Note: There is a maximum of 200 words per comment. If you wish to post more, please visit our forum.
Shuttle links to begin makeover
Monday, November 17, 2008 | No comments posted.
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Space shuttle Endeavour linked with the international space station on Sunday, kicking off a huge home makeover that will allow twice as many astronauts to live up there beginning next year.
Commander Christopher Ferguson guided the shuttle to a smooth docking as the two spacecraft soared 212 miles above India. His ship’s radar worked just fine, despite earlier trouble with the antenna.
“We understand that this house is in need of an extreme makeover and that you’re the crew to do it,” the space station’s skipper, Mike Fincke, said as he welcomed the seven shuttle astronauts aboard.
His crewmate, Gregory Chamitoff, was especially excited to see Endeavour. He’s been living on the space station for almost six months, and the shuttle is his ride home.
Once Endeavour closed to within several hundred feet, Ferguson guided it through a 360-degree backflip so Fincke and Chamitoff could take zoom-in photos of all its thermal shielding. About 200 digital images will help NASA determine whether Endeavour sustained any damage during liftoff Friday night. Fincke said he noticed nothing amiss. Only one piece of debris has been spotted so far in launch pictures.
It was probably ice and did not strike Endeavour, said LeRoy Cain, chairman of the mission management team. Flight controllers initially thought it might be one of the shuttle’s thermal blankets.
NASA officials were delighted with how everything was going.
“The team down here on the Planet Earth wanted to compliment you on a well-done, very nicely done rendezvous and docking,” Mission Control radioed up.
The first priority for the 10 astronauts was a crew member swap.
Astronaut Sandra Magnus moved into the space station for a 3 1/2-month stay, replacing Chamitoff. The two greeted each other with a bear hug. “Welcome to your new home,” Fincke told her.
As soon as everyone embraced, Fincke declared: “On to work. Man, this place just got smaller.”
Besides Magnus, Endeavour was delivering thousands of pounds of home improvement gear: an extra bathroom, kitchenette and exercise machine, two more sleeping compartments, and a fancy new recycling system for converting urine and condensation into drinking water.
NASA cannot double the size of the space station crew — currently at three — until all the new equipment is installed, checked out and working properly. The goal is to have six people living permanently on the orbiting outpost by June.
Most of the new stuff is inside a giant cylinder that Endeavour’s astronauts will attach to the space station on Monday.
Endeavour and its crew will spend almost two weeks at the space station, a little longer than usual. Four spacewalks will be carried out beginning Tuesday, primarily to clean and lubricate a solar wing-rotating joint that broke down more than a year ago. It’s clogged with metal shavings from grinding parts.
———
On the Net:
NASA: http://spaceflight.nasa.gov
Commander Christopher Ferguson guided the shuttle to a smooth docking as the two spacecraft soared 212 miles above India. His ship’s radar worked just fine, despite earlier trouble with the antenna.
“We understand that this house is in need of an extreme makeover and that you’re the crew to do it,” the space station’s skipper, Mike Fincke, said as he welcomed the seven shuttle astronauts aboard.
His crewmate, Gregory Chamitoff, was especially excited to see Endeavour. He’s been living on the space station for almost six months, and the shuttle is his ride home.
Once Endeavour closed to within several hundred feet, Ferguson guided it through a 360-degree backflip so Fincke and Chamitoff could take zoom-in photos of all its thermal shielding. About 200 digital images will help NASA determine whether Endeavour sustained any damage during liftoff Friday night. Fincke said he noticed nothing amiss. Only one piece of debris has been spotted so far in launch pictures.
It was probably ice and did not strike Endeavour, said LeRoy Cain, chairman of the mission management team. Flight controllers initially thought it might be one of the shuttle’s thermal blankets.
NASA officials were delighted with how everything was going.
“The team down here on the Planet Earth wanted to compliment you on a well-done, very nicely done rendezvous and docking,” Mission Control radioed up.
The first priority for the 10 astronauts was a crew member swap.
Astronaut Sandra Magnus moved into the space station for a 3 1/2-month stay, replacing Chamitoff. The two greeted each other with a bear hug. “Welcome to your new home,” Fincke told her.
As soon as everyone embraced, Fincke declared: “On to work. Man, this place just got smaller.”
Besides Magnus, Endeavour was delivering thousands of pounds of home improvement gear: an extra bathroom, kitchenette and exercise machine, two more sleeping compartments, and a fancy new recycling system for converting urine and condensation into drinking water.
NASA cannot double the size of the space station crew — currently at three — until all the new equipment is installed, checked out and working properly. The goal is to have six people living permanently on the orbiting outpost by June.
Most of the new stuff is inside a giant cylinder that Endeavour’s astronauts will attach to the space station on Monday.
Endeavour and its crew will spend almost two weeks at the space station, a little longer than usual. Four spacewalks will be carried out beginning Tuesday, primarily to clean and lubricate a solar wing-rotating joint that broke down more than a year ago. It’s clogged with metal shavings from grinding parts.
———
On the Net:
NASA: http://spaceflight.nasa.gov
The comments below are from users of theworldlink.com and do not necessarily represent the views of The World or Lee Enterprises. Participation Guidelines
Note: There is a maximum of 200 words per comment. If you wish to post more, please visit our forum.
Note: There is a maximum of 200 words per comment. If you wish to post more, please visit our forum.
Not already registered?
The World welcomes your comments about stories, and we encourage a robust dialogue on this site. All comments must meet reasonable standards of decency and civility.
Please follow these basic rules:
- No defamatory comments about individuals or businesses.
- No deliberately false information.
- No obscenity or racially offensive language.
- No harassment, verbal abuse, threats or personal attacks.
- No information that invades another person's privacy.
- No business solicitations or charitable solicitations.
Comments that violate these standards will not be posted. Users with repeated violations may be banned from future posting.Comments will be approved throughout the day during business hours. After hours and weekend comments may not appear until the following business day. It may take a couple of hours before comments are approved.
The World generally does not edit comments, but we reserve the right to edit any comment that does not meet our standards.
Close Guidelines