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Discovery Delivers New Crew To ISS

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Last Friday marked the 106th Space Shuttle flight in American history. However, there will be no high wire construction or delicate maneuvers while Discovery visits the International Space Station( ISS). On this mission, the Shuttle will demonstrate its original function in space. When engineers began designing the Shuttle in the 1970's they perceived a spacecraft that could help build a space station and provide routine maintenance and deliveries once it was operational.

As with all Shuttle missions, however, they are anything but routine. Once estimated to provide weekly flights, the Shuttle program will make only 6 flights in 2001. Waning budget cuts plus constant malfunctions and delays have made launches a rarity to the fast paced society of the 21first century. Although, not to worry. High above us is the Alpha space station, a shiny sophisticated mammoth that keeps NASA on track to Mars. Never mind, the Space Shuttle, the press and NASA will have you believe that it is the center of the program, but it is not. The Shuttle is a tool, a means for other ends and those ends lead to a space station and beyond.

Discovery's visit to the ISS this week brings a fresh crew that will replace the Expedition 2 crew. Expedition 2 has been onboard since March. Shuttle veteran Frank Culberton will command the Expedition 3 crew. Russians Dezhurov and Turin, a rookie, will also be onboard. Although, what makes Discovery's visit unique is that while it is docked to the ISS, all that the crew will be doing essentially is delivering a new crew and fresh supplies. Compared to the complex missions of the last few months, when the ISS's arm and air lock were installed, this mission appears almost mundane. However, spaceflight can be deceiving; the simplest operations can often be the most dangerous. Two spacewalks by the Discovery crew will attach cables that will allow for the construction of a truss next year. They will also install a redundant ammonia tank that will permit the Alpha crew to fix their cooling system if it ever develops problems.

The new crew will also be the first to be literally on there own until another Shuttle makes a visit in December. Except for a visit by a Soyuz crew that will be visiting for a few days they will have no other guests. This type of isolation, so to speak, will be an important experiment in independence. While the Russians have had crews alone for several months at a time aboard MIR, this current four-month tour will be a good test of the ISS's operational ability. The crew will also be the first to be completely dedicated to the station's onboard science experiments.