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STS-118: Touchdown!
Endeavour is home!
STS-118: Deorbit Burn!
Endeavour is heading home! The seven astronauts should touch down in Florida this afternoon. NASA reports:
Endeavour Heads to Florida for Landing
Image above: The Shuttle Landing Facility at Kennedy Space Center, Fla., awaits the return of Space Shuttle Endeavour today. Image: NASA TVSTS-118 Commander Scott Kelly and Pilot Charles Hobaugh fired Space Shuttle Endeavour’s jets at 11:25 a.m. EDT to begin the descent to Kennedy Space Center, Fla. Endeavour is scheduled to touch down at Kennedy at 12:32 p.m. to end its mission to the International Space Station.
+ View STS-118 landing ground tracks
Endeavour is returning home two weeks after it launched form the Florida space port. Endeavour arrived at the station on Aug. 10 with the seven STS-118 astronauts quickly beginning joint operations with the Expedition 15 crew.
STS-118’s stay at the station also featured the successful test of the Station-to-Shuttle Power Transfers System, which allows power generated by the station to be routed to a docked shuttle. The system will allow shuttle missions to stay at the station for longer periods of time.
Endeavour undocked from the station Sunday to end its almost-nine-day stay and began the trip home.
Discussion here. Check the links at right for play-by-play and NASA TV. NASA’s Landing Blog here.
STS-118: Landing Day
Flight Day 14 is planned to be the final day in space for this trip. Endeavour is scheduled to land this afternoon at KSC. Weather is looking good, with with only crosswinds posing a possible concern. NASA reports:
Astronauts Close Payload Bay Doors for Landing
Image above: The Shuttle Landing Facility at Kennedy Space Center, Fla., awaits the return of Space Shuttle Endeavour today. Image: NASA TVThe STS-118 crew is making final preparations for its return to Earth aboard Space Shuttle Endeavour to complete a successful assembly mission to the International Space Station. Landing is scheduled for 12:32 p.m. EDT at Kennedy Space Center, Fla.
Endeavour’s payload bay doors are now closed. If flight controllers decide to press ahead with landing, Commander Scott Kelly and Pilot Charles Hobaugh will fire Endeavour’s engines at 11:25 a.m. to begin the descent to Kennedy.
If flight controllers choose to pass on the first opportunity a second one is available at the Florida spaceport. It calls for touchdown at 2:06 p.m., with the deorbit burn at 1 p.m. White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico will not be called up today as a possible site. Edwards AFB, Calif., will be staffed, but is not expected to be used.
+ View STS-118 landing ground tracks
Weather forecasts at Kennedy generally are favorable.
While at the station, the STS-118 crew continued the on-orbit construction with the addition of the Starboard 5 truss and conducted joint operations with the Expedition 15 crew. The crew conducted four spacewalks, which included the S5 installation and replacement of an attitude control gyroscope. The two crews also transferred several tons of cargo between the two spacecraft.
Landing will also bring to an end the first flight for Mission Specialist Barbara Morgan, an educator who was selected to become a mission specialist astronaut. She was first selected by NASA in 1985 as the backup to Teacher in Space Christa McAuliffe.
Following the Challenger accident in 1986, Morgan continued to work with NASA on educational activities and returned to teaching elementary school in Idaho. She returned to NASA as an astronaut in 1998.
Flight Day 13 videos are up at the JSC Gallery. Discussion here. Status Report #26 here. Check the links at right for play-by-play and NASA TV.
STS-118: Endeavour Cleared For Tuesday Landing
As Flight Day 13 winds down, we have Endeavour with final clearance for landing tomorrow (see our Flight Facts for details). Three of the crew spoke with schoolkids in the Great White North today. NASA reports:
Endeavour Cleared for Landing
Image above: (From left) STS-118 mission specialists Barbara Morgan, Dave Williams and Commander Scott Kelly talk to schoolchildren from the La Ronge, Saskatchewan area. Image: NASA TVMission managers announced today that Space Shuttle Endeavour is cleared for landing. The decision came after a thorough review of imagery and data collected during late inspection of the orbiter on Sunday.
In space, the seven-member STS-118 crew is preparing for its return to Earth aboard Endeavour after a successful stay at the International Space Station.
The crew completed tests this morning of Endeavour’s systems and engines that will be used for re-entry and landing. Other preparations include stowing equipment and a 30-minute deorbit briefing. The crew will also have some off-duty time to prepare for Tuesday’s landing opportunities.
In other activities, crew members took time out of their schedule at 11:46 a.m. today to field questions from Canadian schoolchildren from the La Ronge, Saskatchewan, area.
Endeavour’s first landing opportunity on Tuesday is at 12:32 p.m. EDT at Kennedy Space Center, Fla., with the deorbit burn occurring at 11:25 a.m. A second opportunity is available at the Florida spaceport at 2:06 p.m. The deorbit burn would occur at 1 p.m.
+ View STS-118 landing ground tracks
Edwards Air Force Base in California and the White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico will not be activated Tuesday as possible landing sites.
Meanwhile, mission managers continue to monitor Hurricane Dean as it moves westward in the Caribbean Sea.
The STS-118 crew members spent almost nine days at the international outpost. They continued the on-orbit construction of the station and transferred tons of cargo between the two spacecraft. The STS-118 crew conducted four spacewalks at the station. The two major objectives were the installation of the S5 and the replacement of a failed attitude control gyroscope.
Hurricane Dean Information
On-orbit Hurricane Dean Video: + Real Video | + Windows Media
+ NASA Hurricane Resource Page
Flight Day 12 pics and video are up at the JSC Gallery. Discussion here. Status Report #25 here. Check the links at right for play-by-play and NASA TV.
STS-118: Flight Day 12
Sunday morning saw Endeavour undock from the ISS (a few minutes before the announced 8AM EDT time). The crew is checking out the heat shield one more time, in preparation for Tuesday’s landing - with no repair to the cracked tile underneath the ship. NASA reports:
Endeavour Undocks from Space Station
Space Shuttle Endeavour undocked from the International Space Station at 7:56 a.m. EDT today, ending an almost nine-day stay at the orbital outpost for the STS-118 crew.
Undocking was moved up a day in preparation for landing on Tuesday. The earlier landing opportunity was selected in the event Hurricane Dean threatens the Houston area. It allows an opportunity for the shuttle to land before Mission Control, Houston, would be shut down in preparation for a storm. Mission managers are continuing to monitor the situation and assess their options.
After backing 400 feet away from the station, the STS-118 crew fired Endeavour’s engines to begin the departure from the vicinity of the station.
Later, the crew will conduct the post-docking heat shield inspection to make sure Endeavour is ready for landing. STS-118’s first landing opportunity on Tuesday is at 12:32 p.m.
The seven astronauts will enjoy some well-deserved off duty time after the busy stay at the station. While at the station, the crew installed the Starboard 5 (S5) truss segment and transferred tons of cargo between the shuttle and the station. The STS-118 crew conducted four spacewalks at the station. The two major objectives were the installation of the S5 and the replacement of a failed attitude control gyroscope.
Animations: + Endeavour undocking from station | + Shuttle wings and nose cap survey
Flight Day 11 videos are up at the JSC Gallery. Discussion here. Status Report #22 here. Check the links at right for play-by-play and NASA TV.
STS-118: Undocking Sunday
With all four spacewalks complete, the hatches are closed between Endeavour and the ISS. The STS-118 crew is cutting their flight by a day (well, first it was 10 days, then 14, now 13) because Hurricane Dean is threatening the Houston area. NASA reports:
Hatches Close; Endeavour to Undock Sunday
Mission Control, Houston has given the STS-118 crew a “go” for undocking Space Shuttle Endeavour from the International Space Station at 8 a.m. EDT Sunday. Mission managers made the decision as astronauts Dave Williams and Clay Anderson were wrapping up the fourth spacewalk of the mission.
Closing the hatches Saturday at 5:10 p.m. allows Endeavour to undock from the station Sunday in preparation for a possible landing on Tuesday. The earlier landing is being considered in the event Hurricane Dean threatens the Houston area. It would allow an opportunity for the shuttle to land before Mission Control would be shut down to prepare for a storm.
Managers will continue to review the forecast for Dean as they assess their options.
Williams and Anderson shortened their spacewalk to 5 hours, 2 minutes, to allow the early hatch closing and departure. They installed a stand for the shuttle’s robotic arm extension boom on the station’s truss structure, installed an External Wireless Instrumentation System antenna and retrieved two containers of the Materials ISS Experiment. They also had a chance to look down at the hurricane as it swirled in the Caribbean Sea.
The spacewalk began at 9:17 a.m. and concluded at 2:19 p.m., bumping up the total time for STS-118’s four spacewalks to 23 hours and 15 minutes. Saturday’s excursion was the 92nd spacewalk devoted to station assembly.
Hurricane Dean Information
On-orbit Hurricane Dean Video: + Real Video | + Windows Media
+ NASA Hurricane Resource Page
FD-11 live discussion here. Pics from FD-10 and FD-11 are up at the JSC Gallery. Status Report #21 here. Check the links at right for play-by-play and NASA TV.