Steps of ISS assembly
? |
Spacecraft |
Launch date |
Landing date |
Station element |
67 |
"Discovery" STS-120 |
Oct 23, 2007 | Nov 7, 2007 |
Node 2 Module (Harmony) |
68 |
"Progress М-62" |
Dec 23, 2007 |
Feb 15, 2008 |
|
69 |
"Progress М-63" |
Feb 5, 2008 | Apr 7, 2008 | |
70 |
"Atlantis" STS-122 |
Feb 7, 2008 | Feb 20, 2008 |
Columbus Module |
71 |
"Joule Verne" |
Mar 9, 2008 | Sep 29, 2008 | |
72 |
"Endeavour" STS-123 |
Mar 11, 2008 | Mar 27, 2008 |
First section of Kibo Japanese Research Module, dexterious manipulator Dextre |
73 |
"Soyuz TMA-12" |
Apr 8, 2008 | Oct 24, 2008 | |
74 |
"Progress М-64" |
May 15, 2008 | Sep 9, 2008 | |
75 |
"Discovery" STS-124 |
June 1, 2008 | June 14, 2008 |
Module PM and JEMRMS robotic arm of Kibo module |
76 |
"Progress М-65" |
Sep 10, 2008 | Dec 7, 2008 | |
77 |
"Soyuz TMA-13" |
Oct 12, 2008 | Apr 8, 2009 | |
On October 23, 2007 the U.S. Discovery Orbiter (STS-120) was launched (the ISS assembly program, flight number - 10A) which successfully docked to the ISS on October 25.
The NASA astronaut crew: Pamela Melroy (commander), George Zamka (pilot), Scott Parazynski, Stephanie Wilson, Douglas Wheelock, Daniel Tani, as well as an ESA astronaut from Italy Paolo Nespoli (all mission specialists). The flight purpose was Node 2 (Harmony) delivery to orbit, the ISS outfitting with additional equipment and expendables and also rotation of one ISS crew member (NASA astronaut Daniel Tani replaced NASA astronaut Clayton Anderson). During the joint flight the U.S. astronauts performed four EVAs.
On November 5, 2007 the Discovery Orbiter with seven astronauts onboard undocked from the ISS and on November 7 it successfully landed on Cape Canaveral, Florida, USA.
December 23, 2007 saw the launch from the Baikonur launch site of a Soyuz-U launch vehicle carrying Progress M-62 unmanned cargo transportation spacecraft (ISS program flight number 27P), which docked with ISS on December 26. The mission objective was to deliver to the ISS the cargo required to continue its operation in manned mode, and to support living and working conditions for the crew. The vehicle delivered more than 2.4 tons of cargoes. They encompass oxygen, water and food supplies, propellant, consumables, science hardware and equipment, including 385 kg of equipment for the US Segment.
On February 4, 2008 the Progress M-62 vehicle undocked from the ISS and was in a free flight as the test laboratory to carry out the Plasma-Progress experiment. On February 15, 2008 it was de-orbited and submerged in the given area of the Pacific Ocean.
On February 5, 2008 from the Baikonur cosmodrome the Soyuz-U launch vehicle with the Progress M-63 cargo transport vehicle was launched (the ISS flight program, the flight number - 28Р) which docked to the ISS on February 7. The launch purpose was the following: delivery of cargoes onboard the ISS, required to continue its operation in the manned mode, provision of the crew life conditions and work. The Progress M-63 vehicle delivered more than 2.5 t of different cargoes to the Station including the oxygen, water and food reserves, propellant, consumables, scientific equipment and hardware, among them the hardware 395 kg for the US OS.
On April 7, 2008 the cargo transport vehicle Progress M-63 was undocked from the ISS, deorbited and sunk in a pre-set area of the Pacific Ocean.
On February 7, 2008 the U.S. orbiter Atlantis (STS-122) was launched (the ISS assembly program, the flight number - 1E) which successfully docked to the ISS on February 9.
The crew has the following NASA astronauts: Stephen Frick (commander), Alan Poindexter (pilot), Leland Melvin, Rex Walheim, Stanley Love as well as the ESA astronauts: Hans SchlegeL (Germany), Leopold Eyarts (France) (all mission specialists).
The flight purpose was to deliver the Columbus Module to the ISS, along with the additional equipment and consumables, assembly operations at the ISS external surface as well as a rotation of one crew member of the ISS (the ESA astronaut Leopold Eyarts replaced the NASA astronaut Daniel Tani).
During the joint flight the U.S. astronauts performed three EVAs. On February 18, 2008 the Atlantis orbiter carrying seven astronauts undocked from the ISS, and on February 20, 2008 it successfully landed on Cape Canaveral, FL, USA.
On March 9, 2008 Ariane-5 launch vehicle with "Joule Verne" Automated Transfer Vehicle owned by European Space Agency (ESA) was launched from Kourou Cosmodrome. On March 9, 2008 ATV docked with the International Space Station after 25 days in free flight. The Launch was aimed at the space vehicle flight tests and delivery of various payloads to the International Space Station, including fuel for refueling propulsion system tanks of the ISS Module Zvezda.
On September 6, 2008, "Joule Verne" Automated Transfer Vehicle was undocked from ISS, and on September 29, 2008, it was de-orbited and brought down to its designated impact area in the Pacific Ocean.
On March 11, 2008 the launch was performed of US Orbiter Endeavour STS-123 (ISS deployment program, Flight number 1J/A), which was successfully docked to the ISS on March 13.
NASA crew involves the following astronauts: Dominic Gorie (Commander), Gregory Johnson (Pilot), Robert Behnken, Michael Foreman, Richard Linnehan, Garrett Reisman, as well as JAXA astronaut Takao Doi (all of them are flight specialists).
The flight objective is delivery of the first section of Kibo Japanese Research Module, Canadian dexterious manipulator Dextre, additional equipment and consumables to the ISS, carrying out assembly operations on ISS external surface, as well as one ISS crewmember rotation (NASA astronaut Garrett Reisman replaced ESA astronaut Leopold Eyharts). During the joint flight US astronauts had made 5 space walks.
On March 25, 2008 the Endeavour orbiter carrying seven astronauts undocked from the ISS, and on March 27, 2008 it successfully landed on Cape Canaveral, FL, USA.
On April 8, 2008 a launch vehicle Soyuz-FG launched from the Baikonur launch site put into orbit a Russian manned transportation spacecraft Soyuz TMA-12 (flight number 16S on the ISS assembly program), which docked with the space station on April 10. Soyuz TMA-12 carried two members of Expedition 17 (ISS-17) - Russian cosmonauts Sergey Volkov and Oleg Kononenko - as well as a space flight participant, citizen of the Republic of Korea So Yeon Yi, flying under the program of the fourteenth Russian taxi mission (Visiting Expedition 14). The mission objective is to perform the scheduled rotation of two crew members of Expedition Sixteen (ISS-16), as well as of the Soyuz TMA-11 spacecraft, which had been staying attached to the ISS serving as the crew rescue vehicle since October 12, 2007; to provide logistics support to the Space Station Expedition crew, and to help maintain the Station and its systems in good working order. On April 19, 2008 Soyuz TMA-11 undocked from the ISS and on that same day its descent vehicle carrying a space flight participant So Yeon Yi and two crew members of ISS-16 - US astronaut Peggy Whitson and Russian cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko - returned to Earth.
On May 15, 2008 from the Baikonur cosmodrome the Soyuz-U launch vehicle with the Progress M-64 cargo transport vehicle was launched (the ISS flight program, the flight number - 29Р) which docked to the ISS on May 17. The launch purpose was the following: delivery of cargoes onboard the ISS, required to continue its operation in the manned mode, provision of the crew life conditions and work. The Progress M-64 vehicle delivered more than 2.3 t of different cargoes to the Station including the oxygen, water and food reserves, propellant, consumables, scientific equipment and hardware, among them the hardware 406 kg for the US OS.
On September 1, 2008, Progress M-64 spacecraft undocked from ISS, and on September 9, 2008, it was de-orbited and brought down to its designated impact area in the Pacific Ocean after conducting the Plasma-Progress experiment in free flight.
On June 1, 2008, Space Shuttle Discovery was launched on the STS-124 mission (mission number 1J under ISS assembly program), and on June 2 it successfully docked with ISS.
The crew includes NASA astronauts: Mark Edward Kelly (commander), Kenneth Todd Ham (pilot), Karen Lujean Nyberg, Ronald John Garan, Michael Edward Fossum, Gregory Errol Chamitoff, as well as a JAXA astronaut Hoshide Akihiko (all of them mission specialists). The mission objective was to deliver to orbit the main pressurized module PM and JEMRMS robotic arm of the Japanese research module Kibo; to replace flight engineer 2 on board Kibo (NASA astronaut Gregory Errol Chamitoff replaced NASA astronaut Garrett Reisman); to outfit ISS with additional equipment and consumables; to perform installation work on the outside of the ISS.
During attached flight the astronauts performed three space walks.
On June 11, 2008, Space Shuttle Discovery carrying seven astronauts on board undocked from ISS, and on June 14 it successfully landed at Cape Canaveral, USA.
On September 10, 2008, Soyuz-U launch vehicle was launched from Baikonur launch site carrying cargo transportation spacecraft Progress M-65 (flight number 30P under ISS flight program), which, after 7 days in free flight, docked with the ISS on September 17. The spacecraft delivered to the station about 2.5 tons of cargo. It consists of oxygen, water, propellant and food supplies, scientific equipment and hardware for the systems on the ISS Russian segment. Intended for the US orbital segment are 374 kg of cargo, which include food, clothes, equipment for scientific research and activities in open space.
On November 14, 2008 the Progress M-65 space cargo vehicle was undocked from the ISS, while on December 7, 2008 the space vehicle was deorbited and flooded in the Pacific Ocean nominal area following its autonomous flight with a series of geophysical experiments conducted.
On October 12, 2008, a Soyuz-FG launch
vehicle was launched from Baikonur carrying Russian manned transportation spacecraft Soyuz TMA-13
(flight number 17S under the ISS assembly program), which docked with the space station on October 14. Flying onboard
Soyuz TMA-13 are two members of the
Expedition Eighteen crew (ISS-18) - US astronaut Michael Fincke and Russian cosmonaut Yuri Lonchakov, as well as
a space flight participant, a US citizen Richard Garriott
carrying out a mission under the
program of the Russian visiting flight 15. The objective of the launch is to perform a scheduled rotation of two
crew members from Expedition Seventeen (ISS-17), as well as a Soyuz TMA-12 spacecraft, which had been serving as
the crew rescue vehicle within the ISS space station since April 10, 2008; to provide technical support to the mission
of the Expedition crew, as well as to maintain the space station and its systems in good working order.
On October 24, 2008, Soyuz TMA-12 undocked from ISS, and on the same day the descent vehicle carrying the space flight participant Richard Garriott and two ISS-17 crew members - Sergei Volkov and Oleg Kononenko - returned to Earth.