STS-132 (ISS assembly flight ULF4) was a NASA Space Shuttle mission, during which Space Shuttle Atlantis docked with the International Space Station on May 16, 2010. STS-132 was launched from the Kennedy Space Center on May 14, 2010. The primary payload was the Russian Rassvet Mini-Research Module, along with an Integrated Cargo Carrier-Vertical Light Deployable (ICC-VLD). Atlantis landed at the Kennedy Space Center on May 26, 2010. STS-132 was initially scheduled to be the final flight of Atlantis, provided that the STS-335/STS-135 Launch On Need rescue mission would not be needed. However, in February 2011, NASA declared that the final mission of Atlantis and of the Space Shuttle program, STS-135, would be flown regardless of the funding situation.
Crew
Crew seat assignments
Mission payload
Mini-Research Module 1 (MRM 1)
STS-132 carried the Russian Rassvet Mini-Research Module 1 to the International Space Station. Rassvet means "dawn" in Russian. The module was built by Russian aerospace company Energia. Rassvet arrived at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) aboard an Antonov 124 cargo plane on December 17, 2009, at about 13:00 EST. After it was unloaded from the Antonov, the module was transported to an Astrotech processing bay in Cape Canaveral to undergo preparations for launch. An airlock and radiation heat exchanger to be used for outfitting the Russian Nauka Module (launched in 2021), a spare elbow part of the European Robotic Arm (ERA) and a portable work platform for science hardware for performing experiments in outer space were externally mounted on Rassvet in its launch configuration. Russian and US cargo to be delivered were also accommodated inside the module. The volume for cargo and science inside MRM1 is 5 cubic meters. Rassvet was outfitted with ISS standard grapple fixtures that allowed the module to be unloaded from the payload bay of Atlantis using the station's robotic arm.
Integrated Cargo Carrier-Vertical Light Deployable (ICC-VLD2)
Also on board Atlantis was the Integrated Cargo Carrier-Vertical Light Deployable (ICC-VLD2) pallet, holding a Ku-band Space to Ground Antenna (SGANT), the SGANT boom assembly, an Enhanced Orbital replacement Unit (ORU) Temporary Platform (EOTP) for the Canadian Dextre robotic arm extension, Video and Power Grapple fixtures (PVGF) and six new battery ORUs. The six new batteries replaced older ones on the P6 truss of the ISS. The old batteries were placed on the ICC-VLD pallet for return to Earth. The EOTP was built by MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates Ltd. (MDA) of Brampton, Ontario, Canada, for NASA. The ICC pallet is constructed of aluminum. It is approximately 8 feet (2.4 m) long, 13 feet (4.0 m) wide and 10 inches thick. The empty weight of the pallet is 2,645 pounds. The total weight of ICC–VLD and the ORUs is approximately 8,330 pounds. ICC-VLD return mass is 2,933 kilograms (6,466 lb). The ICC-VLD was berthed in the center of the shuttle's payload bay for both launch and reentry.
Other items In addition to the standard Official Flight Kit (OFK) flown inside a locker on the mid-deck, two Light Weight Tool Stowage Assemblies were modified to fly memorabilia and then were stowed to the left and right of Atlantis' airlock in the shuttle's payload bay. A compact disk (CD) containing the digital copies of all entries submitted to NASA's Space Shuttle Program Commemorative Patch Contest was also flown aboard Atlantis. The contest was organized by the Space Shuttle Program to mark the end of the shuttle era. The winning patch was designed by Blake Dumesnil of Hamilton Sundstrand, Johnson Space Center. A panel of NASA judges, including shuttle program manager John Shannon, LeRoy Cain, and three other shuttle program managers including former astronaut John Casper, selected the winning patch from a pool of 85 entries by NASA employees and contractors. Seventeen handcrafted beads made by nine different artists across North America were also on board Atlantis during the STS-132 mission. NASA teamed up with Beads of Courage, Inc., an approved public charity to bring hope and inspiration to children coping with serious illnesses through the Beads in Space project (the idea of Jamie Newton, an employee at the Marshall Space Flight Center). The 17 beads weigh eight ounces and were selected after a contest organized by Beads of Courage that attracted 54 beads. Also on board Atlantis was a 4-inch long wood sample of Sir Isaac Newton's apple tree. The piece from the original tree that supposedly inspired Newton's theory of gravity, along with a picture of Newton, were taken into orbit by astronaut Piers Sellers. The wood is part of the collection of the Royal Society archives in London, and was returned there following the flight. Additionally, a flag from Clarkson University, Potsdam, New York, flew on board shuttle Atlantis. It was there in honor of STS-132 lead shuttle flight director, Michael L. Sarafin, who is an alumnus of the Clarkson University. A comprehensive list of STS-132 items that were carried aboard Atlantis and their descriptions can be found in the Official Flight Kit.
Mission background and milestones
The mission marked:
163rd NASA crewed space flight 132nd shuttle mission since STS-1 32nd flight of Atlantis 34th shuttle mission to the ISS 11th flight of Atlantis to the ISS 3rd shuttle flight in 2010 107th post-Challenger mission 19th post-Columbia mission NASA arranged a Tweetup to cover the launch of the STS-132 mission. 150 people attended the event from more than 30 US states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Belgium, the Netherlands, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. The Tweetup participants met with shuttle technicians, managers, engineers and astronauts, took a tour of the Kennedy Space Center and viewed the launch of Atlantis.
Mission experiments Atlantis crew worked with several short-term experiments during their mission. The shuttle transported new long-term experiments to the ISS. At the end of the mission, Atlantis returned some of the completed experiments from the ISS. Short-term experiments included:
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