News From Space!

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.

Astronauts Dave Williams and Clay Anderson are still at work outside the ISS. Anderson arrived at the station on Atlantis’ last mission, but he was originally scheduled for this flight, so he had trained for these EVAs with Williams. Williams breaks the record today for Canadian EVAs, with three under his belt. NASA reports:

Astronauts Continue Spacewalk, Hatch Closure Preps

Image above: Hurricane Dean swirls in the Caribbean Sea as Space Shuttle Endeavour and the International Space Station pass overhead during STS-118’s fourth spacewalk. Image: NASA TV

Spacewalkers continue working on the exterior of the International Space Station as their crew mates are preparing for hatch closure. Mission Specialist Dave Williams and Flight Engineer Clay Anderson began the spacewalk at 9:17 a.m. EDT and are scheduled to wrap up about 1:47 pm.

Williams and Anderson installed a stand for the shuttle’s robotic arm extension boom on the station’s truss structure. Other scheduled tasks for the shortened spacewalk include the installation an External Wireless Instrumentation System antenna and retrieval of two containers of the Materials ISS Experiment. Mission Specialist Tracy Caldwell is the spacewalk coordinator, a role that she has for all four STS-118 spacewalks.

Inside the station, astronauts and cosmonauts are preparing for hatch closure between Space Shuttle Endeavour and the station, scheduled for about 5 p.m. today.

FD-11 live discussion here. Flight Day 10 videos are up at the JSC Gallery. Check the links at right for play-by-play and NASA TV.

Saturday will see the fourth and final EVA of Endeavour’s mission. NASA reports:

Astronauts Conducting STS-118’s Fourth Spacewalk

Image above: Mission Specialist Dave Williams emerges from the hatch at the beginning of STS-118’s fourth spacewalk. Image: NASA TV

Mission Specialist Dave Williams and Flight Engineer Clay Anderson are working outside the International Space Station. The spacewalk kicked off at 9:17 a.m. EDT and is scheduled to wrap up about 1:47 pm.

The orbital duo’s scheduled tasks for the shortened spacewalk include the installation an External Wireless Instrumentation System antenna, installation of a stand for the shuttle’s robotic arm extension boom and retrieval two containers of the Materials ISS Experiment.

Mission Specialist Tracy Caldwell is the spacewalk coordinator, a role that she has for all four STS-118 spacewalks.

Overnight, mission managers decided to shorten the originally planned 6.5-hour spacewalk to 4.5 hours so that the crew can close hatches between the station and shuttle at the end of the day today. That plan preserves the option to have Endeavour undock from the station on Sunday and prepare for a landing on Tuesday. The earlier landing is being considered in the event Hurricane Dean threatens the Houston area. It could allow an opportunity for the shuttle to land before Mission Control, Houston, would be shut down in preparation for a storm.

However, managers will review the forecast for Dean and mission activities this afternoon during their daily meeting and assess whether they will continue to pursue a possible early undocking and landing.

FD-11 live discussion here. Status Report #20 here. Check the links at right for play-by-play and NASA TV.