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| STS-119 | |
|---|---|
| Name | STS-119 |
| Operator | National Aeronautics and Space Administration |
| Spacecraft | Space Shuttle Discovery |
| Launch | March 15, 2009 |
| Landing | March 28, 2009 |
| Orbit | Low Earth orbit |
STS-119 was a Space Shuttle program mission flown by Space Shuttle Discovery to deliver and install the final set of solar array wings to the International Space Station. The flight supported assembly of the International Space Station by transporting the S6 truss segment and associated photovoltaic arrays, and included multiple extravehicular activitys to complete integration with the Integrated Truss Structure. The mission connected major elements delivered by vehicles such as STS-88, STS-97, and STS-115 to expand the station's power capability.
The mission objective focused on delivering the S6 truss segment and the final pair of photovoltaic solar array wings to the International Space Station, augmenting arrays originally deployed by missions like STS-97 and STS-115. The flight supported station assembly milestones negotiated among partners including NASA, the Russian Federal Space Agency, the European Space Agency, and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency. Discovery's payload accommodated hardware integration with node elements such as Harmony (ISS module) and truss components previously installed by STS-120 and STS-122.
The seven-person crew combined veterans from programs associated with Johnson Space Center, Kennedy Space Center, and international flight participants with prior missions like STS-114 and STS-121. Command and mission operations drew on flight history linked to astronauts who also trained at Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center and served on expeditions to the International Space Station. Crew members coordinated with long-duration crewmembers from Expedition 18 and Expedition 19 aboard the station for transfer and activation tasks.
Primary payload was the S6 truss segment outfitted with a set of solar arrays and rotary joints compatible with earlier truss sections such as the S3/S4 truss and S0 truss. Secondary hardware included logistics transferred to the Harmony (ISS module), spares for systems originally launched on missions like STS-88, and experiments sized for transfer to the Kibo (ISS module) and Columbus (ISS module). The cargo manifested coordinated with international partner stowage standards from agencies such as Canadian Space Agency and payload integration processes practiced at Kennedy Space Center and the Marshall Space Flight Center.
After rollout and processing at Kennedy Space Center, the orbiter launched to rendezvous with the International Space Station and execute robotics operations using the Canadarm2 and the orbiter's Shuttle Remote Manipulator System. The timeline included docking procedures similar to those used in previous assembly flights such as STS-115 and STS-120, multiple planned extravehicular activitys to manipulate and secure the truss and arrays, and transfer of equipment to station crewmembers of Expedition 18 and Expedition 19. Post-assembly checkout and power verification followed established activation sequences coordinated with Mission Control Center (Houston).
Discovery launched from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center using a stack configuration consistent with earlier return-to-flight missions including STS-114. The ascent profile involved main engine cutoff and external tank separation procedures matching designs originally tested during STS-1 and refined over the Space Shuttle program. Flight dynamics and range safety coordination referenced standards from the United States Air Force and trajectory planning tools developed with contractors in collaboration with Johnson Space Center.
On orbit, the crew used the orbiter's Shuttle Remote Manipulator System along with the station's Canadarm2 to extract the S6 truss segment from Discovery's payload bay and berth it to the station's Integrated Truss Structure. The mission executed a series of spacewalks to connect power umbilicals, deploy the solar array wings, and install the S-band communications and ancillary hardware, following procedures tested during prior assembly flights like STS-97 and STS-115. Extravehicular Activity tasks involved tethering, power activation, and structural attachment techniques trained at facilities including Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory and mission simulations at Johnson Space Center.
Following successful integration and verification of power generation from the new arrays, Discovery undocked and performed separation burns before conducting reentry targeting Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landing Facility or alternate sites such as Edwards Air Force Base if required by weather constraints. Post-landing processing returned the orbiter to flow for vehicle inspections and refurbishment at Orbiter Processing Facility facilities and informed lessons learned archived by NASA for subsequent missions. The mission's augmentation of station power supported later occupations and science operations managed by Expedition 19 and successors.
Category:Space Shuttle missions Category:2009 in spaceflight