The afternoon of 7 October 2002 was bright and clear at Kennedy Space Center, in Cape Canaveral Florida. At 2:46 PM CDT (19:46 GMT), the calm was broken by the thundering liftoff of Space Shuttle .Atlantis from Launch Pad 39B, thus beginning her 44 hour journey to rendezvous and docking with ISS. STS-112 (aka ISS Assembly Flight 9A) docked with ISSy at 10:17 AM (15:17 GMT) on 9 October. ISS Expedition Crew Five greeted the Crew of STS-112 after hatches were opened between the two spacecraft. They spent the next seven days carrying out joint operations.

The main Cargo of STS-112 was delivery and installation of the S-1 Truss segment. Some expanation of this truss segment, and its contents from NASA: "The large truss contains: a new external cooling system for the station that is slated to be activated in 2003; a second S-Band communications system to provide enhanced and extended voice and data capability; a cart that will serve as a mobile work platform for future spacewalkers; two new external television cameras; and the first Thermal Radiator Rotary Joint, which will provide the mechanical and electrical energy for rotating the station's heat-rejecting radiators based on various system requirements." Some other cargo items were transferred from Shuttle to Station as well.

Three EVAs (Extra-Vehicular Activity or spacewalk) were conducted from the Quest Joint Airlock Module by Astronauts David Wolf and Piers Sellers. The two men worked to fit and activate the S-1 Truss to the S-0 segment delivered the previous spring by STS-110. The results of the three spacewalks, totaling 19 hours 41 minutes, was completely successful.

After the full week of joint activities was over, the Expedition Five Crew wished their departing guests bon voyage. STS-112 undocked from the Station at 8:13 AM CDT (13:13 GMT) on 16 October. She spent the next two days flying on her own, affording the crew a bit of rest and time to pack up for the return home. Atlantis landed safely at the KSC Shuttle Landing Facility, on runway 33 at 10:44 AM CDT (15:44 GMT) 18 October 2002. Total flight duration: 10 days 19 hours 59 minutes.

Once again, there was something odd going on aboard Shuttle Atlantis. The Shuttle/Station complex was sailing along with one of the payload bay cameras trained on the Ku-Band dish antenna aboard ISSy. For several minutes, this dish was dancing like a Whirling Dirvish. The announcer in Houston Mission Control said that it was "hunting" for contact with the TDRS satellite high above in Geosynchronous orbit. There isn't much else to say about this incident...other than to ask HOW we were getting full color Ku-Band TV signals when the dish, which is supposed to relay those signals to the ground, was hunting for its relay satellite? More inconsistent goofiness?

Below is an animated GIF depicting that strange "dance of the dish". It illustrates one single cycle of the dance, which went on and on.

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At all times during this incident, the camera was under the control of the CATO in Houston Mission Control.

(INCO - INstrument & Communication Officer - The man in Houston Mission Control Center who is responsible for operating the Shuttle payload bay, and robotic arm, cameras. He also remotely operates the helmet cameras in space suits. In the case of ISS, this officer is referred to as the CATO - Communications And Tracking Officer. In both cases, these persons CONTROL everything which is PERMITTED to go out on broadcast to the public. It is a commonly believed falacy that the cameras are operated by Astronauts & Cosmonauts on the Shuttles, and Space Station. Very little camera work is done by the crews. They're way too busy for that.)

At the end of the day, it's up to YOU to draw your own conclusions.

© 2005 Jeff Challender