STS-116

STS-116

Mission insignia
Navigation
Previous mission Next mission STS-115 STS-117

English: STS-116 was a space shuttle mission by NASA using the Space Shuttle Discovery, launched December 9, 2006.

• Human spaceflight gallery archive copy at the Wayback Machine
• Kennedy Media Gallery archive copy at the Wayback Machine

Crew

• 
  STS-116 crew: Mark Polansky (Commander), William Oefelein, Robert Curbeam, Joan Higginbotham, Nicholas Patrick, Christer Fuglesang
• 
  Mission poster
• 
  Boarding
• 
  with ISS Expedition 14 crew

Before launch

• 
  Underwater EVA simulation (Jan. 2003)
• 
  Christer Fuglesang during an underwater EVA simulation (Jan. 2003)
• 
  The External Tank ET-123 and the two Solid Rocket Boosters of the Mission STS-116 (Oct. 13, 2006)
• 
  Discovery is moved from the OPF to the VAB on 31st October
• 
  Discovery is raised to a vertical position, and transferred to High Bay 3 of the VAB for mating with the External Tank and SRBs on 1st November. A process known as "stacking".
• 
  to LaunchPad, 9th November
• 
  Rollout on 15th November
• 
  P5 Truss segment prepared for launch on STS-116
• 
  Discovery with several umbilical connections, the orbiter access arm with the White Room, and the "beanie cap", on 7th December
• 
  Bad weather at KSC on December 8th, 2006
• 

Launch

• 
  Discovery's SSMEs start as the Shuttle launches
• Launch video
• 
  Discovery launching
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
  Mach diamonds appear beneath the main engines
• 
  Discovery after launch

In orbit

• 
  Payload
• 
  Payload bay view
• 
  Payload bay of Discovery while in space
• 
  Approaching the International Space Station
• 
  Shuttle engines
• 
  Handing off P5 Truss to ISS
• 
  ISS P5 Truss awaits installation
• 
  Curbeam prepares to replace a faulty TV camera on the exterior of the ISS during EVA 1
• 
  Curbeam and Fuglesang during EVA 1
• 
  Solar Panels causing problems on Flight Day 5
• 
  Astronaut Fuglesang to attach the P5 truss segment
• 
  Fuglesang (right) and Curbeam remove CETA 2 during EVA 2
• 
  Fuglesang during EVA 2
• 
  Sunita Williams during EVA 3
• 
  Curbeam (red stripes) and Williams near the P6-4B solar array wing during EVA 3
• 
  Curbeam during EVA 4 using a scraper
• 
• 
  ISS after STS-116 undocking
• 
  ISS after STS-116 undocking
• 
  Flight deck of Space Shuttle Discovery
• 
  Release of USDoD's Atmospheric Neutral Density Experiment (ANDE) pico-satellite from the shuttle's payload bay
• 
  Astronaut Robert L. Curbeam, Jr. participates in the mission's first session of extravehicular activity (EVA)

Landing

• 
  Landing of Discovery
• 
• 
• 
  View from runway end

Others

• 
  Old mission patch from 2002
• 
  ISS after STS-116 (computer rendering of August 2006)
• 
  Rocket boosters being retrieved from the Atlantic Ocean