STS-121 Fact Sheet

By Cliff Lethbridge

STS-121 – Discovery

115th Space Shuttle Mission

32nd Flight of Discovery

Crew:

Steven Lindsey, Commander

Mark Kelly, Pilot

Piers Sellers, Mission Specialist

Michael Fossum, Mission Specialist

Lisa Nowak, Mission Specialist

Stephanie Wilson, Mission Specialist

Thomas Reiter, Mission Specialist

Orbiter Preparations:

Tow to Orbiter Processing Facility – August 22, 2005

Rollover to Vehicle Assembly Building – May 12, 2006

Rollout to Launch Pad 39B – May 19, 2006

Launch:

July 4, 2006 – 2:38 p.m. EDT. Launch attempts on July 1 and July 2 were scrubbed to bad weather at the Kennedy Space Center. July 4 launch occurred on time with no delays.

Landing:

July 17, 2006 – 9:15 a.m. EDT at Runway 15, Kennedy Space Center. Rollout time was 66 seconds. Mission duration was 12 days, 18 hours, 37 minutes, 54 seconds.

Mission Summary:

The main payload was the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module (MPLM) LEONARDO. About 7,400 pounds of supplies and equipment were transferred from LEONARDO to the International Space Station (ISS) and about 4,600 pounds of materials were returned to Earth aboard LEONARDO. There were three spacewalks during the mission.

The first spacewalk lasted 7 hours, 31 minutes. Astronauts Sellers and Fossum installed a blade blocker on the S0 Truss to protect an undamaged power, data and video cable. They rerouted the cable in order to move the mobile transporter rail cart. They also tested a method of transporting spacewalking astronauts to the underbelly of the Shuttle to make repairs if necessary.

The second spacewalk lasted 6 hours, 47 minutes. Astronauts Sellers and Fossum restored the mobile transporter rail cart to full operation. The third spacewalk lasted 7 hours, 11 minutes. Astronauts Sellers and Fossum tested methods of repairing the Shuttle’s thermal protection system and evaluated a thermal imaging camera. Astronaut Reiter remained aboard ISS, and Discovery returned to Earth with one astronaut less than when it was launched.