STS-119 Press releases

[jacqmans]

STS-119 MCC Status Report #07   

A busy day in orbit for the crews of Space Shuttle Discovery and the International Space Station has set the stage for another station assembly task – the installation of the final truss segment and American solar power panels.

As the crew prepared for the first spacewalk to assist with the truss installation, Mission Control radioed that no further inspection of Discovery’s heat shield is necessary clearing the way for an earlier deployment of the solar wings Friday.

Late today, imagery analysts along with the Damage Assessment Team in Mission Control determined Discovery’s heat shield is healthy for reentry next week. A final routine inspection of the shuttle’s wing leading edge panels will be conducted after Discovery leaves the station to ensure their health.

Near the end of the crew day, the station’s robotic arm maneuvered the 31,000 pound, 45-foot-long truss segment to an overnight “park” position to await the start of the first spacewalk by Mission Specialists Steve Swanson and Ricky Arnold. They will “campout” in the Quest airlock of the station at a reduced air pressure overnight to prepare their bodies for the spacewalk planned to last six and a half hours.

The two astronauts will assist with final connection of the S6 to its permanent home attached to the remaining station truss. They will connect plumbing, electrical and data cables bringing the segment to life before deployment of the 240-foot-long solar panels.

Meanwhile, the newest station crew member Koichi Wakata is settling in for a three-month stay on board after swapping places with Sandy Magnus who returns home aboard Discovery after four months in space.

Wakata is the first Japanese astronaut to stay long-term aboard the station. He will be on board when the final pieces of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s Kibo laboratory are launched aboard Endeavour this summer on the STS-127 mission.

The crews head to bed between 10 and 11 tonight as preparations continue toward Thursday’s assembly task.

The next status report will be issued after crew wake up, which is set for 7:13 Thursday morning, or earlier if events warrant.

[jacqmans]

STS-119 MCC Status Report #08   

A big power boost for the International Space Station comes today with the installation of the last set of U.S. solar arrays during the first spacewalk of this flight of space shuttle Discovery.

The shuttle crew was awakened this morning with the song “Que Bandera Bonita” by Jose Gonzalez, played for Mission Specialist Joseph Acaba. His spacewalking crewmates, Mission Specialists Steve Swanson and Richard Arnold, spent the night in the station’s Quest airlock at reduced atmospheric pressure to accelerate their preparations for today’s 6.5-hour spacewalk. Later this morning after a hygiene break, station Commander Mike Fincke and shuttle Pilot Tony Antonelli will help them get into their spacesuits.

About 10 a.m. CDT, Mission Specialist John Phillips and station Flight Engineer Koichi Wakata will command the station’s robotic arm to move the S6 Truss element to a position near the outboard end of the starboard truss. When Swanson and Arnold exit the airlock at 12:13 p.m., they will move to the installation location and provide guidance to Phillips and Wakata as they fly S6 to its mating position against the S5 element. Swanson and Arnold then will bolt the two components together.

After Canadarm2 releases S6 and moves away, the spacewalkers will plug in power and data cables to connect the new hardware and remove launch restraints from the photovoltaic radiator and the boxes containing the new solar arrays. They also will deploy the Beta Gimbal Assemblies, which contain the masts that support the solar arrays, and position the boxes for later deployment.

While extension of the new solar array wings originally was scheduled for Flight Day 8, the decision that no focused inspection of Discovery’s heat shield will be needed has freed up time in the flight plan to complete the deployment on Flight Day 6. A final decision on rescheduling deployment won’t be made until after today’s spacewalk is complete.

This afternoon Phillips and Antonelli will continue troubleshooting the shuttle’s bicycle ergometer, which has been inoperative throughout the mission.

[jacqmans]

STS-119 MCC Status Report #09   

The International Space Station’s 335-foot-long truss, or backbone, is complete after astronauts aboard space shuttle Discovery and the station teamed with Mission Control to install the final 45-foot-long segment to the farthest starboard point of the station. Next up is Friday’s deployment of the two solar array wings – each stretching 115 feet.

With spacewalkers Steve Swanson and Ricky Arnold at the ready outside the station, shuttle Mission Specialist John Phillips and Expedition 18 Flight Engineer Koichi Wakata remotely controlled the station robotic arm with the 31,000 pound S6 truss into its final position. Swanson and Arnold immediately went to work bolting the segment in place and connecting the power and data cables allowing station flight controllers to remotely command the segment to life.

Swanson’s third spacewalk and Arnold’s first began at 12:16 p.m. and ended at 6:23 p.m. totaling 6 hours, 7 minutes. The 121st spacewalk brings the total for station assembly and maintenance to more than 762 hours.

The solar array deployment originally was scheduled for Sunday, but was moved to Friday when Discovery’s heat shield inspections showed no problems that would require further analysis by using the extension boom and sensor package.

After wake up Friday, the crew will oversee deployment of the solar arrays as they are methodically unfurled through a step sequence to preclude the thin panels from sticking together. Engineers have developed specific procedures learned over time with the deployment of the other three pair of arrays on earlier assembly missions.

Late today, Phillips and shuttle Pilot Tony Antonelli restored Discovery’s exercise bicycle ergometer to use after removing a protective cover and freeing a jam.

The station and shuttle crews head to bed about 10:30 tonight and will be awakened by Mission Control at 6:43 a.m. Friday. The next status report will be issued at the end of the crew day, or earlier if events warrant.

[jacqmans]

STS-119 MCC Status Report #10   

The International Space Station’s new solar array wings will spread today, doubling the electric power available to conduct world-class science research in the laboratory modules supplied by countries from around the world.

Each solar array wing contains almost 33,000 silicon photovoltaic cells. Taken together, the new hardware adds enough generating capacity to double the power available for station science operations from 15 kilowatts to 30 kilowatts.

Overnight, station flight controllers unlatched the boxes containing the solar array panels and deployed each array minimally to verify proper operation. Full deployment starts at 9:48 a.m. CDT with the shuttle and station crew members at the controls and at all the windows to monitor the activity.

The first array mast will be commanded to slowly extend to half its length, so any sticking solar panels can gently pull apart from one another. The partially deployed array will be left to warm in the sun for 35 minutes so the panels become less sticky before the array is commanded to deploy to its full length. Then the procedure will be repeated for the other array.

Just before lunch, Expedition 18 Commander Michael Fincke, Flight Engineers Yury Lonchakov and Koichi Wakata, and Mission Specialist Sandra Magnus will discuss the progress of the mission in interviews with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Reuters and Voice of America.

In the afternoon crew members will resume transferring equipment and supplies onto the station. Mission Specialists Steve Swanson and Joseph Acaba will prepare the Quest airlock for the spacewalk they’ll make Saturday.

Today’s wakeup music, “Box of Rain” by the Grateful Dead, was played for Mission Specialist John Phillips.

The next status report will be issued at the end of the crew day, or earlier if events warrant.

[jacqmans]

MEDIA ADVISORY: M09-041

SHUTTLE AND SPACE STATION CREWS HOLD NEWS CONFERENCE FROM SPACE

HOUSTON -- The 10 crew members aboard space shuttle Discovery and the
International Space Station will hold a news conference at 12:08 p.m.
CDT on Tuesday, March 24.

U.S. reporters may ask questions in person from NASA's Johnson Space
Center in Houston, Kennedy Space Center in Florida and Headquarters
in Washington. Questions also will be taken from Russian reporters at
Mission Control, Moscow, and Japanese reporters at Johnson.

To participate in the news conference, U.S. journalists must call the
public affairs office at their preferred NASA center by 1 p.m.
Monday. Media must be in place at participating locations at least 20
minutes prior to the start of the news conference.
NASA Television will provide live coverage of the 40-minute news
conference. For NASA TV downlink, schedule and streaming video
information, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/ntv

During Discovery's STS-119 mission, the crews are installing the final
set of solar arrays to fully power science experiments and support
the station's expanded crew of six in May.

For more information about the STS-119 mission and its crew, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle

For more information about the space station and its crew, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/station

[jacqmans]

STS-119 MCC Status Report #11   

The International Space Station has its final pair of solar panels stretching 240 feet tip to tip after a lessons-learned flawless deploy earlier Friday. The station now has nearly an acre’s worth of U.S. arrays producing 120 kilowatts of usable electricity – doubling the amount available for science operations to 30 kilowatts.

Even before the crew awoke Friday, the protective blanket box latches were released and the arrays were deployed slightly to prepare for the deploys that began one wing at a time just after 10 a.m. The two-stage extension took just under an hour for each and was completed at 12:17 p.m. when the second array was unfurled to its full length of 115 feet.

Four pair of arrays were attached to the station in December 2000, September 2006, June 2007 and March 2009 bringing the total surface area to 38,400 square feet, or .9 acre. (1 acre = 43,500 sq ft)

With all crew watching for any problems from various windows and via several camera views, the arrays were deployed by the book on the strength of engineering procedures refined after problems with deploy and retraction occurred on previous arrays due to a phenomenon known as “stiction,” which simply means the accordion-like solar cells stick together until warmed properly.

After deploy, Expedition 18 Commander Mike Fincke and STS-119 Mission Specialist Sandy Magnus turned their attention to the replacement of a failed distillation unit which is part of the elaborate water purification and recycling system on the station. The failed unit will be returned aboard Discovery for analysis after the shuttle mission ends.

This evening, Mission Specialists Steve Swanson and Joseph Acaba will prepare the Quest airlock for their spacewalk set to begin just before noon Saturday. The spacewalk will focus on preparing worksites for future missions including Endeavour’s STS-127 mission and the arrival of the newest cargo vehicle – the Japanese H-II Transfer Vehicle (HTV).

Both crews head to bed between 10 and 11 p.m. and will be awakened at 6:43 a.m. Saturday.

The next status report will be issued after crew wake up, or earlier if events warrant.

[jacqmans]

STS-119 MCC Status Report #12   

The second spacewalk of the first space shuttle mission of the year begins today on board a space station with two new solar array wings ready to start supplying electricity.

Today’s spacewalkers, Mission Specialists Steve Swanson and Joseph Acaba, spent last night in the International Space Station’s Quest airlock under reduced atmospheric pressure, a standard pre-spacewalk protocol to speed the purge of nitrogen from their bloodstreams. After a hygiene break they will return to the airlock accompanied by shuttle Pilot Tony Antonelli and Expedition 18 Commander Mike Fincke and Flight Engineer Koichi Wakata to continue preparations for their 6.5-hour spacewalk.

When the spacewalk begins at 11:43 a.m. CDT Swanson and Acaba will move to the far port end of the station's truss structure to prepare the worksite for replacement batteries, a task slated to be completed during the STS-127 mission. Next, they will move inboard to the P3 truss segment to install an unpressurized cargo carrier attachment system.

Swanson then moves to the pressurized logistics module attached to the Kibo laboratory to install a Global Positioning System antenna, which will be used for the planned September rendezvous of a new Japanese cargo ship, and then moves to the Z1 truss segment to reconfigure connectors at a patch panel. In the meantime, Acaba will be collecting standard and infrared imagery of panels of the radiators deployed from the P1 and S1 trusses.

Swanson and Acaba join forces again at the S3 truss segment to install a payload attachment system before heading back to the Quest airlock to conclude the spacewalk.

Today’s wake-up music was “In a Little While” performed by the group Pilgrim and Trout for Mission Specialist Richard Arnold.

[jacqmans]

STS-119 MCC Status Report #13   

The STS-119 mission of space shuttle Discovery to the International Space Station approached the halfway point with focus today on the second spacewalk to prepare the complex for future assembly flights and arrival in the fall of a new cargo-carrying spacecraft – Japan’s H-II Transfer Vehicle.

Steve Swanson and Joe Acaba floated out of the Quest airlock at 11:51 a.m. for the six hour, 30 minute spacewalk completing the highest priority tasks that included preparing a worksite for new batteries that will be brought up on the STS-127 mission of Endeavour. They also installed a Global Positioning System antenna on the pressurized logistics module attached to the Kibo laboratory.

During installation of a cargo carrier attach system, a misaligned bracket proved too difficult to reposition and the crew was called off to pursue other tasks, including imagery documentation of station radiators.

With the 122nd spacewalk devoted to station assembly and maintenance complete, astronauts now have spent more than 768 hours outside the station. Swanson completed his fourth spacewalk and Acaba, his first.

Replanning efforts are underway to review tasks for the third spacewalk planned for Monday. Acaba and Ricky Arnold are scheduled to conduct that spacewalk.

Inside the station, station Commander Mike Fincke and shuttle Mission Specialist Sandy Magnus activated the newly installed distillation assembly component of the Urine Processor and claimed its initial operation seemed to operate with less noise. Sunday the unit will be run through an actual processing cycle, which takes about four hours.

Also Sunday, the crews will have some off duty time ahead of continued transfer work and preparations for Monday’s spacewalk.

[jacqmans]

STS-119 MCC Status Report #14   

The astronauts on board space shuttle Discovery get a halftime break today as they reach the midpoint of the 13-day assembly mission to the International Space Station.

This morning’s wake-up music was “Alive Again” by Chicago, played for Chicago-area native Commander Lee Archambault. He, Pilot Tony Antonelli and Mission Specialists Joseph Acaba, Steve Swanson, Richard Arnold and John Phillips have three hours of off-duty time scheduled this morning.

Meanwhile, Expedition 18 Commander Mike Fincke will fill the Urine Processing Assembly for its first processing run since installation of a new Distillation Assembly, the component that removes impurities from urine in the early phase of water recycling. The new DA had a good “dry spin” yesterday, with Fincke and Mission Specialist Sandra Magnus reporting it made much less noise in operation than had the old one. A second dry spin is planned immediately before the processing run, to provide ground teams an opportunity to record the sound made while the UPA operates, for further analysis and troubleshooting.

Magnus will spend time this morning continuing her handover to Japanese astronaut Koichi Wakata, while Flight Engineer Yury Lonchakov attends to maintenance in the Russian section of the International Space Station.

In the latter portion of the day the crews will turn attention to preparations for the third spacewalk of the mission, on Monday. Difficulties installing a cargo carrier attachment system to the P3 truss segment during Saturday’s spacewalk kept Swanson and Acaba from completing all the tasks on that timeline. The plan for Monday’s spacewalk is under review to ensure that the highest priority tasks for spacewalks on this flight will be completed before Discovery undocks on Wednesday.

At 5:14 p.m. CDT Archambault, Antonelli, Acaba, Phillips, Magnus and Wakata will gather in the Harmony node to discuss the progress of the flight in interviews with CNN en Espanol, CBS News and WOFL-TV in Orlando.

The next status report will be issued at the end of the crew day, or earlier if events warrant.

[jacqmans]

STS-119 MCC Status Report #15   

Focus today aboard the International Space Station and space shuttle Discovery was on spacewalk preparations and tests of the urine recycling unit – part of an overall system designed to regenerate waste water and urine into drinking water as the complex prepares to increase its crew size from three to six.

Station Commander Mike Fincke spent much of the day working with the Urine Processing Assembly now that it has a new distillation assembly delivered by Discovery’s crew. Initially the system showed a lower than expected flow rate when attempts were made to fill the reservoir tank, but after a tank swap, the tank was filled.

A second “dry spin” of the unit is underway with a microphone strategically placed near the new Distillation Assembly to allow engineers on the ground to collect sound data in order to compare with that gathered before launch during the unit’s ground certification testing. Fincke and former Flight Engineer now shuttle Mission Specialist Sandy Magnus reported that during the first “dry spin” the unit sounded quieter than the unit it replaced.

Following the sound measurements and data evaluation of the unit’s operation, Fincke was given the go to begin the “wet spin” processing of the unit’s first sample. A full run takes about four to five hours.

Mission Specialists Joe Acaba and Ricky Arnold prepared tools and equipment for their spacewalk tomorrow – the third and final planned during Discovery’s visit to the station. They also began an overnight “campout” in the Quest airlock to condition their bodies ahead of the spacewalk set to begin at 10:43 Monday morning.

They plan to relocate an equipment cart from one side of the station’s Mobile Transporter to the other; attempt to complete a deploy of a cargo carrier that exhibited a balky handle during the second spacewalk Saturday. They also will deploy a payload attach system and complete work to swap electrical relays to the station’s gyroscopes. One last task will be to lubricate the latching end effector on the station’s robotic arm – a routine maintenance task to prevent stickiness during latching procedures.

Magnus also continued her handover to Japanese astronaut Koichi Wakata, while Flight Engineer Yury Lonchakov attends to maintenance in the Russian section of the International Space Station.

[jacqmans]

Final Pair of Massive Lockheed Martin Solar Arrays Begin Providing Power to International Space Station

SUNNYVALE, Calif., , March 23rd, 2009 -- The fourth and final pair of massive solar arrays, built by Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] at its Space Systems facility in Sunnyvale, have been installed on the International Space Station by the crew of the space shuttle Discovery. The two new arrays have been deployed and are generating electricity.

"It is a testament to the professionalism of the STS-119 crew and the mission support team that they made this challenging ISS construction project look easy, and the deployment of the new arrays was a sight to behold," said Brad Haddock, Lockheed Martin ISS program director. "To see all eight of our arrays deployed is wonderfully satisfying, and we're confident that this addition will provide the electricity to fully power science experiments and support expanded crews for many years to come."

The Space Systems ISS solar arrays are the largest deployable space structure ever built and are by far, the most powerful electricity-producing arrays ever put into orbit. When the Station is completed the eight flexible, deployable solar array wings will generate the reliable, continuous power required for the on-orbit operation of the ISS systems. The eight array wings were designed and built under a $450-million contract from The Boeing Company. Boeing is the prime contractor to NASA, and is responsible for design, development, construction and integration of the ISS.

Each of the eight wings consists of a mast assembly and two solar array blankets. The blankets each have 84 panels, of which 82 are populated with solar cells. Each panel contains 200 solar cells. The eight photovoltaic arrays thus accommodate a total of 262,400 solar cells. Fully deployed in space, the active area of the eight wings - each 107 by 38-feet - encompass an area of 32,528-square feet and are designed to provide power to the ISS for 15 years.

In addition to the arrays, Space Systems in Sunnyvale designed and built other elements for the Space Station. Two Solar Alpha Rotary Joints (SARJ) - each 10.5 feet in diameter and 40 inches long - were delivered to ISS in 2006 and 2007, and maintain the arrays in an optimal orientation to the sun while the entire space station orbits the Earth once every 90 minutes. A pair of Thermal Radiator Rotary Joints (TRRJ) - each five and a half feet long and three feet in diameter - was launched in 2002, and maintains Space Station thermal radiators in an edge-on orientation to the sun that maximizes the dissipation of heat from the radiators into space.

Space Systems also produced the Trace Contaminant Control System ¬- launched to ISS as an element of the U.S. Destiny Laboratory module in 2001 - an advanced air processing and filtering system that ensures that over 200 various trace chemical contaminants, generated from material off-gassing and metabolic functions in the Space Station atmosphere, remain within allowable concentration levels. It is an integral part of the Space Station's Cabin Air Revitalization Subsystem.

Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company, a major operating unit of Lockheed Martin Corporation, designs and develops, tests, manufactures and operates a full spectrum of advanced-technology systems for national security and military, civil government and commercial customers. Chief products include human space flight systems; a full range of remote sensing, navigation, meteorological and communications satellites and instruments; space observatories and interplanetary spacecraft; laser radar; ballistic missiles; missile defense systems; and nanotechnology research and development.

Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin is a global security company that employs about 146,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. The corporation reported 2008 sales of $42.7 billion.
 
Media Contact:
Buddy Nelson
(510) 797-0349
e-mail, [email protected]

[jacqmans]

STS-119 MCC Status Report #16   

Readying the International Space Station for a larger crew by moving an equipment cart and completing the deployment of a cargo carrier will be the hub of today’s activities outside the station for the third and final spacewalk by Discovery's astronauts.

Mission Specialists Joseph Acaba and Richard Arnold, each performing their second spacewalk, are expected to exit the station at 10:43 this morning. They plan to relocate a cart that moves along the rails of the space station's truss, attempt to complete the deployment of a cargo carrier that exhibited a balky pin during the second spacewalk Saturday and finish swapping electrical relays to the station’s gyroscopes.

Arnold also will lubricate one of the two end effectors of the space station's robotic arm, duplicating the work done by spacewalker Shane Kimbrough on the opposite end during the STS-126 mission.

After spending much of Sunday working on the Urine Processing Assembly, Station Commander Mike Fincke was successful in getting the system up and running on a “wet spin,” the processing of the unit’s first sample, before retiring for the evening. The UPA continued working through the evening and completed its first cycle at 1:35 a.m.

The urine recycling unit is part of an overall system designed to regenerate wastewater and urine into drinking water that will allow the complex to increase its crew size from three to six. Samples of the water will be returned aboard Discovery.

Discovery crew members, Commander Lee Archambault, Pilot Tony Antonelli and Mission Specialists Acaba, Arnold, Steve Swanson, John Phillips and Sandra Magnus, were awakened at 5:43 a.m. CDT with the song “Ain’t Nobody Here But Us Chickens” by Louis Jordan. It was played for Swanson.

Discovery’s crew is scheduled to go to bed at 9:13 p.m. today and be awakened at 5:13 a.m. Tuesday.

[jacqmans]

STS-119 MCC Status Report #17   

The International Space Station is ready for space shuttle Endeavour’s STS-127 mission in a few months now that spacewalking astronauts have completed all of the mandatory tasks in preparation for its crew size growth to six and the addition of the Japanese exposed facility.

The third and final planned spacewalk of the mission by Mission Specialists Joe Acaba and Ricky Arnold began with the most important task, which was to relocate one of two crew equipment carts from one side of the Mobile Transporter to the other. That provides clearance margin for STS-127 assembly tasks, including attachment of the exposed facility onto the Japanese science laboratory.

As on the second spacewalk Saturday, the astronauts had trouble freeing a stuck mechanism to allow deployment of a spare equipment platform and deferred that to a future spacewalk. Because of that problem, Mission Control made a conscious decision to forego work on a similar payload attach system on the opposite side of the truss in case the problem was generic.

The six-hour, 27-minute spacewalk also included lubricating the end effector capture snares on the station’s robot arm – similar to what was done to the other end on an STS-126 spacewalk in late 2008. This has been proven to prevent the snare from snagging or not returning snugly into its groove inside the latching mechanism.

Inside the station a successful run using the Urine Processor Assembly took place collecting 15 pounds of reclaimed drinking water. Samples will be returned aboard Discovery for analysis before crew members will be given the “go” to drink the water aboard the station.

Tuesday all crew members will enjoy some off-duty time before gathering for their traditional news conference beginning about 12:05 p.m.

The nine astronauts and one cosmonaut will receive a wake up call from Mission Control at 5:13 a.m. Tuesday.

[jacqmans]

STS-119 MCC Status Report #18   

The crew members on board space shuttle Discovery and the International Space Station get a breather from a busy timeline today as they near the end of their joint docked operations and prepare their vehicles for undocking Wednesday.

The crew’s wake-up song this morning, played for Mission Specialist John Phillips, was “Andrew’s Song” by Treestump, a band in which Phillips’ daughter plays.

The shuttle and station crew members will spend the first half of their day on supplies and equipment transfers between the two vehicles ahead of hatch closing and the scheduled undocking of Discovery at 2:53 p.m. CDT tomorrow. Shuttle Commander Lee Archambault and most of his shuttle crewmates have scheduled off-duty time this afternoon. Expedition 18 Commander Mike Fincke, Flight Engineer Koichi Wakata and Mission Specialist Sandra Magnus are scheduled for daily exercise this afternoon.

Flight Engineer Yury Lonchakov has time set aside today to set up a work area in the Russian section of the station for a forthcoming visitor, Spaceflight Participant Charles Simonyi. He is due to arrive at the station Saturday in the company of Expedition 19 Commander Gennady Padalka and Flight Engineer Mike Barratt. They’re due to launch at 6:49 a.m. Thursday from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan and dock to the station at 8:14 a.m. Saturday.

The shuttle and station crew members are slated to get together to discuss the progress of the flight in a 35-minute joint news conference starting at 12:05 p.m. The astronauts and cosmonaut will respond to questions from reporters at several NASA centers around the country, including a contingent of Japanese reporters at the Johnson Space Center in Houston. The news conference will be replayed with interpretation of the Japanese portion at 1 p.m.

[jacqmans]

STS-119 MCC Status Report #19   

The crews of space shuttle Discovery and the International Space Station took a break today in and around transfer work ahead of Wednesday’s farewell and undocking of the shuttle. The ten spacefarers also talked with President Barack Obama joined by school children at the White House and later with reporters covering their mission.

The stage is set for Discovery to undock from the station at 2:53 p.m. Wednesday after the crew bids farewell to its temporary home and the Expedition 18 crew, leaving behind Japanese astronaut Koichi Wakata and bringing home Sandy Magnus after four months aboard the station.

Early in the day, the crews gathered for a long distance phone call from President Obama flanked by school children and congressional members to quiz the ten crew members on their mission and life in space.

Later, the crew turned its attention to transfer checklists as the time nears to say goodbye leaving the station larger and more powerful than it was before Discovery arrived.

The formal farewell and hatch closing is scheduled just before noon Wednesday followed by leak checks ahead of departure.

The staggered sleep shift shows the station crew heading to bed about 8:45 p.m. and Discovery’s crew 30 minutes later at about 9:15 p.m. Wake up comes at 5:13 a.m. Wednesday to start the final hours of the joint mission.

[jacqmans]

STS-119 MCC Status Report #20   

After more than four months in space, astronaut Sandra Magnus takes the first step on the road home today when space shuttle Discovery undocks from the International Space Station.

The shuttle crew was awakened at 5:14 a.m. CDT today with the song “Dirty Water” by the Standells, played for Pilot Tony Antonelli, who’ll be at the controls of Discovery when it undocks from the station.

The shuttle and station crew members will take care of the final transfers of equipment and supplies this morning, including leaving a 12th container of water on the station, moving two spacesuits back to Discovery and transferring two double cold bags containing temperature-sensitive experiment samples to the shuttle for return to Earth.

The 10 crew members will gather in the Harmony module at 11:53 a.m. for a farewell ceremony before shuttle Commander Lee Archambault leads his crew back into Discovery. He and station Commander Mike Fincke will close the hatches between their two vehicles.

At 2:53 p.m. Antonelli will command Discovery to release the station’s Pressurized Mating Adapter 2 as springs push the shuttle out in front of the station. At a distance of 400 feet, Antonelli will start circling the station so the shuttle’s crew and cameras can get the first look at the completed truss structure and the fourth set of solar array wings fully deployed. Then the thrusters will be fired to move Discovery away from the station to start the journey home for a planned landing Saturday at the Kennedy Space Center.

[jacqmans]

MEDIA ADVISORY: M09-045

HAWAII STUDENTS TO RECEIVE SPECIAL CALL FROM SPACE

HONOLULU -- The Hawaii Space Grant Consortium and Punahou School in
Honolulu will host a live education downlink from space shuttle
Discovery with STS-119 mission specialists Joe Acaba, Richard Arnold
and Sandy Magnus. Acaba and Arnold are both former middle and high
school science teachers.

On Friday, March 27, from 7:03 to 7:23 a.m. HST, elementary and high
school students from Punahou School, Pearl City Elementary, Stevenson
Intermediate, Manoa Elementary, St. Ann's School, Gus Webling
Elementary, Mid Pacific Institute, Noelani Elementary, and Lincoln
Elementary Schools will ask questions of astronauts aboard the
shuttle. Acaba visited both Punahou School and NASA Explorer School
Pearl City Elementary in 2006.

Students will be given an opportunity to learn more about what life is
like in space and how gravity affects us on Earth.

The downlink is one in a series with educational organizations in the
U.S. and abroad. It is an integral component of NASA's Teaching From
Space Office. Teaching From Space promotes learning opportunities and
builds partnerships with the education community using the unique
environment of human spaceflight.

[jacqmans]

MEDIA ADVISORY: M09-046

SPACE SHUTTLE DISCOVERY SET TO LAND SATURDAY

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- The space shuttle Discovery's crew is expected
to complete its mission to the International Space Station with a
landing at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 1:43 p.m. EDT on
Saturday, March 28. The return to Earth will conclude a 13-day
flight. Nine of those days were spent docked to the station.

During the STS-119 mission, the shuttle and station crews installed
and deployed the final set of solar arrays. The arrays provide the
electricity to fully power science experiments and support the
station's expanded crew of six in May. The flight also delivered
Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Koichi Wakata, who
replaced space station crew member Sandra Magnus. She spent more than
four months aboard the station and will return to Earth aboard
Discovery.

The entry flight control team in Mission Control at NASA's Johnson
Space Center in Houston will evaluate weather conditions at Kennedy
before permitting Discovery to return to Earth. Saturday's landing
opportunities at Kennedy are at 1:43 p.m. and 3:19 p.m. If weather
prevents a Kennedy landing Saturday, the secondary landing site at
Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., will be activated Sunday for
consideration as well.

Approximately two hours after landing, NASA officials will hold a
media briefing to discuss the mission. The participants will be:
- Bill Gerstenmaier, NASA associate administrator for Space
Operations, NASA Headquarters, Washington
- Mike Leinbach, NASA space shuttle launch director, Kennedy

After touchdown in Florida, the astronauts will undergo physical
examinations and meet with their families. The STS-119 crew is
expected to hold a news conference about five hours after landing
Saturday. Both news events will be broadcast live on NASA Television.
Media interested in participating in the news conference at Kennedy
must pick up their accreditation badges Friday.

The Kennedy News Center will open for landing activities at 9:30 a.m.
Saturday and close at 8 p.m. or one hour after the last media event.
The STS-119 media badges are in effect through landing. The media
accreditation building on State Road 3 will be open Saturday from 10
a.m. to noon. The last bus will depart from the news center for the
Shuttle Landing Facility one hour before landing. For updated
information about the landing, call 321-867-2525.

If the landing is diverted to Edwards, news media should call the
Dryden public affairs office at 661-276-3449. Dryden has limited
facilities available for use by previously accredited journalists.

Live updates to the NASA News Twitter feed are added throughout the
shuttle mission and landing. To access the NASA News Twitter feed and
other agency Twitter feeds, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/collaborate

[jacqmans]

STS-119 MCC Status Report #21   

After 129 days aboard the International Space Station, astronaut Sandy Magnus is headed back to Earth along with the Discovery astronauts, who spent nearly 10 days docked to the station.

The 10 crew members gathered in the Harmony module at 11:53 a.m. for a farewell ceremony where ISS Commander Mike Fincke thanked the Discovery crew for an outstanding mission and giving the station more power and a new crew member, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Koichi Wakata. After shuttle Commander Lee Archambault led his crew back into Discovery, he and Fincke closed the hatches between their two vehicles at 12:59 p.m.

Discovery undocked from the ISS at 2:53 p.m. as springs pushed the shuttle out in front of the station. At a distance of 400 feet, Pilot Tony Antonelli circled the station as the shuttle’s crew and cameras captured the first look at the completed truss structure and the fourth set of solar array wings fully deployed.

At 4:09 p.m., the first of two separation burns was performed to move Discovery away from the station to start the journey home. The final separation burn occurred at 4:37 p.m.

If the STS-119 crew lands on the first opportunity on Saturday, 12:43 p.m. at the Kennedy Space Center, Fla., Magnus will have spent 134 days in space, and Discovery’s crew nearly 13 days in space.

Tomorrow, the crew will wake at 5:13 a.m. and perform a late inspection of Discovery’s thermal protection system using the shuttle robotic arm and the Orbital Boom Sensor System around 9:28 a.m. This procedure will last for approximately five hours before the OBSS and arm are then berthed in Discovery’s payload bay around 2:43 p.m.

Also Thursday, Expedition 19 Commander Gennady Padalka, Flight Engineer Michael Barratt and spaceflight participant Charles Simonyi are on target for a Soyuz launch at 6:49 a.m. from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. They will dock with station Saturday as Discovery ends its STS-119 mission.

[jacqmans]

STS-119 MCC Status Report #22   

A last inspection of the thermal protection system is the order of the day for the crew members on board space shuttle Discovery as they make their way home to Earth.

The crew was awakened at 5:13 a.m. CDT today with the song “Enter Sandman” by Metallica, played for Mission Specialist Joseph Acaba. Within a few hours he and Pilot Tony Antonelli will use the shuttle's robotic arm to grapple the Orbiter Boom Sensor System to kick off today’s inspection.

Starting with the reinforced carbon-carbon panels that line the leading edge of the shuttle’s starboard wing, the crew will guide the OBSS so its cameras and laser sensors can examine the orbiter for signs of damage from orbital debris. The inspection proceeds from the starboard wing, to the nose cap, to the port wing. The OBSS should be returned to its berth on the starboard sill of the payload bay starting at 2:43 p.m.

Throughout the day the crew members have time set aside for exercise to prepare them for the pull of gravity they’ll start to feel on the way to touchdown. Landing is scheduled for 12:38 p.m. Saturday at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. For Mission Specialist Sandra Magnus, it will be her first encounter with gravity in 134 days since her mid-November launch. She has two exercise sessions on her schedule today.

Commander Gennady Padalka and Flight Engineer Michael Barratt of the 19th International Space Station crew launched in their Soyuz from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 6:49 a.m. today. With Padalka and Barratt is second-time spaceflight participant Charles Simonyi, flying under contract with the Russian Federal Space Agency. Padalka will serve as commander of Expeditions 19 and 20 aboard the station. Barratt will serve as a flight engineer for those two missions.