The Space Shuttle Atlantis, carrying a crew of 7, successfully launched from Kennedy Space Center’s pad 39A at 3:11 a.m. PDT (1011:10 UTC) May 19 for a planned 10-day mission. Flight STS-101 was launched into a 320 km (173 nmi), 51.6° orbit to rendezvous for a servicing mission (2A.2a) with the International Space Station.

The crew will transfer more than 2,223 kg (4,900 lbm) of equipment and supplies from a double Spacehab module and Integrated Cargo Carrier (ICC) located in the rear of Atlantis' cargo bay into Zarya and Unity for use by the Expedition One crew later this year. Logistical supplies include personal clothing and hygiene gear, medical and exercise equipment, computer equipment and printers, hardware for the eventual setup and activation of the station's Ku-band communications system and a centerline camera for Unity's common berthing mechanisms to which other International Space Station components will be mated. Four large bags of water will also be brought from Atlantis into the International Space Station for later use.  

STS 101 Payload Configuration

The top priority of this mission is to replace four of six 800-ampere batteries in Zarya which are no longer operable, and the associated electronics to regulate the current. Zarya will receive additional new equipment including four cooling fans, three fire extinguishers, 10 smoke detectors and an on-board computer. A suspect radio frequency power distribution box in Unity used as part of the early S-band communications system will also be replaced.

The Integrated Cargo Carrier is carrying three cargoes: parts of the Russian Strela crane, the Space Integrated Global Positioning System/Inertial Navigation System Orbital Attitude Readiness payload (SOAR) and the Spacehab-Oceaneering Space System box (SHOSS). Strela is a Russian crane that will be mounted on Zarya. Some of Strela's components are already at the station. STS-101 will deliver the boom, ring and extension to complete the crane assembly. The Space Integrated Global Positioning System/Inertial Navigation System Orbital Attitude Readiness payload is designed to be the space station's primary global positioning source and the crew return vehicle's primary navigation source. The Space System box is a trunk mounted on the ICC. On STS-101, it will contain space-walking tools and logistics items to be transferred and stowed in Unity.

Mission Specialists Voss and Williams will perform a extravehicular activity (EVA) on flight day 4. The astronauts will complete the assembly of the Russian crane, Strela, test the integrity of a U.S. crane, replace a faulty communications antenna, install handrails and set up a camera cable. The space walk is expected to last about 6 1/2 hours.

The STS-101 crew is made up of James D. Halsell, Commander, 43, Scott J. Horowitz, 43, Pilot, and Mission Specialists, Dr. Mary Ellen Weber, 37, Jeffrey N. Williams, 42, James S. Voss, 51, Susan J. Helms, 42, and Yuri V. Usachev, 42. 

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