deionized water to

limit salt‐water corrosion. The motor segments,

igniter and nozzle are shipped back to ATK

Thiokol for refurbishment.

Each SRB incorporates a range safety system

that includes a battery power source, re‐

ceiver/decoder, antennas and ordnance.

Hold-Down Posts 

Each solid rocket booster has four hold‐down

posts that fit into corresponding support posts

on the mobile launcher platform. Hold‐down

bolts hold the SRB and launcher platform posts

together. Each bolt has a nut at each end, but

only the top nut is frangible. The top nut con‐

tains two NASA standard detonators (NSDs),

which are ignited at solid rocket motor ignition

commands.

When the two NSDs are ignited at each hold‐

down, the hold‐down bolt travels downward

because of the release of tension in the bolt (pre‐

tensioned before launch), NSD gas pressure

and gravity. The bolt is stopped by the stud de‐

celeration stand, which contains sand. The SRB

bolt is 28 inches long and 3.5 inches in diame‐

ter. The frangible nut is captured in a blast con‐

tainer.

The solid rocket motor ignition commands are

issued by the orbiter’s computers through the

master events controllers to the hold‐down py‐

rotechnic initiator controllers on the mobile

launcher platform. They provide the ignition to

the hold‐down NSDs. The launch processing

system monitors the SRB hold‐down PICs for
JULY 2007 SHUTTLE REFERENCE DATA 85

low voltage during the last 16 seconds before

launch. PIC low voltage will initiate a launch

hold.

SRB Ignition 

SRB ignition can occur only when a manual

lock pin from each SRB safe and arm device has

been removed. The ground crew removes the

pin during prelaunch activities. At T minus five

minutes, the SRB safe and arm device is rotated

to the arm position. The solid rocket motor igni‐

tion commands are issued when the three

SSMEs are at or above 90 percent rated thrust,

no SSME fail and/or SRB ignition PIC low volt‐

age is indicated and there are no holds from the

LPS.

The solid rocket motor ignition commands are

sent by the orbiter computers through the

MECs to the safe and arm device NSDs in each

SRB. A PIC single‐channel capacitor discharge

device controls the firing of each pyrotechnic

device. Three signals must be present simulta‐

neously for the PIC to generate the pyro firing

output. These signals — arm, fire 1 and fire 2 —

originate in the orbiter general‐purpose com‐

puters and are transmitted to the MECs. The

MECs reformat them to 28‐volt dc signals for

the PICs. The arm signal charges the PIC ca‐

pacitor to 40 volts dc (minimum of 20 volts dc).

The fire 2 commands cause the redundant

NSDs to fire through a thin barrier seal down a

flame tunnel. This ignites a pyro booster

charge, which is retained in the safe and arm

device behind a perforated plate. The booster

charge ignites the propellant in the igniter ini‐

tiator; and combustion products of this propel‐

lant ignite the solid rocket motor initiator,

which fires down the length of the solid rocket

motor igniting the solid rocket motor propel‐

lant.

The GPC launch sequence also controls certain

critical main propulsion system valves and

monitors the engine‐ready indications from the

SSMEs. The MPS start commands are issued by

the on‐board computers at T minus 6.6 seconds

(staggered start — engine three, engine two,

engine one — all about within 0.25 of a second),

and the sequence monitors the thrust buildup

of each engine. All three SSMEs must reach the

required 90 percent thrust within three seconds;

otherwise, an orderly shutdown is commanded

and safing functions are initiated.

Normal thrust buildup to the required 90 per‐

cent thrust level will result in the SSMEs being

commanded to the liftoff position at T minus

three seconds as well as the fire 1 command be‐

ing issued to arm the SRBs. At T minus three

seconds, the vehicle base bending load modes

are allowed to initialize (movement of

25.5 inches measured at the tip of the external

tank, with movement towards the external

tank).

At T minus zero, the two SRBs are ignited un‐

der command of the four on‐board computers;

separation of the four explosive bolts on each

SRB is initiated (each bolt is 28 inches long and

3.5 inches in diameter); the two T‐0 umbilicals

(one on each side of the spacecraft) are re‐

tracted; the on‐board master timing unit, event

timer and mission event timers are started; the

three SSMEs are at 100 percent; and the ground

launch sequence is terminated.

The solid rocket motor thrust profile is tailored

to reduce thrust during the maximum dynamic

pressure region.

Electrical Power Distribution 

Electrical power distribution in each SRB con‐

sists of orbiter‐supplied main dc bus power to

each SRB via SRB buses A, B and C. Orbiter
86 SHUTTLE REFERENCE DATA JULY 2007

main dc buses A, B and C supply main dc bus

power to corresponding SRB buses A, B and C.

In addition, orbiter main dc bus C supplies

backup power to SRB buses A and B, and or‐

biter bus B supplies backup power to SRB bus

C. This electrical power distribution arrange‐

ment allows all SRB buses to remain powered

in the event one orbiter main bus fails.

The nominal dc voltage is 28 volts dc, with an

upper limit of 32 volts dc and a lower limit of

24 volts dc.

Hydraulic Power Units 

There are two self‐contained, independent

HPUs on each SRB. Each HPU consists of an

auxiliary power unit, fuel supply module, hy‐

draulic pump, hydraulic reservoir and hydrau‐

lic fluid manifold assembly. The APUs are fu‐

eled by hydrazine and generate mechanical

shaft power to a hydraulic pump that produces

hydraulic pressure for the SRB hydraulic sys‐

tem. The two separate HPUs and two hydraulic

systems are located on the aft end of each SRB

between the SRB nozzle and aft skirt. The HPU

components are mounted on the aft skirt be‐

tween the rock and tilt actuators. The two sys‐

tems operate from T minus 28 seconds until

SRB separation from the orbiter and external

tank. The two independent hydraulic systems

are connected to the rock and tilt servoactuators.

The APU controller electronics are located in

the SRB aft integrated electronic assemblies on

the aft external tank attach rings.

The APUs and their fuel systems are isolated

from each other. Each fuel supply module

(tank) contains 22 pounds of hydrazine. The

fuel tank is pressurized with gaseous nitrogen

at 400 psi, which provides the force to expel

(positive expulsion) the fuel from the tank to

the fuel distribution line, maintaining a positive

fuel supply to the APU throughout its opera‐

tion.

The fuel isolation valve is opened at APU

startup to allow fuel to flow to the APU fuel

pump and control valves and then to the gas

generator. The gas generatorʹs catalytic action

decomposes the fuel and creates a hot gas. It

feeds the hot gas exhaust product to the APU

two‐stage gas turbine. Fuel flows primarily

through the startup bypass line until the APU

speed is such that the fuel pump outlet pressure

is greater than the bypass lineʹs. Then all the

fuel is supplied to the fuel pump.

The APU turbine assembly provides mechani‐

cal power to the APU gearbox. The gearbox

drives the APU fuel pump, hydraulic pump

and lube oil pump. The APU lube oil pump lu‐

bricates the gearbox. The turbine exhaust of

each APU flows over the exterior of the gas

generator, cooling it, and is then directed over‐

board through an exhaust duct.

When the APU speed reaches 100 percent, the

APU primary control valve closes, and the APU

speed is controlled by the APU controller elec‐

tronics. If the primary control valve logic fails

to the open state, the secondary control valve

assumes control of the APU at 112 percent

speed. Each HPU on an SRB is connected to

both servoactuators on that SRB. One HPU

serves as the primary hydraulic source for the

servoactuator, and the other HPU serves as the

secondary hydraulics for the servoactuator.

Each servoactuator has a switching valve that

allows the secondary hydraulics to power the

actuator if the primary hydraulic pressure

drops below 2,050 psi. A switch contact on the

switching valve will close when the valve is in

the secondary position. When the valve is

closed, a signal is sent to the APU controller

that inhibits the 100 percent APU speed control
JULY 2007 SHUTTLE REFERENCE DATA 87

logic and enables the 112 percent APU speed

control logic. The 100 percent APU speed en‐

ables one APU/HPU to supply sufficient oper‐

ating hydraulic pressure to both servoactuators

of that SRB.

The APU 100 percent speed corresponds to

72,000 rpm, 110 percent to 79,200 rpm, and

112 percent to 80,640 rpm.

The hydraulic pump speed is 3,600 rpm and

supplies hydraulic pressure of 3,050, plus or

minus 50, psi. A high‐pressure relief valve pro‐

vides overpressure protection to the hydraulic

system and relieves at 3,750 psi.

The APUs/HPUs and hydraulic systems are re‐

usable for 20 missions.

Thrust Vector Control 

Each SRB has two hydraulic gimbal servoactua‐

tors: one for rock and one for tilt. The servoac‐

tuators provide the force and control to gimbal

the nozzle for thrust vector control.

The space shuttle ascent thrust vector control

portion of the flight control system directs the

thrust of the three shuttle main engines and the

two SRB nozzles to control shuttle attitude and

trajectory during liftoff and ascent. Commands

from the guidance system are transmitted to the

ATVC drivers, which transmit signals propor‐

tional to the commands to each servoactuator of

the main engines and SRBs. Four independent

flight control system channels and four ATVC

channels control six main engine and four SRB

ATVC drivers, with each driver controlling one

hydraulic port on each main and SRB servoac‐

tuator.

Each SRB servoactuator consists of four inde‐

pendent, two‐stage servovalves that receive

signals from the drivers. Each servovalve con‐

trols one power spool in each actuator, which

positions an actuator ram and the nozzle to

control the direction of thrust.

The four servovalves in each actuator provide a

force‐summed majority voting arrangement to

position the power spool. With four identical

commands to the four servovalves, the actuator

force‐sum action prevents a single erroneous

command from affecting power ram motion. If

the erroneous command persists for more than a

predetermined time, differential pressure sens‐

ing activates a selector valve to isolate and re‐

move the defective servovalve hydraulic pres‐

sure, permitting the remaining channels and ser‐

vovalves to control the actuator ram spool.

Failure monitors are provided for each channel

to indicate which channel has been bypassed. An

isolation valve on each channel provides the ca‐

pability of resetting a failed or bypassed channel.

Each actuator ram is equipped with transducers

for position feedback to the thrust vector con‐

trol system. Within each servoactuator ram is a

splashdown load relief assembly to cushion the

nozzle at water splashdown and prevent dam‐

age to the nozzle flexible bearing.

SRB Rate Gyro Assemblies 

Each SRB contains two RGAs, with each RGA

containing one pitch and one yaw gyro. These

provide an output proportional to angular rates

about the pitch and yaw axes to the orbiter com‐

puters and guidance, navigation and control sys‐

tem during first‐stage ascent flight in conjunc‐

tion with the orbiter roll rate gyros until SRB

separation. At SRB separation, a switchover is

made from the SRB RGAs to the orbiter RGAs.

The SRB RGA rates pass through the orbiter

flight aft multiplexers/demultiplexers to the or‐

biter GPCs. The RGA rates are then mid‐value‐ 

selected in redundancy management to provide
88 SHUTTLE REFERENCE DATA JULY 2007

SRB pitch and yaw rates to the user software.

The RGAs are designed for 20 missions.

SRB Separation 

SRB separation is initiated when the three solid

rocket motor chamber pressure transducers are

processed in the redundancy management

middle value select and the head‐end chamber

pressure of both SRBs is less than or equal to

50 psi. A backup cue is the time elapsed from

booster ignition.

The separation sequence is initiated, command‐

ing the thrust vector control actuators to the

null position and putting the main propulsion

system into a second‐stage configuration

(0.8 second from sequence initialization), which

ensures the thrust of each SRB is less than

100,000 pounds. Orbiter yaw attitude is held for

four seconds, and SRB thrust drops to less than

60,000 pounds.

The SRBs separate from the external tank

within 30 milliseconds of the ordnance firing

command.

The forward attachment point consists of a ball

(SRB) and socket (ET) held together by one bolt.

The bolt contains one NSD pressure cartridge at

each end. The forward attachment point also

carries the range safety system cross‐strap wir‐

ing connecting each SRB RSS and the ET RSS

with each other.

The aft attachment points consist of three sepa‐

rate struts: upper, diagonal and lower. Each

strut contains one bolt with an NSD pressure

cartridge at each end. The upper strut also car‐

ries the umbilical interface between its SRB and

the external tank and on to the orbiter.

There are four booster separation motors on

each end of each SRB. The BSMs separate the

SRBs from the external tank. The solid rocket

motors in each cluster of four are ignited by fir‐

ing redundant NSD pressure cartridges into

redundant confined detonating fuse manifolds.

The separation commands issued from the or‐

biter by the SRB separation sequence initiate the

redundant NSD pressure cartridge in each bolt

and ignite the BSMs to effect a clean separation.

SPACE SHUTTLE SUPER LIGHT WEIGHT 

TANK (SLWT) 

The super lightweight external tank (SLWT)

made its first shuttle flight June 2, 1998, on mis‐

sion STS‐91. The SLWT is 7,500 pounds lighter

than the standard external tank. The lighter

weight tank allows the shuttle to deliver Inter‐

national Space Station elements (such as the

service module) into the proper orbit.

The SLWT is the same size as the previous de‐

sign. But the liquid hydrogen tank and the liq‐

uid oxygen tank are made of aluminum lith‐

ium, a lighter, stronger material than the metal

alloy used for the shuttleʹs current tank. The

tankʹs structural design has also been im‐

proved, making it 30 percent stronger and

5 percent less dense.

The SLWT, like the standard tank, is manufac‐

tured at Michoud Assembly, near New Orleans,

by Lockheed Martin.

The 154‐foot‐long external tank is the largest

single component of the space shuttle. It stands

taller than a 15‐story building and has a diame‐

ter of about 27 feet. The external tank holds

over 530,000 gallons of liquid hydrogen and

liquid oxygen in two separate tanks. The hy‐

drogen (fuel) and liquid oxygen (oxidizer) are

used as propellants for the shuttleʹs three main

engines.
JULY 2007 LAUNCH & LANDING 89

LAUNCH AND LANDING 

LAUNCH 

As with all previous space shuttle launches,

Endeavour has several options to abort its as‐

cent if needed due to engine failures or other

systems problems. Shuttle launch abort phi‐

losophy aims toward safe recovery of the flight

crew and intact recovery of the orbiter and its

payload.

Abort modes include:

ABORT-TO-ORBIT (ATO) 

This mode is used if there’s a partial loss of

main engine thrust late enough to permit reach‐

ing a minimal 105 by 85 nautical mile orbit with

the orbital maneuvering system engines. The

engines boost the shuttle to a safe orbital alti‐

tude when it is impossible to reach the planned

orbital altitude.

TRANSATLANTIC ABORT LANDING 

(TAL) 

The loss of one or more main engines midway

through powered flight would force a landing

at either Zaragoza, Spain; Moron, Spain; or Is‐

tres, France. For launch to proceed, weather

conditions must be acceptable at one of these

TAL sites.

RETURN-TO-LAUNCH-SITE (RTLS) 

If one or more engines shuts down early and if

there’s not enough energy to reach Zaragoza,

the shuttle would pitch around toward KSC

until within gliding distance of the Shuttle

Landing Facility. For launch to proceed,

weather conditions must be forecast to be ac‐

ceptable for a possible RTLS landing at KSC

about 20 minutes after liftoff.

ABORT ONCE AROUND (AOA) 

An AOA is selected if the vehicle cannot

achieve a viable orbit or will not have enough

propellant to perform a deorbit burn, but has

enough energy to circle the Earth once and land

about 90 minutes after liftoff.

LANDING 

The primary landing site for Endeavour on

STS‐118 is the Kennedy Space Center’s Shuttle

Landing Facility. Alternate landing sites that

could be used if needed due to weather condi‐

tions or systems failures are at Edwards Air

Force Base, Calif., and White Sands Space Har‐

bor, N.M.
90 LAUNCH & LANDING JULY 2007

This page intentionally left blank.
JULY 2007 ACRONYMS/ABBREVIATIONS 91

ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS 

AA Antenna Assembly

AAA Avionics Air Assembly

ABC Audio Bus Coupler

AC Assembly Complete

ACBM Active Common Berthing Mechanism

ACO Assembly and Checkout Officer

ACS Atmosphere Control and Supply

ACSM Attitude Control System Moding

ACU Arm Computer Unit

ADO Adaptation Data Overlay

ADSEP Advanced Separation

ADVASC Advanced Astroculture

ADVASC‐GC Advanced Astroculture–Growth Chamber

AEA Antenna Electronics Assembly

AFD Aft Flight Deck

AJIS Alpha Joint Interface Structure

AKA Active Keel Assembly

APAS Androgynous Peripheral Attachment System

APCU Assembly Power Converter Unit

APDS Androgynous Peripheral Docking System

APFR Articulating Portable Foot Restraint

APM Attached Pressurized Module

APPCM Arm Pitch Plane Change Mode

APS Automated Payload Switch

AR Atmosphere Revitalization

ARCU American‐to‐Russian Converter Unit

ARIS Active Rack Isolation System

ARS Air Revitalization System

ASCR Assured Safe Crew Return

ATA Ammonia Tank Assembly

ATCS Active Thermal Control System

ATU Audio Terminal Unit

AUAI Assemble Contingency System/UHF Audio Interface

AVU Artificial Vision Unit

AVV Accumulator Vent Valve

BA Bearing Assembly

BBC Bus Bolt Controller

BC Bus Controller
92 ACRONYMS/ABBREVIATIONS JULY 2007

BCDU Battery Charge/Discharge Unit

BCU Backup Controller Unit

BDU Backup Drive Unit

BG Beta Gimbal

BGA Beta Gimbal Assembly

BGDTS Beta Gimbal Deployment Transition Structure

BGHS Beta Gimbal Housing Subassembly

BIT Built‐In Test

BITE Built‐In Test Equipment

BMRRM Bearing Motor and Roll Ring Module

BONEMAC Bone Marrow Macrophages in Space

BPSMU Battery Powered Speaker Microphone Unit

BRS Bottom Right Side

BSP Baseband Signal Processor

BTS Bolt Tight Switch

C&C Command and Control

C&DH Command and Data Handling

C&M Control and Monitor

C&T Communication and Tracking

C&W Caution and Warning

C/A‐code Coarse/Acquisition‐code

C/L Crew Lock

CA Control Attitude

CAS Common Attach System

CBM Common Berthing Mechanism

CBOSS Cellular Biotechnology Operating Science System

CCAA Common Cabin Air Assembly

CCASE Commercial Cassette Experiment

CCD Cursor Control Device

CCMS Concentric Cable Management System

CCS Communication and Control System

CCTV Closed‐Circuit Television

CDDT Common Display Development Team

CDRA Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly

CDS Command and Data Software

CETA Crew and Equipment Translation Aid

CEU Control Electronics Unit

CFA Circular Fan Assembly

CGBA Commercial Generic Bioprocessing Apparatus

CHeCS Crew Health Care System

CHX Condensing Heat Exchanger
JULY 2007 ACRONYMS/ABBREVIATIONS 93

CID Circuit Interrupt Device

CIOB Cargo Integration and Operations Branch

CLA Camera and Light Assembly

CLPA Camera Light and Pan/Tilt Assembly

CMG Control Moment Gyroscope

CMG‐TA Control Moment Gyroscope‐Thruster Assist

CO2 Carbon Dioxide

COAS Crew Optical Alignment Sight

COR Communication Outage Recorder

COTS Commercial‐Off‐The‐Shelf

CP Cold Plate

CPCG‐H Commercial Protein Crystal Growth‐High

CR Change Request

CRES Corrosion Resistant Steel

CRIM Commercial Refrigerator Incubator Module

CRIM‐M Commercial Refrigerator Incubator Module‐Modified

CRPCM Canadian Remote Power Controller Module

CSA Computer Systems Architecture

CSA‐CP Compound Specific Analyzer‐Combustion Products

CSCI Computer Software Configuration Item

CSM Cargo Systems Manual

CSS Crew Support Station

CTB Cargo Transfer Bag

CVIU Common Video Interface Unit

CVT Current Value Table

CVV Carbon Dioxide Vent Valve

CWC Contingency Water Collection

DAA Docked Air‐to‐Air

DAG1 Docked A/G 1

DAIU Docked Audio Interface Unit

DAP Digital Autopilot

DC Docking Compartment

dc      direct current

DCP Display and Control Panel

DCSU Direct Current Switching Unit

DDCU DC‐to‐DC Converter Unit

DDCU‐CP DC‐to‐DC Converter Unit‐Cold Plate

DDCU‐E External DDCU

DDCU‐HP DC‐to‐DC Converter Unit‐Heat Pipe

DDCU‐I Internal DDCU

DFL Data Format Load
94 ACRONYMS/ABBREVIATIONS JULY 2007

DLA Drive Locking Assembly

DMCU Docking Mechanism Control Unit

DMS‐R Data Management System‐Russian

dp/dt delta pressure/delta time

DPA Digital Preassembly

DPS Data Processing System

DTO Development Test Objective

DTV Digital Television

E/L Equipment Lock

E‐Stop Emergency Stop

EACP EMU Audio Control Panel

EAIU EMU Audio Interface Unit

EAS Early Ammonia Servicer

EATCS External Active Thermal Control Subsystem

ECLSS Environmental Control and Life Support System

ECU Electronics Control Unit

ED Engagement Drive

EDDA External Maneuvering Unit Don/Doff Assembly

EE End Effector

EEATCS Early External Active Thermal Control System

EET Experiment Elapsed Time

EETCS Early External Thermal Control System

EFGF Electrical Flight‐releasable Grapple Fixture

EGIL Electrical Generation and Integrated Lighting Systems Engineer

EIA Electrical Interface Assembly

EMPEV Emergency Manual Pressure Equalization Value

EMU Extravehicular Mobility Unit

EOA EVA Ohmmeter Assembly

EPCE Electrical Power Consuming Equipment

EPG Electrical Power Generator

EPS Electrical Power System

ER Edge Router

ESA External Sampling Adapter

ESP External Stowage Platform

ESSMDM Enhanced Space Station Multiplexer/Demultiplexer

ESU End Stop Unit

ETCS External Thermal Control System

ETI Elapsed Time Indicator

ETRS EVA Temporary Rail Stop

ETSD EVA Tool Storage Device

ETVCG External Television Cameras Group
JULY 2007 ACRONYMS/ABBREVIATIONS 95

EUE Experiment Unique Equipment

EV Extravehicular

EV‐CPDS Extravehicular‐Charged Particle Directional Spectrometer

EVA Extravehicular Activity

EVR Extravehicular Robotics

EVSU External Video Switching Unit

EXPRESS EXpedite the PRocessing of Experiments to the Space Station

EXT Experimental Terminal

EWIS External Wireless Instrumentation System

FAWG Flight Assignment Working Group

FC Firmware Controller

FCC Flat Controller Circuit

FCT Flight Control Team

FCV Flow Control Valve

FD Flight Day

FDA Fault Detection Annunciation

FDIR Failure, Detection, Isolation and Recovery

FDS Fire Detection and Suppression

FET Field Effect Transistor

FGB Functional Cargo Block

FHRC Flex Hose Rotary Coupler

FI Fault Isolator

FPU Fluid Pumping Unit

FQDC Fluid Quick Disconnect Coupling

FRD Flight Requirements Document

FRGF Flight Releasable Grapple Fixture

FSE Flight Support Equipment

FSS Fluid System Servicer

FWCI Firmware Configuration Item

GAS Get Away Special

GC Growth Cell

GCA Growth Cell Assembly

GFE Government‐Furnished Equipment

GFI Ground Fault Interrupter

GJOP Generic Joint Operations Panel

GLONASS GLObal Navigational Satellite System

GN&C Guidance, Navigation and Control

GNC Guidance Navigation Computer

GPC General Purpose Computer

GPRV Gas Pressure regulating Valve
96 ACRONYMS/ABBREVIATIONS JULY 2007

GPS Global Positioning System

GUI Graphical User Interface

H2 Hydrogen

HAB Habitat Module

HC Hand Controller

HCA Hollow Cathode Assembly

HCOR High‐Rate Communication Outage Recorder

HDR High Data Rate

HDRL High Date Rate Link

HEPA High Efficiency Particulate Air

HGA High Gain Antenna

HHL Handheld Lidar

HP Heat Pipe

HPGT High Pressure Gas Tank

HRF Human Research Facility

HRF‐PUF‐DK Human Research Facility Puff Data Kit

HRF‐Res Human Research Facility Resupply

HRFM High Rate Frame Multiplexer

HRM High Rate Modem

HRS Hand Reaction Switch

I/F Interface

I/O Input/Output

IAC Internal Audio Controller

IAS Internal Audio Subsystem

IATCS Internal Active Thermal Control System

ICC Integrated Cargo Carrier

ICOM Intercom

IDA Integrated Diode Assembly

IDRD Increment Definition Requirements Document

IEA Integrated Equipment Assembly

IFHX Interface Heat Exchanger

IFI Item for Investigation

IFM In‐flight Maintenance

IMCA Integrated Motor Control Assembly

IMCS Integrated Mission Control System

IMU Impedance Matching Unit

IMV Intermodule Ventilation  

INCO   Instrumentation and Communication Officer

INSTM Instrumentation

INT Internal

INTSYS Internal Systems
JULY 2007 ACRONYMS/ABBREVIATIONS 97

IOC Input/Output Controller

IOCU Input/Output Controller Unit

IP International Partner

IRU In‐Flight Refill Unit

ISA Internal Sampling Adapter

ISIS International Space Station Interface Standard

ISL Integrated Station LAN

ISO Inventory and Stowage Officer

ISPR International Standard Payload Rack

ISS International Space Station

ISSPO International Space Station Program Office

ISSSH International Space Station Systems Handbook

IT Integrated Truss

ITCS Internal Thermal Control System

ITS Integrated Truss Segment

IUA Interface Umbilical Assembly

IV Intravehicular  

IVA Intravehicular Activity

IVSU Internal Video Switch Unit

IWIS Internal Wireless Instrumentation System

JAXA Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency

JEM Japanese Experiment Module

JEU Joint Electronic Unit

KSC Kennedy Space Center

kW Kilowatt

LA Launch Aft

Lab Laboratory  

LAN Local Area Network

LB Local Bus

LB‐RWS RWS Local Bus

LCA Lab Cradle Assembly

LCC Launch Commit Criteria

LCD Liquid Crystal Display

LDI Local Data Interface

LDR Low Data Rate

LDU Linear Drive Unit

LED Light‐Emitting Diode

LEE Latching End Effector

LEU LEE Electronic Unit

LFDP Load Fault Detection Protection
98 ACRONYMS/ABBREVIATIONS JULY 2007

LGA Low Gain Antenna

LLA Low Level Analog

LMC Lightweight Multipurpose Carrier

LON Launch On Need

LT Low Temperature

LTA Launch to Activation

LTL Low Temperature Loop

LTU Load Transfer Unit

LVLH Local Vertical Local Horizontal

MA Mechanical Assembly

MAM Manual Augmented Role

MBA Motorized Bolt Assembly  

MBE Metal Bellows Expander

MBM Manual Berthing Mechanism

MBS Mobile Remote Service Base System

MBSU Main Bus Switching Unit

MC Midcourse Correction

MCA Major Constituent Analyzer

MCAS MBS Common Attach System

MCC Mission Control Center

MCC‐H Mission Control Center‐Houston

MCC‐M Mission Control Center‐Moscow

MCDS Multifunction CRT Display System

MCS Motion Control System

MCU MBS Computer Unit

MDA Motor Drive Assembly

MDL Middeck Locker

MDM Multiplexer/Demultiplexer

MED OPS Medical Operations

MEPS Microencapsulation Electrostatic Processing System

MEPSI Micro‐Electromechanical System‐based Pico Satellite Inspector

MER Mission Evaluation Room

MET Mission Elapsed Time

METOX Metal Oxide

MFCV Manual Flow Control Valve

MHS MCU Host Software

MIL‐STD Military Standard

MILA Mode Indicating Light Assembly

MIP Mission Integration Plan

MISSE Materials International Space Station Experiment

MLI Multi‐Layer Insulation
JULY 2007 ACRONYMS/ABBREVIATIONS 99

MM/OD Micrometeoroid/Orbital Debris

MMT Mission Management Team

MOD Mission Operations Directorate

MPEV Manual Pressure Equalization Valve

MPLM Multipurpose Logistics Module

MPM Manipulator Positioning Mechanism

MRL Manipulator Retention Latch

MRS Mobile Remote Servicer

MRSBS Mobile Remote Servicer Base System

MSD Mass Storage Device

MSFC Marshall Space Flight Center

MSG Microgravity Science Glovebox

MSS Mobile Servicing System

MT Mobile Transporter

MTCL Mobile Transporter Capture Latch

MTL Moderate Temperature Loop

MTS Module‐to‐Truss Segment

MTSAS Module‐to‐Truss Segment Attachment System

MTWsN Move to Worksite Number

N

2 Nitrogen

N. mi. Nautical mile

NASA   National Aeronautics and Space Administration

NCC Nominal Corrective Combination burn

NCG Non Condensable Gas

NCS Node Control Software

NCU Network Control Unit

NET No Earlier Than

NIA Nitrogen Interface Assembly

NiH

2 Nickel Hydrogen

NIV Nitrogen Introduction Valve

NSI NASA Standard Initiator

NSTS National Space Transportation System

NTA Nitrogen Tank Assembly O2 Oxygen

OCA Orbital Communications Adapter

OCAD Operational Control Agreement Document

OCJM Operator‐Commanded Joint Position Mode

OCPM Operator‐Commanded POR Mode

OCS Operations and Control Software

ODIN Orbital Design Integration System

ODS Orbiter Docking System
100 ACRONYMS/ABBREVIATIONS JULY 2007

OI Operational Increment

OIU Orbiter Interface Unit

OIV Oxygen Isolation Valve

OMI On‐Orbit Maintainable Item

OMS Orbital Maneuvering System

OPCGA Observable Protein Crystal Growth Apparatus

OPP OSVS Patch Panel

Ops Operations

OPS LAN Operations Local Area Network

ORBT Optimized RBar Targeting Technique

ORCA Oxygen Recharge Compressor Assembly

ORU Orbital Replacement Unit

OSE Orbiter Support Equipment

OSO Operations Support Officer

OSVS Orbiter Space Vision System

OTD ORU Transfer Device

OV Orbiter Vehicle

P&S Pointing and Support

P‐Code Precision Code

P/L Payload

P/TV Photo/Television  

P3/P4 Port 3/Port 4

PAS Payload Attach System

PBA Portable Breathing Apparatus

PC Personal Computer

PCA Pressure Control Assembly

PCAM Protein Crystallization Apparatus for Microgravity

PCBM Passive Common Berthing Mechanism

PCC Power Converter Controller

PCG‐STES Protein Crystal Growth‐Single Thermal Enclosure System

PCMCIA Personal Computer Memory Card International Adapter

PCP Pressure Control Panel

PCR Portable Computer Receptacle  

PCS Portable Computer System

PCT Post‐Contact Thrusting

PCU Plasma Connector Unit

PCVP Pump and Control Valve Package

PDGF Power and Data Grapple Fixture

PDI Payload Data Interface

PDIP Payload Data Interface Panel

PDRS Payload Deployment and Retrieval System
JULY 2007 ACRONYMS/ABBREVIATIONS 101

PDTA Power Data Transfer Assembly

PDU Power Drive Unit

PEHG Payload Ethernet Hub Gateway

PF Payload Forward  

PFCS Pump Flow Control Subassembly

PFE Portable Fire Extinguisher

PFMC Pump/Fan Motor Controller

PFR Portable Foot Restraint  

PGBA‐S Plant Generic Bioprocessing Apparatus‐Stowage

PGSC Portable General Support Computer

PGT Pistol Grip Tool

PHALCON Power, Heating, Articulation, Lighting, and Control Officer

PJPAM Pre‐stored Joint Position Autosequence Mode

PLB Payload Bay

PM Pump Module

PMA Pressurized Mating Adapter

PMCU Power Management Control Unit

PMDIS Perceptual Motor Deficits In Space

PMP Payload Mounting Panel

POA Payload/ORU Accommodation

POC Portable Onboard Computer  

POR Point of Reference

POST Power ON Self‐Test

PP Planning Period

PPA Pump Package Assembly

PPAM Pre‐stored POR Autosequence Mode

ppO2 partial pressure of oxygen

PPRV Positive Pressure Relief Valve

PPT Precipitate  

PRD Payload Retention Device

PRLA Payload Retention Latch Assembly

Prox‐Ops Proximity Operations

PSN Power Source Node

PSP Payload Signal Processor  

PTB Payload Training Buffer

PTCS Passive Thermal Control System

PTR Port Thermal Radiator

PTU Pan/Tilt Unit

PV Photovoltaic

PVCA Photovoltaic Controller Application

PVCE Photovoltaic Controller Element

PVCU Photovoltaic Controller Unit
102 ACRONYMS/ABBREVIATIONS JULY 2007

PVM Photovoltaic Module

PVR Photovoltaic Radiator

PVRGF Photovoltaic Radiator Grapple Fixture

PVTCS Photovoltaic Thermal Control System

PWP Portable Work Platform

PWR Portable Water Reservoir

PYR Pitch Yaw Roll

QD Quick Disconnect

R/F Refrigerator/Freezer

R&R Removal and Replacement

RACU Russian‐to‐American Converter Unit

RAIU Russian Audio Interface Unit

RAM Random Access Memory

RAMV Rheostat Air Mix Valve

RB Radiator Beam

RBB Right Blanket Box

RBI Remote Bus Isolator

RBVM Radiator Beam Valve  

RCC Reinforced Carbon‐Carbon

RCS Reaction Control System

RDA Retainer Door Assembly

RF Radio Frequency

RFCA Rack Flow Control Assembly

RFG Radio Frequency Group

RGA Rate Gyro Assemblies

RHC Rotational Hand Controller

RHX Regenerative Heat Exchanger

RIC Rack Interface Controller

RJMC Rotary Joint Motor Controller

RMS Remote Manipulator System

ROBO Robotics Operations Support Officer  

ROS Russian Orbital Segment

RP Receiver/Processor  

RPC Remote Power Controller

RPCM Remote Power Controller Module

RPDA Remote Power Distribution Assembly

RPM Rbar Pitch Maneuver

RPOP Rendezvous and Proximity Operations Program

RS Russian Segment

RSC RMS Sideview Camera

RSP Resupply Stowage Platform
JULY 2007 ACRONYMS/ABBREVIATIONS 103

RSR Resupply Stowage Rack

RSTS Rack Standalone Temperature Sensor

RSU Roller Suspension Unit

Remote Sensing Unit

RT Remote Terminal

RT‐Box Reaction Time Box

RTAS Rocketdyne Truss Attachment System

RTD Resistive Thermal Device

RTL Ready to Latch

RWS Robotic Workstation

S Starboard

S&M Structures and Mechanisms

S3/S4 Starboard 3/Starboard 4

SA Solar Array

SABB Solar Array Blanket Box

SAGE Space Arabidoposis Genomics Experiment

SARJ Solar Alpha Rotary Joint

SARJ_C SARJ Controller

SARJ_M SARJ Manager

SASA S‐band Antenna Support Assembly

SAW Solar Array Wing

SCA Switchgear Controller Assembly

SCI Signal Conditioning Interface

SCU Service and Cooling Umbilical

SD Smoke Detector

SDO Solenoid Driver Output

SDS Sample Delivery System

SEM Shunt Electronics Module

SEPS Secondary Electrical Power Subsystem

SFCA System Flow Control Assembly

SFU Squib Firing Unit

SGANT Space‐to‐Ground Antenna

SHOSS Spacehab Oceaneering Space System

SHOT Space Hardware Optimization Technology

SIGI Space Integrated Global Positioning System/Inertial Navigation System

SJRM Single Joint Rate Mode

SLDP Spacelab Data Processing

SLP Spacelab Logistics Pallet

SM Service Module

SMCC Shuttle Mission Control Center

SMDP Service Module Debris Panel

SOC State of Charge
104 ACRONYMS/ABBREVIATIONS JULY 2007

SOV Shutoff Valve

SPCE Servicing Performance and Checkout Equipment

SPD Spool Positioning Device

SPDA Secondary Power Distribution Assembly

SPDM Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator

SPG Single‐Point Ground

SRMS Shuttle Remote Manipulator System

SSAS Segment‐to‐Segment Attach System

SSBA Space Station Buffer Amplifier

SSC Station Support Computer

SSMDM Space Station Multiplexer/Demultiplexer

SSOR Space‐to‐Space Orbiter Ratio

SSP Standard Switch Panel

SSPTS Station‐to‐Shuttle Power Transfer System

SSRMS Space Station Remote Manipulator System

SSSH Space Shuttle Systems Handbook

SSSR Space‐to‐Space Station Radio

SSU Sequential Shunt Unit

STCR Starboard Thermal Control Radiator

STES Single Thermal Enclosure System

STR Starboard Thermal Radiator

SVS Space Vision System

TA Thruster Assist

TAA Triaxial Accelerometer Assembly

TAH Tray Actuation Handle

TBA Trundle Bearing Assembly

TC Terminal Computer

TCCS Trace Contaminant Control Subassembly

TCCV Temperature Control and Check Valve

TCS Trajectory Control Sensor

TD Translation Drive

TDRS Tracking and Data Relay Satellite

TDRSS Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System

TEA Torque Equilibrium Attitude

TFR Translation Foot Restraint

THC Temperature and Humidity Control

THOR Thermal Operations and Resources Officer

TI Terminal Phase Initiation

TORF Twice Orbital Rate Flyaround

TORU Teleoperator Control Mode

TORVA Twice Orbital Rate +Rbar to +Vbar Approach
JULY 2007 ACRONYMS/ABBREVIATIONS 105

TPL Transfer Priority List

TRAC Test of Reaction and Adaption Capabilities

TRC Transmitter Receiver Controller

TRRJ Thermal Radiator Rotary Joint

TSP Twisted Shielded Pair

TTCR Trailing Thermal Control Radiator

TUS Trailing Umbilical System

TVIS Treadmill Vibration Isolation System

TWMV Three‐Way Mixing Valve

UB User Bus

UCCAS Unpressurized Cargo Carrier Attach System

UDG User Data Generation

UF Utilization Flight

UHF Ultrahigh Frequency

UIA Umbilical Interface Assembly

ULCAS Unpressurized Logistics Carrier Attach System

UIP Utility Interface Panel

ULF Utilization Logistics Flight  

UMA Umbilical Mechanism Assembly

UOP Utility Outlet Panel

USA United Space Alliance  

USL U.S. Laboratory

USOS United States On‐Orbit Segment

UTA Utility Transfer Assembly

VAJ Vacuum Access Jumper

VBSP   Video Baseband SignalProcessor

VCP Video Camera Port

VCSA Video Camera Support Assembly  

VDS Video Distribution System

VDU Video Distribution Unit

VES Vacuum Exhaust System

VGS Video Graphics Software

VRCV Vent/Relief Control Valve

VRIV Vent/Relief Isolation Valve

VRS VES Resource System

VRV Vent/Relief Valve

VSC Video Signal Converter

VSSA Video Stanchion Support Assembly

W/S Worksite

WETA WVS External Transceiver Assembly
106 ACRONYMS/ABBREVIATIONS JULY 2007

WHS Workstation Host Software

WIF Worksite Interface

WRM Water Recovery Management

WS Water Separator

WVA Water Vent Assembly

XPOP X‐axis Pointing Out of Plane

ZCG‐SS Zeolite Crystal Growth—Sample Stowage

ZSR Zero‐g Stowage Rack
JULY 2007 ACRONYMS/ABBREVIATIONS 107

This page intentionally left blank.
JULY 2007 MEDIA ASSISTANCE 107

MEDIA ASSISTANCE 

NASA TELEVISION TRANSMISSION 

NASA Television is carried on an MPEG‐2 digi‐

tal signal accessed via satellite AMC‐6, at

72 degrees west longitude, transponder 17C,

4040 MHz, vertical polarization. For those in

Alaska or Hawaii, NASA Television will be

seen on AMC‐7, at 137 degrees west longitude,

transponder 18C, at 4060 MHz, horizontal po‐

larization. In both instances, a Digital Video

Broadcast (DVB)‐compliant Integrated Receiver

Decoder (IRD) (with modulation of QPSK/DBV,

data rate of 36.86 and FEC 3⁄4) will be needed for

reception. The NASA Television schedule and

links to streaming video are available at:

http://www.nasa.gov/ntv 

NASA TVʹs digital conversion will require

members of the broadcast media to upgrade

with an  ʹaddressableʹ  Integrated Receiver De‐

coder, or IRD, to participate in live news events

and interviews, press briefings and receive

NASAʹs Video File news feeds on a dedicated

Media Services channel. NASA mission cover‐

age will air on a digital NASA Public Services

(ʺFree to Airʺ) channel, for which only a basic

IRD will be needed. The schedule for television

transmissions from the orbiter and for mission

briefings will be available during the mission at

Kennedy Space Center, Fla.; Marshall Space

Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala.; Dryden Flight

Research Center, Edwards, Calif.; Johnson

Space Center, Houston; and NASA Headquar‐

ters, Washington. The television schedule will

be updated to reflect changes dictated by mis‐

sion operations.

Status Reports 

Status reports on countdown and mission pro‐

gress, on‐orbit activities and landing operations

will be posted at:

http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle 

This site also contains information on the crew

and will be updated regularly with photos and

video clips throughout the flight.

Briefings 

A mission press briefing schedule will be issued

before launch. The updated NASA television

schedule will indicate when mission briefings

are planned.

Internet Information 

Information on safety enhancements made

since the Columbia Accident is available at:

www.nasa.gov/returntoflight/system/index.html 

Information on other current NASA activities is

available at:

http://www.nasa.gov/home 

Resources for educators can be found at the fol‐

lowing address:

http://education.nasa.gov 
108 MEDIA ASSISTANCE JULY 2007

This page intentionally left blank.
JULY 2007 PUBLIC AFFAIRS CONTACTS 109

PUBLIC AFFAIRS CONTACTS 

HEADQUARTERS 

WASHINGTON, DC 

Allard Beutel

Public Affairs Officer

Space Operations

202‐358‐4769

Katherine Trinidad

Public Affairs Officer

Space Operations

202‐358‐3749

John Yembrick

Public Affairs Officer

Space Operations

202‐358‐0602

Michael Braukus

Public Affairs Officer

International Partners

202‐358‐1979

JOHNSON SPACE CENTER 

HOUSTON, TEXAS 

James Hartsfield

News Chief

281‐483‐5111

Kyle Herring

Public Affairs Specialist

Space Shuttle Program Office

281‐483‐5111

Kylie Clem

Public Affairs Specialist

Mission Operations and Flight Crew Operations

281‐483‐5111

Rob Navias

Program and Mission Operations Lead

281‐483‐5111

Lynnette Madison

Public Affairs Specialist

International Space Station and Engineering

281‐483‐5111

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER 

FLORIDA 

George Diller

Public Affairs Specialist

Space Shuttle

321‐867‐2468

Tracy Young

Public Affairs Specialist

International Space Station

321‐867‐2468

MARSHALL SPACE FLIGHT CENTER 

HUNTSVILLE, ALABAMA 

Dom Amatore

Public Affairs Manager

256‐544‐0034

June Malone

Public Affairs Specialist

News Chief/Media Manager

256‐544‐0034

Steve Roy

Public Affairs Specialist

Space Shuttle Propulsion

256‐544‐0034
110 PUBLIC AFFAIRS CONTACTS JULY 2007

STENNIS SPACE CENTER 

MISSISSIPPI 

Linda Theobald

Public Affairs Specialist

228‐688‐3249

Paul Foerman

News Chief

228‐688‐1880

Rebecca Strecker

Public Affairs Specialist

228‐688‐3346

AMES RESEARCH CENTER 

MOFFETT FIELD, CALIFORNIA 

Mike Mewhinney

News Chief

650‐604‐3937

Jonas Dino

Public Affairs Specialist

650‐604‐5612

DRYDEN FLIGHT RESEARCH CENTER 

CALIFORNIA 

Alan Brown

News Chief

661‐276‐2665

Leslie Williams

Public Affairs Specialist

661‐276‐3893

GLENN RESEARCH CENTER 

CLEVELAND, OHIO 

Lori Rachul

News Chief

216‐433‐8806

Katherine Martin

Public Affairs Specialist

216‐433‐2406

LANGLEY RESEARCH CENTER 

HAMPTON, VIRGINIA 

H. Keith Henry

Deputy, Office of Public Affairs

757‐864‐6120

UNITED SPACE ALLIANCE 

Mike Curie

Space Program Operations Contract

Houston Operations

281‐483‐9251

321‐861‐3805

Tracy Yates

Florida Operations

321‐861‐3956

BOEING 

Ed Memi

Media Relations

Boeing NASA Systems

281‐226‐4029