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  • Shuttle Heat Shield Work This Weekend
  • APU Testing for Discovery
  • Discovery Preps Ongoing, Crew Practice Spacewalking
  • Technicians Prepare for Crew Module Leak Checks
  • Main Engine Heat Shields Installation Today
  • Discovery Preps Continue Through the Weekend
  • Techs Work on Discovery's OMS Pod
  • Discovery Passing Processing System Tests
  • Discovery's Computer Network Undergoes Checks
  • Workers Focus on OMS pod, thrusters

STS-118: Flight Day 7

Tuesday will see the installation of an External Stowage Platform to the ISS, as well as some educational and PAO events. Meanwhile, mission managers are evaluating a repair EVA for Endeavour's damaged tiles, and another possible mission extension.  NASA reports:

Crew Members Flexing Robotic Arms to Install Stowage Platform

Mission Specialist Barbara R. Morgan smiles for a photo near the aft flight deck of Space Shuttle Endeavour. NASA PHOTO NO: ISS015-E-22166The STS-118 crew is in the process of using robotic arms to install a new stowage platform on to the International Space Station. External stowage platform-3 will be attached to the Port 3 (P3) truss at about 11:11 a.m. EDT.

Mission Specialists Tracy Caldwell and Barbara Morgan are the arm operators in Space Shuttle Endeavour. STS-118 Pilot Charles Hobaugh and Expedition 15 Flight Engineer Clay Anderson will be at the controls of the station arm.

The procedures call for the shuttle arm to lift the platform out of Endeavour’s payload bay and hand it off to the station arm, which will be used to install it.

Astronaut Tracy Caldwell, STS-118 mission specialist. NASA PHOTO NO: S118-E-06124Inside the shuttle/station complex, cargo transfers between the two spacecraft continue. Also on tap for today are preparations for STS-118’s third spacewalk scheduled for Wednesday.

The crew began the day at 6:07 a.m. with a wakeup call wishing Caldwell happy birthday.

Animations: + External Stowage 3 (ESP-3) Overview | + ESP-3 Installation

Mission Management Team Update
Mission managers have determined that damage to a small section of Endeavour’s heat shield poses no threat to crew safety or mission operations. However, they are discussing options for possible repair work that would ensure preparations on the ground for Endeavour’s next flight will go more smoothly. The damage occurred during the climb to orbit on Aug. 8.

+ View video of tile damage

NASA TV
Morgan and Williams will take time out of their schedule at 2:01 p.m. to field questions from ABC, CBS, CNN, NBC, and Fox.

Then at 5:09 p.m., Morgan, Anderson and Mission Specialists Dave Williams and Alvin Drew will participate in an education event with students at the Discovery Center of Idaho in Boise.

Both events will be aired live on NASA TV.

Flight Day 6 videos are up at the JSC Gallery. Discussion here. Status Report #12 here. Check the links at right for play-by-play and NASA TV.

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