Columbus Mission facts

Shuttle crew:

• Shuttle Commander Stephen Frick (NASA)
• Shuttle Pilot Alan Poindexter (NASA)
• Mission Specialist Hans Schlegel (ESA)
• Mission Specialist Rex Walheim (NASA)
• Mission Specialist Stanley Love (NASA)
• Mission Specialist Leland Melvin (NASA)
• ISS Flight Engineer (Ascent) Léopold Eyharts (ESA)
• ISS Flight Engineer (Descent) Daniel Tani (NASA)

Spacecraft
Space Shuttle Atlantis (29th flight for Atlantis)

MISSION

European mission name:
Columbus Mission

Shuttle mission designation:
STS-122 (121st Space Shuttle flight and the 24th flight to ISS)

International Space Station assembly flight designation:
1E

Primary payload:
European Columbus laboratory

Secondary Payloads:
EuTEF, SOLAR, Nitrogen Tank Assembly

LAUNCH AND LANDING SITES

Launch site:
Launch Pad 39A, Kennedy Space Center, Florida, USA

Primary landing site:
Kennedy Space Center, Florida, USA

Secondary landing sites:
Edwards Air Force Base, California, USA
White Sands Space Harbor, New Mexico, USA

MISSION PARAMETERS

Launch:
7 February 2008 (at 14:45 Florida time, 20:45 CET)

Launch window:
10 minutes

Altitude (in orbit):
226 kilometres

International Space Station altitude:
~400 kilometres

Inclination:
51.6°

Mission duration:
13 days

Landing:
Wednesday 20 February (09:07 Florida time, 15:07 CET)