Mission Payloads
STS-126 was scheduled to be a sixteen day mission with four spacewalks, largely dedicated to servicing and repair of the Solar Alpha Rotary Joints (SARJ). An additional docked day was added to the flight plan to give the crew more time to complete their tasks. The starboard SARJ had shown anomalous behavior since August 2007, and its use has been minimized pending diagnosis and repair. Both the starboard and port SARJs were serviced. In addition to lubricating both bearings, the remaining 11 trundle bearings in the starboard SARJ were replaced. Trundle bearing assembly five was removed during an Expedition 16 EVA for further examination in December 2007.
STS-126 included the Leonardo Multi-Purpose Logistics Module (MPLM) on its fifth spaceflight. Leonardo held over 14,000 pounds of supplies and equipment. Among the items packed into the MPLM were two new crew quarters racks, a second galley (kitchen) for the Destiny laboratory, a second Waste and Hygiene Compartment (WHC) rack (lavatory), the advanced Resistive Exercise Device (aRED), two water reclamation racks, spare hardware, and new experiments. Also included in Leonardo was the General Laboratory Active Cryogenic ISS Experiment Refrigerator, or GLACIER, a double locker cryogenic freezer for transporting and preserving science experiments. The shuttle also carried irradiated turkey, candied yams, stuffing and dessert for a special Thanksgiving meal at the station, as well as an Official Flight Kit with mementos for those who supported the astronauts and helped them complete their mission successfully.
Also carried was a Lightweight MPESS Carrier (LMC) carrying a Flex Hose Rotary Coupler (FHRC) and returning a Nitrogen Assembly Tank from ‘Quest’ for refurbishment.
| Location | Cargo | Mass |
|---|---|---|
| Bays 1–2 | Orbiter Docking System EMU 3005 / EMU 3011 |
1,800 kilograms (4,000 lb) ~260 kilograms (570 lb) |
| Bay 3P | Shuttle Power Distribution Unit (SPDU) |
~17 kilograms (37 lb) |
| Bay 3S | APC/SSPL Picosat launcher PSSC Picosats |
50 kilograms (110 lb) 7 kilograms (15 lb) |
| Bay 7S | ROEU umbilical | ~79 kilograms (170 lb) |
| Bay 7–12 | Leonardo (MPLM FM-1) | 12,748 kilograms (28,100 lb) |
| Bays 13 | Lightweight MPESS Carrier (LMC) | 1,495 kilograms (3,300 lb) |
| Starboard Sill | Orbiter Boom Sensor System | ~382 kilograms (840 lb) |
| Port Sill | Canadarm 201 | 410 kilograms (900 lb) |
| Total: | 17,370 kilograms (38,300 lb) |
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