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One of those devices failed to work during Endeavour's climb to orbit on November 30 a backup charge severed the left booster as planned. Nasa held off moving Atlantis to the launch pad Monday to inspect electrical connectors for explosive devices used to separate the two solid-fuel boosters from the shuttle during liftoff. The next space station visitors will be five astronauts who are supposed to deliver the American-made lab Destiny aboard space shuttle Atlantis in January. Their ride home aboard space shuttle Discovery likely will be delayed a week or two because of damaged thrusters that need to be replaced, Dittemore said. Shepherd and his crew have been aboard the space station for one month and have three more months to go before they return to Earth. The shuttle will return to Earth during the mid-morning on Wednesday. "It's a symbol of what great accomplishments we've made." "Fantastic! No binoculars, no telescopes," Goldin said. Nasa Administrator Daniel Goldin was thrilled to see Alpha fly overhead.
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They also now have access to the entire three-room complex one room had been sealed off because there was not enough power to heat it.Īltogether, the solar wings cover half an acre and make Alpha one of the brightest 'stars' in the night sky. Thanks to the new electricity-producing solar wings, which stretch 240 feet from tip to tip, Shepherd and cosmonauts Yuri Gidzenko and Sergei Krikalev no longer have to conserve power aboard the space station. It was Nasa's third space station mission in as many months, but the most critical by far "because we knew we had to get those solar arrays installed and deployed," Dittemore said. "If you've been following the mission, you know it's been a pretty exciting 11 days for us," Jett said after climbing out of Endeavour. The astronauts also spent one day inside Alpha, helping commander Bill Shepherd and his two Russian crewmates with computer problems and cargo transfers. Three spacewalks were required to attach the $600 million wings, hook up all the cables and then tighten the slack right wing. once he guided the shuttle to a safe stop.ĭuring their week at the space station, Jett and his crew installed the world's largest and most powerful solar wings. Welcome back," Mission Control told Endeavour commander Brent Jett Jr. The station was clearly visible as it streaked through the dark sky.īy the time the shuttle landed, the station was just off the Virginia coast, its three residents supposedly asleep. AP.The shuttle touched down on the illuminated runway just four minutes after the space station, Alpha, soared overhead with its gleaming, new solar wings." Shuttle Endeavors To Return To Earth" - Internet Broadcasting Systems, WTAE, August 21, 2007.The threat of Dean heading toward Texas earlier last week prompted NASA to cut the mission a few days short in the case that Dean tracked north toward Houston's Mission Control Center, potentially disabling operations. The shuttle will pass above Hurricane Dean on the approach to Florida, but the shuttle will be too high to be affected. The three-inch (7.6 cm) gash in the shuttle's belly reported earlier is likely not a safety risk, and should not lead to damage that requires any lengthy repair, NASA said. Also, NASA says that usual back-up landing sites at Edwards Air Force Base in California and White Sands in New Mexico are not expected to be used.Ĭommander Scott Kelly was given the go-ahead for re-entry preparations after evaluation of the shuttle's wings and nose was completed, indicating no damage from space debris. Weather conditions at the Kennedy Space Center are not forecast to be a problem, and the landing will take place as planned given a favorable crosswind.Ī second landing in Florida is possible at the Kennedy Space Center at 2:06 p.m. Rockets were fired to slow down the shuttle at 11:25 a.m. The astronauts have successfully completed their mission to fit a new observation deck, or 'cupola'. Space Shuttle Endeavour is scheduled to touchdown at 12:32 p.m. The crew of Nasas space shuttle Endeavour have said their goodbyes to the International Space Station. Tuesday, AugHigh-resolution image showing the damage to the tiles.