Discovery's Voyage Nears an End - Aug. 7, 2005
Space Shuttle Discovery flies alone. On Sunday, Aug. 7, the Discovery crew completed its last full day of spaceflight before landing, which is scheduled for 4:46 a.m. EDT Monday, Aug. 8.
This was a relatively quiet day aboard Discovery for the crew, who spent nearly nine days in joint operations with the International Space Station's Expedition 11 crew before undocking early Saturday, Aug. 6. Together, they transferred tons of supplies and equipment to and from the Station, conducted three spacewalks and experimented with techniques for repairing the Shuttle's heat shields.
STS-114, dubbed the most photographed spaceflight, set a new precedent for future test flights. Never-before-seen imagery aided engineers in assessing the Shuttle's external tank performance and ensuring a safe heat shield for return to Earth.
A mission of firsts, STS-114 carried the Orbiter's Boom Sensor System on its maiden flight, performed the first back-flip in spaceflight and successfully completed a first-of-its-kind repair to the Shuttle, making spacewalk history. Discovery was the first Space Shuttle to visit the Station since late 2002.
The two crews also paid tribute to the astronauts and cosmonauts who have given their lives for space exploration.
Backdropped by the blackness of space and Earth's horizon, this full view of the International Space Station was photographed by a crewmember onboard the Space Shuttle Discovery following the undocking of the two spacecraft. Discovery pulled away from the complex at 2:24 a.m. (CDT) on August 6, 2005.
Astronaut Eileen M. Collins (right), STS-114 commander, and cosmonaut Sergei K. Krikalev, Expedition 11 commander representing Russia's Federal Space Agency, pose for a photo Aug. 5 in the Unity node after the STS-114 crew patch was added to the growing collection of insignias representing crews who have worked on the International Space Station.
Astronaut Stephen K. Robinson, STS-114 mission specialist, anchored to a foot restraint on the International Space Station's Canadarm2, participates in the mission's third session of extravehicular activity (EVA) on Aug. 3. The blackness of space and Earth's horizon form the backdrop for the image.
The Space Shuttle Discovery, docked to the Destiny laboratory of International Space Station, is featured in this image photographed by astronaut Stephen K. Robinson (out of frame), STS-114 mission specialist, during the Aug. 3, 2005 spacewalk. Astronaut Soichi Noguchi, mission specialist representing Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), is partially visible between Discovery's payload bay and Destiny. The blackness of space and Earth's horizon formed the backdrop for the image.