STS-122: NASA and ESA Press Releases

• #80 by jacqmans on 16 Feb, 2008 06:32
• STS-122 Report #17
  
  Friday, February 15, 2008 - 5:00 p.m. CST
  Mission Control Center, Houston, Texas
   
  HOUSTON - Astronauts Rex Walheim and Stan Love today spent seven hours and 25 minutes completing the third and final spacewalk of the STS-122 mission. Walheim and Love worked to transfer the first of two external experiment facilities - an observatory used to monitor the sun, called SOLAR - to the Columbus module for installation. Pilot Alan Poindexter worked to guide Walheim and Love from inside the International Space Station, while Mission Specialist Leland Melvin operated the station's robotic arm to guide the astronauts and experiments to the proper locations.
  
  After the installation of SOLAR, the crew transferred a failed gyroscope that controls the orientation of the ISS into Atlantis' payload bay so it can be returned to Earth. The two astronauts completed the final major objective of the mission by installing a second experiment onto the outside of Columbus, the European Technology Exposure Facility (EuTEF). This experiment will allow scientists to expose experiments to the vacuum and elements of space.
  
  Once this work was completed, Walheim and Love examined a damaged handrail on the outside of the station's Quest airlock. They used an improvised tool covered with spacewalk overglove material to rub the area to see if it could be the source of some glove abrasions that have been noticed on recent activity outside the station. Mission managers in Houston will discuss the results to determine if the area is indeed the source of the issue.
  
  Tomorrow at 6:17 a.m., the shuttle will fire its propulsion system for 31 minutes and 13 seconds in order to re-boost the orbit of the ISS. This will allow the station to achieve the proper alignment needed in advance of next month's arrival of Endeavour on the STS-123 mission.
  
  A crew news conference is scheduled for 7:40 a.m. tomorrow, with all 10 crew members participating in a question-and-answer session with media from the United States and Europe.
  
  The next STS-122 status report will be issued after crew wake-up tomorrow morning, which is scheduled for 1:45 a.m.
  
• #81 by jacqmans on 16 Feb, 2008 12:59
• STS-122 MCC Status Report #18  
  
  HOUSTON – The 10 crew members aboard the International Space Station/space shuttle Atlantis complex today will continue with the outfitting of the new Columbus research module, give the station a reboost to get it ready for its next visitors and spend some time talking with reporters on Earth.
  
  The crew was allowed to sleep in about 30 minutes after Friday’s long spacewalk. This morning's wake-up call – “I Believe I Can Fly,” performed by Yolanda Adams and Kenny G and played for Mission Specialist Leland Melvin – came at 2:20 a.m. CST.
  
  Columbus outfitting and transfer operations will continue throughout the day, and the crew will be reconfiguring the tools and suits used during Friday’s spacewalk.
  
  At 6:16 a.m., the shuttle will fire its propulsion system for 36 minutes to reboost the orbit of the space station. This will allow the station to achieve the proper alignment needed in advance of next month’s arrival of Endeavour on the STS-123 mission.
  
  And then at 7:40 a.m., all 10 members of the shuttle and station crews will participate in the traditional joint crew news conference. Reporters at Johnson Space Center in Texas, Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the European Space Agency's European Astronaut Centre in Cologne, Germany, and the French Space Agency Headquarters in Paris will be participating in the question-and-answer session.
  
  Toward the end of the day, Pilot Alan Poindexter and mission specialists Rex Walheim and Stanley Love will have some off-duty time. Walheim and Love performed Friday’s spacewalk, and Poindexter worked inside as their intravehicular officer.
  
  
• #82 by jacqmans on 17 Feb, 2008 06:51
• STS-122 Report #18
  
  Saturday, February 16, 2008 - 6 a.m. CST
  Mission Control Center, Houston, Texas
   
  CORRECTION
  
  HOUSTON - The 10 crew members aboard the International Space Station/space shuttle Atlantis complex today will continue with the outfitting of the new Columbus research module, give the station a reboost to get it ready for its next visitors and spend some time talking with reporters on Earth.
  
  The crew was allowed to sleep in about 30 minutes after Friday's long spacewalk. This morning's wake-up call - "I Believe I Can Fly," performed by Yolanda Adams and Kenny G and played for Mission Specialist Leland Melvin - came at 2:20 a.m. CST.
  
  Columbus outfitting and transfer operations will continue throughout the day, and the crew will be reconfiguring the tools and suits used during Friday's spacewalk.
  
  At 6:16 a.m., the shuttle will fire its propulsion system for 36 minutes to reboost the orbit of the space station. This will allow the station to achieve the proper alignment needed in advance of next month's arrival of Endeavour on the STS-123 mission.
  
  And then at 7:40 a.m., all 10 members of the shuttle and station crews will participate in the traditional joint crew news conference. Reporters at Johnson Space Center in Texas, Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the European Space Agency's European Astronaut Centre in Cologne, Germany, and the French Space Agency Headquarters in Paris will be participating in the question-and-answer session.
  
  Toward the end of the day, Pilot Alan Poindexter and mission specialists Rex Walheim and Stanley Love will have some off-duty time. Walheim and Love performed Friday's spacewalk, and Poindexter worked inside as their intravehicular officer.
  
• #83 by jacqmans on 17 Feb, 2008 06:51
• STS-122 Report #19
  
  Saturday, February 16, 2008 - 1:00 p.m. CST
  Mission Control Center, Houston, Texas
   
  HOUSTON - Outfitting of the International Space Station Columbus module experiment racks continued today with all 10 crew members working to complete the activation and initialization of the newest addition to the station.
  
  Earlier in the day, space shuttle Atlantis' propulsion system was used to reboost the station's altitude by about 1.4 miles (2.2 kilometers) - the first reboost of the station using shuttle thrusters since 2002.
  
  The altitude adjustment lasted 36 minutes and used four of the shuttle's vernier jets that produced about 28 pounds of thrust each to gently raise the orbit. The increased altitude will allow the station to be in the proper orbit for next month's arrival of Endeavour on the STS-123 mission.
  
  Early Saturday, all 10 members of the shuttle and station crews held their traditional news conference with media in the United States and Europe. Today set the stage for the final transfer of cargo between the shuttle and station early on Sunday. The crews will bid farewell to one another and close the hatches between the shuttle and station shortly after 11 a.m. Sunday.  Atlantis' departure remains scheduled for early Monday.
  
  
• #84 by jacqmans on 17 Feb, 2008 16:50
• STS-122 MCC Status Report #20  
  
  HOUSTON – The seven-member crew of Atlantis will complete the final cargo transfers, wrap up their part in the installation and activation of the European Space Agency’s Columbus laboratory, and then bid farewell to the Expedition 16 crew this morning.
  
  Farewells are scheduled to begin at 11:15 a.m., followed by hatch closing at 11:30 a.m.
  
  The wakeup call for the crew’s final docked day came at 12:45 a.m. Mission Specialist Stan Love was treated with “Hail Thee, Harvey Mudd,” the Harvey Mudd College anthem written by Amy Lewkowicz. Love is a 1987 graduate of the Claremont, Calif., private math, science and engineering college.
  
  Overnight Atlantis’ transferred 92 pounds of oxygen to the station’s Quest airlock tank. In addition, a final leak check of the vestibule between the Harmony and Columbus modules was done.
  
  The most important transfer completed is the return of astronaut Dan Tani. Tani, who joined the station’s Expedition 16 crew in October, is being replaced by European Space Agency Astronaut Leopold Eyharts, who arrived at the station with the STS-122 crew. Eyharts will finish commissioning Columbus.
  
  In addition to delivering the Columbus laboratory to the orbital outpost, Atlantis’ astronauts performed three spacewalks to prepare the module for its scientific work, replaced an expended nitrogen tank on the station and retrieved a failed control moment gyroscope for return to Earth.
  
  Atlantis’ crew is scheduled to leave the space station on Monday, with undocking slated for 3:26 a.m. that day.
  
• #85 by jacqmans on 18 Feb, 2008 07:22
• STS-122 Report #21
  
  1 p.m. CST Sunday, Feb. 17, 2008
  Mission Control Center, Houston, Texas
   
  HOUSTON -The ten spaceflight crew members parted ways to their respective spacecraft today. After farewells were said, hatches between the space shuttle Atlantis and International Space Station were closed at 12:03 p.m. CST.
  
  Atlantis' crew is scheduled to leave the space station on Monday, with undocking slated for 3:27 a.m. The departure sets up Atlantis for its scheduled landing at the Kennedy Space Center, Wednesday at 8:07 a.m.
  
  Before closing hatches, the seven-member crew of Atlantis completed the final cargo transfers between the two spacecraft. Atlantis launched with one of heaviest middecks in the history of the shuttle program and will land with the heaviest middeck ever, weighing 2040 pounds.
  
  The most important transfer completed is the exchange of astronaut Daniel Tani for European Space Agency Astronaut Leopold Eyharts. Tani joined the station's Expedition 16 crew in October and is being replaced by Eyharts, who arrived at the station with the STS-122 crew. Eyharts will finish commissioning the Columbus laboratory.
  
  In addition to delivering Columbus to the orbital outpost, Atlantis' astronauts performed three spacewalks to prepare the module for its scientific work, replaced an expended nitrogen tank on the station and retrieved a failed control moment gyroscope for return to Earth.
  
• #86 by jacqmans on 18 Feb, 2008 07:23
• STS-122 MCC Status Report #22  
  
  HOUSTON – Space shuttle Atlantis is set to undock from the International Space Station at 3:27 a.m. after nine days of joint operations carrying the seven-member crew that successfully commissioned the European Space Agency’s new Columbus science laboratory.
  
  Today’s wake-up song, played for STS-122 crew member Dan Tani, at 11:53 p.m. was “Over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World,” sung by Hawaiian-Japanese vocalist Israel Kamakawiwo'ole, accompanied by his ukulele.
  
  With their delivery of the new laboratory, Atlantis' STS-122 astronauts will leave a larger space station and one with increased science capabilities. The Columbus Research Module adds nearly 1,000 cubic feet of habitable volume and affords room for 10 experiment racks, each an independent science lab.
  
  Atlantis also left behind new Expedition 16 crew member Leopold Eyharts, 95 pounds of oxygen and nearly 1,400 pounds of water.
  
  After undocking, Atlantis will move in front of the station to a range of 400 feet, and then Pilot Alan Poindexter will begin a full one lap fly around so his crewmates can get video and digital still imagery of Columbus docked to Harmony’s right-side port.
  
  When the shuttle again crosses directly in front of the station, Poindexter will fire the reaction control system jets to begin Atlantis’ separation. He’ll make the final separation jet firing at 5:10 a.m. to start the crew’s trip home.
  
  The crew will conduct a final inspection of the shuttle’s thermal protection system using the Orbiter Boom Sensor System at 7:20 a.m. The crew will re-examine the reinforced carbon-carbon panels on both wings and the nose cap for any evidence of damage from orbital debris.
  
  As the other crew members prepare for landing, Tani, who has been in space since his launch to the space station in October, is scheduled for exercise to help prepare his body to feel the pull of gravity again. Atlantis is targeted to land at the Kennedy Space Center Wednesday at 8:07 a.m.
  
• #87 by jacqmans on 18 Feb, 2008 15:17
• MEDIA ADVISORY: M08-036
  
  NASA'S SPACE SHUTTLE ATLANTIS SET TO LAND WEDNESDAY
  
  CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - The space shuttle Atlantis crew is expected to
  complete a 13-day mission to the International Space Station with a
  landing at NASA's Kennedy Space Center on Wednesday, Feb. 20.
  
  The STS-122 mission began Feb. 7 and delivered the European Space
  Agency's Columbus laboratory to the station. Columbus expands the
  station's research facilities and provides scientists around the
  world with the ability to conduct a variety of life, physical and
  materials science experiments. The mission also included three
  spacewalks, the delivery of a new crew member to the station and the
  return of another astronaut after his nearly four month stay aboard
  the complex.
  
  NASA managers will evaluate weather conditions at Kennedy before
  permitting Atlantis to return to Earth. Wednesday landing
  opportunities at Kennedy are at 9:07 a.m. and 10:42 a.m. EST. There
  are additional opportunities at 12:12 p.m. and 1:47 p.m. at Edwards
  Air Force Base, Calif., a backup landing site. The shuttle's other
  backup site for landing, White Sands Space Harbor, N.M., will not be
  activated Wednesday.
  
  Two hours after landing, NASA officials will hold a briefing to
  discuss the mission. The participants will be:
  
  - NASA Administrator Michael Griffin
  - NASA Associate Administrator for Space Operations Bill Gerstenmaier
  - NASA Space Shuttle Launch Director Mike Leinbach
  
  After touchdown, the astronauts will undergo physical examinations and
  meet with their families. Some crew members are expected to hold a
  news conference no earlier 4.5 hours after returning to Earth.
  
  The Kennedy press site will open for landing activities at 5 a.m.
  Wednesday and close one hour after the crew news conference. The
  STS-122 accreditation badges are in effect through landing. The press
  accreditation building on State Road 3 will be open on Wednesday from
  5 to 7:30 a.m. The last bus will depart from the press site for the
  Shuttle Landing Facility one hour before landing. For updated
  information about the landing, call 321-867-2525.
  
  For information about the backup landing site at Edwards Air Force
  Base, journalists should call the Dryden Public Affairs Office at
  661-276-3449.
  
  For the latest information about the STS-122 mission, visit:
  
  http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle
  
  For more on the International Space Station, visit:
  
  http://www.nasa.gov/station
  
  
• #88 by jacqmans on 18 Feb, 2008 22:19
• STS-122 MCC Status Report #23   Space shuttle Atlantis undocked from the International Space Station at 3:24 a.m. CST after nine days of joint operations.
  
  Atlantis and the seven-member crew left behind the station’s new European Space Agency (ESA) Columbus laboratory and ESA astronaut Leopold Eyharts to prepare science experiments inside for operation.
  
  After undocking, Atlantis Pilot Alan Poindexter completed a full fly around so his crewmates could obtain video and digital still imagery of Columbus docked to Harmony’s right-side port.
  
  The crew is performing a final inspection of the shuttle’s thermal protection system in preparation for return to Earth. The Orbiter Boom Sensor System is used to search for any evidence of damage from orbital debris. That data will be reviewed by engineers over the next day.
  
  Astronaut Daniel Tani, who has been in space since his launch to the space station in October, exercised to help prepare his body to feel the pull of gravity again.
  
  Atlantis is targeted to land at the Kennedy Space Center Wednesday at 8:07 a.m. The weather forecast is favorable.
  
  
• #89 by jacqmans on 19 Feb, 2008 08:09
• STS-122 MCC Status Report #24  
  
  Atlantis’ seven-member crew will complete the final preparations today for their return home, wrapping up their 13-day mission with a scheduled early Wednesday morning landing at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
  
  The crew’s 11:45 p.m. CST Monday wake-up call was the Spamalot rendition of “Always Look on the Bright Side” played for STS-122 Commander Steve Frick.
  
  The crew is expected to begin routine de-orbit preparations and cabin stowage at 2:45 a.m. Then, at 4:10 a.m., Frick, Pilot Alan Poindexter and Mission Specialist Rex Walheim will power up an auxiliary power unit to check out the orbiter’s flight control surfaces. At 5:20 a.m. they will start a test firing of each of the shuttle’s reaction control system jets.
  
  Late Monday afternoon, the heaters on Atlantis’ four aft vernier engines, part of the reaction control system, failed. Those jets, located near the Orbiter Maneuvering System pods, are the small attitude control jets used to tweak a shuttle’s position in orbit and are not used during de-orbit maneuvers.
  
  The shuttle astronauts will take a break from packing at 7:35 a.m. to talk about the flight with ABC News, CNN and WRIC-TV in Richmond, Va., near the home of Mission Specialist Leland Melvin.
  
  At 12:15 p.m. Walheim and returning Expedition 16 Flight Engineer Dan Tani will set up a recumbent seat on the middeck for Tani to use during entry and landing. Melvin and Mission Specialist Hans Schlegel will stow the Ku-band communications antenna at 12:35 p.m.
  
  The International Space Station’s crew is enjoying a day off-duty before starting a heavy schedule. They are preparing for the delivery of the first section of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s Kibo laboratory and the Canadian Space Agency’s multi-armed dexterous robotic system, Dextre, on the STS-123 mission targeted for launch March 11.
  
  Atlantis is scheduled to land at the Kennedy Space Center Wednesday at 8:07 a.m. The weather forecast is favorable. Today the crew is scheduled to go to sleep at 3:45 p.m. and awaken at 11:45 p.m.
  
• #90 by jacqmans on 20 Feb, 2008 07:48
• STS-122 Report #25
  Tuesday, Feb. 19, 2008 - 5 p.m. CST
  Mission Control Center, Houston, Texas
   
  HOUSTON - After a check of all of the systems they will use for a return to Earth, Atlantis' seven-member crew packed up today in preparation for landing Wednesday.
  
  Atlantis is planned to land at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 8:07 a.m. CST with the forecast of near perfect weather at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The shuttle would fire its engines to begin a descent to Florida at 7 a.m.
  
  Atlantis has three additional opportunities to land Wednesday if needed. A second opportunity to land in Florida would begin with an engine firing at 8:35 a.m. leading to touchdown at 9:42 a.m.
  
  Opportunities also are available to land at Edwards Air Force Base, California. The first opportunity to land at Edwards would begin with an engine firing at 10:05 a.m. leading to an 11:12 a.m. touchdown. A second opportunity to land in California would begin with an engine firing at 11:41 a.m. leading to a 12:47 p.m. touchdown.
  
  Atlantis crew - Commander Steve Frick, Pilot Alan Poindexter and Mission Specialists Leland Melvin, Rex Walheim, Stan Love, Hans Schlegel and Dan Tani - began a sleep period at 3:45 p.m. and will awaken at 11:45 p.m. Tani is returning home after a four-month stay aboard the International Space Station.
  
  The next STS-122 status report will be issued Wednesday morning.
  
• #91 by jacqmans on 20 Feb, 2008 07:50
• STS-122 MCC Status Report #26  
  
  HOUSTON – The seven astronauts on space shuttle Atlantis are only hours away from a landing in Florida that will conclude a successful 13-day mission that delivered the European Space Agency’s science laboratory Columbus to the International Space Station. The wakeup song, “Hail to the Spirit of Liberty” by John Philip Sousa, was played at 11:55 p.m. Tuesday for Pilot Alan Poindexter. Deorbit preparations begin at 3:05 a.m. Then the crew will ready their seats and should get the okay to close the payload bay doors at 4:19 a.m. If the near perfect weather continues, Commander Steve Frick will conduct the deorbit burn at 6:59 a.m.
  
  That will slow Atlantis enough to fall out of orbit to begin its descent toward a landing at the Kennedy Space Center’s Shuttle Landing Facility at 8:07 a.m. Atlantis has three additional opportunities to land today if needed. A second opportunity to land in Florida would begin with an engine firing at 8:35 a.m. leading to touchdown at 9:42 a.m. Opportunities also are available to land at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. The first opportunity to land at Edwards would begin with an engine firing at 10:05 a.m. leading to an 11:12 a.m. touchdown.
  
  A second opportunity to land in California would begin with an engine firing at 11:41 a.m. leading to a 12:47 p.m. touchdown. Atlantis’ crew – Commander Steve Fricke, Pilot Alan Poindexter and Mission Specialists Leland Melvin, Rex Walheim, Stan Love, Hans Schlegel and Dan Tani – installed Columbus Feb. 11 and conducted three spacewalks to prepare the lab for its scientific work. They also replaced an expended nitrogen tank on the station’s P1 truss and retrieved a failed control moment gyroscope for return to Earth.
  
  The next STS-122 status report will be issued following landing.
  
• #92 by jacqmans on 20 Feb, 2008 14:39
• RELEASE: 08-061
  
  SHUTTLE ATLANTIS CREW RETURNS HOME AFTER SUCCESSFUL MISSION
  
  CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Space shuttle Atlantis and its crew landed at
  9:07 a.m. EST Wednesday at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Fla., after
  completing a 13-day journey of nearly 5.3 million miles in space. The
  STS-122 mission expanded the size and research capabilities of the
  International Space Station with the delivery of the European Space
  Agency's Columbus laboratory.
  
  Associate Administrator for Space Operations Bill Gerstenmaier
  described STS-122 as one of the program's most successful space
  station construction missions.
  
  "These missions are extremely challenging, and a great deal of
  preparation and teamwork are required to get these vehicles ready to
  fly," Gerstenmaier said. "We're focused on completing assembly and
  moving into the full utilization phase of the station. This mission
  opens the door for another one of our international partners to join
  in the important work and science on the space station."
  
  Steve Frick commanded the flight and was joined by Pilot Alan
  Poindexter, Mission Specialists Leland Melvin, Rex Walheim, Stanley
  Love and European Space Agency astronauts Hans Schlegel from Germany
  and Leopold Eyharts from France. Eyharts remained aboard the space
  station, replacing Expedition 16 Flight Engineer Dan Tani, who
  returned to Earth on Atlantis after nearly four months on the
  station. Eyharts will return on shuttle Endeavour's STS-123 mission,
  currently targeted for launch on March 11, 2008.
  
  The mission included three spacewalks to outfit Columbus with power,
  data and cooling cables, installation of two science experiments on
  the lab's exterior, replacement of an expended nitrogen tank on the
  space station's cooling system, and retrieval of a failed space
  station control moment gyroscope -- a device that helps control the
  orientation of the station -- for its return to Earth.
  
  Several inspections in orbit revealed no damage to Atlantis, and the
  shuttle's thermal protection system was declared safe for re-entry on
  Tuesday. Workers immediately will begin processing the Atlantis for
  its next flight to service the Hubble Space Telescope, targeted for
  Aug. 28.
  
  STS-122 was the 121st space shuttle flight, the 29th flight for
  shuttle Atlantis and the 24th flight to the station.
  
  With Atlantis and its crew safely home, the stage is set for the next
  phase of station assembly. The STS-123 mission will deliver the Japan
  Aerospace Exploration Agency's Kibo logistics module and Canada's new
  robotics system, Dextre, the Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator,
  to the station.
  
  For more about the STS-122 mission and the upcoming STS-123 mission,
  visit:
  
  http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle
  
         
  
• #93 by jacqmans on 20 Feb, 2008 14:40
• Press Release No.10-2008
  Paris, 20 February 2008
  
  
  After successfully delivering Columbus, Atlantis is back on earth
  
  NASA’s space shuttle Atlantis, which successfully delivered ESA’s Columbus laboratory to the International Space Station, has safely returned to earth with its crew of seven. Landing took place at 15:07 CET on 20 February on the shuttle landing strip of Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral, Florida.
  
  On this STS-122 mission, the shuttle spent nearly 13 days in space, including 9 days docked to the Station to conduct a major ISS assembly task: delivery of Europe’s first permanent manned outpost in orbit. The 7-m long 12.8-tonne Columbus module, a state-of-the-art multidisciplinary laboratory, was attached to the Harmony (Node 2) module on 11 February. Once leak checks and initial electrical, fluid and data connections were completed, the module’s hatch was opened on 12 February, marking Europe’s new status as a full partner and co-owner of the ISS. Outfitting work inside Columbus began only a few hours later, as the laboratory entered its commissioning phase, which was commanded and controlled by the Columbus Control Centre (Col-CC) located in Oberpfaffenhoffen near Munich, Germany.
  
  Two ESA astronauts, Hans Schlegel of Germany and Léopold Eyharts of France, were ferried to the Station by Atlantis and both contributed directly to this success. As a member of the STS-122 crew, Hans Schlegel performed one of the three spacewalks during the mission with fellow astronaut Rex Walheim of NASA. He also coordinated the other two spacewalks, supporting the Columbus module’s transfer from the shuttle payload bay to the ISS, plus the transfer of two payload suites, SOLAR and EuTEF, to external platforms on the Columbus module. Hans Schlegel returned to Earth with Atlantis.
  
  After formal crew responsibility hand-over tasks following the docking of Atlantis with the Station, Léopold Eyharts became part of the resident ISS crew (Expedition 16), trading places with NASA astronaut
  Dan Tani. He provided support for Columbus docking from inside the Harmony module, activating the motorised bolts to secure the junction, and assisted the third spacewalk by operating the station’s robotic arm. Unlike Schlegel, Eyharts remained on the ISS when Atlantis undocked two days ago. He will spend the next month in space to complete the Columbus module’s commissioning and to perform a series of experiments, both in the laboratory and in the other science facilities already operating in the Station. Léopold Eyharts is scheduled to return to earth with the next shuttle ISS mission (Endeavour/STS-123), at the end of March.
  ESA builds up its contribution to the ISS
  
  With the addition of Columbus, the pressurised volume of the Space Station was increased by a mere 15%, but its science capacity was nearly doubled. Two modules of the Japanese laboratory will be added in March and May, and a Russian Multi-Purpose Laboratory Module (MLM) will follow in 2011.
  
  A new era is also beginning for ESA’s activities onboard. As a fully-fledged partner of the ISS programme, ESA will now not only enjoy the benefits of Columbus but will also have to contribute to ISS operations. This will be achieved through the launch of unmanned servicing missions carried out by the Automated Transfer Vehicle, designed to deliver spares, scientific experiments, crew support equipment (food, clothing), fluids and propellant and to perform reboost to compensate for orbital decay of the ISS. The first ATV, Jules Verne, will be launched by an Ariane 5 on 8 March.
  
  But ESA will also benefit from the Station by conducting experiments within its many science facilities, and by regularly sending European astronauts to perform long-duration stays onboard as members of the resident crew. Two ESA astronauts are already training for such missions: Frank de Winne of Belgium who will fly as a member of the ISS Expedition 19 crew in 2009; and André Kuipers of the Netherlands who will be his backup. More will follow.
  
  Further European-built ISS elements are still under preparation to be launched to the ISS within the decade, such as the Material Science Laboratory (MSL), the Muscle Atrophy Resistive Exercise System (MARES), the European Robotic Arm (ERA), the Node 3 module and the Cupola observation deck.
  
  As Columbus is coming to life, so too is the network of nine User Support and Operations Centres (USOCs), which has been set up all over Europe to facilitate the interface between researchers and the science payloads onboard, and to allow investigators to control their experiments and receive real-time data on their results, through an interconnection provided via the Columbus Control Centre. Commissioning of the European laboratory has proceeded well and faster than planned. The two external payloads SOLAR and EuTEF have been deployed outside Columbus and already provide data. WAICO, the first experiment to be conducted inside the lab, will start this week inside Biolab. The Geoflow experiment will start up in early March inside the Fluid Science Laboratory. Over the coming weeks and months, the USOC network’s activity will increase dramatically as the science equipment and experiments already onboard Columbus are commissioned and switched to operational status, and as more science payloads are delivered to the module by the upcoming logistics missions. Columbus was designed to support some 500 experiments per year for ten years, in cell and plant biology, astrobiology, human physiology, fluid and material sciences, fundamental physics, astronomy, remote sensing and technology. For the European science community and industrial R&D, a new era of research has just begun.
  
  
  For further information:
  ESA Media Relations Office
  Communication and Knowledge Department
  Tel: + 33 1 5369 7299
  Fax: + 33 1 5369 7690
  
• #94 by jacqmans on 20 Feb, 2008 18:22
• STS-122 MCC Status Report #27  
  
  Space shuttle Atlantis and its seven-member crew landed on Runway 15 at the Kennedy Space Center at 8:07 a.m. CST today, completing a 13-day journey of more than 5,296,842 miles. Atlantis touched down at exactly 8:07:10 a.m. with the nose gear touching down at 8:07:20 a.m. Wheels stop occurred at 8:08:08 a.m.
  
  During 202 orbits of Earth, the crew of Atlantis, which includes Commander Steve Frick, Pilot Alan Poindexter and Mission Specialists Leland Melvin, Rex Walheim, Hans Schlegel, Stan Love and Dan Tani, installed the European Space Agency’s Columbus laboratory on the International Space Station. Columbus, Europe’s largest contribution to the station, adds more than 2,600 cubic feet to the station and a wide variety of experiments and research.
  
  The astronauts conducted three spacewalks to install and set up Columbus. They also removed a spent nitrogen tank assembly and a failed gyroscope, both of which were returned to Earth. During the final spacewalk, the astronauts examined an area outside of the station’s air lock, where a small divot was discovered. The astronauts used an improvised tool comprising some material from an unused overglove to see if this area could be causing cuts and abrasions on the astronauts’ gloves. Engineers in Houston will examine the results.
  
  Atlantis delivered European Space Agency astronaut Leopold Eyharts to the station, replacing Tani as a flight engineer aboard the complex. Tani spent 107 days in space as a resident of the station. He launched on Oct. 23, 2007, aboard space shuttle Discovery on the STS-120 mission.
  
  Atlantis will be towed to its orbiter processing facility this afternoon, where it will begin preparations for its next mission, STS-125, which is targeted to launch Aug. 28 to service the Hubble Space Telescope for the final time.
  
  As Atlantis landed, the astronauts saw out their left window space shuttle Endeavour standing ready at launch pad 39-A. Endeavour’s launch on mission STS-123 is scheduled for March 11. The crew of Atlantis is scheduled to return to Houston on Thursday. An arrival ceremony is planned for about 4 p.m. at NASA Hangar 276 at Ellington Field.
  
• #95 by jacqmans on 29 Feb, 2008 08:49
• MEDIA ADVISORY: M08-043
  
  HOME FROM SPACE, CHICAGO ASTRONAUT DANIEL TANI SET FOR INTERVIEWS
  
  HOUSTON - NASA astronaut Daniel Tani of Chicago, who returned to Earth
  Feb. 20 after approximately four months on the International Space
  Station, will be available for satellite interviews from 6 - 8 a.m.
  CST on Wednesday, March 5.
  
  Tani was part of the station's Expedition 16 crew. He launched to the
  complex on space shuttle Discovery Oct. 23, 2007. During his stay in
  orbit, Tani conducted five spacewalks and saw the first expansion of
  the station's living and working space in more than six years. The
  crew added the Harmony connecting node and the European Space
  Agency's Columbus laboratory.
  
  To participate in the interviews, reporters should contact producer
  Michael Hare at 281-483-8631 no later than 3 p.m. Tuesday, March 4.
  B-roll featuring highlights of Tani's mission will air at 5:30 a.m.,
  before the start of the interviews.
  
  Tani was born in Pennsylvania and considers the Chicago suburb of
  Lombard, Ill., his hometown. He received bachelor's and master's
  degrees in mechanical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of
  Technology in Cambridge. He was selected as an astronaut in 1996.
  Tani's biography is available at:
  
  http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/tani.html
  
  NASA's live interview media outlet channel will be used to conduct the
  interviews. The channel is located on satellite AMC 6, transponder
  5C, located at 72 degrees west, downlink frequency 3785.5 Mhz,
  vertical polarity, FEC of 3/4th, symbol rate 4.3404 Mbaud.
  
  For information about the space station, visit:
  
  http://www.nasa.gov/station