News From Space!

The new SSPTS is performing well, so mission managers have activated the 14-day option for Endeavour’s flight. Meanwhile, a couple of chipped heat-shield tiles have engineers weighing the risk vs. reward of a repair EVA on the Orbiter’s belly. NASA reports:

Managers Add Three Days to Shuttle Mission

Mission managers decided Sunday to extend the STS-118 mission by three days. The decision came after the successful operation of the new Station-to-Shuttle Power Transfer System (SSPTS).

Endeavour is now scheduled to undock from the International Space Station on Aug. 20 and land Aug. 22. In addition to the extra time at the orbital outpost, managers added a fourth spacewalk that is scheduled to take place Aug. 17.

The SSPTS reroutes power from the space station to the shuttle during docked operations, allowing the orbiter to conserve materials needed to generate power and spend more time in space.

Status Report #9 here. EVA # 2 is tomorrow (Monday).

The inspection of Endeavour’s underside is complete, and engineers on the ground will decide soon whether or not to schedule a repair EVA. NASA reports:

Crew Concludes Heat Shield Inspection, Prepares for Next Spacewalk

Image above: Endeavour’s robotic arm is moved into position for Sunday’s focused inspection. Image: NASA TV

The STS-118 crew completed Sunday’s focused inspection of Space Shuttle Endeavour’s heat shield and has turned its attention to Monday’s spacewalk. Using the shuttle robotic arm and 50-foot-long Orbiter Boom Sensor System (OBSS), the crew collected imagery of five areas on Endeavour’s underside that may have been damaged during the climb to orbit on Aug. 8.

STS-118 Mission Specialists Tracy Caldwell and Barbara Morgan and Commander Scott Kelly operated the shuttle’s robotic arm. STS-118 Pilot Charles Hobaugh and Expedition 15 Flight Engineer Clay Anderson were at the controls of the International Space Station’s robotic arm.

The data collected during the inspection will be analyzed by experts and engineers at the Mission Control Center in Houston.

Mission Specialists Dave Williams and Rick Mastracchio are preparing for their second spacewalk. The preparations include spacesuit and tool checkouts. The crew members will review the excursion’s timeline Sunday before the spacewalkers begin the overnight campout in the station’s Quest Airlock.

The spacewalk is scheduled to begin at 11:31 a.m. EDT Monday. The primary task is the replacement of a faulty control moment gyro in the station’s Z1 truss. The station has four gyros that are used to control the station’s attitude.

Later today, mission managers are expected to make a decision about a possible mission extension to 14 days for STS-118. The decision will be based upon the performance of the Station-to-Shuttle Power Transfer System, which is designed to allow shuttles to receive power from the station during docked operations.

Flight Day 4 pics are up at the JSC Gallery. Discussion here.

With the mission’s first EVA in the books, Sunday will be spent taking a closer look at possible damage to Endeavour’s underside. The crew will use the Orbiter Boom Sensor System to inspect the ship’s heat-resistant tiles.  NASA reports:

Crew to Perform Focused Inspection Today

Image above: Pilot Charlie Hobaugh (foreground) and Flight Engineer Clay Anderson prepare to operate the International Space Station’s robotic arm. Image: NASA TV

Space Shuttle Endeavour crew members will take a close look at areas of apparent damage to the orbiter’s thermal protection system in a focused inspection today.

The International Space Station’s Canadarm2 will unberth the Orbiter Boom Sensor System (OBSS) and hand it off to the shuttle’s robotic arm a little after 9:45 a.m. EDT. The OBSS is an extension of the shuttle’s arm and has sophisticated electronic and visual sensors at its end.

Commander Scott Kelly and Mission Specialists Tracy Caldwell and Barbara Morgan will do most of the focused inspection, with Pilot Charlie Hobaugh and station Flight Engineer Clay Anderson at the controls of the station arm. Other crew members will work to transfer equipment and supplies between the two spacecraft.

On Saturday, Mission Specialists Rick Mastracchio and Dave Williams wrapped up STS-118’s first spacewalk at 6:45 p.m. During the 6-hour, 17-minute excursion, they successfully installed the Starboard 5 (S5) truss segment onto the International Space Station and continued preparations to relocate the Port 6 (P6) truss.

Flight Day 4 videos are up at the JSC Gallery. FD-5 live discussion here. Status Report #8 here. Check the links at right for play-by-play and NASA TV.