2008: A Year of New Challenges

Following three successful missions in 2007, United Space Alliance is poised in the new year to accomplish the goal of launching potentially six Space Shuttle missions that will significantly expand the scientific capabilities of the International Space Station, help to advance our understanding of the universe, and further set the stage for the next era of exploration.

“Last year, we tackled some significant challenges and made great accomplishments on the ground and in space,” said Dick Covey, USA President and Chief Executive Officer. “This year promises to require the very best of the United Space Alliance team. We have a tough schedule that will bring great advancements to human space flight.”

The coming year promises to be a busy one for USA with more than 28 astronauts flying aboard the Shuttle, more than an estimated 67 days in space by Shuttle crews and an estimated 20 Shuttle crew spacewalks that provide continuous support of the growing International Space Station.

“The dynamics of 2008’s Shuttle missions are unlike anything we’ve ever done,” said Howard DeCastro, USA Space Shuttle Program Manager. “We’re moving back to a more routine flight manifest, striving to keep the Station on its scheduled completion track, conducting the most complex spacewalks yet, upgrading an orbiting legacy and advancing human space exploration.

“The missions we flew in 2007 were some of the most complex in the history of human space flight. Each was a tremendous accomplishment, and collectively, they were excellent preparation for the challenges of the coming year.”

All but one of this year’s Space Shuttle flights will focus on International Space Station assembly, bringing the orbital outpost one step closer to its scheduled completion in 2010. The flight not visiting the Station will rendezvous with the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) for a final servicing mission to add hardware upgrades.

Kicking off the new year, the STS-122 mission, scheduled for launch February 7, will carry a crew of seven and the European Space Agency’s Columbus module for the Station. The module is the cornerstone of the European Space Agency’s contribution to the Station, and three spacewalks were conducted in support of installing the 23-foot-long Columbus that will house experiments in life sciences, materials science, fluid physics and other disciplines. The crew will also deliver Léopold Eyharts to the Station and return with Daniel Tani, who has been aboard the Station since October 2007. STS-122, originally scheduled for launch in December 2007, was postponed due to an issue with the ECO sensor system that monitors fuel levels within the external tank. (See story on page 5.)

STS-123 is scheduled to launch in March on a 15-day mission destined for the Station. Space Shuttle Endeavour will deliver Japan’s first human space facility, the Japanese Experiment Module called Kibo. The module consists of six components that will be delivered and assembled over the course of three Shuttle missions. Experiments aboard the 36.7-foot-long Kibo will focus on space medicine, biology, Earth observations, material production, biotechnology and communications research. The seven-member crew of STS-123 also will deliver NASA Astronaut Garrett Reisman to the Station and return Eyharts to Earth.

Scheduled for launch in early spring, the STS-124 mission aboard Discovery will be the 26th Shuttle flight to the Station and the second mission dedicated to the completion of the Kibo laboratory. The seven-member crew will deliver the Kibo Pressurized Module that allows experiments to be transferred and exposed to the external environment of space as well as the module’s Remote Manipulator System, which consists of two robotic arms that support operations outside of Kibo. The crew will conduct three spacewalks to install the new lab and its remote manipulator system and will also rotate a Station crewmember.

The year’s fourth flight will be the much anticipated STS-125 mission to the Hubble Space Telescope, launching in late summer. The 11-day mission will be the fifth and final visit to the 18-year-old telescope. Similar to previous servicing flights, the Shuttle’s robotic arm will grapple Hubble and berth it to a platform in the rear of the Shuttle’s payload bay where it can be easily accessed by spacewalkers. Crew members will then split into two teams to conduct five spacewalks on consecutive days to make upgrades and enhancements, including the installation of two new instruments – Cosmic Origin Spectrograph and Wide-Field Camera 3 – that will extend and improve the orbiting observatory’s capabilities through 2013. Launched in 1990 and last serviced in 2002, Hubble orbits the Earth every 97 minutes and has helped scientists better understand dark matter, the age of the universe, the mystery of black holes, the births of stars and the composition of planets within Earth’s own solar system.

STS-125 will also bring a unique event to Kennedy Space Center as Space Shuttles will be on launch pads 39-A and 39-B at the same time. The vehicle flying the HST mission, Atlantis, will be rolled out to launch pad 39-A and prepared for flight while Space Shuttle Endeavour will stand on pad 39-B ready to launch in case of a contingency aboard the HST mission. Due to the nature of the STS-125 mission, the flight will not be in the same orbital plane as the Station and would not be able to seek refuge there for safe haven in the event of an emergency. If a contingency occurs, Endeavour could be launched in seven days as rescue mission STS-400. Once STS-125 returns to Earth, Endeavour will be rolled to launch pad 39-A and processed for the STS-126 mission.

“This is going to be the first time we’ve done something like this,” said USA Flight Manager James Flores. “Processing and managing two Space Shuttles like this will showcase the incredible capabilities of USA.”

Assembly of the Station will resume with the 15-day STS-126 Endeavour flight scheduled for launch in early fall. The primary objective of the seven-member crew is to deliver a Multi-Purpose Logistics Module (MPLM), named Leonardo, that functions as both a cargo carrier and a Space Station module and helps with the transfer and storage of equipment, experiments and supplies. Leonardo is one of three MPLMs built by the Italian Space Agency and provides life-support functions, fire detection, suppression, electrical distribution and computer functions. Four spacewalks will be required to complete MPLM tasks, and the mission also will see a Station crew rotation.

The final mission of 2008, currently under review due to the postponement of STS-122, is STS-119, with a possible launch near the end of the year. When it does fly, the 13-day mission will deliver the fourth and final pair of power-generating solar array wings and the S6 truss segment that will complete the 361-foot-long backbone of the Station. The mission will highlight four spacewalks and carry a seven-member crew to perform the tasks and conduct a Station crewmember rotation.

“This is going to be a wonderful year,” DeCastro said, “and I have the utmost confidence that NASA and the whole Shuttle team is up to the task. I know that the USA team is ready to meet the challenge.”

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