Space Shuttle Discovery Safely Returns To Earth - Mission STS-114 Completed

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Shuttle Misson Overview

Discovery's seven-member Return to Flight crew arrived at the International Space Station on July 28, primarily to test and evaluate new safety procedures.

There have been many safety improvements to the Shuttle, including a redesigned External Tank, new sensors and a boom that will allow astronauts to inspect the Shuttle for any potential damage.




Two crewmembers, Steve Robinson and Soichi Noguchi, will venture outside the Shuttle three times on spacewalks (+ Read About Their Training). The first will demonstrate repair techniques on the Shuttle's protective tiles, known as the Thermal Protection System. During the second spacewalk, they'll replace a failed Control Moment Gyroscope, which helps keep the Station oriented properly. Finally, they'll install the External Stowage Platform, a sort of space shelf for holding spare parts during Station construction.

STS-114 will also be the third trip of the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module (MPLM) named Raffaello to the Station. It's essentially a "moving van" that transports supplies to the orbital outpost.


+ View Mission and Crew Briefing
+ STS-114 NASA TV Schedule
+ View Mission Overview (169 Kb PDF)
+ View Timeline of Mission Events
+ View Summary Timeline
+ Read Message from Commander Eileen Collins

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Mission Patch

The STS-114 patch design signifies the return of the Space Shuttle to flight and honors the memory of the STS-107 Columbia crew.


The blue Shuttle rising above Earth's horizon includes the Columba constellation of seven stars, echoing the STS-107 patch and commemorating the seven members of that mission. The crew of STS-114 will carry the memory of their friends on Columbia and the legacy of their mission back into Earth orbit.

The dominant design element of the STS-114 patch is the planet Earth, which represents the unity and dedication of the many people whose efforts allow the Shuttle to safely return to flight. Commander Eileen Collins and Pilot James Kelly are named at the top of the insignia, with Mission Specialists Wendy Lawrence and Charles Camarda named below.

Against the background of the Earth at night, the blue orbit represents the International Space Station (ISS). Mission Specialists Soichi Noguchi, Stephen Robinson and Andrew Thomas, who will work on the Station during spacewalks, are named on the orbit. The red sun on the orbit signifies the contributions of the Japanese Space Agency to the mission and to the ISS program. The multi-colored Shuttle plume represents the broad spectrum of challenges for this mission, including Shuttle inspection and repair experiments, and International Space Station re-supply and repair.

Credit: NASA

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Mission Launch
Watch The Launch Video

An other-wise perfect launch marred by falling foam debris.

Mission: International Space Station Flight LF1
Shuttle: Discovery
Launch Pad: 39B
Launched: July 26, 2005
Official Time: 10:39:00:07 a.m. EDT
Landing: August 7, 2005
Duration: 12 days
Orbital Insertion Altitude: 122 nautical miles
Orbit Inclination: 51.60°

The thunderous sound of applause and rocket engines erupted across Kennedy Space Center, Fla., as Space Shuttle Discovery lifted off from Launch Pad 39B for the first of NASA's two Return to Flight missions. Commanded by Eileen Collins and carrying an international crew of seven astronauts, the Space Shuttle soared over the Atlantic Ocean as it left Florida's eastern shores and climbed into the sky. Discovery is on a 12-day flight to deliver equipment and supplies to the International Space Station. The STS-114 mission comes after a two and a half year initiative to reinforce the orbiters and improve the safety of the Space Shuttle fleet.

With the clearing of the launch pad tower and Discovery in orbit, the vehicle and its crew now begins the two-day chase to rendezvous with the International Space Station.

Photo Galleries: + Discovery Launch Day

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Shuttle Inspection

Shuttle Commander performs first ever pitch maneuver to inspect for heat-tile dammage.

The space shuttle Discovery flies with its underside facing the International space station in this view from television Thursday, July 28, 2005. The commander performed a 360 degree backflip manuever so that the crew aboard the ISS could take pictures of the shuttle's thermal protection system. (AP Photo/NASA TV)

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International Space Station

The International Space Station is seen by the centerline camera aboard the shuttle Discovery, used in docking with the orbiting laboratory July 28, 2005. Discovery docked smoothly with the ISS high above the Earth on Thursday, carrying on after NASA grounded its other shuttles for fear of another Columbia-like disaster.

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Mission Extended


The crew of the space shuttle Discovery, will get an extra day in space to transfer more equipment and supplies to the International Space Station, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration said Saturday.

With the extension, Discovery will land in Florida on August 8.

NASA grounded future shuttle missions earlier this week after learning that Discovery's external tank lost some pieces of foam insulation during Tuesday's liftoff. But the agency said the loss of foam will not threaten Discovery's safe return to Earth.

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