posted 07-19-2009 03:59 PM               

Cargo carrier installed, bathroom broke (con't)

Robotic arm operators Julie Payette and Tim Kopra installed the Integrated Cargo Carrier - Vertical Light Deployable, or ICC-VLD, on the port side of the space station's mobile base system at 11:55 a.m. CDT.

The ICC-VLD contains three on-orbit spares that spacewalkers Dave Wolf and Tom Marshburn will move to a stowage platform on the outside of the Port 3 truss during the mission's second spacewalk on Monday.

As that installation was ongoing, the U.S. Waste and Hygiene Compartment (WHC), the toilet in the U.S. Destiny laboratory, was shut down after a malfunction. The WHC's Dose Pump failed after running for about 15 minutes. About six liters of pre-treat flush water is believed to have flowed into the pump separator and into other areas it should not be.

Ground experts have decided to replace sections of the system with spare parts that are on orbit, with that work slated for tonight.

The WHC is one of two waste management systems aboard the station. Currently, ISS crew members are using the Russian Zvezda bathroom while shuttle astronauts are using the system aboard Endeavour.

posted 07-20-2009 07:37 AM               

Canadians in space

Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronauts Bob Thirsk and Julie Payette spoke with the Canadian Minister of State for Science and Technology Gary Goodyear, Member of Parliament Steven Bleany and CSA President Steve MacLean shortly after 5:00 p.m. CDT on Sunday. This is the first time a pair of Canadian astronauts have been in space together at the same time.

Thirsk, Payette and their crewmates went to bed around 9:30 p.m. for a 5:33 a.m. wake-up call on the 40th anniversary of the first manned lunar landing.

posted 07-20-2009 07:41 AM               

Flight Day Six

The 13 spacefarers were awakened at 5:33 a.m. CDT to the theme from the 1960s television series "Thunderbirds," by composer Barry Gray, for Canadian Space Agency astronaut Julie Payette.

Preparations for the second of STS-127's five spacewalks resumed at 6:13 a.m. in the Quest airlock module. Spacewalkers Dave Wolf and Tom Marshburn are scheduled to start their six and a half hour excursion at 10:28 a.m.

While the spacewalk team is getting ready, Expedition 20 commander Gennady Padalka and Flight Engineer Frank De Winne will begin replacing components of the Waste Hygiene Compartment (WHC) toilet in the Destiny Laboratory. The system's dose pump failed after running for about 15 minutes Sunday. The pump introduces the correct amount of chemicals into the system to help separate liquids from solid waste.

Since then the station crew has been using the toilet in the Zvezda service module and the shuttle crew has been using the shuttle commode, but the temporary shutdown has no significant impact on joint docked operations.

Flight controllers powered up the station's robotic arm at 5:00 a.m. today. Mission Specialist Julie Payette will use Canadarm2 like a space-aged "cherry picker," moving Wolf between an Integrated Cargo Carrier and one of the station's External Stowage Platforms so he can stage for key station replacement parts. The pair also will install a television camera on the newly delivered Japanese Exposed Facility.

Today's spacewalk will take place on the anniversary of the first moonwalk by Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin on July 20, 1969.

posted 07-22-2009 10:58 AM               

Second spacewalk marks first moonwalk

The crews aboard the International Space Station and space shuttle Endeavour honored Apollo 11's legacy by conducting a spacewalk on the same day 40 years ago Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walked on the moon for the first time.

The sixth flight day of the STS-127 mission focused on the second of five planned spacewalks.

Spacewalkers Dave Wolf and Tom Marshburn performed the six hour, 53 minute EVA to complete a number of station hardware installation tasks.

Exiting from the Quest Airlock at 10:27 a.m. CDT, Wolf removed three hardware spares -- a Ku-Band Space-to-Ground Antenna, a Pump Module and a Linear Drive Unit, from an Integrated Cargo Carrier. With each spare in hand, Wolf rode the station's robotic arm to the P3 Truss where a stowage platform awaited. There he and Marshburn attached them for long-term storage.

Mission Specialist Julie Payette and pilot Doug Hurley operated the robotic arm.

Marshburn mounted a grapple bar onto an ammonia tank assembly so that it could be moved during the next shuttle mission. He also attached two insulation sleeves for external power connectors to the Station to Shuttle Power Transfer System.

Wolf and Marshburn completed most of the tasks they had planned to complete, but deferred a video camera installation.

The spacewalk concluded at 5:20 p.m. It was Wolf's sixth spacewalk and the first for Marshburn.

posted 07-22-2009 01:34 PM               

ISS "Go" for Trans-Lunar Injection

From the Flight Day 6 notes uplinked from Mission Control to the STS-127 crew aboard Endeavour:

To commemorate the 40th anniversary of the first Lunar landing by the crew of Apollo 11:

About once every 10 days the Moon moves through the ISS orbit plane. This Zero Moon Beta (ZMB) condition affords the opportunity to target a minimal-propellant transfer departing from the ISS orbit several days earlier. During STS-127/2JA, a ZMB occurs at 206/14:55 GMT (9/16:52 MET), and the crew should see the last quarter Moon rising and setting near the Vbar in this timeframe.

A hypothetical Trans-Lunar Injection (TLI) burn has been targeted from the Shuttle/ISS vicinity with TIG at 201/15:53:30 GMT (4/17:50 MET) on the southbound leg of Shuttle Orbit 76 (ISS Orbit 1122). Posigrade (PEG-7 DVX) velocity change is 10,188.1 ft/s (3105.3 m/s). This impulse could hypothetically place the stack on a free-return cislunar trajectory. Closest approach to the Moon, or pericynthion, would occur at 204/13:24:36 GMT (7/15:21 MET) at a height 100 km (54 nm) above the Moon's farside.

A maneuver PAD is attached along with all pertinent information required to execute the dual OMS TLI. Config 3 reboost has been offered as a downmode if needed. Good luck!!!

posted 07-22-2009 01:39 PM               

Bathroom back in order

International Space Station Expedition 20 commander Gennady Padalka and flight engineer Frank De Winne replaced components of the Waste Hygiene Compartment toilet in the Destiny laboratory as a result of the system's dose pump failing on Sunday.

After they replaced the separator pump, control panel and a container that holds liquid, the system was activated and the bathroom was declared back in order.

The crew sleep period began at about 9 p.m. CDT with wake up set for 5:03 a.m. Tuesday.

posted 07-22-2009 01:51 PM               

Flight Day Seven

With two of the STS-127 mission's five spacewalks and some of the most challenging robotics operations complete, the pace will let up briefly on Flight Day Seven for Endeavour's astronauts.

The crew was awakened at 5:03 a.m. CDT to the sounds of "Life Is a Highway," performed by Rascal Flatts played for Tom Marshburn, who completed his first spacewalk on Monday.

The main task for the day is the transfer of the Japanese Experiment Logistics Module-Exposed Section.

Commander Mark Polansky and mission specialist Julie Payette will use the shuttle's robotic arm to remove the experiment carrier from Endeavour's payload bay and hand it off to the station's robotic arm, operated by pilot Doug Hurley and mission specialist Koichi Wakata.

They'll position the structure and its experiments near the Japanese Exposed Facility, where they'll be ready for transfer to the station on Flight Day Nine.

Polansky, Hurley, Payette and Dave Wolf will answer questions posed by visitors on YouTube and Twitter. Polansky is providing updates on the mission's progress via Twitter.

The combined crew will have several off-duty hours, then prepare for the mission's third spacewalk by checking out spacesuits and tools, and reviewing procedures for a challenging set of solar array battery replacements on the Port 6 truss structure on Wednesday.

posted 07-22-2009 03:00 PM               

Japanese Exposed Section moved to station

The combined efforts of the space station and space shuttle crews were successful in installing the Japanese Logistics Module-Exposed Section using two robotic arms.

STS-127 commander Mark Polansky and Canadian Space Agency mission specialist Julie Payette passed the platform from Endeavour to the station's Canadarm2 operated by Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Koichi Wakata and pilot Doug Hurley.

The Japanese Exposed Section was installed on the ISS at about 9:30 a.m. CDT. The Japanese robotic arm will be used on Thursday to take experiments from the Exposed Section and install them on the Kibo lab's new porch, the Exposed Facility.

Tonight, spacewalkers Dave Wolf and Chris Cassidy will sleep in the Quest airlock where they will adjust to a lower pressure to adapt for the conditions in their spacesuit. Their EVA will be the third of the mission and will focus on the installation of four of the six Port 6 (P6) truss batteries.

The space station crew goes to sleep about 9:30 p.m., followed 30 minutes later by the shuttle crew.

posted 07-22-2009 03:34 PM               

Flight Day Eight

The third spacewalk of the STS-127 mission began at 9:32 a.m. CDT today, with the primary focus on replacing the first set of batteries for the oldest solar array assembly on the International Space Station.

The STS-127 crew began Flight Day Eight at 5:03 a.m. to the song "Santa Monica," performed by Everclear for Endeavour's pilot Doug Hurley.

Mission specialists Dave Wolf and Chris Cassidy camped out in the Quest airlock module overnight, and resumed preparations for their EVA at 5:43 a.m.

Before the spacewalkers stepped outside, Hurley and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Julie Payette used the station's Canadarm2 to maneuver the battery-toting Integrated Cargo Carrier near the station's Port 6 truss, which was delivered to the ISS in November 2000.

The cargo carrier was kept at a distance overnight to avoid interfering with solar array rotation to track the sun. Over the past several days, flight controllers have discharged the old batteries to ensure there is no danger of electrical shock for the spacewalkers. The batteries store electricity generated by the solar arrays for use when the ISS is in the shadow of the Earth and the arrays are not able to generate power.

Wolf's and Cassidy's first task outside the station was to remove multilayer insulation from the Kibo module and prepare the Japanese Exposed Section payloads for transfer from a cargo carrier to the newly installed front porch.

posted 07-22-2009 03:40 PM               

Third spacewalk ends early

Due to a concern with the higher than normal carbon dioxide levels in Chris Cassidy's spacesuit, mission managers decided to end today's spacewalk early.

A suspected problem with the lithium hydroxide canister in Cassidy's suit was preventing it from scrubbing the carbon dioxide from the air.

There was no immediate danger and both spacewalkers completed their cleanup tasks before returning to the airlock and beginning re-pressurization at 3:31 p.m. CDT for a spacewalk duration of five hours and 59 minutes.

Cassidy and Dave Wolf completed replacing two of the four batteries they planned to swap-out on the station's Port 6 truss. The remaining batteries will be replaced on a future spacewalk.

Each new battery consists of 38 lightweight nickel hydrogen cells and their associated electrical and mechanical equipment. Two battery assemblies connected in series are capable of storing a total of 8 kW of electrical power.

The batteries have a design life of 6.5 years and can exceed 38,000 charge/discharge cycles at 35% depth of discharge. Each measures 40 by 36 by 18 inches and weighs 375 pounds.

This was the third of five spacewalks planned as part of the STS-127 mission and the 128th in support of ISS assembly, totaling 798 hours, 30 minutes. It was the 100th spacewalk out of space station airlocks and the 216th American spacewalk in history.

This was Wolf's seventh spacewalk, totaling 41 hours, 57 minutes, placing him 14th on the career-total EVA duration list. It was Cassidy's first.

posted 07-23-2009 01:53 PM               

Flight Day Eight Highlights

The space station crew went to sleep at about 8 p.m. CDT, followed 30 minutes later by the shuttle crew.

posted 07-23-2009 02:03 PM               

Flight Day Nine

JAXA astronaut Koichi Wakata inaugurated the use of Kibo's robotic arm for scientific purposes today to install a trio of components on the station's new "front porch".

Wakata and Expedition 20 Flight Engineer Tim Kopra began the experiment transfers at about 7:30 a.m. CDT, moving the equipment from the Japanese payload carrier to the Japanese Exposed Facility outside Kibo.

The Monitor of All-sky X-ray Image (MAXI) experiment was moved first, and was hard-mated to the Exposed Facility at 10:24 a.m. The Inter-orbit Communication System and the Space Environment Data Acquisition Equipment-Attached Payload were next to be transferred.

The STS-127 and Expedition 20 crews awoke at 4:33 a.m. to the song "Tiny Dancer," performed by Elton John. The song was selected for Endeavour's commander Mark Polansky.

The entire shuttle crew will field questions from television reporters in North Carolina, Maine and Florida at 3:23 p.m. Polansky and Mission Specialists Payette and Wolf will participate in a second set of television interviews at 4:58 p.m.

The crew also will configure spacesuits and tools, and review the updated procedures for the mission's fourth spacewalk.

While the crew slept, mission managers updated Friday’s spacewalk plan. Mission specialists Chris Cassidy and Tom Marshburn will swap all four of the remaining Port 6 batteries on the fourth of STS-127's five spacewalks. In addition, they will install a camera on the Kibo porch that was deferred from the first spacewalk.

The crew also will transfer experiment samples to be returned home to Earth in the General Laboratory Active Cryogenic ISS Experiment Refrigerator (GLACIER).

posted 07-24-2009 09:16 AM               

Flight Day Nine Highlights

posted 07-24-2009 09:23 AM               

Flight Day Ten

STS-127 spacewalkers Chris Cassidy and Tom Marshburn will tackle a challenging 7.5-hour EVA today to finish swapping out batteries for the International Space Station's oldest set of solar arrays.

The joint crews on Endeavour and the station were awakened at 4:03 a.m. CDT by Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here," dedicated to lead spacewalker Dave Wolf.

"Well, it is a good way to start the day in space and we do wish you were here. Good morning," radioed Wolf.

Cassidy and Marshburn began their first spacewalk together, the fourth of five for the STS-127 mission, at 8:54 a.m. Their outing is devoted entirely to finishing the work started on the third spacewalk of the mission -- removing old batteries from the Port 6 truss structure and transferring new batteries from the Integrated Cargo Carrier on the end of the station's robotic arm to the empty sockets on the truss.

Pilot Doug Hurley and mission specialist Julie Payette positioned Canadarm2 near the truss for the spacewalk and, once all of the battery swaps are complete, they will maneuver the carrier back into Endeavour's cargo bay, requiring them to hand it off to the shuttle's arm for re-berthing.

posted 07-25-2009 12:34 AM               

Four batteries for fourth spacewalk

Chris Cassidy and Tom Marshburn finished replacing batteries on the International Space Station's oldest solar arrays during a seven-hour, 12-minute spacewalk -- the fourth of five planned during space shuttle Endeavour's STS-127 mission.

They installed four of six new batteries for the P6 truss, where a pair of solar array wings collects sunlight for power generation. They stored four more of the old batteries onto a cargo carrier for return to Earth. That completed the work with all 12 new and old batteries, which was begun on the mission's third spacewalk by Cassidy and Dave Wolf.

Inside the complex, Tim Kopra choreographed the activities. Koichi Wakata and Julie Payette used Canadarm2 -- the station's robotic arm -- to hand the Integrated Cargo Carrier with the old batteries to the shuttle's arm. Doug Hurley and Mark Polansky then secured the carrier in Endeavour's cargo bay at 5:52 p.m. CDT for return home.

This was the 129th spacewalk in support of space station assembly and maintenance, totaling 805 hours and 42 minutes. It was the 101st spacewalk conducted out of station airlocks and the 217th American spacewalk in history. It was the second for both Cassidy and Marshburn.

posted 07-25-2009 10:27 AM               

Flight Day Ten Highlights

The International Space Station Expedition 20 crew began their sleep period at about 7 p.m. CDT on Friday, followed 30 minutes later by space shuttle Endeavour's STS-127 crew.

posted 07-25-2009 10:59 AM               

Flight Day Eleven

The combined space shuttle Endeavour and the International Space Station crews are enjoying a day off to rest up after a challenging first half of the STS-127 mission.

The song "In Your Eyes," by Peter Gabriel, was played as a wake-up call for the crew at 4:46 a.m. CDT. It was selected for Tom Marshburn, who completed his second spacewalk on Friday with Chris Cassidy.

"I am looking forward to a little time off today," radioed Marshburn.

Marshburn, Cassidy, Mark Polansky, Doug Hurley, Julie Payette and Dave Wolf answered reporters' questions during three interviews that began at 7:03 a.m.

All 13 crew members will downlink a "crew choice" presentation at 4:03 p.m., "The Partnership of the International Space Station." NASA Television will air it live.

posted 07-26-2009 09:03 AM               

Flight Day Eleven Highlights

The International Space Station Expedition 20 crew began their sleep period at 6:33 p.m. CDT on Saturday, followed 30 minutes later by space shuttle Endeavour's STS-127 crew.

posted 07-26-2009 09:15 AM               

Flight Day Twelve

Sunday's wake-up call was composer George Frederic Handel's "Dixit Dominus" uplinked for Canadian astronaut Julie Payette at 3:03 a.m. CDT.

Overnight, flight controllers continued to manually operate the Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA), which shares responsibility for revitalizing the ISS's atmosphere with a similar Russian system, after the CDRA went offline on Saturday.

The U.S.-built CDRA has two "beds" that alternately collect or expel the byproduct of human breathing from the station's air supply. The primary heater tripped a circuit breaker Saturday afternoon, and since then the ground team has been manually operating the backup heater. Engineers are continuing to analyze data on the primary heater. A second CDRA will be delivered to the station on STS-128 as part of the Air Revitalization System rack.

Beginning their day, Payette and commander Mark Polansky returned the Japanese Exposed Section cargo carrier to Endeavour's payload bay using the shuttle and station robotic arms.

The Exposed Section launched with two science experiments and a communication system that were transferred to the Kibo Exposed Facility earlier in the mission.

Spacewalkers Chris Cassidy and Tom Marshburn began preparing their suits and tools for Monday's fifth and final STS-127 spacewalk. The six batteries that they and lead spacewalker Dave Wolf installed during the previous two excursions have accepted their initial charge and have been integrated into the station's power grid.

Later today, the 13 astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the station will field questions from reporters gathered at NASA centers during a joint news conference.

posted 07-27-2009 09:15 AM               

Flight Day Twelve Highlights

posted 07-27-2009 09:31 AM               

Flight Day Thirteen

The final full day of activities for the joint crews aboard space shuttle Endeavour and the International Space Station are focusing on the fifth and final spacewalk of the STS-127 mission.

The crew awoke to "On the Sunny Side of the Street," performed by Steve Tyrell. The song was chosen for commander Mark Polansky.

"Looking forward to one last full docked day with our friends here at the station," radioed Polansky.

Chris Cassidy and Tom Marshburn began their spacewalk almost an hour early at 6:33 a.m. CDT.

The primary objective of their EVA, to install two cameras on Japan's Kibo laboratory to facilitate the rendezvous and berthing of JAXA's H-II Transfer Vehicle (HTV), was completed at about 9:00 a.m.

The first HTV is scheduled to arrive at the station in September.

Earlier, Marshburn secured some multi-layer insulation that had come loose around the Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator known as DEXTRE, while Cassidy split out power channels for two of the four space station Control Moment Gyroscopes.

The pair was also scheduled to deploy a payload attachment system on the station's Starboard 3 (S3) truss to support an external spare parts stowage platform that will launch on STS-129, but based upon the amount of time needed to clean up after the spacewalk, mission managers decided to defer that activity.

Instead, Cassidy and Marshburn were to undertake a few "get ahead tasks."

Inside the complex, Polansky and mission specialist Dave Wolf were supporting the spacewalkers, while pilot Doug Hurley was continuing cargo transfers, which are more than 80 percent complete.

Meanwhile, Expedition 20 flight engineers Mike Barratt and Tim Kopra were working on several scientific experiments, and departing station crew member Koichi Wakata continued handovers with Kopra, who is taking his place.

Flight engineer Bob Thirsk worked to install brackets allowing the new C.O.L.B.E.R.T., or the Combined Operational Load Bearing External Resistance Treadmill, to be added to the station's Harmony module when it is delivered on the next shuttle mission, STS-128 in August.

posted 07-27-2009 02:10 PM               

Fifth and final spacewalk by the numbers

Spacewalkers Tom Marshburn and Chris Cassidy completed a four hour, 54 minute spacewalk at 11:27 a.m. CDT.

This was the fifth and last planned STS-127 spacewalk and the 130th in support of International Space Station assembly and maintenance, totaling 810 hours, 36 minutes.

It was the 102nd EVA out of station airlocks and the 218th American spacewalk in history.

It was the third for both Marshburn and Cassidy; the earlier totaling 18 hours, 59 minutes and latter 18 hours, five minutes.

This was the second space station assembly mission to conduct five spacewalks. STS-123 also performed five spacewalks in March 2008.

The five STS-127 spacewalks totaled 30 hours, 30 minutes. The five STS-123 spacewalks totaled 33 hours, 29 minutes.

posted 07-28-2009 09:00 AM               

Flight Day Thirteen Highlights

The International Space Station Expedition 20 crew went to sleep at about 5:30 p.m. CDT followed 30 minutes later by the STS-127 crew.

posted 07-28-2009 09:07 AM               

Flight Day Fourteen

Endeavour's crew will part company with the space station today, with all of the STS-127 docked mission's objectives complete.

The astronauts were awakened at 2:03 a.m. CDT to the strains of "Proud to Be an American" performed by Lee Greenwood. The song was selected for spacewalker Chris Cassidy, a former Navy SEAL, who now has 18 hours, five minutes of extravehicular activity to his credit over three spacewalks.

Commander Mark Polansky and his team began the day by checking out the laser rangefinders and other equipment that will be used to provide precise readings on the distance between the two spacecraft.

The joint 13-person crew -- the largest ever assembled on one space vehicle -- will transfer the last frozen science samples from the station to the shuttle at 9:08 a.m. Then, farewells will commence at 9:23 a.m., and hatches will close at 9:38 a.m.

The Expedition 20 crew on the station will be losing one crew member and gaining another. Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Koichi Wakata will be returning home on Endeavour after four months as a member of the Expedition 18, 19 and 20 crews. He is doing so after providing a thorough handover to the station's new NASA flight engineer, Tim Kopra, who arrived aboard Endeavour.

The station will be reoriented for undocking by 11:38 a.m., and docking latches will open at 12:26 p.m. allowing Endeavour to drift free. Pilot Doug Hurley will guide Endeavour on a fly-around of the station at a distance of 400 feet, with final separation from the orbiting outpost at 1:41 p.m.

The station's Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA) is once again working in automatic mode following a software update that was uplinked by Mission Control on Monday.

posted 07-28-2009 01:21 PM               

Crews did farewell, close hatches

The Expedition 20 and STS-127 crews bid one another farewell and closed hatches between the International Space Station and space shuttle Endeavour at 10:08 a.m. CDT.

posted 07-28-2009 01:23 PM               

Endeavour undocks from the station

STS-127 pilot Doug Hurley undocked space shuttle Endeavour from the International Space Station at 12:26 p.m. CDT.

"We have physical separation," said an astronaut from aboard Endeavour.

"Space shuttle Endeavour departing," declared station commander Gennady Padalka as the ship's bell rang, continuing a Navy tradition. "ISS crewmember Koichi Wakata departing."

posted 07-29-2009 07:55 AM               

Flight Day Fifteen

Shuttle astronauts are inspecting Endeavour's heat shield one more time today as they begin to set their sights on a Friday landing.

The seven-member STS-127 crew awoke to the song "Yellow" by the band Coldplay, chosen specifically for pilot Doug Hurley in honor of his International Space Station fly-around.

"Up here, we are all excited to be starting our trip home and we are all looking forward to another great day in space," radioed Hurley.

Mark Polansky, Julie Payette and Hurley used the shuttle's Canadarm to grapple the Orbiter Boom Sensor System (OBSS) and pull it out of its moorings in the payload bay to begin inspecting Endeavour's starboard wing leading edge, the nose cap and finally the port wing leading edge.

The shuttle's thermal protection system was earlier cleared for landing. This late inspection will ensure that there has been no impact damage from micrometeoroids or space debris during its docked operations or fly-around of the station.

Spacewalkers Dave Wolf, Chris Cassidy and Tom Marshburn were meanwhile working to pack up their gear and stow it in the shuttle’s airlock for the return to Earth, and assist with early stowage of items no longer needed for operations after Tuesday's undocking.

posted 07-30-2009 07:17 AM               

Flight Day Fifteen Highlights

posted 07-30-2009 07:25 AM               

Flight Day Sixteen

Twin satellite deployments and a check of the systems that will control Endeavour's return home to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida were on tap today for the STS-127 astronauts.

The crew was awakened at 1:03 a.m. CDT to "I Got You Babe," performed by Sonny and Cher. The song was a special request for Koichi Wakata, the first Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut to serve as a long-duration resident of the station.

"Thank you very much and it is another wonderful day in space," said Wakata.

Wakata spent 133 days as an ISS Expedition 18, 19 and 20 crew member, and will be returning home after 138 days in space.

Early in their day, STS-127 commander Mark Polansky and pilot Doug Hurley tested the reaction control system thruster jets that will be used to guide Endeavour to a landing planned for 9:48 a.m. Friday.

During that test, one of the jets, F2F, failed. This will not be an issue for landing. The crew also tested the shuttle aerosurfaces and flight control system that will be used once the shuttle enters the atmosphere.

With those checks complete, the crew was focusing on the deploy of two pairs of small satellites.

The first, called Dual RF Astrodynamic GPS Orbital Navigator Satellite (DRAGONSat), will look at independent rendezvous of spacecraft in orbit using Global Positioning Satellite data. The two satellites, to be ejected from Endeavour's cargo bay at 7:33 a.m., were designed and built by students at the University of Texas, Austin, and Texas A&M University, College Station.

The second, called Atmospheric Neutral Density Experiment-2 (ANDE-2), will be deployed at 12:22 p.m. The ANDE-2 microsatellites will measure the density and composition of the rarified atmosphere 200 miles above the Earth's surface.

posted 07-30-2009 11:12 PM               

Flight Day Sixteen Highlights

posted 07-31-2009 04:27 AM               

Flight Day Seventeen

Leaving behind in orbit a new "porch" for the International Space Station, two pair of small research satellites, and a new space station resident, space shuttle Endeavour's crew is ready to come home.

The STS-127 astronauts were woke at 1:03 a.m. CDT by the song "Beautiful Day" performed by the band U2 and selected for mission specialist Tom Marshburn.

"We are looking forward to getting back and seeing our families. It's been just great working with everyone. We will miss certain parts of the flight for sure," Marshburn radioed.

Endeavour is targeted to land in Florida at the Kennedy Space Center today with a deorbit burn at 8:42 a.m. CDT leading to a touchdown at 9:48 a.m. on runway 15 at the Shuttle Landing Facility.

In preparation for that landing, Endeavour's payload bay doors are set to be closed at 6:02 a.m.

Weather conditions at Kennedy are forecast to be favorable, although there is a slight chance of rain. If needed, a second opportunity for a Florida landing comes with an engine firing at 10:17 a.m., setting up Endeavour to arrive back on earth an 11:22 a.m.

No other landing sites are being considered for today. If the weather prevents both landing attempts, the crew will spend an additional day in orbit and alternate sites in California and New Mexico will be called up for Saturday's opportunities.

Image credit: NASA TV

posted 07-31-2009 06:04 AM               

Payload bay doors closed

The STS-127 astronauts have closed Endeavour's payload bay doors in preparation for returning to Earth today.

Flight managers in Mission Control have given the "go" for the crew to next work on transitioning the shuttle's flight software to its reentry configuration.

The possibility of rain within 30 miles of the Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landing Facility remains the only slight concern for today.

posted 07-31-2009 07:41 AM               

"Go" for fluid loading

Remaining optimistic that rain showers will stay offshore near the Kennedy Space Center, Mission Control gave the "go" for space shuttle Endeavour's astronauts to start "fluid loading" about an hour before the 8:41 a.m. CDT deorbit burn that would bring them back to Florida.

"Fluid loading" will aid the astronauts' readjustment to gravity. The crew was given a choice of drinks, as indicated by the table below.

Image credit: NASA

posted 07-31-2009 08:28 AM               

Endeavour heading to Florida

The slight chance of rain showers in the vicinity of Kennedy Space Center will not prevent space shuttle Endeavour from returning home to Florida today.

"Endeavour, Houston, great news! You are go for the deorbit burn," reported capcom Alan Poindexter.

"You are a steely-eyed hero," replied commander Mark Polansky. "Go for the deorbit burn."

Polansky will fire Endeavour's orbital maneuvering system engines at 8:41:10 a.m. CDT to set up a landing at the Kennedy Space Center at 9:48 a.m.

posted 07-31-2009 08:44 AM               

Deorbit burn

STS-127 commander Mark Polansky fired Endeavour's twin orbital maneuvering system engines at 8:41:10 a.m. CDT for two minutes and 51 seconds, slowing the orbiter's velocity by 303 feet per second (or about 207 miles per hour) beginning his and his six crewmates' return to Earth.

"Good burn, no trim required," reported Mission Control.

"Copy and concur," said Polansky.

Endeavour is on its way home after a 16-day mission to complete the Japanese Kibo laboratory on the International Space Station.

Landing on Runway 15 at Kennedy Space Center is set for 9:48 a.m.

posted 07-31-2009 09:16 AM               

Entry interface

Endeavour, flying over the South Pacific with its nose tipped up and its wings level, encountered the first traces of Earth's atmosphere, known as the "entry interface", at 9:16 a.m. CDT at an altitude of 399,000 feet while still over 5,000 miles from landing on Runway 15 at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

posted 07-31-2009 09:22 AM               

S-turns

Endeavour is now flying a series of four steep banks, rolling as much as 80 degrees to one side or the other, to slow down.

This series of banks gives the shuttle's track toward the landing site the appearance of an elongated letter "S".

posted 07-31-2009 09:44 AM               

Boom! Boom!

Twin sonic booms have been heard in Florida, as Endeavour dropped below the speed of sound.

Commander Mark Polansky has taken over control of Endeavour to guide it through a 210-degree left overhead turn to align the orbiter for a 9:48 a.m. CDT touchdown on Runway 15 at the Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landing Facility in Florida.

posted 07-31-2009 09:48 AM               

Touchdown!

Space shuttle Endeavour touched down safely at 9:48:08 a.m. CDT at Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landing Facility in Florida.

"Wheels stop," reported commander Mark Polansky as Endeavour rolled to a halt.

"Welcome home!" replied capcom Alan Poindexter from Mission Control Houston. "Congratulations on a superb mission from beginning to end. Very well done."

"Well, thanks to you and the whole team. That's what it is all about," said Polansky. "We're happy to be home."

Video credit: NASA TV

STS-127 completed 248 orbits while logging 6.5 million miles over the course of 15 days, 16 hours, 44 minutes, and 58 seconds.

This was the 71st space shuttle landing at Kennedy Space Center.

STS-127 marked Endeavour's 23rd flight, the 127th mission for the space shuttle program, and the 29th U.S. mission to the International Space Station.

The STS-127 crew -- commander Mark "Roman" Polansky, pilot Doug "Chunky" Hurley and mission specialists Dave Wolf, Chris Cassidy, Tom Marshburn and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Julie Payette -- completed 11 days of docked operations at the station, including five spacewalks to complete Japan's Kibo laboratory and replace the first set of the outpost's solar array batteries.

Their seventh crewmate on the ride home was Japan's first long duration space station resident, Koichi Wakata. A flight engineer for three station expedition crews since March, Wakata spent 138 days in space before being replaced by NASA astronaut Tim Kopra, who launched on Endeavour and will return to Earth with the next shuttle mission targeted for launch in late August.

Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett