Some people might not be aware, but NASA’s Space Shuttle program is coming to a close in the near future, to be replaced with a new program in the next decade. Space Shuttle Discovery, the oldest orbiter still in service, went up for it’s final mission February 24, on a mission to transport modules to the International Space Station. This is the third-last mission for the Space Shuttle program, and not many chances are left to see these fantastic spacecraft operate.
Discovery began construction in 1979, when construction was awarded to Rockwell International in Downey, California. In five years, it was completed and tested, sent into orbit for six days to launch the Leasat F2, a communications satellite. After the Challenger disaster, it was three years before it launched again, putting more satellites into orbit, including the Hubble Space Telescope. After 1998, missions were moved from launching satellites to servicing the International Space Station and transporting crew members. After the Columbia disaster, Discovery was held from missions for four years, before being sent on more servicing missions.
For its final mission last month, it carried four primary modules: Leonardo, ExPRESS Logistics Carrier 4 (ELC-4), the SpaceX DragonEye sensor and Robonaut2. Leonardo, a Multi-Purpose Logistics Module, was installed to the Space Station as a Permanent Multipurpose Module (multipurpose is spelled differently in the naming of their components). PMMs allow space for storage and Leonardo relieves the storage demand the ISS has been suffering from for a while.
ELC-4 carried a Heat Rejection System Radiator and ExPRESS Pallet Controller Avionics 4. The radiator is a spare for the one currently on the Space Station. ExPRESS Logistics Carriers are payload platforms that provide mounting surfaces and power for Space Station science experiments.
The SpaceX DragonEye sensor was sent up as a final test run before it will be launched on the SpaceX Dragon, the first spacecraft sent into orbit and recovered by a private company. This was the third time SpaceX used a NASA Space Shuttle for unit testing. The sensor provides 3D images based on the time of flight of a laser pulse. SpaceX is comparing the data the sensor collected to the Space Shuttle’s Trajectory Control Sensor to measure the DragonEye’s performance.
Perhaps the coolest thing NASA sent was the Robonaut2, a robotic astronaut assistant designed to help astronauts conduct experiments about microgravity. The robot’s primary job is to show how dexterous robots can perform tasks. Robonaut2 may be able to help astronauts do external work if it performs well in the Space Station. Robonaut2 is made out of nickel-plated carbon fibre and aluminum, weighing around 130 kilograms. It begins its mission in the Destiny module of the Space Station but could expand to other locations.
After Discovery’s current missions ends, it will be offered to the Smithsonian Institution’s National Air and Space Museum as a replacement for Enterprise, the first Space Shuttle, which currently resides at the Smithsonian’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center. The next Space Shuttle launch will be Endeavour’s last flight, scheduled for April 19, which will deliver the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer and an ExPRESS Logistics Carrier to the International Space Station. The final Space Shuttle launch will be Atlantis in June, but budget costs may delay or cancel this mission. Schedule them in your calendars and see if you can watch them live on TV or online or if you can, visit Cape Canaveral and see the launch for yourself. It’s truly something unique that you won’t be able to see for much longer.
Leave a Reply