News From Space!

Shuttle Discovery returned to Florida today from a successful two-week mission to the ISS. NASA reports:

Discovery Lands at Kennedy

Image above: Space shuttle Discovery lands at Kennedy Space Center, Fla. Photo credit: NASA TV

Space shuttle Discovery glided through a clear Florida sky this morning before touching down safely at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center at 11:15 a.m. EDT. With Commander Mark Kelly at the controls, the shuttle ended two weeks in space that saw the crew install the large Japanese Pressurized Module on the International Space Station. The 36-foot-long cylinder is the largest habitable module on the space station.

Kelly, Pilot Ken Ham and Mission Specialists Karen Nyberg, Ron Garan, Mike Fossum, Greg Chamitoff and Japan’s Akihiko Hoshide launched from Kennedy on May 31. Chamitoff remained on the International Space Station for a six-month mission in space. He replaces Garrett Reisman, who came back with Discovery’s crew.

The crew will remain inside Discovery for about an hour, going through a number of procedures so ground crews can move in and ready the shuttle for its slow trip to its processing hangar.

STS-124 Mission Stats

Image above: Space shuttle Discovery jettisons its drag chute as it rolls down the runway at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Discovery landed on-time at 11:15 a.m. EDT to end the STS-124 mission. Image credit: NASA

Landed: Sat., June 14, 2008, 11:15 a.m. EDT
Landing Site: Kennedy Space Center, Fla.
Mission Elapsed Time: 13 days, 18 hours, 13 minutes, 7 secs

Official Landing Times
Main gear touchdown: 11:15:19 a.m. EDT
Nose gear touchdown: 11:15:30 a.m. EDT
Wheels stop: 11:16:19 a.m. EDT
Total miles: 5.7 million

Live chat at Bad Astronomy. Discussions at Nasaspaceflight. Official NASA landing blog here.

Landing video here. Landing pics at KSC. Discussion here. Status Report #29 here. Check the links at right for play-by-play and NASA TV.

“Discovery … wrapping up a 5.7-million-mile mission to further expand the global city in space.”

Discovery glided home through sunny Florida skies. Fox News was covering the landing live with former astronaut Thomas Jones. NASA reports:

Discovery Lands in Florida

Image above: Space shuttle Discovery lands at Kennedy Space Center, Fla. Photo credit: NASA

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With Commander Mark Kelly and Pilot Ken Ham at the controls, space shuttle Discovery descended to a smooth landing at Kennedy Space Center, Fla. The STS-124 crew concluded their successful assembly mission to the International Space Station when the shuttle landed at 11:15 a.m. EDT.

The STS-124 crew arrived at the station June 2, delivering the second component of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s Kibo laboratory and a new Expedition 17 crew member – Flight Engineer Greg Chamitoff – to the station. Chamitoff took the place of Flight Engineer Garrett Reisman, who is returning to Earth as a member of the Discovery crew.

STS-124 is the 123rd shuttle mission and 26th shuttle flight to visit the space station.

Live chat at Bad Astronomy. Discussions at Nasaspaceflight. Official NASA landing blog here.

Deorbit burn video here. Landing video here. Look for landing pics and video at KSC. Check the links at right for play-by-play and NASA TV.

Discovery has fired her OMS engines and is headed for a landing at KSC’s Runway 15. NASA reports:

Discovery Headed Home

Image above: A graphic representation of space shuttle Discovery’s re-entry path. Photo credit: NASA

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Commander Mark Kelly performed the deorbit burn at 10:10 a.m. EDT to begin space shuttle Discovery’s descent to Kennedy Space Center for landing. Discovery is expected to land at 11:15 a.m. on runway 15 at the shuttle landing facility.

The STS-124 crew arrived at the International Space Station June 2, delivering the second component of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s Kibo laboratory and a new Expedition 17 crew member – Flight Engineer Greg Chamitoff – to the station. Chamitoff took the place of Flight Engineer Garrett Reisman, who is returning to Earth as a member of the Discovery crew.

STS-124 is the 123rd shuttle mission and 26th shuttle flight to visit the space station.

Live chat at Bad Astronomy. Discussions at Nasaspaceflight. Official NASA landing blog here.

Mission pics from Florida Today and CF13News. Check the links at right for play-by-play and NASA TV.

Flight Day 15 should be Homecoming Day for the seven astronauts of Discovery’s crew, now including Garrett Reisman.  Weather at KSC is looking good. The payload bay doors are closed, and deorbit burn is scheduled for 10:10AM EDT. NASA reports:

Two Landing Opportunities Today

Image above: This image displays the long-range ground track for Discovery’s first landing opportunity tomorrow at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Image credit: NASA

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Two landing opportunities are available for space shuttle Discovery and the STS-124 crew to return to Earth today.

Discovery’s first landing opportunity is at 11:15 a.m. EDT on orbit 217. If controllers elect to take it, Commander Mark Kelly will perform the deorbit burn at 10:10 a.m. to begin the descent to Kennedy. Orbit 218 provides a second opportunity at 12:50 p.m.

Forecasters predict good weather at the landing site.

The STS-124 crew arrived at the station June 2, delivering the second component of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s Kibo laboratory and a new Expedition 17 crew member – Flight Engineer Greg Chamitoff – to the station. Chamitoff took the place of Flight Engineer Garrett Reisman, who is returning to Earth as a member of the Discovery crew.

STS-124 is the 123rd shuttle mission and 26th shuttle flight to visit the space station.

STS-124 Mission Information
› STS-124 Landing Ground Tracks
› 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

Live chat at Bad Astronomy. Discussions at Nasaspaceflight. Official NASA landing blog here.

Flight Day 14 Highlights and Mission Status Briefing are up at Space Multimedia. Flight Day 12 images and Flight Day 14 videos are up at the JSC Gallery. Lotsa Youtube goodness at Space Get. Status Report #28 here. Check the links at right for play-by-play and NASA TV.

With their mission at the ISS wrapped up and the orbiter inspected, Discovery’s crew is getting ready to come home tomorrow morning. NASA reports:

Discovery Crew Prepares for Saturday’s Landing

Image above: Space shuttle Discovery is pictured from the International Space Station shortly after undocking. The shuttle’s robotic arm with the orbiter boom sensor system extends over its empty payload bay. Photo credit: NASA

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The crew members of space shuttle Discovery are spending today getting ready for their return home and the end of the STS-124 mission. Among the preparations is a test of the thrusters that will be used to position the orbiter for re-entry and the control surfaces for its flight through the atmosphere.

The STS-124 astronauts also will set up the recumbent seat for Mission Specialist Garrett Reisman, who joined the crew of Discovery on the International Space Station. Reisman, who served as Expedition 17 flight engineer for three months, was replaced on the station crew by NASA astronaut Greg Chamitoff.

STS-124 arrived at the station June 2, delivering the Japanese Pressurized Module (JPM), the second and largest component of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s Kibo laboratory. The tour bus-sized JPM was attached to the left side of the Harmony connecting node by shuttle and station crew members during a series of three spacewalks.

Discovery is scheduled to land at Kennedy Space Center, Fla., tomorrow.

STS-124 Mission Information
› STS-124 Landing Ground Tracks
› 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 13 Highlights and Mission Status Briefing are up at Space Multimedia. Flight Day 13 videos are up at the JSC Gallery. Watch KSC for landing pics. Discussion here. Status Report #26 here. Check the links at right for play-by-play and NASA TV.

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 TV

With 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.

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 TV

Spacewalkers 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.

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 TV

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Mission 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.