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ArchivesText SizeSTS-121 Mission: International Space Station Assembly Flight 
ULF1.1
Space Shuttle: Discovery
Launch Pad: 39B 
Launched: July 4, 2006, 2:37:55 p.m. EDT
Landing Site: Kennedy Space Center, Fla.
Landing: July 17, 2006, 9:15:49 a.m. EDT
Runway: 15
Revolution: 202
Mission Duration: 12 days, 18 hours, 37 minutes and 54 seconds
Main Gear Touchdown: 9:14:43 a.m. EDT
Nose Gear Touchdown: 9:14:53 a.m. EDT
Wheel Stop: 9:15:49 a.m. EDT
Rollout Distance: 4.2 miles
Miles Traveled: 5.3 million 

Crew Members:

Image above: STS-121 crew portrait with Mission Specialists Stephanie D. Wilson 
and Michael E. Fossum, Commander Steven W. Lindsey, Mission Specialist Piers J. 
Sellers, Pilot Mark E. Kelly, and Mission Specialists Thomas Reiter and Lisa M. 
Nowak.
Image Credit: NASA 

Launch:

Space Shuttle Discovery rockets into the clear blue sky, creating its own 
fireworks display. History was made with the first ever launch on Independence 
Day. Image courtesy of Nikon/Scott Andrews.
+ View High-Res Version

July 4, 2006, at 2:38 p.m. EDT. Launch of Discovery was scrubbed twice, July 1 
and 2, due to weather concerns. After a day's standdown, the launch attempt 
resumed on July 4 and Discovery lifted off on time.

Landing:

The orbiter Discovery touches down on Runway 15 at NASA's Shuttle Landing 
Facility, completing mission STS-121 to the International Space Station. Image 
credit: NASA/Tony Gray and Tim Powers
+ View High-Res Version

July 17, 2006, at 9:15 a.m. EDT. Runway 15 at Kennedy Space Center. Main gear 
touchdown: 9:14:43 a.m. Nose gear touchdown: 9:14:53 a.m. Wheel stop: 9:15:49 
a.m. Rollout distance: 4.2 miles. Mission duration: 12 days, 18 hours, 37 
minutes and 54 seconds. Logged 5.3 million miles. Landed on first opportunity at 
Kennedy, marking the 62nd landing at the center.

Mission Highlights:
STS-121 was the second return-to-flight mission, demonstrating techniques for 
inspecting and protecting the shuttle's thermal protection system and replacing 
critical hardware needed for future station assembly. The mission also restored 
the station to a three-person crew for the first time since May 2003, leaving 
ESA astronaut Reiter aboard to join Expedition 13.

This was the most photographed shuttle mission in history, with more than 100 
high-definition, digital, video and film cameras documenting the launch and 
climb to orbit. The images helped assess any damage sustained and potential risk 
for landing. In addition, the crew used the orbiter boom sensor system with a 
laser dynamic range imager, laser camera system and intensified television 
camera on the end, to examine the shuttle's nose cap, port wing, leading edge of 
the starboard wing, and outside of the crew cabin. No risk was found.

After docking to the station, the crew transferred the multi-purpose logistics 
module Leonardo to the Unity module from which they moved 7,400 pounds of 
supplies and equipment during their stay. The cargo included a new heat exchange 
for the common cabin air assembly that collects condensation out of the air on 
the station, a new window and window seals for the Microgravity Sciences 
Glovebox, and a spare U.S. extravehicular activity suit and emergency jet pack.

Astronauts performed three spacewalks: EVA No. 1 -- 7 hours, 31 minutes. 
  Mission Specialists Piers Sellers and Michael Fossum installed a blade blocker 
  on the S0 truss in the zenith interface umbilical assembly to protect the 
  undamaged power, data and video cable. They rerouted the cable through the IUA 
  in order to move the mobile transporter rail car and replace the trailing 
  umbilical system with the severed power and data cable. After that task, they 
  tested the combination of the shuttle robotic arm and OBSS as a platform for 
  spacewalking astronauts to repair a damaged orbiter if ever needed. The EVA 
  was the fourth for Sellers and first for Fossum. EVA. No. 2 -- 6 hours, 47 
  minutes. Sellers and Fossum restored the station's mobile transporter car to 
  full operation, replacing the nadir-side trailing umbilical system, including 
  a new interface umbilical assembly without a blade (the previous IUA had a 
  blade, which inadvertently cut the cable that required the replacement). 
  During the spacewalk, Fossum's emergency jet thruster backpack came loose on 
  one side, requiring Sellers to secure it. EVA No. 3 -- 7 hours, 11 minutes. 
  The third and final spacewalk focused on testing repairs on thermal protection 
  system reinforced carbon-carbon panels. Under evaluation was a pre-ceramic 
  polymer sealant containing carbon-silicon carbide powder known as NOAX for use 
  on damaged panels. Sellers and Fossum made three gouge repairs and two crack 
  repairs. They also photographed the samples, as well as an area of Discovery's 
  port wing. An added task during the EVA was removing the fixed grapple bar on 
  the integrated cargo carrier in Discovery's payload bay and installing it on 
  an ammonia tank inside the station's S1 truss to facilitate moving the tank on 
  a later mission. Refilled with 4,600 pounds of experiment samples, broken 
equipment and trash to be returned to Earth, Leonardo was moved back to 
Discovery's payload bay.

The return flight to Earth was delayed one day in order to add the third 
spacewalk. The mission management team determined there were enough consumables 
to extend the mission to test repair techniques and test a thermal imaging 
camera.

The trip home was one crew member short. Reiter remained behind to join 
Expedition 13, marking the first time since May 2003 that the station houses 
three crew members.

After unberthing from the station, the shuttle crew again used the robotic arm 
and boom sensors to inspect the starboard wing and nose cap heat shield. Still 
no concerns were noted.
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