STS-400

STS-400
Endeavour on standby at LC-39B, ready to rescue the crew of STS-125 if needed
Mission typeCrew rescue
Mission duration7 days
Spacecraft properties
SpacecraftSpace Shuttle Endeavour
Crew
Crew size4 up
11 down
MembersChristopher Ferguson
Eric A. Boe
Robert S. Kimbrough
Stephen G. Bowen
LandingScott D. Altman
Gregory C. Johnson
Michael T. Good
Megan McArthur
John M. Grunsfeld
Michael J. Massimino
Andrew J. Feustel
Orbital parameters
Reference systemGeocentric
RegimeLow Earth
Inclination28.5 degrees

"Unofficial" Mission Emblem
Comparison of International Space Station and Hubble Space Telescope orbits

STS-400 was the Space Shuttle contingency support (Launch On Need) flight that would have been launched using Space Shuttle Endeavour if a major problem occurred on Space Shuttle Atlantis during STS-125, the final Hubble Space Telescope servicing mission (HST SM-4).[1][2][3][4]

Due to the much lower orbital inclination of the HST compared to the ISS, the shuttle crew would have been unable to use the International Space Station as a "safe haven", and NASA would not have been able to follow the usual plan of recovering the crew with another shuttle at a later date.[3] Instead, NASA developed a plan to conduct a shuttle-to-shuttle rescue mission, similar to proposed rescue missions for pre-ISS flights.[3][5][6] The rescue mission would have been launched only three days after call-up and as early as seven days after the launch of STS-125, since the crew of Atlantis would only have about three weeks of consumables after launch.[2]

The mission was first rolled out in September 2008 to Launch Complex 39B two weeks after the STS-125 shuttle was rolled out to Launch Complex 39A, creating a rare scenario in which two shuttles were on launch pads at the same time.[3] In October 2008, however, STS-125 was delayed and rolled back to the VAB.

Initially, STS-125 was retargeted for no earlier than February 2009. This changed the STS-400 vehicle from Endeavour to Discovery. The mission was redesignated STS-401 due to the swap from Endeavour to Discovery. STS-125 was then delayed further, allowing Discovery mission STS-119 to fly beforehand. This resulted in the rescue mission reverting to Endeavour, and the STS-400 designation being reinstated.[4] In January, 2009, it was announced that NASA was evaluating conducting both launches from Complex 39A in order to avoid further delays to Ares I-X, which, at the time, was scheduled for launch from LC-39B in the September 2009 timeframe.[4] It was planned that after the STS-125 mission in October 2008, Launch Complex 39B would undergo the conversion for use in Project Constellation for the Ares I-X rocket.[4] Several of the members on the NASA mission management team said at the time (2009) that single-pad operations were possible, but the decision was made to use both pads.[2][3]

  1. ^ NASA Mission Operations Directorate (2 June 2008). "STS-400 Flight Plan" (PDF). NASA. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 January 2010. Retrieved 19 May 2009.
  2. ^ a b c Hitt, David (5 May 2009). "STS-400: Ready and Waiting". NASA. Archived from the original on 29 October 2009. Retrieved 17 May 2009.
  3. ^ a b c d e Atkinson, Nancy (17 April 2009). "The STS-400 Shuttle Rescue Mission Scenario". Universe Today. Retrieved 18 May 2009.
  4. ^ a b c d Bergin, Chris (19 January 2009). "STS-125/400 Single Pad option progress – aim to protect Ares I-X". NASASpaceflight.com. Retrieved 19 January 2009.
  5. ^ Bergin, Chris (9 May 2006). "Hubble Servicing Mission moves up". NASASpaceflight.com. Retrieved 16 October 2007.
  6. ^ Copella, John (31 July 2007). "NASA Evaluates Rescue Options for Hubble Mission". NASASpaceflight.com. Retrieved 16 October 2007.