In the cool evening of 23 November 2002 at 6:50 PM PST (00:50 24 November GMT) Space Shuttle Endeavour rocketed away from Launch Complex 39A in Kennedy Space Center, Cape Canaveral Florida. This was the start of STS-113, and a 44 hour chase to rendezvous and dock with ISS. Aboard were the STS-113 Crew and the ISS Expedition Six Crew. Expedition Six was to be the last three person crew aboard the station for an indefinate period following the loss of STS-107 / Columbia early in 2003. Docking took place at 3:59 PM CST (21:59 GMT) on 25 November. The two crews were warmly welcomed aboard ISSy by the outgoing Expedition Five Crew, after hatches were opened between the two craft. There ensued seven days of joint operations, including hand over to the new Station crew.

The main Cargo of STS-113 (ISS Assembly Flight 11A) was the P-1 Truss, installed by using both Canadarms. This is the fourth segment of the Integrated Truss Structure. It is 45 feet (13.7m) long and weighs 27,506 pounds (12,477kg). It brings the current length of the ITS to 134 feet (40.8m), and extends the Mobile Transporter System (ISSy's rail line). It contains new radiators, TV cameras, lights and a new UHF antenna. Additionally, the P-1 Truss includes a new manually operated rail car (CETA - Crew & Equipment Translation Aid). STS-113 also delivered 4340 pounds (1969kg) of other cargo to ISS this trip.

Three EVAs (Extra-Vehicular Activity or spacewalk) were mounted from the Quest Joint Airlock Module by Astronauts Michael Lopez-Algeria and John Herrington. The two men spent 19 hours 55 minutes outside the spacecraft outfitting and activating the P-1 Truss.

After Expedition Crew Five handed the Station over the the Expedition Six crew, fond farewells were expressed and the Shuttle undocked from ISSy on 2 December at 2:05 PM CDT (20:05 GMT). STS-113 flew alone after that. (An interesting side note is that only a few hours after undocking, the two spacecraft passed over my home at twilight that evening. That story HERE.)

Endeavour landed safely at the KSC Shuttle Landing Facility, on runway 33 on 7 December at 1:37 PM CST (19:37 GMT). Total flight duration 13 days 18 hours 47 minutes.

The photo below was made from video tape taken on 2 December 2002 outside my home here in Sacramento, California.  The Shuttle flight STS-113 was in it's waning days, and Endeavour had undocked from ISSy only five hours earlier.  The sight of these "twins" was awesome to the naked eye! 

I managed to get both spacecraft in the same field of view, even with partial zoom.  As the pair of spacecraft crossed our sky, we could observe that the perspective changed with position.  The two craft gave us a three-dimensional view not available when one is eyeing only one spacecraft.  This appearance of twins is indeed a very rare spectacle.  I've only seen this happen once before in many years of observing.  Here's hoping you get a chance to see this for yourselves one day.

© 2005 Jeff Challender