 | | Mission
Highlights |
| Mission: | International
Space Station Flight 4A | | Shuttle: | Endeavour | Launch
Pad: | 39B | |
Launch: | Nov.
30, 2000
9:06 p.m. CST | | Window: | less
than 5 minutes | | Docking: | Dec.
2, 2000
2 p.m. CST | | EVA: | 3
space walks | | Undocking: | Dec.
9, 2000
1:13 p.m. CST | | Landing: | Dec.
11, 2000
5:03 p.m. CST | | Duration: | 10
days, 19 hours, 57 minutes | Orbit
Altitude: | 177 nautical
miles | Orbit
Inclination: | 51.6° | |
Miles
Traveled:
| 4.476
million |
| | Related
Links | |
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| Imagery | 
From
the Gallery:
STS-97 Commander Brent Jett, left, and Expedition One
Commander Bill Shepherd participate in an old Navy tradition
of ringing a bell to announce the arrival or departure
of someone to a ship. The bell is mounted on the wall
in the Unity node of the International Space Station. |
STS-97
Delivers Giant Solar Arrays to International Space Station
During
its 11-day mission, the crew of Space Shuttle Endeavour on
mission STS-97 saw the International Space Station spread
its wings -- giant solar arrays that quintupled the station's
electrical power.
The 73-meter
(240-foot) long solar array structure -- attached and unfolded
by Endeavour's international crew of five -- is the longest
human-made object ever to fly in space. Endeavour carried
aloft the U.S.-developed solar arrays, associated electronics,
batteries, cooling radiator and support structure. The entire
15.4-metric ton (17-ton) package is called the P6 Integrated
Truss Segment, and is the heaviest and largest element yet
delivered to the station aboard a space shuttle.
The addition
of the huge solar arrays clearly distinguishes the International
Space Station from any predecessor spacecraft. The arrays
provide the station with more electrical power -- a key to
successful modern research -- than anything that has flown
before. Endeavour also was the first space shuttle to visit
an inhabited International Space Station. |
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|
 | | Before
and after: The photo
on the left shows the space station as it appeared
to the Endeavour crewmembers when they docked. The photo
on the right shows how it looked one week later, with
the addition of two large solar arrays. |
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| P6
Integrated Truss Structure | | Installed
on station: | Dec.
3, 2000 | | Wingspan: | 73
meters (240 feet) x 11.6 meters (38 feet) | | Weight: | approximately
7,700 kilograms (17,000 pounds) | | Functions: |  | Conversion
or generation of electrical power | | | Storage
of electrical power in batteries | | | Regulation
of electrical power | | | Distribution
of electrical power to station elements | | The
station derives its power from the conversion of solar
energy into electrical power. The Photovoltaic Power Module
performs this energy conversion. |
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