As the Space Shuttle STS98/Atlantis crew worked on board the International Space Station (ISS), the Space Shuttle Discovery was moved to launch pad 39B at the Kennedy Space Center on 12 February in preparation for its launch to the ISS on 8 March.
STS102/Discovery will carry the second ISS expedition crew and return the first crew, launched last October. The mission will also deliver equipment to the ISS on board Leonardo, the first Italian-built multi-purpose logistics module, which allows payloads to be delivered to the ISS in a pressurised environment.
As the pace builds in the assembly and maintenance of the ISS, STS100/Endeavour is scheduled for another mission in April. It will be followed by further ISS flights in May, June and September.
Crews for these missions are already in training and a Columbia crew is preparing for a Shuttle science mission in August. This is the largest complement of astronauts in mission-specific training simultaneously.
Meanwhile, the US laboratory module Destiny, which was carried into orbit by STS98, is fully operational, supporting other parts of the station.
The four gyroscopes on the Russian Zvezda module, which allow the ISS to manoeuvre, are also fully operational following their connection to the computer control system aboard Destiny and to the US solar array power system. Previously, the ISS was moved using expensive thruster firings.
The computer and avionics system inside Destiny has taken over control from Russian systems on the Zarya and Zvezda modules. Furthermore, a docking adapter has been moved from its stowed position on Destiny to a permanent position at the rear, to allow further Shuttle missions to proceed.
Destiny was inhabited for the first time on 11 February when the Expedition Crew 1 and STS98 crew members met. The $1.4 billion module adds 40% volume to the ISS, giving it more habitable space than the US Skylab or the Russian Mir space station.
Destiny will not be used for science experiments until the first unit arrives in March aboard the next Shuttle.
Source: Flight International
