STS-98

STS-98 was Atlantis' February 2001 mission to install Destiny, the first U.S. laboratory module on the International Space Station. Kenneth Cockrell commanded the flight, Mark Polansky served as pilot, and Marsha Ivins, Robert Curbeam, and Thomas Jones flew as mission specialists. Atlantis launched from Kennedy Space Center's Launch Complex 39A on February 7 and landed on Runway 22 at Edwards Air Force Base on February 20 after weather prevented a Kennedy landing. After docking, Ivins used the Shuttle robotic arm to move Pressurized Mating Adapter 2 temporarily to the Z1 truss, lift the 16-ton Destiny laboratory from Atlantis' payload bay, and install it on Unity. The Shuttle and Expedition 1 crews activated the laboratory's air, safety, computer, and communications systems and transferred about 3,000 pounds of equipment and supplies to the station. Curbeam and Jones completed three spacewalks to connect Destiny's electrical, data, and cooling lines; relocate PMA-2 to the laboratory's forward end; install exterior hardware; and inspect station systems. The mission established Destiny as the operational center for U.S. research and station control.