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{{
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2023}}{{Infobox spaceflight
| name = STS-116
| names_list = [[Space Transportation System]]-116
| image = STS-116 - P5 Truss hand-off to ISS (NASA S116-E-05765).jpg
| image_caption = ''Discovery''{{'}}s Canadarm hands the P5 truss segment to Canadarm2, prior to its installation on the ISS.
| insignia = STS-116 emblem.svg
| spacecraft = {{OV|103}}
| mission_type = ISS assembly
| operator = [[NASA]]
| COSPAR_ID = <!-- Wikidata -->
| SATCAT = <!-- Wikidata -->
| orbits_completed =
| distance_travelled = {{convert|8500000|km}}
| mission_duration = 12 days, 20 hours, 44 minutes, 16 seconds
| launch_mass = {{convert|265466|lb|kg|order=flip}}<ref name=STS116-PK>{{cite web|title=STS-116 Press Kit|url=http://www.nasa.gov/pdf/162182main_STS-116_Press_Kit.pdf|publisher=NASA|access-date=August 16, 2015|archive-date=August 31, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210831055753/https://www.nasa.gov/pdf/162182main_STS-116_Press_Kit.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>
| landing_mass = {{convert|225350|lb|kg|order=flip}}<ref name=STS116-PK />
| payload_mass =
| launch_site = [[Kennedy Space Center|Kennedy]], [[Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39B|LC-39B]]
| launch_date = {{Start date text|December 10, 2006, 01:47:35|timezone=yes}} UTC
| landing_date = {{End date text|December 22, 2006, 22:32:00|timezone=yes}} UTC
| landing_site = Kennedy, [[Shuttle Landing Facility|SLF Runway 15]]
| crew_size = 7
| crew_members = {{Unbulleted list|[[Mark L. Polansky]]|[[William Oefelein]]|[[Nicholas Patrick]]|[[Robert Curbeam]]|[[Christer Fuglesang]]|[[Joan E. Higginbotham]]}}
| crew_launching = {{Unbulleted list|[[Sunita Williams]]}}
| crew_landing = {{Unbulleted list|[[Thomas Reiter]]}}
| crew_photo = STS-116 crew.jpg
| crew_photo_caption = Back (L-R): [[Robert Curbeam|Curbeam]], [[Nicholas Patrick|Patrick]], [[Sunita Williams|Williams]], [[Christer Fuglesang|Fuglesang]] <br />Front (L-R): [[William Oefelein|Oefelein]], [[Joan Higginbotham|Higginbotham]], [[Mark L. Polansky|Polansky]]
| docking = {{Infobox spaceflight/Dock
|docking_target = [[International Space Station|ISS]]
|docking_type = dock
|docking_port = [[PMA-2]]<br/><small>(Destiny forward)</small>
|docking_date = December 11, 2006, 22:12{{nbsp}}UTC
|undocking_date = December 19, 2006, 22:10{{nbsp}}UTC
|time_docked = 7{{nbsp}}days, 23{{nbsp}}hours, 58{{nbsp}}minutes
}}
| apsis = gee
| orbit_epoch = December 12, 2006<ref name="SATCAT">{{cite web|url=http://planet4589.org/space/log/satcat.txt|title=Satellite Catalog|first=Jonathan|last=McDowell|work=Jonathan's Space Page|access-date=May 28, 2013|archive-date=October 18, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181018141934/http://www.planet4589.org/space/log/satcat.txt|url-status=live}}</ref>
| orbit_reference = [[geocentric orbit|Geocentric]]
| orbit_regime = [[Low Earth orbit|Low Earth]]
| orbit_periapsis = 326<ref name="SATCAT"/>
| orbit_apoapsis = 358<ref name="SATCAT"/>
| orbit_period = 91.37 minutes<ref name="SATCAT"/>
| orbit_inclination = 51.6 degrees<ref name="SATCAT"/><ref name="sfn-facts">{{cite web|last=Harwood|first=William|date=December 8, 2006|url=http://www.spaceflightnow.com/shuttle/sts116/fdf/116quicklook1.html|title=Quick-Look Mission Facts and Figures|work=Spaceflight Now|access-date=November 27, 2006|archive-date=December 10, 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061210111751/http://spaceflightnow.com/shuttle/sts116/fdf/116quicklook1.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
| programme = [[Space Shuttle program]]
| previous_mission = [[STS-115]]
| next_mission = [[STS-117]]
}}
'''
The mission is also referred to as '''ISS-12A.1''' by the ISS program. The main goals of the mission were delivery and attachment of the International Space Station's [[Integrated Truss Structure|P5 truss]] segment, a major rewiring of the station's power system, and exchange of ISS [[Expedition 14]] personnel. The shuttle landed at 17:32 EST on December 22, 2006, at [[Kennedy Space Center]] 98 minutes off schedule due to unfavorable weather conditions. This mission was particularly notable to Sweden, being the first spaceflight of a Scandinavian astronaut ([[Christer Fuglesang]]).
STS-116 was the final scheduled Space Shuttle launch from [[Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39|Pad 39B]] as [[NASA]] reconfigured it for [[Ares I]] launches.<ref name="pad39b">{{cite web |author=Horowitz |first=Scott "Doc" |author-link=Scott J. Horowitz |title=Development and operation |url=http://www.nasa.gov/pdf/164266main_2nd_exp_conf_05_DevelopmentAndOperation_DrSHorowitz.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100113070529/http://www.nasa.gov/pdf/164266main_2nd_exp_conf_05_DevelopmentAndOperation_DrSHorowitz.pdf |archive-date=January 13, 2010 |access-date=January 22, 2010 |publisher=NASA}}</ref> The only remaining use of Pad 39B by the shuttle was as a reserve for the [[STS-400]] [[Launch on Need]] mission to rescue the crew of [[STS-125]], the final [[Hubble Space Telescope]] servicing mission, if their shuttle became damaged.<ref>{{cite news | first = Chris | last = Bergin | title = NASA details Ares launch pad timeline | url = http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2006/11/nasa-details-ares-launch-pad-timeline/ | work = nasaspaceflight.com | date = November 19, 2006 | access-date = March 9, 2010 | archive-date = May 12, 2009 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090512221752/http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2006/11/nasa-details-ares-launch-pad-timeline/ | url-status = live }}</ref>
After STS-116, ''Discovery'' entered a period of maintenance. Its next mission would be [[STS-120]] starting on October 23, 2007.
==Crew==
{{Spaceflight crew
|terminology = astronaut
|position1 = Commander
|crew1_up = {{Flagicon|USA}} [[Mark L. Polansky]]
|flights1_up = Second
|position2 = Pilot
|crew2_up = {{Flagicon|USA}} [[William Oefelein]]
|flights2_up = Only
|position3 = Mission Specialist 1
|crew3_up = {{Flagicon|USA}} [[Nicholas Patrick]]
|flights3_up = First
|position4 = Mission Specialist 2<br>Flight Engineer
|crew4_up = {{Flagicon|USA}} [[Robert Curbeam]]
|flights4_up = Third and last
|position5 = Mission Specialist 3
|crew5_up = {{Flagicon|SWE}} [[Christer Fuglesang]]
|flights5_up = First
|agency5_up = [[European Space Agency|ESA]]
|position6 = Mission Specialist 4
|crew6_up = {{Flagicon|USA}} [[Joan E. Higginbotham]]
|flights6_up = Only
|position7 = Mission Specialist 5
|crew7_up = {{Flagicon|USA}} [[Sunita Williams]]
|flights7_up = First
|expedition7_up = [[Expedition 14]]
|details7_up = ISS Flight Engineer
|crew7_down = {{Flagicon|GER}} [[Thomas Reiter]]
|flights7_down = Second and last
|expedition7_down = [[Expedition 14]]
|details7_down = ISS Flight Engineer
|agency7_down = [[European Space Agency|ESA]]
}}
===Crew notes===
Originally this mission was to carry the [[Expedition 8]] crew to the ISS. The original crew was to be:
{{Spaceflight crew
|terminology = astronaut
|position1 = Commander
|crew1_up = {{Flagicon|USA}} [[Terrence W. Wilcutt|Terry Wilcutt]]
|position2 = Pilot
|crew2_up = {{Flagicon|USA}} [[William Oefelein]]
|position3 = Mission Specialist 1
|crew3_up = {{Flagicon|SWE}} [[Christer Fuglesang]]
|agency3_up = [[European Space Agency|ESA]]
|position4 = Mission Specialist 2<br>Flight Engineer
|crew4_up = {{Flagicon|USA}} [[Robert Curbeam]]
|position5 = Mission Specialist 3
|crew5_up = {{Flagicon|USA}} [[Michael Foale]]
|details5_up = ISS Commander
|expedition5_up = [[Expedition 8]]
|crew5_down = {{Flagicon|RUS}} [[Yuri I. Malenchenko]]
|agency5_down = [[Russian Federal Space Agency|RKA]]
|details5_down = ISS Commander
|expedition5_down = [[Expedition 7]]
|position6 = Mission Specialist 4
|crew6_up = {{Flagicon|USA}} [[William S. McArthur|Bill McArthur]]
|details6_up = ISS Flight Engineer
|expedition6_up = [[Expedition 8]]
|crew6_down = {{Flagicon|USA}} [[Edward T. Lu|Ed Lu]]
|details6_down = ISS Flight Engineer
|expedition6_down = [[Expedition 7]]
|position7 = Mission Specialist 5
|crew7_up = {{Flagicon|RUS}} [[Valery Tokarev]]
|details7_up = ISS Flight Engineer
|expedition7_up = [[Expedition 8]]
|agency7_up = [[Russian Federal Space Agency|RKA]]
|crew7_down = {{Flagicon|RUS}} [[Aleksandr Kaleri|Aleksandr Y. Kaleri]]
|details7_down = ISS Flight Engineer
|expedition7_down = [[Expedition 7]]
|agency7_down = [[Russian Federal Space Agency|RKA]]
}}
==Mission highlights==
[[Image:ISS after STS-116 in December 2006.jpg|thumb|right|A photograph of the [[International Space Station]] after STS-116 with the new [[Integrated Truss Structure|P5 truss segment]]]]
* The STS-116 mission [[ISS assembly sequence|delivered and attached]] the [[International Space Station]]'s third port steel truss segment, the [[Integrated Truss Structure|P5 truss]].
* The STS-116 mission brought to the Station [[Expedition 14]] crew member [[Sunita Williams]] (who subsequently established a record for most time in space for a female astronaut) and brought home Expedition 14 crew member [[Thomas Reiter]] from European Space Agency (launched by [[STS-121]]).
* [[Christer Fuglesang]] became Sweden's first astronaut. His flight was a rare occurrence of two [[European Astronaut Corps|ESA astronauts]] flying in space together.
* The third of three [[SPHERES]] testbeds launched to the ISS.
* Astronauts completed major rewiring of the [[electrical system of the International Space Station]] in order to bring online the P3/P4 [[Integrated Truss Structure#Solar arrays|solar array]] installed by [[STS-115]] in September 2006.
* Additional rewiring was done to ISS Pressurized Mating Adapter 2 (PMA2) to enable ''[[Electrical system of the International Space Station|Station-Shuttle Power Transfer System]] (SSPTS)'' commencing with [[STS-118]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://uplink.space.com/showthreaded.php?Cat=&Board=missions&Number=598317&page=0&view=collapsed&sb=5&o=1&vc=1 |title=Re: STS-116/12A.1 Status (bbs posting) |author=eriolastrada |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071029212715/http://uplink.space.com/showthreaded.php?Cat=&Board=missions&Number=598317&page=0&view=collapsed&sb=5&o=1&vc=1 |archive-date=October 29, 2007 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://uplink.space.com/showthreaded.php?Cat=&Board=missions&Number=598891&page=0&view=collapsed&sb=5&o=1&vc=1 |title=Re: STS-116/12A.1 Status (bbs posting) |author=shuttle_guy |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071029212726/http://uplink.space.com/showthreaded.php?Cat=&Board=missions&Number=598891&page=0&view=collapsed&sb=5&o=1&vc=1 |archive-date=October 29, 2007 }}</ref><ref name="aiaa_SSPTS">{{cite conference|first=Stephen H.|last=Incledon|url=http://pdf.aiaa.org/preview/CDReadyMIECEC05_1090/PV2005_5689.pdf|title=A Power Converter for Manned Spacecraft from COTS Components|conference=3rd International Energy Conversion Engineering Conference|___location=San Francisco|year=2005|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070620004003/http://pdf.aiaa.org/preview/CDReadyMIECEC05_1090/PV2005_5689.pdf|archive-date=June 20, 2007}}</ref><ref name="apcu_mass">{{cite web |url=http://www.astronautix.com/craft/endavour.htm#26789 |publisher=Astronautix |title=Endeavour STS-97 payload |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100116164856/http://astronautix.com/craft/endavour.htm#26789 |archive-date=January 16, 2010 }}</ref>
* One half of the original P6 solar array installed by [[STS-97]] was folded to make room for the new P4 array deployed by STS-115 to rotate and track the sun.
* STS-116 was the last STS mission scheduled for launch from pad 39B. The pad was then refitted for upcoming [[Ares I]] launches.<ref name="pad39b"/>
* The crew of STS-116 consisted of five rookie astronauts. Only Mission Commander [[Mark L. Polansky|Mark Polansky]] (2) and Mission specialist [[Robert Curbeam]] (3) had previously flown in space.
* Robert Curbeam became the first astronaut to make four [[Extra-vehicular activity|EVA]]s during the same mission.<ref>{{cite news | first = Mark | last = Carreau | title = Astronaut Curbeam to set record with walk No. 4 | url = http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/nation/4408898.html | work = Houston Chronicle | date = December 18, 2006 | access-date = December 20, 2006 | archive-date = January 4, 2007 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070104230428/http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/nation/4408898.html | url-status = live }}</ref>
* This was the first mission with two African-American crewmembers.
===Mission notes===
As one of the main goals of STS-116 was to exchange [[International Space Station|ISS]] [[Expedition 14]] crew members, the crew of STS-116 changed mid-flight. ISS Flight Engineer [[Sunita Williams|Sunita "Suni" Williams]] was part of the STS-116 crew for the first portion of the mission. She then replaced ISS Flight Engineer [[Thomas Reiter]] on the Expedition 14 crew and Reiter joined the STS-116 crew for the return to Earth.
===Final Assembly Power Converter Unit mission for ''Discovery''===
During planned orbiter upgrades that took place subsequent to this mission, ''Discovery'''s ''Assembly Power Converter Units'' (APCUs) were removed and replaced with the shuttle-side components of the Station-Shuttle Power Transfer System (SSPTS). The APCUs converted 28VDC orbiter main bus power to 124VDC, compatible with the ISS's 120VDC main bus power. During initial station assembly missions, orbiter APCU power was used to augment the power available from the Russian service segment. With the operation of permanent main electrical systems (e.g. P4 array and SARJ, MBSUs, DDCUs, Ammonia cooling systems), orbiter power was no longer needed by the ISS.
After [[STS-118]], ''Discovery'' and ''Endeavour'' drew power from the ISS, although ''Atlantis'' was never upgraded with the SSPTS. This system slowed the orbiters' consumption of hydrogen and oxygen used by their onboard electricity-generating fuel cells. The hydrogen and oxygen supplies, stored cryogenically in tanks aboard the orbiter, limited the duration of Space Shuttle missions. As a result of the changeover to SSPTS, ''Discovery'' and ''Endeavour'' gained approximately 50% of the time that would have been spent docked otherwise. This resulted in 2–4 extra days for each ISS-docked mission.<ref name="shuttle_payloadUG">{{cite web|url=https://spacecraft.ssl.umd.edu/design_lib/STS21492.PL_users_guide.pdf|title=Space Shuttle Program Payload Bay Payload User's Guide|date=December 2000|publisher=NASA Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center|access-date=December 10, 2022|archive-date=April 24, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220424050239/https://spacecraft.ssl.umd.edu/design_lib/STS21492.PL_users_guide.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>{{rp|5-10}}<ref name="mei_spdu">{{cite web|url=http://www.meitechinc.com/Services/sdad_projects.asp |title=MEI System Design Analysis and Development – Projects |publisher=MEI Technologies |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061103133028/http://www.meitechinc.com/Services/sdad_projects.asp |archive-date=November 3, 2006 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web
| url = http://shuttlepayloads.jsc.nasa.gov/data/PayloadDocs/documents/07700/App_03.pdf?page=66| title = Space Shuttle Program "System Description and Design Data – Electrical Power and Avionics (NSTS 07700, Vol. XIV, Appendix 3)"| publisher=NASA| pages = 111}}{{dead link|date=June 2021|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}} Section 8.5, page 66</ref><ref name="sts-98-eva-ref">{{cite web| url = http://www.spaceref.com/iss/eva/10847.EVA.Ref.5A.STS98.pdf?page=161| title = SPDU position from STS-98| access-date = January 22, 2010| work = Spaceref.com}}{{Dead link|date=January 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref><ref name="sts116_ascent">{{cite web |url=http://www.nasa.gov/centers/johnson/pdf/163524main_ASC_116_F_B_1.pdf?page=174 |page=174 |title=Ascent Checklist STS-116 |publisher=Mission Operations Directorate Flight Design and Dynamics Division |date=October 19, 2006 |access-date=December 18, 2006 |archive-date=May 24, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110524224120/http://www.nasa.gov/centers/johnson/pdf/163524main_ASC_116_F_B_1.pdf?page=174 |url-status=live }} AFT FLIGHT DECK PAYLOADS SWITCH LIST FOR HANDOVER</ref><ref name="shuttle_payloadUG"/>{{rp|5-18}}
==Mission payloads==
[[Image:P5 Truss segment prepared for launch on STS-116.jpg|thumb|In the Space Station Processing Facility, an overhead crane moves the P5 truss for mission STS-116 to the payload
[[Image:09 ICC STS-116.jpg|thumb|ICC STS-116]]
[[Image:Discovery Payload Bay STS-116.jpg|right|thumb|''Discovery's'' payload bay, containing the [[SPACEHAB]] module and ISS P5 Truss.]]
The primary payload for the STS-116 mission was the [[Integrated Truss Structure|P5 Truss]] segment of the [[International Space Station]]. The shuttle also carried a [[Spacehab]] Logistics Module to resupply the ISS, and an [[Integrated Cargo Carrier]] with four sub-satellites, which were deployed after undocking from the ISS: the [[Atmospheric Neutral Density Experiment|ANDE]] technology demonstrator (OSCAR 61 and 62), developed by the Naval Research Laboratory, and three [[CubeSat]]s ([[RAFT-1]] (OSCAR 60) and [[MARScom]] for the [[United States Naval Academy]], and [[MEPSI 2A/2B]] for [[Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency|DARPA]]). It was the first Shuttle mission to deploy satellites since [[STS-113]] in 2002.
{|
!Location
!Cargo
!Mass
|-
|Bay
|Orbiter Docking System
|{{convert|1800
|-
|Bay 3
|Tunnel Adapter
|{{convert|112
|-
|Bay
|Spacehab Logistics Module
|{{convert|5399
|-
|Bay 5P?
|APCU (Assembly Power Converter Unit) ''(28VDC-to-124VDC)''<ref name="aiaa_SSPTS"/>
with SPDU (Station Power Distribution Unit)<ref name="mei_spdu"/><ref name="sts116_ascent"/><ref name="shuttle_payloadUG"/>{{rp|5-18}}
|2 x {{convert|35|kg}}
{{convert|20|kg}}
|-
|Bay
|Truss segment P5
|{{convert|1860
|-valign="top"
|Bay
|
{|
|Integrated Cargo Carrier||{{convert|839
|-
|STP-H2, FRAM||{{convert|1398
|-
|Service Module Debris Panels||{{convert|100
|-
|RAFT-1||{{convert|4
|-
|MARScom||{{convert|3
|-
|MEPSI 2A/2B||{{convert|3
|-
|ANDE launch cylinder||{{convert|20
|-
|ANDE-MAA||{{convert|50
|-
|ANDE-FCAL||{{convert|75
|}
| total {{convert|2942
|-
|Sill
|OBSS (Orbital Boom Sensor System) 202
|{{convert|450
|-
|Sill
|RMS
|{{convert|390
|-
! !! !! Total
|}
=== Crew seat assignments ===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
! Seat<ref>{{Cite web |title=STS-116 |url=http://spacefacts.de/mission/english/sts-116.htm |access-date=April 25, 2024 |publisher=Spacefacts}}</ref>
! Launch
! Landing
|rowspan=8| [[File:Space Shuttle seating plan.svg|150px]]<br />Seats 1–4 are on the flight deck.<br />Seats 5–7 are on the mid-deck.
|-
! 1
|colspan=2| Polansky
|-
! 2
|colspan=2| Oefelein
|-
! 3
|Patrick
|Higginbotham
|-
! 4
|colspan=2| Curbeam
|-
! 5
|colspan=2| Fuglesang
|-
! 6
|Higginbotham
|Patrick
|-
! 7
|Williams
|Reiter
|}
==Mission background==
[[Image:STS-116 Rollout (KSC-06PD-2474).jpg|thumb|''Discovery'' on its way to Launchpad 39B during rollout.]]
STS-116 was planned (post [[STS-114|return-to-flight]]) to launch on December 14, 2006. But on November 29, 2006 [[NASA]] announced that the launch team had been asked to aim for a launch on December 7, 2006, rather than the original target date of December 14. The launch window for the STS-116 mission opened on December 7 and extended through December 17. The seven-member flight crew arrived for launch at Kennedy's Shuttle Landing Facility on December 3, 2006, in the afternoon.<ref>{{cite web
|url = http://www.spaceflightnow.com/shuttle/sts116/061203crewarrival/
|first = William
|last = Harwood
|date = December 3, 2006
|title = Discovery astronauts arrive at the Cape for launch
|publisher = Spaceflight Now
|access-date = December 4, 2006
|archive-date = December 6, 2006
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20061206020142/http://spaceflightnow.com/shuttle/sts116/061203crewarrival/
|url-status = live
}}</ref>
Primary payloads on the
Launch on the new, earlier date required a night-time launch. Subsequent to the [[Space Shuttle Columbia disaster|''Columbia'' disaster]], NASA had imposed rules requiring shuttle launches to be conducted during the day, when light would be sufficient for cameras to observe falling debris. With the redesign of shuttle tank foam having minimized the amount of falling debris and the availability of in-orbit inspection procedures, the daylight-launch requirement was relaxed.<ref>{{cite
Rollover of ''Discovery'' to the [[Vehicle Assembly Building]] (VAB) occurred on October 31, and on November 1 the orbiter was raised into a vertical orientation and moved into High Bay 3 to be mated with the [[Space Shuttle external tank|external tank]] and [[Space Shuttle Solid Rocket Booster|solid rocket boosters]]. Rollout to [[Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39|Launch Complex 39B]] was completed on Thursday November 11.
The crew for the mission arrived at Kennedy Space Center on November 13 to begin their final four-day prelaunch training for the mission, which included familiarization activities, rehearsal of emergency procedures and practice on NASA's Shuttle Training Aircraft, along with a simulated countdown, which took place on the morning of November 16, 2006. The astronauts then traveled to [[Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center|Johnson Space Center]] in Houston, Texas, and returned to Kennedy Space Center on December 3, 2006, four days before the planned launch date.
The payloads for the mission, including a SPACEHAB module and the P5 truss, were loaded from the payload canister into ''Discovery's'' payload bay on November 16, and, with the sealing of the payload bay doors, all that remained was to fill the external fuel tank before the ''Discovery'' shuttle stack was in full launch configuration. With the completion of the Flight Readiness Review over November 28–29 (which evaluated all activities and elements necessary for the safe and successful performance of the shuttle during the mission, including the Orbiter itself, the payload and flight crew), ''Discovery'' was given her Certificate of Flight Readiness, the launch date was officially set to December 7, 2006, and the mission officially given the "Go" for launch.
==Mission timeline==
===December 7 (Launch attempt 1)===
[[Image:STS-116 Boarding (NASA STS116-S-006) 2006-Dec-09.jpg|right|thumb|STS-116 crew about to board the astrovan for the trip to pad [[Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39|39B]].]]
Following the completion of the pre-launch preparations, all eyes were on the Florida skies, due to a forecast low cloud ceiling for the night of the launch. The mission's seven astronauts were loaded into ''Discovery'' ready for the scheduled launch at 21:37 EST, with hopes high for a break in the clouds, but as the scheduled launch time approached it became apparent that the cloud would not break, and the launch attempt was scrubbed, with the next attempt scheduled for December 9, 2006.<ref>{{cite news
|url=http://www.cbsnews.com/network/news/space/116/STS-116_Archive.html
|title=Update: NASA managers stick with Saturday launch option
|first=William
|last=Harwood
|date=December 7, 2006
|work=CBS News
|access-date=August 29, 2009
|archive-date=April 22, 2014
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140422001822/http://www.cbsnews.com/network/news/space/116/STS-116_Archive.html
|url-status=live
}}</ref>
Prior to the initial attempt on December 7, NASA had determined that they would not attempt a launch on Friday because of a [[Surface weather analysis|cold front]] moving in that eventually scrubbed Thursday's launch attempt.
{{LaunchAttempt
<!-- please use 24-hour times to ensure columns are sortable. They will be displayed in 12-hour format -->| date1 = 2006-12-07 21:35:48
| result1 = Scrubbed
| reason1 = Weather
| decision_date1 = 2006-12-07 21:36
| decision_clock1 = −00:05:00
| weathergo1 = 30%<ref name=cbs1209>{{cite news|url=http://www.cbsnews.com/network/news/space/116/STS-116_Archive.html|title=Update: Weather remains unfavorable; refueling on tap|first=William|last=Harwood|date=December 9, 2006|work=CBS News|access-date=August 29, 2009|archive-date=April 22, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140422001822/http://www.cbsnews.com/network/news/space/116/STS-116_Archive.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
| notes1 = Low cloud cover. NASA opted for 48-hour turnaround instead of 24 due to 10% go weather forecast for December 8, 2006.<ref name=cbs1209/>
| date2 = 2006-12-09 20:47:35
| result2 = Success
| weathergo2 = 70%<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.cbsnews.com/network/news/space/116/STS-116_Archive.html|title=Update: Weather now 70 percent 'go'|first=William|last=Harwood|date=December 9, 2006|work=CBS News|access-date=August 29, 2009|archive-date=April 22, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140422001822/http://www.cbsnews.com/network/news/space/116/STS-116_Archive.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
| notes2 = High winds and low clouds were a concern but cleared in time for launch.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.cbsnews.com/network/news/space/116/STS-116_Archive.html|title=Update: Discovery rockets into orbit|first=William|last=Harwood|date=December 9, 2006|work=CBS News|access-date=August 29, 2009|archive-date=April 22, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140422001822/http://www.cbsnews.com/network/news/space/116/STS-116_Archive.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
}}
===
[[Image:Sts116-launch.png|thumb|''Discovery'' at liftoff]]
[[Image:STS-116 rocket boosters (NASA KSC-06PD-2794).jpg|thumb|The [[Space Shuttle Solid Rocket Booster|solid rocket boosters]] being retrieved from the Atlantic Ocean after the takeoff of STS-116.]]
''Discovery'' lifted off successfully at 8:47 pm [[Eastern Time Zone (North America)|EST]] (01:47 [[UTC]]), lighting up the Florida's coastline. Weather conditions – in particular crosswinds at the launch and landing sites – continued to trend positively in the hours approaching the launch window Saturday night. The fueling process for Discovery's external tanks began at 12:46 EST (17:46 UTC) and was completed at approximately 15:45 EST (20:45 UTC). If a [[Space Shuttle abort modes#Intact abort modes|transatlantic abort landing]] (TAL) had been required during ascent, the shuttle had three possible landing sites: [[Zaragoza Airport|Zaragoza]] or [[Morón Air Base]] in Spain, or [[Istres Air Base|Istres]], France.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/behindscenes/tal_sites.html|title=European Landing Sites for Shuttle Flights|access-date=December 17, 2006|date=October 20, 2006|publisher=NASA|archive-date=January 3, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070103064237/http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/behindscenes/tal_sites.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
The launch was the third shuttle mission in five months, being preceded by [[STS-121]] in July and [[STS-115]] in September, and was the first night launch in four years since [[STS-113]] and first night launch following the Columbia accident during [[STS-107]]. It is also the last time a shuttle launched from [[Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39B|LC-39B]].
===
Flight day 2 began for the astronauts at 15:47 UTC. The first order of business for the day was a thorough inspection of the Shuttle. Using sensors and cameras attached to a fifty-foot boom, which was in turn connected to a fifty-foot robotic arm, Nicholas Patrick inspected the leading edge of the wings and the nose cap. The process, which took five and a half hours, suffered a minor glitch that required Patrick to order the arm to manually grab the boom. During this time, the crew also inspected the upper surface of the orbiter.<ref name="spacecomdaytwo">{{cite news | first = Ker | last = Than | title = NASA: Discovery Shuttle in Good Shape After Launch | url = http://www.space.com/missionlaunches/061210_sts116_inspectionsbrief.html | work = SPACE.com | date = December 10, 2006 | access-date = December 12, 2006 | archive-date = December 13, 2006 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20061213110934/http://www.space.com/missionlaunches/061210_sts116_inspectionsbrief.html | url-status = live }}</ref> Astronauts also completed a check of the spacesuits to be used during the mission, along with preparation for docking with the [[International Space Station]].
[[Image:STS-116 Payload (NASA S116-E-05364).jpg|right|thumb|As seen through windows on the aft flight deck of Space Shuttle ''Discovery'', the [[Payload (air and space craft)|payload]] bay is featured in this image photographed by a STS-116 Crewmember.]]
===December 11 (Flight day 3 – Docking to ISS)===
Flight day 3 began for the astronauts at 15:18 [[UTC]]. Following the [[rendezvous pitch maneuver]], docking to the [[International Space Station]] occurred at 22:12 UTC. The hatch between the International Space Station and ''Discovery'' was opened at 23:54 UTC.<ref>{{cite news|title=Update: Hatches opened; welcome aboard; 'areas of interest' on left wing|url=http://www.cbsnews.com/network/news/space/116/STS-116_Archive.html|first=William|last=Harwood|date=December 11, 2006|work=CBS News|access-date=August 29, 2009|archive-date=April 22, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140422001822/http://www.cbsnews.com/network/news/space/116/STS-116_Archive.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The joint ISS/Shuttle crew then worked to undertake some further detailed inspection of the orbiter and unloaded the P5 truss segment from the payload bay, handing it off successfully from the [[Remote Manipulator System|shuttle robotic arm]] to the [[Mobile Servicing System|station arm]]. The astronauts scheduled for Day 4's [[Extra-vehicular activity|EVA]], Robert Curbeam and Christer Fuglesang, ended their day by entering the airlock for a "campout" sleep session to prepare for the EVA by purging their bodies of nitrogen in a lower-pressure environment.<ref>{{cite news | author=Ker Than | title=Mission Discovery: Shuttle Astronauts Dock at ISS | url=http://www.space.com/missionlaunches/061211_sts116_dock.html | work=SPACE.com | access-date=December 13, 2006 | archive-date=September 4, 2008 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080904224324/http://www.space.com/missionlaunches/061211_sts116_dock.html | url-status=live }}</ref> Such a practice is common in order for the astronauts to avoid getting [[decompression sickness]].
===December 12 (Flight day 4 – EVA #1)===
[[Image:STS-116 - P5 Truss hand-off to ISS (NASA S116-E-05765).jpg|thumb|[[Space Shuttle Discovery|Space Shuttle ''Discovery'']]'s [[Remote Manipulator System|Canadarm-1]] robotic arm hands off the P5 truss section to the International Space Station's [[Mobile Servicing System|Canadarm-2]] during shuttle mission STS-116 in December 2006.]]
[[Image:STS-116 spacewalk 1.jpg|thumb|While flying east of New Zealand, Robert L. Curbeam Jr. and Christer Fuglesang participate in the mission's first spacewalk.]]
Flight day 4 began for the astronauts at 15:47 UTC.<ref name="fday3preview">{{cite news | first = William | last = Harwood | title = Crew set for spacewalk to install truss segment | url = http://www.spaceflightnow.com/shuttle/sts116/061212fd4pre/ | work = Spaceflight Now | date = December 12, 2006 | access-date = December 13, 2006 | archive-date = December 14, 2006 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20061214060000/http://www.spaceflightnow.com/shuttle/sts116/061212fd4pre/ | url-status = live }}</ref> During the first [[Extra-vehicular activity|EVA]] of the mission, the astronauts of STS-116 brought the ISS one step closer to completion with the addition of the P5 truss segment.
The EVA began at 20:31 UTC, with Curbeam and Fuglesang removing launch restraints from the P5 truss and Mission Specialist Joan Higginbotham making use of the station's [[Mobile Servicing System|robotic arm]] (the ''Canadarm2'') to move the truss segment to within inches of its new position on the P4 truss. The spacewalkers then guided Higginbotham with visual cues as the precise operation to finalize the attachment of the truss was completed.<ref>{{cite news|title=Update: P5 truss positioned for attachment|url=http://www.cbsnews.com/network/news/space/116/STS-116_Archive.html|first=William|last=Harwood|date=December 12, 2006|work=CBS News|access-date=August 29, 2009|archive-date=April 22, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140422001822/http://www.cbsnews.com/network/news/space/116/STS-116_Archive.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
After the P5's attachment, Curbeam and Fuglesang finalized the installation with power, data and heater cable connections. They also replaced a faulty video camera attached to the [[Integrated Truss Structure#P1, S1 trusses|S1 truss]]. Since they worked ahead of the time-line, the two astronauts were also able to complete some get-ahead tasks.
At the end of the spacewalk, Curbeam congratulated the [[Nobel Prize]] winners, including scientist Dr. [[John C. Mather]] at NASA's [[Goddard Space Flight Center]] in Greenbelt, Maryland.<ref name="flightdayfour">{{cite news|title=Update: Spacewalk ends|url=http://www.cbsnews.com/network/news/space/116/STS-116_Archive.html|first=William|last=Harwood|date=December 12, 2006|work=CBS News|access-date=August 29, 2009|archive-date=April 22, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140422001822/http://www.cbsnews.com/network/news/space/116/STS-116_Archive.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Mather was honored for his work on the big-bang theory. Christer Fuglesang also held a short speech in Swedish, encouraging Swedes and others to aspire to become future astronauts. The EVA concluded at 03:07 UTC on the morning of December 13, and lasted for 6 hours and 36 minutes in total.<ref name="flightdayfour"/>
During the spacewalk, after taking a close look at imagery gathered on the first three days of the flight, mission managers determined that the shuttle's heat shield would support a safe return to Earth. They also decided a more detailed inspection that had been scheduled for later in the mission would not be necessary.
Three more spacewalks, one of which was unplanned, were required to reconfigure and redistribute power on the station, so that the solar arrays installed during [[STS-115]] could be used. The first step of reconfiguring the power took place Wednesday when the port solar array on the P6 truss was retracted, which allowed the activation and rotation of the Solar Alpha Rotary Joint on the P4. The rotary joint allows the solar arrays on the P4 to track the Sun.
The astronauts were required to spend the night sleeping in protected areas in order to avoid radiation from a solar flare eruption.<ref>{{cite news |title=Solar Array Retracted From Space Station |first=Mike |last=Schneider |url=http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2006/12/13/array_spa.html?category=space&guid=20061213153030 |agency=Associated Press |date=December 13, 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110621235456/http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2006/12/13/array_spa.html?category=space&guid=20061213153030 |archive-date=June 21, 2011 }}</ref>
===December 13 (Flight day 5 – Solar Array Reorganization)===
[[Image:STS-116 solar panel jam.jpg|right|thumb|A kink that occurred in the port-side P6 solar array during the first attempt to retract that array on December 13.]]
Flight day 5 began for the astronauts at 15:21 UTC.<ref name="fday5preview">{{cite news | first = William | last = Harwood | title = Station solar wing to be folded up today | url = http://www.spaceflightnow.com/shuttle/sts116/061213fd5pre/ | work = Spaceflight Now | date = December 13, 2006 | access-date = December 13, 2006 | archive-date = September 29, 2007 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070929095413/http://www.spaceflightnow.com/shuttle/sts116/061213fd5pre/ | url-status = live }}</ref> The most high-profile activity was the attempted retraction of the [[Integrated Truss Structure#P6, S6 trusses|P6]] port-side [[Integrated Truss Structure#Solar arrays|solar array]]. The process began at 18:28 UTC, but problems with the array folding due to 'kinks' and 'billows' led the controllers to redeploy the array (from about 40% retracted). There then followed a series of more than 40 commands to furl and unfurl the arrays in an effort to get them properly aligned and folded.
At 00:50 UTC, the retraction efforts were abandoned for the day. The problems, which appear to have been caused by a loss of tension in the solar array guide wires,<ref>{{cite news | first = William | last = Harwood | title = Crew struggles to get balky array retracted enough to permit other critical work | url = http://spaceflightnow.com/shuttle/sts116/061213wingretract/index3.html | work = Spaceflight Now | date = December 13, 2006 | access-date = December 16, 2006 | archive-date = September 29, 2007 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070929100044/http://spaceflightnow.com/shuttle/sts116/061213wingretract/index3.html | url-status = live }}</ref> had still not been solved, although 14 of the 31 bays on the array had been retracted (leaving 17 bays extended). This was enough to leave the port side arrays in a safe position to commence the activation of the [[Solar Alpha Rotary Joint]] (SARJ) at 01:00 UTC, allowing the solar arrays on the [[Integrated Truss Structure#P3/P4, S3/S4 truss assemblies|P3/P4]] truss to rotate to follow the sun.<ref>{{cite news| title = STS-116 MCC Status Report #9| url = http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts116/news/STS-116-09.html| publisher = NASA| date = December 13, 2006| access-date = March 9, 2010| archive-date = March 17, 2010| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100317062840/http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts116/news/STS-116-09.html| url-status = live}}</ref>
===December 14 (Flight day 6 – EVA #2)===
[[Image:STS-116 spacewalk 2.jpg|thumb|Christer Fuglesang participates in the mission's second session of extravehicular activity.]]
Flight day 6 began for the astronauts at 15:19 UTC. The day's primary activity, [[Extra-vehicular activity|EVA]] No. 2, began rewiring work to bring the station's permanent electrical power systems into use. To allow this changeover, station controllers had to power down about half the systems on the ISS. The EVA started at 19:41 UTC with Bob Curbeam and Christer Fuglesang exiting the [[Joint Airlock|Quest airlock]], 30 minutes early. EVA No. 2 was planned to activate channels 2 and 3 of the four-channel electrical system, and the work progressed smoothly. About two hours into the spacewalk the first current was flowing through the reconfigured system, using the power from the P4 solar arrays for the first time. The EVA was completed in exactly 5 hours, finishing at 00:41 UTC.<ref name="FD6report">{{cite news | title = STS-116 MCC Status Report No. 11 | url = http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts116/news/STS-116-11.html | publisher = NASA | date = December 14, 2006 | access-date = December 15, 2006 | archive-date = October 19, 2008 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20081019235802/http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts116/news/STS-116-11.html | url-status = live }}</ref>
===December 15 (Flight day 7)===
[[Image:STS-116 + Expedition14 CrewMembers (NASA S116-E-06472).jpg|thumbnail|Crew photo.]]
Flight day 7 was a light work day for the crews of ''[[Space Shuttle Discovery|Discovery]]'' and the [[International Space Station|ISS]] after the previous days' activities. Spacewalkers Bob Curbeam and Christer Fuglesang enjoyed some [[List of U.S. Army acronyms and expressions#Slang acronyms|R&R]], while the rest of the crew performed cleanup and preparatory tasks for Flight day 8's planned [[Extra-vehicular activity|EVA]] #3. The traditional joint photo session and joint news conference were held by the crews.<ref name="116flightplan">{{cite web | first = William | last = Harwood | title = STS-116 Master Flight Plan | url = http://www.spaceflightnow.com/shuttle/sts116/fdf/116flightplan.html | work = Spaceflight Now | access-date = December 15, 2006 | archive-date = January 2, 2007 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070102050843/http://www.spaceflightnow.com/shuttle/sts116/fdf/116flightplan.html | url-status = live }}</ref> During this event Swedish first time astronaut Christer Fuglesang was interviewed by [[Victoria, Crown Princess of Sweden|Crown Princess Victoria]] and also set a 20-second Frisbee world record in space, broadcast live on Swedish [[TV4 (Sweden)|TV4]].<ref>[http://www.tv4.se/nyheter/fuglesang/512491.html tv4.se – Fuglesang spexade och intervjuades i rymden] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070301055800/http://www.tv4.se/nyheter/fuglesang/512491.html |date=March 1, 2007 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.aftonbladet.se/vss/nyheter/story/0,2789,955915,00.html|work=Aftonbladet|title=Fuglesang satte världsrekord – i frisbee|first=Sandra|last=Wejbro|date=December 15, 2006|language=sv|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070109144219/http://www.aftonbladet.se/vss/nyheter/story/0%2C2789%2C955915%2C00.html|archive-date=January 9, 2007}}</ref>
In an attempt to free a stuck solar panel, Thomas Reiter exercised vigorously on a machine which is known to cause oscillations in the solar arrays; it was not successful. Mission controllers continued to look at other solutions to the solar panel folding problem so as to enable complete retraction, including an extended or additional EVA.<ref>{{cite news| title = STS-116 MCC Status Report #13| url = http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts116/news/STS-116-13.html| publisher = NASA| date = December 15, 2006| access-date = March 9, 2010| archive-date = March 9, 2010| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100309074248/http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts116/news/STS-116-13.html| url-status = live}}</ref>
===
[[Image:STS-116 Solar Panel Spacewalk.jpg|right|thumb|Astronaut Robert L. Curbeam Jr., STS-116 mission specialist, works with the port overhead solar array wing on the International Space Station's P6 truss during the mission's fourth session of extravehicular activity.]]
Flight day 8 began for the astronauts at 14:48 UTC. Astronauts Bob Curbeam and 'Suni' Williams completed the rewiring work on the [[International Space Station]]. The EVA began at 19:25 UTC and proceeded normally. As an "add-on task" to the EVA, astronauts Curbeam and Williams also continued work on the retraction of a sticking solar array, enabling the retraction of another six sections of the P6 array. At the end of the EVA there were another 11 "bays", or 35% left to retract. Upon completion of the EVA, the astronauts returned to the ISS via the Quest airlock.<ref name="STS116_mission_status">{{cite web | last = SpaceflightNow | title = Mission Status Center | url = http://spaceflightnow.com/shuttle/sts116/status.html | work = Spaceflight Now | access-date = December 16, 2006 | archive-date = February 3, 2014 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140203182948/http://spaceflightnow.com/shuttle/sts116/status.html | url-status = live }}</ref>
Another significant event during the EVA was the [[Space debris|loss of 'Suni' Williams' digital camera]]. At the post-EVA press conference it was suggested that a tether got snagged and caused the camera release button to break off allowing the camera to fall out of its holder. Images were lost but it was determined there was no need to retake them. Curbeam later said to the MCC: "We've got the bracket and the tether. Looks like the screws [on the bracket] came loose, we have the screws and the bracket and the tether."<ref name="ReferenceA">Day eight, post mission management meeting press briefing</ref>
===December 17 (Flight day 9)===
[[Image:STS-116 flight deck.jpg|thumb|Flight deck of ''Discovery''.]]
Flight day 9 was mainly spent preparing for EVA #4. The space suits were prepared (adjusting sizes and replacing LiOH canisters) and the crew went through the new procedures which had been developed for attempting to enable the solar array retraction. Various tools were coated in kapton tape to protect the array from coming into direct contact with sharp metallic objects and to provide electrical insulation if they are used to manipulate the arrays during the EVA.<ref name="ReferenceA"/><ref>Pre-EVA4 press briefing</ref>
===December 18 (Flight day 10 – EVA #4)===
Flight day 10 began for the astronauts at 14:17 UTC.<ref name="STS116_mission_status"/> Bob Curbeam and Christer Fuglesang embarked on an added [[Extravehicular activity|EVA]] at 17:12 UTC to try to fully close the last eleven bays of the balky P6-port Solar Array Wing.<ref>{{cite news | first = Mark | last = Carreau | title = Discovery crew gets extra day, 4th spacewalk | url = http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/nation/4407682.html |work=Houston Chronicle | date = December 16, 2006}}
</ref> The rapidly planned EVA was successfully completed after a 6-hour 38-minute spacewalk.<ref name="NASA FD10 status">{{cite web| title = STS-116 MCC Status Report #19| url = http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts116/news/STS-116-19.html| publisher = NASA| date = December 18, 2006| access-date = December 19, 2006| archive-date = October 20, 2008| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20081020000432/http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts116/news/STS-116-19.html| url-status = live}}</ref> At the end of EVA No. 4, Curbeam ranked fifth in total EVA time for U.S. astronauts and 14th overall.<ref name="EVA_List">{{cite web | last = Anikeev | first = Alexander | title = Number of EVAs of astronauts | url = http://space.kursknet.ru/cosmos/english/other/eva_cnt.sht | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060908033813/http://space.kursknet.ru/cosmos/english/other/eva_cnt.sht | archive-date = September 8, 2006 | df = dmy-all }}</ref>
===
[[Image:STS-116 ANDE Released (S116-E-07828).jpg|thumb|As seen through windows on the aft flight deck of Space Shuttle ''Discovery'', a Department of Defense [[picosatellite]] known as Atmospheric Neutral Density Experiment (ANDE) is released from the shuttle's payload bay.]]
Flight day 11 began for the astronauts at approximately 14:47 UTC. The Expedition 14 and STS-116 crews posed for photos and then closed the hatches between the ISS and ''Discovery''. Undocking was complete at 22:10 UTC. Due to the extended mission for EVA No. 4, ''Discovery'' did not make a full circle to film and photograph ISS, but only flew slightly more than one-quarter of the way around (through ISS zenith) before its departure burn.
===December 20 (Flight day 12)===
Flight day 12 began for the astronauts at 12:48 UTC. They spent the day verifying the integrity of ''Discovery''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s heat shield and preparing for deorbit and landing on December 22, 2006 (Flight day 14). Because of the extended spaceflight, the shuttle was required to make a landing attempt on flight day 14 unless all three landing sites were "no-go." Two satellites were also launched: '''MEPSI''' (Microelectromechanical System-Based PICOSAT Inspector) resembles a pair of tethered coffee-cups, and is being tested as a reconnaissance option for disabled satellites; '''RAFT''' (Radar Fence Transponder) is a pair of 5" cubes built by the [[United States Naval Academy|U.S. Naval Academy]] which will test space radar systems and also act as data relays for mobile ground communications.<ref name="STS116_mission_status"/><ref name="ANDE-RAFT">{{cite web | last = U.S. Naval Academy Satellite Lab | title = ANDE, RAFT, NMARS, FCAL Operations | url = http://wa8lmf.net/bruninga/ande-raft-ops.html | access-date = March 9, 2010 | archive-date = March 6, 2010 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100306020054/http://wa8lmf.net/bruninga/ande-raft-ops.html | url-status = live }}</ref>
===December 21 (Flight day 13)===
Flight day 13 began for the astronauts at 12:17 UTC.<ref name="116flightplan"/> ''Discovery'''s crew launched the [[ANDE]] (Atmospheric Neutral Density Experiment) microsats for the [[Naval Research Laboratory]], which were designed to measure the density and composition of the low Earth orbit atmosphere in order to help better predict the movements of objects in orbit, but one of the satellites failed to emerge from its launch canister. ANDE is currently transmitting data, and emerged from the canister approximately 30 minutes after its launch according to satellite tracking data.
===December 22 (Flight day 14 – Landing)===
[[Image:STS-116 landing.jpg|thumb|STS-116 landing at KSC.]]
[[Image:STS-116 landing port behind.jpg|right|thumb|''Discovery'' following the landing chute deployment.]]
Flight day 14 began for the astronauts at 12:17 UTC. Preparations for landing were complete. High cross-winds precluded a landing at [[Edwards Air Force Base]] while clouds and showers were an issue at [[Kennedy Space Center]] [[Shuttle Landing Facility]] on the first orbit. That combination raised the possibility of the first landing at [[White Sands Missile Range|White Sands Space Harbor]] since [[STS-3]] in 1982.<ref name="STS116_mission_status"/> Had landing taken place at White Sands, it could have taken as long as 60 days to return the orbiter to Kennedy Space Center. The first landing opportunity at Kennedy Space Center was abandoned due to unfavorable weather conditions. However, at 21:00 UTC coordinates were sent to the shuttle to re-attempt a landing at Kennedy along runway 15, as the first contingency landing attempt at Edwards had been called off due to high crosswinds. The de-orbit burn for Kennedy occurred at 21:27 UTC, having been authorized at 21:23 UTC, and was finished at 21:31 UTC. Since the landing time coincided with the local sunset time 17:32 EST (22:32 UTC), the shuttle landing was not considered a night landing, as official rules for a night landing are sunset + 15 minutes; however, the [[Xenon arc lamp|xenon]] runway lighting system was in use. ''Discovery'' touched down 30 seconds before the expected time. Landing time at Kennedy was at 17:32 EST (22:32 UTC).
==Contingency planning==
{{
===STS-301===
[[STS-3xx|STS-301]] was the designation given to the [[STS-3xx|Contingency Shuttle Crew Support]] mission which would have been launched in the event [[Space Shuttle Atlantis|Space Shuttle ''Atlantis'']] had become disabled during [[STS-115]]. It was a modified version of the STS-116 mission, which would have involved the launch date being brought forward. If needed, it would have launched no earlier than November 11, 2006. The crew for this mission was a four-person subset of the full STS-116 crew:
* [[Mark L. Polansky|Mark Polansky]] – Commander and prime [[Remote Manipulator System]] (RMS) operator
* [[William Oefelein]] – Pilot and backup RMS operator
* [[Robert Curbeam]] – Mission specialist 1, Extravehicular 1
* [[Nicholas Patrick]] – Mission specialist 2, Extravehicular 2
===STS-317===
In the event
==Wake-up calls==
<!-- List, with music, available here: http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/audio/shuttle/sts-116/html/ndxpage1.html -->
* Day 2:
* Day 3:
* Day 4:
* Day 5:
* Day 6:
* Day 7:
* Day 8: "[[Fanfare for the Common Man]]" by [[Aaron Copland]] performed by the [[London Philharmonic Orchestra|London Philharmonic]]; played for Nicholas Patrick. [https://web.archive.org/web/20070620004041/http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/audio/shuttle/sts-116/mp3/fd08.mp3 MP3] [https://web.archive.org/web/20070620004110/http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/audio/shuttle/sts-116/wave/fd08.wav WAV]
* Day 9: "[[Blue Danube Waltz]]" by [[Johann Strauss II|Johann Strauss]] performed by the [[Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra|Vienna Philharmonic]]; played for Christer Fuglesang. [https://web.archive.org/web/20070620004007/http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/audio/shuttle/sts-116/mp3/fd09.mp3 MP3] [https://web.archive.org/web/20070620004231/http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/audio/shuttle/sts-116/wave/fd09.wav WAV]
* Day 10: "[[Good Vibrations]]"; by [[The Beach Boys]] played for the entire ''Discovery'' crew. Chosen as part of the EVA involved shaking the solar array. The track was used as a wake up call on [[STS-85]] when a Microgravity Vibration Isolation Mount was being tested. Curbeam was a mission specialist on that flight. It was his first trip into space. [https://web.archive.org/web/20070620004100/http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/audio/shuttle/sts-116/mp3/fd10.mp3 MP3] [https://web.archive.org/web/20070620004227/http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/audio/shuttle/sts-116/wave/fd10.wav WAV]
* Day 11: "[[Zamboni (song)|Zamboni]]" by [[Gear Daddies]]; played for Pilot William Oefelein. [https://web.archive.org/web/20070620004146/http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/audio/shuttle/sts-116/mp3/fd11.mp3 MP3] [https://web.archive.org/web/20070620004011/http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/audio/shuttle/sts-116/wave/fd11.wav WAV]
* Day 12: "Say You'll Be Mine" by [[Christopher Cross]]; played for returning Expedition 14 crewmember Thomas Reiter. [https://web.archive.org/web/20070620004018/http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/audio/shuttle/sts-116/mp3/fd12.mp3 MP3] [https://web.archive.org/web/20070620004043/http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/audio/shuttle/sts-116/wave/fd12.wav WAV]
* Day 13: "The Road Less Traveled" by [[Joe Sample]]; played for Joan Higginbotham. [https://web.archive.org/web/20070620004218/http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/audio/shuttle/sts-116/mp3/fd13.mp3 MP3] [https://web.archive.org/web/20070620004001/http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/audio/shuttle/sts-116/wave/fd13.wav WAV]
* Day 14: "[[Home for the Holidays (song)|Home for the Holidays]]" by [[Perry Como]]; played for the entire ''Discovery'' crew. [https://web.archive.org/web/20070620004019/http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/audio/shuttle/sts-116/mp3/fd14.mp3 MP3] [https://web.archive.org/web/20070620004103/http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/audio/shuttle/sts-116/wave/fd14.wav WAV]
===Extra-vehicular activity===
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="background:#efefef;"
! width="2.5%"|
! width="10%"|'''Mission'''
! width="20%"|'''Spacewalkers'''
! width="16%"|'''Start – UTC'''
! width="16%"|'''End – UTC'''
! width="12%"|'''Duration'''
! width="22%"|'''Mission'''
|-
|-
|73.
| STS-116<br /><small>EVA 1</small>
| [[Robert Curbeam]]<br />[[Christer Fuglesang]]
| December 12, 2006<br /> 20:31
| December 13, 2006<br /> 03:07
| 6 h 36 min
| Install P5 truss
|-
|74.
| STS-116<br /><small>EVA 2</small>
| [[Robert Curbeam]]<br />[[Christer Fuglesang]]
| December 14, 2006<br /> 19:41
| December 15, 2006<br /> 00:41
| 5 h 00 min
| Rewiring station electrical system (circuits 2/3)
|-
|75.
| STS-116<br /><small>EVA 3</small>
| [[Robert Curbeam]]<br />[[Sunita Williams]]
| December 16, 2006<br /> 19:25
| December 17, 2006<br /> 02:57
| 7 h 31 min
| Rewiring station electrical system (circuits 1/4)
|-
|76.
| STS-116<br /><small>EVA 4</small>
| [[Robert Curbeam]]<br />[[Christer Fuglesang]]
| December 18, 2006<br /> 19:00
| December 19, 2006<br /> 01:38
| 6 h 38 min
| Retract port [[Integrated Truss Structure#Solar arrays|Solar Array Wing]] on P6 truss
|}
==See also==
{{Portal| Spaceflight }}
*[[2006 in spaceflight]]
*[[List of human spaceflights]]
*[[List of Space Shuttle missions]]
*[[Outline of space science]]
*[[Space Shuttle]]
==References==
{{Include-NASA}}
{{Reflist|30em}}
==External links==
{{
* [http://www.spaceflightnow.com/shuttle/sts116/status.html Mission Status Center]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20020808153757/http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/shuttle/archives/sts-116/index.html STS-116 mission overview]
*
*[http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/main/index.html Space Shuttle main page] at NASA
*[http://www.
===Videos===
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20071106053744/http://mediaarchive.ksc.nasa.gov/detail.cfm?mediaid=30732 STS-116 Launch Video]: NASA VIDEO KSC-06-S-00251
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20061214002706/http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/video/shuttle/sts-116/html/fd1.html NASA Videos for STS-116]
* [http://www.nss.org/resources/library/shuttlevideos/shuttle117.htm STS-116 Video Highlights] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131214181209/http://www.nss.org/resources/library/shuttlevideos/shuttle117.htm |date=December 14, 2013 }}
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{{Crewed ISS flights}}
{{Space Shuttle Discovery}}
{{All U.S. Space Shuttle Missions}}
{{Orbital launches in 2006}}
{{Use American English|date=January 2014}}
[[Category:Space Shuttle missions]]
[[Category:Spacecraft launched in 2006]]
[[Category:Spacecraft which reentered in 2006]]
[[Category:December 2006]]
[[Category:2006 in Florida]]
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