STS-121 Mission Profile Shuttle Crew

Shuttle Crew

The seven STS-121 astronauts take a break from training to pose for the crew portrait. From the left are astronauts Stephanie Wilson, Michael Fossum, both mission specialists; Steven Lindsey, commander; Piers Sellers, mission specialist; Mark Kelly, pilot; European Space Agency astronaut Thomas Reiter of Germany; and Lisa Nowak, both mission specialists. (Photo: NASA)

Commander: Steve Lindsey
Pilot: Mark Kelly
Mission Specialist 1: Mike Fossum
Mission Specialist 2: Lisa Nowak
Mission Specialist 3: Stephanie Wilson
Mission Specialist 4: Piers Sellers
Mission Specialist 5: Thomas Reiter (European Space Agency)

Launch

Orbiter: Discovery (OV-103)
Launch site: Kennedy Space Center Launch Pad 39B
Launch date: July 4, 2006
Launch time: 2:38 p.m., EDT
Launch window: 5 minutes
Altitude: 122 nautical miles (140 Statute Miles)
Incline: 51.6 degrees
Duration: 11 days 19 hours 12 minutes

Shuttle Aborts

Abort landing sites

Return-to-launch site (RTLS): Kennedy Space Center Shuttle Landing Facility
TransAtlantic abort landing (TAL): Primary – Zaragoza (Spain); alternates – Moron (Spain) and Istres (France)
Abort-to-orbit (ATO): Primary – Kennedy Space Center Shuttle Landing Facility; alternate White Sands Space Harbor (Texas)

Landing

Landing date: No earlier than July 17, 2006
Landing time: 9:07 a.m. EDT
Primary landing site: Kennedy Space Center Shuttle Landing Facility

Payloads

• Multi-Purpose Logistics Module (MPLM) carrying scientific experiments and crew supplies
• Integrated Cargo Carrier (ICC) containing orbital replacement units for the space station and payload grapple bars
• Lightweight Multi-Purpose Experiment Structure Carrier (LMC) containing an experiment to be performed during a spacewalk

CSA has prepared this document from the overview of the mission in the NASA press kit.