NASA's Shuttle Discovery Launches to Enhance Space Station Science
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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Space shuttle Discovery, with its seven-member
crew, launched at 11:59 p.m. EDT Friday from NASA's Kennedy Space
Center in Florida. The shuttle will deliver supplies, equipment and a
new crew member to the International Space Station.
Inside the shuttle's cargo bay is the Leonardo Multi-Purpose Logistics
Module, a pressurized "moving van" that will be temporarily installed
to the station. The module will deliver storage racks; materials and
fluids science racks; a freezer to store research samples; a new
sleeping compartment; an air purification system; and a treadmill
named after comedian Stephen Colbert. The name "Colbert" received the
most entries in NASA's online poll to name the station's Node 3. NASA
named the node Tranquility.
Shortly before liftoff, Commander Rick Sturckow said, "Thanks to
everyone who helped prepare for this mission. Let's go step up the
science on the International Space Station!"
The 13-day flight will include three spacewalks to replace experiments
outside the European Space Agency's Columbus laboratory, install a
new ammonia storage tank and return the used one. Ammonia is needed
to move excess heat from inside the station to the radiators located
outside.
Sturckow is joined on the STS-128 mission by Pilot Kevin Ford, Mission
Specialists Pat Forrester, Jose Hernandez, Danny Olivas and European
Space Agency astronaut Christer Fuglesang. NASA astronaut Nicole
Stott will fly to the complex aboard Discovery to begin a three-month
mission as a station resident. She replaces NASA's Tim Kopra, who
will return home on Discovery. Ford, Hernandez and Stott are
first-time space fliers.
The mission marks the start of the transition from assembling the
space station to using it for continuous scientific research.
Assembly and maintenance activities have dominated the available time
for crew work. As completion nears, additional facilities and the
crew members to operate them will enable a measured increase in time
devoted to research as a national and multinational orbiting
laboratory.
Discovery's first landing opportunity at Kennedy is scheduled for
Thursday, Sept. 10, at 7:09 p.m. EDT. This mission is the 128th space
shuttle flight, the 30th to the station, the 37th for Discovery and
the fourth in 2009.
NASA is providing continuous television and Internet coverage of
Discovery's mission. NASA Television features live mission events,
daily mission status news conferences and 24-hour commentary. For
NASA TV streaming video, downlink and schedule information, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/ntv
NASA's Web coverage of STS-128 includes mission information,
interactive features, news conference images, graphics and videos.
Mission coverage, including the latest NASA TV schedule, is available
on the main space shuttle Web site at:
http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle
Hernandez and Stott are providing mission updates on Twitter. For
their Twitter feeds and other NASA social media Web sites, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/
Live updates to the NASA News Twitter feed will be added throughout
the shuttle mission and landing. To access the NASA News Twitter
feed, visit:
http://www.twitter.com/nasa
Daily news conferences with STS-128 mission managers will take place
at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. During normal business
hours of 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. EDT Monday through Friday, reporters may
ask questions from participating NASA locations. Please contact your
preferred NASA facility before its daily close of business to confirm
its availability before each event.
Johnson will operate a telephone bridge for media briefings that occur
outside of normal business hours. To be eligible to use this service,
reporters must possess valid media credentials either issued by a
NASA center or issued specifically for the STS-128 mission.
Media representatives planning to use the service must contact the
Johnson newsroom at 281-483-5111 no later than 15 minutes prior to
the start of a briefing in which they wish to participate. Newsroom
personnel will verify their credentials and transfer them to the
phone bridge. The capacity of the phone bridge is limited and will be
available on a first-come, first-serve basis.
