STS-129 to Deliver First ExPRESS Logistics Carriers to ISS

Two new logistics carriers will make their way to the International Space Station (ISS) when Atlantis launches from Kennedy Space Center on the STS-129 mission in November to deliver some of the final components to complete the building of the ISS.

During the mission, designated ISS Utilization and Logistics Flight 3 (ULF-3), the STS-129 crew will deliver the first two of five ExPRESS Logistics Carriers (ELCs) containing various spare parts to the ISS and bring home Expedition 20 crewmember Nicole Stott for the return to Earth. STS-129 is slated to be the final Space Shuttle crew rotation flight to or from the ISS.

Commander Charlie Hobaugh will lead the STS-129 mission with Barry Wilmore serving as the Pilot. Mission Specialists Robert Satcher, Michael Foreman, Randy Bresnik and Leland Melvin complete the crew. Wilmore, Satcher and Bresnik will be making their first trips to space.

During the 11-day mission, the crew's major objectives will be to deliver and attach the ELCs to the station's truss; install and activate Materials on International Space Station Experiments (MISSE) Passive Experiment Containers (PECs) onto ELC2; transfer the S-Band Antenna and Support Assembly (SASA); and prepare for the Node 3 arrival on a future Shuttle mission.

The ELCs are storage platforms that will be attached to the ISS truss and will contain spare parts for future ISS needs. Each ELC carries one Nitrogen Tank Assembly, one Pump Module, one Control Moment Gyro and two Passive Flight Releasable Attachment Mechanisms.

ELC1 will also carry a replacement Latching End Effector (LEE) for the Space Station Remote Manipulator System (SSRMS). The SSRMS has two LEEs that allow it to "walk" along various grapple fixtures on the exterior of the ISS. ELC1 will be mounted in the lower P3 truss.

In addition, ELC2 will carry a High Pressure Gas Tank, Cargo Transport Container, Mobile Transport/Trailing Umbilical System and MISSE Flight Support Equipment. ELC2 will be mounted on the upper S3 truss.

There are three scheduled spacewalks for the STS-129 mission. The first spacewalk will occur on flight day four when astronauts Foreman and Satcher will transfer the SASA to the Z1 truss location.

The second spacewalk will be conducted by astronauts Foreman and Bresnik, during which they will install antennas on the Columbus module.

During the third and final spacewalk of the mission, Satcher and Bresnik will install, activate and check out the MISSE PECs 7A and 7B on ELC2. They will also transfer and install the spare High Pressure Gas Tank from ELC2 to the ISS Airlock.

This will be Atlantis' 31st flight, the 31st Shuttle mission to the ISS and the 129th in Shuttle history. With a November 12 launch, landing would occur on November 23.

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