STS-114 launched aboard Space Shuttle "Discovery" on 26 July 2005, over two years since the "Columbia" disaster. The shuttle docked to the ISS two days later, the crew joined the Expedition 11 crew consisting of Russian Commander Sergei Krikalev and American Flight Engineer John Phillips. Prior to docking to the station, "Discovery" and its crew performed the first-ever rendezvous pitch maneuver, which allowed the two crew members aboard the station to photograph and observe the shuttle's heat shield, allowing them to discover any possible damage on the spacecraft's heat shield. The maneuver was added following the "Columbia" disaster, which was caused by damage to the heat shield.