STS-4V

STS-4V
Mission insignia
Mission statistics
Mission name	STS-4V
Space shuttle	Terra Nova
Launch pad	SLC-6
Launch date	July 29, 2009 6:25 a.m. PDT (14:25 UTC)
Landing	August 10, 2009 7:47 a.m. PDT (15:47 UTC)
Mission duration	13 days, 1 hour, 22 minutes
Number of orbits	251
Orbital period	90 minutes
Orbital altitude	191 miles (307 km)
Orbital inclination	90°
Distance traveled	6,314,909 miles (3,924,084.5 km)
Related missions
Previous mission Next mission STS-3V STS-5V

STS-4V was a multinational Earth-science space shuttle mission, launched July 29, 2009. The primary payload was the SPACEHAB Research Double Module and two Extended Duration Orbiter pallets. The mission included two spacewalks using newly a updated version of the Manned Maneuvering Unit (MMU). The mission, which launched while STS-127 and Expedition 20 were in orbit, held a record for the most people in space at once (18) until the Orbital Contingency Test Flight launched in February of 2010.

Crew

Position	Astronaut
Commander	Harold Hamilton Fourth spaceflight
Pilot	David Sanders Fourth spaceflight
Mission Specialist 1	Ixy Comeaux Fifth spaceflight Lead spacewalker, EV1
Mission Specialist 2	Yuri Gregorov, RKA First spaceflight EV2
Payload Specialist 1	Clarissa Thomas, ESA First spaceflight

Mission parameters

• Mass:
  • Orbiter Liftoff: 229,095 lb (506,300 kg)
  • Orbiter Landing: TBD
  • Payload: 9,699 lb (21,553 kg)
• Perigee: 168 mi (270 km)
• Apogee: 177 mi (285 km)
• Inclination: 90°
• Period: 90 minutes

Extra-vehicular activity

Two spacewalks were planned for the mission, and both were completed successfully.

EVA #	Spacewalkers	Start (UTC)	End (UTC)	Duration
EVA 1	Ixy Comeaux	August 2 16:19	August 2 21:51	5 hours, 32 minutes
	First successful test of the newly designed NG-MMU. Fourth ever untethered spacewalk.
EVA 2	Comeaux Yuri Gregorov	August 4 15:27	August 4 22:20	6 hours, 53 minutes
	First Russian and fifth ever untethered spacewalk.

Wake-up calls

A tradition for NASA human spaceflights since the days of Gemini, mission crews are played a special musical track at the start of each day in space. Each track is specially chosen, often by their families, and usually has a special meaning to an individual member of the crew, or is applicable to their daily activities.

Flight Day	Song	Artist/Composer	Played for	Links
Day 2	"Cosmic Castaway"	Electrasy	Ixy Comeaux	WAV MP3 TRANSCRIPT
Day 3	“Life Is a Highway”	Rascal Flatts	David Sanders	WAV MP3 TRANSCRIPT
Day 4	“Zamboni”	Gear Daddies	Harold Hamilton	WAV MP3 TRANSCRIPT
Day 5	“Takin' Care of Business”	Bachman-Turner Overdrive	Ixy Comeaux	WAV MP3 TRANSCRIPT
Day 6	“Anthem of Europe”	Ludwig van Beethoven	Clarissa Thomas	WAV MP3 TRANSCRIPT
Day 7	“State Anthem of the Russian Federation”	Alexander Alexandrov	Yuri Gregorov	WAV MP3 TRANSCRIPT
Day 8	“Here Comes the Sun”	The Beatles	STS-4V Crew	WAV MP3 TRANSCRIPT
Day 9	“Learn to Fly”	Foo Fighters	STS-4V Crew	WAV MP3 TRANSCRIPT
Day 10	“What a Wonderful World”	Louis Armstrong	STS-4V Crew	WAV MP3 TRANSCRIPT
Day 11	“Hold on Tight”	Electric Light Orchestra	STS-4V Crew	WAV MP3 TRANSCRIPT
Day 12	“Fly Me to the Moon”	Frank Sinatra	STS-4V Crew	WAV MP3 TRANSCRIPT
Day 13	“Life in Technicolor II”	Coldplay	STS-4V Crew	WAV MP3 TRANSCRIPT

Contingency mission

STS-505 was the designation given to the Contingency Shuttle Crew Support mission which would have been launched in the event Space Shuttle Terra Nova became disabled during STS-4V. Due to the inclination and other orbital parameters of the mission, Terra Nova would have been unable to use the International Space Station as a safe haven in the event of structural or mechanical failure. The mission would have been a modified version of the STS-400 rescue mission, and would have launch from Space Launch Complex 7 at Vandenberg AFB. Once in orbit, the rescue Orbiter would perform an extended TPS tile check and would link up with Terra Nova, which would grapple the Orbiter with its Remote Manipulator System (RMS). Once the crew of STS-4V was safely aboard the other Shuttle, a final transfer would take place to install a backup Remote Control Orbiter in-flight maintenance (RCO IFM) cable aboard the Terra Nova, which lacked a dedicated remote landing and control system. The rescue Orbiter would land first, landing at Vandenberg on day eight to nine of STS-505. Terra Nova would remain in orbit until the rescue Orbiter was removed from the runway, at which point the decision would be made to either land at Vandenberg or to ditch the Shuttle in South Pacific Ocean, should the damage be too severe to allow a safe landing. Vandenberg would be the preferred landing site due to its location along the orbit of the Shuttle and due to its proximity to the Pacific. Should a problem develop that would make landing dangerous, the Shuttle could be remotely ditched into the ocean away from populated areas.

External links

• The ISA homepage
• The ISA's STS-4V page