STS-134
Encyclopedia
STS-134 was the penultimate mission of NASA
's Space Shuttle program
. The mission marked the 25th and final flight of . This flight delivered the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer
and an ExPRESS Logistics Carrier
to the International Space Station
. Mark Kelly served as the mission commander. STS-134 was expected to be the final space shuttle mission if STS-135
did not receive funding from Congress
; however, in February 2011, NASA stated that STS-135 would fly "regardless" of the funding situation. The Launch On Need mission, a contingency mission to rescue a stranded STS-134 crew, would have been the STS-135 flight (formerly STS-335), flown by Atlantis
.
Changes in the design of the main payload, AMS-02, as well as delays to STS-133
, led to delays in the mission. The first launch attempt on 29 April 2011 was scrubbed at 12:20 pm by launch managers due to problems with two heaters on one of the orbiter's auxiliary power units (APU). Endeavour launched successfully at 08:56:28 EDT (12:56:28 UTC) on 16 May 2011, and landed for the final time on 1 June 2011.
had been scheduled to be retired from service after STS-133
, but controversy over the cancellation of several International Space Station
components, most notably the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer
, in order to meet deadlines for the retirement of the shuttle, caused the United States Government to consider ordering an additional mission. On 19 June 2008, the United States House of Representatives
passed the NASA Authorization Act of 2008, giving NASA
funding for one additional mission to "deliver science experiments to the station".
The same mandate was included in the U.S. Senate version of the NASA Authorization Act that was unanimously approved by the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation on 25 June 2008. It was amended and passed by the full Senate on 25 September 2008, passed by the House on 27 September 2008, and signed by President George W. Bush
on 15 October 2008. Bush had previously opposed any additional shuttle missions, as they could delay the transition to Project Constellation
. In the spring of 2009, the Obama Administration included funds for the STS-134 mission in its proposed 2010 NASA budget.
STS-134 was planned to be the final regularly scheduled mission of the NASA Space Shuttle Program, but with the passing in 2011 of an appropriations bill authorizing the conversion of STS-335 to STS-135
, this was no longer the case.
Shuttle Commander Mark Kelly's wife, U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords
, flew to the Kennedy Space Center
(KSC) in Florida to view the first launch attempt, her first trip since moving from Tucson to Houston for rehabilitation after being seriously wounded in the January 2011 Tucson shooting
. On 16 May, Giffords was again at KSC for the launch, which was "one of the most anticipated in years," according to The New York Times
.
U.S. President Barack Obama
scheduled a visit to Kennedy Space Center on 29 April 2011 to view the launch, and despite the canceled launch attempt he toured an Orbiter Processing Facility
at Launch Complex 39 and met with Giffords and the six crewmembers.
(AMS-02) was carried to the ISS in Endeavours payload bay, and was attached to the ISS's S3 truss
segment. The AMS-02 unit is a particle physics detector which contains a large permanent magnet
, and is designed to search for antimatter
and investigate the origin and structure of dark matter
.
According to the original design plan, a cryogenic, superconducting magnet system was developed for the AMS-02. This was reported by NASA to be a critical technology, granting the instrument the high sensitivity needed to achieve mission objectives. Late in its development, however, poorly-understood anomalous heating in the cryogenic magnet system was discovered. As a result, the AMS-02 experiment leader, Samuel C. C. Ting
, decided to replace the superconducting magnet inside the spectrometer with the permanent magnet previously used in AMS-01.
(ELC3) carried several Orbital Replacement Units (ORU) that were too large or too heavy for other spacecraft to carry to the ISS. These ORUs included a High Pressure Gas Tank (HPGT), an Ammonia Tank Assembly (ATA), the S band
Antenna Sub-System Assembly #2 & 3 (SASA), a Special Purpose Dextrous Manipulator (SPDM) Arm with Orbital Replacement Unit change-out mechanism, a Space Test Program Houston 3 Department of Defense
payload, and a spare ELC pallet controller avionics box.
(MISSE) experiments, and returned the completed MISSE 7 experiments to Earth. MISSE 7 had been delivered to the ISS on STS-129
in 2009.
. However, the shuttle did not actually dock with the ISS again; instead, it was positioned below the station.
On STS-131
, the docking target on the ISS was enhanced with reflectors, to allow for the characterization of the Orion Rel-Nav sensors' performance during STS-134's rendezvous and proximity operations with the ISS. These proximity operations were tested during approach and docking, undocking, flyaround (time permitting), and during a modified separation from the ISS. During the modified separation, the crew performed a series of re-rendezvous burns that put the orbiter on an Orion-like rendezvous profile. Afterwards, instead of re-docking to the ISS, the crew performed a full separation.
(OBSS) permanently on the ISS for use in reaching places that the Canadarm2 cannot get to on its own. The usefulness of having an OBSS available for use at the station was demonstrated during Scott Parazynski's repair of the torn P6 solar panel on STS-120
. The feasibility of leaving an OBSS attached to ISS for a long period of time was demonstrated when the STS-123
mission left one behind for use during the subsequent STS-124
mission.
kits to the ISS, where astronauts built Lego models to see how they would react in microgravity, as part of the Lego Bricks in Space program. The results were shared with schools as part of an educational project.
precursor mission was launched aboard Endeavour. This Planetary Society
project was to test the mission destined for Fobos-Grunt. The stage rehearsal was deemed fully successful.
-based sisters to raise awareness of the importance of STEM education
among their peers, an outreach effort which they started after they won the 2010 Conrad Foundation Spirit of Innovation Awards.
payloads of opportunity: MAUI, SEITI, RAMBO-2, and SIMPLEX. All four of these experiments required engine and thruster firings, and were to be completed only if there was sufficient propellant on board Endeavour.
commenced on 10 March 2011 at 19:56 EST and terminated on 11 March 2011 at 03:49 EST.
engineer James Vanover committed suicide by jumping from the STS-134 launchpad, pad 39A
, at the Kennedy Space Center
. Endeavour
was at the pad when the incident occurred. As a result, work on the space shuttle was suspended for the day while grief counseling was offered to the workforce. NASA officials believed this to be the first launch pad fatality since 1981.
lifted off from Kennedy Space Center
's Launch Complex 39 at 08:56 EDT on 16 May 2011. The launch of Endeavour came after an on-time tanking process which filled the shuttle's External Tank with more than 500000 gal of liquid oxygen
and liquid hydrogen
; the tanking started at 23:36 EDT on 15 May 2011. Once the shuttle and crew were on-orbit, they set about preparing the shuttle for the mission ahead. The first tasks they completed were opening the payload bay doors, activating the Ku-band
antenna, and activating the Shuttle Remote Manipulator System (SRMS), also known as the Canadarm. Prior to this, commander Mark Kelly and pilot Greg Johnson completed an engine firing, known as the OMS-2 burn, to circularize the orbit of the shuttle. They also completed another engine firing, the NC-1 burn, to help the shuttle catch up to the International Space Station
(ISS). After completing these initial tasks, the crew activated the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer
, allowing it to be monitored by teams on the ground. Later in the crew's work day, they downlinked video recordings that had been shot of the external tank by mission specialist Mike Fincke.
File:STS-134 launch 160px.ogv|STS-134 launch video (9 mins 31 secs).
File:STS-134's external tank falls to Earth 160px.ogv|Endeavours external tank falls to Earth (5 mins 3 secs).
File:STS-134 launch seen from a shuttle training aircraft 3.jpg|The launch of Endeavour seen from a shuttle training aircraft.
(OBSS) was used to survey the wing leading edge and nose cone. The Shuttle Remote Manipulator System (SRMS, or Canadarm 1) was also used to look at the thermal tiles and blankets on and around the Orbital Maneuvering System (OMS) pods. After the survey was complete, the Express Logistics Carrier
(ELC) 3 was grappled by the SRMS. While the survey was conducted by pilot Greg Johnson and mission specialists Roberto Vittori
and Greg Chamitoff, the rest of the crew prepared the orbiter for docking. This included installing tools such as a center-line camera in the Orbiter Docking System, along with various other sensors used to gauge distance and speed. Commander Mark Kelly and mission specialists Mike Fincke and Drew Feustel furthermore checked out the two spacesuits carried on Endeavour, in preparation for the mission's four planned spacewalks.
(PMA) 2 on the International Space Station
. The docking occurred on 18 May 2011 at 10:14 UTC. After the shuttle docked, the six astronauts of STS-134 joined the Expedition 27
crew on-board the ISS. The joint crews completed a series of leak checks and opened the hatches at 11:38 UTC. Once the hatches were open, the joint crew held a welcome ceremony and completed a safety briefing. The first task for the joint crew was to unberth the Express Logistics Carrier
(ELC) 3, and attach it to its final location on the ISS's Port 3
(P3) truss segment. Express Logistics Carrier 3 was removed from the payload bay of Endeavour by the SRMS and handed off to the Space Station Remote Manipulator System (SSRMS), also known as Canadarm2. The ELC 3 was finally installed at 16:18 UTC. STS-134 commander Mark Kelly began to transfer oxygen from space shuttle Endeavour to the ISS. Mission specialists Mike Fincke and Drew Feustel transferred the two Extravehicular Mobility Unit
s (EMU) to the ISS's Quest airlock in preparation for their use during the mission's four spacewalks.
2 (AMS-2) on flight day 4. AMS-2 was lifted out of Endeavour
's payload bay using the Canadarm, operated by Drew Feustel and Roberto Vittori
. It was handed off to Canadarm2, which was operated by Greg Chamitoff and Greg Johnson, and was installed in its final location on the S3 truss segment
at 09:46 UTC. Immediately after the installation, crews on the ground began activating the experiment. The installation of the AMS-2 marked the completion of the US Orbital Segment
of the International Space Station
. Later in the day, Greg Chamitoff, Drew Feustel and Mike Fincke prepared the Extravehicular Mobility Unit
s (EMU) that Chamitoff and Feustel would wear during their spacewalk on flight day 5. The trio was also assisted by commander Mark Kelly in preparing the tools required for the Extravehicular Activity (EVA). While this was going on, Expedition 27
crew members Paolo Nespoli, Cady Coleman and Ron Garan assisted the rest of the STS-134 crew in completing transfers to and from Endeavour. Late in the crew day, the two crews preformed an EVA procedures review. After the review, Chamitoff and Feustel camped out in the Quest Airlock overnight, in preparation for the mission's first spacewalk. The campout was done with the airlock's air pressure reduced, so as to purge nitrogen
bubbles from the astronauts' blood and thus prevent decompression sickness
. Members of both crews also conducted two in-flight interviews with media on the ground, including PBS NewsHour, National Public Radio, Associated Press
, Reuters
and Fox News. The crew also answered questions that were relayed up to them by Miles O'Brien
for Google
.
, and also started installing a new wireless video system, but were stopped when a CO2 sensor failed in Chamitoff's suit. After the failure, the pair were told to install an ammonia
jumper between the Port 3
(P3) and Port 6 (P6) truss segments. The spacewalkers furthermore installed a new light on the Crew Equipment Translation Aid (CETA) cart on the Starboard 3 (S3) truss segment, and a cover on the starboard Solar Alpha Rotary Joint (SARJ). The installation of the wireless video system was completed during the third EVA. While the 6-hour-and-19-minute-long spacewalk was in progress, members of the STS-134 crew completed more equipment transfers between Endeavour and the ISS. Expedition 27
crew members also prepared for the departure of Dmitri Kondratyev, Paolo Nespoli and Cady Coleman.
's crew performed a focused inspection of an area of thermal protection tiles on the bottom of the orbiter. The tiles were damaged during launch, and detailed data provided by the Orbiter Boom Sensor System
(OBSS) was needed to make sure the orbiter could re-enter Earth's atmosphere safely. The focused inspection started with the Canadarm2 grappling the OBSS in the middle of the boom and handing it off to the shuttle's Canadarm, which was controlled by pilot Greg Johnson and mission specialists Mike Fincke and Roberto Vittori. The inspection process took approximately two hours to complete, and resulted in the Thermal Protection System (TPS) being cleared for entry. After the inspection was complete, Fincke joined Drew Feustel to get their spacesuits ready for the second spacewalk of the mission on flight day 7. The pair performed the standard overnight campout procedure to get ready for the EVA. Later in the crew day, the STS-134 crew assembled with the Expedition 27
crew in the Kibo module. The joint crew spoke with Pope Benedict XVI
, answering several questions asked by the Pope.
to the Port 6 Photovoltaic Thermal Control System (PVTCS), lubricated the Solar Alpha Rotary Joint (SARJ) and one of the "hands" on Dextre, and installed a stowage beam on the Starboard 1
(S1) truss. During the lubrication task on the Port SARJ, some of the bolts on one of the thermal blankets came free, and one was lost. Commander Mark Kelly documented the spacewalk with still and video cameras, while mission specialist Greg Chamitoff assisted Feustel and Fincke. The spacewalk was the seventh for Fincke and the fifth for Feustel. Fincke had conducted his previous six spacewalks in Russian Orlan suits.
While the EVA was conducted, the rest of the STS-134 crew completed more transfers between the ISS and Endeavour. Flight day 7 also saw the ISS' change of command ceremony. Russian cosmonaut Dmitri Kondratyev, who had been the commander of Expedition 27
aboard the station, conducted a ceremonial change of command with cosmonaut Andrei Borisenko
, the commander of Expedition 28
.
. Later in the crew day, STS-134 mission specialist Roberto Vittori
and Expedition 27
flight engineer Paolo Nespoli answered questions from Italian
President Giorgio Napolitano
.
After the STS-134 crew went to bed, the Expedition 27 crew prepared for their departure. Expedition 27 commander Dmitri Kondratyev and flight engineers Paolo Nespoli and Catherine Coleman
left the ISS aboard the Soyuz TMA-20
spacecraft at 21:35 UTC. The departure of the three Expedition 27 crew members marked the start of Expedition 28
, leaving the new expedition commander Andrei Borisenko
and flight engineers Aleksandr Samokutyayev
and Ron Garan aboard the station. Before re-entry, Soyuz TMA-20 performed a special fly-about of the ISS, taking numerous photographs of the station and Space Shuttle Endeavour
. Soyuz TMA-20 and the Expedition 27 crew landed safely in central Kazakhstan
at 02:27 UTC on 24 May 2011.
, KGO-TV
and KFBK
. Later in the day, commander Mark Kelly and mission specialists Mike Fincke and Chamitoff conducted interviews with The Daily
, KDKA
, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
and KTRK-TV
. Johnson and mission specialist Roberto Vittori also completed some more equipment transfers between the station and shuttle, and began to clean up and organize the Permanent Multipurpose Module (PMM) Leonardo. The STS-134 crew furthermore completed some work on the Oxygen Generator System (OGS) and Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA). Drew Feustel, joined by Fincke and Chamitoff, spent most of the day preparing the tools for the following day's EVA. At the end of their day, the shuttle crew and Expedition 28
flight engineer Ron Garan conducted an EVA procedures review in preparation for the third spacewalk on flight day 10.
video of an experiment delivered on board the Express Logistics Carrier
(ELC) 3. Commander Mark Kelly documented the spacewalk from inside the station. While the EVA was going on, pilot Greg Johnson and mission specialist Roberto Vittori
assisted Expedition 28
flight engineer Ron Garan in stowing new equipment and supplies on the ISS.
(OBSS) was to be left on-board the ISS after Endeavour' s departure. The joint Expedition 28
/STS-134 crew held a news conference with reporters on the ground at NASA centers around the country and ISS partner agencies. Commander Mark Kelly also spoke to reporters from four Tucson
, Arizona
television stations. Later in the crew day, the joint crew held an EVA procedure review for the fourth and final spacewalk of STS-134. Astronauts Mike Fincke and Greg Chamitoff spent the night in the Quest airlock with the air pressure reduced to 10.2 Psi, so as to avoid decompression sickness
during their spacewalk. The crew and flight controllers on the ground opted not to use the In-suit Light Exercise (ISLE) protocol that was tested during EVA 3 earlier in the mission, opting instead to go with the standard campout protocol, since it was discovered that ISLE used more carbon-dioxide scrubbing capability. They wanted to save this capability, since a CO2 sensor in Chamitoff's suit had failed during EVA 1, cutting that spacewalk short.
, who began the EVA by installing the Orbiter Boom Sensor System
(OBSS) on the Starboard 1
(S1) truss segment. After the OBSS was installed, Fincke and Chamitoff removed the End Effector Grapple Fixture (EFGF) and replaced it with a spare Power and Data Grapple Fixture (PDGF). The station's Canadarm2 could not grapple the EFGF, so the PDGF was installed on the end. After that task was completed, Fincke and Chamitoff moved to the Express Logistics Carrier
(ELC) 3, and released some torque on the bolts that were holding the spare arm for Dextre down against the ELC. The EVA saw the total cumulative time spent performing EVAs in support of the ISS pass the 1,000-hour mark. The three STS-134 spacewalkers spent a total time of 28 hours and 44 minutes outside the ISS on this mission. Commander Mark Kelly assisted with documenting the spacewalk by taking photos and video. In the meantime, the rest of the shuttle crew completed more equipment transfers from Endeavour and the Johannes Kepler ATV
to the ISS.
Working from the mid-deck of Endeavour, Andrew Feustel, who participated in the first three spacewalks of the mission, was the EVA 4 choreographer. Astronaut Steven Swanson
was the spacewalk CAPCOM from the station flight control room in Houston. During Flight Day 12, Mike Fincke achieved a milestone, becoming the U.S. astronaut with the most time in space, more than 377 days. He surpassed the time in space of astronaut Peggy Whitson
.
. While the CDRA work was on-going, commander Mark Kelly and mission specialist Drew Feustel re-sized two of the spacesuits that will be used by Expedition 28
flight engineers Ron Garan and Mike Fossum. The rest of the STS-134 crew completed more transfers between space shuttle Endeavour and the International Space Station (ISS). Commander Mark Kelly, joined by pilot Greg Johnson and Ron Garan, spoke with students, teachers and others gathered at University of Arizona
in Tucson
, Arizona
. Johnson also spoke with representatives of Gannet, KPRC-TV
and the Voice of America
.
in Flint, Michigan
, WJBK-TV in Detroit, Michigan
, WKYC-TV
in Cleveland, Ohio
and WXMI-TV in Grand Rapids, Michigan
. The transfer of supplies and equipment was completed on flight day 14, with the transfer of 4 bags of water from the shuttle to the ISS. Mission specialist Mike Fincke completed the work on the Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA) that he and Greg Chamitoff had started the day before. Chamitoff was joined by Drew Feustel to finish stowing tools that had been used during the mission's four spacewalks. Space shuttle Endeavours small vernier thruster
s were used to raise the ISS by about 3150 feet (960.1 m). The later part of the crew day saw the Expedition 28
crew hold a farewell ceremony for the STS-134 crew. After the two crews said their farewells to one another, they got into procedures to close the hatches on the ISS and space shuttle. After the hatches were closed and secured, a series of leak checks were performed on both vehicles, and the Pressurized Mating Adapter 2 (PMA 2) was depressurized. The hatch closures marked the end of joint operations which totaled 10 days, 23 hours and 45 minutes.
' s STS-134 crew continued preparations for the shuttle's landing on flight day 17. Commander Mark Kelly, pilot Greg Johnson and mission specialist and flight engineer Roberto Vittori
performed a checkout of Endeavour' s Flight Control Systems (FCS). They began by starting Auxiliary Power Unit 1 (APU 1), so they could test the flight systems such as the ailerons and rudder. The APU was used to provide hydraulic pressure to power the flight control systems. The astronauts next moved on to a test of the Reaction Control System
(RCS) jets. This test saw Kelly, Johnson and Vittori fire each jet once. Meanwhile, Drew Feustel, Mike Fincke and Greg Chamitoff stowed items on the mid-deck for their return to Earth. Later in the crew day, they stowed the Ku band
antenna for re-entry. The crew also performed several experiments, including an eye exam and the Ram Burn Observation (RAMBO2) experiments, and conducted a deorbit briefing to go over the procedures for the landing. The entire crew furthermore participated in in-flight interviews with ABC News
, CBS News
, CNN
, NBC News
and Fox News Radio
, and sent a crew tribute to Endeavour down to the ground.
to begin flight day 17 to the song "Sunrise No. 1" by Stormy Mondays. The payload bay doors on the shuttle were closed at 10:48 p.m. EDT. At 1:29 a.m. on June 1, the de-orbit burn was initiated, finishing at 1:31 a.m. The shuttle began reentering
the atmosphere at approximately 2:03 a.m. At 2:25 a.m., Endeavour crossed the Florida coast. The shuttle landed safely in Florida at around 2:35 a.m. EDT, completing its 25th and final mission into space.
.
Each track is specially chosen, often by the astronauts' families, and usually has a special meaning to an individual member of the crew, or is applicable to their daily activities.
NASA opened the selection process to the public for the first time for STS-133
, where the public was invited to vote on two songs used to wake up astronauts on previous missions to wake up the STS-133 crew. For STS-134, the public was invited to submit original songs, with two songs being selected to wake up the crew of Endeavour.
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
's Space Shuttle program
Space Shuttle program
NASA's Space Shuttle program, officially called Space Transportation System , was the United States government's manned launch vehicle program from 1981 to 2011...
. The mission marked the 25th and final flight of . This flight delivered the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer
Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer
The Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer, also designated AMS-02, is a particle physics experiment module that is mounted on the International Space Station. It is designed to search for various types of unusual matter by measuring cosmic rays. Its experiments will help researchers study the formation of...
and an ExPRESS Logistics Carrier
EXPRESS Logistics Carrier
An ExPRESS logistics carrier is an unpressurized attached payload platform for the International Space Station that provides mechanical mounting surfaces, electrical power, and command and data handling services for Orbital Replacement Units as well as science experiments on the ISS...
to the International Space Station
International Space Station
The International Space Station is a habitable, artificial satellite in low Earth orbit. The ISS follows the Salyut, Almaz, Cosmos, Skylab, and Mir space stations, as the 11th space station launched, not including the Genesis I and II prototypes...
. Mark Kelly served as the mission commander. STS-134 was expected to be the final space shuttle mission if STS-135
STS-135
STS-135 was the final mission of the American Space Shuttle program. It used the orbiter Atlantis and hardware originally processed for the STS-335 contingency mission, which was not flown. STS-135 launched on 8 July and was originally scheduled to land on 20 July 2011, but the mission was...
did not receive funding from Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
; however, in February 2011, NASA stated that STS-135 would fly "regardless" of the funding situation. The Launch On Need mission, a contingency mission to rescue a stranded STS-134 crew, would have been the STS-135 flight (formerly STS-335), flown by Atlantis
Space Shuttle Atlantis
The Space Shuttle Atlantis is a retired Space Shuttle orbiter in the Space Shuttle fleet belonging to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration , the spaceflight and space exploration agency of the United States...
.
Changes in the design of the main payload, AMS-02, as well as delays to STS-133
STS-133
STS-133 was the 133rd mission in NASA's Space Shuttle program; during the mission, Space Shuttle Discovery docked with the International Space Station. It was Discoverys 39th and final mission. The mission launched on 24 February 2011, and landed on 9 March 2011...
, led to delays in the mission. The first launch attempt on 29 April 2011 was scrubbed at 12:20 pm by launch managers due to problems with two heaters on one of the orbiter's auxiliary power units (APU). Endeavour launched successfully at 08:56:28 EDT (12:56:28 UTC) on 16 May 2011, and landed for the final time on 1 June 2011.
Crew
NASA announced the STS-134 crew on 10 August 2009.Mission parameters
- Mass:
- Total liftoff weight: 4524863 lbs
- Orbiter liftoff weight: 268580 lbs
- Orbiter landing weight: 203354 lbs
- Payload weight: 34760 lbs
- Perigee: TBD
- Apogee: TBD
- Inclination: 51.6°
- Period: 91 minutes
Background
The Space ShuttleSpace Shuttle program
NASA's Space Shuttle program, officially called Space Transportation System , was the United States government's manned launch vehicle program from 1981 to 2011...
had been scheduled to be retired from service after STS-133
STS-133
STS-133 was the 133rd mission in NASA's Space Shuttle program; during the mission, Space Shuttle Discovery docked with the International Space Station. It was Discoverys 39th and final mission. The mission launched on 24 February 2011, and landed on 9 March 2011...
, but controversy over the cancellation of several International Space Station
International Space Station
The International Space Station is a habitable, artificial satellite in low Earth orbit. The ISS follows the Salyut, Almaz, Cosmos, Skylab, and Mir space stations, as the 11th space station launched, not including the Genesis I and II prototypes...
components, most notably the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer
Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer
The Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer, also designated AMS-02, is a particle physics experiment module that is mounted on the International Space Station. It is designed to search for various types of unusual matter by measuring cosmic rays. Its experiments will help researchers study the formation of...
, in order to meet deadlines for the retirement of the shuttle, caused the United States Government to consider ordering an additional mission. On 19 June 2008, the United States House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
passed the NASA Authorization Act of 2008, giving NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
funding for one additional mission to "deliver science experiments to the station".
The same mandate was included in the U.S. Senate version of the NASA Authorization Act that was unanimously approved by the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation on 25 June 2008. It was amended and passed by the full Senate on 25 September 2008, passed by the House on 27 September 2008, and signed by President George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
on 15 October 2008. Bush had previously opposed any additional shuttle missions, as they could delay the transition to Project Constellation
Project Constellation
Constellation Program is a human spaceflight program within NASA, the space agency of the United States. The stated goals of the program were to gain significant experience in operating away from Earth's environment, develop technologies needed for opening the space frontier, and conduct...
. In the spring of 2009, the Obama Administration included funds for the STS-134 mission in its proposed 2010 NASA budget.
STS-134 was planned to be the final regularly scheduled mission of the NASA Space Shuttle Program, but with the passing in 2011 of an appropriations bill authorizing the conversion of STS-335 to STS-135
STS-135
STS-135 was the final mission of the American Space Shuttle program. It used the orbiter Atlantis and hardware originally processed for the STS-335 contingency mission, which was not flown. STS-135 launched on 8 July and was originally scheduled to land on 20 July 2011, but the mission was...
, this was no longer the case.
Shuttle Commander Mark Kelly's wife, U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords
Gabrielle Giffords
Gabrielle Dee "Gabby" Giffords is an American politician. A Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives, she has represented since 2007. She is the third woman in Arizona's history to be elected to the U.S. Congress...
, flew to the Kennedy Space Center
Kennedy Space Center
The John F. Kennedy Space Center is the NASA installation that has been the launch site for every United States human space flight since 1968. Although such flights are currently on hiatus, KSC continues to manage and operate unmanned rocket launch facilities for America's civilian space program...
(KSC) in Florida to view the first launch attempt, her first trip since moving from Tucson to Houston for rehabilitation after being seriously wounded in the January 2011 Tucson shooting
2011 Tucson shooting
On January 8, 2011, a mass shooting occurred near Tucson, Arizona. Nineteen people were shot, six of them fatally, with one other person injured at the scene during an open meeting that U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords was holding with members of her constituency in a Casas Adobes Safeway...
. On 16 May, Giffords was again at KSC for the launch, which was "one of the most anticipated in years," according to The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
.
U.S. President Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
scheduled a visit to Kennedy Space Center on 29 April 2011 to view the launch, and despite the canceled launch attempt he toured an Orbiter Processing Facility
Orbiter Processing Facility
An Orbiter Processing Facility was one of three hangars where U.S. space shuttle orbiters underwent maintenance between flights. All three such facilities, OPF-1, OPF-2 and OPF-3, were located at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida at Launch Complex 39.They were located west of the Vehicle...
at Launch Complex 39 and met with Giffords and the six crewmembers.
Mission payload
Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer 2
The Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer 2Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer
The Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer, also designated AMS-02, is a particle physics experiment module that is mounted on the International Space Station. It is designed to search for various types of unusual matter by measuring cosmic rays. Its experiments will help researchers study the formation of...
(AMS-02) was carried to the ISS in Endeavours payload bay, and was attached to the ISS's S3 truss
Integrated Truss Structure
the Integrated Truss Structure forms the backbone of the International Space Station, with mountings for unpressurized logistics carriers, radiators, solar arrays, and other equipment.-History:...
segment. The AMS-02 unit is a particle physics detector which contains a large permanent magnet
Magnet
A magnet is a material or object that produces a magnetic field. This magnetic field is invisible but is responsible for the most notable property of a magnet: a force that pulls on other ferromagnetic materials, such as iron, and attracts or repels other magnets.A permanent magnet is an object...
, and is designed to search for antimatter
Antimatter
In particle physics, antimatter is the extension of the concept of the antiparticle to matter, where antimatter is composed of antiparticles in the same way that normal matter is composed of particles...
and investigate the origin and structure of dark matter
Dark matter
In astronomy and cosmology, dark matter is matter that neither emits nor scatters light or other electromagnetic radiation, and so cannot be directly detected via optical or radio astronomy...
.
According to the original design plan, a cryogenic, superconducting magnet system was developed for the AMS-02. This was reported by NASA to be a critical technology, granting the instrument the high sensitivity needed to achieve mission objectives. Late in its development, however, poorly-understood anomalous heating in the cryogenic magnet system was discovered. As a result, the AMS-02 experiment leader, Samuel C. C. Ting
Samuel C. C. Ting
Samuel Chao Chung Ting is an American physicist who received the Nobel Prize in 1976, with Burton Richter, for discovering the subatomic J/ψ particle...
, decided to replace the superconducting magnet inside the spectrometer with the permanent magnet previously used in AMS-01.
ExPRESS Logistics Carrier 3
The ExPRESS Logistics Carrier 3EXPRESS Logistics Carrier
An ExPRESS logistics carrier is an unpressurized attached payload platform for the International Space Station that provides mechanical mounting surfaces, electrical power, and command and data handling services for Orbital Replacement Units as well as science experiments on the ISS...
(ELC3) carried several Orbital Replacement Units (ORU) that were too large or too heavy for other spacecraft to carry to the ISS. These ORUs included a High Pressure Gas Tank (HPGT), an Ammonia Tank Assembly (ATA), the S band
S band
The S band is defined by an IEEE standard for radio waves with frequencies that range from 2 to 4 GHz, crossing the conventional boundary between UHF and SHF at 3.0 GHz. It is part of the microwave band of the electromagnetic spectrum...
Antenna Sub-System Assembly #2 & 3 (SASA), a Special Purpose Dextrous Manipulator (SPDM) Arm with Orbital Replacement Unit change-out mechanism, a Space Test Program Houston 3 Department of Defense
United States Department of Defense
The United States Department of Defense is the U.S...
payload, and a spare ELC pallet controller avionics box.
Materials on International Space Station Experiment
The STS-134 mission delivered the Materials on International Space Station Experiment 8Materials International Space Station Experiment
The Materials International Space Station Experiment , is a series of experiments mounted externally on the International Space Station that investigates the effects of long-term exposure of materials to the harsh space environment....
(MISSE) experiments, and returned the completed MISSE 7 experiments to Earth. MISSE 7 had been delivered to the ISS on STS-129
STS-129
-Crew seat assignments:-Mission payload:-ExPRESS Logistics Carriers 1 and 2:The primary payload of STS-129 was the ExPRESS Logistics Carrier and the ELC-2. The mass capacity of each ELC is with a volume of 30 meters cubed...
in 2009.
Sensor Test of Orion Rel-nav Risk Mitigation Detailed Test Objective kit
The Orion Rel-nav Sensor was mounted on the Orbiter Docking System (ODS) in Trajectory Control Sensor slot 1 and on an Adaptive Payload Carrier in the bay 3 port of the Payload Bay. For the STORRM Detailed Test Objective (DTO), after Endeavour undocked, it completed its normal fly-around of the station. The crew then guided Endeavour back towards the station, flying a nominal orbiter trajectory for docking to the ISS's Pressurized Mating Adapter-2Pressurized Mating Adapter
The International Space Station uses three Pressurized Mating Adapters to interconnect spacecraft and modules with different docking mechanisms. The first two PMAs were launched with the Unity module in 1998 aboard STS-88...
. However, the shuttle did not actually dock with the ISS again; instead, it was positioned below the station.
On STS-131
STS-131
STS-131 was a NASA Space Shuttle mission to the International Space Station . launched on 5 April 2010 at 6:22 am from Kennedy Space Center's launch pad 39A, and landed at 9:08 am on 20 April 2010 on runway 33 at the Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landing Facility...
, the docking target on the ISS was enhanced with reflectors, to allow for the characterization of the Orion Rel-Nav sensors' performance during STS-134's rendezvous and proximity operations with the ISS. These proximity operations were tested during approach and docking, undocking, flyaround (time permitting), and during a modified separation from the ISS. During the modified separation, the crew performed a series of re-rendezvous burns that put the orbiter on an Orion-like rendezvous profile. Afterwards, instead of re-docking to the ISS, the crew performed a full separation.
GLACIER Freezer Module
STS-134 carried a new Glacier module to the ISS and returned two old ones to Earth. The Glacier units were used to store and return science samples on the space shuttle.Orbiter Boom Sensor System
STS-134 left its Orbiter Boom Sensor SystemOrbiter Boom Sensor System
The Orbiter Boom Sensor System is a 50-foot boom carried on board NASA's Space Shuttles. The boom can be grappled by the Canadarm and serves as an extension of the arm, doubling its length to a combined total of 100 feet...
(OBSS) permanently on the ISS for use in reaching places that the Canadarm2 cannot get to on its own. The usefulness of having an OBSS available for use at the station was demonstrated during Scott Parazynski's repair of the torn P6 solar panel on STS-120
STS-120
-Crew notes:As commander of STS-120, Pamela Melroy became the second woman to command a space shuttle mission. Additionally, the Expedition 16 crew that received STS-120 was commanded by Peggy Whitson, the first female ISS commander...
. The feasibility of leaving an OBSS attached to ISS for a long period of time was demonstrated when the STS-123
STS-123
-Mission parameters:* Mass:* Orbiter liftoff: * Orbiter landing: * Perigee: 336 kilometers * Apogee: 346 kilometers * Inclination: 51.6 degrees* Period: 91.6min-Mission payloads:...
mission left one behind for use during the subsequent STS-124
STS-124
STS-124 was a Space Shuttle mission, flown by Space Shuttle Discovery to the International Space Station. Discovery launched on 31 May 2008 at 17:02 EDT, moved from an earlier scheduled launch date of 25 May 2008, and landed safely at the Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landing Facility, at 11:15...
mission.
Lego kits
Endeavour brought 13 LegoLego
Lego is a line of construction toys manufactured by the Lego Group, a privately held company based in Billund, Denmark. The company's flagship product, Lego, consists of colorful interlocking plastic bricks and an accompanying array of gears, minifigures and various other parts...
kits to the ISS, where astronauts built Lego models to see how they would react in microgravity, as part of the Lego Bricks in Space program. The results were shared with schools as part of an educational project.
Shuttle LIFE
The LIFELiving Interplanetary Flight Experiment
The Living Interplanetary Flight Experiment is an interplanetary mission developed by the Planetary Society. It consists of sending selected microorganisms on a three-year interplanetary round-trip in a small capsule aboard the Russian Fobos-Grunt spacecraft in 2011, which is a sample-return...
precursor mission was launched aboard Endeavour. This Planetary Society
Planetary Society
The Planetary Society is a large, publicly supported, non-government and non-profit organization that has many research projects related to astronomy...
project was to test the mission destined for Fobos-Grunt. The stage rehearsal was deemed fully successful.
STEM Bars
Endeavour brought specialized nutrition bars, called "STEM Bars", to the ISS. These were created by high school students and sisters Mikayla and Shannon Diesch. The nutrition bars were certified for spaceflight by meeting a specific NASA-developed nutritional profile, and had to pass strict microbial testing. The STEM Bars were flown to support the work of the Battle Creek, MichiganBattle Creek, Michigan
Battle Creek is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan, in northwest Calhoun County, at the confluence of the Kalamazoo and Battle Creek Rivers. It is the principal city of the Battle Creek, Michigan Metropolitan Statistical Area , which encompasses all of Calhoun county...
-based sisters to raise awareness of the importance of STEM education
STEM fields
STEM fields is a US Government acronym for the fields of study in the categories of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. The acronym is in use regarding access to work visas for immigrants who are skilled in these fields. Maintaining a citizenry that is well versed in the STEM fields...
among their peers, an outreach effort which they started after they won the 2010 Conrad Foundation Spirit of Innovation Awards.
Mission experiments
Endeavour performed four Department of DefenseUnited States Department of Defense
The United States Department of Defense is the U.S...
payloads of opportunity: MAUI, SEITI, RAMBO-2, and SIMPLEX. All four of these experiments required engine and thruster firings, and were to be completed only if there was sufficient propellant on board Endeavour.
Mission milestones
The mission marked:- 165th NASA manned space flight
- 134th shuttle mission since STS-1STS-1STS-1 was the first orbital flight of NASA's Space Shuttle program. Space Shuttle Columbia launched on 12 April 1981, and returned to Earth on 14 April, having orbited the Earth 37 times during the 54.5-hour mission. It was the first American manned space flight since the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project...
- 25th flight of Endeavour
- 36th shuttle mission to the ISS
- 109th post-ChallengerSpace Shuttle ChallengerSpace Shuttle Challenger was NASA's second Space Shuttle orbiter to be put into service, Columbia having been the first. The shuttle was built by Rockwell International's Space Transportation Systems Division in Downey, California...
mission - 21st post-ColumbiaSpace Shuttle ColumbiaSpace Shuttle Columbia was the first spaceworthy Space Shuttle in NASA's orbital fleet. First launched on the STS-1 mission, the first of the Space Shuttle program, it completed 27 missions before being destroyed during re-entry on February 1, 2003 near the end of its 28th, STS-107. All seven crew...
mission - Last non-US astronaut to fly on a Space Shuttle mission (Col.Roberto VittoriRoberto VittoriRoberto Vittori is an Italian air force officer and an ESA astronaut. After graduating from the Italian Air Force Academy in 1989, Vittori flew in the Italian Air Force. He then trained as a test pilot in the United States....
, Italy)
Rollout
Rollout of Space Shuttle EndeavourSpace Shuttle Endeavour
Space Shuttle Endeavour is one of the retired orbiters of the Space Shuttle program of NASA, the space agency of the United States. Endeavour was the fifth and final spaceworthy NASA space shuttle to be built, constructed as a replacement for Challenger...
commenced on 10 March 2011 at 19:56 EST and terminated on 11 March 2011 at 03:49 EST.
Launch pad fatality
At around 07:40 EDT on 14 March 2011, United Space AllianceUnited Space Alliance
United Space Alliance is a spaceflight operations company. USA is a joint venture which was established in August 1995 as a Limited Liability Company , equally owned by Boeing and Lockheed Martin. The company is headquartered in Houston, Texas and, employed approximately 8,800 people in Texas,...
engineer James Vanover committed suicide by jumping from the STS-134 launchpad, pad 39A
Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39
Launch Complex 39 is a rocket launch site at the John F. Kennedy Space Center on Merritt Island in Florida, USA. The site and its collection of facilities were originally built for the Apollo program, and later modified to support Space Shuttle operations. NASA began modifying LC-39 in 2007 to...
, at the Kennedy Space Center
Kennedy Space Center
The John F. Kennedy Space Center is the NASA installation that has been the launch site for every United States human space flight since 1968. Although such flights are currently on hiatus, KSC continues to manage and operate unmanned rocket launch facilities for America's civilian space program...
. Endeavour
Space Shuttle Endeavour
Space Shuttle Endeavour is one of the retired orbiters of the Space Shuttle program of NASA, the space agency of the United States. Endeavour was the fifth and final spaceworthy NASA space shuttle to be built, constructed as a replacement for Challenger...
was at the pad when the incident occurred. As a result, work on the space shuttle was suspended for the day while grief counseling was offered to the workforce. NASA officials believed this to be the first launch pad fatality since 1981.
16 May (Flight Day 1 – Launch)
Space Shuttle EndeavourSpace Shuttle Endeavour
Space Shuttle Endeavour is one of the retired orbiters of the Space Shuttle program of NASA, the space agency of the United States. Endeavour was the fifth and final spaceworthy NASA space shuttle to be built, constructed as a replacement for Challenger...
lifted off from Kennedy Space Center
Kennedy Space Center
The John F. Kennedy Space Center is the NASA installation that has been the launch site for every United States human space flight since 1968. Although such flights are currently on hiatus, KSC continues to manage and operate unmanned rocket launch facilities for America's civilian space program...
's Launch Complex 39 at 08:56 EDT on 16 May 2011. The launch of Endeavour came after an on-time tanking process which filled the shuttle's External Tank with more than 500000 gal of liquid oxygen
Liquid oxygen
Liquid oxygen — abbreviated LOx, LOX or Lox in the aerospace, submarine and gas industries — is one of the physical forms of elemental oxygen.-Physical properties:...
and liquid hydrogen
Liquid hydrogen
Liquid hydrogen is the liquid state of the element hydrogen. Hydrogen is found naturally in the molecular H2 form.To exist as a liquid, H2 must be pressurized above and cooled below hydrogen's Critical point. However, for hydrogen to be in a full liquid state without boiling off, it needs to be...
; the tanking started at 23:36 EDT on 15 May 2011. Once the shuttle and crew were on-orbit, they set about preparing the shuttle for the mission ahead. The first tasks they completed were opening the payload bay doors, activating the Ku-band
Ku band
The Kμ band is a portion of the electromagnetic spectrum in the microwave range of frequencies. This symbol refers to —in other words, the band directly below the K-band...
antenna, and activating the Shuttle Remote Manipulator System (SRMS), also known as the Canadarm. Prior to this, commander Mark Kelly and pilot Greg Johnson completed an engine firing, known as the OMS-2 burn, to circularize the orbit of the shuttle. They also completed another engine firing, the NC-1 burn, to help the shuttle catch up to the International Space Station
International Space Station
The International Space Station is a habitable, artificial satellite in low Earth orbit. The ISS follows the Salyut, Almaz, Cosmos, Skylab, and Mir space stations, as the 11th space station launched, not including the Genesis I and II prototypes...
(ISS). After completing these initial tasks, the crew activated the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer
Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer
The Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer, also designated AMS-02, is a particle physics experiment module that is mounted on the International Space Station. It is designed to search for various types of unusual matter by measuring cosmic rays. Its experiments will help researchers study the formation of...
, allowing it to be monitored by teams on the ground. Later in the crew's work day, they downlinked video recordings that had been shot of the external tank by mission specialist Mike Fincke.
File:STS-134 launch 160px.ogv|STS-134 launch video (9 mins 31 secs).
File:STS-134's external tank falls to Earth 160px.ogv|Endeavours external tank falls to Earth (5 mins 3 secs).
File:STS-134 launch seen from a shuttle training aircraft 3.jpg|The launch of Endeavour seen from a shuttle training aircraft.
17 May (Flight Day 2 – OBSS inspection)
On flight day 2, the crew of Endeavour completed several tasks in preparation for the docking on flight day 3. The first and most important of these tasks was surveying the shuttle's Thermal Protection System (TPS). The Orbiter Boom Sensor SystemOrbiter Boom Sensor System
The Orbiter Boom Sensor System is a 50-foot boom carried on board NASA's Space Shuttles. The boom can be grappled by the Canadarm and serves as an extension of the arm, doubling its length to a combined total of 100 feet...
(OBSS) was used to survey the wing leading edge and nose cone. The Shuttle Remote Manipulator System (SRMS, or Canadarm 1) was also used to look at the thermal tiles and blankets on and around the Orbital Maneuvering System (OMS) pods. After the survey was complete, the Express Logistics Carrier
EXPRESS Logistics Carrier
An ExPRESS logistics carrier is an unpressurized attached payload platform for the International Space Station that provides mechanical mounting surfaces, electrical power, and command and data handling services for Orbital Replacement Units as well as science experiments on the ISS...
(ELC) 3 was grappled by the SRMS. While the survey was conducted by pilot Greg Johnson and mission specialists Roberto Vittori
Roberto Vittori
Roberto Vittori is an Italian air force officer and an ESA astronaut. After graduating from the Italian Air Force Academy in 1989, Vittori flew in the Italian Air Force. He then trained as a test pilot in the United States....
and Greg Chamitoff, the rest of the crew prepared the orbiter for docking. This included installing tools such as a center-line camera in the Orbiter Docking System, along with various other sensors used to gauge distance and speed. Commander Mark Kelly and mission specialists Mike Fincke and Drew Feustel furthermore checked out the two spacesuits carried on Endeavour, in preparation for the mission's four planned spacewalks.
18 May (Flight Day 3 – ISS rendezvous and ELC installation)
Flight day 3 saw the docking of Endeavour to the Pressurized Mating AdapterPressurized Mating Adapter
The International Space Station uses three Pressurized Mating Adapters to interconnect spacecraft and modules with different docking mechanisms. The first two PMAs were launched with the Unity module in 1998 aboard STS-88...
(PMA) 2 on the International Space Station
International Space Station
The International Space Station is a habitable, artificial satellite in low Earth orbit. The ISS follows the Salyut, Almaz, Cosmos, Skylab, and Mir space stations, as the 11th space station launched, not including the Genesis I and II prototypes...
. The docking occurred on 18 May 2011 at 10:14 UTC. After the shuttle docked, the six astronauts of STS-134 joined the Expedition 27
Expedition 27
Expedition 27 was the 27th long-duration expedition to the International Space Station , starting on 16 March 2011. Expedition 27 saw numerous notable events, including the undocking of the Progress M-09M and Kounotori 2 spacecraft, the arrival of the Soyuz TMA-21 and Progress M-10M spacecraft, and...
crew on-board the ISS. The joint crews completed a series of leak checks and opened the hatches at 11:38 UTC. Once the hatches were open, the joint crew held a welcome ceremony and completed a safety briefing. The first task for the joint crew was to unberth the Express Logistics Carrier
EXPRESS Logistics Carrier
An ExPRESS logistics carrier is an unpressurized attached payload platform for the International Space Station that provides mechanical mounting surfaces, electrical power, and command and data handling services for Orbital Replacement Units as well as science experiments on the ISS...
(ELC) 3, and attach it to its final location on the ISS's Port 3
Integrated Truss Structure
the Integrated Truss Structure forms the backbone of the International Space Station, with mountings for unpressurized logistics carriers, radiators, solar arrays, and other equipment.-History:...
(P3) truss segment. Express Logistics Carrier 3 was removed from the payload bay of Endeavour by the SRMS and handed off to the Space Station Remote Manipulator System (SSRMS), also known as Canadarm2. The ELC 3 was finally installed at 16:18 UTC. STS-134 commander Mark Kelly began to transfer oxygen from space shuttle Endeavour to the ISS. Mission specialists Mike Fincke and Drew Feustel transferred the two Extravehicular Mobility Unit
Extravehicular Mobility Unit
The Space Shuttle/International Space Station Extravehicular Mobility Unit is an independent anthropomorphic system that provides environmental protection, mobility, life support, and communications for a Space Shuttle or International Space Station crew member to perform extra-vehicular activity...
s (EMU) to the ISS's Quest airlock in preparation for their use during the mission's four spacewalks.
19 May (Flight Day 4 – AMS-2 installation)
The STS-134 crew installed the Alpha Magnetic SpectrometerAlpha Magnetic Spectrometer
The Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer, also designated AMS-02, is a particle physics experiment module that is mounted on the International Space Station. It is designed to search for various types of unusual matter by measuring cosmic rays. Its experiments will help researchers study the formation of...
2 (AMS-2) on flight day 4. AMS-2 was lifted out of Endeavour
Space Shuttle Endeavour
Space Shuttle Endeavour is one of the retired orbiters of the Space Shuttle program of NASA, the space agency of the United States. Endeavour was the fifth and final spaceworthy NASA space shuttle to be built, constructed as a replacement for Challenger...
's payload bay using the Canadarm, operated by Drew Feustel and Roberto Vittori
Roberto Vittori
Roberto Vittori is an Italian air force officer and an ESA astronaut. After graduating from the Italian Air Force Academy in 1989, Vittori flew in the Italian Air Force. He then trained as a test pilot in the United States....
. It was handed off to Canadarm2, which was operated by Greg Chamitoff and Greg Johnson, and was installed in its final location on the S3 truss segment
Integrated Truss Structure
the Integrated Truss Structure forms the backbone of the International Space Station, with mountings for unpressurized logistics carriers, radiators, solar arrays, and other equipment.-History:...
at 09:46 UTC. Immediately after the installation, crews on the ground began activating the experiment. The installation of the AMS-2 marked the completion of the US Orbital Segment
US Orbital Segment
The US Orbital Segment is the name given to the components of the International Space Station constructed and operated by the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration , European Space Agency , Canadian Space Agency and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency .The segment currently consists of...
of the International Space Station
International Space Station
The International Space Station is a habitable, artificial satellite in low Earth orbit. The ISS follows the Salyut, Almaz, Cosmos, Skylab, and Mir space stations, as the 11th space station launched, not including the Genesis I and II prototypes...
. Later in the day, Greg Chamitoff, Drew Feustel and Mike Fincke prepared the Extravehicular Mobility Unit
Extravehicular Mobility Unit
The Space Shuttle/International Space Station Extravehicular Mobility Unit is an independent anthropomorphic system that provides environmental protection, mobility, life support, and communications for a Space Shuttle or International Space Station crew member to perform extra-vehicular activity...
s (EMU) that Chamitoff and Feustel would wear during their spacewalk on flight day 5. The trio was also assisted by commander Mark Kelly in preparing the tools required for the Extravehicular Activity (EVA). While this was going on, Expedition 27
Expedition 27
Expedition 27 was the 27th long-duration expedition to the International Space Station , starting on 16 March 2011. Expedition 27 saw numerous notable events, including the undocking of the Progress M-09M and Kounotori 2 spacecraft, the arrival of the Soyuz TMA-21 and Progress M-10M spacecraft, and...
crew members Paolo Nespoli, Cady Coleman and Ron Garan assisted the rest of the STS-134 crew in completing transfers to and from Endeavour. Late in the crew day, the two crews preformed an EVA procedures review. After the review, Chamitoff and Feustel camped out in the Quest Airlock overnight, in preparation for the mission's first spacewalk. The campout was done with the airlock's air pressure reduced, so as to purge nitrogen
Nitrogen
Nitrogen is a chemical element that has the symbol N, atomic number of 7 and atomic mass 14.00674 u. Elemental nitrogen is a colorless, odorless, tasteless, and mostly inert diatomic gas at standard conditions, constituting 78.08% by volume of Earth's atmosphere...
bubbles from the astronauts' blood and thus prevent decompression sickness
Decompression sickness
Decompression sickness describes a condition arising from dissolved gases coming out of solution into bubbles inside the body on depressurization...
. Members of both crews also conducted two in-flight interviews with media on the ground, including PBS NewsHour, National Public Radio, Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
, Reuters
Reuters
Reuters is a news agency headquartered in New York City. Until 2008 the Reuters news agency formed part of a British independent company, Reuters Group plc, which was also a provider of financial market data...
and Fox News. The crew also answered questions that were relayed up to them by Miles O'Brien
Miles O'Brien (journalist)
Miles O'Brien is a broadcast news journalist specializing in aviation, space and technology.-Early life:...
for Google
Google
Google Inc. is an American multinational public corporation invested in Internet search, cloud computing, and advertising technologies. Google hosts and develops a number of Internet-based services and products, and generates profit primarily from advertising through its AdWords program...
.
20 May (Flight Day 5 – EVA 1)
The first spacewalk of the STS-134 mission was completed on flight day 5. Mission specialists Drew Feustel and Greg Chamitoff completed the installation of a new set of MISSE experimentsMaterials International Space Station Experiment
The Materials International Space Station Experiment , is a series of experiments mounted externally on the International Space Station that investigates the effects of long-term exposure of materials to the harsh space environment....
, and also started installing a new wireless video system, but were stopped when a CO2 sensor failed in Chamitoff's suit. After the failure, the pair were told to install an ammonia
Ammonia
Ammonia is a compound of nitrogen and hydrogen with the formula . It is a colourless gas with a characteristic pungent odour. Ammonia contributes significantly to the nutritional needs of terrestrial organisms by serving as a precursor to food and fertilizers. Ammonia, either directly or...
jumper between the Port 3
Integrated Truss Structure
the Integrated Truss Structure forms the backbone of the International Space Station, with mountings for unpressurized logistics carriers, radiators, solar arrays, and other equipment.-History:...
(P3) and Port 6 (P6) truss segments. The spacewalkers furthermore installed a new light on the Crew Equipment Translation Aid (CETA) cart on the Starboard 3 (S3) truss segment, and a cover on the starboard Solar Alpha Rotary Joint (SARJ). The installation of the wireless video system was completed during the third EVA. While the 6-hour-and-19-minute-long spacewalk was in progress, members of the STS-134 crew completed more equipment transfers between Endeavour and the ISS. Expedition 27
Expedition 27
Expedition 27 was the 27th long-duration expedition to the International Space Station , starting on 16 March 2011. Expedition 27 saw numerous notable events, including the undocking of the Progress M-09M and Kounotori 2 spacecraft, the arrival of the Soyuz TMA-21 and Progress M-10M spacecraft, and...
crew members also prepared for the departure of Dmitri Kondratyev, Paolo Nespoli and Cady Coleman.
21 May (Flight Day 6)
On flight day 6, the members of EndeavourOrbiter Boom Sensor System
The Orbiter Boom Sensor System is a 50-foot boom carried on board NASA's Space Shuttles. The boom can be grappled by the Canadarm and serves as an extension of the arm, doubling its length to a combined total of 100 feet...
(OBSS) was needed to make sure the orbiter could re-enter Earth's atmosphere safely. The focused inspection started with the Canadarm2 grappling the OBSS in the middle of the boom and handing it off to the shuttle's Canadarm, which was controlled by pilot Greg Johnson and mission specialists Mike Fincke and Roberto Vittori. The inspection process took approximately two hours to complete, and resulted in the Thermal Protection System (TPS) being cleared for entry. After the inspection was complete, Fincke joined Drew Feustel to get their spacesuits ready for the second spacewalk of the mission on flight day 7. The pair performed the standard overnight campout procedure to get ready for the EVA. Later in the crew day, the STS-134 crew assembled with the Expedition 27
Expedition 27
Expedition 27 was the 27th long-duration expedition to the International Space Station , starting on 16 March 2011. Expedition 27 saw numerous notable events, including the undocking of the Progress M-09M and Kounotori 2 spacecraft, the arrival of the Soyuz TMA-21 and Progress M-10M spacecraft, and...
crew in the Kibo module. The joint crew spoke with Pope Benedict XVI
Pope Benedict XVI
Benedict XVI is the 265th and current Pope, by virtue of his office of Bishop of Rome, the Sovereign of the Vatican City State and the leader of the Catholic Church as well as the other 22 sui iuris Eastern Catholic Churches in full communion with the Holy See...
, answering several questions asked by the Pope.
22 May (Flight Day 7 – EVA 2)
The second EVA of STS-134 was conducted on flight day 7 by Drew Feustel and Mike Fincke. The spacewalk, the sixth-longest in the history of spaceflight thus far, lasted 8 hours and 7 minutes, significantly longer than the planned 6 hours and 30 minutes. The excursion also marked the second-longest spacewalk conducted from the ISS. During the spacewalk, Fincke and Feustel hooked up a jumper to transfer 5 lbs of ammoniaAmmonia
Ammonia is a compound of nitrogen and hydrogen with the formula . It is a colourless gas with a characteristic pungent odour. Ammonia contributes significantly to the nutritional needs of terrestrial organisms by serving as a precursor to food and fertilizers. Ammonia, either directly or...
to the Port 6 Photovoltaic Thermal Control System (PVTCS), lubricated the Solar Alpha Rotary Joint (SARJ) and one of the "hands" on Dextre, and installed a stowage beam on the Starboard 1
Integrated Truss Structure
the Integrated Truss Structure forms the backbone of the International Space Station, with mountings for unpressurized logistics carriers, radiators, solar arrays, and other equipment.-History:...
(S1) truss. During the lubrication task on the Port SARJ, some of the bolts on one of the thermal blankets came free, and one was lost. Commander Mark Kelly documented the spacewalk with still and video cameras, while mission specialist Greg Chamitoff assisted Feustel and Fincke. The spacewalk was the seventh for Fincke and the fifth for Feustel. Fincke had conducted his previous six spacewalks in Russian Orlan suits.
While the EVA was conducted, the rest of the STS-134 crew completed more transfers between the ISS and Endeavour. Flight day 7 also saw the ISS' change of command ceremony. Russian cosmonaut Dmitri Kondratyev, who had been the commander of Expedition 27
Expedition 27
Expedition 27 was the 27th long-duration expedition to the International Space Station , starting on 16 March 2011. Expedition 27 saw numerous notable events, including the undocking of the Progress M-09M and Kounotori 2 spacecraft, the arrival of the Soyuz TMA-21 and Progress M-10M spacecraft, and...
aboard the station, conducted a ceremonial change of command with cosmonaut Andrei Borisenko
Andrei Borisenko
Andrei Ivanovich Borisenko is a Russian cosmonaut. He was selected to be a cosmonaut in May 2003, and since 2008 he has been training as a back-up crew member for a long-duration mission to the International Space Station...
, the commander of Expedition 28
Expedition 28
Expedition 28 was the 28th long-duration expedition to the International Space Station, starting on 23 May 2011 with the departure of the members of Expedition 27. The first three members of the expedition arrived on the ISS aboard the Soyuz TMA-21 spacecraft on 4 April 2011, and were joined on 9...
.
23 May (Flight Day 8)
On flight day 8, the crew of STS-134 had some off duty time. Commander Mark Kelly and mission specialist Mike Fincke conducted an in-flight interview with 400 students from Mesa Verde Elementary School in Tucson, ArizonaTucson, Arizona
Tucson is a city in and the county seat of Pima County, Arizona, United States. The city is located 118 miles southeast of Phoenix and 60 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border. The 2010 United States Census puts the city's population at 520,116 with a metropolitan area population at 1,020,200...
. Later in the crew day, STS-134 mission specialist Roberto Vittori
Roberto Vittori
Roberto Vittori is an Italian air force officer and an ESA astronaut. After graduating from the Italian Air Force Academy in 1989, Vittori flew in the Italian Air Force. He then trained as a test pilot in the United States....
and Expedition 27
Expedition 27
Expedition 27 was the 27th long-duration expedition to the International Space Station , starting on 16 March 2011. Expedition 27 saw numerous notable events, including the undocking of the Progress M-09M and Kounotori 2 spacecraft, the arrival of the Soyuz TMA-21 and Progress M-10M spacecraft, and...
flight engineer Paolo Nespoli answered questions from Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
President Giorgio Napolitano
Giorgio Napolitano
Giorgio Napolitano is an Italian politician who has been the 11th President of Italy since 2006. A long-time member of the Italian Communist Party and later the Democrats of the Left, he served as President of the Chamber of Deputies from 1992 to 1994 and as Minister of the Interior from 1996 to...
.
After the STS-134 crew went to bed, the Expedition 27 crew prepared for their departure. Expedition 27 commander Dmitri Kondratyev and flight engineers Paolo Nespoli and Catherine Coleman
Catherine Coleman
Catherine Grace "Cady" Coleman is an American chemist, a former United States Air Force officer, and a current NASA astronaut...
left the ISS aboard the Soyuz TMA-20
Soyuz TMA-20
Soyuz TMA-20 was a manned spaceflight to the International Space Station and was part of the Soyuz programme. It lifted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on December 15, 2010, and docked with the ISS two days later...
spacecraft at 21:35 UTC. The departure of the three Expedition 27 crew members marked the start of Expedition 28
Expedition 28
Expedition 28 was the 28th long-duration expedition to the International Space Station, starting on 23 May 2011 with the departure of the members of Expedition 27. The first three members of the expedition arrived on the ISS aboard the Soyuz TMA-21 spacecraft on 4 April 2011, and were joined on 9...
, leaving the new expedition commander Andrei Borisenko
Andrei Borisenko
Andrei Ivanovich Borisenko is a Russian cosmonaut. He was selected to be a cosmonaut in May 2003, and since 2008 he has been training as a back-up crew member for a long-duration mission to the International Space Station...
and flight engineers Aleksandr Samokutyayev
Aleksandr Samokutyayev
Aleksandr Mikhailovich Samokutyayev is a Russian cosmonaut. Samokutyayev served as a Flight Engineer for the International Space Station long duration Expedition 27/28 missions. He also served as the Soyuz TMA-21 commander...
and Ron Garan aboard the station. Before re-entry, Soyuz TMA-20 performed a special fly-about of the ISS, taking numerous photographs of the station and Space Shuttle Endeavour
Space Shuttle Endeavour
Space Shuttle Endeavour is one of the retired orbiters of the Space Shuttle program of NASA, the space agency of the United States. Endeavour was the fifth and final spaceworthy NASA space shuttle to be built, constructed as a replacement for Challenger...
. Soyuz TMA-20 and the Expedition 27 crew landed safely in central Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan , officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country in Central Asia and Eastern Europe. Ranked as the ninth largest country in the world, it is also the world's largest landlocked country; its territory of is greater than Western Europe...
at 02:27 UTC on 24 May 2011.
24 May (Flight Day 9)
On flight day 9, mission specialist Greg Chamitoff and pilot Greg Johnson conducted a series of interviews with media outlets around the United States, including KPIX-TVKPIX-TV
KPIX-TV is the CBS owned and operated television station in San Francisco, California. Through its parent company CBS Corporation, KPIX is co-owned with The CW affiliate KBCW-TV ....
, KGO-TV
KGO-TV
KGO-TV, channel 7, is an owned-and-operated television station of the Walt Disney Company-owned American Broadcasting Company, based in San Francisco, California...
and KFBK
KFBK
KFBK is a radio station in Sacramento, California broadcasting on a frequency of 1530 kHz. KFBK is a class A clear channel station, formerly designated as a class "I-B" station, sharing 1530 with WCKY in Cincinnati, Ohio...
. Later in the day, commander Mark Kelly and mission specialists Mike Fincke and Chamitoff conducted interviews with The Daily
The Daily (News Corporation)
The Daily is the world's first iPad-only news app in the United States and Australia, owned by News Corporation.It was originally planned to launch The Daily in San Francisco on January 19, 2011, however the launch was delayed by News Corporation and Apple. The Daily was launched on February 2,...
, KDKA
KDKA (AM)
KDKA is a radio station licensed to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. Created by the Westinghouse Electric Corporation on November 2, 1920, it is one of the world's first modern radio stations , a distinction that has also been challenged by other stations, although it has claimed to be the first in...
, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, also known as "the Trib," is the second largest daily newspaper serving metropolitan Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in the United States...
and KTRK-TV
KTRK-TV
KTRK-TV, channel 13, is an owned-and-operated television station of the Walt Disney Company-owned American Broadcasting Company, located in Houston, Texas...
. Johnson and mission specialist Roberto Vittori also completed some more equipment transfers between the station and shuttle, and began to clean up and organize the Permanent Multipurpose Module (PMM) Leonardo. The STS-134 crew furthermore completed some work on the Oxygen Generator System (OGS) and Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA). Drew Feustel, joined by Fincke and Chamitoff, spent most of the day preparing the tools for the following day's EVA. At the end of their day, the shuttle crew and Expedition 28
Expedition 28
Expedition 28 was the 28th long-duration expedition to the International Space Station, starting on 23 May 2011 with the departure of the members of Expedition 27. The first three members of the expedition arrived on the ISS aboard the Soyuz TMA-21 spacecraft on 4 April 2011, and were joined on 9...
flight engineer Ron Garan conducted an EVA procedures review in preparation for the third spacewalk on flight day 10.
25 May (Flight Day 10 – EVA 3)
On flight day 10, the third spacewalk of the STS-134 mission was conducted. The spacewalk made use of a new spacewalk pre-breathe protocol, called In-Suit Light Exercise (ISLE), instead of the normal campout pre-breathe protocol. The new pre-breathe protocol had the astronauts breathe pure oxygen for 60 minutes in the airlock, which had its air pressure lowered to 10.2 Psi (703hPa). The astronauts then put their spacesuits on, performed light exercise and rested for an additional 50 minutes, breathing pure oxygen all the while. After astronauts Drew Feustel and Mike Fincke exited the Quest Airlock, the pair began installing the Power Data Grapple Fixture (PDGF). The fixture itself and most of its components were installed, but the data cable associated with it was to be installed later. The spacewalking pair then moved on and routed some new power cables from the Unity module to the Zarya module on the Russian segment of the ISS, providing a redundant power supply to the Russian segment. Feustel and Fincke then moved on to finish up the installation of the wireless video system which Fuestel and Greg Chamitoff had begun to install on EVA 1. The pair also took pictures of the Zarya module's thrusters and captured some infraredInfrared
Infrared light is electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength longer than that of visible light, measured from the nominal edge of visible red light at 0.74 micrometres , and extending conventionally to 300 µm...
video of an experiment delivered on board the Express Logistics Carrier
EXPRESS Logistics Carrier
An ExPRESS logistics carrier is an unpressurized attached payload platform for the International Space Station that provides mechanical mounting surfaces, electrical power, and command and data handling services for Orbital Replacement Units as well as science experiments on the ISS...
(ELC) 3. Commander Mark Kelly documented the spacewalk from inside the station. While the EVA was going on, pilot Greg Johnson and mission specialist Roberto Vittori
Roberto Vittori
Roberto Vittori is an Italian air force officer and an ESA astronaut. After graduating from the Italian Air Force Academy in 1989, Vittori flew in the Italian Air Force. He then trained as a test pilot in the United States....
assisted Expedition 28
Expedition 28
Expedition 28 was the 28th long-duration expedition to the International Space Station, starting on 23 May 2011 with the departure of the members of Expedition 27. The first three members of the expedition arrived on the ISS aboard the Soyuz TMA-21 spacecraft on 4 April 2011, and were joined on 9...
flight engineer Ron Garan in stowing new equipment and supplies on the ISS.
26 May (Flight Day 11)
On flight day 11, the crew of Space Shuttle Endeavour conducted a late inspection of the orbiter's Thermal Protection System. On most previous flights, this inspection was performed after the shuttle undocked from the ISS. However, in this case it was done early, because the Orbiter Boom Sensor SystemOrbiter Boom Sensor System
The Orbiter Boom Sensor System is a 50-foot boom carried on board NASA's Space Shuttles. The boom can be grappled by the Canadarm and serves as an extension of the arm, doubling its length to a combined total of 100 feet...
(OBSS) was to be left on-board the ISS after Endeavour
Expedition 28
Expedition 28 was the 28th long-duration expedition to the International Space Station, starting on 23 May 2011 with the departure of the members of Expedition 27. The first three members of the expedition arrived on the ISS aboard the Soyuz TMA-21 spacecraft on 4 April 2011, and were joined on 9...
/STS-134 crew held a news conference with reporters on the ground at NASA centers around the country and ISS partner agencies. Commander Mark Kelly also spoke to reporters from four Tucson
Tucson, Arizona
Tucson is a city in and the county seat of Pima County, Arizona, United States. The city is located 118 miles southeast of Phoenix and 60 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border. The 2010 United States Census puts the city's population at 520,116 with a metropolitan area population at 1,020,200...
, Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
television stations. Later in the crew day, the joint crew held an EVA procedure review for the fourth and final spacewalk of STS-134. Astronauts Mike Fincke and Greg Chamitoff spent the night in the Quest airlock with the air pressure reduced to 10.2 Psi, so as to avoid decompression sickness
Decompression sickness
Decompression sickness describes a condition arising from dissolved gases coming out of solution into bubbles inside the body on depressurization...
during their spacewalk. The crew and flight controllers on the ground opted not to use the In-suit Light Exercise (ISLE) protocol that was tested during EVA 3 earlier in the mission, opting instead to go with the standard campout protocol, since it was discovered that ISLE used more carbon-dioxide scrubbing capability. They wanted to save this capability, since a CO2 sensor in Chamitoff's suit had failed during EVA 1, cutting that spacewalk short.
27 May (Flight Day 12 – EVA 4)
The final spacewalk of the STS-134 mission, and the final planned spacewalk of the Space Shuttle program, was carried out on flight day 12. The EVA was conducted by Mike Fincke and Greg ChamitoffGregory Chamitoff
Gregory Errol Chamitoff is an engineer and NASA astronaut. He was assigned to Expedition 17 and flew to the International Space Station on STS-124, launching 31 May 2008. He was in space 198 days, joining Expedition 18 after Expedition 17 left the station, and returned to Earth 30 November 2008 on...
, who began the EVA by installing the Orbiter Boom Sensor System
Orbiter Boom Sensor System
The Orbiter Boom Sensor System is a 50-foot boom carried on board NASA's Space Shuttles. The boom can be grappled by the Canadarm and serves as an extension of the arm, doubling its length to a combined total of 100 feet...
(OBSS) on the Starboard 1
Integrated Truss Structure
the Integrated Truss Structure forms the backbone of the International Space Station, with mountings for unpressurized logistics carriers, radiators, solar arrays, and other equipment.-History:...
(S1) truss segment. After the OBSS was installed, Fincke and Chamitoff removed the End Effector Grapple Fixture (EFGF) and replaced it with a spare Power and Data Grapple Fixture (PDGF). The station's Canadarm2 could not grapple the EFGF, so the PDGF was installed on the end. After that task was completed, Fincke and Chamitoff moved to the Express Logistics Carrier
EXPRESS Logistics Carrier
An ExPRESS logistics carrier is an unpressurized attached payload platform for the International Space Station that provides mechanical mounting surfaces, electrical power, and command and data handling services for Orbital Replacement Units as well as science experiments on the ISS...
(ELC) 3, and released some torque on the bolts that were holding the spare arm for Dextre down against the ELC. The EVA saw the total cumulative time spent performing EVAs in support of the ISS pass the 1,000-hour mark. The three STS-134 spacewalkers spent a total time of 28 hours and 44 minutes outside the ISS on this mission. Commander Mark Kelly assisted with documenting the spacewalk by taking photos and video. In the meantime, the rest of the shuttle crew completed more equipment transfers from Endeavour and the Johannes Kepler ATV
Johannes Kepler ATV
The Johannes Kepler ATV, or Automated Transfer Vehicle 002 , was an unmanned cargo resupply spacecraft launched by the European Space Agency . It was named after the German astronomer Johannes Kepler. The spacecraft was launched on 17 February 2011, on a mission to supply the International Space...
to the ISS.
Working from the mid-deck of Endeavour, Andrew Feustel, who participated in the first three spacewalks of the mission, was the EVA 4 choreographer. Astronaut Steven Swanson
Steven Swanson
Steven Ray Swanson is an American engineer and a NASA astronaut. Swanson is married and has 3 children. Steven has received numerous awards and honors. These include the NASA Exceptional Achievement Medal and the JSC Certificate of Accommodation and many others...
was the spacewalk CAPCOM from the station flight control room in Houston. During Flight Day 12, Mike Fincke achieved a milestone, becoming the U.S. astronaut with the most time in space, more than 377 days. He surpassed the time in space of astronaut Peggy Whitson
Peggy Whitson
Peggy Annette Whitson is an American biochemistry researcher, NASA astronaut, and NASA's Chief Astronaut. Her first space mission was in 2002, with an extended stay aboard the International Space Station as a member of Expedition 5. Her second mission launched October 10, 2007, as the first female...
.
28 May (Flight Day 13)
Flight day 13 saw the members of the STS-134 crew complete several major tasks. Mission specialists Mike Fincke and Greg Chamitoff replaced an absorbent bed in the Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA). The beds have to be changed from time to time in order for the CDRA to remove CO2Carbon dioxide
Carbon dioxide is a naturally occurring chemical compound composed of two oxygen atoms covalently bonded to a single carbon atom...
. While the CDRA work was on-going, commander Mark Kelly and mission specialist Drew Feustel re-sized two of the spacesuits that will be used by Expedition 28
Expedition 28
Expedition 28 was the 28th long-duration expedition to the International Space Station, starting on 23 May 2011 with the departure of the members of Expedition 27. The first three members of the expedition arrived on the ISS aboard the Soyuz TMA-21 spacecraft on 4 April 2011, and were joined on 9...
flight engineers Ron Garan and Mike Fossum. The rest of the STS-134 crew completed more transfers between space shuttle Endeavour and the International Space Station (ISS). Commander Mark Kelly, joined by pilot Greg Johnson and Ron Garan, spoke with students, teachers and others gathered at University of Arizona
University of Arizona
The University of Arizona is a land-grant and space-grant public institution of higher education and research located in Tucson, Arizona, United States. The University of Arizona was the first university in the state of Arizona, founded in 1885...
in Tucson
Tucson, Arizona
Tucson is a city in and the county seat of Pima County, Arizona, United States. The city is located 118 miles southeast of Phoenix and 60 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border. The 2010 United States Census puts the city's population at 520,116 with a metropolitan area population at 1,020,200...
, Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
. Johnson also spoke with representatives of Gannet, KPRC-TV
KPRC-TV
KPRC-TV is the NBC affiliated television station based in Houston, Texas, and serving the Greater Houston television market. It has studios located in the Sharpstown district on the Southwest portion of the city, and has a transmitter site in unincorporated Fort Bend County near Missouri City...
and the Voice of America
Voice of America
Voice of America is the official external broadcast institution of the United States federal government. It is one of five civilian U.S. international broadcasters working under the umbrella of the Broadcasting Board of Governors . VOA provides a wide range of programming for broadcast on radio...
.
29 May (Flight Day 14)
Flight day 14 was the final day for the STS-134 crew to complete activities on-board the ISS. Pilot Greg Johnson joined Feustel early in the crew day and spoke with WJRT-TVWJRT-TV
WJRT-TV, channel 12, is the ABC-affiliated station for the Flint/Tri-Cities television market, owned by SJL Broadcasting. Its studios are located in Flint, Michigan, with offices and a second newsroom for the Tri-Cities located in Saginaw...
in Flint, Michigan
Flint, Michigan
Flint is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and is located along the Flint River, northwest of Detroit. The U.S. Census Bureau reports the 2010 population to be placed at 102,434, making Flint the seventh largest city in Michigan. It is the county seat of Genesee County which lies in the...
, WJBK-TV in Detroit, Michigan
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
, WKYC-TV
WKYC-TV
WKYC, virtual channel 3 , is an NBC-affiliated television station located in Cleveland, Ohio, owned by the Gannett Company. Its studio is located on the shores of Lake Erie, while its transmitter is located in Parma, Ohio....
in Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
and WXMI-TV in Grand Rapids, Michigan
Grand Rapids, Michigan
Grand Rapids is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. The city is located on the Grand River about 40 miles east of Lake Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 188,040. In 2010, the Grand Rapids metropolitan area had a population of 774,160 and a combined statistical area, Grand...
. The transfer of supplies and equipment was completed on flight day 14, with the transfer of 4 bags of water from the shuttle to the ISS. Mission specialist Mike Fincke completed the work on the Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA) that he and Greg Chamitoff had started the day before. Chamitoff was joined by Drew Feustel to finish stowing tools that had been used during the mission's four spacewalks. Space shuttle Endeavours small vernier thruster
Vernier thruster
A vernier thruster is a thruster used on a spacecraft for attitude control. It is a smaller thrust motor than main attitude control motors and is used for fine adjustments to the attitude or velocity of a spacecraft...
s were used to raise the ISS by about 3150 feet (960.1 m). The later part of the crew day saw the Expedition 28
Expedition 28
Expedition 28 was the 28th long-duration expedition to the International Space Station, starting on 23 May 2011 with the departure of the members of Expedition 27. The first three members of the expedition arrived on the ISS aboard the Soyuz TMA-21 spacecraft on 4 April 2011, and were joined on 9...
crew hold a farewell ceremony for the STS-134 crew. After the two crews said their farewells to one another, they got into procedures to close the hatches on the ISS and space shuttle. After the hatches were closed and secured, a series of leak checks were performed on both vehicles, and the Pressurized Mating Adapter 2 (PMA 2) was depressurized. The hatch closures marked the end of joint operations which totaled 10 days, 23 hours and 45 minutes.
30 May (Flight Day 15 – Undocking)
On flight day 15, Space Shuttle Endeavour undocked from the International Space Station. Endeavour had been docked with the ISS for 11 days, 17 hours and 41 minutes. After the shuttle undocked, pilot Greg Johnson backed Endeavour out to a distance of 450 ft (137.2 m) to 650 ft (198.1 m). Once the shuttle was at the correct distance, Johnson flew a complete lap around the ISS. After the lap was complete, an initial separation burn was completed. After the burn was complete, commander Mark Kelly took over control of the shuttle. Kelly first moved the shuttle to a point 20000 ft (6,096 m) behind and above the station, then to a point below the ISS. Kelly then guided Endeavour to a point 950 ft (289.6 m) below the ISS. This series of maneuvers was done to test the Sensor Test for Orion Relative Navigation Risk Mitigation (STORRM) sensors. For the rest of the day, the STS-134 crew conducted preparations for their reentry and landing.31 May (Flight Day 16)
On flight day 16, the members of space shuttle EndeavourRoberto Vittori
Roberto Vittori is an Italian air force officer and an ESA astronaut. After graduating from the Italian Air Force Academy in 1989, Vittori flew in the Italian Air Force. He then trained as a test pilot in the United States....
performed a checkout of Endeavour
Reaction control system
A reaction control system is a subsystem of a spacecraft whose purpose is attitude control and steering by the use of thrusters. An RCS system is capable of providing small amounts of thrust in any desired direction or combination of directions. An RCS is also capable of providing torque to allow...
(RCS) jets. This test saw Kelly, Johnson and Vittori fire each jet once. Meanwhile, Drew Feustel, Mike Fincke and Greg Chamitoff stowed items on the mid-deck for their return to Earth. Later in the crew day, they stowed the Ku band
Ku band
The Kμ band is a portion of the electromagnetic spectrum in the microwave range of frequencies. This symbol refers to —in other words, the band directly below the K-band...
antenna for re-entry. The crew also performed several experiments, including an eye exam and the Ram Burn Observation (RAMBO2) experiments, and conducted a deorbit briefing to go over the procedures for the landing. The entire crew furthermore participated in in-flight interviews with ABC News
ABC News
ABC News is the news gathering and broadcasting division of American broadcast television network ABC, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company...
, CBS News
CBS News
CBS News is the news division of American television and radio network CBS. The current chairman is Jeff Fager who is also the executive producer of 60 Minutes, while the current president of CBS News is David Rhodes. CBS News' flagship program is the CBS Evening News, hosted by the network's main...
, CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
, NBC News
NBC News
NBC News is the news division of American television network NBC. It first started broadcasting in February 21, 1940. NBC Nightly News has aired from Studio 3B, located on floors 3 of the NBC Studios is the headquarters of the GE Building forms the centerpiece of 30th Rockefeller Center it is...
and Fox News Radio
Fox News Radio
Fox News Radio is an American radio network programmed by Fox News Channel.- History :In 2003, Fox News began syndicating one minute radio updates to radio stations via syndication service Westwood One. On June 1, 2005, Fox News Radio employed 60 people and provided five minute newscasts at the top...
, and sent a crew tribute to Endeavour down to the ground.
1 June (Flight Day 17 – Re-entry and landing)
The crew was awakened by mission control at 5:57 PM Eastern TimeEastern Time Zone
The Eastern Time Zone of the United States and Canada is a time zone that falls mostly along the east coast of North America. Its UTC time offset is −5 hrs during standard time and −4 hrs during daylight saving time...
to begin flight day 17 to the song "Sunrise No. 1" by Stormy Mondays. The payload bay doors on the shuttle were closed at 10:48 p.m. EDT. At 1:29 a.m. on June 1, the de-orbit burn was initiated, finishing at 1:31 a.m. The shuttle began reentering
Atmospheric reentry
Atmospheric entry is the movement of human-made or natural objects as they enter the atmosphere of a celestial body from outer space—in the case of Earth from an altitude above the Kármán Line,...
the atmosphere at approximately 2:03 a.m. At 2:25 a.m., Endeavour crossed the Florida coast. The shuttle landed safely in Florida at around 2:35 a.m. EDT, completing its 25th and final mission into space.
Spacewalks
There were four spacewalks (EVAs) completed by three astronauts during the flight. The total time spent outside was 28 hours and 44 minutes. The EVAs are expected to be the final EVAs conducted by a shuttle crew.| EVA | Spacewalkers | Start (UTC Coordinated Universal Time Coordinated Universal Time is the primary time standard by which the world regulates clocks and time. It is one of several closely related successors to Greenwich Mean Time. Computer servers, online services and other entities that rely on having a universally accepted time use UTC for that purpose... ) |
End (UTC) | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EVA 1 | Drew Feustel Greg Chamitoff |
20 May 2011 07:10 |
20 May 2011 13:29 |
6 hours 19 minutes |
| Feustel and Chamitoff retrieved the two MISSE 7 experiments Materials International Space Station Experiment The Materials International Space Station Experiment , is a series of experiments mounted externally on the International Space Station that investigates the effects of long-term exposure of materials to the harsh space environment.... and installed a new package of MISSE 8 experiments on ELC-2, which was already on the station. They installed jumpers between segments on the left-side truss, or backbone, of the station, for ammonia Ammonia Ammonia is a compound of nitrogen and hydrogen with the formula . It is a colourless gas with a characteristic pungent odour. Ammonia contributes significantly to the nutritional needs of terrestrial organisms by serving as a precursor to food and fertilizers. Ammonia, either directly or... refills, and vented nitrogen Nitrogen Nitrogen is a chemical element that has the symbol N, atomic number of 7 and atomic mass 14.00674 u. Elemental nitrogen is a colorless, odorless, tasteless, and mostly inert diatomic gas at standard conditions, constituting 78.08% by volume of Earth's atmosphere... from an ammonia servicer. They also began to install an external wireless communication antenna on the Destiny laboratory to provide wireless communication to the Express Logistics Carriers mounted on the station's truss, but the installation was cut short due to a bad CO2 Carbon dioxide Carbon dioxide is a naturally occurring chemical compound composed of two oxygen atoms covalently bonded to a single carbon atom... sensor in Chamitoff's suit. |
||||
| EVA 2 | Feustel Mike Fincke |
22 May 2011 06:05 |
22 May 2011 14:12 |
8 hours 07 minutes |
| Feustel and Fincke refilled the Port 6 (P5) radiators with ammonia. They completed venting the early ammonia system, and lubricated the port solar alpha rotary joint and parts of Dextre, a two-armed space station robot capable of handling delicate assembly tasks currently performed by spacewalkers. Fincke also installed grapple bars on the port radiators. | ||||
| EVA 3 | Feustel Fincke |
25 May 2011 05:43 |
25 May 2011 12:37 |
6 hours 54 minutes |
| Feustel and Fincke installed a grapple fixture (a handle for the station's Canadarm2 to grab on to) on the Zarya module, to support robotic operations based from the Russian segment. They also installed additional cables to provide backup power to the Russian portion of the space station. The pair finished installing the wireless video system that was left unfinished during EVA 1. | ||||
| EVA 4 | Fincke Chamitoff |
27 May 2011 04:15 |
27 May 2011 11:39 |
7 hours 24 minutes |
| Fincke and Chamitoff stowed the shuttle's 50-foot Orbiter Boom Sensor System Orbiter Boom Sensor System The Orbiter Boom Sensor System is a 50-foot boom carried on board NASA's Space Shuttles. The boom can be grappled by the Canadarm and serves as an extension of the arm, doubling its length to a combined total of 100 feet... (OBSS) on the right-side truss on a permanent stowage fixture. The pair then retrieved a grapple from the station's left-side truss and used it as a replacement for the grapple previously on the boom. They then released restraints from one of the spare arms for Dextre and replaced thermal insulation on one of the spare gas tanks for the Quest airlock. The spacewalk marked the completion of the US Orbital Segment US Orbital Segment The US Orbital Segment is the name given to the components of the International Space Station constructed and operated by the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration , European Space Agency , Canadian Space Agency and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency .The segment currently consists of... of the ISS. |
||||
Launch attempts
Wake-up calls
NASA began a tradition of playing music to astronauts during the Gemini program, and first used music to wake up a flight crew during Apollo 15Apollo 15
Apollo 15 was the ninth manned mission in the American Apollo space program, the fourth to land on the Moon and the eighth successful manned mission. It was the first of what were termed "J missions", long duration stays on the Moon with a greater focus on science than had been possible on previous...
.
Each track is specially chosen, often by the astronauts' families, and usually has a special meaning to an individual member of the crew, or is applicable to their daily activities.
NASA opened the selection process to the public for the first time for STS-133
STS-133
STS-133 was the 133rd mission in NASA's Space Shuttle program; during the mission, Space Shuttle Discovery docked with the International Space Station. It was Discoverys 39th and final mission. The mission launched on 24 February 2011, and landed on 9 March 2011...
, where the public was invited to vote on two songs used to wake up astronauts on previous missions to wake up the STS-133 crew. For STS-134, the public was invited to submit original songs, with two songs being selected to wake up the crew of Endeavour.
| Flight Day | Song | Artist | Played for | Links |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Day 2 | "Beautiful Day Beautiful Day "Beautiful Day" is a song by the rock band U2. It is the first track from their 2000 album, All That You Can't Leave Behind, and it was released as the album's lead single. It was a commercial success, helping launch the album to multi-platinum status, and is one of U2's biggest hits to date... " |
U2 U2 U2 are an Irish rock band from Dublin. Formed in 1976, the group consists of Bono , The Edge , Adam Clayton , and Larry Mullen, Jr. . U2's early sound was rooted in post-punk but eventually grew to incorporate influences from many genres of popular music... |
Mark Kelly | WAV, MP3, OGG |
| Day 3 | "Drops of Jupiter Drops of Jupiter (Tell Me) "Drops of Jupiter " is the title of a song written and recorded by American rock band Train. It was released in February 2001 as the lead single from their second album Drops of Jupiter . The song hit the top 5 of the Billboard Hot 100 chart and also charting in the Top 40 for 29 weeks... " |
Train Train (band) Train is an American pop rock band from San Francisco, California, formed in 1994. The band currently comprises a core trio of Patrick Monahan , Jimmy Stafford and Scott Underwood .... |
Greg Johnson | WAV, MP3, OGG |
| Day 4 | "Luna Luna (song) "Luna" is the first single released from the debut album of Panamanian singer-songwriter Eddy Lover, Perdóname .-Charts:... " |
José Serrano | Gregory Chamitoff Gregory Chamitoff Gregory Errol Chamitoff is an engineer and NASA astronaut. He was assigned to Expedition 17 and flew to the International Space Station on STS-124, launching 31 May 2008. He was in space 198 days, joining Expedition 18 after Expedition 17 left the station, and returned to Earth 30 November 2008 on... |
WAV, MP3, OGG |
| Day 5 | "We All Do What We Can Do" | Dan Keenan and Kenny McLaughlin | Mike Fincke | WAV, MP3, OGG |
| Day 6 | "In View" | The Tragically Hip The Tragically Hip The Tragically Hip, often referred to simply as The Hip, is a Canadian rock band from Kingston, Ontario, consisting of Gordon Downie , Paul Langlois , Rob Baker , Gord Sinclair and Johnny Fay . Since their formation in 1983 they have released 12 studio albums, two live albums, and 46 singles... |
Drew Feustel | WAV, MP3, OGG |
| Day 7 | "Il Mio Pensiero" | Ligabue Luciano Ligabue Luciano Ligabue , more commonly known as Ligabue or Liga, is an Italian rock singer-songwriter, film director and writer.-Biography:... |
Roberto Vittori Roberto Vittori Roberto Vittori is an Italian air force officer and an ESA astronaut. After graduating from the Italian Air Force Academy in 1989, Vittori flew in the Italian Air Force. He then trained as a test pilot in the United States.... |
WAV, MP3, OGG |
| Day 8 | "Times Like These Times Like These (song) "Times Like These" is the second single released from the Foo Fighters' fourth album One by One. It was released on two main discs in 2003.... " |
Foo Fighters Foo Fighters Foo Fighters is an American alternative rock band originally formed in 1994 by Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl as a one-man project following the dissolution of his previous band. The band got its name from the UFOs and various aerial phenomena that were reported by Allied aircraft pilots in World War... |
Drew Feustel | WAV, MP3, OGG |
| Day 9 | "Svegliarsi la mattina Svegliarsi la mattina "Svegliarsi la mattina" is a pop song by Italian duo Zero Assoluto, released as the second single from the album, Appena prima di partire, on February 28, 2006.... " |
Zero Assoluto Zero Assoluto Zero Assoluto is an Italian pop / R&B duo comprising Thomas De Gasperi and Matteo Maffucci . They met each other when they were teenagers and became best friends.-History:... |
Roberto Vittori Roberto Vittori Roberto Vittori is an Italian air force officer and an ESA astronaut. After graduating from the Italian Air Force Academy in 1989, Vittori flew in the Italian Air Force. He then trained as a test pilot in the United States.... |
WAV, MP3, OGG |
| Day 10 | "Real World Real World (song) For the song by Queensrÿche, see Real World "Real World" is the fourth single off Matchbox Twenty's debut album, Yourself or Someone Like You.... " |
Matchbox Twenty Matchbox Twenty Matchbox Twenty is an American rock band, formed in Orlando, Florida in 1995... |
Greg Johnson | WAV, MP3, OGG |
| Day 11 | "Countdown Countdown (Rush song) "Countdown" is a Rush song that describes the launch of STS-1 and the Space Shuttle Columbia as the group watched from a VIP area called Red Sector A at the time. The song incorporates audio from voice communications between astronauts John W... " |
Rush Rush (band) Rush is a Canadian rock band formed in August 1968, in the Willowdale neighbourhood of Toronto, Ontario. The band is composed of bassist, keyboardist, and lead vocalist Geddy Lee, guitarist Alex Lifeson, and drummer and lyricist Neil Peart... |
Mike Fincke | WAV, MP3, OGG |
| Day 12 | "Fun, Fun, Fun Fun, Fun, Fun "Fun, Fun, Fun", written by Brian Wilson and Mike Love, was a hit single by The Beach Boys that was released in 1964 on the band's album Shut Down Volume 2.- Composition :... " |
Max Q Max Q (Astronaut band) Max Q is a Houston-based rock band whose members are all astronauts. It was formed in early 1987 by Robert L. Gibson, George Nelson and Brewster Shaw. Gibson named the band after "max Q," the engineering term for the maximum dynamic pressure from the atmosphere experienced by an ascending... |
STS-134 Crew | WAV, MP3, OGG |
| Day 13 | "Will You Carry Me?" | Michael FitzPatrick | STS-134 Crew | WAV, MP3, OGG |
| Day 14 | "Galaxy Song Galaxy Song "The Galaxy Song" is a song written by Eric Idle which originally appeared in the 1983 film Monty Python's The Meaning of Life, later being released onto the album Monty Python Sings. The song appears toward the end of a sketch named Live Organ Transplants where the 'surgeon', upon failing to... " |
Clint Black Clint Black Clint Patrick Black is an American country music singer-songwriter, record producer, multi-instrumentalist and occasional actor. Signed to RCA Records in 1989, Black made his debut with his Killin' Time album, which produced four straight Number One singles on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country... |
STS-134 Crew | WAV, MP3, OGG |
| Day 15 | "Slowness" | Calexico | Mark Kelly | WAV, MP3, OGG |
| Day 16 | "Dreams You Give" | Brian Plunkett | STS-134 Crew | WAV, MP3, OGG |
| Day 17 | "Sunrise Number 1" | Stormy Mondays | Mark Kelly | N/A |
See also
- 2011 in spaceflight2011 in spaceflightThe year 2011 saw a number of significant events in spaceflight, including the retirement of the Space Shuttle after its final flight in July 2011 and the launch of China's first space station module, Tiangong-1, in September...
- List of ISS spacewalks
- List of space shuttle missions
- List of spacewalks since 2000
- List of human spaceflights chronologically
- STS-135STS-135STS-135 was the final mission of the American Space Shuttle program. It used the orbiter Atlantis and hardware originally processed for the STS-335 contingency mission, which was not flown. STS-135 launched on 8 July and was originally scheduled to land on 20 July 2011, but the mission was...
External links
- NASA's space shuttle page
- NASA's STS-134 mission page
- An animated movie of the STS-134 mission showing the installation of AMS-02 (72MB)
- Inofficial Site providing realtime Updates and Mission Info
- Spherical panorama of Endeavour at the center of the windscreen in OPF-2
- Spherical panorama of Endeavour at the Aft Fuselage Access Hatch in OPF-2
- Spherical panorama of Endeavour at the Left SSME in OPF-2
- Spherical panorama of Endeavour at the tail in OPF-2
- Spherical panorama of Endeavour at the top of the lift for Lift & Mate in the VAB
- Spherical panorama of Endeavour on Pad 39A at the tail
- Spherical panorama of Endeavour on Pad 39A between SSME and right booster
- Spherical panorama of Endeavour on Pad 39A under the stack at the ET/Orbiter fuel feeds