News From Space!

Endeavour will dock with the ISS Wednesday night. Mission managers are evaluating a possible bird strike that may have damaged the Orbiter’s nose during ascent. 

Flight Day 3 started just before 3PM this afternoon. The crew is keeping strange hours because of the early-morning liftoff time. NASA reports:

Endeavour Closes in on Station

Image: Mission Specialist Rick Linnehan drinks a beverage on the middeck of Space Shuttle Endeavour. Mission Specialist Garrett Reisman is at right. Credit: NASA

As its pursuit of the International Space Station draws to a close, the crew of space shuttle Endeavour is getting ready to dock with the orbital outpost. Commander Dominic Gorie and Pilot Gregory H. Johnson are guiding the shuttle to link up with the station at 11:25 p.m. EDT.

Gorie and Johnson began guiding the shuttle through a back-flip maneuver at 10:26 p.m., giving the Expedition 16 crew the opportunity to take pictures of the orbiter’s protective heat-resistant tiles. These photos will be sent to engineers on Earth for analysis.

After Endeavour docks, the STS-123 and Expedition 16 crews will conduct pressure and leak checks before the hatches between the two spacecraft open at 1:08 a.m. Thursday. They will then greet each other and begin joint operations.

Mission Specialist Garrett Reisman will join the Expedition 16 crew, trading places with Flight Engineer Léopold Eyharts, a European Space Agency astronaut. The crews will then prepare for the first of five scheduled spacewalks, which Mission Specialist Rick Linnehan and Reisman will begin at 9:23 p.m. Thursday.

In addition, the STS-123 crew will install the Canadian-built Dextre – the final element of the station’s Mobile Servicing System – and the Japanese Logistics Module - Pressurized Section, which is the first component of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s Kibo laboratory.

Media Resources
› STS-123 Execute Packages
› STS-123 TV Schedule
› STS-123 Press Kit (4.4 Mb PDF)
› STS-123 Fact Sheet (433 Kb PDF)

› Post A Comment

MCC pics and FD-2 video are up at the JSC Gallery. More launch pics and video at KSC. Discussion here. Status Report #4 here. Check the links at right for play-by-play and NASA TV.

Tuesday evening starts the first full day in space for the Endeavour astronauts. NASA reports:

Endeavour’s Heat Shield Inspection Under Way

Image: Space shuttle Endeavour soars into orbit to start the STS-123 mission to the International Space Station. Credit: NASA

The STS-123 crew members began their inspection of space shuttle Endeavour’s heat shield at 9:00 p.m. EDT.

Using Endeavour’s robotic arm and an attached boom extension, the astronauts are checking the spacecraft’s underside, nose cap and leading edges of the wings as well as hard to reach shuttle surfaces. The purpose of this inspection is to ensure that, during the vehicle’s climb to orbit, no damage occurred to the tiles that protect Endeavour from the heat of reentry. Over the next few days, engineers and flight controllers will analyze the data collected by the STS-123 crew.

Endeavour’s crew also is slated to extend the Orbiter Docking System Ring at 5:08 a.m. Wednesday. They will also check out tools the astronauts will use to rendezvous and link up with the station. Docking is set for 11:25 p.m. Wednesday.

The STS-123 astronauts also are checking out spacesuits they will use during the mission’s five scheduled spacewalks at the station. The main goals of these spacewalks are assembly of Dextre, the Canadian Space Agency’s newest contribution to the station and the final element of its Mobile Servicing System, and preparation of the Japanese Logistics Module - Pressurized Section (JLP) for connection to the station. The JLP is the first element of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s Kibo laboratory.

Media Resources
› STS-123 Execute Packages
› STS-123 TV Schedule
› STS-123 Press Kit (4.4 Mb PDF)
› STS-123 Fact Sheet (433 Kb PDF)

› Post A Comment

Flight Day 1 pics and video are up at the JSC Gallery. More launch pics and video at KSC. Discussion here. Status Report #2 here. Check the links at right for play-by-play and NASA TV.