FEBRUARY 2008 CONTENTS i

CONTENTS 

Section Page

STS-122 MISSION OVERVIEW: THE VOYAGE OF COLUMBUS ................................................ 1

TIMELINE OVERVIEW .............................................................................................................. 9

MISSION PROFILE................................................................................................................... 11

MISSION PRIORITIES............................................................................................................. 13

MISSION PERSONNEL ............................................................................................................. 15

STS-122 ATLANTIS CREW ...................................................................................................... 17

PAYLOAD OVERVIEW .............................................................................................................. 27

THE EUROPEAN COLUMBUS LABORATORY ........................................................................................... 27

MOTION CONTROL SUBSYSTEM .......................................................................................................... 44

NITROGEN TANK ASSEMBLY (NTA)...................................................................................................... 45

COLUMBUS CONTROL CENTER, OBERPFAFFENHOFEN, GERMANY .......................................... 47

RENDEZVOUS AND DOCKING .................................................................................................. 51

UNDOCKING, SEPARATION, AND DEPARTURE ...................................................................................... 54

SPACEWALKS ......................................................................................................................... 57

EVA-1 .................................................................................................................................................. 58

EVA-2 .................................................................................................................................................. 60

EVA-3 .................................................................................................................................................. 61

EXPERIMENTS ......................................................................................................................... 63

DETAILED TEST OBJECTIVES ............................................................................................................... 63

SHORT-DURATION RESEARCH ............................................................................................................. 64

EUROPEAN EXPERIMENT PROGRAM ..................................................................................................... 68

SHUTTLE REFERENCE DATA .................................................................................................... 77

LAUNCH AND LANDING ........................................................................................................... 91

LAUNCH............................................................................................................................................... 91

ABORT-TO-ORBIT (ATO)...................................................................................................................... 91
ii CONTENTS FEBRUARY 2008

Section Page

TRANSATLANTIC ABORT LANDING (TAL) ............................................................................................. 9 1

RETURN-TO-LAUNCH-SITE (RTLS)....................................................................................................... 91

ABORT ONCE AROUND (AOA)............................................................................................................... 91

LANDING ............................................................................................................................................. 91

ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS ......................................................................................... 93

MEDIA ASSISTANCE ............................................................................................................... 109

PUBLIC AFFAIRS CONTACTS .................................................................................................. 111
FEBRUARY 2008 MISSION OVERVIEW 1

STS-122 MISSION OVERVIEW: 

THE VOYAGE OF COLUMBUS 

This graphic illustrates Atlantis docked to the International Space Station  

as the Shuttle Robotic Arm grapples the Columbus module.

Scientific research will take on a new look

aboard the International Space Station when the

space shuttle Atlantis launches on the STS‐122

mission.  The mission, also known as assembly

flight 1E, will deliver the newest research

module to the orbiting complex, the European

Space Agency’s Columbus laboratory.

The addition of Columbus will expand the

science capabilities of the space station.  

Columbus will be Europe’s largest contribution

to the construction of the station.  Twenty‐three

feet long and 15 feet in diameter, the module

will house experiments in life sciences,

materials science, fluid physics and other

disciplines.    In addition to the Columbus

module, Atlantis will deliver experiments to be

performed in orbit and two ESA astronauts, one

of whom will remain on the station to do them.
2 MISSION OVERVIEW FEBRUARY 2008

The STS‐122 crew members, attired in training versions of their shuttle launch and entry suits, pose

for a crew photo prior to a training session in the Space Vehicle Mockup Facility at Johnson  

Space Center.  From the left are European Space Agency (ESA) astronauts Hans Schlegel and  

Leopold Eyharts and NASA astronaut Stanley G. Love, all mission specialists; Stephen N. Frick,

commander; Alan G. Poindexter, pilot; Leland D. Melvin and Rex J. Walheim, both mission specialists.

Two Navy captains will lead the mission.  

Veteran astronaut Steve Frick, 43, will

command the mission and Alan Poindexter, 46,

will serve as the pilot.    Mission specialists

Leland Melvin, 43; Air Force Col. Rex Walheim

(WALL‐hime), 45, Stanley Love, 42; and ESA

astronauts Hans Schlegel (SHLAY‐guhl), 56,

and French Air Force Gen.    Léopold Eyharts

(ā‐arts), 50, round out the crew.

Expedition 16 Flight Engineer Daniel Tani

(TAW‐nee), who traveled to the space station

on the STS‐120 mission, will return home with

the STS‐122 crew.    Eyharts will join the

Expedition 16 crew, serving with Commander

Peggy Whitson and Flight Engineer Yuri

Malenchenko.

This graphic depicts the location  

of STS‐122 payload hardware.
FEBRUARY 2008 MISSION OVERVIEW 3

The 11‐day mission begins with the targeted

liftoff of Atlantis from NASA’s Kennedy Space

Center at 2:45 p.m.   EST Feb. 7.   The next day

includes the close inspection of Atlantis’ heat

shield using the shuttle’s robotic arm and the

Orbiter Boom Sensor System (OBSS) to check

for any ascent‐imposed damage to the

reinforced‐carbon carbon panels on the

shuttle’s wings and nose cap.    Crew members

also will perform a checkout of the spacesuits to

be used during the mission’s spacewalks.

Atlantis arrives at the International Space

Station on the third day of the mission.  As the

shuttle approaches the space station, Frick will

perform the rendezvous pitch maneuver with

Atlantis about 600 feet below the station, a slow

backflip that will allow Whitson and

Malenchenko to use cameras to take hundreds

of detailed images of the shuttle’s protective

tiles.    The images will be downlinked for

analysis by specialists on the ground.  With the

pitch maneuver complete, Frick will fly the

shuttle ahead of the station and slowly ease the

orbiter back to a docking with the complex.

After the requisite leak checks, the hatches

between the two vehicles will be opened,

kicking off six days of joint operations between

the shuttle and station crews.

This illustration depicts the rendezvous pitch maneuver while crew aboard the International  

Space Station photograph the orbiter for analysis by specialists on the ground.
4 MISSION OVERVIEW FEBRUARY 2008

Astronaut Rex J. Walheim, STS‐122 mission specialist, dons a training version of the Extravehicular

Mobility Unit (EMU) spacesuit prior to being submerged in the waters of the Neutral Buoyancy

Laboratory (NBL) near Johnson Space Center.  United Space Alliance suit technician  

Greg Pavelko assists Walheim.

Later in flight day 3, preparations will begin for

the first of three planned spacewalks to install

and outfit the Columbus laboratory.   Walheim

and Schlegel will transfer spacesuits to be used

during the mission’s spacewalks from the

shuttle to the Quest Airlock and begin

configuring them for the next day’s

extravehicular activity.  The two will spend the

night in the Quest Airlock in preparation for the

first spacewalk.

Early on flight day 4, one of the first tasks will

be the exchange of Tani’s and Eyharts’ custom

seatliners used in the Soyuz spacecraft.    With

this exchange, Eyharts will become an

Expedition 16 crew member.

Installation of Columbus to its new home on the

space station will highlight the first spacewalk.  

First Walheim and Schlegel will prepare the

module to be removed from the shuttle’s

payload bay by installing a Power and Data

Grapple Fixture (PDGF) on it.    Once complete,

Melvin and Love will use the station’s robotic

arm to grab the PDGF on the module and

remove Columbus from the shuttle’s cargo bay,

delicately maneuvering it to its docking port on

the starboard side of the Harmony module.

The spacewalkers will then demate nitrogen

lines and begin work to remove the Nitrogen

Tank Assembly.    Meanwhile, the robotics

operators will proceed with the capture and

latching of Columbus to Harmony.
FEBRUARY 2008 MISSION OVERVIEW 5

Attired in training versions of their shuttle launch and entry suits, astronauts Rex J. Walheim,

European Space Agency’s Hans Schlegel and Stanley G. Love, all STS‐122 mission  

specialists, await the start of a training session in the Space Vehicle Mockup Facility  

at the Johnson Space Center.

Flight day 5 will be dedicated to continued

setup, activation and ingress of the new labora‐

tory.  Columbus has five payload racks, three of

which will be relocated.    That activity will  

include a number of umbilical connections and

individual umbilical power downs.    Supplies

and equipment also will be transferred.   

Eyharts and Whitson will be the first crew

members to enter ESA’s new laboratory.

A focused inspection of the shuttle’s heat

shield, or thermal protection system, will be

conducted if needed.    Late in the crew’s day,

Walheim and Schlegel will camp out in Quest

in preparation for the next day’s spacewalk.

On flight day 6, Walheim and Schlegel will

begin the mission’s second spacewalk.    They

will replace the Nitrogen Tank Assembly.  

While the spacewalk is under way, Eyharts and

his new station crewmates will continue the

internal activation and outfitting of Columbus’

systems.
6 MISSION OVERVIEW FEBRUARY 2008

The STS‐122 crewmembers participate in a tool training session in the Space Vehicle Mockup Facility

at the Johnson Space Center.  From the left are European Space Agency astronaut Hans Schlegel,

Leland D. Melvin, both mission specialists; Stephen N. Frick, commander; Rex J. Walheim, mission

specialist; Alan G. Poindexter, pilot; and Stanley G. Love, mission specialist.  United Space Alliance

crew trainer Dave Mathers (seated right) assists the crewmembers.

Flight day 7 is a light‐duty day for the crew

members.    It will include preparation for the

third planned spacewalk.    Walheim and Love

will camp out in Quest.

On flight day 8, Walheim and Love will add

science facilities to the exterior of Columbus.  

The two spacewalkers will assist Melvin and

Tani, who will use the station’s robotic arm, to

install two external research suites on

Columbus:  the Sun Monitoring on the External

Payload Facility, or SOLAR, which will be used

to study the sun, and the European Technology

Exposure Facility (EuTEF).

Walheim and Love also will transfer a failed

Control Moment Gyroscope from its storage

location on the station to the shuttle for return

to Earth.  This gyroscope, one of four that help

maintain the station’s orientation, was removed

and replaced during the STS‐118 mission.

If consumables allow, mission managers may

add an additional day to the flight after the

third spacewalk that would be dedicated to

activating Columbus module systems and

experiment racks
FEBRUARY 2008 MISSION OVERVIEW 7

Flight day 9 will be dedicated to post‐

spacewalk tasks and final transfer work.    The

crews also will say farewell to one another

before the hatch closure that evening, in

preparation for undocking.

For the undocking, scheduled for flight day 10,

Poindexter will back the shuttle away about

400 feet ahead of the station, then maneuver to

a position above the station to perform a

flyaround so that his crewmates can capture

video and digital still photography of the com‐

plex in its new configuration.    Later that day,

the crew will perform a requisite late inspection

using the cameras on the OBSS to ensure no

orbital debris impact might have occurred to

cause any critical damage to the shuttle.

Landing is scheduled for the morning of

flight day 12 at the Kennedy Space Center to

kick off a busy year of space flight.

This image depicts the configuration of the International Space Station following  

the installation of the Columbus module.
8 MISSION OVERVIEW FEBRUARY 2008

While seated at the commander’s and pilot’s stations, astronauts Stephen N. Frick (left) and  

Alan G. Poindexter, STS‐122 commander and pilot, respectively, participate in a post  

insertion/de‐orbit training session in the crew compartment trainer (CCT‐2) in the  

Space Vehicle Mockup Facility at Johnson Space Center. Frick and Poindexter are  

wearing training versions of their shuttle launch and entry suits.
FEBRUARY 2008 TIMELINE OVERVIEW 9

TIMELINE OVERVIEW 

FLIGHT DAY 1 

• Launch

• Payload Bay Door Opening  

• Ku‐Band Antenna Deployment

• Shuttle Robotic Arm Activation and

Checkout

• Umbilical Well and Handheld External

Tank Video and Stills Downlink

FLIGHT DAY 2 

• Atlantis Thermal Protection System Survey

with Orbiter Boom Sensor System (OBSS)

• Extravehicular Mobility Unit Checkout

• Centerline Camera Installation

• Orbiter Docking System Ring Extension

• Orbital Maneuvering System Pod Survey

• Rendezvous Tools Checkout

FLIGHT DAY 3 

• Rendezvous with the International Space

Station

• Rendezvous Pitch Maneuver Photography

by the Expedition 16 Crew

• Docking to Harmony (Node 2)/Pressurized

Mating Adapter‐2

• Hatch Opening and Welcoming

• OBSS Unberth by Canadarm2

• Extravehicular Activity (EVA) 1 Procedure

Review

• EVA‐1 Campout by Walheim and Schlegel

FLIGHT DAY 4 

• Soyuz Seat Liner Swap and Expedition

Crew Exchange by Tani and Eyharts

• EVA‐1 by Walheim and Schlegel (Columbus

Grapple Fixture Installation, P1 Truss

Nitrogen Tank Assembly Preparation)

• Temporary Shuttle Ku‐band Antenna

Stowage for Columbus Module Unberth

• Columbus Module Grapple, Unberth and

Installation on Starboard Side of Harmony

FLIGHT DAY 5 

• Atlantis Thermal Protection System

Focused Inspection with OBSS (if required)

• Shuttle Ku‐band Antenna Redeployment

• Columbus Module Ingress Preparations

• Columbus Module Ingress

• EVA‐2 Procedure Review

• EVA‐2 Campout by Walheim and Schlegel

FLIGHT DAY 6 

• EVA‐2 by Walheim and Schlegel (P1 Truss

Nitrogen Tank Assembly Installation,

Stowage of Old N2 Tank Assembly)

• Columbus Module Outfitting
10 TIMELINE OVERVIEW FEBRUARY 2008

FLIGHT DAY 7 

• Columbus Module Racks and Systems

Outfitting  

• Off Duty Periods

• EVA‐3 Procedure Review

• EVA‐3 Campout by Walheim and Love

FLIGHT DAY 8 

• EVA‐3 by Walheim and Love (SOLAR and

EuTEF Facility Installation, Failed Control

Moment Gyroscope Transfer to Atlantis’

Payload Bay)

FLIGHT DAY 9 

• Shuttle and Station Transfers

• Joint Crew News Conference

• ISS Reboost

• Columbus Module Outfitting

• Farewells and Hatch Closure

FLIGHT DAY 10 

• Undocking from Harmony

Node 2/Pressurized Mating Adapter‐2

and Flyaround

• Final Separation from the International

Space Station

• OBSS Unberth and Late Inspection of

Atlantis’ Thermal Protection System

• OBSS Final Berthing

FLIGHT DAY 11 

• Cabin Stow

• Flight Control System Checkout

• Reaction Control System Hot‐Fire Test

• Crew Deorbit Briefing

• Launch and Entry Suit Checkout

• Recumbent Seat Set Up for Tani

• Ku‐Band Antenna Stow

FLIGHT DAY 12 

• Deorbit Preparations

• Payload Bay Door Closing

• Deorbit Burn

• Kennedy Space Center Landing
FEBRUARY 2008 MISSION PROFILE 11

MISSION PROFILE 

CREW 

Commander: Steve Frick

Pilot: Alan Poindexter

Mission Specialist 1: Leland Melvin

Mission Specialist 2: Rex Walheim

Mission Specialist 3: Hans Schlegel

Mission Specialist 4: Stanley Love

Mission Specialist 5: Leopold Eyharts (up)

Mission Specialist 5: Daniel Tani (down)

LAUNCH 

Orbiter: Atlantis (OV‐104)

Launch Site: Kennedy Space Center

Launch Pad 39A

Launch Date: Feb. 7, 2008

Launch Time: 2:45 p.m. EST (Preferred

In‐Plane launch time for

12/6)

Launch Window: 5 Minutes

Altitude: 122 Nautical Miles

(140 Miles) Orbital

Insertion; 185 NM

(213 Miles) Rendezvous

Inclination: 51.6 Degrees

Duration: 10 Days, 19 Hours,

12 Minutes

VEHICLE DATA 

Shuttle Liftoff Weight: 4,523,508

pounds

Orbiter/Payload Liftoff Weight: 267,341

pounds

Orbiter/Payload Landing Weight: 206,212

pounds

Software Version: OI‐32

Space Shuttle Main Engines: 

SSME 1: 2059

SSME 2: 2052

SSME 3: 2057

External Tank: ET‐125

SRB Set: BI‐132

RSRM Set: 99

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

Feb. 18, 2008

Landing Time: 9:57 a.m. EST

Primary landing Site: Kennedy Space Center

Shuttle Landing Facility

PAYLOADS 

Columbus Laboratory
12 MISSION PROFILE FEBRUARY 2008

This page intentionally left blank.
FEBRUARY 2008 MISSION PRIORITIES 13

MISSION PRIORITIES 

1. Dock Atlantis to Pressurized Mating

Adapter‐2 port and perform mandatory

station safety briefing for all crew members

2. Rotate Expedition 15/16 flight engineer with

Expedition 16 flight engineer and transfer

mandatory crew rotation cargo

3. Configure, mate and safe Columbus module

to Harmony starboard location using the

space station robotic arm

4. Transfer water of mandatory quantities

from the shuttle to the space station

5. Perform minimum crew handover of

12 hours per rotating crew member

6. Remove and replace the space stationʹs

Port 1 Nitrogen Tank Assembly

7. Complete purge of Harmonyʹs oxygen

system

8. Install and perform mandatory activation of

the Columbus SOLAR external payload on

the External Payload Facility (EPF).

(SOLAR, the Sun Monitoring on the

External Payload Facility of Columbus, is a

monitoring observatory to measure the

sun’s spectral irradiance.)

9. Return failed control moment gyroscope

from External Stowage Platform‐2

10. Install and perform mandatory activation of

the Columbus European Technology

Exposure Facility (EuTEF) on the EPF.

(EuTEF will carry experiments requiring

exposure to the space environment.)

11. Transfer mandatory items

12. Activate Columbus module systems

required for sustained crew presence

including removal of negative pressure

relief valves and installation of

inter‐module ventilation valves

13. Perform requested public affairs event with

top level European government leader as

soon after initial ingress into the Columbus

module and activation as practical

14. Install trunnion and keel thermal covers

15. Activate and initiate

checkout/commissioning activities for

SOLAR and EuTEF payloads and the EPF

16. Transfer remaining items
14 MISSION PRIORITIES FEBRUARY 2008

This page intentionally left blank.
FEBRUARY 2008 MISSION PERSONNEL 15

MISSION PERSONNEL 

KEY CONSOLE POSITIONS FOR STS-122 

Flt. Director CAPCOM PAO

Ascent Norm Knight Jim Dutton

Terry Virts (Weather)

Rob Navias

Orbit 1 (Lead) Mike Sarafin Kevin Ford Nicole Lemasters

(Lead)

Orbit 2 Tony Ceccacci Steve Robinson Pat Ryan

Planning Paul Dye Shannon Lucid Lynnette Madison

Entry Bryan Lunney Jim Dutton

Terry Virts (Weather)

Rob Navias

Shuttle Team 4 Matt Abbott N/A N/A

ISS Orbit 1 Bob Dempsey Hal Getzelman N/A

ISS Orbit 2 (Lead) Sally Davis Chris Cassidy N/A

ISS Orbit 3 Ron Spencer Chris Zajac N/A

Station Team 4 Kwatsi Alibaruho N/A N/A

   

Int. Partner FD – Annette Hasbrook (interfaces with Columbus Control Center in  

Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany

JSC PAO Representative at KSC for Launch – Brandi Dean

KSC Launch Commentator – George Diller

KSC Launch Director – Doug Lyons

NASA Launch Test Director – Jeff Spaulding
16 MISSION PERSONNEL FEBRUARY 2008

This page intentionally left blank.
FEBRUARY 2008 CREW 17

STS-122 ATLANTIS CREW 

The STS‐122 patch depicts the continuation of

the voyages of the early explorers to today’s

frontier, space.  The ship denotes the travels of

the early expeditions from the East to the West.  

The space shuttle shows the continuation of

that journey along the orbital path from West to

East.

A little more than 500 years after Columbus

sailed to the new world, the STS‐122 crew will

bring the Columbus European laboratory mod‐

ule to the International Space Station to usher in

a new era of scientific exploration.
18 CREW FEBRUARY 2008

Atlantis’ crew takes a break from training to pose for the STS‐122 crew portrait.  From the left  

(front row) are Commander Steve Frick, European Space Agency’s (ESA) Mission Specialist  

Leopold Eyharts and Pilot Alan Poindexter.  From the left (back row) are Leland Melvin,  

Rex Walheim, Stanley Love and ESA’s Hans Schlegel, all mission specialists.  The crew  

members are attired in training versions of their shuttle launch and entry suits.

Short biographical sketches of the crew follow

with detailed background available at:

http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/
FEBRUARY 2008 CREW 19

STS-122 CREW BIOGRAPHIES 

Steve Frick

A Navy captain, Steve Frick will lead the crew

of STS‐122 on the 24th shuttle mission to the

International Space Station.  Frick served as the

pilot of STS‐110 in 2002.    Making his second

spaceflight, he has logged more than 259 hours

in space.   He has overall responsibility for the

execution of the mission, orbiter systems

operations and flight operations, including

landing.  In addition, Frick will fly the shuttle in

a procedure called the rendezvous pitch

maneuver while Atlantis is 600 feet below the

station to enable the station crew to photograph

the shuttle’s heat shield.    He will then dock

Atlantis to the station.
20 CREW FEBRUARY 2008

Alan Poindexter

A Navy captain, Alan Poindexter has

3,500 flight hours in more than 30 different

aircraft.    He will make his first journey into

space as the pilot of Atlantis for the STS‐122

mission.  Selected by NASA in 1998, Poindexter

has served as the lead support astronaut at

NASA’s Kennedy Space Center.    He will be

responsible for orbiter systems operations and

will help Frick in the rendezvous and docking

with the station.  Poindexter will coordinate the

three spacewalks from inside the spacecraft and

undock Atlantis from the station at the end of

the joint mission.
FEBRUARY 2008 CREW 21

Leland Melvin

Astronaut Leland Melvin will be making his

first spaceflight for STS‐122 as mission

specialist 1.    Before being selected as an

astronaut in 1998, he worked at NASA’s

Langley Research Center on advanced fiber

optic sensor and laser research for spacecraft

and civil aviation health monitoring systems.  

Melvin has worked in the Astronaut Office

Space Station Operations and Robotics

branches and for the Education Department at

NASA Headquarters.    He will be the primary

operator of the space station robotic arm and

will use the shuttle robotic arm to inspect

Atlantis’ heat shield.
22 CREW FEBRUARY 2008

Rex Walheim

An Air Force colonel, Rex Walheim will be

making his second flight into space for STS‐122

as mission specialist 2.   He flew with Frick on

STS‐110 in 2002, during which he conducted

two spacewalks to install the S0 truss segment.  

He has logged more than 259 hours in space,

including 14 hours and five minutes during the

spacewalks.  Walheim will be on the flight deck

during launch and landing, serving as the flight

engineer to assist Frick and Poindexter.  He also

will assist them with rendezvous with the space

station and be the lead spacewalker for the

three excursions.
FEBRUARY 2008 CREW 23

Hans Schlegel

ESA astronaut Hans Schlegel, of Germany, will

be making his second trip into space as mission

specialist 3 for STS‐122.   He logged more than

239 hours in space for STS‐55 in 1993 during the

German‐sponsored Spacelab D‐2 mission.  

Schlegel trained as an astronaut at the German

Aerospace Center (DLR) beginning in 1988.  He

was integrated into the ESA astronaut corps

and began training as part of NASA’s 1998

astronaut class.    He worked as the lead space

station CAPCOM for Expedition 10 and as ESA

lead astronaut at NASA’s Johnson Space

Center.    He will conduct the first two

spacewalks with Walheim during STS‐122.
24 CREW FEBRUARY 2008

Stanley Love

Astronaut Stanley Love, who holds a doctorate

in astronomy, will be making his first

spaceflight during STS‐122 as mission specialist

4.  Selected by NASA in 1998, he has served as a

space station CAPCOM for Expeditions 1

through 7 and three space shuttle missions.  He

served in the Astronaut Office Exploration

Branch, helping develop future space vehicles

and missions.    Love will conduct the third

spacewalk with Walheim and operate the

station robotic arm with Melvin during the first

two spacewalks.
FEBRUARY 2008 CREW 25

Leopold Eyharts

This will be the second spaceflight for

Leopold Eyharts, a French astronaut from the

Center National d’Etudes Spatiales (CNES).  He

was selected as an astronaut by CNES in 1990

and by ESA in 1992.    His first mission was to

the Mir Space Station in 1998, where he

supported the CNES scientific space mission

“Pégase.” He performed various French

experiments in the areas of medical research,

neuroscience, biology, fluid physics and

technology.    He logged 20 days, 18 hours and

20 minutes in space.    In 1998 ESA assigned

Eyharts to train at NASA’s Johnson Space

Center.  He will launch to the space station on

the STS‐122 mission and will return on STS‐123,

targeted for February 2008.    He will remain

aboard station for the commissioning of the

European Columbus laboratory.
26 CREW FEBRUARY 2008

Daniel Tani

Expedition 16 Flight Engineer Daniel Tani trav‐

eled to the station on STS‐120 in October and is

scheduled to return to Earth on Atlantis during

STS‐122.  Tani flew on STS‐108 in 2001 and has

logged more than 11 days in space, including a

spacewalk to wrap thermal blankets around ISS

Solar Array Gimbals.    During STS‐120, Tani

performed the second spacewalk and operated

the station robotic arm for the P6 relocation,

Harmony Node 2 installation and various

spacewalk activities.    He conducted two addi‐

tional spacewalks during the Expedition 16

mission with Commander Peggy Whitson to

continue the external outfitting of Harmony.
PAYLOAD OVERVIEW 

FEBRUARY 2008 PAYLOAD OVERVIEW 27

The International Space Station photographed from space shuttle Endeavour after undocking

during the STS‐118 mission on Aug. 19, 2007.

THE EUROPEAN COLUMBUS 

LABORATORY 

The Columbus laboratory is the cornerstone of

the European Space Agency’s contribution to

the International Space Station (ISS) and is the

first European laboratory dedicated to long‐

term research in space.    Named after the

famous explorer from Genoa, the Columbus

laboratory will give an enormous boost to

current European experiment facilities in

weightlessness and to the research capabilities

of the ISS once it becomes an integral part of the

space station.

Artist’s impression of Columbus laboratory,

cutaway view
28 PAYLOAD OVERVIEW FEBRUARY 2008

During its projected lifespan of 10 years,

Columbus will support sophisticated research

in weightlessness, having internal and external

accommodation for numerous experiments in

life sciences, fluid physics and a host of other

disciplines.  The laboratory marks a significant

enhancement in European space experimenta‐

tion and hardware development when

compared to the missions of the

European‐developed Spacelab in the 1980s and

1990s.

Multi‐purpose logistics module ‘Leonardo’ in

the space shuttle cargo bay on March 10, 2001,

during the STS‐102 mission to the ISS.  

The Columbus Laboratory shares its basic

structure with the multi‐purpose  

logistics modules.

The 7‐meter‐long (23‐foot‐long) Columbus

laboratory consists of a pressurised cylindrical

hull 4.5 meters (15 feet) in diameter, closed with

welded end cones.  To reduce costs and maintain

high reliability, the laboratory shares its basic

structure and life‐support systems with the

European‐built multi‐purpose logistics modules

(MPLMs):    pressurized cargo containers, which

travel in the space shuttle’s cargo bay.

The primary and internal secondary structures

of Columbus are constructed from aluminum

alloys.   These layers are covered with a multi‐

layer insulation blanket for thermal stability

and a further two tons of paneling constructed

of an aluminium alloy together with a layer of

Kevlar and Nextel to act as protection from

space debris.

The Columbus Laboratory has a mass of

10.3 tons and an internal volume of 75 cubic

meters (98 cubic yards), which can

accommodate 16 racks arranged around the

circumference of the cylindrical section in four

sets of four racks.    These racks have standard

dimensions with standard interfaces, used in all

non‐Russian modules, and can hold for

example experimental facilities or subsystems.

Columbus Laboratory at EADS Astrium in

Bremen with debris protection panels.  

Insulation material exposed under one  

section of paneling.  July 2004.
FEBRUARY 2008 PAYLOAD OVERVIEW 29

Ten of the 16 are International Standard Pay‐

load Racks fully outfitted with resources (such

as power, cooling, video and data lines), to be

able to accommodate an experiment facility

with a mass of up to 700 kilograms

(1,543 pounds).    This extensive experiment

capability of the Columbus laboratory has been

achieved through a careful and strict optimiza‐

tion of the system configuration, making use of

the end cones for housing subsystem equip‐

ment.    The central area of the starboard cone

carries system equipment such as video moni‐

tors and cameras, switching panels, audio

terminals and fire extinguishers.

International standard payload rack into

which experiment facilities, subsystems  

or storage racks can be fitted.

Columbus laboratory in Integration hall  

of EADS in Bremen.  Primary structure

exposed.  June 2002

Although it is the station’s smallest laboratory

module, the Columbus laboratory offers the

same payload volume, power, and data

retrieval, for example, as the station’s other

laboratories.   A significant benefit of this cost‐

saving design is that Columbus will be

launched already outfitted with 2,500 kilograms

(5,511 pounds) of experiment facilities and

additional hardware.    This includes the ESA‐

developed experiment facilities:

Biolab, which supports experiments on micro‐

organisms, cell and tissue culture, and even

small plants and animals;

Biolab experiment facility during  

payload integration.
30 PAYLOAD OVERVIEW FEBRUARY 2008

Fluid Science Laboratory, looking into the

complex behavior of fluids, which could lead to

improvements in energy production, propul‐

sion efficiency and environmental issues;

European Physiology Modules Facility, which

supports human physiology experiments

concerning body functions such as bone loss,

circulation, respiration, organ and immune

system behavior in weightlessness; and the

European Drawer Rack, which provides a

flexible experiment carrier for a large variety of

scientific disciplines.

Columbus laboratory with External Payload

Facility attached.  August 2004

These multi‐user facilities will have a high

degree of autonomy in order to maximize the

use of astronauts’ time in orbit.

Outside its pressurized hull, Columbus has

four mounting points for external payloads

related to applications in the field of space

science, Earth observation, technology and

innovative sciences from space.    Two external

payloads will be installed after the Columbus is

attached to the ISS:   the European Technology

Exposure Facility (EuTEF) will carry a range of

experiments, which need exposure to space,

and the SOLAR observatory, which will carry

out a spectral study of the sun for at least

18 months.

These will be followed in the first instance by

the Atomic Clock Ensemble in Space (ACES),

which will test a new generation of

microgravity cold‐atom clock in space and the

Atmosphere Space Interaction Monitor, which

will study the coupling of thunderstorms

processes to the upper atmosphere, ionosphere

and radiation belts and energetic space particle

precipitation effects in the mesosphere and

thermosphere.

In addition to the accommodation for experi‐

ment facilities, three rack positions contain

Columbus subsystems such as water pumps,

heat exchanger and avionics, and three racks

are for general storage purposes.    When fully

outfitted Columbus will provide a shirt sleeve

environment of 25 cubic meters (33 cubic yards)

in which up to three astronauts can work.  The

laboratory will receive a supply of up to 20 kW

of electricity of which 13.5 kW can be used for

experimental facilities.

Columbus subsystem racks during testing
FEBRUARY 2008 PAYLOAD OVERVIEW 31

European‐built Node 2 being moved on an

overhead crane in preparation for leak testing

in the Space Station Processing Facility at  

the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, USA.  

Node 2, also known as Harmony, was  

attached to the station during the  

STS‐120 mission in October 2007.

For the internal environment, Columbus is

ventilated by a continuous airflow from

Node 2, the European‐built ISS module where

the Columbus Laboratory will be permanently

attached.    The air returns to Node 2 for

refreshing and carbon dioxide removal.    This

air content is monitored by Columbus

subsystems for contamination.

The crew can also control the temperature

(16 to 30 degrees C) (61 to 86 degrees F) and

humidity in Columbus.   A water loop system,

connected to the ISS heat removal system,

serves all experimental facility and system

locations for removal of heat and thus stopping

equipment from overheating.  In addition, there

is an air/water heat exchanger to remove

condensation from the cabin air.    A system of

electrical heaters also helps to combat the

extreme cold possible at some station attitudes.

Once it is attached to the ISS, the Columbus

Control Center (Col‐CC) in Oberpfaffenhofen,

Germany, on the premises of the DLR’s German

Space Operations Center will be responsible for

the control and operation of the Columbus

laboratory.    All the European payloads on

Columbus will transfer data, via the ISS data

transfer system, directly to Col‐CC.

Col‐CC will coordinate European experiment

(payload) operations.    Relevant data will be

distributed from Col‐CC to the different User

Support and Operations Centers across Europe,

responsible for either complete facilities,

subsystems of facilities or individual

experiments.

Col‐CC also will be in close contact with the

Mission Control Center in Houston, which has

overall responsibility for the ISS, together with

the Mission Control Center in Moscow.    In

addition, Col‐CC coordinates operations with

the ISS Payload Operations and Integration

Center at the Marshall Space Flight Center in

Huntsville, Ala., which has overall

responsibility for ISS experiment payloads.

Control Room at the Columbus Control

Center in Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany
32 PAYLOAD OVERVIEW FEBRUARY 2008

European facilities to be launched inside Columbus.  Front row from left:  European Drawer Rack,

Fluid Science Laboratory and Biolab.  Back row from left:  European Physiology Modules and

European Transport Carrier.

Columbus Internal Facilities 

ESA has developed a range of payload racks for

the Columbus laboratory, all tailored to acquire

the maximum amount of research from the

minimum of space and to offer European

scientists across a wide range of disciplines full

access to a weightless environment that is not

possible on Earth.   When STS‐122 is launched,

Columbus will be outfitted with the five

pressurized (internal) payloads:    Biolab, the

Fluid Science Laboratory, the European

Physiology Modules facility, the European

Drawer Rack, and the European Transport

Carrier.  The first three were developed within

ESA’s Microgravity Facilities for Columbus

Program, while the last two fall under ESA’s

Utilization Program.

The above ISS experiment facilities represent a

first in European research and hardware

development by providing the scientific com‐

munity with a European platform for running

long‐term experiments in weightlessness on the

ISS rather than the short‐term experiments

typical of the earlier Spacelab missions.

The multi‐user facilities are modular in design

to allow for upgrading and easy refurbishment

and repair because of the long‐term operations

foreseen in the space station era, beyond the

retirement of the space shuttle in 2010.    This

modularity provides the opportunity and

flexibility to be used over again with different

experiment containers, to allow for shorter

mission preparation times and contributes to a

faster scientific development in the specific

field.

The research facilities have been designed to be

compact enough to fit into the restricted space

of an International Standard Payload Rack,

durable enough to withstand years of service,

able to accommodate multiple users, and
FEBRUARY 2008 PAYLOAD OVERVIEW 33

largely automatic and fully controllable from

ground stations since the station crew has only

a limited amount of time to supervise ongoing

experiments.

Experiment containers to be processed in the

facilities will be transported separately within

the Multi‐Purpose Logistics Modules (MPLMs),

which are pressurized cargo transportation

modules that travel inside the space shuttle

cargo bay.    Experiments requiring late access

also can be transported within the shuttle

middeck lockers.    Experiment containers will

also be transported using the European

Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV) or the

H‐II Transfer Vehicle (HTV) or the Russian

Progress vehicles.    This includes certain

biological and medical samples that will need

to be thermally conditioned in storage in the

Minus Eighty degrees Laboratory Freezer for

the ISS (MELFI), which serves as the major

permanent ISS refrigerator/freezer.

Internal Facilities: Biolab 

Biolab is a facility designed to support

biological experiments on micro‐organisms,

cells, tissue cultures, small plants and small

invertebrates. The major objective of

performing life sciences experiments in space is

to identify the role that weightlessness plays at

all levels of an organism, from the effects on a

single cell up to a complex organism including

humans.

The first experiment to take place in Biolab,

when Columbus arrives at the ISS, will

investigate the effect of weightlessness on the

growth of seeds and will aim to better

understand the cellular mechanism which

impairs the immune functions and aggravates

the radiation response under spaceflight

conditions.    This experiment is important in

view of future, long‐term human space

missions. Further experiments will try to

unravel the influence of gravity on cellular

mechanisms such as signal transduction and

gene expression. These two effects are

important steps in the reaction of a cell to

changes in its environment, so the results are

important for finding causes or treatments for

diseases on Earth.

Biolab is divided physically and functionally

into two sections:  the automatic section in the

left side of the rack, and the manual section in

the right side of the rack.    In the automatic

section, known as the Core Unit, all activities

are performed automatically by the facility,

after manual sample loading by the crew.    By

implementing such a high level of automation,

the demand on crew time is drastically

reduced.    The manual section, in which all

activities are performed by the crew

themselves, is mainly devoted to sample

storage and specific crew activities of

experiment handling.

The main element of the Core Unit is the large

Incubator, a thermally controlled volume where

the experiments take place.    Inside the

incubator are two centrifuges that can each

hold up to six experiment containers, which

contain the biological samples, and can be

independently spun to generate artificial

gravity in the range from 10‐3 g to 2 g.    This

allows for the simultaneous performance of 0g

experiments with 1g reference experiments in

the facility.

During processing of the experiment, the

facility handling mechanism will transport the

samples to the facility’s diagnostic

instrumentation where, through teleoperations,

the scientist on the ground can actively

participate in the preliminary in‐situ analyses of
34 PAYLOAD OVERVIEW FEBRUARY 2008

the samples.    The handling mechanism also

provides transport of samples into the ambient

and temperature‐controlled automatic stowage

units for preservation or for later analysis.  The

typical Biolab experiment durations range from

one day to three months.

Biolab’s manual section carries a laptop for

crew control, two temperature control units for

sample storage and a BioGlovebox.    The

temperature control units are cooler/freezers

(+10 degrees C to  ‐20 degrees C) (50 degrees F

to  ‐4 degrees F) for storing larger items and

experiment containers.   The BioGlovebox is an

enclosed container for handling toxic materials

and delicate biological samples that must be

protected against contamination by the space

station environment.    An ozone generator

ensures sterilization of the BioGlovebox

working volume.

The Biolab facility will be launched inside the

European Columbus laboratory.

Biolab

Internal Facilities: European Drawer 

Rack 

There is a need in the scientific community for

medium‐sized, dedicated experiment

equipment for space research to reduce

research costs and development times.    ESA’s

solution is the European Drawer Rack, which

provides a flexible experiment carrier for a

large variety of scientific disciplines.    It

provides the accommodation and resources to

experiment modules in two types of standard

ISS housings called International Subrack

Interface Standard (ISIS) drawers and ISS

Lockers.    The facility can accommodate up to

three of these drawers, each with a payload

volume of 72 liters and four lockers, each with a

payload volume of 57 liters.

This approach allows a quick turn‐around

capability, and provides increased flight

opportunities for the user community wishing

to fly payloads that do not require a complete

rack.    The overall design of the facility is

optimized for the parallel accommodation of

three to four payloads, i.e., an average

experiment payload accommodating two

drawers/lockers, but both larger and smaller

payloads may be accommodated.

The resource management covers the

monitoring of resource allocations to individual

payloads, but the operating concept of the

European Drawer Rack assumes that payloads

are largely autonomous.  The facility computer

distributes ISS data to payloads and routes

payload data to ground and the European

Drawer Rack laptop.    The European Drawer

Rack data management system supports all

modes of payload operation, ranging from fully

automatic to step‐by‐step control by an

astronaut.
FEBRUARY 2008 PAYLOAD OVERVIEW 35

European Drawer Rack with clear view of

3 drawer and 4 locker locations

In addition to distributing Columbus resources

to the experiment modules, the European

Drawer Rack provides services such as an air

cooling loop and conversion of the 120 volt

Columbus power standard to 28 volts.

The first configuration of the European Drawer

Rack will include one experiment module.  This

is the Protein Crystallization Diagnostics

Facility and is a multi‐user material science

instrument, which will tackle the problems of

protein crystallization in space.    This facility

will help to establish the conditions under

which good zeolite crystals can be grown.  This

can only be determined in weightlessness.  The

results generated will hold benefits in various

industrial applications.

A second module will be launched with a later

flight.    This is the Facility for Adsorption and

Surface Tension (FASTER), which will establish

a link between emulsion stability and

characteristics of droplet interfaces.    This

research has a lot of application links in

industrial domains and is linked to

investigations like foam stability/

drainage/rheology.

Internal Facilities: European 

Physiology Modules Facility 

The European Physiology Modules Facility is

designed to investigate the effects of

long‐duration spaceflight on the human body,

with typical research areas including neurosci‐

ence, cardiovascular and respiratory system,

bone and muscle physiology and endocrinol‐

ogy and metabolism.  The research into human

physiology under weightless conditions also

will contribute to an increased understanding

of terrestrial problems such as the ageing

process, osteoporosis, balance disorders, and

muscle deterioration.

A selection of the first set of experiments to take

place in the European Physiology Modules,

when Columbus arrives at the ISS, relate to

neuroscience, mechanisms of heart disease,

weightless effects on human skeletal muscle

function, and sodium retention in weightless‐

ness.

The facility consists of a set of up to eight

science modules mounted in a carrier infra‐

structure.    The carrier provides these modules

with data handling, thermal control and hous‐

ing.    It interfaces directly with Columbus and

provides support for both rack‐mounted and
36 PAYLOAD OVERVIEW FEBRUARY 2008

external science modules.  In addition to science

modules mounted in the carrier, it is possible

for instruments deployed in the Columbus

center aisle to interface to the carrier via a

Utility Distribution Panel.

Three science modules have been selected for

the first launch configuration of the European

Physiology Modules Facility.  These are:

Cardiolab:    This is a facility for investigating

the different systems that are involved in the

regulation of arterial blood pressure and the

heart rate.    Data from Cardiolab also will be

used to maintain the crew in good health

during their stay on board, and to prepare the

astronauts for their return to Earth.  Cardiolab,

developed by CNES and DLR has been added

to the European Physiology Modules through

cooperative agreements.

MEEMM (Multi Electrodes Encephalogram

Measurement Module):  MEEMM will be used

to study brain activity by measuring electrical

signals from electrodes mounted on the

experiment subject.

PORTEEM (Portable Electroencephalogram

Module):  This instrument is a flexible, modular

and portable digital recorder for ambulatory

and sleep studies.   The instrument is outfitted

with a 16‐channel EEG/polysomnography

module for EEG sleep studies, but can be easily

reconfigured for a wide variety of other

applications.

ESA’s European Physiology Modules Facility is

closely linked to NASA’s Human Research

Facility racks in the U.S. Laboratory where even

some of ESA’s physiology science modules like

the Pulmonary Function System are

accommodated.    The Pulmonary Function

System is now in orbit and is functioning

successfully.

New science modules and other necessary

items will be transported to the station on the

STS‐122 flight and on future flights for use in

conjunction with the European physiology

modules.    This will mainly comprise counter‐

measures equipment like the FlyWheel Exercise

Device, a Portable Pulmonary Function System

radiation monitors, etc. This European

physiology modules equipment can be brought

to the ISS by the European Automated Transfer

Vehicle (ATV), the Russian Progress and Soyuz

vehicles or the space shuttle.    Samples are

returned using the MPLM, the shuttle’s

middeck lockers and the Soyuz spacecraft.

European Physiology Modules Facility
FEBRUARY 2008 PAYLOAD OVERVIEW 37

Internal Facilities: Fluid Science 

Laboratory 

The Fluid Science Laboratory is a multi‐user

facility designed to study the dynamics of

fluids in the absence of gravitational forces.  

The major objective of performing fluid science

experiments in space is to study dynamic

phenomena in the absence of gravitational

forces.  Under weightless conditions, as on the

ISS, such forces are almost entirely eliminated,

resulting in significant reductions in gravity‐

driven convection, sedimentation, stratification

and fluid static pressure.  This allows the study

of fluid dynamic effects normally masked by

gravity.

The first experiments to take place in the Fluid

Science Laboratory, when Columbus arrives at

the ISS, include the heat and mass transfer from

free surfaces in binary liquids, a study of

emulsion stability, an investigation of geo‐

physical flow in weightlessness, which can

have importance in areas such as global‐scale

flow in the atmosphere and oceans, studies of

electric fields on the boiling process, and a

study to improve the processing of peritectic

alloys.

The Fluid Science Laboratory is modular in

design and based on the use of drawer ele‐

ments.    This facilitates the removal and trans‐

port of components, either to upgrade them or

to repair defective parts.  It can be operated in

fully‐automatic or semi‐automatic mode and

can be controlled on board by the ISS astro‐

nauts, or from the ground in telescience mode.

The right side of the Fluid Science Laboratory

contains functional subsystems for power

distribution, environmental conditioning and

data processing and management.    The core

element on the left side of the Fluid Science

Laboratory consists of the Optical Diagnostics

Module and Central Experiment Module, into

which the experiment containers are inserted

for operation.

The Optical Diagnostics Module houses the

equipment for visual, velocimetric and

interferometric observation, the related control

electronics, and the attachment points and

interfaces for special front mounted cameras.

The Central Experiment Module is divided into

two parts.    The first contains the suspension

structure for the experiment containers,

including all the functional interfaces and

optical equipment.    This structure is designed

to be pulled out from the rack to allow insertion

and removal of the standard dimension

experiment containers into which the

experiments are integrated.    The second part

contains all of the diagnostic and illumination

equipment, together with the control electronics

to command and monitor the electromechanical

and opto‐mechanical components.

The Fluid Science Laboratory
38 PAYLOAD OVERVIEW FEBRUARY 2008

Cooperative agreements have added to the

facility the Microgravity Vibration Isolation

System developed by the Canadian Space

Agency.    This system will provide good

isolation for experiments from disturbances in

the weightless environment from the station.

An experiment container also may be equipped

with dedicated experiment diagnostics to

complement the standard diagnostics provided

by the Fluid Science Laboratory itself.

A facility like Fluid Science Lab, which can be

used over and over again with different

experiment containers, allows shorter

individual mission preparation times and

contributes to a faster scientific development in

the specific field.

Internal Facilities: European Transport 

Carrier 

The European Transport Carrier accommodates

items for transport and stowage based on

standardized cargo transfer bags that are

compatible for transportation with the Euro‐

pean‐built Multi‐Purpose Logistics Module

(MPLM) and ATV, and for use on board ISS

modules such as Columbus.    The modular

European Transport Carrier design, based on

rigid stowage containers, offers maximum

flexibility for handling different cargo transfer

bag sizes.  All European payload items will be

transported and stored in ISS cargo transfer

bags.  These are Nomex® bags in four standard

sizes with removable, reconfigurable dividers.

The European Transport Carrier’s rigid

stowage containers are optimized in size for

accommodation of the different sized cargo

transfer bags.  There are two smaller containers

for accommodating full‐  and half‐size cargo

transfer bags, each one equivalent in volume to

1.5 shuttle middeck lockers.    There are four

containers, which offer about three times the

volume of a shuttle middeck locker.  They can

be filled with any combination of cargo transfer

bags, up to the triple‐size.    All stowage

containers are designed to withstand the launch

and landing loads while carrying their stowage

contents.

European Transport Carrier

The European Transport Carrier will carry

payload items that cannot be launched within

the ESA facilities because of stowage or

transport limitations.  In orbit, it will serve as a

workbench and stowage facility to support

experiments with Biolab, Fluid Science Lab,

European Physiology Modules and European

Drawer Rack.  One piece of equipment that will

be brought to the ISS inside the European
FEBRUARY 2008 PAYLOAD OVERVIEW 39

Transport Carrier will be the European

Flywheel Exercise Device.    This is a resistance

exercise device that acts to countermeasure

muscle atrophy, bone loss, and impairment of

muscle function in astronauts.    It will be

transported within two of the triple‐sized cargo

transfer bags.

The European Transport Carrier’s secondary

use is within the MPLM after it is eventually

replaced in Columbus by an active experiment

rack. (ESA currently ‘owns’ five rack positions,

all are active/powered positions).    The

European Transport Carrier may then act as a

logistics carrier between Earth and the ISS for

the Columbus ESA payload racks.    It is

designed for 15 launches, and can be

reconfigured on the ground to the specific

stowage needs of each flight.

In general, the European Transport Carrier will

stow and transport commissioning items,

complementary instruments, consumables,

flight and orbital support equipment, orbital

replaceable units, resupply items and science

items like experiment containers and

consumables.

In addition, European Transport Carrier’s

Zero‐g Stowage Pockets (two upper, one lower)

allow on‐orbit use of the remaining internal

volume.    They can only be filled in orbit and

cannot be used for launch and descent

transportation.

The European Transport Carrier can carry more

than 400 kilograms (882 pounds) of payload

and experiment items, totaling up to about 800

liters.    On‐board the ISS, Zero‐g Stowage

Pockets extend capacity to about 1,000 liters.

Columbus External Facilities 

We usually think of astronauts aboard the

International Space Station performing

experiments inside the pressurized laboratory

modules, but external payloads offer the choice

of experimentation in the open space

environment with the major advantages of long

duration exposure and return to Earth

thereafter for examination and analysis.    One

noticeable example of this is the

ESA Matroshka radiation dosimetry facility,

which was located on the external surface of the

ISS for 1.5 years following installation in

March 2004.

ESA has equipped the Columbus module with

the External Payload Facility, which provides

four locations (platforms) to accommodate

research payloads.  It is a framework mounted

on the module’s end‐cone and provides power,

data and command links.

The Columbus External Payload Facility offers

the opportunity for classical space science and

technology experiments in a diverse array of

disciplines.   The External Payload Facility will

enhance the station’s return without

significantly increasing the infrastructure cost

by exploiting automated operations, with

almost no crew intervention.

EuTEF External Payload Facility
40 PAYLOAD OVERVIEW FEBRUARY 2008

The External Payload program consists of two

elements: early utilization (before station

assembly is complete) and routine exploitation

(after assembly completion).    Each payload is

mounted on an adaptor able to accommodate

small instruments and experiments totaling up

to 227 kilograms (500 pounds).    Following an

Announcement of Opportunity and peer

review, five payloads were selected, of which

four entered development.    They were

originally planned to use the NASA external

sites but will now be located on Columbus.

Two of the payloads:    The European

Technology Exposure Facility (EuTEF) and

SOLAR are flying on the STS‐122 flight with

Columbus and will be attached to the outside of

Columbus during the last mission spacewalk.  

The Atomic Clock Ensemble in Space (ACES)

and the Atmosphere Space Interaction Monitor

(ASIM) will be flown to the ISS on a later flight.

This first batch of external Columbus payloads

will be replaced by new payloads in the future.  

One such payload is ASIM, (Atmosphere/Space

Interactions Monitor), payload composed of

optical instruments for the observation of high

altitude emission from the stratosphere and

mesosphere related to thunderstorms.

In the future, the in‐orbit transfer of the

unpressurized payloads from the shuttle to the

External Payload Facility, and vice‐versa, will

be performed by the Space Station Robotic

Manipulator System.    For SOLAR and EuTEF,

however the transfer will be carried out by

astronauts with robotic arm assistance, as part

of EVA tasks.  Future payloads like ASIM and

ACES could be uploaded with the HTV;

smaller/modular ones with the ATV or Progress

as well.

SOLAR External Payload Facility

External Facilities: European 

Technology Exposure Facility (EuTEF) 

The European Technology Exposure Facility

(EuTEF) will be mounted outside the Columbus

module and carry experiments requiring

exposure to the space environment.    It is a

programmable, fully automated, multi‐user

facility with modular and flexible

accommodation for a variety of technology

payloads.    EuTEF is specifically designed to

facilitate the rapid turnaround of experiments

and for its first configuration on orbit will

accommodate nine different instruments.

The experiments and facility infrastructure are

accommodated on the Columbus External

Payload Adaptor, consisting of an adapter

plate, the Active Flight Releasable Attachment

Mechanism and the connectors and harness.  

The experiments are mounted either directly on

the adapter plate or a support structure that

elevates them for optimum exposure to the

direction of flight or pointing away from the

Earth.
FEBRUARY 2008 PAYLOAD OVERVIEW 41

In total, the payload mass is under

350 kilograms (771 pounds), and requires less

than 450 watts of power.    The suite of

experiments consists of:

• MEDET, the Material Exposure and

Degradation Experiment (CNES, ONERA,

University of Southampton, ESA);

• DOSTEL, radiation measurements (DLR

Institute of Flight Medicine);

• TRIBOLAB, a testbed for the tribology

properties of materials in space (INTA,

INASMET);

• EXPOSE, photobiology and exobiology

(Kayser‐Threde, under ESA contract);

• DEBIE‐2, a micrometeoroid and orbital

debris detector (Patria Finavitec, under ESA

contract).    Shares a standard berth with

FIPEX.  DEBIE‐1 flew on the Proba satellite;

• FIPEX, an atomic oxygen detector

(University of Dresden).  Shares a standard

berth with DEBIE‐2;

• PLEGPAY, plasma electron gun payload for

plasma discharge in orbit (Thales Alenia

Space, under ASI contract);

• EuTEMP, an experiment candidate to

measure EuTEF’s thermal environment

during unpowered transport from the

shuttle to the Columbus External Payload

Facility (EFACEC, under ESA contract).

EVC:  an Earth Viewing Camera, developed by

ESA/Carlo Gavazzi Space for outreach activi‐

ties.

EuTEF
42 PAYLOAD OVERVIEW FEBRUARY 2008

External Facilities: SOLAR 

Apart from contributing to solar and stellar

physics, knowledge of the interaction between

the solar energy flux and Earth’s atmosphere is

of great importance for atmospheric modeling,

atmospheric chemistry and climatology.  

SOLAR, will study the sun with unprecedented

accuracy across most of its spectral range.  This

is currently scheduled to last two years.  It will

be located on the Columbus External Payload

Facility zenith position (i.e., pointing away

from the Earth).

The SOLAR payload consists of three instru‐

ments complementing each other to allow

measurements of the solar spectral irradiance

throughout virtually the whole electromagnetic

spectrum  ‐  from 17 nm to 100  μm  ‐  in which

99% of the solar energy is emitted.    The three

complementary solar science instruments are:

SOVIM (SOlar Variable & Irradiance Moni‐

tor), which covers near‐UV, visible and thermal

regions of the spectrum (200 nm – 100 μm) is

developed by PMOD/WRC (Davos, Switzer‐

land) with one of the instrument’s radiometers

provided by IRM (Brussels, Belgium).

SOLSPEC (SOLar SPECctral Irradiance

measurements) covers the 180 nm  ‐  3,000 nm

range.    SOLSPEC is developed by CNRS

(Verrières‐le‐Buisson, France) in partnership

with IASB/BIRA (Belgium) and LSW

(Germany).

SOL‐ACES (SOLar Auto‐Calibrating Extreme

UV/UV Spectrophotometers) measures the

EUV/UV spectral regime.  SOL‐ACES is devel‐

oped by IPM (Freiburg, Germany).

SOVIM and SOLSPEC are upgraded versions of

instruments that have already accomplished

several space missions.    SOL‐ACES is a newly

developed instrument.

SOLAR External Payload Facility  

in March 2007

Future External Facilities 

Atomic Clock Ensemble in Space (ACES)

ACES will test a new generation of atomic clock

in space.    PHARAO (Projet d’Horloge

Atomique par Refroidissement d’Atomes en

Orbite) developed by CNES in France and the

Space Hydrogen Maser developed in

Switzerland will be characterized and their

output signals compared with each other and

with national frequency standards worldwide

using a dedicated microwave link.    The

ultimate performance of PHARAO in

microgravity will be explored and a number of

fundamental physics experiments will be

performed.

ACES is a complex payload involving

state‐of‐the‐art instruments and subsystems.  

The atomic clocks are extremely sensitive to

their operating environment, so the particularly

harsh environment of space provides new

challenges to the clock and payload designs.  

Thermal and electromagnetic sensitivity places

particularly severe constraints on the payload.
FEBRUARY 2008 PAYLOAD OVERVIEW 43

PHARAO uses six orthogonal laser beams to

cool caesium atoms to a few μK.  The combina‐

tion of these slow atoms and their low accelera‐

tion in microgravity allows observation times

significantly longer than on Earth, providing

better stability and accuracy of the frequency.

Atmosphere Space Interactions Monitor

(ASIM)

The mesosphere and lower thermosphere are

the regions of the atmosphere about which the

least is known.    They are too low for in situ

spacecraft observations, and remote sensing is

hampered by low densities and a high degree

of variability over a range of time and spatial

scales.

ASIM (Atmosphere Space Interactions Monitor)

will study the interaction of thunderstorms

with the upper regions of the atmosphere,

reaching into the ionosphere and magneto‐

sphere and energetic space particle radiation

effects on the mesosphere and thermosphere.  

The scientific objectives of this payload are

complementary to the ones of the Taranis

satellite mission developed by CNES.

The ASIM payload consists of two instrument

units, the Miniature Multispectral Imaging

Array (MMIA) and the Miniature X‐  and

Gamma‐Ray Sensor (MXGS) and subsystems.  

The MMIA incorporates two CCD cameras and

a photometer.    Two MMIA are dedicated to

limb observation with a field of view of

20 degrees.  A third MMIA in conjunction with

the Miniature X‐  and Gamma‐Ray Sensor will

be nadir pointing with a field of view of

80 degrees.    The nadir‐pointing instruments

will keep track of X‐ray and gamma‐ray bursts.

Artist’s impression of future external payload facilities ASIM and ACES  

located on the Columbus laboratory
44 PAYLOAD OVERVIEW FEBRUARY 2008

MOTION CONTROL SUBSYSTEM 

The International Space Station control system

is composed of Russian and U.S. segments 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,

an exterior framework that houses the

gyroscopes and some communications

equipment.    A shuttle crew installed the Z1

truss on orbit with four gyros pre‐installed in

October 2000.

To maintain the station in the desired attitude,

the CMG system must cancel or absorb the

torque generated by the disturbances 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

direction.  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,

maintaining the station at an equilibrium

attitude without using propellant.

At least two CMGs are needed to provide

attitude 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.

There are four CMGs operating on orbit.   The

original CMG 1 was removed, replaced, and

returned from orbit in August 2005.    The

original CMG 3 was removed and replaced in

August 2007, and it will be returned on

STS‐122.

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:    Six bolts and four

power/data connectors need to be detached to

remove the Control Moment Gyroscope from

the station’s Z1 Truss.

Control Moment Gyroscope
FEBRUARY 2008 PAYLOAD OVERVIEW 45

NITROGEN TANK ASSEMBLY (NTA) 

Built at The Boeing Company’s Houston

manufacturing facility, the Nitrogen Tank

Assembly (NTA) Orbital Replacement Unit

(ORU) on the International Space Station’s

Port 1 (P1) truss segment will be replaced

during space shuttle Atlantis STS‐122 and

ISS Assembly Sequence 1E mission.

The NTA provides a high‐pressure gaseous

nitrogen supply to control the flow of ammonia

out of the Ammonia Tank Assembly (ATA).  

The ATA contains two flexible, chambers

incorporated into its ammonia tanks that

expand as pressurized nitrogen expels liquid

ammonia out of them.    There are four NTA

ORUs, three of which will be on‐orbit at the

conclusion of STS‐122.

The NTA controls ammonia pressure in the

ATA as a key part of the External Active

Thermal Control System, an external system

that circulates ammonia to cool ISS segments,

including the newly installed Columbus

module which was also flown on STS‐122.

Mounted to both the Starboard 1 (S1) and P1

truss segments, the NTA is equipped with a

Gas Pressure Regulating Valve (GPRV) and

isolation valves as well as survival heaters.  The

GPRV and isolation valves provide control

function and over pressure protection of

downstream components.  The heaters prevent

the electronic equipment from getting too cold.

The NTA’s support structure is made largely of

aluminum, and the tank is a carbon composite.  

The NTA ORU currently in place on P1 will

have the majority of its usable nitrogen mass

depleted due to assembly operations since its

initial installation on Nov. 23, 2002, as part of

the P1 truss during STS‐113 and ISS Assembly

Sequence 11A.  Its replacement ORU has a full

tank with a weight of about 80 pounds of

nitrogen at approximately 2,500 pounds per

square inch (psi) of pressure — nearly 80 times

the pressure of an average automotive tire at

30 psi.    It also provides the capability to be

refilled while on orbit through its nitrogen fill

quick disconnect (QD).

The replaced NTA will be returned to Houston

for modification and refurbishment, which

includes redesigning heaters and installing an

on‐orbit capable fill quick disconnect.    The

refurbished NTA will be returned to ISS on a

future mission.
46 PAYLOAD OVERVIEW FEBRUARY 2008

This page intentionally left blank.
FEBRUARY 2008 COLUMBUS CONTROL CENTER 47

COLUMBUS CONTROL CENTER, 

OBERPFAFFENHOFEN, GERMANY 

Room K4 of the Columbus Control Center in Oberpfaffenhofen,  

near Munich, Germany.  Aug. 9, 2004.

ESA’s Columbus Control Center (Col‐CC) will

support the European Columbus laboratory

once it becomes an integral part of the station

after the STS‐122 launch.  The center is situated

at the German Aerospace Center (DLR) facility

in Oberpfaffenhofen, near Munich, Germany.

The control center will be the direct link to the

Columbus laboratory when in orbit.    Its main

functions will be to command and control the

Columbus laboratory systems, to coordinate

operations of the European payloads aboard

the ISS and to operate the European ground

communications network.

In its main function of commanding and

controlling the systems of the Columbus

laboratory, the Col‐CC will be making sure that

astronauts working within Columbus have a

safe and comfortable environment in which to

work and that the payload facilities have the

necessary system support in order to function

properly.    This will include monitoring and

configuring, by remote command, the life

support systems to maintain air quality, the

power supply to experiment facilities, and

systems for removal of heat from experiment

facilities.
48 COLUMBUS CONTROL CENTER FEBRUARY 2008

European and non‐European astronaut

activities inside Columbus will be monitored

and coordinated from the Col‐CC.  The Control

Center also will hold overall responsibility for

such issues as safety in the Columbus

laboratory under the overall authority of the

ISS Mission Control Center in Houston.    The

Col‐CC will react to any changes during the

mission, coordinating decisions and

establishing priorities should any change

interfere with the European experiments inside

Columbus.

Columbus will have experimental facilities both

internally and externally covering a multitude

of experiments over the course of its lifetime.  

The involvement of the astronauts with these

experiments could range from a high degree of

interaction to only some activity limited to the

integration and removal of the experiment from

its processing location.

Any autonomous activities of the Columbus

systems and experiment facilities will be

monitored and coordinated through the

Col‐CC.    The Columbus systems will be

configured as and when necessary to account

for alterations in procedures or a change within

the payload facilities.    All data coming from

Columbus will be routed by the Col‐CC,

exercising its role as network operations center.  

The engineering data will be archived at

Col‐CC whereas the scientific and relevant

experiment and facility data will be distributed

to de‐centralized User Support and Operations

Centers or USOCs, where these will be

processed and archived.

The USOCs are based in national centers

distributed throughout Europe and will be

responsible for the specific operations of the

ESA payload and experiment facilities within

Columbus. At these centers scientific

investigators can monitor, or be linked to, their

experiments.

The Col‐CC is responsible for distributing data

to the USOCs and receiving information from

them such as requests for resources and

reconfiguration of Columbus systems in

support of experiments and payload facility

operations.    Such information is fed into the

mission planning process that generates

timelines for flight controllers and astronauts.

Long‐term storage library at the  

Columbus Control Center
FEBRUARY 2008 COLUMBUS CONTROL CENTER 49

The European Astronaut Center in Cologne, Germany

The Col‐CC also will be linked to the European

Astronaut Center in Cologne, Germany, which

is responsible for medical support, monitoring,

and safety of ESA astronauts during missions.

Since Columbus itself will host non‐European

experiments such as U.S. payload facilities,

decisions such as changes in scheduling are

coordinated with the ISS international partners.  

For this reason the Col‐CC is connected to the

ISS Mission Control Center at the Johnson

Space Center in Houston, the Huntsville

Operations Support Center in Huntsville, Ala.,

and to the Mission Control Center in Moscow.

Further to its functions of command and

control of Columbus systems as well as the

coordination of the Columbus payload

operations, the Col‐CC is responsible for

operating the ground communications network

that provides communication services (voice,

video and data) to a large number of sites:  ESA

Operations Management at ESA/ESTEC; the

USOCs; the European Astronaut Center;

industrial engineering support sites; and to the

Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV) Control

Center in Toulouse, France.    The ATV is the

European‐built ISS re‐supply ship, the first of

which (Jules Verne) is due for launch early in

2008 by an Ariane 5 rocket from Kourou,

French Guiana.    The ATV Control Center will

coordinate and support all ATV operations for

ESA.
50 COLUMBUS CONTROL CENTER FEBRUARY 2008

The ISS Flight Control Room at the Mission

Control Center in Houston

The Col‐CC has two control rooms:    one for

real‐time operation control and one for

preparation activities, such as the training of

controllers, simulations, etc.  The second control

room also acts as a backup for the first control

room.  A back‐up control center, which can take

over operations in case of a major disaster such

as fire in the control facility, is provided on site

of DLR but not located in the same building.

The ATV Control Center in Toulouse, France

will receive communications services from  

the Columbus Control Center.

The integrated Col‐CC flight control team is a

joint DLR and EADS Astrium team.    This

mission control service is provided as part of

the overall end‐to‐end operations service

delivered by EADS Astrium as the ISS

industrial operator.  The flight control team will

be led by DLR flight directors and will be under

the overall supervision of an ESA mission

director based at DLR Oberpfaffenhofen.    The

Col‐CC operations teams will be capable of

supporting seven day/week, 24 hours/day

operations during the Columbus launch and

assembly mission.    Thereafter, the Col‐CC

operations will be tailored to the payload

operations needs.

Network Equipment Room at the  

Columbus Control Center
FEBRUARY 2008 RENDEZVOUS & DOCKING 51

RENDEZVOUS AND DOCKING 

Backdropped by a blue and white Earth, space shuttle Discovery approaches the  

International Space Station during STS‐120 rendezvous and docking operations.

About 2.5 hours before docking, Atlantis’ jets

will be fired during what is called the Terminal

Initiation burn to begin the final phase of the

rendezvous.   Atlantis will close the final miles

to the station during the next orbit.

As Atlantis 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, Atlantis will execute

several small mid‐course correction burns that

will place the shuttle about 1,000 feet directly

below the station.    STS‐122 Commander

Steve Frick then will manually control the shut‐

tle for the remainder of the approach and dock‐

ing.

Frick 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.

Frick will maneuver Atlantis through a

9‐minute, 360‐degree backflip that allows the
52 RENDEZVOUS & DOCKING FEBRUARY 2008

station crew to take as many as 300 digital pic‐

tures of the shuttle’s heat shield.

On verbal cue from Pilot Alan Poindexter to the

station crew, Frick will command Atlantis to

begin a nose‐forward, three‐quarter of a degree

per second rotational backflip.

Both 400 and 800 mm digital camera lenses will

be used to photograph Atlantis by station crew

members.    The 400 mm lens provides up to

3‐inch resolution and the 800 mm lens can

provide up to 1‐inch resolution.    The imagery

includes the upper surfaces of the shuttle as

well as Atlantis’ underside, capturing 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

station’s Ku‐band communications system for

analysis by systems engineers and mission

managers.

When Atlantis completes its rotation, its

payload bay will be facing the station.

Frick then will move Atlantis to a position

about 400 feet directly in front of the station in

preparation for the final approach to docking to

the PMA‐2, newly located at the end of the

Harmony module.

The shuttle’s crew members operate laptop

computers processing the navigational data, the

laser range systems and Atlantis’ docking

mechanism.

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.
FEBRUARY 2008 RENDEZVOUS & DOCKING 53

Using a view from a camera mounted in the

center of the Orbiter Docking System, Frick will

precisely match up the docking ports of the two

spacecraft.    If necessary, he will pause 30 feet

from the station to ensure proper alignment of

the docking mechanisms.

For Atlantis’ docking, Frick will maintain the

shuttle’s speed relative to the station at about

one‐tenth of a foot per second (while both

Atlantis and the station are traveling at about

17,500 mph), and keep the docking mechanisms

aligned to within a tolerance of three inches.  

When Atlantis makes contact with the station,

preliminary latches will automatically attach

the two spacecraft.   Immediately after Atlantis

docks, the shuttle’s steering 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 a blue and white Earth, space shuttle Discovery approaches the  

International Space Station during STS‐120 rendezvous and docking operations.   

A Russian spacecraft, docked to the station, is visible at left.
54 RENDEZVOUS & DOCKING FEBRUARY 2008

UNDOCKING, SEPARATION, AND 

DEPARTURE 

At undocking time, the hooks and latches will

be opened, and springs will push the shuttle

away from the station.    Atlantis’ steering jets

will be shut off to avoid any inadvertent firings

during the initial separation.

Once Atlantis is about two feet from the station

and the docking devices are clear of one

another, Poindexter will turn the steering jets

back on and will manually control Atlantis

within a tight corridor as the shuttle separates

from the station.

Atlantis will move to a distance of about

450 feet, where Poindexter will begin to fly

around the station in its new configuration.  

This maneuver will occur only if propellant

margins and mission timeline activities permit.

Once Atlantis completes 1.5 revolutions of the

complex, Poindexter will fire Atlantis’ 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 shuttle’s heat shield.    The

distance is close enough to allow the shuttle to

return to the station in the unlikely event that

the heat shield is damaged, preventing the

shuttle’s re‐entry.

Backdropped by the blackness of space, the International Space Station is seen from space  

shuttle Discovery as the two spacecraft begin their relative separation.  Earlier the STS‐120 and

Expedition 16 crews concluded 11 days of cooperative work onboard the shuttle and station.
FEBRUARY 2008 RENDEZVOUS & DOCKING 55

This image depicts the space shuttle undocking from the orbital outpost  

during the STS‐120 mission.
56 RENDEZVOUS & DOCKING FEBRUARY 2008

This page intentionally left blank.
FEBRUARY 2008 SPACEWALKS 57

SPACEWALKS 

The objective of the spacewalks during the

STS‐122 mission is to install and prepare the

European Space Agency’s Columbus research

laboratory for use.    The three spacewalks,

known as extravehicular activities or EVAs, are

planned on flight days 4, 6, and 8.

Mission Specialist Rex Walheim is the lead

spacewalker for all three excursions.  He will be

joined by first time spacewalkers European

Space Agency Astronaut Hans Schlegel on the

first and second spacewalks and Mission

Specialist Stanley Love on the third.

Pilot Alan Poindexter will be the intravehicular

lead, assisting the spacewalkers with their tasks

from inside the spacecraft.

Mission Specialists Leland Melvin and Love

will operate the space station’s robotic arm for

the Columbus installation.

This image illustrates the Columbus laboratory being grappled by the Station Robotic Arm,

Canadarm2, in preparation for its relocation to its permanent location.
58 SPACEWALKS FEBRUARY 2008

The spacewalkers will be identifiable by

markings on their spacesuits.    Walheim’s suit

will have solid red stripes.    Schlegel will wear

an all‐white spacesuit.    Love’s suit will have

broken red stripes.

The spacewalks will start from the station’s

Quest airlock.    As in recent missions, the

astronauts 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.

During the campout, the spacewalking crew

members isolate themselves in the airlock.  The

airlock’s air pressure 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 pressure is lowered back to

10.2 psi for an additional hour as the spacesuits

are donned.    An additional 50 minutes in the

suits completes the protocol.    As a result, the

crew can get outside earlier to perform the

day’s tasks.

Columbus laboratory
FEBRUARY 2008 SPACEWALKS 59

Spacewalkers Rex Walheim and Hans Schlegel will conduct the first two extravehicular activities.

EVA-1 

EV1:  Walheim (MS2)

EV2:  Schlegel (MS3)

IV:  Poindexter (PLT)

Robotics:  Melvin (MS1) and Love (MS4)

Flight day 4

Duration:  6.5 hours

Overview:

The main task will be to prepare the Columbus

module for installation on Harmony.  They will

install the Power Data Grapple Fixture on

Columbus, which will allow the space station’s

robotic arm to grab the module and move it

from the shuttle’s payload bay to Harmony.  

The spacewalkers also will begin work to

remove the Nitrogen Tank Assembly, a part of

the station’s thermal control system, from the

P1 truss.    The assembly needs to be replaced

because the nitrogen is running low.

• Stow the shuttle’s Ku Band antenna before

egress

• Open Harmony (Node 2) starboard

Centerline Berthing Camera System (CBCS)

Flap
60 SPACEWALKS FEBRUARY 2008

• Demate Columbus Launch To Activation

(LTA) cable

• Prepare and remove Meteoroid and Debris

Protective Shield (MDPS) panels

• Retrieve the Power Data Grapple Fixture

(PDGF) from sidewall carrier

• Remove Columbus Passive Common

Berthing Mechanism (PCBM) seal covers

• Set up and install PDGF on Columbus

• Reinstall MDPS panels

• Configure Multi‐use Tether End Effector

(MUT/EE) ballstack combinations for use on

the second spacewalk

• Demate nitrogen lines and break torque on

Port 1 (P1) Nitrogen Tank Assembly (NTA)

• Stow On‐orbit Replacement Unit

Temporary Stowage Device (possible

get‐ahead task)

EVA-2 

EV1:  Walheim (MS2)

EV2:  Schlegel (MS3)

IV:  Poindexter (PLT)

Robotics:  Melvin (MS1) and Love (MS4)

Flight day 6

Duration:  6.5 hours

Overview:

Walheim and Schlegel will remove the old NTA

and temporarily store it on an equipment cart.  

They will then install the new one.    The old

NTA will be transferred to the shuttle’s payload

bay for return home.

• Release new Nitrogen Tank Assembly

(NTA) from Integrated Cargo Carrier (ICC)

and stow on Crew and Equipment

Translation Aid (CETA) cart

• Remove old P1 NTA, temporarily stow on

CETA cart

• Install new P1 NTA

• Maneuver to payload bay (PLB) and install

old NTA on Integrated Cargo Carrier

• Install Columbus trunnion covers

EVA-3 

EV1:  Walheim (MS2)

EV2:  Love (MS4)

IV:  Poindexter (PLT)

Robotics:  Melvin (MS1) and Eyharts (FE2)

Flight day 8

Duration:  6.5 hours

Overview:

Walheim and Love will install two payloads on

Columbus’ exterior:  SOLAR, an observatory to

monitor the sun; and the European Technology

Exposure Facility (EuTEF) that will carry eight

experiments requiring exposure to the space

environment.  The spacewalkers also will move

a failed control moment gyroscope from its

storage location on the station to the shuttle’s

payload bay for return to Earth.

• Release SOLAR from Integrated Cargo

Carrier

• Maneuver to External Payload Facility

(EPF) and install SOLAR

• Install Keel Pin Cover
FEBRUARY 2008 SPACEWALKS 61

• Engage adjustable shims on Control

Moment Gyroscope (CMG) Flight Support

Equipment (FSE)

• Release and maneuver CMG to payload

bay/ integrated cargo carrier

• Install CMG on Integrated Cargo Carrier

• Release European Technology Exposure

Facility (EuTEF) from Integrated Cargo

Carrier

• Maneuver to EPF and install EuTEF

• Install Columbus worksite interfaces and

handrails

Spacewalkers Rex Walheim and Stanley Love will conduct the  

mission’s third scheduled extravehicular activity.
62 SPACEWALKS FEBRUARY 2008

This page intentionally left blank.
EXPERIMENTS 

FEBRUARY 2008 EXPERIMENTS 63

DETAILED TEST OBJECTIVES 

Detailed Test Objectives (DTOs) are aimed at

testing, evaluating or documenting space

shuttle systems or hardware, or proposed

improvements to the space shuttle or space

station hardware, systems and operations.

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

potential to contain elevated levels.  The DTO is

being carried out over four missions:  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

Carbon 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

experiencing stuffiness and headaches while

sleeping in the middeck area.    The symptoms

are believed to most likely result from exposure

to high levels of CO2.

For the reported times during STS‐121 and

STS‐115, the CO2 levels within the crew

module, as indicated 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

dependent upon crew sleep locations and high

activity locations because the post‐sleep activity

period and high activity periods are the times

when CO2 symptoms were reported by the two

crews.

During the upcoming four missions, the crews

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

determine if any configuration changes are

necessary to optimize airflow and to determine

if operational improvements are needed or if

crew exposure time in identified areas should

be limited.

CDM technology was successfully used to

determine 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

monitoring CO2 in a localized area for either

long or short durations of time, depending on

the operating mode.

DTO 805 Crosswind Landing 

Performance (If opportunity) 

The purpose of this DTO is to demonstrate the

capability to perform a manually controlled

landing in the presence of a crosswind.    The

testing is done in two steps.
64 EXPERIMENTS FEBRUARY 2008

1. Pre‐launch:    Ensure planning will allow

selection of a runway with Microwave

Scanning Beam Landing System support,

which is a set of dual transmitters located

beside the runway providing precision

navigation vertically, horizontally and

longitudinally with respect to the runway.  

This precision navigation subsystem helps

provide a higher probability of a more

precise landing with a crosswind of 10 to

15 knots as late in the flight as possible.

2. Entry:    This test requires that the crew

perform a manually controlled landing with

a 90‐degree crosswind component of 10 to

15 knots steady state.

During a crosswind landing, the drag chute will

be deployed after nose gear touchdown when

the vehicle is stable and tracking the runway

centerline.

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‐orbit math models that were created for the

space station.  The test will be used to validate

critical interface load and to help improve

fatigue life prediction on the station.

The test will provide dynamic loads

information 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

activity, etc.) and station response will aid

reconstruction of station loads and structural

life usage over the life of the station, thus

allowing life extension of the structure.

All of the on‐orbit dynamic tests were also

performed on the ISS‐Orbiter mated

configuration models.

SHORT-DURATION RESEARCH 

The space shuttle and International Space

Station have an integrated research program

that optimizes use of shuttle crew members and

long‐duration space station crew members to

address research questions in a variety of

disciplines.

For information on science on the International

Space Station:

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/

science/index.html

or

http://iss-science.jsc.nasa.gov/index.cfm

Validation of Procedures for Monitoring Crew

Member Immune Function (Integrated

Immune) will assess the clinical risks resulting

from the adverse effects of spaceflight on the

human immune system and will validate a

flight‐compatible immune monitoring strategy.  

Researchers will collect and analyze blood,

urine and saliva samples from crew members

before, during and after spaceflight to monitor

changes in their immune systems.

Maui Analysis of Upper Atmospheric

Injections (MAUI) will observe the space

shuttle engine exhaust plumes from the Maui
FEBRUARY 2008 EXPERIMENTS 65

Space Surveillance Site in Hawaii. The

observations will occur when the shuttle fires

its engines at night or twilight.  A telescope and

all‐sky imagers will take images and data while

the shuttle flies over the Maui site.  The images

will be analyzed to better understand the

interaction between the spacecraft plume and

the upper atmosphere.

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, the drug

will be employed as a countermeasure to the

dizziness caused by the blood‐pressure

decrease that many astronauts experience upon

returning to the Earth’s gravity.

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

intended to have an effect.   Promethazine is a

medication taken by astronauts to prevent

motion 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.

Samples Returning 

Molecular and Plant Physiological Analyses

of the Microgravity Effects on

Multigeneration Studies of Arabidopsis

thaliana (Multigen) 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

Nutritional Status Assessment (Nutrition) is

NASA’s most comprehensive in‐flight study to

date of human physiologic changes during

long‐duration spaceflight; this includes

measures 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 missions to the moon and Mars.  

The experiment also will help to understand the

impact of countermeasures — exercise and

pharmaceuticals — on nutritional status and

nutrient requirements for astronauts.

The Optimization of Root Zone Substrates

(ORZS) for Reduced Gravity Experiments

Program was developed to provide direct

measurements and models for plant rooting

media that will be used in future Advanced Life

Support (ALS) plant growth experiments.  The

goal of this investigation is to develop and

optimize hardware and procedures to allow

optimal plant growth to occur in microgravity.

Stability of Pharmacotherapeutic and

Nutritional Compounds (Stability) will study

the effects of radiation in space on complex

organic molecules, such as vitamins and other

compounds in food and medicine.   This could

help researchers develop more stable and

reliable pharmaceutical and nutritional

countermeasures suitable for future long‐

duration missions to the moon and Mars.
66 EXPERIMENTS FEBRUARY 2008

European Space Agency Short-Duration 

Experiments 

The Study of Lower Back Pain in

Crewmembers During Space Flight (Mus)

investigation will study the development of

lower back pain in crew members during space

flight and determine if there is a relationship to

muscle atrophy.    Lower back pain on Earth is

result of the amount of pressure that is placed

on the spinal column by gravity.    During

missions in microgravity, crew members

experience back pain which could be the result

of muscle atrophy in the lower back.

EUROPEAN SPACE AGENCY EXPERIMENTS 

The Debris in Orbit Evaluator – 2 (DEBIE‐2) is

used to determine the parameters of space

debris and micrometeoroids in situ by their

impacts with a detecting surface.  Knowledge of

impacts, their seasonal variations and long‐

term evolution is required for a reliable

spacecraft risk assessment and the design of

protective shielding.

DOSimetry TELescopes (DOSTEL) is designed

to measure time dependent fluence rates of

charged particles and their corresponding dose

rates.    The experiment uses two sensor types

planar Silicon detectors (PIPS) and PIN diodes.

EuTEF Thermometer (EuTemp) will record

temperatures across EuTEF (European Tech‐

nology Exposure Facility) after ascent and for

30 days and will download the data to Earth.

The Earth Viewing Camera (EVC) is a fixed‐

pointed Earth‐observing camera, located on the

European Technology Exposure Facility

(EuTEF).    The main goal of the system is to

capture color images of the Earth surface, to be

used as a communication tool to increase the

awareness of the general public on the ISS and

as a promotional tool to demonstrate the use of

the ISS for observation purposes to the

potential user community.

Exposure Experiment (Expose) is a multi‐user

facility accommodating experiments in several

disciplines.  Expose allows short and long‐term

exposure of experiments to space conditions

and solar UV‐radiation on the International

Space Station.

Flux (Phi) Probe Experiment (FIPEX) is a

system which is able to distinguish and

measure molecular and atomic oxygen at very

low ambient pressures.    It is based on solid

oxide electrolyte microsensors.

Fly Wheel Exercise Device (FWED) is an

in‐flight exercise countermeasure system, to

prevent muscle atrophy, bone loss and

impairment of muscle function in human

beings in response to long‐duration spaceflight.

Simulation of Geophysical Fluid Flow under

Microgravity (Geoflow) is an ESA investiga‐

tion planned for the Fluid Science Laboratory

(FSL) on the ISS.    Geoflow will study thermal

convection in the gap between two concentric

rotating (full) spheres to model Earth’s liquid

core.

Material Exposure and Degradation Experi‐

ment (MEDET) will actively monitor material

degradation dynamics in low Earth orbit and

acquire a better knowledge of the International

Space Station environment in terms of contami‐

nation, atomic oxygen, ultraviolet radiation and

microparticles.

Motion Perception:  Vestibular Adaptation to

G‐Transitions (MOP) will provide insight in

the process of vestibular adaptation to a gravity

transition.    Adaptation will be assessed by

rating motion perception as a result of body
FEBRUARY 2008 EXPERIMENTS 67

movements. MOP will also correlate

susceptibility to space adaptation syndrome

(SAS) with susceptibility to sickness induced by

centrifugation (SIC).    The experimental results

will allow the team to establish the time course

of the adaptation process and thereby set a

further step in the determination of key

parameters in vestibular adaptation.

Particle Flux Demonstrator (Particle Flux) is an

experiment designed to measure ionizing

particle radiation inside of ISS.    The device is

constructed for educational purposes and will

be used to demonstrate the basic properties of

the ionizing radiation environment aboard the

ISS.  Activities will be filmed and included in a

media package for high school and university

students throughout Europe.

Plasma Electron Gun Payload (PLEGPAY) will

validate the plasma contactor as an active

device on the International Space Station for the

prevention/control of electrostatic charging

phenomena on large space structures orbiting

at low Earth orbit.

SOL‐ACES (SOLar Auto‐Calibrating EUV/UV

Spectrophotometers) measures the extreme‐

ultraviolet/ultraviolet (EUV/UV) spectrum

(17 nm to 220 nm) with moderate spectral

resolution.

SOLSPEC (SOLar SPECtral Irradiance Meas‐

urements) will operate at high spectral resolu‐

tion in the range 180‐3000 nm, with an accuracy

of 2% in ultravaiolet (UV) and 1% in visible and

infrared (IR).

SOVIM (SOlar Variable and Irradiance

Monitor) will measure solar spectral irradiance

via filter‐radiometers in the near‐UV

(402 nanometers), visible (500 nanometers) and

near‐IR (862 nanometers) regions, together with

the total solar irradiance, using two types of

radiometers covering the range from

200 nanometers to 100 micrometers.

Tribology Laboratory (Tribolab) is an

investigation of the tribological (science of

mechanisms of friction, lubrication, and wear of

interacting surfaces that are in motion)

behavior of different lubricants in microgravity

which can not be simulated on Earth.

Waving and Coiling of Arabidopsis Roots:  

Interaction of Circumnutation and Gravitro‐

pism in 1‐g and Uncoupling at Microgravity

(WAICO) will observe Arabidopsis root growth

in space, to predict that without interfering

gravity they will grow in spirals, verifying the

endogenous nature of circumnutation‐like

growth imbalances in this plant root.

Facilities Delivered 

Biological Experiment Laboratory in

Columbus (BioLab) is a multi‐user research

facility located in the European Columbus

laboratory.    It will be used to perform space

biology experiments on microorganisms, cells,

tissue cultures, small plants and small

invertebrates.    BioLab will allow a better

understanding of the effects of microgravity

and space radiation on biological organisms.

The European Drawer Rack (EDR) will

provide room for European Space Agency

(ESA) class 2 (compact and low mass)

experiments.    EDR can accommodate seven

experiment modules (EM).  One class 2 payload

may be composed of several EM’s.  Each class 2

payload will have its own cooling, power, and

data communications, as well as vacuum,

venting and nitrogen supply if required.    The

EDR is designed to be multi‐discipline facility

accommodating investigations from all any

science discipline.
68 EXPERIMENTS FEBRUARY 2008

The European Physiology Modules Facility

(EPM) is designed to investigate the effects of

short‐term and long‐duration space flights on

the human body.    The research into human

physiology under microgravity conditions will

also contribute to an increased understanding

of terrestrial problems such as the aging

process, osteoporosis, balance disorders and

muscle deterioration.

The purpose of the European Technology

Exposure Facility (EuTEF) is to provide

investigators a way to gather scientific and

technological data.  EuTEF is providing facility

resources like power and data sharing, thermal

control and accommodation to a number of

different disciplines of scientific and technology

investigations.    EuTEF is installed on a CEPA

(Columbus External Payload Adapter), which is

providing the interface of the facility

infrastructure and the EuTEF investigations to

the Columbus external payload facilities

(CEPF).

The Fluid Science Laboratory (FSL) is a multi‐

user facility, designed by the European Space

Agency (ESA) for conducting fluid physics

research in microgravity conditions.   It can be

operated in fully‐  or in semi‐automatic mode

and can be controlled on‐board by the

International Space Station (ISS) crew members,

or from the ground in telescience mode.

Sun Monitoring on the External Payload

Facility of Columbus (Solar) is a monitoring

observatory that will allow one to measure with

unprecedented accuracy the solar spectral

irradiance.   Apart from scientific contributions

for solar and stellar physics, the knowledge of

the solar energy irradiance into the Earth’s

atmosphere and its variations is of great

importance for atmospheric modeling,

atmospheric chemistry and climatology.

EUROPEAN EXPERIMENT PROGRAM 

Columbus will immediately support a full

European experiment program in a host of

different scientific areas with many utilizing the

internal and external experiment facilities of the

Columbus laboratory after its arrival on the

STS‐122 flight.    European experiments will be

undertaken by members of the Expedition 16

crew, including ESA astronaut Léopold Eyharts

and Russian cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko.  

Other experiments will include those carried

out by ESA astronaut Hans Schlegel who will

be a mission specialist on the STS‐122/1E

assembly flight.

Human Physiology 

Chromosome‐2

During spaceflights crew members are exposed

to different types of ionizing radiation.    To

assess the genetic impact of these radiations,

this experiment will study chromosome

changes and sensitivity to radiation in

lymphocytes (white blood cells) of ISS crew

members.    The Chromosome‐2 experiment is

planned to be carried out using eight subjects:  

four subjects from short‐duration flights and

four Expedition crew members.

Science Team:

C. Johannes (DE), M. Horstmann (DE)

Early Detection of Osteoporosis in Space

The mechanisms underlying the reduction in

bone mass, which occurs in astronauts in

weightlessness, are still unclear.    The Early

Detection of Osteoporosis in Space (EDOS)

experiment will evaluate the structure of

weight and non‐weight bearing bones of

cosmonauts/astronauts pre and post‐flight

using the method of computed tomography

(pQCT) together with an analysis of bone

biochemical markers in blood samples.
FEBRUARY 2008 EXPERIMENTS 69

Computed tomography (pQCT) measurement

during second campaign of the WISE bed  

rest study in Toulouse, France.

The objective of the project is to demonstrate

the efficiency of this technique as an early

detection of impairment in bone remodeling

and ultimately to provide information on the

mechanics underlying bone loss and to

accurately evaluate the efficiency of relevant

countermeasures.

EDOS should significantly contribute to the

development of a reference technique to

perform an early detection of osteoporosis on

Earth.    The ground experiment with the ISS

increment crews will take place at Star City

near Moscow and is scheduled to use 10 to 12

short‐ and long‐term subjects.

Science Team:

C. Alexandre (FR), L. Braak (FR), L. Vico (FR),  

P. Ruegsegger (CH), M. Heer (DE)

Eye Tracking Device

The working of our balance system and our

eyes are strongly interconnected and under‐

standing their adaptation to weightlessness can

help with our understanding of the occurrence

of space sickness.   Our eyes can rotate around

three axes whereas normally only two are used.  

The name of the coordinate framework which

describes the movement of the eyes in the head

is called Listing’s plane.   This experiment cen‐

ters on the evaluation of Listing’s plane under

different gravity conditions using the Eye

Tracking Device (ETD), which is able to record

horizontal, vertical and rotational eye move‐

ments and measure head movement.

Science Team:

A. Clarke (DE), T. Haslwanter (CH),  

E. Tomilovskaya (RU), I. Koslovkaya (RU)

Immuno

The aim of this experiment is to determine

changes in stress and immune responses,

during and after a stay on the ISS.    This will

include the sampling of saliva, blood and urine

to check for hormones associated with stress

response and for carrying out white blood cell

analysis and a questionnaire to be filled out by

the astronaut.  There will also be a focus on the

adaptation of cellular energy metabolism,

which can affect immune response.

Science Team:

A. Chouker (DE), F. Christ (DE), M. Thiel (DE),  

I. Kaufmann (DE), B. Morukov (RU)

Low Back Pain

The deep muscle corset plays an important role

in posture when in the upright position.   It is

thought that this deep muscle corset atrophies

during spaceflight leading to strain and hence

pain in certain ligaments, in particular in the

iliolumbar region in the back.  The objective of

this experiment is to assess the back pain in

response to exposure to weightlessness.

Science Team:

A. Pool‐Goudzwaard (NL), C. Richardson (AU),  

J. Hides (AU), L. Danneels (BE)
70 EXPERIMENTS FEBRUARY 2008

MOP

When entering weightlessness, astronauts

suffer from a phenomenon called space motion

sickness, which has symptoms comparable to

seasickness.    This disturbance in the body’s

orientation and balance is similar to the

disturbances experienced by subjects who have

undergone rotation in a human centrifuge

having experienced two to three times Earth’s

gravity for up to several hours.    This

experiment aims to obtain an insight into this

process and could help in developing

countermeasures to space motion sickness.

Science Team:

E. Groen (NL), J. Bos (NL), S. Nooij (NL),

W. Bles (NL), R. Simons (NL), T. Meeuwsen (NL)

Neocytolysis

Constituents of blood.  E is an erythrocyte or

red blood cell, L is a lymphocyte or white

blood cell and P is a blood platelet.

This experiment covers the effects of weight‐

lessness on the hemopoietic system:  the system

of the body responsible for the formation of

blood cells.  The experiment will study a proc‐

ess called neocytolysis, the selective destruction

of young red blood cells.  The experiment will

analyze the physical and functional characteris‐

tics of young red blood cells taken from astro‐

naut blood samples before and after spaceflight.

Science Team:

A. Risso (IT), G. Antonutto (IT), M. Cosulich (IT),

G. Minetti (IT)

Spin

This experiment is a comparison between pre‐

flight and post‐flight testing of astronaut

subjects using a centrifuge and a standardized

tilt test.  Orthostatic tolerance, i.e., the ability to

maintain an upright posture (without fainting)

will be correlated with measures of

otolith‐ocular function, i.e., the body’s

mechanism linking the inner ear with the eyes

that deals with maintaining balance.

Science Team:

F. Wuyts (BE), S. Moore (US),  

H. MacDougall (AU), G. Clement (FR),  

B. Cohen (US), N. Pattyn (BE), A. Diedrich (US).

ZAG

ZAG, which stands for Z‐axis Aligned

Gravito‐inertial force is an investigation into the

effect that weightlessness has on an astronaut’s

perception of motion and tilt as well as his level

of performance during and after spaceflight.  

Different tests will take place pre and post

flight including an analysis of the astronaut’s

motion perception and eye movements whilst

using a track‐and‐tilt chair.

Science Team:

G. Clement (FR), S. Wood (US),  

M. F. Reschke (US), P. Denise (FR).
FEBRUARY 2008 EXPERIMENTS 71

Radiation Dosimetry 

EuCPD

The European Crew Personal Dosimeters

(EuCPDs) will be worn by the ESA astronauts

onboard the ISS to measure the radiation

exposure during their flights.    The dosimeters

are worn around the waist and the left ankle for

astronauts inside the station and at the same

locations above the liquid cooling garment

inside the spacesuit for astronauts undertaking

spacewalks.  Each dosimeter is only 8 mm thick

and consists of a stack of five different passive

radiation sensors.    The different sensors will

measure different radioactive particles such as a

range of neutrons and heavy ions as well as

measuring particle impact angles and energy

transfer from particles.

Science Team:

U. Straube – ESA, C. Fuglesang ‐ ESA

Project Team:

J. Dettmann – ESA, G. Reitz – DLR (DE)

Matroshka 2B

The ESA Matroshka facility was initially

installed on the external surface of the ISS on

Feb. 27, 2004 with the aim of studying radiation

levels experienced by astronauts during

spacewalk activities.    It consists of a human

shape (head and torso) called the Phantom

equipped with several active and passive

radiation dosimeters.    This is mounted inside

an outer container of carbon fiber and

reinforced plastic to simulate a spacesuit.   The

facility was brought back inside the ISS on

Aug. 18, 2005, to continue the experiment for

radiation measurements inside the ISS.

For the Matroshka 2B experiment, new passive

radiation sensors uploaded on Soyuz 15S on

Oct. 10, 2007 will be installed inside the

Phantom.  The active radiation dosimeters will

be activated in early 2008.    The Matroshka

facility will be installed inside the ISS to taking

similar measurements related to the internal ISS

radiation environment.

Science Team:

G. Reitz (DE), R. Beaujean (DE),  

W. Heinrich (DE), M. Luszik‐Bhadra (DE),  

M. Scherkenbach (DE), P. Olko (PL),  

P. Bilski (PL), S. Derne (HU), J. Palvalvi (HU),

E. Stassinopoulos (US), J. Miller (US),  

C. Zeitlin (US), F. Cucinotta (US),  

V. Petrov (RU).

Project Team:

ESA:  J. Dettmann, DLR:  G. Reitz, J. Bossler,  

Kayser Italia:  M. Porciani, F. Granata

ESA astronaut Thomas Reiter, works with the

Matroshka experiment Phantom in the Zvezda

Service Module of the International Space

Station in December 2006.
72 EXPERIMENTS FEBRUARY 2008

Education Activities 

The ESA views education as an important facet

of all human spaceflight missions, promoting

and fostering the important role of science and

technology in the younger generation.    For

primary school children there will be an

animated web lesson about the Columbus

Laboratory with a cut out model of Columbus

while for secondary school children there will

be a video podcast focusing on Columbus as a

unique, European science laboratory in space

with accompanying biology and physics

lessons online.

For university students an essay contest was

launched in September 2007, the winner of

which will attend the launch of the Columbus

Laboratory at the Kennedy Space Center in

Florida.  The topic of the essay is the “Value of

Human Spaceflight for European Citizens”.  

University course material related to

engineering aspects of Columbus will also be

available on the ESA Web portal.  National web

chats with ESA astronauts Hans Schlegel and

Léopold Eyharts either pre‐  or post‐flight are

also being organized.

Project Team

ESA‐HME Education Office (NL)

External Experiments: EuTEF Facility 

The European Technology Exposure Facility

(EuTEF) is one of the first two external facilities

to be attached to the Columbus laboratory and

houses the following experiments requiring

either exposure to the open space environment

or a housing on the external surface of the ISS:

EXPOSE‐E

EXPOSE‐E is a subsection of EuTEF and

consists of five individual exobiology

experiments:

LIFE – The Lichens and Fungi Experiment

(LIFE) experiment will test the limits of

survival of Lichens, Fungi and symbionts under

space conditions.  Some of the organisms being

exposed for approximately 1.5 years include the

black Antarctic fungi (Cryomyces antarcticus and

Cryomyces minteri), the fungal element

(mycobiont) of the lichen Xanthoria elegans, and

the complete lichens (Rhizocarpon geographicum

and Xanthoria elegans) in situ on rock samples.

Previous results from the Biopan exposure

facility on the Foton‐M2 mission in 2005

showed the ability for lichens to survive in

exposed space conditions for 15 days.

Top:  Lichen Xanthoria elegans.  

Bottom:  mycobiont
FEBRUARY 2008 EXPERIMENTS 73

Science Team:

S. Onofri (IT), L. Zucconi (IT),  

L. Selbmann (DE), S. Ott (DE), J‐P.de Vera (ES),

R. de la Torre (ES)

ADAPT – This experiment concerns the

molecular adaptation strategies of

micro‐organisms to different space and

planetary UV climate conditions.

Science Team:

P. Rettberg (DE), C. Cockell (UK),  

E. Rabbow (DE), T. Douki (FR), J. Cadet (FR),  

C. Panitz (DE), R. Moeller (DE),  

G. Horneck (DE), H. Stan‐Lotter (AT)

PROCESS – The main goal of the PROCESS

(PRebiotic Organic ChEmistry on Space Station)

experiment is to improve our knowledge of the

chemical nature and evolution of organic

molecules involved in extraterrestrial

environments.

Science Team:

H. Cottin (FR), P. Coll (FR), D. Coscia (FR),  

A. Brack (FR), F. Raulin (FR)

PROTECT – The aim of this experiment is to

investigate the resistance of spores, attached to

the outer surface of spacecraft, to the open

space environment.  Three aspects of resistance

are of importance:  the degree of resistance; the

types of damage sustained; and the spores

repair mechanisms.

Science Team:

G. Horneck (DE), J. Cadet (FR), T. Douki (FR),  

R. Mancinelli (FR), R. Moeller(DE),  

J. Pillinger (UK), W. Nicholson (US),  

E. Rabbow (DE), J. Sprey (UK),

P. Rettberg (DE), E. Stackebrandt (DE),  

K. Venkateswaren (US)

SEEDS – This experiment will test the plant

seed as a terrestrial model for a panspermia

vehicle, i.e., a means of transporting life

through the universe and as a source of

universal UV screens.

Science Team:

D.Tepfer (FR), A. Zalar (HR),

S. Leach (UK), S. Hoffmann (DK),

P. Ducrot (FR), F. Corbineau (FR)

DEBIE‐2

DEBIE, which stands for ‘DEBris In orbit

Evaluator’ is designed to be a standard in‐situ

space debris and micrometeoroid monitoring

instrument which requires low resources from

the spacecraft.    It measures sub‐mm sized

particles and has three sensors facing in

different directions.  The scientific results from

several DEBIE instruments onboard different

spacecraft will be compiled into a single

database for ease of comparison.

Science Team:

G. Drolshagen – ESA, A. Menicucci – ESA

Dostel

Dostel (DOSimetric radiation TELescope) is a

small radiation telescope that will measure the

radiation environment outside the ISS.

Science Team:

G. Reitz ‐DLR (DE)

EuTEMP

EuTEMP is an autonomous and battery‐

powered multi‐input thermometer for

measuring EuTEF temperatures during the

unpowered transfer from the shuttle cargo bay

to the Columbus External Payload Facility to

which EuTEF is attached.

Science Team:

J. Romera – ESA
74 EXPERIMENTS FEBRUARY 2008

EuTEF facility at the Kennedy Space Center

with external payloads attached

EVC

The Earth Viewing Camera (EVC) payload is a

fixed‐pointed Earth‐observing camera.    The

main goal of the system is to capture color

images of the Earth’s surface, to be used as a

tool to increase general public awareness of the

station and promote the use of the ISS to the

potential user community for observation

purposes.

Science Team:

M. Sabbatini – ESA

FIPEX

It is important to build up a picture of the

varying atmospheric conditions in low Earth

orbit where orbiting spacecraft are still affected

by atmospheric drag.    The density of the

atmosphere is the major factor affecting drag

and this is affected by solar radiation and the

earth’s magnetic and gravitational fields.    The

flux of atomic oxygen is important as it shows

different interactions with spacecraft surfaces,

e.g., surface erosion.    With the FIPEX micro‐

sensor system, it is intended to measure the

atomic oxygen flux as well as the oxygen

molecules in the surrounding area of the

International Space Station.

Science Team:

Prof. Fasoulas, University of Dresden (DE)

MEDET

The aims of the Materials Exposure and

Degradation Experiment (MEDET) are:    to

evaluate the effects of open space on materials

currently being considered for utilization on

spacecraft in low earth orbit; to verify the

validity of data from the space simulation

currently used for materials evaluation; and to

monitor solid particles impacting spacecraft in

low Earth orbit.

Science Team:

V. Inguimbert – ONERA (FR), A. Tighe – ESA

PLEGPLAY

The scientific objective of PLEGPAY (PLasma

Electron Gun PAYload) is the study of the

interactions between spacecraft and the space

environment in low earth orbit, with reference

to electrostatic charging and discharging.  

Understanding these mechanisms is very

important as uncontrollable discharge events

can adversely affect the functioning of

spacecraft electronic systems.

Science Team:

G. Noci – Laben‐Proel (IT)

Tribolab

This series of experiment covers research in

tribology, i.e., the science of friction and

lubrication thereof.  This is of major importance

for spacecraft systems. The Tribolab

experiments will cover both experiments in

liquid and solid lubrication such as the

evaluation of fluid losses from surfaces and the

evaluation of wear of polymer and metallic

cages weightlessness.

Science Team:

R. Fernandez – INTA (ES)
FEBRUARY 2008 EXPERIMENTS 75

External Experiments: SOLAR Facility 

The SOLAR (Sun Monitoring on the External

Payload Facility of Columbus) facility will

study the sun with unprecedented accuracy

across most of its spectral range.  This study is

currently scheduled to last for two years.  

SOLAR is expected to contribute to the

knowledge of the interaction between the solar

energy flux and the Earth’s atmosphere

chemistry and climatology.    This will be

important for Earth observation predictions.  

The payload consists of three instruments

complementing each other, which are:

SOL‐ACES

The Solar Auto‐Calibrating Extreme

UV‐Spectrometer (SOL‐ACES)

The goal of the Solar Auto‐Calibrating Extreme

UV‐Spectrometer (SOL‐ACES) is to measure the

solar spectral irradiance of the full disk from

17 to 220 nm at 0.5 to 2 nm spectral resolution.  

Solar EUV radiation strongly influences the

propagation of electromagnetic signals such as

emitted from navigation satellites.    Providing

the variability of solar EUV radiation with the

accuracy of SOL‐ACES will contribute to

improving the accuracy of navigation data as

well as the orbit forecasts of satellites and

debris.    By an auto‐calibration capability,

SOL‐ACES is expected to gain long‐term

spectral data with a high absolute resolution.  

In its center, it contains four Extreme Ultra‐

Violet spectrometers.    SOL‐ACES is a new

instrument that has never flown.

Science Team:

G. Schmidtke (DE)

SOLSPEC

The purpose of SOLSPEC (SOLar SPECtral

irradiance measurements) experiment is to

measure the solar spectrum irradiance from

180 to 3,000 nautical miles.    The aims of this

investigation are the study of solar variability at

short and long term and the achievement of

absolute measurements (2 percent in UV and

1 percent above).   The SOLSPEC instrument is

fully refurbished and improved with respect to

the experience gained in the previous missions

(Spacelab‐1, Atlas‐1, Atlas‐2, Atlas‐3, Eureca).

Science Team:

M.G. Thuillier (FR)

SOVIM

The Solar Variability and Irradiance Monitor

(SOVIM) is a re‐flight of the SOVA experiment

on‐board Eureca‐1.    The investigation will

observe and study the irradiance of the sun,

with high precision and high stability.    The

total irradiance will be observed with active

cavity radiometers and the spectral irradiance

measurement will be carried out by one type of

sun‐photometer.
76 EXPERIMENTS FEBRUARY 2008

SOVIM is interested in the basic solar variabil‐

ity in itself or in using this variability to study

other physical phenomena, as e.g., solar oscilla‐

tions.  The basic reasons for irradiance changes

are crucially important for the understanding of

solar and stellar evolution.

Science Team:

C. Frohlich (CH)

The SOLAR facility with the three different

instruments highlighted. A is SOLSPEC,  

B is SOL‐ACES and C is SOVIM.
FEBRUARY 2008 SHUTTLE REFERENCE DATA 77

SHUTTLE REFERENCE DATA 

SHUTTLE ABORT MODES 

Redundant Sequence Launch Sequencer 

(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

shuttle main engine or an orbital maneuvering

system engine.    Other failures requiring early

termination 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

following more severe failures when an intact

abort is not possible.    A contingency abort

would generally 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, after which not

enough main propulsion system propellant

remains to return to the launch site.  An RTLS

can be considered to consist of three stages — a

powered stage, during which the space shuttle

main engines are still thrusting; an external

tank separation 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 example, 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

engine 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

toward 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

the orbiter/external tank configuration to a

heads‐up attitude, pointing toward the launch
78 SHUTTLE REFERENCE DATA FEBRUARY 2008

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

orbital maneuvering system and reaction con‐

trol 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,

including 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

similarly to a normal entry.

Transoceanic Abort Landing 

The TAL abort mode was developed to

improve the options available when a space

shuttle main engine fails after the last RTLS

opportunity 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

ballistic trajectory across the Atlantic Ocean to

land at a predetermined runway.    Landing

occurs 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

before 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

commands to begin an orbital maneuvering

system propellant dump (by burning the

propellants through the orbital maneuvering

system engines and the reaction control system

engines).    This dump is necessary to increase

vehicle performance (by decreasing weight) to

place the center of gravity in the proper place

for vehicle control and to decrease the vehicle’s

landing weight.  TAL is handled like a normal

entry.

Abort to Orbit 

An ATO is an abort mode used to boost the

orbiter 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

main engine cutoff under speed, the Mission

Control Center will determine that an abort
FEBRUARY 2008 SHUTTLE REFERENCE DATA 79

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

escape if a landing cannot be achieved at a

suitable 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

orbiter 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

periodic calls to the crew to tell them which

abort mode is (or is not) available.    If ground

communications 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
80 SHUTTLE REFERENCE DATA FEBRUARY 2008

improves mission success.   If the problem is a

space shuttle main engine failure, the flight

crew and Mission Control Center select the best

option available at the time a main engine fails.

If the problem is a system failure that jeopard‐

izes the vehicle, the fastest abort mode that

results 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

replaced 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

attempt ended at the T‐3 second mark when

onboard 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

acceptable readings in one channel of a sensor

monitoring the discharge temperature of the

high pressure oxidizer turbopump in main

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

Stennis Space Center in Mississippi on

September 2nd confirmed that a slight drift in a

fuel flow meter in the engine caused a slight

increase 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

temperatures.    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,

Challenger was launched on July 29, 1985.  Five

minutes and 45 seconds after launch, a sensor
FEBRUARY 2008 SHUTTLE REFERENCE DATA 81

problem resulted in the shutdown of center

engine No. 1, resulting in a safe “abort to orbit”

and successful completion of the mission.

SPACE SHUTTLE MAIN ENGINES 

Developed in the 1970s by NASA’s 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 NASA’s 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 8‐1/2 minutes

during 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

cycle 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, each engine gener‐

ates 490,847 pounds of thrust (measured in a

vacuum).    Full power is 512,900 pounds of

thrust; minimum power is 316,100 pounds of

thrust.

The engine can be throttled by varying the

output of the pre‐burners, thus varying the

speed of the high‐pressure turbopumps and,

therefore, the flow of the propellant.

At about 26 seconds into launch, the main

engines are throttled down to 316,000 pounds

of thrust to keep the dynamic pressure on the

vehicle below a specified level — about

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

engines are throttled back up to normal

operating 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 FEBRUARY 2008

About 10 seconds before main engine cutoff or

MECO, the cutoff sequence begins; about

three seconds later the main engines are com‐

manded to begin throttling at 10 percent thrust

per second 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 2‐1/2

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

accept 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

enhancements 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 reduce 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 number of post flight

inspections required.    Another modification

incorporates a large‐throat main combustion

chamber that improves the engine’s reliability

by reducing pressure and temperature in the

chamber.

After the orbiter lands, the engines are removed

and returned to a processing facility at

Kennedy Space Center, Fla., where they are

rechecked 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 engines’

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

motors ever flown and the first designed for

reuse.  Each is 149.16 feet long and 12.17 feet in

diameter. Each SRB weighs about

1,300,000 pounds at launch.  The propellant for

each solid rocket motor 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,
FEBRUARY 2008 SHUTTLE REFERENCE DATA 83

pyrotechnics, deceleration system, thrust vector

control system and range safety destruct

system.

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

performed 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

encircled 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

consists 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

together, 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

overstressing 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

beginning with the STS‐8 mission is 7‐to‐79.  

The nozzle is gimbaled for thrust vector

(direction) control.    Each SRB has its own

redundant auxiliary 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

platform.    The four aft separation motors are

mounted on the skirt.  The aft section contains
84 SHUTTLE REFERENCE DATA FEBRUARY 2008

avionics, a thrust vector control system that

consists of two auxiliary power units and

hydraulic pumps, hydraulic systems and a

nozzle extension jettison system.

The forward section of each booster contains

avionics, a sequencer, forward separation

motors, 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

assemblies, one forward and one aft.    After

burnout, the forward assembly initiates the

release of the nose cap and frustum, a transition

piece between the nose cone and solid rocket

motor, and turns on the recovery aids.  The aft

assembly, 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 multiplexer/demultiplexer, which sends

or receives more than one message, signal or

unit of information 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,

receiver/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

(pretensioned before launch), NSD gas pressure

and gravity.    The bolt is stopped by the stud

deceleration stand, which contains sand.    The

SRB bolt is 28 inches long and 3.5 inches in

diameter.    The frangible nut is captured in a

blast container.

The solid rocket motor ignition commands are

issued by the orbiter’s computers through the
FEBRUARY 2008 SHUTTLE REFERENCE DATA 85

master events controllers to the hold‐down

pyrotechnic 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

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 ignition commands are issued when the

three SSMEs are at or above 90 percent rated

thrust, no SSME fail and/or SRB ignition PIC

low voltage 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

simultaneously for the PIC to generate the pyro

firing output.  These signals — arm, fire 1 and

fire 2 — originate in the orbiter general‐purpose

computers and are transmitted to the MECs.  

The MECs reformat them to 28‐volt dc signals

for the PICs.    The arm signal charges the

PIC capacitor 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

being 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

under 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 retracted; 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.
86 SHUTTLE REFERENCE DATA FEBRUARY 2008

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

consists of orbiter‐supplied main dc bus power

to each SRB via SRB buses A, B and C.  Orbiter

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

orbiter bus B supplies backup power to SRB

bus C. This electrical power distribution

arrangement 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,

hydraulic pump, hydraulic reservoir and

hydraulic fluid manifold assembly.  The APUs

are fueled by hydrazine and generate

mechanical shaft power to a hydraulic pump

that produces hydraulic pressure for the SRB

hydraulic system.  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 between the rock and tilt actuators.  

The two systems 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 generator’s 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 line’s.    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

lubricates 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

electronics.    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
FEBRUARY 2008 SHUTTLE REFERENCE DATA 87

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 logic and enables the

112 percent APU speed control logic.    The

100 percent APU speed enables one APU/HPU

to supply sufficient operating 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

provides overpressure protection to the

hydraulic system and relieves at 3,750 psi.

The APUs/HPUs and hydraulic systems are

reusable 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

sensing activates a selector valve to isolate and

remove the defective servovalve hydraulic

pressure, permitting the remaining channels and

servovalves 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

capability of resetting a failed or bypassed chan‐

nel.

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
88 SHUTTLE REFERENCE DATA FEBRUARY 2008

provide an output proportional to angular rates

about the pitch and yaw axes to the orbiter com‐

puters and guidance, navigation and control

system during first‐stage ascent flight in con‐

junction 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

orbiter GPCs. The RGA rates are then

mid‐value‐selected in redundancy management

to provide 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

carries 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

firing redundant NSD pressure cartridges into

redundant confined detonating fuse manifolds.

The separation commands issued from the

orbiter by the SRB separation sequence initiate

the redundant NSD pressure cartridge in each

bolt and ignite the BSMs to effect a clean sepa‐

ration.

SPACE SHUTTLE SUPER LIGHT WEIGHT 

TANK (SLWT) 

The super lightweight external tank (SLWT)

made its first shuttle flight June 2, 1998, on

mission STS‐91.    The SLWT is 7,500 pounds

lighter than the standard external tank.    The

lighter weight tank allows the shuttle to deliver

International Space Station elements (such as

the service module) into the proper orbit.

The SLWT is the same size as the previous

design.   But the liquid hydrogen tank and the

liquid oxygen tank are made of aluminum

lithium, a lighter, stronger material than the

metal alloy used for the shuttle’s current tank.  

The tank’s structural design has also been

improved, making it 30 percent stronger and

5 percent less dense.
FEBRUARY 2008 SHUTTLE REFERENCE DATA 89

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

diameter of about 27 feet.    The external tank

holds over 530,000 gallons of liquid hydrogen

and liquid oxygen in two separate tanks.   The

hydrogen (fuel) and liquid oxygen (oxidizer)

are used as propellants for the shuttle’s three

main engines.
90 SHUTTLE REFERENCE DATA FEBRUARY 2008

This page intentionally left blank.
LAUNCH AND LANDING 

FEBRUARY 2008 LAUNCH & LANDING 91

LAUNCH 

As with all previous space shuttle launches,  

Atlantis has several options to abort its ascent if

needed due to engine failures or other systems

problems.    Shuttle launch abort philosophy is

intended to facilitate 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

Istres, 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

there’s not enough energy to reach Zaragoza,

the shuttle would pitch around toward

Kennedy until within gliding distance of the

Shuttle Landing Facility. For launch to proceed,

weather conditions must be forecast to be

acceptable 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 Atlantis on

STS‐122 is the Kennedy Space Center’s Shuttle

Landing Facility. Alternate landing sites that

could be used if needed because of weather

conditions or systems failures are at Edwards

Air Force Base, Calif., and White Sands Space

Harbor, N.M.
92 LAUNCH & LANDING FEBRUARY 2008

This page intentionally left blank.
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

FEBRUARY 2008 ACRONYMS/ABBREVIATIONS 93
94 ACRONYMS/ABBREVIATIONS FEBRUARY 2008

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
FEBRUARY 2008 ACRONYMS/ABBREVIATIONS 95

CID

CIOB

CLA

CLPA

CMG

CMG‐TA

CO2

Circuit Interrupt Device

Cargo Integration and Operations Branch

Camera and Light Assembly

Camera Light and Pan/Tilt Assembly

Control Moment Gyroscope

Control Moment Gyroscope‐Thruster Assist

Carbon Dioxide

COAS

COR

COTS

Crew Optical Alignment Sight

Communication Outage Recorder

Commercial‐Off‐The‐Shelf

CP Cold Plate

CPCG‐H

CR

CRES

Commercial Protein Crystal Growth‐High

Change Request

Corrosion Resistant Steel

CRIM

CRIM‐M

CRPCM

Commercial Refrigerator Incubator Module

Commercial Refrigerator Incubator Module‐Modified

Canadian Remote Power Controller Module

CSA

CSA‐CP

CSCI

CSM

CSS

CTB

CVIU

Computer Systems Architecture

Compound Specific Analyzer‐Combustion Products

Computer Software Configuration Item

Cargo Systems Manual

Crew Support Station

Cargo Transfer Bag

Common Video Interface Unit

CVT Current Value Table

CVV Carbon Dioxide Vent Valve

CWC Contingency Water Collection

DAA Docked Air‐to‐Air

DAG1

DAIU

Docked A/G 1

Docked Audio Interface Unit

DAP

DC

dc

Digital Autopilot

Docking Compartment

direct current

DCP

DCSU

DDCU

Display and Control Panel

Direct Current Switching Unit

DC‐to‐DC Converter Unit

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

DDCU‐E External DDCU

DDCU‐HP

DDCU‐I

DC‐to‐DC Converter Unit‐Heat Pipe

Internal DDCU

DFL Data Format Load
96 ACRONYMS/ABBREVIATIONS FEBRUARY 2008

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

EPF External Payload Facility  

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 Ssytem

ETI Elapsed Time Indicator

ETRS EVA Temporary Rail Stop

ETSD EVA Tool Storage Device
FEBRUARY 2008 ACRONYMS/ABBREVIATIONS 97

ETVCG External Television Cameras Group

EUE Experiment Unique Equipment

EuTEF European Technology Exposure Facility  

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
98 ACRONYMS/ABBREVIATIONS FEBRUARY 2008

GPRV Gas Pressure regulating Valve

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 Insrtumentation

INT Internal
FEBRUARY 2008 ACRONYMS/ABBREVIATIONS 99

INTSYS

IOC

IOCU

IP

Internal Systems

Input/Output Controller

Input/Output Controller Unit

International Partner

IRU

ISA

ISIS

ISL

ISO

ISPR

ISS

ISSPO

ISSSH

IT

ITCS

ITS

IUA

IV

In‐Flight Refill Unit

Internal Sampling Adapter

International Space Station Interface Standard

Integrated Station LAN

Inventory and Stowage Officer

International Standard Payload Rack

International Space Station

International Space Station Program Office

International Space Station Systems Handbook

Integrated Truss

Internal Thermal Control System

Integrated Truss Segment

Interface Umbilical Assembly

Intravehicular  

IVA

IVSU

Intravehicular Activity

Internal Video Switch Unit

IWIS Internal Wireless Instrumentation System

JAXA

JEM

JEU

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency

Japanese Experiment Module

Joint Electronic Unit

KSC

kW

Kennedy Space Center

Kilowatt

LA Launch Aft

Lab

LAN

Laboratory  

Local Area Network

LB Local Bus

LB‐RWS RWS Local Bus

LCA

LCC

Lab Cradle Assembly

Launch Commit Criteria

LCD

LDI

Liquid Crystal Display

Local Data Interface

LDR Low Data Rate

LDU Linear Drive Unit

LED

LEE

LEU

Light‐Emitting Diode

Latching End Effector

LEE Electronic Unit
100 ACRONYMS/ABBREVIATIONS FEBRUARY 2008

LFDP Load Fault Detection Protection

LGA Low Gain Antenna

LLA

LMC

LON

Low Level Analog

Lightweight Multipurpose Carrier

Launch On Need

LT

LTA

Low Temperature

Launch to Activation

LTL

LTU

Low Temperature Loop

Load Transfer Unit

LVLH Local Vertical Local Horizontal

MA

MAM

MBA

MBE

MBM

MBS

MBSU

MC

Mechanical Assembly

Manual Augmented Role

Motorized Bolt Assembly  

Metal Bellows Expander

Manual Berthing Mechanism

Mobile Remote Service Base System

Main Bus Switching Unit

Midcourse Correction

MCA

MCAS

MCC

Major Constituent Analyzer

MBS Common Attach System

Mission Control Center

MCC‐H Mission Control Center‐Houston

MCC‐M Mission Control Center‐Moscow

MCDS

MCS

MCU

MDA

MDL

Multifunction CRT Display System

Motion Control System

MBS Computer Unit

Motor Drive Assembly

Middeck Locker

MDM

MED OPS

MEPS

MEPSI

MER

Multiplexer/Demultiplexer

Medical Operations

Microencapsulation Electrostatic Processing System

Micro‐Electromechanical System‐based Pico Satellite Inspector

Mission Evaluation Room

MET

METOX

Mission Elapsed Time

Metal Oxide

MFCV Manual Flow Control Valve

MHS MCU Host Software

MIL‐STD

MILA

MIP

MISSE

Military Standard  

Mode Indicating Light Assembly

Mission Integration Plan

Materials International Space Station Experiment
FEBRUARY 2008 ACRONYMS/ABBREVIATIONS 101

MLI Multi‐Layer Insulation

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 N2 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
102 ACRONYMS/ABBREVIATIONS FEBRUARY 2008

ODS Orbiter Docking System

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
FEBRUARY 2008 ACRONYMS/ABBREVIATIONS 103

PDRS Payload Deployment and Retrieval System

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

psi Pounds per square inch

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
104 ACRONYMS/ABBREVIATIONS FEBRUARY 2008

PVCE Photovoltaic Controller Element

PVCU Photovoltaic Controller Unit

PVM Photovoltaic Module

PVR Photovoltaic Radiator

PVRGF

PVTCS

PWP

Photovoltaic Radiator Grapple Fixture

Photovoltaic Thermal Control System

Portable Work Platform

PWR Portable Water Reservoir

PYR Pitch Yaw Roll

QD Quick Disconnect

R/F

R&R

RACU

Refrigerator/Freezer

Removal and Replacement

Russian‐to‐American Converter Unit

RAIU Russian Audio Interface Unit

RAM

RAMV

Random Access Memory

Rheostat Air Mix Valve

RB Radiator Beam

RBB

RBI

Right Blanket Box

Remote Bus Isolator

RBVM Radiator Beam Valve  

RCC Reinforced Carbon‐Carbon

RCS

RDA

RF

RFCA

RFG

RGA

RHC

Reaction Control System

Retainer Door Assembly

Radio Frequency

Rack Flow Control Assembly

Radio Frequency Group

Rate Gyro Assemblies

Rotational Hand Controller

RHX

RIC

Regenerative Heat Exchanger

Rack Interface Controller

RJMC

RMS

ROBO

ROS

RP

RPC

Rotary Joint Motor Controller

Remote Manipulator System

Robotics Operations Support Officer  

Russian Orbital Segment

Receiver/Processor  

Remote Power Controller

RPCM Remote Power Controller Module

RPDA

RPM

Remote Power Distribution Assembly

Rbar Pitch Maneuver

RPOP

RS

Rendezvous and Proximity Operations Program

Russian Segment
FEBRUARY 2008 ACRONYMS/ABBREVIATIONS 105

RSC RMS Sideview Camera

RSP Resupply Stowage Platform

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
106 ACRONYMS/ABBREVIATIONS FEBRUARY 2008

SMCC Shuttle Mission Control Center

SMDP Service Module Debris Panel

SOC State of Charge

SOLAR Sun Monitoring on the External Payload Facility of Columbus  

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
FEBRUARY 2008 ACRONYMS/ABBREVIATIONS 107

TI Terminal Phase Initiation

TORF Twice Orbital Rate Flyaround

TORU Teleoperator Control Mode

TORVA Twice Orbital Rate +Rbar to +Vbar Approach

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 Signal Processor

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
108 ACRONYMS/ABBREVIATIONS FEBRUARY 2008

VSC Video Signal Converter

VSSA Video Stanchion Support Assembly

W/S Worksite

WETA WVS External Transceiver Assembly

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
FEBRUARY 2008 MEDIA ASSISTANCE 109

MEDIA ASSISTANCE 

NASA TELEVISION TRANSMISSION 

NASA Television is carried on an MPEG‐2

digital 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

polarization. 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 TV’s digital conversion will require

members of the broadcast media to upgrade

with an ‘addressable’ Integrated Receiver

De‐coder, or IRD, to participate in live news

events and interviews, media briefings and

receive NASA’s Video File news feeds on a

dedicated Media Services channel. NASA mis‐

sion coverage will air on a digital NASA Public

Services (“Free to Air”) channel, for which only

a basic IRD will be needed.

Television Schedule 

A schedule of key on‐orbit events and media

briefings during the mission will be detailed in

a NASA TV schedule posted at the link above.

The schedule will be updated as necessary and

will also be available at:

Status Reports 

Status reports on launch countdown and mis‐

sion progress, 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.

More Internet Information 

Information on the International Space Station

is available at:

http://www.nasa.gov/station

Information on safety enhancements made

since the Columbia accident is available at:

http://www.nasa.gov/returntoflight/

system/index.html

Information on other current NASA activities is

available at:

http://www.nasa.gov

Resources for educators can be found at the

following address:

http://education.nasa.gov
110 MEDIA ASSISTANCE FEBRUARY 2008

This page intentionally left blank.
FEBRUARY 2008 PUBLIC AFFAIRS CONTACTS 111

PUBLIC AFFAIRS CONTACTS 

HEADQUARTERS 

WASHINGTON, DC 

Michael Braukus

Public Affairs Officer

International Partners

202‐358‐1979

michael.j.braukus@nasa.gov

Katherine Trinidad

Public Affairs Officer

Space Operations

202‐358‐3749

katherine.trinidad@nasa.gov

John Yembrick

Public Affairs Officer

Space Operations

202‐358‐0602

john.yembrick-1@nasa.gov

Mike Curie

Public Affairs Officer

Space Operations

202‐358‐4715

michael.j.curie@nasa.gov

JOHNSON SPACE CENTER 

HOUSTON, TEXAS 

James Hartsfield

News Chief

281‐483‐5111

james.a.hartsfield@nasa.gov

Kyle Herring

Public Affairs Specialist

Space Shuttle Program Office

281‐483‐5111

kyle.j.herring@nasa.gov

Rob Navias

Program and Mission Operations Lead

281‐483‐5111

rob.navias-1@nasa.gov

Kylie Clem

Public Affairs Specialist

Mission Operations Directorate and Shuttle Crew

281‐483‐5111

kylie.s.clem@nasa.gov

Nicole Cloutier‐Lemasters

Public Affairs Specialist

Space Station Crew

281‐483‐5111

nicole.cloutier-1@nasa.gov

Lynnette Madison

Public Affairs Specialist

International Space Station

281‐483‐5111

lynnett.b.madison@nasa.gov

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER 

CAPE CANAVERAL, FLORIDA 

Allard Beutel

News Chief

321‐861‐4769

allard.beutel@nasa.gov

George Diller

Public Affairs Specialist

Space Shuttle

321‐867‐2468

george.h.diller@nasa.gov

Tracy Young

Public Affairs Specialist

International Space Station

321‐867‐2468

tracy.g.young@nasa.gov
112 PUBLIC AFFAIRS CONTACTS FEBRUARY 2008

MARSHALL SPACE FLIGHT CENTER 

HUNTSVILLE, ALABAMA 

Dom Amatore

Public Affairs Manager

256‐544‐0034

dominic.a.amatore@nasa.gov

June Malone

Public Affairs Specialist

News Chief/Media Manager

256‐544‐0034

june.e.malone@nasa.gov

Steve Roy

Public Affairs Specialist

Space Shuttle Propulsion

256‐544‐0034

steven.e.roy@nasa.gov

STENNIS SPACE CENTER 

BAY ST. LOUIS, MISSISSIPPI 

Linda Theobald

Public Affairs Specialist

228‐688‐3249

linda.l.theobald@nasa.gov

Paul Foerman

News Chief

228‐688‐1880

paul.foerman-1@nasa.gov

AMES RESEARCH CENTER 

MOFFETT FIELD, CALIFORNIA 

Mike Mewhinney

News Chief

650‐604‐3937

michael.mewhinney@nasa.gov

Jonas Dino

Public Affairs Specialist

650‐604‐5612

jonas.dino@nasa.gov

DRYDEN FLIGHT RESEARCH CENTER 

EDWARDS, CALIFORNIA 

Fred Johnson

Director, Public Affairs

661‐276‐2998

frederick.a.johnson@nasa.gov

Alan Brown

News Chief

661‐276‐2665

alan.brown@nasa.gov

Leslie Williams

Public Affairs Specialist

661‐276‐3893

leslie.a.williams@nasa.gov

GLENN RESEARCH CENTER 

CLEVELAND, OHIO 

Lori Rachul

News Chief

216‐433‐8806

lori.j.rachul@nasa.gov

Katherine Martin

Public Affairs Specialist

216‐433‐2406

katherine.martin@nasa.gov

LANGLEY RESEARCH CENTER 

HAMPTON, VIRGINIA 

Marny Skora

Head, News Media Office

757‐864‐3315

marny.skora@nasa.gov

Chris Rink

Public Affairs Officer

757‐864‐6786

christopher.p.rink@nasa.gov
FEBRUARY 2008 PUBLIC AFFAIRS CONTACTS 113

Kathy Barnstorff

Public Affairs Officer

757‐864‐9886

katherine.a.barnstorff@nasa.gov

UNITED SPACE ALLIANCE 

Jessica Pieczonka

Houston Operations

832‐205‐0480

jessica.b.pieczonka@usa-spaceops.com

Tracy Yates

Florida Operations

321‐861‐3956

tracy.e.yates@usa-spaceops.com

BOEING 

Tanya Deason‐Sharp

Media Relations

Boeing Space Exploration

281‐226‐4029

tanya.e.deason-sharp@boeing.com

Ed Memi

Media Relations

Boeing Space Exploration

281‐226‐4029

edmund.g.memi@boeing.com

EUROPEAN SPACE AGENCY (ESA) 

Clare Mattok

Communication Dept.

Paris, France

011‐33‐1‐5369‐7412

clare.mattok@esa.int

Franco Bonacina

Media Relations Office

Paris, France

011‐33‐1‐5369‐7713

franco.bonacina1@esa.int
114 PUBLIC AFFAIRS CONTACTS FEBRUARY 2008

This page intentionally left blank.