STS-131 (
ISS assembly flight 19A)
was a
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil space program, aeronautics research, and space research.
NASA was established in 1958, succeeding t ...
Space Shuttle
The Space Shuttle is a retired, partially reusable low Earth orbital spacecraft system operated from 1981 to 2011 by the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) as part of the Space Shuttle program. Its official program na ...
mission to the
International Space Station
The International Space Station (ISS) is the largest modular space station currently in low Earth orbit. It is a multinational collaborative project involving five participating space agencies: NASA (United States), Roscosmos (Russia), JAXA ...
(ISS). launched on 5 April 2010 at 6:21 am from
LC-39A
Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) is the first of Launch Complex 39's three launch pads, located at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Merritt Island, Florida. The pad, along with Launch Complex 39B, were first designed for the Saturn V launch vehicle. Ty ...
, and landed at 9:08 am on 20 April 2010 on runway 33 at the
Kennedy Space Center
The John F. Kennedy Space Center (KSC, originally known as the NASA Launch Operations Center), located on Merritt Island, Florida, is one of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) ten field centers. Since December 1968 ...
's
Shuttle Landing Facility
The Shuttle Landing Facility (SLF) also known as Launch and Landing Facility (LLF) is an airport located on Merritt Island in Brevard County, Florida, United States. It is a part of the Kennedy Space Center and was used by Space Shuttle for lan ...
.
The mission marked the longest flight for Space Shuttle ''Discovery''.
The primary payload was a
Multi-Purpose Logistics Module
A Multi-Purpose Logistics Module (MPLM) is a large pressurized container that was used on Space Shuttle missions to transfer cargo to and from the International Space Station (ISS). Two MPLMs made a dozen trips in the Shuttle cargo bay and init ...
loaded with supplies and equipment for the International Space Station. The mission also removed and replaced an ammonia tank assembly outside the station on the
S1 truss. STS-131 furthermore carried several on-board payloads; this mission had the most payloads since
STS-107
STS-107 was the 113th flight of the Space Shuttle program, and the 28th and final flight of Space Shuttle ''Columbia''. The mission launched from Kennedy Space Center in Florida on January 16, 2003, and during its 15 days, 22 hours, 20 minutes ...
. It is also the last shuttle mission with a crew of 7.
Crew
Mission payload
Multi-Purpose Logistics Module ''Leonardo''
The primary payload of STS-131 was the
Multi-Purpose Logistics Module
A Multi-Purpose Logistics Module (MPLM) is a large pressurized container that was used on Space Shuttle missions to transfer cargo to and from the International Space Station (ISS). Two MPLMs made a dozen trips in the Shuttle cargo bay and init ...
(MPLM) ''Leonardo''.
The MPLM was filled with food and science supplies for the
International Space Station
The International Space Station (ISS) is the largest modular space station currently in low Earth orbit. It is a multinational collaborative project involving five participating space agencies: NASA (United States), Roscosmos (Russia), JAXA ...
(ISS). The MPLM also carried the third and final
Minus Eighty Degree Laboratory Freezer for ISS
The Minus Eighty-Degree Laboratory Freezer for ISS (MELFI) is a European-built experiment storage freezer for the International Space Station. It comprises four independent dewars which can be set to operate at different temperatures. Currently tem ...
(MELFI),
Window Orbital Research Facility (WORF), one Crew Quarters Rack, the
Muscle Atrophy Resistive Exercise (MARES) rack, Resupply Stowage Racks (RSRs), as well as Resupply Stowage Platforms (RSPs).
Lightweight Multi-Purpose Equipment Support Structure Carrier
The Lightweight Multi-Purpose Equipment Support Structure Carrier (LMC) carried a refurbished Ammonia Tank Assembly (ATA) to the ISS. The refurbished ATA was removed from the Space Station and returned for use on this mission during
STS-128
STS-128 ( ISS assembly flight 17A) was a NASA Space Shuttle mission to the International Space Station (ISS) that launched on August 28, 2009. carried the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module ''Leonardo'' as its primary payload. ''Leonardo'' contained ...
. It was swapped with an empty tank which will ride home on the LMC.
TriDAR
This mission was the second flight of the
TriDAR TriDAR, or Triangulation and LIDAR Automated Rendezvous and Docking, is a relative navigation vision system developed by Neptec Design Group and funded by the Canadian Space Agency and NASA. It provides guidance information that can be used to gui ...
, a 3D dual-sensing laser camera, intended for potential use as an autonomous rendezvous and docking sensor. TriDAR provides guidance information that can be used to guide a vehicle during rendezvous and docking operations in space. TriDAR does not rely on any reference markers, such as reflectors, positioned on the target spacecraft. To achieve this, it relies on a laser based 3D sensor and a thermal imager. Geometric information contained in successive 3D images is matched against the known shape of the target object to calculate its position and orientation in real-time. The TriDAR tracked the ISS position and orientation from the shuttle during docking, undocking, and flyaround operations.
Mission milestones
![Sts131 crewposter](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/53/Sts131_crewposter.jpg)
The mission marked:
* 162nd NASA crewed space flight
* 131st shuttle mission since
STS-1
* 38th flight of ''Discovery''
* 33rd shuttle mission to the ISS
* 106th post-''
Challenger
Challenger, Challengers, or The Challengers may refer to:
Entertainment
Comics and manga
* Challenger (character), comic book character
* ''Challengers'' (manga), manga by Hinako Takanaga
Film and TV
* ''The Challengers'' (TV series), a 1979 ...
'' mission
* 18th post-''
Columbia'' mission
* 35th and last night launch of a shuttle, 22nd night launch from launch pad 39A
* 2nd "descending node" entry since 2003
Shuttle processing
Space Shuttle ''Discovery'' was moved from its hangar in the Orbiter Processing Facility (OPF) 3 to the nearby
Vehicle Assembly Building
The Vehicle Assembly Building (originally the Vertical Assembly Building), or VAB, is a large building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center (KSC), designed to assemble large pre-manufactured space vehicle components, such as the massive Saturn V and th ...
(VAB) on 22 February 2010. The rollover was completed around 10:30 EST. According to NASA, the rollover occurred a day earlier than announced to take advantage of favorable weather in advance of poor conditions forecasted on the next day.
An earlier plan to move ''Discovery'' into the VAB on 12 February 2010 was delayed because of cold weather at the Kennedy Space Center.
For the rollover, temperatures in the VAB had to be above for more than twelve hours because ''Discovery'' was not attached to any heating purges to protect its systems from potential damage from the cold.
Space Shuttle ''Discovery'' began its trip, known as the rollout, to
LC-39A
Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) is the first of Launch Complex 39's three launch pads, located at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Merritt Island, Florida. The pad, along with Launch Complex 39B, were first designed for the Saturn V launch vehicle. Ty ...
at 23:58 EST on 2 March 2010. The complete shuttle stack and
mobile launcher platform
A mobile launcher platform (MLP), also known as mobile launch platform, is a structure used to support a large multistage space vehicle which is assembled (stacked) vertically in an integration facility (e.g. the Vehicle Assembly Building) and t ...
were secured to the LC-39A structure at 6:49 EST on 3 March 2010. The trek took 6 hours 51 minutes to complete. The rollout was delayed 24 hours by the threat of lightning from a passing cold front. That weather moved away, and the stiff wind gusts blowing on Florida's Space Coast on the next day were not a factor for the rollout. Ahead of the rollout, engineers noticed some damage caused by birds to the External Tank (ET-135), which was repaired inside the VAB. Birds had managed to reach the tank, and pecked away at the Thermal Protection System (TPS) foam.
Image:STS131_Discovery_rollover3.jpg, Space Shuttle ''Discovery'' rolls toward the Vehicle Assembly Building.
Image:STS-131_Discovery_Rollout_6.jpg, Space Shuttle ''Discovery'' at Launch Pad 39A.
Image:STS131_ISS_Moon_Cape.JPG, International Space Station (bottom right) passes over the Cape 15 minutes prior to launch.
Mission timeline
5 April (Flight Day 1 – Launch)
''
Discovery
Discovery may refer to:
* Discovery (observation), observing or finding something unknown
* Discovery (fiction), a character's learning something unknown
* Discovery (law), a process in courts of law relating to evidence
Discovery, The Discovery ...
'' lifted off successfully at 06:21 EDT, making this launch as the last night launch in the
Space Shuttle program
The Space Shuttle program was the fourth human spaceflight program carried out by the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), which accomplished routine transportation for Earth-to-orbit crew and cargo from 1981 to 2011. Its ...
. After the eight and a half-minute ride to space, ''Discoverys seven person crew began configuring the orbiter from a launch vehicle to an orbital vehicle. Commander
Alan Poindexter
Alan Goodwin "Dex" Poindexter (November 5, 1961 – July 1, 2012) was an American naval officer and a NASA astronaut. Poindexter was selected in the 1998 NASA Group (G17) and went into orbit aboard Space Shuttle missions STS-122 and STS ...
and pilot
Jim Dutton, with help from mission specialist 2
Dorothy Metcalf-Lindenburger
Dorothy Marie "Dottie" Metcalf-Lindenburger (born May 2, 1975, in Colorado Springs, Colorado) is a retired American astronaut. In 2000, she married Jason Metcalf-Lindenburger, a fellow Whitman College graduate and educator, from Pendleton, Orego ...
, also performed a series of engine firings or burns to adjust their speed and refine their path to the
International Space Station
The International Space Station (ISS) is the largest modular space station currently in low Earth orbit. It is a multinational collaborative project involving five participating space agencies: NASA (United States), Roscosmos (Russia), JAXA ...
. While the engine burns were going on, the rest of the crew opened the payload bay doors, set up the computers and
Ku band antenna. The antenna suffered a failure during normal checkout and setup on orbit. Due to the failure, the normal downlink of imagery of the external tank was not completed. The crew on board will monitor the inspections of the
thermal protection system
Atmospheric entry is the movement of an object from outer space into and through the gases of an atmosphere of a planet, dwarf planet, or natural satellite. There are two main types of atmospheric entry: ''uncontrolled entry'', such as the entr ...
(TPS) in real time and will note any spots of interest and let the ground know while downlinking the imagery after docking.
The dish antenna also serves as a radar antenna, measuring the distance to the space station.
File:Ku Band Antenna.jpg, The failed Ku band dish antenna
File:STS-131 launching 1.jpg, ''Discovery'' lifts off Launch Pad 39A
File:STS-131 launch video.ogg, Launch video (9 min 55 secs)
6 April (Flight Day 2 – Inspections)
The seven person crew of STS-131 was awakened to begin their first full day in space on Flight Day 2. Due to the lack of K
u-band communication, changes to the crews daily plan were read up for them to write out. After their post sleep activities, commander Alan Poindexter and pilot Jim Dutton fired ''Discoverys
Orbital Maneuvering System
In spaceflight, an orbital maneuver (otherwise known as a burn) is the use of propulsion systems to change the orbit of a spacecraft.
For spacecraft far from Earth (for example those in orbits around the Sun) an orbital maneuver is called a ' ...
(OMS) engines to correct and further refine the shuttle's path to the ISS. Astronauts
Naoko Yamazaki
is a Japanese engineer and former astronaut at JAXA. She was the second Japanese woman to fly in space. The first was Chiaki Mukai.
Early life
Yamazaki was born Naoko Sumino in Matsudo City. She spent two years of her childhood in Sapporo. Af ...
and Dorothy Metcalf-Lindenburger began activating and checking out the Shuttle Remote Manipulator System (SRMS) also known as the
Canadarm
Canadarm or Canadarm1 (officially Shuttle Remote Manipulator System or SRMS, also SSRMS) is a series of robotic arms that were used on the Space Shuttle orbiters to deploy, manoeuvre, and capture payloads. After the Space Shuttle ''Columbia' ...
.
While Metcalf-Lindenburger and Yamazaki were working with Canadarm,
Stephanie Wilson
Stephanie Diana Wilson (born September 27, 1966) is an American engineer and a NASA astronaut. She flew to space onboard three Space Shuttle missions, and is the second African American woman to go into space, after Mae Jemison. her 42 days i ...
was getting equipment together and set up to record the inspections of the shuttle's heat shield. The inspections were recorded so they could be downlinked to the ground once docked to the ISS. Once all that work was done, commander Poindexter and pilot Dutton joined Metcalf-Lindenburger, Yamazaki, and Wilson to conduct the inspection of the shuttle's heat shield. While the inspection was going on,
Rick Mastracchio
Richard Alan "Rick" Mastracchio (born February 11, 1960) is an American engineer and former NASA astronaut. He has flown on three NASA Space Shuttle missions as a mission specialist in addition to serving as a Flight Engineer on the Soyuz TMA-1 ...
and
Clayton Anderson
Clayton Conrad Anderson (born February 23, 1959) is a retired NASA astronaut. Launched on STS-117, he replaced Sunita Williams on June 10, 2007 as a member of the ISS Expedition 15 crew. He is currently an author, a motivational speaker, and a P ...
were on the mid-deck of ''Discovery'' checking out the
Extravehicular Mobility Unit
The Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) is an independent anthropomorphic spacesuit that provides environmental protection, mobility, life support, and communications for astronauts performing extravehicular activity (EVA) in Earth orbit. Introduc ...
s (EMU) and getting them ready for their three spacewalks. The last portion of the crew day was spent preparing and checking out all of the tools used during rendezvous.
7 April (Flight Day 3 – Docking)
Space Shuttle ''Discovery'' successfully docked with the space station at 07:44
UTC (03:44 EDT) on 7 April 2010 as the two spacecraft sailed 220 miles above the Caribbean.
The crew performed six successful engine firings to set up the on-time docking. Prior to docking commander Poindexter guided ''Discovery'' through the standard Rendezvous Pitch Maneuver (RPM). Station commander
Oleg Kotov
Oleg Valeriyevich Kotov (russian: Олег Валериевич Котов) was born on 27 October 1965 in Simferopol, Crimean oblast in the Ukrainian SSR. After a career as a physician assigned to the Soviet space program, he joined the Russian ...
and flight engineer
T.J. Creamer
Timothy "TJ" Creamer (born November 15, 1959) is a NASA flight director, retired astronaut and a colonel in the United States Army. Creamer was born in Fort Huachuca, Arizona, but considers Upper Marlboro, Maryland, to be his hometown. He is m ...
took more than 350 photos of ''Discoverys heat shield. Once ''Discovery'' docked to the International Space Station (ISS), a series of leak checks were done on both sides of the hatch by the shuttle and station crews. The hatches between the two vehicles were opened at 09:11 UTC (05:11 EDT), which was 30 minutes earlier than planned.
Once the hatches were opened the STS-131 crew got a safety briefing from the station crew, then began to transfer items that would be needed for later in the day and early on flight day 4. Two items that were transferred were the two EMUs that will be used for the three spacewalks. The crew also completed a grapple of the
Orbiter Boom Sensor System
The Orbiter Boom Sensor System (OBSS) was a 50-foot (15.24 m) boom carried on board NASA's Space Shuttles. The boom was grappled by the Canadarm and served as an extension of the arm, doubling its length to a combined total of 100 feet (30 m). At ...
(OBSS) with the Space Station Remote Manipulator System (SSRMS) also known as
Canadarm2
The Mobile Servicing System (MSS), is a robotic system on board the International Space Station (ISS). Launched to the ISS in 2001, it plays a key role in station assembly and maintenance; it moves equipment and supplies around the station, supp ...
. Once the OBSS was grappled it was unberthed from the starboard sill of the space shuttle payload bay, and handed off to the SRMS. Throughout the day, after docking to the station, the shuttle crew began downlinking all of the inspection video from flight day 2, and launch imagery and video.
Image:Aft Portion Of Discovery Including Three Main Engines During RPM.jpg, Aft portion of ''Discovery'', including the three main engines, during the RPM.
Image:STS 131 RPM.jpg, View of the underside of the crew cabin of ''Discovery'' during the RPM.
Image:STS-131 Discovery approaches ISS for docking.jpg, ''Discovery'' approaches the Space Station for docking.
Image:Kibo STS 131.jpg, Kibo, photographed by a crew member while ''Discovery'' was docked with the station.
8 April (Flight Day 4 – MPLM ingress)
On flight day 4 Stephanie Wilson and Naoko Yamazaki grappled and berthed the Multi-purpose Logistics Module (MPLM) ''Leonardo''. The MPLM was berthed to the station at 04:24 UTC (00:24 EDT). The hatches were opened by station flight engineer
Soichi Noguchi
is a Japanese aeronautical engineer and former JAXA astronaut. His first spaceflight was as a Mission Specialist aboard STS-114 on 26 July 2005 for NASA's first "return to flight" Space Shuttle mission after the ''Columbia'' disaster. He was ...
and shuttle mission specialist
Clayton Anderson
Clayton Conrad Anderson (born February 23, 1959) is a retired NASA astronaut. Launched on STS-117, he replaced Sunita Williams on June 10, 2007 as a member of the ISS Expedition 15 crew. He is currently an author, a motivational speaker, and a P ...
at 11:58 UTC (07:58 EDT). The joint STS-131/
Expedition 23
Expedition 23 (russian: МКС-23) was the 23rd long-duration mission to the International Space Station (ISS). Expedition 23 began with the Soyuz TMA-16 undocking on 18 March 2010. Shortly thereafter cosmonauts Aleksandr Skvortsov and Mikhail Ko ...
crews began transferring cargo from the MPLM, with the first item being a Rate Gyro Assembly (RGA) which will be replaced on the first spacewalk of the mission. During flight day 4 commander Alan Poindexter did several in-flight interviews. Commander Poindexter was joined by mission specialists
Rick Mastracchio
Richard Alan "Rick" Mastracchio (born February 11, 1960) is an American engineer and former NASA astronaut. He has flown on three NASA Space Shuttle missions as a mission specialist in addition to serving as a Flight Engineer on the Soyuz TMA-1 ...
and Stephanie Wilson. The interviews were with the ''Tom Joyner Radio Show'',
WVIT-TV
WVIT (channel 30) is a television station licensed to New Britain, Connecticut, United States, broadcasting NBC programming to the Hartford–New Haven market. It is owned and operated by the network's NBC Owned Television Stations division ...
and
Fox News Radio
Fox News Radio is an American radio network owned by Fox News. It is syndicated to over 500 AM and FM radio stations across the United States. It also supplies programming for three channels on Sirius XM Satellite Radio.
History
In 2003, ...
. At the end of the day Mastracchio and Anderson entered the
Quest airlock
The ''Quest'' Joint Airlock, previously known as the Joint Airlock Module, is the primary airlock for the International Space Station. ''Quest'' was designed to host spacewalks with both Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) spacesuits and Orlan ...
and begin breathing pure oxygen for an hour, while the atmospheric pressure inside the airlock was lowered to 10.2 psi. This procedure is known as the pre-breathe protocol and is done before every spacewalk, to purge nitrogen from the blood stream and prevent
decompression sickness
Decompression sickness (abbreviated DCS; also called divers' disease, the bends, aerobullosis, and caisson disease) is a medical condition caused by dissolved gases emerging from solution as bubbles inside the body tissues during decompressio ...
.
File:Stephanie Wilson and Naoko Yamazaki in the Cupola.jpg, Stephanie Wilson and Naoko Yamazaki in the Cupola.
File:Stephanie Wilson STS-131 mission specialist in US lab.jpg, Wilson in the US lab
File:STS-131 Soichi Noguchi, Stephanie Wilson and Naoko Yamazaki.jpg, Robotic workstation
File:Stephanie Wilson inside the Japanese Experiment Module.jpg, The crew sorting out blueprints in the Japanese Experiment Module
File:ISS cupola with Stephanie Wilson.jpg, Wilson relaxing in the Cupola
9 April (Flight Day 5 – EVA 1)
Flight day 5 saw the completion of the first spacewalk by Rick Mastracchio and Clayton Anderson. The pair released the new ammonia tank assembly for transfer to station for installation on a later spacewalk. They also removed an experiment from outside on the
Kibo Exposed Facility, replaced a Rate Gyro Assembly (RGA) and performed several get-ahead tasks. The spacewalking pair was assisted by the SSRMS which was operated by pilot Jim Dutton and mission specialist Stephanie Wilson. While the spacewalk was going on, Naoko Yamazaki was assisted by commander Alan Poindexter, and the
Expedition 23
Expedition 23 (russian: МКС-23) was the 23rd long-duration mission to the International Space Station (ISS). Expedition 23 began with the Soyuz TMA-16 undocking on 18 March 2010. Shortly thereafter cosmonauts Aleksandr Skvortsov and Mikhail Ko ...
crew to move several of the large science racks from the MPLM ''Leonardo'' to their new location on the ISS.
File:STS-131 first spacewalk highlights.ogg, Highlights from the first spacewalk (21 mins 43 secs).
Image:Mastracchio During STS-131 EVA 1.jpg, Mastracchio during EVA 1.
File:STS-131 Metcalf-Lindenburger, Poindexter, Wilson, Yamazaki at Kibo.jpg, The crew enjoying time off
10 April (Flight Day 6 – Transfers)
Flight day 6 was dedicated to transferring supplies from the MPLM ''Leonardo'' and the Space Shuttle mid-deck. The crews transferred the Windows Observational Research Facility (WORF) to the
Destiny lab. Mission specialist Naoko Yamazaki, along with flight engineer Soichi Noguchi also transferred the Express Rack 7 (ER7) to its final location. During the crews morning, a smoke alarm sounded in the Russian segment of the station, which prompted the joint crew to move into emergency procedures. However the alarm was false and was cleared within a couple of minutes and all normal work resumed. Mission specialists Clay Anderson, Rick Mastracchio and Stephanie Wilson conducted in-flight interviews with Nebraska Public Radio, CBS Newspath and Radio Network and
KETV-TV
KETV (channel 7) is a television station in Omaha, Nebraska, United States, affiliated with ABC. The station is owned by Hearst Television, and has studios on 10th Street in the historic Burlington Station, which carries the address of 7 Burling ...
in
Omaha
Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest city ...
, Nebraska. Later in the day commander Alan Poindexter, pilot Jim Dutton and mission specialist Dorothy Metcalf-Lindenburger talked with students at the
Naval Postgraduate School
The Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) is a public graduate school operated by the United States Navy and located in Monterey, California.
It offers master’s and doctoral degrees in more than 70 fields of study to the U.S. Armed Forces, DOD ci ...
in
Monterey
Monterey (; es, Monterrey; Ohlone: ) is a city located in Monterey County on the southern edge of Monterey Bay on the U.S. state of California's Central Coast. Founded on June 3, 1770, it functioned as the capital of Alta California under both ...
, California. At the end of the crews work day, the joint crew got together and reviewed the procedures for the second spacewalk. After the procedures review spacewalkers Clay Anderson and Rick Mastracchio entered the Quest airlock, closed the hatch and lowered the inside pressure to 10.2 psi. The pair also breathed pure oxygen for an hour while the pressure was being lowered.
File:STS-131 Flight Day 6 highlights.ogv, Flight Day 6 highlights (19 minutes 58 seconds).
Image:STS-131_Dorothy_Metcalf-Lindenburger_in_the_Leonardo_MPLM.jpg, Dorothy Metcalf-Lindenburger inside the MPLM Leonardo.
File:255-STS-s131e008502.jpg, Stephanie Wilson with technical blueprints in Node 1
11 April (Flight Day 7 – EVA 2)
On flight day 7 astronauts Clay Anderson and Rick Mastracchio performed their second spacewalk of the STS-131 mission. Mastracchio and Anderson exited the airlock at 05:30 UTC, a full 45 minutes ahead of the planned time, and spent 7 hours and 26 minutes outside the ISS.
The pair removed the old Ammonia Tank Assembly (ATA) from the
S1 truss and installed the new ATA. Anderson and Mastracchio ran into a small problem when one of the four bolts that holds the tank in place wouldn't turn. They loosened the other three and tried them all again and the fourth bolt was successfully tightened. The two spacewalkers helped guide the SSRMS to temporarily stow the old ATA on the truss structure. The new ATA had its electrical connections made, but the fluid connections were deferred until the third spacewalk since the EVA was behind the time-line. Mastracchio and Anderson also installed two radiator grapple fixture stowage beams on the P1 truss. While Anderson and Mastracchio were outside, members of the STS-131 crew continued transferring items from Space Shuttle ''Discoverys mid-deck and the MPLM ''Leonardo''. Overall, the crew had completed about half of the transfer work.
File:STS-131 second spacewalk highlights.ogg, Highlights from the second spacewalk (23 mins 54 secs)
File:STS-131 group pose with Stephanie Wilson in Cupola.jpg, Group photo while in the cupola observing the EVA
Image:Mastracchio During STS-131 EVA 2.jpg, Mastracchio during EVA 2.
12 April (Flight Day 8 – Off duty)
![Clayton Anderson zero g](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b8/Clayton_Anderson_zero_g.jpg)
The joint STS-131/
Expedition 23
Expedition 23 (russian: МКС-23) was the 23rd long-duration mission to the International Space Station (ISS). Expedition 23 began with the Soyuz TMA-16 undocking on 18 March 2010. Shortly thereafter cosmonauts Aleksandr Skvortsov and Mikhail Ko ...
crews had the morning off on flight day 8. After their morning off the crews continued their transfer activities, which are more than seventy percent complete. The crews also conducted several PAO events, including VIP events with
Roscosmos
The State Space Corporation "Roscosmos" (russian: Государственная корпорация по космической деятельности «Роскосмос»), commonly known simply as Roscosmos (russian: Роскосмос) ...
, Russian president
Dmitry Medvedev
Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev ( rus, links=no, Дмитрий Анатольевич Медведев, p=ˈdmʲitrʲɪj ɐnɐˈtolʲjɪvʲɪtɕ mʲɪdˈvʲedʲɪf; born 14 September 1965) is a Russian politician who has been serving as the dep ...
,
RSC Energia
PAO S. P. Korolev Rocket and Space Corporation Energia (russian: Ракетно-космическая корпорация «Энергия» им. С. П. Королёва, Raketno-kosmicheskaya korporatsiya "Energiya" im. S. P. Korolyov ...
, the
Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency
The is the Japanese national air and space agency. Through the merger of three previously independent organizations, JAXA was formed on 1 October 2003. JAXA is responsible for research, technology development and launch of satellites into orb ...
(JAXA), Japanese students, astronaut
Mamoru Mohri
, AM is a Japanese scientist, a former NASDA astronaut, and a veteran of two NASA Space Shuttle missions. He is the first Japanese astronaut who was part of an official Japanese space program. The first Japanese person in space, Toyohiro Akiy ...
, and Japanese dignitaries. Later commander Alan Poindexter, pilot Jim Dutton and mission specialists Dorothy Metcalf-Lindenburger and Stephanie Wilson participated in an in-flight interview with several American media outlets including
Fox News
The Fox News Channel, abbreviated FNC, commonly known as Fox News, and stylized in all caps, is an American multinational conservative cable news television channel based in New York City. It is owned by Fox News Media, which itself is owne ...
,
ABC World News
''ABC World News Tonight'' (titled ''ABC World News Tonight with David Muir'' for its weeknight broadcasts since September 2014) is the flagship daily evening television news program of ABC News, the news division of the American Broadcasting ...
and
MSNBC
MSNBC (originally the Microsoft National Broadcasting Company) is an American news-based pay television cable channel. It is owned by NBCUniversala subsidiary of Comcast. Headquartered in New York City, it provides news coverage and political ...
. While the PAO events were going on, Rick Mastracchio and Clay Anderson were preparing the spacesuits and tools they will use for the third and final spacewalk. Later in the day the pair will have a procedures review with other members of the ISS and shuttle crews. After the review, they will enter the airlock, close the hatch and lower the pressure to 10.2 psi and breathe pure oxygen for their campout.
13 April (Flight Day 9 – EVA 3)
On flight day 9, Rick Mastracchio and Clay Anderson completed the third and final spacewalk of the STS-131 mission. Their tasks included hooking up the ammonia and nitrogen lines to the new Ammonia Tank Assembly (ATA), installing the old ATA in the shuttle's payload bay, retrieving some Micro-Meteoroid Orbital Debris (MMOD) shields, bolting a grapple bar (which had been removed from the old ATA) onto the new ATA, and preparation of some cables on the Z1 truss and tools to be used during
STS-132
STS-132 ( ISS assembly flight ULF4) was a NASA Space Shuttle mission, during which Space Shuttle ''Atlantis'' docked with the International Space Station on 16 May 2010. STS-132 was launched from the Kennedy Space Center on 14 May 2010. The prima ...
. During the installation of the old ATA in ''Discoverys payload bay, the spacewalkers had some problems securing a bolt on the ATA to the LMC.
The spacewalk took 6 hours and 24 minutes, bringing the total EVA time to 20 hours and 19 minutes. While the EVA was going on, commander Alan Poindexter and mission specialist Naoko Yamazaki continued transferring items from the MPLM to the ISS. Transfer is more than seventy-five percent complete.
File:STS-131 Flight Day 9 highlights.ogg, Highlights from flight day 9 (38 mins 14 secs).
Image:Mastracchio & Anderson Working In Discovery's Aft Payload Bay During STS 131 EVA 3.jpg, Mastracchio and Anderson working in ''Discovery''s aft payload bay during EVA 3.
Image:STS-131_EVA3_Clayton_Anderson_3.jpg, Clayton Anderson during EVA 3.
File:STS-131 Stephanie Wilson and James Dutton at robotic workstation.jpg, Stephanie Wilson and James Dutton in the US lab robotic workstation area
14 April (Flight Day 10 – Final transfers/off duty)
The crew of STS-131 continued with transfer activities on the morning of flight day 10. The morning was devoted largely to transferring items to the MPLM ''Leonardo''. There are only a few items awaiting transfer to Space Shuttle ''Discoverys mid-deck left. The crew enjoyed an hour long mid-day meal with the
Expedition 23
Expedition 23 (russian: МКС-23) was the 23rd long-duration mission to the International Space Station (ISS). Expedition 23 began with the Soyuz TMA-16 undocking on 18 March 2010. Shortly thereafter cosmonauts Aleksandr Skvortsov and Mikhail Ko ...
crew. The entire joint crew took part in a crew photo, which was followed by a joint crew news conference with U.S., Russian and Japanese media. Later in the day commander Alan Poindexter, mission specialists Dorothy Metcalf-Lindenburger, Stephanie Wilson and Clayton Anderson took time out to talk with students from
Eastern Guilford High School
Eastern Guilford High School is a secondary school located in Gibsonville, North Carolina. The school opened in 1974. Today, it serves Grades 9 through 12, with an enrollment of approximately 1,200 students.
On November 1, 2006, a fire erupted at ...
in
Gibsonville, North Carolina and with third and fourth graders from that school district. The majority of the crews afternoon was spent off duty.
Image:STS131_Naoko_Yamazaki_Apr14.jpg, Naoko Yamazaki eats a snack in the Kibo laboratory.
Image:STS-131 & Expedition 23 Group Portrait.jpg, STS-131 and Expedition 23 crew members gather for a group portrait.
15 April (Flight Day 11 – MPLM unberthing)
On flight day 11 the MPLM ''Leonardo''s hatches were closed at 07:38 UTC (03:38 EDT) and the MPLM was unberthed from the nadir or earth facing port of the
Harmony node at 20:24 UTC (16:24 EDT). It was placed in a low hover, about above Shuttle ''Discoverys payload bay. This was done because the MPLM was unberthed from ''Harmony'' later than planned. The delay in unberthing was caused by a set of bolts on the Common Berthing Mechanism (CBM) getting stuck due to a broken pin. The crew will finish putting ''Leonardo'' in the payload bay on flight day 12, prior to the docked late inspection.
The crews conducted some transfer operations between the ISS and shuttle mid-deck, which brings the overall transfer operations to ninety-four percent complete for the mission.
16 April (Flight Day 12 – Late inspection)
On flight day 12, the crew of Space Shuttle ''Discovery'' secured the MPLM ''Leonardo'' in the payload bay for return to earth. Mission specialist Dorothy Metcalf-Lindenburger activated the latches to secure ''Leonardo'' in the payload bay at 07:15 UTC (03:15 EDT). After ''Leonardo'' was secured, Metcalf-Lindenburger, pilot Jim Dutton began the late inspection of ''Discoverys heat shield. The pair were joined by commander Alan Poindexter and mission specialist Naoko Yamazaki to complete the inspection of the shuttle's Reinforced Carbon-Carbon (RCC) panels on the wings and nose and the heat-resistant tiles. The scan which takes about 7 hours was completed 3 hours ahead of schedule, and was done while still docked to the International Space Station (ISS) due to the loss of the shuttles K
u-Band antenna.
17 April (Flight Day 13 – Undocking)
Space Shuttle ''Discovery'' successfully undocked from the International Space Station (ISS) at 12:52 UTC (08:52 EDT). ''Discovery'' was docked to the ISS for 10 days, 5 hours and 8 minutes. After ''Discovery'' departed from the ISS, pilot Jim Dutton took control of the shuttle and performed a fly around of the space station. The undocking was preceded by a farewell ceremony, where shuttle commander Alan Poindexter and station commander
Oleg Kotov
Oleg Valeriyevich Kotov (russian: Олег Валериевич Котов) was born on 27 October 1965 in Simferopol, Crimean oblast in the Ukrainian SSR. After a career as a physician assigned to the Soviet space program, he joined the Russian ...
said farewells on behalf of their crews. After undocking the shuttle crew stowed the
Orbiter Boom Sensor System
The Orbiter Boom Sensor System (OBSS) was a 50-foot (15.24 m) boom carried on board NASA's Space Shuttles. The boom was grappled by the Canadarm and served as an extension of the arm, doubling its length to a combined total of 100 feet (30 m). At ...
(OBSS) and the
Shuttle Remote Manipulator System
Canadarm or Canadarm1 (officially Shuttle Remote Manipulator System or SRMS, also SSRMS) is a series of robotic arms that were used on the Space Shuttle orbiters to deploy, manoeuvre, and capture payloads. After the Space Shuttle Columbia disa ...
(SRMS) since they will not be needed for the rest of the flight. The crew was also informed that ''Discoverys heat shield was cleared for re-entry into Earth's atmosphere.
File:STS-131 ISS flyaround.ogg, Space Shuttle ''Discovery'' flies around the ISS after undocking (44 mins 7 secs).
File:STS-131 Discovery separates from the ISS.jpg, ''Discovery'' separates from the Space Station.
Image:STS 131 Post-Undocking Relative Separation.jpg, The underside of ''Discovery'' soon after post-undocking relative separation.
Image:ISSpoststs131.jpg, ISS seen from ''Discovery'' after undocking.
18 April (Flight Day 14 – Landing prep)
On flight day 14, the crew of Space Shuttle ''Discovery'' began their final preparations for landing. The crew packed and stowed away items they no longer need for the rest of the flight. Throughout the day commander Alan Poindexter and pilot Jim Dutton completed a series of checkouts of flight systems. These checks include 2 firings of the
Reaction Control System
A reaction control system (RCS) is a spacecraft system that uses thrusters to provide attitude control and translation. Alternatively, reaction wheels are used for attitude control. Use of diverted engine thrust to provide stable attitude contr ...
(RCS) jets and a test of the
Flight Control System
A conventional Fixed-wing aircraft, fixed-wing aircraft flight control system consists of flight control surfaces, the respective cockpit controls, connecting linkages, and the necessary operating mechanisms to control an aircraft's direction ...
(FCS). Once those checkouts were complete the pair began doing communications checkouts with the Merritt Island tracking station and tracking stations at the
White Sands Space Harbor
White Sands Space Harbor (WSSH) is a spaceport in New Mexico that was formerly used as a Space Shuttle runway, a test site for rocket research, and the primary training area used by NASA for Space Shuttle pilots practicing approaches and landin ...
in
New Mexico
)
, population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano)
, seat = Santa Fe
, LargestCity = Albuquerque
, LargestMetro = Tiguex
, OfficialLang = None
, Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ker ...
and
Dryden Flight Research Center
The NASA Neil A. Armstrong Flight Research Center (AFRC) is an aeronautical research center operated by NASA. Its primary campus is located inside Edwards Air Force Base in California and is considered NASA's premier site for aeronautical rese ...
at
Edwards Air Force Base
Edwards Air Force Base (AFB) is a United States Air Force installation in California. Most of the base sits in Kern County, but its eastern end is in San Bernardino County and a southern arm is in Los Angeles County. The hub of the base is E ...
. The crew also took time out of their day to conduct an in-flight interview with
WBZ-AM
WBZ (1030 AM) is a Class A clear channel radio station licensed to Boston, Massachusetts. Originally started by, and formerly owned for most of its existence by, Westinghouse Broadcasting and its successor CBS Radio, WBZ is owned and operat ...
in
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
, Massachusetts, the
Associated Press
The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. newspa ...
and
KEZI-TV Kezi may refer to:
* Kezi, Iran
* Kezi, Zimbabwe
See also
* KEZI Kezi may refer to:
* Kezi, Iran
* Kezi, Zimbabwe
See also
* KEZI Kezi may refer to:
* Kezi, Iran
* Kezi, Zimbabwe
Khezi is a village in Matobo District, Matabeleland South provin ...
in
Eugene, Oregon.
19 April (Flight day 15 – First landing opportunity)
The crew of STS-131 awoke for flight day 15 and began their deorbit preparations. These preparations include closing the payload bay doors, activating the Flash Evaporator System (FES) and getting into their
Advanced Crew Escape Suit
The Advanced Crew Escape Suit (ACES), or "pumpkin suit", is a full pressure suit that Space Shuttle crews began wearing after STS-65, for the ascent and entry portions of flight. The suit is a direct descendant of the U.S. Air Force high-altitu ...
s (ACES). The crew got as far as "fluid loading", where the crew consumes a set quantity of fluids to counteract the effects of gravity, in their deorbit preps. The crew was informed of the one orbit wave off about one hour prior to the deorbit burn. After the crew was told of the wave off, they held in their procedures to see if they would be given a go for the second landing opportunity. However, they were not given a go for the second chance and the crew began backing out of their deorbit preps. Both landing chances were waved off due to bad weather at the
Kennedy Space Center
The John F. Kennedy Space Center (KSC, originally known as the NASA Launch Operations Center), located on Merritt Island, Florida, is one of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) ten field centers. Since December 1968 ...
.
20 April (Flight day 16 – Landing)
Space Shuttle ''Discovery'' landed at 09:08 EDT (13:08 UTC) on runway 33 at Florida's Kennedy Space Center following a two-week mission in space.
File:STS-131 landing.ogg, Landing video (7 mins 49 secs).
Image:STS 131 Touchdown.jpg, ''Discovery'' lands on runway 33 at KSC ending the STS-131 mission.
Image:STS131_Ground_Track1.jpg, Flyover cities during the landing.
Image:STS-131_Crew_after_landing_in_front_of_Discovery.jpg, Crew on the tarmac.
Spacewalks
At least three spacewalks were planned for this mission.
The main objectives for the three EVAs were as follows:
Wake-up calls
NASA began a tradition of playing music to astronauts during the
Gemini program
Project Gemini () was NASA's second human spaceflight program. Conducted between projects Mercury and Apollo, Gemini started in 1961 and concluded in 1966. The Gemini spacecraft carried a two-astronaut crew. Ten Gemini crews and 16 individual ...
, which was first used to wake up a flight crew during
Apollo 15
Apollo 15 (July 26August 7, 1971) was the ninth crewed mission in the United States' Apollo program and the fourth to Moon landing, land on the Moon. It was the first List of Apollo missions#Alphabetical mission types, J mission, with a ...
.
Each track is specially chosen, often by their families, and usually has a special meaning to an individual member of the crew, or is applicable to their daily activities.
See also
*
2010 in spaceflight
The year 2010 saw a number of notable events in worldwide spaceflight activities. These included the first test flight of the SpaceX Dragon commercial resupply spacecraft, which is intended to resupply the International Space Station (ISS), a ...
*
List of human spaceflights
This is a list of all human spaceflights throughout history. Beginning in 1961 with the flight of Yuri Gagarin aboard Vostok 1, human spaceflight occurs when a human crew flies a spacecraft into outer space. Human spaceflight is distinguished f ...
*
List of International Space Station spacewalks
On the International Space Station (ISS), extravehicular activities are major events in the building and maintaining of the orbital laboratory, and are performed to install new components, re-wire systems, modules, and equipment, and to moni ...
*
List of Space Shuttle missions
*
List of spacewalks 2000–2014
This list contains all spacewalks performed between 12 May 2000 and 22 October 2014 where an astronaut fully or partially left a spacecraft.
2000–2004 spacewalks
''Spacewalk beginning and ending times are given in Coordinated Universal Tim ...
References
External links
NASA's Space Shuttle pageTime-lapse photography video of ''Discovery''s preparation and launch for STS-131Video tour of STS-131 on LC-39A one month before launch
{{Use American English, date=January 2014
Space Shuttle missions
Spacecraft launched in 2010
Spacecraft which reentered in 2010
Articles containing video clips
April 2010 events
2010 in Florida