STS-115
STS-115 was a Space Shuttle mission to the International Space Station (ISS) flown by Space Shuttle Atlantis. 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 (15:14:55 UTC).
The ISS above Earth, following the installation of a new truss segment and solar arrays during STS-115 | |
| Names | Space Transportation System-115 |
|---|---|
| Mission type | ISS assembly |
| Operator | NASA |
| COSPAR ID | 2006-036A |
| SATCAT no. | 29391 |
| Mission duration | 11 days, 19 hours, 6 minutes, 35 seconds |
| Distance travelled | 7,840,000 kilometres (4,870,000 mi) |
| Orbits completed | 188 |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft | Space Shuttle Atlantis |
| Launch mass | 2,000 tonnes (4,400,000 lb) |
| Crew | |
| Crew size | 6 |
| Members | |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | September 9, 2006, 15:14:55 UTC |
| Launch site | Kennedy LC-39B |
| End of mission | |
| Landing date | September 21, 2006, 10:21:30 UTC |
| Landing site | Kennedy SLF Runway 33 |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric |
| Regime | Low Earth |
| Perigee altitude | 157.4 kilometres (97.8 mi) |
| Apogee altitude | 226.6 kilometres (140.8 mi) |
| Inclination | 51.6 degrees |
| Period | 91.6 minutes |
| Docking with ISS | |
| Docking port | PMA-2 (Destiny forward) |
| Docking date | September 11, 2006, 10:46 UTC |
| Undocking date | September 17, 2006, 12:50 UTC |
| Time docked | 6 days, 2 hours, 4 minutes |
|
(L-R) Heidemarie M. Stefanyshyn-Piper, Christopher J. Ferguson, Joseph R. Tanner, Daniel C. Burbank, Brent W. Jett Jr., Steven MacLean | |
The mission is also referred to as ISS-12A by the ISS program. The mission delivered the second port-side truss segment (ITS P3/P4), a pair of solar arrays (2A and 4A), and batteries. A total of three spacewalks were performed, during which the crew connected the systems on the installed trusses, prepared them for deployment, and did other maintenance work on the station.
STS-115 was originally scheduled to launch in April 2003. The Columbia accident in February 2003 pushed the date back to August 27, 2006, which was again moved back for various reasons, including a threat from Tropical Storm Ernesto and the strongest lightning strike to ever hit an occupied shuttle launchpad.