Mission Objectives

Top priority of the STS-104 mission of Atlantis is installation on the International Space Station of the Joint Airlock. This will give station crewmembers the capability of conducting spacewalks from the orbiting laboratory using either the Russian Orlan spacesuits or U.S. spacesuits. The airlock will be attached to the station's Unity Node, on the module's starboard Common Berthing Mechanism, and its "survival heaters" activated. The installation will use the station's new Canadarm2 robotic arm during the mission's first spacewalk.. Again helped by the station's robotic arm, astronauts performing a second spacewalk from Atlantis will install an oxygen and a nitrogen tank on the airlock. The tanks, called high-pressure gas tanks or oxygen/nitrogen tank orbital replacement units, must be installed before a spacewalk can be performed from the airlock without a shuttle present. A third spacewalk will be performed to attach an additional oxygen and an additional nitrogen tank on the airlock. This spacewalk, by shuttle crewmembers, will be from the airlock itself. All four tanks, two oxygen and two nitrogen, must be installed to give station crewmembers the capability to do spacewalks without oxygen- or nitrogen-related constraints. Crewmembers and flight controllers on the ground will activate airlock core systems. Those systems must be checked out to be ready for extended work in the airlock and to confirm that it is ready to serve as the base for future spacewalks. They will connect oxygen and nitrogen lines and check the lines for leaks. If the tank lines leaked into the airlock, it would require isolation and perhaps repair before it could be used for normal spacewalks. The checks are performed both by spacewalkers and by crewmembers inside the space station. Astronauts will transfer spacewalk and airlock outfitting equipment from Atlantis' middeck to the ISS. They also will install a spacewalk work site on the airlock and other equipment for use by spacewalkers on subsequent missions. Another priority is to transfer water for the Expedition Two crew. Water bags to last the crew until the next resupply opportunity will be transferred from Atlantis to the ISS through the course of the shuttle's stay at the space station. Supplies will be transferred from Atlantis to the station, and unused cargo will be transferred from the station to Atlantis to be returned to Earth. Additional priorities include: --Transfer of science payloads from Atlantis to the ISS. --IMAX 3D filming. --The SIMPLEX experiment, using ground sites to track shuttle thruster firings. The acronym is for Shuttle Ionospheric Modification with Pulsed Local Exhaust. --Installation of airlock trunnion pin covers and oxygen/nitrogen gas tank quick disconnect thermal covers for long-term protection against condensation and heat loss.

Crew
Commander:	Steven W. Lindsey
Pilot:	Charles O. Hobaugh
Mission Specialist 1:	Michael L. Gernhardt
Mission Specialist 2:	Janet L. Kavandi
Mission Specialist 3:	James F. Reilly

Launch
Orbiter:	Atlantis OV104
Launch Site:	Kennedy Space Center Launch Pad 39B
Launch Window:	2.5 to 5 Minutes
Altitude:	Insertion 122 Nautical Miles; Rendezvous 240 Nautical Miles
Inclination:	51.6 Degrees
Duration:	10 Days 19 Hrs. 58 Min.

Vehicle Data
Shuttle Liftoff Weight:	4520042 lbs.
Orbiter/Payload Liftoff Weight:	258222 lbs.
Orbiter/Payload Landing Weight:	207251 lbs.

Software Version:

OI-28

Space Shuttle Main Engines: (1 MB pdf)
SSME 1:  2056	SSME 2:  2051	SSME 3:  2047

External Tank:   ET-109A   ( Super Light Weight Tank)

SRB Set:  BI-108/RSRM-80

Shuttle Aborts

Abort Landing Sites    RTLS:  Kennedy Space Center Shuttle Landing Facility    TAL:    Zaragoza primary; Ben Guerir, Moron alternates    AOA:   Kennedy Space Center Shuttle Landing Facility

Shuttle Abort History

Landing
Landing Date:	07/23/01
Landing Time:	1:02 AM (eastern time)
Primary Landing Site:	Kennedy Space Center Shuttle Landing Facility