The first official image of a Russian-European manned spacecraft has been unveiled. It is designed to replace the Soyuz vehicle currently in use by Russia and will allow Europe to participate directly in crew transportation.
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STS-124: Flight Day 10
With the third spacewalk in the books, Discovery’s astronauts are continuing their work with the ISS crew. Monday will see a workout of the Japanese robotic arm (the first of two) on the Kibo lab. NASA reports:
Astronauts to Check Out Japanese Robotic Arm
Image above: The STS-124 and Expedition 17 crews have their group portrait taken inside the International Space Station’s Destiny laboratory. Photo credit: NASA TVWith the third and final spacewalk completed Sunday, the Expedition 17 and STS-124 crews are heading into the home stretch of their joint mission.
The crew members will maneuver the newly activated robotic arm on the Kibo laboratory to its stowed position today. They also will perform a checkout of the arm’s brakes.
The crews also will work in the Quest airlock of the International Space Station to replace battery charger modules. The modules charge the batteries that provide power to U.S. spacesuits during spacewalks. Flight managers elected to replace the modules, which have shown slightly increased toxicity levels due to their age.
The shuttle and station crews are scheduled to take a break from their activities at 5:02 p.m. EDT for the traditional joint crew news conference.
Flight Day 9 Highlights video here. EVA #3 video highlights here. Flight Day 9 videos are up at the JSC Gallery. More pics and video at KSC. Discussion here. Status Report #18 here. Check the links at right for play-by-play and NASA TV.
STS-124: EVA #3 Underway
Discovery’s third (and what should be final) spacewalk of this mission started 37 minutes ahead of schedule, with the EVA team leaving the airlock at 9:37AM EDT. NASA reports:
Fossum and Garan Conduct Mission’s Third Spacewalk
Image above: STS-124 Mission Specialist Ron Garan exits the Quest airlock at the start of the mission’s third spacewalk. Photo credit: NASA TVSpacewalkers Mike Fossum and Ron Garan left the International Space Station’s Quest airlock at 9:55 a.m. EDT. STS-124 Commander Mark Kelly helped the spacewalkers get ready for the 6.5-hour excursion.
During the two previous spacewalks Fossum and Garan outfitted Japan’s Kibo module and did station maintenance tasks. Today, they are replacing a nitrogen tank assembly, installing TV equipment and removing a thermal cover from Japan’s new robotic arm.
Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Akihiko Hoshide has activated Kibo’s robotic arm monitor for camera support as the spacewalkers work outside the station. Hoshide and Mission Specialist Karen Nyberg are assisting Fossum and Garan with Canadarm2, the station’s main robotic arm.
After the spacewalk, Hoshide and Nyberg will continue outfitting the vestibule inside Kibo’s pressurized logistics module. They also will deploy and maneuver Japan’s robotic arm to its stowed position.
New Expedition 17 Flight Engineer Greg Chamitoff and his predecessor, Mission Specialist Garrett Reisman, continue handover activities. Reisman, who has been on the station since March and is now a member of the STS-124 crew, will go home on space shuttle Discovery completing a three-month stay in space.
Follow the action with video and chat at Justin.TV. Flight Day 8 Highlights here. Flight Day 8 pics and video are up at the JSC Gallery. More pics and video at KSC. Discussion here. Status Report #16 here. Check the links at right for play-by-play and NASA TV.
STS-124: Flight Day 6
After yesterday’s debut of the largest ISS module, Thursday will see Discovery’s spacewalkers venture out for more orbital construction work. NASA reports:
Second Spacewalk on Tap Today
Image above: Japanese astronaut Akihiko Hoshide holds up a sign for the camera as he enters the Kibo lab for the first time. Photo credit: NASA TVMission Specialists Mike Fossum and Ron Garan are stepping into the void of space again today. The second STS-124 spacewalk is slated to begin at 11:32 a.m. EDT.
The spacewalkers will install two cameras on the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s Kibo laboratory and prepare the laboratory for the attachment of the smaller section of the module. The Japanese Experiment Logistics Module - Pressurized Section was delivered during STS-123.
In addition, Garan and Fossum will prepare for a nitrogen tank assembly swap that they will make on the mission’s third spacewalk.
For the final tasks of today’s spacewalk, Garan will join Fossum on the left truss to remove an external television camera that has a failing power supply. They will bring the camera inside with them, where the power supply will be replaced, and then reinstall it during the third spacewalk.
STS-124 Mission Information
› STS-124 Mission TV Schedule
› STS-124 Execute Packages
› STS-124 Mission Summary (539 Kb PDF)
› STS-124 Press Kit (7 Mb PDF)
› Meet the Crew
Flight Day 5 Highlights here. Flight Day 4 pics and video are up at the JSC Gallery. More pics and video at KSC. Discussion here. Status Report #10 here. Check the links at right for play-by-play and NASA TV.
STS-124: Flight Day 5
After Tuesday’s successful spacewalk, Wednesday will see the opening of the newly-installed Japanese Kibo lab on the International Space Station, as well as, uh, toilet repair. NASA reports:
Crews to Enter Japanese Lab Today
Image above: The International Space Station’s robot arm moves the Japanese Pressurized Module from space shuttle Discovery’s payload bay to its new home on the station. Photo credit: NASA TVThe shuttle and station crews will open the newly installed Japanese laboratory Kibo for business today. Hatch opening is planned for 4:52 p.m. EDT. The experiment module was installed on the Harmony Node’s port side Tuesday.
After a leak check, mission specialists Karen Nyberg and Akihiko Hoshide will prepare Kibo for activation before opening the hatches. Shortly after entering Kibo with Hoshide, Expedition 17 Commander Sergei Volkov will sample the air and test for contamination. They will wear protective goggles and masks until they are sure the Japanese lab’s air is clean.
Mission Specialists Mike Fossum and Ron Garan will review procedures for their second spacewalk and sleep in the U.S. Quest airlock tonight to purge the nitrogen from their bodies. During Thursday’s spacewalk, the second of the mission, the spacewalkers will outfit the new lab and prepare the Japanese logistics module for relocation.
EVA video clip here. Flight Day 3 pics and video are up at the JSC Gallery. More pics and video at KSC. Discussion here. Status Report #8 here. Check the links at right for play-by-play and NASA TV.
STS-124: Docked Operations Underway
The hatches are open between Discovery and the ISS. The crews are getting ready for Tuesday’s spacewalk, the first of three planned for this mission. Meanwhile, back at KSC, it seems the launchpad suffered serious damage from Endeavour’s liftoff. NASA reports:
Crews Begin Joint Operations
Image above: A view of the STS-124 crew members as they are welcomed aboard the International Space Station by the Expedition 17 crew members. Photo credit: NASA TVSpace Shuttle Discovery arrived at the International Space Station at 2:03 p.m. EDT Monday delivering the second component of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s Kibo laboratory and a new Expedition 17 crew member. The STS-124 astronauts entered the station for the first time after the hatches between the two spacecraft opened at 3:36 p.m.
Mission Specialist Greg Chamitoff joined the Expedition 17 crew, trading places with Flight Engineer Garrett Reisman. The crew members aboard the orbiting complex also prepared for the first of three STS-124 spacewalks, which Mission Specialists Mike Fossum and Ron Garan are scheduled to begin at 11:32 a.m. Tuesday.
STS-124 PAO Update - Chamitoff becomes space station crew member at 6:35 p.m. EDT
Mon, Jun 02 18:48:49 EDT 2008
At 6:35 p.m., astronaut Greg Chamitoff notified Mission Control that he had installed his seat liner in the Soyuz capsule. With that action, Chamitoff became a member of the space station Expedition 17 crew, swapping places with Garrett Reisman. Reisman, now an STS124 crew member, will return to Earth aboard Discovery. Chamitoff will remain aboard the space station until November, when he returns on STS126.
Pad damage pics here. Docking pics here. Flight Day 2 pics and video are up at the JSC Gallery. More pics and video at KSC. Lotsa Youtube clips from stsspace and issmania. Discussion here. Status Report #5 here. Check the links at right for play-by-play and NASA TV.