STS-130 flight timeline
STS-130 (ISS assembly flight 20A) is the first Space Shuttle mission to the International Space Station (ISS) in 2010. Space Shuttle Endeavour was launched on Monday, 8 February, at 10:14 Central European Time and it will dock with the ISS on Wednesday 10 February at 06:06 CET (05:06 UTC).
Commander of the STS-130 mission is George Zamka; Terry Virts Jr. is the pilot. Mission specialists are Nicholas Patrick, Robert Behnken, Stephen Robinson and Kathryn Hire.
This is the 32nd Shuttle flight to the ISS and the 130th flight of the Space Shuttle. Flight was also the last night launch of the Shuttle program. The Twitter feed of the countdown and launch activities is available on www.twitter.com/esanode3.
Note: all times and dates are preliminary and may change during the mission.
8 February: Launch
After practically flawless ascent to orbit, Space Shuttle Endeavour is set to dock with ISS on flight day 3, Wednesday 10 February. Before that, six astronauts aboard are now checking the reinforced thermal protection on the leading edges of Endeavour’s wings and nose cap using Shuttle's 15m long robotic arm and special Orbital Boom Sensor System extension. The crew of Endeavour will also prepare their craft for rendezvous and docking and check out the spacesuits Mission Specialists Nicholas Patrick and Robert Behnken will wear for three spacewalks.
12 February: Node-3 attached to ISS
On the flight day 5 Robert Behnken and Nicholas Patrick perform an EVA to remove the docking port cover from Node-3 and disconnect the cables that provided power to the Node-3 heaters during ascent. Node-3 is moved by the ISS robot arm to Node-1’s port radial location. The spacewalkers connect the cables to Node-1 to restore power and connect the avionics cables from the central part of the ISS truss. The space between the Node-1 / Node-3 hatches is pressurised and the Node-1 hatch opened.
13 February: Going in to Node-3
The Node-3 hatch is opened on flight day 6 and the crew make an 'early ingress', meaning that they enter even though it is not fully activated. Ventilation is established using the temporary intermodule ventilation duct, and lighting provided with portable lamps. The crew prepare Cupola for moving to its final location on the Node-3 nadir port and manoeuvre the robot arm to grab it by the dedicated grapple fixture. In parallel, the Advanced Resistive Exercise Device and Atmosphere Revitalization System, both installed in racks and already stored in the US Destiny laboratory module, are transferred and installed inside Node-3, awaiting activation.
14 February: Node-3 activated
During the second EVA, on flight day 7, Behnken and Patrick connect Node-3 to the ammonia lines of the ISS thermal control system, install thermal covers over connections and attach EVA handrails, worksite foot interface points and a non-propulsive air-venting device. Node-3 can be then activated as a fully functioning element of the ISS either from the ground or, as a back-up, by the crew. In parallel with the EVA, the cargo inside Node- 3 is removed and, finally, at the end of the EVA, Cupola is depressurised.
15 February: Relocation of the Cupola
On 8th day of the flight, Cupola is unberthed from Node-3’s end port and manoeuvred to the Earth-facing port of Node-3 where it is redocked. Before opening the hatch, Cupola must be repressurised and checked for leaks. At this point, Cupola’s electrical, ventilation and water lines are connected and the window heaters activated. The second treadmill, now in Node-2, will be moved to Node-3 after the Shuttle has left.
16 February: Outfitting of Node-3
Outfitting of Node-3 continues on flight day 9. The PMA-3 docking adaptor is transferred by the ISS robot arm to its final location on Node-3’s end port (where the Cupola was at launch). When the Node-3 hatch to PMA-3 is open, it provides additional storage space.
17 February: Finishing the work
The last EVA of STS-130 takes place on flight day 10. The main tasks of Behnken and Patrick are removing the thermal shroud covering Cupola and the launch bolts securing its window shutters (three bolts per shutter) and connecting Node-3 to PMA-3 external utilities. Inside the ISS, the outfitting of Cupola and Node-3 continue with the filling of the Cupola water lines, the relocation of internal closeout panels, and the removal of Node-3 pump and cabin fan launch restraints. Finally, the workstation is installed inside Cupola for driving the robot arm from this vantage point of the ISS.
Return to KSC
After the crew has rested and prepared the Shuttle for undocking, Endeavour will undock at 01:54 CET on Saturday and slowly veer away from the ISS. The landing will take place on Monday, 22 February, early at 03:20 CETat Kennedy Space Center in Florida (weather permitting).
