STS-97: Endeavour Delivers the ISS's First Solar Arrays (2000)
On November 30, 2000, Space Shuttle Endeavour thundered off the launch pad at Kennedy Space Center on mission STS-97, the 101st flight of the Space Shuttle program. The five-person crew delivered and installed the International Space Station's first massive solar array wings, dramatically expanding the outpost's power supply. Fittingly, this mission also stands as the final human spaceflight of the 20th century.
Launch and Crew
Endeavour lifted off from Launch Pad 39B at Kennedy Space Center at 10:06 p.m. EST on November 30, 2000 (2:06 a.m. UTC on December 1), marking the 15th flight of this particular orbiter and the 101st mission overall in the Space Shuttle program's history. Commander Brent Jett led a five-member crew that included Pilot Michael Bloomfield and Mission Specialists Joseph Tanner, Marc Garneau, and Carlos Noriega. Garneau, a veteran Canadian astronaut, represented the Canadian Space Agency's continuing contributions to the International Space Station program. The mission was designated ISS Assembly Flight 4A, reflecting its critical role in the station's ongoing construction sequence. After a smooth ascent, Endeavour docked with the still-developing space station, which at that time consisted primarily of the Zarya and Unity modules along with the newly arrived Zvezda service module, home to the station's first resident crew, Expedition 1.
Did You Know?
The P6 solar arrays installed during STS-97 were so large that when fully deployed, their wingspan of roughly 240 feet exceeded the length of a Boeing 777 aircraft. For years afterward, these arrays remained the largest solar power system ever assembled in space.
Installing the P6 Solar Array Truss
The primary objective of STS-97 was the installation of the P6 Truss Structure, a massive framework carrying the International Space Station's first set of U.S.-built solar arrays. Astronauts Joseph Tanner and Carlos Noriega conducted three spacewalks totaling over 19 hours to attach and deploy the array's components. Using the shuttle's robotic arm, the crew lifted the roughly 17-ton P6 segment from Endeavour's payload bay and mounted it atop the Z1 truss, already in place on the station. Once secured, ground controllers commanded the twin solar wings to unfurl, each stretching to a wingspan of about 240 feet when fully extended. These arrays generated significantly more electrical power than the station had previously possessed, enabling more extensive scientific operations and life-support capabilities. The successful deployment represented a major engineering milestone, as the P6 arrays would remain the station's primary power source for years until additional truss segments and arrays were added in later assembly missions.
Preparing for Destiny and Closing Out 2000
Beyond the solar array installation, the STS-97 crew performed essential preparatory work for future station growth, readying a docking port for the arrival of the U.S. Destiny Laboratory Module, which would launch just months later in February 2001. The astronauts also transferred supplies and equipment to the station's Expedition 1 crew—Commander William Shepherd and cosmonauts Sergei Krikalev and Yuri Gidzenko—who had been living aboard the station since early November 2000. After spending about eight days docked to the ISS, Endeavour undocked and returned to Earth, landing at Kennedy Space Center on December 11, 2000. Because it launched on the final day of November, STS-97 holds the distinction of being the last crewed spaceflight of the 20th century, closing out an era that began with Yuri Gagarin's historic orbit in 1961. The mission demonstrated the growing complexity and international cooperation defining the ISS program, setting the stage for the station's continued expansion into the new millennium and its eventual role as humanity's permanent outpost in low Earth orbit.