STS-122 Fact Sheet

By Cliff Lethbridge

STS-122 – Atlantis

121st Space Shuttle Mission

29th Flight of Atlantis

Crew:

Steve Frick, Commander

Alan Poindexter, Pilot

Rex Walheim, Mission Specialist

Stanley Love, Mission Specialist

Leland Melvin, Mission Specialist

Hans Schlegel, Mission Specialist

Leopold Eyharts, Mission Specialist, Embarking to International Space Station

Daniel Tani, Flight Engineer, Returning from International Space Station

Orbiter Preparations:

Tow to Orbiter Processing Facility – July 4, 2007

Rollover to Vehicle Assembly Building – November 3, 2007

Rollout to Launch Pad 39A – November 10, 2007

Launch:

February 7, 2008 – 2:45 p.m. EST. Launch was originally scheduled for December, 2007 but was postponed twice after false readings occurred in the engine cutoff sensor while the External Fuel Tank was being filled. Launch on February 7 occurred on time with no delays.

Landing:

February 20, 2008 – 9:07 a.m. EST at Runway 15, Kennedy Space Center. Mission Duration was 12 days, 18 hours, 21 minutes, 44 seconds.

Mission Summary:

The mission delivered and installed the European Space Agency’s Columbus Laboratory to the International Space Station (ISS). There were three spacewalks during the mission. The first spacewalk occurred on February 11, and lasted 7 hours, 58 minutes. Astronauts Love and Walheim installed a grapple fixture on Columbus and prepared electrical and data connections to the module. The ISS robotic arm then grabbed Columbus and moved it to the starboard side of ISS.

The second spacewalk was conducted on February 13 and lasted 6 hours, 45 minutes. Astronauts Walheim and Schlegel replaced a nitrogen tank on ISS, performed minor repairs to the Destiny Laboratory debris shield and prepared for the final spacewalk of the mission. The third and final spacewalk of the mission occurred on February 15 and lasted 7 hours, 25 minutes. Astronauts Love and Walheim installed external experiments to the outside of Columbus.