STS-119 delivered the S6 solar arrays to the space station, completing the construction of the Integrated Truss Structure.[8] STS-119 also carried several experiments, including the Shuttle Ionospheric Modification with Pulsed Local EXhaust (SIMPLEX), Shuttle Exhaust Ion Turbulence Experiments (SEITE), and Maui Analysis of Upper Atmospheric Injections (MAUI). STS-119 was also used for the "Boundary Layer Transition Detailed Test Objective" experiment. One tile of the thermal protection system was raised 0.25 inches (6.4mm) above the others so that, at about Mach 15 during reentry, a boundary layer transition would be initiated.[9] This experiment was repeated during STS-128 with the tile raised to 0.35 inches (8.9mm), tripping at Mach 18 to produce more heat.
The STS-119 crew was at Kennedy Space Center from January 19–22, 2009 for the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test.[13] On January 21–22, 2009, mission managers met for the program level Flight Readiness Review (FRR). Following the FRR, mission managers recommended evaluating the hydrogen flow control valves on Discovery, and set a new target launch date of February 19, 2009.[14]
The type of valve that was an interim concern.
Due to the breakage of one of three flow control valves on the previous flight, STS-126, the flow valves of all orbiters were subjected to tests to determine if Discovery was safe to fly.[15] These valves are used to synchronize the flow of gaseous hydrogen between the external fuel tank and the main engines, creating an even flow.[16] Following the testing of the valves, mission managers decided to postpone the launch, and engineers were asked to replace the suspect flow valves with valves that had less flight time.[17]
Following the replacement of the valves, the Mission Management Team gave the approval for launch, and scheduled it for March 11, 2009.[18] The astronauts arrived at the Kennedy Space Center on March 8, 2009, to prepare for launch. The March 11, 2009, launch was scrubbed due to a leak in a liquid hydrogen vent line between the shuttle and the external tank.[19] On March 15, 2009, the shuttle successfully lifted off from pad 39A.[3][20] The leak problem manifested itself again during STS-127 which led to a thorough test. The root cause was found to be a misalignment in the GUCP (Ground Umbilical Carrier Plate) which was set right leading to a successful flight.
Space Shuttle Discovery launched on time at 19:43 EDT without any issues. Upon initial review of early ascent imagery, mission managers did not see anything out of the ordinary with debris at launch. "We didn't see anything at all in the first quick look," noted Bill Gerstenmaier, Associate Administrator for Space Operations, during the post-launch news conference.[21] "I've seen a lot of launches," commented Launch Director Michael D. Leinbach during the conference, "and this was the most visibly beautiful launch I've ever seen."[3][21] After reaching orbit, the STS-119 crew got to work on their orbit operations, opening the payload bay doors, deploying the Ku band antenna, and activating and checking out the shuttle's robotic arm.[3][20] The crew also downlinked the imagery taken of the external tank separation.
Bat stowaway
Bat clinging to the External Tank.
Rear view of Discovery's launch. The bat (circled in red) continues to cling to the External Tank.
During the countdown a bat was seen to be resting on the external tank.[22] What was originally believed to be a fruit bat was revealed to have been a free-tailed bat that clung onto the fuel tank during the launch. NASA observers had believed the bat would fly off once the shuttle started to launch, but it did not, and continued to remain on the external tank as the shuttle lifted off.[23] It was probably shaken off and incinerated by the rocket exhaust. A bat doctor, analyzing pictures, believed the bat had a broken wing which made it unable to fly off.[24]
March 16 (Flight day 2)
Following the crew's wakeup call, the members of STS-119 set to work on the day's task of inspecting Discovery'sthermal protection system.[25][26] Using the shuttle's robotic arm and the Orbiter Boom Sensor System (OBSS), the crew performed the five-hour inspection, and the images and video from the survey would be reviewed by the image analysis team on the ground.[25] In preparation for docking with the space station on flight day three, the crew performed a checkout of the spacesuits that would be used during the mission, as well as extending the ring of the orbital docking system, and installing the docking system's centerline camera.[25]
Initial review of the flight ascent imagery indicated no major problems with foam loss or debris strikes to the orbiter. During the day's Mission Management Team briefing, chairman LeRoy Cain noted that the launch was "picture perfect" and the orbiter was in excellent condition.[27] Cain also noted that after an initial review of the telemetry from the launch, the hydrogen flow control valves performed as expected, with no issues seen.[27]
March 17 (Flight day 3)
The crew of Discovery got to work in the morning preparing for rendezvous and docking with the space station.[28][29][30] After performing the rendezvous pitch maneuver (RPM) to allow the Expedition 18 crew to photograph the underside of the orbiter, Discovery successfully docked with the station at 21:20 UTC.[28] Following hatch leak checks, the hatches were opened at 23:09 UTC.[28] After greeting each other, the crews had a mandatory station safety briefing, and then set to work with initial transfers, including the exchange of Magnus' Soyuz seat liner for Wakata's. The swap of the seat liners marked Wakata officially joining the Expedition 18 crew as flight engineer, and Magnus became a mission specialist for STS-119.[28][29][30]
During the Mission Status briefing, Lead Flight Director Paul Dye commended Archambault on a picture perfect docking.[30] Dye said that no major issues or anomalies were being tracked, but noted that the image analysis team was still working on ascent imagery, and would be reviewing the RPM imagery before making a decision as to whether Discovery would require a focused inspection.[30]
March 18 (Flight day 4)
The handover of the S6 truss truss segment.Mission Specialist Arnold during his first spacewalk.
Following the crew's post-sleep activities, the two crews set to work preparing for the next day's spacewalk, by moving the S6 truss out of Discovery's payload bay. Due to clearance restrictions, the station's robotic arm was not able to perform the move by itself, so a series of 'handoffs' were performed to prepare the truss for installation.[31] Phillips and Magnus controlled the station's arm, grappled the truss and moved it into a position where the shuttle's robotic arm, operated by Antonelli, could take possession.[31]
The station arm was then moved along the mobile base to a work site on the far right side, closer to the installation point. The shuttle's robotic arm then handed the truss back to the station's arm, where it remained overnight.[31][32]
The crews took part in a media event with Channel One News, and performed a review of the procedures for the first EVA. Mission Specialists Swanson and Arnold spent the night in the Quest airlockcamping out in a reduced-nitrogen atmosphere, a standard procedure designed for spacewalkers to prevent decompression symptoms.[32][33]
During the Mission Management Team briefing, Lead ISS Flight Director Kwatsi Alibaruho noted that the imagery specialists with the Damage Assessment Team had completed the initial review of the launch and flight day 2 photography, and a focused inspection of the orbiter would not be required.[31][32]
March 19 (Flight day 5, Spacewalk 1)
The two crews set to work following their wake up call, preparing for the first spacewalk of the mission. Swanson and Arnold exited the Quest airlock at 16:22 UTC to begin the installation of the S6 truss segment.[34][35] Once Swanson and Arnold were in position, Phillips and Wakata remotely controlled the station's robotic arm, maneuvering the truss into its final position. Swanson and Arnold then bolted the truss into place, and connected power and data cables, which allowed the ground team to begin remote activation of the segment.[35] The two spacewalkers also removed launch locks, stowed a keel pin, removed and jettisoned four thermal covers, and deployed the blanket boxes that hold the solar arrays in place during launch.[31][36] The spacewalk ended at 21:11 UTC, for a total time of 6 hours, 7 minutes.[31]
Initially scheduled for flight day 8, managers on the ground decided to move up the deployment of the solar arrays, following the decision that a focused inspection would not be required. It was decided that the deployment of the arrays would be performed on flight day 6, prior to the mission's second spacewalk, in case any issues arose that required a spacewalk to resolve.[35]
March 20 (Flight day 6)
On flight day six, Mission Specialist Acaba used the shuttle's ergometer before the crews began deploying the solar arrays.The S6 truss solar array unfurled.
As part of the re-planning for the mission, the crews set to work in the morning deploying the solar wings on the S6 truss.[37][38] To prepare for the extension of the arrays, the station was maneuvered into a position that allowed constant sunlight to hit the arrays, which allowed them to warm up and prevent what the mission team calls 'stiction', or a sticky friction that happens after the arrays have been in storage for an extended period of time.[38]
The unfurling of the arrays started at 15:06 UTC, beginning with the channel 1B array. Commanding the unit from the station, Philips paused at the halfway point, and allowed the array to rest in the sun for approximately 45 minutes, and then completed the extension.[39] After successfully extending the 1B array, the astronauts started the 3B array extension at 16:35 UTC. The 3B array was expected to be more difficult to extend, as it had been packed in the blanket box for eight years.[37] As with the first, a pause at halfway was performed to allow the arrays to heat up in the sun. While some stiction was seen, once the final extension began all the slats flattened out, and the arrays were fully deployed at 17:17 UTC.[39] The addition of the final set of solar panels brings the station's power output to 120 kilowatts, and doubles the scientific power to 30 kilowatts.[38] The station's surface area of the arrays is just under one acre, or 38,400 square feet.[38]
During the Mission Status briefing, Alibaruho expressed how pleased the teams on the ground were with the successful deployment of the arrays, and commended the crew on the deployment activities.[37] Mission Management Team Chairman LeRoy Cain noted that the team was working on a revised timetable to allow critical experiment samples to return to Earth safely. The samples need to be kept in a cold environment, and in the event weather delayed the landing, the team evaluated the best way to preserve the samples. The team approved a revised flight plan that allows Discovery to delay hatch closure and undocking slightly, to allow the samples to be kept inside the station's freezer longer, while still protecting the landing date of March 28.[37] Instead of closing the hatch the night before undocking, the hatch would be closed on the same day, flight day eleven.[37]
It was a truly fantastic day in space. The International Space Station team and its partnerships are on cloud nine with the completion of the integrated truss assembly, as well as the finalization of our electrical power grid on the space station. It took years to get here. We had some struggles along the way, but it's a major accomplishment for NASA and the partnership team.[37]
—Dan Hartman, Space Station Mission Management Team Chairman
March 21 (Flight day 7, Spacewalk 2)
The unpressurized cargo carrier attachment system (UCCAS)ISS after departure of STS-119
Swanson and Acaba began the second spacewalk at 16:51 UTC. They loosened bolts, installed foot restraints and prepared tools so that the STS-127 spacewalkers could more easily change out the Port 6 truss batteries later this year. On the Japanese Kibo laboratory they installed a second Global Positioning Satellite antenna. They photographed areas of radiator panels extended from the Port 1 and Starboard 1 trusses and reconfigured connectors at a patch panel on the Zenith 1 truss that power Control Moment Gyroscopes. After struggling with a pin that kept an Unpressurized Cargo Carrier Attachment System (UCCAS) from fully deploying, they tied UCCAS safely in place. The spacewalk ended at 23:21 UTC, for a time of six hours and thirty minutes.[41]
March 22 (Flight day 8)
At 20:31 UTC, Discovery rotated the shuttle-station complex 180 degrees, to avoid a piece of orbital debris. At 23:23, Discovery began rotating the station back to normal attitude, with the shuttle in 'back'.
Fincke continued to work on the Urine Processor Assembly, while Acaba and Arnold entered the Quest Airlock to prepare for the mission's third spacewalk.[42]
March 23 (Flight day 9, Spacewalk 3)
Acaba and Arnold completed the mission's third spacewalk. They helped robotic arm operators relocate the Crew Equipment Translation Aid (CETA) cart from the Port 1 to Starboard 1 truss segment, installed a new coupler on the CETA cart, and lubricated snares on the space station's robotic arm.
They were unable to deploy the Port 3 unpressurized cargo carrier attachment system (UCCAS). They secured the UCCAS in place until engineers can evaluate the problem. Mission Control cancelled the installation of a similar payload attachment system on the starboard side. The port UCCAS was deployed successfully during STS-127 by releasing the stuck pin with a custom made tool.
The spacewalk lasted six hours, 27 minutes. It began at 15:37 UTC and concluded at 22:04 UTC.[43]
March 24 (Flight day 10)
PresidentObama, members of Congress, and schoolchildren speak with astronauts aboard the ISS.
At 17:05 UTC, all crew members aboard Discovery and the space station gathered in the station's Harmony module and spoke to the President of the United States, members of the United States Congress, and students during a joint news conference.[44]
March 25 (Flight day 11, Undocking)
ISS after STS-119
Crew members from space shuttle Discovery and the International Space Station closed their respective hatches at 17:59 UTC. The Space Shuttle undocked from the International Space Station at 19:53 UTC.[45]
March 26 (Flight day 12)
Space Shuttle Discovery lands after completing its STS-119 mission.Members of the STS-119 crew pose after landing. L-R: Commander Lee Archambault, Pilot Tony Antonelli and Mission Specialists Joseph Acaba, Steve Swanson, Richard Arnold and John Phillips.
Antonelli used the shuttle's robotic arm to grapple the Orbiter Boom Sensor System enabling the cameras and laser sensors to scan Discovery for signs of damage from orbital debris.[46]
March 27 (Flight day 13)
The crew stowed items in the crew cabin and completed a check out the orbiter's flight control surfaces.[47]
March 28 (Flight day 14, Landing)
Following the wake up call, the crew on board Discovery got to work preparing for entry. After the first landing opportunity was waved off due to high wind concerns, the team on the ground gave the crew a 'go' to proceed with the second opportunity.[1] Following the deorbit burn, the orbiter landed successfully at 15:13 EDT.[1]
Extra-vehicular activity
Three spacewalks were scheduled and completed during STS-119. The cumulative time in extra-vehicular activity during the mission was 19 hours and 4 minutes.
Installed the Starboard 6 (S6) truss to the S5 truss, connected S5/S6 umbilicals, released launch restraints, removed keel pins, stored and removed thermal covers, and deployed the S6 photovoltaic radiator.[48][49][50]
Advanced preparation of a worksite for STS-127, partial installation of an unpressurized cargo carrier attachment system on the P3 truss, installation of a Global Positioning Systemantenna to the Kibo laboratory, infrared imagery of panels of the radiators on the P1 and S1 trusses.[51][52]
EVA 3
Acaba Arnold
March 23, 2009 15:37
March 23, 2009 22:04
6 hours, 27 minutes
Relocation of a crew equipment cart, lubrication of station arm grapple snares, attempted deployment of a cargo carrier.[53]
Wake-up calls
A tradition for NASA human spaceflights since the days of Gemini, is that mission crews are played a special musical track at the start of each day in space. Each track is specially chosen, often by their family, and usually has a special meaning to an individual member of the crew, or is applicable to their daily activities.[54][55]
STS-112 was an 11-day Space Shuttle mission to the International Space Station (ISS) flown by Space ShuttleAtlantis. Space Shuttle Atlantis was launched on 7 October 2002 at 19:45 UTC from the Kennedy Space Center's launch pad 39B to deliver the 28,000 pound Starboard 1 (S1) truss segment to the Space Station. Ending a 4.5-million-mile journey, Atlantis landed at 15:44 UTC on 18 October 2002 on runway 33 at the Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landing Facility.
STS-115 was a Space Shuttle mission to the International Space Station (ISS) flown by Space ShuttleAtlantis. It was the first assembly mission to the ISS after the Columbia disaster, following the two successful Return to Flight missions, STS-114 and STS-121. STS-115 launched from LC-39B at the Kennedy Space Center on September 9, 2006, at 11:14:55 EDT.
STS-116 was a Space Shuttle mission to the International Space Station (ISS) flown by Space Shuttle Discovery. Discovery lifted off on December 9, 2006, at 20:47:35 EST. A previous launch attempt on December 7 had been canceled due to cloud cover. It was the first night launch of a Space Shuttle since STS-113 in November 2002.
STS-117 was a Space Shuttle mission flown by Space Shuttle Atlantis, launched from pad 39A of the Kennedy Space Center on June 8, 2007. Atlantis lifted off from the launch pad at 19:38 EDT. Damage from a hail storm on February 26, 2007, had previously caused the launch to be postponed from an originally-planned launch date of March 15, 2007. The launch of STS-117 marked the 250th orbital human spaceflight. It was also the heaviest flight of the Space Shuttle.
STS-120 was a Space Shuttle mission to the International Space Station (ISS) that launched on October 23, 2007, from the Kennedy Space Center, Florida. The mission is also referred to as ISS-10A by the ISS program. STS-120 delivered the Harmony module and reconfigured a portion of the station in preparation for future assembly missions. STS-120 was flown by Space ShuttleDiscovery, and was the twenty-third Space Shuttle mission to the ISS.
STS-122 was a NASA Space Shuttle mission to the International Space Station (ISS), flown by the Space ShuttleAtlantis. STS-122 marked the 24th shuttle mission to the ISS, and the 121st Space Shuttle flight overall.
STS-127 was a NASA Space Shuttle mission to the International Space Station (ISS). It was the twenty-third flight of Space ShuttleEndeavour. The primary purpose of the STS-127 mission was to deliver and install the final two components of the Japanese Experiment Module: the Exposed Facility, and the Exposed Section of the Experiment Logistics Module (ELM-ES). When Endeavour docked with the ISS on this mission in July 2009, it set a record for the most humans in space at the same time in the same vehicle, the first time thirteen people have been at the station at the same time. Together they represented all ISS program partners and tied the general record of thirteen people in space with the first such occurrence of 1995.
STS-126 was the one hundred and twenty-fourth NASA Space Shuttle mission, and twenty-second orbital flight of the Space Shuttle Endeavour (OV-105) to the International Space Station (ISS). The purpose of the mission, referred to as ULF2 by the ISS program, was to deliver equipment and supplies to the station, to service the Solar Alpha Rotary Joints (SARJ), and repair the problem in the starboard SARJ that had limited its use since STS-120. STS-126 launched on 15 November 2008 at 00:55:39 UTC from Launch Pad 39A (LC-39A) at NASA's Kennedy Space Center (KSC) with no delays or issues. Endeavour successfully docked with the station on 16 November 2008. After spending 15 days, 20 hours, 30 minutes, and 30 seconds docked to the station, during which the crew performed four spacewalks, and transferred cargo, the orbiter undocked on 28 November 2008. Due to poor weather at Kennedy Space Center, Endeavour landed at Edwards Air Force Base on 30 November 2008 at 21:25:09 UTC.
Heidemarie Martha Stefanyshyn-Piper is an American Naval officer and former NASA astronaut. She has achieved the rank of Captain in the United States Navy. She is also a qualified and experienced salvage officer. Her major salvage projects include de-stranding the tanker Exxon Houston off the coast of Barbers Point, on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, and developing the plan for the Peruvian Navy salvage of the Peruvian submarine Pacocha.
STS-125, or HST-SM4, was the fifth and final Space Shuttle mission to the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). The launch of the Space Shuttle Atlantis occurred on May 11, 2009, at 2:01 pm EDT. Landing occurred on May 24 at 11:39 am EDT, with the mission lasting a total of just under 13 days.
STS-124 was a Space Shuttle mission, flown by Space Shuttle Discovery to the International Space Station. Discovery launched on May 31, 2008, at 17:02 EDT, moved from an earlier scheduled launch date of May 25, 2008, and landed safely at the Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landing Facility, at 11:15 EDT on June 14, 2008. Its objective was to deliver the largest module of the space station – Kibō, the Japanese Experiment Module pressurized section. The mission is also referred to as ISS-1J by the ISS program.
STS-128 was a NASA Space Shuttle mission to the International Space Station (ISS) that launched on August 28, 2009. Space ShuttleDiscovery carried the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module Leonardo as its primary payload. Leonardo contained a collection of experiments for studying the physics and chemistry of microgravity. Three spacewalks were carried out during the mission, which removed and replaced a materials processing experiment outside ESA's Columbus module, and returned an empty ammonia tank assembly.
STS-129 was a NASA Space Shuttle mission to the International Space Station (ISS). Atlantis was launched on November 16, 2009, at 14:28 EST, and landed at 09:44 EST on November 27, 2009, on runway 33 at the Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landing Facility. It was also the last Shuttle mission of the 2000s.
STS-130 was a NASA Space Shuttle mission to the International Space Station (ISS). Space ShuttleEndeavour's primary payloads were the Tranquility module and the Cupola, a robotic control station with six windows around its sides and another in the center, providing a 360-degree view around the station. Endeavour launched at 04:14 EST on February 8, 2010 and landed at 22:22 EST on February 21, 2010, on runway 15 at the Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landing Facility.
STS-131 was a NASA Space Shuttle mission to the International Space Station (ISS). Space ShuttleDiscovery launched on April 5, 2010, at 6:21 am from LC-39A, and landed at 9:08 am on April 20, 2010, on runway 33 at the Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landing Facility. The mission marked the longest flight for Space Shuttle Discovery.
STS-132 was a NASA Space Shuttle mission, during which Space Shuttle Atlantis docked with the International Space Station on May 16, 2010. STS-132 was launched from the Kennedy Space Center on May 14, 2010. The primary payload was the Russian Rassvet Mini-Research Module, along with an Integrated Cargo Carrier-Vertical Light Deployable (ICC-VLD). Atlantis landed at the Kennedy Space Center on May 26, 2010.
Richard Robert "Ricky" Arnold II is an American educator and a NASA astronaut. He flew on Space Shuttle mission STS-119, which launched March 15, 2009, and delivered the final set of solar arrays to the International Space Station. He launched again in 2018 to the ISS, onboard Soyuz MS-08.
STS-134 was the penultimate mission of NASA's Space Shuttle program and the 25th and last spaceflight of Space ShuttleEndeavour. This flight delivered the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer and an ExPRESS Logistics Carrier to the International Space Station. Mark Kelly served as the mission commander. STS-134 was expected to be the final Space Shuttle mission if STS-135 did not receive funding from Congress. However, in February 2011, NASA stated that STS-135 would fly "regardless" of the funding situation. STS-135, flown by Atlantis, took advantage of the processing for STS-335, the Launch on Need mission that would have been necessary if the STS-134 crew became stranded in orbit.
Since construction started, the International Space Station programme has had to deal with several maintenance issues, unexpected problems and failures. These incidents have affected the assembly timeline, led to periods of reduced capabilities of the station and in some cases could have forced the crew to abandon the space station for safety reasons, had these problems not been resolved.
Launches are separated by dots ( • ), payloads by commas ( , ), multiple names for the same satellite by slashes ( / ). Cubesats are smaller. Crewed flights are underlined. Launch failures are marked with the † sign. Payloads deployed from other spacecraft are (enclosed in parentheses).
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