STS-92

Summary

STS-92 was a Space Shuttle mission to the International Space Station[1] (ISS) flown by Space Shuttle Discovery. STS-92 marked the 100th mission of the Space Shuttle. It was launched from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, 11 October 2000.[2]

STS-92
Wisoff oversees the Z1 truss (top) being mated with the zenith port of Unity (bottom) during EVA 2
NamesSpace Transportation System-92
Mission typeISS assembly
OperatorNASA
COSPAR ID2000-062A Edit this at Wikidata
SATCAT no.26563
Mission duration12 days, 21 hours, 43 minutes, 47 seconds
Spacecraft properties
SpacecraftSpace Shuttle Discovery
Launch mass115,127 kilograms (253,812 lb)
Landing mass92,741 kilograms (204,459 lb)
Payload mass9,513 kilograms (20,973 lb)
Crew
Crew size7
Members
Start of mission
Launch date11 October 2000, 23:17:00 (2000-10-11UTC23:17Z) UTC
Launch siteKennedy LC-39A
End of mission
Landing date24 October 2000, 20:59:47 (2000-10-24UTC20:59:48Z) UTC
Landing siteEdwards, Runway 22
Orbital parameters
Reference systemGeocentric
RegimeLow Earth
Perigee altitude386 kilometres (240 mi)
Apogee altitude394 kilometres (245 mi)
Inclination51.60 degrees
Period92.3 min
Docking with ISS
Docking portPMA-2
(Unity forward)
Docking date13 October 2000, 17:45 UTC
Undocking date20 October 2000, 15:08 UTC
Time docked6 days, 21 hours, 23 minutes

Left to right - Front: Melroy, Duffy; Back: Chiao, Lopez-Alegria, McArthur, Wisoff, Wakata
← STS-106 (99)
STS-97 (101) →
 

Crew edit

Position Astronaut
Commander   Brian Duffy[3]
Fourth and last spaceflight
Pilot   Pamela A. Melroy[4]
First spaceflight
Mission Specialist 1   Koichi Wakata[5], JAXA
Second spaceflight
Mission Specialist 2   William S. McArthur[6]
Third spaceflight
Mission Specialist 3   Peter J.K. Wisoff[7]
Fourth and last spaceflight
Mission Specialist 4  /  Michael E. López-Alegría[7]
Second spaceflight
Mission Specialist 5   Leroy Chiao[8]
Third spaceflight

Spacewalks edit

  • Chiao and McArthur – EVA 1
  • EVA 1 Start: 15 October 2000 – 14:27 UTC
  • EVA 1 End: 15 October 2000 – 20:55 UTC
  • Duration: 6 hours, 28 minutes[9]
  • López-Alegría and Wisoff – EVA 2
  • EVA 2 Start: 16 October 2000 – 14:15 UTC
  • EVA 2 End: 16 October 2000 – 21:22 UTC
  • Duration: 7 hours, 07 minutes[10]
  • Chiao and McArthur – EVA 3
  • EVA 3 Start: 17 October 2000 – 14:30 UTC
  • EVA 3 End: 17 October 2000 – 21:18 UTC
  • Duration: 6 hours, 48 minutes[11]
  • López-Alegría and Wisoff – EVA 4
  • EVA 4 Start: 18 October 2000 – 15:00 UTC
  • EVA 4 End: 18 October 2000 – 21:56 UTC
  • Duration: 6 hours, 56 minutes[12]

Mission highlights edit

 
Launch of STS-92
 
Discovery lands at Edwards Air Force Base, 24 October 2000.
 
Illustration of the ISS after STS-92.

STS-92 was an ISS assembly flight that brought the Z1 truss, Control Moment Gyros, Pressurized Mating Adapter-3 (PMA-3) (mounted on a Spacelab pallet) and two DDCU (Heat pipes) to the space station.[1]

The Z1 truss was the first exterior framework installed on the ISS and allowed the first U.S. solar arrays to be temporarily installed on Unity for early power during flight 4A. The Ku-band communication system supported early science capabilities and U.S. television on flight 6A. The CMGs (Control Moment Gyros) weigh about 27 kilograms (60 lb) and provide non-propulsive (electrically powered) attitude control when activated on flight 5A, and PMA-3 provides shuttle docking port for solar array installation on flight 4A and Destiny Lab installation on flight 5A.

The mission included seven days of docked operations with the space station, four EVAs, and two ingress opportunities.

Over the course of four scheduled spacewalks, two teams of space walkers and an experienced robot arm operator collaborated to install the Z1 (Z for zenith port) truss structure on top of the U.S. Unity connecting node on the growing station and to deliver the third Pressurized Mating Adapter (PMA 3) to the ISS for the future berthing of new station components and to accommodate shuttle dockings.

The Z1 truss was the first permanent lattice-work structure for the ISS, very much like a girder, setting the stage for the future addition of the station's major trusses or backbones. The Z1 fixture also served as the platform on which the huge U.S. solar arrays were mounted on the next shuttle assembly flight, STS-97. The Z1 truss included many elements of the Communications and Tracking subsystem. The hardware included a Transmitter/Receiver/Controller (SGTRC) built by L3 Communications Systems-East in Camden, NJ. John Schina was the Chief Engineer of the ISS Program at L3.

The Z1 contains four large gyroscopic devices, called Control Moment Gyroscope (CMGs), which are used to maneuver the space station into the proper orientation on orbit once they were activated following the installation of the U.S. laboratory.

During the fourth spacewalk, astronauts Wisoff and López-Alegría tested the SAFER jet backpack, flying up to 50 feet while remaining tethered to the spacecraft.[12]

Media edit

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b Ryba, Jeanne (15 February 2010). "STS-92". Mission Archives. NASA. Archived from the original on 14 March 2022. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
  2. ^ Petty, John Ira (11 October 2000). "STS-92 Mission Control Center Status Report #1". Johnson News. Johnson Space Center. Archived from the original on 8 April 2013. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
  3. ^ Dunn, Marcia (12 October 2000). "100th shuttle mission in orbit". Wisconsin State Journal. Associated Press. p. 3. Archived from the original on 17 April 2022. Retrieved 17 April 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ Siceloff, Steven (3 October 2000). "Female shuttle pilot puzzled by attention". Florida Today. p. 11. Archived from the original on 17 April 2022. Retrieved 17 April 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ Dunn, Marcia (17 October 2000). "Astronauts attach new docking port". The Courier-News. Associated Press. p. 10. Archived from the original on 17 April 2022. Retrieved 17 April 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ Carreau, Mark (18 October 2000). "Setting up for solar energy". South Florida Sun Sentinel. Houston Chronicle. p. 3. Archived from the original on 17 April 2022. Retrieved 17 April 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ a b Dunn, Marcia (19 October 2000). "Spacewalkers cruise around". Evansville Courier and Press. Associated Press. p. 4. Archived from the original on 17 April 2022. Retrieved 17 April 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ Young, Kelly (18 October 2000). "Astronauts attach power converters". Florida Today. p. 29. Archived from the original on 17 April 2022. Retrieved 17 April 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ Petty, John Ira (15 October 2000). "STS-92 Mission Control Center Status Report #9". Johnson News. Johnson Space Center. Archived from the original on 8 April 2013. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
  10. ^ Petty, John Ira (16 October 2000). "STS-92 Mission Control Center Status Report #11". Johnson News. Johnson Space Center. Archived from the original on 8 April 2013. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
  11. ^ Petty, John Ira (17 October 2000). "STS-92 Mission Control Center Status Report #13". Johnson News. Johnson Space Center. Archived from the original on 8 April 2013. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
  12. ^ a b Petty, John Ira (18 October 2000). "STS-92 Mission Control Center Status Report #15". Johnson News. Johnson Space Center. Archived from the original on 8 April 2013. Retrieved 17 April 2022.

External links edit