77-537: STS-129 ( ISS assembly flight ULF3 ) was a NASA Space Shuttle mission to the International Space Station (ISS). Atlantis was launched on November 16, 2009, at 14:28 EST , and landed at 09:44 EST on November 27, 2009, on runway 33 at the Kennedy Space Center 's Shuttle Landing Facility. It was also the last Shuttle mission of the 2000s. STS-129 focused on staging spare components outside
154-534: A Cargo Transport Container (CTC-1), a Mobile Transporter Trailing Umbilical System Reel Assembly (MT TUS-RA), a Control Moment Gyroscope, a Nitrogen Tank Assembly, a Pump Module, MISSE attach hardware and one empty site for future payloads. ELC-1 was installed on the Unpressurized Cargo Carrier Attachment System #2 (UCCAS 2) on the P3 (port side) segment of the main truss. ELC-2 was installed on
231-434: A TDRSS satellite is in the manufacturing process it is given a letter designation, but once it has successfully achieved the correct geosynchronous orbit it is referred to with a number (for example, TDRS-A during development and before on-orbit acceptance, and TDRS-1 after acceptance on orbit and put into operational use). Thus, satellites that are lost in launch failures or have massive malfunctions are never numbered. TDRS-A
308-584: A crane that was being used to transfer Atlantis for attachment to its external fuel tank and two solid rocket boosters caused a delay in operations forcing the shuttle managers to add extra 24-hours to the rollout preparations. Atlantis rolled out from the VAB to the Launch Complex 39A on October 14, 2009, at 06:38 EDT in a slow drive on the top of the Crawler-transporter . The 3.4 miles (5.5 km) rollout
385-613: A crew of seven. Building the complete station required more than 40 assembly flights. As of 2020, 36 Space Shuttle flights delivered ISS elements. Other assembly flights consisted of modules lifted by the Falcon 9 , Russian Proton rocket or, in the case of Pirs and Poisk , the Soyuz-U rocket. Some of the larger modules include: The space station is located in orbit around the Earth at an altitude of approximately 410 km (250 mi),
462-625: A decade. The Nauka module finally launched in July 2021 and docked to the nadir port of Zvezda module after several days of free flight followed by the Prichal which launched on 24 November 2021. There are plans to add 2 or 3 more modules that would attach to Prichal during the mid-2020s. Adding more Russian modules will help the Zvezda module greatly because Zvezda's originally installed central command computers no longer work (three ThinkPad laptops are now
539-565: A half years, until in July 2000 the Russian module Zvezda was launched by a Proton rocket, allowing a maximum crew of three astronauts or cosmonauts to be on the ISS permanently. The ISS has a pressurized volume of approximately 1,000 cubic metres (35,000 cu ft), a mass of approximately 410,000 kilograms (900,000 lb), approximately 100 kilowatts of power output, a truss 108.4 metres (356 ft) long, modules 74 metres (243 ft) long, and
616-479: A mission to build, re-supply and to do research on the International Space Station". Powered flight conformed to the standard timeline (see Space Shuttle – Mission Profile – Launch ), with main engine cutoff (MECO) occurring at eight minutes and 24 seconds Mission Elapsed Time (MET) and the external tank separating from the shuttle at eight minutes and 38 seconds MET into the flight. A further boost from
693-573: A possible postponement of its launch slipping into November 17, 2009. Atlantis was towed from its hangar in Orbiter Processing Facility -1 to the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) on October 6, 2009, at about 07:00 EDT. The move, known as rollover, was completed at 08:25 when Atlantis arrived in the VAB transfer aisle. Atlantis was initially scheduled to roll out to Launch Pad 39A on October 13, 2009. However, an issue with
770-486: A redesigned Titanium bracket. The payload for the mission was moved to Launch Pad 39A on the October 29, 2009, and was installed into the shuttle's payload bay on November 4, 2009. During the post-flight interview on November 16, shuttle launch director Mike Leinbach told that Atlantis officially beat shuttle Discovery on the record low amount of Interim Problem Reports, with a total of just 54 listed since returning from
847-851: A sufficient supply line of experimental equipment. As of November 2020, the crew capacity has increased to seven due to the launch of Crew Dragon by SpaceX , which can carry 4 astronauts to the ISS. Later additions included the Bigelow Expandable Activity Module (BEAM) in 2016, and numerous Russian components are planned as part of the in-orbit construction of OPSEK . The ISS is made up of 16 pressurized modules: six Russian modules ( Zarya , Zvezda , Poisk , Rassvet , Nauka , and Prichal ), eight US modules ( BEAM , Leonardo , Harmony , Quest , Tranquility , Unity , Cupola , and Destiny ), one Japanese module ( Kibō ) and one European module ( Columbus ). At least one Russian pressurized module ( Pirs )
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#1732851193899924-585: A type of orbit usually termed low Earth orbit (the actual height varies over time by several kilometers due to atmospheric drag and reboosts ). It orbits Earth in a period of about 90 minutes; by August 2007 it had completed more than 50,000 orbits since launch of Zarya on 20 November 1998. A total of 14 main pressurized modules were scheduled to be part of the ISS by its completion date in 2010. A number of smaller pressurized sections will be adjunct to them ( Soyuz spacecraft (permanently 2 as lifeboats – 6 months rotations), Progress transporters (2 or more),
1001-409: Is deorbited till now. Although not permanently docked with the ISS, Multi-Purpose Logistics Modules (MPLMs) formed part of the ISS during some Shuttle missions. An MPLM was attached to Harmony (initially to Unity ) and was used for resupply and logistics flights. Spacecraft attached to the ISS also extend the pressurized volume. At least one Soyuz spacecraft is always docked as a 'lifeboat' and
1078-725: Is in the Las Cruces area. All radioed commands and received telemetry that go to and from the tracking and data relay satellites go by way of these terminals at the White Sands Complex. At first, just one large ground terminal system for the TDRSS was designed and built. However, some years later, due to increased user demand NASA ordered the design and construction of a second ground terminal system about 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) away. Thus, there are now two functionally identical and redundant satellite ground terminals there, which are known as
1155-432: Is now part of the ISS's configuration. During the shuttle stand-down, construction of the ISS was halted and the science conducted aboard was limited due to the crew size of two, adding to earlier delays due to Shuttle problems and the Russian space agency's budget constraints. In March 2006, a meeting of the heads of the five participating space agencies accepted the new ISS construction schedule that planned to complete
1232-412: Is replaced every six months by a new Soyuz as part of crew rotation. Table below shows the sequence in which these components were added to the ISS. Decommissioned and deorbited Modules are shown in gray. (24 ft) (14 ft) (23 ft) (15 ft) (22 ft) The following module was built, but has not been used in future plans for the ISS as of January 2021. The ISS is credited as
1309-734: The Quest and Pirs airlocks, as well as periodically the H-II Transfer Vehicle ). The US Orbital Segment was completed in 2011 after the installation of the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer during the STS-134 mission. The Russian Orbital Segment assembly has been on an indefinite hiatus since the installation of the Rassvet module in 2010 during the STS-132 mission. The Rassvet module on
1386-595: The Atlantis crew. Later in the day at 19:52 UTC, shuttle's robotic arm operated by Mission Specialists Melvin and Bresnik lifted the ExPRESS Logistics Carrier 1 which it had grappled on Flight day 2 out of the payload bay. After handing over to the station's Canadarm2 controlled by shuttle Pilot Wilmore and station Flight Engineer Williams, the carrier was attached to the ISS's Port 3 truss at 21:27 UTC. Mission Specialists Michael Foreman and Robert Satcher spent
1463-474: The Brazilian Space Agency . The spare hardware stored on ELC-1 includes an Ammonia Tank Assembly, a Battery Charger Discharge Unit, a station robotic arm Latching End Effector, a Control Moment Gyroscope, a Nitrogen Tank Assembly, a Pump Module, a Plasma Contactor Unit and two empty Passive Flight Releasable Attachment Mechanisms. ELC-2 was launched with an oxygen-filled High Pressure Gas Tank (HPGT),
1540-493: The Cape Canaveral Air Force Station , one at the beginning of the shuttle's launch window and the other at the end. The Eastern Range had been reserved on November 14 and 15, 2009, for the launch of the communications satellite Intelsat 14 aboard an Atlas-V rocket. A Delta-IV rocket carrying a Wideband Global SATCOM satellite was also expected to lift off on November 19, 2009. On November 10, 2009, MRM-2
1617-698: The District of Columbia , attended the two-day event and, for a time, the #nasatweetup hashtag reached #3 on Twitter's trending topics. The November 2009 launch window of Atlantis , between November 16 and 20, was complicated by the launch of the Mini-Russian Research Module 2 (MRM-2) aboard a Soyuz-U rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Further conflict was caused by Eastern Range constraints with two other satellite launches from
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#17328511938991694-402: The International Space Station (ISS) has been under way since the 1990s. Zarya , the first ISS module, was launched by a Proton rocket on 20 November 1998. The STS-88 Space Shuttle mission followed two weeks after Zarya was launched, bringing Unity , the first of three node modules, and connecting it to Zarya . This bare 2-module core of the ISS remained uncrewed for the next one and
1771-475: The International Space Station , and remote bases like the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station . This system was designed to replace an existing worldwide network of ground stations that had supported all of NASA's crewed flight missions and uncrewed satellites in low-Earth orbits. The primary system design goal was to increase the amount of time that these spacecraft were in communication with
1848-529: The Pro Football Hall of Fame inductees written on it and various other NFL -related, space-flown memorabilia were flown on STS-129. The crew of Atlantis worked with several short-term experiments during their mission. Atlantis also transported new long-term experiments to the space station. At the end of the mission, the shuttle will return some of the completed experiments from the ISS. Short-term experiments included: New experiments delivered to
1925-518: The STS-114 mission of Discovery . This mission to the ISS was intended both to test new safety measures implemented since the Columbia disaster and deliver supplies to the station. Although the mission succeeded safely, it was not without risk; foam was shed by the external tank , leading NASA to announce future missions would be grounded until this issue was resolved. Between the Columbia disaster and
2002-401: The STS-114 shuttle flight took care of this problem. Many changes were made to the originally planned ISS, even before the Columbia disaster. Modules and other structures were cancelled or replaced, and the number of Shuttle flights to the ISS was reduced from previously planned numbers. However, more than 80% of the hardware intended to be part of the ISS in the late 1990s was orbited and
2079-574: The STS-125 . He continued to add "It's due to the team and the hardware processing. They just did a great job. The record will probably never be broken again in the history of the Space Shuttle Program, so congratulations to them". Final launch preparations commenced at Pad 39A with technicians closing Atlantis' payload bay doors during the morning hours on November 13, 2009. On the same day, NASA's official launch countdown clock began at 1 pm and
2156-600: The White Sands Complex . Due to a Zone of Exclusion, no user support over the Indian Ocean, a ground terminal was built in Guam to support TDRS. The bilateration ranging transponder system (BRTS) provides tracking support for TDRS spacecraft. BRTS consists of four sites located at White Sands Missile Range (WSC), Guam (GRGT), Ascension Island (ACN), and Alice Springs , Australia (ALS). The communications systems of
2233-424: The Zvezda was made apparent when in October 2020 the toilet, oven, and Elektron all malfunctioned at the same time and the cosmonauts onboard had to make emergency repairs. The ISS, when completed, will consist of a set of communicating pressurized modules connected to a truss , on which four large pairs of photovoltaic modules (solar panels) are attached. The pressurized modules and the truss are perpendicular:
2310-515: The Zvezda's central command computers) and its Elektron oxygen generators are not replaceable and failed again for a short time in 2020 after multiple malfunctions throughout their history. In Russian modules all the hardware is launched with the equipment permanently installed. It is impossible to replace hardware like in the US Orbital Segment with its very wide 51 inch (105 cm) hatch openings between modules. This potential problem with
2387-536: The ACRFG are to transmit/receive radio signals to/from the transponder, amplification of signals to a power level necessary to be acquired by a Tracking Data and Relay Satellite and to broadcast/receive signals through the selected antenna. The SASA boom assembly consists of a mast, an extra-vehicular activity (EVA) handle, a harness, a connector panel, a mounting surface for the RFG and a baseplate fitting. The fitting will serve as
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2464-549: The FRR: (1) Effects of vibrations and acoustics associated with the Main Engine ignition—a potential issue with a stinger (bolt) structure on the aft of the shuttle, which may be susceptible to the stresses of Main Engine ignition (2) Shuttle's toilet – a new Aluminum bracket used to help anchor the toilet to the crew module structure had been installed. For future flights, NASA plans to use
2541-466: The ISS by 2010. As of May 2009, a crew of six has been established following 12 Shuttle construction flights after the second "Return to Flight" mission STS-121 . Requirements for stepping up the crew size included enhanced environmental support on the ISS, a second Soyuz permanently docked on the station to function as a second 'lifeboat', more frequent Progress flights to provide double the amount of consumables, more fuel for orbit raising maneuvers, and
2618-459: The ISS orbit. Both MISSE 7A and MISSE 7B contain active and passive experiments. Passive experiments are designed for pre- and post-flight evaluation in ground-based laboratories. Atlantis delivered a repaired S-band Antenna Sub-Assembly (SASA) to the ISS which was returned to Earth during the STS-120 mission in October 2007. SASA is a space station antenna assembly consisting of Major functions of
2695-414: The ISS right now was originally supposed to be the on-ground dynamic testing mock-up of the now-cancelled Science Power Platform . The Nauka science laboratory module contains new crew quarters, life support equipment that can produce oxygen and water, and a new galley. The Nauka was originally supposed to be delivered to the ISS in 2007 but cost overruns and quality control problems delayed it for over
2772-919: The ISS: the SpaceX Dragon , the Russian Progress, the European ATV and the Japanese HTV , and space station downmass will be carried back to Earth facilities on the Dragon. After the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster on 1 February 2003, there was some uncertainty over the future of the ISS. The subsequent two and a half-year suspension of the U.S. Space Shuttle program , followed by problems with resuming flight operations in 2005, were major obstacles. The Space Shuttle program resumed flight on 26 July 2005, with
2849-486: The Orbital Maneuvering System (OMS) engines was not required due to the nominal MECO and Atlantis settled into its planned preliminary orbit. A subsequent NC-1 engine firing adjusted the orbital path of the shuttle to the ISS, by altering the shuttle's velocity, resulting in a new orbit of 147 by 118 statute miles. At the post-launch news conference, NASA officials reported that three foam events were seen in
2926-601: The Processing of Experiments to the Space Station) Logistics Carrier (ELC-1) and the ELC-2. Each steel framework has a mass capacity of 9,800 pounds (4,400 kg), with a volume of 30 m³ (total with spares, ELC-1: 13,850 pounds (6,280 kg) and ELC-2: 13,400 pounds (6,100 kg)). The Goddard Space Flight Center served as the overall integrator for ELC-1 and ELC-2, with the addition of components manufactured by
3003-578: The Shuttle Training Aircraft. On the evening at about 5.30 pm the Rotating Service Structure that protects the shuttle from adverse weather conditions was rolled back anticipating next day's launch. The MMT again met at 04:30 EST on November 16, 2009, and gave a "go" to begin loading shuttle Atlantis' external tank. The tanking began at 05:03 EST and was completed at 08:00 EST. The final unanimous "go" for launch directive from
3080-562: The TDRS system and hand off satellite relay services to commercial providers. In 2024 it announced that while TDRS satellites would probably continue to operate for a decade or more, all new orbital missions would communicate through privately-operated satellite networks. The first tracking and data relay satellite was launched in 1983 on the Space Shuttle Challenger's first flight, STS-6 . The Boeing-built Inertial Upper Stage that
3157-418: The TDRSS satellites were designed to support multiple missions at the same time. Each satellite has S band , K u band (1st Gen only), and K a band (2nd gen only) electronic communication systems hardware that operate at different carrier frequencies and also support various data-rates. The newer Boeing satellites are able to support more communications than the older TRW-built satellites. Note: while
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3234-673: The Upper Outboard Payload Attach System on the S3 (Starboard Segment 3) of the main truss. ELC2 also carried MISSE-7 , an experiment that will expose a variety of materials and coatings being considered for future spacecraft to the extreme conditions outside the space station. The materials are being evaluated for the effects of atomic oxygen, ultraviolet, direct sunlight, radiation, and extremes of heat and cold. The experimental findings will benefit better understanding, development and to test new materials suitable to better withstand
3311-462: The capabilities of the system as a whole: "Working solo, TDRS-1 provided more communication coverage, in support of the September 1983 Shuttle mission, than the entire network of NASA tracking stations had provided in all previous Shuttle missions." The first generation of TDRS are planned to be retired in 2015. The two TDRSS satellite ground terminals are located at NASA White Sands Complex, which
3388-588: The crew at 09:28 UTC to begin Flight Day 4. Earlier in the morning, Mission Control also radioed commander Charles Hobaugh with the news that the crew won't need to perform follow-up inspections on Atlantis' heat shield during a period of time set aside on flight day 5. The crew was told to use that "deleted time" to get ahead with shuttle-to-station cargo transfers. Later on Thursday, NASA officials said that Atlantis ' heat shield has been cleared for re-entry. ISS assembly sequence The process of assembling
3465-517: The crew flew to Kennedy's Shuttle Landing Facility in a Shuttle Training Aircraft Gulfstream II jet at 12:35 EST to prepare for the launch. On November 14, 2009, after the L-2 Mission Management Team (MMT) meeting, Space Shuttle launch integration manager Michael Moses announced that the MMT gave the official "go" for Atlantis' s launch on Monday, and Hobaugh and Wilmore practiced landings in
3542-572: The end of the Space Shuttle program, after STS-135 was approved in February 2011. STS-129 was the final Space Shuttle crew rotation flight to or from the ISS. STS-129 was the 2nd flight to carry two African-American astronauts , Leland Melvin and Robert Satcher . The first was STS-116 , which included Robert Curbeam and Joan Higginbotham . The primary payload of STS-129 was the ExPRESS (Expedite
3619-512: The external fuel tank (ET) video camera footage. They further quoted that the events weren't a concern since the foam loss events occurred after the aerodynamic sensitive time period. Later in the day, based on a quick-look review of the launch video, crew communicator (CAPCOM) astronaut Christopher Ferguson also informed the shuttle crew that there were no ascent debris events of concern. Flight day 1 on-orbit operations included, opening of both payload bay doors of Atlantis at 21:12 GMT, deploying
3696-614: The ground and improve the amount of data that could be transferred. These TDRSS satellites are all designed and built to be launched to and function in geosynchronous orbit , 35,786 km (22,236 mi) above the surface of the Earth. The first seven TDRSS satellites were built by the TRW corporation. The three later versions have been manufactured by the Boeing corporation's Satellite Systems division. Thirteen satellites have been launched; however, one
3773-400: The heat shield. The photos were down-linked to mission control for review. The pitch maneuver was completed at 16:01 UTC. Docking to Harmony/Pressurized Mating Adapter-2 occurred a couple of minutes ahead of schedule at 16:51 UTC. The joined spacecraft were orbiting 220 miles above Earth at the time of docking, above Australia and Tasmania. After leak checks, the hatchway between Atlantis and
3850-405: The image analysis team on the ground. During the day's Mission Management Team (MMT) briefing, chairman LeRoy Cain noted that a preliminary assessment of ascent imagery and data beamed down during the thermal protection inspection showed no signs of any significant heat shield damage. The crew also made progress to dock with the space station on Flight Day 3. The mission's spacewalkers worked inside
3927-410: The middeck to test and ready the spacesuits that would be used during the spacewalks. The crew extended the ring of the orbital docking system in preparation for linkup with the ISS. Commander Charles Hobaugh also installed the docking system's centerline camera that was used during the rendezvous with the station in the docking port. Two Rendezvous burns were performed (NC-2 and NC-3) on the path to reach
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#17328511938994004-505: The mission management team, mission control and the launch team came during the countdown clock holding at T-9 minutes. The initial launch day weather forecast called for a 90% chance of favorable launch conditions. As the launch preparations continued, due to lower cloud cover ceilings it was changed to 70% and at liftoff to 80%. Atlantis launched on time at 14:28 EDT (19:28:10 UTC ), with launch commentator George Diller 's words upon launch being "liftoff of space shuttle Atlantis , on
4081-580: The most expensive item ever built, costing around $ 150 billion (USD), making it more expensive than Skylab (costing US$ 2.2 billion) and Mir (US$ 4.2 billion). Tracking and Data Relay Satellite A tracking and data relay satellite ( TDRS ) is a type of communications satellite that forms part of the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System (TDRSS) used by NASA and other United States government agencies for communications to and from independent "User Platforms" such as satellites , balloons, aircraft,
4158-594: The night in the Quest airlock as part of the overnight "campout" procedure to help them get prepared for next day's spacewalk. During the post MMT briefing LeRoy Cain noted that the shuttle continues to perform flawlessly with no significant problems to report. Furthermore, he added that NASA is not tracking down any significant issues with Atlantis . The wakeup call from the Mission Control Center in Houston went up to
4235-547: The payload bay to the Zenith 1 truss for installation as a spare by spacewalkers Foreman and Satcher performing EVA 1 on November 19. In a middeck stowage locker, Atlantis carried the Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) Ultra High Frequency (UHF) Communication Unit (CUCU) developed by Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) in collaboration with NASA to the ISS. It will be integrated on
4312-766: The point that the satellite was able to see the South Pole, and an uplink/downlink station was installed at Amundsen–Scott South Pole Station in January 1998; TDRS-1 was an important communication uplink for Antarctic research until 2009. The second tracking and data relay satellite was destroyed along with Challenger shortly after launch during the STS-51-L mission in January 1986. The next five TRW-built TDRSS satellites were successfully launched on other Space Shuttles. Three follow-up Boeing-built satellites were launched by Atlas rockets in 2000 and 2002. A NASA Press Release summarized
4389-418: The radiators, deploying Ku-Band antenna to gain favorable communications, opening of the protective doors covering the star trackers on the nose of the shuttle, setting up the onboard computer network, downlinking imagery and data collected during the flight into orbit, getting out of their launch and entry spacesuits and stowing away the mission specialists' seats. The crew also completed a thorough checkout of
4466-506: The resumption of Shuttle launches, crew exchanges were carried out solely using the Russian Soyuz spacecraft . Starting with Expedition 7 , two-astronaut caretaker crews were launched in contrast to the previously launched crews of three. Because the ISS had not been visited by a shuttle for an extended period, a larger than planned amount of waste accumulated, temporarily hindering station operations in 2004. However Progress transports and
4543-458: The rigors of space environments with applications in the design of future spacecraft. MISSE-7 is composed of two suitcase-sized Passive Experiment Containers (PECs), identified as MISSE 7A and MISSE 7B. Once installed in the exterior of ISS by space walking astronauts, the PECs are opened. The orientation of MISSE 7A will be space facing/Earth facing while MISSE 7B will face forward/backward relative to
4620-765: The shuttle's ascent to orbit, in order to capture the behavior of the LO2 Ice Frost Ramps (IFRs) located on the upper part of the tank during potential liberation events. NASA managers held a post news conference to brief about the outcomes of the FRR on October 30, 2009. The briefing was broadcast on NASA TV and was attended by William Gerstenmaier , NASA's Associate Administrator for Space Operations, Michael Moses, Launch Integration Manager, Space Shuttle Program and Michael Leinbach , Space Shuttle launch director. Mr. Gerstenmaier and Mr. Moses mentioned about two issues related to ongoing shuttle processing that had been discussed during
4697-514: The shuttle's robotic arm and the Orbiter Boom Sensor System (OBSS), the crew performed a six-hour inspection of the reinforced carbon nose cap and wing leading edge panels of the shuttle. After releasing its grasp on the inspection boom, the robotic arm grappled the ExPRESS Logistics Carrier 1 (ELC1) as a preparatory step for installation on Flight Day 3. The images and video from the thermal protection system survey would be reviewed by
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#17328511938994774-488: The shuttle's robotic arm earlier in preparation for the survey of Atlantis ' wing leading edge panels and nose cap on flight day 2. Some of the crew started their sleep period around 21:45 pm EST about an hour or so later than originally planned. The crew members aboard space shuttle Atlantis began their first full day in space at 09:28 UTC. The day was primarily devoted to inspect Atlantis's thermal protection system to look for any signs of launch damage. Using
4851-448: The space station in preparation for future SpaceX flights to the orbiting complex. The unit allows for communication between ISS and SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft via a UHF radio. Commands from SpaceX can be forwarded through ISS to CUCU and on to Dragon. Similarly, telemetry from Dragon and CUCU can be forwarded down through ISS for monitoring by SpaceX and NASA ground-based mission control. The Crew Command Panel (CCP) provides feedback about
4928-558: The space station included: For a comprehensive list of all STS-129 experiments and more information, see footnote The mission marked: The STS-129 mission marked NASA's fifth NASA Tweetup , and its first such event ever held during a Shuttle launch at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida . One hundred members of the general public, representing Morocco , New Zealand, the United Kingdom and 21 U.S. states, in addition to
5005-498: The space station was opened at 18:28 UTC. The traditional welcome ceremony and the station safety briefing followed, and shuttle and station crews began their joint operations for the rest of day. The astronauts worked to move the spacewalking suits carried up on Atlantis over to the Quest airlock for use in the EVAs. After the hatch opening, astronaut Nicole Stott's tenure as a station Expedition 21 flight engineer came to an end as she joined
5082-528: The space station. Before the shuttle docked STS-129 Commander Charles Hobaugh performed what is known as the Rendezvous Pitch Maneuver (RPM) beginning at 15:52 UTC above the Atlantic Ocean, while Station astronauts Nicole Stott and Jeffrey Williams photographed Atlantis ' underside with handheld digital cameras equipped with 400- and 800-millimeter lenses as part of post-launch inspections of
5159-553: The state of the Dragon vehicle to astronauts aboard ISS. It additionally provides some simple commanding capability to the astronauts to be used during the Dragon approach to ISS. Astronaut Randolph Bresnik carried a scarf worn by the noted American aviation pioneer and author Amelia Earhart . The scarf had been on display at the Ninety-Nines Museum of Women Pilots in Oklahoma City. Bresnik's grandfather, Albert Louis Bresnik,
5236-527: The station. The 11-day flight included three spacewalks . The payload bay carried two large ExPRESS Logistics Carriers holding two spare gyroscopes, two nitrogen tank assemblies, two pump modules, an ammonia tank assembly, a spare latching end effector for the station's robotic arm, a spare trailing umbilical system for the Mobile Transporter , and a high-pressure gas tank. STS-129 was the first flight of an ExPRESS Logistics Carrier . The completion of this mission left six Space Shuttle flights remaining until
5313-428: The station. The NC-2 burn was scheduled for earlier in the day and once again Atlantis ' reaction control jets were fired for NC-3 burn later in the day. The NC-3 burn lasted for 12s. Atlantis ' crew awoke at 09:28 UTC and began the rendezvous operations two hours into the day. Guided by a series of maneuvers—NH, NC-4 and the Terminal Insertion burns to refine the shuttle's trajectory— Atlantis closed in on
5390-406: The structural interface for mounting the SASA to the Zenith 1 truss on the ISS. The Avionics Wire Harness installed on the SASA Boom provides operational and heater power to the RFG. Another function of the harness is to send command/status/RF signals to and from RFG. SASA package was attached to the sidewall inside the payload bay of Atlantis during the ascent to the ISS. It was transferred from
5467-544: The truss spanning from starboard to port and the habitable zone extending on the aft -forward axis. Although during the construction the station attitude may vary, when all four photovoltaic modules are in their definitive position the aft-forward axis will be parallel to the velocity vector. In addition to the assembly and utilization flights, approximately 30 Progress spacecraft flights are required to provide logistics until 2010. Experimental equipment, fuel and consumables are and will be delivered by all vehicles visiting
5544-515: Was completed with the launch platform secured in place at about 13:31 EDT. The final flight readiness review (FRR) meeting for the STS-129 mission took place at Kennedy Space Center during the last week of October 2009. The FRR had approved the installation of a special minicam pointing out of window 4 on Atlantis ' flight deck. The camera will film the forward portion of the External Tank during
5621-627: Was destroyed in the Challenger disaster . TDRS-1 was decommissioned in October 2009. TDRS-4 was decommissioned in December 2011. Ten TDRSS satellites are currently in service. All of the TDRSS satellites have been managed by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center . The contract for TDRS versions L & K was awarded to Boeing on December 20, 2007. On November 30, 2011, NASA announced the decision to order an additional third-generation TDRS satellite, TDRS M . In 2022 NASA announced it would begin to phase out
5698-558: Was successfully launched, docking with the ISS on the 12th, while on the same day the Delta-IV rocket team announced that they had delayed their launch to a future date, allowing the shuttle to gain additional launch opportunities at the end of the window if it required. Atlas V's launch with the Intelsat 14 was scrubbed on the 14th due to a technical issue requiring a rollback. The scrub, lasting more than 24 hours, meant that Atlantis also avoided
5775-441: Was the first of TDRSS multiple satellite tracking system. The system is a concept utilizing communication satellite technology that improves and economizes the satellite tracking and telemetry operations. The base three geosynchronous satellites (one a standby) track and receive data from satellites for relay to a ground station. The two primary active satellites are separated in orbit by at least 130 degrees longitude. One system
5852-456: Was the personal photographer for Earhart from 1932 until July 2, 1937—the date of her disappearance. After being returned to Earth, the scarf would be placed in a new display at the Museum dedicated to the astronaut's grandfather's photographs. In addition, the official opening toss-coin for Super Bowl XLIV (see " Pregame " section for the actual coin toss itself) as well as a football with all of
5929-420: Was to take the satellite from Challenger's orbit to its ultimate geosynchronous orbit suffered a failure that caused it not to deliver the TDRS to the correct orbit. As a result, it was necessary to command the satellite to use its onboard rocket thrusters to move it into its correct orbit. This expenditure of fuel reduced its capability to remain in a geostationary orbit; by late 1997 the orbit had changed to
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