Feb 14 2001

From The Space Library

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Current revision

Astronauts Thomas D. Jones and Robert L. Curbeam Jr. made their third and final spacewalk from Space Shuttle Atlantis, finishing the installation of the ISS’s science laboratory Destiny. The spacewalk was the 100th in the history of U.S. space exploration. Two days earlier, Jones and Curbeam had conducted a spacewalk to install a window shutter for Destiny, allowing the astronauts residing inside the ISS an unparalleled view of Earth. Overall, the mission to install the vital and expensive Destiny module went smoothly. Atlantis’s crew worked quickly to connect the necessary cables, hatches, and wires to equip the new research center. The successful installation also allowed NASA to accept a transfer of leadership from the Russian Space Agency. Using the newly installed computers in the Destiny module, U.S. flight controllers took control of the ISS on 13 February 2001. (Associated Press, “Atlantis Astronauts To Conduct 100th Spacewalk in U.S. History,” 14 February 2001; Los Angeles Times, “Spacewalk Improves View from Space Station Lab,” 13 February 2001; Dow Jones International News, “Window Shutter Gives US Spacewalkers Views of Earth,” 12 February 2001.)

NASA announced that it would extend the NEAR Shoemaker spacecraft mission by 10 days to make the most of the first successful landing of a spacecraft on an asteroid. After conducting a complicated landing sequence and arriving safely on the surface of the asteroid Eros, the NEAR spacecraft relayed its signal to excited scientists on Earth. Called the “Surprisingly Sturdy Little Spacecraft” by the New York Times, NEAR survived its landing mission, surprising space officials and enthusiasts. NEAR had already spent a year orbiting the Eros asteroid, when the craft had run low on fuel. NASA’s mission team directed it to land on the asteroid’s surface. After NEAR’s successful landing, mission managers determined that the spacecraft merited additional funding. Although the details about where NEAR would touch down remained in doubt until the last moment, the craft had landed at a location ideal for Earth controllers to send and receive signals, facilitating an extended mission. (NASA, “Asteroid Mission Not Yet ‘NEAR’ an End,” news release 0 1-20, 14 February 2001; Warren Leary, “Mission Extended for Surprisingly Sturdy Little Spacecraft,” New York Times, 15 February 2001; Associated Press, “NASA Adds 10 Days to Asteroid Mission,” 15 February 2001.)

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