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STS-104
Credit - NASA

12 July 2001 09:04 GMT. Landing Date: 2001-07-25 03:39:00 PM. Flight Time: 12.77 days. Other Name: ISS-7A. Flight Up: STS-104. Flight Back: STS-104. Call Sign: Atlantis. Crew: Gernhardt, Hobaugh, Kavandi, Lindsey, Reilly. Program: ISS. STS-104 was an American ISS Assembly shuttle flight with a crew of five American astronauts and a major space station module, the Quest Airlock. Orbiter OV-104 Atlantis main engine cutoff and external tank separation was at 0913 GMT. Atlantis was then in an orbit of 59 x 235 km x 51.6 deg. The OMS-2 burn at 0942 GMT increased velocity by 29 m/s and raised the orbit to 157 x 235 km x 51.6 deg and another burn at 1240 GMT raised it further to 232 x 305 km. Atlantis docked with the International Space Station at 0308 GMT on July 14. The main payload on STS-104 was the Quest Joint Airlock, built by Boeing/Huntsville. It consisted of an Equipment Lock for storage and the Crew Lock, based on the Shuttle airlock. The 13,872 kg payload consisted of:

  • Bay 1-2: Orbiter Docking System/External Airlock - 2160 kg including 3 EMU spacesuits
  • Bay 4-5: Spacelab Pallet (Fwd) with O2-1/O2-2 oxygen tanks - 2500 kg
  • Bay 6-7: Spacelab Pallet (Aft) with N2-1/N2-2 nitrogen tanks - 2500 kg
  • Bay 8-12: Station Joint Airlock Adapter beam (6064 kg) with IMAX Cargo Bay Camera (238 kg)
  • Sill: RMS arm - 410 kg
The Equipment Lock was berthed to the Unity module at one of the large-diameter CBM hatches. STS-104 then installed the Airlock onto the Unity module. In a series of spacewalks the astronauts moved the oxygen and nitrogen tanks onto the airlock exterior.
STS-104
Credit- www.spacefacts.de

The six tonne Airlock consisted of two cylinders of four meters diameter and a total length six meters. The Airlock could be pressurized by the externally-mounted high pressure oxygen-nitrogen tanks, and was to be the sole unit through which all future EVAs were to take place. (Until that point, all EVA entries/exits had been through a Russian module in ISS, with non-Russians having to wear Russian space suits). Another payload was the "EarthKAM" of middle/high school interest. It was to allow pupils to command picture-taking of chosen spots on Earth; they were expected to target 2,000 spots. The shuttle also carried out pulsed exhaust tests during maneuvers to enable better understanding of the formation of HF echoes from the shuttle exhaust. The echoes were obtained by ground based radars in an experiment called SIMPLEX (Shuttle Ionospheric Modification with Pulsed Local EXhaust). The STS-104 crew returned to Atlantis on July 22, and undocked at 0455 GMT. After flying around the station they departed the vicinity at 0615 GMT. Atlantis landed at 0338:55 GMT on July 25, touching down at Kennedy Space Center runway 15.

STS-104 Chronology

  • 2001 Jul 12 - STS-104  Crew: Lindsey, Hobaugh, Kavandi, Gernhardt, Reilly. Spacecraft: Atlantis. Payload: Atlantis F24 / Quest. Mass: 117,127 kg (258,220 lb). Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Vehicle: Shuttle. Duration: 12.77 days. Perigee: 372 km (231 mi). Apogee: 390 km (240 mi). Inclination: 51.60 deg.

    STS-104 was an American ISS Assembly shuttle flight with a crew of five American astronauts and a major space station module, the Quest Airlock. Orbiter OV-104 Atlantis main engine cutoff and external tank separation was at 0913 GMT. Atlantis was then in an orbit of 59 x 235 km x 51.6 deg. The OMS-2 burn at 0942 GMT increased velocity by 29 m/s and raised the orbit to 157 x 235 km x 51.6 deg and another burn at 1240 GMT raised it further to 232 x 305 km. Atlantis docked with the International Space Station at 0308 GMT on July 14. The main payload on STS-104 was the Quest Joint Airlock, built by Boeing/Huntsville. It consisted of an Equipment Lock for storage and the Crew Lock, based on the Shuttle airlock. The 13,872 kg payload consisted of:

    • Bay 1-2: Orbiter Docking System/External Airlock - 2160 kg including 3 EMU spacesuits
    • Bay 4-5: Spacelab Pallet (Fwd) with O2-1/O2-2 oxygen tanks - 2500 kg
    • Bay 6-7: Spacelab Pallet (Aft) with N2-1/N2-2 nitrogen tanks - 2500 kg
    • Bay 8-12: Station Joint Airlock Adapter beam (6064 kg) with IMAX Cargo Bay Camera (238 kg)
    • Sill: RMS arm - 410 kg
    The Equipment Lock was berthed to the Unity module at one of the large-diameter CBM hatches. STS-104 then installed the Airlock onto the Unity module. In a series of spacewalks the astronauts moved the oxygen and nitrogen tanks onto the airlock exterior.

    The six tonne Airlock consisted of two cylinders of four meters diameter and a total length six meters. The Airlock could be pressurized by the externally-mounted high pressure oxygen-nitrogen tanks, and was to be the sole unit through which all future EVAs were to take place. (Until that point, all EVA entries/exits had been through a Russian module in ISS, with non-Russians having to wear Russian space suits). Another payload was the "EarthKAM" of middle/high school interest. It was to allow pupils to command picture-taking of chosen spots on Earth; they were expected to target 2,000 spots. The shuttle also carried out pulsed exhaust tests during maneuvers to enable better understanding of the formation of HF echoes from the shuttle exhaust. The echoes were obtained by ground based radars in an experiment called SIMPLEX (Shuttle Ionospheric Modification with Pulsed Local EXhaust). The STS-104 crew returned to Atlantis on July 22, and undocked at 0455 GMT. After flying around the station they departed the vicinity at 0615 GMT. Atlantis landed at 0338:55 GMT on July 25, touching down at Kennedy Space Center runway 15.

  • 2001 Jul 12 - STS-104 Mission Status Report #01 

    The Space Shuttle Atlantis lifted off on time this morning at 4:04 a.m. Central from the Kennedy Space Center, FL, and, after a smooth climb to orbit, is now en route to deliver a new doorway to space to the International Space Station later this week.

    Atlantis Commander Steve Lindsey, Pilot Charlie Hobaugh and Mission Specialists Janet Kavandi, Jim Reilly and Mike Gernhardt will install an airlock named Quest on the station, increasing the orbiting complex's onboard capabilities for maintenance and construction and completing a major milestone in the station's orbital construction. The International Space Station crew - Commander Yury Usachev and Flight Engineers Jim Voss and Susan Helms -- was informed of Atlantis' launch just minutes after liftoff. The station crew spent the day preparing for the shuttle's visit. Earlier in the week the station crew performed final checks of the orbiting outpost's Canadian-built mechanical arm, an arm that will be used to attach the airlock, and reported the arm in excellent condition.

    Atlantis is planned to dock with the station at about 9:51 p.m. Central on Friday. After opening Atlantis' payload bay doors and preparing the shuttle for an extended stay in space, Atlantis' crew will go to sleep at 9:04 a.m. Central today. The space station crew, now in its fourth month aboard the complex, will begin its sleep period at about 5:30 a.m. Central.

    The station crew will awaken at 2 p.m. and Atlantis' crew will awaken at 5:03 p.m. today. When they awaken this afternoon, the shuttle crewmembers will spend their first full day in space checking out equipment in preparation for the major events to come on their 11-day mission: Friday's docking with the station and three space walks, the first to begin on Saturday, to install the new airlock.

  • 2001 Jul 12 - STS-104 Mission Status Report #02 

    The five-member crew of the Space Shuttle Atlantis awoke to its first full day in space at 5:38 p.m. The crew was awakened by the song "Wallace Courts Murron" from the movie "Braveheart." The song, by James Horner, was played for Atlantis Pilot Charlie Hobaugh. The shuttle is en route to the International Space Station to deliver the station's new airlock, Quest, and is scheduled to dock with the station at 9:53 p.m. CDT Friday.

    Atlantis Commander Steve Lindsey, Pilot Charlie Hobaugh and Mission Specialists Janet Kavandi, Jim Reilly and Mike Gernhardt will spend their first full day in space checking equipment in preparation for the major events to come on their 11-day mission: Friday's docking with the station and Saturday's first of three space walks.

    With Gernhardt and Reilly assisting during a seven-hour space walk, scheduled to begin around 9 p.m. Saturday, Flight Engineer Susan Helms will use the station's new robotic arm -- Canadarm2 -- to remove the Quest airlock from the shuttle's payload bay and attach it to the right side of the station's Unity connecting module. The new airlock will enable station crews to perform space walks in U.S. space suits without the shuttle being present. This ability will enhance the station's capabilities for maintenance and construction and complete a major milestone in the station's orbital construction.

    The International Space Station crew - Commander Yury Usachev and Flight Engineers Helms and Jim Voss - awoke at 2 p.m. The station crew will spend its day preparing for the Friday docking of Atlantis and the Saturday installation of the Quest airlock. The Expedition Two crew has been in space since March 8 and in charge of the space station since it took over from the Expedition One crew March 18.

  • 2001 Jul 13 - STS-104 Mission Status Report #03 

    The crew of the Space Shuttle Atlantis spent its first full day in space closing in on the International Space Station and testing the space suits and other equipment that will be used later in the mission to install a new station airlock.

    Commander Steve Lindsey and Pilot Charlie Hobaugh fired Atlantis' steering jets periodically during the night to adjust the shuttle's course toward the station. Atlantis now is trailing the International Space Station by about 1,800 statute miles, closing the gap by 230 miles with each orbit of Earth, on track to dock with the complex at about 9:53 p.m. Central. Astronauts Mike Gernhardt and Jim Reilly powered up and tested the two space suits they will wear during the three space walks planned to install the Airlock Quest on the station after Atlantis arrives. Assisted by Hobaugh, they also checked a third, spare suit that will be left aboard the station.

    During the suit checks, the crew noted a white substance in the vicinity of the spare space suit's battery. Mission Control instructed the crew to take several standard precautionary measures, such as donning rubber gloves and turning off several ventilation fans, as they cleaned the substance off of the suit, swapped the suspect battery with a fresh one and changed the carbon dioxide removal cartridge. The old battery was then stowed away, sealed in leak-proof bags. The substance did no damage to the space suit and it remains in excellent operating condition.

    Mission Specialist Janet Kavandi powered up Atlantis' robotic arm, successfully checking its operation and surveying the Quest airlock in the shuttle cargo bay using television cameras on the arm. The shuttle's robotic arm will be used to maneuver the space walkers during their planned work outside Atlantis and the station. The crew also powered up the shuttle's docking mechanism, preparing it for the linkup tonight.

    Atlantis is in an orbit with a high point of 235 miles and a low point of 182 miles, circling Earth every 90 minutes. All of the shuttle's systems are in excellent condition.

    Aboard the International Space Station, Expedition Two crew Commander Yury Usachev, and Flight Engineers Jim Voss and Susan Helms reviewed the schedule for Atlantis' arrival later tonight. The shuttle and station crews will go to sleep at about 8:04 a.m. The shuttle crew will awaken at 3:04 p.m. and the station crew at 4:04 p.m. to begin the rendezvous and docking activities.

  • 2001 Jul 13 - STS-104 Mission Status Report #04 

    The crew of the Space Shuttle Atlantis was awakened at 3:04 p.m. CDT to the song "God of Wonders" by the group Caedmon's Call. On this, its third day in space, the five-member crew of Atlantis is focusing on a rendezvous and docking with the International Space Station around 9:53 p.m.

    The day's rendezvous operations began at 4:34 p.m. with Atlantis trailing the station by about 250 statute miles and closing the gap by 230 miles every orbit. Yesterday, the crew powered up the shuttle's docking mechanism and installed a centerline camera that will help line up the orbiter's docking mechanism with the station's docking port.

    Aboard the International Space Station, Expedition Two crew Commander Yury Usachev and Flight Engineers Jim Voss and Susan Helms awoke at 4 p.m. The Expedition Two crew spent its orbital morning preparing the station for the arrival of Atlantis, and some initial cargo exchanges.

    Another successful firing of Atlantis' orbital maneuvering system engines at 6 p.m. refined the shuttle's approach. A final burn, called the Terminal Intercept (Ti) burn, is scheduled for 7:33 p.m. when Atlantis is about 50,000 feet behind the station. After the Ti burn, the shuttle's rendezvous radar system will begin tracking the station and providing range and closing rate information to Commander Steve Lindsey and Pilot Charlie Hobaugh. When Atlantis reaches a point about a half mile below the station, Lindsey will take manual control of the shuttle and slow Atlantis' approach, flying to a point about 600 feet below the station. Mission Specialists Michael Gernhardt, Janet Kavandi and Jim Reilly will assist, operating additional range-finding tools and documenting the approach with an IMAX camera mounted in the cargo bay. Lindsey will trace a quarter-circle around the station, bringing the shuttle to a point a little more than 300 feet in front of the Destiny laboratory and Pressurized Mating Adapter 2. From that point, Lindsey will move Atlantis toward the station at a speed of one tenth of a mile per hour until the two vehicles are just 30 feet apart; there he will pause for a few minutes to check his alignment. Lindsey will gently close the distance until the shuttle's spring-loaded docking mechanism makes contact with the station. The mechanism will be retracted and latches commanded to close, completing the docking process.

    After docking, the crews are scheduled to open the hatches between the two vehicles about 11:30 p.m. and greet one another in a brief welcoming ceremony.

  • 2001 Jul 14 - STS-104 Mission Status Report #05 

    Atlantis Commander Steve Lindsey smoothly docked the space shuttle with the International Space Station late Friday about 240 statute miles above the northeastern coast of South America. With both spacecraft moving at about 17,500 mph, Lindsey moved Atlantis to the station at a relative speed of about a tenth of a foot per second. Docking occurred at 10:08 p.m. CDT.

    Atlantis brings a new airlock to the station. It will enable station crewmembers to conduct spacewalks from the station, using either Russian or U.S. spacesuits.

    The hatch separating the Atlantis crew, Lindsey, Pilot Charles Hobaugh, and mission specialists Mike Gernhardt, Janet Kavandi and James Reilly, from Expedition Two crewmembers Yury Usachev, Jim Voss and Susan Helms was opened at midnight. After a safety briefing by Expedition Two Commander Usachev, both crews began an hour-long review of procedures for the first of three spacewalks of the STS-104 mission.

    The spacewalk, by Gernhardt and Reilly, is to begin about 9:10 p.m. Saturday and last more than seven hours. Focus of the spacewalk is the berthing of the airlock, named Quest. Two subsequent spacewalks by Gernhardt and Reilly will attach high-pressure Oxygen and Nitrogen tanks to the airlock.

    After the hour-long meeting on the spacewalk, robotic arms on both the station and Atlantis were put through a rehearsal of procedures to be used during removal of the airlock from the shuttle's cargo bay and its attachment to the station. Helms took the station's 58-foot-long robotic arm, Canadarm2, through a dry run of the berthing of the new airlock to the starboard docking port of the station's Unity node. Aboard Atlantis, Kavandi powered up the shuttle's robotic arm and practiced its spacewalk activities.

    Early Saturday Gernhardt and Reilly checked the batteries of their spacesuits and found no evidence of potassium hydroxide leakage that was seen Friday as they checked a spare spacesuit. The battery was replaced and the suit cleaned. Managers decided to postpone temporarily the planned transfer of that suit to the station while they study the situation.

    Hatches between Atlantis and the station were closed at 4:45 a.m. and the pressure in the shuttle's cabin reduced to 10.2 pounds per square inch in preparation for the first spacewalk.

  • 2001 Jul 14 - STS-104 Mission Status Report #06 

    The five-member crew of Atlantis will spend today working in concert with the Expedition Two crew aboard the International Space Station to install the station's new airlock - Quest. The installation of that airlock will take place as part of a seven-hour space walk by Mission Specialists Mike Gernhardt and Jim Reilly, scheduled to begin at 9:09 p.m. Central.

    The Shuttle crew's day began at 4:04 p.m. with a wake-up call from Mission Control, playing the song "Space Cowboy" by N'Sync for Mission Specialist Janet Kavandi. On board the Space Station, Commander Yury Usachev and Flight Engineers Jim Voss and Susan Helms also awoke at 4:04 p.m.

    During tonight's space walk, Gernhardt, designated EV1, will be identifiable by the red stripes around the legs of his spacesuit, while Reilly, EV2, will be wearing an all-white space suit. Atlantis' pilot Charlie Hobaugh will coordinate the space walk from within the shuttle cabin.

    Gernhardt will begin the space walk by removing an insulating cover, nicknamed the "shower cap," from the airlock's berthing mechanism, as well as protective covers from the mechanism's seals. Reilly will work to install bars on the airlock that will be used to attach four High-Pressure Gas Tanks during two subsequent space walks later in the mission. Gernhardt will then disconnect heater cables that kept the airlock warm while in the payload bay, which Reilly will stow along with the shower cap and berthing mechanism covers.

    When the airlock is ready for installation, Helms, from a control panel in the station and assisted by crewmate Voss, will attach the Canadarm2 to the Quest airlock and lift it out of Atlantis' payload bay. Grappling of the airlock by the station's robotic arm is scheduled to occur at 11:04 p.m., with removal of the airlock from the payload bay at 11:19 p.m. The airlock is scheduled to be attached to the right side of the Unity module at 2:04 a.m.

    Throughout the space walk, Atlantis astronaut Janet Kavandi will operate the shuttle's robotic arm, using it to maneuver the two space walkers around the space station and to provide camera views to assist Helms and Voss with their work.

  • 2001 Jul 15 - EVA STS-104-1  Crew: Gernhardt, Reilly. EVA Type: Extra-Vehicular Activity. EVA Duration: 0.25 days.

    The astronauts removed thermal covers from the Quest airlock module. Handrails were installed on Quest and the oxygen and nitrogen tanks stored in the Spacelab pallets. The Station SSRMS arm grappled Quest, unberthed it from Atlantis, and docked it to the Unity module. Quest was firmly bolted to Unity's +X CBM at 0740 GMT and the astronauts returned to the airlock just over an hour later.

  • 2001 Jul 15 - STS-104 Mission Status Report #07 

    The International Space Station received a new airlock early Sunday, an addition that will permit spacewalks without a space shuttle docked to the station. The airlock, named Quest, can accommodate either Russian or U.S. spacesuits and brings the mass of the space station to about 130 tons.

    Station Expedition Two crewmember Susan Helms lifted the airlock from the cargo bay of Atlantis using the station's Canadarm2 at 12:10 a.m. CDT. After a slow and carefully planned series of maneuvers with the arm, the airlock was maneuvered to the berthing port on the station's Unity node.

    Spacewalkers Mike Gernhardt and Jim Reilly observed the berthing procedure from above and below, providing additional guidance for Helms. The airlock was berthed to the station at 2:40 a.m. Gernhardt then attached cables from the station to its new airlock to provide heating for Quest while Reilly pre-positioned foot restraints for the second spacewalk scheduled for Tuesday.

    The spacewalk, coordinated by Atlantis' pilot Charlie Hobaugh in the shuttle's cabin, began at 10:10 p.m. Saturday with the shuttle and the station 237 statute miles above the South Pacific east of New Zealand. After moving into the cargo bay, Gernhardt removed an insulating cover, called the "shower cap," from the airlock's berthing mechanism and other covers from its seals. Reilly installed bars on the 6½-ton airlock which will serve as attachment points for four high-pressure tanks, two oxygen and two nitrogen. The tanks will be installed during the two subsequent spacewalks. The mission's third and final spacewalk will be conducted from the new airlock itself.

    After the airlock was securely attached and after installation of the cable to power its heaters, Gernhardt and Reilly returned to the shuttle's airlock after flight controllers confirmed that the airlock's heaters were functioning.

    Official end of the spacewalk occurred with repressurization of Atlantis' airlock at 4:09 a.m. today. The spacewalk lasted 5 hours and 59 minutes.

    Later, Expedition Two crewmembers Yury Usachev, Jim Voss and Helms opened the hatch to the airlock vestibule, the small area between the station and Quest's largest compartment, and began its outfitting.

  • 2001 Jul 15 - STS-104 Mission Status Report #08 

    The five-member crew of Atlantis will spend its fifth day in space working with the Expedition Two crew aboard the International Space Station to continue the activation of the station's new airlock, named Quest.

    Today's work will include testing nitrogen and oxygen lines that will be used during future shuttle missions to replenish the airlock's tanks of high-pressure oxygen and nitrogen; testing the airlock's space walk equipment; and installing valves that will connect Quest to the station's environmental control system. In addition to checking and activating Quest's systems, the crews will remove the motor controllers from the airlock's berthing mechanism, which are no longer needed now that the airlock is firmly attached to the station.

    The shuttle crew's day began at 4:04 p.m. with a wake-up call from Mission Control playing the song "No Woman No Cry" by Bob Marley for Mission Specialist Mike Gernhardt. On board the space station, Commander Yury Usachev and Flight Engineers Jim Voss and Susan Helms awoke at 5:04 p.m.

    After the airlock was attached to the station early Sunday morning, and the first part of its checkout was completed, the shuttle and station crews held a ribbon cutting for the new addition. Station Commander Yury Usachev and Atlantis Commander Steve Lindsey cut a white ribbon that had been strung across the entrance of Quest's crew lock. Lindsey and Usachev made two cuts to the ribbon, each on either side of the word Quest to christen the new compartment. This evening's checkout of Quest will help prepare for the mission's third space walk, scheduled for Thursday evening. That space walk, during which two air tanks will be installed on Quest, will be the first to originate from the new airlock.

    Yesterday, a decision was made to bring home a spare space suit aboard Atlantis that had experienced a leaking battery. Controllers were worried that the leaking battery may have damaged portions of the suit and decided to bring the suit home for inspection and cleaning. The originial plan had been to leave the suit aboard the station for use by future crews.

    All systems continue to function normally aboard both the Space Shuttle Atlantis and the International Space Station. Later this evening, a little after 8 p.m., the shuttle's engines will be used to perform an hour-long reboost of the station's altitude.

  • 2001 Jul 16 - STS-104 Mission Status Report #09 

    Utilities for the International Space Station's newest addition were hooked up today as the Expedition Two and Atlantis crews prepared the station's new airlock, named Quest, for its first use later in the week.

    After cleaning up about half a liter of water that spilled from a coolant line and getting rid of some air bubbles that caused the spill, the two crews installed valves that connect Quest to the station's environmental control system and a computer that will be used to run the airlock's systems. They also tested lines that will be used during future shuttle missions to replenish oxygen and nitrogen supplies, and removed bolt drivers from the airlock's berthing port, which are no longer needed now that the airlock is permanently attached to the station.

    The extra time it took to get the coolant line working put the crews about an hour behind schedule, so a planned checkout of the airlock's space walk equipment was put off to another day. Station Commander Yury Usachev and Flight Engineers Jim Voss and Susan Helms were able to try out the airlock's audio communication systems, making the first radio calls to the ground from the airlock and two American space suits.

    STS-104 Commander Steve Lindsey and Pilot Charlie Hobaugh fired the shuttle's engines for an hour Sunday night to boost the station to an altitude of 238 by 235 statute miles (383 by 375 kilometers). Mission Specialists Michael Gernhardt, Janet Kavandi and Jim Reilly also worked on equipment and supply transfers between the shuttle and station.

    Gernhardt and Reilly made preparations for the second spacewalk of the mission, during which they will help install the first set of the High-Pressure Gas Tanks -- one oxygen tank and one nitrogen tank -- onto the airlock's shell on Tuesday. A third space walk, scheduled for Thursday evening, will see Gernhardt and Reilly use the new airlock for the first time.

    The two crews will go to bed at 8:04 a.m., with a wake-up call scheduled for 4:04 p.m.

  • 2001 Jul 16 - STS-104 Mission Status Report #10 

    The shuttle and station crews will spend today continuing to set up and test the newly attached Quest station airlock, troubleshooting a suspected leaky ventilation valve, and preparing for the mission's second and third space walks, planned for Tuesday and Thursday evening.

    Mission Specialist Janet Kavandi will assist Expedition Two Flight Engineer Jim Voss in troubleshooting the suspected leak in an Intermodule Ventilation (IMV) assembly. The IMV Assembly, a series of fans and valves that circulate air between station modules, connects the Quest airlock to the station's environmental control and life support system. The two astronauts will examine the valve seals for any debris or damage and determine if the valve will have to be replaced. Should replacement be necessary, a spare valve is available aboard the station.

    Meanwhile, Atlantis Commander Steve Lindsey and Expedition Two Flight Engineer Susan Helms will test oxygen lines between the station and the airlock. The lines will be used during future shuttle missions to replenish the airlock's high-pressure oxygen tanks with shuttle-supplied oxygen.

    The Atlantis crew was awakened for its sixth day in space at 4:19 p.m. today by the song "Nobody Does it Better" performed by Carly Simon, played by Mission Control for Mission Specialist Jim Reilly. The International Space Station crew of Commander Yury Usachev, Voss and Helms is in its 131st day in space.

    Atlantis' space walkers Mike Gernhardt and Jim Reilly will spend today preparing for their two remaining space walks. They will review plans and set up equipment in both Atlantis' airlock and the station airlock. The second spacewalk, to begin Tuesday evening, will originate from Atlantis while the third spacewalk, to begin Thursday, will be the first to originate from the station's new Quest airlock. Both of the remaining space walks will focus on the installation of high-pressure oxygen and nitrogen tanks on the exterior of the Quest airlock.

    Lindsey, Atlantis' Pilot Charlie Hobaugh and Usachev will take a break from their work at 11:34 p.m. CDT for a 20-minute interview by news reporters from CBS, Space.com and KNBC-TV of Los Angeles.

  • 2001 Jul 17 - STS-104 Mission Status Report #11 

    Shuttle and station crews set aside work on a leaky ventilation valve and pressed forward with activation of the new Quest airlock and a dry run of the steps they'll use for the first space walk using the new station doorway to space.

    The practice run included a successful lowering of the airlock's pressure to 10.2 pounds per square inch for the first time in space.

    Lead Flight Director Paul Hill said troubleshooting on the valve -- and work the day before to get air bubbles out of an airlock water cooling line -- have put the combined crew about half a day behind its timeline. Among the tasks delayed was a relocation of the hatch from the junction of the airlock and the Unity module to its final position between the airlock's crew and equipment lock sections.

    The second space walk of the flight remains on schedule for Tuesday night. Mission Specialists Mike Gernhardt and Jim Reilly are scheduled to step out of the space shuttle's airlock about 9:30 p.m. The objective of the 5 ½ hour foray is to mount one high-pressure oxygen and one high-pressure nitrogen tank on the shell of the new airlock to provide consumables that would allow expeditioners to leave the station in American space suits for construction and maintenance work without a shuttle present. Russian space suits can be used from the airlock as well.

    The crews closed the hatches between the two spacecraft at 6:30 a.m. Tuesday to begin lowering Atlantis' cabin pressure to that same 10.2 pounds per square inch mark. This measure helps purge nitrogen bubbles from the space walkers' bloodstreams, and is augmented by the space walkers pre-breathing pure oxygen. All crewmembers reviewed the procedures for the space walk prior to closing the hatch between the shuttle and the station's Destiny Laboratory.

    Mission Specialist Janet Kavandi and Expedition Two Flight Engineer Jim Voss took the lead in troubleshooting the suspected leak in an Intermodule Ventilation (IMV) assembly. The series of fans and valves circulates air between station modules and connects the airlock to the station's environmental control and life support system. The pair wasn't able to pinpoint the problem with the valve, but did install a cap that stopped the leak. Should replacement be necessary, several valve replacement options are available to the flight control team and crew onboard.

    The delays have led flight managers to study the possibility for an extra day of docked operations and a shuttle mission extension to ensure all of the mission's work can be completed.

    Shuttle Commander Steve Lindsey, Atlantis' Pilot Charlie Hobaugh and Station Commander Yury Usachev took time late Monday night to answer questions from reporters from CBS, Space.com and KNBC-TV of Los Angeles.

    The eight people on orbit are scheduled to go to bed about 8 a.m. and awaken at 4:04 p.m.

  • 2001 Jul 17 - STS-104 Mission Status Report #12 

    The combined crews of the Space Shuttle Atlantis and the International Space Station will focus their efforts tonight on the mission's second spacewalk. During the 5½-hour spacewalk, scheduled to begin around 9:30 p.m., Atlantis Mission Specialists Mike Gernhardt and Jim Reilly will work with the Expedition Two crew in the installation of two high-pressure gas tanks on the station's new Quest airlock.

    Early this morning, mission managers decided to add an additional docked day to the flight between the second and third spacewalks. The mission's third spacewalk, which will be the first out of the Quest airlock, will now occur Friday evening on Flight Day 10 instead of Thursday evening.

    The two crews are about half a day behind schedule due to a small water leak that occurred when the astronauts were linking the new airlock to the station's Moderate Temperature Loop. The crews also have been troubleshooting a leaky air valve in an Intermodule Ventilation (IMV) Assembly in the rear, right side of the station's Unity node. Troubleshooting efforts to pinpoint where the valve is leaking and why will continue tomorrow and for now the astronauts have installed a cap on the valve to stop the leak. Should replacement of the valve become necessary, several identical valves are available aboard the station.

    The Atlantis crew was awakened at 4:08 p.m. by "Happy Birthday Darlin'" sung by Conway Twitty. It was played for Atlantis Mission Specialist Janet Kavandi who is celebrating a birthday today as she soars 235 miles above the Earth.

    During tonight's spacewalk, Expedition Two Flight Engineers Susan Helms and Jim Voss, working from a robotics workstation in the station's Destiny lab, will maneuver the station's robotic arm, the Canadarm2, over Atlantis' payload bay and grapple oxygen tank one. They will then maneuver the tank to Quest where the tank will be attached to the airlock by Gernhardt and Reilly. During the spacewalk, Gernhardt, wearing the spacesuit with the red stripes on the legs, will be on the end of the shuttle robotic arm, which will be controlled by Kavandi. Pilot Charlie Hobaugh will coordinate the spacewalk from inside Atlantis. The procedure will be repeated for nitrogen tank four. The remaining two tanks will be removed from Atlantis' payload bay Friday evening during the mission's third spacewalk.

  • 2001 Jul 18 - EVA STS-104-2  Crew: Gernhardt, Reilly. EVA Type: Extra-Vehicular Activity. EVA Duration: 0.27 days.

    The astronauts assisted in the installation of the oxygen and nitrogen tanks on the Quest module. The tanks, mounted on the Spacelab pallet, were grappled by the Station's SSRMS arm and moved to Quest one by one. Minor problems with valve configurations and recalcitrant connectors were overcome.

  • 2001 Jul 18 - STS-104 Mission Status Report #13 

    Six arms worked together outside the International Space Station again today to install supply tanks for the new joint airlock, accomplishing a bonus oxygen tank installation during a 6 hour, 29 minute space walk.

    Four of the arms belonged to space walkers Mike Gernhardt and Jim Reilly. Two robotic arms also were called into service - the shuttle's Canadarm and its big brother, the station's Canadarm2. Station Flight Engineers Susan Helms and Jim Voss were at the station arm's controls, while Mission Specialist Janet Kavandi guided the shuttle limb.

    The space walk got off to a slightly delayed start at 10:04 p.m. CDT Tuesday after the station's primary Command and Control computer had to be restarted. The computer, needed to guide the station arm as it lifted the high-pressure oxygen and nitrogen tanks out of the shuttle cargo bay and into position alongside the new airlock, was back in business shortly after 8 p.m., allowing first motion of the arm by 9 p.m.

    Gernhardt and Reilly, supported by their six colleagues inside the shuttle and station, latched the first two dog house-shaped tank assemblies into place without difficulty, so shuttle and station Flight Directors Paul Hill and Mark Kirasich decided to move ahead with installation of the third tank at 1:41 a.m.

    The second space walk of the mission concluded at 4:33 a.m. CDT Wednesday. It was the 66th space walk in shuttle program history, and the 23rd devoted to International Space Station assembly. So far, STS-104 space walks have lasted 12 hours, 28 minutes.

    The crews will have an extra day to prepare for the third and final planned space walk of the flight, which now is scheduled for Friday. Mission managers decided Tuesday to add the additional docked day to give the joint crew adequate time to ready the new airlock for its first use.

    The two crews are about half a day behind schedule due to a small water leak that occurred when the astronauts were linking the new airlock to the station's Moderate Temperature Loop. The crews will resume troubleshooting a leaky air valve in an Intermodule Ventilation (IMV) unit on the rear, right side of the station's Unity node after wakeup scheduled for 4:04 p.m. today.

    With the space walk complete, STS-104 Commander Steve Lindsey and Pilot Charlie Hobaugh, who also was the inside coordinator for the space walk, began another hour-long series of automated steering jet firings to reboost the station's altitude.

  • 2001 Jul 18 - STS-104 Mission Status Report #14 

    Atlantis and International Space Station crews will continue the activation of the station's new Quest airlock this evening. They also will replace a leaky valve in an Intermodule Ventilation (IMV) Assembly in the station's Unity node. That valve, which is now capped, will be replaced by another valve from the U.S. laboratory Destiny. The Destiny valve will not be needed until the station's second node arrives no earlier than November 2003.

    Atlantis Commander Steve Lindsey and Expedition Two Flight Engineer Jim Voss will do the valve replacement. It will be tested for several hours to ensure it is not leaking. Atlantis spacewalkers Mike Gernhardt and Reilly, assisted by Pilot Charlie Hobaugh will continue testing equipment of the new airlock Quest. The three astronauts also will transfer equipment to Quest for the third spacewalk of the mission. That spacewalk is scheduled for Friday evening and will be the first out of the new airlock.

    Atlantis Mission Specialist Janet Kavandi and Expedition Two Flight Engineers Jim Voss and Susan Helms will install the Hatch between Quest's Crew Lock and Equipment Lock. The hatch is currently in its launch position at the interface between the airlock and the Unity node. After the hatch is installed in its new position, it will be tested for leaks for more than eight hours.

    Station Commander Yury Usachev will spend his day working with one of the station's payload computers, performing periodic maintenance on several of the station's Russian systems and helping fellow crewmate Voss replace valves on the Airlock to continue linking the new module with the station's life support systems.

    At about 2:30 a.m. Thursday, Lindsey will fire Atlantis' engines in a series of pulses during a one-hour period to boost the station's altitude. This will be the third and final reboost scheduled for this mission.

    The Atlantis crew was awakened at 4:04 p.m. Wednesday by Sheryl Crow's "All I Wanna Do." The song was played for the entire crew from their training team.

  • 2001 Jul 19 - STS-104 Mission Status Report #15 

    Astronauts aboard the International Space Station complex successfully replaced a leaky air circulation valve and moved a hatch into position for the first space walk out of the new Quest airlock.

    That space walk is scheduled to begin about 10:30 p.m. Friday, pending a successful leak check of the crew lock while the crew sleeps today. Mission Specialists Mike Gernhardt and Jim Reilly will attach a fourth and final supply tank to the airlock's exterior, and move on to some get-ahead tasks made possible when they were able to attach a bonus third tank during Wednesday's space walk. Tasks added to Friday's space walk include an inspection of one of the station's solar array swivels and inspection of the Floating Potential Probe that measures plasma levels around the solar arrays.

    STS-104 Commander Steve Lindsey and Expedition Two Flight Engineer Jim Voss finished replacing the Intermodule Ventilation (IMV) Assembly valve in the station's Unity module about 7:30 p.m. Wednesday. With help from station Commander Yury Usachev, they replaced the leaking valve with another from the Destiny laboratory that won't be needed until the station's second node arrives in 2003.

    Voss, Mission Specialist Janet Kavandi and Susan Helms moved the hatch from its initial location between the Unity module and the airlock's Equipment Lock to between the Equipment Lock and Crew Lock. The Equipment Lock will be used for storing and servicing space suits, while the Crew Lock will serve as the exit to space.

    Usachev also worked with one of the station's payload computers, performing maintenance on several of the station's Russian systems, and Kavandi, Gernhardt and Reilly worked to transfer items between the shuttle and station while getting equipment and space suits squared away in the airlock. Helms also changed out a Command and Control computer that had been temporarily installed in place of a payload data computer in Destiny. The payload computer was cannibalized during the STS-100 mission and retasked when all three of the station's command computers broke down. The old computer will be returned to Earth on Atlantis for testing and analysis.

    Lindsey and Pilot Charlie Hobaugh gave the station another boost using the shuttle's reaction control system jets, increasing the station's orbit about 5 miles to 244 x 240 statute miles. It was the final reboost planned for this mission. Atlantis will leave the station later this week about 10 miles higher than when it arrived.

  • 2001 Jul 19 - STS-104 Mission Status Report #16 

    The eight Atlantis and International Space Station crewmembers will start their day with a dry run of a spacewalk from the station's new Quest airlock, completing their testing and activation of the airlock. Atlantis spacewalkers Mike Gernhardt and Jim Reilly, assisted by Pilot Charlie Hobaugh and Expedition Two Flight Engineer Jim Voss, will simulate spacewalk preparations beginning around 7 p.m.

    Atlantis Commander Steve Lindsey and Mission Specialist Janet Kavandi will assist with the final checks of the airlock later in the morning. Subsequently, all eight crewmembers will gather to review the procedures for Friday's spacewalk, the third of the mission. During that spacewalk, Gernhardt and Reilly will attach the final nitrogen gas tank to the airlock, assisted by Voss and Expedition Two Flight Engineer Susan Helms who will be operating the station's robotic arm. At 10:11 p.m., the two crews will participate in a joint news conference with media representatives at several NASA centers and the Russian Mission Control Center in Korolev. That conference will run for 26 minutes and will be shown live on NASA TV. In addition, Lindsey is scheduled to downlink a tour of the Quest airlock around 3 a.m.

    Station Commander Yury Usachev will perform various periodic maintenance duties on the station's Russian systems, as well as help fellow crewmates Voss and Helms prepare for robotics operations related to Friday evening's spacewalk.

    The Atlantis crew was awakened at 4:04 p.m. by the song "A Time To Dance" by Janet Giroux played by the Space Center Intermediate School Symphonic Band. The band was directed by Giroux and the song was played for Reilly.

  • 2001 Jul 20 - STS-104 Mission Status Report #17 

    The two crews on board the International Space Station today completed checkout and activation of the new Quest airlock and conducted a dry run of the steps they will take before christening the newest station component.

    STS-104 Commander Steve Lindsey, Pilot Charlie Hobaugh and Mission Specialists Mike Gernhardt, Janet Kavandi and Jim Reilly also got together with Expedition Two Commander Yury Usachev and Flight Engineers Susan Helms and Jim Voss in Quest to answer questions from reporters in the U.S. and Russia.

    Voss reported tracking down and sealing a minor leak discovered during an overnight pressure check. Air had found a path from the Equipment Lock segment of the new airlock to its Crew Lock, which is the segment the orbital construction workers will open to the vacuum of space when they step outside about 11:09 p.m. CDT Friday.

    Flight Directors Paul Hill and Mark Kirasich talked with the crew about 1 a.m. Friday, going over the final details and sending up the good news that both the shuttle and station flight control teams agree all systems are "go" for the first station-based excursion out of the airlock. Lindsey sent down a video tour of the fully outfitted Quest module about 4:50 a.m.

    The entire crew then reviewed the plan for Friday's five-hour space walk by Gernhardt and Reilly. On their third foray outside this mission, the pair will attach the final nitrogen gas tank to the airlock and climb to the top of the station's solar array truss to check on a swivel joint that allows the arrays to track the sun. If time allows, they'll also take a look at the nearby Floating Potential Probe that measures the plasma created as the arrays drag through the rarified atomic oxygen at 240 miles up.

    Meanwhile, Usachev performed some periodic maintenance duties on the station's Russian systems, and helped Voss and Helms prepare for their work with the Canadarm2 robotic arm's operations related to Friday evening's space walk.

    After some time off to rest up after a very busy week, the crews were scheduled to turn in at 8 a.m. Their alarm clock is scheduled to go off at 4:04 p.m.

  • 2001 Jul 20 - STS-104 Mission Status Report #18 

    Atlantis and International Space Station crewmembers will mark the 32nd anniversary of the first human steps on the moon tonight by completing another phase of station construction. Atlantis spacewalkers Mike Gernhardt and Jim Reilly will float out of the station's new Quest airlock around 11 p.m., completing airlock activation and marking the beginning of independent operations aboard the space station.

    During the mission's third spacewalk, Gernhardt and Reilly will install a second nitrogen tank on the Quest airlock. Three other tanks, two oxygen and one nitrogen, were installed during a previous spacewalk. Expedition Two Flight Engineer Jim Voss, assisted by Flight Engineer Susan Helms, will lift the final gas tank from the payload bay of Atlantis around 10:40 p.m. and slowly deliver it to Gernhardt and Reilly, who will be awaiting its arrival at the Quest airlock.

    Atlantis Pilot Charlie Hobaugh assisted by Station Commander Yury Usachev will coordinate the nearly five-hour spacewalk. Commander Steve Lindsey will operate the shuttle's robotic arm.

    The Atlantis crew was awakened at 4:04 p.m. by the song "I Could Write A Book" from the motion picture When Harry Met Sally. The song was played for Lindsey. All systems aboard both Atlantis and the International Space Station continue to function normally as the two spacecraft orbit the Earth at an average altitude of 240 statute miles.

  • 2001 Jul 21 - EVA STS-104-3  Crew: Gernhardt, Reilly. EVA Type: Extra-Vehicular Activity. EVA Duration: 0.17 days.

    The astronauts made the first spacewalk from the Quest module. Nitrogen Tank 3 was transferred from the forward Spacelab pallet to the exterior of Quest. The astronauts then climbed the P6 tower to inspect the solar arrays and the FPP experiment.

  • 2001 Jul 21 - STS-104 Mission Status Report #19 

    The first space walk to originate from the International Space Station's new airlock, Quest, lasted 4 hours, 2 minutes, and established a higher degree of station independence in its own construction and maintenance.

    The space walk also was the first to be supported primarily from the space station Flight Control Room in Houston, and the first demonstration of a new pre-breathing protocol that uses vigorous exercise to help purge nitrogen bubbles from the space walkers' bloodstreams and prevent what is known as "the bends."

    Mission Specialists Mike Gernhardt and Jim Reilly exited the new airlock at 11:35 p.m. CDT Friday and were back inside by 3:37 a.m. Saturday. Working in tandem with the station's Canadarm2 operator and Expedition Two Flight Engineer Jim Voss and shuttle arm operator and Atlantis Commander Steve Lindsey, the space-age construction workers attached a nitrogen supply tank to the airlock's shell. This completed the installation of two nitrogen and two oxygen tanks that will be used to pressurize the airlock and resupply space suits. Atlantis Pilot Charlie Hobaugh and Station Commander Yury Usachev coordinated the space walk from inside, while Flight Engineer Susan Helms supported station arm operations.

    Depressurizing the airlock took longer than expected - about 40 minutes instead of the anticipated 7 minutes. Flight controllers and engineers have not yet identified what caused the pressure equalization valve on the Crew Lock's hatch to react so slowly, but are continuing to evaluate data and reports from the crew.

    During the mission's third spacewalk, Gernhardt and Reilly also moved hand-over-hand up the station's solar array truss to take a look at a gimbal assembly mechanism that allows the arrays to swivel with the Sun. They reported no visible signs that could account for high-current readings being witnessed by flight controllers on the ground.

    The successful construction foray brings the total time for space station-based walks to 4 hours, 21 minutes. There have been 24 space walks devoted to station assembly, a combined total of 155 hours, 39 minutes.

    The crews will go to bed at 8:04 a.m., and awaken at 4:04 p.m. to begin preparations for an undocking at 11:54 p.m. CDT Saturday. The Atlantis and Expedition Two crews will say good-bye and close the hatches at 8:59 a.m.

  • 2001 Jul 21 - STS-104 Mission Status Report #20 

    The crews of Atlantis and the International Space Station will bid one another farewell and close the hatches between the vehicles at about 9 p.m. on Saturday. Undocking is scheduled for 11:54 p.m., to be followed by an hour-long fly around of the station by Pilot Charlie Hobaugh. The final separation burn that will move Atlantis away from the station to begin its journey home is scheduled for 1:14 a.m. Sunday.

    The Atlantis crew, Commander Steve Lindsey, Hobaugh and Mission Specialists Janet Kavandi, Mike Gernhardt and Jim Reilly, will leave behind the Expedition Two crew of Commander Yury Usachev and Flight Engineers Jim Voss and Susan Helms, who are in their 136th day in space.

    The Expedition Three crew, Commander Frank Culbertson and Flight Engineers Vladimir Dezhurov and Mikail Tyurin, will replace the Expedition Two crew next month during the STS-105 mission.

    Atlantis will undock from an International Space Station that is ready to begin independent operations. Since July 2000, 77 tons of hardware has been added to the station, including the Zvezda module, the Z1 Truss Assembly, Pressurized Mating Adapter 3, the P6 Truss and its 240-foot long solar arrays, the U.S. laboratory Destiny, the Canadarm2 and the Quest airlock.

    The Atlantis crew was awakened at 4:14 p.m. Saturday by the song "Who Let The Dogs Out" sung by the Baha Men. The song was played for Hobaugh. All systems aboard both Atlantis and the International Space Station continue to function normally as the two spacecraft orbit the Earth at an average altitude of 240 statute miles.

  • 2001 Jul 22 - STS-104 Mission Status Report #21 

    The crew of Atlantis took a spin around the International Space Station this morning after undocking on time at 11:54 p.m. CDT Saturday, some 240 miles above the coast of Newfoundland.

    Pilot Charlie Hobaugh was at the shuttle's aft flight deck controls for the fly-around, which allowed the shuttle crew to take a parting look at the newly installed airlock, Quest, and the four large air supply tanks they had delivered.

    Commander Steve Lindsey, Hobaugh and Mission Specialists Janet Kavandi, Mike Gernhardt and Jim Reilly, had spent 196 hours, 46 minutes - or more than 8 days - docked to the station, working with Expedition Two Commander Yury Usachev and Flight Engineers Jim Voss and Susan Helms to install, checkout and christen the station's newest asset.

    A final separation burn at 1:14 a.m. CDT Sunday put Atlantis on its initial course for home, with landing scheduled for 11:37 p.m. CDT Monday at Kennedy Space Center.

    The entire Atlantis crew took time out to discuss the mission with CNN and Fox News early Sunday, then got ready for bed about 7:30 a.m. The shuttle astronauts will awaken at 5:34 p.m. CDT Sunday and begin stowing gear and testing Atlantis' systems that will be used during re-entry and landing.

    Back on the station, the Expedition Two crew will go to bed about 1 p.m. Sunday, then enjoy a day of off-duty time following the busy shuttle stay and begin shifting back to its regular schedule. So far, the Expedition Two crew has spent 136 days in space. The trio will be replaced by Expedition Three Commander Frank Culbertson and Flight Engineers Vladimir Dezhurov and Mikhail Tyurin next month during Discovery's STS-105 mission.

    All systems aboard both Atlantis and the International Space Station continue to function normally as the two spacecraft orbit the Earth independently once again.

  • 2001 Jul 22 - STS-104 Mission Status Report #22 

    Atlantis crewmembers, Commander Steve Lindsey, Pilot Charlie Hobaugh and Mission Specialists Janet Kavandi, Mike Gernhardt and Jim Reilly, will spend their day preparing the spacecraft for its return to Earth Monday night.

    Lindsey and Hobaugh will do a test firing of the reaction control system jets that will be used to maneuver Atlantis as it begins to re-enter the Earth's atmosphere. The pair also will check out the orbiter's flight control surfaces that will be used to maneuver Atlantis when it reaches the lower portions of the atmosphere. Finally, they will test Atlantis' communications systems.

    Kavandi, Gernhardt and Reilly will put away some of the equipment they used during their eight days docked to the International Space Station. They also will stow some of the 2,550 pounds of equipment they are bringing home from the station. Atlantis is almost 100 statute miles ahead of the space station and increasing the separation by almost nine miles per 90-minute orbit.

    Atlantis is scheduled to land at Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Monday at 11:37 p.m. CDT. Another landing opportunity is available on the subsequent orbit, which would see Atlantis touch down at 1:13 a.m. Tuesday. Though the outlook was improving, forecasts for landing time still carried the possibility of clouds and rain.

    During the afternoon, Russian flight controllers performed the first two firings of thrusters of the Progress resupply vehicle docked at the rear of the station's Service Module. These burns and three subsequent firings of the Progress thrusters this week will adjust the inclination of the station's orbit. The slight adjustment is being made to prepare for arrival of Discovery on the STS-105 mission and the next Progress, both in August, and the launch of the Russian Docking Compartment in September. The Atlantis crew was awakened at 4:36 p.m. Sunday by the song "Orinoco Flow" sung by Enya. The song was played for Mike Gernhardt. All systems aboard Atlantis continue to function normally as the spacecraft orbits the Earth at an average altitude of 240 statute miles.

  • 2001 Jul 23 - STS-104 Mission Status Report #23 

    With the equipment used during the 10th International Space Station assembly mission securely stowed and all systems needed for landing checked out and ready to go, Atlantis' crew went to bed at 7:04 a.m. CDT today.

    Atlantis Commander Steve Lindsey, Pilot Charlie Hobaugh and Mission Specialists Janet Kavandi, Mike Gernhardt and Jim Reilly will awaken at 3:04 p.m., and begin deorbit preparations at 6:30 p.m. The shuttle's payload bay doors are slated to be closed at 7:49 p.m. Computers on the shuttle will be switched to landing mode at 8:01 p.m., and the crew will climb into its seats at 9:29 p.m.

    Since the shuttle's supplies will support several more days on orbit, Entry Flight Director Wayne Hale has elected to activate landing support only at Kennedy Space Center for tonight. Forecasters are predicting generally favorable conditions at the Shuttle Landing Facility, but are watching out for the possibility of thunderstorms and rain within 30 miles.

    There are two Florida landing opportunities Monday night and Tuesday morning. The first begins with a deorbit burn at 10:29 p.m. and concludes with landing at 11:37 p.m. CDT Monday. The second commences with an engine firing at 12:08 a.m. ending with landing at 1:14 a.m. CDT Tuesday.

    Lindsey and Hobaugh on Sunday conducted successful tests of the reaction control system jets used to maneuver Atlantis as it begins to re-enter the Earth's atmosphere. They then checked out the flight control surfaces that become effective once the orbiter's computers sense aerodynamic drag on the vehicle.

    Kavandi, Gernhardt and Reilly put away the bulk of the equipment they used during their eight days docked to the station and stowed the 2,550 pounds of equipment they are bringing home from the station.

    Aboard the International Space Station, the Expedition Two crew enjoyed off-duty and exercise time. Commander Yury Usachev and Flight Engineers Susan Helms and Jim Voss did spend time talking with flight controllers in Houston and Moscow about the work ahead of them to get squared away after Atlantis' visit, and to get ready for the next shuttle mission and their replacement crew. The crew is scheduled to go to bed at 1 p.m. CDT today.

    Both spacecraft continue to orbit the Earth at an average altitude of 240 statute miles.

  • 2001 Jul 23 - STS-104 Mission Status Report #24 

    Atlantis Commander Steve Lindsey, Pilot Charlie Hobaugh and Mission Specialists Janet Kavandi, Mike Gernhardt and Jim Reilly were awakened at 3:04 p.m. CDT to begin preparations for a return trip to Earth with a planned landing tonight at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The wakeup song was "Honey, I'm Home" by Shania Twain, played for Kavandi.

    Preliminary weather forecasts show generally favorable conditions at the Shuttle Landing Facility tonight, with only a possibility of low clouds and rain within 30 miles of the runway.

    The crew will begin its final deorbit preparations around 6:30 p.m. Atlantis' payload bay doors are slated to be closed at 7:49 p.m. and computers on the shuttle will be switched to landing mode at 8:01 p.m. with the crew scheduled to climb into their seats at 9:29 p.m. for the first of tonight's two landing opportunities.

    The first opportunity to return to Florida begins with a deorbit burn at 10:29 p.m. resulting in an 11:37 p.m. CDT landing Monday (12:37 a.m. eastern time Tuesday.) If weather precludes a landing on the first opportunity, there is a second landing opportunity beginning with an engine firing at 12:08 a.m. and a landing at 1:14 a.m. Tuesday. For the second landing opportunity, Houston area residents would have an opportunity to watch Atlantis streak through the sky on its return to Florida. Atlantis would pass over the Houston area moving from southwest to east beginning at 12:57 a.m. Atlantis and its plasma trail should be visible in the skies for approximately two minutes as it flies at speeds between Mach 10-12 at an altitude of 130,000 feet, with less than 20 minutes to touchdown in Florida.

    Aboard the International Space Station, the Expedition Two crew enjoyed a quiet day on orbit with no scheduled work, though they did spend some time working on items from their Task List. Commander Yury Usachev and Flight Engineers Susan Helms and Jim Voss went to bed at 1 p.m. and are scheduled to awaken at 9:30 p.m.

    Both spacecraft continue to orbit the Earth in excellent condition at an average altitude of 240 statute miles.

  • 2001 Jul 24 - STS-104 Mission Status Report #25 

    Atlantis and its crew of five will spend at least one more day in orbit, after the weather in Florida refused to permit landing Monday night on either of two opportunities to Kennedy Space Center.

    Atlantis will try again Tuesday night. The first of two opportunities for KSC would see a landing at 10:39 p.m. CDT on the 200th orbit of the mission. The second opportunity for the Florida landing site would see Atlantis touch down on orbit 201 at 12:15 a.m. Wednesday. Weather forecasts for Florida called for improving conditions.

    Conditions late Monday and early Tuesday were marginal at the Cape, but very nearly improved enough to permit landing. Showers near the landing strip prevented Atlantis' homecoming, and the decision was made to back off and try again Tuesday night without calling up landing support in California.

    Atlantis Commander Steve Lindsey, Pilot Charlie Hobaugh and Mission Specialists Janet Kavandi, Mike Gernhardt and Jim Reilly reopened the shuttle's payload bay doors as they moved through procedures to back out of the landing configuration. The crew was scheduled to go to bed just after 6 a.m. Tuesday, and to be awakened a few minutes after 2 p.m. to begin landing preparations again.

    On the International Space Station, the Expedition Two crew awakened about 9:30 p.m. CDT Monday for another day of light duty following the hectic pace of joint operations with the shuttle crew. Commander Yury Usachev and Flight Engineers Susan Helms and Jim Voss were informed of their colleagues' delayed return to Earth. About the only activities scheduled were continued unloading and stowage of the 2,500 pounds of supplies delivered by the Atlantis crew.

    Both the shuttle and station continue to orbit at an average altitude of 240 statute miles with all systems working well.

  • 2001 Jul 24 - STS-104 Mission Status Report #26 

    "Hold Back the Rain" by Duran Duran was the wakeup song for Atlantis crewmembers about 2:30 p.m. CDT Tuesday. Houston's Mission Control Center told the astronauts that the weather appears to be excellent for a landing late tonight to wrap up their 13-day mission.

    The forecast for Kennedy Space Center calls for a few scattered clouds and no rain for both landing opportunities this evening.

    Atlantis Commander Steve Lindsey, Pilot Charlie Hobaugh and Mission Specialists Janet Kavandi, Mike Gernhardt and Jim Reilly began final deorbit preparations around 5:40 p.m. for the first landing opportunity at KSC. Atlantis' payload bay doors are to be closed at 6:52 p.m. Crewmembers will climb into their seats just after 8:30 p.m. Atlantis' orbital maneuvering system engines will begin firing at 9:32 p.m. to drop the shuttle out of orbit for a 10:39 p.m. CDT landing at KSC on the 3-mile-long Shuttle Landing Facility runway.

    A second landing opportunity at KSC would see a deorbit burn at 11:08 p.m. and touchdown at 12:15 a.m. Wednesday.

    Aboard the International Space Station, the Expedition Two crew, Commander Yury Usachev and Flight Engineers Susan Helms and Jim Voss, will be awakened just before midnight to resume their full work schedule after two light days of activity. Flight controllers in Moscow successfully performed the fourth of five scheduled orbital adjustment burns using jet thrusters on the Progress supply vehicle docked at the rear of the Service Module Tuesday afternoon. The maneuvers are designed to optimize the station's orbit for the arrival of the next Progress vehicle in August and the Russian Docking Compartment in September.

    Both spacecraft are in excellent condition, orbiting at an average altitude of about 240 statute miles.

  • 2001 Jul 24 - STS-104 Mission Status Report #27 

    Atlantis and its crew of five glided to a landing at Kennedy Space Center late Tuesday, ending a 5.3-million-mile mission that saw successful installation of the International Space Station's new airlock Quest.

    The Atlantis crew, Commander Steve Lindsey, Pilot Charlie Hobaugh and Mission Specialists Janet Kavandi, Mike Gernhardt and Jim Reilly, spent eight days docked to the station during their almost 13-day flight. Reilly and Gernhardt completed three spacewalks to help with Quest's installation and its fitting out with four high-pressure tanks, two oxygen and two nitrogen.

    Lindsey and Hobaugh fired Atlantis' orbital maneuvering system engines at 9:32 p.m. CDT to drop the shuttle out of orbit for the 10:39 p.m. landing at KSC on the 3-mile-long Shuttle Landing Facility runway. Their landing was the 55th shuttle landing and the 13th night landing at KSC. Florida weather cooperated beautifully, with none of the rain showers that caused waveoff of two landing opportunities a day earlier.

    The Atlantis crew is expected to return to Houston on Thursday for a 4 p.m. public welcome home at Ellington Field's Hangar 990. For updates on crew arrival time at Ellington, please call 281 483-8600.

    Aboard the International Space Station, the Expedition Two crew, Commander Yury Usachev and Flight Engineers Susan Helms and Jim Voss, will be awakened just before midnight to resume their full work schedule after two light days of activity. Flight controllers in Moscow successfully performed the fourth of five scheduled orbital adjustment burns using jet thrusters on the Progress supply vehicle docked at the rear of the Service Module Tuesday afternoon. The maneuvers are designed to optimize the station's orbit for the arrival of the next Progress vehicle in August and the Russian Docking Compartment in September.

    The station is in excellent condition, orbiting at an average altitude of about 240 statute miles.

  • 2001 Jul 25 - Landing of STS-104 

    STS-104 landed at 03:39 GMT with the crew of Lindsey, Hobaugh, Kavandi, Gernhardt and Reilly aboard.

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