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Curbeam, Robert Lee Jr 'Beamer'

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Curbeam Credit: www.spacefacts.de

Status: Inactive; Active 1994-2007. Born: 1962-03-05. Spaceflights: 3 . Total time in space: 37.61 days. Birth Place: Baltimore, Maryland.

US Navy test pilot.

Official NASA Biography as of June 2016:Robert L. Curbeam, Jr., (Captain, USN, Ret.)
NASA Astronaut (Former)

PERSONAL DATA: Born March 5, 1962, in Baltimore, Maryland. Two children. He enjoys weightlifting, backpacking and sports.

EDUCATION: Graduated from Woodlawn High School, Baltimore County, Maryland, 1980. Bachelor of science degree in aerospace engineering from the United States Naval Academy, 1984. Master of science degree in aeronautical engineering from the Naval Postgraduate School, 1990. Degree of aeronautical & astronautical engineering from the Naval Postgraduate School, 1991.

ORGANIZATIONS: Member of the U.S. Naval Academy Alumni Association and the Association of Old Crows.

SPECIAL HONORS: Fighter Wing One Radar Intercept Officer of the Year for 1989, U.S. Naval Test Pilot School Best Developmental Thesis (DT-II) Award.

EXPERIENCE: Upon graduation from the U.S. Naval Academy, Curbeam commenced Naval Flight Officer training in 1984. In 1986 he reported to Fighter Squadron 11 (VF-11) and made overseas deployments to the Mediterranean and Caribbean Seas, and the Arctic and Indian Oceans on board the USS Forrestal (CV-59). During his tour in VF-11, he also attended Navy Fighter Weapons School (Topgun). Upon completion of Test Pilot School in December 1991, he reported to the Strike Aircraft Test Directorate where he was the project officer for the F-14A/B Air-to-Ground Weapons Separation Program. In August 1994, he returned to the U.S. Naval Academy as an instructor in the Weapons and Systems Engineering Department.

NASA EXPERIENCE: Selected by NASA in December 1994, Curbeam reported to the Johnson Space Center in March 1995. After completing a year of training and evaluation, he was assigned to the Computer Support Branch in the Astronaut Office. He is a veteran of two space flights, STS-85 in 1997 and STS-98 in 2001, and has logged over 593 hours in space, including over 19 EVA hours during three spacewalks. Curbeam served as a spacecraft communicator (CAPCOM) responsible for relaying all voice communication between Mission Control and crews aboard the Space Shuttle and International Space Station, CAPCOM Branch Chief, and Payloads Group Lead, responsible for representing the crew office in the design, training and operation of on orbit experiments, and Safety Branch Chief for the astronaut office. During the spring of 2002, he served as Deputy Associate Administrator for Safety and Mission Assurance, at NASA Headquarters, Washington, D.C. He also served as Director of Safety, Reliability and Quality Assurance for the Constellation Program, and as Deputy Director of Flight Crew Operations. A veteran of three space flights, Curbeam has logged over 901 hours in space, including 7 EVAs (space walks) totaling 45 hours and 34 minutes. In November 2007 Curbeam retired from the Navy and NASA in order to pursue a career in the private sector.

SPACE FLIGHT EXPERIENCE: STS-85 Discovery (August 7-19, 1997) was a 12-day mission during which the crew deployed and retrieved the CRISTA-SPAS payload, operated the Japanese Manipulator Flight Demonstration (MFD) robotic arm, studied changes in the Earth’s atmosphere and tested technology destined for use on the future International Space Station. The mission was accomplished in 189 Earth orbits, traveling 4.7 million miles in 11 days, 20 hours, 26 minutes, 59 seconds.

STS-98 Atlantis (February 7-20, 2001) continued the task of building and enhancing the International Space Station by delivering the U.S. laboratory module Destiny. The Shuttle spent seven days docked to the station while Destiny was attached. In helping to complete its assembly Curbeam logged over 19 hours EVA hours in 3 space walks. The crew also relocated a docking port, and delivered supplies and equipment to the resident Expedition-1 crew. Mission duration was 12 days, 21 hours, 20 minutes.

STS-116 Discovery (December 9-22, 2006). The seven-member crew on this 12-day mission continued construction of the ISS outpost by adding the P5 spacer truss segment during the first of four spacewalks. The next two spacewalks rewired the station’s power system, preparing it to support the addition of European and Japanese science modules by future shuttle crews. The fourth spacewalk was added to allow the crew to coax and retract a stubborn solar panel to fold up accordion-style into its box. Discovery also delivered a new crew member and more than two tons of equipment and supplies to the station. Almost two tons of items no longer needed on the station returned to Earth with STS-116. Mission duration was 12 days, 20 hours and 45 minutes.

DECEMBER 2007

NAME: Robert L. Curbeam, Jr., (Lieutenant Commander, USN)

NASA Astronaut

PERSONAL DATA:

Born March 5, 1962, in Baltimore, Maryland. Married to the former Julie Dawn Lein; two children. He enjoys weightlifting, biking, and family activities.

EDUCATION:

Graduated from Woodlawn High School, Baltimore County, Maryland, 1980. Bachelor of science degree in aerospace engineering from the United States Naval Academy, 1984. Master of science degree in aeronautical engineering from the Naval Postgraduate School, 1990. Degree of aeronautical & astronautical engineering from the Naval Postgraduate School, 1991.

ORGANIZATIONS:

Member of the U.S. Naval Academy Alumni Association and the Association of Old Crows.

SPECIAL HONORS:

Fighter Wing One Radar Intercept Officer of the Year for 1989, U.S. Naval Test Pilot School Best Developmental Thesis (DT-II) Award, two Navy Commendation Medals, the Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation, the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Navy Battle Efficiency Award, and the Sea Service Deployment Ribbon.

EXPERIENCE:

Upon graduation from the U.S. Naval Academy, Curbeam commenced Naval Flight Officer training in 1984. In 1986 he reported to Fighter Squadron 11 and made overseas deployments to the Mediterranean and Caribbean Seas, and the Arctic and Indian Oceans onboard the USS Forrestal (CV-59). Upon completion of Test Pilot School in December 1991, he reported to the Strike Aircraft Test Directorate where he was the project officer for the F-14A/B Air-to-Ground Weapons Separation Program. In August 1994, he returned to the U.S. Naval Academy as an instructor in the Weapons and Systems Engineering Department.

NASA EXPERIENCE:

Selected by NASA in December 1994, Curbeam reported to the Johnson Space Center in March 1995. He completed a year of training and evaluation and was assigned to the Computer Support Branch of the Astronaut Office.

CURRENT ASSIGNMENT:

Curbeam will serve as a mission specialist on the crew of STS-85 during Discovery's 11-day mission to study changes in the Earth's atmosphere. STS-85 is targeted for a July 1997 launch.

• Birth of Robert Lee Jr 'Beamer' Curbeam - . Nation: USA. Related Persons: Curbeam. American test pilot mission specialist astronaut 1994-2007. 3 spaceflights, 37.6 days in space. Flew to orbit on STS-85 (1997), STS-98, STS-116..

• NASA Astronaut Training Group 15 selected. - . Nation: USA. Related Persons: Altman, Anderson, Ashby, Bloomfield, Chawla, Curbeam, Edwards, Joe, Gorie, Hire, Husband, Kavandi, Kilrain, Lindsey, Lu, Melroy, Noriega, Reilly, Robinson, Sturckow.

  The group was selected to provide pilot, engineer, and scientist astronauts for space shuttle flights.. Qualifications: Pilots: Bachelor's degree in engineering, biological science, physical science or mathematics. Advanced degree desirable. At least 1,000 flight-hours of pilot-in-command time. Flight test experience desirable. Excellent health. Vision minimum 20/50 uncorrected, correctable to 20/20 vision; maximum sitting blood pressure 140/90. Height between 163 and 193 cm.

  Mission Specialists: Bachelor's degree in engineering, biological science, physical science or mathematics and minimum three years of related experience or an advanced degree. Vision minimum 20/150 uncorrected, correctable to 20/20. Maximum sitting blood pressure of 140/90. Height between 150 and 193 cm.. 10 pilots and 9 mission specialists, 6 civilians and 13 military officers, chosen from 2,962 applicants, of which 122 screened in June-August 1994. 4 additional international astronauts.

• STS-85 - . Call Sign: Discovery. Crew: Brown, Curbeam, Davis, Robinson, Rominger, Tryggvason. Payload: Discovery F23 / CRISTA-SPAS-2. Mass: 116,884 kg (257,685 lb). Nation: USA. Related Persons: Brown, Curbeam, Davis, Robinson, Rominger, Tryggvason. Agency: NASA Houston. Manufacturer: North American. Program: STS. Class: Manned. Type: Manned spaceplane. Flight: STS-85. Spacecraft Bus: Shuttle. Spacecraft: Discovery. Duration: 11.85 days. Decay Date: 1997-08-18 . USAF Sat Cat: 24889 . COSPAR: 1997-039A. Apogee: 261 km (162 mi). Perigee: 249 km (154 mi). Inclination: 57.00 deg. Period: 89.60 min.

  Deployed and retrieved the CRISTA-SPAS-2 (the Cryogenic Infrared Spectrometers and Telescopes for the Atmosphere-Shuttle Pallet Satellite-2) designed to study Earth's middle atmosphere. The CRISTA-SPAS-2 was making its second flight on the Space Shuttle and represented the fourth mission in a cooperative venture between the German Space Agency (DARA) and NASA.

  CRISTA-SPAS was deployed by the RMS arm at 22:27 GMT on August 7 and was recaptured by Discovery's RMS arm at 15:14 GMT on August 16. Because of unfavorable weather conditions at the primary shuttle landing site at the Kennedy Space Center, Discovery was waved off for its scheduled August 18 landing. STS-85 landed the next day, at Kennedy Space Center at 11:08 GMT.

• Landing of STS-85 - . Return Crew: Brown, Curbeam, Davis, Robinson, Rominger, Tryggvason. Nation: USA. Related Persons: Brown, Curbeam, Davis, Robinson, Rominger, Tryggvason. Flight: STS-85. STS-85 landed at 11:08 GMT. .

• STS-95 Mission Status Report # 02 - . Nation: USA. Related Persons: Brown, Curbeam, Glenn, Mukai, Robinson. Program: STS. Flight: STS-95. The crew of Discovery sailed through an opening day in orbit this afternoon, staying ahead of schedule for the most part as they prepared the spacecraft and a slate of more than 80 experiments for nine days in orbit.. Additional Details: here....

• ISS Status Report: ISS 01-01 - . Nation: USA. Related Persons: Cockrell, Curbeam, Gidzenko, Ivins, Jones, Polansky, Shepherd. Program: ISS. Flight: Soyuz TM-31. The Expedition One crew moved into its tenth week in orbit today aboard the International Space Station (ISS) as preparations stepped into high gear for the launch of the next Shuttle assembly flight to the outpost.. Additional Details: here....

• ISS Status Report: ISS 01-02 - . Nation: USA. Related Persons: Cockrell, Curbeam, Gidzenko, Ivins, Jones, Polansky, Shepherd. Program: ISS. Flight: Soyuz TM-31.

  Expedition One crewmembers are busily preparing the International Space Station for its next visitors - the five astronauts of the STS-98 mission of Atlantis - set to launch at 2:11 a.m. EST on January 19 from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Atlantis' precious cargo is the U.S. Laboratory Destiny, which will provide the orbiting outpost with its first science facility. STS-98 marks the seventh shuttle mission to the station and twelfth overall devoted to the assembly of the ever-growing international outpost in low Earth orbit. Additional Details: here....

• ISS Status Report: ISS 01-03 - . Nation: USA. Related Persons: Cockrell, Curbeam, Gidzenko, Ivins, Jones, Polansky, Shepherd. Program: ISS. Flight: Soyuz TM-31.

  With Space Shuttle Atlantis' STS-98 mission delayed three weeks, the Expedition One crew aboard the International Space Station will continue to review documents and procedures in preparation for the arrival of the station's newest module - the U.S. Laboratory Destiny. Additional Details: here....

• ISS Status Report: ISS 01-05 - . Nation: USA. Related Persons: Cockrell, Curbeam, Gidzenko, Ivins, Jones, Polansky, Shepherd. Program: ISS. Flight: Soyuz TM-31. Activity aboard the International Space Station continues to focus on preparations for the arrival of Space Shuttle Atlantis late next week bringing the first scientific laboratory on the STS-98 mission.. Additional Details: here....

• STS-98 Mission Status Report #01 - . Nation: USA. Related Persons: Burbank, Cockrell, Curbeam, Gidzenko, Ivins, Jones, Polansky, Shepherd. Program: ISS. Flight: Soyuz TM-31, STS-98.

  Atlantis' five astronauts blasted off from the Kennedy Space Center at sunset tonight to deliver the U.S. Laboratory Destiny to the International Space Station (ISS), the cornerstone of scientific research on the complex and the new command and control center for Station operations. Additional Details: here....

• STS-98 - . Call Sign: Atlantis. Crew: Cockrell, Curbeam, Ivins, Jones, Polansky. Payload: Atlantis F23. Mass: 90,225 kg (198,912 lb). Nation: USA. Related Persons: Cockrell, Curbeam, Ivins, Jones, Polansky. Agency: NASA Houston. Manufacturer: Boeing. Program: ISS. Class: Manned. Type: Manned spaceplane. Flight: STS-98. Spacecraft Bus: Shuttle. Spacecraft: Atlantis. Duration: 12.89 days. Decay Date: 2001-02-20 . USAF Sat Cat: 26698 . COSPAR: 2001-006A. Apogee: 337 km (209 mi). Perigee: 183 km (113 mi). Inclination: 51.30 deg. Period: 89.71 min.

  ISS Assembly flight. Launch delayed from January 18 and February 6. International Space Station assembly mission; delivered the Destiny and PMA-2 modules. Destiny was an American ISS module, an 8.4 meter long and 4.2 meter wide cylindrical structure with a mass of 15 tonnes. It was to function as a science and technology module and the primary control module for the ISS. The shuttle orbiter was placed in an initial 74 x 323 km x 51.6 deg orbit. At 2357 GMT the OMS engines fired for the OMS-2 burn which raised Atlantis' orbit to 204 x 322 km x 51.6 deg. Atlantis docked with the Station at 1651 GMT on February 9 at the PMA-3 port on Unity's nadir. At 1500 GMT on Feb 10 Marsha Ivins used the RMS arm to unberth the PMA-2 docking port from Unity. Tom Jones and Bob Curbeam then conducted three spacewalks on Februay 10 to 14 to attach the Destiny and PMA-2 modules to the station. The crew also delivered over a tonne of food, fuel and equipment to the ISS. Atlantis undocked from Alpha at 1406 GMT on February 16. Atlantis landed at Edwards AFB on February 20; plans to land on February 18 and 19 were called off due to persistent wind problems at Kennedy Space Center. The deorbit burn was at 1927 GMT and lowered the orbit from 370 x 386 km to about 50 x 380 km. The nominal entry interface at 122 km came at 2002 GMT and touchdown on runway 22 was at 20:33 GMT. On March 1 Atlantis was flown on the back of NASA's SCA 911 carrier aircraft to Altus AFB, Oklahoma, en route to Kennedy.

• STS-98 Mission Status Report #03 - . Nation: USA. Related Persons: Cockrell, Curbeam, Ivins, Jones, Polansky. Program: ISS. Flight: Soyuz TM-31, STS-98.

  With the 16-ton, bus-sized Destiny laboratory now virtually weightless in its cargo bay, the Space Shuttle Atlantis today drew ever closer to Destiny's permanent home, the International Space Station, and the five shuttle astronauts prepared for the complex construction job to come. Additional Details: here....

• STS-98 Mission Status Report #02 - . Nation: USA. Related Persons: Cockrell, Curbeam, Gidzenko, Ivins, Jones, Polansky, Shepherd. Program: ISS. Flight: Soyuz TM-31, STS-98.

  The five-member crew of Atlantis is in its first full day in space continuing its pursuit of the International Space Station. After a slightly abbreviated sleep period, Atlantis' astronauts were awakened at 6:13 a.m. Central time as the Shuttle trailed the Station by approximately 2,000 statute miles (3,200 kilometers). The first wakeup call of the flight was "Where You At", a jazz selection by Pilot Mark Polansky's late uncle, Zoot Sims. Additional Details: here....

• EVA STS-98-1 - . Crew: Curbeam, Jones. EVA Duration: 0.32 days. Nation: USA. Related Persons: Curbeam, Jones. Program: ISS. Flight: STS-98. Spacecraft: ISS.

  Tom Jones and Bob Curbeam began the first STS-98 spacewalk from the ODS airlock on Atlantis, supervising the ISS/Destiny assembly operations. The airlock was depressurized at 1544 GMT. PMA-2 was berthed on Z1 at 1650 GMT; Destiny was unberthed from the payload bay at 1735 GMT and docked to Unity at 1900 GMT. At 1935 GMT Curbeam was connecting ammonia coolant lines when a leaking connector sprayed ammonia into space, contaminating his suit. He was ordered to stay in sunlight to bake off the ammonia. At around 2311 GMT the spacewalkers returned to the airlock, closing the hatch at 2318 GMT. A new depressurization for decontamination was begun at 2342 GMT, with the airlock fully depressurized at 2350 GMT. The hatch was then opened and closed quickly at 2351-2352 GMT, to flush the airlock of any ammonia residue. This last event was not counted as an EVA by NASA.

• EVA STS-98-2 - . Crew: Curbeam, Jones. EVA Duration: 0.28 days. Nation: USA. Related Persons: Curbeam, Jones. Program: ISS. Flight: STS-98. Spacecraft: ISS.

  STS-98 EVA-2 began at 1555 GMT on February 12 with depressurization of the airlock. The astronauts went to battery power at 1559 GMT. The PMA-2 docking port was attached to Destiny at 1728 GMT. The Power Data Grapple Fixture (PDGF) was removed from its location on an adaptive payload carrier on the port side of the payload bay (probably bay 5P) and installed on Destiny. The PDGF will be used by the Station's robot arm, and is an improved grapple fixture with electrical power and data ports. The hatch was closed at 2240 GMT and the airlock was repressurized at 2249 GMT

• EVA STS-98-3 - . Crew: Curbeam, Jones. EVA Duration: 0.23 days. Nation: USA. Related Persons: Curbeam, Jones. Program: ISS. Flight: STS-98. Spacecraft: ISS.

  On the third STS-98 EVA the airlock was depressurized at 1443 GMT, with hatch open at around 1445 and battery power at 1448. The spare SASA S-band antenna was unberthed from an adapter beam in the payload bay (around bay 4P?) and installed on Z1. The +X (starboard) TCS radiator on P6, launched on the previous mission, was deployed at 1649 GMT. The astronauts completed the spacewalk with repressurization of the airlock at 2013 GMT

• STS-98 Mission Status Report #22 - . Nation: USA. Related Persons: Cockrell, Curbeam, Gidzenko, Ivins, Jones, Polansky, Shepherd. Program: ISS. Flight: Soyuz TM-31, STS-98. Atlantis' astronauts were awakened just before 4 a.m. Central time Sunday, ready for a homecoming to the Kennedy Space Center later today, weather permitting.. Additional Details: here....

• STS-98 Mission Status Report #23 - . Nation: USA. Related Persons: Altman, Cockrell, Curbeam, Gidzenko, Ivins, Jones, Polansky, Ross, Shepherd. Program: ISS. Flight: Soyuz TM-31, STS-98. Atlantis' homecoming was delayed today until Monday as gusty winds at the Kennedy Space Center forced a waveoff of the Shuttle's landing at the Florida spaceport.. Additional Details: here....

• STS-98 Mission Status Report #24 - . Nation: USA. Related Persons: Cockrell, Curbeam, Gidzenko, Ivins, Jones, Polansky, Shepherd. Program: ISS. Flight: Soyuz TM-31, STS-98.

  After an extra day in orbit, Atlantis' astronauts will try again to return to the Kennedy Space Center today to wrap up a 4.9 million mile mission to deliver the U.S. Laboratory Destiny to the International Space Station (ISS). Preliminary weather forecasts indicate the possibility of gusty winds and decks of broken clouds at the Shuttle Landing Facility at the Cape this afternoon, similar to the conditions that forced a waveoff of the Shuttle's return yesterday. Additional Details: here....

• STS-98 Mission Status Report #25 - . Nation: USA. Related Persons: Cockrell, Curbeam, Gidzenko, Ivins, Jones, Polansky, Ross, Shepherd. Program: ISS. Flight: Soyuz TM-31, STS-98. For the second day in a row, Atlantis' astronauts were foiled in their attempt to land at the Kennedy Space Center by high winds which caused another 24-hour delay in their homecoming until Tuesday.. Additional Details: here....

• STS-98 Mission Status Report #27 - . Nation: USA. Related Persons: Cockrell, Curbeam, Gidzenko, Ivins, Jones, Polansky, Shepherd. Program: ISS. Flight: Soyuz TM-31, STS-98. Atlantis' astronauts glided to a belated but textbook touchdown at Edwards Air Force Base, California today, wrapping up a 5.3 million mile mission to deliver the U.S. Laboratory Destiny to the International Space Station (ISS).. Additional Details: here....

• STS-98 Mission Status Report #26 - . Nation: USA. Related Persons: Cockrell, Curbeam, Gidzenko, Ivins, Jones, Polansky, Ross, Shepherd. Program: ISS. Flight: Soyuz TM-31, STS-98.

  Atlantis' astronauts are hoping that the third time will be the charm today as an improving weather forecast at the Kennedy Space Center holds hope for the Shuttle's return to the Florida spaceport following two consecutive days of weather related wave-offs. Additional Details: here....

• Landing of STS-98 - . Return Crew: Cockrell, Curbeam, Ivins, Jones, Polansky. Nation: USA. Related Persons: Cockrell, Curbeam, Ivins, Jones, Polansky. Program: ISS. Flight: STS-98. STS-98 landed at 20:33 GMT. .

• STS-116 MCC Status Report 01 - . Nation: USA. Related Persons: Curbeam, Fuglesang, Higginbotham, Lopez-Alegria, Oefelein, Patrick, Polansky, Reiter, Tyurin, Williams. Program: ISS. Flight: Soyuz TMA-9, STS-116, STS-117 ISS EO-15, STS-121 Astrolab. The Space Shuttle Discovery rocketed into a dark Florida sky at 7:47 p.m. CST today, the third shuttle launch in five months, but the first night launch in more than four years.. Additional Details: here....

• STS-116 MCC Status Report 03 - . Nation: USA. Related Persons: Curbeam, Fuglesang, Higginbotham, Oefelein, Patrick, Polansky, Reiter, Williams. Program: ISS. Flight: Soyuz TMA-9, STS-116, STS-117 ISS EO-15, STS-121 Astrolab. The Space Shuttle Discovery crew spent much of its first full day in space using the shuttle's robotic arm and an extension boom-mounted sensor system to inspect heat shielding on Discovery's wing leading edges and nose.. Additional Details: here....

• STS-116 MCC Status Report 02 - . Nation: USA. Related Persons: Curbeam, Fuglesang, Lopez-Alegria, Polansky, Reiter, Tyurin, Williams. Program: ISS. Flight: Soyuz TMA-9, STS-116, STS-117 ISS EO-15, STS-121 Astrolab. The Space Shuttle Discovery crew, Commander Mark Polansky, Pilot Bill Oefelein, and Mission Specialists Nicholas Patrick, Joan Higginbotham, Bob Curbeam, Sunita Williams and Christer Fuglesang, are beginning a busy first full day in space.. Additional Details: here....

• STS-116 - . Call Sign: Discovery. Crew: Curbeam, Fuglesang, Higginbotham, Oefelein, Patrick, Polansky, Williams. Return Crew: Curbeam, Fuglesang, Higginbotham, Oefelein, Patrick, Polansky, Reiter. Payload: Discovery F32 / P5. Mass: 120,420 kg (265,480 lb). Nation: USA. Related Persons: Curbeam, Fuglesang, Higginbotham, Oefelein, Patrick, Polansky, Reiter, Williams. Agency: NASA. Manufacturer: Boeing. Program: ISS. Class: Manned. Type: Manned spaceplane. Flight: Soyuz TMA-9, STS-116, STS-121 Astrolab. Spacecraft Bus: Shuttle. Spacecraft: Discovery. Duration: 12.86 days. Decay Date: 2006-12-10 . USAF Sat Cat: 29647 . COSPAR: 2006-055A. Apogee: 358 km (222 mi). Perigee: 326 km (202 mi). Inclination: 51.60 deg. Period: 91.40 min.

  The mission used solid rocket booster pair RSRM-95 and external tank ET-123. At SSME burnout Discovery was in a 58 km x 220 km x 51.6 deg preliminary burn. The OMS-2 burn at 02:25 GMT placed the shuttle in a stable 225 x 250 km orbit from which rendezvous maneuvers began. Discovery docked with the ISS at 22:12 GMT on December 11. In the most demanding ISS assembly mission ever, the crew would require an additional spacewalk to complete installation of the P5 truss, retraction of the recalcitrant port P6 solar array wing, and activation of the truss electrical and cooling system. Sunita Williams rode the shuttle to the station, and remained behind with the EO-14 crew; ESA astronaut Thomas Reiter, already aboard the station, was returned to earth. Due to weather problems a landing at White Sands was considered; but in the end Discovery landed safely at Kennedy Space Center, after which it was to enter a year-long overhaul cycle.

• STS-116 MCC Status Report 04 - . Nation: USA. Related Persons: Curbeam, Fuglesang, Higginbotham, Lopez-Alegria, Oefelein, Patrick, Polansky, Reiter, Tyurin, Williams. Program: ISS. Flight: Soyuz TMA-9, STS-116, STS-117 ISS EO-15, STS-121 Astrolab. The Space Shuttle Discovery continues its pursuit of the International Space Station, a chase that should culminate in the docking of the two spacecraft at 4:05 p.m. CST today.. Additional Details: here....

• STS-116 MCC Status Report 05 - . Nation: USA. Related Persons: Curbeam, Fuglesang, Higginbotham, Lopez-Alegria, Oefelein, Patrick, Polansky, Reiter, Tyurin, Williams. Program: ISS. Flight: Soyuz TMA-9, STS-116, STS-117 ISS EO-15, STS-121 Astrolab. Astronauts on the Space Shuttle Discovery and the International Space Station were united today, and the joint crew immediately began the complex work associated with installing a new truss section and rewiring the station's power grid.. Additional Details: here....

• STS-116 MCC Status Report 06 - . Nation: USA. Related Persons: Curbeam, Fuglesang, Higginbotham, Lopez-Alegria, Oefelein, Patrick, Polansky, Reiter, Tyurin, Williams. Program: ISS. Flight: Soyuz TMA-9, STS-116, STS-117 ISS EO-15, STS-121 Astrolab. The first spacewalk by Discovery's crew members, an excursion that will install a new, two-ton segment on the port side of the International Space Station's girder-like truss, will highlight today's work on mission STS-116.. Additional Details: here....

• STS-116 MCC Status Report 07 - . Nation: USA. Related Persons: Curbeam, Fuglesang. Program: ISS. Flight: Soyuz TMA-9, STS-116. The International Space Station is now two tons heavier, with the installation today of its newest truss segment during the flight's first spacewalk.. Additional Details: here....

• STS-116 MCC Status Report 08 - . Nation: USA. Related Persons: Curbeam, Fuglesang, Higginbotham, Lopez-Alegria, Oefelein, Patrick, Polansky, Reiter, Tyurin, Williams. Program: ISS. Flight: Soyuz TMA-9, STS-116, STS-117 ISS EO-15, STS-121 Astrolab. Retracting a solar array wing that has been extended in space for six years will highlight the activities aboard the International Space Station and the Space Shuttle Discovery today.. Additional Details: here....

• STS-116 MCC Status Report 09 - . Nation: USA. Related Persons: Curbeam, Fuglesang, Lopez-Alegria, Polansky. Program: ISS. Flight: Soyuz TMA-9, STS-116.

  The first phase of the electrical and thermal makeover of the International Space Station was completed tonight as the outpost's newest solar arrays began rotating to follow the sun and ammonia flowed into the station's permanent cooling system for the first time. Additional Details: here....

• EVA STS-116-1 - . Crew: Curbeam, Fuglesang. EVA Duration: 0.28 days. Nation: USA. Related Persons: Curbeam, Fuglesang. Program: ISS. Flight: Soyuz TMA-9, STS-116. The crew aligned and connected the P5 truss segment to P4. However problems were experienced in retraction of the P6 solar array. It could not be fully retracted, although enough was folded up to allow the P4 arrays to rotate freely when relocated..

• STS-116 MCC Status Report 11 - . Nation: USA. Related Persons: Curbeam, Fuglesang, Higginbotham, Williams. Program: ISS. Flight: Soyuz TMA-9, STS-116. Two spacewalking electricians completed half of STS-116's rewiring today, and when flight controllers threw the switch, the lights inside the International Space Station turned on again without a hitch.. Additional Details: here....

• STS-116 MCC Status Report 10 - . Nation: USA. Related Persons: Curbeam, Fuglesang, Higginbotham, Lopez-Alegria, Tyurin, Williams. Program: ISS. Flight: Soyuz TMA-9, STS-116, STS-117 ISS EO-15. The second spacewalk for Discovery's crew members is scheduled for this afternoon. During the spacewalk, set to start about 2:12 p.m. CST, Bob Curbeam and Christer Fuglesang will begin to rewire the station's power system. Additional Details: here....

• STS-116 MCC Status Report 12 - . Nation: USA. Related Persons: Curbeam, Fuglesang, Higginbotham, Lopez-Alegria, Oefelein, Patrick, Polansky, Reiter, Tyurin, Williams. Program: ISS. Flight: Soyuz TMA-9, STS-116, STS-117 ISS EO-15, STS-121 Astrolab. With half the International Space Station's electrical system rewired, the crew of Space Shuttle Discovery gets half a day off today before they finish the job during a third spacewalk set for Saturday.. Additional Details: here....

• STS-116 MCC Status Report 13 - . Nation: USA. Related Persons: Curbeam, Fuglesang, Higginbotham, Lopez-Alegria, Oefelein, Patrick, Polansky, Reiter, Tyurin, Williams. Program: ISS. Flight: Soyuz TMA-9, STS-116, STS-117 ISS EO-15, STS-121 Astrolab. The crews of Space Shuttle Discovery and the International Space Station tried again to refold an accordion-like solar array with help from engineers and flight controllers on the ground, but none of the techniques succeeded in clearing the jam.. Additional Details: here....

• EVA STS-116-2 - . Crew: Curbeam, Fuglesang. EVA Duration: 0.21 days. Nation: USA. Related Persons: Curbeam, Fuglesang. Program: ISS. Flight: Soyuz TMA-9, STS-116. The crew reconfigured power on channels 2 and 3 of the station's electrical system. The feared partial shutdown of the ISS power systems and power-up from the new P4 solar array was conducted without a hitch..

• STS-116 MCC Status Report 15 - . Nation: USA. Related Persons: Curbeam, Fuglesang, Williams. Program: ISS. Flight: Soyuz TMA-9, STS-116.

  During a spacewalk partially choreographed as it happened, STS-116 Astronauts Bob Curbeam and Sunita Williams finished rewiring the International Space Station and shook loose a balky solar array so their crewmates inside could retract it almost two-thirds of the way. Additional Details: here....

• STS-116 MCC Status Report 14 - . Nation: USA. Related Persons: Curbeam, Fuglesang, Higginbotham, Lopez-Alegria, Oefelein, Patrick, Polansky, Reiter, Tyurin, Williams. Program: ISS. Flight: Soyuz TMA-9, STS-116, STS-117 ISS EO-15, STS-121 Astrolab. The third spacewalk of Discovery's mission to the International Space Station is scheduled to begin at 1:37 p.m. CST to complete the rewiring of the orbiting laboratory's power system.. Additional Details: here....

• STS-116 MCC Status Report 16 - . Nation: USA. Related Persons: Curbeam, Fuglesang, Higginbotham, Oefelein, Patrick, Polansky, Reiter, Williams. Program: ISS. Flight: Soyuz TMA-9, STS-116, STS-117 ISS EO-15, STS-121 Astrolab. Astronauts will spend much of today getting ready for a fourth spacewalk during Discovery's mission to the International Space Station.. Additional Details: here....

• STS-116 MCC Status Report 17 - . Nation: USA. Related Persons: Curbeam, Fuglesang, Higginbotham, Oefelein, Patrick, Polansky, Williams. Program: ISS. Flight: Soyuz TMA-9, STS-116.

  Flight controllers today put the finishing touches on plans for the fourth spacewalk recently added to the mission. On board the Space Shuttle Discovery and the International Space Station astronauts finished transferring the bulk of supplies between the two spacecraft. Additional Details: here....

• EVA STS-116-3 - . Crew: Curbeam, Williams. EVA Duration: 0.31 days. Nation: USA. Related Persons: Curbeam, Williams. Program: ISS. Flight: Soyuz TMA-9, STS-116.

  The crew reconfigured power on channels 1 and 4 of the station's electrical system. The partial shutdown of the ISS power systems and power-up from the new P4 solar array was conducted without a hitch. They also moved Zvezda module debris protection panels to a storage location on the station exterior and performed other small tasks.

• STS-116 MCC Status Report 18 - . Nation: USA. Related Persons: Curbeam, Fuglesang, Higginbotham, Oefelein, Williams. Program: ISS. Flight: Soyuz TMA-9, STS-116. Discovery and International Space Station crew members will conduct their fourth spacewalk of the week today, an excursion aimed at freeing a snagged, partially retracted station solar array so it will fully fold properly.. Additional Details: here....

• STS-116 MCC Status Report 19 - . Nation: USA. Related Persons: Curbeam, Fuglesang, Higginbotham, Oefelein, Williams. Program: ISS. Flight: Soyuz TMA-9, STS-116. Space Shuttle Discovery Astronauts Bob Curbeam and Christer Fuglesang guided the port overhead solar array wing neatly inside its blanket box during a 6-hour, 38-minute spacewalk.. Additional Details: here....

• STS-116 MCC Status Report 20 - . Nation: USA. Related Persons: Curbeam, Fuglesang, Higginbotham, Lopez-Alegria, Oefelein, Patrick, Polansky, Reiter, Tyurin, Williams. Program: ISS. Flight: Soyuz TMA-9, STS-116, STS-117 ISS EO-15, STS-121 Astrolab. Space Shuttle Discovery astronauts will leave the orbiting laboratory today after four successful spacewalks, delivery and installation of a new segment of the International Space Station's main truss and reconfiguring the station's power system.. Additional Details: here....

• STS-116 MCC Status Report 21 - . Nation: USA. Related Persons: Curbeam, Fuglesang, Higginbotham, Lopez-Alegria, Oefelein, Patrick, Polansky, Reiter, Tyurin, Williams. Program: ISS. Flight: Soyuz TMA-9, STS-116, STS-117 ISS EO-15, STS-121 Astrolab. Crews aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery and the International Space Station bid one another farewell at 4:10 p.m. CST today, wrapping up eight days of docked operations.. Additional Details: here....

• EVA STS-116-4 - . Crew: Curbeam, Fuglesang. EVA Duration: 0.28 days. Nation: USA. Related Persons: Curbeam, Fuglesang. Program: ISS. Flight: Soyuz TMA-9, STS-116. The crew conducted an unscheduled spacewalk, and successfully managed to fully retract the P6 solar array..

• STS-116 MCC Status Report 22 - . Nation: USA. Related Persons: Curbeam, Fuglesang, Higginbotham, Lopez-Alegria, Oefelein, Patrick, Polansky, Reiter, Tyurin, Williams. Program: ISS. Flight: Soyuz TMA-9, STS-116, STS-117 ISS EO-15, STS-121 Astrolab. Discovery crew members will make a final check of the shuttle's heat shields today, using a sensor-equipped 50-foot extension of the shuttle's robotic arm.. Additional Details: here....

• STS-116 MCC Status Report 23 - . Nation: USA. Related Persons: Curbeam, Fuglesang, Higginbotham, Lopez-Alegria, Oefelein, Patrick, Polansky, Reiter, Tyurin, Williams. Program: ISS. Flight: Soyuz TMA-9, STS-116, STS-117 ISS EO-15, STS-121 Astrolab. Inspection of Discovery's heat shield was conducted today as the seven crewmembers began the task of preparing their ship for their high-speed return to Earth on Friday.. Additional Details: here....

• STS-116 MCC Status Report 25 - . Nation: USA. Related Persons: Curbeam, Fuglesang, Higginbotham, Lopez-Alegria, Oefelein, Patrick, Polansky, Tyurin, Williams. Program: ISS. Flight: Soyuz TMA-9, STS-116, STS-117 ISS EO-15. Discovery's astronauts completed preparations for a planned return to Earth on Friday and received word from Mission Control that their final inspection showed the shuttle's heat shield is in good shape.. Additional Details: here....

• STS-116 MCC Status Report 24 - . Nation: USA. Related Persons: Curbeam, Fuglesang, Higginbotham, Lopez-Alegria, Oefelein, Patrick, Polansky, Reiter, Tyurin, Williams. Program: ISS. Flight: Soyuz TMA-9, STS-116, STS-117 ISS EO-15, STS-121 Astrolab. Discovery's astronauts will spend today preparing to return to Earth. They will test flight control surfaces, steering jets and other entry and landing systems while they stow equipment in Discovery's cabin.. Additional Details: here....

• STS-116 MCC Status Report 27 - . Nation: USA. Related Persons: Curbeam, Fuglesang, Higginbotham, Oefelein, Patrick, Polansky, Reiter. Program: ISS. Flight: Soyuz TMA-9, STS-116, STS-121 Astrolab. The crew of Space Shuttle Discovery made it home in time for Christmas, gliding to a perfect landing as the sun set over NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.. Additional Details: here....

• STS-116 MCC Status Report 26 - . Nation: USA. Related Persons: Curbeam, Fuglesang, Higginbotham, Lopez-Alegria, Oefelein, Patrick, Polansky, Reiter, Tyurin, Williams. Program: ISS. Flight: Soyuz TMA-9, STS-116, STS-117 ISS EO-15, STS-121 Astrolab. Discovery's wakeup call said it all. The song was "Home for the Holidays," sung by Perry Como for the crew, requested by the Mission Control Center.. Additional Details: here....

• Landing of STS-116 - . Return Crew: Curbeam, Fuglesang, Higginbotham, Oefelein, Patrick, Polansky, Reiter. Nation: USA. Related Persons: Curbeam, Fuglesang, Higginbotham, Oefelein, Patrick, Polansky, Reiter. Program: ISS. Flight: STS-116, STS-121 Astrolab.