STS-130

STS-130
NASA · Public domain · source
Mission name	STS-130
Spacecraft	Space Shuttle Endeavour

STS-130 was the 130th NASA Space Shuttle mission and the 24th flight of Space Shuttle Endeavour. The mission launched on February 8, 2010, from Kennedy Space Center and landed on February 22, 2010, at the same location. The crew of six astronauts spent 13 days, 18 hours, and 6 minutes in space, conducting a series of spacewalks and delivering the Tranquility module to the International Space Station. The mission was a significant milestone in the construction of the International Space Station, with the addition of the Tranquility module and the Cupola observatory, which was built by Thales Alenia Space and Boeing.

Mission Overview

The mission was commanded by George Zamka, a veteran NASA astronaut who had previously flown on STS-120. The crew also included Terry Virts, Kathryn Hire, Stephen Robinson, Nicholas Patrick, and Robert Behnken. The mission was launched from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center and followed a Low Earth Orbit trajectory to reach the International Space Station. The crew performed a series of spacewalks to install the Tranquility module and the Cupola observatory, which provided a panoramic view of the Earth and the surrounding space environment. The mission was supported by Mission Control Center in Houston, Texas, and the European Space Agency's Columbus laboratory.

Crew

The crew of STS-130 consisted of six experienced NASA astronauts, including George Zamka, Terry Virts, Kathryn Hire, Stephen Robinson, Nicholas Patrick, and Robert Behnken. The crew was supported by a team of engineers and technicians from NASA, Boeing, and Lockheed Martin. The crew underwent extensive training at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, and the European Astronaut Centre in Cologne, Germany. The crew also included Russian Federal Space Agency cosmonauts Alexander Skvortsov and Mikhail Kornienko, who were part of the Expedition 23 crew on the International Space Station.

Mission Objectives

The primary objective of the mission was to deliver the Tranquility module and the Cupola observatory to the International Space Station. The Tranquility module was built by Thales Alenia Space and provided additional living quarters and life support systems for the crew. The Cupola observatory was built by Boeing and provided a panoramic view of the Earth and the surrounding space environment. The crew also performed a series of spacewalks to install the Tranquility module and the Cupola observatory, and to perform maintenance tasks on the International Space Station. The mission was supported by the Canadian Space Agency's Canadarm2 robotic arm and the European Space Agency's Columbus laboratory.

Mission Timeline

The mission launched on February 8, 2010, at 09:14 UTC from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center. The crew spent the first two days in space performing checks on the Space Shuttle Endeavour and preparing for the rendezvous with the International Space Station. On February 10, 2010, the crew docked with the International Space Station and began the process of installing the Tranquility module and the Cupola observatory. The crew performed three spacewalks on February 12, 14, and 16, 2010, to complete the installation of the Tranquility module and the Cupola observatory. The crew undocked from the International Space Station on February 20, 2010, and landed back at Kennedy Space Center on February 22, 2010.

Spacewalks

The crew performed three spacewalks during the mission to install the Tranquility module and the Cupola observatory. The first spacewalk was performed by Robert Behnken and Nicholas Patrick on February 12, 2010, and lasted for 6 hours and 32 minutes. The second spacewalk was performed by Robert Behnken and Stephen Robinson on February 14, 2010, and lasted for 5 hours and 54 minutes. The third spacewalk was performed by Robert Behnken and Nicholas Patrick on February 16, 2010, and lasted for 5 hours and 48 minutes. The spacewalks were supported by the Canadian Space Agency's Canadarm2 robotic arm and the European Space Agency's Columbus laboratory. The crew also used the NASA's Extravehicular Mobility Unit spacesuits during the spacewalks. Category:Space Shuttle missions