STS-108 Fact Sheet

By Cliff Lethbridge

STS-108 – Endeavour

107th Space Shuttle Mission

17th Flight of Endeavour

Crew:

Dominick Gorie, Commander

Mark Kelly, Pilot

Linda Godwin, Mission Specialist

Daniel Tani, Mission Specialist

Yuri Onufrienko, Embarking to International Space Station

Daniel Bursch, Embarking to International Space Station

Carl Walz, Embarking to International Space Station

Frank Culbertson, Returning from International Space Station

Vladimir Dezhurov, Returning from International Space Station

Mikhail Tyurin, Returning from International Space Station

Orbiter Preparations:

Tow to Orbiter Processing Facility – May 10, 2001

Rollover to Vehicle Assembly Building – October 24, 2001

Rollout to Launch Pad 39B – October 31, 2001

Launch:

December 5, 2001 – 5:19 p.m. EST. Launch was originally scheduled for November 29 but was postponed to December 4 to allow sufficient time for the International Space Station (ISS) crew to perform a spacewalk to clear an obstruction on the latching mechanism on a Russian Progress supply vehicle. December 4 launch attempt was scrubbed due to cloud cover and rain at the Kennedy Space Center Shuttle Landing Facility (SLF). December 5 launch occurred on time with no delays.

Landing:

December 17, 2001 – 12:55 p.m. EST at Runway 15, Kennedy Space Center. Rollout distance was 8,941 feet. Rollout time was 1 minute, 7 seconds. Mission duration was 11 days, 19 hours, 55 minutes. Landing occurred during the 186th orbit.

Mission Summary:

Endeavour brought three astronauts to ISS and returned three astronauts from ISS to Earth. The main payload was the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module (MLPM) RAFFAELLO. About 5,000 pounds of supplies and equipment were transferred from RAFFAELLO to ISS. The astronauts took a break from their tasks on December 11, the three-month anniversary of the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. The U.S. and Russian national anthems were played at 8:46 a.m. to mark the official three month anniversary of the first attack on the World Trade Center.

Endeavour carried 6,000 small U.S. flags to be distributed to the families of victims of the attacks. Also flown was a U.S. flag recovered at the World Trade Center, a U.S. flag that had flown above the Pennsylvania capitol, a U.S. Marine Corps Colors flag from the Pentagon, a New York Fire Department flag and a poster that included photos of firefighters lost during the attacks.

One spacewalk was conducted during the mission. It lasted 4 hours, 12 minutes. Astronauts Godwin and Tani installed insulation on mechanisms that rotate the ISS solar arrays and retrieved a cover in a stowage bin that had been left there during a previous spacewalk. The two spacewalkers also positioned two switches on the ISS exterior that would be installed during a future spacewalk.

One of three of Endeavour’s Inertial Measurement Units (IMU) failed during the flight. IMU-2 began working again during the mission, but was kept off-line as a precautionary measure. With two other IMU’s working, the loss of IMU-2 had no adverse impact on the mission.

 

SELECTED NASA PHOTOS FROM STS-108