STS-127

STS-127

Canadarm2 grapples the exposed facility of Kibō, prior to its installation on the ISS
Names	Space Transportation System-127
Mission type	ISS assembly
Operator	NASA
COSPAR ID	2009-038A
SATCAT no.	35633
Mission duration	15 days, 16 hours, 44 minutes, 58 seconds
Distance travelled	10,537,748 kilometres (6,547,853 mi)
Orbits completed	248[1]
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft	Space Shuttle Endeavour
Crew
Crew size	7
Members	Timothy Kopra
Landing	Koichi Wakata
Start of mission
Launch date	July 15, 2009, 22:03 (2009-07-15UTC22:03Z) UTC
Launch site	Kennedy LC-39A
End of mission
Landing date	July 31, 2009, 14:48 (2009-07-31UTC14:49Z) UTC
Landing site	Kennedy SLF Runway 15
Orbital parameters
Reference system	Geocentric
Regime	Low Earth
Perigee altitude	344 kilometres (214 mi)[2]
Apogee altitude	351 kilometres (218 mi)[2]
Inclination	51.6 degrees[1][2]
Period	91.48 minutes[2]
Epoch	July 18, 2009[2]
Docking with PMA-2 (Harmony forward)
Docking date	July 17, 2009 17:47 UTC
Undocking date	July 28, 2009 17:26 UTC
Time docked	10 days, 23 hours, 41 minutes
From left to right: Wolf, Cassidy, Hurley, Payette, Polansky, Marshburn, and Kopra Space Shuttle program ← STS-125 STS-128 →

STS-127 (

16 days later at 10:48 EDT on July 31, 2009.

Crew

Position[1][NASA 1][NASA 3]	Launching Astronaut	Landing Astronaut
Commander	Mark L. Polansky Third and last spaceflight
Pilot	Douglas G. Hurley First spaceflight
Mission Specialist 1	Christopher J. Cassidy First spaceflight
Mission Specialist 2	Julie Payette, CSA Second and last spaceflight
Mission Specialist 3	Thomas H. Marshburn First spaceflight
Mission Specialist 4	David Wolf Fourth and last spaceflight
Mission Specialist 5	Timothy Kopra Expedition 20 First spaceflight	JAXA Expedition 20 Third spaceflight
STS-127 marked the first time that two Canadian astronauts, Robert Thirsk and Julie Payette, were in space at the same time. Christopher Cassidy was the 500th person to fly in space.[16]

Mission payload

Endeavour carried a wide variety of equipment and cargo in the payload bay, with the largest item being the Kibō Japanese Experiment Module Exposed Facility (JEM EF), and the Kibō Japanese Experiment Logistics Module – Exposed Section (ELM-ES).^{[NASA 1]} The exposed facility is a part of Kibō that will allow astronauts to perform science experiments that are exposed to the vacuum of space. The exposed section is similar to the logistics module on the Kibō laboratory, but is not pressurized.^{[NASA 1]} Once its payloads were transferred to the JEM EF, the ELM-ES was returned to the payload bay.

Also inside the payload bay was an

A set of experiments to be deployed on the ISS were carried by STS-127, including Dosimetry for Biological Experiments in Space (ESA), Validation of Procedures for Monitoring Crew Member Immune Function, the student-made Image Reversal in Space (CSA/ISU), Nutritional Status Assessment (NASA), NASA Biological Specimen Repository and Tomatosphere-II (CSA).^{[NASA 1]}

The STS-127 Official Flight Kit (OFK) included water samples from each of the five

The docking module was also mounted with the DragonEye 3D Flash LIDAR ranging system manufactured by Advanced Scientific Concepts, Inc. The module was launched to test the docking system which will be used by the commercial SpaceX Dragon re-usable cargo carrier to send supplies to the ISS during the post-shuttle era. The Dragon spacecraft made its successful maiden flight in December 2010.^[19]

Mission milestones

The mission marked:^[1]

• 158th NASA crewed space flight
• 128th Space Shuttle mission
• 127th shuttle mission since STS-1
• 23rd flight of Space Shuttle Endeavour
• 29th shuttle mission to the ISS
• 102nd post-Challenger mission
• 14th post-Columbia mission
• 1st time that two Canadians have been in space at the same moment

Shuttle processing

Endeavour served as the

Endeavour moved from Launch Pad 39B to 39A on May 31, 2009, in preparation for STS-127.[21]^{[NASA 7]} The crew of STS-127 arrived at Kennedy Space Center on June 2, 2009, for the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (TCDT) that concluded with a full launch dress rehearsal.^{[NASA 7][22][23]} The Flight Readiness Review (FRR), a meeting during which NASA managers assess mission preparations and officially set the launch date, concluded on June 3, 2009.^{[NASA 8]} For the first time, live status updates about the FRR were published periodically during the meeting via NASA's Twitter stream.^{[NASA 8]}

Launch attempts

The launch countdown began June 10, 2009, but on June 13, 2009, as tanking was underway, a gaseous hydrogen leak on a vent line near the Ground Umbilical Carrier Plate was observed, and the June 13, 2009, launch was scrubbed at 00:26 EDT. As liquid hydrogen fuel is pumped in, some of it boils off as the extremely cold liquid enters the warm external tank. The vent line valve controls the resulting buildup of gas pressure by allowing excess gas to escape into a ground-side vent line, which leads to a

A second launch attempt was made on June 17, 2009, for which NASA moved the planned launch of the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter to a new date. On June 17, 2009, loading of the shuttle's external tank with liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen was delayed three hours due to poor weather around the launch site, but tanking began once the weather cleared. Approximately two hours after tanking began, engineers saw leak indications in the GUCP similar to those seen during the first launch attempt. The launch was officially scrubbed at 01:55 EDT.^[11]

Following the launch scrub, Chairman of NASA's Mission Management Team LeRoy Cain noted that engineers would work to understand the hydrogen leak issue and come up with a solution to the problem. Cain said managers were hopeful that the issue could be resolved in time for the next available launch opportunity on July 11, 2009.^[24] Due to the delay of STS-127, managers noted that it was likely that the launch of STS-128 on August 7, 2009, would be pushed back slightly.^[24]

On July 1, 2009, the shuttle managers conducted a new series of tanking tests to confirm a hypothesis that a misaligned vent port housing was the root cause of the leaks. The existing rigid seal was replaced with a flexible one in the hope that it would maintain a tight fix even under the cryogenic conditions that seem to cause the leak. The test was declared a success with no leaks detected on the GUCP. The mission was announced to be targeting a July 11, 2009, launch.^[25][26] On the evening of July 10, 2009, the launch pad region was hit by eleven strikes of lightning, which pushed back the July 11, 2009, launch time by at least 24 hours. Two of the strikes were strong enough to trigger an evaluation by NASA engineers. The inspections revealed that no damage had been done to the Space Shuttle.^{[NASA 9]}

NASA scrubbed Endeavour' July 12, 2009, launch attempt at

On July 15, 2009, at 18:03:10 EDT, the launch was finally successful.[33] Upon reviewing the launch video footage, imagery analysts noted eight or nine instances of foam shedding from the External Tank.^[34] The pictures of the external tank taken when jettisoning showed loss of foam in the intertank ribbing.^[35] The chairman of the Mission Management Team was not concerned and felt that the Space Shuttle would be cleared for re-entry on its return voyage—which it was a few days later.^{[36][37][NASA 11]} The payload doors were opened after reaching orbit followed by deployment of the K_u band antenna and activation of the shuttle's mechanical arm.^[38]

• 
  Liftoff of Space Shuttle Endeavour from Launch Pad 39A
• 
  Wide angle view of Endeavour lifting off the pad

July 16 (Flight Day 2)

The thermal protection system was inspected with the Shuttle Robotic Arm/Orbiter Boom Sensor System (OBSS) and the voluminous data downlinked for analysis. The orbital maneuvering system pods were inspected for tile damage or protruding tiles. The extravehicular mobility units were checked in addition to the rendezvous system tests and centerline camera installation. In preparation for the docking, the docking ring was extended.^{[38][NASA 12]}

July 17 (Flight Day 3, ISS Docking)

The shuttle successfully docked with the station 220 miles (350 km) above the Earth, following rendezvous pitch maneuver (RPM) photography of Endeavour's thermal protection system by the Expedition 20 Crew.^[39] During this procedure, the shuttle flips over on its back to the station so that the station crew can capture high resolution imagery of the underside of the shuttle. The docking happened on the ISS's PMA-2 (Pressurized Mating Adapter) on the Harmony module and the hatch was opened after leak checks. As part of the crew swap, station crew member Koichi Wakata was replaced with Tim Kopra. The two astronauts specially fitted seatliners were interchanged.^{[NASA 13]} As part of preparation for EVA 1, astronauts Wolf and Kopra camped out in the Quest airlock. A quick review of the RPM imagery showed no serious concerns beyond two instances of coating loss. Further analysis of the imagery will be done. A boost of the station was completed with the shuttle's vernier thrusters to avoid a piece of space debris. The SRBs were retrieved and their camera imagery is expected to give more detail on the ET foam shedding.^[15]

• 
  Endeavour from ISS before docking
• 
  One of Endeavour's aft flight deck windows frames the nearby International Space Station.
• 
  Astronaut Christopher Cassidy uses a rangefinder to determine the distance to ISS before docking
• 
  RPM image of Endeavour as taken from ISS

July 18 (Flight Day 4, EVA 1)

EVA 1 started with astronauts Dave Wolf and Tim Kopra switching their spacesuit power to internal battery at 16:19 UTC. Despite a communication problem with the spacewalkers, the Japanese Exposed Facility was successfully installed on the Japanese Experiment Module by means of a complex series of steps involving the robotic arms of both the station and the shuttle.^{[NASA 14]} The JEF was first unberthed from the shuttle payload bay by the station arm, after which the shuttle arm took the load. The station arm was then moved to the worksite on Node-2 (Harmony), wherefrom it took the 4.1 ton facility back. The facility was then successfully latched on to the Experiment Module.^[40][41][42] As part of the EVA, the spacewalkers successfully deployed the port Unpressurized Cargo Carrier Attach System (UCCAS), which could not be deployed during STS-119. During the prior mission, the deployment failed due to a jamming caused by a stuck detent pin. Engineers designed a custom tool to force the pin to release, which was used to deploy the mechanism.^[43] Meanwhile, the shuttle managers announced that there would be no need for a focused inspection of the heat shield. The nose cap and wing leading-edge panels of the shuttle were cleared for entry as they were, but a reentry clearance was not given.^{[NASA 14]} Beyond one impact site having a gouge, the rest of the impacts were found to be mostly a loss of coating.^[44] The other activity scheduled for EVA 1, the deployment of a starboard side cargo carrier, was postponed for want of time.^[43] A fuel cell issue found before launch was analyzed, though the cell continued to function as expected with no impact to the mission.^[40]

• 
  Tim Kopra working to prepare the

  Kibō laboratory

  and the Japanese Exposed Facility (JEF) for the JEF installation on Kibō, during space walk 1.
• 
  JEF in the grasp of the shuttle's robotic arm.

July 19 (Flight Day 5)

The installation of the Integrated Cargo Carrier-Vertical Light Deployable (ICC-VLD) on the port side of the station was successfully completed with the use of both the shuttle and station robotic arms. The cargo pallet, containing spares and fresh batteries for the station, was lifted out of the shuttle bay by the shuttle arm and handed off to the station's Canadarm2, which maneuvered it to its position. The pallet's contents will be set up in upcoming EVAs. A malfunction in a new toilet in the Destiny laboratory caused the crew to use the one in the Russian segment while attempts were made to identify the fault. Meanwhile, the shuttle was cleared for reentry.^{[NASA 15][45][46][47]}

July 20 (Flight Day 6, EVA 2)

Astronauts Wolf and Marshburn began EVA 2 at 15:27 UTC out of the Quest airlock. The EVA was to transfer the spare components brought by the shuttle from the ICC-VLD to

• 
  Dave Wolf performs his second space walk, which is also the second of five scheduled space walks for STS-127.
• 
  Tom Marshburn performs his first space walk, the STS-127 crew's second of the five scheduled.
• 
  Another view of Marshburn during his first space walk.

July 21 (Flight Day 7)

In one of the more relaxed days, the Japanese logistics carrier was attached to the Japanese Exposed Facility. The cargo pallet was unberthed from the shuttle by the shuttle's robotic arm and handed to the station's robotic arm which then soft fixed it temporarily to the facility. After the experiments, containing an X-ray astronomy payload, a space environment monitor and a communications system, are installed the pallet will be returned to Earth by the shuttle.^{[NASA 17][51]}

July 22 (Flight Day 8, EVA 3)

The spacewalk involving astronauts Wolf and Cassidy started at 14:32 UTC. As part of preparation for experiment installation on the Japanese external science deck, Cassidy removed the thermal covers off the experiment carrier. Meanwhile, Wolf removed obstructions, consisting of a steel handrail and an equipment installation socket, from the Harmony node to clear the way for an upcoming Japanese automated resupply ship. The other task for EVA 3, involving replacement of four of the six batteries in the P6 truss, did not go as planned. Each 170 kg (375 lb) battery was to be removed and placed in a temporary stowage platform while a new one is taken from the ICC-VLD and fixed. The old ones will be returned to Earth. When two new batteries had been installed and three old ones removed, the CO₂ levels in Cassidy's suit showed an upward trend. Even though it never exceeded the safety limits, the EVA was called off with both astronauts returning into the station. This left one old battery in a temporary flexible stowage position. The rest of the batteries will be installed in a future EVA with the rest of the EVAs being under replanning.^{[NASA 18][52][53][54]}

July 23 (Flight Day 9)

The Kibō robotic arm was inaugurated operationally with it being used to install experiments on to the Japanese exposed facility. The three experiments, transferred from the Japanese cargo pallet, consisted of

The fourth spacewalk, by Cassidy and Marshburn, involved replacement of the final four of the six batteries on P6 truss integrated electronics assembly. After berthing the old batteries in the ICC-VLD, the cargo pallet was returned to the Endeavour's payload bay by the shuttle's robotic arm. The elevated levels of CO₂ in Cassidy's suit during EVA 3 was attributed to the astronaut working at a fast pace.[NASA 21]^[56][57]

July 25 (Flight Day 11)

The crew of both the shuttle and station had a day off. The day was uneventful except for the station's American CO₂ removal system shutting down without any immediate impact.^{[NASA 22][58][59]}

July 26 (Flight Day 12)

The Japanese Exposed Section cargo carrier was berthed in Endeavour's payload bay by the shuttle's robotic arm after it was handed the pallet by the station's robotic arm. After this the crew of both the station and the shuttle held a joint news conference. Meanwhile, the malfunctioning American CO₂ removal system has been transitioned to manual mode in order to keep it running.^{[NASA 23][60][61]}

July 27 (Flight Day 13, EVA 5)

Cassidy and Marshburn started EVA 5 at 11:33 UTC when they switched their suit power to internal battery. For this spacewalk, the CO₂ absorbent system in the suits were changed from

After a crew farewell Endeavour undocked from the ISS at 17:26 UTC. Unlike most other launches, hatch closure, which happened at 15:08 UTC, and undocking happened on the same day due to the extended delay in launching and the arrival of the Progress 34 cargo craft. After undocking Hurley began a fly around of the station giving the shuttle crew an opportunity to photograph the station's current configuration in all directions. Then a final separation burn was completed at 3:09 pm EDT.^{[NASA 25][66][67]}

• 
  Endeavour shortly after the shuttle and station post-undocking separation.
• 
  ISS shortly after the shuttle and station post-undocking separation with the JEF prominently seen.

July 29 (Flight Day 15)

The OBSS was grappled by the shuttle's robotic arm and used to inspect Endeavour's thermal protection system for damage from orbital debris. The imagery will be analyzed to clear the shuttle for reentry.^{[NASA 26]} Meanwhile, the foam loss on the external tank was initially attributed to substrate contamination ahead of the application of the foam.^[68] Later during the processing of STS-128, voids in the foam was highlighted as a trigger for the shedding. The air trapped in the voids could have expanded due to the high temperatures generated during ascent thus breaking the foam.^[69][70]

July 30 (Flight Day 16)

The crew checked out the shuttle's systems for the landing, and successfully deployed the DRAGONSat and ANDE-2 satellites. The shuttle was cleared for reentry, with the TPS imagery showing no concerns.^{[NASA 27][71][72]} The shuttle tracked two chances of landing at KSC on July 31, and could land no later due to its limited carbon dioxide-scrubbing LiOH supply.^[73]

July 31 (Flight Day 17, Landing)

After a 16-day mission, Endeavour landed successfully at Kennedy Space Center at 10:48 EDT on July 31, 2009. The landing had to be undertaken before August 1, due to CO₂-scrubbing lithium hydroxide limitations. There were two opportunities to land on July 31, of which the first was ultimately utilized.^{[NASA 28][74]}

• 
  Endeavour touches down at Kennedy Space Center.
• 
  Endeavour deploys its drag chute to aid deceleration.

EVAs

Five

Wikinews has related news:

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Media

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References

Notes

Inline citations

NASA

 This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

.

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4. ^ ^{a b} Carey Noll for NASA. "ANDE (Castor and Pollux)". NASA. Archived from the original on June 12, 2009. Retrieved June 12, 2009.
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14. ^ ^{a b c} "STS-127 MCC Status Report #07". NASA. July 18, 2009. Retrieved July 19, 2009.
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26. ^ "STS-127 MCC Status Report #29". NASA. July 29, 2009. Retrieved July 30, 2009.
27. ^ "STS-127 MCC Status Report #31". NASA. July 30, 2009. Retrieved July 31, 2009.
28. ^ "STS-127 MCC Status Report #32". NASA. July 31, 2009. Retrieved July 31, 2009.
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30. ^ Fries, Colin (June 25, 2007). "Chronology of Wakeup Calls" (PDF). NASA. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 20, 2023. Retrieved August 13, 2007.
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32. ^ "STS-127 Wakeup Calls". NASA. Archived from the original on July 23, 2009. Retrieved July 28, 2009.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to STS-127.

• SpaceFlightNow's Mission Status Center for STS-127
• NASA's Space Shuttle page
• NASA's STS-127 page
• Mark Polansky on Twitter
• NASA's Twitter page