STS-97

Key takeaways

STS-97 belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect STS-97 to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of STS-97 from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

STS-97 was a Space Shuttle mission to the International Space Station (ISS) flown by Space Shuttle Endeavour. The mission launched from Kennedy Space Center, Florida on 1 December 2000, and was the 15th flight of Endeavour and the 101st Space Shuttle mission. The crew installed the first set of solar arrays to the ISS, prepared a docking port for arrival of the Destiny Laboratory Module, and delivered supplies for the station's crew. It was the last human spaceflight of the 20th century.

Crew

Spacewalks EVA 1 – Tanner and Noriega EVA 1 Start: 3 December 2000 – 18:35 UTC EVA 1 End: 4 December 2000 – 02:08 UTC Duration: 7 hours, 33 minutes EVA 2 – Tanner and Noriega EVA 2 Start: 5 December 2000 – 17:21 UTC EVA 2 End: 5 December 2000 – 23:58 UTC Duration: 6 hours, 37 minutes EVA 3 – Tanner and Noriega EVA 3 Start: 7 December 2000 – 16:13 UTC EVA 3 End: 7 December 2000 – 21:23 UTC Duration: 5 hours, 10 minutes

Crew seat assignments

Mission highlights

During the 11-day mission, the primary objective was completed, which was to deliver and connect the first set of U.S.-provided solar arrays and the P6 Truss to the International Space Station. The astronauts completed three spacewalks, during which they prepared a docking port for arrival of the Destiny Laboratory Module, installed Floating Potential Probes to measure electrical potential surrounding the station, installed a camera cable outside the Unity Module, and transferred supplies, equipment and refuse between Endeavour and the station. On Flight Day 3, Commander Brent Jett linked Endeavour to the ISS while 370 kilometers (230 mi) above northeast Kazakhstan. The successful checkout of the Extravehicular Mobility Units (EMUs), the Simplified Aid For EVA Rescue (SAFER) units, the Canadarm (RMS), the Orbiter Space Vision System (OSVS) and the Orbiter Docking System (ODS) were all completed nominally. Also, the ODS centerline camera was installed with no misalignment noted. From inside Endeavour, Canadian Mission Specialist Marc Garneau used the Canadarm to remove the 8 ton stainless steel P6 truss from the payload bay, maneuvering it into an overnight park position to warm its components. Mission Specialists Joseph Tanner and Carlos Noriega moved through Endeavour's docking tunnel and opened the hatch to the ISS docking port to leave supplies and computer hardware on the doorstep of the Station. On flight day 4, the Expedition 1 Commander William Shepherd, Pilot Yuri Gidzenko and Flight Engineer Sergei Krikalev – entered the Unity Module for the first time and retrieved the items left for them. At 09:36 EST on 8 December 2000, the crew paid the first visit to the Expedition 1 crew residing in the space station. Until then the shuttle and the station had kept one hatch closed to maintain respective atmospheric pressures, allowing the shuttle crew to conduct their spacewalks and mission goals. After a welcome ceremony and briefing, the eight spacefarers conducted structural tests of the station and its solar arrays, transferred equipment, supplies and refuse back and forth between the spacecraft, and checked out the television camera cable installed by Tanner and Noriega for the upcoming mission. On 9 December 2000, the two crews completed final transfers of supplies to the station and other items being returned to Earth. The Endeavour crew bade farewell to the Expedition 1 crew at 10:51 EST and closed the hatches between the spacecraft. After being docked together for 6 days, 23 hours and 13 minutes, Endeavour undocked from the station at 14:13 EST. Piloted by Michael Bloomfield, it then made an hour-long, tail-first circle of the station. The undocking took place 235 statute miles above the border of Kazakhstan and China. The final separation burn took place near the northeast coast of South America.

Wake-up calls NASA began a tradition of playing music to astronauts during the Gemini program, which was first used to wake up a flight crew during Apollo 15. 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.

Images

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with STS-97

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what STS-97 claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to STS-97 before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about STS-97 ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of STS-97

In research: STS-97 appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses STS-97 in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: STS-97 is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 2000 in Florida, December 2000 in the United States, Human spaceflights to the International Space Station, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for STS-97 outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

How to study STS-97 in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what STS-97 means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain STS-97 out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is STS-97 in simple terms?

STS-97 was a Space Shuttle mission to the International Space Station (ISS) flown by Space Shuttle Endeavour. The mission launched from Kennedy Space Center, Florida on 1 December 2000, and was the 15th flight of Endeavour and the 101st Space Shuttle mission.

Why does STS-97 matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study STS-97?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on STS-97.