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Encyclopedia Astronautica
STS-120

Crew: Melroy, Zamka, Parazynski, Wheelock, Wilson, Nespoli. ISS assembly mission. Delivered the Harmony module to the station, and external work moved the P6 truss to its final location and put the ISS into its full-power configuration for the first time.

Main mission objectives were delivery of the Harmony module to the station, and external work to move the P6 truss to its final location and put the ISS into its full-power configuration for the first time.

Prior to the Columbia disaster, STS-120 was to have flown on 19 February 2004 using the orbiter Atlantis and the crew of Altman, Johnson Gregory C, Grunsfeld, Massimino, Feustel, Good, and McArthur. It was instead carried out over three years later with a different orbiter and crew. The original ISS-10A would have delivered to the station the second of three station connecting modules, Node 2. This would be attached to the end of the US Lab and provide attach locations for the Japanese laboratory, European laboratory, the Centrifuge Accommodation Module and later Multipurpose Logistics Modules. The future primary docking location for the shuttle would then be a pressurized mating adapter attached to Node 2. With this mission the redefined ISS US Core would have been completed. However due to budget cutbacks it would still not have been able to sustain the six-person crew required for full science missions.

Mission Profile as finally flown:

Commander: Pam Melroy
Pilot: George Zamka
Mission Specialist 1: Scott Parazynski
Mission Specialist 2: Stephanie Wilson
Mission Specialist 3: Doug Wheelock
Mission Specialist 4: Paolo Nespoli
Mission Specialist 5: Daniel Tani (up)
Mission Specialist 5: Clayton Anderson (down)

LAUNCH

Orbiter: Discovery (OV-103)
Launch Site: Kennedy Space Center
Launch Pad 39A
Launch Window: 5 Minutes
Altitude: 122 Nautical Miles (140 Miles)
Orbital Insertion; 185 NM (213 Miles)
Rendezvous Inclination: 51.6 Degrees

Shuttle Liftoff Weight: 4,524,141 pounds
Orbiter/Payload Liftoff Weight: 286,211 pounds
Orbiter/Payload Landing Weight: 201,895 pounds
Software Version: OI-32

Space Shuttle Main Engines: SSME 1: 2050 SSME 2: 2048 SSME 3: 2058
External Tank: ET-120
SRB Set: BI-131
RSRM Set: 98

Abort Landing Sites
RTLS: Kennedy Space Center Shuttle Landing Facility
TAL: Primary – Zaragoza, Spain Alternates –Moron, Spain and Istres, France
AOA: Primary – Kennedy Space Center Shuttle Landing Facility; Alternate – White Sands Space Harbor Landing

Payload of 17,390 kg was as follows:

  • Orbiter Docking System - Bay 1-2 - 1800 kg
  • Spacesuit EMU 3004 - 130 kg
  • Spacesuit EMU 3003 - 130 kg
  • Station Power Distribution Unit SPDU - Bay 3P - 100 kg
  • Fixture for return of S-band Antenna - SASA FSE - Bay 3P - 4S - 100 kg
  • Power/Data Grapple Fixture for Node-2 - PDGF - Bay 5P - 50 kg
  • Main Bus Switching Unit - MBSU - Bay 6S - 238 kg
  • MBSU adapter - Bay 6S - 122 kg
  • Station Power Distribution Unit - SPDU - Bay 6S - 7P - 100 kg
  • Node-2 Harmony module - Bays 8-12 - 14,300 kg
  • OBSS 203 - Sill 450 kg
  • RMS 301 - Sill 410 kg

AKA: Discovery; ISS-10A.
First Launch: 2007.10.23.
Last Launch: 2007.11.07.
Duration: 15.10 days.

More... - Chronology...
Associated People
  • Nespoli Nespoli, Paolo Alberto (1957-) Italian engineer mission specialist astronaut. Flew on STS-120, ISS EO-26. More...
  • Wheelock Wheelock, Douglas Harry (1960-) American test pilot mission specialist astronaut. Flew on STS-120, ISS EO-24. US Army. More...
  • Parazynski Parazynski, Dr Scott Edward (1961-) American physician mission specialist astronaut, 1992-2009. Flew on STS-66, STS-86, STS-95, STS-100, STS-120. More...
  • Melroy Melroy, Pamela Ann (1961-) American test pilot astronaut 1995-2009. Flew on STS-92, STS-112, STS-120. Grew up in Pittsford, New York. US Air Force test pilot. More...
  • Zamka Zamka, George David 'Zambo' (1962-) Hispanic-American test pilot astronaut. Flew on STS-120, STS-130. Grew up in Rochester, Michigan. US Marine Corps. More...
  • Wilson Wilson, Stephanie Diana (1966-) African-American engineer mission specialist astronaut. Flew on STS-121, STS-120, STS-131. Engineer. More...
Associated Countries
Associated Spacecraft
  • Discovery American manned spaceplane. 39 launches, 1984.08.30 to 2011.02.24. More...
See also
Associated Flights
  • ISS EO-15-2 Anderson replaced Williams as third long-duration crew member aboard the station. More...
  • ISS EO-16-1 NASA long-term third ISS astronaut residence mission. Crew: Tani. Tani replaced Anderson as third long-duration crew member aboard the station. Backup crew: Magnus. More...
Associated Manufacturers and Agencies
  • NASA American agency overseeing development of rockets and spacecraft. National Aeronautics and Space Administration, USA, USA. More...
Associated Programs
  • ISS Finally completed in 2010 after a torturous 25-year development and production process, the International Space Station was originally conceived as the staging post for manned exploration of the solar systrem. Instead, it was seemed to be the death knell of manned spaceflight. More...
Associated Launch Sites
  • Cape Canaveral America's largest launch center, used for all manned launches. Today only six of the 40 launch complexes built here remain in use. Located at or near Cape Canaveral are the Kennedy Space Center on Merritt Island, used by NASA for Saturn V and Space Shuttle launches; Patrick AFB on Cape Canaveral itself, operated the US Department of Defense and handling most other launches; the commercial Spaceport Florida; the air-launched launch vehicle and missile Drop Zone off Mayport, Florida, located at 29.00 N 79.00 W, and an offshore submarine-launched ballistic missile launch area. All of these take advantage of the extensive down-range tracking facilities that once extended from the Cape, through the Caribbean, South Atlantic, and to South Africa and the Indian Ocean. More...

STS-120 Chronology
2007 October 23 - .
2007 October 23 - .
2007 October 23 - . 15:38 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC39A. LV Family: Shuttle. Launch Vehicle: Shuttle. LV Configuration: Space Shuttle STS-120.
  • STS-120 - . Call Sign: Discovery. Crew: Melroy; Zamka; Parazynski; Wheelock; Wilson; Nespoli; Tani. Return Crew: Melroy; Zamka; Parazynski; Wheelock; Wilson; Nespoli; Anderson, Clayton. Payload: Discovery F33 / Harmony / ISS-10A. Mass: 123,400 kg (272,000 lb). Nation: USA. Related Persons: Tani; Melroy; Zamka; Parazynski; Wheelock; Wilson; Nespoli; Anderson, Clayton. Agency: NASA. Program: ISS. Class: Manned. Type: Manned spaceplane. Flight: STS-120; ISS EO-15; ISS EO-16; ISS EO-16-1; ISS EO-15-1. Spacecraft: Discovery. Duration: 15.10 days. Decay Date: 2007-11-07 . USAF Sat Cat: 32272 . COSPAR: 2007-050A. Apogee: 344 km (213 mi). Perigee: 340 km (210 mi). Inclination: 51.6000 deg. Period: 91.40 min. Main mission objectives were delivery of the Harmony module to the station, and external work to move the P6 truss to its final location and put the ISS into its full-power configuration for the first time. Discovery docked with the ISS at the Destiny module at 12:40 GMT on 25 October. The cargo of 17,390 kg was as follows:
    • Orbiter Docking System - Bay 1-2 - 1800 kg
    • Spacesuit EMU 3004 - 130 kg
    • Spacesuit EMU 3003 - 130 kg
    • Station Power Distribution Unit SPDU - Bay 3P - 100 kg
    • Fixture for return of S-band Antenna - SASA FSE - Bay 3P - 4S - 100 kg
    • Power/Data Grapple Fixture for Node-2 - PDGF - Bay 5P - 50 kg
    • Main Bus Switching Unit - MBSU - Bay 6S - 238 kg
    • MBSU adapter - Bay 6S - 122 kg
    • Station Power Distribution Unit - SPDU - Bay 6S - 7P - 100 kg
    • Node-2 Harmony module - Bays 8-12 - 14,300 kg
    • OBSS 203 - Sill 450 kg
    • RMS 301 - Sill 410 kg
2007 October 24 - .
2007 October 24 - .
2007 October 25 - .
2007 October 25 - .
2007 October 26 - .
  • STS-120 MCC Status Report #7 - . Nation: USA. Related Persons: Parazynski; Wheelock. Program: ISS. Flight: STS-120; ISS EO-15. Summary: Delivery of Harmony highlights the day as the crews of Space Shuttle Discovery and the International Space Station prepare for the first of a record five spacewalks planned for a single shuttle assembly mission.. Additional Details: here....
2007 October 26 - .
  • STS-120 MCC Status Report #8 - . Nation: USA. Related Persons: Parazynski; Wheelock; Wilson; Nespoli; Tani; Anderson, Clayton; Whitson. Program: ISS. Flight: STS-120; ISS EO-15; ISS EO-15-2. It proved to be a perfect day for a spacewalk. In just over six hours, STS-120 Mission Specialists Scott Parazynski and Doug Wheelock installed the Harmony module in its temporary location on the International Space Station, readied the P6 truss for its relocation on Sunday, retrieved a failed radio communications antenna and snapped shut a window cover on Harmony that opened during launch on the space shuttle. Additional Details: here....
2007 October 26 - . 10:02 GMT - .
  • EVA STS-120-1 - . Crew: Parazynski; Wheelock. EVA Type: Extra-Vehicular Activity. EVA Duration: 0.25 days. Nation: USA. Related Persons: Parazynski; Wheelock. Program: ISS. Flight: STS-120; ISS EO-16; ISS EO-16-1. The astronauts emerged from the Quest hatch at 10:01 GMT. They moved an antenna from the Z1 truss and stowed it in the payload bay, prepared the P6 truss for separation from Z1, and assisted in installation of the Harmony module, which was unberthed from the shuttle bay by the ISS Canadarm-2 and docked to the Unity module.
2007 October 27 - .
2007 October 27 - .
2007 October 28 - .
  • STS-120 MCC Status Report #11 - . Nation: USA. Related Persons: Parazynski; Wheelock; Wilson; Tani. Program: ISS. Flight: STS-120; ISS EO-15; ISS EO-15-2. Summary: The second of a record five spacewalks on one space shuttle visit to the International Space Station begins this morning, and it will end with a major station element en route to a new location.. Additional Details: here....
2007 October 28 - .
2007 October 28 - . 09:32 GMT - .
  • EVA STS-120-2 - . Crew: Parazynski; Tani. EVA Type: Extra-Vehicular Activity. EVA Duration: 0.27 days. Nation: USA. Related Persons: Parazynski; Tani. Program: ISS. Flight: STS-120; ISS EO-16; ISS EO-16-1. The astronauts emerged from the Quest hatch at 09:32 GMT. They assisted in unberthing of the P6 truss and its placement in a parked position. They also installed handrails and a grapple fixture on Harmony and inspected the malfunctioning Solar Array Rotary Joint (SARJ) on the S3/S4 truss.
2007 October 29 - .
  • STS-120 MCC Status Report #14 - . Nation: USA. Related Persons: Parazynski; Wheelock. Program: ISS. Flight: STS-120; ISS EO-15; ISS EO-15-1. Summary: As crew members aboard the International Space Station and space shuttle Discovery prepared for the third spacewalk, they learned that the shuttle will spend an extra day in space, with landing now scheduled for just after 4 a.m. Nov. 7.. Additional Details: here....
2007 October 29 - .
2007 October 30 - .
2007 October 30 - .
  • STS-120 MCC Status Report #15 - . Nation: USA. Related Persons: Zamka; Parazynski; Wheelock; Wilson; Tani. Program: ISS. Flight: STS-120; ISS EO-15; ISS EO-15-1. Astronauts Scott Parazynski and Doug Wheelock today install the International Space Station’s P6 truss in its final location. A new task was also added to this third spacewalk of the mission to provide comparison data of the station’s two solar array rotary joints. The spacewalk is set to begin at 3:53 a.m. CDT. Additional Details: here....
2007 October 30 - .
  • STS-120 MCC Status Report #16 - . Nation: USA. Related Persons: Parazynski; Wheelock. Program: ISS. Flight: STS-120; ISS EO-15; ISS EO-15-1. Summary: The crew of space shuttle Discovery and the International Space Station executed a flawless spacewalk today, but ran into some unexpected issues afterward.. Additional Details: here....
2007 October 30 - . 08:45 GMT - .
  • EVA STS-120-3 - . Crew: Parazynski; Wheelock. EVA Type: Extra-Vehicular Activity. EVA Duration: 0.29 days. Nation: USA. Related Persons: Parazynski; Wheelock. Program: ISS. Flight: STS-120; ISS EO-16; ISS EO-16-1. The astronauts emerged from the Quest hatch at 08:44 GMT. They assisted in the mating of the P6 to P5 trusses and deployment of a radiator from P6. Wheelock transferred a spare Main Bus Switching Unit (MBSU) from the Shuttle bay to the External Stowage Platform 3 (ESP3). P6 solar array wing 2B was successfully redeployed; but deployment of array 4B had to be halted when a tear developed in the solar panel.
2007 October 31 - .
  • STS-120 MCC Status Report #18 - . Nation: USA. Related Persons: Parazynski; Wheelock. Program: ISS. Flight: STS-120; ISS EO-15; ISS EO-15-1. Summary: Space shuttle Discovery astronauts will have an extra day to prepare for their mission’s fourth spacewalk, as the International Space Station Program has changed its priority from inspection of a rotary joint to repair of a solar array.. Additional Details: here....
2007 October 31 - .
  • STS-120 MCC Status Report #17 - . Nation: USA. Related Persons: Nespoli. Program: ISS. Flight: STS-120; ISS EO-15; ISS EO-15-1. Summary: Crew members on space shuttle Discovery and the International Space Station will spend today preparing for a spacewalk designed to learn more about the joint that rotates the starboard side solar arrays.. Additional Details: here....
2007 October 31 - .
2007 November 1 - .
2007 November 1 - .
  • STS-120 MCC Status Report #20 - . Nation: USA. Related Persons: Parazynski; Wheelock; Wilson; Tani. Program: ISS. Flight: STS-120; ISS EO-15; ISS EO-15-2. Summary: The space shuttle Discovery and International Space Station crews spent the day putting together tools and making preparations for Saturday’s spacewalk to repair a torn solar array.. Additional Details: here....
2007 November 1 - .
  • STS-120 MCC Status Report #19 - . Nation: USA. Related Persons: Parazynski; Wheelock. Program: ISS. Flight: STS-120; ISS EO-15; ISS EO-15-1. Summary: Space Shuttle Discovery’s astronauts today will assemble and configure tools to repair a torn solar array blanket on the International Space Station’s port truss during the mission’s fourth spacewalk, now scheduled for Saturday.. Additional Details: here....
2007 November 2 - .
2007 November 2 - .
2007 November 2 - .
  • STS-120 MCC Status Report #22 - . Nation: USA. Related Persons: Parazynski; Wheelock. Program: ISS. Flight: STS-120; ISS EO-15; ISS EO-15-1. Summary: Space shuttle Discovery and International Space Station crew members today finished preparations for Saturday’s spacewalk to repair a torn solar array. The mission’s fourth spacewalk is set to begin about 5:30 a.m.. Additional Details: here....
2007 November 3 - .
2007 November 3 - .
  • STS-120 MCC Status Report #24 - . Nation: USA. Related Persons: Parazynski; Wheelock. Program: ISS. Flight: STS-120; ISS EO-15; ISS EO-15-1. Summary: With a few pieces of aluminum and a little bit of wire, Mission Specialist Scott Parazynski today repaired a damaged solar array during a spacewalk that lasted 7 hours, 19 minutes.. Additional Details: here....
2007 November 3 - .
  • STS-120 MCC Status Report #23 - . Nation: USA. Related Persons: Parazynski; Wheelock. Program: ISS. Flight: STS-120; ISS EO-15; ISS EO-15-1. Summary: Mission Specialists Scott Parazynski and Doug Wheelock today will work to repair a torn solar array on the farthest end of the International Space Station’s port truss in the fourth spacewalk of the STS-120 mission.. Additional Details: here....
2007 November 3 - . 10:03 GMT - .
  • EVA STS-120-4 - . Crew: Parazynski; Wheelock. EVA Type: Extra-Vehicular Activity. EVA Duration: 0.30 days. Nation: USA. Related Persons: Parazynski; Wheelock. Program: ISS. Flight: STS-120; ISS EO-16; ISS EO-16-1. The astronauts emerged from the Quest hatch and rode the ISS Canadarm II 50 m out to the snagged P6 solar array. Parazynski cut a snagged wire and installed homemade stabilizers designed to strengthen the array’s structure and stability in the vicinity of the damage. Wheelock helped from the truss by keeping an eye on the distance between Parazynski and the array. Afterwards they observed as ground controllers completed successful extension of the array.
2007 November 4 - .
2007 November 4 - .
  • STS-120 MCC Status Report #25 - . Nation: USA. Related Persons: Parazynski; Wheelock; Wilson; Tani. Program: ISS. Flight: STS-120; ISS EO-15; ISS EO-15-2. Summary: The astronauts on space shuttle Discovery got up this morning prepared to complete the final cargo transfers between the two vehicles and bid farewell to the Expedition 16 crew.. Additional Details: here....
2007 November 4 - .
2007 November 5 - .
  • STS-120 MCC Status Report #27 - . Nation: USA. Related Persons: Melroy; Zamka; Parazynski; Wilson; Nespoli. Program: ISS. Flight: STS-120; ISS EO-15; ISS EO-15-1. All systems are go for this morning’s undocking of space shuttle Discovery from the International Space Station, completing 11 days of joint docked operations that saw the successful delivery of a new pressurized module and the repair of a damaged solar array wing. Additional Details: here....
2007 November 5 - .
  • STS-120 MCC Status Report #28 - . Nation: USA. Related Persons: Zamka; Anderson, Clayton. Program: ISS. Flight: STS-120; ISS EO-15; ISS EO-15-2. Space shuttle Discovery’s crew left the International Space Station this morning after almost 11 days of joint operations with the Expedition 16 crew. After inspecting the orbiter’s heat shield for any micrometeoroid damage, the astronauts turned their attention to returning home on Wednesday. Additional Details: here....
2007 November 5 - .
2007 November 6 - .
2007 November 6 - .
2007 November 6 - .
  • STS-120 MCC Status Report #30 - . Nation: USA. Related Persons: Tani; Whitson; Malenchenko. Program: ISS. Flight: STS-120; ISS EO-15; ISS EO-15-2. Summary: The seven astronauts on board space shuttle Discovery completed final preparations today for their return home with landing planned for the first of two opportunities to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, at 12:02 p.m. Wednesday.. Additional Details: here....
2007 November 7 - .
2007 November 7 - .
2007 November 7 - .
  • STS-120 MCC Status Report #31 - . Nation: USA. Related Persons: Melroy; Tani; Whitson; Malenchenko. Program: ISS. Flight: STS-120; ISS EO-15; ISS EO-15-2. Summary: The astronauts on space shuttle Discovery are only hours away from a landing in Florida that will conclude a successful 15-day mission that delivered a new module and repaired a damaged solar array on the International Space Station.. Additional Details: here....
2007 November 7 - . 18:01 GMT - .
2007 November 8 - .
  • ISS On-Orbit Status 11/08/07 - . Nation: USA. Related Persons: Whitson; Tani; Malenchenko. Flight: STS-120; ISS EO-15; ISS EO-15-2. Summary: In preparation for tomorrow's EVA-5, CDR Whitson and FE-1 Malenchenko, before breakfast, took the standard pre-EVA session with the Russian crew health-monitoring program's medical assessment MO-9/Biochemical Urinalysis.. Additional Details: here....
2007 November 9 - .
2007 November 9 - .
  • ISS EO-16: Station Spacewalk Prepares for PMA, Harmony Moves - . Nation: USA. Related Persons: Tani; Whitson; Malenchenko. Flight: STS-120; ISS EO-15; ISS EO-15-2. Summary: A successful 6-hour, 55-minute spacewalk to prepare for the relocation of Pressurized Mating Adapter 2 and the subsequent move of the new Harmony node to its permanent International Space Station home ended at 10:49 a.m. EST Friday.. Additional Details: here....
2007 November 10 - .
2007 November 11 - .
2007 November 12 - .
  • ISS EO-16: PMA-2 Move Readies Station for Harmony Relocation - . Nation: USA. Related Persons: Tani; Whitson. Flight: STS-120; ISS EO-15; ISS EO-15-2. Summary: International Space Station crew members moved Pressurized Mating Adapter-2 from the front of the U.S. laboratory Destiny to the Harmony node early Monday, clearing the way for Harmony's relocation to its permanent home.. Additional Details: here....
2007 November 12 - .
2007 November 13 - .
2007 November 14 - .
  • ISS EO-16: Harmony Moved to Front of Space Station - . Nation: USA. Related Persons: Tani; Whitson. Flight: STS-120; ISS EO-15; ISS EO-15-2. Summary: The new Harmony node of the International Space Station is now in position to receive the European and Japanese modules to be added to the International Space Station.. Additional Details: here....
2007 November 14 - .
2007 November 15 - .
  • ISS EO-16: Spacewalkers to Hook Up Harmony at its New Location - . Nation: USA. Related Persons: Tani; Whitson; Malenchenko. Flight: STS-120; ISS EO-15; ISS EO-15-2. Summary: A 6-hour, 40-minute spacewalk by International Space Station Commander Peggy Whitson and Flight Engineer Dan Tani will begin the external outfitting of the Harmony node in its new position in front of the U.S laboratory Destiny.. Additional Details: here....
2008 May 31 - .
  • STS-124 MCC Status Report #01 - . Nation: USA. Program: ISS. Flight: STS-120; ISS EO-15; ISS EO-15-2. Summary: Space shuttle Discovery initiated delivery of a Japanese laboratory to the International Space Station this afternoon, lifting off at 4:02 p.m. CDT from Kennedy Space Center, Fla.. Additional Details: here....
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