STS-118 MCC Status Report #03
- From: "Jacques van Oene" <oene0072@xxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Fri, 10 Aug 2007 09:23:48 +0200
STS-118 MCC Status Report #03
STS-118
Report #03
Thursday, Aug. 9, 2007 - 7:00 p.m.
Mission Control Center, Houston, Texas
The Space Shuttle Endeavour's crew spent much of its first full day in space
making sure the shuttle will be safe to return home.
Using the shuttle's robotic arm and orbiter boom sensor system, the crew
took a close look at the heat shielding on the ship's wing leading edges.
The data was sent to engineers on the ground, who will analyze it to make
sure the heat shield came through Wednesday's launch in good condition.
Commander Scott Kelly, Pilot Charlie Hobaugh and Mission Specialists Tracy
Caldwell, Rick Mastracchio, Dave Williams, Barbara Morgan and Alvin Drew
also prepared for the planned 12:53 p.m. Friday docking with the
International Space Station.
Just before that docking, Kelly will guide Endeavour through a back flip
that will allow the station crew to take digital photos of the vehicle's
underside, providing more data for analysis by the ground. The rendezvous
pitch maneuver, as the back flip is called, provides one more way to ensure
the shuttle's heat shielding is healthy.
While the robotic arm survey was under way, Kelly, Williams and Drew checked
the spacesuits that will be used during the mission's spacewalks. Williams
and Mastracchio will install the fifth starboard segment (S5) of the
station's main truss during the first spacewalk Saturday. The subsequent
spacewalks will replace a failed gyroscope, prepare for the future
relocation of another truss segment and, if time permits, install a bracket
for storing the shuttle's orbiter boom sensory system outside the station.
The crew also checked rendezvous tools, installed a centerline camera in
Endeavour's docking system window and extended the docking system's outer
ring.
Immediately after Friday's docking, Caldwell and Mastracchio will lift the
4,000-pound truss segment using the shuttle's robotic arm and hand it to the
waiting station arm, operated by Hobaugh and station flight engineer Clay
Anderson. The aluminum spacer will remain in the station arm's grip until
it's installed Saturday.
Endeavour's crew is scheduled to go to sleep at 10:36 p.m. and awaken at
6:36 a.m. Friday.
The next STS-118 status report will be issued Friday morning or earlier if
events warrant.
--
--------------
Jacques :-)
www.spacepatches.nl
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