National Aeronautics and Space Administration SPACE SHUTTLE MISSION STS-133 PRESS KIT/November 2010 The Final Flight of Discovery www.nasa.gov CONTENTS Section Page MISSION OVERVIEW ............................................................................................................... 1 TIMELINE OVERVIEW .............................................................................................................. 9 MISSION PROFILE ................................................................................................................... 11 MISSION OBJECTIVES ............................................................................................................ 13 MISSION PERSONNEL ............................................................................................................. 15 DISCOVERY CREW .................................................................................................................. 17 PAYLOAD OVERVIEW .............................................................................................................. 25 PERMANENT MULTIPURPOSE MODULE ................................................................................................ 25 EXPRESS LOGISTICS CARRIER 4 ......................................................................................................... 31 ROBONAUT 2 ....................................................................................................................................... 34 RENDEZVOUS & DOCKING ....................................................................................................... 37 UNDOCKING, SEPARATION AND DEPARTURE ....................................................................................... 38 SPACEWALKS ......................................................................................................................... 39 EXPERIMENTS ......................................................................................................................... 45 SHORT-DURATION EXPERIMENTS TO BE PERFORMED ON STS-133 ..................................................... 45 RESEARCH SAMPLES/HARDWARE TO BE DELIVERED TO STATION ON DISCOVERY .............................. 47 RESEARCH SAMPLES/HARDWARE TO BE RETURNED ON DISCOVERY .................................................. 51 SPACE SHUTTLE DETAILED TEST OBJECTIVES (DTO) AND DETAILED SUPPLEMENTARY OBJECTIVES (DSO) .............................................................................................................................. 53 HISTORY OF SPACE SHUTTLE DISCOVERY ............................................................................. 57 SHUTTLE REFERENCE DATA .................................................................................................... 61 NOVEMBER 2010 CONTENTS i Section Page LAUNCH AND LANDING ........................................................................................................... 79 LAUNCH ............................................................................................................................................... 79 ABORT TO ORBIT ................................................................................................................................. 79 TRANSATLANTIC ABORT LANDING ...................................................................................................... 79 RETURN TO LAUNCH SITE .................................................................................................................... 79 ABORT ONCE AROUND ......................................................................................................................... 79 LANDING ............................................................................................................................................. 79 ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS ......................................................................................... 81 MEDIA ASSISTANCE ............................................................................................................... 95 PUBLIC AFFAIRS CONTACTS .................................................................................................. 97 ii CONTENTS NOVEMBER 1020 MISSION OVERVIEW At NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, space shuttle Discovery is poised for the STS-133 launch from Launch Pad 39A following the roughly six-hour journey, known as “rollout,” from the Vehicle Assembly Building to the pad. Image credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann As space shuttle Discovery heads to the 4:40 p.m. EDT on Monday, Nov. 1. The flight is International Space Station on its final mission, designated Utilization and Logistics Flight 5 it will be taking with it two key components – (ULF5), in the assembly sequence of the space the Italian-built Permanent Multipurpose station. Module (PMM) and Express Logistics Carrier 4 (ELC4) – that will provide spare parts and The commander for Discovery’s final flight is storage capacity to the orbiting complex. veteran astronaut Steve Lindsey (Colonel, Discovery also will deliver Robonaut 2, which USAF, Retired). He will be joined by Pilot will become the first humanoid robot in space. Eric Boe (Colonel, USAF) and Mission Specialists Timothy Kopra (Colonel, U.S. The 39th flight of NASA’s most flown shuttle is Army), Dr. Michael Barratt, Nicole Stott and scheduled to last 11 days, beginning at Alvin Drew (Colonel, USAF Retired). NOVEMBER 2010 MISSION OVERVIEW 1 While seated at the commander’s station, NASA astronaut Steve Lindsey, STS-133 commander, participates in a post insertion/deorbit training session in the crew compartment trainer in the Space Vehicle Mock-up Facility at NASA’s Johnson Space Center. Lindsey is wearing a training version of his shuttle launch and entry suit. Lindsey has flown four times before, including Expedition 20 and Stott served as a member of twice on Space Shuttle Discovery. He was pilot Expeditions 20 and 21, all in 2009. on STS-95, where Senator John Glenn served as a payload specialist. Lindsey also commanded Discovery will spend two days heading toward STS-121, a return to flight mission in July 2006. its rendezvous with the International Space Station. On the second day of the flight, the Boe previously served as the pilot of STS-126 in crew will perform the standard scan of the November 2008, which delivered a number of shuttle’s thermal protection system using the supplies and new equipment to the station. orbiter boom sensor system attached to the end Drew flew on STS-118 in August 2007, which of Discovery’s robotic arm. While the delivered a piece of the station’s truss structure. inspection is underway, Kopra, Drew and Stott Kopra, Barratt and Stott are all previous will work on preparing the spacesuits onboard residents of the International Space Station. the shuttle that will be transferred to the station Barratt served as a member of Expeditions 19 after docking and will be used during the and 20, Kopra served as a member of mission’s two spacewalks. 2 MISSION OVERVIEW NOVEMBER 2010 NASA astronauts Michael Barratt (foreground), Alvin Drew (left background) and Tim Kopra, all STS-133 mission specialists, participate in a training session in an International Space Station mock-up/trainer in the Space Vehicle Mock-up Facility at NASA’s Johnson Space Center. On the third day of the flight, Discovery will starboard truss, right next to where the Alpha approach and dock with the space station. Magnetic Spectrometer will be installed on After the hatches are opened between the two STS-134. That mission also will deliver ELC3, spacecraft, both crews will begin working on which will be the final logistics carrier installed transferring items between the two vehicles. on the station. It will be positioned on the Before the end of the day, they will use the upper outboard attachment point on the port station’s robotic arm to retrieve ELC4 from side. inside the shuttle’s payload bay and install it in the lower inboard position on the starboard Flight day 4 will be focused on more transfer side of the station’s truss structure. The cargo work, as well as preparations by Kopra and carrier weighs 8,235 pounds. ELC1 and 2 were Drew for their spacewalk the next day. Both placed on the on the station’s truss structure crews will walk through the choreography of during STS-129. ELC1 is mounted on the lower the spacewalk, and both Kopra and Drew will inboard position on the port side of the station. spend the night camped out inside the Quest ELC2 is on the upper outboard side of the airlock. NOVEMBER 2010 MISSION OVERVIEW 3 The main activity for flight day 5 will be the camera wedge, which will allow access to the spacewalk itself. While outside, Kopra and external camera that is mounted on the Drew will install a power extension cable that starboard side of the station. This camera is could be used between Unity and Tranquility in located very close to where ELC4 will be the event Tranquility ever loses power. It needs installed, and to allow enough clearance for to be installed before the PMM is secured in future spare parts to be loaded onto the carrier, place because of access to the work area. They this wedge will tilt the camera stanchion out of will move the failed ammonia pump that the way. Also, Kopra and Drew will install two Doug Wheelock and Tracy Caldwell Dyson rail stubs, which are small extensions on the removed during Expedition 24 from its end of the station’s mobile transporter rail. temporary stowage location on the station’s These stubs will