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| Undocking, Separation and Fly-Around |
| Overview |
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Once Discovery is ready to undock, the initial separation will be performed by springs in the docking mechanism that will gently push the shuttle away from the station. Both Discovery and the station’s steering jets will be shut off to avoid any inadvertent firings during this initial separation. Once the docking mechanism’s springs have pushed Discovery away to a distance of about two feet, when the docking devices will be clear of one another, Husband will turn the shuttle's steering jets back on in "Low Z" mode and fire them to begin very slowly moving away. From the aft flight deck, Pilot Rick Husband will manually control Discovery within a tight corridor as he separates from the ISS, essentially the reverse of the task performed by Commander Kent Rominger when Discovery docked. Discovery will continue away to a distance of about 450 feet, where Husband will begin the close flyaround of the station, first crossing a point directly behind, then directly underneath and then again above the station. If Discovery’s propellant reserves allow it, Husband will circle the station twice as the crew records views of the exterior with still photography and video. As Discovery crosses directly above the station for the second time, Husband will fire Discovery's jets to perform a final separation. The separation firing will put Discovery on a course that will have it pass about a half-mile behind the station and then about a mile and a half below the station before moving ahead of it with constantly increasing distance. |
Editorial/Technical Comments: ShuttlePresskit
