Mission STS-97
Mission description
Text version
This patch commemorates the participation of Canadian Space Agency astronaut Marc Garneau in the STS-97 Mission to contribute to assembly of the International Space Station. In , Marc Garneau became the first Canadian to fly in space and, in , the first Canadian to return to space.
He also became the first Canadian to enter orbit for a third time when he flew aboard Space Shuttle Endeavour to help assemble the International Space Station.
The patch, created by a team that included Philippe Garneau, Marc's brother, is simple but striking. It evokes the power of teamwork, a concept in which Marc strongly believes. The five hands representing the five crewmembers grip lightning bolts, which symbolize the mission's key objective to install solar panels on the Space Station to supply it with electricity.
As Flight Engineer on this mission, Garneau used the Canadarm and the Canadian Space Vision System to lift the solar panels from Endeavour's cargo bay and move them to where they were secured to the Space Station.
Patch STS-97. (Credit: Canadian Space Agency)
Launch
Date:
Time: 10:06:00 p.m. (ET)
Site: Kennedy Space Center, Florida
Landing
Date:
Time: 6:04:20 p.m. (ET)
Site: Kennedy Space Center, Florida
Mission duration: Nearly 11 days
Orbiter vehicle: Endeavour
Payloads: P6 truss
STS-97 featured the installation of the first of four pairs of huge solar arrays on the International Space Station (ISS). The 12-day mission was the Canadian Space Agency astronaut Marc Garneau's third—a record for Canadian astronauts at that time—and his first aboard the ISS.
Garneau used the Canadarm of Space Shuttle Endeavour to install solar arrays, which generate some of the electricity needed for daily operations and the Station's systems, including life support and scientific equipment.
Two American astronauts completed the installation during two spacewalks. Working inside the Shuttle, Garneau coordinated their activities.
Successful installation of the P6 truss and the first set of solar panels was a critical step in construction of the ISS.
Mission STS-97 crew
From left to right. Front row: Brent W. Jett, Marc Garneau and Michael J. Bloomfield. Back row: Carlos I. Noriega and Joseph R. Tanner. (Credit: NASA)