Educated New Hampshire; Ohio State. Total EVA Time: 1.80 days. Number of EVAs: 6.
STS-78 launched June 20, 1996 and landed July 7, 1996 becoming the longest Space Shuttle mission to date. This mission served as a model for future studies onboard the International Space Station. The LMS mission included studies sponsored by ten nations and five space agencies. The international crew included 5 Americans a Frenchman, a Canadian, a Spaniard, and an Italian.
Birth Place: Lowell, Massachusetts.
Status: Active.
Born: 1957.09.19.
Spaceflights: 4 .
Total time in space: 59.50 days.
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.. Four pilots and 15 mission specialists, nine civilians and ten military. Chosen from 2054 applicants, 87 of which screened in December 1991/January 1992. Five additional international astronauts.
The Neurolab mission was managed by NASA-Johnson at Houston, unlike earlier Spacelab flights which were NASA-Marshall/Huntsville's responsibility. Landed at Kennedy Space Center May 3 1998.
In the course of five spacewalks, the crew installed new equipment on HST. This was the first flight of Columbia since the launch of Chandra in 1999 following refurbishment. In the first two spacewalks, two new solar arrays were installed, and the two old arrays stowed on the RAC carrier. The RWA-1R reaction wheel assembly on the MULE carrier replaced the faltering RWA-1 in the telescope. The third spacewalk was the most difficult, as HST was entirely powered down while astronauts replaced its power controller unit, not designed for on-orbit replacement. On the fourth spacewalk the astronauts removed the European FOC camera, aboard HST since launch in 1990, and replaced it with the new ACS (Advanced Camera for Surveys). They also installed the CASH wire harness, part of the aft shroud cooling system. On the final spacewalk, the astronauts installed the NCS (NICMOS cooling system) cryocooler in the aft shround and the associated NCS radiator on the telescope's exterior. The NICMOS infrared camera had been idle since its original thermal control system failed. With the removal of FOC, the COSTAR device (which deployed contact lenses for the original instruments) became obsolete, since the newer instruments made the corrections to the incorrect HST mirror internally. Cargo manifest:
The sampling kit was then stowed away. Leo's next NUTRITION/Repository activity will be his Flight Day 30 (FD30) session. (The current NUTRITION project is the most comprehensive in-flight study done by NASA to date of human physiologic changes during long-duration space flight. It includes measures of bone metabolism, oxidative damage, nutritional assessments, and hormonal changes, expanding the previous Clinical Nutritional Assessment profile (MR016L) testing in three ways: Addition of in-flight blood & urine collection (made possible by MELFI), normative markers of nutritional assessment, and a return session plus 30-day (R+30) session to allow evaluation of post-flight nutrition and implications for rehabilitation.) Additional Details: here....
Progress thrusters (DPO) were inhibited and not involved. (Crew activities focused on TORU activation, inputting commands via the RUO Rotational Hand Controller and close-out ops. TORU lets an SM-based crewmember perform the approach and docking of automated Progress vehicles in case of failure of the automated KURS system. Receiving a video image of the approaching ISS, as seen from a Progress-mounted docking television camera ('Klest'), on a color monitor ('Simvol-Ts', i.e. 'symbol center') which also displays an overlay of rendezvous data from the onboard digital computer, the crewmember steers the Progress to mechanical contact by means of two hand controllers, one for rotation (RUO), the other for translation (RUD), on adjustable armrests. The controller-generated commands are transmitted from the SM's TORU control panel to the Progress via VHF radio. In addition to the Simvol-Ts color monitor, range, range rate (approach velocity) and relative angular position data are displayed on the 'Klest-M' video monitor (VKU) which starts picking up signals from Progress when it is still approximately 7 km away. TORU is monitored in real time from TsUP over Russian ground sites (RGS) and via Ku-band from Houston, but its control cannot be taken over from the ground.) Additional Details: here....
Before breakfast and exercise, FE-2 Eyharts performed his first PHS (Periodic Health Status) w/Blood Labs examination. CDR Whitson assisted in drawing blood and using the U.S. PCBA(Portable Clinical Blood Analyzer). The second part of PHS, Subjective Clinical Evaluation, was performed later in the day. (The PHS exam, with PCBA analysis and clinical evaluation, is guided by special software (IFEP, In-Flight Examination Program) on the MEC (Medical Equipment Computer). While PCBA analyzes total blood composition, the blood's hematocrit is particularly measured by the Russian MO-10 protocol.) Additional Details: here....
(SONOKARD objectives are stated to (1) study the feasibility of obtaining the maximum of data through computer processing of records obtained overnight, (2) systematically record the crewmember's physiological functions during sleep, (3) study the feasibility of obtaining real-time crew health data. Investigators believe that contactless acquisition of cardiorespiratory data over the night period could serve as a basis for developing efficient criteria for evaluating and predicting adaptive capability of human body in long-duration space flight.) Additional Details: here....
STS-123/Endeavour (ISS-1J/A) lifted off spectacularly in darkness early this morning right on time (2:28am EDT) with all systems performing nominally, for rendezvous with ISS tomorrow (3/12, Wednesday) and docking at approximately 11:25pm EDT. The Orbiter is carrying the seven-member crew of Commander Dominic L. Gorie, Pilot Gregory H. Johnson and Mission Specialists Richard M. Linnehan, Robert L. Behnken, Michael J. Foreman, Takao Doi and Garrett E. Reisman. Reisman will replace LĂ(c)opold Eyharts as ISS Flight Engineer 2, who returns on 3/26 (nominal) with STS-123. STS-123 is the 122nd space shuttle flight, the 21st flight for Endeavour, the 25th flight to the station and the second of six Shuttle flights planned for 2008 (including the Hubble Service Mission 4). Its primary payloads are the 18,490-lbs Japanese Experiment Logistics Module-Pressurized Section (ELM-PS or JLP) and the 3,400-lbs Canadian Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator (SPDM) 'Dextre'. We are off to another great mission! Additional Details: here....
STS-123/Endeavour continues its chaser flight for tonight's docking at ~11:25pm EDT, to begin ISS Stage 1J/A. (Catch-up rate ~480 nmi. per revolution of ~92 min). (Hatch opening is expected at ~1:08am, followed by: Safety Briefing, Soyuz seat liner transfer (for the Eyharts/Reisman exchange), SRMS (Shuttle Remote Manipulator System)- transfer of SLP-D1 (Spacelab Pallet Deployable 1), carrying SPDM 'Dextre', from Shuttle cargo bay to POA (Payload ORU Attachment) on MBS (Mobile Base System) at ~2:30am, and preparations for the first spacewalk, EVA-1, to be conducted by EV1 Linnehan & EV2 Reisman on 3/13 (~9:23pm EDT), preceded by their 'overnight' Campout tomorrow (6:43am-7:45pm) in the Airlock (A/L) for denitrogenation/pre-breathe. Main objectives of the nominal 16-day mission: Installation of the 18,490-lbs ELM-PS or JLP (Japanese Experiment Logistics Module-Pressurized Section) and the 3,400-lbs Canadian SPDM (Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator) 'Dextre', delivering new ISS-16 crewmember Garrett Reisman & bringing LĂ(c)opold Eyharts back home, and conducting a total of five EVAs. Landing will nominally take place at KSC on FD17 (3/26) at ~8:35pm EDT.) Additional Details: here....
STS-123/Endeavour docked smoothly last night at 11:49pm EDT at the PMA-2 (Pressurized Mating Adapter-2) port, 24 minutes behind schedule (due to loss of target lock by the CW {Continuous Wave} laser of the Shuttle's TCS {Trajectory Control Sensor} during the manual rendezvous phase, requiring manual lock re-acquisition). The RPM (R-Bar Pitch Maneuver) started at 10:26pm and was successfully completed at 10:34pm, with Whitson and Malenchenko taking 200-300 close-up photographs of Endeavour's bottom heatshield. The station now hosts ten occupants again as Mission 1J/A is underway. (At the point of docking, Peggy Whitson rang the traditional ship's bell and announced 'Endeavour landed!' The combined crew is comprised of ISS CDR Whitson, FE-1 Yuri Malenchenko, FE-2 LĂ(c)opold Eyharts, STS CDR Dominic Gorie, PLT Gregory Johnson, MS1 Robert Behnken, MS2 Mike Foreman, MS3 Takao Doi (Japan), MS4 Rick Linnehan, and MS5/FE-2-16 Garrett Reisman who replaces Eyharts as FE-2, as the latter returns on the Endeavour as MS-5.) Additional Details: here....
Crew sleep cycle today:sleep 8:00am-4:30pm; wake 4:30pm-7:00am tomorrow.
Mission 1J./A's EVA-1 was completed successfully by Rick Linnehan & Garrett Reisman in 7h 1m, accomplishing all its objectives (no get-aheads).
(During the spacewalk, Linnehan (EV1) & Reisman (EV2) -
Prepared the JAXA JLP (JEM Experiment Logistics Module Pressurized Section) for its transfer, i.e. -
opened and secured the protective flap over the Node-2 topside (zenith) hatch viewport for the internal CBCS (Centerline Berthing Camera System),
removed 8 PCBM (Passive Common Berthing Mechanism) contamination protection covers,
demated & stowed JLP LTA (Launch-to-Activation) connectors & installed protective caps on the LTA receptacles;
Performed Part 1 Assembly of the SPDM (Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator), i.e. -
released two OTCMs (ORU Tool Changeout Mechanisms) from the launch locations on the SLP (Spacelab Pallet),
installed the OTCMs on the SPDM,
released the OTP EDFs (ORU Temporary Platform Expandable Diameter Fasteners),
inspected the SLP PDGF (Power & Data Grapple Fixture) horseshoe connectors;
Took photographs of the SPDM, and
Installed a protective wire tie over the sharp edge divot discovered during Flight 1A on the Airlock (A/L) handrail.
Official start time of the spacewalk was 9:18pm EDT, about 5 min ahead of timeline, and it ended at 4:19am. Total EVA duration (PET = Phase Elapsed Time) was 7h 1min. It was the 105th spacewalk for ISS assembly & maintenance and the 77th from the station (55 from Quest, 22 from Pirs, 28 from Shuttle) totaling 472h 22min, and the 9th for Expedition 16 (totaling 64h 30min) and the 6th so far this year. After today's EVA, a total of 131 spacewalkers (99 NASA astronauts, 21 Russians, and 11 astronauts representing Japan-1, Canada-4, France-1, Germany-2 and Sweden-3) have logged a total of 660h 44min outside the station on building, outfitting and servicing. It was also the 127th spacewalk involving U.S. astronauts.) Additional Details: here....
Crew sleep cycle today: Sleep 7:00am -3:30pm; wake 3:30pm -7:00am tomorrow.
Node-2/JLP vestibule outfitting, JLP ingress & JLP rack reconfigurations successfully accomplished! The first Japan-made human-rated space facility is now in operation. Arigato Gozaimasu!
(After completing outfitting the Node-2 vestibule to the JAXA JLP (JEM Experiment Logistics Module Pressurized Section), including removing CBM (Common Berthing Mechanism) hardware, installing several utility jumpers & taking air samples, crewmembers, led by 'high-productivity' Peggy Whitson, ingressed the module three hours early (~9:20pm EDT). This allowed the reconfiguring of three JLP racks (including relocating rack front stowage to Node-2 in preparation for the racks transfer to the JEM during Flight 1J, plus retrieving two bags from behind a rack that contain K-Bars and pivot fittings) to be completed right away, rather than tonight (FD6) as planned. FD6 timeline replanning includes troubleshooting/repair of the broken ISS Multimeter.) Additional Details: here....
Ahead: Week 22 of Increment 16. Crew sleep cycle today: Sleep 7:00am -3:30pm; wake 3:30pm -6:00am tomorrow.
More good news!
SPDM Dextre was checked out and is working nominally with both arms. (The waist-up-only robot from Canada arrived in space in nine separate pieces that are being assembled in the current spacewalks. Each of the two arms has seven joints; in addition, SPDM (Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator) Dextre can pivot at the 'waist'. Its grippers (hands) have built-in socket wrenches, cameras & lights. Only one arm is movable at a time, to keep the robot stable and avoid a two-arm collision. Dextre can be attached to MT (Mobile Transporter) to translate along the stations rail tracks, or alternately to the SSRMS (Space Station Remote Manipulator System) to swing to places where the railcart can't go. What a supercool helper!) Additional Details: here....
Crew sleep cycle today: Sleep 6:00am -2:30pm; wake 2:30pm -6:00am tomorrow.
After wake-up yesterday at ~3:30pm, CDR Peggy Whitson completed another session with the SLEEP experiment (Sleep-Wake Actigraphy & Light Exposure during Spaceflight) software for data logging and filling in questionnaire entries in the experiment's laptop session file on the HRF-1 laptop for downlink, as suggested on her discretionary 'job jar' task list. (To monitor the crewmember's sleep/wake patterns and light exposure, Peggy wears a special Actiwatch device which measures the light levels encountered by him as well as his patterns of sleep and activity throughout the Expedition. The log entries are done within 15 minutes of final awakening for seven consecutive days, as part of the crew's discretionary 'job jar' task list.) Additional Details: here....
Crew sleep cycle today: Sleep 6:00am -2:30pm; wake 2:30pm -6:00am tomorrow.
EVA-3 was completed successfully by Rick Linnehan and Bob Behnken in 6h 53m, accomplishing most of its objectives.
(During the spacewalk, Linnehan (EV1) & Behnken (EV2) -
Installed the OTP (ORU {On-Orbit Replaceable Unit} Temporary Platform) and THA (Tool Holder Assembly) on the SPDM (Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator),
Removed MLI (Multi-Layered Insulation) thermal blankets,
Installed the CLPA (Camera, Light & Pan/Tilt Assembly) on the SPDM,
Cleaned up & configured the SLP (Spacelab Pallet) for return (to be transferred with the SSRMS (Space Station Remote Manipulator System) from the POA (Payload ORU Attachment) to the Orbiter PLB (Payload Bay) tomorrow evening (FD9)),
Transferred the spare SSRMS yaw joint from the PLB to stowage on the ESP-2 (External Stowage Platform 2),
Transferred two spare DCSUs (Direct Current Switching Units) from the PLB to stowage on the ESP-2,
Transferred the LWAPA (Light Weight Adapter Plate Assembly) for installation on the Columbus EPF (External Payload Facility) and prepared for the installation of two MISSE-6 (Materials International Space Station Experiment) payloads,
Removed the MCAS EBCS (Mobil Common Attachment System External Berthing Camera System) cover flap as a get-ahead, and
Stowed the JLP (JEM Experiment Logistics Module Pressurized Section) trunnion covers on a handrail for future installation.
Tasks not completed: Additional Details: here....
Crew sleep cycle today: Sleep 5:00am -1:30pm; wake 1:30pm -5:00am tomorrow.
Three more major mission steps were accomplished:
SPDM (Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator) 'Dextre', with repositioned arms, was successfully stowed on the U.S. Lab PDGF (Power & Data Grapple Fixture) (and is looking very cool);
SLP (Spacelab Pallet) was returned to the Shuttle PLB (Payload Bay) for re-berthing; and
SSRMS (Space Station Remote Manipulator System) was 'walked off' the Node-2 PDGF onto MT/MBS (Mobile Transporter/Mobile Base System) PDGF-3 and maneuvered into position for today's MT translation from Worksite 6 (WS6) to WS4.
(During commanding of the SPDM's body ('waist') roll joint to stowage mode, it rotated in the opposite direction than expected, due to a sign mistake (polarity inversion, i.e., a plus-sign instead of a minus-sign) in the DMCS (Dexterous Manipulator Control Software) configuration file. Flight Controllers worked around this in real time, and the crew was able to maneuver the SPDM LEE (Latching End Effector) onto the LAB PDGF without further ado. Work is underway at CSA/MDA to write a corrective software patch.) Additional Details: here....