Discovery set to launch next space station assembly phase Aug. 9
Space Shuttle Discovery will launch a new crew and a
host of supplies and scientific racks and experiments to the
International Space Station Aug. 9, beginning a new phase of
station assembly that will expand the complex as research
work grows.
Discovery’s launch on the 12-day STS-105 mission has been set
for 5:38 p.m. EDT Aug. 9.
“This flight is representative of many shuttle missions to
come as station assembly and operations enter a new phase,”
Space Shuttle Program Manager Ron Dittemore said. “Although
extremely complex and challenging assembly flights will
continue, they’ll be interspersed with missions dedicated to
changing station crews, experiments and supplies. Discovery
is set to launch only about two weeks after Atlantis’ return
from the station, and the team has done a tremendous job.”
Discovery will be commanded by astronaut Scott Horowitz
(Col., USAF). Frederick “Rick” Sturckow (Major, USMC) will be
the space shuttle’s pilot. The shuttle crew also includes
Patrick Forrester (Lt. Col., USA) and Dr. Daniel Barry,
mission specialists who will perform two spacewalks during
the mission to install logistical equipment and prepare for
future station assembly.
Launching to the station aboard Discovery will be the
Expedition Three crew, led by American Commander Frank
Culbertson, and joined by Russian crewmates Vladimir
Dezhurov, mission pilot, and flight engineer Mikhail Tyurin.
The station’s second resident crew, directed by Russian
Commander Yury Usachev, with American astronauts Jim Voss and
Susan Helms, will return to Earth aboard Discovery, ending
more than five months in orbit.
Discovery is expected to land about 1:17 p.m. EDT Aug. 21 at
NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, FL.
Additional information about the launch of STS-105 and the
International Space Station is available on the Internet at:
