Spaceflight Now | Stage 8A Mission Report

Space Station Stage 8A Welcome to Spaceflight Now's comprehensive coverage of the international space station, its full-time residents and the next shuttle assembly mission, flight STS-110/ISS-8A of Atlantis that will deliver the S0 truss structure to the outpost. NASA refers to STS-110 and the Expedition Four missions as "Stage 8A" in the space station assembly matrix. This page incorporates that approach. We will post data on upcoming shuttle assembly flights as each stage is completed. E-mail us your comments, suggestions and corrections!
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Atlantis returns to Earth Commander Michael Bloomfield, making his first landing at the controls of a space shuttle, guided Atlantis to a smooth touchdown on Runway 33 at the Kennedy Space Center Friday to close out a near-flawless space station assembly mission. FULL STORY ENTRY AND LANDING TIMELINE MASTER FLIGHT PLAN
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Shuttle Atlantis and station go their separate ways Space shuttle Atlantis undocked from the International Space Station on Wednesday after a successful week-long stay that delivered the S0 truss and featured four spacewalks to bring the structure to life. Atlantis is due home Friday. FULL STORY UNDOCKING TIMELINE

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Spacewalks bring new station truss to life With the completion of the fourth and final spacewalk of Atlantis' mission, NASA managers Tuesday declared the new $790 million S0 truss mounted atop the International Space Station fully operational. FULL STORY UPDATED SPACEWALK STATS PAGE

School teacher eager to fly in space Teacher-turned-astronaut Barbara Morgan does not view her role on a shuttle flight in 2004 as the fulfillment of Christa McAuliffe's legacy. Instead, McAuliffe's backup said Tuesday, the flight will mark the first step in an ongoing education initiative to attract more students to math, science and engineering. FULL STORY

Station's mobile transporter takes a test-drive Astronaut Carl Walz restarted rail service aboard the International Space Station Monday, sending a $190 million flatcar creeping down the length of the lab's new S0 truss, from one station to another, after tests were interrupted earlier in the day by a subtle glitch. FULL STORY PREVIEW STORY

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Another spacewalk completed by Atlantis crew Atlantis astronauts Steve Smith and Rex Walheim performed their second spacewalk of this shuttle visit to the International Space Station on Sunday. The 6 1/2-hour spacewalk rewired the station's Canadian-built robotic arm and readied the complex's newly-delivered rail-car to move. FULL STORY UPDATED SPACEWALK STATS PAGE

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Spacewalkers finish securing truss to station NASA's most experienced spacewalker, Jerry Ross, and rookie Lee Morin completed a successful 7 1/2-hour excursion outside the International Space Station on Saturday to install the remaining two support struts between the new S0 truss structure and the outpost. FULL STORY

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Space station astronauts describe life in orbit The space station crew provided a glimpse of life in orbit Friday, describing attempts to toss foam balls the length of the outpost, watching "Alien" DVDs while jogging on their treadmill and the pleasure they all felt on welcoming their first visitors aboard. They also said they were pleased to hear that Barbara Morgan, who served as Christa McAuliffe's backup in the ill-fated "Teacher in Space" program, will finally get a chance to fly. FULL STORY

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Space station grows with addition of new truss The 27,000-pound S0 truss structure was lifted out of shuttle Atlantis' payload bay and attached to the space station Thursday. A 7-hour, 48-minute spacewalk by shuttle astronauts Steve Smith and Rex Walheim followed, installing support struts and routing umbilicals for the truss. FULL STORY SPACEWALK STATS PAGE

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Atlantis arrives at space station to deliver truss Shuttle Atlantis reached the International Space Station Wednesday, kicking off a week-long visit by Atlantis to deliver the central section of the station's backbone truss structure. The truss will be mounted to the complex Thursday, shortly before a six-hour spacewalk begins. FULL STORY

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Atlantis heads for orbital rendezvous with station Space shuttle Atlantis is on course to catch the International Space Station on Wednesday. The two craft are scheduled to dock at 12:05 p.m. EDT (1605 GMT), kicking off a week-long visit by Atlantis to deliver the central section of the station's backbone truss structure. FULL STORY DOCKING TIMELINE

Crew prepares for docking The seven Atlantis astronauts spent their first full day in space setting up and checking out the systems they will need for Wednesday's planned docking with the space station and testing the shuttle's robotic arm in preparation for mounting the S0 truss to the outpost on Thursday. MISSION STATUS CENTER DETAILED FLIGHT PLAN

Atlantis soars into orbit Barely beating the clock, the space shuttle Atlantis rocketed away through a breezy afternoon sky Monday and set off on a four-spacewalk flight to attach a $790 million truss to the international space station that eventually will span the length of a football field. FULL STORY LAUNCH EVENTS TIMELINE COMPREHENSIVE MISSION PREVIEW

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Leak repaired for Monday's launch of shuttle Atlantis With the leaky launch pad hydrogen vent line successfully repaired, NASA is gearing up for another attempt to get shuttle Atlantis off the ground to deliver the keystone truss segment to the International Space Station. Liftoff is targeted for 4:39:31 p.m. EDT (2039:31 GMT) Monday. FULL STORY MISSION STATUS CENTER - live updates! DETAILED FLIGHT PLAN COMPREHENSIVE MISSION PREVIEW

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Hydrogen leak scrubs launch of shuttle Atlantis A significant hydrogen leak on the mobile launcher platform upon which the space shuttle sits forced NASA to scrub Thursday's attempt to launch Atlantis on its International Space Station assembly mission. FULL STORY - updated

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Space agency reveals shuttle launch time The U.S. space agency lifted its tattered security blanket on Wednesday and revealed the official time for Thursday's planned launch of space shuttle Atlantis: 5:12:51 p.m. EST -- just one second earlier than amateur satellite observers had predicted and posted on the internet. FULL STORY

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Mission to install keystone truss to station expansion NASA resumes assembly of the international space station this week and next with launch of the shuttle Atlantis on a four-spacewalk flight to attach a 27,000-pound truss, the central component of a massive solar array-carrying beam that eventually will stretch the length of a football field. FULL STORY LAUNCH EVENTS TIMELINE DETAILED MISSION FLIGHT PLAN STS-110 FACTS AND FIGURES

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NASA starts counting down to Thursday's shuttle launch It began in secret sometime Monday but NASA says the three-day countdown to Thursday's launch of space shuttle Atlantis is underway at the Kennedy Space Center. FULL STORY

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Atlantis astronauts arrive for this week's launch The seven astronauts to fly aboard space shuttle Atlantis arrived at Kennedy Space Center Monday cloaked in NASA-ordered secrecy in preparation for the start of the three-day launch countdown. Liftoff is scheduled for Thursday afternoon. MISSION STATUS CENTER NASA WITHHOLDS LAUNCH TIME

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Slip-up reveals sensitive shuttle launch time NASA's awkward efforts to keep shuttle launch times secret were dealt a blow last week when one of its contractors posted on the internet a target launch window for the space agency's most sensitive upcoming mission. FULL STORY

Engineering test could help plant growth in space The engineering test of a plant-growth system to be launched on this week's space shuttle mission to the International Space Station also may reveal important clues about plant development in space. FULL STORY

Shuttle gets new lift to orbit More than 100 companies across the country will mark a significant milestone April 4, with the launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis: The Shuttle is getting a new lift -- three improved Main Engines that will make the world's only reusable launch vehicle safer and more reliable than ever before. FULL STORY

Shuttle Atlantis to launch station truss next week NASA managers meeting at Kennedy Space Center on Tuesday affirmed plans to launch space shuttle Atlantis on April 4 to deliver a massive truss to the International Space Station. But although the agency isn't announcing the target liftoff time, it has been available publicly for months, can be readily calculated on home computers or figured out with simple subtraction. FULL STORY

Past Station Missions

Endeavour shuttles station crew back to Earth The shuttle Endeavour glided back to Earth December 17, bringing three space station astronauts back to a starkly different post Sept. 11 world and leaving a fresh crew behind in orbit for a nearly six-month tour of duty. Touchdown occurred on Runway 15 at the Kennedy Space Center at 12:55:10 p.m. EST. FULL COVERAGE

Changing of the guard aboard space station Alpha The Expedition Two astronauts capped their 167-day stay in space and left the international space station in the hands of Expedition Three during shuttle Discovery's crew exchange mission in August. FULL COVERAGE

Quest airlock added to international space station The Joint Airlock Quest was delivered to the international space station in July by space shuttle Atlantis, giving the outpost a new doorway for American and Russian spacewalkers. FULL COVERAGE

Station gets an arm and first tourist The crew of space shuttle Endeavour delivered the Canadian-built robotic arm to the international space station in April. The shuttle visit was immediately followed by Dennis Tito's historic joyride to the outpost. FULL COVERAGE

Station pioneers back on Earth after historic voyage After a dramatic reversal of fortune, the shuttle Discovery dropped out of orbit and glided to a pre-dawn landing at the Kennedy Space Center on March 21, bringing the international space station's first full-time crew back to Earth after a 141-day space odyssey. FULL COVERAGE

2001 began with flawless lab delivery The shuttle Atlantis delivered the $1.4 billion U.S. Destiny laboratory module to the international space station in February during a highly successful mission. FULL COVERAGE

Station's power-generating solar wings spread In December the astronauts of space shuttle Endeavour bolted a $600 million solar power tower to the international space station and unfurled the most powerful solar wings ever launched. FULL COVERAGE

Building a space outpost The crew of space shuttle Discovery carried out a complex four-spacewalk construction mission in October to mount a truss structure with gyroscopes and communications gear to the international space station and add another docking port. FULL COVERAGE

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