|
|
|
|
|
Astronaut rosters for upcoming shuttle flights set BY SPACEFLIGHT NOW Posted: February 9, 2005 NASA has shuffled the astronaut crews to fly fourth and fifth space shuttle missions after the return-to-flight launch this spring, putting a rookie commander in charge of STS-116 and adding new members to STS-117. Both missions, now scheduled for 2006, will continue the orbital construction of the International Space Station.
In the crew line-up in training before the Columbia accident, Polansky was slated to serve as pilot on STS-117. STS-116's initial crew of pilot William Oefeline and spacewalkers Robert Curbeam and Christer Fuglesang remain together. Their original commander, veteran Terry Wilcutt, was not included in the roster announced Wednesday. Newcomers added to STS-116 are mission specialists Joan Higginbotham (due to fly on STS-117 before the shuttle grounding) and Nicholas Patrick. Both will be making their first shuttle flight. Mission STS-116 will deliver the International Space Station's third port truss segment. Known as the P5 Truss, this small box-like structure will serve as an adapter between the solar array truss launched later this year on STS-115 and the outer array truss to be installed later. Replacing Polansky and Higginbotham on STS-117 will be pilot Lee Archambault and mission specialist Steven Swanson, both rookies. The other members from the original STS-117 remain unchanged, including commander Rick Sturckow and experienced mission specialists Jim Reilly, Richard Mastracchio and Pat Forrester. STS-117 launches the third of four solar array trusses to the space station. |
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe, in his final press conference appearance, presents the 2006 budget information and answers reporters' questions on Hubble, the exploration plan and shuttle return-to-flight. (86min 37sec file)
Expedition 11 commander Sergei Krikalev, flight engineer John Phillips and Soyuz taxi crewmember Roberto Vittori hold a pre-flight news conference in Houston. Topics included problems with the shuttle safe haven concept. (42min 23sec file)
Astronauts Soichi Noguchi and Steve Robinson go under water in the Neutral Bouyancy Lab's gigantic pool to practice spacewalk activities for the upcoming STS-114 return-to-flight space shuttle mission. (3min 45sec file)
The STS-114 return-to-flight space shuttle crew visits Kennedy Space Center to inspect Discovery and the new sensor boom that will look for orbiter launch damage. (2min 22sec file)
NASA pays tribute to those lost while furthering the cause of exploration, including the Apollo 1, Challenger and Columbia crews, during this Day of Remembrance memorial from agency headquarters on Jan. 27. (38min 58sec file)