STS-97

Mission Profile

Overview

STS-97 was the sixth Shuttle assembly flight to the young International Space Station, and it switched on the lights. Endeavour carried the 15.9-tonne P6 truss with the first pair of giant U.S. photovoltaic arrays — the largest, heaviest element delivered to the outpost to that point. Among the five-person crew was Canadian Marc Garneau, flying his third mission, a record for a Canadian astronaut, and his first to the ISS. Garneau operated Endeavour's Canadarm to manoeuvre and berth the towering truss, then helped unfurl the twin 73-metre solar wings that quintupled the station's power. With Expedition 1 already aboard Zvezda, STS-97 marked the first time a Shuttle crew visited a permanently inhabited station, exchanging handshakes through the newly mated hatch.

Crew

Key Milestones

1. 2000-12-01

   Endeavour launches from KSC Pad 39B on the P6 truss delivery flight

2. 2000-12-02

   Endeavour docks with the International Space Station

3. 2000-12-03

   First of three EVAs; Garneau berths the P6 truss with Canadarm and arrays deploy

4. 2000-12-08

   First crew transfer between a Shuttle and the permanently crewed ISS

5. 2000-12-11

   Endeavour lands at Kennedy Space Center Runway 15

Key Achievements

• Delivered the P6 truss and first U.S. solar arrays, quintupling ISS electrical power

• Marc Garneau's third spaceflight — a Canadian record at the time — and his first to the ISS

• First Shuttle crew to visit and transfer with a permanently inhabited space station

Related Missions

Sources

1. NASA — STS-97
2. Canadian Space Agency — Mission STS-97
3. Wikipedia — STS-97