Curbeam
Curbeam
Credit - www.spacefacts.de
Robert Lee Curbeam Jr American Mission Specialist Astronaut. Born 5 March 1962.

Personal: Male, Married, Two children. Born in Baltimore, Maryland, USA. US Navy US Navy

Astronaut Career

Astronaut Group: NASA Group 15 - 1995. Active Entered space service: 9 December 1994. Number of Flights: 3.00. Total Time: 37.61 days. Number of EVAs: 7.00. Total EVA Time: 1.90 days.


NASA Official Biography

NAME: Robert L. Curbeam, Jr., (Lieutenant Commander, USN)
NASA Astronaut

PERSONAL DATA:
Born March 5, 1962, in Baltimore, Maryland. Married to the former Julie Dawn Lein; two children. He enjoys weightlifting, biking, and family activities.

EDUCATION:
Graduated from Woodlawn High School, Baltimore County, Maryland, 1980. Bachelor of science degree in aerospace engineering from the United States Naval Academy, 1984. Master of science degree in aeronautical engineering from the Naval Postgraduate School, 1990. Degree of aeronautical & astronautical engineering from the Naval Postgraduate School, 1991.

ORGANIZATIONS:
Member of the U.S. Naval Academy Alumni Association and the Association of Old Crows.

SPECIAL HONORS:
Fighter Wing One Radar Intercept Officer of the Year for 1989, U.S. Naval Test Pilot School Best Developmental Thesis (DT-II) Award, two Navy Commendation Medals, the Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation, the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Navy Battle Efficiency Award, and the Sea Service Deployment Ribbon.

EXPERIENCE:
Upon graduation from the U.S. Naval Academy, Curbeam commenced Naval Flight Officer training in 1984. In 1986 he reported to Fighter Squadron 11 and made overseas deployments to the Mediterranean and Caribbean Seas, and the Arctic and Indian Oceans onboard the USS Forrestal (CV-59). Upon completion of Test Pilot School in December 1991, he reported to the Strike Aircraft Test Directorate where he was the project officer for the F-14A/B Air-to-Ground Weapons Separation Program. In August 1994, he returned to the U.S. Naval Academy as an instructor in the Weapons and Systems Engineering Department.

NASA EXPERIENCE:
Selected by NASA in December 1994, Curbeam reported to the Johnson Space Center in March 1995. He completed a year of training and evaluation and was assigned to the Computer Support Branch of the Astronaut Office.

CURRENT ASSIGNMENT:
Curbeam will serve as a mission specialist on the crew of STS-85 during Discovery's 11-day mission to study changes in the Earth's atmosphere. STS-85 is targeted for a July 1997 launch.

JANUARY 1997

Curbeam Spaceflight Log

  • 7 August 1997 Flight: STS-85. Flight Up: STS-85. Flight Back: STS-85. Flight Time: 11.85 days.
  • 7 February 2001 Flight: STS-98. Flight Up: STS-98. Flight Back: STS-98. Flight Time: 12.89 days.
  • 10 December 2006 Flight: STS-116. Flight Up: STS-116. Flight Back: STS-116. Flight Time: 12.86 days.

Curbeam Chronology

9 June 1995 - NASA Astronaut Training Group 15 selected.. The group was selected to provide pilot, engineer, and scientist astronauts for space shuttle flights.. Qualifications: Pilots: Bachelor's degree in engineering, biological science, physical science or mathematics. Advanced degree desirable. At least 1,000 flight-hours of pilot-in-command time. Flight test experience desirable. Excellent health. Vision minimum 20/50 uncorrected, correctable to 20/20 vision; maximum sitting blood pressure 140/90. Height between 163 and 193 cm.

Mission Specialists: Bachelor's degree in engineering, biological science, physical science or mathematics and minimum three years of related experience or an advanced degree. Vision minimum 20/150 uncorrected, correctable to 20/20. Maximum sitting blood pressure of 140/90. Height between 150 and 193 cm.. 10 pilots and 9 mission specialists, 6 civilians and 13 military officers, chosen from 2,962 applicants, of which 122 screened in June-August 1994. 4 additional international astronauts.


7 August 1997 - STS-85. Assignment: Prime Crew. Flight: STS-85. Deployed and retrieved the CRISTA-SPAS-2 (the Cryogenic Infrared Spectrometers and Telescopes for the Atmosphere-Shuttle Pallet Satellite-2) designed to study Earth's middle atmosphere. The CRISTA-SPAS-2 was making its second flight on the Space Shuttle and represented the fourth mission in a cooperative venture between the German Space Agency (DARA) and NASA.

CRISTA-SPAS was deployed by the RMS arm at 22:27 GMT on August 7 and was recaptured by Discovery's RMS arm at 15:14 GMT on August 16. Because of unfavorable weather conditions at the primary shuttle landing site at the Kennedy Space Center, Discovery was waved off for its scheduled August 18 landing. STS-85 landed the next day, at Kennedy Space Center at 11:08 GMT.


19 August 1997 - Landing of STS-85. Assignment: Return Crew. Flight: STS-85. STS-85 landed at 11:08 GMT.
29 October 1998 - STS-95 Mission Status Report # 02. Flight: STS-95. The crew of Discovery sailed through an opening day in orbit this afternoon, staying ahead of schedule for the most part as they prepared the spacecraft and a slate of more than 80 experiments for nine days in orbit.

Three hours and ten minutes into the flight, astronaut John Glenn, Discovery's Payload ...more...


3 January 2001 - ISS Status Report: ISS 01-01. Flight: ISS EO-1. The Expedition One crew moved into its tenth week in orbit today aboard the International Space Station (ISS) as preparations stepped into high gear for the launch of the next Shuttle assembly flight to the outpost.

Commander Bill Shepherd, Pilot Yuri Gidzenko and Flight Engineer Sergei Krikalev ...more...


11 January 2001 - ISS Status Report: ISS 01-02. Flight: ISS EO-1. Expedition One crewmembers are busily preparing the International Space Station for its next visitors - the five astronauts of the STS-98 mission of Atlantis - set to launch at 2:11 a.m. EST on January 19 from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Atlantis' precious cargo is the U.S. Laboratory Destiny, which will provide the orbiting outpost with its first science facility. STS-98 marks the seventh shuttle mission to the station and twelfth overall devoted to the assembly of the ever-growing international outpost in low Earth orbit.

Shuttle and station managers selected the target launch date following Wednesday's ...more...


17 January 2001 - ISS Status Report: ISS 01-03. Flight: ISS EO-1. With Space Shuttle Atlantis' STS-98 mission delayed three weeks, the Expedition One crew aboard the International Space Station will continue to review documents and procedures in preparation for the arrival of the station's newest module - the U.S. Laboratory Destiny.

Commander Bill Shepherd, Pilot Yuri Gidzenko and Flight Engineer Sergei Krikalev ...more...


31 January 2001 - ISS Status Report: ISS 01-05. Flight: ISS EO-1. Activity aboard the International Space Station continues to focus on preparations for the arrival of Space Shuttle Atlantis late next week bringing the first scientific laboratory on the STS-98 mission.

Following the shuttle's return to the launch pad, the U.S. Laboratory Destiny was ...more...


7 February 2001 - STS-98. Assignment: Prime Crew. Flight: STS-98. ISS Assembly flight. Launch delayed from January 18 and February 6. International Space Station assembly mission; delivered the Destiny and PMA-2 modules. Destiny was an American ISS module, an 8.4 meter long and 4.2 meter wide cylindrical structure with a mass of 15 tonnes. It was to function as a science and technology module and the primary control module for the ISS. The shuttle orbiter was placed in an initial 74 x 323 km x 51.6 deg orbit. At 2357 GMT the OMS engines fired for the OMS-2 burn which raised Atlantis' orbit to 204 x 322 km x 51.6 deg. Atlantis docked with the Station at 1651 GMT on February 9 at the PMA-3 port on Unity's nadir. At 1500 GMT on Feb 10 Marsha Ivins used the RMS arm to unberth the PMA-2 docking port from Unity. Tom Jones and Bob Curbeam then conducted three spacewalks on Februay 10 to 14 to attach the Destiny and PMA-2 modules to the station. The crew also delivered over a tonne of food, fuel and equipment to the ISS. Atlantis undocked from Alpha at 1406 GMT on February 16. Atlantis landed at Edwards AFB on February 20; plans to land on February 18 and 19 were called off due to persistent wind problems at Kennedy Space Center. The deorbit burn was at 1927 GMT and lowered the orbit from 370 x 386 km to about 50 x 380 km. The nominal entry interface at 122 km came at 2002 GMT and touchdown on runway 22 was at 20:33 GMT. On March 1 Atlantis was flown on the back of NASA's SCA 911 carrier aircraft to Altus AFB, Oklahoma, en route to Kennedy.
7 February 2001 - STS-98 Mission Status Report #01. Flight: ISS EO-1, STS-98. Atlantis' five astronauts blasted off from the Kennedy Space Center at sunset tonight to deliver the U.S. Laboratory Destiny to the International Space Station (ISS), the cornerstone of scientific research on the complex and the new command and control center for Station operations.

Commander Ken Cockrell, Pilot Mark Polansky and Mission Specialists Bob Curbeam, ...more...


8 February 2001 - STS-98 Mission Status Report #02. Flight: ISS EO-1, STS-98. The five-member crew of Atlantis is in its first full day in space continuing its pursuit of the International Space Station. After a slightly abbreviated sleep period, Atlantis' astronauts were awakened at 6:13 a.m. Central time as the Shuttle trailed the Station by approximately 2,000 statute miles (3,200 kilometers). The first wakeup call of the flight was "Where You At", a jazz selection by Pilot Mark Polansky's late uncle, Zoot Sims.

The first full day in orbit for Astronauts Ken Cockrell, Polansky, Marsha Ivins, ...more...


8 February 2001 - STS-98 Mission Status Report #03. Flight: ISS EO-1, STS-98. With the 16-ton, bus-sized Destiny laboratory now virtually weightless in its cargo bay, the Space Shuttle Atlantis today drew ever closer to Destiny's permanent home, the International Space Station, and the five shuttle astronauts prepared for the complex construction job to come.

More than two thousand miles ahead, the three-member space station crew -- passing ...more...


10 February 2001 - EVA STS-98-1. Assignment: EVA Crew. Flight: STS-98. Tom Jones and Bob Curbeam began the first STS-98 spacewalk from the ODS airlock on Atlantis, supervising the ISS/Destiny assembly operations. The airlock was depressurized at 1544 GMT. PMA-2 was berthed on Z1 at 1650 GMT; Destiny was unberthed from the payload bay at 1735 GMT and docked to Unity at 1900 GMT. At 1935 GMT Curbeam was connecting ammonia coolant lines when a leaking connector sprayed ammonia into space, contaminating his suit. He was ordered to stay in sunlight to bake off the ammonia. At around 2311 GMT the spacewalkers returned to the airlock, closing the hatch at 2318 GMT. A new depressurization for decontamination was begun at 2342 GMT, with the airlock fully depressurized at 2350 GMT. The hatch was then opened and closed quickly at 2351-2352 GMT, to flush the airlock of any ammonia residue. This last event was not counted as an EVA by NASA.
12 February 2001 - EVA STS-98-2. Assignment: EVA Crew. Flight: STS-98. STS-98 EVA-2 began at 1555 GMT on February 12 with depressurization of the airlock. The astronauts went to battery power at 1559 GMT. The PMA-2 docking port was attached to Destiny at 1728 GMT. The Power Data Grapple Fixture (PDGF) was removed from its location on an adaptive payload carrier on the port side of the payload bay (probably bay 5P) and installed on Destiny. The PDGF will be used by the Station's robot arm, and is an improved grapple fixture with electrical power and data ports. The hatch was closed at 2240 GMT and the airlock was repressurized at 2249 GMT
14 February 2001 - EVA STS-98-3. Assignment: EVA Crew. Flight: STS-98. On the third STS-98 EVA the airlock was depressurized at 1443 GMT, with hatch open at around 1445 and battery power at 1448. The spare SASA S-band antenna was unberthed from an adapter beam in the payload bay (around bay 4P?) and installed on Z1. The +X (starboard) TCS radiator on P6, launched on the previous mission, was deployed at 1649 GMT. The astronauts completed the spacewalk with repressurization of the airlock at 2013 GMT
18 February 2001 - STS-98 Mission Status Report #23. Flight: ISS EO-1, STS-98. Atlantis' homecoming was delayed today until Monday as gusty winds at the Kennedy Space Center forced a waveoff of the Shuttle's landing at the Florida spaceport.

Commander Ken Cockrell, Pilot Mark Polansky and Mission Specialists Bob Curbeam, ...more...


18 February 2001 - STS-98 Mission Status Report #22. Flight: ISS EO-1, STS-98. Atlantis' astronauts were awakened just before 4 a.m. Central time Sunday, ready for a homecoming to the Kennedy Space Center later today, weather permitting.

With the U.S. Laboratory Destiny operating in excellent shape as the newest addition ...more...


19 February 2001 - STS-98 Mission Status Report #25. Flight: ISS EO-1, STS-98. For the second day in a row, Atlantis' astronauts were foiled in their attempt to land at the Kennedy Space Center by high winds which caused another 24-hour delay in their homecoming until Tuesday.

As was the case on Sunday, flight controllers tried to bring Commander Ken Cockrell, ...more...


19 February 2001 - STS-98 Mission Status Report #24. Flight: ISS EO-1, STS-98. After an extra day in orbit, Atlantis' astronauts will try again to return to the Kennedy Space Center today to wrap up a 4.9 million mile mission to deliver the U.S. Laboratory Destiny to the International Space Station (ISS). Preliminary weather forecasts indicate the possibility of gusty winds and decks of broken clouds at the Shuttle Landing Facility at the Cape this afternoon, similar to the conditions that forced a waveoff of the Shuttle's return yesterday.

Atlantis has two opportunities today for a landing at the Kennedy Space Center. ...more...


20 February 2001 - STS-98 Mission Status Report #27. Flight: ISS EO-1, STS-98. Atlantis' astronauts glided to a belated but textbook touchdown at Edwards Air Force Base, California today, wrapping up a 5.3 million mile mission to deliver the U.S. Laboratory Destiny to the International Space Station (ISS).

With Commander Ken Cockrell at the controls, Atlantis darted through high clouds ...more...


20 February 2001 - STS-98 Mission Status Report #26. Flight: ISS EO-1, STS-98. Atlantis' astronauts are hoping that the third time will be the charm today as an improving weather forecast at the Kennedy Space Center holds hope for the Shuttle's return to the Florida spaceport following two consecutive days of weather related wave-offs.

The Kennedy Space Center remains the primary target for today's landing, with two ...more...


20 February 2001 - Landing of STS-98. Assignment: Return Crew. Flight: STS-98. STS-98 landed at 20:33 GMT.
24 July 2003 - STS-116 (cancelled). Assignment: Proposed Prime Crew. Flight: STS-116A. Flight delayed after the Columbia disaster. STS-116 was to have flown ISS Assembly mission ISS-12A.1. It would have delivered the third left-side truss segment (ITS P5), logistics and supplies aboard a Spacehab single cargo module and carried out a crew rotation.
9 December 2006 - STS-116 MCC Status Report 01. Flight: ISS EO-14, STS-116, ISS EO-14-1, ISS Astrolab. The Space Shuttle Discovery rocketed into a dark Florida sky at 7:47 p.m. CST today, the third shuttle launch in five months, but the first night launch in more than four years.

Discovery's seven-member crew will link up with the International Space Station ...more...


10 December 2006 - STS-116. Assignment: Prime Crew. Flight: STS-116, ISS EO-14, ISS Astrolab. The mission used solid rocket booster pair RSRM-95 and external tank ET-123. At SSME burnout Discovery was in a 58 km x 220 km x 51.6 deg preliminary burn. The OMS-2 burn at 02:25 GMT placed the shuttle in a stable 225 x 250 km orbit from which rendezvous maneuvers began. Discovery docked with the ISS at 22:12 GMT on December 11. In the most demanding ISS assembly mission ever, the crew would require an additional spacewalk to complete installation of the P5 truss, retraction of the recalcitrant port P6 solar array wing, and activation of the truss electrical and cooling system. Sunita Williams rode the shuttle to the station, and remained behind with the EO-14 crew; ESA astronaut Thomas Reiter, already aboard the station, was returned to earth. Due to weather problems a landing at White Sands was considered; but in the end Discovery landed safely at Kennedy Space Center, after which it was to enter a year-long overhaul cycle.
10 December 2006 - STS-116 MCC Status Report 02. Flight: ISS EO-14, STS-116, ISS EO-14-1, ISS Astrolab. The Space Shuttle Discovery crew, Commander Mark Polansky, Pilot Bill Oefelein, and Mission Specialists Nicholas Patrick, Joan Higginbotham, Bob Curbeam, Sunita Williams and Christer Fuglesang, are beginning a busy first full day in space.

The astronauts will use the shuttle’s robotic arm to unberth the Orbiter Boom Sensor ...more...


10 December 2006 - STS-116 MCC Status Report 03. Flight: ISS EO-14, STS-116, ISS EO-14-1, ISS Astrolab. The Space Shuttle Discovery crew spent much of its first full day in space using the shuttle’s robotic arm and an extension boom-mounted sensor system to inspect heat shielding on Discovery's wing leading edges and nose.

The data will be analyzed by engineers to ensure the spacecraft's heat shield is ...more...


11 December 2006 - STS-116 MCC Status Report 04. Flight: ISS EO-14, STS-116, ISS EO-14-1, ISS Astrolab. The Space Shuttle Discovery continues its pursuit of the International Space Station, a chase that should culminate in the docking of the two spacecraft at 4:05 p.m. CST today.

Discovery’s crew, Commander Mark Polansky, Pilot Bill Oefelein and Mission Specialists ...more...


11 December 2006 - STS-116 MCC Status Report 05. Flight: ISS EO-14, STS-116, ISS EO-14-1, ISS Astrolab. Astronauts on the Space Shuttle Discovery and the International Space Station were united today, and the joint crew immediately began the complex work associated with installing a new truss section and rewiring the station’s power grid.

Discovery’s crew entered the station complex at 5:54 p.m. CST as Expedition 14 Commander ...more...


12 December 2006 - EVA STS-116-1. Assignment: EVA Crew. Flight: ISS EO-14, STS-116. The crew aligned and connected the P5 truss segment to P4. However problems were experienced in retraction of the P6 solar array. It could not be fully retracted, although enough was folded up to allow the P4 arrays to rotate freely when relocated.
12 December 2006 - STS-116 MCC Status Report 06. Flight: ISS EO-14, STS-116, ISS EO-14-1, ISS Astrolab. The first spacewalk by Discovery's crew members, an excursion that will install a new, two-ton segment on the port side of the International Space Station's girder-like truss, will highlight today's work on mission STS-116.

The six-hour, 10-minute excursion by astronauts Bob Curbeam and Christer Fuglesang ...more...


12 December 2006 - STS-116 MCC Status Report 07. Flight: ISS EO-14, STS-116. The International Space Station is now two tons heavier, with the installation today of its newest truss segment during the flight’s first spacewalk.

Mission Specialists Bob Curbeam and Christer Fuglesang ventured outside the station ...more...


13 December 2006 - STS-116 MCC Status Report 08. Flight: ISS EO-14, STS-116, ISS EO-14-1, ISS Astrolab. Retracting a solar array wing that has been extended in space for six years will highlight the activities aboard the International Space Station and the Space Shuttle Discovery today.

Furling of the wing, the left wing of the station's P6 solar arrays that were launched ...more...


13 December 2006 - STS-116 MCC Status Report 09. Flight: ISS EO-14, STS-116. The first phase of the electrical and thermal makeover of the International Space Station was completed tonight as the outpost’s newest solar arrays began rotating to follow the sun and ammonia flowed into the station’s permanent cooling system for the first time.

Flight controllers sent commands to enable a large joint to begin rotating around ...more...


14 December 2006 - EVA STS-116-2. Assignment: EVA Crew. Flight: ISS EO-14, STS-116. The crew reconfigured power on channels 2 and 3 of the station's electrical system. The feared partial shutdown of the ISS power systems and power-up from the new P4 solar array was conducted without a hitch.
14 December 2006 - STS-116 MCC Status Report 11. Flight: ISS EO-14, STS-116. Two spacewalking electricians completed half of STS-116’s rewiring today, and when flight controllers threw the switch, the lights inside the International Space Station turned on again without a hitch.

Mission Specialists Bob Curbeam and Christer Fuglesang began their second spacewalk ...more...


14 December 2006 - STS-116 MCC Status Report 10. Flight: ISS EO-14, STS-116, ISS EO-14-1. The second spacewalk for Discovery's crew members is scheduled for this afternoon. During the spacewalk, set to start about 2:12 p.m. CST, Bob Curbeam and Christer Fuglesang will begin to rewire the station’s power system

Curbeam and Fuglesang spent the night in the station's Quest airlock at a reduced ...more...


15 December 2006 - STS-116 MCC Status Report 12. Flight: ISS EO-14, STS-116, ISS EO-14-1, ISS Astrolab. With half the International Space Station’s electrical system rewired, the crew of Space Shuttle Discovery gets half a day off today before they finish the job during a third spacewalk set for Saturday.

Mission Specialists Bob Curbeam and Christer Fuglesang rewired channels 2 and 3 ...more...


15 December 2006 - STS-116 MCC Status Report 13. Flight: ISS EO-14, STS-116, ISS EO-14-1, ISS Astrolab. The crews of Space Shuttle Discovery and the International Space Station tried again to refold an accordion-like solar array with help from engineers and flight controllers on the ground, but none of the techniques succeeded in clearing the jam.

The final attempt of the day came at 8:04 p.m. CST when Expedition 14 Flight Engineer ...more...


16 December 2006 - EVA STS-116-3. Assignment: EVA Crew. Flight: ISS EO-14, STS-116. The crew reconfigured power on channels 1 and 4 of the station's electrical system. The partial shutdown of the ISS power systems and power-up from the new P4 solar array was conducted without a hitch. They also moved Zvezda module debris protection panels to a storage location on the station exterior and performed other small tasks.
16 December 2006 - STS-116 MCC Status Report 15. Flight: ISS EO-14, STS-116. During a spacewalk partially choreographed as it happened, STS-116 Astronauts Bob Curbeam and Sunita Williams finished rewiring the International Space Station and shook loose a balky solar array so their crewmates inside could retract it almost two-thirds of the way.

By finishing the electrical work, the spacewalkers set the stage for installation ...more...


16 December 2006 - STS-116 MCC Status Report 14. Flight: ISS EO-14, STS-116, ISS EO-14-1, ISS Astrolab. The third spacewalk of Discovery’s mission to the International Space Station is scheduled to begin at 1:37 p.m. CST to complete the rewiring of the orbiting laboratory’s power system.

Discovery Mission Specialist Bob Curbeam and station Flight Engineer Sunita Williams ...more...


17 December 2006 - STS-116 MCC Status Report 16. Flight: ISS EO-14, STS-116, ISS EO-14-1, ISS Astrolab. Astronauts will spend much of today getting ready for a fourth spacewalk during Discovery’s mission to the International Space Station.

On Saturday, Mission Specialists Bob Curbeam and Expedition 14 Flight Engineer Sunita ...more...


17 December 2006 - STS-116 MCC Status Report 17. Flight: ISS EO-14, STS-116. Flight controllers today put the finishing touches on plans for the fourth spacewalk recently added to the mission. On board the Space Shuttle Discovery and the International Space Station astronauts finished transferring the bulk of supplies between the two spacecraft.

Monday’s spacewalk is set to begin at 1:12 p.m. as veteran spacewalkers Robert Curbeam ...more...


18 December 2006 - EVA STS-116-4. Assignment: EVA Crew. Flight: ISS EO-14, STS-116. The crew conducted an unscheduled spacewalk, and successfully managed to fully retract the P6 solar array.
18 December 2006 - STS-116 MCC Status Report 18. Flight: ISS EO-14, STS-116. Discovery and International Space Station crew members will conduct their fourth spacewalk of the week today, an excursion aimed at freeing a snagged, partially retracted station solar array so it will fully fold properly.

Astronaut Bob Curbeam and Christer Fuglesang, a European Space Agency astronaut ...more...


18 December 2006 - STS-116 MCC Status Report 19. Flight: ISS EO-14, STS-116. Space Shuttle Discovery Astronauts Bob Curbeam and Christer Fuglesang guided the port overhead solar array wing neatly inside its blanket box during a 6-hour, 38-minute spacewalk.

The coordinated effort with flight controllers finished the retraction begun on ...more...


19 December 2006 - STS-116 MCC Status Report 21. Flight: ISS EO-14, STS-116, ISS EO-14-1, ISS Astrolab. Crews aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery and the International Space Station bid one another farewell at 4:10 p.m. CST today, wrapping up eight days of docked operations.

Staying behind on the newly rewired space station were Expedition 14 Flight Engineer ...more...


19 December 2006 - STS-116 MCC Status Report 20. Flight: ISS EO-14, STS-116, ISS EO-14-1, ISS Astrolab. Space Shuttle Discovery astronauts will leave the orbiting laboratory today after four successful spacewalks, delivery and installation of a new segment of the International Space Station’s main truss and reconfiguring the station’s power system.

During their eight days docked to the station, the shuttle crew also dropped off ...more...


20 December 2006 - STS-116 MCC Status Report 22. Flight: ISS EO-14, STS-116, ISS EO-14-1, ISS Astrolab. Discovery crew members will make a final check of the shuttle’s heat shields today, using a sensor-equipped 50-foot extension of the shuttle’s robotic arm.

After the inspection, Discovery will deploy two small scientific satellites. A third ...more...


20 December 2006 - STS-116 MCC Status Report 23. Flight: ISS EO-14, STS-116, ISS EO-14-1, ISS Astrolab. Inspection of Discovery’s heat shield was conducted today as the seven crewmembers began the task of preparing their ship for their high-speed return to Earth on Friday.

One hour after removing the sensor-equipped 50-foot Orbiter Boom Sensor System from ...more...


21 December 2006 - STS-116 MCC Status Report 25. Flight: ISS EO-14, STS-116, ISS EO-14-1. Discovery’s astronauts completed preparations for a planned return to Earth on Friday and received word from Mission Control that their final inspection showed the shuttle’s heat shield is in good shape.

STS-116 Commander Mark Polansky, Pilot Bill Oefelein, and Flight Engineer Bob Curbeam ...more...


21 December 2006 - STS-116 MCC Status Report 24. Flight: ISS EO-14, STS-116, ISS EO-14-1, ISS Astrolab. Discovery’s astronauts will spend today preparing to return to Earth. They will test flight control surfaces, steering jets and other entry and landing systems while they stow equipment in Discovery’s cabin.

The crew, Commander Mark Polansky, Pilot Bill Oefelein, and mission specialists ...more...


22 December 2006 - STS-116 MCC Status Report 27. Flight: ISS EO-14, STS-116, ISS Astrolab. The crew of Space Shuttle Discovery made it home in time for Christmas, gliding to a perfect landing as the sun set over NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Discovery touched down on Runway 15 of the Shuttle Landing Facility at 4:32 p.m. ...more...


22 December 2006 - STS-116 MCC Status Report 26. Flight: ISS EO-14, STS-116, ISS EO-14-1, ISS Astrolab. Discovery’s wakeup call said it all. The song was "Home for the Holidays," sung by Perry Como for the crew, requested by the Mission Control Center.

That 6:18 a.m. CST call began a day that the crew and their support teams on the ...more...



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