Alumnus Barry Wilmore to pilot NASA shuttle
Jenda Wilson
Issue date: 11/13/09 Section: News
Wilmore has accumulated over 5,900 flight hours and 663 carrier landings, all in tactical jet aircrafts, and has received multiple aviation honors.
He will make history as the pilot of the last space shuttle crew rotation flight to or from the space station.
About the mission
Charlie Hobaugh is commander of STS-129 with Robert Satcher, Michael Foreman, Randy Bresnik, and Leland Melvin serving as mission specialists. This will be the first space trip for Wilmore, Satcher and Bresnik.
The STS-129 mission-the 31st to the ISS-is to deliver experiment racks and two spare gyroscopes to the ISS. Because it is the first mission to be devoted to transporting spare parts, it will carry those of highest priority.
The parts are going up on two platforms, called external logistics carriers, or ELCS. It is hoped that wherever a failure happens, the needed spare will be close by.
"You'll see this theme in some of the flights that are going to come after ours as well," said Brian Smith, lead ISS flight director STS-129, in a preflight interview. "This flight is all about spares - basically, we're getting them up there while we still can."
There will be 27,250 pounds of parts to keep the ISS going after the space shuttles retire.
STS-129 will also feature three spacewalks and is slated to bring station crewmember Nicole Stott back to earth.
Where other space shuttles have been outfitted with a system that allows them to draw power from the space station, Atlantis was not. This means the shuttle has just 11 days to get to the station and back.
The six astronauts will be under quarantine at the JSC for three days before flying to Kennedy Space Center on Thursday for Atlantis' launch.
The mission is set to launch at 2:28 p.m. on Monday, four days later than previously scheduled. If it is delayed again, the downlink will also be subject to postponement.
Melvin and Satcher are expected to provide updates on their Twitter accounts during the shuttle mission.
The ISS has been continuously occupied by humans since Nov. 2, 2000, and is a partnership of the U.S., Russian, European, Japanese and Canadian space agencies.
"Nothing like this has ever taken place before and I think regardless of what we do on station... we've made great strides, even politically," said Wilmore in the same preflight interview. "Even in that aspect, if you think about parts that are built and constructed in Japan, Italy, Europe and Russia… all these components come together, and they work together. It is indeed remarkable."
Upon completion in 2010, it will have a crew of six conducting research in preparation for future space exploration.
For more information about NASA's Space Shuttle Program, Inflight Education Downlink Program or for complete astronaut biographical information, visit www.nasa.gov.
He will make history as the pilot of the last space shuttle crew rotation flight to or from the space station.
About the mission
Charlie Hobaugh is commander of STS-129 with Robert Satcher, Michael Foreman, Randy Bresnik, and Leland Melvin serving as mission specialists. This will be the first space trip for Wilmore, Satcher and Bresnik.
The STS-129 mission-the 31st to the ISS-is to deliver experiment racks and two spare gyroscopes to the ISS. Because it is the first mission to be devoted to transporting spare parts, it will carry those of highest priority.
The parts are going up on two platforms, called external logistics carriers, or ELCS. It is hoped that wherever a failure happens, the needed spare will be close by.
"You'll see this theme in some of the flights that are going to come after ours as well," said Brian Smith, lead ISS flight director STS-129, in a preflight interview. "This flight is all about spares - basically, we're getting them up there while we still can."
There will be 27,250 pounds of parts to keep the ISS going after the space shuttles retire.
STS-129 will also feature three spacewalks and is slated to bring station crewmember Nicole Stott back to earth.
Where other space shuttles have been outfitted with a system that allows them to draw power from the space station, Atlantis was not. This means the shuttle has just 11 days to get to the station and back.
The six astronauts will be under quarantine at the JSC for three days before flying to Kennedy Space Center on Thursday for Atlantis' launch.
The mission is set to launch at 2:28 p.m. on Monday, four days later than previously scheduled. If it is delayed again, the downlink will also be subject to postponement.
Melvin and Satcher are expected to provide updates on their Twitter accounts during the shuttle mission.
The ISS has been continuously occupied by humans since Nov. 2, 2000, and is a partnership of the U.S., Russian, European, Japanese and Canadian space agencies.
"Nothing like this has ever taken place before and I think regardless of what we do on station... we've made great strides, even politically," said Wilmore in the same preflight interview. "Even in that aspect, if you think about parts that are built and constructed in Japan, Italy, Europe and Russia… all these components come together, and they work together. It is indeed remarkable."
Upon completion in 2010, it will have a crew of six conducting research in preparation for future space exploration.
For more information about NASA's Space Shuttle Program, Inflight Education Downlink Program or for complete astronaut biographical information, visit www.nasa.gov.
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