STS-116

STS-116 was a Space Shuttle Discovery mission to the International Space Station and NASA's ISS Assembly Flight 12A.1. The crew delivered and installed the P5 spacer truss, moved the station toward its permanent electrical power configuration, transferred supplies and return cargo, and resolved a stubborn P6 solar-array retraction problem with an added fourth EVA. The flight also exchanged long-duration station crew members: Sunita Williams joined Expedition 14 aboard the station, while Thomas Reiter returned to Earth after his Astrolab increment. Discovery launched from Kennedy Space Center's Launch Pad 39B on December 9, 2006, and landed on Runway 15 at Kennedy on December 22 after 12 days, 20 hours, 45 minutes, and 16 seconds in flight.