Photographic Highlights of the NASA STS-122 Space Shuttle Flight

(April 2007) --- The STS-122 patch depicts the continuation of the voyages of the early explorers to today's frontier, space. The ship denotes the travels of the early expeditions from the east to the west. The space shuttle shows the continuation of that journey along the orbital path from west to east. A little more than 500 years after Columbus sailed to the new world, the STS-122 crew will bring the European laboratory module "Columbus" to the International Space Station to usher in a new era of scientific discovery. The NASA insignia design for space shuttle flights is reserved for use by the astronauts and for other official use as the NASA Administrator may authorize. Public availability has been approved only in the form of illustrations by the various news media. When and if there is any change in this policy, it will be publicly announced.

 STS122-S-049 (7 Feb. 2008) --- The Space Shuttle Atlantis and its seven-member STS-122 crew head toward Earth-orbit and a scheduled link-up with the International Space Station (ISS). Liftoff from Kennedy Space Center's launch pad 39A occurred at 2:45 p.m. (EST). The launch is the third attempt for Atlantis since December 2007 to carry the European Space Agency's (ESA) Columbus laboratory to the station. During the mission, the crew's prime objective is to attach the laboratory to the Harmony module, adding to the station's size and capabilities. Onboard are astronauts Steve Frick, commander; Alan Poindexter, pilot; Leland Melvin, Rex Walheim, ESA's Hans Schlegel, Stanley Love and ESA's Leopold Eyharts, all mission specialists. Eyharts will join Expedition 16 in progress to serve as a flight engineer aboard the ISS.

S122-E-007873 (11 Feb. 2008) --- Photographed through a window on the International Space Station, the station's robotic Canadarm2 moves the Columbus laboratory from its stowage position in Space Shuttle Atlantis' (STS-122) payload bay to the starboard side of the Harmony module.  

(20 Feb. 2008) --- Space Shuttle Atlantis touches down on runway 15 of the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, concluding the 13-day STS-122 mission. Onboard are NASA astronauts Steve Frick, commander; Alan Poindexter, pilot; Leland Melvin, Rex Walheim, Stanley Love, Daniel Tani, and European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Hans Schlegel, all mission specialists. Main gear touchdown was 9:07:10 a.m. (EST). Nose gear touchdown was 9:07:20 a.m. Wheel stop was at 9:08:08 a.m. Mission elapsed time was 12 days, 18 hours, 21 minutes and 44 seconds. During the mission, Atlantis' crew installed the new Columbus laboratory, leaving a larger space station and one with increased science capabilities. The Columbus Research Module adds nearly 1,000 cubic feet of habitable volume and affords room for 10 experiment racks, each an independent science lab.

(24 April 2007) --- These seven astronauts take a break from training to pose for the STS-122 crew portrait. From the left (front row) are astronauts Stephen N. Frick, commander; European Space Agency's (ESA) Leopold Eyharts; and Alan G. Poindexter, pilot. From the left (back row) are astronauts Leland D. Melvin, Rex J. Walheim, Stanley G. Love and European Space Agency's (ESA) Hans Schlegel, all mission specialists. Eyharts will join Expedition 16 in progress to serve as a flight engineer aboard the International Space Station. The crewmembers are attired in training versions of their shuttle launch and entry suits.

(7 Feb. 2008) --- The Space Shuttle Atlantis and its seven-member STS-122 crew head toward Earth-orbit and a scheduled link-up with the International Space Station (ISS). Liftoff from Kennedy Space Center's launch pad 39A occurred at 2:45 p.m. (EST).

 

(15 Feb. 2008) --- This digital still camera's wide shot affords a panoramic view of STS-122's final leg of work on the International Space Station. With mostly blue skies and some scattered clouds on Earth, solar panels and a station truss in the background, astronaut Rex Walheim, mission specialist, installs handrails on the outside of the Columbus laboratory, the newest piece of hardware on the International Space Station. . Astronaut Stanley Love (out of frame), mission specialist, shared this final period of STS-122 extravehicular activity with Walheim.

(18 Feb. 2008) --- Backdropped by Earth's horizon and the blackness of space, the International Space Station is seen from Space Shuttle Atlantis as the two spacecraft begin their relative separation. Earlier the STS-122 and Expedition 16 crews concluded almost nine days of cooperative work onboard the shuttle and station. Undocking of the two spacecraft occurred at 3:24 a.m. (CST) on Feb. 18, 2008.