15-Year Anniversary: Tranquility, Cupola Delivered to ISS by STS-130

On February 8, 2010, the space shuttle Endeavour embarked on its 24th mission into the cosmos as part of the 20A assembly mission to the International Space Station (ISS). This marked the 32nd shuttle flight to the orbiting laboratory. The STS-130 crew consisted of Commander George Zamka, Pilot Terry Virts, and Mission Specialists Kathryn Hire, Stephen Robinson, Nicholas Patrick, and Robert Behnken. During this nearly 14-day mission, the crew collaborated with the five-member Expedition 22 team, engaging in close to 10 days of docked operations. The primary goals of the mission were to deliver the Tranquility module and the cupola to the space station, effectively adding around 21 tons of equipment to the facility. Behnken and Patrick undertook three spacewalks to facilitate the installation of the Tranquility module.

The journey began on January 6, 2010, when Endeavour was rolled out to Launch Pad 39A, with a planned launch date of February 7. The crew arrived at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on February 3 to get ready for the launch. However, adverse weather conditions delayed the planned launch by 24 hours. Finally, on February 8, at precisely 4:14 a.m. EST, Endeavour lifted off, carrying its six-member crew into space. This flight represented Robinson’s fourth venture beyond Earth, having previously participated as a mission specialist on STS-85, STS-95, and STS-114. For Zamka, Hire, Patrick, and Behnken, it was their second time in space, with previous missions including STS-120, STS-90, STS-116, and STS-123, respectively. Meanwhile, Virts was experiencing the wonders of weightlessness for the first time.

Upon reaching orbit, the astronauts opened the payload bay doors, extended the shuttle’s radiators, and removed their heavy launch and entry suits, stowing them for the remainder of the mission. On the second day, they spent six hours conducting a thorough inspection of Endeavour’s nose cap and wing leading edges. This involved taking turns operating the shuttle’s remote manipulator system, commonly known as the robotic arm, and the Orbiter Boom Sensor System.

On the third day of the mission, Zamka skillfully guided Endeavour to dock with the space station, assisted by his crewmates. During the approach, Zamka halted the shuttle at a distance of 600 feet and executed a pitch maneuver to allow station astronauts to photograph Endeavour’s underside, checking for any damage to the tiles. He then manually directed Endeavour to dock at the Pressurized Mating Adapter-2, which was attached to the Harmony module. Once docking was complete, the hatches were opened, and the five-member station crew warmly welcomed the six-member shuttle crew. Patrick and Expedition 22 Flight Engineer Timothy “T.J.” Creamer employed the space station’s robotic arm to remove the inspection boom and transfer it to the shuttle’s arm, operated by Hire and Virts. At the end of this busy day, Behnken and Patrick entered the station’s airlock, reduced its pressure, and breathed pure oxygen for an hour before and after sleep to rid their bodies of excess nitrogen and prevent decompression sickness, commonly known as “the bends.”

The mission’s fifth day saw the astronauts undertake a major transfer activity, involving a meticulously choreographed spacewalk and robotics operation to move the Tranquility and cupola modules from the shuttle to the station. Behnken and Patrick exited the airlock to commence the mission’s first excursion, initially heading to the shuttle’s payload bay to remove launch locks from Tranquility. Meanwhile, Virts and Hire used the station’s robotic arm to detach the joined modules from the payload bay and attach them to the Unity module’s port side. Behnken and Patrick then connected temporary heater and data cables to the new module. This initial spacewalk lasted six hours and 32 minutes. The following day, the joint crews began outfitting Tranquility and preparing to relocate the cupola from the end of the module to its Earth-facing port.

On the seventh day of the mission, some astronauts continued tasks involving the outfitting and configuration of the new modules. Concurrently, Behnken and Patrick stepped outside for a five-hour, 54-minute excursion, during which they installed ammonia coolant loops and thermal blankets to protect the ammonia hoses, and they prepared Tranquility’s Earth-facing port to accommodate the cupola.

The subsequent day, Hire and Virts, with assistance from Expedition 22 Commander Jeffrey Williams, used the station’s robotic arm to reposition the cupola. On flight day nine, Behnken and Patrick operated the station’s arm to relocate the Pressurized Mating Adapter-3 from Harmony to Tranquility. The crews continued internal cargo transfers and began the process of outfitting the cupola.

On the mission’s tenth day, Patrick and Behnken completed their third and final spacewalk. During this five-hour, 48-minute excursion, they removed thermal blankets and launch locks from the cupola, installed handrails, and connected the second cooling loop on Tranquility, along with heater and data cables. Inside the cupola, Hire and Virts set up the robotics workstation. Over the course of their three spacewalks, Behnken and Patrick spent a total of 18 hours and 14 minutes outside the station.

On flight day 11, the crews dedicated their efforts to outfitting Tranquility with systems racks and other equipment transferred from the Destiny U.S. Laboratory module. Virts completed the installation of robotic workstation equipment in the cupola. Behnken and Patrick transferred their spacesuits back to the shuttle for the return journey to Earth. During this time, the crew received a call from President Barack Obama and several schoolchildren. Zamka and Virts utilized the shuttle’s thrusters to reboost the space station.

The following day, after participating in a news conference with reporters on Earth, shuttle commander Zamka and station commander Williams conducted a ribbon-cutting ceremony to officially declare Tranquility and the cupola open for operation. After sharing a final meal, the two crews held a farewell ceremony, returned to their respective spacecraft, and closed the hatches.

On flight day 13, with Virts at the helm, Endeavour undocked from the space station, having spent nearly 10 days as part of a unified spacecraft. The astronauts employed the shuttle’s arm and boom sensors to conduct a final inspection of Endeavour’s thermal protection system. On flight day 14, Zamka and Virts tested the orbiter’s reaction control system thrusters and flight control surfaces in preparation for the following day’s entry and landing.

On February 22, Hire and Robinson closed Endeavour’s payload bay doors. The six astronauts donned their launch and entry suits and secured themselves in their seats. Zamka and Virts activated Endeavour’s two Orbital Maneuvering System engines to initiate their descent from orbit, and Zamka skillfully piloted Endeavour to a smooth landing at Kennedy’s Shuttle Landing Facility. This successful mission concluded after 13 days, 18 hours, six minutes, and 217 orbits of the Earth. Following the landing, workers at Kennedy towed Endeavour to the processing facility to prepare it for its final flight, STS-134, scheduled for May 2011. Meanwhile, the astronauts returned to Houston for a welcoming ceremony at Ellington Field.

For those interested in a firsthand account, the STS-130 mission crew narrates their experiences in a video available on YouTube.

This mission was a remarkable feat of human engineering and cooperation, showcasing the ability of international teams to work together in the challenging environment of space. The addition of the Tranquility module and the cupola not only expanded the capabilities of the ISS but also provided the crew with a unique vantage point to observe our planet, emphasizing the importance of continued space exploration and collaboration.
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