The space shuttle Endeavour landed safely at the Kennedy Space Center on Wednesday at 8:39 p.m. EDT after an almost 16-day mission. Commander Dominic Gorie guided the orbiter to a safe landing at Cape Canaveral. The shuttle’s seven-member crew delivered a new Japanese module and a Canadian robot to the International Space Station, where they stayed for a record 12 days.
Having wrapped up a highly successful visit to the International Space Station, the space shuttle Endeavour has departed the orbiting outpost and is headed back for a Wednesday evening landing at Cape Canaveral.
The shuttle attached a Japanese module and the Canadian maintenance robot Dextre to the space station. ISS and shuttle astronauts also conducted a record-tying five spacewalks during the 12-day visit.
The shuttle dropped off Garrett Reisman for an extended stay on the outpost. It is returning with French astronaut Leopold Eyharts.
Astronaut Rick Linnehan exits the U.S. Quest airlock and begins the first STS-123 spacewalk. Credit: NASA TV
NASA PRESS RELEASE
(with additional staff reporting)
Mission Specialist Rick Linnehan and Expedition 16 Flight Engineer Garrett Reisman kicked off the STS-123 mission’s first spacewalk at 9:18 p.m. EDT Thursday. Their primary goal is to prepare the Japanese Logistics Module - Pressurized Section (JLP), the first component of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s Kibo laboratory, to be installed on the International Space Station early Friday morning.
Their tasks include preparing the JLP for unberthing from space shuttle Endeavour’s payload bay. They will open a flap to reveal the Centerline Berthing Camera System on top of the Harmony module. The system provides live video to assist with docking spacecraft and modules together.
Once in the shuttle’s payload bay, the two spacewalkers will remove contamination covers from the Passive Common Berthing Mechanism, the docking port that allows modules to be attached to other spacecraft or modules.
In addition, they will install both the Orbital Replacement Unit tool change out mechanisms on the Canadian-built Dextre, the final element of the station’s Mobile Servicing System.
Meanwhile, Mission Specialists Robert Behnken and Léopold Eyharts will use the shuttle’s robotic arm to begin moving the JLP to its place on the station.
The spacewalk follows Endeavour’s successfully docking with the International Space Station on Wednesday at 11:49 pm EDT. NASA also reports that an initial inspection of the shuttle found no damage to the vehicle’s exterior. Launch video showed a piece of debris flying off near the orbiter.
Space Shuttle Endeavour astronauts are inspecting their ship for damage after cameras caught a mysterious piece of debris that might have struck the shuttle’s nose 10 seconds after launch, AFP reports.
“It looks like it’s not coming from the orbiter, and you can’t really tell if it strikes the orbiter or not,” Flight Director Mike Moses said. “I can’t even begin to speculate on what it could be.”
The Space Shuttle Endeavour lifted off early Tuesday morning on a 16-day mission to the deliver equipment to the International Space Station. The 2:28 a.m. liftoff brightened the darkened skies over the Kennedy Space Center and could be seen along the East Coast of the United States.
The seven-member crew will deliver a Japanese supply module as well as a Canadian robot named Dextre, which is designed to perform routine maintenance on the station’s exterior.
NASA officials say the shuttle is performing well.
The Ariane 5 lifted off successfully at 04:03 UT Sunday from the European Spaceport in French Guiana carrying ESA’s Automated Transfer Vehicle. The robotic spacecraft, dubbed Jules Verne, is bound for the International Space Station to deliver 7 metric tons of equipment and supplies.
The spacecraft is scheduled to dock with ISS several weeks from now after the space shuttle Endeavour completes its construction mission. Endeavour is schedule for launch on March 11 and is schedule to stay 16 days at the station.
ATV will conduct system checks for several weeks, including two approaches to the orbital outpost as well as “escape” maneuvers to back away from the station. The tests are designed to verify software and prevent any collision with ISS.
“The two approach tests will give ESA, NASA and Rocket Space Corp. Energia time to critically examine the performance of ATV’s systems,” said Brian Smith, NASA’s lead ATV flight director. “ATV must pass these tests before it will be allowed to initiate the final rendezvous and docking. The tests have been designed to verify the systems vital to ensuring the safety of the ISS and its crew perform as expected.”
When the space shuttle Endeavour lifts off next week, it will carry the first part of a sophisticated Japanese module as well as a Canadian robot to the International Space Station.
Japanese astronaut Takao Doi will help set up the Kibo, a storage module that is the first of three components of the Japanese Hope laboratory. The 4-meter (14-foot) long Kibo is built to fit eight racks of equipment.
“It may feel a little bit small inside,” Doi said. “It’s a little bit bigger than a [small] walk-in closet.”
The seven-member crew also will deliver the Canadian Space Agency’s Dextre robot, which astronauts will use for maintenance purposes on the exterior of the space station. Astronauts inside the station or on the ground will be able to use the robot for routine tasks now done during spacewalks.
MSNBC has more information about Kibo, Dextre and the flight here and here.