STS-114: Return to Flight After Columbia

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This recording captures the second landing attempt for Discovery, scheduled for 5:22am Central Time after a wave-off due to low clouds at Kennedy Space Center. The crew, led by Commander Eileen Collins, prepared for the deorbit burn at 4:15am Central Time, with Mission Control monitoring weather conditions closely. The landing was prioritized at Kennedy, with Edwards Air Force Base as a secondary option if necessary.

Launch coverage for STS-114, featuring the terminal countdown and liftoff. Key moments include the hatch closure by astronaut Lee Archambault and the activation of the ground launch sequencer at T-minus 31 seconds. The countdown window is approximately nine and a half minutes, with ascent milestones including solid rocket booster separation and main engine cutoff. Eileen Collins is confirmed on board at 11:23 GMT, with the crew preparing for launch.

Launch coverage for STS-114, featuring the terminal countdown and liftoff. The countdown window is approximately nine and a half minutes, with key ascent milestones including solid rocket booster separation, main engine cutoff, and external tank separation. The hatch closure is confirmed by astronaut Lee Archambault, and the ground launch sequencer is activated at T-minus 31 seconds, leading to a successful liftoff at 9:39 AM Central Time.

This recording captures STS-114's on-orbit activities, focusing on the successful opening of the payload bay doors at approximately 11:19am Central Time, which allowed for the activation of the cooling radiators. Commander Eileen Collins and pilot Jim Kelly are involved in the transition to orbital operations, with the crew receiving a formal go for orbit operations shortly after the door opening. The crew also prepares for a robotic arm checkout scheduled for 12:44pm Central Time.

This recording captures STS-114's on-orbit activities, specifically the removal of two gap fillers from the belly of the shuttle by spacewalker Steve Robinson. The first gap filler was successfully extracted at 7:45am Central Time using only 1.5 pounds of force, followed by the second at 7:55am Central Time. The operation was conducted while the shuttle orbited over France, marking a significant repair task during the mission.

This recording captures the STS-114 mission commentary during the rendezvous pitch maneuver, which began at 5:15am Central Time. Commander Eileen Collins executed a 3/4 degree backflip to allow station crew members Sergei Krikalev and John Phillips to photograph Discovery's thermal protection system, providing approximately 1 minute and 40 seconds of usable imagery. The maneuver was critical for assessing the shuttle's heat shield prior to docking, which was scheduled to occur about 57 minutes later.

This recording captures the landing of Discovery at Edwards Air Force Base, occurring at 7:12am Central Time after being waved off from Kennedy Space Center due to thunderstorms. The shuttle performed a series of four banks during its descent, with the first bank initiated at 6:45am Central Time. This landing marks the 50th shuttle landing at Edwards, and it was a night landing, occurring approximately 54 minutes before sunrise.