Official RSC Energia Press Release about the docking of Space Shuttle Atlantis with the International Space Station (Flight 2A.2b)
Today the American Reusable Space Transportation
System (RSTS), Atlantis implementing Flight 2A.2b under the
ISS Building Schedule (STS-106) under the Space Shuttle Flight
Program) has docked with the International Space Station (ISS)
Orbital Complex.
The Space Shuttle launched at 16 hours 45 minutes
47 seconds Moscow Time (12:45:47 GMT) from the Kennedy Space
Center – based launch pad berthed to a free docking port of
the US Unity Module. Contact of the docking assembly located
on the module end adapter occurred at 9 hours 51 minutes 25
seconds Moscow Time (5:51:25 GMT), when both the Orbital Complex
and the Space Shuttle Atlantis were flying on a sun-lit part
of orbit within a radio visibility area of the Russian ground
measurement stations.
In final berthing and docking stage the Russia
– made androgynous docking assemblies provided engagement, mutual
alignment of the Orbital Complex and the Space Shuttle Atlantis
as well as pressure integrity of the interfaces of the transfer
compartments joining them together. These assemblies were developed
by S.P. Korolev Rocket and Space Corporation Energia, the
enterprise responsible for construction of the ISS Russian Segment,
and repeatedly tested on the Mir Orbital Complex under the Russian
– American Mir/Shuttle and Mir/NASA Programs.
The ISS Orbital Complex is to operate during
7 days involving the following: logistics vehicle Progress M1-3,
Zvezda Service Module (SM), Zarya Functional Cargo Module (FGB),
Unity Module, RSTS Atlantis. Mass of this Complex is about 169
tons. The Space Shuttle Atlantis crew involves the US astronauts
Terrence Wilcutt, commander; Scott Altman, pilot; Edward Lu,
Richard Mastracchio, Daniel Burbank as mission specialists and
the Russian cosmonauts Yuri Malenchenko and Boris Morukov as
mission specialists from the ISS Russian Segment. The crew has
already started preparation for conduct of the scheduled activities
on the Station.
On September 11, Monday the Russian cosmonaut
Yu. Malenchenko and the American astronaut E. Lu are scheduled
to conduct a 6,5-hour long EVA for inspection of the ISS Complex
structural members, performance of the operations to connect
the FGB/SM external electric cables and install magnetometer
on the Zvezda Module.
Opening transfer hatches and commencement of
crew activities in the station and logistics vehicle Progress
M1-3 internal compartments are scheduled for the morning of
September 12.
The specialists from S.P. Korolev RSC Energia
constituting the key personnel of the Lead Operational Control
Team (LOCT) at the Moscow Mission Control Center (MCC-M) are
in charge of the ISS Orbital Complex mission control. The LOCT
also involves the experts from a number of other Russian development
contractors responsible for the Zvezda SM onboard systems and
Zarya FGB. V.A. Solovyov, the pilot-cosmonaut and the leading
specialist of S.P. Korolev Rocket & Space Corporation Energia,
is the Flight Director.
The Texas (USA) – based Houston Mission Control
Center (MCC-H) executes control over the RSTS onboard systems
operation as well as cooperates with its crew.
By the LOCT specialists data, the ISS Complex
conducts an orbital flight with the following parameters: inclination,
51,6*; maximum and minimum flight altitude, 381,9 and 352,9
km, respectively. Period of revolution around the Earth is 91,6
minutes.
During the docking the MCC-M housed the managers
and leading specialists from S.P. Korolev Rocket & Space
Corporation Energia, TSNII MASH, experts from other enterprises
and organizations cooperating with the LOCT in solving the mission
control problems as well as M. Baker, Director of the Moscow
– based NASA Office and William Shepherd, the American astronaut.