WIKIARCHIVES.SPACE

Striding happily to the waiting Astrovan for the trip to Launch Pad 39A are (left to right) STS-92 Mission Specialists Michael E. Lopez-Alegria, Koichi Wakata of Japan, Peter J.K. “Jeff” Wisoff, Leroy Chiao and William S. McArthur; Pilot Pamela Ann Melroy; and Commander Brian Duffy. STS-92 is scheduled for liftoff to the International Space Station (ISS) at 8:05 p.m. EDT. The mission is the fifth flight for the construction of the ISS. The payload includes the Integrated Truss Structure Z-1 and the third Pressurized Mating Adapter. During the 11-day mission, four extravehicular activities (EVAs), or spacewalks, are planned. The Z-1 truss is the first of 10 that will become the backbone of the International Space Station, eventually stretching the length of a football field. PMA-3 will provide a Shuttle docking port for solar array installation on the sixth ISS flight and Lab installation on the seventh ISS flight. Landing is expected Oct. 21 at 3:55 p.m. EDT.