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Preparing International Space Station for its First Permanent Residents
Discovery back home!
With a safe return to Kennedy Space Center, Fla., on Sunday, June 6 just after 2 a.m. Eastern Time, the four-man, three-woman crew of the Space Shuttle Discovery completed its 10-day mission to the International Space Station (ISS). Discovery spent six days docked to the ISS as the crew delivered nearly two tons of provisions and equipment to the orbiting outpost for future ISS dwellers. "We spent a lot of time on this mission stowing supplies, so it should be pretty comfortable," Astronaut Ellen Ochoa said.
Discovery STS-96 Mission
The Shuttle Discovery's crew of seven are visiting a new star in orbit on mission STS-96, preparing the International Space Station for the arrival of its early living quarters and laying out a welcome mat for the first station crew.
Discovery will spend six days linked to the new outpost as the crew transfers and installs gear that could not be launched aboard the Zarya and Unity modules due to weight limitations. The Shuttle will carry more than 3,600 pounds of supplies to be stored aboard the station, ranging from food and clothes for the first crew to laptop computers, a printer and cameras.
Discovery's mission will set the stage for the launch this fall of the Russian-provided Service Module, the first station living quarters, and the arrival in early 2000 of the first three-person station crew. Partners in the United States-led International Space Station include Canada, 11 member nations of the European Space Agency, Japan and Russia. Italy and Brazil also are contributing. Boeing is the International Space Station's Prime Contractor.
Find out more about the International Space Station in general and about the Boeing role in this incredible adventure.