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STS-104

STS-104

Quest being grappled by Canadarm2, prior to its installation on the ISS
Names	Space Transportation System-104
Mission type	ISS assembly
Operator	NASA
COSPAR ID	2001-028A
SATCAT no.	26862
Mission duration	12 days, 18 hours, 36 minutes, 39 seconds
Distance travelled	8,500,000 kilometres (5,300,000 mi)
Orbits completed	200
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft	Space Shuttle Atlantis
Launch mass	117,129 kilograms (258,225 lb)
Landing mass	94,009 kilograms (207,254 lb)
Payload mass	8,241 kilograms (18,168 lb)
Crew
Crew size	5
Members	Steven W. Lindsey Charles O. Hobaugh Michael L. Gernhardt Janet L. Kavandi James F. Reilly
EVAs	3
EVA duration	16 hours, 30 minutes
Start of mission
Launch date	12 July 2001, 09:04 (2001-07-12UTC09:04Z) UTC
Launch site	Kennedy LC-39B
End of mission
Landing date	25 July 2001, 03:38 (2001-07-25UTC03:39Z) UTC
Landing site	Kennedy SLF Runway 15
Orbital parameters
Reference system	Geocentric
Regime	Low Earth
Perigee altitude	372 kilometres (231 mi)
Apogee altitude	390 kilometres (240 mi)
Inclination	51.6 degrees
Period	92.2 minutes
Docking with ISS
Docking port	PMA-2 (Destiny forward)
Docking date	14 July 2001 03:08 UTC
Undocking date	22 July 2001 04:54 UTC
Time docked	8 days, 1 hour, 46 minutes
Left to right: Seated - Charles O. Hobaugh, Steven W. Lindsey; Standing - Michael L. Gernhardt, Janet L. Kavandi, James F. Reilly Space Shuttle program ← STS-100 STS-105 →

STS-104 was a Space Shuttle mission to the International Space Station (ISS) flown by Space Shuttle Atlantis. Its primary objectives were to install the Quest Joint Airlock and help perform maintenance on the International Space Station. It launched on 12 July 2001 at 09:04 UTC, and returned to Earth without incident after successful docking, equipment installation, and three spacewalks.

Crew[edit]

Mission highlights[edit]

The primary purpose of the flight was to deliver and install the Quest airlock. The Joint Airlock is a pressurized flight element consisting of two cylindrical chambers attached end-to-end by a connecting bulkhead and hatch. Once installed and activated, the ISS airlock became the primary path for International Space Station space walk entry and departure for U.S. spacesuits, which are known as Extravehicular Mobility Units, or EMUs. In addition, the Joint Airlock is designed to support the Russian Orlan spacesuit for EVA activity.

The Joint Airlock is 20 ft (6.1 m) long, 13 ft (4.0 m) in diameter and weighs 6.5 short tons (5.9 metric tons). It is made from steel and aluminum, and manufactured at the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) by the Space Station main contractor Boeing. The ISS-airlock has two main components: a crew airlock and an equipment airlock for storing EVA gear and EVA preflight preps. STS-104 also carries a spacelab pallet with four High Pressure Gas Assembly containers that were attached to the exterior of the airlock.

Mission Specialists Michael Gernhardt and James Reilly conducted three space walks while Space Shuttle Atlantis was docked to the International Space Station. They spent a total of 16 hours and 30 minutes outside. During the first space walk, Gernhardt and Reilly assisted in the installation of the airlock. During the second and third excursions, they focused on the external outfitting of the Quest airlock with four High Pressure Gas Tanks, handrails and other vital equipment. The third spacewalk was conducted from Quest itself.^[1]

STS-104 was the final Space Shuttle mission to have a five-member crew. All succeeding missions would have six or seven (except the final mission STS-135, which had 4).

First flight of Block II SSME[edit]

STS-104 was the first shuttle mission to fly with a "Block II" SSME. Post-launch analysis indicated an anomaly occurred when the engine was shut down. The cause was determined and the mitigation approach was demonstrated on the STS-108 flight in November 2001.^[2]

Space walks[edit]

• Gernhardt and Reilly – EVA 1
• EVA 1 Start: 15 July 2001 – 03:10 UTC
• EVA 1 End: 15 July 2001 – 09:09 UTC
• Duration: 5 hours, 59 minutes
• Gernhardt and Reilly – EVA 2
• EVA 2 Start: 18 July 2001 – 03:04 UTC
• EVA 2 End: 18 July 2001 – 09:33 UTC
• Duration: 6 hours, 29 minutes
• Gernhardt and Reilly – EVA 3
• EVA 3 Start: 21 July 2001 – 04:35 UTC
• EVA 3 End: 21 July 2001 – 08:37 UTC
• Duration: 4 hours, 02 minutes

Wake-up calls[edit]

NASA began a tradition of playing music to astronauts during the Gemini program, which was first used to wake up a flight crew during Apollo 15.^[3] Each track is specially chosen, often by their families, and usually has a special meaning to an individual member of the crew, or is applicable to their daily activities.^[3][4]

See also[edit]

• List of human spaceflights
• List of International Space Station spacewalks
• List of Space Shuttle missions
• List of spacewalks and moonwalks 1965–1999
• Outline of space science

References[edit]

 This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

External links[edit]

• NASA mission summary Archived 10 August 2016 at the Wayback Machine
• STS-104 Video Highlights Archived 6 October 2017 at the Wayback Machine